"Do you miss Boston?"
"Huh?" Emma looked up from her ever-more outdated computer where she was most of the way through yet another report regarding noise complaints from the Fairies turned Nuns turned Fairies (or...something like that, she could never quite get a handle on Blue and her oddly religious band of followers) to see that, at some point, the once again Mayor of Storybrooke had appeared before her desk.
"I asked if you missed Boston." Regina's tone gave away only the slightest bit of irritation at being asked to repeat herself, but otherwise told Emma nothing of where this seemingly random question could have come from. The longer she waited for a response, the higher one dark eyebrow rose, arms eventually crossing impatiently.
"Umm...sort of, I guess?" Emma shrugged.
"Was that an answer or a question?"
"Seriously Regina?" Emma gave the other woman a look that clearly said she wasn't going to take any of her holier-than-thou nonsense. The only response this earned her was the slightest bowing of Regina's head. Emma grinned, knowing that that was as good as an apology coming from the proud woman, and leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on her desk (much to Regina's chagrin).
"There are things I miss, sometimes. But, I don't know, Boston was just another place I lived. It was never home. Sometimes I miss the city, the noise, the way I could walk down the street and just be another person instead of "The Savior" or "Snow's Daughter" or "Henry's Mother" or "Regina's Sheriff"." 'Regina's Sheriff? Where did that come from?' Emma thought, filing that one away to come back to later. One look at Regina told her she was doing the same.
"And New York? Do you feel the same about that city? Just another place?" Regina's posture seemed oddly rigid, not angry or judgmental, but uncomfortable in a way that Emma wasn't used to seeing. She thought for another beat before answering this time.
"No. New York was home. I mean, I know it was all a lie or whatever, but while we were there it felt like home. So yes, I miss New York, terribly sometimes."
"I'm sorry Emma. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories or, well, I'm just sorry that you feel like you lost your home." Regina moved as if to leave, but Emma stopped her, intent on finding out where this line of questioning had come from.
"Regina, wait. Don't worry about it. I'm ok, New York was nice but I have everyone I love here, and I even love this town most of the time. You know, when it's not actively trying to kill us." She smiled reassuringly, hoping to get Regina to relax at least a little bit, but failing miserably. At this point she knew something was up.
"All right Regina, spill. What's up? Thinking of moving? Looking to retire somewhere more...crowded?"
"Retire? Just how old do you think I am?" Though she was aiming for offended it was glaringly obvious that she was mostly just avoiding the question. Emma decided to let her get away with it, at least for another minute or two, especially when it gave her such an easy shot.
"Well, you are technically a senior citizen...didn't you get those AARP brochures? Speaking of, do you need help filling out your Medicare paperwork? I know it can be confusing, especially if you're not used to that sort of thing." Emma nudged Regina's ribs gently with her elbow, earning her a slap to the shoulder and finally, a small smile.
"Shut it Swan." A half glare was shot her way, but fell flat as Regina's smile only grew. Finally, and with an exasperated sigh, she gave in, "Alright look, I was just thinking that, what with Henry spending the next two weeks doing who knows what off in the woods with your father and that leather-clad moron you call a boyfriend, you might be interested in taking some time off and visiting your old cities."
Suddenly it dawned on Emma exactly what Regina was dancing around with her carefully worded proposal. An absolute shit-eating grin split across her face.
"Why Madam Mayor, are you asking me to go on a road trip with you?"
"Well, it just seems...I wouldn't want you to be bored, and I am one of the only other people who can actually leave this town so I thought I'd do you the favor of offering to accompany you, should you be interested in taking the time off that I, as your boss, am so generously willing to give you." Emma couldn't stifle the giggle that burst forth at the desperate attempt at a smugly victorious face Regina was attempting to maintain, but quickly swallowed it when she saw the smallest hint of hurt flicker behind the other woman's eyes, almost as if she were expecting to be shot down.
"You know what, Regina, I think I could use a bit of a break. It'd be nice to get away for a while, and it'd be nice to take a road trip where our lives aren't in danger for one reason or another. So yeah, let's do it!" Regina simply blinked at this, seemingly stunned that her idea had been so enthusiastically received.
"Really?" she squeaked, promptly clearing her throat in order to mask her moment of uncharacteristic excitement.
"Yes really. We can leave in the morning, if that works for you." Regina nodded her approval before turning fully to head out (but not before Emma caught the full mouthed smile spreading over her lips), hips swaying with just a little more confidence as she strutted towards the door of the Sheriff's station, not wanting to appear overly eager by sticking around to plan.
