Once Upon a Time 1. Lies

I'm still working on my main storie's next chapter; hopefully, it'll be up soon! But, I also hope you guys will enjoy this little piece.

A/N: I don't own anything in relations to ONCE, or any other familiar and recognizable themes.

* * *

I hadn't been capable of taking my eyes off of her since the moment I'd seen her step foot inside the restaurant. Coincidences of life, huh?

'Rora beside me had long ago turned to chat animatedly with our waitress, who had sat down several minutes ago when I had ignored her. I had decided against ordering anything else, but the whiskey I loosely held between my hands.

She wasn't here alone; of course she wasn't, I found myself sneering to myself.

A beautiful woman like Emma deserved never to be alone again.

Suddenly the last memory of us together stung deeper than ever, and I couldn't help but feel as I more than deserved these years filled with solitude without her.

I hadn't seen her in over six years; when she had violently tossed whatever had been in her path at me, while she screamed and cried, before walking out of my flat (and my life).

And I had deserved every single one of the vases, cups, and shoes she had fling at me; I just regret the fact that I'd been too much of a coward to let any of the items hit me.

I'd been too unkind as well as uncaring towards her; not only that night, but it'd been happening for way too long now. I had just been too much of an idiot to have thought she would ever take more of my insolence.

* * *

_I couldn't help but trail my lips down her collarbone in a slow manner, my hands gripping her hips determinedly as I climbed on top of her and pinned her down._

_Knee firmly in place as she rubbed my back in a desperate manner, and dragged her nails over my shoulders, demonstrating her want and need for me._

"_Come now, Regina," she murmured to me, moving her legs to wrapped them around my waist as I pulled her down to have better access to her more than pale neck; biting and nipping rather hard, but not enough to hurt, "stop torturing me and just take me."_

_I could only growl against her collarbone before my hands began descending towards her belly button and lower towards the anticipated destination._

_She'd been taunting me for days now, and I couldn't wait to taste her once more. Last time we'd been in bed had been two weeks ago, and I'd thought I could stay away. Because I was not hers to be with, and I could care less if she kept coming to me at night._

_I pulled her skirt down purposefully as she excitedly rolled us together, finding her place on top of me before claiming my lips heatedly with hers; her hands reached up to imprisoned mine over my head as her tongue sought mine out._

_Her hands never found mine, and her lips ceased their movement._

_She pulled back away an inch or two before she frowned and grabbed whatever it was she was staring at, her dark hair streaked with red framing her face as she looked down at me, a forgotten garment in her hand._

"_I thought you said you weren't sleeping with her anymore," she half asked me, half told me as she stretch the flimsy underwear in her hand , and let it sling back towards the pillows._

_I sighed before I pushed her off of me more than a little dismissively._

_I'd already told her what this was, and her jealous episodes were not wanted, nor needed._

_Buttoning up my shirt I turned to her._

"_We aren't," I told her roughly as I got off my bed and began swinging back her clothes towards her, "I haven't had sex with Emma in weeks."_

_And we hadn't. I'd been at work too much, and Emma had begun spending her weekends at Storybrooke Academy with Mary Margaret and doing homework instead of coming home to an empty apartment._

_I was already dressed when I heard the soft clink of keys outside the bedroom and froze in place, turning towards my girlfriend's best friend which sat on the bed, mouth gaping as she stopped fumbling with her bra._

_My finger flew up to my mouth in a hushing gesture to Ruby. Why I'd thought fucking my girlfriend's closest friend would be a good idea, I would never know._

_The lights were all off in the house, except the front door one, which I had left on in case Ms. Lucas left too late._

"_Regina," I heard Emma call out, and her footsteps stopped for a second when she didn't hear anything._

"_Babe!" she sung out as she began moving around again._

_The bedroom was on the second floor, so it wouldn't do to have the wolf flung herself out the window, and another look at her let me know not to even mention it._

_The door pushed open slowly, and I rushed to move in front of the opening._

_She stood there, smiling up on me, and I quickly understood she couldn't see beyond the bedside table._

_Her arms flew around my neck as she reached up on her toes and laid her lips on mine._

"_Baby, were you sleeping?" she asked once my arms had come around her waist, her tongue dragging across her lower lip in confusion as she noticed my disheveled appearance._

