New chapter, lots of luv. Thanks for your support for the previous chapter. You guys are great!

(I acctualy posted that 2 days ago, and for some reason, it didn't work.. Sorry!)

Chapter 14

Red Ice and Charming Advice

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"We need a code name," Henry threw as they were all getting ready to leave for their day.

Four days had passed since the death of the Snow Queen and things where back to normal. Well, Storybrook-normal. They still needed to find a magic portal to send a queen with ice powers, her sister and her brother in law back to their magical kingdom. Normal indeed.

"A code name for what?" Emma asked, sitting on the stairs to put on her boots.

"For you. 'Cause you don't want anyone to know. So we need a code name."

"You know... maybe we should just no talk about it when we're not alone..." Emma answered feeling awkward.

She knew Regina was starting to lose her patience. She too wanted to be able to do what she wanted and say hell to the world, but she couldn't get herself to just do it. She was always a step away from telling her father, or Red, or Hooper, but the words always inflated in her throat, refusing to get out. She was a coward, that's what was happening. She was scared out of her mind and couldn't get herself to face her fears.

It was almost constant now, the impression that people were watching her, seeing through her. Had she touched Red's hand a little too long? Was she spending too much time with Elsa? Was she looking at Regina too intensely? Why was this man looking at her? Did he know? Would her mother hate her? Would people act different? Would Belle never sit next to her again by fear of being touched?

"One day, maybe we'll think to no one is listening and someone might be. That's why he need a code name. That way we hide in plain sight."

Hiding. Was that really what she was doing? Was she forcing her son to hide with her? God, she felt awful!

Regina came to her help as she was putting her earrings on.

"And have you thought of anything?" she asked her son.

"Yea. Operation SwanQueen."

Regina and Emma exchanged a look. That stretched into a grin. And the both exploded in laughter.

"What? It's a good name!"

"Yes, Henry," Regina answered, kissing him on the cheek. "It's perfect."

No it's not, Emma thought. Perfect would be not needing a code name. But it's better than nothing. And it was cute.

Next thing she knew, Emma was at the sheriff station, juggling between her work and helping the Arendelle's royals to find a way back home. For some mysterious reason, Anna had taken great affection in Regina. Now the brunette came over quite often because working an a way to help the girls was easier if they where all in the same room. Or that was their excuse anyway.

If Anna had picked up on what was happening, she hadn't said a word about it. Elsa had stayed discreet, never bringing up the subject but making graceful excuses every time she found herself being in the middle of a quiet moment between the two lovers. Regina and Elsa could have been sisters that it wouldn't have seemed strange. They had that queenly way of doing everything, also Elsa was still very innocent and somewhat child like and Regina was more... mature, and less looking for approval. That might have been why Emma was so comfortable around the ice woman.

"Henry knows," Emma let out as soon as the two blondes were alone together.

"You told him? How did he react?"

"He was starting to piece things up and Regina told him the truth. And he is just happy for us. Regina had told me he wouldn't care but... I was still freaked."

Elsa smiled at her, genuinely happy but also picking up on details most people wouldn't even have noticed.

"Regina told him... You mean just Regina...?"

"Yea but I'm glad she did. I still can't get myself to do that."

"You did it with me."

"No. You figured it out and pointed me in the right direction. If it wasn't for you I would probably still be wondering what was happening to me."

Emma was nervously chuckling, trying and failing to make the comment sound casual. It wasn't. It meant a lot but she didn't really know how to put it. She had never been good at saying "thank you" when it was really important to her. But Elsa being her amazing self, she just smiled and took the compliment in. It seem to genuinely touch her and Emma decided to leave it like that.

"So you two... you three, are still keeping the secret?"

"Yes but... Regina doesn't want to. I think. She is just leaving thing the way they are because I can't get myself to... come out."

Elsa looked confused and Emma realized that the gay slang was way out of her reach.

"Coming out means stepping in public and being openly... gay."

"Oh, OK. So that's what she want? For you to assume your feelings for her?"

"Yes. We don't really talk about it because she's trying to be supportive and patient, but I know her. It's getting on her nerves and it's getting on mine too. No. Actually, it's driving me crazy."

"Then why don't you just do it?"

