Swan Queen Week [July 2015 - Tropes & Cliches]: Day 4: Mistaken for a Couple
This is a little late since I was away but my next SQ Week submission is here. A Swan Queen journey told in various times they were mistaken for a couple and one time they actually were one.
I thrive on feedback~
Warnings: Swearing, vague references to sex.
Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time.
5 times Regina and Emma are mistaken for a couple and 1 time they actually are one
The first time it happens is in the Sheriff's station, during Emma's first few months in town. There's an argument - something all too common for the two of them - and a battle for power, and possibly a new record for physical closeness between them.
Regina's ripping into Emma over the quality of her work; apparently a couple of imperfect reports makes the deputy a cause for concern, and the mayor has decided that this alone is enough to provoke a severe reprimanding. Of course, Regina is Regina, and she's now picking holes in every aspect of Emma's work, from her lack of uniform down to the apparently inappropriate relationship she has with Graham.
"And what are you gonna do, Madam Mayor?" Emma challenges, finally snapping. She's been the good employee and taken the tongue lashing she allegedly deserves, but this is getting ridiculous, and she won't stand for it. "Bully Graham into firing me? Get Sydney to illegally dig up some shit about me?" There's a smirk on her face, and she appears relatively calm and collected, but inside, fiery rage pulses through her veins.
Regina leans in, her nose mere inches away from Emma's. "Don't underestimate me, Miss Swan," she threatens lowly. "I can make your life a living hell with and not one person will have an inkling that it's me."
The closeness is an intimidation tactic, meant to display dominance and make the blonde back down, but she's not going to fall for it. Emma shifts forward, getting in the brunette's face. "Bring it, Regina," she growls. "We both know you can't do anything without pushing Henry away even more. It's your choice."
Dark eyes flash dangerously with fury, and Regina actually bares her teeth in something of a snarl. Her chest rises and falls quickly due to the excitement of a fight, and Emma can feel the mayor's breath on her skin. It's not all that unpleasant - Regina's breath smells of apples and cinnamon - and something tightens in Emma's chest.
Graham clears his throat, drawing attention to the fact that he is there. "I - uh - have some business to attend to," he mumbles in that pretty, lilting accent of his. He rubs a hand sheepishly over the scruff on his chin, his feet shifting anxiously. Neither woman looks away from the other for a second, but he continues. "I'm just going to leave you ladies to - 'work out' your…anger." Then he all but flees the tense room, shutting the door loudly behind him.
There's something funny about the way he acts as he leaves, as if he thinks there's more to what's going on between the women. If anyone else were to see them like this, they would think the same. Maybe it's the closeness and the way they're practically sharing oxygen, or maybe it's the tense but excited atmosphere that surrounds them.
A rare moment of silence passes, and then Emma's eyes widen. "Wait, does he mean…" Fifty different emotions flicker across her face in that second, before she settles on something somewhere between confusion and disgust. "Does he think we're gonna fuck it out or something?"
The brunette snorts at that ridiculous assumption of Graham's and the oh-so-eloquent words Emma uses. Then, she adopts a sultry and slightly mocking air. "Would you like that, Miss Swan?" she purrs, eyes flicking down to the deputy's lips before locking with Emma's once more.
That seems to throw Emma off. "What?" she spits out. "No, god!"
A smug, self-satisfied smirk pulls up the corners of Regina's lips. "Good, because I have no desire to sleep with a woman who acts like an oversized child and bends over for any and every man who shows the slightest bit of interest." With that, she turns on her heel and storms out of the room, leaving the deputy standing there, utterly gobsmacked.
The second time it happens is just after they return from Neverland. A lot has changed, for better and for worse, and Regina and Emma have become friends of a sort. It's clear to all that they're closer and that they have a unique connection.
Even Neal can see it, and that's what brings him to Regina's door, knocking furiously and calling out for her through the polished wood. He's seen enough of the two to know what's between them, and he's not just going to allow it without ensuring Emma's safety.
