A/N This one-shot takes place during the episode 6x15 when Regina and Snow tricked Emma into lady's night at the bar. Enjoy! And please don't forget to leave a review!
The Girl and the Nettle
It was strange for Emma to see her mother in such an inebriated state, but she had to say it was more than amusing to watch the pixie-haired school teacher wipe the floor clean with darts. Or well…knife throwing. She may have looked like some innocent, frail woman, but Snow White's impeccable archery skills were shining gloriously tonight. What a sight it must have been to see her in the Enchanted Forest.
The blonde kept her focus on these thoughts as she tried not to notice the sideways glances coming from the other brunette who was standing so awfully close beside her. Why was she feeling so weird around Regina tonight?
"Are you alright?" she heard Regina say, but it took her a moment to realize that the question was directed at her.
"Huh?" the blonde replied distractedly and when their eyes locked, she felt a shiver go down her spine and butterflies erupted in her stomach. Regina was beyond stunning tonight; there weren't words to describe it. Her hair was curled in a way she had never done before and it made her look frivolous and free. Her lips were painted a perfect fleshy color, which Emma found herself staring at for longer moments than she felt comfortable admitting.
"You've been fidgeting for the last ten minutes," the older woman pointed out with a raise of a delicate eyebrow.
"Oh, um, I'm fine, really," she said with an awkward smile, "I just need another beer."
"I'll come with you."
"No!" Emma said a little too quickly, an awkward grin forming on her lips, "I mean, someone has to keep watch over my mom. You know, just in case."
Regina agreed, but wasn't a fool to the strange way her friend was acting. She was more than okay with Emma ordering another beer if it meant it would open up the woman some more. Just a little bit. Just to understand what was really going on inside of that beautiful mind. She cared for Emma, more than she would admit and it was killing her to see this way.
Emma wouldn't declare it aloud, but it was clear she wasn't taking Killian's departure well at all. As a safety mechanism, she had thrown up impenetrable walls to keep out any and every emotion. She knew Emma was hurting behind that unbreakable shield and that made Regina ache, as if she could feel it as her own.
Part of herself wanted to reach out and grab Emma's hand as she walked away to the bar, to tell her everything was going to be alright, that she deserved more than that mangy pirate, but that seemed a bit too much. Intimate contact wasn't really a thing between them, but for some reason tonight she wanted such contact now more than ever. Resisting the urge to simply watch Emma depart from her side, she turned her attention back to the Vikings VS the Fair Queen game. Emma was right. It was a great distraction.
"What can I get for you?" the man behind the bar said with a warm smile as the blonde walked up to him.
"Give me something good and strong."
The man glanced over the woman's shoulders momentarily towards the area Emma had come from, a small grin pulling at the corner of his lips.
"I think I know just the thing you need," the man said and reached for a tall glass.
"So, you're really Aesop? Writer of moral fables?" Emma asked curiously, taking amusement in the names that were printed on the beer menu.
The Lion in Love.
The Monkey and the Dolphin.
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
There were plenty more, but those were simply the ones that caught her eye.
"Indeed, I am," he admitted as he filled her glass from the draft.
"I would have never imagined you as a bartender."
"I prefer Artisanal Mixologist," he said as he handed her a dark amber-filled glass, "I would have never imagined the Evil Queen's story to end up here with the Savior, drinking together like timeless friends."
"My mom is here too," she interjected, as if she was being accused of something. Her face scrunched up funny as she realized how childish she had sounded, "They're uh, trying to distract me from, well I'm not supposed to talk about it."
They both laughed. Emma's face was beet red as she self-consciously took a large sip of her beer.
"Are they trying to distract you or get you to open up?" her asked her with a raised eyebrow.
"Are all of your drinks named after your fables?" Emma said, glancing back over at the menu.
"Yes, ma'am," he declared, knowing full well she was changing the subject entirely, but he went with it, "All are locally brewed and made by yours truly. The one you're drinking is called the Boy and the Nettles."
"I'm not sure I know that one."
"Would you like to hear it?"
"Sure, why not," Emma shrugged and took a sip of her beer again.
"A Boy was stung by a Nettle," Aesop started quite simply, "He ran home and told his Mother, saying, 'Although it hurts me very much, I only touched it gently.' 'That was just why it stung you,' said his Mother, 'The next time you touch a Nettle, grasp it boldly, and it will be soft as silk to your hand, and not in the least hurt you.'"
Emma always forgot how short the stories were and paused to give it thought, her brow scrunching together.
"And what's the moral?"
"Whatever you do, do it with all your might."
He grew silent, letting the words sink in. He had a knowing look on his face, but what did he know exactly? A disaster of feelings swept through her, but she beat it down like a foot on a fire.
"Makes sense," she replied with an awkward laugh and took a large gulp of her beer, "I'm uh, I'm gonna get back to my mother and see if she's caused any more trouble."
