Notes: My interpretation of "Time Travel" is a bit different. Emma and Regina don't travel in time, they just remember a time before they got together. Hope you will allow this kind of interpretation ;-)
Braiding each other's hair
Emma is getting comfortable on the couch, snuggling towards Regina with a bowl of popcorn. Since they got together a few weeks ago, snuggling on the couch became one of their favorite pastimes.
"What do you want to watch?" Emma asks, throwing popcorn into her mouth.
"Whatever you want."
Smirking, Emma turns to Regina. "That's a dangerous statement."
Regina's response is a hearty chuckle. "If you say so."
In the end Emma settles for a movie, one she knows Regina finds 'acceptable'. Not five minutes had past and Regina already plays with blond curls. Emma smiles inwardly, she knows that Regina likes her hair. Which makes her remember the first time Regina touched her hair. A chuckle escapes her lips and Regina is looking at her with a frown.
"That part wasn't so funny." Regina says, clearly referring to the movie.
"No, I just remembered the first time you were braiding my hair."
"Ah." Realization dawning on Regina, a smirk grazing her lips. "You mean the night of the ball. That time you were totally freaking out?"
Emma gasps. "I didn't freak out!"
One of Regina's eyebrows arches upwards and she eyes Emma skeptical.
"This is such a bullshit!" Emma growls and throws her brush against the wall. Downstairs in the town hall a big ball was celebrated and everyone would watch the princess with hawk eyes and she didn't get her hair to do what she wanted. Which bastard had suggested to hold a ball like the ones in the Enchanted Forest in Storybrookes town hall? If she gets his name, she will arrest him, or her.
As her parents had informed her, as a royal family they had a special appearance to make. Well, her dress was gorgeous, Emma had to admit. She had to change into it here in the town hall because she had been running late. The duty of a sheriff never ends. The music could already be heard, that's probably why her mother didn't hear her phone ringing. Otherwise she would have known that her dearest daughter needed some urgent help fixing these blonde mane. Mary Margaret had shown her a hairstyle that was fitting for such an event and at home, repeating what her mother had shown her was no problem. Except now it was.
Picking up the brush, Emma stands before the mirror again. It couldn't be that difficult, it had worked at home. But after a few fruitless tries, Emma gives up, her hair doesn't do what she wants it to do. Being frustrated, Emma throws the brush again, this time it hits a shelf and a few files are hitting the floor.
Maybe she should just go home. Tell her parents that she felt sick. Yeah, going home sounded like a good idea.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Emma winces and turns around, seeing Regina standing in the doorframe, not amused about the mess Emma had produced.
"ehm..."
"What are you still doing up here? Shouldn't you be downstairs already?"
"Shouldn't you be downstairs too?" Emma counter asks.
Regina rolls her eyes. "Apparently the princess hasn't arrived yet and her mother is worried she will skip the whole event, so I offered to search for her."
"I can't go downstairs." Emma mumbles, shuffling her feet and looking on the ground.
"Why not?"
"My hair looks like straw and regardless of what I do it won't look good. What kind of princess can't do her hair properly? I'm not going downstairs. Na ah. Tell them you called me and that I sit at home feeling sick."
But as Emma tries to walk past Regina, the other woman won't let her through. "Sit down." Regina commands and points to a chair. Begrudgingly Emma complies, walks to the chair and sits down with a huff. Meanwhile Regina picks up the brush and stands behind Emma.
"Whatever you're trying to do, it won't work. Today is one of those days were my hair decided to be stubborn."
"I can be stubborn too." Regina says. For a while both don't say anything. Emma can't see what Regina is doing with her hair, but it somehow feels like her hair is doing exactly what Regina wants it to do. Traitors, Emma thinks.
"So, what's your escape plan?" Regina asks after a while.
Emma frowns. "My what?"
"Your escape plan. Is running home, telling everybody you are sick really your excuse to leave the party early? Let me tell you that won't work. Your parents will get suspicious."
Emma sighs. "I don't know. Do you have a better plan?"
Regina's silence is evidence enough.
"Oh my gosh, you do have an escape plan?" Emma turns her head to look at Regina, which might not have been the smartest move, because Regina loses her hold on Emma's hair.
"Well these kind of balls have never been very pleasant for me." Regina admits.
Emma is silent for a moment, but then she nods. "Yeah, well...at least you have a plan to escape. Care to tell me how you plan on vanishing tonight?" She turns around, so that Regina can resume her work of taming the blonde mane.
"Henry is playing sick and..."
"WHAT?" Emma turns around again, faster this time, startling Regina in the process. "You are using our son to avoid an event you don't want to attend?"
"He offered." Regina defends herself. "I told him I don't want to go and suddenly he came up with code names and strategies how to leave the party early."
"You are trying to tell me that our dearest son would miss the chance of attending the first ball in his life?" Emma asks disbelieving.
Regina avoids Emma's eyes while biting her lip. "Maybe he insisted on going shopping tomorrow and he will get a new game console. Because he needs something to do while he is sick." She admits silently.
"Of course he does. I can't believe you guys didn't fill me in sooner. No wonder you wouldn't let me leave. You need that excuse of being sick for Henry!"
"I can't leave my son alone when he is sick. Your parents will understand that." Regina shrugs uncomfortable. "We thought you might want to spend time with your parents and enjoy all this spectacle."
"Are you crazy? Everyone is going to stare at me. Watching me, waiting for me to make a mistake, so that they have something to talk about for the next twenty years."
"Well, if that's the case. He is your son too. You can join us if you want. But be warned, I promised Henry a movie marathon until sunrise. And he is deciding the movies."
Emma's lips part into a smile. "Fine with me. Let's go attend a ball." She winks towards Regina as she stands up and walks to the door. "And let's leave early."
Regina's laugh fills the room. "Let's do your hair first." She points to the chair and this time Emma follows the order immediately. Regina's fingers are in blonde hair again, and after a while she speaks up. "By the way, your hair is really beautiful."
"Despite that amount of superheroes movies, that night had been really nice." Regina says while braiding Emma's hair.
"It was." Emma agrees softly.
"So you don't regret leaving the ball early?" Regina asks unsure.
"Are you kidding me?" Emma turns her head and Regina has to let go of Emma's hair. "That was the best decision of my life. How else would I have ended up with you?" Leaning in, Emma places a kiss on Regina's lips. She can feel the smile that forms on her girlfriends' lips, right before she kisses back.
When their lips part Regina sighs and looks at Emma's unfinished braid, playing with one strand. "Now I have to start over again."
"As if you would mind tangling your hands in my hair." Emma says with a grin. "That reminds me, when do you intend on letting me braid your hair? It's long enough now."
"You do have your hands in my hair all the time." Regina whispers and places a kiss on Emma's neck. "But if you want we can continue this upstairs." Another kiss is placed on her neck and Emma doesn't have to think twice about that offer. Switching the tv off, Emma stands up, pulling Regina with her. Emma isn't sure if Regina knows, she hasn't told her yet, but she also likes to tangle her hands in Regina's hair.