So this is a scene I loved immediately for all the possible scenarios that could have panned out had Emma and Regina not been interrupted by Henry when taking shots. Emma see's Regina loosing her will to fight and sets out to get some emotion from her. Regina uses magic to fling emma off her stool and demands to know why Emma cares so much about fighting with her and why she wants her to be angry.
Just a fluffy/ Angsty one shot that I couldn't get out of my head.
My Songspiration for this was 'Halestorm - I miss the misery' I strongly advise listening to this if you want to get a feel for what I was thinking while writing this.
Disclaimer : As usual I own nothing but my own sordid imagination.
Reviews make my heart skip a beat!
"I don't need your validation I know I did the right thing, I know because im miserable, again" Regina's hands squeeze tighter around her now cold coffee mug, she watches with no emotion as her knuckles turn white and the skin tightens. She cant bring herself to look up at Emma, she can taste the lies on her own tongue.
Regina is miserable yes, her hope had been built up so high when Robin came, like she had an actual chance at her happy ending. But like everything else in her life lately it had all come crumbling down around her leaving her once again standing alone.
No this wasn't why Regina Mills was miserable, its was the eyes that followed her around town, pitying her. Snow's comforting hand on her shoulder, the endless hope speeches, the way the citizens no longer lowered their eyes in fear when she walked past but stared at her with sad faces.
Regina knew it was ridiculous to miss being feared, to miss the misery that she could cause with a single wave of her hand , but she did. She missed feeling like she was in total control of her own destiny, feeling that she had the ultimate power over herself. Ever since the ever perfect Saviour had came back from the past with the one handed wonder and reunited Marion with her husband and child Regina had felt her control slipping.
She wasn't 'In love' with Robin, she realised that now, knew that if she truly loved him she would feel more than the dull throb she did now. Regina Mills had never been one to show her emotions outwardly but she was painfully aware that what she was feeling now towards Robin Hood was not what It should be.
"Regina…are you here?" Regina snaps her gaze up to meet a pair of emerald green eyes boring into hers, she focuses on the shot glass held right under her nose. The liquid inside is clear and gave off no scent.
"Really Miss Swan, straight Vodka this early in the evening?"
Emma shrugged and pushed the shot glass a touch closer urging Regina with her eyes to take it.
Regina rolled her eyes once, more out of pure habit rather than any sense of exasperation and took the small glass. Emma raises her own shot in a mock salute and they both flick their wrists back liquid quickly disappearing.
Emma signals the girl at the bar for more shots and studies Regina from the Corner of her eye. She looks….dreadful, there was no other way to say it, Regina looked dreadful. Yes her, clothes and makeup were perfect down to the last slick of blood red lipstick on those full lips that Emma cant seem to look away from.
Regina looks empty though, as though all the life has left her and she is just accepting defeat, Emma hates how her eyes have dulled, how her posture is slipping slightly and she seems to hunch in on herself. Her eyes catch on the black bags under Regina's and just those two small crescents of darkness are enough to push her over the edge, the last straw.
"Where have you gone Regina, what are you doing" Emma's voice, though a hushed whisper, carries her frustration and anger. She leans closer, invading the Mayors personal space.
"You look dreadful, ever since Robin left…" Emma see's Regina visibly flinch at the mention of the thief's name, finally a response, Emma forges on ahead.
"The Regina I know wouldn't be sat drowning in her sorrows at Granny's Diner, she would be out fighting for what she wants. Wild horses couldn't stop her"
There is a cold burn beginning in Regina's chest a throb of anger, she has tried so hard to lock up all her pain, for Henry's sake. She promised him she would be a better person, a Hero, But the Idiot Saviour is at it again, pushing her and ripping away at her until she has no choice but to lash out.
Her lips turn into her trademark sneer and she allows her facial expression to harden as she straightens her spine and ever so slowly spins her stool to face the Blonde who has come dangerously far into her personal space.
"Miss Swan I was under the impression that you were here as a, how did you so eloquently put it, a drinking buddy not a counsellor. You said no hope speeches" Regina can feel the emotion bubbling up inside her chest now, straining to be unleashed.
