Fic
Title - Crying Wolf
Fandom - Once Upon a Time
Pairing - Emma/Regina
Rating - P13
AN - Takes place after The Evil Queen and follows follows my drabbles, Mirror Mirror, This Provincial Life, Viviane or Nimue, Dreams and Wishes, All the Better to…., Magic Keys, Curiouser and Curiouser, Snow Blind, Spinning Straw , Wooden Hearts , Poisoned , True Love and Other Curses, Spellbound, Over the Rainbow, Facades, Lost Girls, Monstrosities, Love and Lies, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Dreamscapes, Homecomings, Test Match, Wishful Thinking, Absent Friends, Small Mercies, State of Mind, Good Intentions, Sins of Mothers, Affairs of the Heart, Power Plays and Future Plans
Crying Wolf
By the time she reaches Granny’s she is at her wits’ end. She knows something is terribly wrong but she doesn’t know what to do about it. She’s not even sure she can do anything about it. Emma doesn’t understand how it is that she can save a town without trying but be struggling to save a person. Maybe her saviour magic is ridiculously specific but there is no one she can ask about that because they either wouldn’t know or wouldn’t tell her. In this quest it seems she has no magic and no allies.
To be honest she’s not sure that she ever has any allies in Storybroke. Sometimes she thinks that the people of this town only see her as a means to an end. Her role was to break the curse and given that this has occurred she feels that is less now than she was before. She is little more than an extension of David and Mary Margaret. Emma’s is certain that it is assumed that her needs are the same as her parents’ and that her desire to return to the Enchanted Forest is as strong as theirs.
She can’t go back there. That is not the world for her. Emma knows that as surely as she knows how to breathe but she doesn’t know how to express this fact without hurting the people who care about her. She saw how crushed her parents were when they told her that the beans had been destroyed; knowing that Emma doesn’t want to go back to Fairytale Land would kill them. They can never know that she had a hand in destroying the bean field.
Emma had to get rid of those beans; she felt her life draining away as they grew. If they had have been allowed to thrive it would have been the end of her. She may not have dirtied her hands, she didn’t even mention the beans directly, but she knew what the outcome would be when Regina discovered the existence of the field. She fed Regina enough fear and doubt to ensure that she would find the beans and in doing so she decided the fate of all of the inhabitants of Storybrooke. She stole their future as hers was once stolen.
She had not anticipated that the destruction of the field would go hand in hand with death of August. Just one of those events would have meant that these people were out for blood. The combined tragedies are basically an invitation to war. She can feel her father itching to pick up a sword. He wants to lead his people the only way he knows how - by giving them an enemy.
Unfortunately for Emma there is a convenient enemy for them to unit against. Perhaps Regina deserves the townspeople’s’ wrath, after all she did burn their hopes to the ground but only Emma understands that she didn’t do that to hurt them. Making these people happy may not be Regina’s top priority but neither is making them miserable. Emma is fairly certain that Regina would be delighted if they all just climbed a beanstalk and left her behind. Regina would take an axe to the stalk the minute the last of them disappeared and she would never look back.
This wasn’t about Regina taking away happy endings, this was about keeping them. It was about making sure that Emma and Henry didn’t leave with the others and it was entirely Emma’s fault. She is the bad guy here. She is the one they should be despising. Some hero she is, she’s not even brave enough to tell the truth.
Emma isn’t a hero, she’s a villain but she is not the only one. She is not the one who turned August back into wood. Emma is secretly pissed at August for his last words. Emma knows in her heart that Regina is not the ‘she’ that he referred to but she also knows that she will never be able to convince anyone else of that. Regina is far too perfect a scapegoat. There is no point in explaining to these people that every single time they have been convinced that Regina is behind an apparent murder they have been wrong. They want to believe that she is the cause of all that is bad in their lives so that is all they see.
She is the only one who understands that the issue is not that Regina is incapable of murder, she is more capable than most, but rather that she is just way better at murder than this. Even the smallest indication that Regina has committed crime is actually a huge flashing neon sign saying that Regina is innocent.
