A demon returns for round two. Regina realizes that some things don't change.
"Maybe we've got them on the run?" David was swinging his sword in lazy arcs as they trotted along. It had been hours since their last encounter, and despite Regina remaining adamant that she was following the strongest trails of dark energy, they hadn't actually caught up to another demon.
"Yes, Charming," Regina drawled, sarcastic. "They must be terrified of your flailing sword."
David grinned at her and she shook her head with a mild roll of her eyes.
"I'm hungry," Leroy complained, to which August and Grayson agreed in tandem.
"Maybe we should break for lunch," said Ruby. "Granny and I could whip up something at the diner. We closed it for the day so we won't have to deal with anyone else who's been affected."
Regina sucked in a breath to argue. Emma saw it coming and immediately settled a hand on the small of the brunette's back.
"How about you guys go get lunch started? Regina and I will search a little while longer."
"We should stay together," Mary Margaret said, her brows furrowing.
"We'll be fine," Emma insisted. "I'll call you if we find anything, okay?"
Her mother didn't seem fond of the idea but a quick glance at Regina's agitated expression had her sighing her agreement. Once everyone had ambled off for Granny's, Emma bumped her shoulder against Regina's.
"Where to next?"
The brunette frowned and stared off aimlessly down the street. "I… don't know."
Were the others still around she would certainly not have said so, but Regina honestly didn't know what else to do. They were following the right trail but it felt like the demons were just leading them around on a wild goose chase, never stopping long enough for them to catch up.
"Okay." Emma nodded and pursed her lips. "How about we hop in the bug and keep trying? Maybe walking on foot is too slow."
"Fine. I'll teleport us to the car then," Regina said, holding out her hand. Emma grimaced and took it, watching the brunette give a graceful flick of her wrist. Purple smoke swirled around them, depositing them on the sidewalk next to Emma's yellow bug in a brief, disorienting blur. The blonde breathed out and hopped into the driver's seat, glad to anchor herself down on the familiar leather with the worn pedals under her boot. Regina might call her bug a death trap, but she found comfort and a sense of being solidly grounded while in the old vehicle, especially once it rumbled to life and made her body hum with its steady vibration.
"Pull a U-turn and take a left on Burnard," said Regina.
"Gotcha." Emma turned them around with an easy spin of the wheel, then grabbed the apple sitting in her cup holder and polished it against her jacket. Regina did a double take on the bright red fruit, her eyebrows lifting with disbelief. She'd only ever given Emma the one apple recently (and she hadn't expected the blonde to keep it either, what with her penchant for poisoning apples), but this was the third time she'd seen an apple in the car.
"Okay, where are you getting all these apples from?"
Emma's eyes shifted to hers before refocusing on the road, her lips twitching in an attempt to hide a guilty smile. "Your apple tree?" she mumbled all at once before taking a big bite from the apple, effectively shutting herself up.
"... You took apples from my tree before we were even confirmed soulmates?"
Emma paused mid-chew to flash her an apologetic grin. Regina rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that day, though this one had a hint of fond amusement in it.
"Well, I suppose you can help yourself to my apple tree now… As long as you don't take another chainsaw to it."
At that, the blonde coughed, flushing with embarrassment. The tree was slowly regrowing at the branch she'd hacked off but the marks were still there, a reminder of what she'd done three years ago. It was a wonder that Regina hadn't magically fixed it once magic had returned to Storybrooke.
"No more chainsaws, I swear," she muttered.
"Good. Take a right at the next light." Regina fell quiet in concentration so Emma focused on driving, munching at her apple as she was directed towards an old abandoned house on the outskirts of town. As the dried up fountain in the yard came into view, Emma frowned.
"This is where Zelena had been hiding out," she observed, slowing the bug to a stop at the end of the gravel driveway. Regina had a matching scowl of distaste marring her features.
"Indeed it is. The dark energy feels strongest here." She was already climbing out of the car so Emma followed, tossing her apple core into the overgrown grass. The house had remained unoccupied even after they'd gotten rid of Zelena, so the front door was unlocked and gave them free access. Inside, the main room was cool, a tad colder than it was outside, and lit only by the light coming in from the windows. Emma pulled out her phone, debating if she should call Mary Margaret yet.
"Is there one hiding here?" she asked quietly, glancing around the empty living room, unable to tell if the temperature was from the state of the unheated house or because of a demon's presence. Regina made an uncertain motion with her hands and motioned for her to check the rest of the property, so Emma crept along through the kitchen and dining rooms, eyes alert. When she reached the front foyer again, Regina was peering up the staircase to the second floor, her eyes dark.
