Author's Note: This is a one shot that I decided to play with for one of my classes. I think it turned out well! Let me know what you think though!
"Mom, can you hear me? Mom listen Henry–," All she heard was static after that. "Dammit!" She exclaimed, clearly frustrated before she frantically looked through her contacts again.
"Regina, it's no use. At least not with the storm." Regina glared at the blonde woman who was likely to be her companion for the night, but refused to give up. She put the phone back to her ear and waited for her mother to pick up once again. As she waited, she looked outside the coffee shop's window. The sky was eerily black with specs of grey. The wind and rain mixture looked like a painter had stroked each fine line with a brush, but you couldn't see anything more.
The phone started beeping. No signal. Regina wanted to throw her phone across the room she was so angry, but instead sighed heavily and closed her eyes as she tried to calm her shaking hands and her pounding heart. Her head was spinning and all she could think about was Henry, Henry, Henry. Henry was her 12-year-old son who might or might not be home alone in this outrageous storm. The fact that she didn't know is what concerned her the most. She opened her eyes still staring out at the storm, and this time determined she started walking towards the door.
The blonde got out of her seat as soon as Regina's hand touched the doorknob. "Whoa, what are you doing?" Instead of answering, Regina pushed the door open. "You shouldn't go out there!" The blonde, Emma, was starting to worry for Regina's safety. "If you step outside this door, I'll have to go after you and neither one of us want that."
Regina looked back at Emma. Emma could tell that this woman was panicking by the way her eyes lit up. "I have to get to my son!"
With that she walked out of the coffee shop. Emma mumbled curses under her breath as she ran after the infuriating brunette. She couldn't see a thing. She was cold, and she was chasing a woman who thought she could drive in this. What a day, Emma thought.
The blonde, once outside, looked around for the brunette and called out, "Regina? Fuck. Regina!" She looked around over and over in every direction, but all she could make out was the blur of rain. Emma decided to move further away from the coffee shop all the while tracking her steps to the best of her ability. She cupped her hands around her mouth before yelling, "Regina, where are you?!" She wiped the rain from her face again and again, but to not avail. It just kept pouring.
"Emma?" Emma looked around in the direction that she heard the familiar voice.
"Regina?" Emma called back trying desperately to see the woman's figure through the rain. She didn't know why she cared enough about this woman to follow her, but she did.
"Emma, why were you—," Bam! The two women collided hitting each other's heads in the process. "Seriously?!" Regina yelled as she held her head with one of her hands.
Emma copied the motion and held her head with her hand too. "Don't be mad at me for trying to save your life!" Emma yelled back.
"I didn't ask you to come after me!" Regina yelled through the pouring rain.
"You could have been hurt!" Emma yelled, while stepping closer to the infuriating and stubborn woman.
"I was fine until you ran into me!"
"You ran into me!"
Lightning cracked less than a mile away from them making both women jump ever so slightly.
Emma sighed grabbing hold of one of Regina's hands and moving closer to the woman, so she didn't have to yell quite as loudly. "You can't help your son, Regina. You can't help him if you get hurt. Or worse… if you die in this storm. You just can't." Emma searched Regina's face for any reaction. She needed to get them both inside. It wasn't safe for either of them to be outside. "Let's just go back to the shop. We can figure out a way for you to talk to your son just please come inside with me."
Regina stared at the other woman knowing she was right even if she would never admit it out loud. She squeezed Emma's hand ever so slightly and nodded a few times in response.
"Okay," Regina said.
Emma sighed in response, relieved before leading them both back to the coffee shop and into the drier, much warmer environment.
"Gl-Glinda, do you have any towels or blankets?" Emma stammered as she and Regina walked through the chiming coffee shop door. Glinda was the coffee shop owner who was probably in her late 50s', early 60s' if Emma had to guess. She was a quiet woman always watching and rarely talking, but that's why Emma enjoyed the older woman. She watched Glinda shuffle her feet as she made her way to the backroom and then back over to Emma with the two towels hung just over her arm.
