SwanQueen Week 1- Meet Cute AU
( I want to say that I've never been in Boston and the only geographical knowledge comes from google maps so any misunderstanding it's it to blame. )
Map problems
Emma sighed as she tried to read the map that the old landlady had given to her when she had finally managed to put everything in place in her new apartment.
She had been a Boston citizen for less than three hours and she was already starting to feel more than a bit loss in the new city. As she scanned the crowd that kept moving around her she huffed, annoyed with herself.
This was going to be her first new case alone without anyone's help, she was going to start to build up her own future and as memories of the last five years passed by she mentally slapped herself. This wasn't the moment to feel lost or start thinking about giving up.
After the… boy's birth (she refused to call him anything else albeit her mind still toyed with names from time to time) she had started her career as a bail bondsperson and giving her original background it had been something complicated. But after five years of clenching her fists and saving every dollar she had finally managed to start over in Boston; her former boss had been kind enough to recommend her to a few people and so there she was, trying to catch some guy in a city that wasn't hers.
As she started to think that maybe it was going to be a better approach to try to find more about the man and his financial status she saw his profile between the mass of faceless people that seemed to surround her.
The blonde woman smiled to herself before starting to follow her tall, dark haired target.
"Gotcha"
Regina Mills smiled fondly at his son as the boy pointed at the playground at their right, they had been in the zoo for a few hours now but the ball of energy that was the boy seemed to need even more movement than usual.
As the woman chuckled and nodded she thought about the beaming smile that Henry had given to her once she told him that they were going to go to Boston, a city that the little five-year-old boy had wanted to know since seeing some infomercial about something.
The brunette had been hesitant at first, even if she could cross the city line without a problem she was still a little bit wary about this "new world" but, as her boy had insisted repeteadely about his desire to go and see Boston the secretly former Queen had decided to give in.
As she eyed Henry carefully, happy how the little boy managed to talk with some kids and convince them to play together she decided to try and read the book that she had bought in the zoo's store.
With that thought in mind Regina sat herself in one bench and started to read, occasionally glancing at Henry who cheered and laughed as his new friends show him a new game.
Emma groaned as the man managed to escape once again, the city was surely full of people and the alleys and shortcuts that the man had used were complicated to follow. Once she arrived at the playground of the Franklin Park Zoo she gave up when the man turned at his right again, mingling himself with the people.
"Well, time to see his apartment" Muttered the blonde under her breath as she seated herself in the nearest bench, her eyes already scanning the map that now was caked with mud and torn in a few places.
Regina glanced at her right were a blonde woman had seated, her eyes fixed in what it appeared to be a very used map, her eyes flashing with what looked like anger. The brunette half-closed her eyes as she tried to elucidate what was doing the woman, her green eyes flashing and scanning the city map as she rumbled something under her nose.
The brunette kept staring, her book now forgotten on her lap as the woman moved the map around, trying to find whatever point in the map that she needed. After a few minutes the blonde seemed to notice Regina's stare and raised her eyes, locking them with the brunette that tried to make her eyes wonder as if the blonde woman had only caught her looking at their surroundings.
"I have something on my face?" Asked Emma, her words more bitter than she had intended but she was tired and angry with herself and she wasn't in the mood for pleasantries with the brunette woman.
The deep brown eyes of the other woman flashed with anger as the words hit her, she had been staring, true, but her manners had been impeccable and she refused to feel bad because of it.
"Do you?" Asked back, looking away from the blonde as she glanced again at Henry who seemed to be having a good time.
The blonde sighed and shrugged; she didn't take any bullshit for anyone but she knew that she had been extremely rude with the woman, something that she didn't deserve it so she cleared her throat twice before realizing that the brunette wasn't going to look at her.
"I'm sorry" Said under her breath, glancing at the book that the brunette was reading intently, trying her best not to look as if she was, indeed, listening. "I am having a rough day but I didn't want to answer to you like I did"
Regina felt her anger already subsiding inside of her, she didn't like how the blonde had treated her but it was true that she had apologized for that and she looked truthful enough so she smiled curtly before looking back at Henry who was now talking with one boy slightly younger than him.