Emma has tried to direct them towards the true culprit but they think that her suspicions are fuelled by jealousy. These people are impossible sometimes. Their views on the world are so completely foreign to her. They somehow honestly believe that the fact that you’ve had a child with someone means that you are by definition one another’s true love.
The thought of being Neal’s true love puts her off her food. She had been hungry a few minutes ago, it’s why she came in here in the first place, but the churning feeling in her stomach has turned from starvation to nausea. It’s pointless remaining here now but she can’t seem to find the energy to stand. She folds her arm and places them on the table before laying her head down on it.
If she had still had wanted food the place would be full and service would be slow but now that she wants to be left alone she is of course dealing with an empty diner. It is only moments after she places her head on the table that Ruby arrives to take her order.
“Rough night Emma?” Ruby asks with sympathy that is coloured with more than a touch of amusement.
“If only,” she replies.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. What’s wrong?”
“It doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t believe me anyway,” Ruby doesn’t deserve her anger but Emma can no longer keep it inside.
“This is about Tamara isn’t it?”
“Why would you say that?” Emma is happy that Ruby can’t see her face because now she doesn’t have to worry about it betraying her.
“Word about town is that you think she is responsible for what happened to August.”
“Is that what they are saying?”
“What they are saying is along the lines of you being crazy with jealousy and having lost all ability to reason.”
“It’s nice to know that this town has such little faith in its elected Sheriff.”
“To be fair when we elected you we were all under a curse and didn’t know what we were doing.”
“Ouch. And here I was thinking that we were friends.”
“I’m sorry, Emma. I thought you’d find that funny.”
“Maybe I would on a better day,” she says but finds it hard to believe.
“If it helps it’s not the whole town. It’s just one person actually.”
“Let me guess. Mary Margaret?”
“Yes and she seemed rather pleased about your madness.”
“She would,” Emma grumbles.
“Emma, she’s your mother. She just wants good things for you.”
“No. She wants what she thinks are good things for me. It’s not the same thing at all.”
“Newsflash Emma, I’m pretty sure that’s what all mothers want.”
“Well then maybe I don’t want a mother.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“No, I don’t. I know she’s trying. I just don’t need that kind of help right now.”
“What’s wrong, Em?”
“Everything.”
“Well ok,” Ruby says and then squashes herself in beside Emma, forcing the blonde to slide along the seat. She knows it’s rude but, even though she moves to make room for Ruby, she keeps her head down. “Everything is a big topic. Where should we begin?”
“Tamara’s head on a plate would be a nice start.”
“You really think she did that to August?”
“I’m certain of it.”
“But that’s not why you want her head on a plate, is it?”
“I’m not fan of what she did,” Emma does her best to side step the question.
“I’d be worried if you were but I suspect it’s the consequences of what she has done that worry you more.”
Emma is grateful that she doesn’t need to explain things to Ruby. “I know what everyone thinks but they’re wrong.”
“It’s an understandable conclusion for people to jump to though.”
“Regina is not responsible for all of the evil in the world and she is certainly not responsible for what happened to August. Why am I the only one who doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that August died the day Tamara showed up in town?”
“Maybe because you are the only one with an interest in believing that Tamara is guilty.”
“And now you sound like my mother,” Emma complains, “I am not fucking jealous of fucking Tamara.”
“I didn’t say you were,” Ruby kindly reminds her, “I just said that for you it is important to prove that Tamara is guilty.”
“Of course it is.”
“Because if Tamara did that to August it means that she didn’t,” Ruby spells out the obvious.
“I don’t need to prove that Tamara is guilty in order to know that,” she says defiantly.
“But you do if you want the rest of the town to believe you.”
Emma sinks down into her seat and takes a deep breath, “I don’t understand why every one is so quick to blame her.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I know who she is. I know what she’s done. I also know that she is really tyring and no one seems to care.”
“Emma,” Ruby’s voice is gentle but cautious, “you weren’t there. You don’t understand.”
“You think I haven’t been hurt by the actions of Regina Mills?” Emma speaks in a whisper but it feels like a shout.
“I’m not saying that. I’m saying it’s a lot to forget.”
