(no subject)
title: heartbreak warfare, 2/?
rating: m
pairing: emma/regina
summary: sidney makes a bargain to gain a new ally, and emma and regina deal with the fallout from their night together.
The little bell on the door of Mr. Gold’s shop tinkled happily as Sidney stepped inside, looking around nervously as he waited for the proprietor to make himself known. Sidney hated this place, hated the way Gold always seemed to know exactly what Sidney was going to say before he said it, the way Gold had his hands in everything that happened in Storybrooke. If Regina hadn’t given him good cause to go after her, taking down Gold would have been Sidney’s main goal life. As it stood, Sidney was playing both ends against the middle, pretending to be on Regina’s side for all the perks that being in the Mayor’s good graces afforded him, and pretending to be on Emma’s side so that, should things go south, he could claim that he had been on the side of the angels all along.
Truth was, Sidney was on no one’s side but his own. Survival was his goal.
Gold appeared after a moment, flashing a greasy, insincere smile as he made his way up to the counter.
“Sidney,” he said, leaning heavily on his cane, “To what do I owe the honor of your presence?”
As always, Gold’s voice was dripping with a false politeness that made Sidney’s skin crawl. The man was the soul of courtesy, but he was also a schemer, a manipulator, a maker of bargains and dealer of half-truths. But Sidney needed him to complete his plan, and so assumed a smile of his own.
“Honestly, Mr. Gold, I need your help,” he said, and Gold’s eyebrow quirked in amusement.
“Is that right? I’d be happy to offer it, but you know my help comes with a price.”
Of course.
“I’m aware of that, and I can assure I’m willing to pay.”
Gold considered him a moment before he nodded in agreement. “What is it you need, then?”
Sidney took a deep breath before launching into his explanation. “I’m working on a story,” he said, “To get myself back on the paper and to show the town the truth about our beloved Mayor. She’s been lying, Gold, not just about money but about big things. Dangerous things. People have a right to know.”
“And I can help you how? I’m afraid I do not possess any damaging secrets about Regina.”
The bald lie was almost enough to make Sidney laugh. If anyone was in possession of damaging information where Regina was concerned, it was Gold. Sidney just had to figure out what price would buy by him those secrets.
“I beg to differ. Have you ever been to the basement level of the hospital?”
“I wasn’t aware there was anything in the basement of the hospital. The morgue, perhaps, but I’ve never had cause to go down there.”
Confusion and suspicion danced across the other man’s face and Sidney couldn’t help but think that either Gold was a brilliant liar or he honestly had no idea what Sidney was talking about. Sidney flashed a grin. Perhaps he had the upper hand here, for once. He dearly hoped so; he needed Gold on his side if his plan was going to work.
“There is a morgue on that level, but I’m not here about dead bodies. I’m here about living ones.”
Gold leaned forward on the counter, clearly intrigued, and Sidney took the gesture as an invitation to continue.
“There is a ward on the basement level for mentally ill individuals. I’m guessing you were not aware of this.”
“Mister Glass, my time is precious, and I’m afraid I simply don’t have the luxury of playing these games with you. Please, get to the point.”
Sidney bristled, but forced himself to remain calm. This was a game of finesse, and Sidney would blow it by losing his cool.
“Of course. There is a young woman in that ward who has no name, no medical records. Regina is listed as her emergency contact just as she was for David.”
Sidney watched Gold’s face, searching for some flicker of understanding, some sign that Gold knew where this was going, but he was sorely disappointed. Gold continued to stare at him from across the counter, his expression cool and unreadable. Sidney persevered.
“The reason I bring this up is the hospital has been given some unusual instructions with regards to this young woman’s care. By the Mayor’s request the girl receives no visitors, not even doctors. She is allowed to walk around the basement level for one hour each day, and a nurse brings food to her, but other than that she has no human contact. And the Mayor mentioned you specifically. If you ever step foot in that ward, you are to be escorted out, by force if necessary, and the Mayor is to be contacted immediately.”
That got Gold’s attention. “Why should I want to visit a mental ward that I did not even know existed before today?”
Sidney grinned. “That is my question exactly. Do you have any idea who this girl might be?”
