Warning: A little bit of non-consent later in the chapter. Do take note.
Chapter 3
They rushed to the hospital as quick as the dependable, old Sheriff's car can take them. By the time they got to the ER, there was already a crowd of people gathered there consisting of nurses, doctors and, much to Emma's annoyance, the Mayor.
"Doctor," Graham greeted. "I was informed of the missing John Doe?"
"Yes," the doctor whose name tag read 'Whale' replied. "He was last seen at around ten in the morning when the nurses were doing their rounds."
"And the John Doe was previously hospitalized for a long period of time under a coma, am I right?"
Dr. Whale nodded. "No signs of waking up, either. It's like he just upped and left."
Emma took a deep breath and fixed her eyes at the hospital bed with its unmade sheets. Henry had told her about the John Doe in a coma at the hospital of course, her father. And that bed was the very same one that her father had lay on for… well, ever since the curse started. Emma watched as Graham scribbled notes on his notebook as she looked around. "Do you have any security cameras in here? Maybe we could run through them to get more information."
When she spoke, Dr. Whale stared at her as if acknowledging her presence for the first time before clearing his throat.
"We do," Dr. Whale replied before a nurse gestured for him and he politely excused himself, stating he will be back.
Just then Regina spotted them and she made a beeline for the Sheriff, all the while shooting a dirty look at Emma.
"Sheriff, I'm glad you came here just in time," Regina started before glaring at Emma. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm the Deputy."
When she said that, Emma cannot help the smirk that formed on her face as she watched the Mayor's dark gaze penetrate Graham before she seemingly schooled herself.
"Since you're so keen on staying by getting a job," Regina straightened. "You might as well make yourself useful around here, Deputy."
She spat the title out like it was bitter in her mouth and Emma flinched before she realized something.
"What are you doing here, then? Last time I checked, the hospital is not under your direct control, Mayor."
"I am that John Doe's emergency contact; I have every right to be here," Regina rolled her eyes as if the mere motion of questioning her was absurd.
Processing this new information, Graham asked, "How are you his emergency contact?"
"I am the one who found him at the side of the road years ago," Regina turned to glare at him. "No document of identification whatsoever, just heavy bleeding on the head. Of course I sent him to the hospital, and he has been here ever since."
"It's strange, isn't it," Emma folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at the brunette. "How every single thing that happens in this town is somehowrelated to you one way or the other?"
Regina took one step forward. "What are you trying to insinuate, Ms. Swan?"
Not willing to back down, Emma stepped up to the Mayor's game until she was in the brunette's personal space. "Nothing, but I must say, only the guilty feel that way."
At that moment, the two women were interrupted by Dr. Whale who came running up.
"Sheriff, Deputy," he started. "The security room is just around the back. That's where all the footages of security cameras are kept."
Shooting one last glare toward Regina, Emma nodded before following Graham and Dr. Whale out of the room.
"Oh, and Ms. Swan?"
Emma balled her hands into fists as she recognized that gloating tone that accompanied the Mayor's voice every time she pronounced her name.
"What?"
"Keep my shirt," Regina smiled none too nicely. "Consider it a consolation prize."
With that she gave a low chuckle and stalked off, knowing full well Emma lost this time round. Again.
[-]
Emma sighed as she set her feet up on her desk, one hand clutching a donut while the other flipped through files. It had been a day and there was still no sign of her father, otherwise known in this land as the missing John Doe. Graham and her had spent over two hours poring over the video footage the hospital caught, which had not been much of a help. The area around the hospital had been thoroughly searched too and even the nearby woods, all to no avail.
"Dammit," Emma cursed as she lightly threw the file onto her desk. "How do we find him with so little information?"
She glanced at Graham who had pulled a chair to sit opposite her.
"Don't look at me," he shrugged. "You signed up for this."
Dusting her hands off the donut crumbs, Emma stood up and paced the room.
"There has got to be somewhere where we can start from…" She wondered out loud.
