Cold

Regina stood, fiddling with her gloves in one hand, looking at the door of Snow's loft apartment. Her heart gave a tiny nervous flutter in her chest. She wasn't entirely sure why she should feel nervous, and tried her hardest to push the feeling aside, burying it as deep as she could. She had been furious at Emma for bringing Marion back and causing the inevitable collapse of her relationship with Robin. But it had been more confusing that that. She hadn't been upset about loosing Robin exactly, but rather, about loosing what the relationship had provided. Yes, comfort and possibly love, or rather, the prospect for it as they had only been together for a few weeks, but more importantly, the distraction it had provided. It had meant that she could ignore those little thoughts and emotions that niggled away at her mind when she wasn't paying attention. Thoughts and emotions she secretly harboured for the one person she knew she should not. Robin had given her an excuse to banish them from her mind. So when all that had been taken away, and she had been forced to face her heart, she had been furious at Emma for it.

But when Henry had knocked on her door and explained what had happened to the blonde, that anger had vanished before he had even finished telling his story. Her heart had been flooded with a fear so strong it had choked her into silence as Henry had explained everything that had happened. She had had to exercise every ounce of self control she could drag up to stop herself from racing over to the blonde in a poof of purple smoke, just to see that she was okay with her own eyes. Instead, she had calmly listened to Henry's story, and then come up with some mumbo jumbo about checking that this ice witch had not done any magical damage to the town's saviour. She thought she had seen a tiny smirk on her son's face as she had suggested this, but none the less, he had nodded in agreement. Now they were both stood outside the apartment, Regina simply staring at the door as Henry unlocked it.

Regina followed her song into the Charming's apartment where she was greeted by Snow, who was holding their new baby in her arms and looking curiously at her.

" Regina?" she said frowning. "What are you doing here?" Regina's posture stiffened under her inquisitive gaze.

"Henry told me what happened to Emma," she explained.

"Mom wanted to make sure that Elsa hadn't done any magical damage." Henry chimed in.

"Oh, okay," Snow said, traces of surprise and confusion lingering about her expression. "Doctor Whale just left, but he says she should be fine. She is upstairs if you would like to go up and say hello."

"I'll just make sure that this ice witch didn't do any magical damage," Regina said, forcing a polite smile and trying to make it seem as thought it were a chore to be here. "We can't have our saviour running around only half charged can we." She turned and as Henry was about to lead her up to Emma's room, a tall slender woman in an odd blue dress walked into the room. Her fair hair was braided into a long plat that trailed down her back, and her dress glittered like ice. She was definitely not of this land.

"Is that…?" she asked and Henry nodded. "Well what in the hell is she doing here then?" David appeared, stepping in-between Elsa and Regina as the Evil Queen made as though she was about to approach her, her hand curled ready to form a fireball.

"Mom it's okay," Henry said, grabbing her hand. Regina looked back at him, a dangerous fury mixed with confusion in her dark eyes. "Elsa isn't evil. It was an accident."

"Accident or no she has still proven to be dangerous. Are we sure she shouldn't be locked up? What if she hurts someone else?" Her mind automatically went to her son at her side and she squeezed his hand in her own. "Her magic has already nearly killed both Emma and Marion."

"Regina, it's fine. Really," David said, still acting as a wall between the two women. Regina glowered at Else, who simply gazed back at her, speechless. "She is going to stay with us and that way Snow and I can keep an eye on her." Regina simply glared at her. She felt Henry tug gently at her hand, and she let him pull her towards the stairs, her desire to check on Emma and make sure she was okay overruling her desire to argue with the Charmings.

"Come on," he mumbled. "Let's go see Emma."

"Fine," Regina growled. "But know this Snow Witch, I'll be watching you."

Emma was huddled up in her bed under a pile of blankets. She still looked pale, her lips unnaturally colourless, and Regina could see that she was still shivering slightly. There was a little space heater in the corner of the room blowing hot air in the general direction of Emma's bed, but it did little to warm the draughty room.

"Regina?" Emma looked up, a confused little frown crossing her face. Was she imagining it, or did Regina see glimmer of happiness flicker across Emma's green eyes as she saw her. "What are you doing here? I thought you still hated me for…" Her voice trailed off awkwardly. "Well, you know." Regina stood, her hands clasped in front of her, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Henry told me what happened," she explained. "I think given your near death experience, we can ignore that for now. I wanted to make sure that the Ice bitch", Henry sniggered, "I mean witch," she corrected. "Didn't do too much damage." Emma grinned. She had heard Regina's out burst downstairs, and hearing her term Elsa as the "Ice Bitch" amused her.

"I'm fine," Emma said, still grinning. Regina raised a single sceptical eyebrow.

