A/N: Wow, so this got longer than I intended. Henry doesn't exist in this AU, and I used Kathryn quite a bit because I really like her – I don't know if I like actual-Kathryn or fic-Kathryn who is always Swan Queen shipper extraordinaire, but either way she's in here!
It's mostly pre-SQ, it's a LOT of the build-up, and it's not to be taken too seriously I'd say;p
I have a parent/teacher fic coming for Day 6 so stay tuned for that too!
All mistakes are mine, I don't own the characters etc etc
Hope you enjoy, don't forget to review if you do! :)
Emma was barely a mile from Storybrooke when her car swerved of its own accord, skidded sideways, and broke down. Just a mile. A single mile left on this day-long journey, and her bug gave in. Curse word after curse word came spewing from her mouth, and she lay her head on the steering wheel for a few seconds of calm before she needed to try and push the car from the road. Bugs aren't light, she reminded herself. Of course, it was only typical for her pride and joy to break down 20 feet after a blind bend, and though the road had been deserted for miles, Emma had no doubt that her luck would really pay off and a car would come ploughing into her any moment now.
As she realised that her life was probably more important than spending a few moments bashing her head against her steering wheel, Emma opened the door and immediately felt her internal body temperature drop with the harsh December winds.
Using her left foot as an anchor and bringing her right knee forward, Emma took a few short, sharp breaths like she'd seen women in labour do on the television, and garnered all the strength she had into pushing her car forwards. Nothing happened.
She tried again, and this time, by some feat of friction and the magic of Christmas Eve, the car rolled forward a foot. Emma thanked the ground and Santa, in that order, and went for the third push.
Until she heard the sound of an engine. In a horrible fleeting moment, the life of her Bug flashed before her eyes, and she tried desperately to push it further out of the way as the engine got closer. Emma ran to the front of the bug and into the near bushes in front of it just as a black Mercedes came around the blind bend and into the back of her Bug.
Emma stood frozen, half in the bushes to the side of the road for a few moments. Maybe it was shock, but she couldn't bring herself to move. At least, not until she heard the cries coming from the Mercedes.
She'd thought the person was in pain at first, and crying for help. That was, until she got closer to the car and made out "maniac" amongst the jumble of words.
"Hey, are you ok?"
"What the hell is wrong with you? Who stops their car horizontally right after a blind bend? And in the dark? Have you lost your mind?" The woman continued to shout as she opened her car door and stood to face Emma. She was brunette, bleeding from the lip and shaking on her heels, and Emma went to put a hand under her elbow.
"Here, I think you should sit down."
"Don't you tell me what to do. You'll be hearing from my lawyers about this."
"Your lawyers? Lady, you just drove into my car!"
"You left your car across the road! What did you think would happen?" The woman continued to try and get up, each time shaking and conceding before trying again a few seconds later.
"I don't know, maybe…. Not drive into it? Look at what you did!" Emma pointed to the back of her bug which was behind the front of the Mercedes, essentially smashed beyond all repair.
"Thank god it doesn't have a real trunk, otherwise I might have caused serious damage."
"Are you seriously insulting my car right now? The car you just pulverised? It's the night before Christmas! Don't they teach you about kindness and human decency in this place?"
"They do, but they also teach us not to fall at our feet to pander a complete stranger shouting at us in the middle of the street!"
"I'm shouting? I'm shouting?" Emma realised that in fact, she was, and lowered her voice. "Sorry. It's just.. that car is one of the only worthwhile things I own. Well, decent things I own anyway. And it's Christmas, and I'm on a job because the boss knows I don't have a family to go and visit, so I had to drive out here to the middle of nowhere on Christmas eve, and now my car is wrecked and…" Emma cut her speech short, and leant against the door of the Mercedes.
"I understand that you're upset, but none of that is my fault."
"I know. And I don't know why I told you all that just now. I'm just sorry, honestly." Emma fumbled in her pocket and found a crumpled up tissue, which she offered to the woman who took it begrudgingly and began to wipe the blood from her lip. They sat for a few seconds in silence, Emma looking at the woman expectantly. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"Aren't you going to apologise too?"
"Are you serious?"
"So not only did you drive into my car and not apologise, you screamed at me and didn't apologise!"
"I'm not going to apologise for demonstrating your idiocy."