He must have, because Sidney could actually see the anger rising in the other man’s face, a steady angry flush that began at his neck and made its way up until Gold was seething with a quiet sort of rage. He straightened up.
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” he said. “I think I owe our lovely Mayor a little visit.”
Gold started to make his way out from behind the counter but Sidney reached out and stopped him. “You could do that,” he said, “Or you could stay and listen to what I have to say. I have a plan, and I think you’ll want to hear it.”
···
Emma opened the door to Mary Margaret’s little apartment, heaving a great sigh of relief when she did not find the other woman waiting for her. It was a Saturday morning, and Emma could only hope that Mary Margaret would spend the day out doing whatever good deed she had planned, and leave the blonde to wallow in her own private misery. The stunning awfulness of the last twenty-four hours had only just begun to sink in, and Emma found herself in need of both a bath and a good cry, and she didn’t need the dark-haired schoolteacher for either of those activities.
Emma locked the door and made her way toward the bathroom, thoughts all awhirl with the things that Sidney had shown her and the memories of Regina beneath her, moaning and writhing with the pleasure that Emma had been all too happy to give her. As she started her bath, pouring in bubbles and pulling off her clothes piece by piece, Emma made sure to avoid looking in the mirror. She wasn’t sure could face herself, wasn’t sure she could look in her eyes and see the woman who had fucked Regina and left her there alone.
She never should have gone to see Sidney. He had only planted doubts in her mind and she found herself torn between a desire to protect Regina and the ever-present fear that the woman had nefarious motives. Emma didn’t know enough about Regina to trust her, but she had been inside the woman and that experience had changed her. She had seen Regina vulnerable, had seen a heart beneath that icy exterior, and now Emma would have to find a way to reconcile these two sides of Regina.
As she slipped under the warm water Emma’s thoughts lingered on Regina, and on Sidney’s conspiracy. When Emma arrived at the hospital Sidney had taken her down into the basement, slipping past the receptionist, and he had shown her the young woman sleeping fitfully in the little room that was no better than a prison cell. She had seen the records, had seen the instructions written in Regina’s own careful, precise hand, decreeing that this girl be isolated from the rest of humanity, and Emma didn’t know how to handle this new information. What could the girl possibly have done to merit such treatment? Why was Regina involved in the first place?
She had planned to write up the incident at the Sherriff’s office and then drive back to Regina’s to question the Mayor about this whole situation, but she had fallen asleep behind her desk and all her plans had gone to hell. Regina hated her even more now, and Emma couldn’t blame her; how must this look from Regina’s perspective? And if Emma were to explain where she was, why she’d left, she could only imagine how much angrier that would make Regina.
Emma ducked below the water’s surface, letting her long blonde hair fan out behind her in a lustrous wave as she tried to banish the gnawing guilt in the pit of her stomach. Guilt for leaving Regina when she’d promised not to, guilt for having fucked the woman in the first place. She rose from under the bubbles, gasping, tears mingling with the bath water on her face.
I’m so screwed.
···
Regina smiled softly to herself, watching Henry as he played with the other children on the new playground she’d built. She was grateful that he didn’t look more like his biological mother; Regina would not have been able to stand the pain of looking at Emma now. Her rage had simmered somewhat, had become less debilitating and more a weapon she could use.
She understood now. The night before, falling asleep with Emma’s around her, Regina had been confused. Had wondered what Emma’s motivations were, if it was possible for the little blonde Sherriff to truly care about her. Now, however, she knew better. Perhaps Emma hadn’t gone to her house last night with the intention of seducing her, but Emma had certainly not acted out of any genuine affection for Regina. Emma had chased her own desires, and left as soon as she grew bored.
Right? There was a little voice at the back of Regina’s mind begging her to see sense, to go to Emma and ask her what had happened, to explain how badly Emma had hurt her and to see if maybe there was some way for them to fix this together. But Regina remembered that voice from long ago; it was the voice that had believed her mother when Cora said that all she wanted was Regina’s happiness. This voice was the part of Regina that had trusted Snow White with her only secret, with the one piece of information that could be used to destroy her. Listening to this little voice, to her conscience, had only caused Regina pain. Trusting people had only hurt her. She would not make those same mistakes again.
