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Chapter 2

Lessons and Compromises

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Emma walked into the sheriff's office, looking nervously around her. She had called her parents the night before and talked to Henry, but she wasn't ready to see any of them. Yet, she couldn't shy away from that Snow Queen business and Elsa counted on her to find her sister. Well, seeing how she had messed up everything in the past 24 hours maybe the young queen wasn't relying on her anymore but Emma sill felt like she wanted to help.

"Good morning," a voice called from the other side of the room making the blond jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oh, hi Elsa. Is David here...?"

"No, he felt ten minutes ago. Something to do with a robbery near the docks."

Emma relaxed immediately. She walked to her desk and took her jacket of.

"Anything on the Snow Queen? Has she reappeared since yesterday?"

"No, no one saw her yet. Are you all right?"

Emma felt a punch in the guts. Elsa was asking her if she was OK when she was responsible for the disappearance of the Snow Queen. She knew Elsa was worried sick about Anna and still she found it in her to care about others. Somehow that made Emma fell awful.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry I got you worried last night. And I'm sorry about the Snow Queen. I'll find her again. And this time she will tell us where your sister is."

Elsa smiled, looking both sad and touched.

"I know you will. And here, this is yours."

The young queen stood up and gave Emma her red scarf.

"I used it to located you last night," Elsa answered to the blond's confused expression. "I was afraid you would make a mistake."

"You went after me?"

"Yes. You believed in me even when you where freezing to your death, when I had given up on my powers. I wanted you to know that I too believe in you, and that you didn't need to change to get better. Well at least, not to give up on a part of yourself."

"Thank you..."

Emma took the scarf, feeling bot grateful and guilty.

"I didn't do it by the way. I'm still not sure it was the right decision but I didn't... you know... give up on my magic."

"It was," Elsa insisted with a graceful smile. "And I know you didn't. I found you with Regina near her vault. I saw her helping you."

"You walked all the way to the cemetery?"

"I did. And I came back when I saw I wasn't needed. You've mended things well with her."

There was a note in Elsa's voice that twisted something in Emma's stomach. Or maybe it was the way she tiled her head and smiled at her, like she was interpreting things in a way that made Emma uncomfortable.

"We're... working on it," the blond answered, trying to make it sound light.

The queen did not insist, looking away with that same smile that made Emma feel awkward.

At that moment, David entered the sheriff station. Emma felt her heart race but her father didn't miss a beat. He immediately pulled her into a hug, holding her close and caressing her hair.

"We made a mistake last night, Emma. I'm sorry. We love you. I love you the way you are. You don't need to change for us."

David whispered her those few words like he had been holding them in for the past twelve hours. Emma didn't answer, she didn't know what to say, but she quickly pulled away.

"Careful. I hurt you and Henry yesterday. I don't want it to happen again."

"You won't hurt me Emma. It was an accident."

David reached out for her again but she took a few step back noticing that Elsa had disappeared in her office, leaving them space.

"It was but I did hurt you and I can do it again. Listen, I wont do anything harsh, but I need time. Space. I need to get this under control. Regina can help me... fix myself."

"All right. We'll give you space. But you don't need to be fixed, Emma."

Emma smiled, feeling the uncomfortable tickling in her hands and trying to keep her mind on the memory on the swing. Back and forth. Back and forth. Yes, she needed to be fixed.

A few hours later, the blond heard the sound of heels taping down the stoned steps of the vault. Regina looked surprise to find her there, a book in her hands, sitting on one of the big wooden case.

"I had not expected you to be punctual," commented the brunette, taking off her coat.

"Well I'm here, and ready to learn."

Regina smiled at her, pretending to look impressed. She took the book from Emma's hand and placed it back on the shelf.

"Please, don't touch anything when I'm not here. That book you where holding in full of spells, literally. You wouldn't want to activate them by accident."

"I was trying to do my homework," Emma pouted.

Regina was just never happy, no wonder Henry's grades were perfect.

"Let's try with something easier. Like lighting a candle."

Regina pointed at one of the candles and Emma focused. She pulled on a memory that pissed her of every time, the irritating voice of one of her foster parents repeating that girls should keep their thoughts to themselves in presence of a man. She felt the sparkle and the candle lit.

"Now light the all. At the same time."

"All of them? It's like a damn church in here!"

Regina just starred at her, unimpressed. Emma grumbled something and focused once more. She managed to lit six candles at the same time but she was incapable of touching those she couldn't see.

"You need to stop looking for them. Just focus of the image of a candle lighting, and let your magic to the rest."

"If I do that I'm going to barbecue the all place."

"Trust yourself. You created a wooden monster to save yourself from a fall. Not a bridge or even a nest, but a wooden creature. Plus, do you really think I would let you burn my things?"

