Hey! I'm back, sooner than you expected I'm sure! Let's just say I had four hours of class, about European Union Law, and it's not that interesting, mind you.
Anyway. This one is rather Regina centered, so … there.
No beta, then again, she abandoned me mainly because she's lazy, so all mistakes are mine. (And I think this one is rather proficient in mistakes, I do apologize. I hope it's still readable).
Disclaimer: I dunnot own OUaT or HP.
Enjoy!
Chapter IX.
The sun was low in the sky, and slowly the moon was regaining its rights over the world. Regina was sitting in her room, having moved a chair to place it in front of the window, and was staring at her backyard, waiting patiently for her guest to return. She had left earlier this morning, and still was — or so Regina hoped — in the forest. In truth, the Queen had no clue. She didn't want to feel anything for the witch, in fact, she pretended not to care; but the fact remained that she was worried. The witch wasn't from this world — though it was fairly similar — but most of all, she was afraid that she might encounter with Mr. Gold; and Regina didn't want that. If Bellatrix was to meet the imp, and share whatever problems with him, she was rather sure hell would break loose. This was not in her plans for the foreseeable future. She wanted to keep the deranged witch a secret, at least until she knew she was no danger. And for that to happen, she needed the other woman to open up to her. In other words, it would be awhile.
Still, fact remained that she was terribly — and increasingly — worried, and was seconds away to get up and go look for her herself. God knew what was in that damn forest; if Bellatrix were perfectly capable of defending herself, Regina would rather not have to deal with the consequences.
Staring distractedly at the trees, it took her a while to hear the knock on her front door. In fact, the knocking had stopped, and it was the voice coming from her foyer that made her react.
"Regina, you alright?"
The woman jumped and bit her lip, rising to her feet in a hurry. She left her room, and picked a look down the staircase, scowling slightly when seeing Emma. She didn't understand how the woman always seemed to get under her skin, but in the end, she was annoyed after a mere second in her company.
"Miss Swan. To what do I owe this displeasure?" Sometimes she wondered why she was always so mean to the blonde woman, and this time was not an exception. Seeing the hopeful look she harboured crumble was enough to make her feel guilt, and she almost apologized; almost. Instead, she went down the stairs, staring at the Sheriff with a raised eyebrow.
"I wanted to talk about Henry." Strangely, Regina doubted Emma wanted to talk about their son — since when did she think it was their son ? — but she went along anyway. The prospect of Henry always improved her mood — maybe it was the point.
"What about him?" She wanted to sound detached, somehow uncaring, but she knew by seeing the look in Emma's eyes that she failed.
"He wants to spend more time here, and I was thinking it was maybe a good idea."
For a second, Regina forgot how to breathe. She was beyond delighted her son wanted to spend time with her. In the back of her mind, she was also happy the blonde woman wouldn't keep him from seeing her — or the other way around.
"Ah, of course. Care to join me for a drink?"
Talking about Henry was a great way to get Regina to be friendlier, and the Sheriff played that card to perfection.
"Yeah, sure." The blonde smiled and somehow, Regina saw herself smiling in return. She walked her to her study, offering her a cider freshly served from her tumbler. The Sheriff took it and looked into the glass for a couple of seconds, concentrating on something Regina couldn't grasp. Finally fed up with the silence, the Queen cleared her throat and watch Emma intently, raising once again her brow.
"Ah, sorry. Just thinking." Emma smiled, somewhat sheepish, and the former Mayor nearly shrugged. "So he asked me if he could spend a few nights here, and I don't see a problem with that, if it's okay with you."
For once, Regina didn't know what to say and she simply nodded, a watery smile on her face. She wouldn't cry though, not ever, especially not in front of this woman. But what she did was breathtaking and for a second, Regina forgot Emma had destroyed her life again a few weeks prior.
"Of course not, he's welcome to stay here as much as he likes." She finally said, uncomfortable with the silence.
