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Ch. 11 – Unexpected Accusations
Regina began to stir under the covers when she felt another weight press on the mattress. Slowly she opened her eyes, trying to fight off the headache that was getting stronger by the second. How much did I drink?
"Good morning."
She turned her head towards the source of the voice and was met with a warm smile from Emma who sat on the edge of her bed, a tray of food on her lap.
"I made you breakfast," she shrugged sheepishly, "and I also brought two aspirin and water. You're going to need it after last night."
Regina looked down to the simple breakfast that consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, a little bowl of fruit, and a steaming cup of coffee. As she looked back up at Emma, the previous night's events all came rushing back into the forefront of her mind.
Sulking in her office.
Staring at Henry's picture.
Multiple glasses of cider and crying.
Arguing, throwing her glass at Emma.
Emma holding her in her arms, kissing Emma.
Kissing Emma…
Regina's eyes widened as the images flashed before her, clambering to a sitting position.
The blonde recognized Regina's panic and quickly put the tray down on the bedside table before scooting closer to the older woman, grabbing her hands.
"Hey, you're alright."
Regina tried to pull her hands away, blinking furiously as her headache pounded against her skull.
Emma kept her grip firm and moved even closer, "Regina, look at me."
She looked up, releasing a shuddering breath, "Did you mean it?" she blurted out.
Emma furrowed her brow, "Did I mean what?"
Clearing her throat, Regina tried to sound stronger than she felt, "Last night, did you mean what you said?"
Emma's features softened in realization, she knew it took a lot for Regina to ask that, she knew the woman hated sounding fragile, but even Queen's had insecurities.
Emma nodded, "Every word."
At first Regina thought it had all been a dream, a nightmare really where any chance at happiness had yet again been stolen from her. But as Emma sat in front of her, holding out two painkillers and a glass of water she knew it had been real, Emma had stayed.
The blonde had said she wouldn't leave Regina, she would get their son back, and she would give Regina her happy ending. That's all she ever really wanted.
XxXxX
They had been working all morning to improve and build Emma's magic before resting for lunch. An hour later found both women in Regina's back yard, standing a few feet apart, facing each other.
"You really did well this morning, but I want to try something new." Regina spoke lightly, but her features were serious.
Emma nodded, weary but determined. She felt good, she was really starting to get a feel for her magic and was able to control it much better than before.
"I'm going to create a shield around myself and I want you to break through it. It will be similar to the barrier, just on a smaller scale, but I want to see how far your powers have progressed."
Emma nodded and let out a breath, "Alright, let's give it a go."
The brunette took a step back and turned her palms forward, arms slightly apart from her sides. Gaze steady in concentration a shimmer of familiar purple smoke formed completely encompassing her, before it turned clear.
She looked back up at Emma, "Remember what I told you, magic is about emotion, you must believe and feel it in you. Focus and feel what you want to happen. Imagine my shield being broken, coming apart at the seams until it's completely gone."
"Right," Emma stepped forward and raised her hand, palm grazing the shields surface. She could feel the resistance against her hand, the barrier doing its job ensuring to keep her out.
"You can do this."
Emma looked into Regina's encouraging eyes and smiled, thankful for her faith.
Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Emma envisioned her magic flowing through her and what it was she wanted to accomplish. She pictured the barrier falling apart, cracking, wasting away into nothing.
Her raised hand was illuminated in a soft golden light, but still nothing happened.
Forcing herself to keep her thoughts on track, Emma tightened her muscles, trying to muster the energy she knew was lingering just beneath the surface. She could feel it inside her, bubbling, waiting to be released; she just had to find the right way to free it.
Suddenly her eyes changed focus from the shield in front of her to the woman behind it. Magic was about emotion, so who was it that brought powerful feelings out of Emma? Henry did, her son, he wasn't going to be safe until he was back home in her arms. Her parents, Snow and David, she finally knew the love of a mother and father. And now there was Regina.
Emma's eyes closed slowly, almost as if she was unaware of the action, an image of Regina in her mind. She could see her dark eyes which held so much in a single look, she could feel the softness of her lips, and the warmth of her embrace.
Her heart thudded in her chest and then she felt it, like a wave of fire rushing through her, an internal blanket of warmth, comfort, and power.
Flicking her eyes open a blinding flash of white erupted from her hand, shattering the force field in an explosion that sent Regina flying backwards.
Emma was left standing unaffected, paralyzed at what had just happened.
Her eyes were finally drawn to the still form that was lying on the ground, now a good 15 feet away.
"Shit, Regina!"
The blonde rushed forward and dropped to her knees. She was just about in hysterics before Regina rolled over and stared at Emma, wide eyed.
"Jesus, are you alright?! I'm so sorry!"
Emma's hands fretted about uselessly trying to decipher if there were any injuries.
"Emma, I'm alright."
"No, you're not; you just flew halfway across the yard! Is anything broken? Where does it hurt?"
A slightly shaking hand reached out and grasped the blonde's, effectively stilling her movements.
"I'm okay. I'm just surprised you were able to get through my shield so easily."
Emma opened her mouth but no words came out, she just watched as Regina lifted herself into a sitting position, keeping her hold on Emma's hand.