The door opens suddenly, and there Regina is, looking every bit like the queen she is. There's a large, fake smile on her face - the sort she used a lot as mayor - and every inch of her screams passive-aggressive. It's the sort of smile she hasn't used much since their return - there's not much point anymore when everything's out in the open, and she's changed a lot anyway - but she'll make an exception for this infuriating idiot of a man. "Can I help you, Mr Cassidy?" she asks in that smooth, confident voice that really means: "Be very careful with your words unless you want to leave her charred to a crisp."
He swallows and puffs up his chest. "I know about you and Emma," he blurts out before he can lose his nerve.
Regina frowns, apparently thrown. "I'm sorry?" That false polite smile is still plastered on her face, but it's smaller.
"You and Emma, your 'thing'."
When he just receives a blank look, he carries on. "It's alright, Regina. You don't have to play dumb with me."
The woman just looks slightly intrigued now; she doesn't have a clue what Neal's on about, but she'll hear him out anyway. She can see a chance to play with him a little, and she can't resist.
"But just so you know: if you hurt her, you'll have me to answer to," he promises boldly. She can't help but smirk because is Henry's absent father really threatening her? Is he really threatening her over Emma's safety?
It clicks then, and her smirk only grows. He thinks she and the blonde have a relationship. It's a completely absurd idea and she's not sure where he got it, but it's perfect for her to latch onto and have a bit of fun with.
"Are you jealous, Mr Cassidy?" she asks smugly.
The man just shifts around nervously on the spot, glancing down at his feet. He doesn't answer, but he doesn't deny it either. Oh, this is delicious.
"As for not hurting her, I don't think it's your place to give advice on that, do you?" She crosses her arms. Regina finds herself growing angry at the man for his actions towards Emma all those years ago; a flicker of rage settles in her chest, growing and growing. "After all, you sent her to jail to pay for your wrong-doings."
Neal almost argues, but finds that the words don't come. It's not every day you get chewed up by a former Evil Queen, and he's especially unused to it. It feels disrespectful to argue against this, anyway, because she's right; he did fuck Emma over big time, and that's never going to go away.
Regina gazes at him, drinking in his obvious discomfort. She shoots him a Cheshire cat grin when he finally dares to look at her again. "You think about that when I'm the one warming her bed, and not you."
She slams the door on his face, and thinks that Emma may be mad about this at some point, but it will be well worth it.
The third time it happens is shortly after Henry regains his memories and they defeat Zelena. He requests that he, Regina, and Emma go out for the day as a family; they all get along well now, and they've never really done anything just the three of them - outside of fighting to save the town, of course.
The two women take Henry for ice cream, walking either side of him and laughing as they enter the parlour. They look like the perfect happy family, which they are, really. It's taken a long time to get there, and it's been a long journey, but for now, they're happy together.
It's the sharing-a-child thing that does it. The friendly woman behind the counter knows little about the three of them after coming over in the second curse, and she assumes what anyone would.
"Hi there! How can I help you?" the woman asks.
Henry places his order which goes roughly like 'three scoops with extra everything'. Emma snorts, and Regina shakes her head in mock disapproval, but smiles all the same; she's not about to deny him this after being apart from him all this time.
The woman behind the counter goes to work, and then smiles at Henry's mothers. "And what can I get you two ladies?"
They place their more modest orders, and the woman sets about constructing their ice creams. While she moves, she muses politely, "You two make a lovely couple, you know." She hands Emma and Regina their cones. "I think it's wonderful that you're so accepted here. It's a wonderful community - so different from our world."
Henry's mothers glance at each other, momentarily tongue-tied.
Emma is the first to speak - though 'speak' is a term rather loosely used. "Uh - we're not-" she stammers, blushing.
Regina reaches around Henry to lay a hand on the blonde's arm in a way that means, "Stop talking, dear." She opens her mouth, all that queenly composure suddenly coming in very handy. "She means to say that we're not together. We simply share a son."
The woman behind the counter frowns in confusion but then her eyes widen. "Oh, lord, I'm so sorry," she gushes, flushing furiously.
The sheriff finally kicks into gear, and she shakes her head. "Hey, it's cool - we get it a lot." Something in the back of her mind wonders why they get it so much when there's clearly nothing going on between them, but she pushes that question away because it's just too loaded to think about right now - or ever.
