The sunlight streamed in from the window and shone on the peaceful forms of the two sleeping women. The blonde was draped over the brunette in the same position she fell asleep in, her head on Regina's shoulder and her arm across her belly. Their stomachs rose and fell at the same time, and one of them was snoring softly. It was Emma who woke up first, blearily cracking her eyes open.
"Damn it," Emma grumbled when she saw Regina's serene face just inches away from her own.
She jerked her hand away from Regina's hip and sat up, ignoring the sudden dizziness that threatened to overtake her. She couldn't believe that she'd literally fallen apart at the seams last night. Emma was pissed. She wasn't supposed to break so easily-and in front of Regina of all people! The very woman she hated. Emma threw the blanket off of her body and swung her legs off the side of the bed.
She padded her way to her bathroom and firmly shut the door before locking it. Like that will do any good. After doing her morning routine, Emma leaned over the sink and looked at her reflection. The circles were gone under her eyes, and her body didn't feel as achy as it did yesterday. She had gotten the best night's sleep of her life last night, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Emma ground her teeth in frustration. She hated to be so needy, and she couldn't even stomach the thought that Regina was the source of her restful slumber.
Emma rolled her eyes at her own actions. She reached into the bathtub and pulled out her straight blade razor, the tool she usually shaved with, and lifted her white nightgown. Emma placed the sharp edge under her right breast on her rib, and made a quick incision, sighing when the pain fled through her body. It was addicting, and it made her feel alive. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring the high it gave her. A knock on the door startled her musings, and she dropped the razor on the floor.
"Shit!" Emma hissed as she scrambled to pick it up.
"Emma?" Regina's voice sounded worried.
"Uh, don't come in!" Emma cried out in panic. "I'm still…uh, doing something."
She ran the water and washed the red off the sharp edge, watching as it swirled down the sink. Emma placed the blade back in her bathtub and looked in the mirror to adjust herself. Crap. The blood was seeping through her nightgown, and it was staining the front of her dress.
"Emma?" Regina called again, resting her head against the door.
"Just a second!" Emma snapped, frantically looking for something to save her.
She spotted a dark towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door, and quickly shucked her dress, wadding it up and tossing it in a corner. After wrapping the towel around herself, she gathered her long golden locks on the top of her head and lowered her head under the faucet. Letting the water cascade through her long locks, she thought about her plan of attack. Obviously the woman had to go. Emma shut the water off, inhaled deeply, and strode over to the door before yanking it open. "Operation Get Rid of Regina is A-Go," she thought when she saw Regina. Emma plastered a huge grin on her face.
"Done!" Emma cheerfully announced as she brushed past Regina. "Just wanted to have a quick bath before I faced the day!"
Regina narrowed her eyes, and Emma subtly clutched the towel tighter to her body.
"Why don't you smell like soap then?" Regina asked suspiciously.
Emma didn't answer, and pushed past her. "Can I please have some privacy to dress myself?"
"Wait," Regina gently grabbed her arm.
"Yes?" Emma said impatiently.
"Do you want to talk?" her dark eyes bore into Emma's.
"No thanks," Emma smiled. "Last night was very helpful. I really appreciate your concern and everything, but I actually feel a lot better today."
"Emma, I want to help you," Regina sighed. "I can't do it if you don't open up and let me in. Please. Just trust me."
It took every last string of patience for Emma not to throttle the older woman. She stepped back, letting the restricting arm that held her captive drop from her body.
"Well I've already told you everything. Now can I please get dressed?"
Regina looked at her before nodding wordlessly and reluctantly walking out of Emma's bedroom, shutting the door softly behind her. Emma stood tense for a few minutes before allowing her legs to carry her back into her bathroom. She ran a bath and added soap before she picked up the discarded nightgown from the floor and tossed it in the soapy suds. Warm liquid on her stomach made her realize with a jolt that she still had a major problem. Blood was seeping quickly out of the cut she had made earlier, and was running down her body in a bloody mess.
"Shit," Emma growled, immediately dropping the towel and cupping her left hand under her right breast.
She winced as she applied pressure, but knew it was the only way to get it to stop. Breathing deeply through her nose, she reached down and picked up the towel she had discarded earlier. Emma stumbled towards her sink and wetted it before pressing it to the wound she had inflicted on herself. Gently dabbing it on the injury, she soaked up a lot of the blood before thrusting the towel under the running water and cleansing it again. She blotted and wiped multiple times, but the incision was deep, and the flow of blood wouldn't cease.
"Stupid stupid stupid," she grumbled under her breath as she went through the repetitious process of wetting, pressing, rinsing, and repeating.
After a while, another knock resonated through the open bathroom door.
"Emma, do you need help?"
Emma wanted to scream. Instead, she calmly called out, "No Regina, I'm perfectly fine. Sorry I'm just so indecisive on what I want to wear!"
There was a pause. "Okay Emma. I'll get some breakfast for us."
"Right."
That bought her some more time, which Emma took full advantage of. After a few more curses and grimaces, she managed to quench the blood flow. She grabbed a different clean towel, and folded it in half multiple times so she had a thin strip of fabric. Emma wrapped it around her ribs just under her breastbone, and dropped the old towel into the tub to join the nightgown. The water soon stained a deep murky red. Emma looked at the sea of scarlet for a moment before turning away with tears in her eyes.
She took a deep breath and wiped away the wetness that had gathered on her cheekbones. She had precious time left. Slamming the bathroom door after she exited, Emma frantically ran to the closet and sifted through her clothing items, taking extra care to choose a dress that would cover the scratches on her arms. She didn't even bother with undergarments as she chose a brown dress and threw it on. Just in time.
"Emma? I have breakfast," Regina called.
