Okay so this is a not-so-little one-shot for a very special someone's birthday! And it's like 3 days late, ooops!
This story is for you my dear, I hope you enjoy it, and that you have a very wonderful birthday, as well as an amazing year!
Everyone, go wish the fabulous MissLane a very happy birthday, even if it is late!
This was inspired by a prompt that I found, but I won't share yet because of spoilers!
Enjoy!
The History Department at Storybrooke University was interesting, if Emma had to describe it in one word. The department was situated inside an old Victorian style mansion on campus, and the faculty offices were located in what used to be a large drawing room. Fittingly enough, the space practically screamed history, and after a year of working there, she could hardly believe she was working in such a unique and prestigious place. Basically every single history professor on the eastern seaboard aspired to work there, so she felt at home, with like-minded and diverse coworkers.
Of course, the world-renown university did have its downsides. The main one was the Dean, Professor Gold. He was a fossil, as a few had claimed, and probably had come with the University's founding in 1880. He had draconian laws for how the place should run, and had little tolerance or mercy to anyone who disobeyed them. Legend went that a few years ago, a psych professor, nicknamed Happy because of his easy-going demeanour and the smile that always graced his face, had broken one of the dean's laws. He was swiftly fired and shunned from the academic community; he had been ostracized to the point that he now was a free spirit roaming the great out there. Emma had expected him to have been responsible for plagiarizing or something equally horrific, but it was nothing so drastic. His crime? Making bunny ears on the dean during a faculty picnic while a picture was being taken. In Gold's book, that was mockery of the dean, and he acted accordingly.
But as she had been warned, as long as she stayed away from him, she would be fine. So that was her grand plan, it had worked for the first year, she could keep it up.
"Hey Em!" Emma looked up from her desk and saw Ruby approaching her, slipping her satchel off and going to sit by the edge of her desk. She taught history of literature, and had a sharp tongue, as well as the proclivity for lewd comments. "Had a good summer?"
"Yeah, lots of sun and a nice stay-cation soaking up the sun in the backyard pool, you?" Emma grinned, leaning back in her chair, knowing she wasn't going to get anymore work done while her coworker was there. Not that she minded at all, the reprieve was great.
Ruby shrugged. "A lot less sun than I would've wanted. My granny roped me into helping her with the summer shifts at her diner." She rolled her eyes and added, "She refuses on hiring more people because it removes the 'authenticity' of the place. It's a nostalgic tourist trap, nothing special about it. But anyway, enough about me and my clearly uninteresting summer, ready to face a bunch of freshmen?"
The school year was starting once again, and when Emma had been walking to the office, she could see returning students excitedly greeting their friends, while fresh-faced new students were nervously trying to figure out where to go. As the professor of introductory history, aptly named History 101, she was tasked with making sure those confused newcomers were ready for the rest of their post-secondary career in the historical arts. But she didn't mind teaching the daunting 101 class; she did mind having to deal with the less-enlightened thinking that this was a bird course and therefore would not do any of the work.
Before Emma could answer, a telltale clack of heels echoed through the hallway outside, and the mood inside the room shifted. That would be downside number two. Where there had previously been languid faculty members getting their day started, there were now alert professors purposely making their way around the room to gather their papers and prepare for the day ahead. Even Ruby moved to sit on the chair in front of Emma's desk, as was expected. Everyone knew better than to get on Professor Regina Mills' bad side, especially so early in the year. That was like signing their notice of termination before they had even gotten a chance to talk about their syllabus. She had garnered the reputation of being a stone cold terror, and she lived up to it.
As she walked in, Professor Mills tersely greeted the faculty she met, hardly any genuine smiles, nor even asking anyone about their summer.
"Professor Lucas," Regina curtly said before continuing her walk to her office, barely sparing her a glance. As head of the department, she got her own cushy office. It was a privilege for her and to other senior members of the department who got a smaller but still private room. As the rookie professor, Emma got a desk in the bullpen, and was often drafted as the department's secretary, manning the phones.
Ruby's lips lifted into an uneasy smile as she whipped around and nodded in response to the greeting. "Good morning Professor Mills!"
She got no response, save for the door slamming shut.
"Oh well, better than nothing. Though ouch to you Swan, no greeting from the boss, you'll be in for a tough year," Ruby sympathetically said as she turned back to face her coworker.
Emma shrugged, having not even bothered to fix her posture when she heard Regina approaching. "Meh, not like she's gonna fire me."
"I'll remind you that this is our boss?" Ruby stated, just in case Emma was too sleepy to have realized it.
"Yep, I know. Well, I gotta go for my first class," Emma sighed, grabbing her laptop bag and a manila folder filled with stapled copies of her syllabus.
Ruby snorted. "I'll prep a pillow on your desk for you to headdesk on when you come back teaching them young'uns how to spell."