She thanked him when he filled her glass up on the house. When she found her way back over, Regina gave her a soft smile. Her brown eyes seemed to scan across the blonde's face and Emma looked away self-consciously as a terrifying thought graced her with its presence.
Her mother had been correct about these drinks being strong. Why the hell did she want to grab Regina by the face and kiss her? She needed to splash some cold water on her face or something… but she couldn't dismiss herself again. Regina would surely know something was up.
To Emma's great relief, her thoughts were sidetracked by Snow's drunken cheering.
"Looks like our drinks are free tonight, ladies!" Snow shouted before sticking her tongue out like a child at the men, and for a moment Emma wasn't sure if she was going to have to prevent her mother from being crushed. One of them gave an irritated grumble as he marched over to the bar to pay the tab.
"Well, that's a great way to end the night," Emma announced.
"Who said anything about the night ending?" Snow said cheerfully with a slur, "We just got here!"
Emma and Regina glanced at each other.
"Mom, it's almost 1 in the morning."
Snow gave a surprised gasp as if time had completely slipped away from her, "is it really?"
"I'm afraid so, Snow."
When they began to collect their things, Regina held out her hand to Emma. A sudden rush of panic hit her and she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A chuckle left the brunette's lips at the face she was making.
"Give me your keys, you dork."
"Um, why?"
"Because I'm not letting you drive."
"How else am I going to get home?"
"I am quite capable of driving. Since this was my idea, I chose to be the responsible one and finished my drink a while ago. I'm taking your mother home. I can drop you off at your house as well."
The blonde gave a defeated sigh and put the keys in Regina's hand. She probably could have kept her keys; she wasn't going to run for it as she hit the door, but it was more a sign of agreement. With a satisfied smile, Regina turned her attention to Snow to make she was ready to go.
Snow had made it safely home and now it was just the two of them in the car. Regina's black Mercedes continued down the road, nearly to the blonde's house. Upon seeing the grey house up ahead, Emma spoke, breaking the silence that had permeated the air since they had dropped off her mother.
"I bet Henry is still up playing video games. And I bet he didn't take that chest into the garage like I told him to."
"Chest?" Regina asked, curiously.
"Oh um, it's nothing. Just what little stuff Killian had here…" she trailed off and stared out her window as they pulled up to the house.
"I feel awful," Emma said quietly, and for a moment Regina thought she may have been referring to nausea, "Now that he's gone, it's like this weight has been lifted off my chest. I feel like all he ever did was lie to me. He only ever told me the truth when he was caught with it. When there was no other way," Emma continued on, declaring how she had fallen for a cliché trap. Regina just listened. She didn't want to ruin this moment of Emma actually opening up. "I was relieved when the engagement was called off. …Is that bad?"
The sound of the car died out when the brunette turned the ignition, plunging them into silent darkness. There was nothing but the light of the moon, but Regina could clearly see troubled, emerald eyes staring at her.
"I always told you that you deserved better, Emma," she acknowledged softly.
"I thought I wanted a life with him, a family, but I…" she trailed off again as a tear slid down her cheek. It took all the power inside of Regina not to reach over and wipe it away.
"But…what…?"
"But I have a family. I have Henry. I have people that care about me who feel more like a family than Killian ever did."
She didn't say anymore on it, but Regina had a feeling she knew who Emma was referring to. Regina watched as the blonde balled her hand into a fist, her eyes drifting somewhere out the window, probably into nothing.
What was she thinking? Regina wanted to know. There was no control to her next movements, they simply acted upon instinct. Reaching across, Regina laid her hand on top of Emma's and felt it slowly grow slack. Their fingers intertwined and their breaths hitched.
Brown eyes met green once more and they couldn't find the power to move. It was as if they were frozen.
"Regina?" Emma asked, voice so soft as if she was afraid to speak. As soon as she spoke she felt a fool. What was she going to say? What could she say?
She tensed up again, but the hand in hers gave a reassuring squeeze. As if there was a center of gravity between them, both women began to lean towards one another, eyes drifting to lips. They could feel hot breath on their cheeks, but just as they were about to seal the contact, their movements stopped. Hearts were thumping loudly, but Emma heard the bartender's voice echo through her memory.
"The next time you touch a Nettle, grasp it boldly, and it will be soft as silk to your hand, and not in the least hurt you."
With sudden courage, the blonde took Regina's face into her hands and kissed her fiercely, as if she had been waiting for this moment for centuries, as if she had walked through Hell just for a taste of this sweet, forbidden fruit. The world fell away and she forgot why she had repressed this desire for so many years. The way in which Regina kissed her back, hands entwining around golden tresses, made her crave more and she pressed her lips harder as if it would somehow blend them into one.
When their lips finally parted, one of Emma's hands was still on the brunette's cheeks, while the other hand begun to mindlessly trail down her neck and down her chest. Regina placed her hand on top of Emma's, holding it against her face in fear it might disappear.
The blonde bit down on her lip and took a shaky, deep breath.
"…come inside?"