Author Notes:
Hey *waves*. So, this started from a conversation I had with my (fabulous) beta reader, SS-Swanqueen. We were discussing how much racier the show might have been if it belonged to another network – like HBO or Netflix. I got this silly idea in my head and had to get it out.
It started as a crackfic - a retreat from writing my super angsty multi-chapter fic - but it appears that when it comes to angst and these ladies, I just can't help myself.
The Closet
"They're in my closet Henry, next to the black sling-backs with the red soles."
"What the hell is a sling-back?" Henry muttered to himself as he opened his mother's large walk in closet in search of the only pair of casual shoes she owned.
His mother was downstairs preparing food; they were leaving later that day to attend the annual Charming family picnic. Last year she'd almost broken her neck trying to prove to his other mother that she could hold her own at frisbee whilst wearing heels.
Henry laughed at the memory; Regina wasn't as sporty as Emma – but boy was she competitive.
"I can't see them," Henry bent at the waist and ran his eyes along the expanse of the former queen's rather large shoe collection (in a land without magic, his mother's penchant for designer footwear had replaced her desire for the collecting of hearts). "Wait," he knelt on the floor and reached for something unusual that caught his eye. "What the-"
"I said that they were next to the sling-backs, Henry," his mother said through an exasperated sigh as she breezed past him and plucked her pair of red converse off of the shelf on the opposite side of closet. "Those, are court shoes." She turned to look down at her son with a single eyebrow arched in disapproval - and noticed that he was holding a DVD in his hand. "What have you got there?"
"I don't know," he said, looking up at her from his crouched position on the floor – his eyes wide as saucers as he held up the DVD for her to see. "I found it your closet," he said accusatory. "You should know."
"Don't be ridiculous, Henry," Regina took the proffered item from her son. "You're the only person in this house that owns a DVD player. What could I possibly want with a copy of-" The mayor stopped talking immediately as she stared the cover of the DVD and saw an image of herself staring right back. "What in the hell is Once Upon a Time?"
xXx
Shortly after being summoned by her son, Emma arrived at the mansion and Henry greeted her at the front door.
"I came as quickly as I could," she said sounding out of breath. The sheriff had received a text from her son simply saying 'get over here now – Mom is freaking out', and the blonde had immediately hot-tailed it out of the diner to come to their aid. "What it's it?" She asked, concern evident in her expression. "What's going on?"
Henry stepped aside to allow his mother entry and in doing so, revealed his other mother pacing the floor of the lobby. At least she was appropriately dressed for their picnic this year, in a pair of simple jeans and a white tank top – but Emma was slightly taken aback at the sight; she didn't think the brunette even owned a pair jeans.
"We found something," Henry offered in explanation, drawing the blonde from her thoughts. "And now she's freaking out."
"Of course I'm freaking out!" Regina stopped pacing and turned to face the front door with her hands on her hips; her casual appearance not making her stance any less threatening. "More to the point Henry, why are you not?"
"I think it's kinda cool," the teenager shrugged, a boyish smile tugging at his lips.
"Cool?" The brunette's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "How is this cool?" The brunette looked to the ceiling and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I think I need a drink."
"What? Regina, it's ten in the morning," Emma said incredulously, her frown deepening as she watched the exchange of glances between mother and son. "What exactly did you guys find?"
"Come on," Henry took the blonde's arm and started heading for the stairs. "I have to show you in my room."
"Okay," the saviour said, the word drawn out as they walked around the incensed mayor and started to ascend the staircase.
"Regina," the blonde looked back over her shoulder to where the brunette seemed to be rooted to the spot.
"You're not coming?"
"Oh no," Regina said as she turned around to face them, a firm shaking of her head reinforcing her declination. "Absolutely not," she crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't need to watch it again."
"Watch it..?" Emma asked, confusion twisting her features as she stumbled up the stairs behind Henry.
xXx
A while later, the blonde found Regina in the study; she was standing behind a large armchair, holding two tumblers of scotch in her hands. Wordlessly, she offered a glass to the blonde, and Emma accepted it eagerly – swallowing down the amber liquid in one inelegant gulp.
"So, we're on the same page then," the mayor said dryly as she rounded the arm-chair and gracefully lowered herself to a perch, her drink cradled between her hands.
Emma dropped the DVD onto the coffee table, and crossed the study to the liquor cabinet behind the chair, in which Regina now sat; she placed the tumbler heavily onto the tray next to a crystal decanter and clutched the edge of the cabinet for stability. Taking a deep breath, she turned sharply and walked back towards the former queen – taking up position right in front of her, hands on her hips.
"And this...thing...just appeared in your closet?" She glowered down at the brunette. "Just like that?"
"Just like that," the mayor echoed the blonde's words in confirmation, before she rested back against seat cushions and crossed her legs at the knee. "Just like Henry's story book did."
"But that book turned up to help guide Henry, when he needed it most," Emma pushed a hand through her long blonde hair.
"Why the hell would you need a copy of that DVD?"
"How the hell should I know?" Regina snapped as she stood abruptly, forcing the blonde to take a step backwards, the sheriff's denim clad calves connected with the coffee table behind her. "If you recall, that book was meant for Henry - but it arrived in Snow's wardrobe," the mayor leant towards Emma, invading her personal space. She raised the hand holding the tumbler between them – and pointed a finger towards the blonde. "That DVD could just as easily have been left in my closet, for me to give to you." With that, she side-stepped the saviour and drained the remaining scotch from her glass, as Emma contemplated her words in a stunned silence.
"So," as the mayor moved towards the drinks cabinet to pour herself another measure of scotch, the blonde found her words. "Let me get this straight," she placed one hand on her hip and gesticulated with the other.
