Title: New York
Sum: [SwanQueen Week Day Two: Roommates AU] Regina has been in with the Mills family for four years. And things for fine… until a certain blonde stumbled into her life…
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its associated characters; I'm just borrowing them for a bit of fun.
Rating: T/PG-13
Characters/Pairings: [SwanQueen]; Regina Mills, Emma Swan, Cora Mills, Henry Mills, August, Graham, Robin
Warnings/Triggers: mentions of abuse, foster family, foster system
Notes: For Day Two of SQW, (which I'm EXTREMELY late for but whatevs), I went for a darker edge? I dunno. It seemed like a good idea at the time. There are no actual descriptions of abuse, just the alluding to it.
Every morning, right at six in the morning, her alarm rings. An olive hand reaches out and presses down the button to turn off the device, like clockwork. The teenager beneath the blankets stretches up and makes sure the alarm clock will not ring again—the woman doesn't like it if the alarm clock rings more than once in the morning "Once is all it should take. Ladies shouldn't keep the world waiting," she says—without waiting for her body to adjust to waking, she's up and moving around. First to her dresser, her clothes are laid out exactly where she'd placed them the night before; picking them up, she heads to the bathroom that connects her room to the boys' bedroom. She's the first to wake up every morning. If she's not, then she is the last to use the bathroom. Rules of the house: the boys get the bathroom at 630AM, no later; and everyone is to be out of the house and on their way to school by 700AM—no exceptions.
With dull eyes, and a practiced hand, the brunette is quick with washing her body. She's cut the routine down to less than ten minutes. It gives the boys a little extra time should they need it. And she's dressed and her hair is perfectly done and she's ready to be presented to the world for another day. "Regina!" Instantly awake and alert from her daze in the restroom, the brunette walks from the bathroom and into her bedroom. Quickly, she opens the door and makes her way quickly downstairs—without running, ladies do not run in the house. Stepping into the dining room, she first sees that Henry isn't there. The older man is usually sitting at the table with his coffee before he heads into the office, but it would seem he was either quicker than her this morning, or was slower than her. She was banking on the quicker—his wife wasn't one for sluggishness. "It's about time, dear." Came the voice again. Regina turned her head to look at the woman who cared for her: Cora Mills. She was reaching her middle aged years; having seen her own children through college, Cora had wanted to care for children again, but had reached an age where she didn't have the patience for small children and thus, didn't adopted or care for any children under the age of thirteen—nor did she have any other children of her own. Instead, Cora had taken to bringing foster children in her home to care for. "You'll be having a new roommate, dear." The older brunette continued and Regina raised her head; Cora instantly knew the emotion Regina was filled with: apprehension, maybe a hint of frustration. "Hmm. Am I going to have any problems with this new arrangement?" Regina instantly shook her head. "I can't hear you, Regina dear."
"No ma'am. No problems." She paused for a moment before continuing: "Will there be a new bed being brought in, Ms. Cora?" Regina asked, keeping her eyes low. The key to dealing with Cora, was to make the woman believe she was the boss, the leader. The house was run her way. Not even her husband had any say on the house rules, and he'd paid for the slab of land and the structures built upon it.
"Yea, dear. While you're at school, your things will be rearranged to make room for our new family member." Cora's eyes seemed to shine with the mention of a new 'family member'. Regina felt her heart sink a little—was she being replaced? Was she not good enough for Cora and Henry? "Go on then. Get your book bag, the school bus will be here shortly, dear." Glancing at the digital clock on the stove, Regina noticed she'd still have time to sit in her room and contemplate the universe—listen to the silence. When the bus arrives, Regina is just behind the boys as they run down the stairs and out the front door. Graham is fifteen, he'd been in the house for the last two years; and August was thirteen, he'd just gotten into the house. Cora and Henry doted on August, and allowed Graham to do just about whatever he wanted. But Regina had to follow the rules. She was going to be a proper 'lady' when she left Cora and Henry's home, Cora swore on it. The brunette merely heaved a big sigh as she stepped onto the school bus, giving the nice bus driver a kind smile—Granny Lucas was always a sweet woman, and the pastries she snuck to Regina were always the best.
