Laura didn't win the competition.
But she did score the second place and would go back to Boston with a trophy and a check.
She was thrilled.
So was Regina, and what's more she was thrilled to be here and celebrate it with Laura.
There had been hugs and kisses and Laura had dragged Regina out for dinner on their last night in Paris.
"To you," Regina said warmly and clinked her glass with Laura's.
"To you," Laura stubbornly corrected.
But Regina just laughed as she took a sip of her champagne. "Not this time, dear. You were the one who did so well in the competition. Not me."
"I couldn't have done it without you," Laura insisted.
Regina laughed again. "Laura, I don't know the first thing about flowers. I'm pretty sure you would have done wonderfully without me."
"Definitely not," Laura said firmly. "You were there to support me all the time. That made the difference."
Regina felt herself blush a little at that statement. "I'm very proud of you," she said and gave Laura's hand a soft squeeze.
"Thank you. Can you believe we have to go home tomorrow?"
"I know, it seems impossible." Regina replied and shook her head a little. Of course, she was looking forward to go home. And she was definitely looking forward to see her son, but still, leaving Paris after seven amazing days seemed incredible brutal.
"Where would you like to go next?"
Regina blinked as Laura's voice pulled her out of her musings. "Pardon?"
"Where would you like to go next?" Laura repeated. "Our next holiday, I mean."
"Oh, I… I haven't really considered that," Regina admitted and chuckled. "Why are you planning ahead?"
Laura shrugged. "You make an excellent travel buddy, Ms. Mills. And I would like to take more trips with you."
"I'd like that too," Regina smiled.
Laura returned the smile tenfold. "So, where to next, Ms. Witch?" she asked briskly. "Oooh, what about Venezia? Or Rome? Or… Oh, I know! Vienna? Or maybe.."
"Slow down," Regina laughed. "We have plenty of time to consider that, haven't we?"
"Right. sorry." Laura said sheepishly. "I'm getting overexcited."
"You're very sweet," Regina said warmly. "And personally, I think our next trip together should be to Storybrooke. How does that sound?"
Laura's face split into a grin again. "That sounds awesome."
Regina couldn't help but to grin right back at her girlfriend. Her enthusiasm was positively adorable.
Laura emptied her champagne glass. "Are you ready to head back to the hotel, Ms. Mills?"
"Mhmm," Regina answered as she emptied her own champagne glass. "Lets get going. I think we have some packing to do."
Laura's face fell a little. "Not quite what I had in mind, but essentially, yeah, you have a point."
Regina snickered a little at that.
They left the restaurant and Regina earned a raised eyebrow when she lit a cigarette.
"I'll quit when I get home," Regina vowed.
"Right." Laura replied in that tone that suggested she didn't buy it.
"I will," Regina said firmly. "I'm not a smoker."
"I've never said you were," Laura giggled.
"It's a terrible habit," Regina said as she took a drag on the cigarette and blew the smoke out.
"A very terrible habit," Laura agreed. "But unfortunately you manage to look it sexy."
Regina nearly choked on the smoke. "I doubt that's the case."
"Believe me. It is." Laura said gravely.
"I'm gonna quit when I get home." Regina repeated. She would. She definitely not. She wasn't addicted or anything. Quitting would be easy.
Laura still looked skeptical when they rounded a corner and their hotel came into view. "I hadn't counted on turning you into a smoker, Ms. Mills."
"I'm not a smoker," Regina said stubbornly. "I'm just… Smoking. Temporarily."
Laura snorted quietly. "Smoking temporarily?" she echoed and raised an eyebrow again.
"Yes." Regina said plainly.
"Okay. Whatever you say, Ms. Witch."
Regina didn't comment further on it. She was confident, she would have absolutely no problem when quitting the cigarettes when she got back to Storybrooke. What happens in Paris stays in Paris.
They walked up the stairs to the hotel and Regina put her cigarette out. There. That was easy.
They made it into the lobby and took the elevator up to their room. Regina sighed when Laura pushed the door open. They indeed needed to pack.
"Do we really have to?" Laura asked and there was that pout again.
"Yes, I'm afraid so my dear." Regina replied. She felt just as unwilling.
"Can't you just.. Y'know, wave your hand or somethin'?" Laura groaned.
Regina chuckled. "No magic outside Storybrooke, dear." She reminded the redhead.
"Right. Well, there should be special rules for Paris," Laura grumbled.
Regina silently agreed with that statement as she began folding her clothes and put it into the suitcase. There should definitely be special rules for Paris.
Laura hummed tunelessly as they packed, and Regina didn't even try to hide her amusement. It was possible that Laura had too much of that incredibly delicious champagne.
"Are you a little drunk, my dear?" the brunette inquired as she folded another pencil skirt and stuffed it into the suitcase.
"Mmm, possibly." Laura admitted. "But not enough to feel miserable tomorrow."
