Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters (obviously) but that doesn't mean I can't put them in some awkward situations. This takes place about 8 months after the 4b finale. Also of note: I thought it was weird that in the show the Enchanted Forest ran on the same calendar as our "realm" so I changed that. It'll make sense when you read it. Enjoy :)
"You and Killian are alot alike."
Regina looked up from the salad she'd been absentmindedly stabbing and locked eyes with the blonde sitting across from her. If she were being truthful she'd admit to not really enjoying her salad. She'd also admit to being envious of the aforementioned blonde's grilled cheese, and if were being really honest, she'd admit to wanting more from Emma than just her sandwich. She wanted a relationship with her. Love. A future.
However, today was not the day for honesty. Today, like any other day, was about repressing feelings and being content with a friendship forged by and in spite of: curses, custody battles, Wicked Witch half-sisters, etc. This moment? This moment was about not killing the woman she : not killing the woman she was very good friends with for comparing her with a walking stick of eyeliner.
"and just how did you come to that conclusion?" Regina inquired, while trying to rein in the anger that threatened to escape her palms in literal balls of rage and fire.
Emma tapped her chin in thought.
"Well you both have less than stellar pasts you're trying to overcome," she said holding out an index finger to indicate the first item on her list.
Regina rolled her eyes and snorted in derision. This was going to be a long and unpleasant lunch.
"Two. You both wear alot of black," Emma stated simply.
"Whats up with that anyway? Is that like a villain thing? Were you and Killian the goths of the Enchanted forest? Did the Enchanted Forest have goths?" she asked, voiced laced with humor.
Regina let out an exasperated sigh. She was trying to be patient. She was trying to be good, but Emma was testing her and fire was so easy to conjure...
Emma, who had taken note of the other woman's frustration, cocked her head to the side and offered her her biggest smile. Suddenly, Regina was putty. She forgot who she was, where she was, and why she was, and despite everything, found herself smiling back. Damn Emma Swan!
"I know thats not my best material, but it made you smile. I'm also a Charming so you can't expect much," Emma said self-deprecatingly. She then looked down at her plate and paused, as if to reconsider her next words, and timidly added "By the way, you should do that more often."
"Do what more often?" Regina asked curiously.
"Smile. You look pretty when you smile," Emma answered and she quickly went back to devouring her meal as her words floated in the air above them.
They fell into a comfortable silence as Regina stared at the other woman with open wonder and adoration. Earlier in their relationship, ruining Emma's life had been Regina's top priority. If she crashed into the "welcome to Storybrooke" sign after having the cider Regina gave her, well that was just a result of her own poor judgement. If the brakes on her car went out? Well that was an unfortunate consequence of driving an older vehicle, but now? Regina could't imagine a life without Emma in it and she hated that. She hated needing someone that much. She used to be the Evil Queen. She used to conquer entire realms and rule them with an iron first. Now she sat in diners and pined after beautiful, unattainable blondes named Emma Swan. She tried to frown. Tried to scowl, but it was ridiculous smile was seemingly pasted onto her face; perhaps permanently.
Emma abruptly stopped eating and looked at Regina quizzically.
"What was I saying before?" she said and looked around the Diner as if it would provide her with the answer.
"Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed in excitement. "You and Killian are alot alike."
Just like that Regina's smile was replaced by the frown that, moments earlier, had been so difficult for her to conjure.
"Not this again," Regina protested. "That ridiculous pirate and I have nothing in common."
"You're both stubborn," she said fully expecting Regina to challenge her.
"I am not stubborn!" Regina said taking the bait. "I merely feel the need to defend myself against baseless accusations. That is not being stubborn. That is human nature. You would do the-" Thats when Regina stopped talking. She realized she had fallen headlong into the trap that Emma laid for her and of course Emma was wearing that cocky yet incredibly attractive smirk that Regina hated. She hated it so much she wanted to kiss it right off of her face until Emma apologized for
her arrogance.
"So what were you saying about not being stubborn, Madame Mayor?" Emma challenged with a raised eyebrow.
And thats what Regina really loved about their relationship. Like the ocean's tides, they constantly pushed and pulled at one another. They argued and fought, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, but like fire refines gold, they refined each other.
