Lack of sleep, an overwhelming desire to see Regina again, or even a thirst for revenge... Emma could not say what was driving her. In just a few minutes, she had written a long email, which she read one last time before sending it to the recipient.
Gold,
"Secrets are meant to be discovered", is that the saying? What would you say if I told you that yours had not only been discovered, but had fallen into the hands of a Sheriff? That's too bad, isn't it?
I imagine you don't take this email seriously. You are probably thinking of throwing it in the trash after barely glancing at it. I do not recommend this. It's in your interest to read carefully what follows.
You should know that no one but Regina Mills and I are aware of your actions, which are reprehensible to say the least. If it were up to me, I would have denounced you a long time ago and left you to rot in prison. But a promise is a promise, and I have no intention of breaking it for a scumbag like you.
However, I can assure you that if I ever learn that your actions, words, or even your intentions are against the well-being of Mrs. Mills, our children, or myself (because I have absolutely no doubt that you have guessed my identity), not only will you spend the rest of your pathetic life in prison, but all of Storybrooke will be made aware of your past actions… including your dearest Belle, who will be happy to hear how much you have deceived her from the beginning.
Of course, if anything bad should happen to me by your hands, you should know that my colleagues will know where to look to find out the truth about what happened to me.
I hope I have been clear enough for your blinkered mind.
E.S.
Satisfied with herself, Emma clicked on the "Send" button and, with a light heart, she lay back down and fell asleep within a few minutes.
oOoOo
As he did every morning, Rumple Gold opened his shop and turned on his computer. He did not have many customers, let alone orders, but sometimes he received a few rare emails in his professional mailbox from potential buyers looking for some precious object. So he had gotten into the habit of starting his day by sipping his coffee while reading his emails.
Annoyed by the number of junk mails he received overnight, he barely noticed an email without subject sent by a certain ES. Curious to find out what this unknown client was going to ask him, he opened the email in question. His professional excitement immediately subsided. As he read the first few lines, he lost his smile and his hands began to sweat. As he read, he felt his heart race and his mouth go dry.
The day he had dreaded for years had just arrived. Regina had told the police everything. The hatred for his stepdaughter stirred him to the depths of his soul and he only wanted to make her pay. After all he had done for her, was this how she repaid him? It took him a few moments to pull himself together as he sat down in his chair behind the counter.
His heart beating wildly, he tried to think. The strangeness of the message was now clear to him. This email was not official. If it had come from a sheriff's department or a police station, the sender would have given their name and rank. Everything pointed to a private individual. It only took a few more seconds of thought to match the initials to this Emma Swan. At the thought of the young woman, a predatory smile appeared on his lips. The more he read the email, the more he understood that she had nothing against him. She knew about Regina's past, so what? The facts went so far back that the statute of limitations had long since expired. As for Daniel's murder, no one had ever been able to prove anything against him; it was not this young idiot who was going to find something when the best investigators of the FBI were bogged down in this case. Somewhat reassured, he found his normal breathing again and began to think more intensely.
All his life he had trusted himself and what he was doing for Regina. Hadn't Cora herself told him they were doing it for her own good? He had never been afraid of prison. To tell the truth, he was not even worried about it, knowing that Regina was far too scared to do anything against him. But something had changed today. He had known it as soon as that child had arrived at her place. This young Swan was a bad omen, and his mother's arrival in Storybrooke only made things worse. Despite their long-term work to destroy any self-confidence Regina might have had, this young imbecile had managed to restore it enough for her to confess everything to her. Gold cursed himself for being so careless. He should have acted from the start and not waited for that little snoop to stick her nose in where it didn't belong.
The antique dealer was trying to put on a brave face, but the truth was that he was terrified. Deep down, he had always been a coward, and that cowardice was bringing out a visceral fear in him. For years, Cora Mills' presence at his side had always played a protective role. He knew that as long as the Mayor was with him, there was no danger. He lived with remarkable impunity, despite all their disastrous actions. Now, with Cora imprisoned, he found himself alone to face the threats of this nasty piece of work. And if, despite her promise, she decided to reveal everything to the police, what would happen to him? Was he really sure that she had nothing against him? What if Regina had revealed details that the police were not aware of at the time? He panicked again.
