A/N: Here is the next chapter of this installment. I hope you enjoy it. I am anxiously waiting for Emma's return soon, which means I am getting closer and closer to finally finishing this story, to begin writing Part 3. :) Although, I have to admit, having Ruby in Jacob's shoes makes this part so much more tolerable for me. I will try to post another chapter before calling it a night, but no promises. Stay tuned for more, though! Regina and Emma's story isn't far from over yet. ;)
Happy reading! Don't forget to drop a review to let me know what you think of my versions regarding this saga.
Regina was surprised how quickly she had given into the arms of sleep that night. Of course, her nightmares wouldn't let her be, forcing her to wake drenched in sweat. Only this time it wasn't Emma who was haunting her dreams, breaking up with her all over again. But Victoria… Laurent's words still rang in her head. She sighed, taking notice that she hadn't even changed out of her clothes to sleep more comfortably.
Tap… tap… tap… She heard along her bedroom window, which she had finally closed. Was this how she would die? Would Victoria find her before she could ever see Emma again?
"Gina…" A gentle voice called faintly, down below.
"Ruby?" Regina rushed toward her bedroom window, feeling a wave of relief to open her window. She was surprised to see her greet her with a smile. A smile Regina could not return. "What are you doing here?" She whispered.
"Step back, I'm coming up." Ruby whispered.
"Ruby, no!" Regina's eyes grew wide as she saw Ruby take a leap, reaching for a branch along the tree closest to her window.
Ruby took another leap along the side wall of the house, pushing herself with her foot, giving her jump distance before reaching for another branch that led her toward Regina's window. "Hi." She smiled, helping herself inside the bedroom.
"How did you- what are you doing here?" She asked again, fuming.
"I came to honor my promise. And to apologize… for earlier." Said Ruby, looking around Regina's bedroom.
Ruby certainly looked more at ease. Calmer than earlier. Carrying less tension along her shoulders, her blue eyes were bright again. Still, that didn't earn her an acceptance toward her apology.
Regina scoffed, "Apology not accepted!" She hissed.
Ruby frowns, "I guess I deserve that."
"You need to leave, Ruby."
"No," Ruby shook her head. "I don't want to leave, okay? Not until you understand everything."
"Then, tell me. What is going on with you? Why- why can't we be friends all of a sudden?" Regina demanded.
Ruby's frown deepens.
"It is Graham, isn't it? Why? Why do you listen to him?"
"He doesn't want me to be around you… for your safety." Ruby murmured.
"My safety?" Regina was getting really tired of hearing that. First from Emma and now from Ruby. She was getting tired of being treated like such a fragile, damsel in distress type of girl. When she knew she was so much, much more.
Ruby shakes her head, "I wish I could tell you my secrets, Gina. But I literally can't." Her eyes look over to the dream catcher she made for Regina and a small smile forms along the corner of her lip. She sighs deeply, her smile gone, "The stressful part is you already know what my secret is!"
Regina watches Ruby collapse on the edge of the bed, taking a seat. The heavy weight along her shoulders was back, but not enough to change her mood. "What are you talking about, Ruby? You aren't making any sense. What secret could you possibly have? What does this have to do with Graham?"
Ruby shook her head as it sank. Her blue eyes looked up at Regina in such a pleading manner it was impossible for Regina to not reach over and comfort her in a hug. A hug, Ruby needed now more than ever. Her arms warmly wrapping along Regina's small figure. Ruby felt so warm, Regina slowly pulled away.
"Gina…" Ruby whispered, keeping her close proximity in lock with Regina. "Have you ever had a secret that you couldn't share with anyone? Not your dad, not me- anyone. One that wasn't yours to share." She waited, seeing the clear answer in Regina's beautiful eyes. "Well, that's what it's like for me. I am bound to Graham now."
"Bound?" Regina breathed. "Ruby, you can't be owned. No one can force you-"
"It's hard to explain," Said Ruby. "That's why I need you to think really hard, and guess what that secret is."
