News began to pop up of a stranger wandering around town and disappearing into the forest at night. Despite this happening regularly with the time, people started to suspect another werewolf in town. Ruby made points that didn't deter the rumors flying about. And it didn't help when that Sunday, a body turned up at the edge of one of the forest roads.
Emma drove out to investigate it herself and was surprised to find Regina already there, studying the body with a hand on her hip and an apprehensive look in her eyes. She closed the door loud enough to cause Regina to look over.
David, from the other side of the car, asked, "How did she get her? Who told her to get here?"
"News travels fast," Emma said, then walked over to where Regina stood.
The body was a mess, and seeing it, Emma started to wonder if the rumors could be right. But a werewolf without a full moon? That didn't happen. These sorts of things were supposed to have rules… right? But this was Storybrooke, and Emma had quickly learned that legends were not always how she thought of them.
"So… werewolf," Emma offered. "What do we do now? Investigate every reclusive person in Storybrooke?"
"At least we have a starting point," David said.
"Well, it's a wrong starting point," Regina noted. "You're looking for a shifter, not a werewolf." She said it with a look cast at Emma.
"A shifter?"
"Probably in the form of a large dog," said Regina. She started to explain other things Emma had never heard of, noting the shape of the wounds, how long the body had been out in the woods, and how close they were to the town.
David said nothing. He turned away, muttering something quietly to Emma about calling to warn Mary Margaret to keep a lookout for the signs Regina warned them of.
Emma gave Regina a fascinated look. "That was amazing," she said, "how you just… knew all that."
"Some of us spend our time wisely," Regina said with a tilt of her head.
Emma stiffened. "I spend my time protecting the town. Sheriff."
"Right." Regina looked away. "I suppose there has been a slight decrease in issues around here since you arrived."
That almost sounded like an honest compliment. From Regina. It shocked Emma out of words for a moment, but then she said, "I should probably learn about these… shifters too, if we're looking for one now."
"A nasty one too." Regina toed the arm of the body of the side of the road.
Emma frowned at the body.
"Come over tonight," said Regina. "Henry has a meeting at school. We can talk."
Such an open offer. Directed at Emma. With no bitter words or subtle insults or anything, really. "Okay," Emma said. "Tonight."
Emma expected that they would go out to Granny's or microwave some soup or something easy, but of course Regina was not one to go to short lengths for a guest. Any guest. Even if was Emma, just coming over to talk business about a murderous creature running around Storybrooke.
She was supposed to have spent her day focusing on said murderous creature who posed an obvious threat to the mentality and safety of the residents of Storybrooke. But every time she thought back to the scene at the highway, one thing kept coming back to haunt her.
Regina complimented her. Honestly. Or, it felt honest. And Regina could be heartbreakingly honest when she wanted to be.
But it didn't break Emma's heart. In fact, the thought of it almost made it swell. Emma didn't spend her time thinking about reasons. She didn't have time. They were racing against the clock to find a monster. Feelings aside, that was most important.
Feelings? Was she having feelings now?
Feelings were complicated. She would deal with them later, once this was over and the town was safe again.
She walked up to the house and found the door unlocked, surprising. Assuming she was supposed to let herself in, she pushed the door open and stepped into the warmth of the house. The lights glowed golden; the windows were thrown open and let the curtains flutter in the faint breeze that worked its way into and through the house. Everything looked nice, as always.
She found Regina in the kitchen. She started to explain why she had walked in uninvited, but then she caught sight of the table.
It was covered in an assortment of foods. Two different cakes sat over to the side, one dark and the other coated in icing that had yet to harden over it. A large piece of meat covered in seasoning, two salads easily prepared, and a number of other things Emma was too shocked to recognize greeted her eyes. And her nose. God, it smelled good.
Regina stepped away from the oven, placing an apple pie near the cakes over to the side.
"Um…" Emma stared. "How many people did you invite over?"
"Just you," Regina said simply.
"Just me," Emma repeated. "You prepared an entire feast." Then Emma realized something else. "Didn't I see you just two hours ago? How did you make all of this in that time?"
"We all have our talents," Regina said easily.
So Emma sat down and was amazed at how good everything tasted. She paid half a mind to it and dedicated the other to archiving everything Regina told her. But it was hard. She was tired from a long day and Regina had a lot of facts and history to explain. Emma stared at her, looked around the room, wondering if she was somehow reading it off a poster on the back wall or something.
