A/N: This chapter is slightly rated M. It's a bit of an emotional roller coaster (at least it was for me), but it definitely falls into one of my top favorite chapters ever written by me. I hope you enjoy it. More updates coming tomorrow, and I warn you ahead of time... heartache is about to happen. Sorry.
Happy reading! :)
Chapter 14: Before The Storm
"This is Emma. Leave a message!"
"Come on, pick up." Regina muttered, clicking on her call button along her steering wheel, hearing the line ring and ring with no answer. "Emma, please pick up. Please." She makes a sharp turn onto the street that would take her to Emma's apartment complex.
Regina couldn't even imagine why Emma must have left and not waited outside for her like she had asked. But she knew she needed to explain everything to her. She needed to understand why Emma chose to leave. Reaching the door to Emma's apartment, she banged along the door with her first.
"Emma?" She called out, banging her fist along the door again. A little harder this time. "Emma, come on. Open the door. Please." She banged one more time. "Emma!"
"Regina?" Regina's head whipped around finding Ruby standing nearby. "What's going on?"
"Where's Emma?" Regina breathed.
"She hasn't gotten back yet. She was with Mary Margaret last I heard, but she left soon after. Wasn't she supposed to meet up with you?" Ruby asked, her brows furrowed.
"Yes, but something happened. I asked her to wait, but when I went to meet her outside of the restaurant she wasn't there. Look, Ruby, I am beginning you. Do you have any idea of where she could be?"
"There's only one place Emma always goes when she needs to clear her head and be alone." Said Ruby.
"Where?"
"Over by the docks. She always goes there to check on Mary Margaret's boat."
"Thank you." Regina smiled, planting a kiss along Ruby's cheek before running off.
Upon arriving at the docks, Regina parked her car upon spotting the familiar yellow bug, feeling a wave of relief come over her that Ruby's information had been correct. Emma was here. She ran out of her car, already knowing her way along the docs until she spotted Emma inside the boat as if lost in thought. There was distant thunder and she could feel faint spinklets of water already manifesting but she didn't care. "Emma!" She called out, running along the dock.
Emma's head whipped up, her brow wrinkling right in the middle. "Regina? What are you doing here?"
"Why did you leave?" Regina breathed, stopping near the boat as she looked up at Emma. "I requested for you to wait outside for me. I was on my way out to see you."
Emma scoffed, "Yeah? Was that before or after you had a good laugh at me?"
That's when Regina could pick up on the anger behind Emma's eyes. An anger she had never seen before. "What are you talking about?"
"Nice try, Regina, but this little act you have going on isn't working anymore. You may as well come clean about everything."
"What's everything? What on earth are you talking about, Emma?" Regina places a hand on her hip.
Emma shakes her head, fighting tears from glossing her eyes over again. "Go home, Regina." She turns around, giving her back to Regina.
Regina scoffs and automatically, doing the opposite of what she's been told, begins climbing aboard. "I am not leaving until we talk, Emma."
Emma whips around, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm trying to talk to you." Said Regina, climbing over.
"Get out of the boat, Regina." Emma demanded, placing her fist along her hip.
"I'm not leaving until we talk, Emma." Regina shook her head stubbornly, placing her own hands along her hips.
"Get out of the boat, Regina!"
"No!"
Emma rolls her eyes, attempting to walk past Regina to get off the boat. "Hey!" Regina steps before Emma, holding up her hands, preventing her from leaving.
"Get out of the way, Regina." Said Emma.
"No. Not until you talk to me and give me one good reason as to why you're pissed at me." Regina's eyes lock onto Emma's dark green ones.
"Are you seriously going to look me in the eye and pretend to be innocent in all this?"
"What?"
"You lied to me." Emma's finger hovers along Regina's chest. Her eyes sting more than ever.
"Lied to you?"
"About your boyfriend!"
"What are you talking about?" Regina's eyes grow in horror.
"I asked you, Regina- I asked you if you had a boyfriend, since the very beginning, remember? You lied- you said you didn't have a boyfriend!"
"I didn't lie to you, Emma! I was telling you the truth- I don't have a boyfriend."
"Then why did I see you kiss him?" Emma shook her head, yanking her arm away from Regina as she attempted to stop her from getting off the boat. "Get away from me. I can't even look at you right now."
"Emma, will you just stop!" Regina ran forward again, blocking her only exit. "Stop. Please," her voice breaks as her own brown eyes tear up. "Please, just… I swear to you. I swear there's no one else. No one but you. Only you."
