Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or the characters.
Author's Note: First of all, this is ReginaxEmma and my first Once Upon a Time fan fiction. The idea came to me while I was trying to avoid writing one of my other stories and I haven't been able to drop it since.
Second of all, this won't be following the story-line as closely as I'd like it to due to the massive change in the storyline each episode brings so it's strictly from the episode where they return through the portal.
I hope you guys enjoy it and I certainly hope this goes well!
Therapeutic Intentions
"Regina, I didn't expect you. I was-" Archie began after opening his door to find the former evil queen standing in his doorway.
"I need to speak with you," she stated matter-of-factly as she strolled past him.
Regina wore a black jacket buttoned over a red blouse that sat atop a black skirt. Black heels clicked as she walked towards the middle of the room and turned to see Archie closing the door.
"R-Regina, I have a client coming in soon so this really can't be an extended visit," Archie said quietly causing Pongo to suddenly become aware of the situation. The Dalmatian sat from where he was stationed and watched over the two carefully but made no move to growl or bark.
"This will be short. I wouldn't want to get in the way of your other clients," Regina muttered trying desperately to hold back the menacing sarcasm that seemed to stick to her words.
"Please, sit," Archie offered, taking his own seat on the chair across from the couch once he had recovered her file. "What did you want to talk about that couldn't wait until Tuesday?"
"Daniel told me to find love last time-" Regina was far from sure on how to bring it up but decided to stop when Archie nodded- she had told him about the experience previously so there was no use in going over it again. "I assumed he was referring to Henry but now, I'm not so sure." Regina grew quiet and Archie nodded and shifted.
"You believe he meant a different type of love. That's understandable and if you're feeling guilty for having feelings or-"
"It's not that. After everything I've done…" Regina trailed off and became silent once again.
"You don't think you deserve love?"
"I'm working my ass off for Henry alone and that isn't accomplishing anything. Could I really-"
A knock at the door caused Regina to stop speaking immediately.
"Archie, it's Emma," the blond called from behind the door.
"Coming!" Archie stood and rushed over the door, opening it for Emma.
The blond was wearing a black tank top with a jacket that showed she had come straight from work. Archie turned to address Regina but she was nowhere to be seen. With visible worry, he stepped aside and allowed Emma to enter the room and within minutes, the blond was looking around in interest.
"Its-uh-it's good you decided to come to me. I know it must be hard for you to grasp the idea of magic or perhaps you want to talk about your experience from our world?" Archie suggested as he walked her over to the couch where Regina had been previously sitting.
"No, no…" Emma sighed and sat, her arms on her knees and looking incredibly rigid before shrugging off her jacket and laying it in her lap. "It's about Snow and Charming."
"Your parents."
"Y-Yeah…." Emma trailed off again before laughing and shaking her head. "This is ridiculous. I shouldn't have come."
"You're having difficulty opening up, that's perfectly normal, Emma. I understand there must be some tension between you and your parents. Snow went from your friend to your mother within minutes- that must have been difficult," Archie stated eyeing the place where Regina's file had previously been, but suddenly vanished from, before getting a brand new one.
"Difficult is a word for it. Ma-Snow- I don't even know what to call her. She insists on mom and after we made it back from your world that bond is stronger but she doesn't feel like my mother. Hell, we're practically the same age."
"Have you talked to her about this?" Archie asked curiously, jotting down notes from what Emma said.
"I tried when we were gone but we're back and now she wants to leave with David- just when we got back together. I thought there was something there, some sort of long lost connection but I was wrong. Even now, I feel like they have so much to make up in my life. They were both gone from a mutual decision that they made to send me away instead of keeping us together and they're leaving again. If it wasn't for Henry, I'd be on my way back to Portland because we honestly don't feel like a family without him."
Archie sighed and looked at Pongo who had his eyes on something across the room. Archie followed Pongo's gaze to see an empty corner- that wasn't a good thing.
"Emma, they can't take back the mistake they made that day. They had your best interest in mind and they wanted you to have your-"
"Best shot, I know. I've heard it enough from Snow but I don't think it was my best shot. I would have preferred being stuck in a curse not knowing I was the daughter of two fairytale characters than having to live without a family my entire life."
"Speaking of the curse, don't you blame Regina for that? You seem to be placing all the blame on your parents," Archie questioned but continued to scribble despite his traveling eyes.
"I blame my parents for their bad decision in that situation. Regina was the Evil Queen. I didn't know her when all of it happened so in a way, I do blame her but can you imagine the things she went through to get to that point? So far gone that she would rather live without magic than see Snow White and Charming happy. Maybe that's why I'm the only one who seems to believe that she can redeem herself- because I didn't have to live it. I think she can do it if she gets the support she needs, especially after all that happened with Daniel. Charming filled me in a little when Snow wasn't around."
"You mentioned you were angry with your mother for giving you up but isn't that what you did to Henry?"
"I was in jail! What the hell else was I suppose to do? I wasn't royalty to some enchanted land filled with magic, creatures, and fairytale characters!" Emma shouted, leaning forward to get her point across before laying back with a huff. "Yeah, I didn't feel like I could raise Henry without screwing up as a mother but I sure as hell wasn't going to do it from jail."
