Time Will Tell

Chapter Fourteen

"It was hard enough being at your wedding."

"I can't believe you let me marry someone when you knew I was supposed to be with you."

"It was your choice. You love him," Regina swallows thickly, the heartache as painful as the day Emma was ripped away from her, "not me. You're happy with him," she whispers, her voice finally admitting defeat and breaking on the last sentence.

"It's all a lie," she exasperates. "You set me up for failure. You and everyone else who knew, because one day I would wake up and realize something was missing and that Killian wasn't right for me," and with that her emotions swell far too much to control and a single tear rolls depressingly down her cheek, but she quickly wipes away the wetness, because she is furious about the whole situation. "You're so selfish," she bitterly seethes under her breath.

Regina's wet eyes fall closed, her head still tilting back in hopes the gravity will support her during this time and hold back those tears threatening to spill. She roughly bites down on the inside of her lip, hopelessly squeezing her eyes tightly shut.

When she finally finds the courage to rebuttal, her voice is filled with gut-wrenching emotion that leaves her tone raspy and jagged. "Funny, I thought telling you, forcing you to be with me, was selfish. I thought I was letting you go, allowing you to be free to make whatever decisions you wanted. No matter what pain it caused me."

"No, I could have had my happy ending years ago with my one true love and you kept it from me out of fear."

And with that they both fall completely silent, both lost in the reality of how much they damaged their lives. All that time wasted in jealousy, confusion, loneliness and bitterness; maybe they could have saved themselves the heartache if they could have found the courage to be open and honest with each other. But neither one has ever been very good at that.

"Regina?" Emma begins treading cautiously, "did anything happen between us during that time?" Finally, those dark, weary eyes meet Emma's nervous gaze as Regina slowly lifts one eyebrow in questioning. "Did we ever...um...you know?" She softly whispers, creating a deep shade of pink to stain her cheeks.

Regina breathes out a small, mischievous chuckle. "No Swan, we only shared a few stolen kisses. I wasn't so promiscuous when I was seventeen."

Emma pauses for a moment, her brows furrowed in deep concentration. "Are you suggesting I was?"

That infamous evil smirk slides dangerously across the former Queen's face and without thinking Emma shakes her head in amusement and playfully slaps the mayor's arm. In that split second of contact, she feels something overwhelming tug at her heart that causes her breath to hitch. Her fingertips tingle and she possesses this urge to feel Regina beneath her flesh once again, her body begging for another touch. Instinctively, she scoots closer, surrendering to her body's needs which provokes Regina's eyes to snap to attention, intently watching her every move.

"Was I a good kisser?" Emma teases, hopelessly trying to suppress her goofy grin while her finger playfully pokes Regina's side, forcing the truth to come out.

Regina quickly swats the intrusive hand away while somehow maintaining a straight face. "Hmmm, wouldn't you like to know?"

"I would, that's why I'm asking," she chuckles, waiting patiently for an answer.

The air around them suddenly becomes suffocatingly thick with this tangible tension buzzing around them. Regina awkwardly shifts on her bottom, obviously reminiscing about their past and Emma thinks she has her answer. They must have been magic together.

"Next question, Swan," Regina flatly replies.

"Alright, what was it like between us?" And long gone is the teasing banter and all that's left is sincerity and vulnerability, genuinely wanting to know more about the former princess when she was younger...to know about them.