A/N: Again, big delays with this chapter and I'm really really sorry! I caught the flu last week so forming coherent sentences hasn't exactly been one of my strongest skills for a little while... but I got there eventually! So I hope you enjoy :D

Also, this story hit 500 followers today! And I'm not ashamed to say that I cried a little bit. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions and really just your time. So, TO CELEBRATE - for the next few days, anyone can send me a prompt for a one shot and I'll write it for them. Either PM me on here or send me a message on tumblr (starsthatburn) :D

Thanks for everything! Kisses x

Chapter Fourteen

It was at the end of that same week, drawing close to five o'clock on the Friday evening, when the email that Emma had been dreading seeing for nearly two months finally appeared in her inbox.

She clicked on it, holding her breath.

After the recent break from schedule, the next town council meeting will take place this Wednesday at 9a.m. If you are unable to attend, please contact Sidney Glass to arrange to collect a copy of the meetings' minutes.

Emma collapsed backwards in her chair, her limbs feeling suddenly detached from the rest of her body. Her heart was beating almost calmly, and yet her chest was hurting. It felt bruised.

The first meeting in two months. The first meeting since Moe had ruined absolutely goddamn everything. Emma rubbed a hand over her make up-less eyes. She heard the next ping of her inbox, but it was a few minutes before she allowed herself to look at it.

When she did, she blinked with surprise: it was from Regina. It was the first contact that Emma had had from her since their dinner, or date, or whatever the hell Tuesday night had been, and it only consisted of one line.

Are you okay?

Emma paused. She knew that on some level she should be angry – Regina hadn't contacted her in several days, and now here she was, suddenly showing up once more like nothing had changed. And yet Emma found that she couldn't even begin to be annoyed; partially because she was too busy freaking out over the prospect of having to return to City Hall for the first time since a gun had been repeatedly brought down on the side of her face – and partially because she knew that at least Regina was worried about her. She'd obviously known about this meeting for a while but hadn't wanted to mention it. And now that Emma had been informed, the very first thing that she did was check how she was coping with it.

Emma couldn't be annoyed when her head was already a jumble of sheer panic and something that might have been gratitude.

She poised her hands over the keyboard, biting down on her bottom lip. It took her close to ten minutes to formulate a response.

Across town, Regina's inbox finally pinged in response. She had been leaning back in her chair, her fingernails drumming restlessly against the armrests, her unblinking eyes never leaving the computer screen. The second that the reply came through she leaned forwards, her breath held in her chest as she clicked.

It had to happen at some point. I'm fine.

She blinked. That was it? Regina couldn't pretend that she wasn't disappointed – not only because she hadn't heard from Emma since Tuesday and now this was the only tiny shred of contact that she was offering her; but also because she was absolutely unconvinced by the response in every way. Emma wasn't okay. Regina knew her better than either of them would allow themselves to admit, and she knew that she would be losing her mind. She was lying and Regina couldn't understand why.

Just then, her inbox pinged again. She blinked, clicking on a second response from Emma.

Are YOU okay?

That, Regina hadn't been expecting. Why wouldn't she be okay? She hadn't even been at the last meeting – a fact that she hated remembering.

I'm fine, she typed in response. Why wouldn't I be?

Emma's reply came through a few minutes later.

I haven't heard from you all week.

Regina frowned.

I haven't heard from you either.

She held her breath, waiting for Emma to respond. She had a whole pile of papers that she still had to look through before five o'clock came around, and yet they now simply sat by her elbow, completely forgotten. She stared at her full inbox of other emails that still required a response, waiting for the blonde to send her something back.

I didn't want to bother you. I thought that you might be freaking out.

Why do you always assume that I must be freaking out, Miss Swan? I'm absolutely fine.

Then why haven't I heard from you?

…I imagine for the same reason that I haven't heard from you. I wanted to give you space.

I don't need space. I just need to know that you're not annoyed at me.

Why on earth would I be annoyed at you?

…I don't know. Maybe Tuesday didn't go as well for you as it did for me.

Obviously we must have been on different couches in that case. Tuesday went very well, Miss Swan, I can assure you.

It did? Does that mean I get to see you again?

All you have to do is ask.

I'm doing the asking now? What happened to you chasing me?

I beg your pardon, Sheriff, but a Mayor chases no one.