Emma sighed. She tried to "let go" of her magic, letting it wander around to find the candle. She managed to touch one, two, and then she felt the amount of power radiating from her and her heart raced. She lost control of the power and a blast of fire shot through the air.

"Regina! Regina, I'm so sorry! Are you OK?"

"Fine," the brunette lashed out, obviously pissed.

The former queen had apparently protected herself effectively, not even moving from where she was. Emma pulled away, her had shaking in front of her like they where covered in blood.

"What are you waiting for? Try it again."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"You need to learn. Try it again."

"No! I won't use fire."

Regina sighed heavily.

"Emma I cant teach you if you don't listen to me."

"And I can't learn anything if I'm afraid I'll burn you alive."

"Fine. Out."

"What...?"

Was Regina abandoning her so easily? Emma felt panic crushing her.

"Get out of my vault. We need more space for what I have in mind."

Regina waved her out and Emma obeyed immediately, too relived to question it. As soon as she was outside, blackness fell of her.

"Don't panic, it's just a blind fold."

"What on earth is it for?"

"It's for you to stop looking, and start trusting you instinct."

"Wow! You're not going to tell me to walk back home with that on my face are you?"

"No I'm not. But if you do not stop interrupting me I might just do that. What I want you to do is find me."

Emma simply raised her arm in the direction of the brunette's voice.

"Not quite that simple."

Emma jumped, the voice was just behind her now but when she turned, she found nothing but air.

"Feel it, Emma. I'm moving around thanks to magic. You just need to feel that magic."

"I didn't know I had booked a lesson with Master Yoda."

"Focus," Regina reminded her, almost sounding amused.

After twenty minutes ruining around reaching out for air like a nut job, Emma stumbled on a rut and almost fell down. She heard a chuckle behind her.

"Oh, you're enjoying this aren't you?

"Quite a bit, Miss Swan."

Emma could hear the smirk in the former queen's voice and jumped at her. Too late. Too slow. Yet there was something. Like a sparkle of heat. Emma tried to focus on that, following the feeling that was appearing and disappearing, always followed by Regina's voice. Right, left, right, behind, left.

Emma's fist closed on fabric.

"I got you..."

"You did, after... almost an hour. Very impressive..."

Regina's voice was heavy with irony but Emma couldn't have cared less.

"Go on, do it again. I think I know how it works now."

Emma was excited. It was a game, almost like trying to locate a annoying mosquito buzzing in your bedroom. She missed once, twice, but got Regina the third time.

"That makes two for me."

"And three hundred for me," Regina commented but Emma could hear the smile in her voice.

"You know you can tell me I'm doing good. You won't implode, I promise."

"Don't flatter yourself."

Regina poofed once more and Emma grabbed her immediately, her arm jerking behind her without asking for her permission.

"Saying...?"

"Swan, get your hand off my breast before I give you a Hook make-over."

Emma pulled away, her face burning up suddenly. She took the blind fold off, finding Regina straitening her red shirt, apparently unfazed.

"Sorry..."

"Let's get back to those candles."

Back in the vault. Emma made her shoulders crack, focused and determined.

"Sure you don't want to get in the other room?"

"Light the candles."

Emma didn't know if pissed of was Regina's natural state or if frowning and using a sharp tone was just the brunette's way of communicating without being... well, evil.

The blonde closed her eyes and felt her power heating up the room. She heard slow clapping and open her eyes again, finding Regina staring at her, mocking her with her applause.

Mocking her?

Emma locked around. All the candles where lit. All of them. And nothing else was burning or incinerated. She turned to face her teacher, smiling from ear to ear. She'd done it! She'd done it first try! Regina was even smiling at her, and looking something almost like she was proud of her. Somehow, that made it all even better. Impressing the former queen wasn't easy, and pleasing her even less, and Emma found herself enjoying that little smile of hers just as much as the sight of the burning candles.

Her lips were blood red, her black hair perfectly pulled back, her little scar twisted like a coma by a crocked smile. Apart from the color of her skin, Regina could have been Snow White. She had the beauty, the right hair and lips, and Emma was ready to bet she could speak to bird if she put her mind to it. The only thing really out of place was that small scare but maybe that was all it had taken to turn Regina into the Evil Queen. Just one scare.

How long had she been staring like that?

Suddenly Emma looked away, feeling awkward after a long a silent moment of just looking at Regina smiling at her. The other woman clasped her hands in front of her, apparently unaffected but Emma could tell she was feeling uncomfortable to.

"So... candle-lighting down. What's next? Tapas?"

Regina lips pinched to control an amused smile.

"Let's try something a little less dangerous, maybe. Like levitation."

"Are you telling me that my cooking is dangerous?"

Regina threw her a stare.

"And that's coming from a woman that poisons her apples..." she commented sarcastically.