Henry slipped and for one terrible moment Regina feared he would fall; she was on her feet in an instant, but the little boy caught himself and flashed her a lopsided smile. She smiled back, hating the way her heart hammered in her chest. How could one little boy scare her so badly?
Though, if she were honest, Emma scared her just as much. What if Emma told people what had happened? What if Emma had gone snooping through her things before she disappeared? What if last night had been all about getting Emma inside her house so that the Sherriff could continue on her quest to bring Regina down?
The Mayor could not handle the questions. She could not handle the fear. She would not. Emma would answer for what she had done. The only thing Regina had left to figure out was how.
A plan had begun to form in her mind, a seed borne of the twisted desire to see Emma suffer. Regina new she could bring the Sherriff down, all she needed was a little time.
She smiled and called to Henry. She told him they were going for ice cream, and she delighted in the way his little face lit up. Henry was the only thing that was real to her anymore, the only love that hadn’t completely broken her, and Regina would do whatever she could to make him happy.
···
Emma barely registered the sound of the front door opening and closing as Mary Margaret came home. She was too lost in her own thoughts, in her own theories about the mystery girl in the hospital ward and the depth of the sadness she’d glimpsed in Regina’s eyes the night before.
Mary Margaret called out to her, and though she hated to lose her precious solitude, Emma answered. She didn’t want Mary Margaret to worry.
But before Emma could stop her, Mary Margaret had come into the bathroom and sat herself down on the edge of the tub, not giving too shits about propriety as she studied Emma with huge eyes full of concern.
“Where were you last night?” she asked, and before Emma could come up with an answer she continued, “Because Ruby said she saw your car outside the Mayor’s house. Late. Very late. You told me you’d be home before ten and you never came back!”
Damn but Mary Margaret sounded like a worried mother hen. Emma had to smile at that.
“I’m sorry, I should have told you I was going to be out late.”
Mary Margaret shook her head. “Where were you Emma? Did you get into a fight with her?”
Emma laughed, an angry mirthless sound. “Not exactly. And I didn’t spend the night there,” for some reason it was important that she say that aloud, “I left to go deal with a situation with Sidney. I slept at the police station.”
“Oh you poor thing,” Mary Margaret said. “Would like for me to make you some coffee?”
“No!” Emma said, immediately regretting how harsh she sounded. Coffee just made her think of Regina and that just made her sad.
Mary Margaret was just staring at her as if she was some sort of wild beast, difficult to predict, and Emma hated it. hated herself for snapping, hated herself for getting into this mess.
“I’m sorry,” she said, a tear escaping, “I’m sorry.”
Mary Margaret reached out and ran a gentle hand over her hair.
“Emma, what happened?” she asked, her voice soft and kind, and Emma shuddered as she tried to hold in a sob.
“Will you promise not to hate me if I tell you?” she asked, voice trembling.
“Nothing you could say would make me hate you,” Mary Margaret said, so sincerely that Emma actually believed her.
“I slept with Regina,” she said, and she found that saying the words aloud actually calmed her. She had slept with Regina, and the world hadn’t come to an end.
Mary Margaret was actually sputtering.
“You- you- you did what?” She didn’t seem angry so much as she seemed shocked, overwhelmed, and more than a little bit confused. It might have been funny, seeing the naïve little school teacher so uncomfortable, if the situation hadn’t been so dire.
“How could you? She’s evil. She hates you. She-she-she’s a woman!”
Emma couldn’t help but smile at that. Leave it to Mary Margaret to say exactly what she was thinking.
“It’s not like this is the first time I’ve ever slept with a woman,” Emma said, and she watched as Mary Margaret’s face turned fourteen different shades of red. “And she’s not evil. I actually think she and I could have been friends if…” her voice trailed off. If I hadn’t left her. The words hung in the air, unspoken but still there, ripping open the fresh wound that her time with Regina had left.
“Oh,” was all Mary Margaret said. She reached out and smoothed Emma’s hair again.
“I’ll go make some tea.” She rose and left the bathroom without another word.
