David and Henry didn't stay long, they might have at least sat down for a drink before leaving if the tension in the apartment hadn't been so unbearable. Instead, Robin offered them some snacks and water for the road and, after securing Zelena's body in the boot of the car, they were off, driving their way back to Storybrooke for a burial.
After ten minutes of awkward silence as the three of them sat at the table, Emma's eyelids were becoming unbearably heavy and a quick glance at the other two showed they were feeling the same way.
"Maybe we all just need to sleep this off, talk rationally in the morning?" Emma suggested.
"Good idea." Regina agreed quietly, getting to her feet. "So where do we sleep?"
Butterflies immediately made themselves known in Emma's stomach as she thought about the limited options. A double bed in Robin's room and a couch in the living room. She knew what Robin would suggest and there would be no way out of it. At least not without giving away her butterflies. It was the most logical option.
"I'll take the couch." Robin said. "You two can share the bed." He didn't glance at either of them as he went to his room, grabbed some slacks and a top and returned to sit himself down on the couch. That was their queue to leave.
Emma pinched the skin on her hand nervously, glancing at Regina to try and get a glimpse of what the other woman was feeling, but Regina kept her eyes downcast as she followed the blonde through to the bedroom. They changed into more comfortable clothes in silence and Emma kept her back to Regina, not trusting her eyes not to wander. When she heard Regina climbing into bed, she joined her.
Regina curled up, knees to her chest, facing away from Emma whose heart sank just a little at the gesture. Now in bed, with no other distractions, her mind was relentless in its replaying of the night's events behind her closed lids. The feel of Regina's lips on her own, Regina's hand on her waist… It was torture to think about it now, as the brunette continued with her silent treatment. She only hoped that come morning, they would settle this. Perhaps Regina was right in blaming her for tonight, but she wasn't going to apologise for acting irrationally moments after an event so traumatising, and she was more than sure that when Regina was thinking clearly she would no longer blame her, anyway. The brunette was just doing what she always did instinctively, lashing out when she was upset, the drink certainly hadn't helped and anyway, she had admitted to understanding Emma's side at least. That was something.
Anyway, despite all of the drama it had caused, Emma wouldn't trade their time together for anything. Drunken or not, the kiss that was still fresh in her mind had left her feeling entirely too good in a weird and wonderful way. She could no longer deny the fact that Regina ignited fierce feelings in her, feelings that men like Hook had tried so hard and failed, time and time again, to bring out in her. She almost wanted to let herself feel a little bit of hope but she couldn't shake the feeling that Regina would be disgusted with herself when she remembered their night the next morning.
"Emma?" The soft murmur was so quiet, she might have missed it over the rustling of bed covers.
"Yeah?"
"Sorry for snapping at you. You didn't deserve that, not after what happened."
"It's okay." She said, simply, thankful. When she closed her eyes again, she was calmer.
When Emma opened her eyes to afternoon light and took in the unfamiliar surroundings, it took her a few moments to remember where she was. Robin Hood's apartment. She blinked a few times as the night's events came painfully flooding back to her.
It was only after the brief bout of confusion that she finally became aware of the warm hand resting on her breast and the body curled tightly around her own. Regina had moved closer during the night, her head resting comfortably in the crook of Emma's neck, a soft smile on the brunette's face as she slept, dream-ridden. The blush rose immediately, Emma felt it in the warmth of her face. As slowly as she was able, she gently took Regina's hand in her own, lifting it from her chest and laying it down at her side. It was too risky to move away from the older woman, surely that would wake her up, so she remained still, even sinking into Regina a little, enjoying the feeling of her body so close to her own, and allowed her eyelids to droop again.
"Hmm, Madame Mayor." The blonde whispered as she leant over the brunette, breath tickling her forehead. Emma raised a hand and gently brushed the wisps of hair from Regina's face which was damp with sweat. "You feel so good clenched around my fingers."
"More." Regina whispered, as she bucked her hips into Emma's hand, forcing her fingers to go deeper as her thumb rubbed fast circles on her clit, shooting sparks of pleasure throughout her entire body.
"Greedy, are we?" Emma teased, slipping in a third finger to join the others as Regina became impossibly wetter with need.
"Yes…" She moaned as the blonde began to thrust deeper still.