He had never thought he would end up in jail, too confident in himself and his dominance over his stepdaughter to fear anything from her. In fact, what he feared more than prison was the way Belle would look at him. Since his wife's imprisonment, he had found the ingenious librarian to be a valuable help and a pleasant presence. She was the only person close to him who knew nothing of his murderous past, and her caring and loving gaze was a great help to him. He could not bear for her to see him as he was: a tyrant and a murderer. Fortunately, Emma Swan was gone, and until she returned, he could continue to torment Regina. As long as he kept his power over her, he would be safe. She would not denounce him, Regina would not react, and everything would continue as before.
He tried to calm himself as the woman came through the front door. "Above all, do not lose face. Keep believing in your domination," he tried to convince himself. When he saw Regina, he knew immediately that it was all over for him. She was no longer afraid.
"Madam Mayor." He curried favor with her, trying at all costs not to show his fear.
"Enough small talk, Gold. I came to tell you it's over now."
"What's over?" He said, as if he did not know what his stepdaughter was talking about.
"Everything! It's all over: the intimidation, the threats, and even the fear the two of you put me through!"
Knowing he had one last desperate attempt left, he lost his temper and shouted:
"So what? What are you going to do? Are you going to lock me up, you and your knight in shining armor? All your life I have tried to give you the best! I made you understand that all the people around you weren't good enough for you, and this is how you thank me? Actually, you know what? You're just not good enough for us. I wonder why your mother sacrificed herself for you! Because yes, she sacrificed herself for you, for you! And you -"
"You're crazy, you poor thing." Regina interrupted him calmly.
She especially did not want to scream and stoop to her stepfather's level. She slowly approached him, her finger outstretched and threatening. Then, holding his gaze, she told him in a cold, monotonous tone everything that had weighed on her heart for thirty years.
"Listen to me very carefully. You did not sacrifice yourself for me at all. All you did was destroy me before I even started to live."
"We did it for your -"
"Shut up! No, you did not do it "for my own good," as you like to say! You did it to destroy me! What kind of parent dares to do what the two of you did to me?! What kind of parent dares to beat their little girl because she brought home a bad mark?! What kind of parent dares to lock their child in a closet for whole nights?! What kind of parent can beat a little girl to a pulp?!"
Regina had lost her calm tone and spat her hatred in Gold's face, freeing herself from a decades-old heavyweight. On the verge of tears, she continued more calmly:
"I was just a little girl..."
The antiquarian still stared contemptuously at his former victim. He would have liked to reply with a snappy retort, but there was no time, for Regina continued:
"I began to live when you were gone from my life, and though it did not last long, I shared with Daniel the most beautiful moments of this short life. But your madness took him from me. You thought that from that day on I wouldn't dare do anything against you. Well, think again. Because from that moment on, I knew that one day I would be strong enough to get rid of you. It may have taken me a long time, but I want you to know that today your miserable authority over me no longer exists.
"And you think I believe that? Between you and me, Regina... what will you think when we meet on the street, in the park with your son, or even at the supermarket? Do you think you can let go of your fear like that? Who says that I will let you live peacefully with that... worthless blonde woman?
Not wanting to show the fear that was gripping him at any cost, he did what he did best: put on the most contemptuous air possible. He had never seen Regina so assertive in front of him as he was about to play his last trump card. Perhaps provoking her would make her back down, make her fall back into his clutches. Much to his despair, she had never been more confident and continued:
"Only problem, Gold, today your pathetic little threats no longer affect me. You've lived your whole life in the shadow of my mother, crushed, dominated and obedient. You've never known love, true love, the one with which you know nothing can happen to you. The difference between you and I, is that today I love with true love. I choose to live this love and I don't care what happens because I will be happy to be with the woman I love. Today I'm going to rebuild my life with the one my heart has chosen. So you can say whatever you want to my mother, I'm no longer afraid of either of you. Emma will never be good enough for you. One thing's for sure, you're definitely not good enough for Emma. She taught me to come alive, she taught me not to be afraid anymore, she taught me to love. Thanks to her I have confidence in life, I want to live by her side and share everything with her. So you, miserable creature, you can continue with your usual actions, threaten us or even hurt us... Know that I would rather live a few days at her side than live a life without love and with fear rooted in my heart."