"I've got you a good one today, girl." Granny spoke just over the din of the back of the bus to where Regina sat just behind her. Reaching forward, she pulled a paper bag from somewhere by her feet and passed it back to the reserved looking seventeen year old. "I think you'll like it." She smiles into the mirror, hoping to coax another smile in return. Regina slowly opens the bag as Granny moves her eyes back to the road for a turn, and after a few moments, she smiling again: apple turnover. "Thought you might like that."
"Thank you, Granny. You didn't have to…"
"Well, Ruby wanted to make her friend a present this morning before I dropped her off at the elementary school. So I told her she could pick your breakfast out this morning." Granny smiled sadly into the mirror. She'd known all about Cora. Although Regina never spoke about her home life, she'd grown up with Cora Mills. And the witch of a woman was the product of an abusive and chaotic home—so it made sense that Cora would be strict with any children that came through her doors. Regina was the longest to stay between those walls, and Granny Lucas knew too well why: Regina refused to break the rules, she took Cora's abuse like a pro, and Granny constantly wondered just what Regina's life had been like before Cora had been given the title of 'caretaker'.
-Mills Residence-
Arriving home after a particularly long day at school, Regina merely wanted to sit at her desk and finish up her school work before dinner and then go straight to bed. No conflict. She didn't even want to see any of the others in the household until she had to greet another day like the one she'd woken to today. However, when she opened her door, she noticed her desk had been haphazardly moved, shoved up beside her dresser in the corner—papers and books strewn everywhere. Her bed had been replaced now a twin was against the far wall with her nightstand just beside it. Nothing was in order. Her bed wasn't made, her dresser was a mess—someone had gone through the drawers as well as her desk. Dropping her book bag on the floor by the door, she felt an emotion she hadn't let herself feel in a long while: anger.
Turning brown eyes to the second twin bed in the bedroom, she let her irises take in the second inhabitant of the bedroom. She was about Regina's height, wearing skinny jeans and white tank top as well as socks. Three articles of clothing she wasn't allowed to wear within the confines of the household: "Jeans are for men and lower class hussies. Tank tops are for promiscuous women who need men to pay them for sex… and socks? Ha! Ladies will wear hosiery in this house." She'd gotten the whole diatribe when she'd first shown up on Cora and Henry's doorstep four years ago. Fresh from her social worker's office, not even a 'Happy Birthday' with the people who continued to ruin her life, Regina had been thrust into another stranger's home and expected to know the rules the moment she'd stepped inside.
"Who are you?" Blinking, Regina's eyes met blue ones. "Oh wait. You must be Regina." The blonde had sat up, sitting cross-legged on the top of the bedspread. She was chewing something, Regina would guess it was gum—something she wasn't allowed to have either. "Well… don't let me stop you. I'm just gonna lay here until that lady comes up here to yell at me again." Huffing, Regina grabbed her bag and moved quickly over to her bed. She got to work putting the fitted sheet that happened to be folding on the mattress, on the bed before making the rest of the bed. When it looked like it would pass Cora's inspection, she moved over to her dresser and straightened everything up. And lastly her desk. She had frustrated tears in her eyes by now—she hadn't even made the mess and she was being forced to pick it up, it wasn't fair!
"Regina!" Straightening up, the brunette turned to the door and saw the gaze of her foster mother looking around the room. "This is unacceptable." Opening her mouth to ask Cora what was wrong, she stopped when the older woman raised a hand. "Ah… wasn't a question." The blonde popped her gum particularly loudly as Cora said this, and Regina winced in her spot. "I would think… Regina, dear, that you would have enlightened Miss Emma as to the rules." A look of fear threatened to spill onto her features, but Regina managed to keep her face still as she waited for Cora to finish.