"That's a very good point. I'm not judging you, Emma. I'm simply trying to get you to understand the reason why your parents chose to do what they did."
"I know why they did it but my entire childhood was screwed up because of them. I was thrown into the system because my mother knew nothing about this world and didn't know what reality was like." Emma hadn't realized how close she was to tears but they were there and threatening to show. "I have to go pick up Henry. Thank you, Archie," Emma said quickly, standing with her coat in her hand.
"Emma, please don't go. I really think you should talk to your mom about this. She would be understanding," Archie said as Emma grabbed the doorknob and turned.
"Yeah, of course she would. She's Snow freakin' White," was her ending statement before she left, closing the door behind her.
Archie sighed and turned on his heel, closing her file and setting it on the coffee table.
"Well, that was informative."
"That was very unethical, Regina," Archie warned as he turned to see her returning into plain sight. "You used magic and listened in on a patient-doctor confidential confession."
"I used a potion collected from Rumpelstiltskin and that was hardly a confession," Regina stated simply, taking Emma's spot on the couch.
"It was magic nonetheless, Regina."
"It wasn't my own. Besides, she would have felt much more uncomfortable had she seen me here before her. I have no interest in sharing this information though I do find some of her statements intriguing."
"She seems to be more open to your change than the entire town. That must give you hope," Archie tried, desperately hoping the woman in front of her wasn't finding the information intriguing for evil reasons.
"It does."
"But?"
"But it shouldn't. She's the child of Snow White and Prince Charming, the two people I have vowed revenge on since Daniel's death. Miss Swan has felt first hand just how their lack of consideration for reality can hurt others," Regina stated, crossing her right leg over her left.
"Then I believe that's a rather nice reason to feel hopeful. Emma knows how you feel. Perhaps you could talk to her about it? Make a connection with her, somehow. You two don't have to be enemies and it would be nice to see the two of you getting along from Henry's standpoint as well."
"You can't be serious. Miss Swan and I don't have the ability to bond. She is completely ghastly in everything she does, she constantly tries to undermine my authority, she disagrees with me on every possible-"
"She believes in you, Regina. Henry has been the only person to be able to admit that but he's young. You need someone older, more mature, someone that could understand your past and perhaps help you work through it."
"If I need someone mature, I might as well continue with Henry," Regina sighed receiving an unapproved look from Archie. "Fine, fine. I will try my best without magic."
"Good," Archie smiled.
"Hey kiddo," Emma said as Henry spotted her from the bus stop and bolted towards her sitting form on the bench feet away.
"Emma!" He said before hugging her, backpack on his back and school clothes on. "I thought I was walking home today."
"You were but now I'm here. You have homework?" Emma asked, standing and putting her arm around him as much as she could from her height.
"Not really. Ever since the curse was broken, the teachers aren't really interested in teaching the normal stuff I'm use to," Henry said with a smile.
"Well, that sounds nice for you," she said, crossing the street with him by her side.
"Yeah I guess. What did you do today?" Henry asked, far more interested in Emma's day than he normally seemed to be.
"Uh… Nothing, Kid. Just sat around the office, talked passively with Archie to see how Regina has been doing-" she lied. "-nothing much. Normal stuff. Come on, lets get you inside to see your grandparents. Snow really misses you during the day," Emma said quickly, guiding them into their apartment.
"Henry!" Snow said from behind the counter in the kitchen. She was making something, most likely for dinner, and Charming was nowhere to be seen. "Where have you been? I thought you were going to come home around noon. I've been a little worried," Snow said to Emma who closed the door behind her and sighed.
"Sorry. I spoke to Archie."
"For three hours?"
"It was about Regina."
Snow didn't respond and, instead, offered Henry a snack that he happily accepted. Snow repeated Emma's questions of homework before laughing at his response and sending him to wash up.
"Where's Dav-Dad?" Emma asked carefully once Henry was out of earshot receiving a worried look from her mother.
"Down at City Hall trying to talk to some of the locals. They all seem to have a lot of questions about what we saw through the portal but I don't think they'll like the answers they'll receive," Snow sighed. Emma joined her behind the counter and saw that she was preparing chicken strips.
"Need help?"
"Yeah, sure," Snow said immediately moving over to allow room for Emma.
The blond began washing her hands and was soon grabbing strips of chicken to cover in a sticky substance before dipping them into breadcrumbs.
"I know it's weird," Snow said quietly as Emma set a second chicken strip with the small bunch Snow had already finished.
"What?"
"Charming, your dad. We have a little bit of a connection from going through the portal but you haven't gotten the same experience with your father that you have with me."
"If you're offering to send us back just so we can bond, you're clearly insane," Emma said with an awkward laugh. Snow laughed and shook her head.
"Of course not! I just think you two should collaborate on some of town project. It might help."
"Yeah… maybe," Emma said quietly as she, more than anything, wanted to leave.
