A/N: Whew, this chapter was hard. I don't know about how this one came out, guys. I want to move things quickly, and I think that the only way to do that is to make ONE of our leading ladies start to realize some things. And I think the realization needs to be prompted, a bit. I don't know if this works though, if I'm moving too fast, or what, so if you like it or hate it please drop a review and let me know. I'm flying blind at this point. Anyway, enough of my rambling. Enjoy!
SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ
After ordering Emma to meet her at the manor, Regina hung up and raised her hands, preparing to transport herself home. Snow grabbed her arm and cried, "Did I hear her right? The Evil Queen is alive? Here?" Regina shot the pixie-haired nuisance a glare and jerked her arm away. "Emma seems to think so. Wouldn't that just make our week? " Without allowing another word from Snow, Regina went home.
By the time she got there a couple seconds later, Emma was already knocking softly but insistently on her front door. She opened it and Emma barged past her and helped herself to the decanter of whiskey in the corner of the foyer. "Miss Swan! Please come in, make yourself at home." she remarked sardonically.
Emma, after a rather large gulp of whiskey, didn't say a word. She immediately walked back to take Regina's face in her hands. Regina's eyes went wide as Emma leaned in, almost as if she was going to kiss her. "Wha-"
"Shh." Regina's mouth snapped shut in acquiescence and let Emma cradle her face in her soft, cold hands. Emma stared into Regina's widened eyes for a moment as if searching for something, and apparently found what she was looking for because she finally sighed and stepped back. "It's you." Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course it's me, Emma. No big hair or extravagant dress to be seen."
Emma crossed her arms and continued her pacing. "She didn't look like she normally does. She looked like you." Regina's jaw dropped. "She's really here. Oh God…You mean she was impersonating me? The me half of me…whatever."
"The clothes you're wearing and everything. Regina, I knew something was wrong but I didn't see it immediately…"
Regina grabbed her arm, stopping her pacing. "Wait, wait, wait," she said, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to get her thoughts straight. "Why was she in your bedroom? Where was Hook?" Regina demanded to know. Emma turned beet red and averted her eyes. "Hook wasn't….wasn't there. He left before she arrived…or, before she made herself known, I don't know."
Regina recoiled slightly before a hysteric laugh left her mouth and she blurted, "He left? We all literally got home a little over an hour and a half ago. Did he not stay and cuddle?" Emma's lip curled in disgust and she pulled away from Regina to go sit on the couch, head in her hands. Regina felt bad instantly, realizing that whatever had happened between Emma and Hook hadn't been good. Pushing that-and the strangely satisfying feeling that knowledge brought-to the side for now, and took a seat beside Emma. "I'm sorry," she said in a low voice. "It's none of my business. Tell me what happened with…her."
Emma shook her head, still covering her face with her hands. "She was just…there," she said, her voice muffled. "When Killian left, she revealed herself. I guess she was standing in the dark part of the bedroom. Neither of us noticed her. She looked just like you, Regina.." she trailed off and groaned.
Regina couldn't believe what was happening right now. This wasn't possible. "I ripped out her heart," she said with conviction. "I killed her. We all saw her crumble to dust. She was gone! This has to be some trick of Rumplestiltskin's, maybe he's impersonating me. Or maybe one of our new 'guests' is playing dress-up." That was it, she was sure.
But Emma was shaking her head. "No," she sighed heavily, lifting her head to look over at Regina Her eyes looked so tired. "This was you." She said it so confidently, and that confidence terrified Regina. "How could you tell?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Emma froze for a second and Regina saw the flush return to her cheeks. While that had been admittedly cute before, it was starting to get old. "How could you tell?" she insisted, scooting closer and grabbing Emma's arm. This is important, Emma, don't block me out now.
Emma shuddered at the contact of Regina's hand and grabbed it off her arm to cradle it in her own hands. "That look, I've seen it before," she sighed out, resigned. "I've seen your eyes when you're seconds from losing your cool. I've seen the deep hurt there. I've seen the deviousness, and the pain that you hide behind the anger. It was all there, deep in her eyes, Regina. The look is one of a kind. No imposter could match you so well."
Regina was trying to pay attention, really she was. Emma Swan was telling her that she knew her eyes and everything behind them and that nothing could match the depths of them. But she found herself distracted by the fact that Emma was now stroking Regina's hand with her thumb absentmindedly as she spoke, staring off into the distance. How was it possible for a simple touch like that to feel so very intense? Especially right now?
