A/N: Hopefully this next chapter does get a lot of reviews. As you all might have already guessed, this story will be a slow burn and yes, Emma and Regina will start having a relationship that unfortunately won't last as long as they both wished it would. And yes, they will be reunited, and a lot of SQ jealously along with moments will take place again. So I beg you all to be patient and enjoy the story as is. :) Happy reading and thank you as always for being so patient.
This chapter is slightly longer because it just happened that way. And it is also dedicated (along with the entire story) to my better half and partner in crime of almost 15 years. Thank you for every smile, and laughs and joyfulness that you have brought into my life. And thank you for encouraging me to write when I thought I was no good. 3
Chapter 5: A Chance Encounter
"Ow!" Emma rubbed at her bicep after feeling a direct punch from Ruby's fist. Her brow furrowed. "Ruby, you should be happy for me."
"I am happy for you," Said Ruby, halting on their walk along the busy mall. "What I'm not happy with is you moving away."
A small smile stretches along Emma's lips. "A flight to New York is only an hour and twenty-five minute trip."
"Please," Ruby rolls her eyes, continuing their walk. "As if I'll be able to afford a weekend flight to New York just to see you. That's impossible, Em."
"Almost four hours by bus. It's more affordable." Emma tucked her hands in her pockets as she walked. Her eyes explored her surroundings of the already familiar mall before they turned back on Ruby. "Come on, lighten up. Besides, I don't even know if I'm going to get the job."
"Of course you'll get it." Ruby stops walking to stare at Emma. "Listen to me, any job would be crazy not to pick you." Her fist (gently this time) bumps into Emma's bicep. A supportive smile plays along her lips.
Emma mirror's her best friend's smile. "Thanks, Rubs." She walks alongside her friend, feeling Ruby's arm hug her back as they walk.
They remain silent for a while until Ruby spots a knick-knacks store with various items for sale. She urges Emma they should go in to look around, going automatically for the wallet section. They weren't expensive wallets. In fact they were cheap, but they lasted. Besides, who needed an expensive wallet, anyway? As long as the brand was good and it held your money without the possibility of it slipping it out, that was enough.
"What do you need a wallet for?" Emma's brows furrowed.
"It's not for me," Ruby rolls her eyes as if saying: obviously. She inspects the wallet for the second time around, dropping it back into the pile of endless wallets and picking up another one. A light brown one this time to inspect it. "It's for Graham."
Emma grinned in a teasing manner but said nothing.
"Stop!" Ruby shoved Emma away.
Emma chuckled, "Ruby, you really need to come clean about your feelings to Graham." Her eyes lock onto Ruby's glaring ones. "I'm serious, Rubes- you've been hiding your feelings for him for as long as I've known you. You've been keeping your heart in an underground tomb for too long. You need to tell him."
"Please," Ruby tosses the wallet back into the pile. "Graham has his hopes set so high on you that he doesn't even notice me." She frowns.
Emma blinked, frozen solid as she stared wide-eyed at Ruby.
"Oh, come on," said Ruby. "Don't act like you don't see how his eyes light up every time you walk into a room. It's like finding diamonds in a dark cave." She walks over to another part of the store.
Emma grins, shaking her head as she follows close behind Ruby. She's seen eyes like that. Two beautiful chocolate colored eyes that she hasn't been able to stop thinking about if she was being true to herself.
"But believe me," Ruby turns to face Emma so she can see the seriousness in her eyes. "I have nothing against you. Graham's the moron who doesn't realize you're even the slightest bit interested." But even if Ruby knows that, there's still that pinch of worry. "Are you?" She asked hesitantly.
"Me and Graham?" Emma's nose scrunches up. "No. Trust me, Ruby, if I were ever- and that's a one in how-about-never-chance- you'd be the first to know." Not that there was nothing wrong with Graham. But Emma's interests happened to be elsewhere. "Besides, there's no chance in hell I would jeopardize my friendship with you or him over a love-triangle."
Ruby grinned, leaning into Emma's side as she placed her arm around her shoulders in a one armed hug. "Come on. Just for that, ice cream's on me."
They walked out of the shop, onto the crowd, passing a couple of other stores before they stopped right at an ice cream counter near the food court. Ruby buys a vanilla cone for her, and a strawberry one for Emma before continuing on their walk, passing a couple of stores on their way.
"So, you really think I should tell Graham how I feel?" Ruby asks, taking a lick of her ice cream.