Emma raised her other hand to Regina's breast, pinching her nipple harshly and eliciting a gasp from the older woman. "Well, we'll just have to do something about that then, won't we?"
Regina's words caught in her throat as Emma lowered her face to her breast, taking it into her mouth and gently biting down on the skin. "I'm so close." She finally gasped out.
"Let go, Gina." Emma hummed against her breast. "Let go. You're safe with me."
Emma was hitting that spot inside her with every thrust of her hand, pushing deeper and harder each time. When she made the bold choice to add a fourth finger, stretching her painfully wider, it all became too much and Regina couldn't hold back any longer. She felt her walls clench tightly around Emma's hand as it hit her like a crashing wave which sent her tumbling into new realms of pleasure. Emma continued to thrust, helping her to ride out the feeling and she found herself gasping for breath with her name on her lips.
It was her own voice that woke her, mumbling that very same name. Regina quickly sat up, heart racing, breath coming in quick gasps.
"Yeah?"
Emma's voice startled her and she turned sharply to look at the blonde who was lying all too close to her. "Have you ever heard of personal space, Swan?" She snapped quickly.
"I should be asking you, Madame Mayor. I woke up as the little spoon." Emma said with a smug grin on her face.
Regina frowned and blinked, trying desperately to get her thoughts in order. "Well, I was sleeping. I must have just forgotten where I was."
"And that's why you woke up saying my name?" Emma teased, enjoying her discomfort.
"It's not my fault that you roam my nightmares." Regina threw back. She hoped that Emma's internal lie detector would be thrown off by the hangover and worked hard to keep her expression steady while she discarded the remnant thoughts of the dream that had left her gasping. A dream was a dream, nothing more, and she was sure the alcohol was to blame for this particularly strange one.
Emma just smiled, she'd seen the look on Regina's face while she'd been sleeping. No one smiled during their nightmares. She decided to let it slide, though. Even if Regina was lying she would never admit it.
Regina glared back at her as she extricated herself from the bedcovers, holding tightly onto her forehead as the pounding rhythm of a hangover headache began to drum. The smell of bacon and eggs was wafting throughout the room, suggesting that Robin was busy making breakfast. She grimaced as she remembered their last conversation. Hopefully, they could sort things out this morning, she didn't like the idea of being cramped in a tiny apartment with a man who was angry with her, and for good reason, she remembered. He'd lost his wife and instead of support, he'd gotten drunkards ruining her clothing. A part of Regina felt less guilty, however. The night out had been what Emma needed. They just should have thought about what they were doing a little more before ripping their skirts in half. She still couldn't quite believe that they'd done it, herself. Emma had somehow managed to bring out a side to her that she'd long forgotten.
Emma climbed out of bed and followed her out of the room to find Robin at the stove. He'd set plates and cutlery on the table, a pile of toast, carton of milk and a box of muesli in the centre.
"Just in time to join me for breakfast." Robin said as they took a seat at the table.
"Robin, we're so-" Emma started to say but Robin cut her off.
"Not another word." Robin said. "I thought about it a lot last night. We were all stressed, we all dealt with it differently. There's not much more to say." Emma smiled in relief and saw Regina do the same. "There's juice in the fridge." Robin added.
Emma moved to get it, "Ooh, strawberries," she said as opened the door, "Mind if I cut some up to go with the muesli?"
"Help yourself."
Strawberries and vanilla, Regina thought and then the memory assaulted her. Emma's natural taste had engulfed her, overridden her senses as their tongues had mingled in her mouth. The rush of feeling that came with the memory caused her to shuffle on her seat. How could she forget? It explained the insane dream she'd had. She had kissed the Saviour. She had kissed her son's other mother. A woman she had once planned to poison. Gods, did Emma remember? She looked to the blonde as she sat down at the table, poured orange juice in their glasses and starting chopping strawberries, looking almost content. Content? Regina's brow creased. Either she was dealing with Zelena's death a lot better today, or she was still distracting herself somehow. She racked her memories to try and figure out how drunk Emma had been, was she as drunk as her? Drunker? More sober? She couldn't possibly ask her about it, that was a conversation she'd sooner die than have.
"Strawberries?" Emma asked, ripping her from her thoughts.
"Yes, please."