"I didn't think you would succeed on the first try, but then again, you've always managed to surprise me."
Regina gave her a reassuring smile, telling her she honestly was fine, just a little shaken.
Emma nodded and helped the brunette to her feet.
They stood still for a moment. Emma had one hand on Regina's waist while the other slowly made its way up to tuck a stray piece of hair around Regina's ear, causing the brunette to blush. It was such a simple act, yet it made her feel appreciated, wanted.
The blonde had an overwhelming feeling of wanting to close the small gap that separated them, their kiss from the previous night lingering in her mind. She was just about to inch forward when Regina spoke.
"What were you thinking of?"
"When?" Emma asked.
"As you were trying to release your magic, I told you it was about emotion and obviously whatever you thought of to tap into it worked, so what did you think of?"
It was Emma's turn to blush and look away, mumbling under her breath.
"What was that?" Regina raised an eyebrow and smirked, not letting the blonde off the hook that easily.
Emma sighed, "I said, my family."
"Oh," Regina looked down, hurt flooding her heart. Her gaze was cold as she turned from the blonde's grasp, "Yes, I suppose you would think of them."
Emma reached out again and turned the brunette to face her, "That includes you too, Regina."
Brown eyes snapped back up, disbelief clearly shown.
"My family includes my parents, Henry, and you." Emma smiled as she slowly moved forward, her mouth hovering over Regina's, "But mostly I was thinking about this," she whispered against the brunette's lips before capturing them in a soft kiss.
Regina went stiff for a moment before relaxing, her arms winding themselves around Emma's neck, pulling their bodies closer together.
The kiss was gentle and short lived as Emma pulled back and rested her forehead against Regina's, releasing a content sigh.
"I think today was very productive if I do say so myself, how about a glass of your cider as my reward?"
Regina smirked and slid her hand into Emma's pulling her towards the house, "I think that can be arranged."
XxXxX
The bell chimed above Granny's as the blonde and brunette stepped through the door and out of the cold. They had decided to go out for dinner tonight, take a break from the confines of the mansion.
The restaurants patron's smiles toward Emma soon turned to suspicious and hesitant expressions as they noticed Regina behind her. No one said anything however, knowing the sheriff would give them an earful if they threw out any insults.
"Emma!"
The blonde turned her head, looking around for whoever had called out her name when she saw her parents sitting at a booth towards the back.
Emma glanced towards Regina whose cold mask had been put back on due to the unwelcome atmosphere around them.
Putting her hand on the small of her back, she whispered, "It'll be fine, come on."
They made their way to the table as David got up and slid next to Snow to make room for their new guests.
Just as Emma was leading Regina into the other side of the booth, she reached down and gave her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. Neither noticed Snow eyeing the exchange like a hawk.
"Regina," David greeted her with an actual somewhat pleasant expression on his face.
"Nice to see you out of the house," Snow added as she eyed the brunette across from her.
Regina's features stayed neutral as she replied, "Yes, well Emma and I have been very busy."
"I'm sure." Snow said coolly.
Emma shot her mother a look, silently asking what her problem was.
David seemed to notice the unexpected tension and tried to lighten the atmosphere.
"So, Emma, how is your magic coming along?"
Happy for the question, Emma smiled at her father, "Pretty good actually, I'm really starting to get the hang of it. I haven't broken a vase in weeks." She looked over to Regina giving her a smirk.
The brunette's lips lifted slightly, glancing towards Emma before focusing back down at the menu.
Snow stared at them both, her own menu completely forgotten.
Emma looked back to her parents and continued, "I've been working to measure and influence my magic to my will, trying to keep it in balance like levitating things and lighting a room full of candles. I also managed to poof from one spot to another, but that move still needs a little more practice.
"Today though, we did something new. Regina put up a barrier of her own to see if I could get through it before I tried on the actual thing, and I was able to break it no problem."
"Don't get too cocky, dear." Regina remarked under her breath.
Emma laughed and slightly nudged the other woman's shoulder causing Regina to let out a huff, but grinned despite of herself.
Snow was confused by her daughter and Regina's behavior, it was playful, and she wasn't sure if she liked it.
"Hey you guys, what can I get you?"
All four of them looked up to see Ruby with her notebook in hand, ready for their orders.
"I'll have my usual Rubes, with a hot chocolate please." Emma said, handing her the menu.
Regina looked at Emma, "Hot chocolate with dinner?"
"Don't judge." Emma shot back.
Ruby grinned as she jotted down everyone else's orders before heading back to the kitchen.
Snow folded her hands on the table, "Have you heard anything about Henry?" she asked in an attempt to sober up the two women in front of her.
It worked as Emma and Regina shared a glance before looking at Snow, "No, we haven't." Emma spoke.
"We haven't had any visits from Rumpel for a while, so I'm sure he'll check on our progress soon." Regina said voice tight at the thought of her son.
"Well," Snow said keeping her eyes on Regina, "maybe if you were teaching Emma something other than parlor tricks you could have had him back by now."
"Snow!" Emma looked at her mother, eyes wide.
