You & me... Neverland (SWANQUEEN)

Chapter 6

The full moon plays an important role in the silent deployment of men through the jungle at night. The bluish light floods the path and allows them to move forward for nearly three hours without resorting to any torch or fire that might warn of your their arrival. The silence is almost sepulchral and only the most confident or more nervous of them dare to seek a companion to talk with and pass the time or to get rid of their fears, respectively. Emma's making her way after Philip and Mulan, somehow the leaders of the expedition. She walks in silence too, but her mind is far from quiet.

Her fingers tickle and her legs threaten to walk faster, if it were possible. Every second she gets closer Henry is one more second full of anxiety, of repressing the eagerness to rush to the boy and sweep away anyone who tries to stop her. But she contains herself and meditate. She can't do anything for now and she's aware of that. However, there's another type of anxiety, another unresolved issue that stirs her gut and that she doesn't know how to manage. If Henry's her main concern, his adoptive mother is also attacking her nerves.

Three attempts, three, and she hasn't managed to approach her a single time. Emma has become the plague because without realizing the mayor and shuns with an agility that is worthy of study. But in front of her, the path narrows and the large, scattered group becomes a row of two or three men. Before Regina notices, Emma slows her steps and gets besides her. When the Mayor gives her a twisted face and tries to go away once again, she gets trapped by a dense, compact crowd, and Emma gives her a shy smile. One that Regina obviously doesn't reciprocate, unless Emma counts as one the fact that she raises her lip in disgust, nearly showing her teeth.

"Can I talk to you?" To her question, the brunette answers passing from twisting her mouth to looking ahead showing no interest in her presence. "Regina, I didn't kiss Neal, it was just his doing." She mumbles softly and loaded with sheer frustration.

Regina turns to Emma and she swallows thickly wondering whether it has been a good idea to force her to walk together. For the first time in her life she understands the panic that this woman could cause with her mere presence.

"And you tell me this so that I give you sentimental advise?" She drips disgust and indifference equally, and both reach Emma like a blow full in the stomach. "Your mother is the expert in love and epic reunions, Sheriff. Talk to her."

She bites her lip, trying to calm down and seeing beyond the Mayor's anger, but when the brunette accelerates her steps frustration overcomes her.

"Regina, please..." she asks, solicitously raising her hand to grab her arm. Her fingers hardly close around the soft skin and she notices it. An invisible fire that burns against her hand and forces her to take it away sharply. "What the hell...?" She doesn't finish the sentence but she blows and shakes her fingers trying to ease the pain of a burn that doesn't leave marks on her skin.

"Any problem, Miss Swan?"

Emma opens her aching hand before answering. "No, everything is perfectly fine." She says ironically, crossing her glance with two chocolate eyes looking almost through her, as if she wasn't there. "I'm trying to talk to you, can we have a normal conversation?"

"I'm not interested and, furthermore, I have to speak with Snow."

"You won't dare..." Emma growls, hurt, worried and upset at the same time. "Regina..." But nothing seems to permeate the Mayor, who starts to accelerate her steps toward Snow. "I don't care who may hear us. I'll keep on talking, even though Snow's listening." She warns Regina, accommodating her steps to her pace.

"That's perfect by me." The answer is followed by the most classic smile from the cold and heartless Mayor who declared war to her two years ago. A grimace at odds with this new Regina that destabilizes her sense of security. The Evil Queen takes advantage of her silent uneasiness to resume her stride toward Snow. She doesn't stop even when when she hears Emma repeat her name in a frustrated whisper. She only tightens her lips and moves on.