Happy Memorial Day, Sweet Doves! This installment is appropriately devoted to our very real life heroes. I tip my hat respectfully to those of past and present military service. You truly know of the sacrifice I can only write about. Thank you for what you do everyday, for being heroes by simply following your heart and performing your duty.
That said, you will all cheer and cry and despise me for the feels, and it shall be glorious. Enjoy Lovelies!
Songs: I Loved Her First by Heartland, We Found Love by Ed Sheeran, Save You by Emilie Autumn (another song that should have a Swan Queen/ Regina video if anyone feels so inclined!)
Regina appeared behind Granny on the street and gimped towards her. The old woman guarded a dark blue sedan parked on the street, crossbow at the ready. Granny Lucas would outlive all of them, Regina smirked at the thought. With a wave of her hand the trunk and doors flew open. Granny jumped, taking aim at the limping witch.
"Well, that's a motif I haven't seen in a while," Regina quipped. Granny scowled.
"How's Ruby?" Granny asked, carefully hiding her concern.
"She's with Belle at the library. Scared but in control," Regina answered nonchalantly as she moved things about in the trunk. "Are you certain this is the end of the blood trail?"
"Damn right," Granny huffed, hovering at Regina's shoulder.
"Regina," the older woman started, clearly uncomfortable with whatever she prepared to say. "There's no stopping what's happening between them, is there?" Granny's voice was even and casual, but when Regina's eyes met hers, she saw the depth of emotion her voice failed to express.
"I…" Regina gestured helplessly, searching for words. "No, I'm not certain anyone can. I've seen True Love. I've felt it, twice… I think." She wrinkled her nose, hoping she wasn't wrong about her connection with Emma.
"That what you think it is?" Granny grouched, skeptical that Belle possessed the strength to handle her granddaughter for long.
"I do. I'm certain they remain completely ignorant of the fact, but I believe Ruby has found her wife, Granny," Regina wanted to spit at the disgustingly sweet and naïve words falling from her lips, but she only grinned.
Granny harrumphed and said nothing more. She hip bumped Regina from the trunk and shoved the crossbow into her hands. She pulled things out, tossing them to the ground, and jerked up the cover that hid the spare tire. Beneath it lay Ruby's cloak and a hatchet covered in blood.
Regina said nothing but pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She let it ring as she hobbled to the front of the car. The generic sheriff's voicemail greeted her ears, and she faltered as Emma's voice apologized for missing the call and promised to return it as soon as possible. She ended the call and pulled the registration information from the glove box. Spencer. King George. He had made good on his promise of attacking those closest to Regina.
"Granny, Spencer killed Billy. There was no answer, so Ruby has changed already. Belle hasn't a clue how to answer a cell phone," Regina explained and hobbled back to the trunk.
Anger made Granny's eyes flash a dull yellow of the wolf and then dissipated. Almost everything had faded, but occasionally, extreme emotions pulled it to the surface. First they'd return Ruby's cloak, and then they'd track down the bastard who had tortured their girl for the past 24 hours. If Spencer saw morning and still drew breath, he would have been considered lucky.
At the library, Belle's recovery took longer than she was comfortable with, and she wiped her tears furiously and jerked at the chains. She knew it was useless, Regina enchanted them to hold a wolf. She glanced around for something that might help her, all of her books taunting her with their uselessness in this moment. She jerked at the chains again, the metal biting into her wrist. She'd be forced to sit here and wait for Ruby to die for something she may not have even done.
Ruby's cell phone blared its obnoxious song, and Belle's heart sang with joy. It was just out of her reach on the table, but she'd have a better chance with it than breaking the chains. She looked at her environment with new eyes. They settled on the strip of trim on the door frame. It was thin and flimsy and desperately needed replaced but it might just work.
She cursed silently when a splinter dug beneath her fingernail but never ceased working the paneling strip loose. Blood dripped onto the floor from her finger. She jerked with all of her weight and stumbled, held upright by the chain attached to her wrist. She cried out as it bit into her flesh and quickly righted herself. She'd done it. It was free.
"I'm coming, Ruby," she whispered to no one, reminding herself why she was behaving like a mad woman.
