A/N: Hello and welcome to all my new followers! To everyone, both signed in and guests, who left a review for the last chapter here's a big *HUG* :)

So, eight chapters to go and only ten days to get them written up and posted in! Yikes! This one took longer than I'd anticipated for some reason so apologies for that. Anyway enjoy S is for Scared...

CHAPTER 18

SCARED – (adjective) Fearful; frightened

Emma checked herself critically in the mirror then undid the ties at the top of her midnight blue bodice to loosen it a little. Satisfied when the sense of confinement had eased, she tugged her white under blouse a little lower to allow even more of her cleavage to show then glanced back at her reflection and nodded.

Finally happy with achieving the right balance of provocative and tease, she tucked some of her long golden hair behind her ears then smoothed down the black figure hugging trousers she had decided to wear. Her knee high black boots completed the outfit and as she turned her body first left then right in order to get a good all round view in the mirror, she was quite pleased with the result.

Taking a deep breath to steady her jangling nerves she let it out slowly then picked up the dark brown cloak that was lying on her bed. Swirling the garment around her shoulders, she fastened it at her neck then pulled the hood up and left her room.

Swiftly walking along the corridor, she made her way through her parent's castle and out into the fresh evening air. She knew exactly where to go. She'd used her newly regained magic on the mirror in her room to find him.

Killian was at a local tavern nursing a bottle of rum and no doubt cursing her to high heaven. She couldn't blame him; it had only been half an hour since their fight. Just thirty agonisingly long minutes since he'd walked out and slammed the door behind him, the hollow sound echoing through her heart. A mere one thousand, eight hundred seconds since he'd looked at her with a devastating combination of hurt and anger as he'd told her that he thought she didn't want to be with him.

God she was the worst person.

As soon as the pirate had stormed out her ire had completely deserted her leaving nothing but an unpleasant taste in her mouth at all the things she'd said. She'd let out a frustrated curse then covered her face with her hands as the unreasonable way she'd acted came crashing down upon her.

He'd been right as always. She was afraid. She had been trying to hide behind her hastily erected walls once more because after hearing him admit that he'd given up his ship, his home, for her, she'd suddenly realised just how deep his love for her ran.

To make that kind of a sacrifice without knowing whether his feelings were returned…it had just floored her.

And then it scared the hell out of her.

There were so many ways she could've dealt with her fear and she hated herself for the fact that she'd slipped back into her old habits. She'd hurt him when all he'd done was love her. Thinking back to how she'd treated him since her return from New York she'd been shocked to realise that she kept doing that to him.

But not any longer, it was going to stop…and it was going to stop now.

She picked up her pace a little, eager to find him and put everything right. She couldn't bear to have him out there thinking that she loved him but still didn't want him.

A little flutter of nerves hit her in the stomach as she approached the outskirts of the small village just outside the castle walls. The candlelight from the rows of homes spilled out of the windows and cast a warm glow across the path that led into the village square where the inn was situated.

It wasn't long before she heard the sound of muted voices and laughter disturbing the quiet of the evening as she drew nearer to her destination. The noise got louder all of a sudden for a moment then went quieter again telling Emma that someone must have either gone in or left the tavern. She just hoped it wasn't Killian.

Entering the square she walked quickly over to the drinking establishment then slowed when she noticed a figure in a black cloak peering through one of the grimy windows. Her footsteps must have given her away because suddenly the person turned and Emma's mouth dropped opened in surprise when she caught sight of their face.

"Regina?" she queried dubiously. "What are you doing?"

"I…uh…I was just out for a walk," she muttered a little embarrassedly before darting a furtive sidelong glance through the window again.

Emma went to her side then looked through the dirty glass too. It took her but a few seconds to spy Killian sitting at the back of the bar much to her relief and not many more to see that Robin was seated at the table with him.

She drew back and gave the Queen a wry smile.

"Just out for a walk, huh?" she commented knowingly.

Regina pursed her lips and looked away.

"Sometimes I just want the simpler life back when everyone did exactly what I told them to," she groused only half joking.

"There was a time I would've believed you but not now after what you did for Henry," Emma replied lightly.

Regina's face softened as it always did when she thought about her son and she nodded.

"Well, you're right about that," she allowed quietly.

There was a small silence and Emma saw the longing in the other woman's face as she glanced back through the window.

"Why don't you just go in there?" she asked, surprised at seeing the normally confident woman so reticent.

"I'm not sure I want to," the brunette admitted reluctantly.

"Why?" Emma queried in bafflement.

Regina looked over at her and frowned.

"Because I can't stop thinking about that moment Zelena hurt him," she said, her voice pained as she continued, "Maybe it's better to just not to get further involved, then if anything ever happens to him it'll be easier to handle."

Emma stared at her for a moment and felt a twinge of sympathy. She could very well understand her reasoning. Keeping the person you care about at arms length just so that you don't get hurt was one of her own tactics. It's what she'd been doing to Killian ever since she'd met him.

"You know, you can try and deny it to yourself all you like but just because you pretend not to love someone, it doesn't make it true," she pointed out with a wry smile. "Take it from me, Regina, if anything were to happen to Robin, you'd still feel the pain of his loss even if you decide not to be with him. Wouldn't you rather just make the most of whatever good times you have together, whether it's a week or until you're old and grey, than end up hating yourself for not being just a little bit braver now?"

Regina rolled her eyes and huffed out a heavy sigh.

"That sounds just like the kind of annoyingly trite platitude your mother would come out with," she declared without any real malice.

"My father actually," the blonde corrected her brightly.

The Queen rolled her eyes again then looked back through the window. Emma watched her expression soften before she turned back to her, her lips quirking up in a barely there smile.

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, you're right, Miss. Swan," she conceded quietly after a moment, then held up her hand and added quickly, "Although not about the old and grey part, I'm sure I've got a potion somewhere that will ensure that freak of nature never happens."

Emma grinned at the other woman's vanity, the thought that she quite possibly wasn't joking only making it seem funnier.

"Why does that not surprise me?" she quipped dryly.

Regina merely raised an eyebrow then moved over to the door of the tavern and looked back at Emma over her shoulder.

"Are you ready?"

Emma nodded feeling suddenly nervous again. Taking a couple of steps forward to stand next to Regina, she reached out to turn the handle but the Queen grabbed her arm to stop her. Emma looked at her quizzically and saw a positively wicked grin light up the other woman's features.

"If we're going to go into this disgusting place, we might as well make an entrance," she told her pointedly.

Emma's eyes widened but before she could object, Regina held out a hand towards the door and it rapidly swung inwards before slamming against the interior wall with a resounding bang.

"I've missed that sound," the Queen commented wistfully as yelps of surprise and fear filled the air.

Emma shook her head at Regina's theatrics then took a deep steadying breath. Killian had been so angry earlier that she just hoped that he would want to speak to her or it was going to be an incredibly short evening. Raising her hands to her hood, she pushed it back off her head then gave her hair one last fluff and strode purposefully into the tavern.

It was now or never.

END CHAPTER 18

Thank you for reading. Always happy to hear your thoughts :)