Regina's eyes flashed with fury as she eyed the short haired brunette, "Do you think I don't want Henry back? That I'm just taking my sweet time teaching your daughter magic?"
"I wouldn't be able to do anything right now if Regina wasn't helping me." Emma defended.
David looked to his wife, confused by her remark, "Snow, we both know magic is complicated. I'm sure Regina is teaching Emma to the best of her knowledge. It can't be learnt overnight."
Emma looked at her father in slight shock, but felt a rush of gratitude towards him for trying to see reason.
Unfortunately, Snow now looked even more irritated.
"You're going to take her side, seriously?"
"I'm not taking anyone's side, but I can only imagine how difficult it must be for them to accomplish anything knowing Henry isn't safe at home."
"It's been weeks David and they're no closer to breaking the barrier than they were at the beginning."
"Okay, what the hell?" Emma interrupted, her voice rising causing people to look their way.
"You knew this was going to be difficult when we talked the other day. You told me you had confidence in me and things would turn out alright. You also know that Regina is the only person who can help me in this, so why are you all of a sudden attacking her?"
"Why are you all of a sudden so defensive of her?" Snow shot back.
Emma narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher what her mother was getting at, "What are you talking about?"
"Oh don't give me that Emma, I saw the way you two looked at each other and how you practically walked over hand in hand to the table."
Emma gaped at her mother while Regina sat ramrod straight, her jaw clenched in anger.
"Exactly what kind of spells have you been using Regina?"
The blonde couldn't believe her mother, was she thinking that Regina had put some sort of spell on her? And how had she even picked up on their newly developed feelings for each other when it was so new to Regina and Emma themselves. Emma had taken the older woman's hand for a brief moment in comfort and reassurance, not make out with her in front of the whole diner.
Regina on the other hand could believe it. She was fuming towards her long-time enemy. Trust in Snow White to accuse her of bad deeds and try to destroy something else that made her happy.
Regina actually thought things were starting to look up, she actually thought that the two idiots were accepting the fact that she was trying to be better, that they had trust in their own daughter who defended that she was a good person, and not just an Evil Queen.
And yet here Snow was, looking at them both with incredulity and anger that someone could actually care for a woman like her.
Some things never change, she thought.
When Regina spoke, her voice was low and bitter, "You really just can't stand the thought of me having any kind of happiness, can you?"
Snow blinked as her hateful expression faltered.
An inky purple cloud engulfed Regina before she reappeared standing on the outside of the booth, eyes focused on Snow.
"You sit there and accuse me of casting a spell on her. I am teaching your daughter magic for one reason and one reason only; to get our son back. I would have broken the barrier myself but unfortunately her magic is needed to complete the task. Despite what you think Snow White, Emma is staying at my house on her own free will. I'm not forcing her to stay there and I most certainly have not cast some sort of spell on her."
Regina could see the pixie haired woman was starting to regret her words now, but it was too late.
"I guess some beliefs never change, in this world or the last."
A dark purple cloud began to engulf her again as she made her leave, the last thing she heard was Emma's voice calling to her but she shut it out, along with everything else.
"Regina, wait!"
Emma lunged from her seat trying to grab onto the brunette, but she was too late.
Her hand grasping at nothing but the quickly fading haze of particles that was Regina's magic.
Emma stared at the spot for several moments feeling her own rage slowly bubble to the surface before she wheeled around and glared at her mother.
"What have you done?"
"Emma," Snow managed to squeak out, now truly regretting what she had said.
"You thought she put some sort of spell on me?!" Emma shouted, all the customers in the diner listening with curiosity.
Snow's eyes were pleading, "I'm sorry, I overreacted and jumped to conclusions."
"Regina has done nothing but help me with my magic." Emma said, pointing her finger at Snow.
"Henry is our number one priority, but that doesn't mean we can't help each other in the process. Regina is a good person and if everyone would open their eyes and stop living in the past they would be able to see it."
"Emma, I know, I-"
"No, you don't know." Emma interjected. "God, I'm so sick of this. You're an adult; you should understand everything isn't always black and white. You just can't give up the feud between the two of you that has been going on for far too long, and deep down you will always think of her as evil, someone who isn't capable of love or being loved."
Emma leaned over the table, never breaking her eye contact, "But you're wrong, she's quite capable of it, she would give her life for Henry and while the kid doesn't always show it, I know he loves her. I love her." Emma said without skipping a beat before she paused, realizing what she had just said, but she felt no regret or mistake in her words, they rang true.
Steeling her features she continued, "That woman has been surrounded by hate and loneliness and disappointment all her life, and it's about damn time someone offered her more than that."
Emma took a breath and stood up straight, looking over her shoulder, "Ruby, I'll take my order to go."
She turned back around and looked at her parents again, "I care about her and I am not going to abandon her like everyone else has. You can accept that or not, but there is nothing you can say to change my mind."
With that, Emma turned on her heel and marched up to the counter, taking the carry out bag from Ruby and slapping her money down on the counter.
She didn't look back as she walked out the door with a determined stride, the little bell ringing once again, signaling her exit.
.
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Anyone else having trouble surviving this hiatus?