Whoops, I have to say, I enjoy writing this story much more than originally expected. Hope you will too. Feedback is always appreciated ;)

xxxxx

Emma let herself fall onto Regina's bed as if it were her own, quickly finding a comfortable position. She motioned the other woman to sit down next to her but Regina was just staring at her, her own arms crossed in front of her chest.

Emma smirked.

"Why so shy, Madame Mayor? Does it make you uncomfortable to have me in your bedroom? Do you always wear such pretty little dresses to bed? Or did you put that on for pouty-face?"

Regina's eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath.

"What do you want, Emma?"

Emma smiled at her.

"Actually, I want to show you something."

A second later, Regina found herself in the woods again, fully dressed in a black skirt and coat, wearing her favorite high heels.

Holy shit.

The curse had definitely given Emma more power. A week ago she had been impressed by the woman's ability to create a fake copy of a page from the book, now she had not only dressed her and transported them both to another place – Regina was staring at a building she had never seen before, which had, no doubt, been created by Emma alone. It was still dark outside but the massive house was illuminated by two big spotlights positioned on the ground which highlighted its impressive façade. It was a fucking mansion.

She glanced over to the other woman who was proudly looking at her own work, one hand on her hip.

"You like it?", Emma asked the rather stunned woman, taking her hand as she led her to its entrance.

"What the hell is this, Emma?", Regina asked, perplexed. "Where did this come from? Are we even still in Storybrooke?"

Emma tightened her grip on Regina's hand as she pushed the door open and stepped into the big entrance hall with its high ceilings and a very modern interior.

"What, did you think I'd keep living with my parents?", Emma wanted to know, frowning. "Did you think I'd live under a tree? I'm the dark one and a bit more refined", she added with a wink.

Regina couldn't help but smile to herself, trying not to let the other woman see.

"The house has been here before. Not in this condition, obviously, but I found it while looking for a good place to stay. No idea who it belonged to or why it's even here, but I figured I could use a place far away from all these people I don't actually want to see right now. It just needed a little… refurbishment."

"Well, I have to say…", Regina started slowly, taking a look around the huge dining room Emma had taken her to, "… I am impressed."

Emma paused, sitting down at the edge of the long wooden dinner table, finally letting go of Regina's hand.

"I am powerful, Regina", Emma stated slowly, as if she herself was surprised by what she was capable of. "And it's…"

Regina took a step forward, searching her eyes.

"Scary? Unexpected?", she tried to finish the other woman's sentence.

"No… It's…", Emma swallowed before looking straight at Regina.

"It feels amazing."

Regina held her gaze, although she could feel her own pulse speeding up. Emma was truly enjoying this, wasn't she? And Regina knew exactly how she felt. She clearly remembered the first time she had felt truly powerful. Remembered what it felt like to rip another person's heart out. The thrill. Being in control. Being unstoppable. Inducing fear in other people. Knowing that they would do whatever she wanted them to – beg her for her forgiveness or her kindness – because they knew they would never be able to stop her. Power felt fucking amazing at first. Until it was all you had left. Until you were completely alone.

"I know it does", she finally admitted. "But it's dangerous, Emma. You're going to lose yourself."

"Oh please!", Emma replied, laughing. "I am finding myself. You said it yourself a long time ago – that there's all this potential inside of me and I've been wasting it."

"I know that I said that."

Regina was chewing on her bottom lip now, careful not to say the wrong things. Careful not to push this too far.

"And really Emma, I always knew your magic was one of a kind. But you were using it for good. You're a –"

"If you say hero now, I'm going to end you!" Emma interrupted her, the last bit of kindness leaving her voice. Her eyes seemed darker than before and Regina could see the inside of her cheek twitching nervously.

"Fine." Regina growled. "I don't particularly like the word either."

Emma nodded and visibly relaxed again, hopping off the table as she took Regina to her her living room which offered a huge leather sofa and a large bar with all kinds of alcoholic beverages. Regina let her hand move along the sofa's black armrest, lost in thought, when she felt Emma's hand softly brush against her back.

Regina's muscles tensed and she was still surprised by the effect the other woman's touch had on her. What was she going to do about any of this? Was she going to tell Hook and the Charmings about Emma's new living situation? How long would she be able to keep this from them? They were going to ask questions and Regina wasn't sure what would happen once they were confronted with this new version of Emma. Things could get ugly real quickly.

"Don't you miss it?", Emma finally whispered, her voice much softer again. "Being in control?"

"I am in control, Emma. The author is gone. We can do whatever we want to do, without being pushed by fate."

