Title: A Beneficial Guise Part 5

Author: Mina Robins

Fandom: Once Upon A Time

Pairing: SwanQueen

Rating: T

Summary: Emma is a hunter, a cold blooded survivor, and she's acquired a taste for a certain Mayor. Tonight is the night she has decided to enact on her desires to feast, though maybe she'll entertain these human dreams… At least until she bores of it.

…

-6th month-

Emma wasn't quite able to recognize the discomfort in her chest; the unease that grinded on her patience and guise. After being kept in relative seclusion from the real world for such a long duration of time her skills of detections had habituated to the safety of the Fairy Tale curse. There was no one here that could challenge her reign, no brooding siblings with barely concealed malcontent. She had been living in such a luxurious time of stagnancy and calm that the distress she felt jeopardizing her safety was unusually fierce. The danger sandpapered against her psyche, signs she haven't felt in a while were blazoning into clarity.

The sense had jostled her out of Regina's bed and caused her to wander into Henry's room. He was breathing regularly; she had felt that he was safe even whilst in the comfort of their bed but the stupidly insistent mentality of danger forced her to make a round of the house. Her skin felt electrified by the fear of some unknown lurking at the corners of her vision. This threat to her wellbeing was a hazard she could not ignore. It obviously did not originate from her bedmate since Regina was out of commission after a particularly trying afternoon with the city council but managed to finally pass a new law.

Emma watched the steady intake of breath from her bedfellow then headed to the bathroom to partake in another scolding wash. Her trek out and around the house had dropped her body temperature to what humans would feel as an uncomfortable level even though the weather never bothered her systems. She pulled her hair up into a loose bun and turned the dials of the bath to the furthest setting of heat. The water scalded her skin but she stayed until she was quite sure she had burnt herself back into an acceptable state of warmth. Emma pulled the sheets down and molded herself against Regina's back. She draped her arm protectively over Regina' s hip, fingers spreading over the flat stomach and placed her chin over the other woman's shoulder as she glared out into the silent night beyond their bedroom.

…

The tension mounted over the course of the days, leaving Emma prowling through the nights. Her anxiety cascaded together into a net of agitation, making her reclusive after work, too fatigued to entertain a night with her co-worker or make an appearance at Granny's diner.

Emma thought she was all but losing her mind until she begun to notice strange apparitions of what appeared to be her siblings. The ones she had briefly met and mingled with for those tense couple of months. It seemed so long ago when her master had introduced her to her unimpressed and competitive coven.

She was starting to catch glimpses of glinting predatory eyes and saw what appeared to be the slick shine of venom coated fangs. Though her imagination might be playing with her sense of sight since the phantom's she thought she saw carried no distinguishable aroma. The undead always carried a peculiar smell same as any predatory animal. She should be able to easily find them out, especially since she swore the creatures she thought she saw were Vampires identifiable as her brethren, all from the same coven as her. It was maddening, to feel pairs of eyes lurking into her realm. Emma had scoured the streets and forest all the way up to the lines Regina had revealed to her but found nothing but wildlife and the occasional town hiker. She wasn't sure if it was paranoia that caused such visions or if her siblings actually decided to drop in for an inopportune visit.

Emma was never one to push caution from her mind though and her instincts had never failed her before. She started on a schedule of where and when she would inspect the town grounds. Most of all she kept vigilant surveillance of Regina's property but she still had yet to truly meet any of the figures that prowled at the furthest reach of her senses. The countless phantoms filtered in and out of her peripherals but they never lingered directly in her line of sight. It was odd and something off about it that made Emma increasingly tense and rather ferocious in her hunger for blood. Her body was instinctively driving her to find more sustenance, to bulk up her reserves from the threat she felt stalked at the edge of Storybrooke. The more blood a Vampire consumed the stronger it gets. Of course there was a limit of power you could accumulate and there was the factor of age to consider. Though for someone as young as Emma she could only really compensate by feasting. Her siblings were all her elders and even with her superior control and rather gifted level of supernatural powers she would be hard set to keep out unwanted company. She saw them as intruders and a threat while she had always been viewed as a rival for their master's praise.

…

When Kathryn's car crashed unbeknownst to even David, it was Regina that notified the confused husband. Regina was made aware of the potential escape when she felt the defensive spark of her curse. The spell that domed over the regions of Storybrooke shimmered into clear view for her when the vehicle rammed into the invisible force field. The curse would had made it appear that Kathryn's car had ran astray from the path but Regina knew the truth and the concern she felt for her friend set an unpleasant weight in her stomach.