"Such a waste, you had the potential for such beautiful things."
"What you don't seem to understand is that your career dreams, your life fantasies for me are over. I will no longer live through you. My mother has ruined her own life, and I will no longer give her the opportunity to make up for it through me. From now on, I will live my life whether you like it or not, and you will have no more authority over me. I am removing you and my mother from my life. I despise you both. You no longer exist for me. As for you..."
"You have nothing against me anyway."
"No, of course not, I have no proof. But I promise you on my son's head that if the slightest thing happens to my family, you will regret being born. Do I make myself clear?"
Gold could not answer in a decent way, he could not bend down to give up in front of her. But at that moment, he was ready to accept anything, as long as she left his shop and lowered her dark, frightening gaze. He thought of Belle and their dreams of living together, he could not ruin everything.
The combined effect of Emma's email and Regina's visit overcame his will. The fear had gone to the other side. So he gave one last contemptuous smile, provoking his stepdaughter one last time.
Regina interpreted Gold's smirk as compliance. She left without further ado, slamming the door behind her.
She was free at last.
oOoOo
The weather was especially beautiful in Boston that Sunday in September. Indian summer had turned the leaves of the trees red, and the air was still crisp. Emma and Matthew forced themselves to go for a walk in the park where they used to go. But they did not feel like it. So, after a few minutes of fresh air, they quickly returned home. The boy retreated to his room, and Emma slumped on the sofa, trying in vain to read.
The Swans' lives were so miserable... Their typical cheerfulness seemed to have been forgotten in Storybrooke. They barely spoke to each other since their return, and Emma regretted not being able to share as much with her son as she once had. But at least she had Matthew by her side. She could see him and touch him every day. Unlike the two Mills. Her heart itself seemed not to have recovered from this double separation. The absence of her lover and her son weighed on her as never before.
She had never received a reply to the email she had sent to Gold. She was not even sure if he had received it. In the end, it did not matter. Everything was in Regina's hands now, and although she dreamed of being able to do so, she had no right to fight for her.
She was lost in these thoughts when her phone rang. She snapped out of her thoughts and her heart raced as she saw the picture of her caller. Why was Regina calling so early this morning? Impatiently, she picked up the phone.
"Hi Regina." She said tenderly.
"Hi Emma." The beloved voice answered her.
Emma's smile immediately returned and her body regained a pleasant warmth. It was as if the blood that had been frozen inside her in Regina's absence had begun to move through her flesh again, bringing her back to life. Matthew poked his head out of the bedroom and joined his mother on the couch, clinging to her so he could hear over the phone.
"How are you?" She said.
Miles separated the two women, but strangely, Emma had never been so close to her since they had left. Regina's voice was an electrical illusion, transmitted over the telephone network, but Emma could almost feel her breath against her ear. She felt instantly revived.
"I'm okay now. Are you? And Henry?"
"We're very well."
Regina paused, hesitant. She wanted to take her time. She wanted to savor this moment. At the lack of words, Emma became concerned and continued:
"Are you sure? You seem worried."
"No, I assure you, we're fine. In fact, Emma, I wanted to tell you something."
Emma could hardly believe her ears. Could it be that Regina had finally taken the plunge? Bubbling with impatience, she said in a tone she would have liked to have been less urgent:
"Go on, go on!"
"I've conquered my demons, Emma." She replied sweetly.
Emma's heart exploded in her chest. How could it be that she was not dead? On the contrary, she felt more alive than ever. She jumped up from the sofa and embraced her son, who had let out a loud cry of joy. She tried to calm her excitement, but her joy was so strong.
"I'm so proud of you, Regina! I wish I could teleport to Storybrooke right now! But how did you do?"
"I'll tell you all about it when we meet again."
"But when...?" Emma asked sadly.
