You & me... Neverland (SWANQUEEN)

Chapter 16

"Magic, Emma." She answers, patiently. "That thing that sometimes looks like little lights and that's used to move things and make them disappear..." Despite the simple and clear explanation, the Sheriff's face still sports astonishment. "Are you going to take out the crucifix your father gave you any time now?"

Emma ignores the last question. "You want to teach me to control my magic?"

"On the ship you said you wanted to learn."

She did. Emma remembers it vividly. Like everything that happened that night. But there's something else behind. "And you sent me... to Hogwarts, I remember."

"I've changed my mind."

"Why?"

"Why not?" Regina responds defensively and Emma takes hold of what she knows of the brunette. It's better to withdraw and try to go slowly pulling the strings. Without pause but without haste. The last thing she wants is that the Mayor retraits, withdraws her offer to teach her and that she herself remains unaware of the reason for this proposal.

"Does this have anything to do with that thing you forgot to comment during the meeting at City Hall?"

"I don't do riddles..." She mutters between teeth with an impassive pose. Emma seeks her hands, ignores her reticence and intertwines them with hers. She turns her face, questioning, and looks directly at the honey-colored eyes.

"I mean Cora, Regina. Is this because of your mother?"

"Do you want to or not?" She repeats, throwing what seems like an ultimatum. But she doesn't loose Emma and her whole body language is screaming, please, accept this proposal.

Emma sighs, gentle and sweet, perfect to counter the trench Regina tries to build.

"I'm dying to do it, Regina. And more if you want it too."

Regina twists her nose. If Emma is accepting her proposal, if they both agree, they should stop mulling over it at once. "So...?"

"You tell me. What happens? Is it because of Cora? "

"No." She responds taking air too hard and clucking. But she doesn't let Emma's hands go and goes back to her eyes. She gives in, foreseeing upset how her control crumbles a bit. "It's because of everything." She sighs, biting her lip and falling apart a little bit more. "You need Magic, Emma. I need you to master it. So that nothing can hurt you... not just my mother. I'm afraid of her, yes... but it's everything." She's bordering the plea, but the blue eyes prevent her from deviating and she keeps on talking. She opens to Emma. Against her will, her eyes reveal all her fears, closely followed by her mouth, which also betrays her. Even her hands squeeze Emma's more tightly, they reveal everything that's inside her. "In less than a week you have been close to being hurt several times ... diabolic shadows, humans with guns, mermaids..."

"But nothing happened, honey, I'm fine and it's all all thanks to you."

Regina doesn't even devote a second to savor the endearment, or to repair in the sweet way it's pronounced. She merely shakes her head and keeps talking at full speed.

"It's not enough..." She mutters "What if I'm not enough?" A question that envelops Regina's every fear. Brown eyes go pupil to pupil as what she doesn't dare to say out loud resonates painfully in her head: what if I can't always be there? No, I can't lose you... I don't want anything bad happening to you... I can't lose you, I really can't... Emma, I'm terrified.

She doesn't not say aloud. She has closed her mouth for fear of letting escape even more words worthy more of a frightened little girl than of a mature and potentially deadly adult. But the Savior is developing a new superpower. One that goes beyond detecting the truth, one that works only when it comes to Regina. And she reads the brunette's every fear, every plea, every memory of what it islike to lose a loved one. Suffering and helplessness that still scares Regina like a child.