Papers flew from the desk, and with them came Ruby's cell phone. The rubber case stubbornly refused to slide easily across the floor, so Belle forced one of the finishing tacks into the material and gently lifted the phone, pulling the strip of trim like a rope until the phone was in her grasp.
The ringing had stopped several minutes ago, and Belle frantically studied the contemporary device.
1 Missed Call: Mayor Hotpants. Belle smiled at Ruby's constant flirtation with the older woman and wondered if she'd entered the name before or after they became friends. She took a deep breath and pressed the green button, hoping against all odds that she'd chosen correctly.
"Hello," came the snippy voice, and Belle laughed in hysterical relief.
"Regina, she's gone. She chained me up and said that she needed to pay for what she's done. She's gone to the mob," Belle relayed concisely, suddenly very calm now that she had options.
Muffled words met her ear, and she vaguely realized that Regina was relaying the information to Granny.
"We found Ruby's cloak. She didn't kill Billy. Granny is going to track the crowd. Stay on the line, okay. I'll be there momentarily," Regina ordered, and then she was.
She flicked her hand, and Belle winced when the shackle stuck to the dried blood and then pulled at her skin as it fell from her ruined wrist. She'd deal with it later. Regina snatched the phone from her hand and tossed her a beautiful red cloak with a hood. She turned from Belle and pulled the phone to her ear.
"Granny, where are they?"
Belle stayed still as the older women spoke. Regina's body coiled with tension, and she pressed her fingers into her temples and squinted as though she had a terrible headache. She'd seen the Evil Queen do that several times when she thought she wasn't looking, usually right after she'd done something particularly awful to her. She'd had a few in her life, the kind that make your stomach roil with the pain coursing through your mind. If Regina developed them when she was overwhelmed with stress or emotion, then she'd been that every time she'd visited her in her tower prison. Belle's heart clenched with the information. Hurting her had hurt Regina.
"What are you gaping at?" Regina snapped when Belle simply stared.
"Nothing. What did Granny say?" She changed the subject, not able to think about herself right now, not when Ruby was in danger.
"She thinks they are in the alley behind the cannery or close to there. It's a place to start."
Regina nearly grabbed her arm and then jerked back. Brown eyes met blue. The skin around Regina's eyes tightened, and her head tipped slightly away from the fluorescent light above them. Slowly, she raised her hand with the palm up, leaving the decision to Belle. The young woman stared at the limb and then into Regina's emotionless face. She desperately wanted the librarian to trust her, even if it was only for the sake of saving Ruby's life, but the choice was Belle's to make void of any sort of influence from the former royal.
For Ruby, she would, her heart decided spontaneously. Her hand slapped into Regina's in an awkward sort of handshake and then her body came apart, shifting into nothingness. She wanted to scream, to cry out for the feeling to stop. It was a dizziness far worst than anything she'd ever felt. The taste of chalk dust filled her mouth and the scent of apples filled her nostrils.
Her body jerked to attention, like she'd been laying in bed and suddenly felt like she was falling. Fresh air filled her lungs, sending her into a coughing fit. She glanced at Regina to see if she'd felt any of those awful things, but the woman focused on two opposing points around her. She faced Belle, but her arms were spread to either side and her head moved quickly to each side, challenging her environment with only her eyes.
The rumble of the mob finally broke through her mind as her senses acclimated to reality again. Regina held a hand towards the townspeople obviously keeping them back with only her harsh glare. Belle searched the darkness for what she kept them from and saw nothing.
And then, terrifyingly yellow eyes peeped around the corner of dumpster. Belle gasped. She knew those eyes, but she'd never seen them attached to a giant blackish-grey wolf before. Ruby.
"I can keep them back, but I can't guarantee that I will be fast enough to save your life if she attacks you," Regina informed her coldly. She'd seen the same struggle everyday since she'd met Ruby now reflected in Regina's eyes, the fight between the darkness and the person who harbored it.
"She won't hurt me," Belle replied confidently and then turned to the crowd. "She won't hurt any of us!" Anger at their ignorance flared as she turned on her heel and stomped down the alley.