It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time with her father; It was the fact that Snow seemed to be completely convinced they were fine just because of their short period of time they spent in the other world. This really threw Emma and she was fighting off becoming upset for no reason.
"I just really want you two to get to where we are. I want you to feel comfortable with him."
"Alright. How is house hunting going?" Emma asked quickly, trying desperately to change the subject though changing it to another subject she was upset over wasn't exactly the best idea.
"It's going well, I suppose. I really wish Charming would settle on something but I don't think he wants to leave you and Henry."
"Then why go? I know there isn't quite a lot of room here but we've been managing and we could move somewhere together-"
"I just feel like we all need our space and time together after being apart for so long. You with Henry, myself with Charming. I don't want to separate from you but we'll be in the same town so we would still be together but with more space and privacy."
"Yeah… I'm going to go see what Henry is up to," Emma said quickly as she washed her hands carefully and left as quickly as possible.
The following several days were awkward, to say the least. Emma spent as little time at home as possible but still tried desperately to spend time with Henry as well. She didn't want him to suffer, or know about the situation, just because she didn't agree with her parents' decisions.
Emma spent quite a lot of her time in the office but with nothing to really do, it was rather boring. Quite a bit of the town was calm and most of the questions about 'their world' were directed to Charming, luckily. Henry had quite a few questions for Emma, though, but she didn't mind sharing with him. In fact, it turned into quite a story to tell at night. Henry hadn't asked to see Regina since Emma's return and, as much as she enjoyed having him, she was beginning to worry about Regina.
Not directly, of course, but she didn't want the former Queen to become lonely and begin using magic to compensate. After several long minutes of debating the call, Emma sat on her desk, picked up the phone and dialed the manor's number.
Several rings turned into several more and Emma accepted nobody was going to answer. Just as she hung up the phone, she heard heeled footsteps from down the hallway. Emma looked towards the doorway just as a worried looking Regina stopped just in sight. She was wearing black work pants and plain top with her jacket over her arm.
"Miss Swan."
"Regina-" Emma stood from her desk. "Come in."
"I'm sorry to bother you. I can see you're rather busy," Regina stated, eyeing the blond as made her way into the room.
"I was just calling you," Emma snapped, her hands going to her hips where a pair of jeans sat. She decided not to wear her red jacket today and ended up in a plain black tank top.
"Oh? Whatever for?"
"I was considering letting Henry spend the afternoon with you. He gets off the bus in a few hours- I thought it would be a nice surprise for him."
Regina opened her mouth but stopped when she saw the slight fear in Emma's eyes. The brunet couldn't be sure if the fear stemmed from allowing Henry to go with her or from offering it in the first place but it was there and Regina didn't ignore it.
"That would be well appreciated, Miss Swan," Regina said with a smile.
Not a smirk, Emma noted; A smile.
"Actually, I was thinking of making it an often thing. He seems a little worried that I'm going to up and vanish which is why I haven't said anything until now but I want him to know that everything is okay- for now, at least." Regina seemed rather speechless when Emma stopped speaking and remained quiet as the blond continued. "I think he misses you but he's afraid to leave so it might be nice for him to see you unexpectedly. But, I want you two to have fun. He needs to get his mind off of it and that's the only way he'll be okay with leaving."
"I don't know how appropriate that will be but I will try my best."
"Right. Now that is settled, is there a reason that you came down here?" Emma asked, sitting down and eyeing the brunet.
"It can wait. Is there anywhere specific you'd like to pick Henry up?"
"Granny's? I don't exactly know what you plan on doing so I don't know-"
"Granny's is fine. Nine?"
"That's fine," Emma said simply and Regina nodded.
"Then that is settled," Regina said with a small smile. "I should go. I don't want to interfere with your work."
"Right, yeah… Tons of work to do," Emma muttered, picking up several pieces of paper that, in truth, had nothing to do with work.
"Have a nice day, Miss Swan…. And thank you."
"For what?"
There was a pause as Regina thought and said seriously;
"For giving me a chance."
Emma nodded and smiled but said nothing and Regina left.
"You just let her?" Snow asked in exasperation.
Emma was back at the apartment and Charming had made the mistake of asking where Henry was; Emma made the mistake of not lying.
"Snow, Regina did help bring you two back," David said, shooting Emma an apologetic look.
"It was her and Gold who almost killed us in the first place. It's her fault we're even here in the first place-"
"She's his son, too. I can't just ignore the fact that she has raised him for the past ten years. Besides, you don't actually think she's going to hurt him, do you?" Emma asked expectedly.
"Of course she wouldn't hurt Henry," Charming said to Snow who sat anxiously on a kitchen chair.
"You know we can't trust her," Snow said with a sigh.
"We can't but Emma can. She did well with Henry while you two were gone," Charming added hopefully.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Snow said with a sigh.
"I do."
And Emma really hoped she wouldn't regret those words.
She didn't.
The moment she pulled up to Granny's, she saw Regina and Henry in the window. Henry was talking animatedly while Regina was smiling and nodding. Henry had some sort of drink in front of him but Regina had nothing revealing just how devoted to listening Regina was.
