A/N: Set an indeterminate amount of time after 3x11. Based on the Mark/Juliet story from Love Actually, with hints of the Natalie/David storyline as well, but minus the holiday and love-triangle elements. This was all I could think about while watching the movie, so I simply couldn't resist writing it! I may have stolen their general plot and a few lines, but it is still my writing, so reviews are still much appreciated :) Merry Belated Christmas or other seasonal holiday!
"Mom, it's Emma," Henry yelled, holding the receiver of the telephone against his shoulder to muffle the sound. "She wants to ask you something." Despite his attempted discretion, Emma could still make out Henry's voice quite well, though not Regina's. "I don't know, you'll have to ask her yourself," she heard him reply to an unknown question. There was a shuffling noise as the phone was transferred, Henry adding in a soft whisper, "And at least try to be nice?"
Emma swore she could have heard Regina roll her eyes at Henry's request. All attempts to make her way into the hardened woman's good graces had so far been futile. She didn't like Emma's jokes, she didn't approve of Emma's parenting, and she certainly didn't appreciate Emma's company. She had no doubt Regina tried very hard, at the constant behest of their son, to be nice. She just didn't seem capable of actually succeeding.
"Ms Swan," Regina sighed. "Whatever you need, please make it quick. I'm quite busy."
The chilly demeanor never stopped Emma from trying. Henry deserved better than a cease fire between his two mothers. They should be able to spend time together, just the three of them, without Regina looking like she'd rather consume one of her own poison apples than to endure even one more moment in Emma's presence.
Not to mention, she couldn't exactly understand why Regina had such disdain towards her. Sure, they'd had a rocky start, and plenty of fights; but they could work so well together, when circumstances required. They had this powerful magic between them. Most importantly, there were those rare, fleeting moments where she could swear Regina was actually warming up to her.
Emma really wanted Regina to like her.
"Hey," Emma replied casually, as if she were unaware of the other woman's contempt. "Look, I hate to bother you, but here's the thing. I just went to check out the footage Snow took of Henry's birthday party and, well... It seems that when she thought she was recording, the camera was off, and when she thought it was off, it was actually recording. So, we basically have a bunch video of the floor and not much else."
"That is... Unfortunate," Regina conceded.
"Yeah, well, I noticed you filming a lot during the party, and I thought that you might be willing to let me take a look at your video," Emma proposed hopefully. "Maybe even make a copy?"
"I don't–" Regina started, stopped, then began again, "I'm not sure where it is. I'll have to look around a bit, when I have time. I really must be going, now."
"Okay," Emma sighed in disappointment. "Let me know if it turns up."
Regina gave only a small hum in reply before ending the call.
It seemed odd, the more Emma thought about it, that Regina would misplace something so precious so easily. The woman was nothing if not meticulous, and something so invaluable as home videos of their only son would have been immediately stowed away in a safe location. Something was off, and Emma got the distinct impression that Regina simply didn't want her to get her hands on the footage.
It hurt a little that Regina apparently disliked her to the point of petty encumbering, but what was one more blow to Emma's battered ego? She'd dust herself off, and look for another way in. Just like always.
Which is why the next morning found her standing on Regina's porch. She held a pink pastry box in one hand, while the other slid nervously over her jeans. No matter how hard she tried to steel herself against Regina's imminent rejections, her palms still sweat and shook in anticipation. She so wished that she could force herself not to care, but she'd already let her walls down, and there was nothing to hide behind anymore. Steadying her breath, Emma lifted her fist and knocked, plastering on the grin of a woman oblivious to Regina's scorn.
Regina opened the door with an expected scowl, but Emma held up the box like a shield before the woman could speak.
"Granny's bear claw?" she offered, wide eyed with innocent sincerity.
"No." Regina's face contorted disdainfully. "No, thank you."
"Right," Emma slumped, lowering the box to stare at her failed peace offering. "Junk food. I should have figured."
"Ms Swan," Regina demanded impatiently, "What exactly are you doing at my house?"
"I was hoping I might be able to trade pastries for a chance to help look for that video." Emma's awkward smile melded with a grimace at the confession. Regina just stared at her incredulously and said nothing.
"Can I come in?" Emma finally asked meekly, her plan having failed, but not ready to give up just yet.
"Very well," Regina sighed, stepping aside to allow Emma entrance. "But I already told you, I don't know where the video is, so you might as well save yourself the trouble and leave now."
Yet another dismissal. Bracing for this woman's rejection never quite seemed to cushion the blast. Desperate and nearing her wits end, Emma rounded on her as soon as the door closed.
