Henry had had enough. The screaming from downstairs bounced up the stairs toward his room for the third time today. Frustrated, he grabbed two pillows and pressed them to each side of his head. This was getting out of hand. It was time to take action.
Ever since Regina had invited Emma to move in, things had changed. Before, the two were sweet and kind, spent late nights laughing, cuddling, watching movies with their son on the couch; but now, things were different, and the two women did nothing but argue. About everything.
Henry tiptoed down the stairs and very carefully made his way past his mothers, who were currently bickering about the fact that Emma had thrown the living room blankets in a pile at the edge of the sofa rather than folding them.
"You may not have had particularly neat habits back at your apartment," Regina hissed, "but I will not allow myself or my son to live in a pig sty."
"It is one goddamned blanket, Regina!" Emma growled.
"Yes, one blanket. But that one blanket turns into dirty dishes in the sink, unmade beds, an overflowing laundry basket."
"Oh my god," the blonde growled, rolling her eyes. "You're joking." Emma couldn't help but let an irritated laugh bubble up her throat. "You have got to be joking."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Regina hissed, stepping forward with her face a mere inch away from Emma's. Her eyes narrowed.
"Mom, Emma, come quick!"
The shout startled the two women out of their trivial argument. They looked at each other wide eyed. "Henry," they both gasped, turning on their heels and rushing toward the screen door that led to the backyard. Emma quickly shoved the screen open and Regina not so gracefully pushed her way past the blonde into the cool fall air. "Henry!" the brunette shouted, panic bubbling in her throat. Regina spun around frantically, searching in all corners of the yard for her son.
The panic was interrupted as the two heard a 'click' from behind the door. The couple turned their heads in unison; there stood Henry with a smile on his face.
"Are you ok, Kid?" Emma asked, making her way back up the deck. She reached for the door handle and scrunched up her face when she realized it was locked.
"Never better," he replied, stifling a chuckle.
"Oh thank God," Regina sighed in relief. Her heels clicked rhythmically as she climbed the stairs.
"Kid, the door is locked, let us in," Emma called. She rested one hand on her hip and waited for her son to comply with her request.
A beat, and then Henry's small smile turned into a wide grin. "Nope," he replied simply, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What do you mean, no?" Regina growled.
"You're stuck out here until you two learn to love and appreciate each other again," Henry stated matter of fact-ly.
"You have got to be kidding me," Emma mumbled under her breath, running her fingers through her hair.
"There's a tent in the shed," the boy continued. "Have fun." Henry turned and walked away. "Oh, and don't think about trying any of the other doors," he called over his shoulder, "they're locked too."
"You are so grounded, mister!" Regina yelled. She wrapped her fist around the knob and twisted roughly, as if her touch would suddenly make it open. It was these types of moments that Regina wished she could still do magic. The brunette turned on her heels. "He's learning this insolence from you," she growled, reaching out her finger and wagging it at Emma, who had taken to sitting on the top stair.
"Of course," the blonde agreed sarcastically. "If he gets an A on a test, he takes after you. But if he does something wrong, he takes after me."
"Exactly." Regina flashed the younger woman one of her perfect smiles before sitting down next to her on the stairs. The air was filled with a deafening silence. If they were supposed to be talking and working out their problems, they were not doing a very good job at it. Regina smoothed imaginary wrinkles out of her skirt while Emma looked off into the distance, counting the number of apples on the brunette's apple tree.
"He's right, you know," Emma said softly, her eyes still focused on the tree.
Regina looked down and picked nervously at her fingernails. "About what?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.
The blonde sighed. "All we do is fight." She finally turned her gaze away from the apples and looked at her girlfriend. A small blush of embarrassment was creeping up Regina's neck and cheeks. A few loose strands of hair fell into her face. In that moment, Emma was sure the cool and composed Mayor was going to cry.
"No we don't." Regina bit her bottom lip as it began to quiver. She fluttered her eyelashes to push away the salty tears that were on the verge of spilling.
"Regina, you are picking a fight about us fighting," Emma informed before pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger. She stood up and stomped down the patio stairs, making her way toward the storage shed.
"Where are you going?" Regina asked, finally looking up from her lap.
"To get the tent. I have a feeling this is going to be awhile."
Regina finally stood, straightening her skirt and making her way toward the shed, only a few strides behind Emma. "Let me help you," she called.
"I don't need your help," Emma grumbled.
"Yes you do, you'll end up hurting your-" The death glare that Regina got from the blonde was enough to shut up her up in record time. She backpedaled and made her way back to the deck, sitting on one of the lounge chairs. Sprawling out and making herself comfortable, she watched as her girlfriend waddled her way across the lawn with a large box containing all the pieces to the tent. The sun was setting slowly and Emma's lithe body cast a long shadow down the yard. The blonde bent over to grab the base poles and Regina couldn't help but stare at her perfectly round ass, accented by the skin tight blue jeans she always wore. A smile crept up on the brunette's face and she gazed dreamily at Emma, quickly becoming lost in her thoughts. Truth be told, Regina loved having Emma around, but the domesticity of it all was absolutely terrifying. She never expected to fall so hard and fast for the blonde – and she couldn't exactly take back the "move in with me" that left her lips during one of their more intimate moments. It wasn't that she didn't want Emma there – it was simply the realization that this was a real relationship between them where feelings and emotions factored into play, not weekly trysts to get their kicks. Regina had never been in a proper, move in with me relationship. She was scared, and, as horrible as it was, the only way she knew to control the fear was to put the cold hard façade on and fight.
