I am starting yet another fic, I know. But this one will only be one (or maybe two…) chapter(s). I'm writing it because my friend just told me something totally horrifying and I want to take our minds off it. It is cute, SwanQueen fluff.
MODEL:RACER
Two bottles of expensive red wine found their way into the shopping cart alongside the sweet snack-size apples, high fibre cereal, lean meat, and organic vegetables. Regina barely registered them as the cashier packed everything into bags and she pushed it out to the car. She ticked off her mental list of errands and chores. She still wanted to clean the kitchen before picking up Henry, her four year old, from his first day at Kindergarten.
She wasn't unhappy, she told herself as she slotted the bottles into the wine rack. She was just… Lonely. She put on purple rubber gloves and an apron and scrubbed every surface, the repetitive motion therapeutic for her stressed mind. She loved Henry. He was perfect, he was wonderful, he was her world… And he was four. Not too young, but too old! He had to see the world, he had to start school, meet other children. She couldn't keep him with her forever. She scrubbed harder, her hands cramping inside the gloves. She grimaced. She needed this.
She cleaned the oven inside and out. She swept and mopped and polished the floor, then moved to the bathrooms. Hers was quick, but the main one with the tub had vast potential for time filling. Regina drew the line at arranging Henry's bath toys in order of color and size. She had a feeling their apparent disarray was part of a long term adventure in her son's creative mind. All his toys had complex, intricate stories, which he had no trouble remembering and recounting.
When the time came to leave Regina had already opened a bottle of wine. She wobbled to her feet, largely due to her heels, and got in a taxi just in case. She hated herself. It was the most irresponsible thing she had done since she'd had him. She considered calling someone, but the only person who would be free at this time was her mother, and Regina had not even allowed Cora to meet Henry yet. She left the cab a block away from the school, going into a coffee shop and ordering a double espresso, swallowing it down in two rather desperate gulps. She gave herself a shake. She felt fine. Perfectly steady. Quite ridiculous.
"MOMMA!"
The scream suggested it had been weeks, rather than a few hours.
"Hey, sweetie," Regina said in the soft, comfortable tone she used only with her son. "How was it?"
"I missed you," Henry said loyally. "But it was AWESOME."
Regina had never heard him use the word before.
"Did you make friends?" she asked, curious. Her son was far more outgoing than she had been as a child.
"I did!" Henry exclaimed. "Hey, Becca," he called behind him. "Wanna meet my Momma?"
A tiny little girl with masses of blonde curls exploding from her head bounced over and beamed at Henry, then Regina.
"Hello," she said cheerfully, extending a hand. Regina's eyes widened as she shook it. Becca's manners rivalled Henry's.
Regina looked around. There did not seem to be any free parents.
"Is your Mommy or Daddy here?" she asked the girl.
"My Mom's coming. Sometimes she's late for things." Becca said this very matter-of-factly; she didn't seem to mind.
Regina assessed Henry's new friend more carefully. She wore jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt with a dinosaur on it. Her outfit and her accent suggested she was the one behind Henry's increased vocabulary. Regina quite liked it.
"How late?" Regina inquired. Becca shrugged.
"She always shows up," the girl said.
"Want us to wait with you?" Henry offered. Regina narrowed her eyes at her son, but altered the expression before he actually noticed. It was a kind offer, and they didn't actually have anything to get back to.
"If you like," Becca said.
The room was empty. With a nod to Regina, the teacher left too. Henry and Becca scurried over to the library corner. Regina followed them approvingly, sitting on a table and watching them select a book.
"Don't sit there," Henry told her. "Sit on the squishy with us."
Regina chuckled at his word for bean bag, then slipped off her heels, thanked her lucky stars she'd chosen to wear slacks, and sat down on the bag as elegantly as possible. The children nestled in beside her, one on either side. Becca thrust the book at her. It was a huge book of fairy tales.
"Which would you like?" she asked them, opening it at the contents page.
"That one!" Becca said immediately, pointing to "The Beauty and The Beast".
"Why that one?" Regina aske warmly, her affection for the confident little person growing by the second.
"'Cause it has 'buh' and 'buh'," Becca explained. "Like 'buh' for Becca. What's your name?"
Regina was momentarily embarrassed. "How rude of me, I'm so sorry I didn't say. I'm Ms- I'm Regina."
"Pleasetameetcha," Becca said happily.
"Read!" Henry demanded. Regina raised an eyebrow at him. He pouted.