"_Si, cariño," I whispered to her as I tried to push us out of the room, and towards the kitchen in an effort to let the woman inside the room somehow sneak out._

_Emma's cheeks were orangey-red as she let me pull her towards the lit kitchen._

"_What are you doing here, Emma?" I asked her softly as her arms rested around my shoulders and she leant in to kiss my cheeks, her gentle lips tenderly making contact with my cheekbone._

_For a second, there was that confused look once again in her eyes when she looked at me, but she was fast to recover._

"_Well, I got done quicker than I thought with a few things at school, and I just thought you would like," she began as her hands slowly came down to my buttons and began to push them through the holes, "if I came and spent the night with you," she finished, as I stood in place like a statue, my arms still around her waist._

"_Maybe not tonight darling," I told her while I stilled her hands with one of mine and she looked up at me._

_I just wanted her to leave the house, so I could right everything with Ruby, and prevent her from seeing anything. Acting dismissively would achieve that. It should've been easy._

"_Is something wrong, Regina?" she asked me, taken aback by my actions and slowly pulling away from my arms._

_I brought my hand up to the bridge of my nose, and found myself pinching it, sighing while I rolled my eyes. But nothing with Emma was ever easy._

"_Should there be anything wrong?" I asked, a small chuckle leaving my lips (I was trying to hide my nervousness) as her eyes narrowed, and the bedroom door clicked shut. I'd only hope I'd been the only one to have heard the sound, but that was too much to ask for._

_Her eyes narrowed for a second before realization fell upon her._

_She was far from being unintelligent._

"_Oh, my God," she gasped quietly, her hand coming up to her mouth as she turned just in time to see the waitress grab her coat at the door, "Rubes?"_

_Said girl only looked guiltily at Emma; some of her buttons still undone._

"_I'm so sorry, Emma," she mumbled, hesitantly, before she slipped out the door; what a friend she was._

_The room fell silent afterwards._

_She'd turned away from me, and I didn't know what to say._

_Well, I knew what to say, but maybe I didn't want to say anything. I was rather embarrassed I had been caught, in a way. Even back then I had known I'd loved Emma. But…_

_At that time, I'd been too arrogant, too uncaring as a woman who knew she could have anyone she wanted. But I had yet to know that loosing Emma would be my undoing._

"_Look, Emma, this is nothing," I began, taking a step towards her and laying my hands on her shoulders; noticing their slight trembling, "nothing happened."_

"_Nothing happened?" she inquired, walking away from me and directing herself towards the bedroom, pushing the door open, "Then, what the hell was she doing here?"_

_I could hear the tears in her voice as I followed her; my footsteps quick behind her._

_Red had left the bed undone, Emma's bra still on the pillows where she had swung it, and she had forgotten her knickers by the small bedside table._

_I couldn't help but curse in Spanish the second I saw the garment, and Emma by it._

_To say I had picked an ignorant woman to sleep with was an understatement, but the girl in front of me was not an idiot who disregarded minor details._

"_That is not proof of anything," I spit at her while I crouched down to get the damn thing, angry with my own self for the situation._

"_Look at me, and tell me, that you did not sleep with her just now," she dragged out, sadness and anger evident in her voice._

_I couldn't help but look at her with a smile, which I knew would rile her up even more._

"_I did not sleep with Ms. Lucas tonight," I told her, throwing the panties into the trash bin at the corner of the room. _

"_Don't lie to me, Regina!" she screamed at me, and for a moment I felt coldness envelop my heart and grip it tightly, her tone desperate and fed up._

_Dropping myself on the bed, I laughed; one of those laughs people use when they know they're hurting someone, when they know they are humiliating a person they love, and losing them in the process. _

_It was a haughty sound, and I knew it from the moment I released it._

_The tears were evident in her face as the light from the small window slipped in and lit them up._

"_What happened to us?" she began once again, sniffling and quickly swiping at her shed tears in an effort to stop herself from crying._

_I hadn't wanted to talk about this with her, I'd only want her to forget it. _

"_Nothing happened," I told her dismissively, "drop it, Emma."_

_The first item had almost hit me, had I not dodged it by instinct._

_Slamming against the wall behind me came the glass vase gifted to us from Emma's parents a year ago; the thing bursting into chips and pieces throughout the carpeted floor._

