"I hated myself for going, why couldn't I be the kind of person who stays?"
― Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Emma and Regina were sitting on the setee, Emma fidgeting nervously and Regina unmoving, her hands in her lap. Henry had called them to talk about something. He was very cryptic about it. He was sitting on the chair silently for five minutes, looking down and kicking the foot of the table.
"So, what is this all about, kid?" Emma asked anxiously.
"I asked agirloutandherdad'scomingalong." he mumbled.
"Speak up Henry." Regina said sternly.
"I asked a girl out. On a date." his face reddened.
His mothers' eyes widened comically. Regina held her breath and Emma tried to make a coherent sentence. "I…we… Ok?"
"So, I can go? This Friday?"
They hummed in response.
"Who is this girl?" Regina managed to utter. She thought she would handle her little prince's first date better.
"But her dad said we could go out only if he supervises."
"Come on! You're 13. It's not like you…"
"It is quite a reasonable request, actually." Regina interrupted, "I agree with… Who am I agreeing with?"
"And it's weird if only he goes. So…can one of you come too?" he asked with a forcedsmile.
"Sure thing, kid." Emma exclaimed, poorly covering the fact she was freaking out. "But you didn't tell us who the girl is."
Henry scratched the back of his neck. "It's…"
"It's Grace, isn't it?" of course it was her. She saw the way he looked at her and they were spending much time together recently.
"Jefferson's daughter?!" Regina shouted.
"Yeah. The crazy guy's kid."
"Mad."
"What?"
"It's mad. He is known as the mad hatter, not crazy. Surely you knew that?"
"Oh. Well no problem then." she retorted, "Since you know him so well, you go on a date with them."
"You are delusional if you think I will sit in a same room with him… We have a complicated history."
Emma laughed sardonically. "You have a complicated history with everybody. And if I go I'll just have to punch him in the face for kidnapping my mother and drugging me… Plus I have a date."
"I might have had a date also if someone learned to leave things be." Regina mumbled. It's been almost a year since that night. It took a while but she accepted Robin's choice (if something like that could be called a choice) and she was over him…most of the time. And while she might have forgiven Emma, she did not forget.
"I'm sorry." Emma said sincerely, she always did when reminded of that.
Regina sighed. This time, she honestly didn't want Emma to feel bad. "David can go then. He could use some time with someone who doesn't wear make-up."
Emma chuckled. "True. Unfortunately he's working a double shift on Friday. "
"Fine. But you owe me, Miss Swan." she pointed a finger at her, "Big time."
They finally turned to Henry. He had a sad expression on his face. His mothers' argued again and it was his fault.
"Henry, honey. It's ok. We're not fighting." Regina assured him, "Grace is a lovely girl and you should go and let her know we're going out tomorrow."
Satisfied grin appeared on his face and he ran upstairs. Regina was already lost in her thoughts, mentally preparing for what was to come, to notice Emma's expression mirroring Henry's.
The D day has arrived. 'D' as in date for Henry and disaster for Regina. She had changed her clothes many times already. First, it was the navy blue dress, then the red one with the lace, but then she realized that was too much for the occasion. It was not as if it was she going on a date. She chuckled. A date with Jefferson?! That would be absurd. He was physically appealing, there was no denying that. Still, whenever he would look at her, it would be with disdain. Or he would pout like a child, like that would be enough for her to…what? Forgive his betrayal? Ask forgiveness for her own? She took out her pantsuits. She considered couple of them. But they looked like she was trying too hard to show that she wasn't. He would probably be pleased to see she gave it much thought. That pompous man would certainly think he had some effect on her. She checked the time. If she spent another minute dwelling on that nonsense, they would be late. So, she picked up a simple black skirt and a red shirt.
Regina parked the car in front of Jefferson's mansion, the one she had given him all those years ago. They walked up the stairs. He really should take better care of it, at least repaint it.
"I don't understand why we had to drive all the way up here. You could have just met somewhere." Regina complained.
"Because mom," Henry said matter-of-factly, "you raised me to be a gentleman."
"That I did." she smiled and brushed hair from his forehead.
Henry pressed the doorbell and they soon heard footsteps. Jefferson opened the door.
"Hello Henry. Grace will be down in a minute." he smiled and then focused his gaze on the woman behind Henry.
His whole body stiffened and his eyes widened with surprise. The smirk appeared on her face. If she had to endure his presence she would enjoy every little victory she could.
"What are you…" the rest died on his lips when his daughter ran downstairs to greet the Mills'.
"Henry! Miss Mills." she smiled and shook her hand.
"You look lovely, Grace."
"Yeah." Henry commented.
Regina gently squeezed his shoulders and whispered. "Surely you can be more eloquent than that."
"You look beautiful." he murmured, embarrassed by his mother's remark.
"There. Shall we?" she said and looked at Jefferson who was now eyeing her suspiciously.
Regina spun around and motioned for them to fallow.
The plan for the evening was simple - dinner and a movie. Neither Jefferson nor Regina liked the idea but they decided not to meddle. At the moment, Henry and Grace were sitting in their booth at the diner, talking animatedly. Jefferson and Regina were seated at the counter, not talking. A racket was heard from the outside and they snapped their heads towards it. It was Robin Hood with his Marry Men. Regina's whole body went rigid and she averted her gaze to her plate. Jefferson snorted.