"Result!" Emma shoots back another shot, eyes never breaking contact and slams the glass back down onto the counter. The Glass shatters and a few customers can be seen exchanging worried glances in the background. The bell above the diner door dings softly as a few of the more savvy townspeople make a quick quiet exit, all too familiar with the outcome of fights with the Evil Queen.
"Well I thought you were the badass Regina Mills. Mayor, QUEEN not this" Emma's hands gesture wildly up and down Regina, finding no words to explain what she means.
Emma takes a fast sharp breath and dives in for the death blow.
"Scaredy Cat"
Its childish she knows but its exactly what will push Regina over the edge.
Emma cant help but revel in the physical heat coming from the other woman's body as they sit less than a foot apart knees touching, she can almost see the anger in Regina's eyes, see the way her fists curl and the muscles in her hand clench.
Regina flexes both fists, light bulbs shatter overhead raining down over the tables, the lights in the back room flicker and a sharp yelp sounds from the corner where a rather worried looking Ruby is frantically ushering the remaining townsfolk out the door before turning the sign to closed and quickly slinking off into the shadows. She knows better than to get in the middle of this.
Regina's heart is pounding in her chest now and a red haze settles over her vision. "Scaredy cat" how dare she! How dare this naïve woman ever insinuate she was scared of anything, she was Regina Mills and she was no about to be degraded by this bumbling fool.
"Oh there you are" Emma lets out a harsh chuckle that turns into a gasp as a blast of magic hits her square in the chest punching the air from her lungs and blowing her backwards off her stool. She skids a good five feet across the wood floor before coming to a stop, coughing and rubbing her chest. Emma is just sucking in lungful of air when it occurs to her she may have pushed Regina a bit too far this time.
The brunette is still sitting on her bar stool hands outstretched in front of her and a look of pure fury on her face.
As Emma watches though the fury recedes enough for Regina to lower her hands and glare at Emma pinning her down to the floor with her gaze.
"Has this made you feel any better Miss Swan, are you happy now that you've angered me into using magic against you" Regina is shaking now, eyes stinging as she struggles to hold on to her façade of no emotion.
"What is the point in all this, what is the point in being angry, in feeling pain. Don't you think I know how much everything hurts!, yet you continue to insist that feel it over and over again"
Back aching from the fall Emma props herself up on her elbows on the diner floor.
" Because I cant stand seeing you like this, like you're a fucking stone with no emotion Regina." Emma is practically screaming now.
"I miss it okay, I miss all the lies. Dammit Regina I even miss you lying, screaming, blaming me for everything. Its like you've just got a giant off switch in your brain and you've gotten it stuck.
Well that's the cat out of the bag now Emma thinks, she cant stand the thought of faking it for one more second. And consequences be damned, if Regina wants to call her bluff then let her. Her whole body is tensed ready for another blast of magic but Regina is just staring at her. Those deep brown eyes seeing right through her and Emma cant, she just cant survive one more day keeping all these feelings bottled up. Somewhere in the back of her mind a small voice is warning her not to lay herself completely bare.
"I can't stand you thinking that Robin is the only one that loves you and that you've lost everything. You still have people!"
Emma hesitates, she's getting into dangerous territory now and scrambles to defend herself in front of this terrifying woman.
Regina arches a perfectly sculpted brow her anger ebbing away replaced with curiosity. Emma misses fighting with her? She misses all the shit that they are both trying so hard to escape from. She cant deal with all this right now so she latches on to the last thing Emma says.
"People Miss Swan?" "what aren't you telling me"
Emma's lips part brain forming words but no sounds come out, her mind is spinning at a hundred miles an hour going over and over what she wants to say right then. Me, you have me I'm here. I care I care more than you know. More than I would ever be able to tell you.
"Henry I mean, you have Henry who loves you. You don't need to be miserable"
Regina stares at her a few seconds longer before turning her back on the prostrate saviour and throwing back her last shot, she has had enough of this. With no more than a brief second of deliberation she reaches across and claims Emma's remaining shots too, throwing them back in quick succession. The alcohol is sharp on her tongue, stiffens her spine and makes her eyes water.
Wiping her lips delicately with a napkin Regina spins on her stool and goes to stand expecting to see the saviour still lying on the floor but she has missed the flurry of movement and instead comes face to face with an angry panting blonde less than a breath away.
"Regina..." Emma's voice wavers, its not a question, its almost a plea.
