A/N: So I love watching the Olympics (especially track and field, as you'll see), and this idea came into my mind during the last few days of the games. It's a little late, but I really wanted to write it. Just a cute little SwanQueen fic that I hope you'll enjoy. It's a bunch of fluff and has a much happier tone than most of my other stories.
Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT, its characters, or its storylines. I own nothing Olympic related either. (There's no mention of any real athletes in the story.)
Established SQ, AU Olympic One-shot. For eight years, Emma and Regina have been running alongside each other, and now here they were, in their first Olympic track final. It would certainly be a night to remember, but not just because they ended up sweeping their race with their teammate, Ruby. Emma was also going to ask Regina to be her wife, to be her forever and always.
~A Night to Remember~
Emma turned on her side and opened her eyes. She watched as the brunette sleeping in the bed next to hers moved positions again. Neither of them could sleep well. Ever since they had decided to go to bed at eleven, they had done nothing but toss and turn in their sleep, their minds completely consumed by the numerous possible outcomes of their race tomorrow night. Of course, that wasn't the only reason why Emma's stomach was doing somersaults at the moment. Regardless of how they finished in their 800-meter final, she had a surprise for the brunette tomorrow. A very big surprise.
She glanced at the clock on the nightstand between their two beds and saw it was only a little after one in the morning. It was still hours before they would get up and join their teammate, Ruby Lucas, for a light morning run. She pushed herself off of her bed and walked over to the brunette, leaning down to whisper her name in her ear.
"Regina."
She immediately opened her eyes, and she turned her head to look up at her.
"Can't sleep?"
She shook her head.
"Scooch over."
Regina threw the covers back and moved over slightly so she could slide in next to her. Once she was under the covers, she pulled Regina close to her and began to rub her head. If there was one thing Emma could change about their room setup, she would request that their beds were just a little bit larger. However, she had to remember that their beds were not meant to accommodate two and that roommates at the Olympics were not usually together. Emma and Regina had been somewhat surprised that they were placed together, but despite being in relationship, their coaches knew they worked well together. They had been training together for the last eight years, with four of those years spent running alongside one another in college.
"I'm nervous about tomorrow, Emma."
"I know. I am, too. But guess what?"
"What's that?"
"We are going to kick ass tomorrow. You, me, and Ruby. We have been training so hard for this in the last four years, and we are going to leave it all out on the track tomorrow. And you know what else?"
Regina turned her head towards her.
"You're going to get gold, Gina."
"You think so?"
"I know so. I believe in you."
She smiled and reached for her hand, entwining her fingers with hers.
Emma knew how badly Regina had fought for this moment. They all had. It had been a long road for the three of them, each facing their own struggles along the way. At one point in their training for the Olympics, Regina tore her ACL, and it seemed as though her dream may have been over. But it only pushed her more, and she came back with more fire than she ever had before. It didn't take her long to build up her strength again, and she ended up running her fastest times yet.
Regina had always been a good half-miler. Emma remembered the many college races she had run against her in which she had wanted to beat her so badly, and she would nearly have it, when all of the sudden Regina would have this incredible kick at the end and win the race. As much as she would always expect this type of finish from her and mentally prepare herself for that moment in the race, Emma could never seem to beat her. It drove her crazy.
Seemingly crazy enough to cause her to fall in love with her. The so called friendly competition between them turned into a romance after two years of racing against each other. The more they got to know one another and train together, their feelings for one another undeniably grew. Yet they were both extremely shy in admitting how they truly felt about each other, and rather than acting on those feelings, they pushed them aside through giving extra focus to their schoolwork and training. But then came their outdoor conference track meet their sophomore year, and everything changed between them after one race.
They had won the 4 x 400-meter relay by a great amount, crushed their school record, and qualified to Nationals in the process. Regina had run the third leg of the relay, while Emma had run the anchor leg. It was only seconds after Emma had crossed the finish line when the brunette came to her side, pulling her into the tightest embrace. She had no idea what their finishing time was, nor that they had broken the record yet, but she knew they had run a good race. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask those questions, Regina backed away slightly, put her hands on her face, and gave her a kiss.
And Emma was completely left speechless after that. She dropped the baton and just stared at Regina, her eyes wide in shock.
The brunette immediately brought her hands to her sides and tried to form the words to explain herself, but all she could get out was "I…" and then a few "ums".
Some of their teammates started to clap, which was followed by a roar of applause from everyone in the stands. A few of their competitors even congratulated them as they walked by. Ruby, who had also been a teammate of theirs in college, found her way from the infield over to them. "Finally! We've all been waiting like, forever, for you two idiots to admit your feelings to each other!"