"_You are so full of it," she sneered at me as she began throwing various other items, but they never hit me._

_Back then, I'd thought the fact that she was hurling things around the room at me was good; that she was letting out steam before I could take her to bed and make her forget about the whole fiasco._

_But the moment I realized I would be the only one picking up the pieces when she was gone had yet to dawn on me._

"_Emma," I remember calling out to her, while I dusted some of the glass off myself before approaching her, a shoe firmly in her hand as if it was the next thing to be launched at me._

_I could see it in her hands that she was trying to control her emotions._

"_We can talk about this, dear," I reasoned with her as my hand stopped to rest on top of hers; moving the shoe away from me and closer to the ground._

_She gripped it harder._

"_You will stop lying to me, and tell me everything?" she asked of me while she for a second, lowered the offending thing and relaxed slightly._

_Taking advantage, I nodded and opened my hand to her when she dropped the heeled shoe._

_I tried to sit with her at the bed, but she wouldn't, and sighing I pulled her to living room, sitting us on the couch._

_If I played the cards correctly, this conversation would never arise again, and I could have Emma back at the palm of my hand; as I had believed I had._

_"I'm so sorry, Emma," I murmured to her as I brought her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles, "but nothing happened."_

_She began shaking her head, her eyes turning furious as she let my hand drop and got off the couch; a hurt look invading her eyes._

"_You would dare…"_

"_Por Dios," I exclaimed in disbelief as I brought my hands to my forehead, and began to think of what else to say, "Don't be stupid, Emma! I could have anyone I ever wanted in this world. Why would I sleep with her if I didn't want to be in a relationship with her but with you?"_

_And I asked myself that each time I'd let Red in._

_Still shaking her head, her lips thinned out into a straight line, and her eyes seemed lost._

"_I'm not being stupid at all. You would be an idiot to believe me one to think, for one second, that nothing happened, Regina!" she screamed at me; one finger pointed towards the bedroom. "Just tell me the truth. Stop the cheap excuses… stop wasting our time."_

"_Time is something I wish not to waste," I found myself murmuring._

"_Oh, I bet!" she declared, "I'm gone for a month, Regina, and you definitely don't waste any time finding someone to warm up your bed…" she trailed off beyond reason, and I found myself protesting._

_The arrogant part of me could not shut its mouth and before I could stop myself, the words slipped out quicker than falling sand._

"_At least Ruby does warm up my bed."_

_Pause._

_She held fixed, her arm dropping down to her side abruptly, her eyes dimming; anger dissipating a bit, but despair evident. _

_I just kept digging deeper, didn't I? Rubbing it in her face that her leggy best friend could somehow replace her if I wanted her to… I couldn't be more of an asshole._

"_Is that really how you've felt these past months?" the blonde softly breathed out, her voice slightly cracking, brows furrowed._

_My hands flew up to my face as I covered it and heavily sighed out for the millionth time today._

_I couldn't believe those words had come out of my mouth._

"_Well, is it or is it not?" _

_Shaking myself, I got up off the couch and directed my eyes towards her yet again._

_I could see it in her posture that she thought I was about to apologize, to get on my knees, and beg her to forgive me for my infidelity, but she could not be more wrong._

_I was an idiot, and when I lost her, that fact would finally sink in._

"_Whatever, Emma," I sneered at her this time, "think whatever you want to think."_

"_I should have known from the beginning that this would not last," she told me while she walked to the kitchen, "That this could never work out."_

_Acting as if I didn't care if she left, I turned to walk inside the bedroom. We were done with the conversation; my naïve self was done listening._

_The hurled cup hit the door before I could reach it._

_Looking over my shoulder, I found her at the kitchen's door frame; in her hands another coffee cup._

"_You're a bloody coward, Regina," she whispered to me; the next item flying over my shoulder and bouncing off the wall into large chunks of glass._

_She was speaking the truth._

_But I laughed._

"_This is funny to you, then?"_

_A smile now on my lips; large and defiant._

"_Ask whatever else your little head might want to know, dear," I quickly said to her as I blew my bangs out of my face, "Today has been a very tiring day," the emphasis from my arrogant self was needed._

_The young woman choked on her fresh tears before she openly sobbed._

"_I never want to see you again!" the girl cried at me before she rushed from the kitchen to the front door, stopping to pull her jacket on, then swirling to face me._

"_You'll be back, Emma," I promised her._

_My heart clenching within my chest._

"_I won't," her voice croaked, "I know when to take the hint that I'm not needed anymore…or wanted."_

* * *

The whiskey burned the moment I tossed it back; the cool, yet warm liquid rushing down my throat.