"You shouldn't be so smug, Sheriff. Its unbecoming," Regina lied, because if she was being honest, and she was going out of her way not to do that today, she would admit that Emma's arrogance was a complete turn-on. It was such a turn-on that when Emma first came to town Regina would purposefully seek ways to bring out that particular trait. She would assign unholy amounts of paperwork, make ridiculous rules, and be an overall raging bitch in hopes that Emma would defy her, because a defiant Emma was a confident Emma, and a confident Emma was incredibly sexy.
"Coffee refill? Helloooo, earth to Regina," Ruby interrupted as she waved her hand in front of Regina's face.
"Miss Lucas! Didn't you ever learn that its rude to stick your hands in someone's face?" Regina reprimanded.
"Didn't you ever learn that its rude to ignore your waitress when she's trying to provide you with top-notch customer service?" Ruby sassed back.
"She was probably just thinking of more ways to kill me," Emma chimed in. "I'm pretty sure she's got a running list going. It's at least 30 items deep."
Regina had to try not to laugh at that statement, because she did have an ongoing list of things she wanted to do to Emma, none of which were violent, all of which were sexual. Actually, now that she thought about it a few items could be considered violent. Well, not really violent, just a little rough in nature, but no more than what Emma could handle or would consent to...
"No, Emma.I don't think thats true." Ruby said as she smiled at Regina knowingly. She did, after all, know about Regina's feelings. She was a werewolf and her senses were always kicking into overdrive. She could hear the way Regina's heart would speed up whenever the blonde was near her and the way Regina would actively work to bring it down to a reasonable heart rate. Aside from all that she was also not an idiot, and though Regina was somewhat good at masking her emotions, and could hide them behind sarcasm and biting words, the way she lovingly stared at Emma when she thought she wasn't looking gave her away. The woman conquered entire kingdoms, but didn't know how to conduct herself around a pretty girl, and Ruby thought that was beyond adorable. It almost made Regina less scary... Like a cat dressed in a shark costume...except that this cat killed entire villages of people...
"For the record, I do not generally harbor a desire to kill you, Emma. I even enjoy your company from time to time," Regina began.
"Actually, I think its a little more than time to time," Ruby interrupted. She knew she was pushing it but she also knew that Emma and Regina needed a little push. Regina was going to stay silent about her feelings and Emma was going to continue to be oblivious, because Emma was relatively intelligent, but interpersonal relationships were not her thing. Something had to give.
"You guys have lunch here, sans Henry, twice a week," she stated matter of factly. "Regina knows your order and sometimes gets it for you if you're running late. Sometimes, she even pays for both your meals."
"Actually, now that you mention it..." Emma chimed in. "Regina brings me coffee at the station, she's been teaching me magic, and she even helped me put together a slideshow for that counsel meeting last week."
It was an impressive slideshow complete with Storybrooke's most recent incidents of crime, mainly Lost Boys who had discovered the wonders of graffiti art, and several eye-catching pie graphs.
"So putting all of these pieces of evidence together," Emma continued. "I'd say that Regina considers me a friend."
"Or more," Ruby interjected. Surely Regina would kill her for her boldness, but at least she'd die happy with the knowledge that she played a small part in making true love happen for Henry's mothers. It was the least she could do.
"Miss Lucas!" Regina reprimanded. "Don't you have a fire hydrant to attend to or a cat to chase? "
"Actually, I don't, but I do have some other customers I need to check on before I clock out. Enjoy your meal, ladies" she said and hastily took her leave.
Regina had murder in her eyes.
"She's lucky I don't report her to animal control," she said through gritted teeth as she continued to stab at her salad.
"Hey," Emma said placing her hand on top of Regina's free one. "Don't get mad at her for telling the truth."
"And what truth is that?" Regina inquired while fighting the blush that threatened to overtake her cheeks.
Emma looked at her seriously. She even stopped eating. Regina always knew something was serious if Emma stopped eating.
"That you like me," she stated simply.
Regina was completely taken aback. If Emma already knew, now was as good a time as any to come clean about her feelings. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to form words but nothing came out; just silence. She was about to go for a second attempt but noticed that Emma was still talking. Her brows were furrowed and her chin was set in that way it only did when she was thinking too hard.
"That you want me around more then you'd care to admit to," Emma continued nervously.
Regina was on the edge of her seat. Was this the moment she had been waiting for? The moment when Emma would stop settling for the mediocre relationship she was involved in and open herself up to something that, though difficult at times, had the potential to be true love?
