Rockabye

Chapter Six

Boston: Age Fourteen

"Go, go, go," Emma chants as she pushes Regina down the alleyway.

The blonde peeks over her shoulder and giggles as she watches the cops run right passed the entryway to their dark alley. The light from their flashlights beaming everywhere but in the girl's direction, sending another wave of euphoria to tingle through Emma's limbs.

"You're insane Emma," Regina whispers as she hops onto the chain link fence. She tightens her grip around the cool metal because fear has officially consumed her and caused sweaty palms. "You're worse now than when we were five!"

Emma laughs carelessly as she jumps onto the fence next to her long lost friend. "Sssshhhhh, you're gonna get us caught."

Emma begins climbing the fence, higher and higher until she straddles the top pole. She watches through a broad smile as Regina makes her way up. Emma stretches out her hand for assistance, but Regina rolls her eyes and continues her journey. The brunette finally reaches the top and sits across from the blonde she missed so much. The look in Emma's green eyes is enough to calm Regina's erratic heartbeat from fear.

"You call me insane, you have another awesome foster home that wants to adopt you, yet again and you refuse," Emma implies hoping to receive an actual answer from the brunette as to why she keeps declining.

Regina pouts those full lips that automatically make Emma melt. Fourteen years old and Emma is starting to understand that she feels something different for Regina than she does with most and it's most certainly not in a family loving kind of way.

"Look Emma, I just...I hate how much we are torn apart. You know if I would have accepted any of those families in the past, that would've been the end of our friendship," Regina tries to reason with her friend.

"Oh come on, you've been gone this last time for two years! At least you would've had a nice stable home," Emma scoffs hating the fact that Regina doesn't acknowledge how lucky she truly is. Emma wishes every night upon a star that someone, somewhere would bring her home.

The blonde rolls her eyes having enough of this repetitious conversation and begins to descend from the fence, fully annoyed. "So are we done talking Emma?" Regina snips with sarcasm lacing her words, but Emma refuses to reply.

Emma hops down far too soon, creating a sensation of a thousands needles jabbing into her feet as she connects with the pavement. She ignores the pain though and shoves her hands into her zip up and walks away, needing to put some space between her and Regina.

"Emma," Regina softly calls when she notices her friend is leaving her behind. She hastily climbs down the fence and hops off just as the blonde did moments ago. "Emma," Regina calls out again as she picks up her pace to catch her grumpy friend. "Emma talk to me," the brunette demands as she grip Emma's hoodie and whips her around, harsher than she intended.

"Why?" Emma barks startling Regina in the process. "You don't get it, you never do," the blonde snaps and shrugs her friend away. Emma has officially lost her adrenaline high and has slipped into moody teenager mode.

"Then please explain it to me. You were just all giddy from your petty theft and now you're all moody."

Emma takes a step forward, meeting her friend's sorrowful gaze. Regina is absolutely clueless to her friend's sudden mood swing. The brunette searches green irises for an answer, but she comes up empty handed.

They are hidden in the shadows of their cruel world. Just Emma and Regina, sandwiched between two brick buildings, staring intently into one another's eyes. Exactly what both teenagers have missed so much since this last separation.