I got this idea, and it wouldn't leave my head. Hope you enjoy this while I try to figure out where to go with my other main series.
Regina Mills stared at her reflection in the bedroom vanity. She looked as tired as she felt now that her makeup was removed. There were purple bags under her eyes, and a weariness clung to her body. Her shoulders were actually slumped a little, and her hair was messy after the shower she took. She sighed deeply, continuing to rake over her appearance.
It had been several months since her journey to Neverland with the Savior, the Charmings, Rumple, and Hook. Though their mission to rescue Henry and lock Pan away had been successful, she found herself losing sleep on many nights. The entire trip had left a foul taste in her mouth, and she couldn't shake the memory of the terror she felt when she watched her son give his own heart to Pan.
The feeling left her jerking awake from many restless sleeps, covered in a sticky layer of cold sweat. Each nightmare would take her from her bed so she could peer into Henry's room, making sure he was safe. However, now that he had been reunited with his family, his father in particular, Henry spent a lot less time there. There were also the long stretches where Emma had custody of him. Those periods were the loneliest.
Despite stepping up and actually playing the role of the hero during her time in Neverland, she didn't exactly forge new bonds of friendship with her companions. Furthermore, no one else in Storybrooke was there to witness her deeds. Snow White had tried to validate her actions, but the people remained suspicious and resentful toward her.
There was no way to avoid the stares and whispers when she was outside the confines of her mansion. There was no way people would look at her and not see the Evil Queen. To them, she would always be the enemy, no matter what she did to contradict that title.
Not that the woman thought she genuinely deserved their forgiveness. After all, she did have a personal hand in most of their misery. Whether it was the Curse, or her having killed someone they knew or loved, she was the one to blame. She was the one who razed villages to the ground, killed men for minor insults, and unraveled lives in her hunt for Snow White. When it came down to it, a handful of good deeds would in no way redeem a lifetime of evil. Regina was not the hero, and she knew she would never view herself as such.
She may never be given a place in the halls of the good, those who selflessly put themselves in danger for the protection of others. She would never be loved the way the Charmings were, or idolized like the Savior; however, Regina was still human. She didn't like unrelenting isolation. In fact, there were times when she rather enjoyed being in the company of others. But, when the cost of that company was narrow-eyed stares and vicious whispers, she found her desire for it waning.
On this particular night, though, Regina was feeling especially lonely. Henry was with his other mother, and the house felt much too large and empty. In Neverland, she was never alone. Now that she returned to Storybrooke, she went back to being shunned again by almost everyone. The only exceptions seemed to be Henry, and his biological mother.
Regina has had a rather unconventional and uneasy relationship with Emma Swan, if it could even be defined as a relationship at all. They had gone from hateful rivals to reluctant allies. Their time in Neverland had taught them how great their power was when they worked in tandem, but it did not make them friends.
Since their return, Emma has continued to be civil with Regina, and has even tried to spend some time with the brunette; though, most of their interactions were defined by Emma's awkward attempts at chit chat, and Regina's steeliness cutting visits short. Regina was sure those visits were for Henry's sake, and nothing else. Even so, she found herself appreciative of the blonde's attempts at friendliness.
When it came down to it, none of it was ever enough, and she spent far too many nights alone. Another sigh escaped her lips, as she looked at herself in the mirror again. Even Tinkerbelle's company seemed to be waning as the young fairy was finding her place in her new realm.
A noise of disgust sounded in her throat. What was she doing sitting around, throwing a pity party for herself? No one was forcing her to stay in. There was nothing that required her immediate attention, and no one was in need of her. Maybe that was the answer? Maybe she just needed to be a little less...Regina.
She focused on the mirror again, and her eyes flashed purple. The color faded, and her irises were a mild shade of blue, instead of brown. Her face lengthened and narrowed lightly, while her hair grew about six inches longer and turned an unremarkable shade of brown. Regina's features had become slightly more delicate, her eyebrows were tilted to give a more vulnerable look. Even the pitch of her voice had gone up slightly.
The face staring back at her was one that no one would recognize as Regina Mills. She had replaced the Evil Queen with a nobody. A girl with no history and no titles. She could blend in, and be around people without the glares and whispers. A smirk slipped across this girl's face, and she stood up, striding purposefully to the closet. She came out dressed in a mild, unassuming blouse, and the singular pair of jeans that Regina owned.
The pants felt slightly ill-fitting, and the roughness of denim made her cringe. How some people could wear it every day escaped her. She went back to the vanity and applied a minimal amount of makeup. She was supposed to blend, not stand out. When she was satisfied with her appearance, she realized she had one more problem facing her.
