She took the stairs two at a time, knowing she would be hiding out. In denial. Plotting, maybe?
Henry stayed behind with the nun... the Blue Fairy... whoever the hell she was. There was one thing on Emma's mind and it had to be tended to before she could deal with Rumpelstiltskin. Why that was the one thing on her mind, she had no idea. Or that was what she told herself. Of all the things that had happened to her today, the most jarring had been her change of heart.
"Regina!" she yelled, using the banister to slow her momentum as she rounded the corner. The entire house was tinted violet, the billowing smoke blowing past outside painting the usually stark-white interior.
She found the master bedroom, "Regina?" and pushed heavily on the door, not flinching as it hit the wall. The room was empty, and she paused for barely a second before she resumed her harried pace down the hall. "Regina..."
"In here, Miss Swan," came the low, velvet tone. Emma shivered and tried to ignore the real reason for it.
She was in Henry's bedroom -- the mayor, the queen -- facing the window.
"What the hell are you doing?" She was standing so still. Why was she so still?
"Did you see it?" Regina asked, her voice eerily calm. "Did you see the smoke?"
Emma raised her eyebrows, uncertain of the monarch's current modus operandi. "Uhh... it was kinda hard to miss."
"It means he's brought magic back."
"Yeah, I kinda figured," she sighed, planting her hands on her hips.
Regina dipped her head. "So I suppose you're here to kill me."
"No." The question caught her off-guard, though she wasn't sure why. It was a reasonable conclusion, in light of everything they'd been through. But the look in Regina's eyes when she found her tied to the chair... the way her stomach churned at the sight...
"Then why are you here, Emma?"
Regina used her first name. She tried to ignore the single beat left forgotten by her heart. "You need to run."
At that, the queen turned around. Her brown eyes twitched into a narrow, flicking over Emma from head to toe. "Why?"
Emma drew in a breath as Regina started toward her. She moved away from the wall and took a few steps herself.
"Why... after everything, would you want me to run? After learning what I did... why would you want me to live?"
They were circling each other, predator and prey. Though who was in what role, Emma wasn't sure.
"Why are you even here?"
She never should have lingered in the doorway, never should have even taken a step over the threshold. Regina was there, and she had a point -- she shouldn't care what happened to her. Yet that did nothing to deter the fact that she did.
Before she knew what was happening, she had invaded Regina's personal space, eyes drifting to her lips. Regina's had taken the same path many a time since they met.
"I don't know why I'm here," she breathed. "Maybe I'm here because Henry means something to you, and that's a good enough reason for me to care what happens to you. Maybe I'm here because you're the only one who knows what Rumpelstiltskin's gonna do next."
Regina swallowed hard, but took one more step in, completing the invasion of space. Though Emma had to admit to herself they never really did abide by the concept before...
"Or?" Regina goaded, arching one perfectly-shaped eyebrow.
Nothing else was said. They crashed together and Emma hit the wall. She stuffed her hands through Regina's hair as her lips began to bruise under the force of the kiss.
She gasped as Regina's hands skimmed her waist, tugging at her shirt. She gained enough sense to push her away and finish the thought. "I'm here because I think I need you. And your back's against the wall here, so I think you need me too."
A bit of that playful, biting sarcasm hit Regina's lips in the form of a smirk as she returned, "Actually, I believe it's your back that's against the wall." She brushed her lips again, her name sliding out in a purr, "Emma."
Emma closed her eyes, chest heaving. A new feeling was spreading through her now. "Truce?" she breathed.
Regina's hand closed around hers, grip firm and smile wicked. "Truce."
no subject
Date: 2012-06-25 01:03 am (UTC)She took the stairs two at a time, knowing she would be hiding out. In denial. Plotting, maybe?
Henry stayed behind with the nun... the Blue Fairy... whoever the hell she was. There was one thing on Emma's mind and it had to be tended to before she could deal with Rumpelstiltskin. Why that was the one thing on her mind, she had no idea. Or that was what she told herself. Of all the things that had happened to her today, the most jarring had been her change of heart.
"Regina!" she yelled, using the banister to slow her momentum as she rounded the corner. The entire house was tinted violet, the billowing smoke blowing past outside painting the usually stark-white interior.
She found the master bedroom, "Regina?" and pushed heavily on the door, not flinching as it hit the wall. The room was empty, and she paused for barely a second before she resumed her harried pace down the hall. "Regina..."
"In here, Miss Swan," came the low, velvet tone. Emma shivered and tried to ignore the real reason for it.
She was in Henry's bedroom -- the mayor, the queen -- facing the window.
"What the hell are you doing?" She was standing so still. Why was she so still?
"Did you see it?" Regina asked, her voice eerily calm. "Did you see the smoke?"
Emma raised her eyebrows, uncertain of the monarch's current modus operandi. "Uhh... it was kinda hard to miss."
"It means he's brought magic back."
"Yeah, I kinda figured," she sighed, planting her hands on her hips.
Regina dipped her head. "So I suppose you're here to kill me."
"No." The question caught her off-guard, though she wasn't sure why. It was a reasonable conclusion, in light of everything they'd been through. But the look in Regina's eyes when she found her tied to the chair... the way her stomach churned at the sight...
"Then why are you here, Emma?"
Regina used her first name. She tried to ignore the single beat left forgotten by her heart. "You need to run."
At that, the queen turned around. Her brown eyes twitched into a narrow, flicking over Emma from head to toe. "Why?"
Emma drew in a breath as Regina started toward her. She moved away from the wall and took a few steps herself.
"Why... after everything, would you want me to run? After learning what I did... why would you want me to live?"
They were circling each other, predator and prey. Though who was in what role, Emma wasn't sure.
"Why are you even here?"
She never should have lingered in the doorway, never should have even taken a step over the threshold. Regina was there, and she had a point -- she shouldn't care what happened to her. Yet that did nothing to deter the fact that she did.
Before she knew what was happening, she had invaded Regina's personal space, eyes drifting to her lips. Regina's had taken the same path many a time since they met.
"I don't know why I'm here," she breathed. "Maybe I'm here because Henry means something to you, and that's a good enough reason for me to care what happens to you. Maybe I'm here because you're the only one who knows what Rumpelstiltskin's gonna do next."
Regina swallowed hard, but took one more step in, completing the invasion of space. Though Emma had to admit to herself they never really did abide by the concept before...
"Or?" Regina goaded, arching one perfectly-shaped eyebrow.
Nothing else was said. They crashed together and Emma hit the wall. She stuffed her hands through Regina's hair as her lips began to bruise under the force of the kiss.
She gasped as Regina's hands skimmed her waist, tugging at her shirt. She gained enough sense to push her away and finish the thought. "I'm here because I think I need you. And your back's against the wall here, so I think you need me too."
A bit of that playful, biting sarcasm hit Regina's lips in the form of a smirk as she returned, "Actually, I believe it's your back that's against the wall." She brushed her lips again, her name sliding out in a purr, "Emma."
Emma closed her eyes, chest heaving. A new feeling was spreading through her now. "Truce?" she breathed.
Regina's hand closed around hers, grip firm and smile wicked. "Truce."
end