"Sheriff…?"
Both heads turned to the doorway to see Regina standing there looking as immaculate as ever, and alongside of her, a blonde woman. Stalking forward, the Mayor gave a look close to disgust at the box of donuts before glancing at the files.
"How is the work going, Deputy?"
Emma fought an urge to roll her eyes and pursed her lips. "Better than expected," she lied through her teeth. Anything is better than another flood of mockery from the Mayor at being incapable of doing her job.
Regina gave a little smirk.
"I sure hope you are, Deputy. You see," the brunette gestured to the blonde lady beside her. "This is Kathryn Nolan, the wife of the missing John Doe, otherwise known as David Nolan."
It was as if her world screeched to a halt as Emma took in what Regina said, turning toward Kathryn with a stunned expression. It was ridiculous and yet, it just was. Henry had said the Evil Queen cast the curse to get her own happy ending and to take away everyone else's; this is probably one of the broken many. Emma was so caught up in her thoughts that she only came back to consciousness when Graham spoke.
"Wife? But he has been in the hospital all this while and you didn't come to identify him?" Graham addressed Kathryn.
Kathryn swallowed, her blue eyes turning glassy. "I didn't know he was in the hospital. We were having an argument before he exited the house and I thought… I thought he left me."
"I see," Graham nodded. "Well then I will need you to come and fill out some forms about him for us."
Kathryn wiped her tears and agreed, following Graham into the Sheriff's office.
Emma turned to glare at Regina as she approached her.
"What the fucking hell is this, Madame Mayor?" Emma hissed ferociously.
Regina blinked. "Excuse me, but I have no idea what you're on about."
"Oh, really? Isn't it strange that this John Doe has been hospitalized in God knows how long and it's only now, that someone steps up and claims she's her wife? And isn't it even stranger that this woman was brought in by you?"
"If you are looking for a commentary on your efforts on how those notices with descriptions of our John Doe helped, good job," Regina gave another mayoral smile before it was dropped as quickly as it appeared and her lips turned into a snarl. "However if you insist on staying unprofessional, just bear in mind that you were the one who forced me into action in the first place."
Emma watched the brunette give a nod to Kathryn before preparing to leave. Oh no, she is not going to let the Mayor off the hook this time round.
"I know what game you're playing at," Emma called to the brunette's back. "Your Majesty."
Emma grinned unabashedly as she saw Regina's back stiffened and the Mayor froze in her tracks, caught completely off guard. Her grin only grew wider when the brunette turned slowly with effect, her glare burning in a hole in Emma's jade eyes.
"What did you say?" Her voice came out a dangerous whisper and Emma knew better than to answer. But being the defiant one, she knew even better than to not answer.
Emma gave a smug smile. "I'm not gonna let you get away with this, Regina."
Regina just gave her a cold, hard stare as if waiting for the blonde to continue. When she did not, the Mayor only huffed and left, leaving Emma to gloat after her.
[-]
"So you didn't go talk to him?"
Emma looked back into Henry's large brown eyes and shook her head. They were sitting side by side at Henry's castle, just idly watching the sea and pretending that they were a normal pair of persons who weren't hiding from reality nor running on a time limit. After an exhausting cat-and-mouse chase between rushing to the place David Nolan had been last spotted and figuring out where his next location can be for two days (who knew finding an amnesiac could be that fun), it was finally Mary Margaret who suggested he could be at Toll Bridge. Sure enough, Emma had found him there; tracing the path of his own footsteps in circles.
When she brought David Nolan back, no one really bothered to ask how or why, they were all just relieved that a missing patient was back and everyone's lives can go back to normal. Especially Kathryn Nolan, whose gratitude and tears toward the Mayor and Emma herself stretched more than how Emma would have liked. But Emma knew the truth. She saw it as plain as day, the look on Mary Margaret's face and subtle stare from David on his part when Kathryn rushed into his arms and planted a huge kiss on his lips. It was the look of something that was there once, but now isn't.
