3
There should have been a worn in line where Regina had been pacing back and forth for going on 30 minutes now. It takes her hours to get home and Emma left before she did, so why hasn't she responded to Regina's text? Sure, she had been drinking but there is no way she had forgotten to text the other woman. 'Maybe...oh forget the maybe's and get yourself together Mills! This is way out of character for you, dammit!' She needed to calm down, and she really needed to get some sleep. Sure she was the mayor but she needed to go into work for a few hours tomorrow. If she didn't hold herself to the highest standard how could she expect herself to hold anyone else to a high standard. She breaks the cycle of the linear path she had drawn for herself and goes to pour herself a cider. She changed into her silk sleeping attire as she sipped on the drink and tried relentlessly to calm her nerves and her brain. Overthinking would get her nowhere. She got very little sleep as she tried to close her eyes...
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She had retreated to her mansion for the weekend. Her foul mood wasn't something she wished to employ upon the residents of Storybrooke. She did manage to read a few new books and cook more food than she would ever eat alone. She wouldn't admit it within the town line, but she had also got some writing done. As if she didn't already write quite dark and emotional songs, her inner turmoil seemed to lend it's hand at even darker content. The days were dragging and she watched the nights pass with her eyes barely closing. She couldn't convince herself to text Emma to check up on her again. The woman she used to know would get annoyed at being questioned and bothered, so she just let sleeping dogs lie. So it came as a surprise to her when the phone laying on her desk chimed on Tuesday in the middle of her lunch.
Ms. Swan : hey, sorry i didn't get back to you the other night, but I made it home!
A smirk crept across her face with the blonde's dimwitted response coming a few days too late, but at least she did respond I suppose.
Roni : Good to know you are well Emma. Next time a few less days of me wondering would be desirable.
She really tried to keep her usual banter towards Ms. Swan to a minimum, considering the woman had no memory of such events, but this was Emma and she simply couldn't help herself. She was surprised that the response came before she had a chance to lay the phone down.
Ms. Swan : oh, were you worried about me hmmmm? ;) im sorry, it wont happen again.
Ms. Swan : and who the hell uses language like that 'would be desirable' jk
Regina laughed to herself. A lot may have changed about Emma, but clearly she was still the same woman she had known and lo....nope, nope. She was the same.
Roni : Some of us talk as if we have opened a book once or twice, dear.
She smiles. She misses this. She has been missing this for so long now.
Ms. Swan : touche', hey I just wanted to let you know that Killian has a work trip this weekend. they are leaving thursday but i dont know what time so i am coming to see you sing but i dont know what time i will be there.
'If I had known you were going to like my singing this much I would have sang for you a long time ago..' Regina smiles to herself. She is thankful Hook will be leaving Emma alone for a while. But Hook, with an actual job, ha! That's the most laughable thing she has ever heard of!
Roni : I look forward to seeing you again, Emma.
She receives no further correspondence from the woman, but she is floating on cloud 9 now that she knows she will see her again Thursday. It's only two days away.
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A dress that falls just above her knees and hugs her curves deliciously doesn't quell the nerves deep in her belly as she stands next to the bar sipping a fruity cocktail the bartender had suggested for her. She had shown up early despite Emma saying she would likely be late. She needed that drink more today than any other day. She had to find a way to pry more information from Emma without letting on to anything she may know or feel. The last thing she wanted to do was spook the woman or push her away. So she found herself quite surprised as the cold rush of air blasts in when the door opens and she sees a familiar blonde entering the establishment. She can't stop the grin that takes over the corners of her lips.
"I thought you said you were going to be late...good to see you, Emma." She lifts the cocktail to her lips and takes a deep swig. The nerves in her belly have taken full flight after seeing the woman in question.
"Yeah, well...things just worked out." She flashes a toothy smile at the brunette and tries to keep her eyes from wandering down the form that has her mind spinning.
"I see, glad you could make it, dear." Regina turns to face her more fully. She subconsciously scans the woman's body and her focus lands on fresh finger shaped bruises on her wrist. A low growl escapes without her consent.