Emma and Regina both took a towel with a quiet thanks. The women were dripping wet with water. Their clothing was stuck to them, their shoes squished every time they moved, and both their hair was flat with just a bit of frizz from where parts had dried. Regina gave a quiet, breathless laugh in amusement as she attempted to dry herself off. Emma stopped drying her arm midway to look over at the brunette through slightly narrowed eyes. Regina noticed this and started laughing a bit harder.
Emma giggled despite herself, "What's so funny?"
Regina shook her head and laughed again, "I don't know."
"What?" Emma was laughing along with Regina at this point not sure what they were laughing about, but amused nonetheless.
Regina took a seat in one of the diner like booths as her laughter turned into frequent chuckles. Emma sat on the other side of the same booth table giggling and staring at this confusing woman that she met merely a few hours ago. Their chuckles and giggles turned into a comfortable silence as they sat there listening to the rain pour and the wind whistle just outside.
Emma was the first to break the silence, "So, does your kid have anybody watching him?"
"Henry," Regina beamed despite herself. Any talk of her son always brought a smile to her face. He was the one light in all the darkness that was her life. "Last time I heard from him he was hanging with a friend of his." Her smile dropped a bit as she stared at the woodcarvings on the table in front of her. "He's probably fine. I just worry about him…ever since—," She gently shook her head to clear her thoughts before looking up at Emma. "Do you have any kids?"
"Me? Uh, no."
Regina hummed an 'hmm' in response.
Emma glanced past Regina to see the raging storm outside. She wondered when it would let up.
"What brought you to this particular coffee shop today?" Emma looked back to see Regina relaxed against the seat with her hands intertwined in front of her on the table watching her. Emma met those brown eyes with her green ones every so often as she answered.
"Truthfully?" Regina nodded. "I live in the next town over and I stop here every day before I go to work as a bail bondsman."
Regina quirked an eyebrow, "You're a bail bondsman?"
"Mhmm," Emma sat back in the seat a bit more herself and crossed her arms. "What about you?"
"I'm the mayor of a small town called Storybrooke," Emma shook her head. "I am truly a mayor, dear." Regina continued a bit baffled by Emma's response.
Emma chuckled ever so slightly, "No, I mean yes, I'm sure you are, but I meant what brought you to this coffee shop?"
"Oh," Regina paused. "I went into our state's capitol to propose a bill for the teachers in the town." Regina ran her fingers through her hair absentmindedly. "They are trying to get funding to go on a week long educational trip to Boston."
"Man, I love Boston," Emma sighed happily as she situated herself so that she was sitting with her back against the wall and her legs sprawled out in front of her. "I'm actually from there."
"It's a beautiful city," Regina commented. Another wave of silence overcame the two women before she continued quietly, "I've never lived anywhere but Storybrooke my entire life."
"Never?" Emma asked as she curiously looked over at the brunette.
Regina slouched further back into the booth, "Never." Emma hummed in response.
Hours went by with the occasional conversation between the two women, but for the most part everything was quiet. Regina checked her phone for probably the umpteenth time to find the 'no signal' button was still there. She sighed irritably.
Crack. Boom. Snap. Thump.
Both women jumped in their seats all the while looking around the place for any sign of damage. They looked at each other confusedly before they got up to look out the nearest window. When they did they noticed one of the bigger trees near the shop got hit by lightening and fell on the shop's roof.
Regina squinted her eyes to try and get a better look at the fallen tree through the window and the rain, "Do you think it will cause any problems?"
Emma shrugged even though Regina wasn't looking at her, "I'm not sure."
"How reassuring," Regina drawled while giving one last look outside at the tree before turning her attention to the blonde.
Emma glanced over at Regina whose eyes were set on her or we they raking over her, "What?"
Regina chuckled as she walked away from the woman and to the back of the coffee shop where an old record player sat upon a small table. She glanced back at the blonde with a small smile.
Emma repeated with a smile, "What?"