"There is an alternate reality where our lives are a TV show, called Once Upon a Time."
The former queen turned to face the blonde, a freshly poured drink in hand and leant back against the cabinet. "That appears to be the sum of it, yes."
"So in this world, we," she waved her hand in the space between them. "Are actors?"
"Unfortunately," Regina's lip curled distastefully. "Yes."
"Well," Emma rolled her eyes, her shoulders sagging in defeat. "It's not the craziest thing to have happened since I arrived in Storybrooke," she smiled tightly as her gaze met the brunettes. "Top three maybe?"
The tension was lifted from the room immediately, as Emma's smile was reflected on Regina's lips. The brunette tilted her head to the side contemplatively. "I'd say at least top five," she said, her smile broadening as she raised her glass to her mouth and took another sip.
"At least it's not a HBO show," Emma shook her head in bewilderment, and shoved her hands into her jean pockets.
"Why's that?" Regina asked, a crease appearing in between her eyebrows.
"You know," Emma moved her hands and splayed them in front of her chest. "Boobs," at the mayor's puzzled look, she elaborated. "Nudity."
"Oh," the brunette's gaze dropped unconsciously to Emma's chest and her cheeks coloured slightly. "Well," she scoffed as she drew her gaze back up to meet the blondes. "You say that, but according to the extra's on the DVD, before she was in Once Upon a Time - my doppelgänger was in a TV show called Swingtown."
"You mean like swing dancing?" Emma asked with an innocent lilt to her voice, yet her expression portrayed that she already knew what the brunette's answer would be. She'd also seen the clips from Swingtown in the actresses bio on the DVD; it definitely wasn't about dancing.
"No dear," Regina pushed herself off of the cabinet. "Not swing dancing."
Emma just couldn't help it; a laugh escaped her throat and she tried unsuccessfully to stifle it with her hand.
"Oh, this amuses you, does it?" Regina asked with a glint in her eye, her tone not entirely devoid of humour as she slinked over to stand before the blonde. "You find it funny that our son could have found a copy of the Swingtown DVD in my closet, rather than one about magical fairytale characters?"
"Come on, Regina," Emma's grin widened, as she realised that the mayor was at least sharing a little in her mirth. "As if you wouldn't watch it."
"As if you wouldn't like to, you mean," Regina smirked and cocked an eyebrow challengingly; the scotch in her system loosening her tongue and bolstering her confidence.
Emma searched the brunette's eyes for a split second before she realised what the mayor was insinuating - and she felt herself blush, before quickly averting her gaze.
Regina sighed heavily and took a step backwards from the blonde; clearly now was not the time to be drawing anything else out of the closet. "So, what do you want to do about it?" The brunette asked instead, staring down at the cover of the DVD with what Henry called her 'angry face'. " I mean, this is just season one – should we be anticipating more DVD's?"
"Maybe it got cancelled?"
"Why wouldn't anybody want to watch this?" The mayor said, sarcasm evident in her tone as she gestured to the space around them.
"More to the point," Emma picked the DVD up off of the table and turned it over in her hands. "Why would we need to watch it?"
"Maybe," Regina paused temporarily, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Maybe we're supposed to see something that we've missed?" She wet her lips and rested one hand across her waist, to cradle the elbow of the hand holding her drink aloft.
"Think about it," she continued at Emma's confused expression. "That DVD might show us parts of each other's lives, that until now we've not been privy to," she frowned slightly before continuing. "It might show me your life before Storybrooke, for example-"
"Or show me your life as the Evil Queen," Emma finished the mayor's sentence and her words hung awkwardly in the air between them for a beat – before Regina turned away silently and walked towards a window that overlooked her apple tree.
She gazed wistfully upon its branches, and felt the sting of tears prickling at her eyes.
"Regina," Emma saying her name cut through the wall of silence and the brunette blinked back her tears, before they had a chance to fall.
"I'm sorry," the blonde said as she put the DVD back on the coffee table and came to stand behind the mayor. Regina didn't turn around, but she knew the sheriff was close; she could feel the warmth radiating from the other woman against her back. "I didn't mean to say that, I know that you're not her anymore I..."
"Yes you did," Regina said softly, tucking a strand of her jaw length hair behind her ear. "And it's okay," she half turned towards Emma, noticing how the light shining through the window caught the blonde's hair, giving her an ethereal quality. "I was the Evil Queen," she shrugged softly in acceptance. "I did all of those horrible things but," she frowned and shook her head. "What I don't understand is why, after all of the good I've now done – why would somebody want you to see more of the Evil side? To see what I did-"
"Hey," Emma noticed Regina's eyes welling with tears, and reached out to take her hand. "Maybe it's not about me seeing what you did as the Evil Queen – but about me understanding why."
"What do you mean?" The brunette asked, her voice wavering slightly.
"Maybe the DVD was sent here to help guide us," the blonde said sincerely. "To bring things to our attention," she continued, "To tell us something about ourselves, our histories...something we've missed."
"Do you really believe that?" Regina's eyes searched Emma's for an answer, her tone laden with emotion.
"I think it's possible," Emma shrugged one shoulder and smiled softly at the brunette. "Don't you want to find out if it's true?" She squeezed the other woman's fingers for emphasis. "Don't you think we owe it to ourselves?"
"And what if we don't like what we see?" Regina asked, and a solitary tear falling down her cheek.
Instinctively Emma brought spare hand to the brunette's cheek and gently brushed away the tear with her thumb, before adding breathily. "And what if we do?"
The End.
Or maybe not? I might pick this back up once I've finished my other story, if there's interest.
Anyway, either way - thanks for reading 😊