"My. Car. Broke. Down." Emma accentuated each word, "There is nothing I did to cause that, lady. Look I'll just give you my insurance information and be on my way.."
"Are you not waiting for a tow truck?"
"Figured you'd be able to handle that by yourself. The less time spent together, the better."
"I'm calling the mechanic." The woman cut Emma off, and turned slightly in her car seat so she was facing the windshield. With a hand she was clearly trying to stop shaking, she turned the keys in the ignition and the car started after a brief pause. "At least it's working."
"Yeah, but the front's all bashed up." Emma responded, leaning to look over at the front of the car. The woman in the front seat gave her a darkened look, and Emma held her hands up in apology. "Hey, at least you aren't badly hurt."
"If I was, you'd be getting a lot more than a stern talking to from me."
"I'm not sure stern is the word I would use."
The woman's phone rang, and she looked at her pocket like it was foreign for a moment before pulling out her phone and answering.
"Hello? Yes, I'm on my way now. I just got into a minor car accident… no I'm fine, dear, really. Would you call Michael for me? Tell him there's.." The woman looked at Emma begrudgingly "..Two cars here. Thanks Kathryn, I'll see you in a while."
While the woman spoke on the phone, Emma removed another tissue from her pocket, along with a pen, and began to write some phone numbers. She labelled the first "Emma", and the second "Insurance".
"Here," she offered the tissue once the woman had hung up, "There's the numbers you'll need."
The woman leant across to the passenger seat of her car, removed a card and a pen from a handbag and wrote a number on the back of it. She looked down to realise she was still holding the tissue Emma had offered her for a lip, and returned it to her with a barely audible "Thank you."
"Can I take a look?" Emma signalled the lip.
"It's fine, I'll ice it when I get home."
"But you might, have.. stuff in it. Just let me look." The woman sighed and tilted her head slightly upwards, and Emma put a hand under her chin to lift it further. Emma rolled the end of the tissue into a point and began to dab at the wound on the brunette's bottom lip. "So how did you do this?"
"You left your car in the middle of the road."
"Yeah, we covered that. I mean, how?"
"I bit it."
"You bit it?" Emma winced as she saw what appeared to be a hole in the lip.
"Did I not speak clearly enough?" The woman began, but halted with a hiss as Emma dabbed at the cut.
"Sorry. You know, I think this'll need stitches."
"That's really none of your concern." She shrunk out of Emma's grasp, and Emma in turn put the tissue into her pocket and picked up the card she had been given.
"Regina Mills… Mayor Regina Mills. I crashed the Mayor's car. Merry fucking Christmas to me."
"Are you scared of me, Miss…"
"Swan. Emma."
"Are you scared of me, Miss Swan?"
"Should I be?"
"Absolutely. You have no idea what I'm capable of."
It almost sounded like a threat. Almost.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Look, all I want is a ride into town, and a place to stay for the night. I'm not looking to cause any trouble, I'll pay you for the damage to your car."
"Of course you will." Regina said with a note of assurance, as if willing Emma to be telling the truth. "And once the mechanic gets here, we will transport you into Storybrooke. I will point you in the direction of our Bed and Breakfast, and you will be on your way."
"Very noble of you."
"Luckily, my sense of civic duty outweighs the contempt I currently feel for you. Should that scale tip any more, however, we could be in hot water."
"Hey, there's no need to be rude. I've apologised as much as I can without getting on bended knee. We're stuck here now, there's nothing you can do about it."
Regina took a deep breath in, as her hands finally began to stop shaking. "I'm… sorry. I know there's no excuse for behaviour like this, but it's late and I'm incredibly tired, my lip has a gaping hole in it, and my car is essentially un-driveable. I'm sure you feel almost exactly the same, though you're handling it a little better than me."
"A little." Regina gave Emma a look. "Sorry. So.. what were you doing out tonight?"
"I had been doing some last minute shopping."
"Pretty last minute."
"I have a busy job, Miss Swan. I'm sure you can understand."
"Yep. I'm working right now, so I can't judge."
"What is it that you do?"
"Bail bondsperson."
"That must be a lot of work."
"Ehh, some. I don't mind it. It pays well."
"Is it not dangerous?"
