Author's Note:
Alright, no one yell or anything, but I'm gonna have to push back the next chapter of this to two weeks instead of one. Turns out trying to juggle two stories and SWTOR made me fall kind of behind, lol. Sorry. Hopefully I'll be able to get a little bit ahead this way.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Conduit

"This doesn't make any sense."

Emma was wringing her hands together, pacing back and forth in front of the bed so rapidly that she was sure she was making Regina dizzy. But she didn't care, because suddenly it felt like the entire world had been turned upside down on her again, and Emma wasn't quite sure how to handle that.

"I'm aware of that, dear. And yet still it happened."

"No, but—!" Emma began, rounding on Regina for a moment as she started gesturing erratically at her. She didn't know what she was trying to say, as fifteen things came to her mind at once. Finally, she decided to go with, "This isn't the way the world works, Regina! It's fucked enough that there's magic in Storybrooke, but now you can do it here too? That shouldn't be possible, because if it—if it was, then wouldn't the normal world know about it? I mean, if it exists here then you can't be the only one doing it, right?"

"Emma, you need to relax," Regina tried, watching the woman before her fidget some more. "You're panicking, and I don't think it's completely warranted. It isn't as though the world is going to implode for it."

"How would you know?" Emma shot back. "For all we know we could have created some kind of… I don't know, a damn paradox or something by doing something that we shouldn't, and—!"

Regina rolled her eyes at that, interrupting, "You watch far too much television."

"That's not the point!"

Regina pursed her lips into a firm line, her exhaustion apparent by the hollowness of her eyes. She probably hadn't slept all night, worrying about her, and there Emma was, probably making everything worse when Regina had finally believed it was better. Still, Emma didn't like things she didn't understand, as the unknown had always frightened her.

After a long stretch of silence, Regina finally admitted, "I didn't heal you, Emma. Not… not exactly, anyway."

"What?" Emma asked, confusion flickering across her features. "What do you mean? Of course you did, I was there." And hello, the state of her body was proof of that. Not only was she not sick anymore, but the spell even healed the bruises that had formed on her body because of their rough night together. She looked and felt as good as new.

"No, I didn't," Regina told her softly, looking slightly apprehensive about what that could mean. "I believe I only acted as some sort of conduit, because that magic, it… it didn't come from me." Off of Emma's perplexed look, Regina explained, "I am… unable to do light magic of that magnitude; it isn't what resides within me, so it's impossible that I was where it originally came from."

Emma stared at her for a moment, trying to process that information. It took quicker than she would have liked to come to a viable conclusion, but it was so completely ridiculous that it made her scoff in disbelief. "You've gotta be joking," she responded. "I can't do magic, Regina."

"No," Regina agreed, which then made Emma's eyebrows knit, as she was sure that was what she had been implying. But Regina had already seemed to come to a conclusion that Emma couldn't even begin to fathom, and so she waited for her explanation. "You can't. However, in case you have forgotten, dear, you are quite literally made from magic; the strongest type to ever exist in this or any other realm."

"The product of True Love," Emma finished for her softly, realizing what it was that Regina meant. Still, it sounded ridiculous. If she had magic within her, wouldn't she be able to do it? Shouldn't she… shouldn't she have known way before this? "No," Emma told her firmly, shaking her head. "That doesn't even make sense, Regina. I'm not—"

"Doesn't it?" Regina countered, looking at her as though she was trying to dissect her, find what makes her tick inside. It felt incredibly invasive and Emma scowled at her to get her to quit doing it. She wasn't some kind of damn science project, she was a human fucking being. A normal one, thank you.

Regardless of the fact that she had apparently been born in some kind of fairytale world.

"Emma," Regina continued, resting her weight on her arms as she pushed herself to a more upwards position. "I promise you, the magic didn't come from me. It felt… different; lighter, more innocent, I suppose. My magic… it isn't strong enough to exist outside the town line. It's been lying dormant. I know it's there, but I can't reach it. Yours though… True Love, that is the most powerful thing of all. It is the only possible solution, as something like that is the only thing strong enough to exist outside of the town line. I was merely able to draw the magic from you because I am able to wield it, but I didn't create it."