Emma grinned and left, going to the other side of the house where the dining room used to be. According to the history book she had read on the place, a rich duchess with a penchant for opulent social gatherings had commissioned this house to be built so she could use it exclusively to host parties. That was why the rooms were huge, and could certainly fit all the students in her first class. There were three long tables arranged in a U formation, facing her and the board. Her first class was about to start, and her first hundred students were glancing around nervously at her.
As the clock struck nine, Emma leaned against the podium and smiled at her students who were either pale as a sheet or stiff as statues. "Relax, I'm your professor, not your executioner. I promise that all the terrors you've been fed about university are mostly wrong: I won't froth at the mouth as I give you a 50,000 page essay due tomorrow, you won't fail after one assignment, and I don't lock the door the minute that clock reaches the hour. This is your first university class class so I understand that it's somewhat daunting. But I'm a cool prof, so I promise I won't breathe fire. Now-"
Before she could continue, the doors slammed open, and none other than Regina Mills walked in, hips swaying sensually and a look in her face that just radiated power. Rather than stay slack-jawed at Regina's entrance, Emma quickly recuperated and turned back to her students, who were now eyeing the newcomer apprehensively. "Ah, now folks, you get to meet her majesty herself, Regina Mills, department head, and the exact antithesis of everything that I just told you about me."
Regina came to a stop beside her and narrowed her eyes at Emma. She also spoke only to the students, a more genuine smile on her face. "I'm Professor Regina Mills, and like Ms. Swan said, I'm also the department head, so I can help you with any questions or doubts you have about the program. And if you find that this class is giving you issues, we have a longstanding tradition of hosting a study hall, where professors and more senior students help out struggling students figure out the class. Now, I will let you get back to this, I'm sure you need every minute to understand everything."
With a last meaningful look, Regina left, and Emma let out a soft sigh while smiling tersely and looked at her students. "Well, now that the celebrity introductions are over with, let's get the syllabus passed around..."
"So, I heard you and Regina clashed during one of your classes..." it was lunchtime, and the history department had a glass room for the faculty to eat in. Due to the atmosphere, the rest of the university often went there to eat lunch too. Now Archie, a psych professor, was standing in front of her, a soft smile on his face. He wordlessly gestured to the other chair by her table to see if he could sit down.
Emma nodded and then scoffed. "We didn't clash, we just bantered a bit."
"That's not what I heard." Archie took out his modest meal of a homemade burger and started eating.
"Wait what?" Emma frowned. "Was she complaining?"
Archie swallowed and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Well, I assume her mother heard it from someone, and she is raising a storm."
Emma groaned. If Regina Mills was a terror, then Cora Mills was nightmarish. And speak of the devil...
"Professor Swan!" The elder Mills woman had a voice that just instinctively had Emma shooting up from her seat and standing stiff; not even her toughest professor while she had been a student made her feel so scared. Even the rest of the room quieted at her dramatic entrance.
She slowly turned and saw Cora strutting up to her, furious. "Yes Professor?"
"Tell me, have you ever heard of professional courtesy?"
Emma didn't quite understand the connection at first, and she faltered in answering.
"Come on Professor, tell me there is a brain somewhere in there and that I'm not talking to a walking post?" Cora's words were cutting.
"Yes, I have heard. Why?" Emma ground out.
"I'm glad you asked! Tell me, does your professional code include badmouthing a fellow professor, and incidentally your superior? Grow up, otherwise you'll find yourself fired. Do I make myself clear?"
Emma nodded. "Crystal."
After she left, the din returned, and Emma sat down. Archie was cringing. "Well then, that's another way to start the school year."
She could only groan as she sunk her head into her hands.
But Emma had figured that she could at least end the day in peace. That wasn't to be however.
"Did you hear? Apparently Gold is thinking of taking out study hall," Ruby commented a few hours later as they made their way to their next classes.
"What!? Doesn't he know how much that helps students?" Emma was flabbergasted.
"Yep, but he figures that spending university resources and the faculty for it is a waste. He apparently believes that if students are struggling, they should find alternate means of remedial classes on their own time and dime."
Emma taught her evening class on Greek tragedy fuming. She could certainly connect to some of the protagonists from the works they would be reading, and as she showed her students the books they should purchase, she felt enraged. Gold's rules were impossible to deal with, but this decision directly affected the students, and she would not allow this to stand.
Suffice it to say that while she was driving back home, she was glad to be done for the day and that she would get to relax with her family. Surely together they could find some way to resolve this together.
As she turned onto the driveway, she glanced at the light filtering through the windows. This was home, and she could finally relax. She sighed, a goofy smile on her face, and she slipped on a wedding band onto her ring finger and gathered her stuff before getting out of the car and walking up the walkway to the front door.
