Author's Note: This was supposed to be a one-shot fic based on a random prompt I saw while trolling the Swan Queen tag on Tumblr. Someone was asking for a story based on the song "Cop Car" by Keith Urban and, after hearing the song myself, I was inspired. Instead of the one-shot I originally planned on writing, this will most likely be a two or three-parter. The majority of this story is already written so updates should be swift.
Disclaimer: Swan Queen would be canon. Does that answer your question?
*No beta so all mistakes are my own. I apologize if you stumble upon any typos or grammatical errors; I proofed it as best I could.
"I'm worried about Mom," Henry sighed dramatically, dragging his french fries through ketchup and smearing the sticky, red substance across his plate. He chanced a glance at Emma through his downcast eyes but quickly averted them when he saw the suspicious expression on her face.
"Okay, kid. I'll bite," Emma responded after a moment of silence. "Why are you worried about your mom?" Emma didn't want to dismiss her son's concerns but, if she was being completely honest, the kid couldn't lie to save his life. It was obvious to the sheriff that Henry was up to something but her natural curiosity got the better of her and she decided to indulge him.
Henry looked up at Emma, his doe eyes wide and convincing. Despite his newfound, official status as a teenager, his face maintained the same youthful, boyish appearance of his biological father. "I'm worried because I don't think she knows how to have fun."
Emma fought hard to control the smirk threatening to form on her lips. Her mind wandered to several days prior when she and the Mayor of Storybrooke had engaged in several activities that she definitely considered fun, although probably not in the way Henry was explaining. That is, it was fun until the mayor extracted herself from Emma's grasp and, with a final kiss to the blonde's mouth and a wicked grin, jumped out of the yellow vehicle, bidding Emma a sultry goodnight.
"What are you talking about?" she asked Henry, shaking her head to clear the images of her and Regina entangled together like teenagers in front seat of her car. "Your mom is fun!" Under Henry's disbelieving stare, she continued on in Regina's defense. "We just took you and Amelia to the zoo like, three weeks ago. And she took me to a movie last Friday, my choice. What's more fun than that?"
Henry's eyes shone with disappointment as he regarded his mom from across the table at Granny's. In spite of turning thirteen on his last birthday, he was a rare young man in that he loved to spend time with his family, especially when it included Snow and David's daughter, Amelia. After the birth of her younger sister, Emma briefly struggled with the all-too-familiar feeling of being replaced – an uncomfortable emotion left over from her days as a foster child. However, she was quickly won over by her sister's warm, blue eyes and infectious laugh. Emma was the official caretaker of the playful toddler whenever Snow and David needed a babysitter, and the bond she had with her baby sister ran deep and strong.
"The zoo was fun but that was for me and Amelia, not for mom! She never does anything adventurous. All she does is work in her garden and read. She doesn't even watch TV unless you come over and make her." He sighed before finally popping the ketchup-laden fry into his mouth. "I just want her to get out more."
"Kid, you do remember that your mom was once a Queen, right? She rode horses and hosted parties for everyone in Fairytale Land; hell, she ruled an entire kingdom and learned magic simultaneously. Maybe she's had enough adventure for one lifetime," Emma reasoned as she polished off her own plate of fries.
"Have you ever seen the kinds of books she reads?" Henry asked seriously.
Emma snorted before taking a sip of her water. "No. What's that got to do with anything?" she asked.
"They're all adventure books," he replied meaningfully. "I tried to read a couple of them but there were too many confusing words. But I read the backs of them and Emma, they're all about people exploring new places and having these ridiculous adventures. I think it's a silent cry for help."
Unfazed by her son's serious, imploring tone, Emma let loose the chuckle she had been previously holding back. "Okay, kid. At ease," she mock saluted. "If it means that much to you, I'll talk Regina and see if she's harboring some deep-seated desire to get out of the house more." Which is ironic, she smirked on the inside, given my own deep-seated desire to get invited inside the house one of these nights.
Henry smiled and thanked his mother before enthusiastically shoveling the rest of his food into his mouth, grinning at her all the while through grateful, ketchup-stained lips.
"So," Emma whispered quietly as she tilted her head against the seat of her car, trying to keep from moaning under Regina's relentless assault on her neck. Regina's mouth gently ghosted up the curve of Emma's slender neck, pausing periodically to press warm lips and tongue to the erogenous areas she discovered on Emma several months ago. The mayor's tongue slid a hot, wet trail up to the blonde's ear and Emma finally released a deep groan at the feeling of Regina's breath washing over the sensitive skin of her lobe. Her fingers clenched roughly at Regina's half-unbuttoned blouse. The shirt was hopelessly wrinkled from where Emma's hands gripped the delicate fabric as it bunched around the dark-haired woman's waist.