"So what are you saying?" Emma snapped impatiently, feeling scared all over again for reasons she couldn't quite describe. "That if I put my mind to it I could move objects and fucking, I don't know—teleport or some shit?"

"No," Regina responded, shaking her head. "You may have magic within you, but you're not trained to use it. Magic is more than just putting your mind to it; it's far more complicated, and without being properly taught, I doubt you could even levitate so much as a feather."

Emma felt herself release a breath of air she didn't know she had been holding. Maybe it was because magic had screwed up so much of her life, but she really didn't want any part of it. She had been through enough already in the last few weeks, and the last thing she wanted to do was incorporate something else that could make everything so much harder on her. She had had enough of that to last her a lifetime. Emma just… she wanted to be normal.

"You seem to be, however, some sort of magical battery," Regina told her, eyes raking over Emma's form as she assessed her. "For lack of a better term. And that will be terribly dangerous for you, should anyone in Storybrooke find out. Those that are power hungry could cross the boundary without fear, for if they found you and utilized the power that resides in you, they could regain what my curse has taken from them."

"But there's already magic in Storybrooke," Emma countered, yet was shut down immediately.

"It's unstable," Regina reminded her, "Unpredictable. With the curse not breaking correctly, no one can access it in the way that we once were able. I was only able to control it twice, and…" But she trailed off, a look of realization passing over her face as she whispered, "Oh my god."

"What?" Emma asked, another sense of panic rising within her, thinking the worst. "Regina, what?"

"It was you," Regina breathed, looking at Emma as though she was seeing her for the first time. "How did I not notice before? Each time I was able to control my magic, I was touching you."

"I thought that was your magic!" Emma protested, looking completely lost. After all, Regina seemed to know immediately that this time it wasn't her magic that healed her. Wouldn't she have said something before this?

"No, no," Regina responded, waving her off as she stood, beginning to pace as she allowed the pieces to fall together in her mind. "It was, but you… if you can act as some sort of conduit in a world without magic, it would only stand to reason that what lies within you is stronger than a broken, defective curse. I must have channeled it through you subconsciously, and that was what made me able to control it."

While that did make sense, Regina seemed to be missing a very large problem that stemmed from that information. Emma, however, did not, and she noticeably paled. "Regina," she whispered, her voice tight and low. "If… if magic can only be controlled there through me, then how is Gold going to lift the boundary and get us back?"

Regina stopped mid stride, her eyes widening in fear as the breath was pushed from her lungs. She fell against the wall, her back hitting the peach coloring with a soft thud. "Oh God," she breathed, realizing they might not have a way back after all. "Henry…"

"Maybe…" Emma tried, pushing the hair back from her eyes as she tried to force herself not to fall apart just yet. There had to be other options. "Maybe he could just leave and we could pick him up at the boundary? I mean, there's nothing stopping anyone from leaving Storybrooke, just returning."

"Storybrooke is invisible to this world," Regina told her softly, looking absolutely horrified by where they had ended up. "I wouldn't even know where the boundary begins, nor how the magic works that protects it. The entrances could move daily, or the location of the town could periodically change. We could be leaving him in the middle of the woods to fend for himself, and we can't—"

Regina's voice broke, and it made Emma's heart lurch in her chest. She came to her, offering her comfort as it seemed like the only plausible thing to do. Despite everything, she still owed Regina. Emma wasn't stupid; she knew her withdrawal symptoms were frighteningly bad and had the possibility of getting even worse. And if that happened, Regina would have had to either break her promise to her and bring her to the hospital, or possibly watch her die right there on that bed. So of course Emma was thankful to be healed, even if it was purely physical. Her addiction would probably always exist inside of her, but for now, at least things hadn't gotten worse.

Regina helped her. She saved her, and Emma wasn't just about to forget that.

