A/N: Lyrics are not mine, they belong to my long-time favourite: Rob Zombie- 'Teenage Nosferatu'. As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please comment. :)
Standing in the doorway and watching as Henry flips through the colourful pages of his book, Regina frowns as Emma listens amiably to his frantic chatter; slim legs crossed at the ankle, sat on the stone floor of the drawing room with her back against the sofa.
"Miss Swan, could you come here for a second?"
She requests, and the blonde glances up at her in confusion, having expected the Mayor to come and join them after finishing making her promised jug of coffee. Using Henry's shoulder to push herself up, she makes her way over to the brunette who beckons her out into the privacy of the hallway.
"What's up?"
She asks.
"What exactly were you thinking?"
Regina hisses, her tone a stark contrast to the Sheriff's friendly manner, and Emma's smile falters accordingly.
"How'd you mean?"
"I asked you to bring Henry home, not to include him in all of this... Don't get me wrong, dear, I appreciate your kind words just now, but you really must have something wrong with you if you think bringing my son into the fray of things is a good idea!"
"He's my son, too..."
"Well, then I'm thankful you have so far had little to do with his keeping!"
The Mayor snarls, swallowing as green eyes immediately take on a dangerous quality, and she hazards a guess that the only thing keeping the younger woman from retaliating with similar venom is the visible evidence of everything which has transpired between them at her wrists.
"Don't."
The blonde warns quietly.
"Emma, he-"
"-He'll find out about this whether we tell him or not, Regina, believe me. You know what he's like. I'd much rather have an idea of what the kid's getting up to and how much he knows than have him take it upon himself to perform his own investigation, because he will!"
The Sheriff argues in a hushed tone.
"Did you tell him what happened?"
Regina demands, keeping her voice equally low.
"He asked. I confirmed."
Emma shrugs uneasily.
"How much?"
"What do you mean?"
"What did you tell him?"
The darker woman pushes for an answer.
"Nothing! I'm not an idiot! I just told him that, yes, Mr Gold 'took' me, and that he wanted something. Henry asked about my wrists, and I told him it was no big deal and that you fixed them."
Emma explains, folding her arms over her chest uncomfortably as she struggles to understand the irritation evident in the darker woman's eyes.
"And you claim you're not an idiot..."
Regina muses waspishly, and the Sheriff pulls her shoulders up as she argues
"Shit, dude, I had to tell him something! The kid-"
"-Miss Swan, I am not your 'dude', nor anyone else's... You need to tell Henry the truth."
The Mayor interrupts, shaking her head and offering the blonde a stern look that deters further discussion.
"What truth?"
The younger woman frowns.
"The truth about what Rumplestiltskin did to you! Emma, if you tell the boy that he merely stowed you away for a little while until you were able to escape, you do him no favours. You could have died!"
Regina hisses fretfully.
"And what? I'm supposed to pull the kid aside and say 'hey, guess what? So, I was bleeding pretty profusely, and I blacked out a couple of times, and'-"
"-Oh stop being so ridiculous! You're a grown woman; act like one!"
The Mayor snaps.
"Then what do you want!?"
"He doesn't need to know the details, but you can't just brush this off!... Emma, if you only knew what a state you looked when I found you! I-...I-I..."
"Alright!... Alright, fine... Can we not fucking talk about it, Regina? Shit..."
The blonde growls irritably.
"But you have to."
The Mayor insists, reaching out and squeezing the younger woman's arm in a bid to get her to cooperate.
"Fine. I'll talk to him..."
The pull to the blonde's mouth speaks volumes as to just how keen she is on the idea, and the Queen sighs, leaning against the wall and studying the Sheriff with troubled eyes.
"I wish I could understand how you work sometimes... I really don't think this is a good idea."
"Well, what choice do we have? Really?... So far as I read in that book, we don't stand much of a shot against the Dark One. Not if he decides to come after us."
"Rumplestiltskin is powerful, true, but I am too, Emma... He may possess greater strength, but if we lie low, and we-"
"-That's the thing, though!"
"What is?"
The brunette frowns.
"If we 'lie low'? So far, since the Curse broke, I've been at yours, and I've been at home. Hardly lying low in terms of secrecy. Do you not think that if Gold meant me harm - and I speak of my own safety as it's myself he made this fucking 'deal' with - he would have shown up by now? He has his magic back. And me? My part in all this is done! I played my part, and now I'm just plain old Emma... If Gold meant to finish me off, wouldn't I know about it by now?"
The Sheriff reasons.
"My dear, such faith is foolish..."
"It's not faith. It's logic. I'm not saying the man isn't a threat. I know he is, I've seen it... I'm just saying that I think this may be Gold's version of an opportunity - a chance - and I plan to take it... And, hell, if I'm wrong, then so be it... I'm not going to be any less screwed if the Dark One plans to screw me, you know?"
"... If he plans to what, now?"
Regina raises a brow and the blonde blushes and rolls her eyes.
"You know what I mean."
"Sadly, I do... Why must you so often be right, dear? It really is rather irksome."
"My cross to bear, dear."
Emma hisses with a grin. Shaking her head in bemusement, the brunette takes the Sheriff's arm and pushes her back towards the drawing room.
"I'll leave it to you to tell Henry what he needs to know. I'll place a call to Sydney... By the sounds of it, you and I are in for a little trip into town."
I am the shadow, I am tomorrow,
I am the hero with a bloodied whip.
I am so hazardous,
My name is Lazarus.
I am a pirate on a devil ship.
"Hey!"
The blonde snaps, and Regina withdraws her hand from the volume dial with a sigh as Emma taps it irritably away.
"Your taste in- are we calling this music?- is truly appalling."
"Yeah, well, my car, my music."
The blonde grumbles, and Regina thins her lips as she recognises their inane bickering for what it really is; comfortably familiar whitenoise to fill the tense void of time as they make their way towards Gold's shop.
So far, the Sheriff has stalled her faithful bug twice since leaving the mansion, and although Emma mutters to herself as to the pitiful state of her car, neither woman is fooled into thinking the reason behind her fractured driving is anything other than the ominous task that lies ahead.
I am the sickness, I am the quickness,
You are the virgin dying in the spring.
A hungry fat cat,
looks at you black rats.
I am a dark and wicked thing.
"Please, just turn it off!"
The brunette snarls - just a little too high - as she slams her palm against the dial; pausing the track as it lilts towards its conclusion. Her breathing is laboured and Emma glances over at her nervously before swallowing and returning her attention to the road.
"Remember what I said... If he was going to hurt us, he would have done so already."
She reminds the Mayor quietly.
"I fear you may be deluding yourself that all pain must be physical."
Regina counters tersely.
"What do you mean?"
"I have a lot to lose..."
The brunette confides quietly.
"You and me both, but I'm not going to let that happen."
Emma shakes her head as she slows the car.
"I know you think you mean that, but-"
"-Regina. I mean it. He's not hurting you. He's not hurting Henry. He's not hurting anyone. Not if he wants me to play his game, and he does... I'd bet my life on it."
"That's what I'm worried about."
"It will be okay, I prom-"
"-Don't."
"Fine. Get your coat. We're here."