"That...that despite everything thats happened between us, we are friends, maybe even best friends," she said as she made eye contact with Regina, having finally found her courage. "and theres nothing wrong or embarrassing about that. No point in pretending to be less than what we are. Right Regina?"she asked hopefully.
Regina hung her head in disappointment. How could she be so foolish as to think that Emma shared her feelings? How could The Savior love the Evil Queen?
"No. Not at all. No point in pretending to be less then what we are," she repeated regretfully.
"So its settled then? We're BFFs!" Emma joked. "Maybe we should get matching t-shirts."
She continued to go on about how excited she was at this latest development in their relationship, but Regina didn't hear her. She was too busy mulling over the rather important conversation they just had, the gist of which being that Emma wanted them to be friends. Just. Friends. Regina valued their friendship. It was the first real one either woman had had in a long time, but she wanted more, and knowing that Emma didn't feel the same way absolutely gutted her.
"Could you please excuse me?" Regina interrupted. "I have to use the ladies room."
"Of course," Emma allowed. though she was somewhat confused by Regina's sudden change in behavior.
Regina made her way to the restroom as quickly as her legs could take her there. She had to get away from that table. She had to get away from Emma. She locked the door behind her and leaned against it for support as tears made their way down her cheeks.
She didn't know how she had gotten to this point in her life. How she had gotten to the point of loving someone so completely and so pathetically. She was angry at Emma. Angry at her for being so oblivious and self-absorbed. Angry at her for ruining her life so thoroughly, but what made her even angrier, was that she couldn't be completely angry at Emma, at least not for any real length of time. She loved her too much, because despite Emma's obliviousness, she had some rather good qualities. She consistently risked herself; sometimes her reputation, and in several cases her very life, for Regina. She was the first person since Daniel to be in Regina's corner. She believed in her, even when it didn't make sense, and for that Regina was eternally grateful.
Yes, the love she had for the blonde greatly outweighed any feelings of ill will she had towards her, and though it would hurt Regina to do so, she would put aside her own hurt feelings and be the friend Emma needed her to be. She would listen to Emma's terrible mixtapes, have Sunday dinners with the Un-Charmings, and smile her way through Emma's karaoke version of "Hit Me Baby One More Time, because thats what good friends did for each other.
With new resolve, Regina walked over to the bathroom mirror and set up about making herself look more presentable. At the moment, her biggest problem was the eye-liner that had mixed with her tears and created unsightly black streaks that ran vertically down her cheeks. Grabbing some make-up removing wipes from her purse, she wiped away the eye-liner disaster, and began to recite a mantra that had gotten her through many trying times in the Enchanted Forest.
"You are a queen. Queens do not pout. They do not cry. They do not feel weakness."
She fished her eye-liner from her purse, removed the top, and began re-applying.
"Queens are strong. They take. They rule. They conquer."
She looked in the mirror and nodded her head in approval. All traces of crying had been erased and she looked like her usual put together self.
"You are a queen," she repeated to herself and made her way back to the table with her head held high.
"Hey, you're back,"Emma observed. "I was beginning to think you skipped out on me."
"Of course not," Regina responded. "Is that another grilled cheese on your plate?"
"Yeah, it is. I got kind of hungry while you were gone," she said sheepishly. "But, and you'll be very proud of me for doing this, I classed it up with some gouda instead of American."
Emma looked so proud of herself. It reminded Regina of when Henry was a child, and he would shower her with art projects he made at school. He couldn't color inside the lines and every person (and animal, namely birds because he had Snow White for a teacher) he drew were stick figures, but he had created those projects with the idea that he was going to give them to Regina and that they would make her happy, and they did. She would oo and ah at his artistic ability and he would give her a shy, lopsided grin, almost identical to the one currently worn by his birth mother.
"Well done, ."
"Thank you," Emma said with a smile. "You wanna try it?"
"You expect me to eat that?" Regina protested with faux disgust.
"Oh, come on Regina!" Emma wined like a petulant child.
"I refuse to put that trash into my body!"
"Its not trash. Its food!"
"Thats debatable"
Emma cut her sandwich into two diagonal triangles, the cheese oozing perfectly from the sides. She lifted the sandwich and slowly brought it to Regina's lips.
"You know you want it," she said in a sing-song voice.
They held each other's gaze, silently daring the other to be the first to surrender. This was a battle of wills, and Regina loved a good battle.