Besides, their love for Henry was something they shared, and even without True Love being in the mix, it was what connected them. He was their son, and they needed to find a way to be with him again, no matter the cost. They would find a way, because they had to.

"It'll be alright," Emma softly tried, gathering the other woman up in her arms. Regina was shaking, the realization that they might not have a way back seeming to cripple her. But Emma just held on to her tightly, weaving her fingers in chocolate locks as she buried the other woman's face in the crook of her neck. Regina's breathing was uneven against her skin, her fear being poured out with each exhale. "We'll figure it out, okay? We have to. I mean… I have all this magic inside me, right? The strongest magic ever apparently, so maybe it… maybe we can find a way past the boundary ourselves. We'll get him, Regina, I promise."

Regina nodded mutely against her shoulder and Emma exhaled, feeling terribly guilty. This was her fault. She was the one who had opted not to bring Henry along, and what she thought would be a good decision at the time had turned out to potentially be one of the most horrible ones she had ever made, should they never actually be able to get back to their son again.

And that… Emma wouldn't be able to live with that, so they had to find a way. There was no other option.

[x]

"You're with Regina?!"

Regina felt her nostrils flare as she glared at the image of Snow's appalled expression on Emma's computer. The woman had barged into Henry's room without so much as a knock to inform him it was dinner time, only to bear witness to the boy speaking to both of his mother's via webcam. This clearly displeased her, and while Regina did take satisfaction in that fact, she still wished to be able to speak to her son in private.

Emma groaned at the unexpected visitor, her head falling into her hand as she mumbled, "Shit."

"Emma!" both Regina and Snow chided in unison, which almost made the sorceress sick to her stomach to hear. Henry however, just rolled his eyes at both of them.

"I know what swear words are," he told them. "I'm not six."

"Regardless, you will not be repeating your birthmother's foul choice of vocabulary words," Regina told him sternly. All she was met with was another exaggerated eye roll.

"Henry, go downstairs and help your grandfather set the table," Snow ordered, looking as though her head was about to pop on the spot from the information she had just stumbled upon. "I need to speak with your mother for a moment."

"As charming as that sounds, Snow, I would much rather speak to my son," Regina shot back, knowing full well that wasn't what the woman meant at all.

Still, it hit a nerve and Snow practically growled, "Not you."

"But I don't wanna go; I just started talking to them!" Henry whined, stomping his foot on the ground in protest. Emma's nails raked across her skull for a moment as she let out a long, defeated exhale. She knew there really wasn't a way to avoid this, and apparently she would rather do this sooner than later.

"We'll do this again tomorrow, kid, alright? I promise. Just lemme talk to Mary Margaret for a sec."

Henry didn't look pleased by that at all, but he relented with an aggravated sigh as he pushed his chair back, allowing the legs of it to scrape loudly against the wooden flooring. "Fine," he huffed, before storming right out of the room and down the stairs.

Regina moved as well, not particularly wishing to speak to Snow either. Still, they shared a small motel room, and no matter where she went, she would still be able to hear the conversation. Grabbing a book off the bedside table to try to distract herself, she sat down on the bed and waited for Emma to get this over with.

"What are you doing with her?" Snow demanded after she believed to be alone with her daughter. "I thought you were looking for Gold's son, and yet instead you choose to dump your son on us so you can… God, I don't even want to know what you're doing with her, do I? Christ, Emma, what were you thinking? I know you've been on a downwards spiral recently, but this is just too far; you lied to us!"

"I didn't lie to you!" Emma exclaimed, shooting an exasperated look towards her laptop's screen. "Jesus, Mary Margaret, is that what you really think? That I would fuck all this off, throw Henry at you guys, just so I can… what? Fuck Regina away from you guys' judgment? Yeah, sounds like a real solid plan; you know, except for the fact that if I don't find Gold's son, I can't get back to Henry. So thanks for that conclusion; your faith in me is really touching."

Regina snorted disdainfully behind her book. She didn't know why Emma bothered to explain herself to these people; they might be her parents, but they did not run her life, regardless of how badly Snow might wish they did.