"Be ready at dawn, Miss Swan. And don't think we're taking that tin can of yours this time." She called back over her shoulder.
"Fine Regina, but your fancy little car better be ready for some serious road trip tunes!" Emma called back, her own smile wide enough to rival Regina's.
'A road trip, just the two of us, with no mission or purpose or big evil nasty to fight. Now this should really be interesting.'
Well the drive to Boston had certainly been interesting...at least that was one word for it. First there were the three trips back to her parent's to pick up "essentials" that Snow was just certain they would both need and couldn't possibly have remembered to pack for themselves ("But Emma, you never know what could happen out there! Did you pack a first aid kit?", "Emma I forgot to give you the cell phones I bought for you both. Yes, I know you already have phones but what if you lose them? How will you get in touch if you need us?" "Emma did you pack the pictures of us? How about the map? Well how do you expect anyone to find us if you end up in an accident, or in the hospital? Don't you 'Mom' me in that tone!"). When they finally left Snow for the last time, Emma wasn't sure whether she or Regina was more likely to fireball her cell phone if it so much as dared to vibrate one more time. The time on the road itself had been fine, and relatively uneventful. No fights broke out between the two of them, unless you counted Regina ripping Emma's phone out of her hand when she couldn't settle on a playlist and instead kept skipping through songs, and then batting away Emma's every attempt to regain control of the music selection. There'd been a minor disagreement when Regina got them lost immediately upon exiting the highway and entering the city itself, though according to Regina it was because of Emma's poor navigating skills that she'd taken a wrong turn...or three. Eventually Regina had begrudgingly agreed that perhaps letting Emma drive the rest of the way to the hotel would be the better idea given her familiarity with the streets of the city.
Now, here they were, settling into their room at the Marriott Long Warf Hotel (The lobby of which had earned a quiet "Wow" from Emma and an "I suppose this will do" from Regina). The room was one floor from the top, overlooking Boston Harbor, with the exterior wall made up entirely of windows in order to showcase the gorgeous view. Emma found herself drawn to the window, gazing at the ocean, and suddenly feeling extremely unsure if she really wanted to be back here at all. Her life in Boston had been empty. Sure, she'd had a job she was great at and had been the jealous envy of most of her coworkers, but she had no friends, a small apartment with only minimal furnishing and no personal touches, and nothing to tie her down. At the time it was just how she liked it. But now, looking back on it, all she felt was overwhelming loneliness.
"Emma?" A quiet voice and a gentle hand on her lower back turned Emma to the room, to Regina standing behind her, not too close, but close enough.
"Hey." A small smile,
"Hey." The hand at her back dropped away, not awkwardly, but naturally. Little touches like that had once been foreign between the two of them, the kind of touches that made them both recoil, but somewhere along the way, between a dark one and a dagger, things had changed. Regina raised an eyebrow, questioning and kind. Another small smile.
"I'm alright Regina. Just, it's been a while, you know?" Shaking blonde hair, once again regaining some of the bouncing curl it had lost over the years, out of her face, she inhaled and stood a little straighter, determined not to spoil the trip. "Alright, Madam Mayor of Storybrooke Maine, this trip was your idea, so what would you like to do now? I shall be your tour guide," crossing one leg behind the other and flourishing an arm across her chest, Emma took an exaggerated bow, "Emma Swan, Savior and former Boston Resident, at your service, M'Lady."
This earned her a throaty chuckle from the other woman, looking up to see a broad smile gracing Regina's lips, the kind of smile that only appeared once in a blue moon and that Emma treasured (probably more than she should). Regina sighed, though her smile faltered only slightly, and she backed up to flop (somehow regally) back onto one of the two luxurious queen (how appropriate) sized beds.
"Honestly, Emma, I have no idea. Other than our trip to find Lily and..." stopping short, words caught in her throat before clearing it and continuing, "...and then our last venture chasing down Rumple and Henry, I haven't been in this world of yours since I adopted Henry."
"You left Storybrooke to adopt Henry?" The thought had never occurred to Emma before, though she supposed it only made sense.
"Of course. The adoption agency was in Boston, it's not like Storybrooke has any kind of Social Services."
Emma followed Regina to the bed and lay back beside her, her blonde hair naturally fanning out behind her head, clasping her hands over her stomach and just breathing for a moment before asking something she'd found herself wondering from time to time but never finding the right time to bring it up.