She looked happy, at least, as she sat there.

The man she had been sitting with had gotten up, and directed himself towards the bathroom it seemed, as she nodded with a smile and drank from her almost full glass.

The moment he was gone, her smile dissipated and her eyes dragged down into her lap.

"When exactly are you planning on going over there?" I suddenly heard someone ask me; looking up I saw Lanny beside me as 'Rora just sat next to her, her hand enveloped in hers.

When had the Asian girl gotten here? I actually didn't know, so I only gave her a confused look before turning back to Emma.

"I don't even know if I should," I murmured to the both of them.

I haven't spoken to her in years, I reminded myself, just in time to see the man return to the table, his hands rubbing on his pants as he dried them up.

He said something to her, and she looked up, her smile back on as he leant across the table to peck her on the cheek hastily before throwing some money on the table and rushing away.

Now I found myself getting up and making my way towards her. She was looking down again when I got to her; fumbling through her wristlet.

I didn't really know what to say, and seeing her close made me feel even dumber.

"Emma," I breathed out.

She froze in place; her head left inclined toward her lap, her shoulders tensing up.

I know she knew who I was; the effect my voice used to always have on her never ceased to amaze me.

For a tiny moment, I thought she wouldn't look up, and would just pretend to not have heard a sound. But when her eyes met mine, I was the one who wanted to pretend I hadn't come over to speak to her.

Hard blue, green eyes gazed up at me; not glaring, not staring…

"Regina," she said, sounding clearly, but restrained.

The hand on her purse tightened slightly as if she was prepared to hit me with it any second. But glancing around the table, I realized she had other weapons to take into consideration…

Finishing a sip of wine, she softly place the glass back onto the mantle; s forced smile upon her beautiful lips.

"It was nice talking to you," she began in a hushed voice, "but I really must be going now."

Dropping some bills atop the table (her share, I guess?), she pulled back in her chair and got up, directing herself towards the exit.

I tried calling her, but I found that my voice wouldn't let me.

Seeing her leave the restaurant hit me just as hard as when she had left the first time.

"Regina!" I turned around to 'Rora; her arm around Lanny's waist while both of them lounged on the booth.

Now I noticed Lanny's waitress uniform…

"Don't waste time, Mills."

Lanny smiled as she spoke; that dreamy little thing that had probably hooked Aurora from the very beginning.

"Go get her."

If I could have ran after her, I would have. But all I could manage at the moment was to speed up my high heeled feet, and wish to myself that by some weird chance Emma was close by or luckily, still outside the establishment.

* * *

I'm not sure if this will just be a one shot, or if I'll write a continuation; but, anyways, thanks for reading! :)


	2. I Never Said It Back

_Thanks for all the feedback; I wasn't sure if I was going to continue it, but I've come up with th__is bit to have more of a feel to the story._

_Oh, and one more thing, I had originally planned for this to be a magic story, but as you see...there hasn't been much magic as of now; so, I might rethink that. Once again thank you, and I hope you enjoy._

**A/N: I don't own ONCE or any of its characters; the plot is the only thing that is mine.**

* * *

_If I could have ran after her, I would have. But all I could manage at the moment was to speed up my high heeled feet, and wish to myself that by some weird chance Emma was close by or luckily, still outside the establishment._

Pushing through the doors, I stumbled outside, and my breath caught in my throat as I was fortunate enough to find her by the lamp post; her hand waving out to get the attentions of multiple taxis passing by on the street.

Letting out the breath I'd been holding, I approached cautiously, but stopped as I settled right behind her.

"Let me take you home, Emma," I offered as she kept trying to hail cabs, deaf to my soft pleads.

"Why?" she asked me, and her frigidly cold tone broke me like winter ice, "So, we can make sweet loving, and have you run off on me to go fuck my best friend?"

"Emma, I made a mistake—"

"I needed you! God, Regina, I fucking loved you," the hazel eyed girl threw at out angrily; catching the attention of people who were strolling by.