"I've handled worse." Emma shrugged, and Regina suspected that she was referencing a story you probably wouldn't tell a stranger. As Emma stopped talking, she looked into Regina's eyes in silence for a few moments. The brunette gave nothing in her expression of what she was thinking. Emma tensed. "Look, do you think maybe we should get out of the road? If another car comes around the bend in a minute we'll both be dead, as well as our cars."
Regina looked to the side of the road, where a grassy verge lead to a sheer drop. Without another word, she stood shakily and walked towards the verge. She spent a moment staring at the ground, enveloped in half-darkness, as if she hoped she could somehow transform it into a chair, before lowering with a wobble to the ground. Emma mimicked her actions.
Neither of them said anything for a few moments, instead looking out at the vast woods which lay many feet below where they sat.
"I really am sorry, you know." Emma muttered after the air between them finally became calm.
"You have nothing to apologise for. I should have been more careful."
"I should have got my car out of the way quicker."
"Let's just say we're both very sorry." Regina smirked. "What are your plans for Christmas, Miss Swan?"
"Work. More work. I might treat myself to some Netflix."
"Do you not have friends who would want to see you?"
"Gee, rub it in."
"My apologies. Is there not something special you do? Even if by yourself?"
"Nope." Emma confirmed, "Just work."
They sat in silence for a few moments.
"I usually go to my friend Kathryn's house. She and her husband always make an effort to involve me in their festivities, and I'm 'to be there for 9am, no excuses'."
"You're lucky to have a friend like her."
Regina was silent for a moment, as if this had never occurred to her. "Yes, I suppose I am."
"No family? From what I've seen online, Storybrooke seems like a town you stay in forever."
"No, no family. Sore subject, I'm afraid."
"Me too." The two women smiled at each other in understanding.
"Would you like to know a secret?" Regina asked after a few moments, the words seeming childish coming from a voice so intimidating.
"Sure."
"My Mercedes… I was going to trade it in next week."
"You're kidding."
"Truthfully it's been on its last legs for a while. I've been researching what I was going to get next."
Emma laughed, loud and full, the sound in stark contrast to the silence of the surroundings. "Hey, at least you'll have some extra money to buy a new one. So really, you should be thanking me."
"I'm not sure I'd go that far."
"Well, maybe this is destiny then. My car breaking down now."
"Do you really believe that?" Regina asked in an accusatory tone.
"Nope. I'm not sure what kind of destiny would think it was a good idea to destroy my pride and joy."
"And I'm not sure what destiny's intention would be for us to be having this conversation right now on the side of the road."
"You'd rather be in bed?"
"Yes." Emma raised her eyebrows. "Alone." Regina confirmed, and Emma laughed.
"That wasn't what I meant when I said bed, but hey, it was you that implied it, not me."
"Well maybe let's get to know each other a bit better first." Regina quipped, a spark in her eye.
The two continued to talk, openly and relaxed, until Michael, the mechanic, pulled up in a tow truck.
"Madam Mayor." He nodded to the brunette, who wobbled as she stood from where she had been sat and guided him towards her car. Emma wavered for a few moments before following.
"Well I can take one of the cars back now, and I'll call one of my guys to come and get the other one. The two of you can come back with me." Michael continued as he saw Emma had joined them.
"Thank you, Mr Tillman. Will you require any assistance getting the car onto your truck? I'm sure Miss Swan here would be more than happy to oblige." Regina smiled at her with a sly squint.
"No don't worry, I'll get it up there in no time. Here," Michael grabbed a set of keys from his pocket, "The two of you get in the truck, I'll just be a couple of minutes."
Regina snatched the keys from his hand, and walked over to the truck with Emma on her tail.
"So, do you want to sit in the middle?" Emma joked, a grin on her face.
"Absolutely not."
"Come on, I'm sure it would be cosy!"
"No." Regina insisted, and opened the door. Emma stepped in front of her, and tried to gather momentum in order to step up into the cabin.
"You know, if you sat in the middle I could give you a boost up. Won't be easy in those shoes."
"Do you want a boost up?"
Emma sighed. "Nope, it's fine." Even so, Regina's hands hovered in the space just behind Emma's back as she eventually jumped up.