"Look, Regina," Emma beseeched her, "We share a son, and I know you've never been particularly happy about that, or me being in your life. But I hope that can change." She watched Regina purse her lips and gaze up at the ceiling disinterestedly. "I'm a nice person," Emma pressed. "Really, I am. Aside from my terrible taste in pastries," she smiled in a vain attempt to make Regina do the same. "But it'd be really great if we could actually be friends. You know, for Henry's sake."
"Indeed it would," Regina nodded with obligatory politeness, though Emma noticed she was beginning to shift uncomfortably. "That still doesn't mean we'll be able to find that video. I looked all over after you called last night, to no avail."
It was then that Emma noticed Regina's purse sitting on a table nearby, the corner of a plastic jewel case peeking out of the pocket. Suspicious, she plucked it from its confines.
"What about this disc labeled 'Henry's Birthday'?" Emma asked sarcastically, holding it up for Regina to see. "Think we might be on the right track?"
"Oh, that," Regina sputtered. "It's been in my purse since the party, it's probably scuffed up by now. I doubt if it will even play."
Emma scowled at the woman, uncertain why it could possibly be so important to Regina that she not see this video. All the more reason to watch it as soon as possible, Emma thought.
"Well, only one way to find out," she declared, spinning around and heading towards the living room.
"Really," Regina continued to object, even as Emma kneeled down to the DVD player, "I wouldn't even bother..." she trailed off as Emma hit play, and all excuses died in her throat.
The image on screen was one of a room packed with friends and family alike, Emma and Henry laughing uproariously in the center.
"Oh, Regina," Emma gasped, momentarily forgetting her grievances. "This is perfect."
The next shot showed Emma from a distance, absent mindedly trying to tame the curls in her hair. "You know, Snow didn't want me to wear that dress," Emma chuckled. "But I think it looks pretty damn good, if I do say so myself."
She glanced at Regina, hoping as always that she might make her crack a smile. Instead, she found a woman hugging her middle, looking smaller than usual with the diminutive stance. Her expression was a mixture of worry and regret, lips tight and brow furrowed.
The sight caught Emma off guard – mostly because it didn't make any sense. She pretended not to notice and turned back to the screen.
The scene shifted to Emma's face filling the entire frame as she delicately and discreetly tried to pick something out of her teeth. Emma didn't find that even remotely flattering.
"You know, not to be a critic, but you could use a little practice controlling your zoom," she commented absently, before another close up of her face appeared. Then, it was Emma singing the birthday song. Emma laughing heartily as presents were opened. Emma dancing merrily with a reluctant Henry, though it was only the boy who ever went out of frame.
Suddenly, it hit her like a rock in her gut. Every single shot had only one thing in common.
"They're all of me," she whispered in a daze.
At last, the screen went dark. Emma didn't dare to look at Regina, recalling her earlier expression, and neither woman moved or spoke for several minutes. Emma's palms were clammy again, and the sound of her pounding heart in the silence was more than she could take.
"But," she stuttered, stomach clenching in disbelief, "you never talk to me." Emma finally shifted her gaze to Regina, who stared intently at the floor. "You always talk to Henry." Regina still didn't reply, so Emma added more bluntly, "You don't even like me."
At that Regina flinched, finally coming to life as she straightened her posture and smoothed her blouse.
"Don't," Regina squeaked, releasing a shuddering sigh before trying again. "Don't show it around too much. It's not my best work, as you said." Emma frowned, realizing Regina was actually going to blow her off. "I have a lunch meeting – an early lunch meeting. You can see yourself out, yes?"
With that, the woman spun on her heel, striding purposefully out of the room.
"Regina!" Emma called, but the only reply she received was the sound of the front door slamming shut.
Emma had wandered the streets of Storybrooke for about an hour after that, before finally making her way to the station. She'd claimed to have been out on an early patrol when David inquired about her tardiness, though the only subject she had hoped to encounter was Regina. The woman seemed to have vanished into thin air, and eventually Emma mused it was possible that she had elected to do exactly that.
Heart heavy with disappointment and confusion, the rest of the day passed by in blurry slow motion. She wondered if she dared to hope that Regina actually might care for her, or to believe that there was any more to what she'd seen than voyeuristic obsession. Emma felt like she was floating under water, surfacing only in moments when David pulled her up to ask if she was sure that nothing was wrong.