The minute she went through the threshold, she heard a squeal and, "MAMA!"
The little patter of feet came next and Emma barely managed to turn before her six year old son crashed against her legs. She shucked off her leather jacket and her boots before picking up the boy with a messy mop of brown hair and an infectious grin. "Hey kid! Are you sure you didn't grow a few inches while I was working?"
He giggled and shook his head. "No mama, that's silly!"
"Me? Silly? Never!" That just made him giggle harder and she carried him back to the living room where he had been busy colouring and watching TV. "Alright, so why don't you get back to what you were doing, and I'm going to go see your mom."
"She's making dinner!" he said as she set him down, as if she needed the clue.
Emma ruffled his hair and made her way to the kitchen, where indeed she could smell dinner being made, and her gorgeous wife standing there with an apron. Regina looked up when she heard someone approach the doorway, and smiled at Emma.
"Come to help me?"
After making a show of thinking, she approached the brunette. "Hmmm nope, first I came to get something."
She closed the gap between them and kissed Regina soundly on the lips.
Now, you might be wondering what's going on. See, in reality, Regina and Emma have been married for over six years. However, one of Gold's terms of employment dictate that there are to be no relationships between faculty. No married professors can both work at the school. The exact reason why is unknown, but in order for them both to work there, they've kept their relationship under wraps, and in order to further solidify it, they pretend to hate each other.
Once they broke apart, Regina chuckled and asked, "How was your day?"
Emma gave a long-suffering groan. "Terrible. My boss was insufferable and then her mother came in all dramatic and berated me at lunch as if I was guilty of some heinous crime."
A voice spoke from the doorway, "In my defense, you two did tell me to make it good, and I did do a minor in dramatic arts."
They both looked to the source of the voice and saw Cora standing there, a glass of wine in hand. She was a particularly cultured woman, prone to enjoying a glass of wine after a long or complicated day. The first day of classes certainly constituted as one of those days for the head of the English department, so she would nurse that glass and probably be well into a bottle for dinner time. As you can probably guess, she didn't actually hate Emma, and supported her daughter's marriage, but she liked to pretend that she despised Emma if it helped to sell their cover. It worked quite well last year, and they were up for a repeat performance.
"Oh you went above and beyond; I was quivering, and hell, if I was a bit distracted, I might've saluted you." Emma shuddered, even she believed the hatred for a second there. But it was worth it if it meant that she could work with Regina. She hoped she would soon enough be able to be open with her relationship to the school.
A chortle was heard and Henry Sr. came in. "You wouldn't be the first; Cora has a commanding presence."
No one could disagree. Regina huffed, "What I don't understand is why I have to be the raging bitch in this scenario..."
"Well it wouldn't really make much sense for the newbie to be spewing vitriol all over her boss, that would be insubordination. Plus, I'm a mysterious enigma around campus."
All three Millses snorted and chortled in laughter. "Oh come on, I am!"
Regina tried to flash Emma a reassuring smile between her titters and added, "Dear, you aren't mysterious, you're always sharing stories, I hear you talking."
Emma huffed and crossed her arms petulantly, prompting Regina to kiss her on the cheek.
"Now, let's get dinner finished shall we? I think the younger Henry is getting a bit famished," Henry Sr. commented, clasping his hands together.
Cora gave him a look. "Yes, because Henry Senior isn't at all starving..."
He gave a noncommittal hum, holding back a grin, but threw a wink over at Regina and Emma.
Together they finished preparing the meal, while Emma fumed about Gold.
"I mean, does he have no consideration for anyone else?!"
Cora shook her head. "Not particularly. He has a certain way for doing things and ideas about how the school should run, and clearly, this is his newest pet project, saving money."
"Surely there's another way to save money without removing an integral part of how we run things?" Regina started to stab at the salad so Emma intervened with a reassuring hand.
"We just have to show that no one wants to end study hall," Emma said confidently. "We'll get him to change his mind."
The history department's office was bursting with enthusiasm as Emma roused her coworkers to their current plight, and how they would try to campaign and convince the dean that his idea was not a sound one. Sure the department wasn't that big, only twenty strong, but they could then spread the word to the others and get a real movement going.
"Professor Swan!" The excited sounds died out at the clipped call, and Emma wheeled around to face the source, Regina. "What the hell kind of party are you hosting?"
Emma didn't even flinch at the words; they had agreed on a plan last night. "Hey you're just in time, want to help us convince Gold he should keep the study hall?"
Everyone waited with baited breath.
"Are you positively insane, professor?"
A beat and then... "Of course I want to help convince Gold, but gung-hoing it like this isn't going to get you anywhere, so I will handle it, lest you want to get fired."
