A/N: I've decided (because I've been re-reading the books as well lol) that I will follow the films and some parts of the books. Not all the time, because I do like adding my own little details here and there, as well as my own quotes, but I promise to make every single part of this series well worth it. I have them all planned out in my head and am excited to bring them to life for you all. :) More updates shall be posted tomorrow! And I get off work early on Friday, so there will be more to look forward to before Christmas. Happy reading, all! Thank you for your support.
Regina's arm was being squeezed by the blood pressure cuff after being taken to the hospital. In a matter of minutes, cops and an ambulance were alerted about a van that had slipped, lost control and slammed into a beat up, old truck. Taking both her and Tyler to Forks Hospital. Regina had never felt more like the center of attention until this moment, and she hated it.
It was even worse once her father busted through the double doors of the first floor, into the emergency room. Anger and fright were displayed all over his features. "Regina!" Henry's footsteps hurried, wanting to ski along like that van to reach his daughter. "Are you alright? You and I are going to talk," Henry pointed his pointer finger, menacingly at Tyler who sat along the examining bed behind Regina.
"I'm fine, dad. Calm down." Regina assured him, the fear she had momentarily felt having left her body.
"I'm so sorry, Regina. I tried to stop." Tyler promised her.
"I know, it's okay." Said Regina.
"No." Henry glared in Tyler's direction, turning back to his daughter with a hand glued to his waist. "It's sure as hell not okay."
Regina rolled her eyes a little, "Dad, it wasn't his fault."
Henry glared at his daughter this time. "You could have been killed, Regina. Do you understand that?"
"Yes. But I wasn't." She replied calmly.
"You can kiss your license goodbye." Henry sternly said to Tyler, who frowned at the idea of never driving again.
The double doors were pushed open and Mal strode calmly inside, flashing the same gorgeous smile Regina had seen on Emma in class today. "I heard the Chief's daughter was here. Henry." She nodded curtly.
"Dr. Swan." Henry breathed out a sigh of relief.
Swan. Of course, Regina didn't have to hear the woman's last name to know that this was none other than Emma's adoptive mother. She could see a small astonishing resemblance toward them. Same pale complexion, same beautiful and envious golden blonde hair. Same golden colored eyes.
Zelena was right. Dr. Swan was shockingly young looking. Her skin was as perfect and porcelain just like Emma's and the rest of her siblings. The woman was beautiful, just like Emma. Her bright white lab coat only made her eyes and blonde hair stand out more among the room.
"I got this one, Jimmy. Thanks." Mal smiled, retreating a clipboard from a male nurse's hands, quickly reading over Regina's vital signs and notations.
Jimmy's cheeks turned pink with a blush as he walked away. It almost made Regina smile because it seems Emma's entire family had that effect on people.
"Regina. It looks like you took quite a spill. How do you feel?" Mal asked, clicking her pen and tucking it along her breast pocket.
"I'm fine." Regina nods.
Mal reaches for her flashlight pen from her breast pocket next, clicking it. "Look here," she holds up a single digit before flashing the light along Regina's eyes. One then the other. "You may experience some post-traumatic stress or disorientation, but your vitals look good." She clicks her flashlight pen, switching it off. "No signs of any head trauma," she looks to Henry before looking back at Regina. "I think you'll be just fine." She smiles reassuringly.
"I'm so sorry, Regina, I really-" Tyler's apology was cut short by Henry impulsively pulling back the curtain that divided the medical beds.
"It honestly would have been a lot worse if Emma wasn't there. She knocked me out of the way." Said Regina, innocently.
Mal's hand stops scribbling along the page of the clipboard, but quickly gathers back its movement.
"Emma?" Henry turns to Dr. Swan, "Your kid?" His brow furrows.
"Yeah, it was amazing," Regina turns to her father. "She got to me so fast; she was nowhere near me."
"It sounds like you were very lucky." Mal replaced her concern with a smile. "It was lovely to meet you, Regina. Henry. Excuse me." She nods at Chief Mills before walking out of the emergency room. She turned the corner, where she spotted Kathryn and Emma arguing about today's incident.
"You do realize what this could mean for us all, don't you?" Kathryn hissed in a whisper.
"Mal," Emma stood straighter, her posture perfect upon seeing Mal, ignoring Kathryn all together. "How is she?" She asks.
Mal exhaled a breath, "She'll live to see another day. Although, she is claiming that she clearly saw you across the parking lot before you heroically saved her life."
