"I cannot believe I'm doing this!" Regina huffed as she walked from one side to the other of the room. "Remind me again: why am I doing this?"
Emma rolled her eyes and sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Because Henry asked us to."
The brunette came to a halt and looked at the sheriff in a light blue dress as if noticing her presence for the first time that night. The long tresses had been fixed into what could be only described as a fairy braid and adorned with a delicate crown. If the mayor didn't know better, she would never thought she was looking at the bridesmaid. Or best man, given the fact that she herself was the bridesmaid.
"And because my mother wanted you to stand on her side on this happy day. Something about having family around, I think." Emma pointed out as she let herself sit on the couch. She frowned and internally cursed the heels she had to wear for the occasion.
"But they are already married!" The brunette looked at the mirror and smoothed once again her red dress. "And I'm not her family, for all that matters."
"Not in this world." Emma pursed her pink lips. "And you did take care of her when she was a child."
The blonde wasn't mad about the wedding or anything. She was, in fact, very happy to be able to be with her family in such an important moment to them. However, she wasn't all that comfortable about having to be confined with the mayor for one hour before the ceremony started. Since the whole Robin situation, she had felt weird about being around the older woman, no matter how she tried to be cool about it: they had passed the point where Regina would want to throw a fireball on her, but they weren't exactly best friends either.
"Would you just relax? You look like you're the one getting married today." Emma puffed out as she stared at the brunette's almost-bare back.
"Well, it could've been me if someone hadn't brought back a certain woman who should be dead." The retort was sharp and venomous.
The blonde got up and made a motion to leave the room, not wanting to start a fight with Regina. Not only because of her mother, but mainly because she hated those fights. When they first met, the sheriff found their bickering amusing and even entertaining. Now, though, she felt horrible just to look at the other woman's face when she was hurt.
However, Emma didn't run as she thought she would do. As she reached the knob, she just took a deep breathe and turned around.
"You know what, Regina? If saying those things really make you feel better about what happened, then bring it. I will take everything and listen to every word. You can even slap me in the face if you want: I don't care. As long as that makes you happy, I will accept everything."
Dark eyes widened in surprise as the mayor stared at Emma. It took her a few seconds to face the mirror again and make her response.
"I don't need your pity."
"This is not pity. This is I trying to be a friend. I said a thousand times that I am sorry for what happened, but I can't regret saving a life." The blonde took a step closer. "I do want you to be happy, Regina. Believe me or not."
"Why do you care about my happiness?" Regina turned all of the sudden, rage taking the best of her already. "Why should I believe in that? Even before you were born you got into the middle of my plans. You came here and took Henry away from me, then you broke my curse and really took him. To complete that, you didn't think about your actions and destroyed the only good thing that I had left!"
"Because you're Henry's mother." It was a simple answer and an honest one. "And because I like you." She added in a soft tone.
The woman blank a few times, her mouth hanging open in shock. "You… What?"
Emma shrugged and sighed. "You became some kind of a friend to me. I don't know why, but I like you."
Regina stared at her companion for a long moment. She was speechless.
"You like me?" She asked in disbelief.
"'Course I do. You can be very annoying when you want to…" Emma placed her hands on the mayor's shoulders, who surprising enough didn't step back, although she did roll her eyes. "But who isn't?" Pink lips turned up into a grin. "Just calm the fuck down, woman."
"Language, Miss Swan." The brunette scowled.
The sheriff gave the other woman's shoulders a light squeeze before releasing her. "Everything is gonna be fine."
Regina sighed then sat down on the couch.
"I hope you are right."
Music, laughing, bright lights and cheerful guests filled the luxurious ballroom where the wedding happened. It was a beautiful ceremony and all the citizens of Storybrooke had attended. It all happened similar to the Enchanted Forest's one, just that Snow wore a champagne colored, slim dress instead of a white one puffy one, David were a black suit instead of his Charming outfit and Regina was a guest and didn't barge in threatening to take everybody's happy ending away.
Truth be told, the second wedding was much more beautiful and everybody looked much more elegant. The food was better, the drinks were better and electricity and plumping were things that everybody was grateful for.
Not to mention the music. Sure: everybody liked those Victorian chants and all. But damn it if Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and Celtic Woman songs weren't just perfect when played by the royal orchestra.
Emma danced with Henry for a long time and had a blast once she took her shoes off. They laughed and joked about Grumpy being all silly at the sight of Nova in her new dress. They danced and had fun just like she thought she would never have.
When she got tired, she told him to ask Gretel to dance. The teenager's face went flushed and he went rigid, but her blonde mother told him to just do it. She watched him from distance and smiled fondly when the girl accepted her son's hand.
The sheriff walked to the table and sat down for a moment. She was glad that a waiter passed by just a few moments after that and asked him a glass of water. The woman watched the party and was truly happy to be part of that. It had been a long time since last time she had any fun and sharing it with her loved ones was something she couldn't describe with words.
Her eyes scanned the room watching the smiling faces until her gaze locked with someone else's one. She smiled softly and raised her glass slightly in greeting.
Regina nodded and offered a small smile in return. There was absolutely no sign of their earlier rough moment left and Emma could only be grateful.
The sheriff finished her water and walked towards the other woman.
"Having fun?" She grinned.
"I suppose you could say that." The brunette agreed as her eyes fell on their son. "He looks happy."
"He does."
The two women watched their boy for a while in silence. It was as if their lives weren't filled with great adventures. Just like real life.
Suddenly, Emma offered her hand to Regina. The second one looked puzzled at the gesture and just furrowed her brows.
"Shall we dance?" The sheriff smirked.
The brunette woman shook her head. "I don't dance."
"I thought you were a queen."
"Queens don't dance: they watch everybody else."
"You aren't a queen anymore."
"Will you change your point every time I refuse to dance with you?"
"I will."
With a tired sigh, the mayor placed her hand on top of Emma's and let herself be led to the center of the room. It wasn't a slow song and they started dancing apart. Even with some distance between them their movements were synchronized.
The Savior was pleasantly surprised to find out that the Latina's body had also the Latina's swing. Regina had a mix of elegance and sensuality so natural that it was hard not staring when she danced. Her delicate muscles moved with such grace that it seems the woman had practiced that many times in the past.
Each new song they found their selves closer and closer to each other. What started with an innocent fun slowly turned into something else entirely. There was a point when Regina turned her back to Emma and the sheriff hugged her partner, their hips moving together as their bodies were pressed together. They seemed to forget about the rest of the world entirely as they were together like that.
Emma turned Regina to her and their stared into each other's eyes. The Savior's hands on the Evil Queen's hips, their bodies slightly sweat from their dancing, their breaths were deep and hard. Green eyes fell on red lips and then returned to dark eyes.
The blonde pulled the other woman closer and leaned in to capture her lips with her own without caring that they were surrounded by so many people in her parents' marriage. She just did what she felt like doing and damn it if it wasn't the best kiss ever.
Regina's lips were soft and moved deliciously against Emma's ones. Their tongues met in perfect synchrony, just like their bodies when they danced. It all felt amazing and natural.
Then there were the clapping and the howling. They broke the kiss suddenly and looked around, too shocked with themselves to care about the audience.
"Regina, I…" Emma cup her mouth in an exasperated way.
The brunette looked like she was on the verge of crying and, before the sheriff could say anything else, Regina ran as fast as she could away from her.