"But I want more", Emma told her, her mouth right next to her ear. "I want so much more, Regina. I want revenge for all the shit you and I have been going through."

Regina's eyes widened at those words and she slowly turned her head around to look at Emma, their faces impossibly close.

"You and I?", she asked slowly, not sure what that even meant.

"Yes. You and I. I told you once that you're the only one who truly understands me, and I meant what I said back then. And I finally feel like I truly understand you, like I truly get which place you were coming from. Your dark past has never scared me. And now, it doesn't only not scare me, it excites me. I feel like we're connected, in so many ways."

Regina swallowed, feeling Emma's breath against her own.

"You adopted my child, Regina. We're family. We're… connected for a reason. We can both help each other in getting what we want. We can have anything. We can take Henry and leave. Make the world our own. No one's going to stop us."

"What about Hook…?", Regina asked slowly, trying once again to remind Emma of someone she supposedly loved. To try and find some of the old Emma in her eyes.

"Hook is weak", Emma stated, completely indifferent. "I don't need weak people in my life."

They were looking at each other for what felt like an eternity and Regina wondered if Emma could hear her heart beating as loudly as she heard it herself.

"The only person I need…" Emma continued, her voice an octave lower than usual.

"… is standing right in front of me."

Regina held her breath, not knowing what to do. Her eyes were moving rapidly in her head, trying to find answers. Trying to react in an appropriate way, even though she knew there was none.

For a brief second she thought about closing the last bit of distance between them. Of not caring for a moment and just giving into the idea of being wanted by Emma, of being desired and accepted in every way. All of her senses were heightened and she was completely aware of the other woman's smell, the heat radiating from her body, the tips of her blonde locks barely brushing against her skin. This was going too far and she knew it.

She tried to think of Robin, hoping it would make her want to leave. Hoping it would make her lose interest and remind her of who she really wanted to be with. But something about Emma… something about the fire in her eyes, about the way she spoke, about her confidence… it made it entirely impossible to resist.

Regina was breathing heavily now, her chest moving fast.

"Are you nervous?", Emma whispered.

It must have looked ridiculous when she shook her head, Regina knew that, but no words wanted to come out of her mouth. She couldn't remember the last time something or someone had truly made her speechless.

"Good", Emma breathed out, smiling. "Because I am going to kiss you now, Regina Mills."

Regina didn't dare close her eyes because as soon as she did, she knew it would make it all too real. She knew she should teleport herself out of this room before it was too late, but she was paralyzed.

And then Emma's lips touched hers. Slowly. Delicately. Not rushed.

And Regina let her. And her eyes fell close anyway.

She stood completely still, her chest hurting from a beating heart she had never felt as strongly as she did right then.

Emma's lips were pressed against hers, motionless, her breath hot against her mouth. Then, all of a sudden, Emma's hand was on Regina's ass, grabbing it forcefully and pulling her even closer to her own body.

Regina felt the arousal run straight to her core and she wasn't sure she had ever been that excited about being close to someone before in her life. She knew there was no turning back now. Her body wouldn't let her.

A hand was grabbing a fistful of dark hair and Emma opened her mouth, her demanding tongue searching Regina's. Her own mouth opened instinctively and fuck – here she was, kissing the dark one with everything she had.

It felt as if sparks were flying around her head and Regina was sure she had never experienced a kiss like that before. It felt almost as if… as if their magic combined. As if kissing Emma were awakening some of that dark power inside of her body that had been slumbering for a long while now. The last time she had felt a comparable kind of arousal was back in the Enchanted Forest, by the times Maleficent had come to visit her in the chambers of her own castle and she had thought she had found an equal counterpart in the other woman. But Maleficent's magic was nothing compared to this. Nothing could come even close.

Emma must have felt it too as she was groaning now, gripping Regina's ass harder, squeezing it with both hands while biting down hard on the woman's lower lip.

This wasn't good. This was bad. She was supposed to save Emma from the dagger, instead she let her kiss her, let her manipulate her, allowed her to make her feel things she was not supposed to be feeling. But fuck, it was too good to stop.

Just when Regina's own hand started to move and grabbed the other woman's leather jacket, Emma suddenly pulled away.

"No!", Emma almost screamed, Regina's eyes widening in shock. "Fuck, no!"

"What happened?" Regina asked her, entirely confused and slightly intimidated by the horror on the other woman's face.

"The dagger!", Emma growled, "you left it behind in your house. I'm being fucking summoned!"

Regina's heart skipped a beat as she watched Emma slowly disappear in front of her own eyes.

"By whom?" she asked, panic in her voice.

Emma's eyes darkened, her face mirroring pure hatred.

"Hook."