"No," Emma sighed, returning back to the present. "I mean, he doesn't remember being my father. What's the use?"
"Emma, they're starting to remember and it's all because of you," Henry urged. "Ms. Blanchard told me you were the one who urged her to read the story to him and that's how he woke up! You have to continue doing what you're doing so that the curse can be broken and the Evil Queen can be defeated!"
"That's the point kid," Emma ran a hand through her curls in frustration. "I don't even know what the hell I'm doing! I'm just going about my life and all these things happen and… I just don't know. Plus, your mother is not making it any easier for me."
She gave a side glance at Henry before turning to face his large grin.
"What?"
"You just said it, Emma."
"Said what?"
"What you're doing, is just being who you are. That's what makes you the Saviour!"
Emma let Henry's word sink in. Somewhere beneath all the actions she had done, she knew there was always a certain pull as to how she managed to go about doing it. In fact, she had been doing it all her life. Some people call it a gut feeling; others, imagination. But maybe, just maybe right here in Storybrooke, it is something else entirely. Fate.
They sat for a little while more before Emma glanced at her watch and signaled it was time to go.
"I wish I could spend more time with you in the open," Henry said sadly as they jumped from the ledge. "I hate sneaking around."
"Then maybe you could just ask me."
The duo snapped their heads up in shock as Regina Mills stood before them a couple of feet away, regal and poised. Caught like a deer in the headlights, Emma froze with her mouth open, unable to form any excuse or reason. Beside her, Henry kept silent too, unsure of his mother's unpredictable actions.
Regina walked coolly up to them and pulled Henry to her side, glaring at Emma first before turning to face her son.
"Henry, go and wait in the car for me."
Henry stood there, defiant. "What are you going to do to her?"
Emma felt a tingle run down her spine as Regina turned to look at her, "Ms. Swan and I are going to have a little chat."
Giving a little reassurance to Henry with a nod, Emma exhaled through her mouth as Henry ran to the black Mercedes and slammed the car door behind him.
"Well Madame Mayor, you caught me. Go ahead, scream and do whatever you want. Just don't drag Henry into our disputes."
Regina gave a mirthless laugh. "On the contrary, I'm here to extend an invitation to you."
"An invitation?" Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, to dinner."
The shock registered on Emma's face and she immediately jumped to a defensive mode. "Why?"
"Don't, for a second, think that I am trying to apologize for whatever reason you made up in your head," Regina huffed. "I am only doing this for Henry."
Emma studied the woman in front of her and for a millisecond thought that Regina Mills looked insecure about her offer. But like all the other looks that hinted even a slightest bit of emotion on her face, that disappeared quickly enough and Emma was looking into the stoic face of the Mayor again. It was a tough decision, Emma decided. On one hand, she could spend at least an extended time with Henry without having to hide from the brunette (even though it was technically under Regina's watch); on the other, this was the Evil Queen talking. Who knew what sorts of tricks she had up her sleeve.
"Well?" Regina's impatient answer prompted Emma to make a quick decision.
"Fine," Emma conceded. "For Henry."
Regina smiled, although it wasn't a pleasant one. "Good, I hate it when people reject me anyway." And Emma rolled her eyes.
"Tomorrow at six. Sharp."
Then Regina leaned in so close that for a moment, Emma had the craziest idea the Mayor was going to kiss her.
"I think you should know by now Ms. Swan," Regina chuckled lowly, her breath gently hitting against Emma's cheek. "A queen never waits."
[-]
Emma arrived at the mansion at six in the evening sharp, as instructed. She had left a note to Mary Margaret not to wait up for her before leaving the apartment. Sure, Mary Margaret was her mother even if the pixie haired brunette did not know it, but sometimes even she acted so much like a mother it made her uncomfortable.
Despite her cool exterior, the blonde was a nervous wreck inside and she silently thanked her lucky stars when it was Henry who bounded up and answered the front door.