···
Regina heard a curt knock on the front door of her home, and as she moved to answer it she tried to dismiss the hope that sprang up inside her. The hope that she would find Emma on her doorstep, contrite and kind. Hope was dangerous. Hope made people do foolish things, and left heartbreak in its path. She could not afford such hope.
She was lucky, because it Mr. Gold, and not Emma, who had come to call upon her this evening.
“Madame Mayor,” he said coolly, and she offered a tight smile in response.
“Mr. Gold,” she said, “What can I do for you this evening?”
“Oh, there are many things you could do for me, Regina, but I have discovered that you are almost as shrew a negotiator as I am. I’ve come to ask you a question. Two, actually.”
Regina had the feeling that this was a conversation best conducted inside, away from the prying eyes of the town. She held the door open.
“Why don’t you come in, then?” she said. “You can ask your questions over a glass of my cider.”
“No, thank you, “ he answered. “I know what you do to your apples,” he added the jab as he stepped past her and into the immense foyer beyond.
“Very well.” Regina led him down the hall to her study, trying to keep her anger at a tolerable level. She had been hoping to spend this night alone with Henry, not playing twenty questions with Rumpelstiltskin. The man made her skin crawl. He was the only one in Storybrooke who knew the truth about her, the only one with a power that matched her own, and the very thought of it made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him, but if he had come to see her, that could only mean he was up to something. And if Rumpelstiltskin was up to something, Regina needed as much information as she could get. She needed to stay a step ahead.
They seated themselves in the plush chairs by the fire and Regina leaned back, crossing her legs delicately and clutching her hands in her lap.
“Well,” she said, “Ask away.”
Rumpelstiltskin nodded. “As you wish. My first question is this- what on earth could you possibly have been discussing with our lovely Sherriff until 3:30 this morning?”
Damn him, Regina thought. She knew her face had given her away, knew that she had flinched at the word Sherriff, had blushed at the implications of his question. Point one- Rumpelstiltskin.
“Oh, Regina,” he shook his head, “I knew you liked to pursue pretty distractions but I had thought the death of our last Sherriff had put an end to all that. Speaking of Graham-“ Regina shifted uncomfortably- “I was never satisfied with the answers you provided regarding his unfortunate demise. A perfectly healthy young man, and his heart just stopped beating? With no witnesses but Miss Swan?”
“The death of a young person is always a tragedy,” Regina said through tight lips.
“Yes,” he murmured, “but a convenient tragedy in this case, was it not?”
“Almost as convenient as that fire,” Regina pointed out and the man sitting across from her nodded.
“Yes a tragedy indeed. But I did not come here to talk to you about Graham. Which brings me back to my original question- what was Emma doing here last night? There’s no bother denying it Regina, it’s as plain as the nose on your face. I’m more concerned with why. If your intention in bedding Miss Swan was to exact further revenge upon dear Snow White, you made a grave error. For starters, Snow isn’t even aware that Emma is her daughter. It’s not like you to make such a miscalculation.”
A thousand retorts sprang into Regina’s mind, but she kept her mouth shut. She wanted to see where Rumpelstiltskin would go next.
“Of course there is the possibility that you were using Emma for some other purpose. Though I don’t think that the way to win the Sherriff to your side is through her pants. Unless of course you intend to make a proper family for Henry? Two lovely mothers to raise your lovely son?”
“If your only purpose in coming here was to mock me, you can get the hell out,” Regina snarled, but her guest only smiled.
“Oh no, that was not my only purpose. I have another question, you see.”
“Ask it, then. My patience is wearing thin.”
“Of course. I was wondering, how often do you review the security footage from the basement level of the hospital?”
Regina felt herself go white as a sheet. So that was what this visit was all about. Rumpelstiltskin knew she had Belle. What would he do with that information? Would he use it against her? Could he, without revealing too much about himself?
“I think you will find the tape from last night most intriguing.” And with that he rose, heading for the study door. He paused with his hand on the knob.
“I understand why you detest dear Snow so desperately. I even understand your loathing of other people’s happy endings. What I can’t understand is why you find it necessary to tamper with me, dearie. I would have thought you were smarter than that.”
