As the smoke dissipated around them, Ruby and Emma found themselves back in the room at Granny's where they had left Belle. They had expected to return to find her sleeping, but Belle was not in the bed. The covers were thrown back, half on the floor, along with the pillows, as if she had gotten up in a rush. Both immediately began scenting the air, looking for their mate, worried that something had happened.
Hearing the women return, Belle appeared from the bathroom with sleep mussed hair, and quickly ran over to pull Emma and Ruby into an embrace. Holding her tightly, both women shared a look of concern at the ferocity of Belles grip. "Are you ok?" Belle asked, pulling back slightly. "Were you caught in the wave? Were you hurt?"
Ruby was the first to react. "We're fine. We went for a run in the woods, had a little trouble with Robin, and then…um… spent some time together before we poofed back here. The wave reached all the way here?"
"Emma, you have been getting calls coming in from all over town. There was an energy blast that hit us and caused a lot of damage and panic. It's worse closer to the northern part of town. I was so worried." Belle handed Emma her phone with a sheepish smile, before pulling both women back in again for another tight hug. "Um, a few people asked when I started working for the Sheriff's Department, by the way. I said I was volunteering for the night. I'm sorry for answering your phone without permission, and I did not know how to explain that I had it with me, but you weren't here."
"Belle, I don't mind that you answered my phone, you are my mate. You don't have to be shy about answering my phone or anything when it comes to our relationship. And David is supposed to be covering for me tonight. I should have forwarded the calls to him from the station, but I forgot, so if anyone has questions, they can address it to me." Emma was suddenly unsure, forgetting about the "blast" the town had experienced. She had assumed that Belle and Ruby would not want to hide their relationship with her, as she felt absolutely no shame with being with them. But it may not be so easy for them, and she realized they may want to keep things quiet for the time being. The thought hurt her heart, but she also knew that she wouldn't push them if they weren't ready to be open. "I didn't plan to hide things from the town, or anyone, with regards to our relationship, but I know that this is all very sudden, and neither of you may be ready. I won't push if you want to keep things between us for now."
Sharing a quick look with Belle, Ruby spoke up first. "I don't want to hide anything because there is nothing to be ashamed of. I won't speak for Belle, but I am proud that you are both my mates, and screw 'em if they don't like it. I'm happy, and they can deal with it."
"I feel very much the same way. Screw 'em. These are our lives, and our relationship. Its none of their business who we love." Belle added with a small laugh, before pulling Emma in for a gentle kiss, and repeating the same with Ruby.
Emma couldn't contain the smile that overtook her face at her mates reassuring her about her place with them. 'This is going to be a hell of a shock to everyone.' She sent a text to David, letting him know that she was back at the inn, and would be staying there for the night, and that she would see him later in the day to go over the reports from tonight. She was not ready to discuss everything with him, and was anxious about how he would react.
David quickly replied that he had everything under control and would call her if he needed extra back up, and that he hoped she felt better. Relieved that she would not have to leave her mates for the night, Emma returned to the bed where Belle and Ruby had curled up under the covers, pulling Ruby under her arm to cuddle against her chest. Slipping in on the other side, Belle tangled her fingers with Ruby's on Emma's toned stomach with a shy smile. "So you had some trouble with Robin Hood? What happened?" Belle asked as her hair tickled Emma's.
"Well, he may or may not have tried to shoot me with an arrow for trying to eat Emma in a non-fun way." Ruby explained sheepishly. "We were playing around, and someone decided to scream and giggle like a girl, which he seemed to think meant she needed to be saved from the Big Bad Wolf."
"Yeah, well he was certainly put in his place, now wasn't he? No one goes after my mate, or makes them feel like less than the amazing person that they are without deal with me." Emma added with a smirk and a wink. "And besides, it's not like I hurt him. Regina stopped me before I completely lost it on him."
"Wait, what?!" Belle looked shocked at everything her mates were bantering about as if it were a normal occurrence. Taking a deep breath, Belle reminded herself that they were both here, safe and unharmed, and that they would not be joking like this if anything too serious had happened. "Robin attacked you and Regina stopped you from retaliating while the moon was out?! Start at the beginning."