When Regina's tongue slipped from between her lips and darted out to trace the inside of Emma's ear, she almost forgot that she was trying to have a discussion with the woman about their concerned son. All conversation had immediately halted when Regina slithered devilishly over the yellow Bug's gearshift and positioned her strong, smooth legs provocatively around Emma's denim-covered thighs.
Emma valiantly fought through her lust-clouded mind and tried to regain her sense of speech. "Regina," she half-moaned, half-pleaded. "Henry …"
"… is currently babysitting Amelia halfway across town," Regina murmured in a low voice, sliding her hands deeper in Emma's tangled blonde tresses as she peppered slow kisses across the sheriff's jaw. Her plump, red lips slid across Emma's soft mouth and Emma moaned into the kiss, sliding her tongue against Regina's and softly tracing the roof of her mouth. Summoning strength she didn't even know she possessed, she gently cupped Regina's cheeks and pulled back slightly to separate their lips.
"He's worried about you," Emma whispered, tenderly brushing her nose against Regina's. Regina sat back against her legs, causing Emma to release another heavy groan as their heated cores pressed together teasingly through layers of confining fabric. It was too much and not enough, and Emma found her determination to have this conversation wavering under the intoxicating reality of having Regina Mills pressed up against her in the front seat of her car.
"He's worried about me?" Regina asked. Emma was distracted by the mayor's hair, which was mussed and messy from the way Emma's fingers pulled on the soft strands during Regina's adroit exploration of her neck. Sexy, the blonde thought to herself before placing a quick kiss to Regina's waiting mouth.
"Yes," Emma smiled wryly. "He is very concerned about you."
"Why?" Regina questioned in a breathy hum, gently running one pointer finger down the blonde's neck. Emma felt her throat constrict tightly as Regina used the tip of her fingernail to draw invisible lines between the freckles adorning Emma's pale skin.
"Apparently you read too many adventure books." Emma's teasing words caused the dark-haired beauty straddling her lap to tilt her head to the side in confusion and Emma fought the urge to kiss the woman again. Cute, she thought. Regina Mills actually looks frickin' cute when she's confused.
Instead of leaning forward and kissing Regina, Emma answered her unasked question. "He thinks you feel stifled by Storybrooke and that your penchant for adventurous novels is a cry for help."
"Well that is ridiculous," Regina stuttered out, using one hand to comb her fingers through her hair and smooth out the tangled strands. "I have no such desire, secret or otherwise."
"That's what I told him," Emma replied, bringing her fingers up to gently trace Regina's soft collarbone. "But he seems convinced otherwise." One hand dipped inside Regina's blouse and the mayor hummed softly as the back of Emma's knuckles lightly grazed her abdomen. Emma slyly managed to pop open one more button before Regina spoke again.
"Trust me dear, my encounters with so-called adventure are not something I wish to experience ever again," Regina stated as she leaned forward slightly into the delicate ministrations of Emma's fingertips.
"Why, because of the whole 'evil curse' situation?" Emma questioned, smiling wickedly.
"Hardly," Regina sniffed. "No, that was less of an adventure and more of a quest. A dark quest," she amended under Emma's amused stare. "But my limited experiences with adventures in my youth were, more often than not, met with rather harsh repercussions."
Emma paused her wandering fingers at the sadness lacing the mayor's words; it was a sadness and a vulnerability Emma wasn't even sure Regina knew was there.
"Cora?" she asked quietly, unable to even refer to the malevolent woman as Regina's mother. Regina gave a short nod in affirmation before sighing heavily.
"Mother was determined to keep me away from anything that deviated from her plans for me," she admitted softly. Emma brought her fingers up to Regina's cheek and tenderly traced her silky skin. Regina tipped her head into the soothing gesture and Emma cupped her palms against the woman's face, sliding her thumb lightly across Regina's cheekbone. "Her punishments were severe and effective," Regina stated quietly.
"What did she do to you?" Emma asked before she could stop herself.
She hadn't actually meant to ask Regina a question that would likely force the woman to relive some of her most unpleasant memories, but the question slipped out from between her lips before her brain could process what she was doing. The affection Emma felt and the blossoming romance between the two women over the last several months had filled Emma's heart with emotions she didn't even know she could feel. Her title as a Savior wasn't for nothing and when it came to Regina, she felt an overwhelming desire to protect her.
"What didn't she do?" Regina countered with a rueful smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "When I was eight years old, I wandered away from the stables. I didn't go far, not really. I think I was less than half a mile away from the barn when I found a small pile of twigs. I gathered some grass and fashioned a little doll out of the sticks, using the grass as twine. When mother found me, she snatched the doll from my hands and set it on fire. 'Proper little girls do not engage in activities suited for peasants.'"