"Then why are you with her?" Snow demanded, sounding both perplexed and concerned by her daughter's life choices.

"Henry asked me check in on her before I started looking for Gold's kid," Emma explained with a sigh. "So I did. It was just for him, so relax."

"'Just for him?' You left days ago!"

Regina's eyes flickered from her book to Emma, her eyebrow rising slightly. The irritating woman did have a point, but she doubted Emma wanted to reveal why she had to originally stay. Emma wasn't exactly the most forthcoming person about her addiction.

The blonde sighed heavily, leaning back in her chair. "Yeah, I know. I—Regina, she's um…" Emma noticeably fidgeted in her seat. "Helping me."

"Helping you?" Mary Margaret repeated disbelievingly, "How? All that woman has done since the curse broke is hurt you, Emma. We sent her away so you could begin to heal, and yet instead you chose to situate yourself in the same unhealthy environment that made you unravel in the first place?"

Regina's jaw clenched. No, she was done listening to this.

She was behind Emma before the blonde had even registered that she had moved, coming into Snow's view as she leaned over, slamming her hands on the desk to get closer to the camera. "Regina, don't—" Emma tried, putting her hand on the woman's forearm to try to dispel any forthcoming drama, but Regina was hearing none of it and completely ignored her.

"First of all, in case you've forgotten, Henry is my son," Regina sneered at her. "And if he is not in my care, then I would prefer it if he be with his birthmother. The sooner Emma finds Gold's spawn, the sooner she will be back and Henry will be away from you, which I would like to happen sooner rather than later. That is why I am helping her, and despite your protests against it, that will not be changing."

Snow opened her mouth to retort, but Regina wouldn't let her.

"Second of all, as the only damn person in Emma's life to actually care what the hell she's been doing to herself lately, I am the only one actually equipped to help her. You have done nothing to try to help her alcoholism, and the fact that she only got worse while in your care proves that. Yet within just a few days of being with me, she has already made the choice to get help and allowed herself to detox—"

"Regina!" Emma protested fiercely, apparently not wishing to discuss this with her mother. She was ignored however.

"So tell me, Snow, who exactly is bad for her again? Because I'm fairly certain it's not me."

Snow's angry expression fell at Regina's words and her eyes shifted to Emma, her jaw slacking a little at the unexpected revelation. "You… you've decided to stop drinking?" she asked softly, her disbelieving tone mixed with happiness that she wouldn't yet let dominate her emotions until she heard it from her daughter's mouth.

"I…" Emma tried, looking awkward about being put on the spot. Her hand went to her hair and she pushed it out of her face, averting her gaze. "Yeah, I—uh, I'm trying… I guess."

Snow's face softened as relief flooded across her expression. "Oh, honey…!"

"Look, don't get all… whatever about it, alright? Just cause it's out of my system, doesn't mean it's outta my head," Emma told her, not wishing to have the pressure of expectation on her. "I could still fuck up, so don't make a big deal out of it. It's only been like a day."

"Still," Snow said softly, a small smile gracing the corners of her lips. "I'm… I'm proud of you, sweetie. That's a big step."

Emma looked a little disgruntled at that, as all it did was add more pressure, but she said nothing. Then Snow's eyes found Regina's, and she paused for a moment, internally struggling with something. Regina raised an eyebrow in expectation, and finally Snow allowed herself to say, though most begrudgingly, "Thank you, Regina. For… for helping her."

"I don't need your thanks," Regina told her shortly. "I did it for her, not for you."

"Regardless," Snow continued, although still looked like she was struggling with her words. "It's… very much appreciated."

Right. Sure.

Regina didn't need her platitudes, as Snow could barely say them without looking like she was in intense pain for having to speak to Regina like a human being and not the villain she had painted her out to be. So she just shot her a look before moving away from the camera, giving mother and daughter space again so they could talk, and crossed over to sit on the bed once more.

Emma sighed heavily, looking a little overwhelmed. Resting her elbow on the table, she put her head in her hand as she tried to scramble towards a subject change. "Has Gold figured out anything about the boundary yet?"