Going completely off-script, Emma grinned and said, "See? I knew you cared about me! Hiding all that love beneath your fury, you're definitely sneaky!"
A murmur went over the small crowd near her. Regina's shock was apparent and she was even shaking in her fury - though to be honest, Emma wasn't sure if the fury was part of the act.
"Professor Swan," Regina began, a little too calm and collected for Emma's tastes. "My office. Now!"
The calm before the storm indeed. Regina whipped around and took quick, clipped steps towards her office, and Emma followed a few moments later, wondering if she had actually upset her wife.
"Close the door after yourself," Regina said as she crossed the threshold, and came to a stop a few paces inside, turning as Emma followed her instructions and stood in front of the closed door, hands deep in her jean's pockets.
Emma was caught by surprise when Regina rushed forward and crashed their lips together, her back thumping against the door. Their kiss was messy and rough and Emma was in heaven. She loved these make-out sessions. They were so fulfilling, and the forbidden nature just made things so much more interesting.
Out in the bullpen, the rest of the faculty was just getting over their shocks. They heard a few muffled thumps, and Ruby piped up, "So, do you think they're having hot hate sex?"
"Ruby!" came the shocked ad disproving tone of Mary Margaret. She taught Women's History, and was proudly one of the few who were in Regina's good graces.
"I'm telling you, they're secretly banging, They have more chemistry than a science lab, and if sparks aren't flying between them, then something has to be going between them," Ruby continued.
Another voice piped, up, August, he taught 20th century history. "I will remind you that there's a rule against inter-faculty relationships..."
Ruby snorted. "As if that ever stopped anyone."
As Regina's office door opened and Emma stepped out, not looking much worse for wear than when she entered the office, their discussion stopped. Regina stepped out behind her, looking regal as ever.
"The rest of you, don't worry about planning anything, I will handle it." The rest of the faculty dispersed, and the only two remaining in their spots were Ruby and Mary Margaret.
"You don't really think they're together, do you?" Mary Margaret asked silently.
"You also noticed the subtle lipstick marks?" Ruby responded just as quietly.
"What?" On closer inspection, Mary Margaret did notice that Emma's lips did seem redder. "How did you even see that?!"
Ruby grinned and flashed Emma a dismissive wave when the other woman noticed that Ruby was still with Mary Margaret and gave her a puzzling look. The two brunettes had never been that close, considering their tastes differed greatly, so Emma's surprise was warranted. But she accepted Ruby's wave and sat down on her desk, focusing on work.
"I just have really good eyesight. Now come on, don't tell me a little part of you is curious? It's not like we know a lot about them," Ruby smirked mischievously.
Mary Margaret bit her lip and then agreed. "Okay, let's do this; what's the plan?"
Ruby pondered it for a moment. "Well if they are banging," - she ignored Mary Margaret's apparent distaste for the term and continued - "then they wouldn't do it here. They would meet after class. The thing is to find their place."
"Place?" Mary Margaret repeated.
"Yeah, like are they getting together at one of their houses-"
"Not Regina's," Mary Margaret interjected. At Ruby's questioning look, she added, "Regina's married and has a son, she wouldn't do that there."
"Married huh? That makes things so much more interesting." Ruby was known as a lover of juicy gossip, and this definitely counted as one. She loved to investigate to see if the rumours were true. "Now, research. You have to see when our intrepid boss is leaving, and I'll tackle Emma."
"Are you sure this isn't wrong? I mean, it is their business and we have no right to be fishing around, and I don't think Regina is the kind to cheat..."
Ruby scoffed. "of course it's wrong, but you're curious, and we would know the truth. Come on, if we don't find anything today we can leave it be, deal?"
Mary Margaret agreed, and they parted ways after adding the other to their respective contact list.
Ruby walked over to Emma's desk. Emma looked up and gave her the same puzzling look. "When did you get so cozy with Mary Margaret?"
"Just recently. She's not that bad, when you get over the 80's housewife wardrobe and values, but anyway, what happened over in Regina's office?"
Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing, she just reprimanded me on trying to make a fool of myself and to leave the campaigning to her, who would know what to do as she has more experience and has been here longer. I didn't even fight her on it, just want this day to end really."
Building from that, Ruby asked, "Gonna try to leave early then?"
"Yeah, no evening classes, so I'm gonna book it out of here as soon as my last class is done. Got nothing to grade yet, so I'll enjoy my freedom a bit more," Emma smiled brightly.
Ruby wagged her brows and said, "Got a hot date Swan?"
Thankfully, she asked that often, so Emma didn't think much of the relatively direct question, and just rolled her eyes, keeping her smile in place. "Yeah fine, I've got a hot date, so I'm gonna leave at 6 okay?"
"Perfect," Ruby grinned, and she left Emma to it, going to text Mary Margaret.