"I don't know. I... I'm..."

Emma couldn't find her words, wiping her sweaty palms along her legs, walking back and forth nervously.

"Feeling like the entire wait of the world is on your shoulders. Like the smallest mistake is going to turn into a catastrophy. And that you'll end up alone and rejected."

"Yea..."

Elsa was looking at her with great kindness and understanding. She had gone through all of this with her own powers. The fear, the loneliness, the spiraling circle of eyes watching you...

"When my powers got out of control and everyone looked at me with fear, I was crushed. I ran away because I didn't want to hurt anyone and because I couldn't face anyone. But somehow that made me stronger, because my worst fears had been realized and I was still alive, and strong, and freer than I had ever been before. It wasn't an easy ride but, Emma, it felt so good to just let go of all the things that had haunted me for years. To just be me."

Emma took the words in. She could see the relief and peace on Elsa's face as she remembered her own "coming out". It didn't give her the answer she needed, on how to break free, but it gave her hope for what would come after.

Hours later, as the day was coming to an end, Emma was sitting at Granny's, making her spoon go round and round in her now cold chocolate. She had been there for hours, debating on what to do next. She didn't want to go back to her apartment, not because she didn't wish to be alone, but because she was tired of hiding, tired of this situation. She could go back to Regina's but that would simply be hiding somewhere else. Or she could walk up to her parents, tell them the truth and...

The tough gave her a stomach ache and made her legs heavy and her hands sweat. She couldn't even remember a time when she had been that scared.

"Hey. Can I sit there?"

Emma looked up and found Ruby, smiling her wolfishest smile at her. If on any other occation the sheriff would have noticed something strange in the way the werewolf was looking at her, she was way too deep in her own problems right now.

Emma simply nodded and the waitress sat in front of her.

"I wanted to thank Regina, for the containment spell. I can't imagine what would have happened if I had been free during the curse."

"Why are you telling me that?"

"Because I haven't had the occasion to see her yet and I know you do. Quite a lot."

Emma's blood left her face. No way! Red knew? Was she talking about the magic lesson? Had she told anybody? Had Emma been walking around not noticing that everyone was starring at her?

Red seemed to catch up on her confusion. The wolf turned around to the almost empty room, reminding Emma that no one could hear them. She then faced her again and leaned against the table, tapping the side of her nose with one finger.

"You use the same soap. And sometimes you get out of that Sheriff station smelling a little... musky."

Emma turned bright red, hiding behind her hand and burning herself in her sit. Red exploded in a wolfish laugh.

"Don't worry," the waitress manage to say, still chuckling. "I've smelled things a lot stranger. Especially after the breaking of Regina's curse. People started doing weird things..."

"Wait. Are you telling me that you know about every one's sex life?"

"Not everyone... But everyone who comes at Granny's..."

There was some much cheekiness in Red's voice that Emma ginned and giggled. People were starting to arrive after a long day work and every face she saw was making her smile like an embarrassed teenager.

"Don't worry. I didn't tell anyone. Also I think Granny knows. I'm not sure but she tends to know everything about everyone. Worth that me."

"Thanks. It's..."

"Complicated" the two women finished at the same time.

"Yea, I get that. And I just wanted you to know that if you wanna talk about it, I'm right here."

Emma didn't answer, simply smiling at the she-wolf. Was everyone that amazing or was it just Red? And Elsa. And Henry. Maybe people didn't care as much as she thought. Or maybe the people who's opinion she cared about were nicer and smarter than she had anticipated.

As David entered the diner, looking for her through the growing crowd, Emma realized that he had said the exact same thing to her a few weeks ago. She could talk to him if she wanted to. And now, as she was waiting for him to join her until Regina and Henry came to pick her up after the boy's ridding lesson, she needed that talk. Both with her father and with Prince Charming.

"Hey. Are you doing all right?" David asked, taking Red's now empty sit.

"Yea. I wanted to ask you something. You know when you were faced with that thing that feed on your fear, when Zelina was in town?"

"Yes, I remember. Why? Is that thing back in town?"

"No, nothing like that, fortunately. Seems like we're allowed a week break between every catastrophy."

"What is it then?"

"How did you... face your fears?"