She took a steadying breath about ten feet from the wolf. She trusted that Ruby was strong enough to return to her.
"Ruby?" The wolf snarled and retreated further from sight.
"Stop that," Belle ordered. "You don't frighten me, so stop trying." The wolf sniffed the air as if confirming that Belle smelled of no anxious sweat or nervous adrenaline.
"I'm going to put this on you," She held up the cloak and took a step forward. The wolf bared its teeth, a low growl vibrating from its throat.
"Ruby," Belle tried a different tactic and sank to her knees. The gravel bit into them painfully, but she ignored her discomfort.
"Ruby, you don't have to be a monster. You can be both wolf and human and still be good. I've seen it. I've seen your strength. I've seen your heart. The wolf is a part of you as a human. Let the human be a part of the wolf, Ruby." The wolf cocked its head to one side and then the other, as if understanding and considering what Belle said.
"I accept all of it, all of you," Belle's eyes dropped, terrified for the first time, but not of Ruby.
"I love you, Ruby Red Wolf Pup Lucas," she whispered as she forced her eyes back to the yellow only a foot from her. She used Regina's nickname for Ruby, knowing the other woman secretly loved it. Between her confession of love and the reminder of Regina's understanding of her darkness, she hoped it would be enough to get through.
The wolf stepped forward, breath on Belle's face. The librarian's eyes shot skyward in surprise to discover that Ruby's breath still smelled faintly of the coffee they'd had at the diner around lunch time. A cold wet nose nudged her hand and then slid beneath the red cloak. When Belle remained unmoved, distracted by her awe, Ruby nudged her again and then sat on her haunches. A high-pitched whimper puffed her jowls, and finally Belle understood.
She whipped the cloak in a flourish and placed it over Ruby's shoulders. She touched the wolf's face with two fingertips, gasped when the soft fur transformed into smooth skin. She squeaked when Ruby flung herself forward into her arms and pulled them to their feet. Ruby grasped her cheeks and neck with splayed fingers and studied her vulnerable blue eyes.
"I love you, too," she whispered confidently.
When she lowered her mouth to the librarian's, the crowd swelled and shifted with the new gossip, but the lovers heard nothing except their own pounding hearts. Belle wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck and deepened the kiss, heightening the mob's whispers and gestures. Ruby pulled back when she heard Granny's gruff voice.
"Got a problem with a hero kissing her princess? Bunch a hypocritical fools." She stomped towards the two younger women, snagging Regina's arm on the way.
Ruby beamed at her grandmother. It's likely the only blessing they'd ever receive, though she wasn't sure how she felt about being called a princess. She wasn't sure of much in this life at all, but she knew two things: Granny loved her more than anything else in this world and Belle had unknowingly just won the elder Lucas' respect by simply being herself and giving Ruby the unconditional devotion she'd promised. She might have easily turned her back and abandoned Ruby, but she bravely faced the darkest aspect of Ruby with acceptance and compassion instead of disgust and fear. It wasn't exactly as Granny had envisioned, but it was exactly what she'd wished for her granddaughter.
Ruby leaned down to kiss Granny on the cheek, but one of her hands remained on Belle's neck. The kiss ended too quickly, and Granny stiffened her spine and adjusted the crossbow in her hands when Ruby immediately pressed herself back into Belle for a celebratory hug. Regina touched the older woman's shoulder compassionately, knowing that she will wear the same look when Henry finally finds his true love and unconsciously lets her go to start a life of his own.
Granny scrunched her brow, and Regina thought the woman fought tears back. Then it was gone. Her mind conjured the image of Emma staring at her in the back hall, tying to give herself the way Ruby and Belle had. She rejected her when her magic came flooding back under Emma's hands, choosing darkness and power instead of Emma. Regret pulled at her heart. If she had wanted to escape, she'd have done it by now. Though it hadn't before, her magic came second to Henry and Emma. She vowed again to redeem herself, to become worthy of the two people who had stolen her heart, even in its hardened, blackened state.
"Ruby," Granny caught her granddaughter's attention gently, an odd softness in her scratchy voice. "You didn't hurt Billy. It was Spencer. We have proof, and he had your cloak." Ruby's eyes flashed yellow.