"What was it like? When you adopted him? The first time you saw him?" Regina rolled onto her side facing Emma, her tailored blazer bunching as she bent her elbow to prop up her head. Emma eyes ticked towards her, though she remained facing the ceiling.
"It was incredible. And terrifying. It was so much more than I could ever have imagined." Regina's voice was quiet, reverent, her eyes misting slightly. Turning ever so slightly away from and then back towards Regina, Emma took a deep breath before asking another question.
"What did he look like?" Regina was surprised by this, certainly Emma had seen Henry, she'd given birth to him after all. If nothing else, there were always the memories she'd given her during the second curse. As if sensing Regina's confusion, Emma rolled over to mimic her posture, only inches separating them. "I didn't want to see him. When I...when he was born, I couldn't look at him. I knew if I did I'd never be able to give him up, but I had to. I couldn't be a mother."
Regina felt her heart clench at Emma's words, at the sorrow on Emma's face. She would forever be grateful that Emma had given Henry up, had given her the son she so longed for, but she also wished Emma had never had to go through the pain of letting him go. Feeling such sympathy, and empathy, towards the woman before her would have once surprised (and even disgusted) her, but now she found a certain comfort in the bond they had formed, in having someone in her life who she could truly consider a friend.
"But the curse...?"
"Those memories, from Henry's birth, they were never clear. I remembered the pain, the labor, all the stuff that really happened, but then everything gets kind of...fuzzy. My first clear memories of Henry as a baby are later. I guess I just chocked it up to some form of memory loss caused by the exhaustion of being a new mother, or something, whenever I thought about it during the year in New York."
"I imagine that was the curse, just like how my curse kept the residents of Storybrooke from really thinking about why time didn't pass, or why nothing ever seemed to change."
"Yeah. I guess." An expectant pause..."So...?"
"Oh...he was perfect, Emma. Truly. He had the brightest eyes and these ridiculously chubby little cheeks. Perhaps I'm biased, but I can't imagine a cuter child than Henry was." Seeing the watery smile on Emma's face had Regina reach out to wrap her fingers around the hand draped across Emma's waist. "I have pictures. I don't know why I've never thought of it before, but I took pictures constantly. I can show them to you when we return. They belong as much to you as to me."
"Thank you, Regina. That would be...that means a lot." Emma gave herself one last beat before sucking in a deep breath and sitting up, pulling Regina with her. "Alright, enough of that! We're here for a vacation and we're going to have fun, damn-it!" Her wide smile chased away the last bits of wistful sadness and her eyes took on a mischievous glint.
"Well then, tour guide, where to?" Regina pulled herself up into the straight backed posture of the Queen she'd once been, though without any of her old demeaning authority.
"That depends, Madame Mayor. Do you trust me?" Regina tilted her head to one side as if contemplating Emma's question though in truth the answer, which they both knew, was 'yes, with my life'. Instead of that she answered with,
"I suppose."
"Get ready then, because this isn't going to be any sunday stroll through some sophisticated art museum. We're going to do Boston my way."
"Let's go then, Miss Swan. Show me a good time." There was a bit of flirtation in Regina's tone, something not unheard of but unacknowledged between them, and it caused just a slight sheen of pink to rise to the apples of Emma's cheeks.
What had started as an attempt to pull Regina out of her comfort zone and into Emma's had completely backfired, in the best possible way. A trip to the Boston Aquarium had seen Regina's inner child come out to play, though she'd clearly tried her best to reign herself in, she simply couldn't help gasping in awe at the sight of the huge central tank, grasping Emma's hand and dragging her along the slopped walkway in pursuit of a passing sea turtle. The antics of the sea lions had her giggling like the carefree little girl she had never truly had the chance to be, and Emma found Regina's joy, much like everything else about the woman, to be captivating and infectious. After they'd had their fill of sea creatures, Regina had continued to surprise by indulging in, and obviously enjoying, a huge slice of pizza from Emma's favorite little hole-in-the-wall in the North End, and then proceeding to positively demand Emma take her for cannoli at Mike's Pastry (a place she'd apparently read about on one of the many travel websites she'd frequented over the years). Emma couldn't help but be amazed at the lightness that seemed to have overcome Regina in recent weeks. Sure, most of the time she remained the bossy, composed, control freak she always was, but there was something different. Ever since the debacle with the Evil Queen had been resolved a couple of months previous, ending with Regina reuniting with her darker half because, in the end, it became clear that there could be no one without the other, something was different about her. Emma had worried that being forced to re-embrace her darkness would kill Regina's belief in herself, but it seemed it had somehow had the opposite effect. There was a spark of hope, real hope, in Regina now, and though Emma wasn't sure she understood it she was certainly glad to see it and help it thrive. And that had resulted in where they were now, at Emma's old favorite club, a place that she wasn't sure Regina would be able to handle but had decided to push her luck and give it a chance. Boy had she been in for a surprise...