"Hey Emma!" He grinned widely. "I'm so glad you can come!"
Emma returned a smile and looked around. "Where's your mom?"
As if on cue, Regina's voice floated from the kitchen. "Henry! Have you set the table?"
"Coming!" Henry hollered back before giving an apologetic glance to Emma and speeding off to the dining room.
Making her way to the kitchen, Emma paused in her steps as the Mayor came into view. Although the brunette had her back to her, the unmistakable apron over the usual power suits did make the menacingly imperturbable woman look close to the term 'harmless' and Emma had to stifle her laugh with a cough. The small noise alerted Regina and she whirled around.
"Ms. Swan," Regina greeted with a nod, hands reaching behind her back to undo the apron strings. "And here I was, expecting you to be late."
Emma rolled her eyes in response. She had come to this dinner with intent to be civil for the night but this woman was definitely not going to make things easy for her.
"Do you need any help?"
Regina looked at her for a moment, as if surprised by the genuine offer. Then she gestured toward the oven.
"Take the chicken out and dinner can start."
The three of them sat around the dining table looking so normal Emma had wondered for a second if she was in a parallel world. The only sounds emitted were the occasional clanks of metal against porcelain and the crunching of salad, topped with Henry's incessant chatter about school.
"… Ms. Blanchard even showed us a clip from Disney's Snow White today!"
In her peripheral vision, Emma saw Regina stiffen with her fork halfway to her mouth. Smirking a little, Emma continued the conversation on purpose just to irk the brunette.
"That's nice, kid. Which scene of the movie did she show you?"
"The part on how the Evil Queen wanted to kill Snow White because she was jealous of her beauty! And everyone was like-"
"Henry, that's enough."
Regina's cold voice cut through his bubbly one like a knife, and Henry immediately stopped and glanced at Emma, suddenly remembering that his adopted mother was the Evil Queen in his book. Regina turned her glare onto Emma.
"Ms. Swan, maybe you could tell that roommate of yours not to plant ridiculous ideas in children's minds. As if the book wasn't enough, now even movies are being shown."
Emma hid her annoyance behind a shrug. "What can I say, she's doing her job."
"Then she is failing at it," Regina crossed her arms and locking Emma in a death stare. "Like how she fails at other things."
The second statement came out as a mutter but Emma heard it all the same. "Why do you hate Mary Margaret so much, Regina?"
The question raised another flame of fire in Regina's eyes and that was not tamed by Henry's reply either.
"Because she is the Evil Queen, that's why."
"Henry," Regina's voice was gentler but stern. "Go to your room. Now."
He didn't need prompting, just scraping his chair as he leapt and ran up the stairs, the slam of his bedroom door the only sign of his anger.
Regina closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. She had been seeing how Henry was always so happy with the blonde but emotionless with her. It hurt to know that it took Emma to get Henry smiling but Regina was willing to put down her pride for her son and that was why she invited Emma to dinner in the first place, thinking that it could at least be of little help for her to reach out to her son more. But now it clearly had been for the worst, she should never have invited that irritating blonde. Sounds of movement distracted her from her thoughts and she flashed her eyes open to see Emma attempting to clear the unfinished dinner.
"Do not touch the plates," Regina gave a warning growl and Emma stopped.
"Look," the blonde started. "Kids have a little temper and you just go to-"
"Shut up!"
Regina's sudden shout stunned Emma and she stopped as the brunette got to her feet, advancing on her.
"All these happened because of you. Every single thing," Regina was seething as she stepped into the blonde's personal space. "You came bouncing into this town for whatever reason and spend time with my son, telling whatever stories to make him hate me. You think I don't know, hmm?"
Emma didn't reply as she looked back into dark brown orbs, her anger starting to fire up as well.
"I did not tell any stories, all I told was the truth."
"And what, pray tell, is the truth?"