Her car was much too distinctive to drive. It would draw far too much attention, and break her facade. Of course, she couldn't very well teleport to her destination in front of everyone either. Her magic was still her unique violet signature; however, if she teleported to a nearby but out of the way place, she could simply walk from a short distance. It was a solid enough plan, and she really needed a drink.
Regina closed her eyes, and felt her magic flare beneath her skin. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in the shadow of an alley about a block away from the town's sole bar. She magically created a fake ID to match her new identity and set off to her destination.
It was much too loud in the cramped space, and she made the mistake of wanting to go out on a Friday night. It seemed the whole town was packed in there. Drinks were flowing freely, and everyone was busy with someone or doing something.
Regina sat at the bar and nursed a vodka cranberry, watching the other people with mild amusement. She had no idea that people took billiards so seriously in their tiny hamlet, even after the return of their true identities. Watchers and players alike were betting on games, and sharing pitchers of beer, laughing at failed trick shots and drunken stumbles.
Other people were dancing to the pounding music, and Regina rolled her eyes when she turned her attention to them. The more alcohol in the dancers' bellies, the racier the dancing got. Some of it was downright inappropriate, and she almost had half a mind to call the sheriff for public indecency.
If there was one thing she noticed most of all, though, it was that no one paid her any attention. She was completely invisible to everyone around her. Regina rather enjoyed the lack of stares and whispers. No one was putting up an act of fear or anger around her, and she could watch them as they enjoyed a bit of frivolity.
Regina swiveled around on her bar stool, and asked for a refill on her drink. A person settled onto the stool to her right, and Regina's gaze was immediately caught be a flash of red leather. She tensed suddenly, and turned to look fully at her. It was none other than Emma Swan settling in beside her, asking for a beer.
Regina did not look away, and it was only after the blonde had taken her first swig did she turn to look at the woman beside her. Emma was greeted with an alarmed expression on the girl's face, and her own quickly matched it.
"Whoa, is this seat taken or something?" She got half off of the stool, ready to move. It was then that Regina remembered that Emma had no idea who she was, and her facial expression must have appeared as some kind of ridiculous assault.
"Oh, no. It's not taken." She cringed at how uncertain her higher pitched voice sounded.
"Well, if I'm invading your space, I can move," the blonde offered lightly.
Regina didn't actually know how to react. In her normal persona, she would just be able to sass her until she was left in peace, but this was different. The way Emma regarded her was a little softer, and definitely less wary. Her defenses were down, and the sheriff wasn't anticipating an attack. Regina couldn't deny her curiosity at seeing what it would be like to interact with her without all of their usual baggage.
She forced down the eye roll that wanted to escape for what she was about to say. "No, please. It's fine. I just wasn't expecting to be sitting next to the Savior, is all." She ground her teeth for simpering at the younger woman.
However, Emma scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Please, I don't need people putting me on some silly pedestal for anything. I might be the Savior and whatever, but it doesn't make me better than anyone. And it really doesn't define me."
"Titles open many doors, though," Regina stated simply.
"Yeah, and I've found they have a habit of shoving you into some sort of box." Emma took a long sip of her beer, and Regina hummed in agreement, not elaborating any further. "Shit, sorry. I haven't even bothered to introduce myself. I'm Emma Swan, but you already know that, I guess."
"I do," Regina commented mildly. "Emma Swan, full-time sheriff, part-time savior, and a princess to boot."
Emma groaned. "Don't remind me. I'm just glad that there's no real kingdom here to rule or anything. I'm happy letting Regina run the place."
Regina tensed slightly at the mention of her name, and she focused more intently on the sheriff. "You're happy with that woman running the town?"
Emma shrugged and took another drink. "She's got a name you know. Besides, she knows what she's doing. What, you think my mom knows how to run a real town? She spent thirty years as a school teacher; she's got no clue."
Confusion masked Regina's face, not expecting that kind of reaction. "Why are you defending her?" she asked bluntly, and the blonde rolled her eyes in return.
"I get it, that she did a bunch of bad shit in her past, but that doesn't mean she's bad at what she does. She's a royal bitch a lot of the times, but she's dedicated, and she seriously knows what she's doing.
"Besides, she's changed a bunch. I know you all want me to be some shiny hero like my parents, but in truth, Regina's saved my ass a more than a few times, and not the other way around. In fact, she's saved all of our lives, putting herself in the way of harm more than once. And she's protected my son with her life. Does that sound like a villain to you?" She fixed Regina with a hard, honest look, almost daring the other woman to contradict her.