The site was near the very border of Storybrooke, where Emma had accidentally broken the sign during her first voyage into town. The bloody wildlife in this region was ridiculously rich and they had no need to chase or run from her since they saw her as an equal predator but felt no danger from her because of her preference for human blood.

Kathryn's unconscious body had been carted directly to the hospital after a quick dispatch by Regina. Michael Tillman was later instructed to tow the car that remained in the ditch at the side of the road.

Emma had insisted on following Regina up to the crash site instead of Graham and demanded that he went instead to check on Kathryn. She deferred her interest in the case on primarily disliking hospital. On the car ride over she realized she might had made more sense to bring up her discomfort with seeing her supposed friend in such a state. Oh well, it was just a trifle detail, she believed that Graham would have surmised that as the reason for her actions. The thing that loitered in her mind was the tension she now felt, the tight electric tingle of detecting something just beyond her scope and control.

By the time they arrived, Michael was already towing the car back towards town. He rolled down the window as they passed each other and gave a polite tilt of his baseball cap that Emma completely ignored. Once they were parked just short of the toppled welcome sign Emma tightened her grip on the Mercedes' door panel, the pristine leather whining under her touch as her canines sliced fully through her gums. Something was wrong.

"Emma?" Regina set the car in park mode and then reached tentatively over to place her hand onto Emma's thigh. "What's the matter?"

Emma's expression was deadly blank, her glare blackened with caution as she gave Regina's hand a reassuring squeeze. Her jaw had dropped opened and her fangs dripped with venom. The poison used against another Vampire wouldn't cause them to become particularly drowsy but worked better than any kind of tranquilizer. If you could lay enough bites without over extending your delicate neck to your opponent, you'll be ahead in a fight. Emma would require that extra advantage if she would have a chance of keeping her elder and stronger siblings out of her territory.

Regina's gaze softened her voice gentle and coaxing as she continued. "Emma, do you wish to return back to town, I can come back alone and check-"

Emma snatched Regina's wrist in her hand, tugging the other woman towards her. "Don't."

"I'm perfectly capable of dealing with whatever is it there, the spell creates a barrier around us, there's no possible way in or out." Regina answered back, her eyes narrowing at the monosyllabic response and the hand clenched around her limb. "Ms. Swan, you're being completely irrational, there's nothing out there."

"I managed to get through the barrier." Emma blinked and dropped her hold, a bit put off by Regina's upbraiding of her actions. "And so has Henry."

"That is only because you were born in the Enchanted Forest and your blood runs through Henry's vein." Regina explained, her ire growing at the ludicrous overreaction from Emma.

The mention of Henry's blood did not alert Emma to her hunger, it only reminded her of one more thing she needed to guard. She turned her focus back onto the road, her body tightening with the sense of an approaching combatant.

"I've noticed how you've not lingered in the bed for a while now." Regina took a moment to compose herself, she almost let it slip out that she would refer to the piece of furnishing as 'their' bed. "You spend hours at night searching through the darkness, what do you think you see?"

"There's something out there; I may not be strong enough." To protect you, to keep you safe, to deal with the possibility of losing. Emma nodded towards the edge of the forest she's certain held at least one other Vampire. She still couldn't smell the bastard but she could see him, a pin point prick in the distance, he was no longer hiding his presence.

Regina shifted closer; threading her fingers into Emma's curls and then drawling her hand through the tresses. Repeating the gesture as Emma leaned over and placed her hand on the door handle, making sure to keep it closed if anything was to attempt to enter. If her brother was looking to crash through the window then her body was equally in front of Regina to delay the impending harm. Regina looked searching at the direction indicated but was unable to notice anything but blacktop and wilderness.

"Emma, honestly, you can't just expect us to remain in the car like this."

Emma knew she couldn't properly defend Regina whilst she was sitting and dove out of the car when she noticed her brother hesitating. She couldn't continue the standstill while at a positional disadvantage. She opened her door and hastily placed herself in the direct path of the Vampire now making a leisurely progression towards the line.