The older woman stepped up beside the blonde and held out her hand. Rolling her eyes, the younger girl took the gum from her mouth and put it into Cora's open palm with add pressure to mush the gum into her skin. Looking down at the chewed gum in her hand, Cora raised a single eyebrow at Emma before speaking again: "Delightful." Those dark eyes roamed over Emma's person and then she looked to Regina: "Get her into appropriate attire, Regina. Supper will be done shortly." The woman turned and elegantly strode from the bedroom.
"…what bug crawled up her ass and died?" Came the quip from the blonde's lips the second Cora had left the room. Regina's eyes instantly widened and she turned to Emma. "What?"
"You… you can't curse in the house… Emma. A lady has better language than that of a common prostitute." She recited robotically. There was silence for a few moments before laughter burst forth from the blonde's lips. "Quiet. Please." Regina was worried that Cora might return and have something else to say… or perhaps do. It had been a long while since Regina had been disciplined, and she didn't want to break that record now, and especially not because of Emma.
"What's she gonna do to me? Kick me out?" The brunette went silent then and looked away. "Listen. I'm going to ditch. This place is too uptight for me, and my worker should have known that before putting me here." Regina looked up in alarm then.
"You can't leave!" Emma didn't seem to listen as she walked to the window between their beds and lifted it open.
"Who's stopping me?" She chuckled, looking back at the brunette. "Come with me?" The blonde said as she sat straddling the window pane. "You don't need this place, Regina. Especially with a woman like her." Emma finished, pointing to the door with her thumb to signify Cora.
"I… I can't. Emma." Regina spoke softly. "I have to stay here. A lady… doesn't… do that." She ended even softer. Her hands shook at the prospect of leaving the house. But Graham had tried it before, when the boy had been brought back… well, he doesn't speak of what Cora had deemed as adequate punishment.
"Suit yourself." And with that, Emma was gone. It was a few moments later when Cora called the household for supper. When she showed up at the table with the blonde in tow, the older woman had grown angry. Henry had excused the boys to eat their supper in their room, and had allowed Cora to take Regina into their backyard.
-The Next Day-
The brunette's gait was slightly uneven as she strode down the hallways of her high school. If anyone notice, they didn't say anything, just allowed the normally quiet girl to walk in peace. As she neared her locker, she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders: "Well hello there, sexy lady." With a roll of her eyes, she turned her agitated gaze to the owner of the arm.
"Robin, please keep your appendages to yourself." She spoke hotly, moving his arm before he could find a way to permanently attach himself to her person. Turning to her locker, she quickly opened it up and took out the books she would need for the day. As she pulled her last book from the locker, she felt a rather firm hand move across her backside and grip the long skirt she wore, bunching the material and slowly drawing it up. Dropping the book she had in her hand, she quickly moved to backhand the boy, but found that Robin was no longer beside her. Instead, he was yanked away from her body and shoved face first against the lockers a few numbers down.
"The lady…" The blonde who gripped Robin winked at Regina before turning her angry gaze back to the teenage boy: "…said to remove your appendage… not find a new place to stick it." Emma growled out. The dirty blonde hair boy found he was unable to remove himself from Emma's hold and merely growled from his spot. "What's that? You'll never touch her again? Well isn't that just so sweet of you!" The blonde grinned and stepped back, ducking when he turned to try and punch her. She slid to the side and kicked his feet out from under him. The entire hallway laughed out when Robin's head met the tile floor. Regina merely sighed heavily and picked up the book she dropped, and closed her locker door. Without a word to Robin or Emma, the brunette turned to make her way to her first class. "Hey! Regina!" Emma managed to catch up to the brunette as Regina tried to walk faster to get away from the troublesome teenager that had been thrust into her life. "What's wrong with your leg?"