Emma had a lot of questions too. And Regina answered them all with surprising ease, like she had the answers written on the back of her palm. But Emma looked when she reached forward to take a roll out of the center basket – there was no writing on her palm or her wrist or anywhere else on her hand.
Emma was impressed. With the information, with the cooking, with the preparation, with Regina, dressed in a fine evening dress with a necklace of sparkling jewels laid around her neck and small, subtle earrings to match.
As impressive as ever, really.
When they finished eating, Emma stood up, ready to help clean up. Regina waved her away and then waved her other hand. The dishes flew over to the sink, the water turned on, and a dozen other things seemed to happen. It took all of five minutes for everything to become spotless.
Impressive.
And from the smug look on Regina's face, she knew it.
The door opened then. There were still a few things moving about in the kitchen and Regina stayed to deal with them. Emma moved into the entrance to greet Henry.
He didn't look surprised to see her there. "Hey," he greeted, throwing his backpack down near the edge of the stairs.
"Hey, kid," Emma greeted, pulling him into a hug.
Henry pulled back and looked around, and his face fell slightly. "Where's my mom?" he asked.
"Kitchen, cleaning up."
Henry looked back to her and a wide grin crossed his face. "What did you guys talk about while I was gone?" he inquired.
Emma shrugged. "Work, mostly."
"The shifter? Were you talking about the shifter?"
Emma shouldn't have been surprised he knew. She nodded.
Henry's grin stretched wider. "She was reading all day, you know," he told her. "Pouring over tons and tons of books whenever she could. She brought a couple in from where she keeps her magic."
Emma stared. "She studied all this just this afternoon?"
"The other day too," said Henry. "She thought it might be a shifter. When she heard you and David were going to check out a body, she was in a rush to get there too."
"She beat us there," said Emma.
"Of course she did. She has magic."
Emma thought about saying something like, I got magic too, remember? But then she recalled the scene in the kitchen of dishes flying everywhere and things switching of their own accord, and she forced herself to relent that Regina was most definitely a better magician than her.
"Henry?" Regina's voice called from the kitchen. "Is that you?"
Henry called back a greeting, then hugged Emma one last time. When he pulled back, he looked her in the eyes and said, "She was trying to impress you, you know."
Before Emma could ask what he meant, before she could even snap her mouth shut, Henry disappeared into the kitchen.
Emma left in a haze of confusion.
What Henry said haunted her for the rest of the night, poking around in her thoughts, annoying her that it seemed to fit so perfectly. She decided Regina was playing a game trying to impress her to prove she was better. Because she was Regina. Why else would she do it?
But what Henry said came back the next day and she realized, painfully, he was right. Very, very right.
It started with Emma on a stake-out, accompanied by David and a pyramid of empty coffee cups. They waited outside a shop near the edge of town, looking around at the people who passed by, searching for any of the signs Regina warned Emma about. They decided these roads would be the most likely for them to catch sight of their shifter, but they weren't having any luck.
A sharp rap on the windshield made Emma jump and look away from the woman in a dark brown sweater she was studying across the road. She rolled down the window, but it didn't matter. Regina opened the back door and slid inside.
"What are you doing?" Emma asked.
Regina listed off an address. David repeated Emma's question.
Regina rolled her eyes and said, "I found your shifter. Now step on it while he's still there!"
Emma did, and as she drove, she looked back at Regina and asked, "How did you find him?"
She noticed dark circles under Regina's eyes, but she replied, "You're not the only one who's good at finding people."
"Right."
Emma stopped the car a few streets away. Emma and Regina were both out at a moment's notice. David started to step out of the car. "Stop," Regina ordered. She pointed at him. "You stay here."
David scoffed. "What? Why?"
"In case we need a quick getaway," said Regina.
"That shifter tore a woman to bits," said David, his voice steely. "I'm not letting you go in there alone."
"She isn't alone. I'm with her," Regina pointed out.
David scowled at her. "This is dangerous."
"Please." Regina rolled her eyes again. "I have this handled. Relax for a bit."
David started to object. Regina simply closed the door on him, grabbed Emma's arm, and began to walk them across the street.
Emma was too surprised to object. Regina grabbed her arm. Touched her. Emma was pretty certain that Regina didn't do any sort of contact, but here she was, initiating it. Emma noted, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Regina's hand held her very close to Emma's own hand. She could easily slip them together.