"And yet, you ran away from me," I told her.

She paled at that, as if I had slapped her, and then the vein on her forehead seemed as if it wanted to pop.

"Don't you even dare! Are you being serious right now?" she blanked; trying to control her anger, and holding back her tears.

It had been a low blow on my behalf, but I had never learned how to shut my mouth in moments like these.

I got closer to her, and when she noticed she took a step back; almost landing herself in the middle of the street.

"Can we just talk, please?"

"Talk about what? Six years, Gin, it's taken you six years to actually venture these waters…Thank you, but no thanks. You're a bit too late," she finished as she finally caught a driver's attention, and the taxi pulled over at the curb.

"Emma, please wait," I was quick to say as she got into the cab, "I don't expect you to forgive me; frankly, I don't deserve it, and I knew that the second I realized you weren't coming back," she closed her eyes, and sighed tiredly; her fingers tightly clutching her wristlet, "If it's about owing, then I am the one that owes you the world—I'm going to be staying in town for a while. I would really like it if you could come see me before I leave…"

And when her eyes fluttered open, they clearly told me she didn't give a damn whether I wanted to see her or not, and that pierced right through my awakening heart.

"Why are you doing this, Regina?" she asked me, and her voice seemed exhausted.

"Because all this time, Emma, I've always needed you the same, or maybe much more, than you needed me," I breathed out as I looked down into her neutral eyes; searching for something within them that would let me know I was getting through to her at this moment.

But, she seemed so grown up at the moment. She wasn't an eighteen-year old girl anymore, fresh out of high school, and deeply in love with her older girlfriend. No, she was twenty four, and she had evolved now into this beautiful woman. All of her was changed though, but I was set on bringing back the girl she had been before I had torn her heart out of her chest.

"You know? Your arrogant self would have been so much easier to deal with tonight," she confessed softly.

"My arrogant self is what let you leave that night," I finished for her before the driver honked the horn.

"Hey lady, are we leaving or what?" and the man couldn't be ruder.

"Yeah, sir, sorry," she muttered as she closed the door on me, and looked down into her lap just to look back up at me through the glass window.

She said something to the driver before she shook her head, and pulled down the window.

I could feel my eyes tearing a little bit as she eyed me with uncertainty, and she stretched out her hand, and that's when I saw the small card hanging loosely between her fingers.

"Don't make me regret this," she told me last before she tapped the driver's shoulder, and he nodded; putting the car into drive, and leaving me there to stand alone in the winter cold.

* * *

_"I'm going to eat you all up, sweetheart," I remembered whispering into her opened lips as her legs were loosely wrapped around my waist; she blushed like a flustered schoolgirl as the words left my mouth, and her fingers played with the hairs that had let loose from my short ponytail._

_"Baby," she murmured down to me, "Not right now," Emma continued as she kissed me in the mouth quickly and tried to flip us over with a giggle, but as I was a bit taller than her, and my figure was slightly larger than her s as well (even though delicate and too feminine), she fell right back onto the couch._

_"Why not, nena?" I asked her as I started peppering kissed down her neck, and slipping my hands up underneath her tank top. She just caressed my hair, and I could feel the tender smile settling on her lips._

_"Regina," she breathed with a laugh, and tightened her legs around me to still me in place._

_I groaned playfully, and brought my head back up to look her in the eyes._

_"C'mon, Regina," she began and her voice was soft, "You know my parents are coming over along with your mother, and we still haven't even started on dinner."_

_"Speak for yourself darling, my dinner has already begun," I teased with a grin as I dove to kiss her cheek, and she turned her head to capture my lips softly, and I took the moment to take her upper lip into my mouth and moan at the pleasantness of her gentle kiss._

_Emma just hummed, and tangled her fingers into my hair as I tugged on her arms for a second to push the straps of her tank top down her arms, and pulled it right below her bra clad breasts._

_She would always close her eyes when I would start undressing her as if she was embarrassed of her body, but that just made her a lot more adorable; the soft pink that covered her cheeks as her arousal took control of her body turned me on so badly._

_I dragged my teeth across her collarbone; slightly trailing my tongue and receiving a breathy whimper in return as she thrust her hips softly against mine. I couldn't help but meet her in return for each of them, my hands now gripping her hips before bringing a hand up to cup her breast through the bra._