Regina paused in her step and looked ahead, her mouth opened to feed the girl some kind of answer, but she shook her head and kept walking. "Wait!" Emma grabbed her jacket covered arm, the day wasn't chilly, but Regina knew that long sleeves were too conspicuous. However, the part of her arm that Emma happened to grab onto hurt, and the brunette winced noticeably. "…she hurt you… didn't she?" Regina stopped moving and Emma let go of her arm. "You have to tell your social worker, Regina…"
"As if they'd help, Emma. I've been with Cora and Henry for four years. The only reason I was punished last night… was because you broke the rules." Regina turned her angry gaze to Emma then, and the blonde gasped at the hurt in her voice. "All you had to do was change clothes and eat supper… act… act like a decent human being… but rebelling… god. As many boys that we've gotten in that house who've rebelled… I never thought a girl would be so stupid… so selfish." She spat. Without another word, Regina turned and marched to her class, leaving Emma with her thoughts.
-A Few Days Later-
Mills Residence
It was a weekend. A day for cleaning the house and completing school projects ahead of time; the boys would do yard work, and Regina would do housework—well, Regina and Emma now. The girl had been returned to the house the same day she'd seen Regina in school. And for the most part, the blonde followed the rules. But no matter how often Cora would yell, or beat the blonde, she refused to change her clothes. The blonde didn't see how dressing any differently would make her a 'lady' as Cora had described. She'd played along with the etiquette lessons and helping out around the house like a good 'lady' and 'future wife' should do… but she refused to change into a dress and blouse—and she kept wearing that red leather jacket. But every night, after everyone had laid down for bed, Emma would open the window and sneak out—Regina had no idea what she did every night, but Emma was back in her bed when the alarm clock would go off in the morning.
So on Saturday night, when the other residents of the Mills house had gone to sleep, Emma moved quietly from her bed. "Where do you go every night?" The blonde stopped on her foot awkwardly and had to throw herself back onto her bed to prevent any noise from being made. "Sorry." Regina murmured as she pulled her blankets tighter around herself.
"It's fine." Emma whispered from her bed. "…and I go… I go to different places. Storybrooke's got lots of good spots." The blonde smiled as she sat up. "The docks, the forest. Some kids usually have a bon fire on the weekends. I think they might be having one tonight… wanna go?" The brunette curled up more, staying silent. "Nope. No moping. What Cora doesn't know won't hurt her." Emma stood up and pulled the blanket from Regina's body. "Put some clothes on." Emma spoke softly. Moving over to the dresser, she opened a bunch of drawers and closed them all with a huff. "Where's the regular stuff?"
"Regular stuff?"
"Yea, you know? Jeans, t-shirts." Regina hugged herself as she sat on the bed.
"I'm not allowed to wear jeans or t-shirts." The blonde nodded and moved to her bed, reaching underneath, she pulled out a suitcase and opened it up. Looking at a few different pairs, she finally tossed a pair of dark blue jeans to Regina, who hadn't thought to catch them. The seat of the pants sat on her head while the legs had fallen haphazardly over her face and shoulders. A shirt followed.
"Put those on." Regina pulled the jeans from her head and looked at them. With a little hesitation, she pulled down her silk night pants and quickly pulled on the jeans. They were a small bit bigger than her, but they fit without the need for a belt. Next she looked at the shirt. It had a band logo on it:
"'The Barenaked Ladies'?" Regina asked, looking to the blonde with a raised eyebrow.
"What? They have good music." Emma shrugged. Regina stood to grab a bra from her dresser, but Emma shook her head. "Forget it, just put the shirt on, or we're gonna miss the party." The brunette hesitated, but eventually did as Emma asked and soon the two were slowly moving out of the window and down the side of the house and onto the grass. With a laugh, Emma grabbed ahold of Regina's hand and they began running in a direction the brunette assumed would hold the bon fire.