"I most certainly do not," Regina said defiantly.
"Don't be so difficult."
"I'm not being difficult. I simply do not want to eat that greasy abomination."
"Look Regina. I know you want to eat it." Emma said and then took a long torturous pause. "You know you want to eat it..."
Regina, unconsciously licked her lips in agreement, because she certainly did. She thought about it quite often. Surely this wasn't about the grilled cheese anymore. This had to be some sort of double entendre. Sure it was a little sophomoric for her tastes, but beggars couldn't be choosers...
"So... Just open your mouth" she said as her eyes traveled down to Regina's lips. "And eat it."
And just like that the battle was over, because who was she to refuse such a request. Sure it wasn't said in the exact context she desired, but it was a small step. Rome wasn't built in a day. Today: gouda grilled cheese sandwiches. Tomorrow (or some time in the near future, fingers crossed): Emma Swan.
She opened her mouth and allowed Emma to fill it with the cheesy substance. It was warm and delicious, so delicious in fact, that Regina forgot where she was and who she was with, and let out a deep moan of pleasure. Her eyes closed and her head tilted back from the sheer ecstasy she was experiencing. She desperately clung to the table, her nails digging into the cloth. It was all she could do to keep from becoming completely undone.
Emma, for her part, didn't know what to make of the scene before her. Taking into account all the times Regina reprimanded her for her eating habits, it was amusing to see her have such an extreme reaction to a grilled cheese sandwich. At the same time, watching Regina's tongue glide across her lips, hearing her moan in appreciation, well it did something to her and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to taste those lips and make them scream out her name or imagine what it would feel like to have those nails savagely rake across the expanse of her back.
Emma shook her head. This was Henry's other mother! The woman who had made her first few months in Storybrooke impossible. The woman who was partially responsible for her terrible childhood, yet none of that mattered anymore, because Regina was different now. She fought her demons daily, and despite their difficulty, always defeated them. It was beautiful to watch. She was beautiful to watch.
So Emma watched her and wished for something she couldn't have. She was, after all, in a relationship with Killian, and though he wasn't everything she had hoped for, he was far kinder to her then some of her previous lovers. She had been lied to, cheated on, and verbally abused. Neal framed her for a crime she didn't commit and essentially forced her to have a child in prison, so this relationship didn't seem so bad comparatively. Sure, he drank too much and smelled kind of funky sometimes, but he looked out for her and supported her in all her endeavors. He even went on the occasional tampon run. Maybe that was enough. Maybe love wasn't all romance and "I will always find you." Maybe it was a few bottles of rum and "I gave up my ship for you." That was romantic right? Not that she loved being equated with a ship but what could you expect from a really old pirate?
Emma laughed at that because this was her life now. Her mom and dad were Snow White and Prince Charming, her boyfriend was a pirate, and the woman she was currently lusting after was The Evil Queen, well used to be The Evil Queen. These days she occupied her time with small town politics, taking care of their son, and eating grilled cheese sandwiches in an overly sexual manner. Emma licked her lips. God, could that woman go to town on a sandwich! God did she want to be that sandwich!
She didn't even bother to try and hide her appreciation for what was happening in front of her. No point in fighting the inevitable right? She was willing to just go with the flow and-
"Ahem"
What was that sound? Emma wondered.
"Ahem."
Emma ignored the sound and continued to stare at Regina lustily.
"Emma!" Snow shrieked in exasperation.
That finally broke Emma from the "spell" she seemed to be in.
"Mom!" Emma exclaimed in horror. Her voice had gone up about two octaves, her cheeks were red as a tomato, and she looked like she had been caught with her pants down, or her skirt up. Snow didn't know which, and it didn't matter because, thats basically what happened. She had basically just witnessed porn. Granted, she'd never seen porn, she was Snow White after all and had a reputation to maintain, but she imagined it probably looked something like this.
"Mom. I... uh... I was just..." Emma continued to stutter along for a few more seconds until she realized there was no heterosexual explanation for what had just happened and gave up on trying to come up with one altogether.