Emma smiled once again, and nodded, emptying her glass in a couple of sips. The silence grew again and Regina bit the inside of her cheek, not knowing what to say next. The situation was not comfortable in the slightest, and she knew she just couldn't be snappy — which she normally was in those situations — after what the blonde had just offered her.
"How are things going with Bellatrix?" The Queen's head snapped up, and took a long sip of her own cider, sitting slowly on her couch, inviting Emma with a look to join her, which she did.
"Rather well, I'd say. I'm trying to learn more about her, about her world, to see if our assumptions are valid or not. So far, I think what we know is accurate enough. She makes it hard, though." At that, Emma snorted and the Queen raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing, I was just thinking she was a bit like you in this matter." The blonde gave a goofy smile and Regina glared at her, making Emma laugh. She couldn't tell her wrong, though, and so she merely rolled her eyes at her counterpart childishness.
"Anyway, I still cannot be certain she is stable enough to be introduced to the town. She's dangerous." She paused for a second, eying Emma. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"
Emma did her best to look revolted, but deep down she understood the Queen's doubts: it wasn't like her linage was known to keep secrets.
"Jesus, Regina, of course not. You told me not to, and I won't until you tell me I can. I'm not out to betray you, you know."
"I found that hard to believe." Emma scoffed and pouted, which made Regina frown. The blonde was strangely endearing like that. Wait, what?
"Can you please make sure our son doesn't tell the two idiots?"
If technically Emma should be annoyed at Regina for, once again, insulting her parents, she paused her come back when she thought again about the sentence. The older woman said 'our' son. It brought a large smile to the blonde's lips, causing Regina to frown.
"What are you smiling for? Finally agreeing with me they are complete morons?"
Emma ignored her second question, still smiling brightly. "You said our son."
Regina froze, and stared at Emma, replaying the scene in her head. She did say our son. She rolled her eyes internally, sighing at her own weakness.
"So what if I did?" Her best response was always aggression, and the Sheriff knew that well. It didn't stop her from smiling.
"Nothing, I'm just happy you recognize me as his mother too."
"Hardly." It was muttered, and it missed its bite, and Emma knew the other woman just couldn't admit it, even if deep down she knew it was true. And that simple fact, the lack of emphasis when defending her point, told the blonde that she still at a shot with the older woman.
"Will you stop smiling like an idiot?" She snapped, this time, annoyed at Emma for rubbing her mistake in her face. She wouldn't admit to herself that this smile looked good on the Savior.
Emma stopped smiling indeed, and just sat there in silence, replaying the moment over and over in her head. The silence was not awkward anymore, and even Regina allowed herself to close her eyes for a bit, before snapping them open. She had completely forgotten about Bellatrix. She blamed it on the blonde, obviously, to make her loose her train of thoughts, and suddenly realised the night had settled upon Storybrook and the witch had yet to return. Once again, she found herself inexplicably worried, and she rose to her feet, startling Emma. The blonde stood up as well, watching Regina intently.
"I am sorry, Miss Swan, I must attend to some business. Can I show you out?" She was kicking her out, and somehow she felt slightly bad about it. After all, the Sheriff just allowed her to see her son more — and part of her rebelled at the thought, she should be able to see her son without any authorization — and she needed to be nice. At least, that's what she told herself. The blonde nodded nonetheless, and she slowly walked her to the door, opening it and staring at Emma for a few seconds.
"Goodnight, Miss Swan."
"'Night Regina."
She watched as the Sheriff walked back to her door, and bit her lip, debating for a second before calling her back.
"Miss Swan?"
The blonde woman turned around, walking towards Regina, realising she was a bit far to hear her correctly.
"Would you like to come and have diner with me, and Henry, on Wednesday?" The Sheriff was left with her mouth hanging open, which caused an amused smile to appear on the former Mayor's lips. She just stared at her, a eyebrow lifted.
"Yeah, sure, I'd love to."
"Come by at seven, Sheriff."
The blonde nodded, and walked away, only to turn around once more, hearing the Queen's voice.
