A/N: First of all, thank you for all the comments, follows, and faves. I never expected so many people to be into something so dark. And I never expected almost everyone to be so happy to see Emma go dark!
It could be a little bit of a wait until the next chapter, between schoolwork and being unsure about what direction this is headed in. I have two big plot twist ideas and can't decide between them.
Regina couldn't help smiling proudly when Henry captured her queen. "I don't know why I ever let you get so much smarter than me," she told him as she searched for a move that would hold him off. It had been years since they'd played chess or anything else together, and Regina loved every minute of it.
She had to admit, though, that she'd gotten rusty since Henry stopped playing her, while he'd greatly improved in the school chess club.
Her move didn't pay off like she'd hoped, and it wasn't long until Henry's bishop was perfectly lined up to take her king. They were resetting the board – always Henry white, Regina black – when Emma came in, calling in a brief greeting before going to put the groceries away.
Regina forced herself to stay seated rather than fussing over the blonde in her kitchen, instead looking over the pile of games to find one that could accommodate three players.
"I just beat Mom so badly," Henry announced as Emma appeared in the doorway to the living room. Regina glanced over her shoulder to see her, and her smile instantly faded.
Something wasn't right. Emma looked tired and sad… Haunted, Regina realized, was the word she was searching for. The brunette didn't even hear Emma's response to Henry, too busy studying her face. "Henry, why don't you get the next game set up?" Regina suggested as she got up and headed for Emma. "We'll be back in a second."
Emma seemed reluctant to follow but let Regina take her hand and lead her back out into the foyer.
"What's wrong?" Regina asked, keeping a tight hold on the blonde's hand.
Emma shrugged. "I'm just really tired."
"You were barely gone an hour," Regina pointed out as gently as she could. "You weren't like this earlier."
"Regina, please." Emma's posture was more slumped than usual.
"What happened?" Without waiting for an answer, Regina led them upstairs. If Emma really was tired, a nap certainly couldn't hurt. And the last thing she needed was Henry and his questions. She sat both of them on the bed, taking Emma's face between her hands to force those green eyes to meet hers. "Talk to me."
Emma just stared at her, and Regina was surprised by the fear in her eyes. The blonde said nothing. Regina sat there with her until Henry called up to see what was taking so long. She gave Emma a light kiss before leaving her there to rest or think, whatever she needed to do. The mayor closed the door and headed back downstairs to let Henry trounce her in chess again.
Emma flopped back on the bed, closing her eyes and reflecting on her critical mistake: if anyone found out how Whale died, all fingers would point towards Regina.
With Sidney, it had been easy enough for everyone to believe it was an accident. But a man in perfectly good health, surrounded by doctors and medical equipment, didn't just drop dead. She'd let her anger get the best of her and she'd been sloppy. Emma Swan didn't do sloppy when it came to crime.
But she'd never killed anyone until today.
The magic was coursing through her system, feeding on her anger, digging in deeper. On some rational level she knew that she'd be glad to see it go. She didn't feel quite herself anymore. She didn't even feel guilty, even though she knew what she'd done was technically wrong. She couldn't regret it. Nothing she'd ever done had felt as good as squeezing Whale's life away.
Regina had been right. It did change everything.
Emma burrowed under the covers, ignoring her phone when it rang. The hospital first, then Ruby. Then Ruby again, at which point she turned the phone off. She was in no mood to be sheriff today.
Regina hung up the phone and sank down into the nearest chair, not sure what to do. Not sure how to react.
Whale was dead.
It should have been a relief, but even hearing his name, even thinking of him, left her a bit shaken. She couldn't help reliving all the things he'd done to her. And now the memory that flooded back was from one of the worst of their encounters. The time he'd penetrated her in every possible way. She could almost still taste him, feel the weight of him in her mouth.
She barely made it to the bathroom before she vomited, hot tears running down her face.
Regina didn't look up when Henry came to the door, not wanting him to see her undone like this. But she didn't get up from the cold tile floor, didn't make any attempt to pretend things were normal.
"I'm fine," she told him, even though he didn't ask. He retreated without a word, and Regina hugged her knees to her chest and held back her sobs until Henry's footsteps sounded far enough away.
Henry said Emma's name for the fourth time and, when there was no response, yanked away the pillow she had over her head. "You need to get up," he insisted, and Emma turned her head to give him a tired look.
"I'm not in the mood for game night or whatever you guys are doing," she mumbled.
"Mom's sick," Henry said, and at that Emma at least sat up part of the way. "She never gets sick. I don't know what to do."
Emma got out of bed, worry for Regina the only thing that could shake her from her mood. She hurried downstairs to find Regina in the small bathroom off the foyer. Henry left them together and went back to the now abandoned chess game, unsure of what to do when both his mothers were falling apart.
Emma sat down next to Regina and tucked the hair that was blocking her face from view back behind her ears. "Hey," she said softly, swiping at the tearstains with her thumb. "What's going on? Is this a physical thing or an emotional thing?"
Regina leaned against her, grateful beyond words to have her savior back. "I didn't tell you everything," she admitted. "All the things he did to me."
Emma didn't mention that she knew more than Regina had told her, that the rape detailed all sorts of sexual injuries. "You can tell me everything or nothing," she reassured the brunette. "I'm right here. And he's never going to hurt you again."
Regina lifted her head up at that, blinking through her wet eyelashes. Ruby had only called Regina because Emma wasn't answering her phone, and Regina had explained it away by claiming Emma was sick. Emma hadn't spoken with anyone, couldn't know…
She crawled back to the toilet and threw up again. This time, Emma was right behind her, holding her hair out of the way and whispering soothing words. When Regina had nothing left, Emma gently guided her upstairs, wiping the tears away with a soft washcloth while Regina brushed her teeth.
They crawled back into bed, Regina taking in every detail of Emma's face to confirm what she already knew. "You killed him."
Emma didn't lie, and Regina was grateful for that. "I would do anything to protect you."
"Please don't say that," Regina said miserably. "Don't stoop to their level, Emma."
"Stooping to his level would have meant torturing him for hours," Emma replied bitterly. "I went easy on him."
"I don't want to lose all that's good in you." Regina's voice was soft, almost a whisper, and for the first time Emma felt remorse for killing Whale. Not for the actual killing, but for the worry in Regina's eyes.
"I'm still me," she promised. "I'm still yours."
Regina set her hand over Emma's heart, and the blonde forgot to breathe for a moment. Not because she was frightened, but because for a moment she thought Regina knew how she'd killed Whale. "Don't darken your heart," Regina insisted. "Don't make the same mistakes I made."
Emma put her hand over Regina's, offering her a kiss. "I'll be careful."
Regina nodded and tucked herself tighter against Emma. "Thank you," she whispered almost inaudibly. Not just for the promise, but for the murder. For keeping her safe.