"I really do," Emma nods. "You don't want to go through life wondering about the what if, if you don't come clean about how you feel. Do you?"
"Well… no…" Ruby frowns. "But, it's not as easy as you make it sound. I mean, every time I want to tell him, I get scared. What if he doesn't like me?"
"Unfortunately, Rubes, you won't know that unless you step up to the plate."
"Yeah… maybe you're right, but," Ruby shakes her head. "I don't know, Em. Maybe I'm just a coward."
Emma smiles, wrapping her arm strongly around Ruby, pulling her close as they walk. "You're not a coward, Ruby. You're the bravest girl I know."
A small smile lifts at the corner of Ruby's lips, "I appreciate the confidence boost, Em, but you just say that because you haven't been in love before. Just wait until you meet that one girl that collapses your lungs at the mere sight of her, and you'll understand."
"I like my lungs filled with plenty of oxygen, thank you." Emma chuckled. "Besides, isn't that what love is supposed to be like? Let it cloud your senses? Your judgment?"
"You mean, become an idiot?" Ruby grins. "Yeah. Pretty much."
"Come on," Emma gives Ruby's shoulder a light squeeze. "Let's go see if we can't find Graham something for you to give him."
Ruby follows her until a small art shop captures her eye. Or rather, what's inside on display. "Emma!" She calls, her eyes wide.
"What's up?" Emma instantly follows Ruby's line of sight, her green eyes turning wider than Ruby's. She couldn't believe what she was staring at. It was her, in a large drawing, framed and placed along the wall of the small art shop just across from them. You could see it even from afar, just over the large door frame. What the-?
"That's you! Isn't it?" Ruby grinned, admiring the likeness of the picture as she pointed at it. Her shoulder nudged a dumbfounded Emma. "Why didn't you tell me you went to have your picture drawn?"
"I… didn't know." Emma mumbled, her attention trained on her picture. There's only one person she could think of that would have drawn her. Could she be here? There was only one way to find out.
"I've got to see this!" Said Ruby, rushing through the crowded mall toward the art shop for a more personal look.
"No, Ruby-!" Emma's voice caught in the back of her throat, too late to prevent Ruby from heading over there. And apparently her legs had other plans, too, as she didn't know when she was sprinting across the mall to stand at the entrance of the shop herself. Up close, the drawing made her appear as if she were almost coming out of the paper. The detail in her face, her eyes, her hair- they were all as if Emma was almost looking into a mirror. Or staring into another dimension. Like a dream.
Ruby moved along several of the pictures, ending in Emma's. Along the wall, right beside Emma's drawing was the little girl from the bus. Her little face halfway hidden from the seat, just as Emma remembered her. "These are really amazing. Look at the detail!" Ruby's hand hovered over Emma's drawing before turning to the actual Emma standing behind her. "Who could have done this?" She asked.
Emma didn't answer. She couldn't. She was floored to find her own voice. With her eyes trained along her reflection, radiating off of the page in front of her, Emma walked closer to study it. Her eyes looked along the bottom right corner, seeing a bold black signature along the page. Regina Mills. Her pale fingers traced the curves of the name written out in fine cursive. Gently, as if to not smudge the ink off the page. The day on the bus… of course. A tiny smile manifested along the corner of Emma's lip.
"Earth to Emma!" Ruby's fingers snapped loudly in front of Emma's face, startling her.
"What?" Emma blinked, tearing her eyes off the name signed at the corner of the page to stare at Ruby.
"I asked if you know the artist?" Ruby grinned.
"No," Emma answered without hesitation, looking back down at the name along the page. "Not really."
"Not really?" Ruby's brow arched.
Emma shakes her head, "I mean… we might have ran into each other once. Yesterday. On the bus." She turns back to her own reflection. "She didn't have enough for bus fair. She must have done it then." She murmured.
"Well, look at that! You're famous!" Ruby grinned, giving the picture a once over for a last time. "It looks like she'll be here in two months for a small gallery opening." She jerks her thumb over her shoulder at the sign in the middle of the shop. "We should stop by."
Emma's eyes turn to Ruby after reading the sign. "Why?" She asks.
"Well, I would love to meet the artist behind this magnificent creation! I mean, come on, Em. Aren't you curious?"
"We should get going, Ruby. I promised my dad I'd pick up dinner for us." Said Emma, glancing down at her watch while heading out of the shop. Ruby's curiosity unanswered.