Emma sat there for quite a while, her eyes on the window and when she realized it was fifteen minutes past the time she was suppose to pick Henry up, she forced herself from the car.
Upon approaching the diner, Ruby saw her and immediately greeted her by waving through the door. Emma smile and opened the door.
"Hey, Ruby."
"Emma! Can I get you anything?"
"No, I'm fine. Thanks," Emma said before turning towards Regina and Henry.
"Hey, Emma," Henry said, giving her a side hug from the booth before returning to his drink.
"Miss Swan. You're late," Regina began before smiling. "Thank you."
"I figured you two needed some time together. Did you have fun, kid?"
Henry responded with an enthusiastic nod of the head but didn't move his lips from the straw.
"Henry, don't be rude," Regina sighed and Henry pulled from the straw with a shrug.
"Sorry."
"It's okay, Kid," Emma said, patting his shoulder. "Did you want to see him tomorrow?" Emma looked to Regina for an answer but got a confused look instead.
"Henry, do you mind waiting here while I go speak to Emma?" Regina asked. Henry nodded and Regina smiled. "Good. Finish your drink and we'll be right back."
Regina stood and motioned towards the door. Emma followed, mouthing to Ruby that everything was fine. The brunet watched intently, anyway, and rushed to Henry's side to keep him company. Emma closed the door behind her and Regina turned on her heel and looked at Emma suspiciously.
"If you're thinking about leaving him again, I will do everything in my power to keep you here," Regina said seriously.
Emma sincerely hadn't expected such an attack and let out an scoff that seemed to turn into a laugh the more she thought about Regina's words.
"What are you talking about? I just found out my parents are fairytale characters and my son is the most important thing to me. Why on Earth would I leave?"
"I would like to know just that," Regina responded, her arms folding over her chest as she straightened.
"I wouldn't. I have no interest in leaving. What made you even think that?"
"I simply don't understand why you would be allowing Henry to spend all this time with me. I'm attempting to think logically."
"That's going well," Emma muttered but let out a laugh anyway, getting a strange look from the brunet.
"What is so entertaining, Miss Swan?"
"You want to be accepted and forgiven but as soon as someone starts giving you a chance, you immediately jump to some sort of ridiculous conclusion. He misses you. Look at him in there; he obviously had fun today. Besides, I know how difficult it is to be suddenly left by the one person you love most in the world. This gives you some encouragement to keep away from magic and-"
Regina, yet again, managed to surprise Emma. Her arms clung to the blond, pulling her into a tight hug and successfully cutting off Emma's words. Emma had never been much of a hug person but as soon as she heard the quiet 'thank you' from Regina, she couldn't help herself from hugging back. Awkwardly, at first, as she wasn't sure where to appropriately put her hands but she eventually settled around her middle. Regina's arms were around Emma's neck and the blond almost thought Regina was crying but realized she was chuckling; not evilly in a dry, sadistic way but a sincerely happy sort of way.
And then suddenly, Regina was pulling from the hug and her intoxicating scent of apples hit Emma so hard she felt dizzy. Regina stepped backwards and sighed.
"I apologize. That was a bit inappropriate but-"
"Don't. This is Henry. If there's one thing I understand, it's this," Emma said with a smile.
"I just don't know how to express my appreciation for such a chance. Actually, how would you like to visit the manor for dinner tomorrow? I could pick up Henry in the morning, we could spend the day together, then he could help me cook."
Emma looked apprehensive at first but sighed and smiled.
"Yeah, sure. Just… Don't try to poison me this time?" Emma said with a partial laugh.
"Of course," Regina said. "I'll pick Henry up at seven," Regina suggested, walking past Emma to open the door for them.
"That may be a bit early. It's Saturday. Let him sleep in a bit?" Emma asked as she followed.
"Eight?"
Emma laughed even though she wasn't entirely sure Regina was joking (or if she could joke) but put aside the thought once Regina chuckled.
"Alright, ten but no later."
"How does that sound, kid?" Emma asked as they approached Henry.
"I guess but we're getting breakfast, right?"
"Always thinking about food," Regina sighed with smile.
"Sound like anyone you know?" Emma asked with a shrug. "Okay, Henry. We're pushing it close to your bedtime, now."
Henry slid from the booth and Regina leaned over to hug him. He hugged back, thanking her for the day before saying;
"Can't wait to see you tomorrow, mom," before allowing her to kiss his cheek, though with a groan and a 'ugh mom' before waving to her and rushing out of the diner. Emma laughed and shouted for him to wait up before turning back to Regina.
"I'm glad you two had fun today. See you tomorrow?"
"Of course, Emma."
The blond smiled, a bit more brightly than she should have, and gave a wave before shouting her goodbyes to Ruby and her grandmother.
Emma returned home and told Henry to shower and get to bed. Snow and Charming were out so Emma took this opportunity to pull out her phone, scroll through her contacts, and press call. She put the phone to her ear and listened to it ring before Archie's voice answered.
