"Emma is this really necessary?" Regina asks looking at the sleek new phone in her hand.
"Regina, your blackberry, while very mayortorial and all that, is so old school" Emma says going around the counter to grab the phone from Regina's hands.
"Did you just make up a word?" She asks but then is distract by the last part of the sentence "and what is wrong with 'old school'? I came here in the 80's, I am old school."
Emma chuckles "Just trust me babe, everything will be easier with this new phone."
"Yeah, if I ever learn how to use it" Regina grumbles watching Emma swipe at things. As much as Regina despised a change she had to work in so quickly she was good at adapting. This phone was a gift from Emma to try and make things easier for her. Her phone was well over 5 years old and she didn't want to make her feel bad for being considerate. "I'm sorry, I appreciate it. It'll just take some getting use to." She says placing her chin on Emma's shoulder "Thank you, my love"
Emma stops her maneuvering and smiles at the brunette "You're welcome beautiful" She kissed her lips. "I'm gonna be late" She says around another kiss Regina graciously gives. "I set the setting as user friendly as possible. It just needs a password" Emma says handing the phone over to her girlfriend and moving to grab up her keys and badge.
"A password for what?" Regina says looking down at the screen demanding a 4 digit code.
"So Henry can't get into it, buying apps and changing things around. The little shit got me last week." Emma laughs remembering how everything was out of place and her background changed from a picture of the three of them to a picture of a baboon's butt. "I'm sure he'll be happy to show you all it can do when he gets home from school." She says walking back over to steal a kiss from lips that were pursed in concentration. "Gotta go, I love you."
"I love you too." comes from the distracted woman pondering over the simple yet unnerving task.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I need to run upstairs to gather some things together for Ruby, who is coming by." Regina says scrolling through a few emails with ease and holding a wine glass in the other hand. "Will you let her in if she comes before I make it back down?"
Emma only nods, smiling at how quickly Regina seemed to adapt to the new phone in a weeks time. "You've really got the hang of that thing, huh?"
Regina gives a light laugh, placing the phone down and finishing off her last swallow of wine "I guess so." She says moving over to the sink to rinse out her glass. Emma takes the opportunity to stand behind her and wrap her arms around her, humming in contentment.
"I missed you today." Emma breathes into her hair, using her nose to push some away from Regina's neck so she could place a soft kiss there.
"Emma," Regina whines as Emma continues, seemingly without the intention of stopping. "not now." She says into a small laugh, stepping out of Emma's hold. "Ruby's coming." Emma's eyebrows furrowed.
"So? She won't mind, I'm sure" She teases and then pouts when Regina holds her ground.
"Oh, she definitely would." Regina says turning on her heel "Just send her up, when she arrives." she yells over her shoulder.
Emma frowns. Dumb Ruby, she pouts while grabbing up her beer bottle and deciding to wait for Ruby in the livingroom when Regina's phone vibrating on the counter stops her.
Emma contemplates on running it up to her but thinks of all the stairs she'd be climbing and after her long day, she'd rather not. Though it vibrates again as if it demanded her attention.
Folding with the thought that maybe it was Henry, needing a ride home from Violet's, she walks over to pick it up.
It vibrates once more as she flips it over. She isn't surprised to see Ruby's name light up the screen since Regina said she was coming over. What catches her eye however, is the displayed part of the texts she could read.
Ruby: Hey, your sexiness, I'm so nervous...
Ruby: Did you tell Emma about us...
Ruby: She's gonna freak out, she's...
Ruby: I really can not wait to...
Emma scans that last text as it appears. Her heart begins to race along with her mind, going from confusion to assumptions really quickly. What the hell was going on? She wasn't one to invade her significant other's privacy but her mind was spiraling at the moment.
Emma. Not now. Ruby's coming. Regina wasn't in the mood suddenly.
She will definitely mind. Ruby was nosey as hell and always teased about catching us.
Send her up. What business did they have upstairs together?
Rereading the broken texts again, she needed to know. Privacy be damned! She swipes right on the sceen. Fuck! The passcode. What was it? Henry's birthday!
Denied!
shit, um, my birthday!...
Denied! Huffing, she frantically types in Regina's birthday next.
Growling came next when that too was denied. "what could be more important than...it better not be Ruby's birthday" she seethes under her breath.
Typing it in quickly the phone shook angrily again. She let out a sigh of relief but it was instantly replaced with another anxiety filled gulp of air.
Her frustrations builds as she tries random numbers now. The texts flashing across her mind, taunting her.
Ruby is a flirt but 'your sexiness', really?!
and tell me about what?! What don't I know! That you two are sneaking around?!
Typing in another random pattern, the phone shakes again before it freezes momentarily. She taps, in vain, on the screen, gaining nothing for a second more. Then the screen flips to a second screen which reads: Iphone is disabled, try again in a minute
A minute! I don't have a minute!
"Emma!" Shouts from upstairs, startling her. "Can you bring me my phone?"
"Freaking seriously!" She grits between her teeth.
Stalling, she walks into the livingroom with the phone in her hand and begins pacing in circles.
'She's gonna freak out' Filters through her mind. Of course I'm gonna freak out, look at me, I'm freaking out! and you can't wait to what Ruby? Can't wait to be in Regina's arms, can't wait to see my freaked out face when you tell me your sleeping with her!
"Emma?" Regina's voice calls,now sounding close.
Emma panics and quickly throws Regina's phone under the couch, only just straightening her back as she strolls in.
"Hey, did you hear me?" Regina asks gauging Emma's flustered state.
Emma's brow furrows at her, hurt bubbling up inside her and it was showing on her face "What's Ruby coming over for?"