"Please?" he asked. Regina ruffled his hair, and turned to the right page. She read clearly, doing all the voices, getting caught up in the old fashioned style of the story. She looked up at each child from time to time. They were both captivated. She smiled. Being a mother was the only thing she'd ever done where she felt truly comfortable, truly safe.
The door burst open, interrupting a dance scene the trio had been particularly enjoying.
"Go away Mommy, I'll be done in a minute," Becca said crossly. Her mother, with only slightly more mature blonde curls to go with her exquisitely mature figure, laughed loudly and flopped down on a bean bag opposite the group, only to remember where she was and snap back up again.
"I'm so sorry," she gushed, "I got helped up at work and my boss promised I could leave but then he didn't let me and you must think I'm a terrible mother but I swear I'm not I mean you've met Becca, you know I can't be that bad! You're her teacher?"
Regina smiled at the barrage of words. "Actually, I am not. I am Henry's mother. He suggested we wait with Becca until you arrived. And I do not think you're a terrible mother. Your daughter is adorable."
Becca grinned smugly. "Ador-ble," she repeated to her mother.
"Yeah, when you're not being a pain in my a-uh-butt," her mother said, rolling her eyes. She held out her hand to Regina.
"I'm Emma," she said.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I'm Regina. And this is Henry."
Henry took his turn shaking Emma's hand, eyeing her curiously.
"Becca's hair is better," he decided. "But it was close."
Emma laughed again. "You're very handsome too, kid."
Regina caught her eye, and for a moment their gazes locked, green and brown eyes fixed together with something Regina hardly recognised. Emma blinked, breaking the connection, but neither woman could forget it.
"I… We were gonna go get Chuck-E-Cheese," Emma said awkwardly. "Like, to celebrate the beginning of a brilliant academic career. Right Becca?"
"Yes!" her daughter cheered.
"Do you… I don't s'pose… Do you wanna come?" Emma finally managed to ask.
Regina's answer was all prepared. Henry even felt it coming. She was terribly sorry, but they did not eat fast food. But something changed inside her, like a light turning on, or a shock going through her tired heart.
"If Henry wants to, we would be happy to accompany you," Regina said. Henry stared at her open mouthed.
"Really?" he whispered loudly. Regina nodded, smiling.
"I believe we shall be joining you," Regina said.
"Wait," Becca said suddenly. "You didn't finish the story!"
Regina looked at the book that was still in her hands, then up at Emma. "I would not normally indulge them, but there is only a page left…"
"Go ahead," Emma said, getting comfy on her beanbag. Becca snuggled back into Regina's side and Henry climbed onto his mother's lap. Regina rested her head on his chin. Becca looked a little jealous. Regina put an arm around her to make up for the change in seating, and read the final few paragraphs of the story.
"Thank you," Becca said, with only a slight prompt from her mother.
"You are very welcome. I enjoyed it."
The children scampered across the room to get their backpacks, and Emma and Regina made an ungainly show of getting up from their respective bean bags. Emma grinned.
"You don't dress like a mom," she observed.
"I don't see how my clothing affects my parenting," Regina said stiffly, stepping back into her heels.
"Four inches," Emma said, as if that explained everything. Regina looked at her feet. She had always worn heels.
"I see no problem with them," she replied to the blonde. Emma raised her eyebrows. Regina huffed her breath.
One greasy meal later, Regina was more than ready to go home. It wasn't that she didn't like the company, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Becca was a sweetheart, and Emma was… utterly captivating. Confident, full of spark, fooling around making herself frie-fangs, laughing openly… She was the sort of person Regina hardly ever encountered. She found herself giggling. Giggling. She had forgotten how much fun just… Just relaxing, could be. But that was the problem.
It was too good, too addictive, to easy to get used to. And this was a one time thing, a unique situation. Emma and Becca would be going home to Becca's father, and she and Henry would be going home alone. But they were all they needed, Regina insisted to herself.
Emma insisted they exchange cell numbers.
"You know, for like, babysitting and stuff. Or if I forget Becca again, you can call me and let me know."
"If you forget Becca, it is social services I will be calling," Regina muttered. Emma was fairly sure that she was joking.
"And now, Henry and I really must be going."
"But we'll see you tomorrow," Becca piped up.
"Yeah, we can read again," Henry said excitedly. "And then…" he trailed off, uncertain. Regina caught his eye.
"What is it, dear?"
Henry tilted his head to one side, then stood up on the seat of the booth so he could 'whisper' in Regina's ear.
"Can we invite Becca and Emma for dinner tomorrow?" he said, more than loud enough for their new friends to hear. Regina smiled.