"Doctor Hopper, it's Emma," the blond said quietly, sitting on her couch in silence. She hadn't bothered to turn on any lights but Henry had turned on the hall light so he could navigate through to his room and the light was now her only light source.
"Emma, how nice to speak to you. I didn't expect to hear back from you, to be honest. How can I help?"
"Would it be okay if I came in tomorrow? I'm not really able to talk right now but I may have an issue."
"I don't usually see patients on the weekends-"
"I meant as a friend, actually."
"Alright. Come to the office, I'll be there typing up my notes on my patients and I'll be happy to help with whatever problem you seem to have."
"Thanks."
"Of course."
Henry was picked up promptly at ten and Emma was out the door almost directly after him. Snow had been asking questions about their encounter the night before and Emma had only seemed to have the heart to tell Charming the truth of the situation. He smiled and seemed to enjoy the news but warned Emma to keep it from Snow.
"I don't like hiding things from your mother but right now, it's best. After fighting Regina's mother just to get back here, I think it's brought up some memories that Snow would rather forget. You have to remember, we have a long history with her and, I'm not much of a fan myself, however I can see the difference when she's with Henry."
That's what Charming had told her and Emma trusted he was right.
"Emma, I didn't expect you so early."
"Well, I have to get to the office soon and I wanted to make sure to get this out of the way as soon as possible. Sorry," Emma muttered but Archie stepped aside and allowed her in.
"No need to apologize. I was just surprised. You work today?"
"Not really. I just need to get out of the house and I figured I could do some paperwork or something."
"Alright. Well, take a seat. What's on your mind?" Archie suggested, sitting across from her though without her file.
"I have a bit of an issue with Regina."
"You haven't seen her do magic, have you?" Archie asked, worry in his voice.
"Oh, no. Nothing like that. She's been doing really well," Emma said with a sincere smile.
"Oh good. Then what is the issue?"
"I'm afraid I'm taking her advances a little too… uh… seriously?" Emma said slowly as if searching for the right words.
"What do you mean?"
"Small things. Last night, she hugged me, called me Emma, laughed at one of my lame jokes- You don't think that's a little strange?"
"She seems to want a friendship with her son's mother. That isn't odd?"
"No, of course not. I'm not saying that's an issue. I mean.. I'm the issue." Archie's face was enough to cause Emma to sigh and lean back dramatically. "I like them."
"You like them? So you want to have a friendship with her? That's great, Emma!"
"No! I like her."
"Oh, I see."
"After my last ex, I pretty much stopped dating unless I wanted the guy's money." The look on Archie's face forced her to elaborate. "I was a bail bondsman, remember? Anyway, I should know how it feels to like someone and I haven't exactly met anyone to excite me enough to become interested but Regina is the Evil Queen- you can't get much more interesting than that. Don't get me wrong, that's not the only interesting thing about her and that definitely isn't what attracts me to her… She's just so different. I feel like we've always had this sort of connection but I thought it was Henry. Henry may be part of it but there's another deeper part that I know she won't accept and I'm really fucked here, aren't I?" Emma ended her rant in a heavy sigh and the look on Archie's face almost made her laugh.
"This isn't what I expected," Archie said with a sigh. "Has she shown any signs of reciprocating the feelings?"
"Of course not! She's being nice because I'm allowing her to spend more time with Henry and I think she's starting to realize I'm the only one here that doesn't hate her."
"That's a start, right?"
"I guess. I'm going to dinner tonight at her house."
"Is that really wise after you've discovered your feelings?" Archie asked carefully.
"You tell me, Doc."
"This is… difficult."
"Welcome to the issue."
"Well, are you planning on acting on your feelings?" Archie asked as he readjusted himself in his seat in attempt to get comfortable.
"Tonight at dinner with my son watching? No. Besides, she's just started being nice to me, why would I ruin that?"
"Perhaps you should."
"Excuse me?"
"N-Now, this is just a suggestion but I wouldn't expect Henry to be awake the entire night. If he goes to bed and leaves you two alone, perhaps you could talk to her on a more personal level," Archie suggested.
"Are you kidding? One glass of wine and I'll be in her lap faster than-" Emma's phone caught her off guard and she jumped when her pocket suddenly started vibrating and singing a predownloaded ring tone.
"Sheriff Swan speaking."
"Hey, Mom!" Henry's voice sounded happy but Emma couldn't help to wonder why he could be calling.
"Hey, Henry," Emma eyed Archie who raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. I was just wondering if I could spend the night at Regina's house."
It felt odd for Emma to hear Henry speak of his other mom by her first name but there wasn't much else he could do considering she and Regina were both his mother and it did get confusing every once and a while. Surprisingly, Emma didn't have much of an issue with Henry staying with Regina, especially from what Charming told her, so, despite the look on Archie's face, Emma responded with yes and an enthusiastic Henry could be heard on the other line, quickly informing Regina of the decision.
"Let me speak to your mother, Henry," Emma heard before Henry handed Regina the phone. "Emma."
"Hello, Regina."
