Original Prompt: Ruby is planning a new eve's party and asks Emma to invite Regina along. They argue a little because Emma doesn't see why she should be the one asking. Ruby says something that makes Emma think about her feelings for Regina. Emma goes ask Regina but acts weird around her because of her new found feelings; Regina is suspicious of her and her reasons.
I haven't slept in around 24 hours now so I wouldn't be surprised if there are random words in here somewhere like 'submarine' or 'elephant' so if you spot anything weird or any horrific grammar mistakes... I don't know... give me evil glares in your review or something.
Special acknowledgements for this fic need to go to my friend Nici (on Twitter) who checked the first part over and promised me Ruby was in character, Anne (guest reviewer on my last Swan Queen fic) who made me write my butt off to get this done by the New Year so that I didn't disappoint her and of course, the anon on Tumblr who gave me the prompt.
"So wait, let me see if I've got this right. You want me to invite Mayor Mills to your New Years Eve party? Me?" Emma spluttered in disbelief. When Ruby had asked her if she'd be willing to do her a favour she thought it'd be more like giving her an alibi so that she could sneak out with some guy if Granny happened to ask where she had gone. What she hadn't been expecting was for her friend to beg that she invited the woman who seemed to despise her more than anything else in the world, with the exception of maybe Mary Margaret and her mother, to a party.
"Emma, please, it has to be you." Ruby looked up at her with wide, pleading eyes that Emma was trying so hard not to look in to for fear of giving into them and their puppy-like nature.
Emma sighed in frustration. "Ruby, this is ridiculous, you might as well ask her yourself, it's not as if it'd make any difference."
"Of course it'll make a difference. Please, will you just ask her?"
Emma would have felt apologetic upon hearing Ruby's now softer tone, if she didn't think she had gone completely crazy. "Now you're speaking in tongues. Either way, she'd say no, Rubes."
"It'll make a difference and you know it, Emma, would you please just listen to me?" Emma could visibly see Ruby tensing up now; arguing would get them nowhere if they kept going around in circles.
"Look, there's no reason Regina would listen to me unless it was about something important, like Henry's life being in danger," Emma explained gently to the dark haired girl. "Can we please just drop this?"
Emma, not wanting to fight with her friend, turned on her heels, trying to get out before one of them said something else, something they might possibly regret. But then Ruby blurted out something so quickly Emma thought she'd misheard.
"It's because she loves you!" Ruby allowed Emma a few seconds to let her words sink in before she continued on in a more collected manner, "She'd listen to you because she loves you. Just like I know you love her, but you're both too stubborn and too scared to even let yourselves entertain the idea that you might care for each other."
Ruby's confident stance and the gleam in her eyes made Emma swear her eyebrows had long since disappeared way up into her hairline.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself before she responded and pointing an accusing finger in Ruby's direction, she finally spoke, "I am not saying you're right but if I do this and she say's no I am not hanging around and trying to change her mind, understood?"
Ruby nodded her head and the clear disappearance of tension in her body was enough for Emma to conclude that this discussion was over. Continuing on her way out of the diner she found new thoughts swirling around her head and analysing every encounter she and the mayor had, had since they'd met all those months ago over the head of a young and troubled boy.
Even from the minute they'd met, Emma had been strangely comfortable around Regina, even if that definition of comfortable was feeling free to say exactly what she thought or yelling in the woman's face.
Emma had always liked to think of herself as having some form of self control but looking back now, she seemed to be in dire lack of it whenever the other woman was around. The number of times they had hit each other, pulled each other's hair, thrown each other around like two teenagers in school was well past the point of being laughable. That was just what Regina seemed to bring out in her; that was what they seemed to bring out in each other.
Yes, there were feelings there, strong feelings at that but could that be love? Was something like that even possible? Emma had seen the TV shows, heard about the books where the characters were constantly and irritably mistaking their love for each other as hatred to the point where eventually all the frustration boiled over and one of them gave in completely to the other. Was that what was happening here?
Then she thought past that, to the more tender moments they'd shared like the time they worked together to get Henry and Archie out of that mine shaft. Or when Emma had saved her from the angry mob after the curse was broken and picked her up from the floor of the jail cell. There was even that brief moment, before Emma got dragged into the Fairy Tale land when she had gripped Regina by the arm and that had been enough. That was all the encouragement Regina's magic had needed, that small amount of belief from someone, anyone, that she could do it and it had come from Emma. In that moment they had connected and no amount of anger or hatred towards each other could have let them deny what they both felt.
Before she knew it, Emma found herself standing outside of Regina's mansion. Willing herself to go through with this she let out a shaky breath before making her way up the path and quickly knocking on the clean, white door before she had a chance to change her mind. The voice in her head was repeating stay calm, Emma, stay calm and so she found herself with her back to the house, looking up into the crisp blue sky and waiting for the tell tale sound of high heels clacking on the wooden flooring behind the door.
It wasn't until that sound finally came that the panic struck her and she realised she didn't have a clue what she was going to say.
"Ms Swan," the low, womanly voice came from the doorway, full of surprise and confusion. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I, uh," Emma stuttered. When she caught Regina raising an eyebrow that seemed to be her polite way of saying well? Get on with it then, she decided to just get straight to the point. There really was no point in small talk with this woman. "Ruby's hosting a party on New Year's Eve."
