Chapter 13 Together At Last

Emma had woken up first. She was warm and comfortable all because of the beautiful woman practically sleeping on top of her with her injured arm awkwardly sprawled out. Her head was on her chest, and Emma placed a sweet kiss on a head of dark hair. She didn't want to wake her up, especially after the night they had but they had to get to work.

She ran her hand up Regina's body, rubbing her back in attempt to wake her and when that didn't work she leaned down and kissed her. Regina stirred in her sleep with a frown marring her features. Emma grinned at the adorableness, completely captivated.

Regina seemed to have fallen back to sleep and so Emma slipped her hands under the mayor's shirt, her hands spread out on her back. Regina shivered at the warm touch but her eyes remained closed.

"We have to get up," she whispered into her ear and then placed a soft kiss just underneath her ear.

"Go back to sleep," Regina murmured grumpily which was weird because Regina was usually the morning person. Last night really took its toll on her.

"We have to get to work."

"My shoulder hurts."

"I know," Emma whispered, rubbing her back again and then placing a kiss on her still healing shoulder. She guess she could skip her coffee and bear claw run at Grannies this morning and decided to give Regina those extra twenty minutes to let her sleep. She was out like a light and Emma let out a quiet laugh when Regina started to softly snore. It wasn't loud. It was more like heavy breathing.

"Who would've known you could be this adorable," she said to herself, wishing she could reach her phone and record the snoring brunette who was using her upper body as a pillow. Otherwise no one would simply take her word for it and Regina would probably kill her if she even brought it up.

She realized this was among the many things she didn't know about Regina. She knew parts of her past and her decent into darkness. She knew what triggered her moods and that she loved Henry more than anyone in the world. It was the little things that she didn't know and wanted to know. She wanted Regina to know more about her too.

She wanted to be closer…. to be in a relationship and she figured maybe they needed to figure out this thing growing between them.

She was so lost in thought she hadn't realized Regina's breathing had grown quiet and her brown eyes fluttered open.

It wasn't until she felt soft lips placing a sweet kiss on her heart.

"I wanted to let you sleep," Emma smiled as Regina placed her chin on her chest, looking into thoughtful green eyes.

"What's in that head of yours?" she asked, her voice hoarse from sleep. Emma couldn't resist reaching out and tucking a stray strand of dark hair behind Regina's ear. It was so intimate and she knew she wanted this. To wake up every morning beside her.

"I want to be with you," she whispered, getting the words out and being honest with herself and the woman that was using her as a pillow.

"Emma…" her voice shook as she thought about all that was said last night. "If you want to do this you can't hold my past against me. You know who I was… what I've done. You know of my past sins, please don't hurt me over it."

Emma leaned down and kissed her, showing her just how much she really wanted this. Regina moaned into the kiss and when the need for air became too strong they finally pulled away.

"You could trust me," Emma told her, promising her she wouldn't hold her past against her. She wanted Regina to be happy, to feel loved… to open her heart to her. They spent the next few minutes making out, neither caring about work anymore.

"Ok, time to get up," Regina shoved Emma back. They had changed positions with Emma hovering over her. Emma fell beside her with an irritated huff.

"We're already late," she pouted.

"Doesn't mean we never show up," the mayor said as she flung the covers off and got up from the bed.

"Oh, come on. I don't think my boss would mind," Emma winked at her girlfriend, propping herself up on her elbows as she watched her get dressed.

Regina propped up an eyebrow at her statement.

"She wouldn't, would she?"

"Nope, which is why you should just get back in this bed."

Regina came over to her and Emma got up on her knees so that she could kiss her lips, pulling her body close and wrapping her arms around her.

"As much as I want to Emma. We really need to get going," the brunette whispered as they slowly pulled away, only a few inches from each other's lips.

"Ok, fine," she sighed, pulling away and getting up from the bed. "I'll bring you lunch."

Since she couldn't drive until her arm was out of the sling, Emma dropped her off at her office before heading to the station. Regina greeted her secretary with a nod before entering her office and shutting the door.

She had a morning meeting to prep for and didn't have a lot of time thanks to the beautiful blonde sheriff she woke up to. Maybe making out like teenagers this morning wasn't such a great idea. Still…. The memory of Emma's lips on hers made her smile.

She couldn't focus on what the budget committee were discussing. All she could think of was Emma stopping by for lunch. Just seeing her again made her feel like she was falling in love for the first time all over again. The last time she felt like this was the day she met Daniel.

When it was finally over and the last of the committee had filed out of her office, she realized she still had an hour till Emma was supposed to come. She thought maybe she'd catch up on paper work, but then her secretary came in, informing her of a citizen requesting her services.

She usually doesn't do house calls on such short notice, but she had the time and she'd been so cooped up lately because of the stalker situation that she'd been craving the fresh air and change of scenery. The stables weren't too far. Apparently the owner needed her approval for some renovations. She had to check out the property before she could process the paperwork.

She's never met the stable owner but his name was Mr. Black.

When she arrived, she entered the stables, calling out his name. He was nowhere to be seen and annoyance rushed through her at his absence. He had insisted she'd come down here and he was wasting her time.

"You have to be kidding me," she growled under her breath as she headed down the rows of stabled horses and entered the office. It was empty too and she was just about to leave when blinding pain erupted at the back of her head. She fell to the floor, white flashes clouding her vision. The pain distracted her and she felt someone grabbing her arm and slipping on some kind of leather material on her wrist.

The cuff that belonged to her mother.

How did they get that, she found herself thinking as she rolled onto her back. Her hair felt warm and sticky and she knew she was bleeding. She was too dazed from the blow and the pain to get up.

"You…" she murmured when the blurry figure infront her finally came into focus. Her attacker knelt down, grabbing a fistful of her blood soaked hair and pulling her up.

"Together at last my Queen," he whispered into her ear and her stomach rolled in disgust. She willed herself to fight, to get away but she was losing blood. She was losing a war she couldn't win and her eyes grew heavy. She heard the sound of the crowbar falling to the floor, the weapon he had hit her with.

"I… I should have known… it was you," she struggled to get the words out but everything was getting hazier by the second. All she could remember was his cruel eyes before everything with dark.

Emma arrived at the town hall 15 minutes late with a takeout bag from Grannies. She knew Regina wouldn't be happy, but she was wrapped up in settling a ridiculous dispute between two elderly neighbors. She hoped Regina wouldn't be too angry at her. The secretary stopped her before she could enter the office, informing her Regina wasn't in.

That was when Emma knew something was wrong. Regina hadn't gone anywhere alone since that creep had been watching her. She was alone and even if she could protect herself with magic, Emma knew this was the perfect time for him to strike.

"How long?" she asked, setting the bag on the secretary's desk.

"An hour ago at least," the petite dark haired woman had answered. "She had business to see to at the stables."

She was rushing out of the building before the woman could finish her sentence. She called David for back up and was driving as fast as she could to the stables. When she got there she rushed inside, heading straight for the office.

"Regina!" she called out, hoping she was wrong. Hoping that she was just being paranoid and the two were arguing about some business deal. However, she trusted her instincts and with a sinking feeling of dread, she entered the office to see a puddle of blood and a crowbar on the wooden floor.

"Dammit!" she screamed. "Fuck!" She fisted her hands in her hair, panic taking over and she kicked the door, nearly breaking it off the hinges. The horses were spooked by the banging and they neighed and kicked at the stalls with their hooves.

"Emma!" she heard David yelling her name as he ran in and joined her at the office at the end of the stables. "Where is she?" he asked and it was then that he saw the blood on the floor.

"She's gone," Emma's voice trembled, her complexion pale out of fear and panic. "He took her."