_She hissed as her lips connected with my forehead in a kiss full of heat and want before letting her head hang back as my fingers played with the taut nipple concealed by the fine material of her bra._

_Emma moaned, bit down on her lip as she stilled my hand; bringing it up to her lips, she lay a kiss on my palm._

_And, I knew playtime was over._

_"You have no idea how turned on I am right now, babe," she told me, and a girlish giggle left the depths of her throat, "but I really don't want to get caught by our parents with you buried between my breasts," Emma smiled sheepishly, and I couldn't help but chuckle as well._

_"Okay," I told her, "but, I want them gone after dessert, yeah?" I could feel that predatory grin encase my mouth, "Because I'm taking you off to bed early."_

_"Yes, ma'am," and our lips met in a chaste kiss I wish would have lasted longer before she gathered herself, fixed her shirt, and rolled out from underneath me._

_"I love you, Gin," she called out as she made her way into the kitchen._

_I never said it back._

* * *

The hollows beneath my eyes were adorned by huge dark circles, and my nose wasn't a better sight, still rather red from crying so much after having woken up from that memory; one that seemed to haunt my dreams ever since I had been left without her in my life years ago.

There'd never been a moment in our relationship when Emma kept quiet about her feelings for me; always telling me she loved me, but I never once returned the words that she so longed to hear from me. Not because I didn't love her, God I knew how much I truly loved her, but because voicing such sentiments would leave me too vulnerable, too open. The monster I was wanted to keep her with me forever, charming her with gentle caresses, and neglecting words that would have made everything better. And, I couldn't hate myself more for how much hurt I brought to her in the end.

Seeing her two nights prior fueled the dream in ways that it managed to leave me restless for the remaining hours of the last few nights, and feeling rather anxious of meeting her once again.

Sleep had refused to claim me once more right after I'd washed my face in hopes of clearing away any traces of treacherous tears. The countless moments that followed alternated between pacing around the room, and twisting and turning in bed without finding any comfort at all till the early hours of the morning.

Reverting to cosmetics for help could aid me in appearing at most somewhat presentable, if not create a firm layer to mask my current emotions. But in the event that such maquillage failed to conceal the disconsolate state or evident desperation I found myself in, at least Emma would see further glimpses of the remorse and repentance that lived deeply within me.

I couldn't care much for myself right now, though; all I was interested in was that she had agreed to see me today.

I was running out of time to speak to her already.

I didn't know how I would have taken the flat out rejection had she said no. And, I knew; I knew I held no right to feel as heartbroken as I felt…that it was Emma who had every right to not even show up…but, I wouldn't bare it if we, if I, didn't even get the chance to mend our relationship back into something at least well into friendly terms.

Quickly smoothing on some concealer and patting my closed eyes in frustration, I found myself sighing dejectedly into my hands; trying to chase away the threatening tears in order to not ruin the small progress I'd made for my image.

Before I could slip on my socks, and even put on some shoes, soft knocks had me looking up in the direction of the door in confusion. Diverting my eyes back to the clock on the wall, the indicated time seemed too early for it to be Emma; unless the woman had finally found her sense of punctuality, but still…

Letting my fingers slip through my dark bangs nervously (in hopes of making my hair seem less bed-like), I got up from the chair and made my way to the door before I pulled it open with just some slight hesitance.

Emma stared back at me all rosy cheeks, and wind kissed golden curls. As she stood before me, a flash of relief settled in my stomach; Lord knew she would have been in her rightful mind had she decided she didn't want to come after all.

Her simple yet natural beauty still claimed all of my attention as she bounced on her feet indecisively, her hazel eyes never leaving mine.

And as my eyes slowly yet blatantly began to travel down her body, the startling realization that she had't come alone hit me hard when I found myself staring into another set of shy (but bright) hazel orbs. And, I couldn't help the breathless gasp that escaped the confines of my lips as I gazed into the little brunette…creature's curious filled face.

Emma bit her lip as I peered down into her face once again, but her eyes still betrayed no emotion as I felt a shiver crawl up my spine just as the little boy concealed his face against her neck.

* * *

_There may or may not be more to this; let me know what you think? Thanks for reading._


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