So you stalking me around town stapling photos of my face to trees was, what?

A serious lapse of judgment.

I did love it, you know.

I'm glad. I was slightly worried that you were going to hit me.

Unlikely. I've felt your right hook, remember – I'm not putting myself at risk of another one of those until it's absolutely necessary.

I'm hardly likely to punch you back given your current condition.

Current condition? I'm not an invalid, Regina. My ribs have healed and everything.

How did we get onto talking about this? I only contacted you to check that you were okay about the meeting.

I told you that I'm fine.

You're lying.

I'm not. I'm fine.

Even by email that phrase grates on me, Miss Swan, so please stop trying to use it. I know you're not. If you don't want to go, I won't blame you.

I'll be at the meeting, Regina, I promise. I have to go to it. But I appreciate you checking up on me.

Someone has to look after you. We both know that you aren't doing it yourself.

That's not true! I'm FINE.

You barely ate half of your dinner on Tuesday.

I did eat my dessert though.

I know. I noticed. I was proud of you.

I'm not a child, Regina. I don't need positive reinforcement.

Are you sure? Tell me that you're not grinning like a little girl right now.

…shut up.

I thought so.

You're so annoying.

The feeling is mutual. I need to get back to work now, Miss Swan.

I'm not stopping you.

Yes, you are.

…

Emma?

I thought that a Mayor chased no one?

You are infuriating. I'm going back to my paperwork.

Enjoy that. Give Henry a kiss from me later.

I will.

You can have one yourself as well, if you like.

I'll bear that in mind. I'll see you on Wednesday, Emma.

See you then.

On one side of Storybrooke, Emma sat back in her desk chair with a dopey grin plastered across her face. The panic that the first email had set upon her had slowly disappeared, replaced by an inexplicable warmth that could only come from knowing that she and Regina were, miraculously, still okay. She closed her eyes and let her head fall backwards, blonde curls tumbling down the back of the chair.

On the other side of town, Regina placed her hands in her lap and swallowed. The same easy grin that was currently clinging to the sheriff's lips was loosening from her own, leaving her with a slight frown between her eyebrows.

What are you doing, Regina?

She shook her head to herself. She didn't know what she was doing. She wasn't sure that she really cared, either – and that scared her. She always had a plan, and Emma Swan was an anomaly that had never, nor would ever, fit into it. And yet she didn't seem to mind. She couldn't quite explain why.

'Emma, are you sure you're ready for this?' Mary Margaret asked, watching as Emma threw away the remaining three quarters of her bowl of cereal. Her face was pale that morning; almost yellow from a night of absolutely no sleep. Her blonde hair was scraped back into a raggedy pony tail, the shadows beneath her eyes obvious even from the other side of the kitchen. Mary Margaret watched as she slowly pulled on her red jacket, not looking up at her roommate.

'I'm ready. I'm fine.'

'You don't have to go,' Mary Margaret insisted, taking a step towards her. 'No one will blame you.'

'I know that,' Emma sighed, rubbing a hand over her eyes. 'But if I don't go to this one, then I won't go to the next one. Or the one after that. I'm not falling into that cycle – I can't afford to be afraid of this forever.'

Mary Margaret bit her lip. She was ready to leave for school; her scarf already wrapped around her neck and her books clasped in her arms. But she was reluctant to go. Emma had been making progress, albeit slow and painful progress, up until then: now, she looked startlingly similar to how she had looked the day that she'd returned from the hospital with bruises covering her body and stitches running down her face. She was pale and thin and frightened, and she couldn't bring herself to leave her.

'Emma,' she said slowly, looking down at the floor. '...I'm sorry I haven't been here as much as I could have been. The whole David thing… it's… I've been distracted. And I should have been here for you. And I'm sorry.'

'You don't have to apologise for anything,' Emma said, shrugging. 'Really. You've been patient and you have been here for me, and I've appreciated all of it. I just… I need to do this today, and I need to do it by myself. You don't have anything to feel guilty about.'

'Yes I do.'

Emma threw her a pointed look. 'No, you don't. Despite what Henry says, you're not my mother. You don't have to look after me.'

Her roommate looked sadly back at her, not saying a word.

'Go to work, Mary Margaret,' Emma said, offering her a small smile. 'I'll text you at lunchtime to let you know that I survived it.'