Regina's body stills for a moment before looking down at the floor and sighing "She's just coming over to help me with something Emma" She says glancing back at her girlfriend but not quite meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry, if you're upset about before in the kitchen. I promise when she leaves I'm all yours."
"I'm sure" Emma spits out, no longer being able to contain her pain.
"Emma?" She questions clearly stung by Emma's response. "I just need her to bring over a few things, it won't take long. Actually, I was about to text her so she wouldn't forget to-"
"Forget to keep quiet about you cheating on me?" Emma says steeling her shoulders.
"What?" Regina face contorts in disbelief "Emma, you can't be serious?" She states as if she waiting for Emma to tell her she was playing some joke on her. Though, when Emma does nothing but stare at her, she takes at step forward.
Emma takes one back.
"Are you?" Emma challenges, searching Regina's face and body for any hints to the truth.
"NO!" Regina shouts too loudly and too quickly but she showed no shame in it. "Why would you think that?"
A moment of silence passes. Emma lets her shoulders collapse from their tense pose, along with her reserve. Her head hurt, her heart hurt and her body was crazy with anxiety. "Ruby text you."
"Ok?" She questions, attempting to take another step into the room. When Emma doesn't automatically step back, she takes another.
"You didn't want her to see us." Emma blurts, having trouble trying to steer her mind in one direction.
"Wait, you think Ruby and I are- cheating on you? Together?" Regina stumbles around questions, trying to follow Emma's train of thought with difficulty "Emma, I said that because no matter how much someone jokes about it, it doesn't mean they actually want to find their friends in a compromising position!"
"She called you sexy." Emma convinces further.
"Ruby flirts with everyone!" Regina burst in frustration, throwing her hands up
"She said she's nervous and asked if you told me about the two of you, Regina! How do you explain that?" Emma cries out, feeling crazy.
"Where is my phone?" Regina asks in one of her controlled and razor sharp tones that Emma is sure she hadn't heard since she came to town 5 years ago.
"Uh,"
"What?" Regina huffs watching Emma rub at the back of her neck. Her tell of nervousness and/or embarrassment.
"Ikindthrewitunderthecouch" she rushes in a whisper.
"Come again?"
"It's under the couch" She reiterates clearly this time.
"Why is it under the couch?" Regina asks, eyebrows pulling together as she steps further into the livingroom and in front of the couch.
"I disabled it trying to unlock the damn thing" Emma admits, shrugging her shoulders now "I tried every birthday I could think of that would be important to you. Even freaking Ruby's!" she groans at the thought causing a bit of her earlier frustration to return.
Sighing, Regina barely even blinks before her phone appears in her hand at her silent command. "That's because, it's not a birthday." She explains, clicking the home button and glimpsing at what Emma was losing her mind over.
Emma who was observing Regina's face closely watched a small smile appear on her face before it was gone again. Regina turns to Emma holding out the phone to her. "What?"
"3662" Regina says calmly, urging the phone into Emma's hand.
Emma's curiousness gets the better of her once more, her mind spinning in circles trying to work out what was so special about 3662. She punches in the code and the screen instantly clicks open to Regina's messages. Emma's heart begins to race again. She steals a glance at Regina who gives a solid nod, encouraging her to invade her privacy; seemingly not the least bit worried in what Emma will find there.
With approval Emma begins to read.
Ruby: Hey, your sexiness, I'm so nervous...to leave storybrooke for the first time
Ruby: Did you tell Emma about us...taking her to Disneyland for her birthday yet? You better not have!
Ruby: She's gonna freak out, she's...been wanting to go for forever! Henry too! They're gonna LOVE this!
Ruby: I really can not wait to...see her face when we surprise her with this. Love that numbnut. I'll be there soon, leaving now!
Emma closes her eyes. She fells like such an asshole! The biggest asshole on the whole freaking planet. "Regina, I am so-" The doorbell sounds, promptly cutting her off.
"Now when she surprises you, you're gonna have to act the most surprised you've ever been in your entire life. You owe her that." Regina says "Go answer the door"
Emma presses her lips together, nodding in agreement.
Pulling the door open to a grinning Ruby made her fill with more guilt "Woo! Hey sexy mama, wanna buy some cookies?" the tall brunette teases.
Regina laughs trailing up behind Emma "You are something else, Ms. Lucas. Please come in."
"Ms. Lucas? Damn babe, you're acting like I'm not the best friend you've ever had in your life." She jokes stepping inside past them both. "I mean, if I have to tap it like Em over here to get on first name basis- well, then sign me up!" Emma's mouth fell open looking between them both and Regina sighs wanting to kick her clueless friend.
"Don't be crude Ruby, I love one woman and she's all I need."
"Oh, come on G," Regina cut her a glare at the nickname which Ruby ignore easily "you are the former Evil Queen and Em is the former Dark One. I don't know anyone dumb enough to try and get between that." Emma shoots her a pointed look. "Well except the hoo's from who-the fuck-ville. I mean amirite?" She sticks her palm up to be hi-fived but Emma pushes her shoulder instead.
"Please make her shut up" Emma says "Take her upstairs"
"Yeah Regina, take me upstairs" She purrs and wiggles her eyebrows.
Regina laughs only because Ruby wasn't aware of the trouble she's caused and here she was possibly causing more. "Let's go dummy" She chuckles at Ruby's pout before she takes off upstairs leaving Regina to eye Emma making sure she was truly ok for them to go up without her.
Emma gives no indication of stopping them until she's almost half way up the stairs and Emma calls her back "Regina wait," when she turns and looks down at her, she asks "what's 3662?"
With a short pause and an intense stare, she firmly says "Emma" before turning an continuing up the stairs with the silent agreement that they'd get back to this when they were once again alone.