As Regina recited Cora's bullshit logic for destroying her young daughter's happiness, a fire blazed behind Emma's eyes and burned her insides. The fury and resentment she felt towards Cora consumed her, swelling like a tidal wave before crashing and spreading fiercely throughout her body. She was filled with rage and pain on behalf of the woman currently sitting astride her lap, a woman who had been through hell and back, and yet somehow managed to raise a wonderful son and redeem herself in the eyes of the town she built.
Emma trailed her fingers down Regina's beautiful face. Her eyes flicked from Regina's saddened eyes to the thin scar angled slightly above her gorgeous mouth. Emma used the soft edge of her thumb to trace a line over the scar before gently pressing her mouth against the marred skin. When she pulled back to look Regina in the eyes, she found a watery gaze staring back at her. Regina briefly brought her mouth to Emma's again before sliding down the blonde's body to rest her head against the space where Emma's neck met her shoulder.
When Emma felt the single drop of a hot tear hit her chest and slide down past her shirt, she pulled Regina in as close as their cramped position would allow. The raw honesty of the moment temporarily made the women forget their current location. Although the mayoral mansion was one of the only houses located on Mifflin Street, Emma wondered if she should take Regina inside to continue their conversation in a more private space. Before she could bring it up, Regina made the decision for her.
"I was fifteen," she began before pausing to take a shaky breath. "I was rebellious and determined to prevent mother from controlling me, so I ran away." Emma slowly tugged the rest of Regina's white blouse free from her tight skirt and slipped her hands under the soft material. Emma's palms rubbed soothing circles against the bare skin of Regina's warm back and she felt the normally uptight woman relax against her with a soft sigh. Happy that she could provide some comfort to Regina as she recounted what was clearly an unhappy memory, Emma waited patiently for Regina to continue.
"I was gone for less than a day when she found me. I took my horse and made it as far as the next town. She found me sitting with two elderly gentlemen outside a local tavern and was absolutely furious with me. The men had been extremely kind to me; I was naïve and stupid for going into the tavern alone and they took it upon themselves to protect me from the rowdy crowd who tended to gather there. But mother assumed they were responsible for my absence and accused them of kidnapping me. When I told her I ran away on my own, I thought she was going to murder me right then and there."
Emma's heart clenched painfully inside her chest as she listened to Regina tell her story. Emma felt a knot of dread form in her stomach and she unconsciously leaned down to press a reassuring kiss to the crown of Regina's head.
"Mother forced me to return home with her in our family's carriage. I think she had some men from town ride my horse back to our property; I never found out for sure but he was there when I returned to the stables several weeks later." Emma felt Regina's throat constrict as she swallowed painfully, preparing herself for the rest of the story. "When we returned home, I jumped from the carriage and tried to run back inside the house. I knew my father was waiting there and, although Mother wasn't averse to using magic in front of him, she preferred to execute her harsher punishments in private.
I tripped over an unexpected dip in the ground just as Mother used magic to send some of her more vicious snares in my direction. Usually she used regular vines but, when she was feeling particularly angry, she would trap me with these jagged things. I don't know exactly what they were – like vines, but with sharp thorns protruding from the sides in all directions. Almost like a rose stem, except what they lacked in beauty they made up for with pain.
I had my back turned to her as I was running but when I tripped, my body twisted and my face slightly tilted in Cora's direction. It was only for a second before I realized my mistake but by then it was too late. One of the thorny vines whipped against my cheek several times before Mother finally retracted them."
Emma's eyes filled with angry tears and she blinked furiously to prevent them from spilling down her cheeks. She felt Regina's fingers dig painfully into the thin material of her gray tank top, clenching tightly every couple of minutes.
"My entire face was covered with deep, red gashes. It's a wonder I wasn't blinded during the incident. My father absolutely lost it when he saw me. It was the only time I ever heard him yell at my mother. Cora managed to use her magic to heal most of the wounds but one of the thicker thorns embedded itself into my face when it struck me. Not even Cora's magic was enough to completely heal such a deep abrasion; it was, after all, more in her nature to use dark magic and not light. She was not a gifted healer."
"That's one hell of a story," Emma said with a sigh after several moments of silence. Her fury waned slightly, replaced by an overwhelming urge to comfort Regina and relieve her from her pain. "I can see why that might make you wary of adventure."
Regina chuckled dryly before lifting her head from the blonde's chest to meet her concerned gaze. The mayor was taken aback by the fierce expression she saw on Emma's face. The sheriff's desire to protect Regina was evident in the way Emma's mouth stretched in a determined line tight across her face, the slight tic in her jaw from gritting her teeth together, and the way Emma's eyes traveled back and forth between Regina's eyes and the scar above her lip.
Regina felt a rush of warmth consume her body and a small smile quirked the corners of mouth upwards into a smile. When Emma looked at her questioningly, Regina knew the woman was confused to see her smiling after such an unpleasant tale.