He left without another word, and Regina found herself alone with her growing fear.
rating: m
pairing: emma/regina
summary: sidney makes a bargain to gain a new ally, and emma and regina deal with the fallout from their night together.
The little bell on the door of Mr. Gold’s shop tinkled happily as Sidney stepped inside, looking around nervously as he waited for the proprietor to make himself known. Sidney hated this place, hated the way Gold always seemed to know exactly what Sidney was going to say before he said it, the way Gold had his hands in everything that happened in Storybrooke. If Regina hadn’t given him good cause to go after her, taking down Gold would have been Sidney’s main goal life. As it stood, Sidney was playing both ends against the middle, pretending to be on Regina’s side for all the perks that being in the Mayor’s good graces afforded him, and pretending to be on Emma’s side so that, should things go south, he could claim that he had been on the side of the angels all along.
Truth was, Sidney was on no one’s side but his own. Survival was his goal.
Gold appeared after a moment, flashing a greasy, insincere smile as he made his way up to the counter.
“Sidney,” he said, leaning heavily on his cane, “To what do I owe the honor of your presence?”
As always, Gold’s voice was dripping with a false politeness that made Sidney’s skin crawl. The man was the soul of courtesy, but he was also a schemer, a manipulator, a maker of bargains and dealer of half-truths. But Sidney needed him to complete his plan, and so assumed a smile of his own.
“Honestly, Mr. Gold, I need your help,” he said, and Gold’s eyebrow quirked in amusement.
“Is that right? I’d be happy to offer it, but you know my help comes with a price.”
Of course.
“I’m aware of that, and I can assure I’m willing to pay.”
Gold considered him a moment before he nodded in agreement. “What is it you need, then?”
Sidney took a deep breath before launching into his explanation. “I’m working on a story,” he said, “To get myself back on the paper and to show the town the truth about our beloved Mayor. She’s been lying, Gold, not just about money but about big things. Dangerous things. People have a right to know.”
“And I can help you how? I’m afraid I do not possess any damaging secrets about Regina.”
The bald lie was almost enough to make Sidney laugh. If anyone was in possession of damaging information where Regina was concerned, it was Gold. Sidney just had to figure out what price would buy by him those secrets.
“I beg to differ. Have you ever been to the basement level of the hospital?”
“I wasn’t aware there was anything in the basement of the hospital. The morgue, perhaps, but I’ve never had cause to go down there.”
Confusion and suspicion danced across the other man’s face and Sidney couldn’t help but think that either Gold was a brilliant liar or he honestly had no idea what Sidney was talking about. Sidney flashed a grin. Perhaps he had the upper hand here, for once. He dearly hoped so; he needed Gold on his side if his plan was going to work.
“There is a morgue on that level, but I’m not here about dead bodies. I’m here about living ones.”
Gold leaned forward on the counter, clearly intrigued, and Sidney took the gesture as an invitation to continue.
“There is a ward on the basement level for mentally ill individuals. I’m guessing you were not aware of this.”
“Mister Glass, my time is precious, and I’m afraid I simply don’t have the luxury of playing these games with you. Please, get to the point.”
Sidney bristled, but forced himself to remain calm. This was a game of finesse, and Sidney would blow it by losing his cool.
“Of course. There is a young woman in that ward who has no name, no medical records. Regina is listed as her emergency contact just as she was for David.”
Sidney watched Gold’s face, searching for some flicker of understanding, some sign that Gold knew where this was going, but he was sorely disappointed. Gold continued to stare at him from across the counter, his expression cool and unreadable. Sidney persevered.
“The reason I bring this up is the hospital has been given some unusual instructions with regards to this young woman’s care. By the Mayor’s request the girl receives no visitors, not even doctors. She is allowed to walk around the basement level for one hour each day, and a nurse brings food to her, but other than that she has no human contact. And the Mayor mentioned you specifically. If you ever step foot in that ward, you are to be escorted out, by force if necessary, and the Mayor is to be contacted immediately.”
That got Gold’s attention. “Why should I want to visit a mental ward that I did not even know existed before today?”
Sidney grinned. “That is my question exactly. Do you have any idea who this girl might be?”