"You are still shivering Miss Swan," she stated bluntly.

"Yeah well, being stuck in an ice cave and nearly dying of hypothermia will do that to you." Regina rolled her eyes at he blonde's blaze attitude.

"I can go make more cocoa?" Henry suggested.

"Great idea kid," Emma smiled. Henry practically bounced out of the room, casting one last glance at his mother's before he left and leaving the two women alone together. Silence hung over them as Regina's eyes silently questioned the Sheriff, roaming what little of her she could see for injuries. Even though she didn't see any, she didn't relax.

"Be honest," she said quietly. "Now that Henry is out of the room, how are you feeling?" Emma was some what taken aback by the brunette's soft tone, and the amount of genuine concern in her voice. It was a tone she had only ever heard Regina use when talking to, or about Henry before. She sighed.

"Honestly, I'm okay," she said. "She didn't hurt me. I just can't seem to get warm." Regina knew how she felt. As a child, she had fallen into a river, thinking the ice was thick enough to walk on. She had felt the cold penetrate right to her heart for days after, no matter how many blankets she had piled on or how close she had sat to the fire. The only thing that had helped was her mother's magic.

"Emma," she said tentatively. "Can I try something?"

"Frankly, if it will warm me up I'm up for anything." Regina shrugged off her coat and folded it neatly over a chair in the corner of the room, then peeled off her boots and placed them next to it.

"Regina, what are you…?"

"Look, do you want to get warm or not?" Regina asked curtly. "Because this is the only thing I can think of that will work properly." Emma nodded.

"Okay then." Regina wandered around to the other side of the bed so that Emma wouldn't have to move onto cold sheets, and climbed under the covers. She opened her arms to the Sheriff who simply started at her, mouth hanging open slightly in shock.

"Careful now dear or you might swallow a fly," Regina sneered. Emma promptly shut her mouth. "Just trust me okay?" Regina said, a little more gently.

Emma allowed the petite brunette to wrap her arms around her, and she rested her head on her shoulder. They lay very stiffly for a moment, both silently questioning if this had been a good idea. Regina focussed, taking a deep breath. She felt her insides simmer with warmth, and let the magic flow through her fingertips, tingling with a gentle heat as it passed from her to Emma. The blonde let out a surprised little "oh!" as the warmth spread over her skin, and Regina felt her relax into her.

"Now I get it," Emma hummed. Regina smirked at the suddenly contented look on her face.

"I told you it would help." Regina rubbed her hand gently up and down the woman's arms, and across her back in big soothing circles, spreading her magical warmth across Emma's cold body. Emma could feel her muscles relax as they warmed, and without thinking, she nuzzled in closer to the smaller woman, throwing her arm across her torso and pulling her closer, shamelessly leaching off of her body heat. It felt nice to be held, to lie in another person's arms and not feel the cold metal of a hook, or the hard old leather of a battered pirate's jacket. Regina was warm, and soft, and comforting in a way Killian never had been. She hummed contentedly and Regina chuckled. It was a deep, throaty chuckle, as war as Regina was, and it made Emma smile.

"What?" she grumbled with the woman chuckled again. "You're warm. I like it." Regina had never thought she would end up cuddling with saviour, but Emma was right. It was nice. She had missed being in the arms of another person, missed the warmth it provided, missed feeling needed like she did now.

"So, why isn't Captain Guy-liner her doing this for you?" she asked curiously. Emma wrinkled her nose in distaste making Regina laugh. "What, have you sacked your pirate?"

"He isn't my pirate," she said. "Nor do I want him to be."

"Really?" Regina asked, trying to ignore the tiny flutter of hope that had battered against her heart at the words. "The googly eyes that you two insisted on throwing at each other whilst we were in never land would suggest otherwise." Emma snorted.

"Yeah well," she said, nestling in closer and resting her head comfortably on Regina's chest. "I don't. But if you don't want to be here you don't have to be." Regina scowled as was glad that Emma couldn't see.

"That's not what I meant," she said, a little stung. "I was just curious."

"Good," Emma sighed happily. "Because I am enjoying this." Regina again tried to ignore the little dance her heart was doing. Emma blew at a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face, making Regina smirk. She could be so endearingly childish sometimes. Regina gently swept the hair aside and tucked it behind the blonde's ear. Her hand lingered, toying absentmindedly with Emma's curls. And then, without thinking about it, she did what felt like the next natural step, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. As soon as she realised what she had done she froze. Emma looked up at her and fear flooded her every cell.

"Oh God. Emma I am so sorry I…"

"Don't be," she whispered. Emma placed a hand on Regina's cheek preventing her from pulling away, and kissed her.