Her joy was immediately tempered, called back by reality. She was so far from Storybrooke right now. She would probably not see her again for days. Even though she knew they would meet again soon, Emma needed her now, wanted to feel her now, needed her scent and her arms now.
"One day. Soon."
"Soon? How long?"
Regina did not react immediately. She took a last breath and said:
"Well... now?"
"Now?" Emma asked, not understanding.
"Open your door, Emma."
She frowned, not wanting to believe it for fear of being disappointed. Her heart beating wildly, she slowly approached the front door. She grabbed the doorknob and gently turned it. She held her breath, then suddenly opened it wide. She could not believe her eyes: Regina and Henry, beaming, stood before her on the landing of her small apartment.
Emma gave her no time to say anything. Without a word, she threw herself into her lover's arms and embraced her in a vital and passionate embrace. If they had been able to merge physically, their two bodies would have been one at that moment. Their bodies were glued together, they did not want to separate, they made up for the weeks of separation in this embrace. Emma inhaled deeply into her brown hair, feeding on the haunting scent as if her life depended on it. Savoring the moment, Regina stroked her hair, her eyes closed, not even noticing the tears of joy she was shedding.
As for the boys, they expressed their happiness in a much less introverted way. As soon as they saw each other, they ran toward each other, screaming with joy. They hugged each other and danced around. A little calmer, Henry hugged Emma, who was still snuggling up to Regina. Reluctantly pulling away from her lover's welcoming body, Emma turned to her son and hugged him.
"You sneaky little boy! You should have told me you were coming to Boston!"
"But that would have been no surprise, Miss Swan." Regina said with a smile. "With the way you're welcoming me, I don't regret not telling you!"
Giving her no time to continue, Emma jumped on her and kissed her passionately. For the first time in weeks, they tasted each other's lips again. How had they managed to do without for so long? Her tongue flicked over Emma's, and Regina responded to the kiss with undisguised pleasure. The boys looked away and gave an amused "eeeeew". Then the four of them finally entered the Swans' apartment.
oOoOo
"How did you find us? How did you find my address?" Emma asked, sitting on the couch next to Regina.
The two women huddled together, embracing their sons. Nothing could keep them apart now.
"I will always find you. That's what you told us when you left. That is what I promised myself."
Lost in each other's eyes, Emma and Regina hardly needed to speak to understand each other. They understood each other with their eyes. They did not need to talk about the trip to Boston or even the explanation with Gold. All this would come in time. For now, they just needed to feel each other's presence.
The silence that had settled in the living room was anything but oppressive. It was a soothing, serene silence. At last, they had found each other again, and all four of them now knew that it was all over. Or rather, that it was all about to begin.
"Emma, Matt," Regina said, admiring the pair with infinite tenderness, "not insisting that you stay in Storybrooke was a huge mistake. I should have held you back, forced you to stay. If you only knew how much I regretted it... It's been a difficult few weeks for all of us. But this difficult time has taught me one thing. Away from you, I understood. I understood that I could not live without you. So I fought for you, I faced my fears for you. Now I'm stronger for you..."
Regina looked down, ashamed to have kept Emma waiting so long. Encouraged by Emma's gentle stroking of her back, she continued.
"It took me a long time to accept you into my life, it's true... But now that we're together, I want you to be a part of it. The question now is: do you still want me in yours?"
" Well, yes, of course!" Matthew enthused, not even giving Emma time to react. "Between the four of us, we'll be the strongest in Storybrooke!"
In fact, even if Emma had wanted to say something, her constricted throat would have prevented her from doing so. Her eyes were still glued to Regina's, savoring what she had just said. Finally, finally! Finally, she would be able to live happily with her partner and her two children. Right now, she was the happiest woman in the world.
"So what do we do now?" he said.
Neither Regina nor Emma had the presence of mind to say anything sensible. So it was Henry who answered in the most obvious way:
"We're going home."
oOoOo
Exhausted from the long journey to Storybrooke, and as if they'd always been used to it, the two brothers were fast asleep, curled up together in Henry's bed. And just as they had a few weeks before, their mothers watched them from the doorway with admiration.
"Do you remember what you told me when we found them sleeping like that?" whispered Regina.
