Response to femslash-lovers-unite on tumblr. Prompt: "Regina and Emma fight about who is going to take whose last name when they get married."
Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't own 'em.
"'Mills' isn't even your real last name! Do fairytale characters even have last names?"
"I assure you it is my real last name." Regina's irritation was apparent in her voice. "Need I remind you that 'Swan' is not in fact your real surname?"
Emma refrained from rolling her eyes. "I don't understand what the big deal is. You wanted me to be more involved with the wedding planning and everything, and this is something I actually care about."
"Really? Your last name?" Regina exclaimed. "That's your contribution to our pending matrimony?"
"Well, yeah. Cause it's actually important." Emma watched in mild alarm as her future wife's knuckles went white clenching the steering wheel, but Regina remained unexpectedly silent for the remainder of the short car ride.
It was not until later, after the couple had arrived home, changed into their sleep attire, and were both comfortably situated in their bed that Regina finally spoke.
"Of all things, why this? What is so particularly important about your last name above everything else?"
Regina purposely kept her voice calm and her tone level. She watched intently as Emma struggled to pull the words together in her head before speaking. It was obvious that the subject was important to her, even if Regina did not understand why. The blonde twisted the sheets in her hand as she pieced her thoughts together and finally released the covers while simultaneously releasing a sigh.
"I feel like it's the only thing I have that's really mine." Emma's eyes remained fixed on her hands, determined to keep her voice even. "Before I came here I was by myself; completely alone. I didn't know where or who I came from. But I had my name, so I made that my own. It was something I could claim for myself and take pride in. And no matter what happened, no matter where I ended up, I knew I'd have that to rely on. Because even if I had no idea where I came from, I knew what I had become. I knew that if I made something of myself, on my own, no one could take that from me."
"Emma..." Unsure how to respond, Regina reached her hand out and tentatively covered Emma's hand with one of her own. Emma's admission hung heavy around them like a thick blanket. Not exactly stifling, but surrounding them with a mildly discomforting warmth.
"I know I have you and Henry and my parents now, but..." Emma shrugged and finally turned to regard Regina with pleading eyes. "Those years are still apart of me. An important part. I don't want to let that go."
Regina nodded in understanding. Emma had been left alone as a child in a world where she had been forced to carve her own small corner of importance and meaning. And her last name, however erroneously assigned at birth, connected her to the only world she had known for the first twenty eight years of her life. And with regret, Regina acknowledged, it was her own actions that had led to such unfortunate circumstances. Sighing in acquiescence, Regina decided she could at least partially concede on this particular issue.
"I suppose a compromise is not entirely out of the question." She finally said as she lifted her hand to Emma's cheek, pulling her in for a slow and tender kiss, "I do believe our surnames would look well combined together."
"I could definitely get behind that." Emma smiled brightly against Regina's lips. "But only if my name comes first. Because Swan-Mills sounds WAY better than Mills-Swan."
Regina immediately pulled away in agitation at Emma's seeming inability to handle her victory graciously. Rolling over she flipped the switch for the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness.
"Good night, Mrs. Swan" She remarked coldly.
"Seriously, Regina?!" When Emma received only deafening silence as a response she rolled over as disruptively as possible before finally settling herself in for the night's sleep. After a brief moment her pettiness got the best of her, and she called out into the darkness to her bedmate. "Good night to you too, future Mrs. Swan."
Questions, comments, criticisms, concerns, complaints, unabashed groveling, pleas for mercy, or anything else for the good of the cause can be dropped in an ask or a submission over on my tumblr (url: defineyourterms). Reviews/feedback always welcome.