"Of course we can. Thank you for asking permission. Why don't you invite them?" she mock whispered back. Henry jumped on the seat with glee.
"Becca! Do you and Emma want to come have dinner with us tomorrow? Momma makes the BEST lasagna."
Becca looked up at her mother with huge, pleading eyes.
"Don't look so desperate, kid. I wanna go too," Emma reassured her. "We'd love to. But I don't get off of work until six. Would that be okay?"
"That would be fine. Will it just be the two of you?" Regina asked in the politest way she could think of.
"Yes," Emma said firmly. "It's just the two of us. And…"
"Just the two of us too," Regina said.
"Geez, it's like a single moms group or something," Emma said.
"If I may ask, what is Miss Becca doing until six?"
Becca giggled at being called Miss, but Emma frowned.
"There's an after school club that runs until then…" she told Regina, but she seemed sad to admit that Becca would be going there.
"It is a little presumptuous, but perhaps Becca could come home with Henry and me after school and meet you?" Regina offered. Emma's eyes lit up.
"You would do that?"
"Of course."
"That would… I mean, but, are you sure?"
Regina narrowed her eyes. "I am perfectly sure. Accept help when it is offered, Emma."
She was teasing, though. Emma wondered where the warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart had come from.
"Okay. Becca, d'you wanna go to Henry and Regina's after school tomorrow?"
"Yes, please!"
Everyone smiled at her enthusiasm.
"What do you work as, Emma?" Henry asked.
"I…" Emma paused. She hated her job, she hated what it made people think about her. It was the exact opposite of everything she enjoyed. But it paid the bills. The big bills. Even bills for arguably the best private Kindergarten in New York. "I'm a model," she admitted.
"But she looks real to me," Henry whispered to his mother. Regina squeezed his hand.
"It's a different kind of model, I think. She wears clothes, and people take pictures, for magazines."
Regina hid her surprise as best she could, but it was hard to believe that this tank top wearing, pizza and fries devouring single mother was a model. Then again… She was more beautiful than any model Regina had ever seen. She was more beautiful than anyone Regina had ever seen…
"What about you, Regina?" Emma asked.
"I freelance," Regina said elusively.
"And what business would that be? Don't tell me. You can't say in front of the children."
Henry giggled, then promptly outed his mother. "She makes cars!" he almost yelled. Regina blushed.
"What he means is, I design the outward appearance of cars. Sometimes I have to go into offices, but most of the time, I am free to work from home."
"You? You design cars? How the hell did that happen?"
They were leaving the restaurant now, after both women insisted they pay for everything. Emma won, because Regina was cooking for them tomorrow.
"You need not be so surprised," Regina told her, more confident now. "It began when I was a teenager. I used to ride horses, but my passion for that stopped rather abruptly, and I switched to cars. I learned to drive, I've always liked speed… I majored in Art & Design and Aerodynamics in college, for one of my final projects I had to design a car and the company where I interned asked to buy my design when I graduated. Since then I've never struggled to sell designs, but I refuse to be hired and forced into an office. I want my freedom."
They arrived back at the parking lot where Emma had left her car. Regina groaned at the battered yellow bug.
"It has sentimental value," Emma protested.
"Sentiment will not keep you upright in a side wind," Regina pointed out.
Emma looked around the lot.
"Which is yours?" she asked. None of the cars there really suited Regina.
"I took a taxi," Regina said. Emma looked at her questioningly but she pretended not to notice.
"Want a lift home, then? That way I can see where you live for tomorrow."
It was a good suggestion. They helped the children, who were chattering away about which dinosaurs were the best, into the back seat. Emma only had one car seat, so after a moment's deliberation, Regina sat in the back too, tucking Henry in the middle beside her so she could make sure he was safe.
"I feel like a chauffeur," Emma joked. "Where to, My Lady?"
Regina gave directions to her building, which was huge, glassy, and sparkling. Emma whistled. She wasn't poor, not at all, but she could only dream of living somewhere like this.
"Cars, huh?" she asked. Regina grinned. She hoisted Henry out with her, hurried through the goodbyes, and went inside. By the time the elevator had taken them to their apartment, Regina and Henry were both ready to crash.
"So, good first day?" Regina asked as Henry flopped onto the black leather sofa, pulling the white throw around him.
"The best," he said happily. Regina settled down beside him, rearranging the blanket so it covered her too, and pulling him onto her lap.
"I am very glad," she told him.
"I think you like Emma," Henry said. Regina gaped at him. Of course, he just meant it in the way that he knew the word, but Regina blushed anyway. Henry poked her cheek, noticing the redness but not really knowing what it was.