Regina's smile grew all the while her eyes were dancing as she turned around fully to lean some of her weight back on the table. She was tired. She was stressed. She was cold, but at the same time she couldn't think of the last time she had felt this comfortable with a complete stranger and she wanted to relish that feeling.
"Do you dance?" Regina asked. Emma studied the woman in front of her not sure if she was serious, but a smile playing on her lips. "My son and I when it's storming and he gets scared we dance as a distraction, and I desperately need a good distraction right now."
Emma started walking closer to the brunette and asked, "Are you scared?"
Regina shook her head, "Not scared, but I am worried about my son." She reached out a hand, "So, what do you say?"
Emma stopped a couple of feet away from the other woman still unsure, but wanting to help Regina get out of her own head, "We don't have any music."
Regina's smile turned into a full on grin as she glanced back at the old record player, "It's not my preferred genre, but it appears Glinda has a thing for Madonna."
"And what's your preferred genre?" Emma asked.
Regina laughed, "I'll only tell you if you agree to dance with me. I'm not talking about anything fancy like the rumba, but crazy, whatever pops into your mind kind of dancing."
Emma chuckled, "You run a good bargain."
"So, is that a yes?" Regina asked and then answering the question for the blonde. "I'm taking that as a yes." Emma laughed as she shook her head, and Regina turned around to set the record and music started playing.
Emma burst out laughing upon hearing the start of the first tune, "Seriously?"
Regina laughed too before she started lip syncing to the song and swaying her body a bit to the beat, "Some boys kiss me, some boys hug me. I think they're ok."
Emma continued laughing and smiling at Regina. Regina grabbed a hold of Emma's hands with her own and twirled them both. Emma had the biggest grin on her face only singing along with Regina when the chorus started.
"Cause we are livin' in a material world, and I'm a ma-ma material girl," Both sang out as they danced and giggled.
Emma watched Regina dance and sing to the song in front of her, while she continued dancing and singing herself. This was a new side to the infuriating, stubborn woman she met hours ago. This woman was stunning and Emma found herself drowning into the woman who was Regina while they sang and danced to silly Madonna songs.
One song turned into 10 songs. The record continued playing, but the women were now sitting up against the wall closest to the record player trying to catch their breath.
Emma breathlessly chuckled, "I can't believe you got me to dance and sing to Madonna."
"It was fun and you know it," Regina laughed in between breaths looking over at the blonde.
Emma nodded, "It was fun," she looked over at Regina with a goofy smile, "So, what is your favorite genre of music?"
Regina shook her head with a huge smile and laughed, "I was hoping you would have forgotten about that conversation." Emma waited for a response urging her on with a playful lift of her eyebrows. "Jazz," Regina answered.
Emma hummed an 'hmm' before responding, "I would have pegged you for a rock kind of girl."
"Really?" Regina asked.
"Mhmm," Emma hummed out.
Regina cocked her head in thought and scrunched her face ever so slightly in thought, "Why?"
Emma shrugged, "I feel like you would have been the type of girl to rebel against her parents, but you wouldn't have wanted to steal or break anything, so instead you would have secretly listened to rock music. The ultimate rebellion."
Regina softly laughed, "Well, you weren't wrong."
Emma scrunched her face softly in disbelief, "Seriously?"
Regina nodded with a smile that showed a bit of teeth, "Yes, seriously." Regina chuckled at Emma's facial expressions before continuing, "My father used to listen to jazz whenever my mother was out of the house, and I don't know…" She shrugged. "It just stuck with me." Her toothy smile was reduced down to a small smile at the fond memory.
Emma gave a lipped smile in response, "You and your father seem close."
Regina nodded, "We are." She looked down at her hands before looking back over at the blonde. "Are you and your father close?"
Emma's smile slowly faded away with that one question as her eyes fell to her hands, "I, um, I actually never knew my father… or mother." Regina took in Emma's expression and patiently waited for her to continue not wanting to interrupt. "The only type of family I've ever known are the families I interacted with in each foster home I stayed at."