“What about you? Have you forgotten?”
“You know that I care for her. My curse memories are strange and distorted, maybe that’s what happens when you live the same day over and over again, but my feelings for her are real.”
“That’s not what I asked you. Those feelings, those memories, they aren’t attached to the past and to the things that she’s done. I want to know what the rest of you thinks, what Red thinks.”
“Do you want to know if I think she could kill someone? You shouldn’t ask that question Emma. I don’t think you’ll like the answer.”
For the first time since their conversation began Emma lifts her head and looks at Ruby and when she does she laughs in her face. “Oh Ruby,” she chuckles, “of course she could kill someone. That doesn’t mean she did it.”
Ruby seems unsettled by Emma’s laughter and edges away from her, “Did she tell you that?” Emma chokes back a sob and shakes her head. “Then how can you be so sure.”
“Logic tells me that this isn’t her style. It is neither subtle nor brazen enough. Emotion tells me that I can trust that she’s innocent.”
“She has been in a pretty bad place lately Emma,” Ruby prods.
“You think I don’t know that? I know that better than anyone but if anyone was going to be dead because of that it would be Mary Margaret, not August.”
“How can you talk so casually about that fact that Regina might kill your mother?”
“Because she promised me that she wouldn’t do it and I believe her.”
The other woman looks completely distressed, “You two have discussed her desire to kill your mother?”
Emma nods solemnly, “It sounds so much worse than it is.”
“It had better because Emma it sounds really bad. This is serious stuff. I can’t believe that you’ve spoken about it.”
“Why wouldn’t we? It’s a pretty big issue, it’s not like we can just ignore it.”
Ruby gives a small shake of head and lowers her voice, “I never imagined her really talking with anyone.”
“It’s not all just fighting and fucking with us. We talk,” a small smile creeps its way onto Emma’s face, “sometimes she talks too much.”
“Now that I really can’t picture, she’s not much of a talker.”
“She is, she’s just never had anyone to talk to. She’s always been alone.”
“She didn’t have to be,” Ruby turns her head away and picks at the cloth in her hands.
Emma puts a comforting hand on Ruby’s shoulder, “Hey. It’s not your fault. Maybe she did talk to you and you can’t remember because of the curse or maybe it seemed pointless to talk to someone who wouldn’t remember the conversation.”
“The curse broke,” Ruby states sadly and Emma can’t help thinking that perhaps the curse wasn’t the only thing that broke that day.
“Yeah but by then she had met me. I was a game changer,” She wants to sound confident but also light. She doesn’t want Ruby to hurt.
“I want to hate you for that but more than that I want her to be happy.”
“Maybe you deserve her more than I do,” it’s not a thought that sits at all well with her but she has to admit that it might be true, “but I’m sorry, I’m not giving her up.”
“That at least I can understand. If she were mine I wouldn’t give her up either.”
“Ruby,” Emma tries to swallow but apparently this skill has forsaken her and as a result she coughs and splutters, “she’s in trouble.”
“How do you know?”
“I can feel it.”
“Okay,” Ruby says but she sounds sceptical.
“She’s missing.”
Ruby looks a lot more worried now that Emma has given her something concrete, “What do you mean missing?”
“She’s not at her house, she’s not at town hall, she’s not at the crypt. She’s not anywhere. I’ve checked.”
“Maybe she just needs some time alone,” Ruby suggests. She sounds calm and sensible but there is fear written all over her face.
“She’s not responding to my calls or texts. She wouldn’t do that to me.”
If it were possible to be burnt by a look the flash of jealousy that dances through Ruby’s eyes would have left Emma with serious wounds. “Again, maybe she just doesn’t want to talk at the moment.”
Emma bites her lip and then confesses, “I tried using the mirror but even with that I can’t find her.” She had used the mirror as a last resort. Regina may have given it to her as a sign of trust but to Emma it felt a lot like Regina slipping and she didn’t want that for either or them. However, when her texts and calls went unanswered she began to worry. At first it was easy to dismiss the radio silence, Regina is a busy woman, but the longer it went on the more she worried. Her concern made her both reckless and bold. She sent a text that she normally would not have risked sending unless it was late at night and she was sure that Regina was alone - she asked Regina if she was avoiding her because she’d gotten her pregnant and when that failed to get an angry retort Emma knew something was really wrong.