Emma had struggled to step into the cabin, but Regina was slightly shorter than her, and still shaking from the accident. After a few stony-faced attempts, she anchored one foot on the step and tried to bring her other knee up. When she failed, an amused Emma offered her a hand, which Regina took with disdain and Emma pulled her aboard.
After fumbling to sit down in the seat correctly, Regina huffed at the lack of space.
"Yeah, it's not made for three, is it?"
"Let's just say I'm glad I'm not in your position." Regina smugly commented, as Emma fidgeted to find comfort in the thin middle section of the seat.
"Great way to break the ice, huh?"
"Oh, I believe the ice was well and truly broken when you wiped the blood from my face."
"What can I say; I'm a romantic."
Regina smirked. Before she could reply, Michael opened the door opposite to her.
"You've done it already?"
"Yup. Took you ladies longer to get into the truck than it took me to do that."
"We can always take our business elsewhere, Mr Tillman."
"Uh, but the car's already on the truck, Regina."
Regina gave Emma a glare. "Just drive."
"Yes ma'am." Michael stepped into the truck, and Emma attempted to move away so they weren't touching. The truck was clearly only made for two despite the presence of a third seat, and in moving away from Michael, Emma forgot to leave any room for Regina on the other side of her.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?" Regina stared perplexed at the mess of blonde hair now in front of her chest.
"I was just.. making some room."
"Do you think you could give me some room, as well?"
Emma sat back up straight in her chair, and crossed her legs and arms so as to take up less room. "Sorry." She coughed.
Michael dropped the women off on what Emma presumed to be the main street of the town, and Regina began to walk, still wobbling, towards a diner just to the side of them.
"Here is the B&B. I hope you enjoy your stay."
"Ok, cool." Emma continued to stand on the road. When she made no attempt to move, Regina widened her eyes and signalled to the door.
"Well?"
"Sure, yeah. I get it, B&B here. I'll remember."
"Where are you intending to go in the meantime?"
"The hospital."
"Any particular reason?"
"To get you checked out."
Regina sighed in protest. "Miss Swan, that is hardly necessary. You did a sterling job of cleaning my lip, and there's nothing else that a good night's sleep won't fix."
"That might be true, but I want to take you anyway. I mean, I don't know you but I'd guess that you don't normally have a permanent wince on your face."
"Perhaps I do."
"Just humour me. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Nothing."
"Come on then!"
Regina gazed at the diner for a moment longer, before sighing even louder than before and slowly walking down the main street in what Emma hoped was the direction of the hospital.
A short while and continued protests later, the two women entered the hospital, and a nurse behind the front desk stood to greet them.
"Mayor Mills, can I help you?"
"Yeah, we had a bit of a car accident. She's cut all of her lip, I think it needs stiches."
The nurse looked at Regina's lip where Emma had signalled. "If you'd just take a seat Dr Whale will be with you shortly. Do you need to be seen, Ma'am?"
"No, I wasn't in my car at the time." The nurse gave Emma a look. "Just get the doctor, ok?"
"I still believe this is wholly unnecessary, and a complete waste of the doctor's time."
"Look at it, it's dead in here." Emma snorted as the women moved to the two nearest seats, "No pun intended."
"Nevertheless. Don't be under the impression that I'm here for any reason other than to stop you from harassing me about it."
"They'll give you stiches, I'm sure of it."
"I'm sorry, 'Doctor' Swan."
"Hey, I thought we were getting along! Look, it's natural to be scared."
"I'm not scared."
"You're still shaking." Emma put a hand over Regina's two quivering ones. "It's ok to want help sometimes."
"Perhaps… when it's necessary."
"Just… ugh, I'm not talking about it anymore."
"Suits me perfectly." Both women were silent for a few moments.
"What time is it?"
"A little after 9."
Silence again.
"So what did you buy?"
Regina stopped staring at the ground in front of her, and turned to Emma with a frown. "I'm sorry?"
"Before, you said you'd been last minute shopping."
"Oh. I must have left the bags in the car." Before Emma could coax any more conversation from her, the nurse returned accompanied by a man in a white coat.
"Mayor Mills. Would you like to come with me?" The doctor asked as the nurse departed back to her station.
Regina sighed and stood slowly, Emma with a hand hesitating under her elbow.
"Would your… friend.. like to come with you?"