Kathryn glared directly at Emma, "See? Do you see what happens when you allow your feelings for a fragile human get the best of you?"
Emma glared in Kathryn's direction.
Henry and Regina exited through the double doors, into a small waiting room and a hallway. "Listen, I'm going to sign some paperwork, you should… Probably call your mom." He slung his daughter's backpack over a single shoulder.
Regina glared up at her father, "Did you tell her?" She asked, wishing he had asked her first before calling her mother with an incident that had no deadly consequence whatsoever.
Henry gave her daughter a 'well, yeah,' look. His silence being louder than any spoken word.
Regina groaned, "Great, she's probably panicking now." She moved along the hallway, catching sight of Dr. Swan along with Kathryn and Emma. She was here.
"Kathryn," Mal whispered.
"No, Mal. Seventeen students saw what happened. Someone else could have seen-"
"What was I supposed to do, then? Let her die?" Emma hissed angrily at Kathryn, but really she was angry at herself all over again.
"I think we should take this into my office." Mal whispered. Her eyes looked up, spotting Regina standing a few feet away from them. This caused Emma's and Kathryn's heads and gazes to turn in Regina's direction as well.
"Can I talk to you for a minute, please?" Regina's eyes focused solely on Emma.
"Kathryn." Mal placed a gentle hand along Kathryn's back, willing her to take their discussion into a more private room. Away from prying ears.
Emma swallowed a lump inside of her throat, not out of nervousness but out of anger and frustration as she walked up to Regina. "What?"
The unfriendliness in Emma's voice radiated off of her body language that confused Regina all the more. But she had to know. "How did you get over to me so fast?" She asks, unable to look away from Emma's golden eyes, seeing the truth behind them.
"I was standing right next to you, Gina." Emma said as convincingly as possible.
"No. You were next to your car, across the lot." Replied Regina, sure of what she had seen. Emma was nowhere near her in that parking lot.
"No, I wasn't." The small smile creeping up along the corner of Emma's lip infuriated Regina all the more.
"Yes you were." Regina said adamantly.
"Regina…" Emma glanced around, feeling utterly irritated that Regina could not let this go. "You hit your head. I think you're confused."
Regina? Suddenly Regina missed being called Gina by Emma. "I know what I saw." Regina stood her ground.
"And what exactly was that?" Emma's brow furrows as she fakes confusion.
"You- you… You stopped the van. You pushed it away with your bare hand." Emma wasn't the only frustrated one. Regina was beginning to feel her temple throb simply out of how frustrating Emma Swan was beginning to become.
Emma frowned, looking angrier as her eyes glared menacingly into Regina's, "Well nobody's going to believe you." She hissed.
Regina blinked. "I wasn't going to tell anyone," she shakes her head. "I just want to know the truth."
"Can't you just thank me and get over it?" Asks Emma.
"Thank you."
Emma's perfect jawline tightened once again as she realized, "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"No." Regina answered too quickly for Emma's liking.
"Well, then I hope you enjoy disappointment." Emma spat, angrily whirling around and walking away.
Regina scoffed, filling up with anger at Emma's absurd behavior. If anything made Regina really angry was to be mocked, and lied to. She knows what she saw, and Emma was standing nowhere near her when that van almost crushed her. One way or another, Regina would find out the truth… But for now, she decided that until Emma learned she could trust her, she would steer clear of her this time.
Emma ran that night. She ran so fast and yet she didn't break a sweat nor had soreness to look forward to the next day. Either way, she needed to somehow burn off some steam after the earlier events that took place. It wasn't enough that she was being tortured by living as this monster that no one could know about, but the torment of having to endure someone's presence in her mind was more than torture.
She stopped, staring up at the one place she found herself visiting every single time since Regina's arrival. Regina's home. Emma couldn't help herself. It was as if ever since Regina's arrival, Emma's control was no longer an option for her.
Emma took a leap, climbing up the tree, pulling herself one handed onto a branch, crouching along, just enough for her to crawl over to Regina's bedroom window, which always remained open. Her eyes watched Regina's sleeping form, just like they have many nights before. She always looked so peaceful, so beautiful. Her bedroom was always so quiet. The type of quiet Emma had been seeking for centuries and never could seem to find.
She watched her chest slowly rise up and down with each calming breath.
Regina's hand twitches in her sleep as she dreams. For the first time that night, she dreams of golden blonde hair that shines like the sun. She dreams of golden colored eyes that look straight into her soul, and pale thin lips that she would give anything to feel brush against her own.