"And…her voice. I know your voice, Regina. No one else sounds or speaks the way you do. She's you, and yet not you. But she's here, Regina. She's not dead. Crushing her heart didn't work. And she spoke to me for a minute before I realized who she was. She told me the storm that was brewing was originating from my house and she'd come to check on me. When I realized who she was-or rather, who she wasn't- she…"
Regina noticed that Emma had stopped talking. She was hesitating about something. Trying to keep her voice steady, as it felt like her heart was trying to break out of her ribcage, she questioned, "The storm came from your house?" That proved Emma had been upset, before the Queen had showed. Something had definitely gone wrong between her and her lover. Was sex with Hook really that bad? Not the time, Regina. "She…what?" she prompted, moving forward with her thoughts. "Emma, I know myself so nothing you say she did will surprise me. Just tell me. Be honest. Did she threaten you? What happened? We need to work together right now."
Emma's grip tightened on Regina's hand before her shaky voice was heard, "She didn't say anything, didn't threaten me or hurt me in any way. She just leaned forward, k-kissed my cheek, and poofed out of my be-my room." She spoke quickly and she dropped her head back down so that her hair was veiling her face.
A bolt of heat rocked Regina to the core. The Evil Queen had been in Emma's bed. Emma had stopped the word and tried to cover it, but Regina had caught what she'd been going to say.
Regina realized she was gaping at Emma in complete, absolute, undeniable horror, not only at Emma's words but also at the reaction her body was having to them. The heat had settled low in her stomach and was spreading lower, making her squirm to ease the pressure. She desperately tried to ignore the sensation, as it didn't make any sense and it wasn't welcome. Her body just wasn't working correctly yet, she told herself, too much stress in the past few days and not enough time to process. "Well," she croaked out before clearing her throat and continuing, "I was wrong. I'm surprised." She pulled her hand away from Emma's and stood up, desperately needing air. "I…I need to…" she rushed out of the room, and Emma let her go. She made her way through the house and out onto her back porch, breathing in the cold air to calm her overheated body.
The Evil Queen had watched whatever happened between Emma and Hook. She had spoken to Emma, had climbed into Emma's bed after her lover had departed. And Emma had let her, believing her to be Regina. Or rather, the good Regina. She'd let her close enough to kiss her. Why had she let her get that close, even believing she was me? And then the Queen hadn't done anything, said anything, just kissed her and left? Something wasn't adding up, and Regina's head was starting to hurt thinking about it. That's not the important part, she admonished herself. What's important is how she's still alive and how the hell she got to Storybrooke, and what she's planning to do next.
"Regina?" Emma's soft voice floated over to her as her friend appeared on the porch, as if by magic. Regina had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't even heard the door open. "Are you okay?"
Regina laughed humorlessly, crossing her arms against the cold and staring into her dark garden. "No, Emma. I'm not. Your mother convinced me to split myself. I did, and I thought I'd destroyed the evil part of me, and I felt like my story could finally go on, that I could finally let go and find real happiness. Knowing that the Queen is not only dead, but here in Storybrooke planning who knows what, terrifies me."
She registered the feeling of arms wrapping around her waist from behind. Surprise and electricity erupting within her, she cried, "Emma?" Emma's arms were strong and relentless, and she wasn't letting go. Regina tried to turn her head to look at her, but she felt Emma's grip tighten and her lips on her ear. "Maybe you shouldn't have tried to kill her," Emma whispered hotly. "She's obviously stronger than you, if she survived you crushing her heart. And now she's going to go after everyone you've ever wanted dead, to finally get her revenge. And you, this you, is too weak to stop her alone."
Regina's eyes filled with tears as she listened to Emma's hateful voice in her ear. She'd thought that Emma had been on her side, had been supporting her, but here she was, letting her know just how pathetic she was without her counterpart. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was telling Regina that the evil hadn't made her strong? She struggled against Emma's grip, but Emma just held her impossibly closer, one hand drifting up between her breasts over her heart, and one hand slipping lower over Regina's abdomen, stopping just above her pubic bone. Regina struggled harder against the invasive touch, and said in a trembling voice, "Stop. Emma, stop."
"Did I hurt your feelings, Regina?" Emma whispered, pressing her hips into Regina's backside and ignoring her order. What the hell was going on?! "I'm only speaking the truth. Her eyes tonight, they showed all of the passion, the fire, the strength that yours now lack. You don't even know who you are without her, do you?"