"Good. That's good." It would definitely not be ideal if Laura was hungover on the plane tomorrow.
"Mmm," Laura answered noncommittally and gave Regina's hips a little squeeze as she passed.
Regina chuckled. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who was handsy when she was drunk. Was the champagne really that strong?
"Hey, Regina?" Laura asked as she stuffed a pair of jeans into her suitcase.
"Mhmm?" Regina answered absentmindedly.
"How many women have you kissed?"
The question took Regina completely by surprise and she spluttered as she turned around. "What spurred that?"
"Just curious," Laura shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oh, well. I've kissed a few," Regina chuckled. This wasn't exactly a subject they had discussed as such. Of course, Laura knew that Regina was no stranger to kissing women, but she had never asked the exact number.
"A few?" Laura echoed and smirked. "Why do I suddenly get the feeling you've kissed more than just a few?"
"How dare you," Regina said with feigned insult. But Laura's statement wasn't that far off.
"You're not gonna tell me the exact number are you?" Laura grinned.
"Absolutely not. I wouldn't want you to think ill of me," Regina quipped. She already knows who I used to be. I'm pretty sure this wouldn't scare her off.
"Okay, new question," Laura laughed as she flopped back on the unmade bed. "How old were you the first time you've kissed a woman?"
"How old were you?" Regina shot back.
"Fifteen," Laura said immediately.
"My, my."
"How old were you?" Laura asked again.
"Twenty one," Regina answered and shook her head a little. She neglected to mention how utterly surprised she had been when Maleficent seemingly out of nowhere had kissed her.
"You are supposed to pack," Regina continued and raised an eyebrow. Laura was still lying on the bed.
"Possibly," Laura said. "But there are things I'd rather do right now." She flashed Regina a particular look.
"You're drunk, dear." Regina said plainly.
"Yeah. I am. Are you coming down here or am I supposed to lie all on my own?" Laura snickered as she outstretched a hand to Regina.
Regina had some doubts about accepting that hand, and it quickly turned out to be a very bad idea. As soon as she put her hand in Laura's, Laura simply tugged until Regina wobbled and more or less fell into bed.
"Seriously?" Regina huffed.
"Yep. Seriously." Laura laughed.
Regina so wanted to be stern. To insist that they packed the last few things for tomorrow. But she felt how her fine arguments slipped away when Laura without much further ado positioned herself on top of Regina and did a rather convincing job at kissing her.
Well, I suppose we could get up early tomorrow and pack the last few things. It's not like the hotel room is a mess or anything. We'll manage. We'll definitely manag…
Regina squeaked slightly and interrupted her train of thoughts when Laura flipped them so Regina was suddenly the one on top.
"I thought you liked being on top of things?" Regina joked.
Laura smirked as she rather unabashedly groped Regina's ass. "I like this better."
"You're bad," Regina stated matter of factly.
"Punish me," Laura challenged and waggled an eyebrow.
Regina snickered. "Asking to be punished, miss Edwards? I think you have a side you haven't told me about."
"Maybe," Laura flirted and gave her rear another firm squeeze. "Why don't you find out?"
They didn't get any more packing done that night.
And that was probably a mistake. It was also a mistake that they didn't spend the night on actually sleeping. They were both pretty "roasted" as Laura would put it, the next morning, and Regina felt every bit like a zombie as she mechanically packed the rest of her belongings and closed her suitcase.
Laura looked like she could have done with a few extra hours of sleep too, and the couple only talked sporadically as they ate breakfast and got into the taxi Laura booked the previous day.
"We should come back here," Laura yawned as they looked out of the window in the cab.
"Definitely." Regina agreed. She wasn't particularly keen on leaving Paris. But she kept reminding herself who she was coming home to. Her son. Her little prince who was finally home from his own adventures.
Once again, things were going way too fast. Suddenly, they were at the airport. Suddenly, they had checked in their luggage. Suddenly, they were waiting to board the plane.
Suddenly, their flight back to Boston was announced, and she and Laura wandered towards the right gate.
And suddenly, however impossible it sounded they were back in Boston. Just like that. Well, maybe not just like that, but Regina had fallen asleep on the plane. That was much was obvious, when Laura suddenly nudged her and told her they were landing.
"Sorry for falling asleep, dear." Regina said hoarsely as they stumbled into the airport, hunting their baggage.
"Don't worry," Laura snickered. "I fell asleep too. You weren't the only one who was tired after last night."
Regina ignored the meaning behind Laura's words and gave her a solid jab in the ribs.
"Ow," Laura muttered.
Regina chuckled. Revenge was sweet.
After finding their luggage, Laura hailed another cab and Regina tried to make sense of it all as they drove back towards Laura's store.
They were back in Boston again. Regina was dizzy and exhausted and the time difference was hurting her head, but she was happy. They've had an amazing time in Paris. Regina couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed herself this much.