"But-" Ruby raced after her best friend, following her out of the shop. "Emma!"
TWO MONTHS AFTER…
"Here we are!" Mary Margaret sets down a small chocolate cake on her patio table. A satisfactory smile on her lips. "Now, it's a celebration!"
"It's not my birthday, Mary Margaret. I just got my engineering degree." Said Emma, sitting along a patio chair.
"And so what?" Mary Margaret's fist placed itself along her hip. "It's still a reason to celebrate! And don't you go on denying me of it. I won't have it." She cuts a sliver off the cake, placing it carefully along a plate before handing it over to Emma. "Now, come on. Enjoy it. Cake is made to be enjoyed."
Emma's dimples glimpsed as she smiled, her eyes focused on the woman she has known to be alone for years, without a family member in sight.
"What?" Mary Margaret asked, placing a piece of cake into her mouth that she stabbed with her fork.
Emma shrugged, shaking her head, "I'm just curious…"
"Huh!" Mary Margaret breathed, sitting back in her chair with her plate in hand and her fork in the other. "Curiosity killed the cat. Hasn't anyone ever told you that?"
But Emma's curiosity went beyond that. She hesitated to ask her question because Mary Margaret has always been a private woman, but in the end it got the better of her. "I was just wondering…" She paused, choosing her words carefully. "How come you never had any kids?"
In an instant, the world stopped. The only sound were the chirps of birds as Mary Margaret leaned forward to place her plate along the table with a light clatter before her hands joined one another in front of her lap. Her chewing had slowed.
"I don't mean to pry…" Said Emma, quickly catching on to the woman's discomfort. Her entire body language had changed in a nanosecond. "It's just that… you do all these things for others. For me. You would have made a great mother, Mary Margaret."
Mary Margaret wiped at the corners of her mouth, attempting to hide her discomfort that Emma had picked up on early on. She shrugged one shoulder, "Having children of my own just wasn't in the cards for me, I guess. Not everyone is destined to be a mother." Her eyes locked on Emma's.
Emma bobs her head in understanding, popping a piece of cake into her mouth. "And you're fine with that? I mean, didn't you ever desire to have a little boy of your own? A little girl?"
The woman chuckled, shaking her head, "Whatever for? So she could grow up to be a headache like you?" The woman chuckled, shaking her head. "No, thank you. I'm perfectly fine the way I am. Besides, I'm too old to have you fussing over me- when you should worry about yourself-" she points her fork directly at Emma.
Emma grinned, "You're not old, Mary Margaret. You're still as beautiful as I'm sure you were when you were a little girl."
"You flatter me. But enough about me, this day is supposed to be about you." Mary Margaret brushed a hand in the air, placing another piece of cake into her mouth. She froze at the feel of Emma's hand cupping over hers. Her eyes locked onto Emma's.
"You know you're never alone, right? You have me. I'll always be around to look after you and keep you company." The sincerity in Emma's voice oozed out of her heart, through her lips.
Despite fighting against it, Mary Margaret's eyes threatened to tear up. But she blinked them away almost instantly, providing Emma's hand with a gentle squeeze before releasing it from her grasp. "Thank you, Emma. And you know I'm here for anything you need. My home is your home. Besides, you're the only person I do like. So, there's that."
Emma chuckled, giving her attention back to her cake as she sliced through another sliver with her fork. "I love you, too, Mary Margaret. And your cakes." She pops the piece of chocolate into her mouth. "Are you sure you don't want to come to our barbecue this evening? My dad said you are more than welcome to join us."
Mary Margaret chuckled, "I'm sure he did. Emma, you know I hate to turn down any of your invitations, but I can't. I have a lot of preparation to do for tomorrow morning's food drive. Besides, you'll be with Ruby and Graham, you don't need me there."
"You're wrong," Emma's voice drops an octave, but remains sincere. "I'll always need you, Mary Margaret."
Music filled a dance hall that night, a crowd of at least twenty people gathered around to celebrate Regina's day. Her father had arranged it so that she and Kathryn could spend the night of Regina's birthday in peace and with friends. Flowers were gathered in every corner. Balloons stuck to the ceiling and an entire table of gits was set up along one of the corners, next to a three-sized birthday cake. The night had been perfect.
"This was a great idea from your dad, Regina!" Kathryn beamed, standing next to her best friend in a sparkling silver dress that ended at mid-thigh. "Everyone's having a blast tonight. How was your mother okay with this, anyway?"