She picked up the mirror and watched it come alive in her hand. Her desperation was more than enough to fuel whatever magic it required. Its surface rippled promisingly but then it went flat and all she saw was herself. She tried again and again but the result was always the same. Emma knows that her magic is glitchy at best but she is certain that, no matter how much of a novice she may be, she would have been able to use the mirror correctly. Her magic is related to love and historically when it comes to Regina she has never failed to activate it if she felt Regina’s wellbeing was in jeopardy.
“You looked for her in a mirror?” Ruby sounds terrified.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t find her. I needed to know that she was okay.”
“But Emma, that’s magic.”
“I am aware of that. I do have a little magic.”
“But that doesn’t mean that you should use it. Magic is dangerous stuff.”
“I’m aware of that too but I couldn’t not try. I couldn’t not help her. I won’t ever be sorry that I used it, I’m only sorry that it didn’t work. If anything I wish I knew more magic. If I could teleport to her that would be a lot more helpful than hoping she is near a mirror,” she says forlornly.
“You really do think she’s in trouble, don’t you?”
“I know she is. I feel it. I’ve never been this worried for her before. I feared for her when the wraith marked her and when I knew that Cora was coming but it was nothing like this.” She can’t really explain what is happening. She has never felt anything like this before. Her body, her mind, her heart, all of her, knows that Regina is in danger.
Ruby’s eyes dart towards the clock. “I get off in two hours. If you like I could hunt for her. It failed last time but I want to be able to do something to help.”
“You believe me?” Emma asks. She is legitimately shocked to have someone take her concerns seriously.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“No one else does.”
“Well, I am not like everyone else.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re not. I’m sorry to dump this on you. I know it can’t be easy on you.”
“It’s okay,” Ruby assures her, “but Emma can I give you some advice? When this is all sorted you really need to talk to Mary Margaret about what’s going on.”
“It’s early days for us. I’ll tell her when the time is right.”If the time is ever right, she silently adds.
“You don’t have to tell her the truth if you’re not ready,” Ruby says kindly. “I realise that it might be difficult.”
“I’m not ashamed of being with her,” she says forcefully. The truth is that she is unbelievably proud to be able to call Regina hers.
“I believe you,” Ruby tells her and from the sadness in her voice Emma knows that it’s true, “but Emma you need to do something to shut down the hopes your mother has about Neal.”
“I know I do,” Emma groans. “I know this is going to end badly, she is busy playing happy families in her head.” Emma doesn’t need Mary Margaret’s version of a happy family. If it wasn’t so sad it would be amusing that her mother is desperate for her to be in a relationship with Henry’s other parent.
“She really is. I’m pretty sure she’s started planning your wedding.”
“Oh God.” She wants to put her head back on the table but she also can’t stand the thought of being still. “I can’t deal with that right now. I have to go back to looking.”
“I understand.” Ruby slides her way out of the booth and stands up. This, in turn, allows Emma to extricate herself. “Let me know if you find her. Otherwise I’ll look for her as soon as my shift’s done.”
“I will and thanks,” now that she is standing she is itching to leave. She practically jogs to the door but she does turn around to tell Ruby, “Thanks for helping me to feel a little bit better.”
“Anytime,” Ruby says warmly but her smile is forced.
Emma sprints to her cruiser and begins a search of painfully empty streets. Three hours later she has given up on driving and she sits on her bed staring at the phone. She knows what the blank screen means - Ruby’s search has been as fruitless as her own. She pulls her knees to her chest and rests her chin on them. Her hand gropes blindly behind her until it makes contact with metal. Her fingers wrap around the handle and by the time she has brought the mirror up to her face the surface is already moving like a pond being pelted with rain. The movement produces no result though and Emma is left to stare at her own face as she whispers, “Please be okay baby. Please come back to me. I need you.”