Robin piled the bacon and eggs onto a plate and set it on the table before joining them. "I suppose it's about time we started thinking about what to do with the Gold situation." He said, then looked to Emma. "He wanted to turn you dark. Why?"
Emma suddenly realised that she didn't even know. So much had happened since they'd arrived only the day before that they hadn't had a chance to discuss it, she hadn't even had a chance to think about it. Whilst Robin had drove them to the apartment the first time, his mind was so focused on Regina and her injuries and even their relationship that they had never gotten to the point of all this in the first place. Emma stared back at him blankly and then looked to Regina.
"He didn't explain properly but I have to assume that it helps him with his larger plan." She said.
"You mean with the happy endings?" Robin asked, that much Regina had explained in the car.
"Yes, to get the author to rewrite his happy ending, along with those of the other villains."
"How would turning me dark help with that?" Emma asked, stumped.
"Well, we know that you're the Saviour." Regina said. "And what was your job as the Saviour?"
"To break the curse and bring back the happy endings." Emma said, realisation dawning on her.
"Right and Gold wants to take our happy endings away, to give them to the villains instead. Somehow, you must be hindering his ability to do that." Regina explained.
"But now that you know his plan, how could he possibly succeed? Turning dark is ultimately a choice, isn't it?" Robin asked. "Now, he won't be able to trick you into making it."
"Don't be so sure." Regina said. "Gold is clever, we mustn't underestimate it. Not to mention he's quite adept at memory potions. What's to stop him from forcing us all to drink them and then continuing with his plan? It would be all too easy for him to spike our food and drink without our knowing if he decides that it's his only option."
"Why don't we ask Mary-Margaret or David to speak with Belle? Surely she could convince him to stop with this path of evil." Robin suggested.
"You didn't see him in the vault, Robin. He looked insane. Like he had nothing left to lose." Emma said, wincing as she remembered.
"Perhaps, but maybe my original plan to take her heart and hold her hostage might still have some merit." Regina said. "I don't think he would listen to her, not unless there was a chance she might take him back, which, after she finds out what he's planning, will be even more unlikely than it already was. He still loves her, though. I think he'd still do anything to save her life."
"You wouldn't actually kill her?" Robin said in a questioning tone.
"If it came to that."
"Regina!" Both Robin and Emma cried at the same time.
"What?! Think about what's at stake here. The whole town is at risk!" Regina argued.
"No, no-one else is going to die." Emma said, firmly, and Regina felt her heart plummet.
"Emma, I'm sorry. This is our only option, though. If I wasn't willing to actually kill her, Gold would know and it wouldn't work."
"And, what? We hold her hostage, indefinitely? Eventually we'll have to come up with an actual way to stop him. Why don't we just figure out that part so that Belle doesn't have to get caught up in all this." Emma complained.
"We will figure out that part, but when we first arrive in Storybrooke we'll need time to implement whatever plan we come up with. During that time we use Belle to keep him at bay." Regina explained.
"So, we need to remove the other requirements of his plan." Robin said. "Whatever else he needs to succeed… The author, the book, the ink?"
Regina gasped, startling both of them, "That's it!"
"What?"
"He needs the ink. You turning dark will get him the ink."
"How, exactly?" Emma asked.
"The blood of a Saviour turned dark. That's what he needs to get the ink to work, to give it the ability to rewrite our endings."
"You can't be sure?" Robin asked.
"Oh, I am. It all makes sense. I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner." Regina said.
"Right, so he wants to turn Emma dark so he can obtain the ink." Robin repeated, trying to get his head around all of this. "So we should go after the author. Then it won't matter if he has the ink or not."
"Okay, we know that the author is behind the door in the page. But we don't know how to get him out." Emma said.
"Gold will be looking for the page," Regina stated, "but he won't find it, Henry will make sure of that. Even if he does, he has no way to get the author out."
"So we have the advantage?" Robin asked.
"For now." Regina muttered. "Once we figure out how to release the author, we need to ensure he stays on our side."
"Unless we simply don't release him?" Robin suggested.
Regina glared at him, "And give up my happy ending? I don't think so."
"Perhaps there's another way to obtain a happy ending." He said, his eyes lingering on hers, a smile on his lips which gave Emma an uncomfortable feeling.
Regina held his gaze for a moment but then sighed, "Unfortunately, I don't think so."