Regina was in the center of the dance floor, her blazer long since discarded, wearing a silky blue v-neck tank top and black pencil skirt that clung to her body and was accented by a shiny gold zipper that ran all the way up the back. Emma didn't think she could take her eyes off of her if she tried, so instead she sat sipping her gin and tonic through the tiny straws meant mostly for stirring, and staring at the woman she had once thought of as stiff and soulless. Though the music and style of dance was clearly not something Regina had much, if any, experience with, that wasn't stopping her at all. Her hair was slightly mussed from fingers running through it in an absurdly sensual display, while a sheen of sweat could be seen on her forehead, chest, and upper arms. She wasn't exactly dancing with anyone, though some had tried and a few had been given brief permission to join her before she'd close her eyes and drift off with the beat. When the latest song ended and the DJ announced a quick break, Regina finally made her way back to their table, rejoining Emma and stealing a sip of the drink still in the blonde's hand.
"Regina, where did you learn to move like that?" Emma surrendered her drink to the other woman, choosing not to think to hard about how unlike them this all was, or why it felt so damn comfortable.
"Surprised you, have I? Didn't think an old lady could shake it?" Emma nearly choked on her own saliva at that, stunned as Regina winked at her.
"Did you just make a joke about your age? What has gotten into you?!" Emma was smiling so brightly now that her cheeks hurt, arms crossed in mock offense across her chest. "You'd fireball me on the spot if I said something like that to you!"
"Not fireball, my dear, at least not here. No magic, remember? Besides, it's different when I'm talking about myself. Afterall, I am a few decades your senior, and it's best to respect your elders."
"Oh, another joke!" Emma clutched her chest, "Stop, it's too much!" Regina laughed, tossing back the last of the drink, and sliding onto the stool across from Emma.
"So Emma, what is it about this club that you love so much? You must have been a regular if the bouncer still remembers you all these years later."
"Um...well, I don't know. It's sort of the perfect mix of bar and club. Just loud enough music and strong enough drinks. It's a good place to dance if that's what you're up for without it ever being too packed, but it's also somewhere I could come and know I'd be left alone at the bar if that's what I wanted." Emma recalled that she'd spent the better part of many nights here, way back when, becoming more than just a regular. She was pretty sure that she'd actually slept on one of the back booths on more than one occasion, though she didn't intend to share that tidbit with Regina.
"Hmm, yes. Well I imagine the lack of men helps with the being left alone part. It does seem that you attract the clingy ones." Regina observed, the dig full of humor instead of malice, well, mostly. And there it was, the defining feature of this particular club that Emma had intentionally failed to mention, hoping that maybe Regina wouldn't notice. Of course she had, Regina was nothing if not observant.
"Noticed that, did you?" Emma looked up from under long eyelashes, her expression sheepish and shy.
"Mmhmm." Was all Regina said, not pushing Emma further. Then, standing, she walked around Emma's chair, moving behind her and wrapping her fingers around the collar of her red leather jacket in order to drag it slowly down Emma's arms until it slid all the way off. She leaned over Emma's shoulder, ever so slowly, to lay the jacket across the table, and husked into her ear, so close that her breath tickled across Emma's neck, "Come dance with me, Savior."
It was the most overtly flirtatious thing she'd ever done and it had Emma melting even as her stomach tensed and rolled, her mind deciding that making sense of anything about this evening was just too much work and deciding to nearly shut down entirely. Before she knew it she was sweating away next to Regina, their bodies close but not quite touching, the thundering rhythm of the music flowing around them. Emma moved in a way that she hadn't in years letting go of all her tension, forgetting about fairy tales and villains, forgetting about curses and saviors, forgetting about everything except the bubble of joyful release the two women seemed to have created around themselves.
It was just past 2 am when they found their way back into their hotel room, tired but happy, both smiling. They had opted to walk back, enjoying the perfect weather of the night, and strolling along in companionable silence. Emma tossed her coat onto the closest bed, following it down and sprawling out on her stomach. In yet another shocking move, though Emma thought that perhaps she should just stop being shocked by anything Regina did at this point, Regina too collapsed to the bed face up, limbs haphazardly falling across Emma's own.