Mary Margaret's face immediately clouded over. 'That's not funny, Em.'

'I didn't mean it like that,' Emma quickly said, shaking her head. 'I just meant… I'll be okay. I'll get through it. Now go to school and stop worrying.'

They walked over to the front door together, Emma reaching for her scarf.

'Okay,' Mary Margaret said with a sigh, heaving the door open. 'If you're sure.'

She turned to leave. She jumped when she realised that Regina was stood right in front of her.

'Regina!' she gasped, her free hand clasping at her chest. 'I mean, Mayor Mills. What are... what can I do for you?'

'I'm here to see Miss Swan,' Regina said, her voice flat. Emma immediately appeared at her roommate's shoulder, barely able to suppress the smile that was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

'Oh,' Mary Margaret said, nodding. Then she quietly asked, 'Why?'

'Because someone has to make sure that our notoriously lax sheriff is actually planning on attending this meeting.'

Emma flinched, but she saw Mary Margaret's tensed shoulders relax slightly: this, at least, was normal.

Her hazel eyes turned to look at where Emma was stood behind her, and the blonde nodded that it was okay for her to leave. She sidled past the mayor, holding her breath, and disappeared down the stairs. Regina quickly entered the apartment, shutting the door behind her.

'Was that really necessary?' Emma huffed, not letting herself meet Regina's gaze because she could already see that she was worriedly taking in the dark circles beneath her eyes. 'You made it sound like I don't want to go to this thing because of pure laziness.'

'Which I believe everyone knows not to be true,' Regina replied, taking a step forwards. One hand left the pocket of her black coat, stretching out as if it was going to take hold of Emma's. Then it faltered, returning to her side with her fingers twitching slightly. 'But someone needed to distract her before she turned around and caught the lovesick puppy expression on your face.'

Emma groaned. 'Oh. Was it obvious?'

'Quite,' Regina said with a smile. 'But that's alright. It's nice to know that you haven't gotten tired of me just yet.'

Emma's eyes finally crawled up to meet Regina's. 'Not exactly.'

Regina's smile slipped after a minute, taking in the sallowness of Emma's skin; the slight grey tinge to her lips. 'You don't look well, Emma.'

'I'm fine.'

'Yes. As you always are,' she sighed, leaning forwards and pressing a surprisingly gentle kiss onto Emma's mouth. When she pulled back again she moved only centimetres away, a frown settling across her forehead as her eyes closely examined the blonde's exhausted face. 'You'd tell me if you really didn't think you could do it, wouldn't you?'

'Of course I would,' Emma said, forcing herself to meet Regina's suspicious gaze. 'Is that why you're here? To talk me out of it?'

'No,' Regina said, taking a step back. She tried to smile, but she still looked worried. 'I knew you'd insist on going. But I also know that it's going to be difficult for you. I just… I thought that you might like some support.'

Emma's face brightened momentarily. 'That's sweet of you, Regina. But people might be a bit suspicious if we show up together.'

Regina nodded her assent. 'True. But if it helps, I can always shout at you and call you an incompetent fool the moment that we walk through the door.'

A snort of laughter escaped from Emma's nose, and suddenly she was falling forwards, pressing her lips back against Regina's. Her hands found their way to the mayor's face, pulling her closer. Regina could feel her mouth smiling as she kissed her back.

'We should go,' Emma sighed when she pulled away again. 'Get this over with.'

'I suppose so.'

Emma quickly adjusted her scarf and pulled on her gloves, taking a deep breath. She looked up to find that the mayor was watching her.

'What?'

Regina offered her a tiny smile. 'Nothing. You're just… you're much braver than I thought.'

Emma half-smiled, but it was tinged with anxiety. 'Well. Maybe. Let's readdress that once the meeting's over, shall we?'

They left the apartment together. Regina longed to reach out and take hold of Emma's hand, but she kept her distance. They reached her Mercedes and drove across town in silence. Regina quickly found that she couldn't focus on the road: her dark eyes were continually drawn to the bouncing knee beside her, the fidgeting fingers in black leather gloves. The sharp intakes of breath that shot through the car with every metre closer to City Hall that they drew.

