Emma woke on Ruby's couch the next day, the light had flittered in through the oak wood shutters an slightly illuminated the room, but it wasn't bright, not at all. She looked around to see Ruby stretched out on the floor with a blanket that more resembled a curtain wrapped around her. Emma sat up and sniffed, wiped her nose when she found it to be clogged. Then, she stood and walked into the kitchen, grabbed her wine glass off the counter an filled it with water from the tap.

Downing it, she pulled her phone off the wall charger and turned it on, four missed calls. All from Regina, she sighed and debated internally whether or not to call her back, her thumb hovering over the name that she had become to attuned to. She looked over Ruby's still slumbering form and sighed, unplugging the device and slipping out onto the balcony and falling to the seat that faced the woods. She pressed call and held it to her ear, waiting as it rang over and over with static in between each blare.

"Hello?" Came the breathless answer just as she was about to give up.

"Regina?" Emma asked. "You called?"

There was silence, Emma felt her heart beat hard but slow in her chest. "Emma." She said quietly. "How are you?" She asked with sincerity lacing her tone.

"I-" Emma looked up, tears rimming her eyes as she laughed without humor, trying not to let her emotions take over. "I can't really answer that question right now."

"Where are you?" She asked.

"I'm with Ruby," Emma answered quietly. "Ruby."

"Okay," Regina replied. "Will you come see me? Or can I come see you when you get home." She asked.

Emma nodded, but she realized Regina couldn't see her. "Yes, I-I'm leaving soon, I'll come and.. come and see you." She replied.

"I'll see you then." She answered.

"Okay." Emma said quietly, waited a moment before the woman on the other line hung up, and she let out a shaky breath. She held the phone against her lips and looked out over and into the woods where frost ha formed over the grass, that grew no flowers, that was brown in more places than it was green. Announcing the end of summer, but the beginning of autumn.

Emma sat outside for a bit, until she heard the slider squeak open the closed. Ruby sat in the old cushioned seat beside her and pulled out a pack of Camel crush smokes. She offered one to Emma, who took it, but she never lit it, just put it between her teeth to sink into the foamy filter and pop the bead within to release the cool essence of menthol. She played it between her teeth as Ruby lit her, using her hands to block the breeze as she flicked the gray Bic four times before it finally ignited.

They sat quietly as the scent of tobacco filled the air between them, infiltrated their senses and stuck to their clothes, the hair that lined their noses. Emma inhaled the scent, it tempted her, she didn't exactly like menthol but the urge became too much and she took up the light from the small glass table between them, lit the stick, began to puff. No, began to inhale it completely, allowing her lungs to become more smoke than air, she felt the familiar head rush that plagued her each time she would give in to the urge and light a cigarette that she always seemed to have handy. Only one, that's all she could allow herself.

"You okay?" Ruby asked between breathes, blowing out the smoke to the side as it was caught by the wind. Emma nodded and let it flow out her nose. "Sure?"

She turned to face her friend. "I'm fine, Rubes." She answered, turned away. "Really." She assured, the girl nodded and threw her butt off the balcony into the alley that was between this building and the next.

"Alright." She stood. "I gotta go to work." She told, leaned over and pressed a kiss to Emma's forehead. "If you leave, lock up, kay?" She asked. Emma nodded.

"I'm going to, uh, to go see Regina." She told.

"Good." Ruby said quietly with a small smile. "Call me later? We can get together if you want." Then she slipped inside, leaving the door open. Emma sighed and twisted her smoke into the wood ledge of the balcony, allowing it to fall over the edge, watching it until it was out of sight. She stayed for a moment, until she heard the front door slam shut, that's when she stood and collected her things, made her way out to where her car waited for her.

She drove around town for a bit, just because, before she headed down the road that lead to home, but turning to the right one drive early, up the way to where Regina would be. She pulled into her drive way, the one closest to her house that is.

She picked up her phone and dialed the number she had practically implanted into her brain. "Hey, I'm in your driveway." She said when the woman picked up.

"Do you want to come inside?" Regina asked.

"I don't know, I mean your sister's here and I don't think I'm-"

"They're in the guest house." She interrupted, just as there was a knock on her window. Emma opened her eyes and turned with a small smile. The car was turned off and the door opened. Emma was stared at for a long time, she could see the pain in the eyes of the woman who had become her familiar. "I-" She began, just as Emma pulled into her, wrapped her arms around her neck and buried her face into her shoulder.

Regina went rigid at first, then relaxed into the embrace as she shuttered out a sob that she'd been trying to withhold, to be strong, because she wanted to be. She held on to the blonde woman, her arms just under her ribcage, she held on to her with all the might she had. That's how they stayed, Emma breathing ragged and heavy, trying not to cry, not again, as she held on to Regina, who couldn't seem to stop.