He must have, because Sidney could actually see the anger rising in the other man’s face, a steady angry flush that began at his neck and made its way up until Gold was seething with a quiet sort of rage. He straightened up.
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” he said. “I think I owe our lovely Mayor a little visit.”
Gold started to make his way out from behind the counter but Sidney reached out and stopped him. “You could do that,” he said, “Or you could stay and listen to what I have to say. I have a plan, and I think you’ll want to hear it.”
···
Emma opened the door to Mary Margaret’s little apartment, heaving a great sigh of relief when she did not find the other woman waiting for her. It was a Saturday morning, and Emma could only hope that Mary Margaret would spend the day out doing whatever good deed she had planned, and leave the blonde to wallow in her own private misery. The stunning awfulness of the last twenty-four hours had only just begun to sink in, and Emma found herself in need of both a bath and a good cry, and she didn’t need the dark-haired schoolteacher for either of those activities.
Emma locked the door and made her way toward the bathroom, thoughts all awhirl with the things that Sidney had shown her and the memories of Regina beneath her, moaning and writhing with the pleasure that Emma had been all too happy to give her. As she started her bath, pouring in bubbles and pulling off her clothes piece by piece, Emma made sure to avoid looking in the mirror. She wasn’t sure could face herself, wasn’t sure she could look in her eyes and see the woman who had fucked Regina and left her there alone.
She never should have gone to see Sidney. He had only planted doubts in her mind and she found herself torn between a desire to protect Regina and the ever-present fear that the woman had nefarious motives. Emma didn’t know enough about Regina to trust her, but she had been inside the woman and that experience had changed her. She had seen Regina vulnerable, had seen a heart beneath that icy exterior, and now Emma would have to find a way to reconcile these two sides of Regina.
As she slipped under the warm water Emma’s thoughts lingered on Regina, and on Sidney’s conspiracy. When Emma arrived at the hospital Sidney had taken her down into the basement, slipping past the receptionist, and he had shown her the young woman sleeping fitfully in the little room that was no better than a prison cell. She had seen the records, had seen the instructions written in Regina’s own careful, precise hand, decreeing that this girl be isolated from the rest of humanity, and Emma didn’t know how to handle this new information. What could the girl possibly have done to merit such treatment? Why was Regina involved in the first place?
She had planned to write up the incident at the Sherriff’s office and then drive back to Regina’s to question the Mayor about this whole situation, but she had fallen asleep behind her desk and all her plans had gone to hell. Regina hated her even more now, and Emma couldn’t blame her; how must this look from Regina’s perspective? And if Emma were to explain where she was, why she’d left, she could only imagine how much angrier that would make Regina.
Emma ducked below the water’s surface, letting her long blonde hair fan out behind her in a lustrous wave as she tried to banish the gnawing guilt in the pit of her stomach. Guilt for leaving Regina when she’d promised not to, guilt for having fucked the woman in the first place. She rose from under the bubbles, gasping, tears mingling with the bath water on her face.
I’m so screwed.
···
Regina smiled softly to herself, watching Henry as he played with the other children on the new playground she’d built. She was grateful that he didn’t look more like his biological mother; Regina would not have been able to stand the pain of looking at Emma now. Her rage had simmered somewhat, had become less debilitating and more a weapon she could use.
She understood now. The night before, falling asleep with Emma’s around her, Regina had been confused. Had wondered what Emma’s motivations were, if it was possible for the little blonde Sherriff to truly care about her. Now, however, she knew better. Perhaps Emma hadn’t gone to her house last night with the intention of seducing her, but Emma had certainly not acted out of any genuine affection for Regina. Emma had chased her own desires, and left as soon as she grew bored.
Right? There was a little voice at the back of Regina’s mind begging her to see sense, to go to Emma and ask her what had happened, to explain how badly Emma had hurt her and to see if maybe there was some way for them to fix this together. But Regina remembered that voice from long ago; it was the voice that had believed her mother when Cora said that all she wanted was Regina’s happiness. This voice was the part of Regina that had trusted Snow White with her only secret, with the one piece of information that could be used to destroy her. Listening to this little voice, to her conscience, had only caused Regina pain. Trusting people had only hurt her. She would not make those same mistakes again.