The mayor had deliberately requested that the meeting take place in her own office, rather than in its usual location on the ground floor of the building. The long table in her office just about seated the full committee, with Regina taking her normal seat at the head of it. Emma slid into the chair to her right. Ten other people followed them into the room: six of them, including Mrs Carter, the elementary school's vice-principal, had been present at the previous meeting. Every person there looked nervous; most of them fidgeting and constantly glancing around to check that the security guard who had been employed to loiter the hallways of City Hall during the day was still waiting outside the door. Every set of eyes, however, would eventually end up sliding over to watch Emma.

She was forcing herself to remain still, her hands outstretched and holding up the meeting's agenda before her. Her eyes scanned over it, but she wasn't reading it. She wasn't even sure that she could remember how to. She immediately regretted sitting with her back to the door; with Mrs Carter opposite her and directly in her eye line; with her hair tied back so that everybody in the room could see the harsh lines in her sallow face. Her only slight relief came from realising that the only person in the room who would be able see the deep scar on her temple would be the person who was sat directly to her left. That person was Regina.

Sidney eventually arrived to be minute-taker. The only two people in the room who didn't look up to greet him were the blonde and the brunette sat at the far end of the table.

As he took up his position in the corner of the office, Regina slowly drew out her notes and prepared herself to start the meeting. She wasn't sure whether to be concerned or offended when she looked up and realised that the majority of the committee's eyes were still resting on the blonde woman sat to her right.

She cleared her throat.

'As you all know,' she said once she'd managed to draw a dozen pairs of eyes over to herself, 'we've had a short break from the usual meeting schedule recently. For good reason, as I'm… I'm sure you're aware. But we're back here now, and I'm pleased to see such a good turn out. So, I'll be handing over the reigns to Mrs Carter now, to briefly discuss Storybrooke Elementary's plans to introduce a Go Green initiative.'

Emma could already feel her eyes glazing over: discussions like this were the exact reason why she had rarely found herself attending these meetings when she had first become sheriff. For such a small town, Storybrooke certainly had enough mundane issues to endlessly ponder over, and they quite simply did not interest her. She didn't need to hear about how the school kitchens were starting to use food recycling bins. She had dragged herself to this meeting to try and overcome her fears about it, and now she already found herself wishing that she hadn't, simply because being trapped in her office like a frightened child was undoubtedly preferable to being quite this bored.

Her knees were fidgeting below the table. Every few minutes they would bump against Regina's, but the mayor's face remained completely passive.

She looks bored too, Emma noted as she sneaked a glance across at her after about twenty minutes. Regina didn't give away her emotions very easily, but Emma still recognised that unimpressed pursing of her red lips. She smirked to herself, briefly considering passing her a note: this meeting was due to go on for another couple of hours at least, and Emma needed to do something to keep her sane. Distracting the mayor was definitely one way of passing the time.

Then a loud bang came from the hallway, and the discussion immediately ceased. Emma spun around in her seat, her skin suddenly sickly and white; her eyes frantically seeking out the doorway.

'What was that?' someone on the other side of the table asked. They hadn't been at the previous meeting, but the shake in their voice was still unmistakable.

Emma was frozen, watching the door. Over the sound of her crashing heartbeat she realised that she could hear disgruntled muttering coming from the hallway, interspersed with the sound of something being gathered up from the floor. And yet she still couldn't move. The walls had moved closer to her, and they were trapping her in her seat.

The chair to Emma's left scraped backwards as Regina suddenly stood up.

'Claude,' she called out. She didn't sound afraid – she simply sounded furious.

The newly employed security guard reluctantly opened the door and stuck his head around it. In his arms he was carrying a stack of papers.

'Madame Mayor?'

'What the hell is going on out there?' she asked through gritted teeth. Her eyes flicked down for a split second to glance at the woman sat below her – even from the back of Emma's head, she could see that her whole body had seized up. Her shoulders was tense and her knuckles were white.

'I'm so sorry, Mayor Mills,' the man muttered, shifting the papers in his arms. 'Your receptionist asked me to carry a box downstairs for her, but the bottom gave out and—'

'Claude, you were employed to patrol the hallways,' Regina interrupted, her voice sharp and full of acid. 'Not to act as a removal man. Leave the papers where they are, and deal with them when the meeting is over.'

'…yes, Madame Mayor.' The door closed, and the room fell silent.