Mary Margaret meanwhile, wasn't sure how she was going to tackle this. She was in Regina's good graces, but they were never friends per se, so prodding might not get the results she expected. She saw Ruby's text and got an idea.
"Hey Regina, have a moment?" she asked, poking her head inside the office.
Regina looked up, and with a barely noticeable smile, she beckoned her inside. "Of course, what can I do for you?"
"About the study hall campaign, I was wondering if I could run some ideas by with you?" Mary Margaret asked, keeping a straight-face. Her husband, David, the Sheriff of Storybrooke, always told her she had a terrible poker face, and it wasn't going to help her now.
"Certainly, if you wish to sit down we could-"
"Actually, I was wondering if we could do it later? Like at around 6? Meet for coffee perhaps?" Mary Margaret added. "I have a class starting soon and then I promised a friend I would help her move in later you know."
Regina frowned at the time. "I can't. I'm leaving at 5:30-"
"Special plans with the family?" Mary Margaret coyly asked.
"Yes, it's our anniversary," Regina said, smiling softly.
"Ah, then tomorrow!" she beamed, and left the office to go text Ruby.
It was decided, Mary Margaret would tail Regina to her destination, and Ruby would follow Emma. Then they would know. They knew very little about their boss and their co-worker, but the two of them had an undeniable pull, it was impossible they weren't acting on it, even if it was just hate sex.
Ruby pressed a button by her steering wheel to pick up Mary Margaret's call. "Hey, Emma just got on the highway."
"Yeah, and Regina has just arrived. I think this is her house...she's talking to her neighbours, and there's a young boy who I'm guessing is her son, so this is definitely her place. Maybe you were wrong, and they're not...together."
"Nah, that can't be it. Maybe they meet another day?" Ruby wondered out loud. "So where is Regina's house?"
"Near Portland. It's a nice neighbourhood."
Ruby smirked. "Guess who just got out on the exit for Portland?"
She heard Mary Margaret's gasp. "You don't think..."
Not fifteen minutes later, and Ruby parked her car nearby and continued comparing notes. "The big white house?"
In a rare moment, Ruby heard Mary Margaret swear. "Holy shit."
Emma had just gotten out of her car, and she walked right over to Regina sitting by the porch, and kissed her soundly on the lips. When they parted , she kept her arms around Regina's middle. "Hey, how was the rest of your day?"
"Pretty good, and now we can celebrate. Happy anniversary my love," Regina murmured, enjoying getting to be herself. Then she looked beyond Emma and frowned. "Emma, what kind of car does Ruby drive?"
Her wife frowned at the subject change. And a random one at that. "A bright red hunk of junk I think."
Regina snorted in laughter and veered off-topic. "A hunk of junk is a bit hypocritical from the woman who's driving a yellow deathtrap."
Emma still defended her car. "The beetle is a good car okay? Now, why are you so interested in Ruby's car make?"
Rather than answer, she just nodded to where she saw a bright red car matching the description parked by the curb a few houses down.
"Oh boy." They broke apart and Emma fished for her phone.
Ruby answered after a ring. There was a background noise as if she was rummaging through something and she hastily answered, "Hey Em, what's up?"
"Ruby, what are you doing outside my house?" Emma asked tersely. Their cover couldn't be blown just like that.
"I-I'm not outside your house," Ruby responded. "I'm at home, watching TV."
"Really? So that's not your car I'm looking at, with someone inside who shoved sunglasses on her face and is trying to sink in her seat even though she is tall as hell and therefore isn't succeeding on it at all?"
"Yep. Not me at all." Ruby had cheek, Emma had to give her that.
"So what would happen if I went over there to talk to the driver hmm?" Emma asked, already making her way closer.
"Okay okay fine I give in! But it was Mary Margaret's idea!"
Emma narrowed her eyes and sighed, looking around. "Is Mary Margaret here too?"
"Mary Margaret?! Were they following us?" Regina hissed. "I am going to murder them."
To Regina, Emma said, "Relax babe, we'll handle this." To Ruby, she said, "Alright, tell Mary Margaret to surrender herself and both of you, come here."
Five minutes later, the couple was staring at Ruby and Mary Margaret both sporting sheepish looks.
"Now what the hell is this about, and give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you both?" Regina commanded.
Mary Margaret stepped up to the plate. "Well Ruby and I were curious as to your unique...relationship so we decided to investigate!"
"Yeah, you two were always giving off those sexual tension vibes and being so mysterious and you can't blame us for being curious," Ruby added.
Emma smirked at Regina. "See? Told you I was mysterious."
Regina merely rolled her eyes, but nodded at the two other professors in front of them. "I suppose I understand that we acted a bit peculiar, Gold's rule does make my marriage to Emma-"
"Wait, marriage!?" Both women spluttered.