Fandom - Once Upon a Time
Pairing - Emma/Regina
Rating - P13
AN - Takes place after The Evil Queen and follows follows my drabbles, Mirror Mirror, This Provincial Life, Viviane or Nimue, Dreams and Wishes, All the Better to…., Magic Keys, Curiouser and Curiouser, Snow Blind, Spinning Straw , Wooden Hearts , Poisoned , True Love and Other Curses, Spellbound, Over the Rainbow, Facades, Lost Girls, Monstrosities, Love and Lies, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Dreamscapes, Homecomings, Test Match, Wishful Thinking, Absent Friends, Small Mercies, State of Mind, Good Intentions, Sins of Mothers, Affairs of the Heart, Power Plays and Future Plans
Crying Wolf
By the time she reaches Granny’s she is at her wits’ end. She knows something is terribly wrong but she doesn’t know what to do about it. She’s not even sure she can do anything about it. Emma doesn’t understand how it is that she can save a town without trying but be struggling to save a person. Maybe her saviour magic is ridiculously specific but there is no one she can ask about that because they either wouldn’t know or wouldn’t tell her. In this quest it seems she has no magic and no allies.
To be honest she’s not sure that she ever has any allies in Storybroke. Sometimes she thinks that the people of this town only see her as a means to an end. Her role was to break the curse and given that this has occurred she feels that is less now than she was before. She is little more than an extension of David and Mary Margaret. Emma’s is certain that it is assumed that her needs are the same as her parents’ and that her desire to return to the Enchanted Forest is as strong as theirs.
She can’t go back there. That is not the world for her. Emma knows that as surely as she knows how to breathe but she doesn’t know how to express this fact without hurting the people who care about her. She saw how crushed her parents were when they told her that the beans had been destroyed; knowing that Emma doesn’t want to go back to Fairytale Land would kill them. They can never know that she had a hand in destroying the bean field.
Emma had to get rid of those beans; she felt her life draining away as they grew. If they had have been allowed to thrive it would have been the end of her. She may not have dirtied her hands, she didn’t even mention the beans directly, but she knew what the outcome would be when Regina discovered the existence of the field. She fed Regina enough fear and doubt to ensure that she would find the beans and in doing so she decided the fate of all of the inhabitants of Storybrooke. She stole their future as hers was once stolen.
She had not anticipated that the destruction of the field would go hand in hand with death of August. Just one of those events would have meant that these people were out for blood. The combined tragedies are basically an invitation to war. She can feel her father itching to pick up a sword. He wants to lead his people the only way he knows how - by giving them an enemy.
Unfortunately for Emma there is a convenient enemy for them to unit against. Perhaps Regina deserves the townspeople’s’ wrath, after all she did burn their hopes to the ground but only Emma understands that she didn’t do that to hurt them. Making these people happy may not be Regina’s top priority but neither is making them miserable. Emma is fairly certain that Regina would be delighted if they all just climbed a beanstalk and left her behind. Regina would take an axe to the stalk the minute the last of them disappeared and she would never look back.
This wasn’t about Regina taking away happy endings, this was about keeping them. It was about making sure that Emma and Henry didn’t leave with the others and it was entirely Emma’s fault. She is the bad guy here. She is the one they should be despising. Some hero she is, she’s not even brave enough to tell the truth.
Emma isn’t a hero, she’s a villain but she is not the only one. She is not the one who turned August back into wood. Emma is secretly pissed at August for his last words. Emma knows in her heart that Regina is not the ‘she’ that he referred to but she also knows that she will never be able to convince anyone else of that. Regina is far too perfect a scapegoat. There is no point in explaining to these people that every single time they have been convinced that Regina is behind an apparent murder they have been wrong. They want to believe that she is the cause of all that is bad in their lives so that is all they see.
She is the only one who understands that the issue is not that Regina is incapable of murder, she is more capable than most, but rather that she is just way better at murder than this. Even the smallest indication that Regina has committed crime is actually a huge flashing neon sign saying that Regina is innocent.