"No," Snow replied, sounding a little defeated over the subject. "He's been unable to control his magic while in the house, apparently. But… but it's only been a few days. I wouldn't worry just yet."

Regardless of Snow's optimism, Regina and Emma caught each other's eyes, sharing equal looks of concern.

"Your father did arrest Ursula yesterday, however," Snow told her, trying to at least give Emma some good news. "We believe she teamed up with Jafar and Scar out of convenience more than loyalty, so we're hoping if we cut her a deal her she'll reveal where they have been hiding."

"Good," Emma responded. "That's… that's good. And everyone's safe? There's been no other shootings?"

"No, I think they're lying low for the time being," Snow answered. "But your father and I still sleep in shifts regardless, and we will until both of them are caught."

Emma nodded. "Okay, well… just keep me updated on everything. I'll try to be home soon."

"Have you found anything on Baelfire?"

"No, but… but I will," Emma told her, though didn't sound too convinced by her own words. "I mean, he's gotta have a paper trail somewhere; I guess I'm just not looking in the right place right now. But I'll find him."

"I'm sure you will," Snow assured her daughter. There was a long pause for a moment before she continued, "I should finish dinner but… Emma, I—I know that things between you and Regina are complicated right now, but for your own sake, please don't make it even more so. It will only make it that much harder when you have to return."

"I know what I'm doing, Mary Margaret," Emma snapped defensively, even though Regina was certain that she really didn't. The fact that they slept together already proved that. "She's just helping me, that's all. Okay? Don't even worry about it."

"Emma," Snow began pointedly, her voice a few octaves lower. "She's wearing a turtleneck when it's nearly summertime. I may be your mother, but I'm neither old nor stupid."

Regina's hand flew to her sleeveless turtleneck, pulling on her collar for a moment as her eyes caught Emma's. She didn't realize it would be that obvious, as it was made from thin material and meant for the spring time, but apparently to anyone who knew their past it was glaringly clear that she was wearing it because of Emma. But she had to hide the bruises on her neck somehow, and makeup wasn't exactly doing the trick.

"No, that's—that's not," Emma stammered, her expression resembling that of a deer caught in headlights. "I didn't give her hickeys or anything. For fuck's sake, we're not—I mean, it's just… Regina, uh—"

Christ.

"Your daughter strangled me," Regina informed her from across the room, not wanting to listen to Emma stammer for the better part of the next half hour.

"She what?"

"Fucking jesus," Emma muttered, shooting Regina a look that could cut glass before quickly telling Snow, "We got into it, okay? It was an accident, or… whatever. I gotta go; I'll talk to your later." She quickly clicked the disconnect button and nearly slammed the top of her laptop shut before snapping at Regina, "What the hell!"

"Oh, relax," Regina hushed, picking up her book once more. "It isn't as though she's going to think we did it as part of our kinky sex life. At most she's going to believe you just got angry with me while drunk and lost control."

"That's not—Jesus, that's not the point! You can't just tell my mother—" But then Emma stopped, realizing she had said that word out loud, and suddenly looked a little pale. It seemed she was still trying to deny the truth on some level, and admitting it out loud did not help her sanity any.

"Believe me, dear, I don't like that you're related to her either," Regina told her patiently, noticing the look on the blonde's face. "But you need to accept it. How much you immerse yourself in denial really isn't healthy."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," Emma snapped, glaring at her fiercely. "Because if it wasn't for my fucking denial, I wouldn't even be able to look at you right now, alright? So just let me do what the hell I have to to cope and stay out of it, because you really aren't going to like what happens if I start looking at shit clearly."

Her words hit Regina in the gut and tore through her, causing a wounded look to pass over her face. She had thought… well, perhaps that was foolish, wasn't it? To believe things might have changed a little between them? Of course they hadn't; how could they, after what she had done? Emma was just separating Regina's past actions from the person that she was so she could handle being around her, and that was…

God, that hurt.