In her dream, Regina awakens to the sight of Emma Swan, standing at the foot of her bed, intensely watching her as she has many times before; breathtaking as always. She reaches out, grasping onto Emma's shirt and pulls her close, forcing Emma's body onto her own as they collapse along her bed. And as they do, their lips meet in a kiss that takes Regina's very breath away. She can feel her… So close… Emma's hands running along her sides, straight down to her hips…
Emma watched with fascination how rapid Regina's breathing turned. How her body moved with ache. Her hand was clutching along her covers until her knuckles turned white. Her breathing turning faster, heaving. And then she heard it…
"Emma…" Her name being muttered, breathed out in the most sweetest symphony ever to grace her ears.
Emma took a step closer toward the end of the bed, careful not to touch it, a small smile forming along the corner of her lip. Something strange happened inside of her chest, she was sure it had combust.
Regina jerked awake, gasping as before her, hidden in the shadows of her bedroom, stood Emma. Reaching for the cord of her lamp, Regina flicked it on, whirling her head toward her bedroom window again. Empty. She breathed out a light chuckle, shaking her head at herself. The first night she dreams of Emma Swan and it leaves her feeling like a complete and utter mess. With a want that she would probably never be able to satisfy.
Time passed, and Emma would still visit Regina's bedroom any chance she got. Just like Regina would always glance in Emma's direction any chance she got. And today, proved to be no different.
Today, it took Regina by surprise to find Emma looking in her direction, only this time it wasn't with a stoned glare, but the tiniest of smirks playing along her thin lips. As if she knew something that Regina didn't. Regina couldn't help but stare either. How mesmerizing Emma always seemed to look mesmerizing. Just like in her dreams. Only today, she was wearing her red leather jacket again, with a white v-neck shirt and blue tight jeans. Her hair was loose and long. Beautiful.
Emma was irresistible to look at.
"Okay, guys, give me all of your passes before the field trip, let's go." Mr. Molina encouraged the rest of the students around the parking lot.
"Gina!" Robin's grin overshadowed Regina's view she currently had of Emma as he stood three feet from her. "Look at you, huh? You're alive!"
Regina smiles, "Yeah. False alarm, I suppose." Regina's eyes look over Robin's shoulder to Emma.
"I'm glad. Really." Robin nervously tucks his hands inside of his coat pocket. "So, listen, I was just wondering, you know- I mean, I know the dance is like a month away, but," he chuckles nervously. "D- do you want to go to prom with me?" He mutters.
Emma's eyes glare over at Regina, her smile replaced with a look of concern and anger from a distance.
"S- so what do you think?" Robin's voice pulls Regina back from trance.
"About what?" Regina blinks.
"Do you want to go? To prom. With… Me?" Robin smiles nervously, shifting on the balls of his feet.
"Oh." Regina frowns, her cheeks turning a slight pink. "Prom?" She sees Robin nod, waiting enthusiastically for her answer. "Dancing… Not such a good idea for me. I'm sorry, Robin." Said Regina, looking over Robin's shoulder to see Emma standing perfectly still. As if she were listening.
"Oh." Robin frowns, not the answer he wanted to hear.
"I already made plans for that weekend. I'm- I'm going to Jacksonville that weekend." Regina lies through her teeth.
"And you can't go another weekend?" Robin asks.
"Non-refundable ticket." Regina gives Robin an apologetic look. "But, you know, you should ask Zelena. I know she wants to go with you."
Robin nods, walking over toward the line that formed along one of the school buses. Emma dares to smile a little as the churning in her stomach instantly dissipates.
Once everyone mounts the bus and they all arrive at their destination. They walk in a long line, walking along a greenhouse, surrounded by plants. Emma stops walking at some point, patiently waits until Regina walks close enough.
"What's in Jacksonville?" She asks Regina, walking alongside her, her hands tucked inside of her jacket pockets.
Regina looks up to Emma, "How did you know about that?" She asks. As much as she was enjoying talking to Emma again, she didn't wish to play twenty questions with her.
"You didn't answer my question." Said Emma.
Regina scoffs, "Well, you don't exactly answer any of mine. You don't even say hi to me."
"Hi." Emma replied quite sarcastically.
Regina scoffs out a chuckle. "Are you going to tell me how you stopped the van?" She whispers, her eyes looking up at Emma.
"Yeah," Emma nods. "I had an adrenaline rush. It's very common. You can Google it."