Emma has tried to direct them towards the true culprit but they think that her suspicions are fuelled by jealousy. These people are impossible sometimes. Their views on the world are so completely foreign to her. They somehow honestly believe that the fact that you’ve had a child with someone means that you are by definition one another’s true love.
The thought of being Neal’s true love puts her off her food. She had been hungry a few minutes ago, it’s why she came in here in the first place, but the churning feeling in her stomach has turned from starvation to nausea. It’s pointless remaining here now but she can’t seem to find the energy to stand. She folds her arm and places them on the table before laying her head down on it.
If she had still had wanted food the place would be full and service would be slow but now that she wants to be left alone she is of course dealing with an empty diner. It is only moments after she places her head on the table that Ruby arrives to take her order.
“Rough night Emma?” Ruby asks with sympathy that is coloured with more than a touch of amusement.
“If only,” she replies.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. What’s wrong?”
“It doesn’t matter. You wouldn’t believe me anyway,” Ruby doesn’t deserve her anger but Emma can no longer keep it inside.
“This is about Tamara isn’t it?”
“Why would you say that?” Emma is happy that Ruby can’t see her face because now she doesn’t have to worry about it betraying her.
“Word about town is that you think she is responsible for what happened to August.”
“Is that what they are saying?”
“What they are saying is along the lines of you being crazy with jealousy and having lost all ability to reason.”
“It’s nice to know that this town has such little faith in its elected Sheriff.”
“To be fair when we elected you we were all under a curse and didn’t know what we were doing.”
“Ouch. And here I was thinking that we were friends.”
“I’m sorry, Emma. I thought you’d find that funny.”
“Maybe I would on a better day,” she says but finds it hard to believe.
“If it helps it’s not the whole town. It’s just one person actually.”
“Let me guess. Mary Margaret?”
“Yes and she seemed rather pleased about your madness.”
“She would,” Emma grumbles.
“Emma, she’s your mother. She just wants good things for you.”
“No. She wants what she thinks are good things for me. It’s not the same thing at all.”
“Newsflash Emma, I’m pretty sure that’s what all mothers want.”
“Well then maybe I don’t want a mother.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“No, I don’t. I know she’s trying. I just don’t need that kind of help right now.”
“What’s wrong, Em?”
“Everything.”
“Well ok,” Ruby says and then squashes herself in beside Emma, forcing the blonde to slide along the seat. She knows it’s rude but, even though she moves to make room for Ruby, she keeps her head down. “Everything is a big topic. Where should we begin?”
“Tamara’s head on a plate would be a nice start.”
“You really think she did that to August?”
“I’m certain of it.”
“But that’s not why you want her head on a plate, is it?”
“I’m not fan of what she did,” Emma does her best to side step the question.
“I’d be worried if you were but I suspect it’s the consequences of what she has done that worry you more.”
Emma is grateful that she doesn’t need to explain things to Ruby. “I know what everyone thinks but they’re wrong.”
“It’s an understandable conclusion for people to jump to though.”
“Regina is not responsible for all of the evil in the world and she is certainly not responsible for what happened to August. Why am I the only one who doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that August died the day Tamara showed up in town?”
“Maybe because you are the only one with an interest in believing that Tamara is guilty.”
“And now you sound like my mother,” Emma complains, “I am not fucking jealous of fucking Tamara.”
“I didn’t say you were,” Ruby kindly reminds her, “I just said that for you it is important to prove that Tamara is guilty.”
“Of course it is.”
“Because if Tamara did that to August it means that she didn’t,” Ruby spells out the obvious.
“I don’t need to prove that Tamara is guilty in order to know that,” she says defiantly.
“But you do if you want the rest of the town to believe you.”
Emma sinks down into her seat and takes a deep breath, “I don’t understand why every one is so quick to blame her.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I know who she is. I know what she’s done. I also know that she is really tyring and no one seems to care.”
“Emma,” Ruby’s voice is gentle but cautious, “you weren’t there. You don’t understand.”
“You think I haven’t been hurt by the actions of Regina Mills?” Emma speaks in a whisper but it feels like a shout.
“I’m not saying that. I’m saying it’s a lot to forget.”