Regina sucks in a sharp breath trying not to think about just how close they are, she can feel the heat radiating between their bodies, see every individual blonde tinted eyelash resting on creamy pale skin. She forces into place her mask, hoping she can hold it together long enough to escape the penetrating emerald gaze.
"Miss Swan you've made your point quite sufficiently now please get out of my way"
Emma doesn't budge, using her body as a blockade between Regina and the Counter.
"Emma…" its said in a much quieter voice, Regina lets her eyes scan each of Emma's imploring her to listen, to understand.
With that one sound, the utterance of her first name, Emma knows she has lost this battle, she gives a defeated groan and sidesteps just enough to let the Latina squeeze past. Between her own body and the counter, just enough so that Regina's entire right side has to brush against her as she passes. With great effort Emma stops her fingers from trailing down Regina's arm as she passes and following after the woman.
Emma is Furious, confused, exhausted, her body is screaming one thing and her mind is screaming another, there is a storm of chaos behind her eyelids. She wants to punch Regina in the jaw wants to scream at her, kick and claw until she gets the right reaction. She wants to grab her by the collar and kiss her, push her up against the wall, pin her there with her arms and her hips, trail her lips down her throat and leave teeth marks on her collar bones. Instead she is letting her walk away.
The diner bell dings as Regina disappears into the night leaving Emma standing alone with a pile of empty shot glasses and an even emptier feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Hearing the bell go Ruby pops her hear round the corner of the room, scanning for anymore potential disasters about to unfold before clearing her throat loudly before coming fully into the room. She saunters over from the back of the bar where she had neen standing in the shadows too caught up in the interaction to move.
Emma tears her gaze from the closed door to face the waitress, a question in her eyes. She had completely forgot that Ruby was working here tonight and a brief sense of guilt settles in as she looks over the mess the diner is now in. There are pieces of glass on every surface and a few of the chairs are lying askew where Regina's magic had blasted them away.
"Well Em you've either just done something amazingly brilliant or exceptionally stupid, either way you've got one hell of a problem" Ruby has a barely concealed look of glee in her eyes as she leans over the counter practically bouncing.
"And on top of all that…" Ruby waves her hands in the general direction of where Emma and Regina had been standing, pressed together at the counter.
"…Regina left you the bill" Ruby smirks and slaps a bar tab down in front of Emma "Enjoy!"
Emma sighs audibly "Great, thanks your Royal pain in the ass'ness, just another item on my 'im so screwed' list"
Ruby's ears visibly prick up and she grabs one of Emma's discarded shot glasses giving it a quick refill and pushing it under the sheriffs' nose.
"Emma where do you even start with all of your other problems. Tell me though, why DO you want her so angry at you? I thought you two were trying to be…"
Ruby tips her head to one side and puts on her best puppy dog eyes.
"… 'friends' for Henry"
Emma stares forlornly at the shot glass before tipping it back, grimacing at the sharp tang of alcohol when it hits her throat. The emphasis Ruby places on 'Friends' does not go unnoticed but she decides to ignore the werewolf's subtle questioning for now.
"Because im a masochist? I don't know!"
"Because I meant it when I said I miss it, all the fighting"
Emma pauses before admitting softly more to herself than to the younger woman.
"Because she's beautiful when she's angry"
"God im so screwed"
Emma pulls some cash out of her pocket and hands it to Ruby with a muttered
"sorry about the mess" before taking a deep breath and exiting the diner, shoulders hunched against the wind.
Ruby stands frozen in place for a few seconds eyes following the saviour down the diner path and past the gate. Those last words still hung in the air "Because she's beautiful when she's angry" Emma's voice had cracked and Ruby thought she saw a flash of raw emotion ripple across her face. She looked almost heartbroken as though she was admitting a terrible secret.
Surely Emma couldn't have feelings for Regina? That would just be too complicated, not with all their fighting, or would it? Ruby smiles to herself, possible scenarios of the Mayor and the Saviour together firing off in her imagination. They do fight constantly but ruby knew all too well that the two women would and had offered their lives up willingly for the other time and time again.
Yes she thinks to herself, she can't think of anything more perfect really. After all, Henry wants his family together, Ruby is pretty sure that with a little help he may just get his wish.