Going into Thanksgiving dinner with family who notoriously haven't gotten along in the past was going to be awkward. That much was a given. Best to crack open a bottle of wine and turn on Eagles vs Cowboys football to tune out the familial tension.
Emma reminded herself she was doing this for Henry. She hadn't had many family events and moments so really she had to pay her dues. She and Regina had fought over where Henry would spend the holiday, and somehow they had decided to all just eat together at one table: A big old joyous family affair.
And it would have been nice, maybe even pleasant, if the invite list ended with Emma, Regina, Henry and Mary Margaret and David, but no…Mary Margaret invited Hook and Regina had announced she was inviting Robin. Considering The Charming's modest pad didn't even have room for a dining room table, Regina insisted on hosting and Snow insisted on cooking. There was a lot of head butting and insisting going on even before the forks went down.
Thursday arrived and Emma headed over to Regina's early, and Henry let her in. Robin was already there; undoubtedly he had spent the night. He was putting around in a tank top, scratching his chest and wearing ill-fitting pajama pants. He landed with a huff on the couch and fumbled with the remote. Emma watched him try to figure it out for a solid two minutes before she left her spot leaning against the doorframe and grabbed it out of his hand. She hit power and turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. He grunted some kind of thank you and she rolled her eyes and headed out to find Regina.
"Need any help?" Emma offered, wondering why she had come so early. The house didn't need to be cleaned and the dishes and silverware were already arranged on the table. Henry was folding cloth napkins into turkeys and seemed to have that under control.
"Your mother says she's bringing all of the food, even the relish tray so there's really nothing to do. You're welcome to watch television with Robin in the den," Regina smiled and watched Emma wrinkle her nose at that suggestion. She didn't want to say that Regina's boyfriend made a lot of weird noises and smelled strange, so she politely declined.
"What time are we supposed to eat?" Emma looked at the clock on the wall seeing it was only eight thirty and a sense of dread filled her heart.
"One PM" Regina replied, "Mary Margaret should be over around noon with the food."
Emma could tell that Regina was less than pleased to not have control over the turkey, but they were all trying to play nice and make compromises. "So what do we do until then?"
Regina pursed her lips and nodded in thought. She crossed the kitchen to the wine cabinet, "Care for a drink?"
Emma took another look at the clock and ran her hand across her lips, "Um…it's a bit early for alcohol."
"It's a holiday, and one of the Mills family traditions, and you may think it sentimental, but I always honor family traditions," Regina shrugged and looked directly at Emma as she popped the cork.
"Cheers?" Emma said meekly, as Regina poured them each a generous glass of red wine and handed one over to Emma. She looked at the dark red liquid and then to Regina, "If I am wasted and passed out by noon you are taking the blame and explaining my absence to my parents."
"With pleasure," Regina raised her eyebrows and took a hearty sip from her glass. Emma did the same and she could tell immediately that the wine had considerably high alcohol content. This was not one of her best ideas.
"It's good," Emma swallowed and smacked her lips. The wine had the faint scent of burnt tires, "I mean it's not my usual morning coffee, but it's pretty smooth and a bit peppery."
"I know my wine is good," Regina sassed. She sashayed out of the kitchen, carrying her glass and the bottle. She tossed a look over her shoulder when Emma failed to move, "Follow me."
Regina led them past the den where Robin was transfixed by the Spiderman float and a high school marching band playing "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift. Emma noticed Regina roll her eyes at him as they went down the hall and out the back door which opened to an all season porch.
"I didn't know you had a back porch," Emma commented as Regina invited her to sit on the tasteful and plush furniture. She sat her wine down on the table and then picked it up feeling nervous.
"Why would you?" Regina wasted no time in taking another long drink from her glass and smoothly topped it off. She gestured to Emma with the bottle, and Emma shook her head. "Traditions help us get through the rough times, don't you agree?"
"Yeah, I don't have any traditions of my own, but I suppose I can get behind this one," Emma took another sip, understanding that Regina was dreading this family get together just as much as she was.
"Whose idea was it to invite the pirate?" Regina asked bluntly, crossing her legs and resting her arms over the sides of the cream colored chair she was sitting in.
"Oh, it was Mary Margaret's idea. Well, my idea too. He can't sit alone down at the docks eating canned sardines on Thanksgiving," Emma squirmed in her seat and sat back in her chair. The wine was starting to heat her cheeks and give her a warm fuzzy buzz.
"I'm sure he'll be on his best behavior," the brunette nodded and her lip twitched subtly. She closed her eyes and rolled her neck from side to side. It appeared to Emma that there was something Regina needed to get off her chest, but she was holding back.