"Guess?" Regina scoffed out a chuckle, "Ruby, it's a little late for guessing games. Why can't you just tell me?"
"You have to try." Ruby begged, her eyes almost watering as they pierced into Regina's. "Please."
Regina's grip tightened along Ruby's shirt in anger, "I hate this. I hate Graham- I hate… what they've done to you!"
"Don't be angry at Graham. He has no fault in this. None of us do." Ruby shakes her head, her voice calm and collected, unlike earlier. "It's not exactly a choice we can make for ourselves, Gina. It's a hand we are dealt, and my ace of spades has been pulled." There's pain in her voice, "Me wanting to distance myself from you… that's on me. And I'm very sorry that I hurt you when I gave you my word that I wouldn't do that."
"But, you did," Regina pulled herself away.
Ruby reaches out, pulling Regina close to her again, "Then, I'll make you a new promise…" she whispers, her forehead softly leaning against Regina's. "I promise you that I am not going anywhere. Ever again. I will always be by your side."
Regina remained absolutely still, lingering in Ruby's warmth for a minute. She didn't want to believe in promises anymore, but it was hard not to take Ruby's word for it.
Ruby pulls away slowly, against her will, sighing. "I shouldn't be anywhere near you now, and yet here I am." She chuckles. "And when Graham finds out, I know he's going to throw a fit. But, you know what? I don't care."
"You don't have to tell him." Said Regina. "It could be added to our list of secrets."
Ruby smiles a little and feels as it quickly vanishes. "As much as I'd love that, I am kind of… obligated to tell him."
"Obligated?" Regina's brow lifts a little.
"It's hard to explain," Ruby sighs, her shoulders deflating. "That's why you have to figure it out, Gina. And I know you can."
Regina shook her head, "I can't, Ruby. My mind is too tired and too broken to figure anything out right now."
Ruby tries to figure out another way to approach this. "Do you remember the story I told you that day in La Push about the Quileute legends?"
She nods, "Yeah… the story about the cold-ones."
Ruby's heart sinks a little, "I guess I understand why that's the only part you remember." She walks slowly toward the bedroom window. "I should get back. Graham will start wondering where I am."
Regina shook her head, "Maybe you should just leave. Run away. I could come with you."
Ruby's blue eyes shine, "You'd do that for me?"
Regina nods.
"This isn't something I can run away from, Gina. But I would… run away with you. If I could." Ruby fights back tears. She walks toward Regina, extending her arms and pulling her into the tightest hug imaginable. Her nose buries itself along Regina's shoulder. "Please, Gina… try to remember the story. It would be so much easier if you knew." She whispers, slowly pulling away.
"Ruby, wait…" Regina rushes toward the window, unable to help but picture Emma a little bit. "Don't go."
The corner of Ruby's lip tilts into a tiny smile, "I made a promise, didn't I? I'll see you again soon." She winked and leaped out the window.
"Ruby, what are you doing?" Regina stared wide-eyed out of her window, watching in awe as Ruby landed safely on both feet, taking off in a sprint.
Regina laid in bed that night, finding sleep. Finding her nightmares… In them, she was out there in the meadow. All over again. Laurent. Victoria- both there. She saw herself being bitten once again, feeling the unimaginable pain all over again that she once felt with Hyde. And the red wolf, watching her, with those blue dark eyes. It snarled at her, baring its teeth as if threatened by her.
"Did you know that the Quiliete's are supposedly descended from wolves?"
Regina's eyes snapped open to the echo of Ruby's voice inside of her head.
A werewolf!
"Hey, whoa!" Henry crooked his neck a little, trying to catch a glimpse of Regina as she rushed toward the front door. "You in a hurry? Where's the fire?" His brow furrows as Regina walks back into the kitchen. "Where are you going so early in the morning?" He asks.
