Disclaimer in Chapter One.
AN: Been listening to Crazy In Love too much...
Manhattan, New York
Her hands were shaking. Her pulse beat in her ears like drums, a song to match her every step forward. Her feet landed on each step with precision, and she looked up, wondering why she didn't just take the elevator. Her body felt foreign to her, this place strange, and the people alarming. It was so busy and loud and the days were too short. The buildings towered over her, frowning as she had traveled past them as if to stay, "Stranger". She really was.
But she smiled then. The final step and she was on the third floor. She had never been so nervous before in her life. Her hands brushed down her shirt, her eyes catching a door with the number the receptionist told her was the one. 314. She flipped her hair to the side, clearing her throat, straightening her back. A small laugh escaped her throat, trying to relieve the tension. But she's been waiting for this moment for a year. An entire year, her heart still couldn't comprehend how she made it.
Regina lifted her hand into a fist, smiling at the numbers on the door, gently forcing her knuckles to tap three times on the wood. When no answer came in the next couple seconds, she wanted to knock again, but her better judgment told her to just wait. Be calm, patient. Emma will answer.
Her eyes bore into the door when suddenly it was pulled open from the other side. Emma hadn't changed a bit, her blonde hair in soft waves pulled behind her ears, her cotton pajamas hanging loosely off her. Regina almost lost control and hugged her, but she reminded herself that Emma didn't remember. Her memories were gone.
Emma looked at her questioningly, Regina merely a stranger to her. The brunette smiled at her, "Emma," she whispered in awe.
Emma raised an eyebrow at her. "Do I know you?"
The former Queen frowned, because no matter how many times she had explained to herself that Emma didn't remember, she wasn't ready to hear it. She stared at Emma, waiting for a sassy remark or an idiotic grin, but all the blonde did was stare blankly at her. Regina's hand was in her pocket, gripping the small vial tightly as she smiled sadly at the blonde. "No. No, you don't."
Emma couldn't help but feel awkward, staring at the older woman with hesitant eyes. She knows this woman is lying. But she didn't know why. Her posture didn't look threatening, but her clothing was formal. She pursed her lips, humming a response. "You're lying. Who are you?"
Regina mentally kicked herself for not preparing a speech. Everything had happened so fast, her only task was to get here, get Emma and bring her home. Regina looked at her, sighing, because what was she to do? Lie? This isn't a game, there are lives at stake. She knew Zelena had done something to the Dark Curse, and everyone in Storybrooke was in danger. Three years ago she wouldn't have cared, but Emma has done the impossible, and softened the "Evil Queen". "My name is Regina Mills. And I need your help."
Emma wrinkled her nose. "Regina?" Something small, something she wouldn't have noticed, tugged at her mind at the name. Her ability to read people told her that this woman, Regina, was telling the truth. Whoever she was, she believed that Regina really did need her help. But she didn't know her, so she didn't trust her. "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person, Ms. Mills."
Regina flinched at the formality, the foreign title giving her chills. She definitely wasn't ready for this. "Emma. I know you don't remember me, and I'm sorry for that. But you did know me, very well actually. You're probably the only person who truly knows me and understands me. I need your help, Emma. I need you back. You must believe me."
The blonde stared at her incredulously, stepping back slightly. But then Regina continued, "Use your superpower. You have to know I'm telling the truth."
Emma became suspicious, then, her hand gripping the door. "How could you possibly know that?"
Regina smiled gently, seeing the fear in her eyes. "Because I do. Emma, please, your family is in danger, and they would kill me if I didn't bring you home."
Emma straightened, her voice masked with anger. "My family is right here. I think it's time you leave."
Present Day
A knock sounded at her door, her eyes not lifting from her paperwork. "Come in." Her pen scratched easily across the page, sighing as she sat up straighter. The door opened, and someone shuffled in. She didn't bother to look up, she knew who it was. He had reported the same message everyday for the past week. "Emma didn't come today, Regina," Charming said softly.
The brunette looked up, her eyes betraying her as the annoyance and sadness of the situation took hold. Ever since she left Emma in her doorway, there has been no sign of her anyway. Except at her apartment, of course. Charming has told her that she never leaves, that she hasn't been to Granny's, or even the park, and thank God, not the local bars. Regina hadn't expected this, the silence from her, the complete lack of Emma in Storybrooke even though she lives here. How long was the Savior going to keep this up? "Of course," Regina said quietly, looking back at the stack of files she needed to complete.
Later that day, Regina walked out of the station and got into her car. Several minutes after that, she pulled up at Emma's apartment. And then she found herself at the same door from a week ago. But this time, she didn't knock. She flicked her wrist at the handle, unlocked the door with her magic, and then quickly opened it. Her eyes caught the inside of the apartment quickly, her hands gently shutting the door. She stayed next to it, though, ready to leave if Emma lost it. She peered around, then looked to her right, catching green eyes.
Emma watched her from the couch, a book in her hand, her legs Indian style beneath her, her hair flowing over her shoulders. Regina inhaled sharply, "Emma." She felt crazy, coming uninvited, barging in like she owned the place.