"What's wrong?" Emma asked, immediately moving to Regina's side and glancing up the stairs. The brunette's hand trailed up Emma's arm and stopped at her bicep, giving her a squeeze. Her brown eyes peered out from under thick lashes.
"We should check the bedroom," Regina said, her voice dropping into a low, suggestive tone.
"Oh." Emma's brows shot up and her lips puckered together with surprise. For a moment she wondered if she was just misunderstanding her… but there was no mistaking the heady desire in those dark brown eyes.
Regina didn't say another word. Just tilted her head ever so slightly, lips parted before teeth came down on her lower lip in a sensual bite, then she glided up the staircase. Emma watched her go, eyes transfixed on Regina's shapely ass and slender legs. Even after the brunette disappeared down the second floor hallway, Emma stood frozen, her knees locked and her breath caught in her throat. Was this really happening?
"Em-ma," Regina's voice drifted down to her, a deep and throaty purr, followed by a dark chuckle that sounded far more Evil Queen than mayor Mills.
Dear lord.
Emma scrambled up the stairs, nearly tripping herself in her hurry to give chase. Only one door was opened in the hallway that greeted her, so she headed straight for it, finding herself in what looked to be the master bedroom. Wide green eyes took in the sight of the king sized bed, then the door clicked shut behind her and she was roughly shoved up against the wall, Regina's hands all over her body.
"W-Whoa," Emma blurted out, a soft gasp escaping her lips as Regina licked and nibbled her way down her neck, teeth tugging on soft skin. Hands pulled at her jacket, yanking it off and throwing it to the floor next to the discarded Pandora's Box. Emma's thick blonde hair still smelled of Regina's apple scented shampoo and the brunette inhaled deeply, a low moan of desire escaping her throat at the mere thought of the blonde in her shower, hair wet and dripping with soap suds.
Emma shivered with delight at the moan that sounded against her ear, her hands gripping Regina's hips as the older woman pressed against her, their bodies flush and heated, warding off the brisk cold of the house. Regina's crimson lips kissed their way across her clavicle, unbuttoning her borrowed shirt and pushing it aside to reveal a bare shoulder, teeth biting down again in a possessive bite.
"Regina," the blonde breathed, threading her fingers through black hair that she had longed to touch for so long. It had grown significantly since they'd first met and Emma found she liked it better this way.
Another gasp left her as Regina yanked her shirt open the rest of the way to uncover her breasts, snugly held in a lacey black bra, now at the mercy of the cold bedroom. Regina didn't leave her cold for much longer as she began trailing hot kisses down her chest, nose and cheeks brushing against the blonde's fair skin. Her hands cupped Emma's breasts, fingers grazing over the thin fabric. Emma's head fell back against the wall, lips parted with a sigh.
"I don't think-"
"No talking," Regina ordered, her voice a silky, seductive purr. Crimson lips moved further down across her taut stomach, kissing her abdomen, fingers fumbling with her belt.
"Regina," Emma said again, breathlessly, catching at the brunette's wrists to halt her progress. "Please, not here."
Misunderstanding her meaning, Regina stood swiftly, grabbed Emma by the waist, and shoved her onto the bed with a playful growl. Her predatory smile was all teeth, her lips a slash of red across her features. The blonde bounced onto the springy mattress with a soft "oomph" and propped herself up onto her elbows as Regina climbed onto her, straddling her hips, tongue darting out to lick at her lips.
"Wait!" Emma clutched at Regina's shoulders, nearly clawing at her clothes as the brunette attacked her throat with bites and kisses again. It took a significant amount of strength to push her back enough to meet her eyes.
"I thought you wanted this," Regina said, her voice rough with desire despite the frustrated confusion in her eyes. Emma clasped one hand around the back of her neck, though she kept her other hand braced on Regina's shoulder, maintaining their distance.
"I do," she whispered. "I really do. But not here, Regina. Not like this. I wanted our first time to… to be…"
She hesitated, uncertainty coloring her green eyes. It was immediately replaced with lust and frustration as Regina's hips ground down against her core, sending a jolt of heat searing through her body and down between her legs.
"Special," Emma blurted out with a grunt, pushing a little firmer against Regina's shoulder to hold her back. "I want our first time to be special."
"It is," Regina insisted, running her hands through Emma's hair in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture, though it felt more high strung and desperate than reassuring. "Just relax, Emma."
"Regina-" But she was cut off as the brunette kissed her, lips crushed together, a tongue pressing for entry. Emma groaned, fingers digging into Regina's shoulders as that persistent tongue swept into the blonde's mouth, tasting deeply of her. For a moment, Emma lost her resolve, so swept up in the pleasure of it that she considered letting things run their course. This wasn't how she'd wanted their first time together to be, but gods, Regina felt so good against her. And then a familiar pulse of energy emanated from between them, sending tingles across her skin.