"Feeding Regina?" Snow finished, her tone laced with accusation. She really didn't mind whatever it was that was developing between the two woman, she even welcomed it. What bothered her was the continued denial on both their parts. Neither woman would admit to, or in Emma's case, accept the feelings they had for one another, so everyone had to suffer. Everyone had to bear witness to the the dopey looks, the longing looks, the loving looks, the lusty looks, and the various other looks they constantly gave each other. Everyone had to tolerate the pathetic excuses they would invent to be near one another. "Oh Henry left his video game at Regina's and he can't possibly go a few hours without playing it. Better go get it" and "Oh, Emma doesn't know how to properly fill out a police report even though she's done it a thousand times without my help. Better head over to the station and spend the next few hours of my life teaching her how to do it while hiking up my skirt and sitting on her desk wantonly." David had walked in on them like this on several occasions and expressed some concern about Regina's "influence" on their daughter. Something about her potentially defiling Emma's "womanly honor." Snow, however, did not share his concern. Prior to the curse breaking, she was Emma's roommate and closest confidante, and as such was privy to many of Emma's tales of sexual adventures and misadventures. So, she knew for a fact that Emma's "womanly honor" was "defiled" a long time ago and if it wasn't it would've been thanks to the display Regina had just made.
"She was hungry?" Emma tried again.
"By the looks of it I'd say she was thirsty as well," She said and looked at Regina pointedly. Regina had enough good sense to look embarrassed by her present circumstance and Snow reveled in it. It wasn't often that she got to one up the other woman so when she did it felt akin to winning the lottery. "Regina, maybe you would like some cold water to help with that issue."
"Perhaps," Regina answered sheepishly and went off to find Granny about getting her some water and possibly something a little stronger.
"Now Emma. Your father's birthday is coming up..."
"Right. How does that work anyway?" she interrupted. "because I'm pretty sure you guys had a different calendar in the Enchanted Forest. Did you all just pick a random birth date once the curse broke? Like April 25th? Because it's not too hot, not too cold, and all you need is a light jacket?"
They both laughed at the Miss Congeniality reference. As roommates it had been one of their favorite movies to watch together.
"Regina gave us fake birthdays during the curse. Once you broke it and got our memories back some people chose to continue to celebrate the fake birthdays. Others chose to pick a random day, but either way you look at it we all have fake birthdays in one way or another. Its just a matter of whether we chose them or someone chose for us."
"And what did you and dad choose?" Emma asked seriously.
Snow let out a deep breath. It was never easy for her to talk about the curse; partially because of what Regina had done, but more so because of what she had done. She had sent baby Emma to essentially fend for herself in an unknown world. It was beyond irresponsible and not a day went by when she wished she had chosen differently.
"Well I chose my Enchanted Forest birthday, because I'm a bit of a rebel," she answered with a mischievous grin. "and your dad actually goes by his cursed birthday."
"Why?"Emma asked simply.
Snow wasn't 100% sure but she had a rather good guess. "Mostly laziness. It was difficult enough having two lives running through his head. Two birthdays would've been too much for him to handle so I think he just went with the most recent one."
They shared a laugh because David was many things: kind, caring, loyal, brave... but smart and detail-oriented? Not so much.
"He's also taken a liking to this new world," Snow continued. "Indoor plumbing, sports, trucks...Believe it or not I think he's just a little bit grateful to Regina for those aspects of the curse."
"I could imagine. The Enchanted Forest was rough," Emma said as she drowned her fries in more ketchup.
"Emma." Snow said and grabbed both of her hands. She needed her full attention for this next part of her speech and she knew that would be impossible if Emma was shoveling food into her face. She was very similar to David in that way.
"You know your dad had some trouble with Regina in the past. We both did, but things are different now. Yes, he still has some apprehensions about her, but for the most part he really respects her and admires the person she's become." Snow said this with a bit of apprehension. Emma was like a stray cat and if you approached her too quickly or confronted her without enough warning she would run off.
Emma scrunched her nose in that cute way she did when she was confused.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked. "I don't understand."
Snow, initially brought it up because she knew that if Emma ever decided to take her relationship with Regina to the next level, it would mean alot to have her parents approval. She also knew what Emma looked like when she was getting ready to run, and judging by the way she was uneasily shifting around in her seat and the way her eyes were darting around the room, Snow would say she was about to run.
"No reason," she said and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
Emma threw up her hands in frustration.
"Superpower remember? and even if I didn't have my superpower you still couldn't fool me cause your a terrible liar," she said with just the tiniest bit of resentment in her voice. If there was one thing Emma hated, it was being lied to.
Snow had to hand it to her. She was a terrible liar.
"I might be," she conceded. "but you're not ready to hear the truth yet."
