The thunder crashed in the sky stronger than Regina had ever felt before in her years in Storybrooke. She was glad she had told Henry to go straight to his grandparent's instead of going to the park. Though she still eyed the raging storm from the window in the living room as she lightning strike looked to be too close for comfort and she worried for her apple tree outside. The brunette took one last look before closing the curtains, finding that this was actually the perfect weather for sitting down with a glass of wine and a book.
Her bare feet only made it a few steps before the thunder crackled through the air, vibrating the house. The former queen found herself holding her breath for a moment until it was over. Then the lightning struck and it could've lit every inch of her home if the lights hadn't been on. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number she knew without even needing to look.
"Hello?"
"Henry is with you, right?" Regina questioned.
"Yes, he is Regina," Snow sighed. This was the third time she's called since the storm started to turn somewhat violent.
"Good," the older woman said curtly.
Before she could hang up the phone Snow quickly asked, "Would Emma happen to be there with you?"
"No, she's not…" Regina frowned. "She's not there?"
"No, I'm worried but maybe she's just stuck at the station," Snow said attempting to her assure herself more than just saying. Regina started to wonder if that was true herself as she agreed absently, "I'm sure she is. Well, keep Henry away from the windows please you know he loves to watch the storms like Miss Swan."
"Will do," Snow nodded knowing the woman couldn't actually see her. Regina removed the phone from her ear when the conversation was over but she couldn't put the phone completely down and grab her book like she had planned. An unnatural worry, that was beginning to occur more and more often lately, stuck to her bones at the thought that no one was aware of where the sheriff was.
Over the past few months they had grown their confusing relationship into a tentative friendship. And although she really didn't feel it was necessary to put a label on the lunches and after dinner talks they had with one another, Emma seemed nervous about it. Always asking occasionally if they were friends and falteringly evaded eye contact when Regina happened to catch her staring. The brunette assumed that it was enough to say they were friends and it was enough to make it reasonable that she was worried.
Without looking at the fact that Emma was basically the only person she had on speed dial, she called the station. It rang and rang and then the voicemail came through the speaker. The mayor frowned knowing that it probably made the town look bad if the sheriff's station didn't pick up, especially during a storm.
"Dammit, Swan," she hissed and crossly hit Emma's name in her contacts. She blanched when it didn't even ring once. "What have you-"
Regina found herself jumping at the sound of the booming over her house. It sounded as if the earth had shattered and the sky had cracked open above the town. The furniture shook and the rattling caused the brunette to drop the phone on her foot. It was a comical sight at the former queen highly, upset and holding onto her injured foot as she balanced on the other foot. The stinging fell away though after a few moments and Regina peered out the closest window. If she hadn't been completely sure of the weather report for the next few days the way it looked outside would've had her thinking there was a full on hurricane coming their way. Because of the inability to see her yard through the freezing rain, she found herself seriously pondering where the blonde woman had disappeared to.
"Hello?"
"Ruby, is Emma there?" Regina asked.
"Oh, hi Regina…no, she isn't. Snow just called a minute ago."
"Where is she?" Regina mumbled to herself.
"I don't know but hopefully she's not out in this weather. Did you hear that thunder a minute ago? It could've petrified a giant."
"Yes, I heard it. Some of my furniture was rattled," Regina sighed looking around to the fallen side table a few feet away from her. "Well, if you hear from Emma, could you please let me know?"
"Yeah, sure. Bye Regina." The brunette hung up and dropped the phone into her blazer pocket and walked to the foyer. She slipped into her heels, despite how inconvenient they would be, and her coat. It didn't surprise her that she'd have to go find the blonde and for now she would refrain from calling her an idiot until she was aware of the savior's wellbeing.
Just as she put a hand on the doorknob she heard rapid, wild knocking. She pulled the door opened to find the person plaguing her thoughts and she looked terrible. Shivering violently, soaked down to her boots, and not wearing proper outerwear to even remotely protect her from the raging downpour. The look on her face made Regina's normal idiot comment die on her tongue.
"Emma, what are you doing out in this storm?" Regina asked in disbelief.
"The bug broke down," Emma murmured, not wanting to hear the brunette's comments or see her knowing smirk. Even with how cold she was her face still slightly flushed, betraying her.
"Did you walk here?"
"Yes, three-three blocks. Yo-your place was the close-closest," the blonde tried with her teeth chattering.
"You would've been better off staying in your car, sheriff. You're wet and freezing," the former queen said sympathetically, stepping out of the way to let her inside. The blonde seemed to pause as if waiting for permission before she started to walk inside. Regina closed the door behind them both but didn't even think to tell the younger woman to remove her shoes but the blonde managed anyway only to realize that the rain had completely soaked through her boots and her feet were wet too. The brunette watched her groan to herself before stiffly bending over with trembling fingers to remove her socks.
"Emma-"
"I know how much you hate a messy house," the blonde stuttered out attempting to grin.