Regina shrugged a single shoulder, "Beats me. But I'm glad my dad talked her out of having something at the house. The last thing I needed was for Robin Locksley to show up uninvited," she rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her champagne.
Kathryn's eyes bulge, and her mouth thins out into a straight line. "Well, looks like he didn't get the memo because he just arrived." She points a finger in his direction. Robin wore an all black suit and pants, accompanied with a black tie. His hair was slick and well groomed. A large bouquet of flowers resting along his right arm.
Regina's happiness that she had felt the entire night vanished at the sight of him. She not only had to deal with him picking up her phone number from God-only-knows-where, but she had to put up with him constantly calling her, wanting to know where she was every second of the day, as if they were an item that she was sure he had already pictured in his head. Not to mention the large bouquet of flowers he had delivered to her house this morning in honor of her birthday. Then calling her just to see if she had received them. Now he shows up here of all places! Ready and willing to ruin her birthday.
"Quick! Hide me!" Regina couldn't figure out what to do with herself.
"Hide you where? He's already seen you." Kathryn said, staring directly at Robin in awe, while Regina froze in place with nowhere to run.
"Hi, Regina. It's wonderful to see you again." Robin smiled an all white teeth smile. He placed the large bouquet of flowers before her. "These are for you. Happy birthday."
"Thank you, Robin," Regina took the flowers against her will, handing the bouquet to Kathryn. "You didn't have to bother buying me more flowers. I have plenty with the ones you sent this morning and the day before."
"Plenty is so little for you. You deserve every flower that blooms." Said Robin, his eyes sparkling as they locked into her's.
"How did you know where I was?" Regina asked, remembering very well Robin being uninvited to her party.
"Your mother. When I couldn't reach you, I called your house, and she informed of where you were."
Of course. She resists the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, thank you, but as you can see I have guests to attend to, so-" she motioned toward the way he entered.
"Hey, Regina," Another friend of hers smiled at her, his arm circling her back. A gesture that didn't get past Robin as his face turned to stone. His jaw clenched tightly.
"Hey, Daniel."
"Save me a dance for later?"
"Of course," Regina smiled.
Robin's blue eyes grew dark as his hardened gaze followed Daniel's path before turning back to Regina questioningly. "Who's he?" His head nods in the direction of the guy.
"A good friend." Said Regina, looking into Robin's eyes.
"A good friend?" Robin nodded. "Or a boyfriend?"
To this, Kathryn's brow lifts as she exchanges a look with Regina. "Kathryn, will you excuse us, please?" Regina said, giving her best friend a nod. After Kathryn walks away, giving them both some privacy, Regina steps a little closer to Robin. "Listen, Mr. Locksley. I don't care what sort of business you have going on with my father. As much as I do appreciate you helping him out, that does not give you the right to embarrass me like that in front of my friends."
"That guy was all over you, Regina." Robin said through his teeth. His dark eyes towering down at Regina.
"And what's it to you? Even if I was interested, which I'm not, that's no business of yours. I am not your property, nor am I interested. So, you know what?" Regina reaches for the bouquet of flowers that Robin brought her and shoves them directly into his chest. "You can take these with you on your way out. Because I don't want them."
Ever since they met, Robin has taken it upon himself to appear anywhere Regina is. Like a shadow that even appeared at nighttime. Suffocating her every step. Determined to win over her heart.
And, if there was one thing about Robin Locksley was that he could never be told no. "You're upset. And I understand that. Perhaps some time to cool off will make you see things a little clearer." He tosses the flowers along the table behind Regina. He runs the back of his knuckles along Regina's cheek, which are quickly brushed away. A smile plays on the corner of his lip. "I warn you, Regina. I don't give up easily on something I want. And when I want something, I usually get it."
Regina's eyes didn't drift from his as she said, "Good luck with that, Mr. Locksley." Her eyes follow Robin until he disappears from the same door he entered. It was then she released a heavy breath, feeling her knees wanting to give out from under her.
"Are you alright?" Kathryn ran right up to her best friend, holding onto her arm. "What the hell was that all about?"
"It's nothing I can't handle," Regina shook her head. "Listen, do me a favor, will you?"
"Anything."
"Can you hold down the fort for me for just a minute? I need some air."