Regina rolls her eyes. "Floridians. That's what's in Jacksonville-" Her foot slipped along a puddle on the floor. Apparently now around Emma, Regina would become clumsy. She was surprised once Emma's hand caught her along her arm, catching her fall.
"Would you please watch where you walk?" Emma hissed, her tone angry. Eyes glaring. An action she instantly regretted, "Look, I'm- I apologize for being rude all the time, I just think it's the best way-"
"Gina!" Zelena rushes in with a large grin along her lips. So abruptly that Emma simply walks away, looking angrier than before. "Um…" She throws her thumb over her shoulder, "Was Emma Swan just talking to you?" She grins.
"What's up?" Regina asks, deciding to ignore Zelena's question.
"Oh! Guess what, Robin just asked me to prom!" Zelena claps her hands excitedly.
Regina smiles. "That's great. I knew he would."
"Isn't it? To be honest I thought he was going to ask you, but- wow." Zelena grins.
After the field trip, Emma quickly caught up to Regina once she spotted her alone once again. "Gina, you know we… We really shouldn't be friends." She says bluntly.
Regina's brow furrows. She stops along a school bus, "You really should have figured that out a little earlier. I mean, why not just let the van crush me and save yourself all this regret?"
Emma's eyes stare widely down at Regina, "Do you think I regret saving you?" Her voice is low.
"I can see that you do, I just… I don't know why." Regina breathes, feeling her heart break inside of her chest.
Emma's perfect jaw tightens, "No. You don't know anything."
"Hi!" Lily jumps in, attempting to defuse the tension with a dashing smile, which Regina couldn't help but stare at. "Are you going to be riding with us?"
Emma rolls her eyes a little, "No, Lily. She's not. Our bus is full." Her eyes glare in Regina's direction before she turns to mount the bus.
"Hey, Regina!" Mulan grins in Regina's direction as she sets her backpack down along her seat in the cafeteria. "La Push, babe. You in?"
"Am I supposed to know what that means?" Regina asks.
"La Push beach down at Quileute Rez, we're all going tomorrow." Said Robin, taking a sip of his chocolate milk.
"Hey, yeah! We can all go surfing!" Zelena perks up.
"And there's whale watching, too. Come with us." Ella smiles.
Regina's eyes look over to Emma, who is watching as per usual from across the room. "Sure. Yeah." She walked over to the serving area, reaching for a tray and served herself a salad, deciding to create a smiley face out of the vegetables.
"Edible art?" Emma watches as Regina's hand jerks to the side, obviously taken by surprise by her sudden presence. She bounced a single red apple along her feet that fell off Regina's tray and caught it mid-air, one handed, holding it out to Regina. "Gina." A small smile creeps up the corner of Emma's lip.
As much as Regina loves that little smile on Emma, she is not in the mood today. "Thanks." She takes the apple and walks along the self-serve stand. "You know, your mood swings are really giving me a whiplash."
"I know." Emma stands close enough to Regina, keeping her voice low. "Gina… I only said it'd be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want to be."
"What does that even mean?" Regina breathes, looking up at Emma as she towers over her.
"It means if you were smart, you'd stay away from me."
Regina walks along, "Well, let's say for argument's sake that I'm not smart. Would you tell me the truth?"
"No, probably not." Emma answered honestly. "I'd rather hear your theories."
Regina scoffs out a chuckle, "I don't have any theories."
"Sure you do." Emma towers again, her voice low as her eyes deeply connect with Regina's. "Indulge me."
Indulge? Who says that? Regina can't help but chuckle again, "Okay. I have considered radioactive spiders and kryptonite."
Emma chuckled lightly, "That's all superhero stuff, right? Well, what if I'm not the hero, what if I'm the villain?" She frowns.
Regina looks up at Emma, locking eyes with her. "You're not," she answers earnestly. "I can see what you're trying to put off. I can also see that it's just to keep people away from you. It's a mask." She pauses, trying to decipher the mystery behind Emma's intense stare. "Why don't we just hang out?"
Emma can't help but smile a little at this. Regina actually wanted to be around her. Stupidly, but around her.
"Everyone's going to the beach later. You could join us. Have some fun." Regina said, hopeful.
"Which beach?" Asks Emma.
"La Push."
Emma's little smile is rapidly replaced by a hardened frown. "I'm sorry. I can't." She shakes her head.
Regina frowns. "Is there something wrong with that beach?" She asks.
Emma breathes calmly through her nose, secretly inhaling Regina's rich scent as she does before she says, "It's just a little crowded."