Regina slowly sat back down again. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Emma forced herself to swivel back round in her chair. Her green eyes were fixed firmly on the agenda that was still lying in front of her, but Regina knew that they were filling with tears. Her chest was heaving up and down.

'Mrs Carter,' Regina said, turning to the woman sat to her left. 'I apologise for the interruption – if you'd like to continue.'

The discussion went on. Emma didn't look up.

She felt like the room had filled with water, and she was bobbing on the tide like a cork. Her fists had reached down at some point and were clinging onto the sides of her seat, so tightly that her nails were starting to hurt. But she didn't let go, because if she did then the water would pull her under and she knew that she'd drown. The conversation went on around her, roaring like the tide, and she heard none of it. That bang from the hallway was still echoing through her skull and suddenly she could feel breath on her neck again. The cold metal of a gun wasn't far behind.

And then something touched her hand. She swallowed, glancing down to find that Regina had reached under the table and grabbed hold of it. Tightly. As she squeezed she looked calmly across the table at whoever was speaking, slowly beginning to uncurl Emma's fingers one by one away from the seat of the chair. When Emma finally released her grip, she felt those cool fingers lace through hers. They squeezed once more.

The tide began to subside. Emma closed her eyes and forced herself to take a breath. Regina's hand grounded her. The tight balloon of air inside her chest slowly began to deflate and she let herself look around the table: everyone was calm. No one was shouting. No one was quivering under the table with a gun pointed at the back of their head. Regina was holding onto her and everything was okay.

The meeting finally ended at lunchtime. The group left the mayor's office, carefully picking their way over the reams of paper that were still lying on the floor outside, and began to disperse across the lawn outside of City Hall. Emma was already outside by the time that most of them made it through the doors.

She threw herself onto the nearest bench, leaning forwards against her knees with her head pressed into her hands. Her chest was still hurting. She knew that people were looking at her as they walked past, and she could hear them muttering about her. But no one approached her. She stayed sitting there for as long as it took for her eyes to stop stinging and her palms to stop sweating.

When she looked up, she jumped. Regina was stood several feet away, her hands in her pockets, watching her.

'How long have you been standing there?' Emma croaked out.

Regina just looked at her for a moment. The blonde's face was almost yellow, and she looked dangerously close to fainting. She took a step closer.

'A while,' she said. 'I wanted to check that you were okay, but you didn't look quite ready for talking.'

Emma offered her a weak smile, but said nothing.

'You're not going to try and tell me that you're fine?' Regina asked, walking over and sitting down beside her.

Emma looked down at her knees. 'Would you believe me?'

'I never believe you.'

'Then no,' she sighed, leaning back. 'I'm not going to say it.'

Silence fell. Regina watched Emma's green eyes as they flitted around her surroundings, examining every person who walked past and squinting anxiously any time that someone looked back at her. Huddled up against the back of the bench, she looked pathetic. She looked like she did the night when Regina had arrived to check on her and had ended up putting her to bed, waiting with her until she fell asleep.

'I'm sorry for overreacting,' Emma finally sighed, turning to face the woman sat next to her. 'I… I panicked. I didn't mean to.'

'You don't have to apologise,' Regina said, crossing her legs over. 'Claude's an idiot. He always has been.'

'I thought you only just hired him?' Emma asked. Regina froze.

'I did,' she quickly said, forcing a casual shrug. 'But trust me, he's been useless since day one. I'd be better off hiring Mr Gold to patrol the halls.'

'Mr Gold is good with a cane,' Emma said, almost smiling. 'No gunman would want to take him on.'

'That is true,' Regina said, raising one eyebrow. 'Maybe I should pitch it to him. Getting out of that shop might cheer him up a bit.'

Emma laughed, curling her legs up beneath her. As they both fell quiet again a few moments later, looking out across the now deserted lawn, Regina glanced back across at Emma: the lines around her mouth had returned.

'Do you want me to take you home, Miss Swan?'

Emma jumped, looking back at her. 'No. Why?'

'I thought you might want to take the rest of the day off,' Regina said quietly, trying to keep her face from betraying just how concerned she actually was. 'I won't mind.'

'No. I'm…' Emma stopped herself just short of saying the word that she knew made Regina's teeth ache. 'It's okay. I have work that needs doing. It's alright.'

