Author's Note: This is the first of two ficlets I did to the "awkward situation" prompt for SwanQueenWeek June 2014. I don't know what it is but both of them are Emma being inappropriately hit on by Hook and Regina seeing the situation. Must mean I hate Hook. Yeah, that'd be about right.
Potential trigger warning: Hook gets inappropriate with Emma. All's good, but the moment's there all the same.
Anyway, here's...
A Night Out
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"No, Miss Swan, this is your weekend with Henry. You cannot conveniently give him up when it no longer suits your schedule."
Emma resented the tone, but ended the call only after the line went dead from Regina's end. She turned to Killian with a shrug. "Can't go. Sorry. No one to watch Henry."
"Why not give the lad over to his grandparents?"
The ones who lost him to Greg and Tamara, Emma thought. She shook her head. "They have their hands full with Neal," she said, managing to keep her reaction to only a small wince following her baby brother's name. "We'll just have to do this another night?"
"But it's a one-time showing," the man whined. "I've heard all about these drive-ins and -"
"We can just take Henry with us," Emma suggested.
"But you said he might have nightmares about Pan."
"Besides, who takes their 12 year old on a date, right?" Emma pointed out, wanting to see where Killian's real interests lay.
"Right!" he said eagerly and stepped closer; clearly he saw her agreement as invitation. She stepped back. "C'mon, Swan, maybe it'd be all right to leave the boy alone for one night?"
"Henry!" Emma stepped around Killian and shouted up the stairs to the loft space that had become her son's domain in the small house she now shared with him in a neighborhood just off the harbor.
Henry, in the end, went with them. Emma was acting funny and so Henry declared he would be perfectly fine seeing the animated Disney classic.
Emma drove because, for one, Killian didn't know how and, two, she was the only one with money to pay the admission price, two dollars per carload. Gotta love the fact that the outside economy hadn't caught on inside Storybrooke, she thought, passing over the two singles to the pimply faced teen at the ticket booth. Not only was there an actual drive in, but it was just the price of a Super Big Gulp soda for three people to enjoy a two-hour film.
Henry asked for money for candy. Emma had already moved Killian's hand from her thigh twice while adjusting the speaker in the window of her bug. She told Henry she'd get the food, adding she didn't trust him not to get the worst options, which meant his mother Regina would kill her.
On her way to the concession building in the center of the field, Emma's attention was drawn by the sound of an engine cutting out. She glanced to the left where she was surprised to see Regina's Mercedes. The headlights were just going out and the interior light came up, illuminating Regina and little Roland. The brunette leaned across and unbuckled the young child's seatbelt. The cute kid leaped almost immediately into Regina's lap, but she tucked him back down into the seat, saying something Emma could not hear. Wearing a tender smile, the brunette added a "beep" to the child's nose.
"Hey, you in line?" Emma turned, started, to see Michael Tillman pulling out his wallet.
She shook herself and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. How are Ava and Nicolas?"
"They're good. Start of summer break, so I thought I'd bring them out for some fun."
"They'll enjoy it." Emma stepped up after the woman ahead of her walked away balancing a carton of drinks and bags of fresh popped popcorn. The aromas made Emma smile. "Two," she started to the teen behind the window. "No, wait, three sodas, and three bags of popcorn, please."
The screen at the front of the field sparkled to life with sound and color. Taking her order, Emma nodded to Michael. "Enjoy," she said before hurrying off.
On her way back to the bug, Emma's eye drifted to Regina's car. Roland had returned to Regina's lap, sipping on the straw of an insulated green cup. No doubt something the woman had packed for them at her home rather than make a purchase during the movie.
It occurred to Emma that Regina was babysitting, watching Robin and Marian's son while the two spent time getting reacquainted. The thought caused an empathetic ache in Emma's chest. She hurried her pace to her car to outrun the awkward feelings of guilt and shame, her role in the turn of events very clear. It didn't matter, they caught up to her anyway.
She slid into the driver's seat to see Killian leaning on the other door window doing a fair imitation of a sulk. Henry leaned forward between the seats and collected one soda and a bag of popcorn, his face the picture of innocence. She wondered what her son had said to the pirate. "Thanks, Ma," he told her.
"You're welcome, Henry." Emma held a bag toward Killian. "Here you go. Two of this world's best vices - popcorn and soda."
Killian pulled out his flask from the inside of his vest. "Got my own 'vice'," he said, popping the top and taking a long draught.
"Ooookaaaay," Emma drew out the two syllables and put his soda in the holder and the popcorn bag on the gear shift between them. She rolled herself down into her seat, and settled her knees up against the steering wheel, leaning back to watch the movie.
The kid's bladder drove him to the restroom just about an hour in. Emma kissed him as he got out from her side of the car. She didn't say anything, but she wondered if he wasn't just a touch unnerved by the animated Peter Pan, regardless of the very different situations.
She got back in the car with a distracted sigh. Killian let out a sound as well. Emma eyed him askance, but he did and said nothing further. So she settled back for the rest of the film.
Onscreen Hook fell toward the waiting waters with the great crocodile. In Emma's bug, Killian rolled across the gearshift in a probable attempt to kiss her, but the parking brake caught him in a tender spot. He howled and fell across Emma's seat even as Emma rolled out of her car door onto the grass.
"What the hell?" Emma growled.
Sprawled, Killian winced and leered at her. "Just lookin' for a kiss, luv."