The next thing she knew, Regina had jumped off her and was on the other side of the room, her back against the wall, chest heaving and dark eyes wide with alarm. Her lipstick had smeared and her hair was ruffled where Emma had been gripping it, but she didn't seem to notice or care.
"Emma," she breathed, expression crumpling with dismay. "I am so sorry."
Dazed, Emma sat up on the bed, her brows furrowing together when she realized just how upset Regina looked. There were a million things she wanted to say to reassure the brunette that she hadn't almost forced herself on her, that she hadn't crossed a horrible boundary, but instead she blurted out, "Lust demon?"
"I…" Regina pushed her hair back from her face with trembling hands, her voice coming out shaky and uncertain. "Yes. I'm… I'm sorry, Emma."
Pushing herself off the bed, Emma hurried across the room to Regina, reaching out to take her hands. "Hey," she said, serious. "It's okay."
"No, it's not." Regina shook her head, anger and embarrassment seeping into her expression. Emma could almost see the brunette's oncoming self-loathing. "You said no and I tried to force you. It's not okay at all."
"You were under a curse."
"So were you, and you hadn't tried forcing yourself on me."
"The demons are stronger now," Emma argued, exasperated. "It's fine, Regina, I swear. It's not like I don't want to, I just wanted to wait for a better time, that's all."
Suddenly restless and uncomfortable, Regina pulled her hands out of Emma's, expression pinched. "Stop defending my actions."
"I'm just-" Emma groaned, frustrated, as Regina gave her an adamant stare. "I don't blame you. I'm not angry. I don't want you to be angry at yourself."
Working her jaw, Regina sidestepped the blonde and retrieved Pandora's Box from the floor, heading for the door. "The demon has to be here," was all she said before she headed into the hallway. Emma rubbed her hands over her face with a long exhale, buttoned up her shirt, picked up her jacket, and trailed after her.
She found Regina in the third room down, glaring around what looked to be a guest room before she spun back into the hall and stormed down the stairs. Emma just kept quiet, following her to the kitchen downstairs. The air felt colder and she hastened to pull her jacket back on, but sadly, leather didn't do much to help hold in body heat, especially when she wore nothing but a bra and a thin silk dress shirt underneath.
"Is it here?" she asked, weary. "Should I call the others?"
"No need." Regina held her hand out without looking back at her. "Just lend me your magic."
Emma readily slid her hand into Regina's, giving the other woman a reassuring squeeze that was not returned. Instead she felt an internal pull as her magic was summoned forth, siphoning from her into Regina through their conjoined hands. It wasn't an altogether unpleasant feeling, but it certainly wasn't a warm rush of magic like before.
"Show yourself," Regina barked into the empty space, their combined magic taking a physical form as it crackled around their bodies like electricity. The hissing and popping grew louder and more volatile near the other entrance to the kitchen where a dark mist began pooling into the room like dry ice, drifting across the tiled floor.
Emma wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. Something scary and grotesque, or maybe globular and faceless like the demon from earlier that day. Certainly not a lithe female form that nearly resembled Regina, except entirely made of black matter.
"Why is it always me?" Regina muttered. Her shadowy doppelganger smiled, lips curving, and curled her fingers at them. Emma's hand tightened around Regina's, but neither woman moved. It was the particularly loud crackle of electricity from behind that had Emma whipping her head around, eyes landing on the tendrils of black smoke creeping up behind their energy field.
"Regina," she hissed. The brunette turned and, with one furious gesture of her hand, lashed the smoky tendrils with a shock of energy that set it on fire. It retreated immediately, paired with a low growl from the Regina-shaped demon in front of them. With no more patience for this foolishness, Regina drew on their combined magic and hurled a large fireball directly at the demon. It swiped at it, dispersing the flames on impact, though its shadowy black flesh sizzled from the heat. Another fireball flew, and another. The flames were spreading across the kitchen in little globs of fiery embers now, leaving streaks of soot across the walls and counters. In frustration the demon began making its way around the counter to them, lashing angrily at everything within its reach, including the old gas stove and the uncovered canister below it. Regina lifted a hand with another fireball when the sound of hissing fumes caused Emma's stomach to do an uncomfortable flip flop.
"Wait!" she blurted out, but the fireball was already being thrown and it was too late to stop it. She lunged forward to put her arm around Regina when the demon swiped the fireball aside and it collided against the gas cannister.
Emma jerked Regina back, throwing them onto the floor on the other side of the counter as the damned thing exploded in a flash of heat and light. Blinded, she hunched over Regina's body, eyes screwed shut and head tucked down. They were thrown a few feet across the floor, sliding against a wall as the counter shattered into shards of wood and old marble, raining down on them like pelting hail.