They arrived in the middle of an open field, there were cars and trucks parked before the beginnings of a large fire. There was music playing as people passed around cigarettes and alcohol. They were all surprised to see Regina there, but seemed to accept it as Emma led the girl around. "It's okay, Regina. She's not going to know." Emma whispered to the brunette as they stood before the fire, warming themselves up from the cold of the run over to the spot. The brunette gave an unsure smile back to the blonde and nodded. "I'll see if I can find something non-alcoholic." The blonde scampered off with a smile and left Regina to stand awkwardly in her spot in front of the bon fire.
"Well hello there, sexy lady." Freezing in her spot, Regina felt a hand travel from her thigh and up to rest on her backside, cupping it firmly before squeezing. "Didn't think I'd see the Ice Queen out here with all us lower folk." The familiar voice of Robin rose to her ears. As she stood frozen in place, she felt his body mold to her back and his hands reached around to explore her front. Regina could smell the alcohol on his breath, where was Emma? "Mmm… you're so hot, 'Gina…" He murmured in her ear as he moved his face to her hair, she could hear him inhale and she wanted to gag.
"Hey! Dickbag!" Finally finding movement, Regina jumped away from Robin and push him backwards. He stumbled and fell to the ground and looked up at Regina and Emma with a snarl. "I thought we agreed you weren't going to touch her!" Emma yelled as she moved towards Regina. "You okay?" The brunette nodded and Emma handed over the two unopened cans of soda to the brunette, and when Regina had a good grasp on the two aluminum cans, Emma bent over and picked the boy from by her shirt. "She doesn't want you. It's fucking obvious to everyone, but you… leave her alone!" She threw him backwards, but Robin seemed to have sobered up a bit and managed to prevent himself from falling again:
"Ha! And you think she wants you? The town slut?" Regina gasped from behind Emma and dropped the cans before marching over to Robin and her curled fist slammed into the boy's face.
"I don't want anybody! And she doesn't merit such a name, Robin! Especially from someone who doesn't know how to control himself! Or does Marian know that you're seeking warmth elsewhere?" The boy instantly paled at the threat Regina issued and the crowd laughed before turning back to their previous conversations. Robin turned from the two and ran off. Neither of the girls cared where, only that he was gone. With a smile, Emma bent down and picked up the sodas. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she quickly shook up both cans and opened one with the end pointed in Regina's direction. Instantly the brunette was covered in soda—with a shriek of laughter, Regina lunged at Emma, only to be covered in soda for a second time when Emma unleashed the second can of soda upon her roommate. "You're going to pay for that Emma Swan!" Regina cried out as she began to chase the girl around the area.
The other people at the bonfire laughed and carried on as they watched the two teenagers run about. When Regina finally caught up to Emma, they calmed down and spent a good hour dancing to the music and talking—drinking sodas that wouldn't explode in their faces. As it neared dawn, Emma and Regina found themselves laying down in the feed looking up at the sky. When the sun's rays began to peek over the horizon, Regina sat up abruptly. "Oh no." She gasped, terror painting her face. "She's going to kill me." She whispered to herself. The blonde seemed to have come out of her half-sleep stupor and looked to her brunette friend:
"Why don't we just run away?" Regina turned to face the blonde at that second. She thought about going back to the Mills household… and about how much she didn't want to do that.
"What if they catch us?" Regina asked, still unsure. The blonde chuckled, turning her eyes to the horizon.
"If we start running now, we could probably make it to New York before they notice we're gone." The brunette smiled;
"New York? Really?" Emma nodded as Regina spoke. "I was born in New York… Brooklyn actually…" She paused. "Mom had family here… before… before things got bad…" Regina looked down at her lap and was happy to see a hand sneak its way into hers.
"Well, we'll go make happier memories in New York… you and me." Looking up, Regina smiled at Emma. Nodding, Regina leaned forward and let Emma's lips seal against hers. Her first kiss. And it was perfect.
Author's Note: …yep. Hope you enjoyed it!
Chezi Out