'Are you sure?' Regina muttered, tilting her head to one side. 'You don't look—'

'I'm sure,' Emma interrupted, suddenly standing up. Regina's heart dropped for a moment, expecting Emma to storm off and then to not speak to her for the rest of the week. But then a slightly trembling hand was outstretched, and a weak smile was thrown her way. 'But thanks for the offer.'

Regina reached out, took the hand, and stood up to join her.

She didn't realise that she hadn't released the sheriff's fingers from between her own until Emma suddenly glanced over her shoulder, froze, and dropped them like she'd burned her.

'August,' Emma stammered, forcing a smile onto her face. Regina immediately snapped her head around, finding the man in question stood a few paces behind her with a glint in his eye. It made her stomach hurt.

'Hey, Emma,' he said, taking a step forwards. He nodded at Regina. 'Madame Mayor.'

'Mr Booth,' Regina responded through gritted teeth.

'What are you doing here?' Emma asked, inching away from Regina with that same, cautious smile still plastered across her lips.

'I was going to ask if I could buy you lunch,' he said, his eyes travelling back towards where the mayor was stood uncomfortably watching them. 'But it looks like you're busy.'

'I'm not busy,' Emma said with a shake of her head. 'But I'm okay for lunch. I have some work I need to do.'

Without a word, August produced something from behind his back: it was a take-out bag from Granny's.

Emma smiled without meaning to. 'Ah. I suppose I have no choice then, do I?'

'Doesn't look like it.'

'We can eat at the station,' she said. 'You go. I'll meet you there.'

August nodded, then flicked his bright eyes back over to Regina. He smiled his usual, wicked smile, and then he left without saying a word.

'Sorry,' Emma said quietly, thrusting her hands into her pockets. 'I haven't seen him in a while. I didn't know he was going to—'

'It's alright, Miss Swan,' Regina said, forcing a smile. It was strained and fooled neither of them. 'Go and have some lunch. You look like you could use it.'

She inclined her head slightly, looking startlingly like a queen excusing herself from her court, and then turned to leave. A hand reached out and grabbed at her elbow before she could walk away.

'Don't do that,' Emma said.

'Do what?'

'Get all suspicious. It's only August – he's my friend. Sometimes I wouldn't even call him that. It's okay.'

'I am allowed to be suspicious of a man who shows an unusual amount of interest in my son regardless of how many times I ask him to stay away from him, Miss Swan,' Regina muttered, pulling her arm away.

Emma smirked. 'Ah. That's why you don't like him, is it?'

'Why else wouldn't I?'

'No reason,' Emma said, wetting her lips. Regina's eyes automatically fell down to look at them. 'None at all.'

'Stop being so self-centred,' Regina said, her eyes still not moving.

'I will when you stop being so obvious,' Emma sniggered, leaning forwards slightly. Regina jumped, half expecting to be kissed and half wishing that she would be. 'August and I are just friends. You don't have to panic.'

'I'm not panicking,' Regina grumbled. 'Be friends with whoever you want. And stop looking at me like that, what if somebody sees you?'

'I've always looked at you like this,' Emma muttered, her eyes drifting down to the hollow of the mayor's throat. 'It was just always passed off as hatred before now.'

'Much like how I'm looking at you right now, then?'

Emma snorted. 'Keep telling yourself that, Madame Mayor. Maybe it'll stop you from wanting me to kiss you so badly.'

Regina jumped. That woman. 'I do not—'

'Whatever, Regina,' Emma bit down on her bottom lip, still smirking. 'I'll see you later.'

She turned on her heel and walked off in the same direction that August had a few moments before. Regina watched her go, her hands bunched up into fists, trying to convince herself that she wasn't jealous. She was a queen: queens did not get jealous, they did not feel threatened, and they did not lose anything to men with poorly maintained facial hair.

She huffed to herself, waiting until Miss Swan had disappeared from sight before marching back into City Hall. Her lips were hurting like she had been kissed after all. She stormed past Claude, who had finally cleared up the mess that he had made, and shut her office door behind her.

She couldn't concentrate for the next hour. Somewhere across town, Emma Swan was having lunch with a man, and the thought of it made her temples burn. She threw her own lunch into the trash in disgust, leaning back in her chair with her eyes raised to the ceiling.

He has no right to her, she found herself thinking, shaking her head. Emma Swan belongs to no one. She certainly doesn't belong to him.