Emma quickly wiped away at a fallen tear that managed to escape her. She cranes her head back, avoiding all contact with Regina, but quickly loses that battle once Regina's hands cup along her face.
"Emma," Regina breathed, feeling a headache coming on. "I didn't- I didn't lie to you. Please. You have to believe me, things just unexpectedly went another route that's all. Someone that my father works for showed up and he wouldn't leave so I-"
"So you cancel everything without consulting me. And instead of facing me yourself you have someone else tell me that you left when clearly, you were still there. Do you understand how humiliating that was for me?"
"No, no, no. No!" Regina shook her head, "Look, I did tell the guy at the door to give you a message, but it wasn't to run you out like that."
"Yeah, right."
"I didn't- Emma, I would never do that." Regina wrapped her fingers along Emma's biceps. "And if you would have stuck around like I asked, you would have seen me slapping Robin after he kissed me."
Robin. That was a name that Emma placed in the back of her mind.
"Look, I…" Regina sighed. "I should have told you about him. That was my mistake. I won't deny that he is interested in me, but there is nothing- nothing- on my part." Her hands cupped along Emma's face again, forcing her to lock eyes. "Look at me, Emma. There could never be anything between Robin and me because I could never love him. Or anyone for that matter. Not when I am madly in love with you."
Like magic unlike anything Regina had ever seen, she saw Emma's dark green eyes change to the emerald color she loved, right before her. Regina loved her. That was the first time she had ever heard her say that feeling out loud.
"What did you say?" Emma breathed, feeling her heart accelerate inside of her chest as loud as the thunder that clapped above them.
Regina's own heart jumped to her throat. She smiled, feeling more tears stream down her cheeks. "I love you." Her thumb ran along Emma's cheek, wiping away a tear of her own. She moved in once she felt Emma's own hand cup along her wrist. "I love you, Emma. We are one, remember? If you hurt, I hurt. If you're happy, I'm happy. No one is ever going to change that."
Emma was floored as she looked into Regina's eyes and saw the truth behind them. "How do I know this isn't you laughing at me?" She asked, shaking her head.
Regina sighed, "Come on. Emma, I would never laugh at you. Except maybe when you trip over my materials whenever you stop by my art studio." A small smile curls along the corner of Regina's lip as she sees Emma suppress her own. "I love you, Emma. Would I be saying that if it weren't true?"
She had a point there. Because Emma might still need to learn more about Regina, but she knew that Regina never said anything she didn't truly feel. "I love you, too." Emma breathed, feeling her soul momentarily leave her body. Especially after seeing how big Regina's smile grew.
Emma didn't waste any time in cupping a hand along Regina's jaw and pulling her in until their lips met, molding into a passionate and tender kiss. She allowed her other hand to rest along Regina's waist as Regina's hands rode up along her shoulders, her arms wrapping along her neck. Their kiss grew so intensely that nothing could pull them apart. Except once the rain started pouring down around them, drenching both of them instantly.
Regina's smile matched Emma's as they both stared up at the rain. Their bodies still holding onto each other, in a sealed promise to never let go. Their eyes instantly met and Regina was glad to see those beautiful pairs of eyes she loved so much back to normal. Looking into her soul with all the love in the world they always looked at her.
"Do you want to go somewhere?" Emma breathed, her bottom lip trembling with how cold the rain fell.
Regina nods, "Okay," she said, her breath equally trembling.
"Come on," Emma held tightly to Regina's hand, helping her off the boat and running along the docks until they reached Regina's Mercedes.
Cora observed her daughter through the window of her vehicle. Her eyes cold and unfeeling as she could hear Regina laugh as she climbed into her own car, driving away with whoever this other woman was. "Drive," she demanded.
"Where to next, ma'am?" Her driver asked.
"Home."
The door was thrown open as Regina and Emma's tangled bodies made their way inside of Regina's art studio. Their kiss breaks as soon as Emma knocks over a couple of empty cans that Regina kept by the door, shoving them along with her foot.
"Shit, I'm sorry." Emma breathes, looking down at the knocked over cans, seeing a tiny puddle of blue paint forming along the floor.
"It's okay," Regina chuckled, looking into Emma's eyes again. "I don't care." Her eyes darken at the sight of Emma that she can't hold back but to kiss her again.
Emma inhales sharply, her head swimming as her lips can't do anything else but respond to Regina's as they kiss. Her hands find their home along Regina's waist, feeling how easily all of her clothes stick to her body due to the rain. "You're all wet," she whispered along Regina's lips, finding her eyes again.
