Notes on the AU: Cora's declaration at Regina's birth that Regina would one day be queen didn't sit so well with the royal family, considering they were all still irritated that Cora had managed to marry her way into their ranks. For safety, Cora, Henry, and Regina were forced to get away by portal. They ended up in our world, and have remained there ever since. Regina has no idea where she's from.
There's no curse, since Regina wasn't there to cast it, but due to threats on baby Emma's life Snow and Charming reluctantly sent her through the wardrobe, planning to retrieve her once the danger was past. They were unable to get her back. We all know her story from there.
Loosely inspired by kid day of Swan Queen Week. There will be magical mishaps in the future.
It was here. It was finally here.
Regina set her bookbag and the rest of the mail on the stoop, tucking the plaid skirt of her school uniform under her before she sat down. She stared down at the big envelope with her name on it, willing it to contain good news. It was several minutes before she could bring herself to open it.
Dear Regina Mills,
Congratulations!
That was as far as she got. She leapt to her feet, grabbed her things and ran in the front door, dropping everything but the letter as she ran to embrace her father. "I got in!" she cried, clasping her hands together as he read the letter with a proud smile.
"I had no doubt you would, Regina," he said. "They'd be fools not to take you."
"But still, Columbia, Daddy!" She took the letter back, but in her excitement the text seemed to swim before her eyes. "I get to go to an Ivy, I get to go to New York."
"What is all this racket?" Regina's smile faded at the sound of her mother's voice. She instinctively straightened her posture and ran a hand over her hair to make sure it was neat. Cora came down the stairs slowly, regally, eyeing Regina's bag and the scattered mail on the floor disdainfully.
Henry was generally quiet around his wife, more often than not silent, but he couldn't hold back his pride in his daughter. "Regina got accepted to Columbia."
Cora pursed her lips and Regina immediately tensed even farther, immediately giving over the letter when her mother held her hand out for it. She watched in silence as Cora scanned the letter. "I didn't know you'd applied there," she said softly as if hurt, not looking up at Regina.
"It's a very good school," Henry said, but Cora cut him off with a single glare.
"New York City?" She shook her head, folding the letter back up. "That won't do. I thought we had an agreement, Regina. I'm only going to allow this foolish little plan of yours if you live at home."
Regina had tried to stick to those rules, she really had. But her guidance counselor had pushed and pushed for her to apply somewhere more challenging, and Regina had been unable to resist. She was sure she wouldn't get in, but the hope had grown unbidden as she waited for a response.
"College isn't foolish, Mother," she said. Normally she wouldn't talk back, but for the first time in her life there was something she really, truly wanted. "It's an amazing opportunity. I know it's far, but you can trust me, I promise. I'll be good. I'll spend all my time studying, even more than I do now."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Cora replied. "Studying makes you look so tired, dear. Why else hasn't anyone asked you to prom?"
Regina set her jaw. "Leo did ask me, Mother." She had no real desire to go, especially not with her idiot lab partner, so she'd decided to keep quiet about the invitation. But if all it took to go to the school of her dreams was a few hours in a strapless bra and heels with a boy who was flunking chemistry because he spent all class trying to stare down her shirt, it was worth it.
Cora's face instantly lit up, much the way Henry's had when Regina showed him the letter. "That's wonderful news! Why didn't you tell me?" She took Regina's arm with a claw-like grasp and led her up to the girl's garishly pink bedroom. "There's so much to do, and we only have a week. We'll have to get you started on a diet immediately."
"So can I go?" Regina asked meekly. "To Columbia?"
"New York is filled with temptations," Cora said, picking through Regina's sparse and scarcely-touched makeup collection. "You're really best off here where I can watch over you. And there are so many nice boys in the neighborhood." She uncapped a lipstick and bent over Regina to apply it, grimacing at the result. "I certainly wouldn't recommend dating Leo long term, but at this late date I suppose anyone would do. Maybe you'd have better luck with the boys a year younger than you, sweetheart. What about James down the street?"
"Mother," Regina interrupted, accepting an offered tissue to wipe the lipstick off. "There are plenty of guys at Columbia, you know."
"Of course, dear, but you're not going to catch anyone's eye on your own. You always run out of the house without any makeup or any thought as to your hair." She paused to roughly yank the elastic around Regina's ponytail from her hair.
"Ow." Regina rubbed the back of her head. "If you want we can video chat every morning so you can make sure I look all right. I just really, really want to go."
Cora met her daughter's pleading eyes for a moment. "No."
Emma trailed kisses just above the edge of Ruby's exposed bra, smiling into the girl's skin as hands threaded through her blonde hair. "I missed you all week."
Ruby dropped her head back to the pillow with a gasp. "You know I was… I was busy."
Emma moved back up to hover over Ruby's face, twirling a strand of red-streaked brown hair around her finger. "With your boyfriend?" she asked, her voice harsher than she'd planned. She'd known from the start that Ruby was always going to be someone else's, but after all this time she couldn't helped getting attached. Getting jealous. "Which one of us is better in bed?" she asked, trying to lighten her tone again.
"You," Ruby breathed before pushing up on her elbows to meet Emma's lips.
Emma knew she'd hate herself later when Ruby left, but in the moment she couldn't fight it. She kissed back hard, taking back dominance with a tug on the brunette's hair and a forceful tongue. It was Emma who had started this, Emma who controlled every stolen afternoon in the bed at her foster home while everyone else was out. Ruby was the one who could end it, but until that day she let the blonde set the pace.
Emma shifted to push her jean-clad knee between Ruby's legs, nipping at the girl's bottom lip as Ruby whimpered in response. They rocked against each other, Emma trailing her hands down Ruby's sides, green and blue eyes locked. "Emma," Ruby whispered, seconds before Emma heard her name again from behind her. The blonde turned in shock to see her foster mom standing in the doorway, just staring at them.
"Shit." Emma climbed off of Ruby, who had gone the color of her name and was hastily putting her shirt on inside out.
"That's it," her foster mother said, crossing the room to yank Emma to her feet. "You know the rules, Emma."
"Yeah," the blonde said, casting a glance at Ruby. "No boys. I didn't break it."
"This is not any better." The woman let go of Emma's arm. "I want you out of my house in fifteen minutes."
"You can't…"
"I can, and I will. Start packing." She stormed out of the room, and as soon as she was gone Ruby hurried towards the door.
"I should go," the brunette said softly, her expression a cross between mortified and apologetic.
Emma looked around at the room that had been hers for the past two years and then back at Ruby. "Do you think I could stay with you? Just for a little while?"
"I don't think that's a good idea," Ruby said, dropping her eyes to the floor to avoid Emma's. "I'm gonna go." Before Emma could say another word, she closed the door behind her and ran down the stairs.
Emma dumped the contents of her backpack onto her bed and began filling it with all the possessions she could carry.