"Look, I don't have time for some kind of therapy session right now, alright?" Emma told her, opening up her laptop once more. "I gotta find Baelfire; that's why we're here."

Regina exhaled a long breath, but said nothing. In the end, she didn't want to push it. Because if Emma hurt her with just those few words, she really didn't want to know what would happen if they started discussing everything. One day… one day they would be able to. They would have to, if they ever wished to continue to be around each other for Henry's sake.

But that day was certainly not today.

[x]

"Please?"

Regina side-glanced her from over her own laptop, hesitating at the request. Emma looked at the brunette imploringly, trying not to let her quickly brewing frustration take over her demeanor. But fuck, they were getting nowhere and it was difficult not to let that bother her.

"Come on, it was you who suggested it in the first place."

"That was before I thought about it, and realized how dangerous it could be for me to consciously syphon magic from you," Regina answered as she crossed her legs beneath her. "Before it was instinctual, but there isn't a guarantee it will come as such when I purposely attempt it. This is something I'm not versed in, Emma, and I could accidently take too much and substantially weaken you."

"So then I'll take a nap before we find him; what's the big deal?" Emma countered. "Regina, it could take us months to find this guy otherwise, and you know it. If he went into the system as a kid, and that's a big if, it'll still be like looking for a needle in a haystack. He probably lied about his origins, his name, and where his parents are, and even if all of that is listed as unknown in his paperwork, there are still thousands of kids in this country we'd need to weed through to find the right one, and that's even if he's in this country. Henry can't wait that long."

Regina pursed her lips, her eyes flicking between her own computer screen and the woman situated next to her on the bed. Emma could see that she knew she was right, and her impatience at waiting for Regina to admit to such made her leg bounce against the bed. She didn't like feeling so frustrated; it made her want to find a solution in something she could no longer indulge in.

"Stop that."

"What?"

"Your leg. It's distracting and I'm trying to think."

Emma exhaled an annoyed breath of air, yet still adhered to Regina's request and slapped her hand against her leg to stop it from moving. "I'm anxious," she defended. "I just wanna find this guy."

"You're frustrated, and your first instinct is to drink. But you know that you shouldn't, and that's why you're anxious."

Emma shot her a dark look. "Thanks for that, Little Miss Psychoanalyst. But hey, here's a thought; why don't you just help me so I won't be frustrated? Then I won't feel like I need a drink, and apparently that's a win for everyone involved."

Regina's eyes narrowed. "Don't blackmail me."

"I wasn't. I didn't say 'do this or else', I just—ugh… please? Come on, you know you're gonna end up doing it anyway, so can we just save all this back and forth for another time?"

Regina sighed heavily, leaning back against the pillows. She knew Emma was right. "Fine," she said shortly. "But I'll need a world map and an object belonging to the person we're trying to find. Do you even have that? Because without it this conversation is pointless."

Regina looked as though she expected her requirements would shut Emma down, as she was still wary about doing this, but Emma just jumped off the bed and headed towards her luggage. "His shawl," she answered, digging through her bags. "Gold gave it to me so when I found Baelfire I could, I don't know; prove he sent me or… whatever. I've got it here some—ah." After picking up the shawl, she tossed it to Regina, who easily caught it. "Gold spewed some pretty creative threats about me losing or damaging it though, so don't fuck it up."

Regina chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before asking, "And a map?"

"That… uh, I'll have to go buy. Give me like, twenty minutes. I think I saw some at the gas station at the end of the road."

As Emma began heading towards the door, Regina called out, "Get a few. A world map will only give us a general area; we will need to pin point his location after that, less you wish to trek all over creation. Which, even if you do, I do not."

Emma obliged her, and within a half hour came back with a stack of maps. Soon they sat beside each other on the bed, a map of the world spread out in front of them. Regina had Baelfire's shawl in one hand, while her other grasped on to Emma's. Taking a deep breath, she moved their linked hands until they hovered over the map.

"This might not work," she warned her. "I'm still unsure of how to do this."