As the women had relayed the story, Belle interrupted frequently with questions for both women as though the answers were vitally important, although neither could figure out what had her curiosity captivated.
"So she only said 'No', and you stopped? Just like that?" Both women nodded in response, not understanding the issue. "And you said that you told her she could do whatever she wanted on 'our land'? Do you know what this could mean?" Belle had jumped from the bed and begun to pace back and forth across the room, not noticing that she was still nude from her earlier nap. Her mates certainly did though; and they were both only half listening to her questions, too distracted by watching her body to pay close attention.
"Uh, that I don't like Robin, and Regina is still allowed to do whatever she wants in town, like she always has?" Emma replied distractedly.
Looking back at both of her mates, Belle realized that they both were watching her with hungry gazes, their eyes firmly yellow. "Hey. Eyes up here ladies, or neither of you will be getting as much as a kiss for the next week!" Belle stated, snapping her fingers, and placing her hands on her hips.
"Focus, Emma. You didn't do something because you thought it would upset Regina, even though the full moon was out, and you made sure to tell her she had total freedom in our territory, without her asking. Do you know what that could mean?!" Clapping excitedly, Belle waited for her mates to bring their attention back to her face, before pointing out more the possibility.
"Uh… umm… Sorry, but I's still not seeing what the big deal is. Can you break it down for me a little more? I'm having some trouble thinking right now." Emma sheepishly shrugged and shared a confused look with Ruby, who nodded that she was having the same trouble.
"Alright, eyes off the breasts and pay attention. You shouldn't be able to stop like that when someone attacks our mate. You should have been in a blind rage, at least until the moon set, but even then you would still be supremely angry and likely would have attacked him, maybe not killed him as your strength would have waned slightly, but you should have still done a great deal of damage to the threat. Instead, one word brought you up short. Ruby has only ever responded to me like that, and now she would for you as well. You also openly invited her onto our territory, without her asking, which means you trust her implicitly, which only happens for one type of person to a wolf," Belle explained gently, gesturing towards the pair on the bed. She didn't want to insult her mates, but she wanted to lead them to the obvious conclusion, and needed them to stop ogling her long enough to do it.
Ruby's eyes lit with understanding first, before her jaw dropped comically. "SERIOUSLY?! HER?!"
Shaking her head, Belle ignored Ruby's shocked outburst and focussed on Emma's confused frown. She walked slowly over to Emma, straddling her hips, and wrapping her arms around her neck. It was a very intimate position, more so than any they had been in yet, but it felt natural. "Sweetie, I love you, but you would have to be blind to have never seen the way you two are around each other. The fighting, the bickering, the constant competition. Hell, look at the magic you have been able to perform together. If the sexual tension between you two got any thicker, even Snow would be able to see it. Regina, who you have had strong feelings for since the day you met, might be our other mate. And given the types of interactions we have all had with her in the past, it wouldn't be all that surprising."
Emma's mind was blank. After hearing Belle say 'Regina' and 'mate' in the same sentence, her brain froze, unable to process anything for several minutes. Belle took Ruby's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze to reassure her that although she was shocked at the possibility, there was nothing to worry about yet.
Seeing how distressed their mate was, both Ruby and Belle became worried that this final piece of information may have finally been too much for the Sherriff. Gently pushing her shoulders, Belle and Ruby laid Emma back on the bed, snuggling into her sides again to wait for her to process all of the overwhelming information she had had thrown at her over the last 24 hours. Werewolf curses, another prophesy, mates. Mates for the person who was chronically scared of having the other shoe drop! And now the person she has had the most turbulent relationship with, possibly ever, may be the last piece of the puzzle her new life was becoming. A life that she was quickly becoming fond of, if the relaxed acceptance of her physical closeness was any indication.
After about 20 minutes of cuddling together, Emma took in a deep breath, and let it out with a low groan, before addressing the other women. "That makes just too much sense." Unconsciously, Emma began stroking her fingers lightly up and down Belle's back as she continued, "So, what else does this prophesy say. I'm guessing that it won't be as simple as sending out a mass text to all the wolves to come live… wherever we are supposed to live or whatever? You said I am supposed to refound some kingdom?"