Emma snarled, loud enough that it appeared more of a roar, it made Regina immediately leave the car and come to her side. Emma bent her knees, preparing to leap at her foe; there was no sense of talking to the one approaching them. This was Reuben, the third in command of the protection unit. He was harsh, senseless and driven only by his own gain and hedonistic wants. He did not shoulder the burden of protecting their maker, which was number one's job. Nor was he important enough to deal with their clan's daily function but he was a sturdy son of a bitch and resilient on the scent of a hunt.

At the end of Emma's growl, Reuben sped up to the very line of the spell, his nose just short of touching the magic that sizzled in soundless but luminous warning. His once suntanned skin still held a lot of the darken pigments even after his transformation, the colouring clung stubbornly to his body and was offset by the buzzed to roots auburn hair. His attire and mannerism seemed rough by choice since his features were refined and almost aristocratic. He wore only a tank top, threadbare and dirty from his surroundings while on his hips loosely hung a pair of earth patterned cargo pants. He twisted his head jarringly to left then right, his body statue still as he tried to inhale the odours around him but found absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. There was dirt sizzling on the warmed roads, the scent of wildlife but not an ounce of human flavour for miles in every direction. Yet he could intrinsically tell that something was off.

Before Emma launched herself at her sibling she felt Regina's hand on her crunched back. She could feel the tremors that vibrated in Regina's touch. It enraged her to have Regina be placed in such a state and she felt madness overtake logic at the fear she scented from the other woman. She abhorred the hopelessness of the oncoming fight, since she knew she could only prolong and distract her brother. There was just too far of an age gap and strength levels between them and it would only take one mistake on her part to lose her second life. The self-preserving thing to do would be to submit to her elder's wishes and hand over the toy that has caught her fancy for over half a year but she couldn't. Regina was not meant for a fate at Reuben's hands, it was an end Emma would not wish for her human. If Reuben insisted on crossing barely tangible agreements between offsprings of the same coven then she would have to end him, or at least give her best effort, this Emma swore on her life.

"He… He can't see us." Regina recuperated uneasily from her previous falter, anxious conviction filtered into her tone.

Reuben's chest puffed up as he barked out a growl, spittle of venom and saliva dribbled down his chin as he gazed sightlessly at what wasn't there before him. He wanted to keep pushing, to travel further in the road but something was keeping him from doing it. For someone that had never had to answer to any kind of law or control other than his master's, Reuben was at a lost. He shook his body and then unclenched from his bowed position, straightening up to roll his shoulders.

He blinked his eyes until they cleared from the thunder of excitement and blind rage just moments from being free. His lips curled up into a beguiling smile, his hands pushed casually into his pockets as he rocked back onto his heels. "Hello?" His voice was thick with glamour, it was cloyingly sweet and enticing as a familiar caress from a cherished lover, he swayed forward and back. "Anyone here?"

Regina yanked on Emma's shoulder but while the flesh seemed pliable to her touch, Emma did not shift. "There is nothing that he can do to us, he can't cross the barrier and can't see or hear us."

"He can't scent us either, that's why I haven't been able to track them down." Emma stood up, eyes still focused on her sibling until Regina entered the car. How odd that Regina did not even react to the glamour. Was it the magic from the previous world or was it the shield that gave Regina a chance for sanity? Emma pushed the thought from her mind and kept her gaze straight at the waiting Vampire, seeing if his guise would fade and once again turn into the raging lunatic that Emma knew took residence in the soulless carcass.

…

"I have to kill him." Emma stated as they pulled into the driveway to Regina's mansion. "He'll want you."

"There's no need for you to engage him in any kind of combat, he can't harm us, and he isn't capable of even sensing us." Regina reasoned as she shut off the engine and turned to face Emma. "Why would he want me?"

"My scent is all over this place, he'll know this is my den, he doesn't like me." Emma swiftly got out of the car and walked over to Regina's side, opening the door and looking the other woman directly in the eyes. "I took his position as our maker's favourite, for the time being he won't kill me but he'll want you, so that means I'll have to end him before he even considers nearing you."

"Emma." Regina breathed; Emma had a tendency to jump to extremes and thus wasn't surprised to find her so enraged. She had read up on Vampiric tomes and everything suggests that while siblings in the same coven generally did not slaughter one another for fun, they would be more than willing to torment a weaker sibling by snatching prey they had taken a shine to. Like an elder brother teasing his little sister over her favourite doll. If the doll breaks and cannot be fixed then that would be the end of their fight. "We are safe."