"We thought you two were dating or something..." Ruby was gaping.
Emma showed her left hand and the golden band that most certainly wasn't there earlier. "Married for six years and counting."
Regina cleared her throat and smiled at the dumbstruck women. "I think we should take this inside and let our coworkers sit down and stop their heads from reeling."
They moved inside, and they saw Henry, as he was introduced to them, playing on the living room floor. Regina led them to their study, and gestured for them to sit.
There, they explained their stories.
"We met in college," Emma began. "She was two years above me and was my tutor for a killer ancient China history class. We started to date and despite the fact that Regina graduated, we still kept dating. Regina did her masters and immediately got a job here because of her mother, and rose the ranks to become the department head quickly enough," Emma smirked and added, "and they say nepotism is dead."
Regina scoffed and continued. "I knew Emma wanted to work here too, so I kept quiet about who I was married to. My parents had told me about how my father was gently prodded to retire by Gold because they were married and he had imposed this ridiculous rule, so I knew that there was no chance to convince him to let Emma get hired if he knew we were married. And here we are."
Ruby nodded, impressed. "You guys fooled me for a year, so kudos."
"You guys have to promise us you won't tell anyone, okay?" Emma pleaded. "This is really important to us and we can't afford to have the word spread."
Both women agreed, and then Ruby offered. "What if we help you take that rule out?"
"How? We don't even know why he has that rule in the first place, except maybe that he's a lonely old codger and doesn't want to see us happily working together."
Ruby frowned. "Your parents don't know the reason? I do."
"What? What's the reason?" Regina asked, very curious.
And so Ruby told them. "The librarian, Belle, told me that one night Gold spilled the beans to her. Apparently he was once married, but his lady Milah split. It was a nasty divorce, and apparently half the faculty sided with her and a good chunk of them quit with her, and it was a disaster of a school year. So he tries to avoid having the same thing happen by not hiring any married couple. Told you it pays to check out rumours."
Emma made a face. "Seriously? We have to keep our relationship secret because he lost his wife and half the faculty?"
"So what if we got him together with someone?" Mary Margaret suggested.
They brainstormed for ideas on potential candidates.
"How about Belle?" Emma suggested after a while.
Regina shrugged. "Worth a shot."
After the two other women left, Emma and Regina could finally relax.
"Now can we celebrate our anniversary?" Emma asked, pulling Regina close to her.
"Of course," Regina smirked before giving Emma a soft kiss. "Now come on, we need to get dinner ready."
As they got the food prepared, with even Henry pitching in, they got to talking about this plan the four women had concocted.
"Do you think it can work?" Regina voiced her worry as she stirred the pot of pasta. "What if it backfires and Gold fires one of us?"
Emma paused her vegetable cutting and made sure to put the knife safely away before she wrapped her arms around Regina, her front molding against her wife's back. "We have to try. We're happily married and it's about time we get to be open to our coworkers."
Regina chuckled and smiled, and it grew wider when Emma kissed her cheek. Then she pouted and sighed dramatically. "The only downside is that I will lose my reputation as a stone-cold terror, because you can rest assured that I will take every opportunity to kiss you, and that's not exactly stone-cold."
Emma grinned. "Oh come on, I'm sure you can do that sacrifice. I mean, I'm willing to sacrifice my reputation of the mysterious enigma."
"You have no such reputation dear," Regina chortled.
"I beg to differ!" One swift look from Regina made her give in. "Anyway, the point is that we might as well try, right?"
Regina agreed. "Otherwise, we'll figure something else out. I refuse to let that man continue on making ridiculous decrees."
And the plan was in place. Ruby would try to get Belle to show interest in him, while Regina would talk to her mother, and try to convince Gold to make a move on going out on a date with Belle.
Meanwhile, Mary Margaret and Emma would search other likely candidates. Ruby had been right, Mary Margaret wasn't actually that bad, she had a hidden mischievous streak, and she was determined to help Emma and Regina.
"Regina was one of the first people to be kind to me. Everyone wrote me off as a Stepford wife or something, and wouldn't give me the time of day. Regina actually treated me with respect. I would never say we reached the friends stage, but she's the closest one I have, though now you and Ruby are also there too," Mary Margaret explained when Emma asked why she wanted to help them so much.
Regina had mentioned Mary Margaret before, but Emma had avoided her because it wouldn't have helped their cover if she got too close to both of them and put 2 and 2 together.
"What do you think of Ingrid?" Emma asked, tapping her picture from the roster of faculty employed.
Mary Margaret nodded slowly. "She could work too, but hopefully it won't come to that."
Meanwhile, Regina was getting a visit from her mother. "Apparently Gold agreed to a dinner with us."
Regina frowned. "Me too? Why?"