She returned to the apartment that evening, no less foggy than before. It was her night with Henry, though, so she did her best to clear the cobwebs from her mind. Emma nodded and smiled enthusiastically at Henry's tales of his day over dinner. Afterwards, Snow helped him with his homework, while Emma aided David in washing the dishes. She noticed her father still eyeing her suspiciously, though he did not pry any further, for which she was grateful.
Once Henry had been tucked into bed, the adults gathered around the television to unwind. Snow and David nestled together on the couch under blankets, while Emma opted for the solitude of curling up in the adjacent arm chair. The images on the screen faded away as her mind wandered, seeing only a montage of her own face and Regina's stricken expression.
A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts, and Emma sprang to her feet.
"I'll get it," she announced, thankful for the momentary distraction.
Her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of Regina on the other side. Opening her mouth to speak, Emma fell quiet as Regina held a silencing finger over her own lips, making the girl frown in confusion.
"Who is it?" Snow called from her place on the couch. Emma glanced towards her mother, then questioningly back to the woman hidden behind her door. Regina produced a spiral bound sketch pad, flipping back the cover to reveal a note written in her flawless script.
Tell them it's Girl Scouts.
Emma looked at Regina skeptically, but did as she was told.
"It's Girl Scouts," she called over her shoulder.
"Oh!" Snow exclaimed, buying the lie despite the late hour. "Get me a couple boxes of Thin Mints, would you?"
With that, the sound of the television resumed, and Emma's focus narrowed to Regina as she flipped the page in her pad to display another message.
Dear Ms Swan, or perhaps I ought to say Emma...
Emma's palms were sweating again. She wasn't sure where this was going, but it had been some time since Regina had called her by name. The page flipped again.
I wish to apologize for the way that I've treated you, and particularly my actions this morning.
She was apologizing. That was certainly unexpected.
It was a very odd moment, and I feel quite foolish for both what I did, and how I reacted.
As the page turned again, Emma noticed a tremor in Regina's hand. She smiled sympathetically, glad to know she wasn't the only one who was shaking.
The reason, you see, while really very simple, is in fact quite difficult for me to express. However, I feel I owe you an explanation.
Emma looked up, a knot in her gut telling her that this was it. This was the moment that would make or break everything.
So, for now let me say – without hope or agenda, and simply because you deserve it...
The page flipped again, and Emma's breath caught in her chest.
To me you are perfect. I'm actually yours, and my broken, blackened heart will belong to you always.
Looking up with tears in her eyes, Emma found herself shell shocked for the first time in her life. Regina smiled back at her – a mournful, hopeless kind of smile – before waving her hand to produce two boxes of cookies and handing them over.
Regina let her hands linger on Emma's a bit longer than necessary, not really trying to hide her intentions at all. She ran her fingertips over Emma's knuckles, prolonging the contact as long as she could, before nodding with finality and retreating slowly down the hall.
Emma closed the door softly, unsure she would believe what had just happened if not for having some physical proof in her hands. Her mother clapped excitedly at the sight of the goodies, then frowned.
"What about you?" Snow asked earnestly. Emma just looked at her dumbly. "Don't you want anything for yourself?"
Emma stared down at the cookies, mind still reeling, but her decision quickly made.
"Yeah," she finally managed to whisper, tossing the boxes aside. "Yeah, I do."
She flung the door open again, and then she was running. Running through the hall, down the stairs, and out the door, hoping against hope that Regina hasn't disappeared again. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the woman's back just down the block.
"Regina!" she yelled, breaking into a sprint again, as if by moving any slower she might miss her chance.
"Emma?" Regina looked genuinely perplexed, frightened, and just the tiniest bit hopeful as the distance closed between them. Emma didn't have the time or the words to explain, grabbing Regina's face in her hands and kissing her soundly.
A desperate whimper escaped Regina's throat, and Emma deepened the kiss. She nibbled and toyed with succulent red lips, boldly slipping her tongue between them and throwing her arms around the woman's neck. Regina melted at every caress, her own arms wrapping around Emma's middle, gripping one another ever closer.
Emma pulled back smiling, nose brushing against Regina's, panting heavily from both the kiss and her jog.
"I love you, too," Emma puffed gleefully.
Regina grinned, but looked away shyly.
"I never said anything about love."
Emma smirked, leaning in closer again.
"You never said anything, actually," she teased, placing one last, lingering kiss on Regina's lips.
Still grinning elatedly, Emma slowly began backing away, transfixed by the matching blissful expression on Regina's face. With a final shy glance, Emma turned and ran back into her building. Sure, there would be plenty they needed to discuss come tomorrow – but for tonight, this was enough.