It's not the last time I travel with Laura, Regina vowed to herself. She was already looking forward to taking another trip with said young redhead who was half asleep next to her in the cab.
I really can't blame her for being tired. Regina hid a yawn behind her hand.
"Can you actually believe we're home again?" Laura said as they found themselves back in her apartment.
"No," Regina said and shook her head. "My mind is still in Paris."
"Yeah, I know that feeling." Laura said. She flashed Regina a tired smile as her arms looped around Regina's waist. "I would offer you to crash here for tonight and get a proper night sleep, but I know you want to get home to your son."
Regina nodded. She wanted that very much. But the idea of leaving Laura after seven days of pure bliss was brutal too.
"Drive back to Storybrooke with me?" she offered.
Laura pecked her cheek. "I would love to, but I gotta open the store tomorrow, and I think Gran would appreciate to see my face.."
"Yes, of course. I know. It was a silly suggestion."
"It was a sweet suggestion," Laura corrected and pecked Regina's cheek again. "And I have a feeling I'll be back in Storybrooke pretty soon."
"I hope so." Regina smiled and brushed a lock of red hair behind Laura's ear.
Laura returned the smile. "Have a cup of coffee before you leave. I can't send you back on the road when you're this tired."
"How considerate of you, dear," Regina praised and laughed. "I would kill for a cup of coffee."
"Gotta make sure you're awake when you make it back to Henry."
Regina's heart swelled a little at the mention of Henry's name. Hearing Laura use his name made her feel warm all over. She couldn't wait to introduce them to each other.
"Come and sit down for a moment," Laura ordered.
"Yes, miss Edwards," Regina quipped as she willingly sat down. The next second she was blessed with a cup of black coffee.
One thing was abundantly clear when Regina came closer to the town line.
Two cups of coffee hadn't been enough.
Regina felt utterly squashed when she crossed the town line, and the sudden whoosh of magic in her veins was almost enough to knock her out completely, but she stood her ground. She could sleep when she reached the mansion.
Or maybe she couldn't. It may only be nine in the morning, and nobody would bat an eye if she took a quick power nap, but there was something there was more important than taking a nap.
Henry.
She needed to see her son. And she needed to see him as fast as possible. She needed to hug him. To be sure he was really there.
Regina shook her head as she reached Main Street. So many things had happened while he was away, and maybe a part of her was still a little worried what he thought about his mother suddenly having a girlfriend. This was only the second "partner" she would be introducing him to. The first one had been Robin, but the circumstances had been a hell of a lot different.
This was different. She and Laura's relationship were more… Traditional, if one could put it like that. There were no flying monkeys or distraught Ice Queens interfering.
A normal relationship. Regina chuckled to herself as she parked the car in front of the mansion, grabbed her suitcase and went inside.
She spared herself the trouble of unpacking and waved her hand instead. She grinned a little as her suitcase disappeared upstairs. Her magic was very much back. She hadn't really missed it during the seven days in Paris, but damn it was convenient to have right now.
She slipped her high heels off and after a bit of soul searching, she determined that she felt "icky". She had a dire need to wash the airport off of her, and so she went into the bathroom. It was all very anticlimactic, being back in the mansion again. The bathroom in our hotel room was definitely better than my own, Regina thought to herself. Maybe it was time to "update" her bathroom a little.
The shower definitely helped on her "ickyness", and it actually helped the drowsiness a little bit too. She felt refreshed and slightly less like a zombie as she made herself another cup of coffee and downed it in top speed.
Still, the idea of just a quick cat nap was appealing to Regina, but she refused to give in to the temptation. She could sleep later. She missed breakfast on the plane, and however tempting it sounded, she couldn't just live off coffee alone. She needed food.
So, after changing into one of her numerous pantsuits, Regina took mercy on herself and traded the high heels for flats. Then she walked out of the mansion. She left the car in the driveway. The fresh morning walk to Granny's would probably do her good. There had been so much excellent food in Paris, and Regina was sure it would bite her in the ass if she didn't do something about right away. Time to get back on track.
Granny's Diner was shockingly empty when Regina walked inside. Only Granny herself was present behind the counter.
Regina checked her watch again. It wasn't particularly early anymore. Maybe I should pay miss Swan and her husband a visit instead. There was a fair chance Henry would be there.
Or maybe he's staying at Granny's. That was a possibility too. Regina suddenly remembered that Henry had brought a young lady with him. I don't think there's room for both of them at Emma's. They'll need a proper house. A home.
"Good morning, Madam Mayor," Granny said and interrupted Regina's musings.
"Good morning." Regina said.
"They're all out back," Granny said and pointed to the to the outside area.
All of them? If there was one thing Regina wasn't prepared for, it was to be questioned about the trip by Snow White. But it would appear that there was no way around it.