"Killian's boss called last night and he got on the road pretty quick. Not sure what changed, but I am not complaining. I wouldn't want to miss whatever you have in store for tonight." Emma winks and Regina feels a shiver roll down her spine. She takes a step back to regain her composure.
"And Henry, is he stuck with Mrs. Summer again?"
Emma chuckles and gods is it beautiful. "Yes, he is a little angry about it, but I promised him we would spend the weekend together so he was okay." She flags the bartender and orders herself a drink.
Regina clears her throat, "well, it looks like it's time for me to go and get ready. My SISTER hasn't made it yet but I will call and see if she is leaving me hanging again."
"Sister...the redhead, she's not....shit Roni I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed." The cutest blush creeps up around Emma's cheeks.
Regina smiles down at her shoes, "it's fine Emma. I understand how you would be confused. We don't look much alike. Different dads. I have to go." She waves and makes her way to the stage area.
Emma finishes off one drink and orders another as an athletically built blonde bounces up to her. "Hey! I'm Amy, can I sit here cutie?"
Emma chuckles and gestures to the seat next to her allowing the woman to occupy it. With her back to the stage she doesn't see the deep frown Regina is wearing as she watches the exchange between the two women. Zelena had texted her that she wouldn't be coming tonight so she wanted to go ahead and get started. Although you would never know she suffered from a bit of stage fright before she got started. Once the notes sang under her fingertips it all disappeared but she didn't want to prolong the anticipation any longer.
She shakes back the hair that has fallen in her face and places her fingers over familiar keys, letting a few simple notes sing. In her peripheral vision she sees Emma turn to face her as the music starts.
"I don't know your heart...
I don't know where to begin.
But I could feel you erasing
The rivers i'd drown in "
Emma finds herself lost in the familiar haze that takes over when Roni sings. The woman next to her is speaking to her, but it doesn't register at all.
"So far..
So far away
Don't you know we could be
High or low
You never fell beneath me,
And I gave up on you
But I never
Forgot
You"
This song played a lot with the highs and lows Regina could achieve with her voice. Her range was an impressive 3.2 octaves and she was showing every bit of it off.
"I can't be your friend,
Hold your hand while you bleed.
There's nothing left to give you,
Nothing more I need. "
Her singing continues until she reaches a place that was intended in the song to highlight Zelena's skills and be a violin solo. She improvises and turns it into a piano solo, which turns out to be almost as beautiful. She is caught up in what she is doing and barely registers the movement in the direction of the blonde she has been half watching throughout the song. In the briefest of moments she sees Emma forced out the door by two..or is it three men. Her mind reels in both confusion and muscle memory as she finishes the song. But she can feel in the pit of her stomach that something is wrong. "Excuse me, I will be back in just a moment. I apologize for the delay. Thank you for your patience." She steps off the stage and makes her way out of the door, but the group is nowhere to be seen.
She hears the faint sound of a grunt and turns to the left where she hears the sound coming from. She finds a small alleyway beside the building and peers down it to see Emma on the ground and the men around her seemingly kicking her. "Hey!" She lifts her hands to throw a fireball and remembers that she doesn't have magic outside of Storybrooke. She growls to herself and yells "Help!" as loud as her voice can carry. The men run off before anyone bothers to turn their attention toward her and she sprints to Emma.
Falling to her knees next to the woman she sees that the left side of her face is badly bleeding and already swollen. "Emma wake up!" She get's no response. The blonde is unconscious under her hands. She tries to check the woman for other injuries as best as she can in their situation. She shakes Emma by her shoulders and still gets no reaction from the other woman. She stands and makes to try and pick the larger woman up. "Dammit, Ms. Swan my magic is strong not my muscles!" She yells at the seemingly sleeping woman. "PLEASE WAKE UP!" She does not register the tears now streaming down her face and falling from her chin as she struggles with the weight of the other woman.
After a few moments of futile attempts a low groan faintly makes its way from the injured woman's lips. "Thank gods, Emma. You have to help me. I can't get you to my car by myself!" She wipes the hair that is stuck on the woman's sweat and blood covered brow back. "Get up!"