Emma hastened to open the door for Regina, and the Queen swept in, holding a heavy platter in her arms. She set the tray down on the table next to Emma's bed and smiled triumphantly. Bacon, quail eggs, fruit, toast, and other delicacies were present on the plates.
"Er, thanks," Emma eyed the food with fear in her eyes. If Regina made her eat any of that…
"Healthy start for a big day!" Regina grinned. Her black dress was low-cut, revealing smooth white skin, and her hair was swept up into a coiffed bun on the top of her head. Emma damned whatever force made Regina so appealing. It would be so much easier to hate her if she weren't.
"Yum," Emma said weakly. Just smelling the food made her feel faint.
"Shall we?" Regina gestured to the table.
"Right."
Emma reluctantly made her way over to a chair and sat down, Regina copying her actions. She looked lost as she glanced at all of the magnificent food that was laid in front of her. Regina noticed Emma's expression and felt a pang in her heart.
"Here," she said softly, "let's start with toast. Would you like butter on it?"
"No thank you," Emma mumbled. "Plain is fine."
Regina coated the yellow spread thinly on the brown piece of toast, and held it out for Emma to take. Emma gingerly grasped the food, and slowly brought it up to her mouth. She took a small bite and chewed carefully and slowly. It had been a long time since she had actually eaten a solid piece of food, and she choked it down as she grimaced.
"Thank you," Emma said. She felt guilty. Regina was trying to be helpful and supportive, and all Emma had done was lie and act coldly towards the brunette.
"You're welcome. Would you like to try some eggs next?" Regina swallowed a bite of her own toast that she'd buttered.
The guilty feelings evaporated.
"I suppose," Emma groused.
She helped herself to a small portion of eggs, and stared at her plate.
"I-I can't eat this," she stammered. "Can I please be done?"
"Just try a bite?"
"I can't. Please don't make me."
"Alright. I'm proud of you though. You've made some progress."
"Yay."
Regina ignored the last comment Emma made, and started eating an apple.
"Can I be excused?" Emma asked, hating that she felt like she had to ask permission.
"Alright, but once I've finished, we should do something to get you out of this castle," Regina bit into her apple and licked her lips.
"It's winter out, and it's cold and snowy," Emma weakly protested.
"Wear a coat," Regina said. "Besides, I'm magic. I have the power to give you warmth."
"Ah," Emma raised her chin. "Wonderful."
She scooted her chair back and stood up. She made her way into the bathroom again, leaving Regina to stare after her. Emma had to clean up the mess she made earlier before Regina noticed. She drained the bloody water from the bathtub before taking out her nightgown and towel and dropping them into the sink. Emma ran soap in the tub, effectively cleaning it, and then added soap in the sink to wash her soiled items. Wringing out the cleaned items, she hung them on the back of the bathroom door and washed her hands, cleansing them of her blood. Emma sighed once the job was complete.
"That should do it," Emma smiled.
She opened the bathroom door and entered her bedroom again where she found Regina standing outside on the balcony. She walked outside and stood next to the other woman.
"What are you doing out here?" her breath created puffs in the air.
"Casting a minor spell," Regina answered simply.
"What was it?"
Regina turned to face Emma fully. "I protected you. I erased any memories anyone had of you falling off the balcony. That way, the people of the kingdom don't know about it. The only people who do are you, your parents, and me."
Emma was speechless. She mentally gaped at the older woman while keeping her face stoic. "Uh, thank you so much." She was confused. On one hand, she hated Regina since the woman had taken away her freedom in a sense, but on the other hand, Regina was incredibly caring and sweet.
"You're welcome. It was the least I could do," Regina smiled.
"Well I really appreciate it," Emma said gruffly.
"No problem at all Emma," Regina turned back to looking over the kingdom. "What would you like to do today?"
"I don't know," Emma tried to make an effort, since the unexpected action Regina took was the nicest thing anyone had done for her. "Uh, I used to ride my horse and sometimes, I guess I took walks. But it's too cold for that."
"Oh good lord!" Regina gasped. "Get inside!"
She ushered Emma back into the warmth, and closed the doors firmly behind her. Regina guided Emma to sit down on the bed, and she found the blanket they used the prior night. Regina drew it around Emma's thin frame, and the blonde blushed, despite of herself. "Regina would make a wonderful wife," Emma mused. Then she gasped softly and mentally berated herself. Idiot. Do not fall for her. Stick to your plan to get rid of her. It was hard for Emma to follow her own advice though when Regina sat in such close proximity to her.
"In response to your last answer, I don't think you're strong enough yet to ride a horse," Regina squeezed Emma's arm gently to show she didn't mean anything harsh by her comment. "And it's out of the question to walk. We could go for a carriage ride. It would be warmer, and we could enjoy the fresh air without having to lift a finger."
"That would be wonderful," Emma shocked both herself and Regina with her honest answer.
"Perfect," Regina flashed her white teeth, "I'll go and prepare the sleigh. You can get dressed in something warmer while I do that. There will be blankets in the carriage, so don't worry about grabbing anything like that. Meet me out front in about ten minutes. I should have everything ready by then."
Regina stood and touched Emma's hand once before she exited the room quietly. Emma missed her presence immediately. She wondered if she was developing some kind of Stockholm's Syndrome, but instead of a captor, it was her rescuer. Shaking her head, she stood up and let the blanket fall back onto the bed behind her. Emma walked over to her closet again, and put on a coat stitched by the Three Blind Mice. It was the softest item of clothing she owned, and one of her favorites.
A foreign felling bubbled up inside of Emma, and it took her a moment to realize it was excitement. She felt lighter than air. Emma tried not to run down the hallways for fear she would seem too eager, so she did an awkward sort of jog /stumble. Reaching the main doors, she took a deep breath and pulled them open.