"But not her car," he added, grinning.
Regina laughed. "At least she has a car with character," she sighed. "A boring car would be worse."
"Maybe we should show her our car," Henry suggested, yawning a little at the end of his sentence.
"Which one?" Regina asked, wishing she wasn't so caught up in the idea of the new friendship. She didn't do this, she didn't get close to people. She knew it could only end one way - with her getting hurt, with her trust being broken. And yet she couldn't help plotting with Henry about how to impress their guests the next day.
"The evil dragon car!" Henry said. Regina chuckled. The evil dragon was her favorite, too. It was a black sports car, sleek, dark, and ridiculously powerful considering they lived in a city. She took it out to the test track when she needed some head space. She had only allowed Henry to go with her since his last birthday. She had dressed him up in leathers and a racing driver helmet, and driven far slower than she normally would have done. He had loved it. He said the car roared like a dragon and had an evil face.
Their other car was an economical red one with a lot more room in the back seat. Regina hadn't designed it, and Henry (aged two) had selected the color. This car, named, inventively, Red (another decision masterminded by Henry), was the one they almost always used. Evil Dragon only had city outings when Regina really wanted to show off.
Bathtime, bedtime, getting up, breakfast, and getting to school on time had all gone remarkably smoothly. Regina dropped Henry outside and let him go in on his own - he had asked if she would, he wanted to feel grown up. She drove Red back home and after a little thought, went upstairs to change into her favourite jumpsuit. She tied up her bouncy dark hair and grabbed her helmet. Driving always soothed her nerves, and boy, was she nervous about tonight.
She had some drawings to finish before collecting the children, but she had hours before she needed to worry about them.
An hour on the test track and all her fears were gone. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. She felt like she was flying…
Back at the apartment, Regina stayed in her jumpsuit, unzipping it and tying the sleeves around her waist. She wore a black t-shirt underneath - she liked wearing all black when she drove. She blended with the car, blended with the road… And it just looked really cool. She laughed to herself as she sat down in her studio to draw. When she was done with work, she sat for a while, thinking, then pulled out another blank canvas. She drew people instead of cars this time, letting her mind run away with her, freeing her emotions in creating something beautiful.
Before she knew it her phone was buzzing, telling her it was time to go get the kids. She remembered Henry's old car seat at the last minute, and still in her jumpsuit (partly on purpose - Henry loved it), drove the red car to school.
Becca loved the outfit too.
"I have one like it," Henry gloated. "More, actually."
"Can I try one?" Becca asked shyly.
Regina looked at the children. Becca was a little smaller, but Henry's old suit would fit her. It was black. His new one was red (and he'd made her buy a matching one).
In the end both children changed when they got home, and somehow persuaded Regina to join them in their game of "evil racecars", in which she had to chase them around the apartment while they made engine and tyre screeching noises. Becca was fascinated by Regina's studio and all the tools and supplies she used for work, so when Regina had to make dinner, she set the kids up at the counter with some crayons and plastic rulers and protractors.
"I'm going to make cars too," Becca announced. Regina beamed with pride, one eye on the onions she was chopping, the other on Becca's drawing of a huge purple car. It had a unicorn horn on the front. And dinosaur teeth.
Emma made the right faces, stood in the right way… It was a lot like the way she imagined the army. Standing there having orders barked at you while you were exhausted and just wanted to go home to your kid. The shoot was fancy, posh assholes acting like she was nothing more than a doll. She wanted to scream at them. But she did what she was paid to - she kept her mouth shut and looked pretty for the cameras, glancing at the clock far too frequently to see if she could go to Regina's yet.
She blushed. She wasn't desperate to see Becca, her DAUGHTER, she was desperate to see Regina, the woman she had only just met, the WOMAN she had only just met, because the butterflies she had in her stomach when she thought about the brunette were caused by the most excitement she had ever experienced.
It had been forever since she'd felt like this. She wasn't sure if she'd ever really felt it. She'd thought she had, with Becca's dad, but he'd turned out to be just another jerk. She couldn't trust it, it wasn't safe… But Regina was so… So put together, so adorable and shy, somehow, despite her powerful demeanor.
Emma groaned inwardly. She really didn't know if the industry would go for it. Sure, they dug the bad girl thing - one of her first shoots had actually had a prison theme! But the gay thing… She wasn't so sure. She wasn't ashamed, but she needed her job. She needed the money to be consistent, absolutely until Becca was through college.
