A/N: Happy Thanksgiving and Holidays everyone. I hope you enjoy this little story :) 3 PP19
The curse…
had broken.
Regina sat numbly in her dimly lit office. It was almost six AM and the sky was just starting to turn from black to a light pink. She had to remind herself to keep breathing, keep moving. She rapidly blinked her deep brown eyes, hoping to hide the tears that were already flowing down her face, splattering on the paperwork that should have been keeping her busy.
But nothing could keep her busy enough, not right now. Not when her son had woken and instead of being able to hold him, take him home, she had frantically uttered, "No matter what you think, no matter what anyone tells you….I do love you."
She didn't remember the heartbeats after that. She didn't remember how she got to her vault, or sliding down next to her father's grave.
She awoke with her alarm, 5:00 AM, just like every morning. But today was not like every other morning here in Storybrooke, far from it.
She changed her shirt into a plain black tank under her jacket, prepped her face with what she could find in her purse, and headed to town hall.
The chill in the air had caused her to tightly wrap her arms about herself, trying to trap in even the slightest bit of warmth.
The place was a ghost town, though she was the only one to ever arrive this early. Would she continue her life as a self appointed civil servant, or would the town arrive at 8 AM with pitch forks?
Elbows braced on the table, hands diving into dark chocolate strands.
She started slightly as she thought she had heard a click.
Slowly pulling her hands from her hair, waiting, a slight tremble beginning to control her hands. Then the sound of footsteps echoing. Quietly, through the open door of her office. Why had she not shut it? She straightened her back almost painfully, frantically wiping at her face. Glancing down quickly in fear as the sound made it, to her door.
Her eyes flew to the doorway. A strangled breath and a bit of tension leaving her body, it was Emma, just Emma.
"Miss Swan." She sounded bored, impassive. But she was surprised the blond was here so early, or even that she was here at all.
Emma leaned on the door as she always did, though her cocky, ready for a fight attitude was not in its usual place.
Emma looked down at her shoes, finding them more interesting than the brunette, ex evil queen, before her.
"Hey… thought I'd get caught up on paperwork…"
Regina cleared her throat and nodded, trying to forget that Emma had undoubtedly looked away to spare her the shame of the still obvious signs of crying.
"Well finally…" she watched as Emma stood there for a moment longer, then turned to head to her own office.
Regina stood, ready to follow after the blond, should she retreat,
"Emma, wait." She pinched the bridge of her nose as she sounded rough, demanding. Lucky for her the blond stopped and turned, crossing her arms and looking right at her.
Regina placed her hands on her desk and rocked forward a bit, head down.
"Henry?"
Emma's mouth quirking into a hint of a smile.
"He's ok…"
Regina releasing a breath and letting a smile light up her entire face.
"Good." She was so relieved, her face quickly turning to one of loss and worry as she remembered, her son was lost to her.
She sat to go back to her paperwork. Glancing after the blond as her form disappeared.
…
It had been about an hour when Regina figured out nothing good was going to come from a day without coffee. She clumsily got up from her desk, almost tripping around the corner in the process, her hand barely flying away from her yawn in time to catch herself. Shaking it off, she shook her head and walked toward the breakroom, arms crossed trying to hold in a little extra heat.
She yawned again and almost plowed right into Miss Swan, reaching her hand out to steady them.
"I-I'm sorry, Emma."
Emma's sleepy eyes went wide and she moved to the side.
"Oh its fine. One more minute and I'll be out of your hair…" Emma focused hard on the coffee maker, a Kerig she had insisted be installed a while ago, not that the blond ever remembered to skip her morning run to Granny's to actually use it.
Regina looked between Emma and the object of her concentration. Rolling her eyes, she reached her hand over and opened and closed the lid again and pushed the pour button, giving Emma a pointed look.
Emma's face went red, "I am so sorry…"
Regina held her hand up to stop the ridiculous apology that was no doubt about to pour from Emma's lips.
"It's fine dear…" trying now to look anywhere but at the savior.
Emma removed her cup and placed a new one down for Regina.
"Which one did you want?"
Regina was going to tell her off, she could use the contraption herself, she actually knew how to use the coffee maker…
But when her eyes connected with Emma's, she quickly leaned over and gave her, her selection.
Emma watched it pour.
"Sugar?" Emma tilted her head towards another area.
"No, thank you dear."
Emma shrugged and continued to pour half of the sugar bottle into her own murky liquid.
Regina rolled her eyes, reaching for the sugar, before Emma could empty it. Looking down into her own coffee and cringing. She added a dash of sugar to her own mug, placing it back.
Emma stood there wide eyed, just watching her in shock.
Regina looked away and shrugged, "What?"
Emma knocked the haze from her mind and downed some coffee.
"Ah shit! That's hot…"
Regina reaching out an arm in comfort, till she noticed what she was doing.
She slowly retracted her hand, knowing damn well that Emma saw the motion. After a moment of silence…
"Budget reports…"
Emma called out just as Regina was about to make it out of the room.
"Why still do them?"
Regina only slightly turned, cradling her coffee to her chest, as a defense mechanism blowing out a breath.
"Because, someone has to…"
She looked up at the blond clearing her throat from the tension that had settled there.
"What about you, hm? You won, shouldn't you be off celebrating… somewhere?"
Emma's gaze fell to the floor, hair tumbling into her face.
"Hiding… I didn't want any of this, despite what you may believe."
Regina thought Emma was about to cry but then the blond reined it in.
"I gotta…paperwork." And she quickly maneuvered past the brunette to escape the room.
…
Emma was trying to focus on her paperwork, she really was. She had gotten quite a bit done when she thought she heard a sound from Regina's office.
She listened harder and there It was again…
Paperwork could wait, she got up and started to wander down the hall, and as she drew closer, the pained groans grew louder, though someone was definitely trying to muffle them.
She moved quicker, barging into Regina's office.
The brunette now alternating between a whimper and a groan, clutching her stomach. Eyes filling with tears shooting to Emma before another stronger stab hit her abdomen, causing her to verbally cry out.
Emma rushing to her side.
"What's wrong?" Emma tried to sound far calmer than she felt at the moment.
Her hand covering Regina's, the brunette looking up in pain.
"I…ah…it hurts…"
Emma watched where Regina's hand was pressing. Miming it on herself then swearing.
"Shit. We have to get you to the hospital."
The blond moving to pull the brunette up, Regina resisting.
"What?! Why? I can't go there…" after another stab of pain Regina's jaw tensed as her lips quivered.
"What's wrong with me?"
Emma gripped her hand, "We need to get your appendix out."