“What about you? Have you forgotten?”
“You know that I care for her. My curse memories are strange and distorted, maybe that’s what happens when you live the same day over and over again, but my feelings for her are real.”
“That’s not what I asked you. Those feelings, those memories, they aren’t attached to the past and to the things that she’s done. I want to know what the rest of you thinks, what Red thinks.”
“Do you want to know if I think she could kill someone? You shouldn’t ask that question Emma. I don’t think you’ll like the answer.”
For the first time since their conversation began Emma lifts her head and looks at Ruby and when she does she laughs in her face. “Oh Ruby,” she chuckles, “of course she could kill someone. That doesn’t mean she did it.”
Ruby seems unsettled by Emma’s laughter and edges away from her, “Did she tell you that?” Emma chokes back a sob and shakes her head. “Then how can you be so sure.”
“Logic tells me that this isn’t her style. It is neither subtle nor brazen enough. Emotion tells me that I can trust that she’s innocent.”
“She has been in a pretty bad place lately Emma,” Ruby prods.
“You think I don’t know that? I know that better than anyone but if anyone was going to be dead because of that it would be Mary Margaret, not August.”
“How can you talk so casually about that fact that Regina might kill your mother?”
“Because she promised me that she wouldn’t do it and I believe her.”
The other woman looks completely distressed, “You two have discussed her desire to kill your mother?”
Emma nods solemnly, “It sounds so much worse than it is.”
“It had better because Emma it sounds really bad. This is serious stuff. I can’t believe that you’ve spoken about it.”
“Why wouldn’t we? It’s a pretty big issue, it’s not like we can just ignore it.”
Ruby gives a small shake of head and lowers her voice, “I never imagined her really talking with anyone.”
“It’s not all just fighting and fucking with us. We talk,” a small smile creeps its way onto Emma’s face, “sometimes she talks too much.”
“Now that I really can’t picture, she’s not much of a talker.”
“She is, she’s just never had anyone to talk to. She’s always been alone.”
“She didn’t have to be,” Ruby turns her head away and picks at the cloth in her hands.
Emma puts a comforting hand on Ruby’s shoulder, “Hey. It’s not your fault. Maybe she did talk to you and you can’t remember because of the curse or maybe it seemed pointless to talk to someone who wouldn’t remember the conversation.”
“The curse broke,” Ruby states sadly and Emma can’t help thinking that perhaps the curse wasn’t the only thing that broke that day.
“Yeah but by then she had met me. I was a game changer,” She wants to sound confident but also light. She doesn’t want Ruby to hurt.
“I want to hate you for that but more than that I want her to be happy.”
“Maybe you deserve her more than I do,” it’s not a thought that sits at all well with her but she has to admit that it might be true, “but I’m sorry, I’m not giving her up.”
“That at least I can understand. If she were mine I wouldn’t give her up either.”
“Ruby,” Emma tries to swallow but apparently this skill has forsaken her and as a result she coughs and splutters, “she’s in trouble.”
“How do you know?”
“I can feel it.”
“Okay,” Ruby says but she sounds sceptical.
“She’s missing.”
Ruby looks a lot more worried now that Emma has given her something concrete, “What do you mean missing?”
“She’s not at her house, she’s not at town hall, she’s not at the crypt. She’s not anywhere. I’ve checked.”
“Maybe she just needs some time alone,” Ruby suggests. She sounds calm and sensible but there is fear written all over her face.
“She’s not responding to my calls or texts. She wouldn’t do that to me.”
If it were possible to be burnt by a look the flash of jealousy that dances through Ruby’s eyes would have left Emma with serious wounds. “Again, maybe she just doesn’t want to talk at the moment.”
Emma bites her lip and then confesses, “I tried using the mirror but even with that I can’t find her.” She had used the mirror as a last resort. Regina may have given it to her as a sign of trust but to Emma it felt a lot like Regina slipping and she didn’t want that for either or them. However, when her texts and calls went unanswered she began to worry. At first it was easy to dismiss the radio silence, Regina is a busy woman, but the longer it went on the more she worried. Her concern made her both reckless and bold. She sent a text that she normally would not have risked sending unless it was late at night and she was sure that Regina was alone - she asked Regina if she was avoiding her because she’d gotten her pregnant and when that failed to get an angry retort Emma knew something was really wrong.