"Glad to see you're enjoying this." she turned and looked daggers at him.
He pursed his bottom lip and shook his head. "Not as much as I thought I would." he really thought he would. But then, he just didn't. He convinced himself it was because he was not the person who found joy in other people's misery. It wasn't that hard since it was her misery in question. He would see her sometimes looking at her son when he still didn't remember her. He knew that look, having seen it in the mirror far too many times. Longing, longing for recognition, a soft smile, a loving hug. She deserved every single pang in the stomach she got when her reason for existence looked, but didn't see her.
As far as Robin Hood was concerned, he didn't get it. They were smiling and holding hands and exchanging kisses. Acting like teenagers. It was bizarre. The Regina he knew, and he did know her, wouldn't open up and trust so easily. Especially not when it came to some forest boy.
"How disappointing." she commented.
"Don't misunderstand me. Lost love and lost son all in couple of months. It a dream come true." he pushed. Now it was her turn to push back. But she didn't.
"We should go," he sensed gravel in her voice, "the movie will start soon."
"Henry, could you walk Grace to the door? I need to discuss something with your mother."
Henry and Grace stopped their chatter and happily jumped out of the car.
When they were out of the sight, Regina turned to him. "Well?"
"Well what?" a smile was lingering on his face, knowing Regina would be exasperated by it.
"You wanted to talk."
"I didn't." he said flatly. She didn't understand so he decided to clarify, having no energy to argue, "This is the end of the date. And at the end of a date, a boy walks a girl to the door… privately. Your additional memories must have provided you with that fact."
She rolled her eyes. "You're very relaxed about this. Why?"
"Why?!" he wasn't surprised she was questioning his motives. "Because they are still kids, it's harmless. And Henry is a nice boy. After your curse was broken" he smiled at the memory, "he helped me reconnect with my Grace."
"Well, he is honorable and kind."
"Oh, I am sure it was you who instilled that upon him." his words were dripping with sarcasm.
"Stop being so self-righteous Jefferson." she bit back, "We both know what your policy for standing by someone who needs you is."
Her comment put a stop to the argument before it could heat up. This night was after all over. In a minute he would step out of the car and go back to his quiet life.
What he saw come out of that tent was hardly human. It was a shell of a young, hopeful woman who stood next to him merely 10 minutes ago. The young woman, waiting for a miracle that he helped never happen. She crumbled onto her knees. The Sun was rising behind her. From where he was standing she looked like a shadow. How poetic, one might say. He approached her.
"Your Majesty, we must return. Someone might notice you're not in your chambers."
She didn't respond. Crouching in front of her, he held her chin up to make an eye contact. Her eyes, which once had spark in them, were now a mirror of despair. She didn't let out a sound, she couldn't.
"Come on. I'll take you back." he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped her stand up. If he loosened his hold, he was certain, she would fall back. "I'll be right back, Doctor. Wait for me here." he waved to his accomplice.
To sneak her back in the castle was easy. He was, after all, a thief. A thief, a trickster, a portal jumper, an adventurer. He even broke a couple of hearts here and there. But this, this was the only job he was ashamed of. He picked her up. She was so light, like a part of her disappeared with her betrothed. He stepped through the window and made his way to her bed. The tears stopped a while back, she now just stared blankly ahead. He placed her on the bed and removed her boots and gloves. She lay there stiff, breathing heavily. He figured the vest was too constricting.
"You should take this off." he helped her sit up.
She lowered her gaze. Her hands went for the belt buckle.
He watched her try to get rid of it but had no strength for it. Her fingers didn't obey. He placed his hand on hers'. They were ice-cold. "I'll help."
He unbuckled the belt slowly. He looked up at her. She was looking at him too. What he saw in her eyes made his heart sink. It was trust. Undeserved trust. He flicked his eyes back to the task at hand. As he was untying the laces, it revealed more and more. Her white shirt was almost see-through. His pulse quickened, his breath hitched. He shouldn't be thinking about that, he needed to leave. Jumping up, he tossed the vest on the nearby chair. "I should go."
He could almost feel the cool breeze from outside, when he heard her broken voice. "Don't leave."
His hands were already on the window frame. One jump and he was gone. He clenched his jaw until it hurt. Everything was telling him to run, yet he couldn't. He came back. He covered her with a blanket and lay next to her.
"I'm not going anywhere." he said softly as he wrapped her into his arms. An hour passed before she fell asleep. He slowly shifted away from her and sat at the edge of the bed. She remained motionless. He must go. This was not part of the plan. The Doctor was waiting. He had to take him to Rumpelstiltskin. Both had to collect the reward for a job well done. Because this was just another job. He turned to look at her one last time. Even in that state she was beautiful. Allowing himself one last indiscretion he leaned and kissed her cheek.
While running back he licked his lower lip. It tasted of her salty tears. At that moment he promised himself not to have any contact with her ever again. He managed to keep it for less than six months.
"Yes, we do." he indulged her.
"Leave." she ordered in a gruff voice.
"Gladly." Jefferson pushed the door open and left, anger welling in his chest.
So, what do you think? Does anybody read Mad Queen fics? Hope you do.
Oh, I don't own anything.