The brunette found herself trying to process an entirely foreign feeling swirling in her gut. While it was true that her relationship with Emma had changed significantly, she had no idea that the woman was so...vehement in her rush to defend her, and to a stranger, no less.
She found it interesting that Emma made herself less in comparison to Regina, and she was quick to point out that the mayor had endangered herself for the greater good. Confusion roiled in her stomach some more, and she was certain that the vodka was finally hitting her.
"Shit, I'm sorry. Here I am, attacking you, and I don't even know your name. Some hero, huh?" Regina merely cocked an eyebrow in response. "That's it? Not gonna give me your name?" Emma flashed her a challenging but playful smile.
"Zoe," Regina blurted, spitting out the first name that popped into her head.
"Zoe...?" The blonde was probing for a last name, and the brunette didn't have one.
"Just Zoe, for tonight. If it's all the same to you."
Emma's eyes tracked carefully over Regina's altered face. "You know, I've never seen you before."
"There's more people here than you realize," Regina casually threw out.
"Yeah, but, I think I'd've at least recognized your face. I'm no good with names, but I do remember faces. I know for sure that I've never seen you before."
Regina shrugged, and swirled her finger through her drink. "Has it ever occurred to you that some of us don't want to be noticed?"
"That's true. God knows I've tried."
"Not all of us can be princesses and saviors. Most of us simply wish to be."
"And you think I'm not one of those people? I wish I wasn't so..." Emma sighed heavily. "A little normalcy would be nice. I need some solid ground, and more time to be with my son."
Regina fought to keep her expression from souring at the mention of Henry. "Is he with his other mother?" she asked as politely as she could muster.
"No, actually. I have him for a long weekend, but my parents felt they needed some 'proper one-on-one time' with their grandson. They took him out to see a movie and stuff."
"So you came to a bar." Regina's tone was more clipped than she intended.
"Do I hear judgment?" Emma's voice was playfully mocking, making it clear that she wasn't offended. "'Cause that's totally unfair, seeing as how you're here too, and you were here before me. Besides, I'm only having one drink anyway."
"You couldn't drink your beer at home?"
Emma shrugged a little, playing with the bottle. She stared hard at the worn bar counter. "Didn't feel like being alone tonight." Her gaze remained fixed on a singular gouge in the countertop.
Regina saw a look of pain on the other woman's face, and she felt a similar one in her own chest. "You're not the only one," she offered quietly. Emma looked over at her, a small smile warming her eyes.
"Do you live on your own?" she asked the brunette.
"Why do you ask?" Regina felt the stirrings of panic in her chest. Her aim was to go out, but not be the subject of anyone's interest. Now, the Savior of all people was chatting her up about details of a life she didn't have. It never occurred to her to think of a basic cover story for the woman she was masquerading as.
"Just trying to get to know you. If that's too personal, I can go with something else."
"It's fine, I'm just not sure why you're so interested in me. To answer your question, I do live alone."
"Maybe you interest me? Is it bad to want a new person to talk to?"
Regina snorted, and regarded the sheriff with a curious look. "No. No, I don't suppose it is a bad thing to want to get to know someone."
Emma's whole face lit up when she said that, and she was quick to make another inquiry. "So, you got any pets?"
Regina had to think on the fly now, and the vodka was definitely swaying her judgment. "I have a cat. Aberforth." She wanted to slap herself for that answer, but there was no taking it back now.
Emma wrinkled her nose. "Not much of a cat person, really." Regina thanked all the gods that the blonde wasn't asking for pictures of the animal she didn't actually own. "I'm not really into dogs much either, come to think of it. I do really like otters, though, but I'm pretty sure you can't have one of those as a pet." She smiled goofily at the thought.
"No, I don't think that's legal. But you're right; they do have a certain charm to them."
"I like the way they hold hands. It's like they're so attached and in love, they just couldn't stand to be apart." Emma's smile broadened.
A cynical little noise escaped from Regina's throat. So, the Savior had a sappy side. "Did you know, of all the monogamous animals on our planet, the most faithful is the albatross?"
"An alba-what?"
Regina rolled her eyes. "The albatross. They're sea birds. Rather large creatures. Beautiful too. Once, long ago, they were viewed as good luck for sailors...some of the time. As it turns out, of all the animals who mate for life, the albatross is the most likely to truly stay together for the duration of their lives. They have a rather remarkable ritual for choosing mates, and will remember their chosen partner, even if they become separated for great lengths of time."