"And Emma? Do not be late." She closed the door, leaving a dumbstruck Sheriff behind, and smiling to herself. She didn't say the blonde's first name a lot, but when she did, it always caused a delightful reaction from Emma, which amused her to no end. This time was no exception, and it took the Savior a few minutes to find her legs again to walk back to her car, and leave.
Finally alone again, the Queen was able to get back to her problem: finding Bellatrix before something bad happened. She grabbed her phone from the living room table, and after few hesitations, she dialled.
"Miss Lucas? It's Regina."
"So, she's gone since morning?"
The pair was sitting in Regina's backyard, dressed in heavy coats — for Regina, anyways — and a blanket for Ruby. The Queen just nodded, staring once again at the forest.
"You want me to look for her?" Regina watched her then, from the corner of her eye, and seemed to think about the question. Finally, she shook her head no, and sighed.
"It's my fault she left." She paused, surprised of her own admission. It wasn't like her to admit her faults, especially not when in company. Then again, Ruby was different. "I'm afraid she might hurt you." She bit the inside of her cheek, and the wolf glanced at her, smiling brightly. It reminded the Queen of a certain blonde, and she rolled her eyes.
"What?" She sounded irritated but it wasn't exactly believable.
"You're afraid for me." Came the simple reply, and Regina smiled.
"You sound a lot like Miss Swan." She stared at the forest, and the wolf just gaped at the singular comment.
"What?"
"She came by earlier." Regina didn't know why she was answering Ruby, firmly convinced her personal life was her own business; but Ruby was here to help and she couldn't just snap at her. "She was smiling a lot, too." She finished, somewhat distractedly.
"I see. So you two are talking?" Regina eyed her warily, and rolled her eyes internally, hearing herself respond, not knowing why.
"I guess you could say that. She came back to talk about Henry. She said he wants to spend some nights here." She smiled then, and it was brilliant, and Ruby couldn't help but stare in wonder, realising just how beautiful the Queen was when she was happy. "I invited her to diner."
Ruby looked surprised, and coughed, choking on her own saliva. Regina glanced at her, smiling still, amused.
"Everything alright dear?" Her tone was borderline mocking, but it was gentle, and didn't mean to offend.
"Yeah, umh. I'm glad you're giving her a shot, is all." Ruby seemed to trip on her words and her sentence brought a confused look on Regina's face. She didn't see it that way, she was merely being polite, but in a way she was giving Emma a shot, and she found she didn't mind.
"Be as it may, it doesn't solve our Bellatrix issue. I should go find her. I'm getting …" She stopped there, swallowing her words, and setting her eyes back on the forest.
"Worried?" Ruby finished for her, and for a second the Queen considered glaring at the lanky woman, but she ended up nodding and sighing.
"I feel responsible for her."
The wolf said nothing, and just smiled at the former Mayor, grasping her hand gently to give it a squeeze. Regina stared at her, surprised, but didn't make a move to take back her hand. She was feeling strangely comfortable in the wolf's presence.
"I never thanked you." It was Ruby's turn to look startled, but she didn't dare interrupt her Queen. "For caring, I mean. That night, when you broke into my garden-" she stopped, glaring at Ruby for good measure, earning a sheepish smile. "- You stopped me from doing something stupid. So I thank you, Ruby."
The wolf squeezed her hand into hers once again, discreet tears coming up to her eyes. Her first name sounded like music on the older woman's tongue, and those thanks were like presents before Christmas.
"Regina, I … I wasn't lying, you know. I really care about you." Regina watched her carefully, trying to perceive if she was lying or not, and finally smiled a bit, satisfied with her observations.
"I know."
They sat in silence, and Ruby wanted to ask her what she had stopped her from doing. She was curious, but she didn't dare, and she ended up opening her mouth before closing it again, a few times, which caused Regina to roll her eyes, and to look at her, raising her brow.
"Just ask dear."
Ruby bit her lip, and stared at their hands, still clasped.
"What were you about to do?"