"Well at this point the last thing anyone needs, is the sheriff catching pneumonia and dying because she thinks I care more about my floors."
"Well, I know how you are…" there was a pause in her words as another shiver racked her body and Regina quickly guided her into the guest bathroom. She used her magic to get some of Emma's own clothes from Snow's apartment and left the shivering blonde to dry off and change.
"Don't dawdle around, Emma, you'll get sick," Regina said shortly already aware that the woman was probably out there long enough to be very ill come morning if not now. Although she was already looking under the weather. It could only be assumed since the blonde wasn't being her usual self. If anything she was really quiet and she wasn't trying to be sarcastic and funny.
"Roger that," Emma said with a better grin, though her lips were turning a little blue.
The brunette left her to change and called the Charmings to inform them that she had found their daughter quite abruptly. Henry was worriedly asking a thousand questions in the background and even though she could reassure them that Emma was fine she couldn't say that she'd be without illness soon. That news definitely didn't stop David and Snow from overloading her with questions she wasn't even sure she knew the answer to but the mayor got them to hang up nonetheless. She got out of her coat and heels, wiped up the small puddles of water here and there, and then started a fire in her study. It was their default place that they spent most of their post family dinner talks.
Without even realizing, she was prepping everything for them to sit and talk until she stopped and rolled her eyes. So, yes maybe they were friends. If one were to compare their relationship a few years ago to the one they had now where it wasn't totally out of the ordinary for Regina Mills to worry about Emma Swan. And it also wasn't out of the ordinary for the blonde to naturally walk into the study and curl up in front of the fire place like she lived there.
"How are you feeling?" the brunette questions handing her a tumbler.
"Better than a few minutes ago," Emma admits reluctantly taking the glass. She avoids eye contact with the older woman standing over her. Regina sits down with her own but doesn't drink. She's too anxious as the sheriff doesn't look any better than she did before. Sure, she was in dry clothes but she still looked just as cold.
"You could've frozen to death out there."
"Not now, Regina. Just change the subject."
"To what exactly?"
"How crazy this storm is? You would think a place like this reacts to the unexpected better than most."
"Well the town reacts just fine. It's the sheriff, however, who has a death wish."
"I was patrolling woman. It's my job," Emma sighed taking a drink from her glass and getting up to sit on the couch opposite the older woman.
"Well, you should have been heading home at the first sight of the storm," Regina responded as a matter of factly, seeing the shiver consume the blonde, and adds, "You're shaking."
"I'm fine."
At another involuntary shake, Regina leaves the room in search of something to help in combatting the woman's unhealthy state. She finds the heaviest quilt in the house and goes to get hot tea for her. She stops for short of the cabinet when she remembers the cringe the blonde has every time she has tea put in front of her. She finds it a very childish response because she doesn't like tea but it was Emma after all. Only because she has no intention on having the savior fall completely ill so quickly, she pulls down the cocoa instead and makes it the way both her son and his other mother like it.
"Emma," she calls as she walks back in. The brunette is met with a still shivering but very much asleep blonde curled into an uncomfortable ball in the corner of the couch. Annoyed but relieved slightly, Regina sighs and pulls her legs from under her and lays her down gently on the couch. She can't help but chuckle at the underwear peeking out from under her pants as she catches sight of very familiar cartoon characters. She snaps away vowing to make this something to use against the blonde- in a playful manner of course.
By the looks of her she's come down with something and that will only encourage Henry to want his blonde mother to stay over so she can get better so she'd had plenty of time to tease the woman about it later. And thinking of how messy the guest bedroom will be afterwards, she frowns because she knows she won't be able to deny the woman that. Her sickness will only hinder her from moving very far without having a sudden dizziness or the feeling of needing to throw up.
Right when the blanket hit her, Emma instantly pulls it tighter around her. For precaution, Regina gives her another and leaves the hot cocoa on the table, muttering about how much of an idiot the blonde is. She's startled by the savior's inaudible mumble.
"What was that, dear?"
"I know…" Regina only nods because she knew she'd said idiot loud enough for her to hear, but not exactly purposely.
"'Gina," Emma grumbles half asleep.
"Hm?"
"I lied," she slurs.
"About what?" Regina frowns and turns back to the somewhat slumbering woman.
"Why I was out in the storm..."
"What's the real reason then, Miss Swan?" Regina questions with a raised brow. She expected something silly, childish as usual from the blonde but the words that fall from her sleepy lips, "I like you."
Regina was stunned only for a moment before she simply grinned with a small blush grazing her cheeks. She shook her head with the grin still plastered on her face and mumbled, "Idiot," knowing only Emma would hear the implied 'I like you, too' hidden there. The sheriff knew the word to convey a lot of different things, always good things.
Regina walks out and misses the satisfied, goofy smile on the blonde's face before she falls asleep and says to herself, "I knew it."
Though she did hear the loud sneezing she awoke to the next morning and couldn't bringing herself to be anything other pleased the younger woman had to try and be a romantic in the middle of a storm.