Emma's red leather jacket took the brunt of the abuse, saving her from splinters and hot chunks of rubble. Her ears were ringing even after everything settled down, and though she thought she'd asked aloud, "Are you okay?" she couldn't hear herself.
Regina was clutching at her from below, hands gripping her shirt with a vengeance as they lay huddled together. They didn't try to move for a few long seconds, just stayed frozen in place, bodies aching with fresh bruises. The ringing faded in her ears enough that she could hear their laboured breathing again, lungs struggling with the fresh smoke in the air.
"Regina?" Emma clambered to her knees, checking the brunette over for injuries.
"I'm fine," Regina muttered, brushing off her hands and glancing away with a look of embarrassment. Leave it to her to almost blow them up. Angry and annoyed, she stood up and went to check on the demon. Emma followed wearily, holding out her hand when Regina stood over the demon's wheezing body with Pandora's box in hand. It had been standing next to the stove when it exploded, taking the brunt of the damage, and now its physical form was gone, leaving behind nothing but a shuddering glob of shadows.
Their fingers linked together and Regina trapped the demon away, glad that the vortex sucked up most of the smoke, too. A brisk flick of her wrist doused the remaining flames, then she pulled her hand out of Emma's and made to leave the house.
"Regina, wait." Emma caught up to her in the foyer, ignoring the dull ache throughout her body to hurry forward and catch the older woman's wrist. Regina responded without meeting her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"Hey," Emma said, voice softening. "Come on. Look at me, will you?"
Reluctant, the brunette turned around and met her gaze. Brown eyes were clouded with shame, hurt, and something else that Emma couldn't quite place.
Lifting Regina's hand in hers, Emma kissed her knuckles, lips pressing softly against each one, almost reverently. Her thumb stroked the side of her palm and her fingers were securely linked with Regina's, bright green eyes peering out from beneath thick lashes with a gaze that was all love and understanding.
"I forgive you. Okay?"
Regina's lower lip trembled just the slightest and her voice came out strained. "You shouldn't."
"You were under a curse."
"I've done it before," Regina said, trying and failing to sound cold. "Without a curse on me. I've forced people to do things they didn't want. I've forced myself on others. Just because this time was unintentional-"
"Regina," Emma said again, halting the brunette's train of thought. "You're not the same person anymore. You don't do those things anymore. You've changed. I see it. I see you, and I accept you, all of you, even your past as the Evil Queen. It's what makes you who you are; the woman I love, the woman Henry loves. Why can't you see that too?"
Those green eyes were sad, almost pleading for her to understand. Her forgiveness didn't matter if Regina couldn't forgive herself.
"Emma…" Regina trailed off sadly, unsure of what to say, afraid to say the wrong thing. Emma sounded so sure of herself, how could she tell her that she was wrong? That some things never change?
Was she trying to be a good person? A hero? Someone who does the right thing? Yes.
Was there a part of her that took wicked pleasure in throwing Emma against a wall and pinning her to the bed despite the blonde's protests?
Gods, it was wrong, but it felt so good. The Evil Queen had relished in wielding her power over others, in commanding them body and mind. The Mayor had loved her power too, using fear to control the people. The Lust demon may have given her incentive to seduce Emma, but her actions had been entirely her own. She'd used it as an excuse to exert her will upon another - her own soulmate, no less - and the thought of it sickened her now. She was no better than Hook when he'd regained his severed hand and used it as an excuse to be the pirate he used to be.
"Hey, come on," Emma coaxed, fully aware that Regina was trapped in her own thoughts again. That troubled, clouded look in her dark brown eyes said as much. She grasped both of Regina's hands within hers and pulled the woman a little closer until their eyes met again. Slowly, as if afraid she might scare her off like a frightened animal, she leaned in until their lips brushed together, the softest of touches. Regina's breath was warm against her skin, sweet with a hint of peppermint. "I love you, Regina Mills."
Regina jerked back, looking at her like a deer in headlights. To blurt it out in the safety of her dark bedroom, surrounded by pixie dust that told them they were soulmates - that was easy. To say it in broad daylight when everything wasn't fine and dandy and she'd almost accidentally forced herself on the mother of her child - that was like a splash of cold water.
Emma, to her credit, just gave a wry little smile, never once loosening her grip enough for the brunette to pull away completely. Instead, she continued in the softest of voices, "I will love you until you learn to love yourself."
And then she leaned in and kissed her, a chaste kiss on the lips that left her skin tingling, before giving her hand a gentle tug and moving towards the door. "Come on, let's go back to Granny's."
With wet eyes and an aching heart - wondering just how in the world this woman could love her so freely and wholeheartedly - Regina tightened her fingers around Emma's and followed.