"I want to take precautions." Emma replied, her eyes once again running down their surroundings. "You may not leave the house."

"Don't be ridiculous." Regina curtly snapped as her key slid into the lock on the thick double doors that Emma had so easily entered all those months before. "I am still Mayor of our quaint little town."

Emma whipped her head around and drew near at inhuman speeds, her hands slamming into the mahogany behind them, "Do you think this is a joke, he'll take you and it'll be of no enjoyment to you and just a meal for him."

"Am I not just that to you?" Regina vindictively questioned with an arch of her eyebrow. She had never brought the accusation up before but it's been a query that haunted the logical portions of her thoughts. It was a nagging suspicious that she should have looked into far sooner but everything had become so easy for so long it wasn't important to her how Emma viewed her. At first whether Emma stayed for love or for nutrients was of no interest to Regina. She was admittedly lonely and even fucking an unknowingly disinclined Graham had lost its appeal. Then the frustrating woman had appeared and turned her stand still world into chaos. Nothing functioned right anymore and Emma slotted into the town as a cog to a clock, Regina watched the folk around them developed and healed as new life was breathed into the occupants. Then Emma turned her attentions to Regina and the ludicrously of their situation kept her reasoning grey and faded. She felt herself relax; dangerously believing in happiness after the suffocating distrust from her son had abated and she did not need to kill another Royal to protect her own possessions.

It wasn't until Emma's inhumanity became more evident that she started to question their current predicament. To others, Emma still appeared as functioning as usual but the mask was cracked with flaws that Emma had no time to humour. She kept up the friendly pretense. Smiled, laughed, feigned sympathy when there was an occasion that deemed it fit but there was something missing. Her enthusiasm on the chore of entertaining the populace was fading, her attention moving elsewhere whilst her mind forged plans on protecting what was deemed hers.

Emma was someone so surprisingly unexpected, unconventional, and for the matter quite dead. But their relationship, it was something she understood, this kind of want. The thing between them does not hold up to the glow of hers and Daniels but that had been a chaste and gentle affair. One born of Fairy Tales meant for the privileged and thus only ended in tragedy when she quested for such bliss. The memory of that love still clenched at her heart but since it had flickered out as soon as it had begun her only anguish was over lost possibilities, what ifs and the generally understood unfairness of the Enchanted Forest. She supposed the relationship she had now wasn't really comparable to anything she had experience before. In her whole life she had three other partners. Her tryst with Daniel had been thwarted by her mother. Leopold was assigned to her as a task and she was Graham's job. Where did Emma stand in all of it? No one before had outright pursued her as Emma had. Daniel was held back by customs and status; it wasn't until she reached out first that he had revealed his affections for her. A King's decree was not about romance but necessity for his precious daughter and Graham was there to keep her mediocrely sane. The number of significant people in her life did not stop her from churning the similarities and countless differences against one another when comparing it all to Emma.

"You know you're not." Emma replied curtly after a long pause, her eyebrows drawing together as she was left debilitated by the blunt remark. Had she been too inhumane as of late? Did Regina notice? She realized her err was in the tone of her voice, she shouldn't be so gruff, it was supposed to be tender. Humans needed that kind of drivel and hers obviously needed reassurance now and not her foiling temperament. She should have been kinder but there was no way to cushion or quantify how she felt towards Regina. A woman that was so much more than her prey.

This partnership Regina had with Emma was the only other supposedly healthy bond. The love that could have been between her and Daniel was one where no expectations of money and daily survival hung over their heads. It was a childish thing that still made Regina imprudently nostalgic but was realistic enough to know that the way it had ended was the best she could have deserved. Now her own contentment sat second to Henry's needs and Henry needed Emma. Horrifyingly enough she had found herself needing Emma just as much, the stability that Emma brought in for both her son and her was unusually settling. Emma was infuriatingly calm in demeanor and her devoted compliancy was something Regina no longer sought after since her start as the Evil Queen. Emma cherished her in that slightly alarmingly possessive manner that Regina knew only too well how to demonstrate. Emma managed to capture a spot within Regina's heart to the extent that she could not imagine what it would be like to have Emma leave her now. To run headstrong into a pointless fight since they were safe in this haven of the cursed. Regina has had quite enough tragedy to last her entire life and did not require more.

"Then show me."

A/N: Next chapter is all done, just awaiting my beta to go through the gibberish.