Emma snapped out of her stunned state then and smiled, pulling Regina closer to her and kissing her.
"Hey, keep it appropriate, you two," Ruby said jokingly, reaching down to pick up the baton. "Oh, and next time, don't drop the baton, Emma. That's bad luck!"
"Not this time." Regina took a step back from her and gazed longingly into her eyes for a moment before turning to Ruby. "Especially since we won the race, broke our school record, and qualified to Nationals with our time. But this?" She reached for Emma's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "This just makes it all even better."
Emma beamed. "I agree. But don't worry, Rubes. I'll make sure not to drop the baton in the future."
It was definitely a memorable day. Their coaches were a little hesitant about the whole situation, but it seemed that along with their teammates, they were also waiting for them to confess their feelings. For the next two years, the two ended up working better together than they ever had, and by the time they were seniors, they were running times reminiscent of elite athletes in the Olympics.
Regina had dreamed of becoming an Olympic athlete, and it was something that ran in the Mills family. Her older sister Zelena was a great track athlete as well, and she had qualified for the 2012 London Olympics in pole vault. She had made it to the finals, but came short of medaling, placing fifth in the field. Zelena was just as determined as her sister, and she trained even harder to make it to her second Olympics.
All of their dreams were answered two months ago at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Regina, Emma, and Ruby had come in first, second, and third, respectively, in the 800, while Zelena vaulted her way to first. And now, here they were, all four of them competing in the finals for their events in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"We can all medal, Emma. I know we can. We all have it in us."
"You calling for an American sweep tomorrow?"
"It would be the perfect way to end our first Olympics."
"Then let's do it, Regina. That's our goal, and we are going to get it."
Emma reached over to the nightstand to grab her iPhone and began to type out the text.
"What are you doing, Em?"
"Sending some motivation to Ruby."
Regina squinted to read the time from the iPhone. "At one thirty in the morning?"
"Yep."
She just shook her head and settled back on to her pillow.
...
1:30am – Emma Swan: 1, 2, and 3 tomorrow. Going for the sweep.
...
It didn't take her long to answer, and Emma figured she was having a hard time sleeping just like the two of them.
...
1:34am – Ruby Lucas: You got it. Let's make history! :)
...
Emma smiled at her response. She placed the phone on the nightstand and turned back to Regina, taking hold of her hand again as she put her arm around her waist.
"Ready to make history tomorrow, Gina?"
"You know it."
Emma kissed the back of her head and then closed her eyes. They soon fell asleep, dreams of an Olympic sweep filling their minds.
This was it. The time was here.
Regina had dreamed of making it this far. She wasn't sure if she would be able to, but here she was, with both of her teammates by her side.
The three of them had easily qualified from the prelims to the semifinals. Ruby had been in the heat before them while Emma had raced in her heat. In the semifinals, they had all been split up into the three different heats. Regina had won her heat and Emma had come in second in hers, which earned them automatic qualification spots into the final. Ruby had been third in hers, and she had to wait it out to see if she qualified. She ended up having the second fastest time in the field of the non-automatically qualifying runners, giving her the eighth spot in the field of nine runners that would be racing in the 800-meter final tonight. They had been overjoyed to find out they would all be competing in the final for Team USA.
Regina took a quick glance around the hall to eye her competitors. She knew who they were, how they ran, and their times from their previous two races here. She had studied her semifinal race numerous times and set out a plan for how she would run the final. But she knew her competitors had done the same. They were all well matched, and it could be anyone's race.
She exhaled slowly.
She was determined not to let it be anyone's race, though. She wanted this badly, and even more so, she wanted to be standing on the podium with Emma and Ruby. She wanted that sweep tonight.
Emma woke her from her thoughts as she pulled her and Ruby together for one last team huddle. The blonde began to talk, reminding the two of the goal they had set to achieve.
"Three numbers. That is all we need to remember. Just three numbers. One, two, and three. We can do this. We all know we are capable of it. We will make history tonight."
Regina smiled at her girlfriend's words.
"So let's go out there, run hard, and finish strong, just like we have all been doing before." She felt Emma nudge her hip gently. "Especially Gina here. She's been kicking my ass since college."
"Okay, since Regina's gonna kill it tonight, we just got to race to beat her," Ruby said with a confident nod. "She did win her semifinal heat, after all."
"Exactly," Emma said, flashing her one of her wide-toothed grins that she'd fallen in love with since she first met her eight years ago.
Regina grinned back at her. "Well, I am the best, you know."
"See? There you have it. Just follow Regina. Unless, of course, she makes a wrong turn and runs off the track. Don't follow her then."