Before a plan to do that could come to mind, they were at the door and Regina took her hand away to knock. Emma felt the missing pressure like a missing limb and cursed herself for not acting sooner.
Then she thought, That's stupid. Why would I hold Regina's hand?
She sounded like a sixth-grader with their first crush. She hated both that and why she felt that way to begin with.
Then, Crush? Did she just relate what she felt to Regina for a crush?
Her thoughts were cut off, thankfully, when she heard the sound of a lock being undone from the inside of the house. The door creaked open slowly. A young man with dark hair and bright eyes peered out, his gaze darting over them fearfully.
Dark hair. Bright eyes that almost glowed. That was two of Regina's points checked off right away, Emma noted.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
Emma started to say something, a lie, but Regina simply stated, "We're looking for a shifter."
The color drained out of the man's face. He turned to stare at her, giving Emma the perfect vantage point to see the marks along his neck. She recognized them from Regina's descriptions, which she noted, looking at them now, were amazingly accurate. Yes, they had found the shifter.
And he ran. Of course he did.
"Nice plan, Regina," Emma snapped, anger rising up inside her. They couldn't lose him now!
Regina shoved past the door and ran into the apartment, unbothered by the heels she wore. Emma glanced around, taking in the sight of a couple pieces of old furniture pushed to the side. The walls and floor were wooden, but the panels showed deep marks gorged into them. Emma stopped in the middle of the room, staring at the marks. They looked suspiciously like the ones she remembered on the body, the day Regina complimented her.
Something made her heart flutter higher. Emma immediately decided it was the fear that came with entering the lair of a deadly beast that killed one of their own. It had to be. What else?
Her eyes followed Regina as she paced ahead through the house. Regina stopped below the stairs, summoned an orb of fire, and sent it hurtling up the stairs with a twist of her arm. The sound of the crackle extinguished and Emma heard a cry of pain, then the sound of something heavy hitting the floor.
She moved to stand beside Regina, following her gaze to the stairwell. She couldn't see the man's body from behind the railing, but she knew it had to be there somewhere. Emma was almost impressed. That had gone over quickly. Effectively. Thanks to Regina.
But then she heard the sound of something cracking, bending, breaking and then snapping again. A bad feeling rose in her stomach.
A shadowy form rose up where she thought the man's body had fallen. Piercing yellow eyes looked down at her and Regina. She took a step back, but Regina didn't move, meeting the creature's gaze and tilting her head, as if studying it.
The creature hopped over the railing and landed on the floor, its claws digging into the wood like it was warm butter. It hissed at them.
Regina summoned more fire and threw it at the creature. It batted it aside with its claws, which remained unaffected by the flames. It roared, loud enough to make the wooden railings tremble at the noise.
Emma took out her phone to call David in.
"Don't!" Regina said. "I've got this."
Emma started to say, Look at that thing, you do not 'got this'.
Regina sent a bolt of magic at the creature. It let out a horrible hiss when the bolt struck its shoulder, but it didn't appear to be deterred. In fact, it looked like Regina had done nothing more than anger it. The creature fell onto its front legs, shaking its shadowy coat, and then started to charge at Regina.
Emma's heart flew into her throat and she raised her hand, but nothing happened, and nothing needed to happen either.
Regina jumped out of the way like it was nothing. She threw a blast of fire after the creature. It halted and pushed itself into the ground. The fire struck a wooden column and dissolved in nothing, harmless. The creature made an angry noise and charged at her again. Regina threw another bolt at its head and it hit it head on. The creature stopped, swaying, and then hit the ground.
Gracefully, Regina stepped off the staircase. She smirked at Emma. "What did I tell you?" she said. "I've got–"
"Look out!" Emma cried.
Before Regina could move, there was a flash of bright light, and then the monster hit the ground again. By the time it hit the floor, it once more had the dark hair of the man, but its eyes fell shut as it lost consciousness.
Regina looked startled, understandably. Emma watched her, looking for some sign of injury or even weariness, but Regina looked otherwise unaffected. She glanced at Emma, met her eyes, and Emma saw something close to appreciation there. But then Regina turned away before Emma could fully conclude anything. She brushed nonexistent dust off her black coat and said, "This place is filthy. Let's go."