"I'm going over to Ruby's." Said Regina.
"So early?" Henry looked at the clock along the kitchen wall. "It's nine o'clock, Gina. Why don't you sit down and have breakfast?" He motioned to the scrambled eggs in the pan that sat atop of the stove.
"I'm really not hungry. I'll get something to eat with Ruby when I see her. I promise."
"So, I guess that means you two are on speaking terms again, huh?" Henry reaches for his mug, taking a sip of his coffee.
"What makes you say that?" Regina's brow furrows.
"Well, Eugenia called the other day, informed me that you had gone over there and had a pretty bad fight with Ruby. She says it seemed to be pretty serious."
Of course she did, Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, Ruby and I are fine. I promise."
"So, she's mistaken?" Henry's eyes narrow.
"Yeah, dad, she's mistaken."
"Mhm," Henry breathed. "Well, just don't go-"
"We won't go into the woods." Regina promised. "You aren't going out there again, are you?"
"I have to, Gina. Until we hunt down these… wolves, or bears, or whatever they are, we can't burn out our search."
Regina frowned, a wave of anguish settling in the pit of her stomach. "Dad, I really don't think you should go out there. You put your life at risk too much as it is."
"It's my job," he points at the badge pinned to his chest. "Remember?"
"Just because you wear that badge it doesn't mean you're made of steel."
Henry rolled his eyes a little, "Regina, I've done this job for many years. I'll be perfectly safe. I promise. Besides, I won't be going alone."
Regina nods, seeing as there was no reasoning with him.
"Now, go. Go see Ruby. Tell her hi for me." He takes another warm sip of coffee, slurping it.
Regina waves at her father before heading out the door.
Regina's truck pulled up to the red house. She wasn't surprised anymore when Eugenia pulled open the door, greeting her before she even had a chance to knock.
"Regina," Eugenia's blue eyes stared at Regina from behind her spectacles.
"I'm here to see Ruby. And I know she's here, so please don't try to deny it." Said Regina, her lips thinned into a deep frown.
"She is," Eugenia nods. "But I'm afraid you're going to have to come back some other time. She's asleep. She had a long night with some of her friends and a young girl her age needs her rest."
Regina wasn't having it this time. "I'm sorry, but I really need to see her." She rushes past the door, and Eugenia, marching into the house.
"Regina!" Eugenia calls out to no avail. "I just told you she's sleeping. You don't understand, Ruby gets very upset when you wake her up-"
"No, I think I understand everything perfectly now," Regina whips around, for the first time ever feeling an inch taller than Granny Lucas. And it felt great. "You know, my father is out there… hunting these so called werewolves. Now, do you want to talk about that or do you want to let me see Ruby?" She stands her ground, her arms crossed over her chest.
Eugenia frowns. And Regina takes that as a sign to march right into Ruby's bedroom, knowing perfectly well where it was. She was surprised to find Ruby passed out along her bed, still wearing a pair of black sleeping shorts and a red sports bra. She looked angelic to look at while sleeping, that Regina didn't dare wake her up.
"Ruby!" Regina's eyes look up and out the window, hearing Graham's whistle after he called out to her. He was accompanied by his gang, Quil, Embry, and someone else she hadn't met yet.
Suddenly, something inside of Regina snapped. She had marched right out of the house, her eyes shooting laser beams directly at Graham. "What did you do!" She demanded, shoving Graham back, hard along his chest. "What did you do to her?!"
"Easy!" Graham held out a hand as if keeping the others back. Everyone's eyes glared in Regina's direction.
"What did he do? What did you do, huh?" Paul snarls, towering over Regina. "You've softened her, that's what you've done."
"Paul, enough. Calm down." Graham warned, glaring in Paul's direction.
"What did she tell you, huh?" Paul demanded.
"Nothing! She tells me nothing because she's afraid of you!" Regina spits back, glaring directly at Paul this time. A mocking laugh escapes him, and Regina doesn't think twice to deliver an open palm slap right across his face.