Regina's eyes locked intensely with Emma's green ones. "Aren't you?" She asked teasingly, grinning as she watched the color from Emma's cheeks increase to crimson.
"That's not…" Emma breathed out an embarrassed chuckle. "Good one."
Regina's teeth flashed in the darkness of the room. "I'm quite proud of that one, yeah." She chuckled. After placing a kiss along Emma's thin lips Regina's eyes would flick down to the button along Emma's shirt as her fingers slowly began to undo each one.
Emma remained absolutely still, too afraid to even breathe as she watched Regina's fingers before her eyes met up with brown ones. "Are you sure?" She asked softly.
"I can't think of a more perfect moment." Regina nodded. "Can you?"
Certainly not. Who didn't dream of such a perfect moment with the one they loved? In a place that they were both so familiar with, that was private and where the rain fell peacefully over the glass ceiling that overshadowed them. Emma was no one to turn down Regina if she wanted this as badly as she did.
Pale hands began to undo the buttons along Regina's blouse. She pulled it free from the binds of the wristband of Regina's pencil skirt while Regina pulled Emma's shirt free from the waistband of her jeans. Soon after, their lips met hungrily turning their kiss into something more. Emma's tongue was so quick to shy away from invading Regina's mouth, that it forced the brunette to release a moan right into Emma's mouth.
And whatever previous, sour taste Robin had left along Regina's lips had washed away. Regina's hands buried along the inside of Emma's shirt, sliding it off of her shoulders until it pooled somewhere along the floor. As Emma's arms wrapped strongly along Regina's waist, Regina climbed right up in a single hop, wrapping her legs along Emma's waist. Feeling their kiss intensified after Regina had allowed her lips to explore the skin along Emma's neck.
Emma carefully laid along Regina's futon that had been previously pulled out and slept in. She laid Regina along the bed, climbing right up along her knees. Emma stopped her climb as soon as she felt Regina's hands fiddle with her belt buckle. A snap followed by a sharp pull was felt along Emma's waist.
Their lips found each other, before Emma pulled back, sitting up and stared down at Regina. "Lay back." She said, seeing Regina comply. Trusting her. Emma's lips buried themselves along the skin to Regina's neck, fingers and nails kneading along her wet hair and scalp.
Feeling Emma's hands ride up her ribs, Regina slightly arched her back off the bed, feeling one of her breasts being cupped. "Ow!" Regina's eyes shut tight, feeling a bite along her back as her bra strap snapped back in place.
"Christ, I'm sorry." Emma's green eyes looked in horror. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
Regina laughed, shaking her head. "No."
"Are you sure?"
"Maybe a little, but I'm fine. I promise." Regina chuckled, brushing back fallen strands from Emma's messy ponytail.
Emma shook her head, feeling her cheeks grow a little hotter. "I'm really sorry, I was trying to help you take it off."
"Why don't I do that?" Regina nods, arching her back again to quickly remove her bra, tossing it aside somewhere along the floor. She froze as Emma did. Her green eyes looking right at her, her pupils dilated.
After successfully removing her shoes and jeans, Emma helped Regina out of her pencil skirt, tossing it along the floor with the rest of their clothes. Their naked bodies explore each other for the rest of the afternoon until it's evening. After a few more rounds, with minor incidents this time, both having explored each other's bodies thoroughly, they ended up resting, cuddled up to one another, occasionally sharing a kiss or two. Eventually, they lit up a fire along the fireplace after the room became a little cold due to the rain that was still pouring down. Regina immediately cuddled up along Emma's side after.
Emma's lips pressed along Regina's forehead in a kiss, her arms enveloping her in, seeking her warmth. Eyes closing in content. There was no better feeling.
"I like your hair like this," Regina said, softly toying with a strand of Emma's loose blonde hair, taking in how it brightened with the light of the fire. "You should wear it loose more often."
Emma chuckled, "You think so?"
"I do. You would look so beautiful with your hair cascaded over your shoulders." Regina grinned. "Like a model straight out of a magazine cover."
Emma laughed, "Come on."
"What?" Regina plopped herself up along her elbow, lying on her side. "You don't believe me? I'm the one with the artistic eye, remember? I know beauty when I see it."
"Then you must see it every morning when you look in the mirror, huh?" Emma smirked, responding to each of Regina's kisses until their eyes met again. Her hand came up, brushing back some of Regina's hair along her ear. "Do you regret what happened?"