The tears were falling freely from Regina's eyes now, and she stopped struggling, freezing in Emma's impossibly strong grip. "No," she whispered. "Why are you saying these things, Emma? Let me go."
She felt teeth bite into her earlobe and her knees buckled, a cry erupting from her lips as Emma's hand drifted lower, flattening over the apex of her thighs. "Feel how my touch affects you, Regina," Emma whispered, triumphant. "This is why you don't want me with Hook. This is why Robin's death isn't affecting you like it should. You never wanted him, not really. You felt obligated to want him because of a ridiculous tattoo and some fairy dust. You've always wanted the one thing you'll never have-me. You'll never have a happy ending because you'll never have what you really want. It's time to admit it, Gina."
Regina couldn't breathe. Arousal and longing were coursing through her body, concentrating below Emma's hand, which was now cupping her, so strong it was painful. She'd never felt this turned on in her life, and it was all wrong. She needed to make Emma stop talking and let her go, she couldn't bear to hear this, to let Emma touch her like this…
"HEY!"
The back door slammed and Regina winced, turning her head. Emma was barreling out onto the porch, faltering for only a second then as she glanced down at her doppelganger's hand placements, before throwing her hands up, magic crackling at her fingertips. "Let her go!"
Oh, now Regina understood.
She felt the sizzle of magic and looked down to see her own hands instead of Emma's holding her now, arms decorated in jeweled sleeves. She heard a dark laugh, her laugh, in her ear. "Look at her, Emma," The Queen taunted. "How could you possibly want this pathetic woman?"
"I said let her go!" Emma shouted, ignoring her. Regina's eyes locked with Emma's and in a split second they had an understanding. Regina wrenched her body around, pulling the Queen between them. The Queen screamed as Emma's magic connected with her back and Regina finally broke her hold, spinning around to see herself struggling against the strength of Emma's magical blast. Not wasting another second, Regina blasted the Queen with her own magic. Red and white swirled around the Evil Queen, taking her down to her knees. We're winning, Regina thought, struggling to maintain the force of power flowing from her fingertips. We're going to beat her.
But at the last second, the Queen threw up her hands and the magic sizzled away. Regina felt it drain from her and she dropped her hands, collapsing back onto the rail of her porch. Across from her, she saw that Emma had fallen against the side of the house, gasping for breath and staring in horror at the Queen between them, who had stood again and was now laughing maniacally.
"I killed you!" Regina yelled, finding her voice. The Queen's face sobered and she snarled, "Did you think it would be so easy as ripping out my heart? We have two, now, dear. It'll take much more than that little trick to be rid of me."
At that moment, the back door opened and Henry ran outside. "Mom? Ma? I heard shouting, what's going…" he trailed off as he took in the scene in front of him. "You!" he yelled, staring at the Queen. Regina noticed that her counterpart's face had slid into a look of surprise. "Henry," she whispered, a small smile beginning to playing on her lips. "Everything is fine, dear. We're all just having a little…chat."
"How are you here?" Henry asked, planting his feet firmly as if preparing to fight, or run. "Mom killed you.. And…what are you doing to them?"
The Queen spread her hands out and gave a small laugh, "She didn't kill me. I am her. I only came by for a visit, my prince. I mean them no harm."
Emma had recovered and the magic was crackling at her fingertips again. The Queen tossed her a look and spat, "Didn't you learn the first time that your magic doesn't affect me? I'm not attacking you, or anyone else. I simply came to deliver a message to…myself."
"What's your message?" Regina croaked, breathing heavily, still unable to fully process everything that had just happened.
The queen grinned widely at her and said, "I've already given the gist of it to you, Regina. The only other thing I can say is that you should have known better than to take Snow White's advice. We'll see each other again soon. Ta ta!" With that, she lifted her hands and disappeared in a cloud of purple.
The silence that settled over them then was beyond deafening. Blood was roaring in Regina's ears, and Emma and Henry were looking at her warily. There they stood, on the porch in freezing weather at almost two in the morning, and none of them could think of a single thing to say.
You'll never have a happy ending because you'll never have what you really want.
The Queen's words echoed in Regina's ears. She didn't want Emma. The Queen was trying to throw her off, distract her. Nothing she'd said was true. Regina didn't want Emma.
She didn't want Emma Swan. She had loved Robin with every fiber of her being.
Hadn't she?
That was the last thought she had before her head started to swim. She felt her legs give out, and the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the ground rising up to meet her.