With a sigh, Cora said, "Because he didn't bite the original idea about a date with a faculty member, so a dinner with coworkers was the next best option. You can use this time to also convince him to stop his ridiculous abandon the study hall idea while we wait to set him up on a dinner with Belle."
And so the day was set. Ruby would be taking Belle out for a nice girl's night out, and Gold would be meeting with the Mills women.
"Really, I think the university benefits from having the study hall."
Gold shook his head. "No no, it's a waste of money. This is an educational institution, not a tutoring center. If someone wants extra help, they can do it with their own resources."
Cora gave Regina a look to get her to step off. Thankfully, Ruby and Belle were coming in right that moment. Regina flagged them down, and was all smiles when she greeted them, as if they were old friends. If Belle and Ruby were surprised and confused at the change, they didn't voice it. They went along with it, and as they were talking, Emma called Regina. Of course, Gold didn't know it was Emma, and he only watched as Regina grew more panicked.
"Is Henry okay? Yes, I'll be there." She hung up and shot everyone an apologetic look. "Henry fell down and I must go back home and take care of him."
"I'll go with you," Cora stated in a no-nonsense voice, leaving no room for argument. "I'll go see if the restaurant can fetch us a cab."
"A cab? I can drive you!" Ruby pitched in, just as they had planned.
Gold cleared his throat. "And Belle?"
"I came with my car, they can leave." Belle dismissed the worry. She didn't know about the whole plan, so all three women were surprised at her inadvertently working along with them. Just then, the waiter arrived with some bread, and Belle added to Gold, "We shouldn't waste this bread, so shall we stay?"
Ruby ushered the two Mills women out before Gold could disagree, and as she drove them back, she said, "I think Belle wins MVP on this mission."
"Yes, it seems the librarian might actually have feelings for him," Cora noted, surprised. "Our little production went off without a hitch! Now hopefully we can reap the fruits of our labour soon enough."
Ruby dropped the Mills women and the minute they arrived, Emma practically jumped on them.
"How did it go?" she was quick to ask.
"We think it went well, at least as far as our planning went, everything went without a hitch," Regina smiled, going to kiss Emma to relax her. "It's going to work out."
Emma gave a shaky smile, letting out a breath. "Yeah, heh, meanwhile, Henry made it into an operation while you were away, Operation Cobra."
Regina found that adorably hilarious, and listened to every word when Henry sleepily explained it to her. It was late for him, but he still felt he had to tell his other mother about how the operation worked. "It's emper-emperor!"
"Imperative?" Regina supplied, and Henry nodded.
He dozed off soon after, and went over to her and Emma's room.
She closed the door, and walked up to the base of the bed. Emma was reading, a cute pair of reading glasses perched on her nose. She was distracted and didn't notice Regina standing there at first. Regina had to rectify that. She got up on all fours on top of the bed, and began crawling up Emma's legs slowly.
Emma finally noticed and put the book down. She bookmarked the page and put the book away, but kept her glasses on. "Something on your mind Mills?" she asked, a smirk on her face.
Regina straddled Emma's waist and leaned forward until their lips were almost touching. "Certainly. I was thinking of a celebration for tonight's success..."
"We haven't exactly gotten Gold to change his mind yet," Emma countered.
"If you rather we didn't celebrate," Regina said dismissively, beginning to move her head away.
But Emma placed her hands on Regina's cheeks and pulled her back and firmly kissed her. It quickly turned into a deep kiss, their tongues moving against one another as they moved back so that Emma was lying down and Regina was hovering above her. When they parted for air, Regina removed Emma's glasses from her face, and braced her hands on either side of Emma's head. "Now," she jerked her hips and made Emma let out a sinfully delicious moan. "Do you want to celebrate?"
"Yes," Emma breathed, raising her hips a bit. Regina gladly complied, swiftly removing all of Emma's clothes and appreciating her wife's naked figure before her. She began kissing every inch of skin she could, reveling in the moans that Emma uttered. Gasps and sighs only fueled her more, and Regina was determined to make her lover go absolutely mad with ecstasy.
After a particularly kiss that nipped at her skin, Emma moaned. "Fuck."
"That's the plan dear," Regina smirked, and she got to work.
The next day, Emma was practically asking Ruby every five minutes if she had heard any news from Belle about how the night had gone.
"Emma, I haven't! If you're so curious, go ask her yourself," Ruby said at one moment after the tenth time she had asked. It was lunchtime, and Emma was making her edgy.
"I barely know her! It'd be weird if I asked her about it!" Emma countered.
Ruby gave her a pointed look. "Then? Just let her come to me soon enough. I've sent her a text."
As if she had timed it, Ruby's phone buzzed right then.
"What is it? Is it Belle?" Emma quickly asked.