"Thank you," she said to Granny and went through the diner and outside.
And her entire family was indeed gathered outside. Zelena, Emma and Killian, David and Snow where all sitting at a table. And…
Regina's heart threatened to fly right out of her chest. Could that really be her son? That mature young man who grinned at her as soon as he spotted her? Regina could barely recognize him. He looked so…. So grown up.
Regina would have paid much to be able to say something, but seeing Henry again had strangely enough robbed her of her voice. Henry immediately rose from his chair and walked over to her.
"Hi mom," he said and smiled widely.
Mom. Mom. An enormous lump formed in Regina's throat- in a moment she was gonna embarrass all of them.
And then she was enveloped in an embrace. A hug so tight she could barely breathe, but it didn't matter. Grown up or not, this was definitely her Henry. She would recognize his hug anywhere.
Regina returned the hug. Tears were pricking in her eyes, but there was very little she could do about it right now. Henry was home. After three years of missing her little prince, he was finally home.
Oh, god I'm a mess. Regina tried to sniffle as discreetly as she could. She shouldn't be crying now. There was absolutely nothing to cry about. Henry was home, for gods sake.
"Welcome home," Henry said. He was still holding on to her, and it didn't feel like he was about to let go anytime soon.
"I'm the one who's supposed to say that," Regina half-sniffled and cringed at how watery her voice sounded. "I'm sorry, it's the jetlag."
They both know it totally isn't, but Henry was too much of a gentleman to argue against Regina's statement.
"It's… It's good to have you home again," Regina croaked. Might as well make a scene while I'm at it.
"I've missed you too," Henry said gently as he finally released her.
Regina settled for another watery smile.
"Come and sit down with us," Henry said and put a hand on her arm as he guided over to a chair. "We've saved you a seat."
"Thank you." Regina said as she sat down.
"Welcome home," Emma said as she handed Regina a napkin.
"Thank you," Regina replied rather dryly as she wiped her eyes.
"How was Paris?" Henry asked and smiled.
"Oh no," Regina said firmly. "That can wait. I want to hear about your adventures."
"And I want to hear about your girlfriend," Henry shot back and grinned.
Snow chuckled at that.
Regina felt a blush rise in her cheeks as she muttered something about one thing at the time.
And she was "saved by the bell" when a young Latina woman dressed in jeans and a red shirt came over to their table and smiled widely at her.
"Ella, this is my mom, mom this is Ella," Henry introduced and now his smile was a bit more nervous.
"Hello, Ella. Nice to meet you. I'm Regina," Regina said and smiled as she shook hands with the young woman.
"It's good to finally meet you," Ella smiled. "Henry's told me so much about you. About all of you."
"Welcome to Storybrooke. How do you find the city so far?"
"Very different from the Enchanted Forest," Ella admitted and chuckled. "But I like it here. I think we'll be very happy here."
"Happy to hear that," Regina smiled.
Henry looked positively delighted at that and he gave Ella's hand a little, reassuring squeeze as he said: "Have you ordered already, mom?"
"No, I haven't," Regina admitted. "I figured that could wait until I had seen you."
Henry chuckled. "Why don't I go in and order something for you? You're probably tired after the trip."
"You really don't have to…"
"I insist," Henry grinned as he took Ella's hand. They walked back into Granny's Diner together.
Regina leaned back into the chair. Now she was really wiped. The physical exhaustion after the flight and the long car ride, and the emotional exhaustion of finally being reunited with her son. Oh, god I need… I definitely need…
I'll quit tomorrow, Regina vowed as she reached within her pockets and retrieved the pack of cigarettes. With already skilled fingers she took one between two fingers, placed it between her lips and lit it. Ahhh. What sweet relief. But this is the last one.
"You're smoking now?" Emma asked and raised an eyebrow.
"Bad habit from Paris. I'm quitting after this one," Regina immediately said in defense.
"That is a horrible habit," Snow commented.
"I'm well aware," Regina muttered and took a drag of the cigarette.
"But bad habits aside," Zelena said and smirked a little. "How was Paris?"
"Paris was amazing," Regina said warmly and truthfully. "I don't think I've landed yet."
"Was Laura tired too?" Emma asked.
"Oh yes, indeed." especially because we didn't get much sleep last night. But that was not something Emma needed to know.
Regina managed to get exactly seven drags on her cigarette before she spotted Henry and Ella coming back. She quickly made the pack of cigarettes disappear in thin air. Henry would most definitely scold her for smoking, and he didn't need to do that. Regina wasn't an addicted.
"So," Henry said as he placed a plate with omelet in front of Regina. "You went online while I was gone?"
That elected chuckles from Killian.
"I did," Regina confirmed and digged into her food.
"Tell me about Laura. I want to know everything."
And Regina had to endure Snow's giggles as she explained how she and Laura had run into each other online.
To Be Continued….