Regina's face tightened at the interaction, and she waved her hand over Ruby's ruined deputy's uniform. A faint purple glow followed her fingers, leaving behind a perfectly restored shirt, buttoned and free of wrinkles. Ruby nodded, still tingling from the static of Regina's magic against her skin. The confidence the uniform inspired rushed through her, and she smiled down at Belle. Blue eyes watched her face worshipfully, encouraging the young wolf woman to follow her instincts.
"Do your job, Deputy," Regina ordered regally. Ruby kissed Belle, sniffed the air and then took off in the direction of the man who had tried to murder her and had murdered one of her friends. Her red cloak billowed at her back, and the crowd parted easily, not daring to deter the young wolf from her duty.
Granny wrapped her arm around Belle's shoulders awkwardly, not used to expressing physical affection, or any type for that matter, to anyone except her granddaughter. Belle's mouth fell open, and bright blue eyes shimmered at the hesitant acceptance of her new place in the life of Granny and Ruby Lucas.
"Come on, Girl. Let's get you cleaned up. Do you know how to cook?" Granny interrogated as she pulled Belle towards the aisle the crowd created at Ruby's abrupt departure. Regina smiled, knowing Belle was about to get a hard time, and followed a few steps behind.
"No," Belle's apprehensive voice amused Regina. She'd literally just stared down a snarling werewolf without flinching, but Granny's hard tone unnerved her.
"You're going to learn tonight. We'll make Ruby's favorite. She can eat before she runs," Granny informed her, giving Belle no choice in the matter. Belle smiled happily and slightly terrified at the same time.
"Regina," Granny stopped suddenly and looked over her shoulder. "Go hug your son," She ordered with that same softness she'd used a few minutes ago with Ruby.
Regina nodded and then poofed, knowing her knee wouldn't carry her all the way to the hospital. A walk might have cleared her head, but she had nothing left to give to this day. A migraine had developed hours ago. She hadn't eaten at all, had only one cup of coffee. Her face throbbed every time her adrenaline spiked and her knee had moved from aching to stabbing pain thanks to her row with Ruby yesterday. She knew that she'd make the same decision over again, a thousand times if that's what Ruby needed. The younger woman had become the little sister she'd always wanted, and she protected her today, gave her everything she had to give. Now, exhausted and emotional, she wanted only to hug her son and hear Emma's voice.
Henry slept soundly on the cot when Regina appeared in the room. His storybook stretched over his belly, opened to an illustration of Red Riding Hood. Regina grinned at her son's intelligence. He knew far more than anyone gave him credit for, and she promised herself that she'd tell him the truth in the future. He deserved no less, but she owed it to him to make sure he remained ignorant of the darker aspects of their fairy tales selves at least a little longer.
"An hour," Emma whispered as Regina removed the book from Henry's belly.
"He's been asleep an hour?" She asked Emma and set the book on the side table. Emma nodded.
Regina touched his soft hair, taking a moment to feel him beneath her fingers. Everything she'd ever wanted sat in this room. All she had to do was reach out and side her fingers around it. Her eyes met Emma's. She desperately wanted to tell Emma everything, talk about their obvious connection, but she only stared, hoping Emma heard everything through her eyes.
She sighed, pulled the blanket to her son's chin and then moved to the other side of the bed, not pleased with the idea of sleeping in the chair. Leaving Emma unattended all night, however, was not an option in her opinion, nor was waking Henry.
"I'm sorry you can't speak more. Does it hurt badly today?" Regina asked, leaning her arms on the bed. Near enough to feel Emma's heat but not quite touching her.
Emma nodded.
"Eva said it should only last a few days. Your voice will heal quickly, I'm sure," Regina encouraged lightly. Emma shook her head, eyes filling with unshed tears.
"I know it may feel like a long time, but it's only temporary," Regina tried again.
Emma shook her head, splashing tears onto her face. Regina stiffened when Emma's hand rose shakily. Her fingertips touched Regina's chest above her heart and then fell back to the bed. Regina wanted to puke. Emma wasn't speaking because her heart hurt, not her throat.