"Are you gonna keep staring at my ass like a 15 year old boy or are you gonna come over here?" Emma asked playfully, still bent over but looking over her shoulder with a smile.
"Well, Ms. Mighty Muscles, I assumed you didn't need my help – you made that very clear with your grumbling," Regina teased.
Emma rolled her eyes. "Just come over here!" she shouted, trying to hold up the poles with her hands and keep the tent up with her legs. So far, it wasn't working.
Regina shuffled across the lawn and grabbed the cloth tent that was tangled around Emma's legs; but instead of breaking her girlfriend free from the confines of the tent, she simply made it worse. The seam ripped with a loud "shhhh". Emma lost her footing and fell forward onto Regina, pushing them both down onto the lawn.
The brunette's eyes narrowed and her jaw clenched in anger, but her features softened when Emma gave her one of her infamous smiles. A beat, and then the two women burst out in a fit of laughter. Regina rested her hands on the small of Emma's back and rubbed gently, a wide smile spread across her face as the last giggle left her lips. Regina exhaled and tried to catch her breath from the bought of laughter that overcame her. They sat in silence, smiling at one another with an innocence the two hadn't felt since the beginning of their relationship.
"Hi," Emma said softly.
"Hi." Regina reached up and ran her fingers through silky blonde curls. She moved slowly from her back to her elbows. As if on cue, the soft patter of raindrops splashed against their skin; tolerable at first, then more persistent.
"Shit," Emma mumbled, standing up and grabbing Regina by the hand. She pulled her close into an embrace and looked around frantically for somewhere to keep out of the rain.
Regina tucked her face in the nape of Emma's neck and wrapped her arms around her waist, as if the close contact would protect her from the pelting drops. She closed her eyes and inhaled the intoxicating scent of the blonde.
"Under the tree," Emma said, gently tugging at Regina's hand and guiding her beneath it. They eased their way onto the ground and rested their bodies against the rough bark of the tree. The brunette winced as a particularly rough piece of wood jarred into her back. Emma turned and, noticing Regina rubbing her lower back, opened her arms. "Come here."
"I'm fine, really," Regina lied, crossing her arms around her chest.
"Oh, just come here," Emma growled, reaching out for the brunette and pulling her against her.
And while Regina's mind was racing, screaming at her not to let her guard down, she couldn't help but rest her head on Emma's shoulder and curl up in her lap.
They sat for a few moments, content in each other's embrace. Regina was soaked to the bone and her white blouse clung tightly to her skin. Emma could feel the brunette's heart racing through the flimsy wet material and she smiled, placing a chaste kiss on the top of the brunette's head. "I've missed this," she whispered, resting her free hand on Regina's thigh and stroking it gently with her thumb.
Regina opened her mouth to argue, to make some snide remark to keep the upper hand, but instead sighed and nodded her head. Truth be told, she really did miss the intimacy between them; how Emma would come home and surprise her with flowers, or hold her close during a scary movie on the couch, or how she would sneak into the shower with her and brush her fingertips down the length of her spine, whispering sweetly about how much she loved her in her ear…but it was so easy to get lost in those sweet moments, Regina thought to herself. When your eyes are clouded by the guise of love, it makes you all the more vulnerable to fate's cruel games when it's taken away from you. Falling into a routine, relying on that one person for all your joy, it's all the more painful when the stability crumbles.
Regina finally found the nerve to speak. "I don't fight to cause trouble, it's just…"
"It's who you are," Emma interrupted. "I get it. It's how you cope. You fight, I run."
Regina's eyes went wide and she tensed in the blonde's arms. I run. There it was – the promise of forever breaking, slowly slipping away. The brunette tugged away from Emma's embrace slightly. "Oh," she murmured softly, looking up into the tree to push back the tears that were tickling her eyes.
"I didn't say I was going anywhere, relax," the blonde assured, pulling Regina back into a warm embrace. "I've resisted the urge. There have been moments where I've been really scared, afraid that if I stay we'll end up hurting more than loving each other." Emma could still feel the brunette tense in her arms; she gently tugged at Regina's chin so they were looking at one another. "But then I look at you-" she brushed a few strands of wet sticky hair away from Regina's face so she could look into her intense brown eyes, "and I realize there's nowhere to run because this" – she gestured between them before cupping Regina's cheek with her palm – "is home. So maybe when you get really scared or upset and want to fall back on your defense mechanism you can, ya know…" Emma's voice grew soft and she tangled the fingers of one hand together with Regina's. "Look at me and feel at home too?"
The brunette let out a slow breath and tried to stifle the tears that were brimming. She squeezed Emma's hand and buried her face back in the nape of her neck as she had previously. "Ok," Regina whispered in Emma's year, letting the tears fall from her eyes.
The couple didn't even notice when Henry unlocked and peeked out the screen door, smiling at the sight of his two mothers embracing lovingly beneath the apple tree. Emma and Regina lay under the tree late into the night, grinning and laughing and talking – not arguing, simply talking – for the first time in a very, very long time.