And Then There Was You

XVI. A Fiery Heart

Thank you for all your lovely comments! And after thinking about a lot of different possibilities where this story is heading to, it's quite clear that this chapter needs much SwanQueen love (no pun intended).

[Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from ABC's hit show, ONCE UPON A TIME.]

It was a chilly night. The moon was high up above the clouds. It was sparse but there were clouds nonetheless. A few stars sparkled in the distance as the clouds sailed smoothly unlike the recent events that had happened in the Swan family mansion.

Emma pulled her warm cashmere overcoat closer to her body. Her scarf doubled around her neck to provide the extra warmth. She made her way out of the beautifully crafted wooden front door and hurried onto the pathway in search of the brunette. She looked around, desperately trying to find the woman who had caught her attention from the very beginning, hoping that she hadn't left so soon. The tips of her fingers began to numb from the icy air and held them close to her mouth, continuously breathing out whatever heat her body could produce. In a short distance, Emma had finally caught a glimpse of beautiful brunette that always plagued her dreams.

Regina had her hands deep inside her long coat's pockets. Her shoulders stood sharply as her head slightly bowed and her eyes were on the ground. She had been briskly walking towards the main street and away from the place where she had felt so embarrassed and hurt. Another minute in that unbearable place would've sent her over the edge and it was not something Professor Regina Mills would be caught doing.

"Regina..." Emma began, almost heaving as she finally caught up to the brunette, "a-are you alright?"

Regina looked at the blonde with apparent hurt in her eyes but nonchalantly replied, "Yes Miss Swan. I'm fine."

"Regina," Emma said as she was still trying to catch her breath, "whatever happened back there-"

"Is none of your business Miss Swan," Regina interjected and looked away.

Emma's face contorted and was taken aback from the very forward statement. "Yes, it is my business...Regina."

Regina sensed the blonde's sternness and replied with a more empathetic tone, "I'm truly sorry about your father."

"Oh, that... That's not what I meant. That's not important now." Emma found her eyes on the ground from the sudden mention of her estranged father. "Whatever happened back then, I already moved on from it." She shifted her glance onto Regina and focused on the brunette's mesmerizing brown eyes, hoping it would prove her point. "He clearly made his choice a long time ago and I don't care anymore."

"Well, then why are you here? What's with the sudden chase?"

"Chase?" Emma, caught off guard shifted her glance away from Regina and back to the floor as her cheeks began to emit heat. "Oh, I uh...thought you needed someone to talk to."

"As I said Miss Swan-"

"Emma," the blonde interrupted with pleading eyes. "Please?"

Regina sighed, "Emma..." and gave the blonde an assuring smile and replied, "I'm fine."

"Well, didn't seem like it back there."

"Oh, I knew how that might've look to some people, but really I just needed to get out for some fresh air."

"Well, after all of that drama, I could say the same for myself."

The two women chuckled at the thought from the earlier drama they recently both been in and their eyes fell upon each other, sending them both an instant spark. For a moment there, they both thought whatever they had before was just merely coincidental and from the heat of the moment, but here right now and being around each other, proved to be more comforting and effortless as they had remembered. Under the blanket of stars, the two women stared at each other silently. Their eyes seemed to do more of the talking and either one of them knew what the other was thinking.