"Emma," she breathed. It took a bit of maneuvering, but Regina managed to lay beside the injured woman on the bed. The position tore at her bruised ribs and aching back and she knew she'd be unable to maintain it for long, but Emma needed her, needed to feel something human. Since she'd awoken she'd only felt soft touches on her arms or face, and sometimes a person needed to lay safely beside another living breathing body. She'd done it plenty of times with Graham.
Green eyes darted wildly when the thoughts behind them realized that Regina intended to hold her. She shook her head wildly. Regina shushed her and slid an arm beneath Emma's neck. Emma calmed as she adjusted to the touch and the sensations pulling through her mind and body. When Regina felt certain she'd not protest further or flail and injure herself more, she pressed her face into Emma's hair.
"I'm here," she whispered and covered the back of Emma's hand. She barely suppressed her gasp when the sheriff's cold fingers spread, allowing hers to slip between them.
"I know pain that cuts too deeply to speak," Regina continued. "An anguish that tears at your heart, steals every ounce of strength within you. It's one of the reason I prefer sarcasm, that and it is simply too much fun to watch people squirm." Regina grinned against Emma's head.
"I'm not certain that will ever change," she confided in a secretive whisper and squeezed Emma's hand. A slight pressure on her fingers told Regina that Emma responded to her words, and then it was gone.
"You and I never had a choice, Miss Swan. Our lives were decided before we understood what it meant to live, and when we stepped off course, we were manipulated into the positions others desired us to hold." The words left a bitter tang on her tongue, and she wet her lips.
Emma's head tipped upward, and she pulled back enough to meet her gaze. Those bright green eyes showed Regina that her words achieved their goal. Emma understood her pain, recognized that Regina was trying to grasp hers. Emma lifted her lips to Regina's, holding them there only a moment before her head fell back against the pillow.
Regina knew she shouldn't, but she followed the mouth down until their lips were meshed together once more. A harsh sigh escaped Emma's throat at the contact. Her fingers clenched Regina's, and the former royal moved her lips against Emma's reverently, knowing exactly what she cradled in her hands in that moment. Her future. Emma's and Henry's. Emma's fragile emotional state. She took it all into her hands willingly and clutched it close to her heart, wanting nothing more than to shield it from the evil and pain this world rained upon them. As much as the responsibility terrified her, she wanted it.
Emma responded slowly, and a nagging voice in Regina's mind told her to stop, pull back, before her emotions carried away her common sense, but it was too late.
She released Emma's hand and threaded her fingers in tangled blonde hair. The fierce love she'd denied so long for Emma pulled to the front of everything else. They both cried shamelessly as their lips continued to move against each other. It wasn't particularly passionate or sensual, nothing that would ever have led to arousal, but the deep emotion expressed in their lips carried an equal amount of intimacy.
Regina's heart clenched in panic, and she paused momentarily, catching her breath. When she opened her eyes, her own fear reflected in Emma's bright green. Regina smiled, her entire face changing with the expression. She lowered her lips to Emma's again, hoping it was the right decision since the other woman wasn't exactly talkative at the moment. Emma's chin quivered against her own, but she accepted Regina's affection with a soft grunt in the back of her throat and softly moving lips.
It was the deepest intimacy Regina had ever shared. This wasn't about comforting Emma or sex or power or domination. This kiss represented two broken women sharing their profound and confusing affinity for each other, emotions too powerful to express in words even if they wanted. It spoke of love and respect and forgiveness, and it stretched on until their tears dried up and exhaustion pulled at their consciousness. It told them that sleep was safe now, sleep wanted to catch them until they were ready to face their realities again.
Regina knew she should move before she injured Emma and herself more, but when the sheriff pulled away from the kiss, she pressed her face into Regina's chest. Her cheek fell against blonde hair, and her hand searched for Emma's once more. The cold fingers accepted her warm ones again without hesitation.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Regina knew she'd pay the price in pain for the position in the morning, but she allowed her eyes to close anyway as sleep tugged her under. Just before she slipped into the bliss of unconsciousness, Emma's voice vibrated against her chest once more, and she might have cried again had she not been so far gone and exhausted.
"I forgive you, Regina."