Then the brunette pulled back and with red rimmed eyes gazed into similar edged blue ones, blue as they looked when she cried. Then she looked down to her lips and without other warning, pressed her own against them softly, once, twice. Emma looked down and shook her head. Regina pulled her into the house, into the den that was dark as if it wasn't day beyond the dark brown of the curtains. Emma sat down on the white leather couch, followed by Regina.

"Were you there?" The latter asked.

"Yeah, I-" She rubbed her cheek. "I fell asleep there after I left here, and I- when I woke up he was, you know, they were-" She closed her eyes tight, ashamed of the tear that fell. Regina shook her head and pulled Emma into her lap, she buried her hands into her hair and rubbed her scalp with long nails. Emma sighed and sniveled. "I was there when they pulled the plug."

"I'm sorry." Regina said hoarsely.

"He was already gone." Emma whispered, her tone watery as she began to shake.

"I know, baby." Regina soothed quietly, running her fingers in soft circles to calm the women beneath them.

"I'm so lost." She admitted. "Tell me what to do."

Regina shook her head, with slow tears falling in to her shirt as they streamed down her chin. "I can't." Emma shook harder, moved closer to Regina.

"I need you." She said.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"No," Emma sat up, pulled Regina into her, kissed her slow and hard. Regina was hesitant, Emma pulled back. The brunette pushed layers of blonde locks behind pierced ears slowly, then she pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Not now." She said. "You're hurting."

Emma pulled back. "I can't do this, Regina." She said.

"Do what?" She asked, eyes widening.

"This, us, I don't- I won't drag you down with me."

"Emma," Her voice broke. "You're not dragging me down, I want to help you, I- feel so much for you." She answered.

"Then you understand why I can't do this to you."

"No, I don't." Regina shook her head and held Emma's hand tightly. "I can't lose you, Emma, I won't."

"You can do better." She said and kissed Regina on the cheek, then stood, but her hand was clasped. "Let me go."

"No," Regina shook her head roughly. "No, you can't run away from me."

"I have to." She yanked her hand away.

"Emma," Regina said. "Emma!" She jumped off the couch and followed the blonde outside where she was halfway down the steps. "Emma, don't do this, please, I love you." She admitted, Emma stopped in her place, but continued after a moment. Then she stepped into her car and pulled away, without looking back.

Regina fell back over the step and began to cry more, harder, because not only had she been at fault for Henry's death, but now she didn't have Emma. She had lost so much and the list kept getting longer. Longer, and longer.

She stayed that way awhile, until the wind picked up as well as the dust, and she allowed herself inside, where she opened up a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. Then, she stared at it a while before throwing it into the sink, shattering the crystal. She stormed out of the room and swiped up her coat, she walked out the door, because there was no way in hell she was giving up without a fight.

When she arrived at Emma's she was red faced and chilled, she knocked, waited a moment, then a minute before trying the knob, it was open. She invited herself in and moved her way through the familiar corridor, dark from the heavy tree cover. The only sound that could be heard came from the low heels she wore that resounded through the house every time she stepped over the hardwood floor.

Regina knocked once, twice on Emma's door before letting herself in to find the blonde laying on her back with her pillow over her face. Regina removed her shoes, the stepped over to the bed, sitting on the edge, when Emma didn't move she moved to lay next to her, wrapped her arm around her, resting her head against her chest. Regina looked up and pulled the pillow off her face, Emma looked down at her then back to the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"Nothing." Regina replied. Then, she crawled over Emma so she was looking down at her, the leather of her coat squeaking as it rubbed against itself. Emma brushed hair out of her face and held her hands on the side of her head. Regina smiled and leaned into the woman that lie beneath her.

First they went slow, like new lovers, timid to the touch. It wasn't long before familiar territory was explored, Regina's hand slithered up Emma's hoodie up to palm her breast, Emma breathed out into her mouth, Regina smiled as she tasted her. She sat up and removed her suffocating coat before pushing the material of Emma's hoodie up and over her chest, the woman sat up and allowed for it to be removed. Regina placed her hands over the lovely mounds and brought her mouth back to Emma's a licked over her bottom lip, which pouted and allowed her entrance to smooth over her teeth, which worked around and bit and teased the plump skin of Regina's lips as they ghosted over her cheek. Moving down to the pale throat that was exposed to her she sucked over the muscle, using her teeth for leverage as she knew she bruised the skin.

Emma twitched beneath the woman as she grasped her hips through the material of her lacy cotton shirt, decorated with small purple flowers, she could see that she had left the bra in the drawer as she lifted the edges and pulled the material towards her. Regina complied and allowed for her lover to pull the cloth barrier off and disregard it.