"She may as well." Regina looked to her for confirmation, and Emma followed the two of them down the corridor.
Regina had shocked Emma when she told the doctor her she had been in pain since the accident. Though she had been wobbling on her feet and her lip had been bleeding badly, she had never once allowed Emma even a sliver of a clue that she was in actual pain. That changed as the first stitch was inserted into her lip, and Emma offered a hand to the woman who grasped it tightly.
As the doctor continued to sew Regina's lip, she gripped Emma's hand tighter than Emma had thought her even capable, and the blonde winced. Regina looked at her slightly apologetically, and Emma lifted her non-crushed hand to move a piece of her hair that was dangling close to her half-stitched lip.
"Sorry, am I…" a smartly-dressed blonde woman appeared from behind the curtain, and Regina straightened on her chair, removing her hand from Emma's.
"Kathryn, what are you doing here?"
"The hospital rang. I'm so glad you're ok." Kathryn exclaimed as she took up position next to the woman, who gave her a grateful attempt at a tight lipped smile. "And who is this?" Kathryn questioned, looking Emma up and down.
"This is Emma Swan. The one whose car I drove into."
"Right. .. Are you ok too, Emma?"
"Me? I'm fine."
"Good. So why did they bring you in? When I spoke to you on the phone you seemed fine, but then I had the hospital calling me asking for the next of kin for Regina Mills, and I was a little confused."
"Oh, they didn't bring her in. I did."
Kathryn looked at Emma accusingly. "You did?"
Emma shuffled on her feet. "Yeah, she cut her lip pretty bad and she was shaking, so I thought it was better to be safe than sorry."
"And you actually listened, Regina?"
"She wouldn't take no for an answer." Regina responded, and Kathryn raised her eyebrows at Emma, impressed.
"Forgive me, I don't recognise you. Do you live in Storybrooke?"
"Oh no, I'm just here for work."
"On Christmas?"
"Yup."
Kathryn smiled knowingly at Regina. "Emma, what are your plans for tomorrow?"
"Oh, Emma has a full day planned." Regina joked.
"I sure do. Netflix and the pile of pastries in my bag that hopefully weren't completely destroyed in the accident."
"Emma, if you think I'll allow the woman who saved my friend's life to eat crumpled pastries for Christmas dinner, you can think again."
"I didn't save anyone's life, I'm the reason she had the accident!"
"Well you looked after her. And I'm grateful."
"Can we stop talking about 'her' like she's an abandoned kitten?" Regina raised her voice before Emma could respond.
"Sorry. We always have far too much food for the three of us, and seriously Emma, I won't take no for an answer."
Emma sighed. "Is it alright with you?" she directed at Regina, who raised her eyebrows and tried and failed to push out her lips in a gesture of indifference.
"I don't see why not."
"This is all done." Right on cue, the doctor stood and removed his gloves. "The stitches should last you a few days, and the wobbling and shakiness will go after a good night's sleep. Take care of yourselves."
"Thank you, Dr Whale." Regina stood as the doctor left, and took her coat from Emma's lap.
"So.. I'll see you guys tomorrow?" Emma asked awkwardly as the three women walked towards the exit.
"I'll send Regina to meet you at the B&B at 12. Does that work for you?"
"Sure. Sounds great." Emma gave both a quick, nervous smile, and walked back in the direction of Main Street.
Emma got straight into bed when she eventually checked into the B&B, and the next morning she was woken by a hesitant knock at the door.
"Hey.. Emma? Are you up?"
"Mm.. yeah. Ruby, right?"
"Yep." The voice replied cheerily from the other side of the door, "Do you want breakfast?"
"No thanks, I'm good."
"Ok. Merry Christmas!" The woman called as she seemingly walked back down the corridor.
Emma took a few moments leant up on her elbows to rub her eyes and get a sense of her surroundings. The room was cold; evidently she had forgotten to close the window before she fell asleep, and through it she could see a thin layer of fog covering the street outside. The tiny ancient TV she had failed to turn off was softly playing Christmas music and Emma leaned over the edge of her bed to retrieve her phone.
It was 10am, which meant she still had time before she needed to get ready. Dressing quickly in jeans and a thick coat, Emma strolled downstairs and into the diner. Ruby was already back behind the counter, and serving coffee to a few customers.
"You're open on Christmas?"