Henry slipped and for one terrible moment Regina feared he would fall; she was on her feet in an instant, but the little boy caught himself and flashed her a lopsided smile. She smiled back, hating the way her heart hammered in her chest. How could one little boy scare her so badly?
Though, if she were honest, Emma scared her just as much. What if Emma told people what had happened? What if Emma had gone snooping through her things before she disappeared? What if last night had been all about getting Emma inside her house so that the Sherriff could continue on her quest to bring Regina down?
The Mayor could not handle the questions. She could not handle the fear. She would not. Emma would answer for what she had done. The only thing Regina had left to figure out was how.
A plan had begun to form in her mind, a seed borne of the twisted desire to see Emma suffer. Regina new she could bring the Sherriff down, all she needed was a little time.
She smiled and called to Henry. She told him they were going for ice cream, and she delighted in the way his little face lit up. Henry was the only thing that was real to her anymore, the only love that hadn’t completely broken her, and Regina would do whatever she could to make him happy.
···
Emma barely registered the sound of the front door opening and closing as Mary Margaret came home. She was too lost in her own thoughts, in her own theories about the mystery girl in the hospital ward and the depth of the sadness she’d glimpsed in Regina’s eyes the night before.
Mary Margaret called out to her, and though she hated to lose her precious solitude, Emma answered. She didn’t want Mary Margaret to worry.
But before Emma could stop her, Mary Margaret had come into the bathroom and sat herself down on the edge of the tub, not giving too shits about propriety as she studied Emma with huge eyes full of concern.
“Where were you last night?” she asked, and before Emma could come up with an answer she continued, “Because Ruby said she saw your car outside the Mayor’s house. Late. Very late. You told me you’d be home before ten and you never came back!”
Damn but Mary Margaret sounded like a worried mother hen. Emma had to smile at that.
“I’m sorry, I should have told you I was going to be out late.”
Mary Margaret shook her head. “Where were you Emma? Did you get into a fight with her?”
Emma laughed, an angry mirthless sound. “Not exactly. And I didn’t spend the night there,” for some reason it was important that she say that aloud, “I left to go deal with a situation with Sidney. I slept at the police station.”
“Oh you poor thing,” Mary Margaret said. “Would like for me to make you some coffee?”
“No!” Emma said, immediately regretting how harsh she sounded. Coffee just made her think of Regina and that just made her sad.
Mary Margaret was just staring at her as if she was some sort of wild beast, difficult to predict, and Emma hated it. hated herself for snapping, hated herself for getting into this mess.
“I’m sorry,” she said, a tear escaping, “I’m sorry.”
Mary Margaret reached out and ran a gentle hand over her hair.
“Emma, what happened?” she asked, her voice soft and kind, and Emma shuddered as she tried to hold in a sob.
“Will you promise not to hate me if I tell you?” she asked, voice trembling.
“Nothing you could say would make me hate you,” Mary Margaret said, so sincerely that Emma actually believed her.
“I slept with Regina,” she said, and she found that saying the words aloud actually calmed her. She had slept with Regina, and the world hadn’t come to an end.
Mary Margaret was actually sputtering.
“You- you- you did what?” She didn’t seem angry so much as she seemed shocked, overwhelmed, and more than a little bit confused. It might have been funny, seeing the naïve little school teacher so uncomfortable, if the situation hadn’t been so dire.
“How could you? She’s evil. She hates you. She-she-she’s a woman!”
Emma couldn’t help but smile at that. Leave it to Mary Margaret to say exactly what she was thinking.
“It’s not like this is the first time I’ve ever slept with a woman,” Emma said, and she watched as Mary Margaret’s face turned fourteen different shades of red. “And she’s not evil. I actually think she and I could have been friends if…” her voice trailed off. If I hadn’t left her. The words hung in the air, unspoken but still there, ripping open the fresh wound that her time with Regina had left.
“Oh,” was all Mary Margaret said. She reached out and smoothed Emma’s hair again.
“I’ll go make some tea.” She rose and left the bathroom without another word.