Henry simply smirks at the whole situation, and stares at the floor in an attempt to hide his amusement.
A happy family indeed.
The fourth time it happens is during the six weeks of relative peace between Robin's departure and the arrival of the queens of darkness. Emma arrives home after spending the entire day at Regina's, helping with Operation Mongoose - as she had the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that.
She's confronted with David standing awkwardly at the kitchen island. He's got that look on his face that he has when he wants to say something but isn't quite sure how to.
"How did it go with Regina today?" he asks as Emma plonks herself on a bar stool.
She bobs her head in a sort of 'so-so' motion. "We're just hitting dead end after dead end, but we'll get there; I'll make sure we do."
David nods. He takes a swig from the bottle of beer in front of him, in more of an 'I need a drink' way than a casual way. Then he talks again. "You've been spending an awful lot of time around Regina lately," he states cautiously.
Emma nods, oblivious to what he's trying to get at. "Yeah, turns out finding a happy ending takes a lot of work," she muses.
"I see," the prince says, an odd look on his face. It looks like he wants to say more, but is afraid of the reaction he'll get. He takes his chances anyway. "You're probably getting pretty close, right?"
This grabs the sheriff's attention. She looks up at him with a frown. "What do you mean?"
He doesn't say anything, praying she works it out herself and doesn't get angry.
The cogs turn in her brain, and then it clicks. "Oh god - you think that I - we're-"
David just looks at her sheepishly, a little embarrassed that he's the one to broach this topic and not Mary-Margaret. It would be awkward anyway, even if the person in question wasn't the former Evil Queen.
"We're not a couple!" Emma protests, shaking her head. This is getting ridiculous.
"Right!" the prince agrees quickly, nodding. "But if you were, your mother and I would be ok with it, y'know," he tells her. "We support you, regardless of who you choose to…love."
The blonde drops her head into her hands for a second and groans, and then springs off the bar stool. "I'm not dating Regina, ok? I have no desire to, and she doesn't have any desire to date me, either."
David practically heaves a sigh of relief and nods. His daughter's shock is too authentic to be fake, and he's willing to believe her, especially if it will expel the visuals that are in his head. There are some things a father should never have to imagine, and his daughter being defiled by his former enemy is definitely one of them.
The fifth time it happens is when the two go on a road trip to find Lily and Robin and bring them back to Storybrooke, safe and sound. They drive all through the day, but eventually they have to stop and rest.
They find a little hotel just off the road, and the break from driving is very welcome. The women are quiet as they carry their few possessions from the car, both weary and anxious about the trip ahead of them and Emma's impending darkness.
The hotel is a small, humble thing, and the reception is rather modest, with a single receptionist sitting behind a desk. The receptionist beams at them when they enter, perking up considerably as if they're the first customers she's seen all day. "What can I do for you?"
"We'd like a room, please," Regina answers politely, setting her bag down at her feet to free up her hands.
The receptionist nods. "Just one for the two of you?"
Regina nods. They've discussed this, and had come to the conclusion that one room would be best; it allows them to easily discuss the next course of action, and it costs less. It also means that Regina can keep an eye on the saviour, because they both know that Emma is walking the very thin line between light and dark, and she's close to snapping.
"Can I get your surname?"
"Mills," Regina says. The receptionist taps away on her keyboard, entering the details into the computer.
Then, the receptionist hands them a key and points the way to their room. "You ladies enjoy your night together," she tells them with a cheeky, knowing smile.
"We're not together," Emma corrects wearily. If she had a dollar for every time they were mistaken for a couple, she'd be rich. Regina places a gentle hand on the blonde's arm and squeezes lightly in an attempt to ease some of the sheriff's negativity.
"Of course, my apologies," the receptionist says as if she doesn't believe them at all. Her smile doesn't go away, and she just nods, as if to say, "Ok, if that's the game you want to play."
Regina rolls her eyes, and then picks up her bag and guides Emma away in the direction the woman had directed them, with a soft "C'mon," to the blonde.
They arrive at the door with a number that matches that on their key, and the brunette unlocks it and pushes it open.
It just gets better and better, really.