"Sorry about that. It was his own idea when I said-"
"Don't apologize. I was hoping you could, actually. He really has missed you like crazy and it's been weeks since he's been able to spend extended amounts of time with you. I definitely think he needs this. I guess I just fear for what Sn-my mother will say."
"I'm sure David will be able to help. He put Henry in my care quite a few times-"
"I know. I'm sure everything will be fine. I'll let you guys go and have fun."
"Alr-"
"THANKS MOM!"
"Henry, please!"
Emma laughed as Regina sighed into the phone with an almost guaranteed eye roll of some sort. Emma even saw Archie crack a laugh at the excitement from Henry that he could hear from across the room. The blond told the two to have fun before closing the phone with a smiling goodbye.
"She's beginning to open up to you," Archie stated considering he heard quite a bit of the conversation.
"Yeah. In a 'you're the one who birthed my son' sort of way," Emma groaned and sank back against the couch, her cellphone still in her hand.
"True. However, I think it goes beyond that. She's trying to prove herself to you, specifically, because you're the only one with any trust in her."
"I know that."
"You don't understand," Archie straightened as he began to explain. "Regina is looking for someone who can believe in her. She realized you hold belief in her and that is enough, for her, to begin attempting to prove herself even though she doesn't need to."
"Then why is she trying?"
"Because she thinks you'll lose faith in her so she's constantly trying. It's an insecurity of hers that she isn't aware of due to the fact that's she's rarely been in this situation. Out of curiosity, did you approach her or did she approach you when her attitude suddenly changed?"
"A little of both, actually. It's weird. She came to my office after I had just tried calling her. She asked why I called, I told her, then she left. I tried asking why she came in the first place but she just told me it could wait and never brought it up again. I'm guessing she was there to yell at me about something like she usually does."
"Don't be so sure. I'm thinking she was approaching you about Henry but I could be wrong. I believe she wanted to establish a relationship with you; perhaps for Henry or perhaps for herself. I can only hope she realized the importance you will eventually have in her life."
"What do you mean?" Emma asked carefully. Archie simply sighed.
"You are the savior, Emma. Not just for this town, as you can see. You've saved your son, your parents, yourself- don't you believe it's time to save Regina?"
Emma left Archie's office in a fit of heavy sighs and outward groans. Archie tried suggesting various ways Emma could help Regina but this really wasn't what she signed up for- Granted, that could be said about everything Emma had been through. Regina was far from being a lost cause and Emma strongly believes that… However, the idea that Emma was going to be the one to save her? That didn't seem very likely.
Emma pushed it from her mind as she made her way towards her office where she would be hiding until she figured out how to deal with her mother. In hindsight, it was probably best that Snow and Charming move out. Maybe then, Emma would be able to feel comfortable in her own apartment and she could continue building some sort of relationship with her mother. However, that wasn't going to happen unless they moved out.
Her mother was right.
Emma chuckled to herself as she made her way into the police station. She went straight for her office, a bag of donuts in her right hand and an overnight bag for Henry that she rushed home to get before going to work in her left. She opened the door with her hip then kicked it with her boot to close it. Dropping the overnight bag beside her desk, she fell into her chair and immediately put her feet on top of her desk. She tossed the white bag filled with donuts onto her desk, ignoring it for the moment as she simply stared at the ceiling.
"Emma, I'm glad you could make it."
Emma smiled when she saw Regina, who was also smiling, and walked in once invited. Regina wore a plain black knee length dress with a belt around the middle and heels. Emma was suddenly glad she decided against wearing anything overly fancy and was currently wearing black pants with a black sweatshirt.
"I brought some of his things. I know he has clothing over here but I wasn't exactly sure so I just packed the essentials," Emma said, holding up the bag for Regina to take.
"That was very thoughtful of you," Regina stated just as Emma heard Henry's excited feet hurry down the stairs.
"Mom!"
Emma smiled as Henry came to hug her around the middle, Emma returning the hug with a bit of a laugh.
"Did you have a fun day, kid?"
"I guess," Henry sighed but smiled as he eyed Regina who rolled her eyes playfully.
"Take this up to your room and wash for dinner. The food is almost finished," Regina instructed and Henry obeyed, grabbing his backpack and rushing back up the stairs.
"Let me show you into the kitchen," Regina said despite knowing very well Emma had been there before.
Emma's eyes fell onto the tabletop island in the middle of the room. Regina and Henry had apparently made pasta with different types of bread, a large salad, and some sort of covered pie (Emma really hoped it wasn't apple).
"You two really went all out, didn't you?" Emma asked, eyeing the rather large bowl of pasta beside the three, possibly four, various types of bread.
"I wasn't sure exactly what you liked and the pie was a personal touch. Henry seemed to enjoy himself, though," Regina said with a soft smile. "Would you like something to drink? Henry tried talking me into getting some sort of soda but I assumed it would be more comfortable for both of us with some sort of alcohol."
It took a moment for Emma to realize Regina had a sort of humor in her voice and when Regina turned to face Emma, the blond saw the smirk on Regina's face. Emma smiled with a chuckle as she nodded in agreement.