In the last four years she had completely turned her life around. She hardly recognised herself, and she didn't think her foster families would either, even if they saw her picture on a billboard or in a magazine. It had all been because of Becca, and she couldn't have been happier about it. When she had decided to keep the baby, she had promised herself she had to give this beautiful little person the best possible life. Her best chance - and Emma had proved that Becca's best chance WAS with her own mother. Emma had been given up and she had never forgiven her unknown parents for what they had put her through. She wasn't going to risk anything with her daughter.
The clock hit six.
"I'm out," Emma said, walking off the set. "You kept me late yesterday. I gotta go."
"Fine," the director grumbled. His name was Gall, Gold, something like that. "Don't forget the launch party of the fall line on Friday. You still haven't run your date by me…"
"Look, trust me, if I bring someone, they'll be gorgeous and they'll fit right in. And their outfit will complement mine, okay?"
"Very well. Until tomorrow, Miss Swan."
Emma left, changing as fast as was humanly possible, grabbing her stuff, and running down the hallway to the elevator, which took her to the underground parking lot. She drove to Regina's only slightly recklessly, combing her fingers through her hair as she marched confidently into the lobby. Regina had given her the apartment number so she went straight to the elevator. The doorman gave her a few sideways glances, but said nothing, so she ignored him.
The lasagna was in the oven, Becca and Henry had set the table, and Regina was about to go and change when there was a knock on the door. Pulling her hair loose and quickly shaking it out, she opened the door. A fluffy blonde cannonball overtook her as it charged into its mother's arms.
"Mommy," Becca said happily. "Finally."
"I could say the same to you, Becks. Hey," Emma said looking up. Henry was now peering around Regina's legs, and the coordinating outfits were obvious. "I didn't get the theme party memo."
"Momma has a red-" Regina silenced her son with a glare. He just giggled.
"Maybe another time, kid," Emma chuckled, following Regina into the apartment. It was enormous.
"Mm, something smells amazing. Is there anything you can't do?" Emma asked.
A few choice answers flitted through Regina's mind, but she was smart enough to swat them away before they could be shared.
"I've yet to find anything," she said smugly. Emma rolled her eyes.
"So modest, too."
Regina grinned. "How was your day?"
The children went back to their drawing. Emma helped Regina put the finishing touches to dinner as they talked, then helped the kids wash up and settled them at the table. Regina washed her hands in the kitchen sink, then served lasagna to her hungry racers.
The blonde did dishes too, Regina noticed. Dinner was over, Becca and Henry had been excused to play, and the adults were cleaning up. They fitted together so perfectly Regina thought she must be dreaming. The jobs were all finished in no time, and they settled on the couch, Regina playing with the hem of the throw to hide her gradually returning nerves.
"Thank you," Emma said. "For watching Becca, and for that wonderful dinner."
"Anytime," Regina said. She meant it.
"I… I don't suppose you're busy on Friday," Emma blurted out. "It's just that I have this launch party thing and I hate them and I have so much fun with you and I know you don't know me very well but you do the voices in fairytales and if I don't bring someone they'll set me up with some awful male model-"
Regina gently pressed a finger to Emma's lips.
"Let me know what you're wearing so I can work something out. And let me know where your place is so I can pick you up in my good car."
Emma stared at her new friend. Regina took away her finger; Emma felt little shocks on her skin where it had been.
"Really?" she whispered.
"I would love to. I'll find a sitter for Henry."
Regina didn't know what it was about Emma's babble that was so endearing, but the convoluted request had been impossible to turn down.
"Would you like me to take Becca after school again tomorrow?" Regina offered. "I don't know your schedule but if it would help, we had a great time…"
"I think I must have imagined you," Emma murmured.
"And why is that, dear?"
""Because you're so perfect, you're so kind, you're so… Yes, please… I mean, if you could. Just this week, I'm so busy with the launch, they have me in last minute photoshoots and I have no time to organize anything. And… You have to let me do something for you."
"You're taking me on a date. Isn't that enough?"
Regina had meant the question lightheartedly but she blushed bright red when she realised what she had said. Emma had not said it was a date. But-
"A date, huh? But Friday doesn't count. That's work. If it's a date you want, let me take you on Monday morning."
"The proper time for dates."
"Well, exactly. Plus, I have it off work and the kids will be at school."
Regina found herself nodding eagerly.
What the hell was she getting herself into?
Thanks for reading! It really was just going to be one chapter, but I will do my best to have the second (and probably concluding) chapter tomorrow. It's just meant to be a SQ quickie. I hope you like it, see you soon! x