Regina pursed her lips in thought at that declaration from Emma. She didn't feel sorry for the woman, but she sympathized with her. Yet, the only words that she could think to say were—"I'm sorry, Emma."
Emma looked up and met Regina's eyes with a sad small smile and shrugged, "It wasn't all bad."
Emma and Regina sat in comfortable silence for a moment or two giving Emma the time to look out the window at the back of the coffee shop. She saw a few fallen trees, her yellow bug parked just outside, and—wait she could see them. Emma stood up and walked over to the window to peek out it not believing her eyes.
Regina eyed Emma, "What's wrong?"
Emma continued to stare out the window, "It stopped raining." Emma glanced back at the brunette and then back outside again.
"It stopped raining?" Regina repeated to herself before realization hit, and she stood up and walked over to where Emma was looking out the window. "Wow, it stopped raining."
Emma nodded looking over at Regina, "Yeah." She should be excited to get away from this woman, but now that the moment was here she couldn't help but be disappointed or maybe even sad.
Regina caught Emma's eyes and saw her feelings reflected in the other woman's eyes, but quickly composed herself.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Emma," Regina took Emma's hand and shook it. Emma didn't know how to respond to that, so she stayed silent. "I should probably head back home to my son and make sure that he is all right." Emma nodded wordlessly as her and Regina stared at each other for a few moments still holding each other's hand. Regina gave the hand a slight squeeze.
"Yeah," Emma finally got out. She dropped their joint hand after a moment or two longer instantly missing the contact.
Regina smiled ever so slightly before walking over to grab her things and calling out to the old coffee shop owner, "Glinda, thank you for allowing me to stay in your shop through the storm."
The older woman smiled, "You best come back again."
Regina nodded with a smile, "Of course." She walked back over to where the blonde still stood, "I guess this is goodbye." Regina hoped that the blonde would say something, anything to make her stay in this spot a bit longer.
Yet, Emma couldn't form a single coherent thought as she stared at the stunning brunette in front of her. She wanted to say something to keep her here, but didn't know if anything she said would.
"Bye, Regina," Emma finally got out with a small, sad smile.
Regina eyed the blonde a moment longer before she smiled and reached out to squeeze her arm affectionately. When she was done, she turned around, waved to the coffee shop owner, and walked out the door to her car.
Emma didn't know what got into her, but when the door shut something snapped. She quickly half jogged to the door and out to where she found the brunette about to get into her car.
"Regina!" Emma called.
Regina upon being called tilted her head a bit and scrunched her face ever so slightly as she spotted the blonde, "Emma?"
Emma jogged up so that she was less than a foot away from Regina putting her hand on the car door, "Do you want to go out sometime…with me?"
Regina stared at the blonde who she was starting to find to be endearing, "I have to check on my—"
Emma interrupted, "Not right now, but maybe tomorrow or even the next day?" She paused. "That is if you are even into women—I don't know—because we never talked about it—but," Emma rambled.
Regina breathed out a chuckle and nodded with a growing smile, "Tomorrow at 6. Pick me up at 108 Mifflin Street in Storybrooke and don't be late."
"Tomorrow, 108 Mifflin Street Storybrooke at 6," Emma repeated and grinned.
Regina chuckled again in amusement, "Then it's a date." She glanced down at her car then back up at Emma.
"Oh, yeah," Emma giggled as she let go of the car door and stepped back. "Tomorrow at 6." She repeated still not sure how she just pulled that off.
Regina shook her head with a grin of her own as she slipped into her car and started her vehicle. She rolled down the window and looked at the blonde who she once found irritating and said, "See you tomorrow, Emma."
"See you tomorrow," Emma repeated and with that she watched Regina back up the car.
Regina looked over at Emma through the still open window with a smile. She hadn't expected her day to end up like this, but she also couldn't complain.
Regina waved at Emma who returned the wave before Regina drove off. Who would have thought a ferocious storm of darkness was able to produce a bit of light throughout the night?