Emma slammed the door, hearing his knuckles bang against the door. Killian pulled himself part way out of the open window.
"Swan!"
"Don't be in the car when I get back, Killian," Emma replied. She turned to continue her walk away only to slam into another body. "Oh hell, I'm sorry!" She grasped the arms of the person before she fully registered their identity.
"Emma?"
"Regina? Where's Roland?"
"I let Henry take him to the little boy's room."
The door of a car - Emma's car - opening and slamming shut drew both women's attention. Emma put her hand to her face as Killian walked away, his body language rigid and angry.
"It seems your date is leaving," Regina said.
"Yeah, well, I'm gonna find Henry." Emma tried to ignore the fact that Regina fell into step with her as she started walking again.
"What are you doing?" Emma stopped walking and turned to Regina.
"If you're fetching Henry then I have to retrieve Roland."
"Why are you babysitting, Regina?"
"The boy needs… care. His… parents need time together."
"Regina, I swear to God, I had no idea who she was," Emma tried to apologize once more.
"It's unimportant," Regina said, sounding like she was trying to brush off a distraction, but Emma saw the pinch of Regina's brows, the telltale of her emotional turmoil. "She is here. She is his wife. Roland's mother. I won't usurp that."
"But it has to be killing -"
Regina's slash at the air between them made Emma take a step back. "Do not presume to know how I feel."
"Hey, Mom! Ma!"
Both women looked away from their conversation to see Henry leading Roland from the restrooms.
"Movie's over, kid," Emma said. She watched Roland go to Regina and had a brainstorm as she saw Henry look concerned as his mother cupped her palm under the little boy's chin before smoothing her fingers through his hair. "What do you say to all four of us going for ice cream?"
"It's late, I should really -" Regina started.
"C'mon, it'll be fun."
"Where's Hook?" Henry asked.
"Emergency on his boat," Emma gave up the story easily.
"We can't all go in the same vehicle," Regina said.
"So we'll meet you there. Right, kid?" Emma knew if Regina promised Henry, she wouldn't back out.
"Yeah, Mom. Please?"
Regina's eyes took on a dark cast toward Emma, but she was all warm smile when she turned her face to answer her son, "Of course, Henry."
Emma watched Regina take Roland's hand, leading the little boy back to the Mercedes. Henry spoke to Emma as they walked to the bug.
"Why are we going for ice cream with Mom?"
Emma blanked; now that it was a done deal she was at a loss to explain the compulsion to connect with Regina and not let her go home alone early to likely interrupt her former lover and his wife getting reacquainted.
Oh hell. The tone 'reacquainted' took in her head gave Emma her answer. She hadn't wanted Regina to walk in on Robin and Marian having sex. That would be cruel to the woman who was being admirably understanding and, a far cry from her previous history, not taking her loss out on anyone, except apparently her own mood.
It would be unnecessary salt in the wound Emma knew she had caused. She felt responsible and minimizing Regina's pain was her new mission.
"Ma?"
"It gives you a chance to spend time with your mom."
"I already do, every other week."
"You're really gonna argue with more time and chocolate?"
Henry frowned, but shook his head.
"Thought so." She threw the bug into gear and followed the Mercedes out of the drive-in lot and up Main Street to Granny's diner.
At the diner, Emma and Henry waited on the sidewalk for Regina and Rolan. Then the foursome, boys leading, entered the diner. Emma held the door. By absentminded instinct, her other hand fell lightly to Regina's back as the brunette went through first.
Ruby Lucas took them all to a table. Emma settled on one side with Roland, nudging Henry to sit beside his mother. Regina requested a coffee. Emma joined the boys in a small cup of chocolate ice cream.
Henry regaled Regina with a story from school on Friday. The woman laughed softly at a humorous moment, and Emma felt the squeeze in her chest ease slightly.
She put money down on the bill before Regina could. "My treat," She gave a dimpled smile in answer to the woman's unspeaking raised eyebrow.
The brown eyes drifted away, taking in Henry and then Roland. Then they settled once more on Emma.
"So…" Emma wanted to prolong their contact so she reached across the table toward Regina's hand. "I'll drop Henry next Saturday, as usual?"
Regina regarded her in silence for several sinking heartbeats. "Yes, Emma." Emma accounted herself a small victory. Then the gaze drifted to Henry. "Good night, Henry."
Henry hugged his mom. "Good night, Mom."
"Thank you," Roland said politely to Emma.
"You're welcome, munchkin."
"I'm not a munchkin," he said with high-pitched indignation. "I'm a boy."
Emma nodded and smiled, then ruffled his hair. "Yeah, you're right. My bad. You take care, Roland."
"I will," he said proudly, then he took Regina's hand.
Emma and Henry were silent on the sidewalk watching the two walk out of the diner.
"What were you hoping to accomplish?" Henry asked.
"Hmm?"
"Inviting Mom and Roland. Why'd you do it?"
"Didn't you enjoy hanging out with your mom?"
"Yeah. OK. Fine," Henry said. "Keep your secrets."
"It's not a secret. Kid, this wasn't an operation. I screwed up big time with your mom, and I'm, well, trying to fix it."
"You didn't know you brought back Robin Hood's wife."
"I shouldn't have brought anyone back."
"What are you gonna do?"
"I don't know, kid. I don't know."
But she knew she had to do something to end this awkward situation between her and Regina.
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