Emma groans and lifts a hand to touch her face but a smaller, soft hand catches her wrist. "please, don't touch it." She tries to look up to the angel that has saved her as the past several minutes make their way back into her memory. She nods as best as she can with her head feeling like it's going to explode and sends all the strength and energy she has to pushing herself up on her feet.
It's not pretty or graceful by any means the two women make it to Regina's car, where she tries to spread some of the papers she has sitting in her back seat to keep as much blood out of the upholstery as she can. Emma passes out almost instantly after being placed into the car. "Emma, I don't know where to go!" She yells, knowing the woman cannot hear her. Inside her chest is constricting and she feels like she isn't breathing although the sharp rise and fall of her chest indicates otherwise. Her mind is racing and it only took a fraction of a second for her to realize that she couldn't risk taking Emma all the way back to Maine in this condition, and with Hook gone she could not leave Henry. She also did not want Henry to see his mother in this condition. She had no choice, she had to take Emma back to her house, wherever that was.
Regina was always a strong woman and kept a level head most of the time. But here she was out of her element, with no magic and a woman she knew that couldn't remember her. For one of the first times in her life she started to panic. She took in Emma's battered and bloody form looking so small for only a moment before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finally with a moment of clarity she feels Emma's pockets and finds her cell phone. Only to be blocked by a lock code. "Damn, think Regina, think!" The pass code being four numbers she enters 0 8 1 5 and the phone unlocks. "Of course you would make it Henry's birthday..." She smiles to herself and looks through the contacts until she finds 'Mrs. Summer' and hits the call button. The woman answers the phone after only a few rings. "Mrs. Summer, hello, my name is...Roni and I am here with Emma. She is hurt, but she is going to be okay. I need to bring her home but I don't know her address. Can you please tell me where to take her?"
The other woman pauses clearly skeptical and informs Regina that Henry has just fallen asleep but gives her the address to Emma's apartment. Regina punches the address into her GPS and makes her way across the city to the home of the broken woman.
It was quite a struggle once they arrived to get the woman to wake up long enough to get up to her unit and fight for the key to open the door. The bit of commotion must have been easily heard by the neighbors as a thin woman with heaps of gray hair and reading glasses on the end of her nose opens her door. She watches Regina struggle with Emma for a moment before speaking. "Did that man she keeps around do that to her?" Her gravelly voice alludes to a lifetime of smoking.
Regina can only throw the woman a hateful glance as she struggles to get Emma into the apartment and can only manage to land the woman on the couch. She finds that she is being followed by the older woman from across the hall. "I knew that guy was bad news."
"Mrs. Summer...it's Mrs. Summer right?" The woman nods briefly. "I would love to indulge the sordid details of how this happened, but I really need to get her taken care of. SO if you will excuse me..." She moves to the sink and searches for a cloth.
The older woman accompanies her into the kitchen, opening a drawer and removing a cloth as if she herself resided here. "I'm sorry I understand your worries, child. I have lived in this building a long time, and have known her since she moved in last year. " She hands the rag to Regina who moves to begin wiping the blood from Emma's face. "Her and that boy were so delightful, and still are, but they have been so different since she brought that man home. I mean, what kind of man wears eyeliner?"
Regina tries to contain the smirk from forming across her lips. She knew it was Hook!
The older woman moves back to the entrance "if you want to look in on the boy I don't mind, but, as it seems his mother is in quite rough shape and he is sleeping I see no reason to go disturbing him." She lets her stare linger on Regina who brings her eyes to meet the older woman. Her chest constricts...she could see Henry. Tears spring to her eyes and she stands upright to follow the woman back to her own dwelling.
In the guest room she can see the back of the boys head. She wants to break down. To run to him and wrap him up in her arms. Smell his hair and feel his little arms wrap around her. She takes the few steps to the bedside slowly. She leans down to place a kiss on his temple as he sleeps peacefully. The burn in her throat as a tear rolls from her cheek and into his hair is threatening to rip her apart. She takes a last fleeting glance at her boy before she turns and abruptly all but runs from the room and back to Emma's side.