It would appear the receptionist really had believed they were a couple; in the centre of the room, there's a double bed with plush crimson bedding. The room has a pinkish hue, and on the windowsill, there's a vase containing a single rose.
"Really?" Emma sighs, allowing herself to forget her anger about - well, everything - for the moment to focus on the ridiculous sight before her.
"I'm right there with you," Regina murmurs.
This time it's different. It's different because a whole lot's changed - Emma's been to hell and back, and Regina's had a lot of time to think, which is both a blessing and a curse - and it's different because of months and months of frustration and darkness.
They're gathered in the woods and thick, sticky blackness is pouring out of Emma, from her eyes and from her mouth, and bursting out of her chest. It's disturbing and alarming - the blonde's small body convulses horribly as the darkness drains from her body and whirls around her - but it's wonderful all the same because this is what they've been trying to achieve for all those terrible months.
Emma cries out as the last of the darkness is exorcised from her body and sucked into a small metal urn found in Mr Gold's shop. Her limbs feel shaky and unstable, and it takes every single shred of her strength to remain standing. Her vision is blurry with hot tears that threaten to spill over at any moment; the darkness had blocked out any emotion it found ineffective - things like love and happiness not brought by the suffering of others - and now she's feeling everything at once. It's overwhelming to say the least.
She blinks the tears away enough for her to make out dark hair, perfect brows, a long coat, and ridiculous heels.
"Regina?"
The brunette's lips twist into a soft, watery smile, and then she releases a shaky, relieved laugh because this is really happening and Emma - their Emma, not the Dark One - is really back. "Emma," she breathes.
Before either woman can stop it, the blonde is falling forward into Regina and wrapping her arms tightly around her. The brunette's arms wind around her torso, holding her trembling form close and allowing Emma to soak up the warmth and love she's been without for so long. Emma's face presses into Regina's shoulder, and the mayor can feel the tell-tale wetness of tears on her coat. One of her hands moves to stroke blonde locks, silently soothing the blonde.
When they part, Emma is laughing despite the tears on her cheeks, and then she spots her parents and Hook standing just behind the former queen. She runs to them, hugging each of them tightly.
Later, when they're all at Granny's and Henry's two mothers have had a little too much to drink, they take a moment to breathe. Regina and Emma sit side by side at the bar, quietly watching the going-ons.
"I missed this," Emma admits. This whole thing is familiar and bright, and so different to the past months spent in complete darkness, consumed by rage.
Regina nods. "I imagine so," she agrees. "How are you holding up?"
The blonde inhales. "I'm a little shaken still, y'know," she reveals, glancing at the mayor to find her watching her with a combination of concern and unmistakeable love. Has that always been there, that love? She's not sure. Emma shakes her wonder off. "But I'll be fine. I'm just glad to be back."
The former queen smiles softly. "We're glad to have you back," she murmurs, brown eyes wide and unguarded in a way that suggests she really means, "I'm glad to have you back." The honesty and affection that lays there is almost too intense for Emma, and something in her chest swells and glows. She could put what happens next down to being without any sort of love or care for so long, but they both know it's something else.
Tentatively, Emma leans in and kisses the brunette. It's chaste and warm, soft lips brushing together gently, both women practically leaking warmth and tenderness. Regina's knees graze Emma's as they both turn their bodies slightly towards the other, and her hand cups the blonde's jaw, kissing back.
A few years ago, if anyone had told the women they'd be doing this, they would have laughed in their face. It's unexpected - to them, at least, because apparently everyone else had seen it years before them - but it makes complete sense; the two women share a connection, deep and rooted in care for the other and the urge to protect one other from darkness.
The women part when the dwarves cheer from their booth in the corner. "I told you they had a thing!" Grumpy howls, standing up and slapping the table top. "Pay up."
Reluctantly, a few of the other dwarves push dollar bills across the table, shaking their heads.
A light-hearted laugh bubbles up from Regina at the absurdity of it all, her forehead resting against Emma's, and the blonde can't help but join in.
The sixth time is a tipsy but meaningful kiss in Granny's diner, and whilst they may not be a couple just yet, for once, everyone's correct to think that the women share a unique closeness which is slowly but surely blossoming into romance.