"Emma Swan!" She lightly swatted her shoulder as they backed away from their huddle.
Ruby shook her head at their behavior. "You guys are too cute."
Emma gave Regina a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, not too much PDA! Save that for after the race!"
Emma dramatically rolled her eyes, and Regina just laughed. She was thankful to be sharing this moment with the two of them, as their humor calmed her nerves. She couldn't imagine being here without them.
One of the officials called them over to start lining up to head out on to the track. Regina looked at her teammates and put out her hand in front of them. They followed suit, placing their hands on top of hers.
"USA on three?"
They both nodded.
"One. Two. Three."
And then they yelled at once: "USA!"
They backed away and walked over to the entrance to the track, lining up according to their lane assignments. Ruby was in lane two, Regina in five, and Emma in six. As Regina waited for the announcement of their arrival on the track, she felt Emma take her hand and give it a light squeeze. She looked behind her, and the blonde gave her an encouraging smile.
"Good luck, babe. You're going to do great."
"You too, Em."
Just as she pulled her hand away, they were off, running over to their respective lanes on the track.
Regina's heart was pounding more than she ever remembered.
They began to announce each runner's name to the crowd, starting with lane nine and working their way to lane one. Regina glanced to her right as soon as she heard the name "Emma Swan" blare in the stadium. She grinned as Emma blew kisses at the camera. The blonde always knew how to entertain for the crowd.
Then came her turn.
Regina Mills!
She knew her parents (and Emma's as well) were cheering loudly in the stands. She also knew her sister was watching from the infield, taking in as much as she could in between her vaults. (She had been listening in for updates on the women's pole vault during her warmup, and she'd heard Zelena had been tied for second at that time.)
Regina simply smiled and waved at the camera.
Soon, Ruby's name was called, and she caught a quick glimpse of her waving at the crowd.
She jumped in the air and shook out her legs one last time as the final runner's name was called.
A sudden quietness came upon the track as the starter called them to take their marks.
Regina stepped up to the line and let out a breath.
"Set!"
She leaned forward slightly, putting pressure on her left foot to be ready for her takeoff.
In that moment, time just stood still.
Here she was, about to run a race that lasted less than two minutes, yet it seemed like a lifetime waiting for the gun to go off.
Three numbers.
One. Two. Three.
Sweep.
We can do this.
The gun sounded.
And they were off.
Regina pushed off her foot immediately and sprinted ahead in her lane.
The race was simple, really. Two laps. Two hard 400s. There was no room for holding back. She had to get out fast, maintain her speed, and kick it in at the end.
She came up to the cones marking the time they could cut in, and as soon as she passed them, she swiftly eased her way into the first lane.
First 200 done.
She was in second. She wasn't worried. She didn't need to be leading just yet. She would let the runner in front of her do the hard work for the first lap.
She knew Emma was right behind her. In the last eight years that she had trained with her, she had become accustomed to the sound of her breathing. She hoped that Ruby had settled into a good position.
They came across the line and the bell was rung, signaling the last lap of the race.
57.48 seconds for the first lap. They were on pace for a good 800 time. And that was exactly what she needed.
Once they rounded the curve, Regina came around the woman in front of her and took the lead. She heard Emma file in just behind her.
She pushed harder, preparing herself for last 200.
It was coming into view. She was so close to the finish. Her foot hit the home straightaway, and she pumped her arms faster.
The crowd was going wild.
She was pulling away.
She was going to do it.
She was going to win!
Regina stepped across the finish line, and she collapsed only a few paces afterward.
The exhaustion was there. She had certainly given it her all. But that wasn't why she had fallen to the ground.
It was from the shock. From the happiness. From the realization that her dream had come true.
She pounded her fists on the ground.
After all of the years of hard work, after the sacrifices everyone had made to help her get this far, after the battles she had faced, especially with her most recent injury that could have nearly ended her Olympic dream… And she had won. She had actually won. She almost couldn't believe it.
But it was all very, very real.
She felt a hand on her back, and she looked to her side as Emma knelt down next to her.
"We did it, Gina. We got the sweep."
Regina glanced up at the screen, and sure enough, there were their names in first, second, and third.
...
Women's 800-Meter Final
1. Regina Mills (USA) – 1:55.99
2. Emma Swan (USA) – 1:56.23
3. Ruby Lucas (USA) – 1:56.45
...
"And a personal best for all of us."
Regina nodded as Emma put out her hand and helped her to her feet. They walked over to Ruby's side, and she gave both of them a high five.
The crowd had been going wild before, but they were certainly ecstatic now. She could imagine their families were jumping in the stands now, and Zelena was probably dancing in excitement somewhere near the pole vault pit.