"Are you crazy?" Kathryn blinked. "Regina, you can't leave your own birthday party- what is everyone going to think? Everyone already noticed how tense things got with Robin Locksley-"
"Kathryn, please! It'll just be a minute." Regina's eyes practically begged as they stared into Kathryn. "Please."
Regina's round eyes were on the verge of tears, that Kathryn couldn't possibly say no. She helped Regina exit her party unnoticed while she remained behind. At some point she insisted that she should accompany her, but Regina insisted that she needed to be alone. Where she would end up- she didn't know- nor didn't care. She just needed to be away.
A few others- acquaintances of David- gathered for the barbeque along a small outdoor restaurant where Graham worked. After eating, David mingled with his friends, while Ruby was deep in conversation with her grandmother. That's when Graham noticed Emma's absence, spotting her a long ways away, near a dock. Reaching for two more beers and popping them open, Graham walked away from the gathering and decided to join Emma along the dock.
"Hey, Em," he announced himself, finding Emma's eyes staring up at him, over her shoulder. "Mind if I join you?" He flashed the ice cold beer bottles for good measure.
Emma smiled, "Sure, Graham," she said, turning her attention back to the water, the way the moon reflected along the small ripples.
Graham sat alongside Emma, handing her the beer, receiving a thanks in return. Both shared an equal swig after clanking their bottles together. "So…" he paused to give his eyes a moment to study Emma's beautiful profile. "New York, huh? You sure that's what you want to do?"
Emma bobbed her head as she took a swig from her beer.
"Have you heard back from them yet?"
She shook her head, brushing back a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Not yet. But I emailed them a copy of my engineering degree, so, maybe soon."
"New York." Graham clicked his tongue, taking an immediate swig of his beer. He turned to Emma, "I guess that means I never had a chance, huh?"
Emma's brow lifts as she looks to Graham. She chuckles and playfully shoves him before taking a swig of her beer. Except she immediately notices that Graham isn't smiling or laughing along with her. And in that instant, Emma sees what Ruby talks about displaying in his eyes. She finishes her beer quickly as she stands, "Thanks for the beer, Graham, but I should get back to my dad."
Graham stands, his fingers wrap along Emma's forearm. "Emma," he pauses, locking eyes with her. "Look, I don't mean to make this weird between us-"
"Then, don't. Please." Emma shakes her head.
"You must have known something. Anything that gave you a hint toward the way I felt about you." Said Graham, his hand never releasing her arm.
"Graham-"
"I love you, Emma." Emma's eyes grew wide at his revelation. "I know you don't love me. Not in that way, anyway. And I know that you…" he paused. "Well, you have other… inclinations, but… Emma, you make me feel a way no other girl has ever made me feel."
"Graham-"
"You've been with me through thick and thin and you understand me better than anyone." Graham breathed. "I can't help how I feel about you just like you can't help how you feel. And I know I'm going out of my way here, but…" he sighs. "I think that if you just gave me a chance that maybe-"
"Graham." Emma's voice is a little more stern this time. "Don't do this to yourself. Please. Look, you're my friend- one of the best- and I love you. But you're right. I can't correspond to something I don't feel. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but you can't see me that way. And Ruby…"
"Ruby?" Graham's brow furrows. "What does Ruby have to do with any of this?"
Emma shakes her head, "It's not for me to say."
"Wait," Graham's eyes widened. "Are you and Ruby…?"
"No!" Emma's nose scrunched up. She finally takes back her arm after feeling Graham's grip loosen from around it. "Ruby's like a sister to me. Just like you are a brother to me." She sees that sparkle in his eye leave, quickly replaced by a wave of sadness. But it had to be said. "I'm sorry, Graham. If my feelings were a little different, believe me, I would be lucky to be with a guy like you. But I can't betray my heart to something I don't feel." Her hand lands along his shoulder. "You're my family, and I don't want to ruin that or anything between us."
Graham reached for Emma's hand, holding it until Emma pulled it back. "Wow," he puffed out, rubbing his bloodshot eyes with the balls of his hands to keep himself from crying.
"Graham…" Emma's frown deepened.
"No, no," Graham sniffed, shaking his head. "It's okay, Em. Really." He chuckled, gulping the knot in the back of his throat so hard, his throat bobbed. "I mean, it's just my luck, right?" He attempted a weak smile.