"Have you seen my life?" Emma questioned with a wild look in her eye. "Its been shit but I survived it. You think I can't handle a simple conversation?"
Snow took another deep breath because she knew this was going to be difficult, but if Emma wanted the truth she was going to give it to her, in short manageable teaspoons of course.
"Emma, sweetie. You are a survivor. You are resourceful and tough as nails and I am so proud of you for it, but this conversation isn't about strength. Its about acceptance and there are some things about your relationship with Regina that you have not been honest with yourself about."
Snow paused and looked at her daughter; really looked at her. Emma looked like she was on the verge of falling apart. Like the walls she had so carefully crafted around her heart had been taken down by nothing more than a soft summer's breeze.
"Do you want me to keep going?" Snow asked softly.
"No," Emma answered without hesitation. "You were right. I'm not ready for this conversation."
She dropped her head in defeat. Emma Swan: former thief and bail bondsman, current sheriff and "Savior" of Storybrooke, was beaten by none other than her mother, Snow White, and a conversation about feelings.
Sensing her daughter's distress, Snow placed a reassuring hand beneath her chin and raised it. Emma's eyes, uncertain as they were, met hers.
"Don't feel bad or ashamed," Snow said encouragingly. "You might not be ready for this tomorrow, or next week, or even a few months down the line, but eventually you will be and when you are, just know that me and your father love you and support you know matter what you choose or who you choose."
Emma had to fight the impending water works she knew were about to come spewing out of her eyes. This was all she had ever wanted. A mom and a dad that loved her unconditionally. A mom and a dad that loved her even when she was cranky or had a bad attitude or was attracted to other woman. She didn't have that in the past. She was once kicked out of a foster home because her parents caught her kissing the girl next door. It was mostly innocent pre-teen stuff but it was enough for them to send her packing. Unfortunately for them, and Emma to some extent, they couldn't very well send Emma back because they "couldn't fix the gay," so they fed the social worker some bs about how she had "stolen" their belongings along with a slew of other false charges, and off she went.
"Emma are you crying?" Snow asked in disbelief, because really, how often did that happen?
"No." Emma responded, quickly wiping away a stray tear. "Theres just a little something in my eye. Maybe an eyelash" she said and proceeded to pull on her lower lid as if to offer evidence. "Take a peek. Do you see anything in there?"
Snow knew there was nothing in there. Emma was just trying to save face, but she was willing to play along. She leaned forward as if to get a closer look.
"No I don't see anything. Maybe the air is dry or something."
"Yeah maybe." Emma said letting go of her lid.
It was at this time that Regina finally returned to the table, glass of water in hand. She immediately took note of Emma's puffy red eyes and tear stained cheeks. Snow White had been in Emma's presence for less than eight minutes and somehow, within that minute timeframe, managed to reduce Emma to tears. Regina was ready to rage, but she knew she had to remain calm. This could be her future mother-in-law, and while Regina abhorred potentially being related to Snow in any way, she knew that getting on her good side was paramount. She also didn't hate Snow anymore. She actually kind of liked her, depending on the day, depending on her mood.
"Emma are you crying?" Regina asked with concern.
"No. No. Of course not." She lied. "Just got something in my eye, but its all gone now. So theres no need to worry."
"Well," Snow said getting up. "I should probably leave you two to it." She knew when she was being a third wheel. She also didn't want to stick around for the next bit of pornography that she was sure would be taking place soon.
Emma lightly grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving
"Wait. You never finished what you were saying about Dad's birthday."
"Oh. That" Snow said and waved a dismissive hand in the air. "I was going to ask you to help me plan it, but I think you've got your hands full right now." She said with a wink. "Now be a dear and give your old momma a hug." Emma rolled her eyes but, stood up, and obliged her nonetheless. They stayed that way for quite some time, both mother and daughter sensing that they should part, but neither of them wanting to. "I love you so much, Emma."
"I love you too, Mom" she returned. A lone tear made its way down her cheek but this time she did nothing to hide the evidence.
"I should probably get going," Snow said, finally breaking the hug. She turned to acknowledge the other woman, who had been awkwardly inspecting her nails, during their public display of affection. "It was nice seeing you Regina. Enjoy your meal."
"Thank you Snow. Enjoy your... well whatever it is that you're going to do. Probably teach the virtues of love and hope to Storybrooke's bird population." Regina said sarcastically.