Emma blinked a few times, her lips parted in awe. "Whoa, I did not know any of that. Where did you learn that?"
Regina smirked. "The history of it, I learned from tales from the Enchanted Forest. As for the monogamy? Read an article on the internet." Emma looked impressed, and Regina's smirk became more pronounced. "I like birds," she stated simply.
"Birds feel...impersonal, to me. You don't just snuggle a bird like you would a cat or something. They fly off on you, and just...they don't wanna be caged."
"I agree. I like birds, but not as companions. I hear your mother has a different opinion, though."
Emma scoffed and pulled a face. "My mother likes to have different opinions on lots of things."
"You don't agree with her much?" Regina had never talked with Emma about Snow, seeing as how the woman still left a sour taste in her mouth. She felt it was better to avoid the topic of her former enemy as much as possible.
Another shrug shifted the blonde's shoulders. "Depends, but she really does hold different ideals from me. And our perspectives of the world are completely different. She sees a lot more black and white than I do. Her cursed identity matched more with my personality than her real one does. Now? She looks at me like I'm wounded in some way, and I know she feels guilty about what she said in Nev-" Her voice trailed off, and a look of consternation crossed her face.
"Too personal?" Regina offered as innocently as possible.
"For tonight, I think so. I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I don't know," Emma mumbled. "Guess I'm sorry for letting my mouth run away on me. It's a problem of mine. You could say I've got a raging case of foot in mouth disease." She smiled shyly at the other woman.
"There are worse things to suffer from." Regina put in mildly, sipping on her drink.
"That's true. So...now that we're both not alone tonight, wanna play a game of pool?" Emma spun around on her stool to face the tables.
"No, thank you. I don't play."
Emma fixed the other woman with an incredulous stare. "So, you're that bad, huh?"
"Well...probably. I've never played a game in my life." Regina turned around as well, and she looked over to see Emma staring at her skeptically.
"You mean to say that you've been stuck in this town for thirty years, and you've never played pool?" The blonde saw Regina shake her head. "Please tell me you've at least gone bowling?"
"That, I have done." The brunette smiled softly to herself. She used to take Henry when he was young, and she always found a way to let him win.
"And...?" Emma gave the other woman a playful nudge of her elbow.
"I was dreadful."
"Yeah, but did you have fun?"
"I..." Regina paused for a long moment. "I did."
"So you can have fun!"
Regina slowly turned a murderous glare onto the Savior. "When did I ever say I couldn't have fun?"
"When you said you'd never played pool."
"Hitting little balls around a table with a stick is hardly my idea of fun."
"Right," Emma drawled. "Because slinging huge balls at a pile of pins is so much more sophisticated."
"At least bowling is a legitimate sport. Sort of."
Emma snorted into her beer when she heard that. "Yeah, okay, Zoe. Have you ever seen people who play pool professionally? They're fucking crazy. And stupidly talented at it. My guess is, the only people you've ever seen play pool are..." She gestured to the small, drunken crowd around the scuffed up pool tables in the bar.
"You might have a point," Regina responded evasively.
"What? No, I totally have a point! Come on. Get off that stool; I'm gonna show you how great the game is!" Emma was instantly on her feet, her eyes shining happily. As Regina regarded the blonde, she found that the younger woman looked like an over-excited puppy.
"Please, Emma. I'd rather not." Regina stayed firmly on her stool.
"What? Why not?"
"I just...I don't think it would be a good idea. In fact, I should probably be leaving." Regina turned back to the bar, pulling money out of her purse. When she stood up, she turned back to the blonde, and found that the poor woman looked completely crestfallen.
"Did I do something?" Emma's voice was hesitant.
"No, Emma. But, it is late, and I should leave. I assure you, you did not scare me off." She offered a small smile to support her words.
"Then..." Emma nervously jammed her hands into her pockets. "Could I have your number?"
Regina's jaw dropped slightly, and she felt a blush rise in her cheeks. Of all the things she did not expect to happen, this was the very last one. She quickly collected herself when she realized the blonde had put herself in a vulnerable place.
"Not tonight, Sheriff Swan." Regina countered her rejection with an unexpectedly soft smile.
"Does this mean I'll see you again?" Emma's face was friendly and hopeful, and Regina found her smile turning into a mischievous smirk.
"It's a small town," she said, and the brunette turned with a sly smile, leaving no time for Emma to respond.
You can always find me on Tumblr at writers-dilemma. tumblr. com and Beta credits to Jasmine at obligatory-regal-name. tumblr. com