"Yes... How hard it would be to separate them."
"That day will never come again, I promise. Our sons will never be separated again... And neither will we..." she added, raising her gaze to Emma's.
She looked into her lover's eyes, which she found black with desire. She gently closed the door to the boys' room and felt Regina take her hand.
"Come with me, Emma..."
Regina gently pulled her towards her and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. At that simple contact, Emma felt her body heat rise and she couldn't resist deepening the kiss. She smiled as she felt Regina immediately open her mouth and willingly give her access to her tongue. How they had missed this! Her legs were trembling, her heart was pounding. And it was only one kiss! But it foreshadowed so much more...
Without breaking the increasingly intimate kiss, Regina pulled her lover into her bedroom. As soon as she entered, Emma pinned Regina between the door and her own body. Emma wanted to take her time, to savor this moment of intimacy she'd dreamed of for so long. But her hands seemed to act of their own free will, and without stopping for a moment, they caressed her sides, her back, her lower back... She had waited far too long to be patient. But she stopped for a moment, not wanting to rush Regina.
Regina looked at her like no one had ever looked at her before. Emma was overwhelmed. So excited and so grateful at the same time.
"I'm so grateful to have met you, Regina..."
She stopped the conversation with a kiss on the chatty mouth. Then she whispered a pleading "Love me..." in an enchanting voice that broke down the last barriers Emma had kept between them.
She threw herself hard against her mouth. Their breaths grew shorter and shorter and their bodies demanded each other like never before. They didn't just want it, they needed it. Like eating or sleeping, their bodies needed each other's touch, and the more urgent their embrace became, the more they felt alive again.
Emma left Regina's mouth and kissed her way down her neck, caressing Regina's breasts through her clothes. Regina seemed to give in. This woman was driving her crazy. But Emma wanted more, she wanted to feel and taste Regina's skin, so she hurriedly unbuttoned her blouse. The garment quickly landed on the floor, as did her own tank top, which she quickly removed. They'd seen each other in swimsuits before, but now Emma and Regina were a long way from that innocent afternoon at the beach. After a moment of wordless contemplation of each other's breasts, Emma plunged her head into Regina's cleavage and buried her face in the inviting bosom. For a moment, she thought she could die snuggled up against those breasts and be content.
Regina eagerly removed her bra. The sight of those two magnificent naked breasts excited Emma to no end. So she threw herself greedily on one of the nipples and took it greedily into her mouth while her hand gently caressed the other. They instantly erected with excitement, making Emma smile with pride.
Regina had never felt such a flood of emotions. She didn't know anything anymore and couldn't think. All she wanted at that moment was to feel Emma against her, on her, inside her... Unable to make the slightest coherent movement, she let herself lie on the bed, overlooked by the most beautiful woman she'd ever known in her life. Emma was still busy caressing her breasts, and her skilled hands opened Regina's pants at the same time. Regina could already feel the wetness between her thighs. Without giving her time to resist, Emma's curious hand had already found its way to her crotch and she smiled as she felt herself soaking wet. Regina looked away, ashamed to have reacted so quickly and strongly to Emma's caresses. Emma reassured her with a soft kiss.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Regina. I'm very flattered, in fact..."
Confident once again, Regina responded to the kiss by playing with her lover's tongue. Then she quickly removed her bra. Her breasts trembled with excitement as they touched for the first time. Then, finally giving up the last of her resistance, Regina surrendered completely to Emma's skilled fingers.
Unlike their tongues, which fought fiercely, Emma's hand caressed Regina's wet flesh with infinite gentleness. For the moment, it simply glided along her slit, teasing her entrance but never penetrating. Occasionally her fingers lingered on her clit, sending spasms of pleasure through Regina's body. Emma's excitement was at its peak and she felt as wet as the woman she was touching. But she tried to forget her own pleasure, too busy trying to satisfy Regina.
Trying to catch their breath, they stopped kissing. Regina enjoyed Emma's gentle caresses, but she wanted more, so in one swift movement she removed her pants and underwear. Then, stroking her lover's hair, she guided her face to her crotch. Emma didn't hesitate and began to gently lick Regina's sex, collecting the precious nectar between her lips.