Ruby groaned. "If you don't shut up I swear I won't tell you."
Emma frowned and petulantly crossed her arms. "Fine."
"She says that it didn't go anywhere. It was a respectable dinner between colleagues," Ruby said, reading from the text. "He didn't even pay. What a jackass."
So they were back to square one.
"Got a plan B?" Ruby asked.
"We'll think of something," Emma said.
The opportunity for plan B came a week later, during a meeting with all the university's faculty.
Gold stood in the front of the room. "It has come to my attention that quite a few people are unhappy with my decision to remove the study hall, so I decided to open this up for a vote. We'll hear some opinions from both sides, allow for a few comments or questions, and then vote."
There weren't that many people with a speech, but Emma was one of them. Once she was done, she waited for any questions.
Regina raised her hand.
"Uh, yes Professor Mills?" Emma prompted.
"I actually agree with Professor Swan, this is an important program, and eliminating it would do a great disservice to this institution and what made it so great."
There was a hush of murmurs. Everyone knew about the infamous hatred between Emma and Regina. For them to agree with something was very surprising. Many people who were in agreement with Gold were now reconsidering. If they were in agreement, then it meant that it would be unwise to go against them.
By voting time, nearly everyone was in disagreement with Gold, and he was forced to acquiesce, thereby keeping the program.
Then Emma raised her hand.
"Yes, Professor Swan?" Gold called in a monotone voice.
"While we're on the topic of rules, I think that some rules in this place are a bit outdated."
Gold's mouth twitched. He was annoyed and Emma was in trouble. Regina was sitting beside her, and she subtly reached underneath the desk to squeeze her knee, a warning to not go overboard. This was a gamble. "Like what?"
"Well, off the top of my head, your relationship rule. I mean, who's ever heard of something like that? What happens if we want to date a coworker? We just can't?"
"My rules are there because I demand that this place runs a certain way, and I will not have my authority undermined. If I were you, dearie, I would be quiet."
Emma sighed and held her tongue. But Regina felt empowered, and she stood up.
Gold looked up at Regina. "Something to add Professor Mills? Going to surprise us all yet again by siding with your mortal enemy?"
"I think you mean, siding with my wife," Regina corrected.
The whole room began whispering, and getting louder.
"I beg your pardon?" Gold said, astonished.
"You heard me right. Emma Swan is my wife, and we both want to work here. We were doing this ridiculous stunt and pretended to hate each other, so no one would suspect us to be even sympathetic to each other, but we have had it with you and your draconian and outdated rules. So if I were you, I would be the one shutting up."
Gold was seething. And then, he snapped. "Fine! Fine, I quit! Let's see you run this place hmm? Don't come crying to me when you find yourself up a creek without a paddle!"
And just like that, he walked out of the room. The rest of the room quieted, stunned at the turn of events.
Until Emma spoke up, a grin on her face. "Well, I suppose you're now the dean babe, congrats."
The next month ended up being a whirlwind of meetings and decisions. What to do, what to change, and most importantly, who to become the new history department head. Some people thought it would be Emma, but she knew Regina had picked a much worthier candidate. She surprised everyone by picking Mary Margaret. Even the woman herself was surprised.
When asked why, Regina told her, "Emma told me what you said that I was the only one who supported you. So this is my way of thanking you for your support. You deserve the post, even if your sweaters are a few decades outdated."
Mary Margaret let out a hearty laugh and hugged her, "I promise I'll do justice to your post!"
"I have no doubt." Regina watched Mary Margaret leave, and her secretary beckoned her next visitor in. Emma.
"Well, as the new dean's wife, do I get any special perks?" Emma asked with an easy smile, leaning forward and splaying her palms on Regina's desk, face a few inches from Regina's.
Regina pretended to look shocked. "Professor Swan! What happened to being against nepotism?"
Emma spluttered. "This isn't nepotism, just being on your good side."
With a firm handle on the front of Emma's shirt, she pulled her closer and kissed her. Once they parted, Regina stood up and said. "You're always on my good side. Now come on, I have a class to teach. Walk me there?"
"With pleasure," Emma said, holding her arm out for Regina to take.
That was that!
And yes they were married and just having to keep it a secret, must make things quite interesting. I mean, the prompt for it went along like: AU. We're both professors in the same department and it enhances your reputation with the students as a mysterious enigma and my reputation as a stone-cold terror if we pretend to hate each other, plus when we back each other up in departmental meetings everybody's so surprised they give in right away.
The trick was finding out some reason for them to pretend to be that way, so much that not even the department knew. It was between a draconian dean, a joke, a homophobic department head, or one's an undercover cop. Settled with the first one to be a bit more creative, so I hope it was enjoyable!
Please let me know what you thought, and I meanwhile will get back to my regular schedule of updates!