"For the record. You don't have to teach that to birds. Its innate. They are very noble creatures," Snow defended with a laugh. She started towards the door. "I'm leaving now. Don't try to stop me."
"I would never dream of it." Regina said with a sly smile.
She looked over and noticed that Emma was staring at her with a strange sort of grin that she couldn't identify. "What are you looking at Swan?"
Emma looked down at her root beer and slowly swirled the straw around as if to buy time, and though Regina was not feeling particularly patient today, she waited for what the blonde would say next. She knew Emma and she knew that Emma struggled with words, not because she was an idiot, but because she often had so many feelings swirling within in her at one time that it was difficult to parse through them, let alone speak those words out loud. Regina understood because she was the same way, so she stayed quiet and waited for Emma to say what she needed to say.
Several long, agonizing moments passed before Emma finally looked up from her drink. She pushed her long golden locks from her face and gave Regina a shy smile.
"Is this what happiness feels like?" Emma asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Regina's heart broke for her then, because that one, tiny question was packed with so many implications. It was said with such reverence and fear, almost as if Emma believed that the small bit of happiness she had managed to find in this world would be taken away from her by merely acknowledging it, and why wouldn't she believe that? Over, and over again fate had conspired against her. It lied to her, manipulated her. It took away her family and first love. Why should she trust it? Yet there she was. She shone through the darkness like a lighthouse of hope. No matter how high the waters rose, or how strongly the winds blew, she would always stand strong and shine her light to guide the arriving ships home. Regina had to mentally roll her eyes at that one because Emma was dating a pirate, and while she was always a bit vexed by their sorry excuse for a relationship, it all suddenly made sense. Emma was his light. Emma was his home. That was priceless for someone who had spent hundreds of years seeking it. Regina could understand that. She had after all, unknowingly, been doing the same thing. She recalled a conversation she once shared with Hook on the way to Neverland about happy endings. She had asked him if he believed that villains could get one and he responded by saying that he hoped so, otherwise they had "wasted their lives." Not long after, he had found his with Emma, unfortunately so had Regina, the major difference being that he was actually with her. He got to hold her her. He got to kiss her. He got to take her home while Regina sat on the sidelines and wondered what it would be like to do any of those things. Fate really was a bitch, well to her at least, but this wasn't about her. It was about Emma and her happiness which was now apparently within arms reach.
"I suppose that would depend on your definition of happiness. What is your definition of happiness, Ms. Swan?" Regina asked, almost afraid to hear the answer, because she was sure that she was about to hear Hook's name somewhere in there and if she did, she couldn't guarantee that Granny's wouldn't go up in flames.
"I don't think I've ever let myself imagine what happiness would be like," Emma said with a shake of her head. "I would always try to get closer to Tallahassee, but no matter what I did it would just get further away from me, but this," she said meeting Regina's eyes. "My family: mom, dad, Henry...you... This feels close to it."
Emma's eyes went wide. She hadn't meant to say all that. She really hadn't, but the words came tumbling out of her mouth before she had enough time to put them back in, and damn it if they didn't sound romantic. She didn't mean for them to, but then again, she did? She wasn't sure anymore. She felt something for Regina, she couldn't deny that, but a family? It was significantly more then she had ever even imagined with Killian, and she was dating him! There he was: loving her, supporting her, giving up ships for her, defending her and here she was, being emotionally unstable, emotionally unavailable, and emotionally unfaithful. She had to be the worst girlfriend ever, possibly in the history of the world. She needed to fix this before Regina noticed her slip-up, because if she didn't she was sure she'd never hear the end of it from her former nemesis. It would go something like "silly Ms. Swan. I could never love you." Actually, that was a little too Evil Queen for the current Regina. Current Regina, would probably let her down easy. She'd be all soft eyes and sorry smiles and say something like "I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I don't feel the same way you do," and then the real clincher "I hope we can remain close friends and continue to co-parent Henry." She really needed to fix this. She needed to not have feelings for Regina. She needed to focus on Killian.
"Killian is involved in that too," Emma managed to choke out. She immediately felt her stomach clench at the obvious lie. Damn that superpower for ratting her out to herself! She plowed ahead nonetheless.
"He makes me really happy." She continued. Maybe if she said it enough times it would be true.