"Regina, step back!" Graham warns, his hand hovering along Paul's shoulder who is trembling with anger. His skin begins to turn almost red. A spark of saliva escapes from his clenched teeth.
Regina takes a step back at the sound of a low growl that emerges from Paul's throat.
"Paul. Calm down. Now." Graham orders.
Before Regina's very eyes, Paul's growling only intensifies, his body bends forward and sprints up into the air. As it does, an explosion of millions of pieces from his clothing erupts around him. His massive, gray wolf form lands on all fours, glaring and angrily growling at Regina.
Regina hadn't realized when she had fallen along the floor during Paul's transformation, but that didn't matter. She willed her feet to stand her and carry her back into Ruby's house in a sprint.
"Gina!" Ruby bursts through her front door, hopping over the railing of her house and runs.
"Ruby! Run!" Regina shouts back.
"Gina! Duck, now!" Ruby demands, leaping over Regina once she sees her body crouch along the grass.
Another exploding sound emerges, and Regina's eyes couldn't possibly turn wider as she watches how Ruby's clothes explode into shreds of black and red confetti, before seeing that massive brown and red werewolf land on all fours right in front of her.
Ruby growls in warning, her dark, angry eyes glaring menacingly at Paul. The hairs along the brown and red fur stand to attention before both wolves run toward one another.
Regina stares in horror, watching the fight that's taking place between Ruby's wolf form and Paul's wolf form. Teeth were bared, and biting. Ruby's caught Paul along his neck, biting so hard that he yelped, rolling onto the floor and using its two back legs to kick Ruby off of him. Ruby stood, quick and to the ready, sprinting toward the gray wolf, throwing her weight on him, causing both animals to roll away into the forest.
"Quil, Embry," Graham spoke up. "Take Regina up to Emily's house."
"We can't just leave Ruby. We have to see if she's okay." Said Regina.
Quil and Embry share a chuckle. "Don't worry, Gina, Ruby's a natural. Five bucks says Paul can't touch her." Said Quil.
"She'll meet you there, Gina," Regina turns to Eugenia, standing by the front door. "I'll tell her where to find you."
Regina looks up at Quil's offered hand, and reaches for it.
"We're here!" Embry taps on the hood of Regina's truck, a little to Regina's disliking before jumping right off from the back along with Quil.
"Come on in, Gina. We don't bite." Quil grins.
"Speak for yourself," Embry murmurs, heading inside a yellow, homey looking house.
"Oh, just a heads up," Quil turns to Regina as she reaches the opened door. "About Emily- Graham's fiancee. Don't stare. It bugs Graham."
"Why would I stare?" Regina asks.
"You'll see." Said Quil, nodding his head toward the entrance as he marches in.
The room was spacious as Regina entered. Everything was made entirely from wood, carved by hand no doubt. She wondered who was the carpenter in this family of newly discovered supernatural creatures. The scent of something baking lingered the room.
Quil welcomed himself to a seat along the kitchen table, joining Embry.
Emily turned to face Regina, holding a platter of freshly baked blueberry muffins. She had dark brown eyes, slick dark hair that ended at her waist, and the the one thing she was warned not to stare at- that didn't seem to bother Emily- a long scar that reached the corner of her eye, all the way down to her jaw, right at the right side of her face. But that didn't take away the girl's beauty.
"Who's this?" Emily asked.
"Regina Mills. Who else?" Said Quil.
"Ah… so, you're the vampire girl." Emily smiled, her smile proving to be welcoming.
Being referred to as the vampire girl, jumped started Regina's heart. It was beating so loud, she was surprised they couldn't seem to hear it. "And you're the wolf girl." She replied.
Emily chuckled, "I guess so. Well… I'm engaged to one." She sets down the platter of muffins along the table. "Are you guys hungry? Like I need to ask."