"In that case, what do you have?"
"I have some recent Malbec which has apparently been exporting premium red wines as of late. I managed to grab a few," Regina said as she retrieved a wine glass.
Footsteps rushing down the stairs caused Emma to turn on her heel to see Henry walking quickly into the kitchen. Emma smiled as Henry went straight to the pie and lifted up the foil to see underneath.
"Henry, stop that!" Regina said quickly, covering the pie.
"You didn't let me help you with it. I just wanted to see what kind it was," Henry said with a small pout that had Emma.
"You'll just have to wait, now won't you?" Regina said as she handed Emma a glass half full with red wine. "Everything is already set up in the Dining Room through here."
Regina led Emma and Henry into the Dining Room. The room itself was surprisingly large and held quite a long table. There were various portraits on the wall and shelves with items that Emma couldn't care to examine. She'd seen this room before but she'd never been in it nor had she seen it with a setup like it had currently. Regina had managed to line the table with candlesticks, all lit, despite there only being three seats set. Each of the three seats, one on the edge and the other two across from each other, had a single plate, bowl, cup, and various utensils in front of it. A jug of water with a slice of lemon and ice sat in the center of the table.
"I take back what I said before. This is going all out. What made you do all this?"
"It made Henry happy to help me set up. I didn't want to stop," Regina said with a smile.
"I didn't help you set any of this up, Mom. You were too afraid I was going to knock a candle over, remember?"
"Oh really?" Emma eyed Regina with a suspicious smirk causing the brunet to chuckle shortly.
"Fine. I haven't been given the opportunity to entertain guests in quite a while. I may have had a bit of personal fun with it, is that wrong?"
"Not at all, Regina," Emma said simply though the suspicious smile didn't leave her lips.
"Can we eat now?" Henry asked anxiously. He didn't wait for a response before grabbing the bowl and plate from the edge of the table only to rush back into the kitchen and out of sight.
Dinner was surprisingly relaxed to Emma's pleasure- though she wasn't sure how much the wine had to do with it. Regina talked actively with Emma as Henry continuously brought up the things that happened while Emma and Snow were gone- quite a bit that Charming had left out, actually, though some that Emma had already heard.
"Belle and Rumpelstiltskin seem to be getting along," Emma stated when Henry accidentally mentioned the library opening.
"They are," Regina said through her teeth.
"I don't like him anymore than you do but Belle-"
"Belle believes in him. Even after everything he did," Henry said breaking off Emma's sentence.
"Maybe I should give a closer look to that book," Emma said with a chuckle.
"Well, I believe it's your bed time, Henry," Regina said, cutting off the boy before he could speak.
"Mom," Henry groaned, wrinkling his nose. "I didn't even get to try the pie."
"It's already almost nine-thirty," Regina countered through a look from Emma had her sigh. "Maybe one piece."
Henry immediately smiled and jumped from his seat, rushing into the kitchen with his plate and bowl in hand. Emma laughed and gathered her own plates, taking Regina's before the brunet could grab them herself.
"The least I can do. The food was amazing and, of course, lacking poison," Emma said with a smirk.
"Were you expecting it? I'm sorry to disappoint," Regina said as she stood and followed Emma into the kitchen.
"It's fine. I have high hopes for the pie," Emma said as she set the dishes into the sink. "It's not apple, is it?"
"Cherry. Again, sorry to disappoint. I assumed apple would be a bit too-"
"Understood."
"Fine, I'm going," Henry sighed as he stood from his empty pie plate.
Emma laughed and stood as well, accepting a hug from him as he said his good nights. Regina walked him upstairs, leaving Emma alone in the Dining Room, her pie also gone. She took a drink of her wine and stood, grabbing her plate as well as Henry's and Regina's. Taking them into the kitchen, she placed them into sink and began running the water. Within minutes, she finished the dishes and they were dried and put away quickly after. Regina had already covered the food and put it away leaving Emma with nothing to really do. Not to mention, she wasn't entirely sure where most things went and the only way she was able to even put away the dishes was from guessing and from assessing the dishes that were already stored there.
Emma was in the middle of blowing out the candles when Regina returned.
"Oh, you've cleared the table."
"I cleaned the dishes too. If some things are out of place, I'm sorry but I'm pretty sure I got everything in the right place," Emma said with a shrug. She grabbed her now empty wine glass and Regina made to claim hers as well.
"Well, I'm surprised. Would you like to retire to the lounge for a bit?"
Emma knew she shouldn't have said yes. She was already tipsy and knew she would be walking home as it was- moving into a relaxing room with a fire and Regina… That would be far too difficult.
"Sure. It's better than going home, after all," Emma said with a mutter as she allowed Regina to refill her glass.
"It seems the fairytale ending is difficult to achieve in the real world," Regina said as she refilled her own glass and began walking out of the dining room.
"According to Snow, fairytale endings were just as hard to get in the Enchanted Forest. Besides, I don't even want some perfect ending with my parents," Emma said as Regina motioned for her to sit on the couch near the fireplace. Regina set her glass on the coffee table and prodded at the burning ash that burst to life once she began provoking it.