Without waiting for a response, Regina swept out of the house.
They dragged the man in cuffs to the back of the car and drove him back to the police station. Regina disappeared at some point, vanishing into the street. David hadn't seen her leave the house. Emma thought that was strange, because she thought David would have been paying attention. But if Regina didn't want to be seen, Regina wouldn't be seen.
Emma stayed at the station for the rest of the day, idly doing this or that. Working on filing. Cleaning the cabinets. Organizing the desks. Scribbling on papers. Mostly scribbling on papers. The man sat silent in the cell, his head down and eyes staying fixed on the ground. He wouldn't talk to her, but he did cast her the occasional glare when he thought she wasn't look.
She waited and waited, but Regina never showed. Evening finally fell over Storybrooke. She turned on more lights to combat the lack of it from the windows. She busied herself with other things, waiting, but eventually had to admit defeat.
Without a word to the man in the cell, she began going around and flicking off the lamps. Only two overhead lights remained on when she heard the front door open. The front door she could have sworn she locked an hour ago.
But one person she knew could get through it if she wanted.
Emma turned around as Regina walked into the station, her steps slow. She wore a different outfit. Her hair was brushed again, no longer messed up from the fight. She stopped two steps away from Emma and crossed her arms.
"It crossed my mind," Regina said slowly, "that I never said thank you. For saving me earlier, I mean."
For a moment, Emma felt frozen, unable to speak. Regina came. She came back, to see Emma. To thank her. Regina did. It something warm grow inside Emma and she couldn't help a genuine smile from crossing her face. "I know," Emma said. "I didn't expect it, really. It's fine."
"No, it isn't," said Regina. She let out a long breath. "I know I don't seem like the most grateful person, but I am."
Emma kept smiling at her. It wouldn't go away. "I know. You came here. You said it. Trust me, I know."
"No, that's not it." Regina reached out and took Emma's arm, keeping her from walking away. Emma felt her heart skip. Like the smile, she couldn't make it stop. It picked up further when it crossed her mind that maybe Regina could feel how fast it was pounding. "I've been meaning to talk to you, actually. Because you're so damn stubborn you can't seem to get it unless I tell you right out."
Emma's smile faltered. Emma looked at her for a long moment, then said, a bit coldly, "You're trying to be impressive. I know."
Regina appeared taken aback. "Impressive? I… You know?"
"Henry told me you spent all day reading about shifters," Emma informed her. "And I saw how you looked earlier. Like you hadn't slept for most of the night. Out looking for the shifter on your own, I suppose. And then you insisted on taking on the shifter all by yourself. I get it, Regina, you're powerful. It's impressive. You've got a lot of magic, even in Storybrooke. You don't have to prove anything with it."
Regina stared at her. Finally, she said, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Emma frowned at her. "Really? Come on, Regina. Not everything has to be a competition between us. We both had Henry. Now we both have magic and the animosity is coming back again. You're trying to prove your better. Well, fine, it's impressive. Are you happy now?"
"I… I wasn't trying to prove I was better," said Regina.
"Then what was the point?" said Emma.
"Oh my god," bemoaned the man in the cell. "She was trying to get your attention. Now just kiss already and leave me alone!"
Emma's eyes widened and she looked at Regina.
"I had a speech planned," Regina said slowly. "A whole, beautiful speech of confessions. And he just." Regina's mouth twisted angrily.
Emma started smiling.
"What?" Regina looked at her.
"It's just" – Emma laughed – "is he right?"
For once, a dark blush appeared on the top of Regina's cheeks.
"He is!" Emma said. "And so was Henry!"
Regina's blush ran up to her eyes, darkening them.
"You were trying to impress me?" Emma said. "Why? What was the point?"
"Because," Regina said, "I was trying to get your attention. As a good guy. A really good guy."
"You are one of the good guys," said Emma. "You don't have to prove that to me, or anyone else. I know it. Henry knows it. I think even David knows it at this point."
"But did you notice it?" asked Regina. "Because everything seems to happen around here and I've been leaving hints for the longest time now and it never seemed to get through to you. So I had to step it up."
Emma forced a chuckle. "You stepped it up. And you almost died."
"You saved me."
"I did," Emma agreed.
"Thank you."
"You already said that," pointed out Emma.
"I thought I'd say it again." There was a soft smile on her face now. Emma didn't know any expression Regina made could be considered soft, but it was.