"Every day of the year. Not my choice, believe me."
"Can I get a hot cocoa to go?"
"Sure. Where are you going?"
"Just to have a look around." Ruby nodded as she began to pour Emma's drink. "Need to get a lie of the land before I start working."
"What is it that you do?"
"Bail bondsperson."
"Oh, awesome! Anyone I know?"
Emma smiled, "You know I can't tell you that."
"You're no fun."
The man Emma had been sent to collect actually seemed to be quite a simple case; a chancer who lived on the edge of town and didn't seem like the kind who would put up much of a fight. The man wasn't due in court yet, and this was the main reason why Emma had allowed herself to indulge in a day off, accepting Kathryn's invitation to lunch and now walking aimlessly through the town.
The occasional person had stopped and greeted her, showing a look of bemusement at the prospect of a stranger visiting the town, but when she explained she was here on work they all nodded as if they understood perfectly. A man named Archie had invited her into his house for a drink, but she had declined him with a grateful smile, explaining that she had lunch plans.
She returned to the B&B when the cold Maine air had become too much, and jumped straight into the shower to warm up.
When she got out, she wrapped a towel around herself and lifted her suitcase up onto the bed to see what clothes she had with her that might be acceptable for a Christmas lunch. Regina seemed like the kind of person to pride herself on her appearance, and Kathryn did too, but the best Emma could find was dark jeans and a shirt, so she towel-dried her hair in preparation of putting them on. Before she could, there was a knock at the door.
"Hello?"
"Emma? It's Regina. Kathryn's sent me."
Emma looked down at the towel she was wearing and the clothes strewn across the room, and cursed herself.
"What time is it?"
"2 before 12."
"Crap. Right, ok. I'll be right out, could you wait downstairs?"
"Very well." The woman coughed.
Emma got dressed as quickly as possible and blow dried her hair for a few seconds, tucking parts behind her ear and putting on the little make-up she had with her. She found an old bottle of perfume at the bottom of her bag, and sprayed it as she grabbed her phone and keys. Looking down, she realised she hadn't done up the top 3 buttons of her shirt, and left the room to lock the door before doing it.
Turning with one hand on the buttons, she saw Regina waiting a few feet in front of her, looking at her watch.
"Really, Emma. Could you not have done that before stepping out of you room?"
"I thought I told you to wait downstairs."
"Believe me, I wish I had now."
"Consider it your present." Emma joked, and Regina rolled her eyes. "Merry Christmas, by the way."
"Merry Christmas to you too, dear."
"Get anything good?"
"I don't know yet. My idea of opening presents was rejected with Kathryn's insistence I come to collect you."
"Wow, you just can't catch a break, can you?"
"Not where you're concerned, it seems."
"You look good today." Emma said as they exited the diner onto Main Street.
"Oh, do I?" Regina asked, a smirk on her face.
"Not good, better. You look better."
"So I don't look good? I'm sure that's a way to speak to the person kind enough to take you in on Christmas."
"No, you do look good. That's just not what I meant," Emma's cheeks turned pink as they continued down the street, "And besides, it was Kathryn that invited me. You didn't seem that happy about it."
"I wasn't unhappy about it."
"I'm so flattered."
The two women walked through town talking in a friendly manner, Regina telling Emma about the town and Emma interrupting with the occasional anecdote. By the time they arrived at Kathryn's house, the tension from their rocky start had been well and truly dissolved, and replaced with an altogether different kind of tension.
"Emma, Merry Christmas!" Kathryn greeted the stranger with a large, kind smile, and Emma returned it a little shyly as she was beckoned inside.
The three women entered into a sitting room that was decorated both excessively and tastefully. A man with a side fringe and a drink already in his hand stood when they entered.
"Emma, this is my husband Fred."
"Good to meet you." Emma greeted him, and he returned the sentiment.
"Would you like a drink?" he asked, directing her to sit in the seat he had just vacated.
"A coffee would be great."
"Do you not want some of Regina's cider? Nothing beats it." Kathryn asked cheerily, Emma still bemused that she had been so easily welcomed into this set-up.
"No thanks, just a coffee for now."
Fred left the room to make the drink, and Regina moved to sit in the seat she had presumably vacated when she left. Kathryn leant over and whispered something in her ear, and Regina sighed in contempt before sitting on the sofa next to Emma. Kathryn followed Fred out of the room.