"Thank you for this Emma. Today was...well... you know..." Regina stumbled over her words with uncharacteristic nerves, Emma turning her head to regard her and blowing stray blonde strands out of her eyes, allowing for a clear line of sight when Regina turned her gaze and locked eyes with her. "I think today was the most fun I've ever had."
She looked almost embarrassed, but Emma's near blinding smile and childish exclamation of
"Yes! 10 points to the tour guide!" had her smiling right back, chuckling and nudging Emma playfully. A comfortable silence settled between them for several minutes, each woman quietly thinking back on their favorite parts of the first day of their vacation.
"So...what should we do tomorrow? You up for more sightseeing, or have I worn you out?" Emma watched Regina, seeing a surprising number of emotions flit across dark features. "Hey, if you just want to stay in an relax, that's totally fine with me. No pressure." Regina sat up, clearly distancing herself a bit.
"It's not that Emma, it's just...I wasn't completely honest with you about my reasons for this trip."
"Ok..." Emma sat up now too, her own nerves building as she quickly tried to figure out where Regina could be going with this.
"Tomorrow, it's just that I have somewhere to be in the morning. Or...we both have somewhere to be." Regina tried to stand but Emma put her hand gently on her thigh, applying the slightest amount of pressure to keep her on the bed.
"And where exactly do we have to be?" She tried to keep her voice soft and neutral, not wanting to scare Regina into shutting down on her.
"A lawyer. We have an appointment with a lawyer." Regina spoke so quietly that, had she succeeded in standing up from the bed, Emma was sure she wouldn't have been able to hear her.
"A lawyer?" Emma was completely lost at this point and trying hard to fight back the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. And then it hit her, suddenly and with a penetrating terror shooting straight through her. "Is this about Henry? Are you...Regina what is this? I mean, I know I have no right to him but I thought we were making this work...I thought...are you taking him away from me?" Regina could almost have laughed at the ridiculous symmetry of the words spilling from Emma's lips, almost an exact replica of her own fears from back when Emma had come charging into her life, and she probably would have were it not for the incredible hurt swimming through the green eyes before her.
"Oh no, Emma, it's not like that at all. The opposite, in fact. I made this appointment, I talked you into this trip, so that I could, we could ensure that Henry can never be taken from you, or from either of us." As Emma struggled to understand what Regina was saying, tears had begun falling from her eyes. A hand far softer than she'd ever expect from the once domineering Queen came up to brush her cheek, swiping away the wetness there, pulling her face up just a bit so Emma was forced to look straight into Regina's dark brown eyes. "We are making this work, we have been for some time. You're right. That's why I want to make it official. Emma, I'm giving you back custody of your son." The kindest smile Emma had ever seen was spreading across Regina's face, her thumb still wiping tears from Emma's cheek.
"Cus-to-dy?" Emma stuttered out around the emotions lodged in her throat.
"Well, shared, with me of course. But yes, custody. Real, legal custody. That's why I wanted to do it here, so no matter what happens or where we end up, we will both be recognized as his mothers. But...only if that's what you want." The words had barely left Regina's lips when Emma did what might be the most shocking thing of all, throwing her arms around Regina's neck and pulling her into a tight hug as sobs of sheer joy overwhelmed her. Regina responded almost instantly, bringing her arms around Emma's waist and holding her close.
"Yes, Regina. Yes that's what I want. Thank you." Emma's words came out full of happiness around her tears.
"You're welcome Emma."
The women remained as they were, the intensity of the moment flowing over them. Emma was completely blown away, her heart having never felt so full before. She worked at slowing her breathing, taking in the immense calm she felt wrapped in Regina's arms, a hand rubbing gentle, soothing circles on her back in a way Emma realized she could remember doing for Henry when he was young and overwhelmed, which meant that what she was really remembering was actually the way Regina, this misunderstood woman with such a huge, incredible heart, would comfort her son, their son.
"You know," Emma began, turning her head just a little bit further into Regina's neck so it could rest comfortably in the crook of her shoulder,
"Hmm?"
"I'm pretty sure this is the very first time we've hugged." She smiled against Regina's skin, aware that the other woman could feel it. Regina laughed, exhaling as she did so, her own body relaxing into the embrace.
"I do believe you're right."