The three put their arms around each other and waved up at the stands.
We did it! We're taking home the gold, the silver, and the bronze.
They hurried to get their American flags and took their victory lap together, smiling a mile a minute the whole way.
As they posed together for their final pictures, Emma leaned over to Regina, whispered, "I love you," in her ear, and then met her for a kiss. Ruby sealed the deal by leaning over to Emma and blowing a kiss in her direction.
Oh, the headlines were going to be interesting tomorrow morning.
But Regina wouldn't have it any other way.
This was the best day of her life.
Regina had won the gold, her the silver, and Ruby the bronze. Zelena vaulted 4.70 meters (Emma still couldn't believe how she was able to catapult herself over fifteen feet in the air), earning herself the bronze in the women's pole vault. When Regina and Zelena were reunited later that night, the two literally ran into each other so hard that they came crashing to the ground.
"It's a good thing we're done," Ruby had told her. "That looked like it hurt."
Emma shrugged it off. "I would have done the same thing."
"I would have, too."
And then came the moment when the three of them were standing on the podium together, listening to their national anthem play. They were all crying tears of joy. Zelena was no different during her medal ceremony.
Now, they were all walking outside around the Olympic park, talking and laughing as they spent time with their families.
Their events were done, their medals were won, and everything else was left in the history books. But Emma was still nervous. More nervous than she had been before the race.
She glanced at her parents, and they gave her an encouraging nod.
They all knew what Emma had planned for tonight. Her parents. Regina's parents. Zelena. Ruby and her grandmother. They even started to distance themselves as she took Regina's hand and pulled her close. She noticed Zelena and Ruby give her a thumbs up, and she had to bite back a smile as to not give Regina any hint of what she was about to do. The brunette seemed oblivious to the fact that everyone was giving them their space, though, and she just beamed up at her as she gazed longingly into her eyes.
"I'm so proud of you, Regina," she said, gently swinging their joined hands as they walked together. "You did so well tonight."
"I'm proud of you, too, Emma. Of us. We did exactly what we set out to do."
Emma nodded and then stopped suddenly, turning to face her. "And…" She glanced at the ground for a few seconds and then looked back up at her.
Regina smirked at her silence, and she nudged her shoulder. "And?"
"Well, um… There's something I want to tell you."
"Yeah?"
"Yep." Emma let out a breath and then took hold of both of her hands. "We worked so hard for this, and through all of the ups and downs, I'm glad that I always had you by my side."
"Me too."
"And in the last eight years that I've known you, you've always put a smile on my face, made me laugh, cheered me up when I lost hope in myself, and challenged me when I needed it most. Both on and off the track."
Regina smiled. "As have you."
Emma couldn't help herself. Her eyes started to water, and she could feel the emotions building, all of the memories she had spent with the wonderful woman standing beside her coming to the surface. "And… You're just such an amazing person, Regina. I love everything about you, and I'm so thankful that I met you. I love you so much, Gina, and I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else but you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
The brunette had begun to tear up herself. She knew where this was going, and as Emma got down on one knee, she brought her hands up to her mouth.
"I love you with all of my heart, and I want to be your forever and always. So…" She pulled out the ring and held it up to her. "Regina Mills, will you marry me?"
Regina didn't hesitate in giving her answer. She nodded briskly and put out her hand. "Yes. Yes, Emma. I'll marry you."
Emma beamed. She slid the ring on to her finger and then stood up. It was Regina's turn to surprise her, as she immediately jumped on to her and wrapped her legs around her waist. She quickly put her arms under her legs to support her and then spun her in a circle a few times as they kissed passionately.
"I love you, Emma Swan. I love you so much."
"I love you, too, Regina."
Regina came back to her feet, and she rested her forehead against hers. It was only then that they noticed the group of people who had gathered near them to watch the scene unfold, and they, along with their families and friends, were clapping.
"We've always had a thing for audiences, huh?"
Emma chuckled, thinking back to the day in college when Regina kissed her for the first time. "I suppose we have."
They came together once again for another kiss and then took each other's hands as they walked back to the others.
Eight years.
One race that had brought them together.
First, competitors. Then friends. And finally, lovers.
There were good times. And bad times.
They had laughed. They had cried. They had fought. They had fallen, and they had helped one another up. They had pushed each other to their limit and built upon each other's strengths and weaknesses. They brought out the best in one another, helping them grow into the people they were today. And through it all, they had loved each other so, so much.
Emma was thankful she had met Regina Mills all those years ago.
And now, she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life with her as her wife.
Hope you enjoyed this little Olympic inspired fic :) Leave a review and let me know what you thought!