The blonde didn't say anything. Her eyes drifted back to her book, her fingers running over the pages. Oh how Regina wished she were those pages, Emma's caress but a distant memory now, it was almost a sin for going this long without her.
Her feet started walking to her beloved from her spot at the door, and Regina should've wanted to stop, but she closed the distance more and more with every step. She sat next to Emma on the couch, clenching her fists, trying not to touch her.
The blonde closed her book softly, looking back up at Regina. "Who do you think you are?" Emma whispered, the emptiness inside slowly starting to fill with anger every second the brunette sat next to her.
Regina frowns, noticing the tear streaks down Emma's cheeks and bags under her eyes. She hadn't expected any of this, hadn't wanted any of this. All she wants is Emma to be happy, to be safe. But she looked so wounded, so small. Regina lifted her hand.
Emma flinched, moving away slightly. "Don't."
Regina dropped her hand, feeling so lost. "I'm sorry."
Emma scoffed, gripping her book, leaning back into the couch. She stared straight ahead, distracting herself with the wallpaper Snow had recently picked out.
Regina sighed. "You haven't been showing up to work. You haven't even left your apartment. Why? Everyone's worried about you."
Emma didn't break her eye contact with the stupid wallpaper. "I'm waiting," she whispered.
The brunette raised an eyebrow, "For what?" She followed Emma's stare, noticing the hideous wallpaper. She made a mental note to find Snow a personal decorator.
Emma looked back at her, shifting a bit on the couch. "For you."
"Well, here I am," Regina replied saucily.
Green eyes squinted at her, her lips pursed. "Maybe." Emma's hand tingled, and she sighed because honestly what else was there to lose? She carefully gauged Regina's reaction as her hand reached out and touched her cheek. Her fingers grazed her soft skin, leaving sparks on her fingertips. It jolted her heart, and suddenly she felt alive. Her blood seemed to flow more easily as she trailed her hand down the Mayor's cheek. Regina didn't move, didn't want to break the moment. Her eyes fluttered shut at the contact, her breath leaving her chest.
Emma pulled back slowly. "You should go."
Regina opened her eyes in surprise, her heart clenching with pain, the moment gone. She wanted that hand back. She wanted both of her hands back. "Emma… was I wrong?"
The Savior looked down, clasping her fingers together. She had never felt so exposed, so weak. "Yeah."
Regina made a decision. Not for the sake of Emma's job, not for the worry of Snow and Charming and everyone else, not even for Henry's constant questioning. She made a decision for herself. "What do you want me to do?"
Emma seemed to fade, melting into the back of the couch. Her eyes flicked towards Regina, wondering how this woman could see everything yet be so blind. "All I've wanted is for you to love me."
Regina ground her teeth, angry that Emma could make her feel so helpless. "I do love you."
Emma shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. "No, no you don't. If you loved me, you wouldn't have left."
Regina stood up, crossing her arms, her blood boiling. She stepped back from the couch staring at the blonde. "I left because I love you! Because you deserve better! I am no good for you, Emma, how many times do I have to tell you that?"
Emma sighed, resting her book on the spot next to her, standing up to be in front of Regina. Her hands stretched out and rested on Regina's shoulders, a thought in the back of her mind reminding her of the burn from last week. But she didn't care right now. "On the contrary, I barely even deserve you. You are good, Regina. You just don't see it."
Regina pleaded with her eyes to stop talking, because she didn't want to hear it. She isn't good. She might've done a few good things, but that doesn't make her worthy of a medal. She didn't know how to respond to Emma, she had said everything she needed to.
Emma stared right back, her grip tightening. She stepped closer, needing to be closer, wanting her to never leave again. "Or is it that you don't want to be with me?"
Regina melted. Her lips turned down, and she felt completely defeated. "Of course I want to be with you."
Those words broke the walls from Emma's control to Regina's lips, and the blonde moved forward in one swift motion, covering Regina's mouth with her own. It happened so fast, Regina's mind didn't comprehend it until Emma pressed their bodies together. Regina was about to pull away, but Emma wrapped her arms around her, not letting her leave. The blonde continued kissing her, trying to elicit a response. Her lips danced dangerously on their own, pressing against every inch of skin they could, missing the feeling of Regina against them. She moaned when Regina reacted, moving into her, her hands running up her sides.
They battled with each other for dominance, for acceptance, for understanding. Emma was harsh, trying to explain through passion how much Regina could break her. Her tongue found entrance and she wrapped it around the brunette's, rubbing up and down. Regina trembled, her hands sneaking inside Emma's shirt, feeling the soft skin she hadn't touched for seven days. Seven days. Some people would call her crazy, gone completely mad, because seven days is nothing. But she didn't care, because she wasn't thinking, or at least, trying not to think.
Emma felt so alive and she wanted more of it. She moved them back towards the couch, pushing Emma to sit down. She smiled at her, staring deep into her eyes. Her legs straddled Emma's waist, her hands cupping her face, and then she planted a sweet kiss to her lips. Emma's hands rested on Regina's hips, and she spoke quietly between kisses, "You… make me so… crazy."
Regina chuckled, wanting to slap herself for a reason she couldn't remember. "Crazy in love," she breathed.