She never does this. She never cries this much. What is happening to her. How did she let this happen? She cleans the remainder of blood from Emma's face and carefully removes her jacket. She takes a sharp inhale of breath as she sees the bruises that litter the pale woman's arms. Most of them are old and a few of them new but way too many for her to begin to feel comfortable. She needs to lift the woman's shirt and assess the damage to the woman's ribs. She saw them kicking her there and surely there would be damage. "Emma, I need to lift your shirt." The woman groans audibly but doesn't move. Regina slowly and carefully begins to lift Emma's shirt above her navel and exposes her ribs. She is conflicted with both admiration for the definition she finds on the woman's abdomen and the deep purple covering the woman's right side. Surely she has bruised or broken ribs and at worst some internal bleeding. She needs to call Dr. Whale, but she cannot ask the man to travel this far to see Emma.
The blonde begins to stir as the cool air hits her where her shirt has been removed and her eyes flit open. Wet eyelashes surrounding a deep sorrow stare back at her as she regains focus on the world around her. "Roni, what...where are we?"
"Please, don't move Ms. Swan. I want to know exactly what happened to you, but you shouldn't try to move or talk too much right now. You are badly injured." She strokes her hand through golden strands and smiles sweetly down to the woman. "I need you to tell me where it hurts and how bad, though."
She places her hands on the woman's stomach and gently applies pressure to gauge her reaction. Emma keeps her eyes on the woman beside her. If it wasn't for the ache in her ribs the feeling of smooth fingertips would cause her to shudder. She shifts her eyes down to where well manicured hands are on her skin. "It's not that bad, I can handle it." She chokes out. "I...I have been hurt worse." She closes her eyes. "Henry..."
"Is fine, I checked on him. He is asleep next door. I will get him in the morning if you are up to seeing him before school. Otherwise I will make sure he makes it there." She cuts Emma off. "I know a doctor back in Maine that I can have look at you, but I can't ask him to come here." She looks at Emma who has opened her eyes and is now looking back at her. "Do you have anything here for pain?"
"Yes, in the bathroom there are unmarked bottles of pain pills. Any of them will be fine, they are all strong."
Regina gets up and retreats to the restroom where she finds three bottles. She had never taken this type of medication and had no idea what she was looking at but she grabbed two bottles and took them back to Emma so she could pick which one would work best. Kneeling back down beside Emma she holds the two bottles in front of her. the blonde grabs the bottle from her left hand. "Oxycodone should do the trick, thank you Roni."
Regina retreats to the kitchen once again and fills a glass with water. After taking the pills Emma lays her head back down again and closes her eyes taking a deep breath. "Thank you for saving me."
"Oh, I hardly saved you dear." Regina breathes. "Do you have blankets or anything so I can sleep here." She motions to the floor.
Emma puffs out a strangled laugh "no savior of mine will be sleeping on the floor! I can move to my bed and you can have the couch, or you can have my bed. But if you aren't comfortable with that you can sleep in Henry's bed. I just washed his sheets two days ago so they are relatively clean." She tries to lift herself to a sitting position, wincing with the pain in her ribs.
Regina places her hands on the woman's shoulders and steadies her back into a laying position "No, don't get up. I will sleep in Henry's bed. You need to sleep. The pills should be kicking in soon."
She sits beside Emma and rubs the woman's hair for a while hoping she would ease back into a painless sleep quickly. After about ten minutes of this the woman's breathing had become easy and rhythmic. Regina, thinking the woman had fallen asleep, stands to retreat to get some rest of her own. She has no idea what she is going to do now. But, she can't leave Emma alone like this, or Henry. As she turns away Emma's voice comes groggy. "Thank you Roni, you are more beautiful than I ever imagined possible."
"Emma...I think the pills are working." She chuckles and turns the lights off in the room. "Goodnight, Emma." She says as she leaves the room.
Before sleep fully takes her over Emma whispers "sweet dreams Roni."