"Just so you know, I think Kathryn has an idea in her head."
"Oh?"
"She intends to set us up."
Emma coughed and sat up straighter. "Ok.."
"Of course, just set her straight, as it were, and this needn't go any further."
"I'm gay, Regina."
Regina looked taken aback. "I see. Well either way, you can let her know you aren't interested and we can all attempt to carry on with the day without making complete fools of ourselves."
"What if I am interested?"
Regina looked even more shocked. "Right. Do you not think it's a little soon to be talking about dating, though?"
"Oh, for sure."
"Good. So let's err on the side of caution for now."
"Cool," Emma laughed, "I can't believe she's trying to set us up."
"If you knew Kathryn like I do, it wouldn't surprise you. It wouldn't matter how much you hate me."
"I never hated you."
"Not even when I destroyed your death trap of a car?"
Emma winced, "Too soon."
"Oh I'm sorry dear. Will you be conducting a memorial service?"
"If I was, I wouldn't invite you." Emma added scornfully, looking at Regina with a toothy smile to let her know she was joking.
Kathryn re-entered the room carrying a tray of appetisers and smiling at the two women laughing together. She offered the tray around before sitting on the arm of the chair Fred had claimed.
"So Emma, what line of work is it you're in?"
"Bail bonds."
"That seems dangerous."
"It's mostly harmless. You get the odd one, but it's fine. What about you guys? What do you do?"
"I'm a lawyer, Fred is a gym teacher."
"And you're friends with the mayor."
"We most certainly are."
"So do you guys run this town then?"
"I do. Quite literally." Regina cuts in, and Emma gives her a look.
"No, like are you guys the ones who everyone is scared of?"
"They aren't scared of me." Fred responds, "Kath and Regina? That's a different story."
"I can't imagine people being scared of you, Kathryn. I'd only known you for two minutes and you were inviting me over for Christmas!"
"Maybe I'm just a good judge of character." Kathryn replied, with a laugh but still sincerely.
"I notice how you didn't jump to my defence, Miss Swan."
"You, Regina? I can see people being scared of you. For sure."
"I want the best for this town. So I expect the best. I don't think that makes me evil, do you?" Regina mused, using a hand to fluff out her hair.
"I don't think so. I guess it can be good to be formidable. Sometimes."
"Formidable gets results."
"It also gets you a guest for Christmas."
Regina laughed at this, and Kathryn took the opportunity to dig a little deeper.
"You were scared of her when you first met were you, Emma?" she asked, a hint of tease in her voice.
"Of course I was! I came over to the car because I heard shouting, and I just heard this string of insults coming for me and I almost turned and ran."
"In my defence, I had just been in a car accident." Regina reminded her.
"Sure, that's your excuse."
"You weren't exactly Snow White yourself!" By this point, Emma and Regina had both turned from their positions to be fully facing each other on the sofa, barely inches between them.
"I feel like it was justified."
"We were both justified."
Fred had focused his eyes on the ground while the two women were fighting, but looked up when they went silent. As he looked between them, the questioning smiles and the glints in their eyes, he realised they weren't fighting at all. He looked to Kathryn for confirmation. She coughed.
"So, Emma. How long are you in town for?"
The woman in question continued to look into Regina's eyes for a moment, before visibly shaking herself and turning back to face the room.
"Just a couple of days."
"Oh, that's a shame."
"How the job works, I'm afraid. That's not to say…"
"What?" Regina implored her to continue.
"Well I mean, I could always come back. To see… you guys. I mean I know I've known you for literally hours but you seem like good people and I like good people."
"I'm sure we're very flattered by the sentiment." Regina responded, and a silence thickens between the two women again before Kathryn stood up.
"I think the food should all be about ready. Emma, would you like to come and help me?"
"Sure." Emma stood warily, and Regina gave her a 'tell me what happens' look before she followed Kathryn into the kitchen.
The kitchen counters were filled with trays and bowls, and Kathryn signalled for Emma to pick some up to carry them in.
"Wow, I see what you meant when you said you always had too much food."
"Rather too much than too little. Some of it can be saved easily, this will keep us happy for weeks."