"Henry has confided in me about your position. He knows more than you think," Regina said as she stood from in front of the fireplace and sat on the couch.
"I figured he knew. I didn't think he would tell you anything, though," Emma said with a sigh. "Mind if I ask?"
"He spoke about your parents mostly. They want to move out and are ignoring your feelings about it to put it simply. Henry's worried you don't have the same relationship with them that he has."
Emma stopped the wine glass at her lips and immediately swallowed the little bit of liquid she had in her mouth. She set the glass aside and turned to Regina.
"I can't believe he said that," Emma muttered, her eyes falling on the fireplace. "I suppose you think I'm not fit to raise him now?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, think about it. My entire life, I thought my parents just didn't want me. I come to find that not only do they want me, they're also Snow White and Prince Charming. They're also friends with Little Red Riding Hood and Jiminy Cricket. And if that's not insane enough for you, lets throw in Rumpelstiltskin and an Evil Queen. Even after everything I went through with my mother, everything feels off and I guess Henry feels that. Hell, he doesn't even have to feel it. He just has to look at our actions and see just how divided everyone is. I feel horrible for bringing Henry into it," Emma muttered with a sigh.
It grew quiet for a few moments and Emma was truly beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol when-
"Can I ask something?" Regina asked suddenly.
"Sure."
"Were you given the chance to sit down and think about everything?" Regina asked as she grabbed her glass and began to sip from it.
"What do you mean?"
"Did your parents sit down and explain anything from their background or what happened between us to cause… everything?"
Emma thought for a long moment before answering with a quiet, "No, they haven't."
"Perhaps they should. I believe that would open quite a few doors that you feel are closed and would assist with your problem. I would suggest Henry sit through a bit of it as well but I have a feeling he knows more about us than we do," Regina said with a smirk causing Emma to snort.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Emma said quietly. Emma took a moment to gather up her courage before she opened her mouth and said with a blurt, "Thank you."
"For what?" Regina asked, a little taken aback.
"For.. A lot of things, actually. Your advice, for one- the meal, another- but I don't think I ever actually thanked you for taking care of Henry all of those years. At first, I thought you only wanted him for leverage but it's really comforting to know he had someone to care for him for all that time and that you actually meant it."
"Oh.. Well, it was my pleasure," Regina said with a shaky smile as she was taken off guard.
"I should probably leave before it gets too late- I'm walking home, after all."
"Alright," Regina said as she stood, followed by Emma who stopped herself from stumbling ever so slightly. Emma followed Regina back to the front door and stopped as Regina opened it, cold air flowing through and sending a shiver up the brunette's spine.
"The meal was fantastic and we can talk about some sort of schedule for Henry tomorrow, if you'd like?"
"That would be perfect," Regina said but Emma didn't move.
The two were close together considering they were both standing in the doorway and Emma truly couldn't take her eyes off the brunet. She was suddenly chewing anxiously on her bottom lip as she tried desperately to figure out what she wanted to do. She could leave or...
"Oh fuck it," Emma muttered before stepping half a step forward and connecting her lips to Regina's.
It was awkward at first but within seconds, both woman had waves of warmth spread from their tingling lips all through each other's body. They broke away for a split moment, both assessing the situation before Regina decided it best to continue the kiss, pulling Emma out of the cold and closing the door with her free arm. Her left hand cupped Emma's face while the right sat on Emma's hip, pulling the blond into her. Emma's right hand had found it's way through Regina's hair while her left was gripping at Regina's hand on her hip.
Regina pulled away though both woman kept their eyes closed and their foreheads together allowing their heavy breaths to mingle.
"It's cold outside," Emma whispered.
"I know," Regina muttered and reconnected their lips, unable to stop herself as she pushed the blond against the door- luckily, avoiding the door handle.
"Ngh," Emma grunted through the kiss when her back hit the door harder than expected. Regina's lips pulled from Emma's, only to go to the blonde's neck. Regina pulled the turtleneck down before attacking the skin there with licks and nips. Emma bit back a moan before saying, "This could really complicate, things, you know."
Regina stopped and pulled back, her eyes looking over the blond.
"I realize that. Why do you think I haven't done anything about it before?" Regina asked carefully, moving to step away.
Emma stopped her, pulling Regina back against her.
"I just want to make sure you won't regret this… any of this."
"When have I ever done anything without being absolutely sure I wanted to do it?" Regina asked as she used her finger to tip Emma's chin up.
"I could name a few times," Emma said with a smirk.
"And you're saying you won't regret this?" Regina asked seriously.
"Not in the slightest. Just remind me to thank Archie after," Emma said as Regina leaned in to kiss the blond.
"We'll both have to thank him, I believe," Regina said, breaking from the kiss to lead the blond upstairs.
Nineteen pages. I had to stop somewhere... I'm sorry it was there.
I really hope this isn't awful. It feels so odd writing Regina trying to be nice considering her personality seems to change every episode of the most recent season.
Hope you guys enjoyed it and reviews would be appreciated.