···
Regina heard a curt knock on the front door of her home, and as she moved to answer it she tried to dismiss the hope that sprang up inside her. The hope that she would find Emma on her doorstep, contrite and kind. Hope was dangerous. Hope made people do foolish things, and left heartbreak in its path. She could not afford such hope.
She was lucky, because it Mr. Gold, and not Emma, who had come to call upon her this evening.
“Madame Mayor,” he said coolly, and she offered a tight smile in response.
“Mr. Gold,” she said, “What can I do for you this evening?”
“Oh, there are many things you could do for me, Regina, but I have discovered that you are almost as shrew a negotiator as I am. I’ve come to ask you a question. Two, actually.”
Regina had the feeling that this was a conversation best conducted inside, away from the prying eyes of the town. She held the door open.
“Why don’t you come in, then?” she said. “You can ask your questions over a glass of my cider.”
“No, thank you, “ he answered. “I know what you do to your apples,” he added the jab as he stepped past her and into the immense foyer beyond.
“Very well.” Regina led him down the hall to her study, trying to keep her anger at a tolerable level. She had been hoping to spend this night alone with Henry, not playing twenty questions with Rumpelstiltskin. The man made her skin crawl. He was the only one in Storybrooke who knew the truth about her, the only one with a power that matched her own, and the very thought of it made her sick to her stomach. She didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him, but if he had come to see her, that could only mean he was up to something. And if Rumpelstiltskin was up to something, Regina needed as much information as she could get. She needed to stay a step ahead.
They seated themselves in the plush chairs by the fire and Regina leaned back, crossing her legs delicately and clutching her hands in her lap.
“Well,” she said, “Ask away.”
Rumpelstiltskin nodded. “As you wish. My first question is this- what on earth could you possibly have been discussing with our lovely Sherriff until 3:30 this morning?”
Damn him, Regina thought. She knew her face had given her away, knew that she had flinched at the word Sherriff, had blushed at the implications of his question. Point one- Rumpelstiltskin.
“Oh, Regina,” he shook his head, “I knew you liked to pursue pretty distractions but I had thought the death of our last Sherriff had put an end to all that. Speaking of Graham-“ Regina shifted uncomfortably- “I was never satisfied with the answers you provided regarding his unfortunate demise. A perfectly healthy young man, and his heart just stopped beating? With no witnesses but Miss Swan?”
“The death of a young person is always a tragedy,” Regina said through tight lips.
“Yes,” he murmured, “but a convenient tragedy in this case, was it not?”
“Almost as convenient as that fire,” Regina pointed out and the man sitting across from her nodded.
“Yes a tragedy indeed. But I did not come here to talk to you about Graham. Which brings me back to my original question- what was Emma doing here last night? There’s no bother denying it Regina, it’s as plain as the nose on your face. I’m more concerned with why. If your intention in bedding Miss Swan was to exact further revenge upon dear Snow White, you made a grave error. For starters, Snow isn’t even aware that Emma is her daughter. It’s not like you to make such a miscalculation.”
A thousand retorts sprang into Regina’s mind, but she kept her mouth shut. She wanted to see where Rumpelstiltskin would go next.
“Of course there is the possibility that you were using Emma for some other purpose. Though I don’t think that the way to win the Sherriff to your side is through her pants. Unless of course you intend to make a proper family for Henry? Two lovely mothers to raise your lovely son?”
“If your only purpose in coming here was to mock me, you can get the hell out,” Regina snarled, but her guest only smiled.
“Oh no, that was not my only purpose. I have another question, you see.”
“Ask it, then. My patience is wearing thin.”
“Of course. I was wondering, how often do you review the security footage from the basement level of the hospital?”
Regina felt herself go white as a sheet. So that was what this visit was all about. Rumpelstiltskin knew she had Belle. What would he do with that information? Would he use it against her? Could he, without revealing too much about himself?
“I think you will find the tape from last night most intriguing.” And with that he rose, heading for the study door. He paused with his hand on the knob.
“I understand why you detest dear Snow so desperately. I even understand your loathing of other people’s happy endings. What I can’t understand is why you find it necessary to tamper with me, dearie. I would have thought you were smarter than that.”
He left without another word, and Regina found herself alone with her growing fear.