Emma squeezed her hand reassuringly, trying to give Regina some confidence. The warmth of the other woman's palm was something she tried to ignore, as its dangerous familiarity drew her in. "Just try. Worst thing that can happen is that we're back where we started."

Regina nodded, hesitating for just a moment longer until she closed her eyes. A minute ticked by, then another.

Nothing happened.

"Maybe if you just try to—"

"Shh," Regina hissed, squeezing her hand to shut her up. "I'm trying to concentrate. Don't speak."

Emma rolled her eyes, yet did as she was told. In the end, she really had no idea what she was doing, so this was all Regina's show. It seemed like ages, but finally a slight tingling sensation began in her fingers, before slowly crawling up her arm. The feeling caused Emma to shiver. "I think it's working," she breathed. "Right? Are you—?"

Regina exhaled an annoyed breath of air, dropping Emma's hand before shooting her a glare. The tingling dissipated immediately. "What did I tell you about speaking? If you wish for me to do this without drawing too much energy from you, you need to exercise some self-control. This is difficult for me, and I need absolute silence."

"Fine, sorry," Emma muttered, feeling her cheeks begin to heat up in annoyed embarrassment. She hated being scolded; it made her feel like a child.

Regina picked up her hand again, holding it above the map once more, and Emma waited. Yet instead of feeling a tingling sensation this time, after a few moments, it felt as though something barreled its way straight into her body. It ran through her veins like fire, hitting the core of her chest so suddenly that it made her audibly gasp and jerk forwards at the unexpected feeling. And then something was being pulled from her, leaving Emma with the feeling of being viciously robbed as she began to feel empty and cold. The loss tore the breath from her lungs and Emma visibly shook, her fingers grasping tightly to Regina's in panic.

Regina's eyes popped open and Emma started, noticing that they had clouded over with a deep blue, instead of the dark brown she had become accustomed to seeing. As Emma began to feel lightheaded, a small, victorious smirk formed at the edges of Regina's lips, and Jesus Christ, it might actually be the creepiest thing Emma had ever seen in her life. Regina was enjoying draining her, like she got off on the feeling.

But then as quick as it came it was gone, the connection between them breaking as Regina suddenly let go of her hand. Emma struggled to breathe as she pitched over, collapsing on the bed. "Fucking hell, Regina!" she furiously gasped, throwing out her hand to slap at Regina's arm. She felt terribly weak however, so it did little more than just barely get her attention.

Regina blinked, looking as though she were coming out of a haze. But then realization hit her all at once, and her face masked into concern as she reached for her. "God, Emma, are you alright?"

Emma groaned and slapped the other woman's hands off of her, a headache pounding relentlessly beneath her skull. "You wanna talk about exercising some goddamn self-control?" she spat angrily. "What the fuck was that? Jesus, Regina."

"I'm sorry," Regina quickly apologized, looking ashamed with herself. "I was… frustrated, and I didn't go in as delicately as I should have once I broke the barrier."

"Then you should have stopped once you realized what you did! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I…" Regina tried, her cheeks tinting with shame as she averted her gaze. "You are quite powerful," she told her softly after a moment's hesitation. "It was difficult to resist tasting it."

"Well try," Emma snapped, still unable to right herself. She closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. "I feel like I just got my soul sucked or some shit. Fucking hell."

"I'm sorry," Regina tried again, her face masking in regret for what she had done. Emma didn't care about her apology however; she was just interested if it was worth it.

"Whatever, I don't… I really don't care right now. Just… did it work?"

"Yes," Regina told her, taking Emma's hand in hers to help her to a seated position. "Look," she encouraged, nodding her head towards the map as she rested Emma against her chest, giving the woman a reprieve from trying to hold herself up.

As Regina's arm snaked around her torso, holding her closer, Emma's eyes found the map. There was a soft, golden glow over one spot, and Emma realized where that was immediately. "New York," she whispered, a small smile gracing her lips.

They did it. Holy crap, they actually fucking did it.

"Yes, dear," Regina affirmed softly, resting her chin on the blonde's shoulder as she looked at what they had accomplished together. "New York."

TBC…