"That you are a manipulative bitch who makes use of other people to get what you want," Emma hissed. "That you are so consumed and filled with hate, you fail to see what is the good in front of you. That if this were a story you are the villain and not just the villain, the ultimate villain, the one who inevitably dies in the end. And that I utterly despise you, for everything you have done."
Regina listened with burning ire as the blonde mocked her, and finally did the only thing rational her brain told her to do: hit. A tightly clenched fist landed straight on Emma's cheekbone and she cursed out loud, staggering a few steps backward and eyes widening in disbelief at the Mayor's action.
But anger soon clouded her vision and she came lunging at the brunette as well, grabbing the smaller sized woman by the shoulders and shoving her, Regina's back hitting the wall with a sickening thud. Roughly grabbing the Regina's collar, Emma used her arm to pin the brunette in place by the neck.
"You think you can get away with all this," Emma growled. "But you should know that villains don't get happy endings."
Regina stopped struggling and gave a mirthless laugh. "If I'm the villain…"
Then with a surprising amount of strength, she shoved Emma's arm away and switched their positions, so that now the blonde was the one against the wall and struggling. Wrapping a hand around Emma's throat, Regina applied just a little bit of pressure that was enough for the blonde to choke and claw desperately at her hand.
"Who are you?"
Regina released the hold on Emma's neck and she gasped loudly, turning limp and panting. Regina had her pinned tightly against the wall and try as hard as she could, Emma could not summon the strength to break through the tight hold of the Mayor, whose body pressed uncomfortably in all the right places whenever she struggled.
"You think you're so smart, Deputy. But sometimes I think you're too smart for your own good."
As Regina leaned into Emma's ear to speak, Emma's breath hitched as the other woman's breasts conveniently flattened themselves against her own and she flushed. She flushed even harder when the Mayor retracted her head to look at her, mouth curved upwards in a salacious grin.
As if to test the waters, Regina forced Emma's jean clad legs apart with her own, brushing Emma's core with her bare knee. Emma bit her lip to stifle a moan, somewhere in between the rough shoves and overly close contact, her center had started to heat up and now with the brunette's teasing ministrations, it was demanding for further attention.
"My my, look at you," Regina mocked. "Who knew the Deputy would be such a slut?"
"You're a fucking bitch," Emma spat, ashamed at her body's reactions and also disgusted at the Mayor's actions. She struggled again but that only gave Regina more reason to press herself tightly against Emma, her knee continuously rubbing against Emma's center.
Emma's breaths became more uneven as she felt her panties getting more soaked by the minutes but she forced herself to glare back at Regina, whose hungry eyes never left her.
"You are the one who is seducing me," Emma gritted. "Look who's calling the kettle black."
Regina darted out a tongue to wet her blood red lips as she smiled. "At least you're admitting it."
Then she surged forward and captured the blonde's lips in hers, biting down until it drew blood. Emma's eyes widened in surprise and she found herself returning the kiss, sinking into the way the brunette's full lips felt against hers. When Regina's hands slid under her tank top and splayed its cool fingers over her heated torso, Emma finally came to her senses she pushed the brunette away from her, wiping the blood off her mouth. Regina only grinned wickedly, licking up the blood from her own lips.
"How pathetic," Regina drawled. "To think you would crave the touch of someone you despise. Your soul is even more depraved than mine."
Emma stood rooted to the spot and shut her eyes, memories of a life spent in the foster system came flooding through her mind. All the reasons why she could not talk to her parents and why she felt uncomfortable whenever Mary Margaret talked about having a family came swelling in her chest like a broken dam. The amount pent up anger came spilling out now was enough to fuel her emotion engine to the maximum as Emma glared at the woman in front of her who seemed to enjoy pushing every button she had.
"You want to play this game," Emma growled. "Let's play."
A/N: I know it's quite late of an update but I was busy with Christmas preparations and all. Anyway, Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays to everyone and a huge thank you to those who have read, reviewed and F&F!