"I'm glad to hear that," Regina said cooly, seemingly unaffected by her words, which made Emma sad because she really wanted her to be affected. Just once. If Regina gave her a small indication of interest...any indication of interest...maybe... but she saw no point in searching for something that wasn't there. She needed to abandon ship. Find some way, any way to make the current conversation a little less awkward.
"Hey, I never finished telling you why I think you and Killian are alike," She said and nervously bit down on a fingernail.
Regina let out a frustrated groan. She was upset, no, she was livid! She and Emma were having a moment, or so she though, until Emma ruined it by bringing up her dirty pirate.
Regina took several deep breaths. She tried to calm herself, but anger was quickly overtaking her. She could feel it coursing through her veins and summoning forth her magic. For Regina, who had worked so hard to overcome her dark side, it was alarming and yet eerily empowering. She felt strong, and feeling strong was infinitely better than feeling weak as she listened to Emma compare her to her lewd, smelly, lying, good-for-nothing, sad excuse for a human, pirate boyfriend.
There was an immediate shift in the atmosphere as a heavy silence filled the air between them.
However, the silence was short lived.
"Do you smell that?" Emma asked with concern. "It smells like something is burning." It was Storybrooke, after all. The smell of fire could be anything from a burned steak to Satan, literally Satan, coming from the deepest, darkest pit of hell, to seek revenge on Rumplestiltskin for killing his mother. With that in mind Emma stood up, prepared to spring into action. She sniffed the air in an attempt at identifying the smell. It seemed close but she couldn't quite place it. Coming up short, she looked to Regina for an answer to her unspoken question, and was met with terrified eyes.
"Emma you're on-"
"Fire! Holy hell! I'm on fire!" Emma exclaimed.
Leroy, who until this point had been quietly nursing a hangover, took the opportunity to whip the diner into a frenzy by yelling, "The Evil Queen set The Savior on fire!"
All hell broke loose as patrons began to run around like chickens without heads while yelling things like "not again" and "I knew she was trouble when she walked in." Regina rolled her eyes because of course she was getting blamed for this... Ok so she was to blame for this, but she didn't do it on purpose! Contrary to popular belief, she would never purposefully set Emma on fire.
"The Evil Queen strikes again!" Leroy screamed as patrons continued to scurry out of the establishment.
From her place on the floor, Emma, who had been on the last step of the stop, drop, and roll program, overheard Leroy's use of Regina's former title, and in the most threatening voice that she could muster while being on fire cried out, "Her name...is Regina!"
Regina didn't think it was possible, but in that moment she fell more in love with Emma then ever before, because Emma could be a real pain in the ass, but she was the bravest, most beautiful, most loyal, pain in the ass Regina had ever had the pleasure of knowing.
"Calm down sister," Leroy responded.
His gruff grating voice pulled Regina out of her reverie. She magicked a bucket of water from thin air and dumped it over Emma's body.
Granny, who had only caught the last few second of Emma's ordeal, bent down and placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder.
"Are you okay," she asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Well, I'm not on fire anymore," she said and let out an awkward laugh.
Regina was relieved that she was no longer on fire, but she couldn't help but laugh because Emma, who often reminded Regina of a very loyal golden retriever, now looked like a very wet golden retriever. It was adorable.
Emma began to clumsily lift herself from the floor and Regina quickly came to her side, offering her hands for support. She accepted the offering and placed her hands in Regina's and for a few brief moments Regina swore she was in heaven. She pulled Emma up, only she wound up using more force then she intended and Emma came crashing into her, knocking them both onto the ground in a heap of tangled limbs with Emma landing on top of Regina, and Regina having to choose between being extremely mortified and extremely aroused. She could feel the heat rising from within her as the weight of Emma's body pressed against her own. Their faces were mere inches apart. She was close enough to touch, her lips close enough to taste. Regina had often imagined them like this. Their naked bodies moving together in perfect harmony. Her fingers exploring every inch of Emma's body, eliciting moans of pleasure, until she erupted into a passionate crescendo that would leave them both begging for more.
She tried to think of other things but found that she couldn't because Emma Swan was on top of her, her golden hair covering them like a curtain, protecting them from prying eyes. In that moment nothing else existed. Not Granny who had averted her gaze to allow them a moment of privacy. Not Grumpy who looked on with a mixture of horror and amusement, and certainly not Hook who had entered the diner in hopes of rescuing his girlfriend from the The Evil Queen's clutches.