"What are you thinking?" she asked delicately. The wine was taking hold and her lips were getting looser.
"Nothing," Regina said defensively. There was a long pause where neither woman spoke. Finally, Regina admitted, "I only invited Robin after I found out you were bringing the one-handed wonder."
Emma was surprised by the admission, but she kept her features schooled and looked into her nearly empty glass. She finished off the wine, and Regina immediately refilled it. "I assumed you'd want to spend the day with your true love or whatever."
"Ha!" Regina nearly snorted, bringing her hand to shield her lips as she sputtered.
"What's so funny?" Emma's forehead wrinkled as she leaned forward in confusion.
"True love isn't all it's cracked up to be. At least I have had twelve years to get Henry properly trained. Having a man around, especially one whose standard of living is so low he considers a tent on par with the Ritz Carlton, is no picnic."
"So what, he leaves the toilet seat up occasionally? Don't the pros outweigh the cons?"
Regina rolled her eyes and swung her foot back and forth, "I don't know. I'm so used to being…self-sufficient, it's hard to accommodate a man's needs."
"His needs?" Emma blushed, feeling Regina's 'girl talk' was heading south. The last thing she wanted to hear about was Robin Hood demanding blow jobs from the Evil Queen.
"Nothing like that…though that aspect has gotten boring," Regina paused to study Emma's face. "He isn't much help around the house. He's like a child. I understand everything is new and different, but I don't want to be his mother. I need someone who is an equal partner."
"That's understandable. I completely know what you mean," Emma knew she shouldn't say anything about Hook, but she was feeling a bit drunk and Regina was opening up. "Like Hook, he's such a puppy. Following me around, and trying to help, but I always end up saving his ass. It's starting to get annoying."
Regina was on the edge of her seat, trying and failing to hide a snicker and a wicked smile. Her eyes glinted and she waggled her eyebrows as she raised her glass to her lips, "Is that so?"
Emma sighed and raised her own glass in answer, she held it out and Regina clinked her glass against it. They both chuckled.
"This is nice. Us. Talking," Emma said as she swallowed. "Mmm, like I didn't think you'd be the one I'd be talking to about this stuff, but I guess you really get it."
Regina's smile turned quickly to a look of sadness, "Yes, it is nice."
"Yeah…we're friends, we can talk like this. Nothing we say leaves this porch."
"Do you ever wish you had the power to see the future?" Regina was slurring a bit, her eyes shining, glossed from the drink.
"I never really thought about it. Best not to worry about things that I don't have control over," Emma admitted, wondering where Regina was going with this.
"I tried to do a spell once… I've never told anyone this," Regina put her hands on her knee and leaned closer almost whispering. "I was young, new to magic and foolish. I enacted a spell I had no business playing with. Even Rumplestilstkin warned me not to do it: I tried to see how my life would end."
Emma listened intently, her jaw dropping, "Did it work?"
"Yes," Regina looked through the window and out toward the line of trees in the backyard. "I saw myself as if I was looking down over my death bed. I was very old. A man was holding one hand and a woman was crying over me, her arms were wrapped around my neck and her face was pressed against my neck as I slipped away."
"Holy shit!"
"I am certain the man was Henry, but the woman…I don't know. At the time, I was content to know that I would live into old age, but now…now I think about it on occasion. If Robin is my true love why wouldn't he be with me when I pass?"
"Maybe you outlive him?" Emma surmised.
"Maybe," Regina agreed, "but I can't shake the feeling that the woman…she was the one I am destined to be with."
Emma didn't react, many questions rushed into her head. She spit out the first one that came to mind, "Did something bad happen after you did that spell?"
"There's a price to all magic, and that spell left me blind and fevered for almost a month," Regina said, shuddering at the memory. "I never attempted anything like it again. I was lucky I didn't lose my eyes permanently."
"Steep price," Emma tried to wrap her head around the meaning behind it.
"Who do you think the woman is? Have you any idea?" Emma assumed perhaps Regina hadn't met her yet, and there was always the possibility that the spell was wrong, or that fate had changed since then.
Regina poured them each a third glass of wine, and tapped the end of the bottle to release every last drop. "We don't have to talk about this anymore. It's probably inconsequential."
"Well, if it's been bothering you, we should talk about it, especially, if it is affecting your relationship."
Regina let out a long breath. She stood up and paced back and forth. She turned and kneeled in front of Emma, and let the words out so quietly that Emma almost missed what she said, "I think the woman is you."
…