A frown slightly took over Regina, "No. Do you?"
Emma shook her head. Her thumb lightly brushed along a small blush that settled along Regina's left cheek. "I could never regret loving you. It's impossible."
"I love you, Emma." Regina smiled. "And I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about-"
"Don't worry about it." Emma frowned, but there was a tranquility to her voice. "He doesn't matter anymore. All that matters to me is that you love me as much as I love you."
"I love you more than you'll ever know." Regina ran a hand through Emma's loose hair, watching some cascade over her shoulder.
"I'm sorry I got angry. Just seeing him kiss you-" Emma hushed upon feeling Regina's finger land against her lips.
"It will never happen again."
"Gina, seeing him with you only made me realize that your family is never going to accept me." Fear sets in behind Emma's eyes as she looks into Regina's brown orbs. "Even if I leave and do my best to someday have it all, they will never want to see me with you."
"Leave?" Regina's eyes light up, "Does that mean that you got the job in New York?" A grin split across Emma's lips and Regina couldn't help but shriek in delight, rewarding Emma with a row of kisses. "See! I told you you would get it! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!"
Suddenly, as Regina realizes that Emma isn't smiling, she stops smiling. Because by being hired to work in a mine in New York, that would mean that they would have to separate. God knows for how long.
"When do you leave?" She asked, her voice filled with sadness.
"In two weeks."
"Two weeks?" Regina's eyes grow in horror.
"I know. But don't worry," Emma ran her thumb along Regina's bottom lip. "I'll call you every single day. I swear it. I'll email. I'll fly here every weekend." She watches Regina sit up and she mirrors her movement, scooting closer to Regina.
There was no way Regina was losing her. No way. Even if they could withstand the distance. It wasn't about that anymore. With a decision made, Regina turned her head over her shoulder to look into Emma's eyes. "If you're leaving… then, I'm coming with you."
It was Emma's eyes that grew widely now. "Gina…" She shook her head.
"No buts, Emma. It's the only way to be together. You want to be with me, don't you?" Asked Regina.
"Of course I do. More than anything."
"Then let's just do it. Let's just go to New York. I'll pack a bag and be ready in two weeks."
Emma's frown deepened. "Gina… I don't want to force you to run away with me."
"You aren't forcing me into anything, Emma."
"Maybe not but, your dad will hate me. That's if he doesn't already. I mean, I wanted to walk through your front door and ask properly for your hand in marriage, not take you away from them."
"Emma," Regina twists her body so that she's facing Emma directly this time. "You can do that just as well once we return. And when that day arrives, they will have to approve, because I know you'll go far." She smiles, stroking Emma's long hair. "Please. Take me with you. I'll die if we need to separate for even a second. What if you leave and you meet someone else- forget all about me?" Emma chuckled, trying so hard not to laugh. "I'm serious, Emma."
"That'll never happen." Emma shook her head, allowing herself to smile a little. She reached for Regina's left hand with her right, joining their tattoos together. "I am eternally yours, just like you are eternally mine."
Regina scoffs, rolling her eyes. "I don't think any girl will respect that."
"Like your friend Robin?"
"He's not my friend." Regina glares.
"No, he just wishes to be more. I can't say I blame him, though." There's a tiny smile curling at the corner of Emma's lip. "I want to be more, too."
Regina smiles, placing a kiss along Emma's lips. "You already are."
Emma shakes her head, "That's not what I meant." Her eyes lock onto Regina's seeing the realization struck behind them. "Regina, would you marry me?"
A single tear runs down the corner of Regina's eye. "Marry you?" She whispered.
Pale fingers give Regina's a gentle squeeze. "I warn you, our living situation- if we leave together- won't be anything like you're accustomed to. The apartment I found that I can afford for now is very small. Practically a one bedroom apartment. The kitchen and living room are connected, and they are even smaller. And we probably won't have a lot of furniture. We'll have to eat on the floor at first, but I promise you that with time as soon as I start working hard, I will fill that apartment with anything your heart desires. Little by little. That's a promise."
Regina happily smiles. She can already imagine that little apartment they will call their own. Her lips pressed onto Emma's in a kiss as she leaned in, allowing her body to to move in, her legs straddling along Emma's waist, feeling the blonde's arms envelope her in.
"Is that a yes?" Emma whispered along Regina's lips, responding to each of their kisses.
"That's a hell yes," Regina murmured along Emma's lips, placing her entire body weight along Emma's to where they both lie down again.