She picked up the mirror and watched it come alive in her hand. Her desperation was more than enough to fuel whatever magic it required. Its surface rippled promisingly but then it went flat and all she saw was herself. She tried again and again but the result was always the same. Emma knows that her magic is glitchy at best but she is certain that, no matter how much of a novice she may be, she would have been able to use the mirror correctly. Her magic is related to love and historically when it comes to Regina she has never failed to activate it if she felt Regina’s wellbeing was in jeopardy.
“You looked for her in a mirror?” Ruby sounds terrified.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t find her. I needed to know that she was okay.”
“But Emma, that’s magic.”
“I am aware of that. I do have a little magic.”
“But that doesn’t mean that you should use it. Magic is dangerous stuff.”
“I’m aware of that too but I couldn’t not try. I couldn’t not help her. I won’t ever be sorry that I used it, I’m only sorry that it didn’t work. If anything I wish I knew more magic. If I could teleport to her that would be a lot more helpful than hoping she is near a mirror,” she says forlornly.
“You really do think she’s in trouble, don’t you?”
“I know she is. I feel it. I’ve never been this worried for her before. I feared for her when the wraith marked her and when I knew that Cora was coming but it was nothing like this.” She can’t really explain what is happening. She has never felt anything like this before. Her body, her mind, her heart, all of her, knows that Regina is in danger.
Ruby’s eyes dart towards the clock. “I get off in two hours. If you like I could hunt for her. It failed last time but I want to be able to do something to help.”
“You believe me?” Emma asks. She is legitimately shocked to have someone take her concerns seriously.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“No one else does.”
“Well, I am not like everyone else.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re not. I’m sorry to dump this on you. I know it can’t be easy on you.”
“It’s okay,” Ruby assures her, “but Emma can I give you some advice? When this is all sorted you really need to talk to Mary Margaret about what’s going on.”
“It’s early days for us. I’ll tell her when the time is right.”If the time is ever right, she silently adds.
“You don’t have to tell her the truth if you’re not ready,” Ruby says kindly. “I realise that it might be difficult.”
“I’m not ashamed of being with her,” she says forcefully. The truth is that she is unbelievably proud to be able to call Regina hers.
“I believe you,” Ruby tells her and from the sadness in her voice Emma knows that it’s true, “but Emma you need to do something to shut down the hopes your mother has about Neal.”
“I know I do,” Emma groans. “I know this is going to end badly, she is busy playing happy families in her head.” Emma doesn’t need Mary Margaret’s version of a happy family. If it wasn’t so sad it would be amusing that her mother is desperate for her to be in a relationship with Henry’s other parent.
“She really is. I’m pretty sure she’s started planning your wedding.”
“Oh God.” She wants to put her head back on the table but she also can’t stand the thought of being still. “I can’t deal with that right now. I have to go back to looking.”
“I understand.” Ruby slides her way out of the booth and stands up. This, in turn, allows Emma to extricate herself. “Let me know if you find her. Otherwise I’ll look for her as soon as my shift’s done.”
“I will and thanks,” now that she is standing she is itching to leave. She practically jogs to the door but she does turn around to tell Ruby, “Thanks for helping me to feel a little bit better.”
“Anytime,” Ruby says warmly but her smile is forced.
Emma sprints to her cruiser and begins a search of painfully empty streets. Three hours later she has given up on driving and she sits on her bed staring at the phone. She knows what the blank screen means - Ruby’s search has been as fruitless as her own. She pulls her knees to her chest and rests her chin on them. Her hand gropes blindly behind her until it makes contact with metal. Her fingers wrap around the handle and by the time she has brought the mirror up to her face the surface is already moving like a pond being pelted with rain. The movement produces no result though and Emma is left to stare at her own face as she whispers, “Please be okay baby. Please come back to me. I need you.”