"You are the first and only person with whom I have ever shared those stories," Regina admitted quietly, forcing her eyes to hold Emma's gaze.
Emma's gaze softened into understanding and she pulled Regina in for a long kiss. Their mouths met tenderly, slowly, and Emma lightly grazed her tongue against Regina's bottom lip before pulling back to meet the mayor's eyes. The blonde woman found herself stunned into silence at the open vulnerability she saw on Regina's face. The regal mayor was notoriously closed off, only displaying genuine emotions around Henry. Emma was rarely privy to this side of Regina and she felt her heart swell with pride and affection at the special moment they shared. While it was true the two women had become undeniably closer over the past few months, this was the first time Regina opened up to Emma willingly.
Emma bit back the dangerous words threatening to break free from her lips and swallowed them tightly. Regina wasn't a particularly emotional person to begin with and Emma didn't want to scare her off with something she wasn't sure the mayor was ready to hear. Instead, she smiled at Regina and slowly brought her hands up to redo the buttons of the dark-haired woman's white blouse. With one last regretful stare at Regina's enticing cleavage, Emma pushed the final button through its hole.
"Well in that case," Emma said with a grin, "does that mean you'll let me at least walk you to your door this time?"
Regina lips stretched into a full smile before she laughed and slid back into the passenger seat, straightening her clothing and gathering her purse. With a final cursory glance in the mirror and half-hearted attempt to fix her hair, she turned to Emma and nodded.
"I suppose that would be acceptable," she conceded.
For her part, Emma felt like she had just won the lottery. She jumped out of the car before Regina even finished her sentence and sprinted to open the door for the mayor. She gulped audibly as Regina stepped out and pressed the entire length of her body against Emma's.
"Thank you, dear," she hummed into Emma's ear before walking gracefully to the sidewalk. Emma slammed the car door shut with a bang and glanced around before grabbing Regina's hand, tightly intertwining their fingers and leading her towards her front door.
Regina was surprised by Emma's boldness – the women had not yet mentioned to anyone that they were seeing each other, not even Henry. The young boy was pleased his mothers were getting along but his young mind simply assumed they were nothing more than friends – an assumption neither woman felt comfortable correcting just yet.
Despite the off chance that someone might see her with Emma, Regina found she couldn't bring herself to care enough to separate their hands. She was only mildly perturbed when she realized it was because holding hands with Emma felt right in a way that nothing in her life ever had before. So right, in fact, that Regina was surprised to find herself disappointed when they reached her front door so quickly.
"Do you think you'll ever give adventure another shot?" Emma asked her seriously, tugging Regina toward her until they were standing almost nose-to-nose outside the mayor's house.
Regina hummed noncommittally as she slowly inched her mouth forward until barely a hair's breadth separated their parted lips.
"I suppose, if the proper circumstance came along and I had a suitable companion with me, I might someday give adventure another try."
Emma smiled briefly before pulling Regina's body flush against hers and kissing her like she wouldn't ever see her again. The heated kiss lasted only a couple moments before Emma stepped back and grinned widely at Regina. Emma was pleased to see the pink flush spreading from the woman's face down to the top part of her chest left visible by her blouse. The lust she saw in Regina's eyes, which had darkened from the color of melted chocolate to that of black coffee, made Emma feel a bit bolder than usual.
"And maybe someday you'll feel adventurous enough to invite me inside … maybe even stay the night with you?" The playfulness lacing Emma's sincere and hopeful words caused Regina to smile brightly at the blonde woman standing before her. She allowed herself a moment to briefly reflect on how far they had come, not only together as a couple, but also as individuals. When she thought about how it would feel to wake up in Emma's arms, she was startled to realize it didn't frighten her nearly as much as it did in the past. Emma Swan had forced her way into Regina's life, into Regina's heart, and would no doubt find a way to break down the last of Regina's formerly impenetrable defenses.
Regina smirked at Emma as she placed her key inside the lock. "Perhaps someday," she agreed, "if I'm feeling adventurous enough." With a final wink that caused a hot flame of desire to coil deliciously in Emma's stomach, Regina stepped inside the foyer and shut the door behind her.
Emma shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans as she made her way back to her car. After Regina's open display of vulnerability, Emma found herself craving more of the woman's trust and tender affections. And love, Emma admitted silently to herself. She was determined to get Regina to open up to her more, both emotionally and, when it came to inviting Emma inside her home, literally.
I will take that woman on the best damned adventure I can think of, she vowed silently. With a final nod to herself, Emma climbed in her car and headed towards the sheriff station, where she planned to utilize her time alone by coming up with the most amazing, fun adventure Regina Mills had ever experienced. And this time, Emma pledged to herself, it won't end in disaster.
Famous last words.
Thank you for reading; feedback and criticism are both welcomed and encouraged. If you're so inclined, you can find me on Tumblr under michaelawaffles.