Quil and Embry each reach for a muffin; Quil going in for seconds.
"Ah-uh!" Emily grabs his wrist, "Save some for the others. And where are your manners? Ladies first," her smile reaches her eyes as she looks toward Regina. "Are you hungry, Gina?"
"Yeah, thank you." Regina reached for a muffin. Almost being attacked by a very large dog can really build up your hunger.
"Leave it to Ruby to find a way around Graham's gag orders." Emily shook her head, her smile never leaving its place along the corners of her eyes.
"Ruby didn't tell me anything. I pretty much figured it out myself." Regina answered quickly, not wanting to get Ruby in trouble.
Emily grinned, "Of course you did. Ruby mentioned how smart and clever you were."
Regina attempts to hide a blush creeping along her cheeks.
"Not revealing our secret is a tribe order. Alpha's orders get obeyed whether we want them to or not," Quil smirks, holding his half eaten muffin in front of him. "And we can hear each other's thoughts."
"Quil!" Embry snapped. "Will you shut up? These are trade secrets! This chick runs with vampires!" He motions to Regina.
"You know, you can't really run with vampires," Said Regina. "Because they're fast."
Emily doesn't hold back a small laugh.
"Yeah? Well we're faster. Freaked out yet?" Said Embry.
"No," Regina shook her head. Embry might think they're fast, but Regina's money would always be on Emma.
"Ruby was right…" Graham came in, "You're good with weird." He walked over to Emily, wrapped his arms along her waist, pressing his lips along her lips, and all along her scar.
Regina looked away, unable to handle the pain that lack of affection brought her. Emma always loved holding her, and kissing her. She was thankful when Ruby appeared along the doorway, fully dressed in a pair of small shorts, and a red tank top.
Paul joins the rest, reaching for a muffin. "Sorry about that, Regina," he grins.
Ruby nods her head, and Regina heads out the door. Regina follows close behind.
"That didn't take you very long," Ruby grinned, walking alongside Regina along the beach. "I knew you could figure it out."
Regina nods, "I finally remembered." She turns to Ruby, "So, does that happen every time you get mad?"
Ruby nods, "Pretty much. Or if a bloodsucker moves into town, the fever sets in. We've mostly been in the woods, clearing what we can."
"You can't be doing this, Ruby." Said Regina. "It's wrong."
Ruby stops, her brow furrows. "What's so wrong, Gina?" She asks.
"My father is out there, his men, they have guns. You could get seriously hurt."
"We know how to take care of ourselves. From humans and vampires alike," she chuckled. "We sure took care of that one we encountered in the woods with you."
Regina's mouth slightly opened, "You killed Laurent?"
Ruby nods.
"Ruby, you can't…" Regina shook her head.
Ruby's stare darkened, "It's our job to protect you from them, Gina."
"Not all vampires mean harm."
Ruby rolls her eyes, "I see what this is about. This is about the Swan's, isn't it?" She scoffs, "You're such a hypocrite, Gina. I'm sorry I'm not the right kind of monster for you."
"The Swan's never hurt anyone!" Said Regina.
"Well, you can relax," Ruby spat out. "Anyway, we can't touch your little precious Swan's unless they violate the treaty."
Regina relaxes to the idea that Emma and her family were safe. For the first time in her life she was thankful they were all away from here. Away from werewolves.
"Laurent isn't the only vampire lurking around," Said Ruby, the tension building off of her shoulders. "There's another redhead. Female."
"Victoria is here?" Asked Regina.
"She was. We chased her all the way to the Canadian border the other day, but she keeps coming back. We're not sure why."
A chill ran up Regina's spine that made her shiver. She wondered if Emma knew Victoria was back in Forks. Ruby may be what she was now, but that didn't mean Victoria couldn't get the better of them.
"What, what's the matter?" Ruby asks, sensing Regina's troubled state.
"Victoria… I know what she's after."
"What?"
"Me."