"Your kid?" Asked the blonde and before Regina turned she could hear the soft smile that the other woman had on her lips, her green eyes shimmering for a brief moment before returning to her normal state. However, the smile never wavered and Regina found herself smiling back before pointing at Henry with her now closed book.
" Yes, I'm glad I agreed to come to Boston for the day, he is having a good time"
The blonde hummed and Regina felt the dread as she realized that she was sharing something about her son with a total stranger. She had heard and knew that the only thing that the kidnappers needed was a distraction so she fixed her eyes on Henry as she moved at the left side of the bench slightly.
Emma chuckled as she felt the change in the demeanour of the brunette, who went from smiling to serious in a cople of seconds.
She didn't feel insulted by it, it was normal than in a city like Boston parents were worried and she imagined that after trying to catch the man she didn't look as well as the brunette looked.
"I'm just a passerby" Said finally as the brunette kept staring at the little dark haired boy that was now directing a little truck over the sand of the playground. "Relax, I didn't want to startle you"
"You didn't" Replied the brunette quickly and Emma could see the soft blush that appeared in the woman's cheeks.
"Sure" Replied cheekily and smiled as the brunette looked at her nastily. "I'm Emma by the way"
Regina nodded once and shook the offered hand as she left the book on her lap once again.
"Regina" Replied and as she pointed at the battered map she asked trying to appear as nonchalant as ever, she didn't want to make that Emma think that she was a busybody kind of person. "Lost?"
Emma nodded and scratched the back of her neck "You could say that, I was working and then… I was lost, and the map isn't in its best conditions either"
"I could help you" Offered Regina. "I'm not from here but I know some places around this part of the town so maybe I can help you to find your office."
Emma coughed at that but kept smiling, her eyes glancing back at Regina's son, he appeared to be five years old, six tops. "The boy must be like him by now, I wonder if he has the same hair as me or…" Cutting those thoughts with another cough she shrugged and smiled at Regina who was eyeing her intently.
"I'm sorry, you were saying… oh yeah, thank you, I work freelance, I was following someone when I lost him" Explained and she could feel the curious gaze of Regina burning holes in her skull even before she focused her own gaze in those eyes. The woman was really something.
"You are a paparazzi?" Asked finally the woman and Emma scoffed at that.
"No, but I need to follow some kind of people, the ones that don't pay, and this one is elusive"
Regina nodded and was going to answer when a high pitched voice and a bundle of joy and nervousness approached both women.
"Mom, mom, look what I found, Jasper says that it can be a tiger tooth" Said Regina's son as he showed them a normal rock.
Regina looked apologetically at Emma who merely nodded once before retreating back to her map, the brunette turning her attention to Henry.
"Very well dear, and Jasper is…?"
"Duh, he is Jasper" Said impatiently her son as he pointed at the boy with he had been talking earlier.
"Well, then if Jasper says so it's probably a tiger tooth darling" Replied Regina and Henry nodded as he turned back to his new friend.
"Sorry, he wanted to…" Started the brunette but Emma was already talking, a hint of amusing coloring her words.
"He is adorable, and I really think that the rock looked like a tooth"
The brunette chuckled at that and when Emma finally stood she caught herself frowning at the sudden loss of the blonde's body heat at her side.
"Well, I'm going to try to find that bastard, say to your kid that his tooth is incredible"
Regina saw how Emma started to walk and in a sudden impulse she extracted one of her cards and walked decidedly towards the blonde.
"Wait, could you… write me your number?"
Both women eyes each other and Regina was starting to feel stupid when Emma nodded quickly.
"Give me a pen, I must have lost my pencil with the run"
Regina gave it to her and after a few more moments she had Emma's number safely tucked in her wallet.
"Until next time then" Said as Emma winked at her.
"I promise you I won't be lost"
This time it was Regina who winked back "I really hope so"