"I see," Regina drawled out.
Knowing this wasn't going to be easy, Emma asked, "Can I come in?" and was thankfully presented with Regina stepping aside and opening the door wider, allowing Emma entrance into her home.
"Now are you going to explain to me what this whole party ordeal is about, dear, or are you simply going to continue wearing a hole into my floor boards?" Regina asked after a few minutes of silence.
They were standing in one of the first rooms Emma had seen inside the mansion, with its dark wooden walls, bookshelves and burning fireplace. In all, the room seemed fairly homey, however the bowl of deep scarlet apples on the coffee table served as a reminder to Emma of exactly whose house she was in. She said standing, that's what Regina was doing anyway, standing on one side of the expensive looking, cream coloured couch. Emma, on the other hand, was pacing up and down the other side of the room, as Regina had so kindly pointed out.
"We, we were wondering if you'd like to join us?" Emma spoke quickly, refusing to meet Regina's eyes. "It'll be at Granny's… pretty much the whole town's invited, I'm fairly certain Henry's gonna be there." She added, knowing that Regina must have been missing her son since Snow and Charming had been looking after him. After everything that happened, they still didn't trust Regina with their grandchild and Emma could only imagine how difficult it must be for her, seeing him with them, after taking care of him alone for so long and now being barely permitted to speak to him.
"Hmm," came Regina's unexpected response.
When Emma finally looked up at her face she saw that Regina was studying her with careful eyes and pursed lips.
When Emma's hand came up to rub the back of her neck, Regina spoke again. "Well?" She asked.
Emma's brows furrowed. "Well what?"
"Are you going to tell me what it really is you so clearly seem to want to get off your chest?" Regina enquired with an impatient tone.
"Does it matter?" Emma countered.
"I doubt it, but if it has you coming into my house and acting this awkwardly I feel as if I should ask anyway," Regina shrugged nonchalantly.
"Right," Emma stated, not really sure how to continue.
Just as she was about to begin pacing again, she turned and realised the mayor was now standing directly in her path, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"It's nothing, really, just something Ruby said," Emma explained, still refusing to meet Regina's gaze and instead looking blankly at the wall behind her. She was afraid. Afraid that if she looked at Regina now, really looked at her, all the thoughts and feelings she had been experiencing on the way over here would come rushing back all at once and she wasn't sure if she was ready to take that step and admit to herself, and possibly Regina, that what Ruby had said could be true.
"Emma," Regina commanded, interrupting her internal monologue, and Emma didn't think she'd ever heard a name sound more like an order.
Instantly, her pale eyes met dark ones. She would have never predicted that she'd find a sort of gentle curiosity on Regina's face as her eyes flickered from side to side, trying to read between the lines of Emma's expression. The curiosity was for her. Regina wanted to know exactly what it was she was holding back. She wasn't asking merely to be polite, she was asking because she had noticed, she knew when Emma wasn't acting as her regular self, she could tell that something was bothering her and she wanted to help. It was small, yet meaningful, revelations such as this one that had Emma Swan catching her breath.
"What could that girl possibly have said to make you unable to look me in the eye?" Regina dug with a hint of distaste in her slightly deepening voice. Oddly, the familiarity made Emma's nerves settle. This was what she was used to, this was one of those things about Regina that gave her comfort, her protective and demanding nature alongside her cool exterior, which Emma knew was softer on the inside, even if her bite was just as bad (if not worse than) her bark.
"Regina, I," Emma tried to find the right words to explain but it was proving to be impossible.
Just as she began to turn her head away from the darker haired woman again, Regina gripped her arm, firmly, telling her to stay put. There it was again, that deep connection that she could feel running through her veins, the surge of power she had gotten when defending everyone against Cora, knowing that this was what Regina had to grow up with.
That touch shared between them, no matter how small and insignificant it had started out as, just like the last time it gave Regina her confidence to do magic, was all Emma needed. It showed her trust and gave her hope that if not now, then one day, they'd be able communicate and get close to each other in a way no one else could achieve. Yes, they both understood each other for now, but it was that promise of the future, that they'd voluntarily let their guards down around one another instead of it happening unintentionally that told Emma what she needed to do next.
As soon as her name once again tumbled from Regina's parted lips she knew that was it. It was now or never.
Emma kissed her. It was quick and sudden, with barely any time in between to place her hands on either side of Regina's neck, pulling her head towards her.
Her earlier question was answered, all the confusion, the pain, the constant back and forth between them, it had been building and building until they could no longer contain it. And somehow it was just what they needed, it was just right. Maybe one moment they were too rough, with teeth clashing and biting down on a full lip, but the next they were soothing with barely there touches and fingers threading through each other's hair.
By the time they had to part for air, Emma had Regina with her back pressed against one of the bookshelves, one hand on her hip and the other tangled in her hair, hot breath on the side of her neck. Emma kissed her again, slowly, deeply this time, thankful she hadn't been rejected.
"So, are you going to come then?" Emma breathed into her ear.
"I think that all depends on you, Ms Swan," Regina retorted as she rested her forehead against Emma's, leaning in for another kiss.
Ok, that last line is probably horrible and cheesy but it's New Years and if I'm not allowed to be cheesy on New Years then when can I be?
Hahaa, don't forget to leave a review or I might have to slip poison into your apple pies...
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have a happy New Year! :}