Emma laughed. "So how long have you and Regina been friends?"
"Oh, forever." Kathryn responded as she bent down to the oven.
"And you still are now?"
"I hope Regina won't mind me saying, but she didn't have many friends growing up."
"Yeah.. kinda seems like she doesn't make a great first impression all the time," Emma winced, "no offence."
Kathryn laughed. "None taken. This is a very small town as I'm sure you've seen, and so growing up it was just me and Regina. We spent a lot of time together when we were children and I think when you've known somebody for that long it's almost impossible to not be friends with them."
"Hmm."
"What?"
Emma smiled, "Oh, nothing. Just wish I had a friend like that."
"When we got back from college, Regina even lived with Fred and me for a while after she broke up with her boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Emma asked, an unintended inflection on the 'boy'.
"Does that concern you, Emma?" Kathryn teased.
"Nope, just curious."
"While I'm not in the business of outing my friends, perhaps you shouldn't look so disheartened." Kathryn smiled knowingly, before exiting the kitchen.
Emma entered the lavishly decorated dining room and assumed a seat next to Regina, who leaned over to her to find out what had transpired.
"She just started telling me how you had no friends and you definitely weren't straight."
"Is that how she intends to find me a partner? By telling people I have no friends?"
"It's an interesting tactic, I'll give her that."
"Did it work?"
"You mean, did the thought of a person with no friends make my heart flutter?"
"Exactly."
"Undecided."
"Well, it's not like you have friends either."
"Hey, I have friends!" Emma raised her voice, and lowered it again as Fred and Kathryn turned away from carving the meat to look at her. "They just… live far away."
Regina gave her a look.
"Ok, ok. I have no friends. I move around a lot, its difficult to keep down solid relationships."
"Bear in mind if you don't keep in contact with Kathryn there may very well be trouble."
"Sure… Kathryn." Emma raised her eyebrows with a smirk.
"Right, help yourself." Kathryn interrupted the conversation, signalling the food on the table. The four started passing plates and pots around, and Fred opened a bottle of champagne. Once each had a glass, Kathryn raised her glass.
"Does anyone have something they want to toast to?"
"How about.. new friends?" Emma suggested after a moment, and Kathryn beamed.
"To new friends."
Dinner was a slow and happy affair, full of laughter and Emma felt like she had definitely missed out by not having a Christmas to go to each year. Emma had perhaps not realised how lonely she was before she wasn't anymore, and Kathryn, Fred and Regina had made her feel so included, almost like part of a family, and one or two times she had caught herself needing a moment to gather herself before rejoining the conversation. Regina had sensed this one time, and had put a hand on her leg for a moment by way of comfort.
After dinner, the four returned to the sitting room and had lazy discussions about their year, and what they wanted to achieve before the next Christmas. Emma mostly stayed quiet during this, never having been one to plan so far ahead, but luckily the other three noticed and were more than happy to indulge her by talking to her more about their plans than the other way around.
When the clock struck 7pm, and Kathryn and Emma were both a little worse for wear, the visitor decided she had probably out-stayed her welcome, and began to gather her things ready to leave.
"You don't have to leave, Emma. We love you!" Kathryn exclaimed as Emma put her coat on, and Fred gave her an awkward, apologetic shrug.
"I love you guys too. But I should really go, I have to do some research tomorrow and I should probably get a lot of sleep."
Kathryn sighed, and gave Emma a hug much too friendly for someone she had only known for a day.
"Promise you'll call us. Tell us how you are."
"Of course I will."
Emma gave Fred an awkward half-hug, patting him on the back, before turning to face Regina. Neither made an attempt to say goodbye to the other.
"Shall I see you out?" Regina asked eventually.
Emma lifted an arm to signal Regina to lead the way, and when they got to the door, Regina opened it and Emma stepped towards it.
"Well, goodbye."
"I'm not leaving town just yet, you know."
"Yes. You've yet to achieve anything other than destroy two cars."
"Do you maybe want to… see me? Before I leave?"
Regina smiled, almost to herself. "Tomorrow?"
"Sure."
"I already have your number, so.. I'll call you later tonight for details?"
"Sounds great. Um.." Emma looked between outside and in. After a second of deliberation, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on Regina's slightly parted lips.
"Ok, bye."
"Goodbye."