Emma ran her hands over the smooth expanse of Regina's back as the woman in question began to work her way down, nipping her collar bone, licking over the hard and exposed length of it. Emma dug her nails into the skin as whom it belonged found her breast and took the rosy bundle in it's center into her mouth. Emma gasped and let out a short moan.

Regina sighed into her work as Emma's hand journeyed past the waistband of her jeans, unbuttoning them and snaking in, finding the hot and wet center that lie within. She toyed with the nervous bud, Regina twitched and let out a struggled gasp as she did. Emma's hand was soon withdrawn as what she had once within her reach, became just out of such.

Regina trailed her way down her lover's stomach and she stopped to rim around her navel. She wasted no time in taking hold of the shorts that Emma wore, as well as her underwear and pulled them off. Emma lifted her legs up, allowing Regina to pull the garments off. Regina took hold over her ankles and used them to guide her legs down, settling between them as she blew over the slick mound that she faced.

Emma sighed at the arctic change, raking her nails over her thighs as she resisted the urge to take Regina's head in her hands and guide it to when she needed it most. Though before she had the chance, Regina's nails were dug into her hips, her arms circling her thighs, entrapping her. Emma tilted her head to the right just as she felt the tip of a cool tongue rest against her clit. Regina circled over the nerve once, twice, before she ran her strongest muscle through velvet folds. Emma's back arched, her grip tightened as she moved vertically, left to right, before taking her right hand and using it it to curl up into the oozing hole.

She felt the spongey embankment entrap her lone finger, she pulled out, entered once more, though adding a second digit. Her mouth was hovering as she took the jutting bundle between her lips and twirled her tongue around it under Emma released a languid cry. Her mouth twitched as she continued. Quite the multi tasker, Regina's curler digits extended and straightened out of Emma's depths, then diving back in and rounding once more as she felt waves of liquid heat wash over them, and over them again.

The scent of Emma filled the room and it was most intoxicating it was all she could sense. Regina soon removed her fingers and allowed her tongue to dive into the waiting hole, she moved it wildly without rhythm as her right hand found and pinched Emma's clit. Emma let out an unfiltered moan, her breathing ragged and restless, her hips bucking and shaking. With a final cry, Regina felt her walls closing as they shot out with a tsunami of excitement. Which she tried in vain to lap up, swallowing enough so that she could taste nothing else. Emma sat up heavily and took Regina's hand, pulled her up into a sloppy kiss.

All she could taste was herself, she could feel her ooze spilling out of her still as Regina left her exposed, the cold air of the house tickling her hot core. She twisted so that she was sitting on her calves. Regina moved so she was straddling Emma, wrapping her legs around her for leverage as she licked over her lovers lips, then sighing into the kiss as the blonde moved to her pulse point and sucked on it, then as she held on to her with on hand, the other tore in to her panties. Regina had rid herself of the annoying denim, but had allowed for the cotton of her undergarments to remain.

Emma was rough in her pursuit as her cold hands were thrust into the fabric. Her fingers and palms curved into the shape of Regina, her middle digit slid into the pool that it found. She fucked her, three members were pressed in without warning, not if one was needed. Bouncing off the hand that held so much power over her, Regina threw her head back.

Emma closed her eyes and pulled Regina into her, sucking on her neck in restless attempt to mark her. Mark her as her own. Regina gasped and whimpered into her ear, as the sensation between her thighs was equal amounts pain and pleasure as Emma tore at her inner walls. She felt her eyes begin to water, she shook her head quickly to flick her hair our of her face.

She grabbed Emma by her hair and pulled her head back, attacking her open mouth and invading it with her tongue, she felt the air rushing out of her nose, prickling the hair on her upper lips, colliding with the lip of Emma's nose as she rested their foreheads together. Emma removed her index finger to press it into the abandoned clit and spun it into the surrounding skin. Regina let out a struggled sound as she shut her eyes once more.

Emma felt her fingers being pressed into one another painfully as the walls they intruded began to contract. She pressed Regina into the bed so she was no on her back. Removing her fingers she brushed up against the sopping panties that she still had on. Emma pressed her thumb into the fabric that moved over the slick surface beneath. Then she pressed it into the open hole, lowering herself down to twirl her tongue over the fabric, then using her teeth to bite down on her nether lips, her clit, her inner thighs as Regina groaned and pressed herself into Emma's face.

The blonde chose now to remove the material and thrust her middle and index finger into the depths once more, fucking her lover hard and fast as she felt her coming to a climax, she moved with a quick rhythm even as the spongy surroundings began to close in on her.

"Ah, Emma!" Regina cried, her back arched as she came in a single burst. Emma continued until Regina's eyes fell shut and she was no longer aware of the sounds she was making, she came once more with a breathy moan.

Emma fell back beside the woman, who grabbed her hand and pulled her into her naked chest, and soothed her into a deep sleep, following soon after.