Regina's moans drove her crazy. Emma still couldn't believe it. She was finally making love to Regina Mills! And the moment was even more magical than she could have imagined. She stopped for a moment and looked at the beaming face.
"You're so beautiful..."
Regina appreciated the compliment and her heart leapt in her chest with joy. But she playfully beckoned Emma back with a teasing glance at her own crotch. Emma obliged and resumed her tongue play. This time she wouldn't let her languish any longer. And so, with her tongue teasing her clit, she finally slid two fingers into the waiting hole. Eased by the dampness, her fingers slid effortlessly into her sex. Though she would have liked to send Regina to heaven right away, she forced herself to take her time and made a slow back and forth motion.
"Emmaaaa," Regina moaned. "Faster, please... This is... so... good...!"
With her head thrown back, her body rose to the rhythm of the penetrations, seeking even deeper contact with the lovely fingers. Then Emma obeyed, moving in and out faster and faster, all the while stroking her clit with her thumb. Regina tried to speak, but her jerky words made her completely incomprehensible. So Emma stopped all attempts at discussion by capturing her mouth. When she finally felt Regina's walls gripping her fingers, the scream she let out was lost in her throat and she collapsed into her arms, her body still trembling.
"I love you..." she managed to whisper despite the convulsions in her body.
The look she gave her melted Emma's heart. She read so much in it all at once: gratitude, desire, relief, happiness, and, what overwhelmed Emma... love. She saw a love so strong that the arousal she had managed to forget came flooding back. She held her close and buried her head in her warm, soft neck.
After a minute, Regina caught her breath and began unbuttoning Emma's jeans, which quickly ended up on the floor as well. She wanted to give her the same ecstasy. But Regina didn't have the same experience with women as Emma and her gestures were hesitant. Emma sensed this and said affectionately:
"You don't have to, you know..."
"Shh, Emma, I want to. I want to please you the way you've pleased me..."
So she gently removed Emma's jeans and boxer shorts and watched the woman she loved. She was so beautiful, her body slender and muscular, yet feminine. How strange it was to caress a female body, how strange the sensation of kissing breasts was... But also how exciting. Regina sat down on the bed and, gently embracing Emma's body, made her sit astride her. She kissed her affectionately and caressed her soft breasts. She played with one nipple with her left hand and slid her right hand down Emma's stomach to her soaked sex. She stopped for a moment, confused by the sensation on her fingers. But Emma would have none of it and grabbed her hand, pressing it against her crotch.
"Don't stop, Regina, not now..." she said, moaning.
Then, intoxicated by the unknown sensation of feeling a naked woman at her mercy in her arms, Regina followed her instincts and penetrated Emma's sex with her middle finger. Emma, feeling her lover's finger inside her, began to move her pelvis slightly. The rubbing of her breasts aroused her even more, and Regina happily felt her own sex begging for more.
"One...more...one...more...," Emma whispered, gasping for air.
Regina inserted a second finger into her and resumed her back and forth movements. Still sitting on Regina's fingers, Emma controlled the rhythm of her penetrations by raising and lowering her pelvis. Regina followed the rhythm imposed by her lover, working hard for long minutes to follow and anticipate her desires. She marveled at her own responses. It was so natural, so smooth, that Regina thought she'd been doing this all her life. When they ran out of breath, they would stop kissing and look into each other's enraptured eyes. Then they'd miss the taste of each other's mouths again and kiss again.
"Oh, Ginaaa... Please keep it up, it's... too... good..."
As she felt the orgasm building inside her, she suddenly grabbed Regina's hand and controlled it, giving her the rhythm she wanted. Finally, her head tipped back as a powerful orgasm exploded inside her. Her hoarse moan filled Regina with pride. In a protective gesture, she held her back with her free hand. With her back arched, Emma's breasts were so close, so inviting, that Regina licked them one last time, gently removing her fingers from her soft hole.
Beaming but breathless, Emma lay down on the bed and pulled Regina to her side. Because nothing needed to be said, because they'd said it all in that passionate, loving embrace, they snuggled together and fell asleep, soothed at last.