"The Kingdom of Wolves is in the Enchanted Forest. It is supposed to be one of the ancient ruins hidden in the Endless Forest, but no one living has ever seen it, as far as I know." Ruby supplied. "No one has seen it and found their way back out of the Endless Forest at least, so, we don't really know if it's there. And there aren't a lot of wolves left in the old world, and I haven't met any here either. The one other pack I have met was my mother's. And that was a long time ago"
Knowing how hard it was for Ruby to talk about her mother, Emma wrapped her arm more tightly around her waist, pulling her close so she was snuggled into her side, her head resting on the shoulder opposite from Belle. "Does Granny know any other packs?"
"No, Granny doesn't know of any other wolves or packs. We are almost extinct."
"Well, on the plus side, even if there aren't a lot of other wolves right now, we can always bite people who want to be wolves, right? I mean, as long as they are people who won't abuse it." Ruby flashed a reluctant smile, and the other women knew it was time to change the subject." Well, we aren't even in the Enchanted Forest, and don't have a way to get there; so, we likely won't have to worry about that for a while yet. We can talk about it another time, and who knows, maybe there will be lots of other wolves there by the time we end up back there. Besides, I'm not that interested in leaving cell phones and indoor plumbing anytime soon, are you?" Emma chuckled, squeezing both women briefly. "So, what else does it say? Slay another dragon? Break another curse? What baddie do we have to defeat now to get our Happy Ending or Ever After or whatever?"
"Basically, you would have to fight for the territory, and drive out those who seek to 'unjustly harm the innocent' or something like that. It's been a long time since Granny told me. Belle, do you remember any of the specifics?" Turning to the woman who seemed to be dozing off on Emma's chest, Ruby and Emma shared a small laugh.
"Mmm…Sorry, what were we talking about?" Belle mumbled through a yawn.
Kissing her head, Emma smiled. "We were talking about going to sleep for a few hours, since we have all had a very long night. We can talk about everything else tomorrow. Let's just get some rest."
Snuggling further into Emma, and draping an arm around Belle's waist, Ruby yawned and started to drift off to sleep. Feeling warm and content, Emma noticed that both she and Ruby were still partially clothed from their run earlier, and that they were all lying on top of the covers. Waving her hand lazily behind Belle's back, Emma's magic removed their clothing, and placed them all under the soft blankets of the familiar bed. Placing a gentle kiss to the crown of each of their heads, Emma relaxed as sleep claimed her as well. 'Sleep well my mates. We will keep you safe.'
"Ok, so you are stating that you didn't have anything to do with the damages that occurred tonight? Are you sure that is the statement you wish to make?" David asked again, clearly not believing the answer he had been given several times already.
"Yes, Shepherd. As I stated before, I was asleep when whatever it was happened, and I ran out into the street like everyone else. I have no idea why there is no damage to my property, and I do not know what caused this, nor was I involved with anything to do with it." Throwing her hands in the air, Regina crossed her arms, and shot him her trademark glare. "Why is it so hard to believe that I had nothing to do with this?"
"Because you are the only one who doesn't have any damage to their property, and you are the Evil Queen! It's likely all part of some plan you have concocted to finally win. But good always wins!" David growled back, frustrated that he couldn't simply arrest her. Ever since the last time he had tried, Emma was adamant that if he did not follow proper procedure, with EVERYONE, then she would be forced to strip him of his position and put him in jail instead, for abuse of power no less. "If you had something to do with this, I will find out, and you will finally be arrested and put in a magical cell, just like Gold was before the curse."
"I had nothing to do with this, Shepherd. So, why don't you try doing some real police work, and stop just blindly accusing me. Good night!" Slamming the door in his face was satisfying, although having to defend herself constantly was becoming tiresome. She would have to talk to Emma again about his behaviour. 'Emma.' The thought brought the Sherriff to the front of her mind again. 'Mated and getting her happily ever after. She probably won't have time for much else anymore.'
Releasing a deep sigh, Regina ignored the tightness in her chest and poured herself glass of cider. Hastily downing the drink in one mouthful, Regina returned to bed, trying to ignore the loneliness that grew as she thought of Emma no longer being part of her life.