"I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Emma." Graham places a hand along her shoulder. "Hell, I always knew. It's not like you didn't come out of the closet years ago, right?" He grins. "I just… I stupidly hoped that it would come to pass. And you know, you've never brought a girlfriend home so… I thought…" He shrugged, ducking his head in embarrassment.
"Hey," David comes up to the dock, eyeing them both as he frowns. "Is everything okay?" Emma looks to Graham.
Graham nods, "Yeah," he forces a smile. "We were just talking, you know. Wishing her luck and all that." He shakes his almost empty bottle. "I'm gonna see if Ruby wants another beer." He walks away.
David's eyes follow Graham before he turns back to Emma with a quizzical look. "What's that about?" He nods his head.
"It's nothing." Emma promises.
"Well, I'm gonna go on home. Call it a night," David claps Emma's back. "You staying here?"
Emma shakes her head, "No, I might take a walk or something. Get some air."
"Are you sure everything's fine?"
"Everything's fine, dad." Emma claps David's shoulder, nudging him forward. "Go home. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright. Don't get home so late."
"I won't." Emma's smile vanished as soon as David was out of sight. She sighed to herself before walking away, tossing her empty bottle in a nearby trash bin.
Regina walked along a boating dock, hearing the quiet water waves dance along the side of boats. Her family didn't own a boat, but she always loved this spot. She didn't come often, but when she did, she would make sure to always come alone. It was the perfect spot for getting away from everything that suffocated her, and lately what suffocated her seemed to be a lot.
She walked along the pier, feeling the fabric of her dress dance along the wind that blew in her direction. She walked in between two boats, taking them in, imagining what it would be like to own one someday. Get away in one, leaving her life and everything she knew behind. Taking a step closer to inspect one of the boats that was stationed beside her, Regina felt her heel dig itself through the old wood beneath her. Just great! She groaned in frustration, feeling her foot become stuck to movement.
Carefully, she bent down to untie her heel, slipping her foot right out, bending at her knees. "Come on," she grunted through her teeth, her hands pulling at her heel that wouldn't budge from within the wood. "Come on!" She pulled a little harder, feeling it dance a little in her hands. "Yes!" After that last tug, she managed to pull it free. Standing to her feet, the wind blew once again in her direction, causing her green colored dress to blow below her bare foot. And as Regina took a step back, her bare foot slipped along the soft fabric, causing her body to jerk backward and fall deep within the water with a splash.
One thing about Regina was that she loved the water, despite not being able to swim. She always regretted not learning. Even more so now that she found it difficult to keep herself afloat.
Her arms wildly attempted to elevate her body weight under water, swinging heavily as much as they could, along with her legs. But the more she attempted to know how to swim, the more she would feel herself drowning. Her situation went like that for what felt like a long ten minutes. Maybe more. So much that it was becoming more and more difficult for Regina to breathe. Her lungs felt like they burned as they pleaded for oxygen. Her eyes saw nothing but blurry waves and silhouettes of lights above the surface that she might never see again, before everything went black.
It's true what they say… There is such a thing as a bright light before your time of death. She just never imagined that this was how she would meet her demise. All Regina would remember before dying was focusing on that bright light that hung above the water, along with hearing a muffled splash somewhere along the pier. She was almost certain she could see someone or something swimming toward her, but she would never be sure of that.
A gasp escaped her, aching her lungs and chest as she sharply breathed it in. Regina's eyes snapped open to the feel of two hands pressing along her chest, but not before feeling a pair of lips along hers blowing excessive puffs of air into her mouth. Regina coughed, feeling water dribble off the side of her parted lips, all while her eyes adjusted to life once again.
"You're okay. You're okay. Look at me." A voice called out, forcing Regina's eyes to blink until they finally adjusted to the silhouette of a person hovering over her. She blinked and blinked until that silhouette became more clearer, revealing a mane of blonde wet strands of hair hanging off the sides of the most beautiful face, and the most gentlest green pair of eyes she had ever seen. "Are you okay? Say something." She begged.
"It's you," Regina breathed sharp exhaled breaths. And before Regina knew it, she sat up, and threw herself into the familiar arms of the woman she had encountered on the bus.
"Whoa," Emma breathed, taken aback by how fast Regina threw her body toward her. But she wasn't one to turn a hug in need away, especially when the woman began to cry hysterically within her embrace. Her body trembling with emotion, causing Emma to lock her arms around her even tighter. "You're okay. You're alright now." She promised, feeling the woman's hands cling to her wet shirt with a force that threatened to never let go.