Okay this idea came to us in a game of Paintball that a few friends including BlackHelix played last year on a holdiay. We spent a week out in the woods outside of a ghost town and set up a camping spot and with paintballs we made a mission to capture a flag that one of our friends who couldn't join had placed out in a secret place. The mission was to get it to the towns center. It resulted in a lot of bruises, welts and pains. But it was worth it. So with a little help from that we went with a paintball idea. Hopefully you all enjoy.
"Remind me why I agreed to do this again?" Regina asked Henry as she stepped into the line behind Ruby and Granny.
"Because it'll be fun Mom!" Henry exclaimed, excited and radiating happiness.
Regina gave a small smile to her son. Henry had come rushing inside her house with Emma a few days ago when she had dropped him off for his weekly dinner. He had hugged her tightly and then begun prattling on about the Paintball game, Storybrooke, was planning on opening to the town. Excitedly he had asked Regina to attend with his 'puppy eyes' and Regina couldn't do anything else but agree.
"Hey Henry!" Snow waved and gave a small nod towards Regina. "Regina, good to see you. Will you be joining or would you prefer to watch from the monitors?"
"She'll play!" Henry exclaimed, answering for his mother.
"Really?"
Regina turned to face the occupant of the voice to find the blonde Sheriff standing behind her with a broad smile on her face.
"Hey Mom!" Henry wrapped his arms around the womans waist and squeezed.
"Hey kid." She returned the hug and looked up to brown eyes. "So you really do plan on joining in with us? For one whole week?" Emma asked with disbelief but looking the woman up and down, she couldn't help but believe her.
Regina squirmed. She was dressed casually as requested for the training part of the game. She wore newly brought jeans and a black button down shirt that also looked to be newly brought. In Emma's eyes she looked cute and if possible, more beautiful.
"Henry was, rather convincing."
"It's good to have you join us, Regina." Snow said with an even bigger smile. They had worked out their difference's to the point of being civil and trying to put the past behind them enough to form a somewhat strained relationship, but it was working, even a few weeks ago Regina had joined the lone sitting Snow at a table in the diner where they preceded to talk about random things and laugh...yes laugh.
"You're number two-zero-eight." Charming said with a smile of his own as he held out his own hand in request for Regina's.
Regina handed it over and the number was quickly scrawled on the top with thick black permanent marker. She watched as Henry went next with a happy smile as the number, two-zero-nine was written on the top of his hand and his head was mussed. He gave Charming a small glare and quickly went to fixing his previously neatly brushed hair do. He jumped up next to his mother waiting for his other mother to receive her hand number that read, two-one-zero.
This went on for a while as groups went to retrieve their clothing gear from the trunks of their cars. Regina pulled out Henry's after having the boy spend the previous night at her house, he had been so excited that he had said he had wanted to stay to make sure she turned up. Next she pulled out her own as Henry lifted up his duffel bag with slight strain but he refused to show it. Regina let a small smile slip at that, he was truly like her in a lot off ways and even though she would never admit it to anyone, she was happy that he had a little of the Sheriff in him too. She hadn't done such a bad job with him.
Once they returned to the circle they were greeted with surprised looks as the towns people took in Regina. It lasted a few seconds before they made room and quickly invited the mother and son into the group. A few minutes later and the majority of the town stood lined up beside one another, Henry to her right, Neal to his right and Henry's best friend, Brandon to her left.
Snow, Charming and Emma appeared gun's clutched in their hands. They each said their 'hellos' to the occupants of the Paintball game and quickly went on to explain. Charming spoke first, "Okay we thought it a good idea to get out and about for the week before Winter starts, but that by no means, means that it won't be cold at night and who knows it might just rain."
There were a few shouts and hollers of excitement from the mens and teenagers off Storybrooke before it went quiet again and Snow started. "You will be split up into groups of two, and it is a competition. We've hidden a make-shift flag out in the forest, somewhere, and it is the job of you and your team mate to find it and return it safely to the Storybrooke clock tower, top floor, behind the clock's window." She pointed out before quickly adding, "A few of Storybrooke's towns people haven't wished to participate so please take caution in who you shoot. Although, participants in this competition will be wearing black vests."
Charming nodded. "The vests are compulsory to wear, it's how players can tell the difference. If at anytime you remove them, you will be removed from the competition as it's unfair to deceive other players in that manner. The only reason they should be removed is because you are sleeping inside your tent, where another paintballer can not attack you, yet they can take you hostage for a small amount of time. Which means you will have to remain in your spot for three hours."
"Now the forest is rather big so we will have to attatch these bracelets that have a GPS tracking device on them." With that said he handed them over to the dwarves and quickly it was made down the line.
Regina hated restriction, especially bracelets. Especially after her last run in with a bracelet but one look at the smile on Henry's face, she sucked it up and went back to listening to the two idi- Charming and Snow.
"Now that's pretty much it, althought there will be an instruction booklet within your camping gear." Charming paused thinking before piping up with an 'aha' tone. "Also, no removing your mask for any reason other than sleeping. I'll pass you onto Emma."
Emma grinned, nodded and raised the paintball gun she was holding up, pointing the barrell towards the sky. "Okay to work these guns, you will have to fill up the tanks at stations through out the forest, it's quick and simple but if you can't do it, there will be at least one person at each station that will show you or do it for you. After that, make sure the safety button is pressed and you pull back on this lever." She demonstrated both techniques, "To cock the gun and ready the paintballs. Aim at your target with the gun pointing upwards and with good aim, you should be able to hit your target. Now I would like to point out, gangster style does not work." She turned the gun on it's side and fired only to receive the rebuttal of air. "It has to be facing up right for it to work. So sorry guys, but gangster style will not be present. Although we do condone drive by's with teh guns if you are willing to have return fire on your vehicle." Emma waited for the groans and nods to come before she continued with a big smile, "So how about a little target practice, anybody volunteer?"
Regina smirked and rasied her hand, watching as Snow quickly side stepped away from Regina's line off sight. It was subtle but there nonetheless.
"Okay, Regina." Emma nodded and pointed towards the tree a few feet away from her. "Fire away. Let's see those skills."
Everyone turned their attention to Regina as the brunette Mayor, flicked the safety switch, cocked the paintball gun, readied it and fired.
"Ow! Fuck! Oh my god! That hurt!" Emma cringed as she dropped to the ground clutching her stomach.
The lined up crowed couldn't contain their laughter and quickly an uproar of chuckles, giggling and out right laughter sounded around the forest. Regina shrugged and sighed while Henry covered his mouth to try and stifle his giggles. "Well as they say, can't be good at everything."
Emma groaned from her spot on the ground. The welt already starting to form.
"Emma!" Charming declared as he pulled out the first of many to come strips of paper with names on them. It would determine who was on what team. "Regina!" He called out the name of Emma's partner.
Regina looked to her soon to be partner. She hadn't actually thought about that, she hadn't given thought to whether or not she would end up on the same team with Emma. She didn't actually think it were possible. They continued staring at one another as an assortment of names were called out. This was going to be a long week.
Stick with us. This will hopefully get funnier.