Regina seemed to ponder whether or not she should answer, and she too dropped her eyes to her hands, unable to face the other woman. With a lazy flick of her free hand, a pin appeared within her palm, perfectly visible once the purple smoke had cleared.
"I was giving up." It wasn't like her to talk about her weakness, or admit them, but she somewhat trusted the lanky woman, and she figured that it would be hypocritical to ask Bellatrix to open up if she wasn't doing it herself. She detached her gaze from their joined hands to look at the pin, frowning slightly. The wolf still didn't speak.
"I was going to put myself to sleep, and well, maybe I hoped it would bring Henry back to me." It sounded silly now that she was saying it out loud but at the moment it seemed to make perfect sense. She shrugged then, and with another flick, the pin disappeared. The silence was smothering and she raised her iris to stare at Ruby, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable.
The wolf was doing her best to hide her surprise. When she had asked, she never imagined the Queen would answer her. But she did, and now she was at a loss of words. So she went with her heart, and hoped for the best. She didn't like seeing Regina so vulnerable, it was unsettling.
"You can't give up Regina, not ever. You're the strongest person I know. If you give up, then what hope is there left for us?" She bit her lip, and Regina laughed, but it was hollow and sad, and it made the wolf's insides ache.
"I'm not so sure. I'm not the most hopeful person, you know."
"That may be true, but still, you never stop fighting. And you can't quit, Regina." She was grasping her hand with both her hands now, and she was looking at her dead in the eye, and the Queen found herself unable to look away.
"But I'm so tired, Red." The use of her former name surprised her, but she hid it well. The tone was unsettling as well, quiet and small, and the Queen looked so fragile in that moment that Ruby wanted to hug her.
"I know. Believe me, I know. But you can be happy, if only you believed it." The Queen frowned, and she swallowed somewhat loudly, trying to detach her gaze from Ruby's. She failed.
"Regina. There is happiness for you here, I'm sure of it. You have to stop fighting the idea of being happy and just … I can't let you give up on your life, you'd miss to too many people." She smiled at her, and Regina just stared, unconvinced.
"I highly doubt that, Red." It was self-depreciative, and Ruby had never heard the former Mayor say such things before. It now crossed her mind that maybe the Queen wasn't very fond of herself either.
"I'd miss you. Henry would too. And Emma." There was nothing Regina could answer to that, because she knew it was true. She wanted to laugh, break the moment, and demean her words to make it less real, to reject it more easily. But she couldn't, she didn't find to courage, and she just dropped her gaze to her hands, staring for a long moment before slowly taking back her fingers, biting her lip and looking away.
"I don't deserve it." She said it to close the conversation, and her tone was so self-depreciative it made Ruby's hear ache. She went to grasp her hand again, but stopped, grabbing the Queen's shoulders instead, forcing her to face her.
"Yes you do, Regina. You do deserve it and I won't stop telling you until you believe it. I won't give up on you, no matter how hard you push me away. Emma won't give up on you either, so you can stop trying to shut her out right now, it won't work." At least, the wolf hoped Emma wouldn't give up, but she knew in her heart this time would be different. She had noticed how the blonde looked at the Queen, and she couldn't be mistaken.
"Red, I-"
Regina was interrupted by a scream, and it was bloodcurdling. Both women jumped to their feet, and stared at the forest in awe, a single name escaping the Queen's lips.
"Bellatrix."
Cliff-hanger ! Aren't you glad. It was doomed to happen.
What did you think? Don't hold back, your opinions are my jam. My lady-jam. (Cookies to the ones who catch the reference)
kytkis: I agree with you, J.K. Rowling could have done so much more, but I guess it wasn't meant to happen. There are so many subjects and characters she can explore, and she didn't. I kinda hold on to the hope she will write the first war, and we'll see the Black Sisters more into detail. Cause I can't accept the fact that Bellatrix is crazy just because she is, I mean there has to be a reason. But anyway! Thank you, I prefer to see Hermione independent and confident. I mean she rocks and she's so brilliant, I just believe she deserves more than Ron.
'Till next time!