David looked surprised. For a second Emma though he was going to ask her what this was about. She really didn't want him to. It would make that conversation a lot more awkward than she wanted it to be. Somehow, her father seemed to pick up on that.

"To be honest, I just hit it with the pommel of my sword. I just accepted that scary thing were going to happen, and that there was nothing I could do about it, and I just... hit my fears in the face. Great advice I know."

Emma smiled. Actually it was a good advice, in a way.

"So... You just took action."

"Yea, grab the bull by the horns. If the worst happens, you'll still be on you two feet, fighting. Now please tell me I didn't give you some horrible advice consisting of hitting someone with a metallic object."

This time Emma laughed. Her father was trying, succeeding and failing at the same time.

"Don't worry. I don't even have a sword."

The second she said that, the door to the diner opened and Emma's stomach twisted and turned into a thick not. Regina had entered the diner, Henry probably waiting in the car. The brunette smiled at her before going to the counter where Red gave her a paper bag.

"One chocolate cake, one lemon and one pumping pie," the she-wolf said.

"Thank you," Regina said before turning to Emma. "We'll wait in the car if you want. Or you can join us later."

Emma tried saying something but nothing came out. Suddenly she jumped on her feet, banging get thigh again the corner of the table, fairly certain she had just spilled her chocolate, before crossing the dinner like a dinosaur. She stumped straight to Regina who was looking at her with those beautiful brown eyes.

And kissed her.

She vaguely heard the paper bag fall on the floor and the diner just stopped breathing. Not a sound. Nothing.

Emma though she might just burst when Regina kissed her back, catching her by the collar of her vest and pulling her closer. The blonde could feel Regina smiling in the kiss as her own world was falling to pieces.

Had it lasted an hour or a second? Emma couldn't tell but Regina pulled back, smiling lovingly at her. The brunette touched her cheek and said gently : "Articulate as usual." After that Emma just followed her out of the diner, not really remembering how it had happened, only one thought in mind : getting out of there. They rushed to the car and Regina drove away.

The way back was silent. Emma was still pretty in shock. Had she really done that or had she just thought about it really hard?

"Are you guys OK? You're not saying anything," Henry asked as they arrived.

"I'll explain in a minute Henry. For now, could you get in and put this in the fridge?"

Henry took the paper back with a suspicious look. The boy disappeared inside the house as Emma got out of the car like a zombie. The second she closed the door she felt Regina's lips on hers, as well as the rest of her body. The brunette pushed her against the car, kissing her passionately. Emma's brain basically imploded and she grabbed the woman by the waist, pulling her against herself. She deepened the kiss, feeling the heat and the adrenaline obliterate her mind.

Elsa was right. Fuck with the world. This was what she wanted.

Emma rolled over, pressing Regina against the car, making her thigh collide with the brunette's center. Regina moaned, sending waves of heat in Emma's body. The blonde could feel fingers roaming around her scalp, tangled in her hair. She could feel Regina's breast squeezed against hers. She could feel the skin of her waist under her palm. She didn't mind if anyone saw them anymore. People could come and take pictures for all she cared. She just wanted to tear of that woman's clothes and love her senseless. It wasn't lust as that point, but need. The need to feel and share and give and get and know that all she wanted was here and she could have it.

"Gross!"

The bubble burst and Regina started chuckling against her lips. Henry had screamed from the kitchen window, suddenly bringing down all the heat that had been building up.

"We're coming Henry!" Emma yelled back. "Give us a minute"

This time Regina burst out laughing. Emma turned red, realizing what she had just said. The brunette clasped her hands behind Emma's head, arms stretched. She was looking at her with a loving, happy smile, and the blonde felt her heart melt. Was there anything in the world more beautiful than that infuriating, sarcastic, condescending, overly complicated woman starring back at her?

"Thank you," the brunette said, Emma still heavily leaning on her.

"I did it for myself. I couldn't stand hiding anymore."

"I know, and you were right to wait for the moment that felt right to you. But thank you anyway."

Emma smiled and let Regina drop a chaste kiss on her lips.

"We need to get inside or your son might start eating the furniture," Emma said, not quite managing to move.

It was Regina who leaded her back inside. Holding her hand.