Emma moved, almost as if sliding her arm out of Regina's grasp. But she only moved it so Regina's hand held her own, rather than her arm. The redness returned to Regina's cheeks, faint but most definitely there. Emma was close enough to see it.
"You impressed me, by the way," Emma said. "Even if you did stupidly almost get yourself killed."
Before Regina could retaliate with anything, Emma pressed her lips against Regina's and effectively silenced her. She felt Regina freeze for a brief moment, and then her hand reached up and her fingers tangled into Emma's loose blonde hair.
It was a sweet, gentle kiss. A caress. Regina's lips were surprisingly soft. Emma found herself drawn in like a magnet. She released Regina's hand and wrapped her arms around her waist, pulling her in closer until she swore she could feel Regina's heartbeat against her. And it was wonderful. The taste of her lips (apple). The smell of her hair (a mix of fruity scents). The feel of her eyelashes brushing against her cheek when she tilted her head (butterfly kisses inside another kiss, her mind supplied helpfully). Her skin (soft, even). The texture of her lips (smooth). The temperature of her skin (surprisingly cold).
Everything felt perfect, wonderful, right. Easy, she realized. There was no battle, no tenseness, no worry. It evaporated like fog under a desert sun. Every worry Emma had. Every doubt, every curiosity, even about things not concerning Regina, she felt had been answered. She felt like she could answer anything now. Like some of Regina's easy confidence and coolness had somehow transferred to her.
One thing she knew for certain because of Regina: nothing had ever felt so right. And she felt like such a romantic sap for thinking. But, after all, Storybrooke was a land for fairy tales.
Regina pulled back first. Emma's eyes flew open. She saw Regina's paled cheeks, slowly filling with red. Dark eyes. Dark hair around her shoulders. There were things she never noticed before. The length of her eyelashes. The shape of her nose that seemed to fit perfectly against Emma's when their lips had been locked. The way a bit of her lipstick had smudged at some point. Because of Emma.
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Emma started to feel a tight coil in her stomach. Had Regina not meant what she thought? Emma shouldn't have just kissed her like this. Regina was probably going to turn her into a toad or–
Regina's lips connected with hers, effectively silencing Emma's thundering thoughts and quieting her doubts with a single motion. Her eyes closed and she lost herself in the feeling of Regina's lips moving against hers. The feeling of a hand touching the base of her jaw, of a thumb gently brushing against her cheek. The feeling of Regina's heart that she could sense, the way she clung to Regina and held her against her, the smell of her hair, a strand of it tickling the other side of her jaw that Regina didn't have cradled in a hand softer than Emma thought it would be–
There was the sound of a throat being cleared loudly. Emma felt Regina's heartbeat stop for a moment and then Regina jumped back, pulling out of Emma's arm. The warmth of her hand left Emma's face. Her lips felt cold without Regina's.
Emma turned around and saw the dark-haired man leaning against the bars of the cell, looking at them with pursed lips and a dry expression. The faint red on Regina's cheeks turned darker. Emma would have teased her if she wasn't certain her cheeks were equally red.
"Kevin," he said. "The name's Kevin, in case you're looking for baby names."
Emma rolled her eyes and looked away, taking Regina's hand in hers and swiping her keys off her desk with the other. She felt Regina start when she intertwined their fingers, but then she settled and pressed her shoulder against Emma's.
"Granny's?" Emma asked. "I think after all you've gone through trying to get my attention, I should at least get you dinner."
Regina's brows pulled together. "You've bought me dinner before," she pointed out.
Emma just smiled at her and started pulling her toward the door, walking hand in hand, enjoying the pressure of Regina's shoulder bumping against hers when they stepped forward and the warmth of her hand and the way her fingers wrapped between Emma's.
Emma only paused once on the way out, to cast a rude gesture back at Kevin. If Regina noticed, she didn't say anything, but Emma did notice her smiling when they stepped out into the light of the street lamps. Regina, she admitted, could rock a smile.
She did sound like a sixth-grader with their first crush. She relented to it then.
They did arrive at Granny's eventually, parking the yellow car in the street over thirty minutes later. They walked in the door hand-in-hand, to absolutely nobody's surprise. The only thing that raised a few eyebrows was Emma's coat collar, pulled up high over her neck, and the unusually wild state of Regina's hair.