Oh blast the supernatural set. Its Midnight and Biffy hasn't even woken up yet! Well, It looks like it was just me typing and editing this one! Since I am still of my human clock, it's much past my bed time, so please excuse as all mistakes as they were sleep deprivation induced. I had read a short story somewhere once about a sad birthday surprise and I thought in honor of Emma Swans birthday being yesterday, I would post this!

Just a one shot, possibly more to come if you comment! Feel free to send a request as I always love hearing them!

Enjoy and maybe grab a tissue!

RuffledParasol


The lights were those of the swirly kind, hanging like art pieces from the ceiling. Emma peered up from her menu to stare at the overly decorated light fixtures. Fancy place, she thought, smirking to herself. It was her birthday and she had the night off so she was treating herself to something different.

She had almost worn her boots and jacket before she remembered that it was a dressy place. She had quickly traded boots for heels, adding a curl to her blonde hair before leaving.

Now, sitting down at her table, she took a glance around the restaurant and suddenly felt very happy that she had chosen her best dress and shaved her legs, as everyone their seemed to look like they had been cut right out of a movie.

It was then when she noticed the couple sitting on the banquette opposite, having dinner.

They looked unmistakably married. The man was lean, in a slate gray suit, that seemed to match his steely blue gaze; the woman was stunningly beautiful, her short raven hair loose around her face. There was nothing conspicuous about them, nothing particularly noticeable in the sea of luxurious guests, until the end of their meal, when it suddenly became obvious that this was an Occasion—in fact, the husband's birthday, and the wife had planned a little surprise for him.

It arrived, in the form of a small but lustrous birthday cake, with one red candle burning in the center. The headwaiter brought it in and placed it before the husband,meanwhile the violin-and-piano orchestra played "Happy Birthday." The olive skinned wife beamed with shy pride over her little surprise, and even a few people in the restaurant joined in with a pattering of applause. It became clear at once though that the help was not wanted, because the husband was not pleased. Instead, he was hotly embarrassed, and appeared upset at his wife for embarrassing him.

Emma looked at him over the top of her menu and thought, "Oh, don't be like that!"

But he was like that, and as soon as the little cake had been deposited on the table, and the orchestra had finished the birthday piece, and the general attention had shifted from the man and the woman, she saw him say something to the woman under his breath—some punishing thing, quick and harsh and unkind. Emma couldn't bear to look at the woman then, so she shifted her gaze back down at her plate and waited for quite a long time. Not long enough, though. The woman was still crying when she finally glanced over there again. Crying quietly and heartbrokenly and hopelessly, all to herself, under the cover of her dark hair.

Emma felt her stomach turn as the headwaiter returned to her small table with her order. Trying to rid her mind of the beautiful heartbroken woman, merely feet away, she stared back down at her food. Suddenly the thought of spaghetti alone didn't sound so appetizing. With a sigh, she pushed her plate away. The woman across the restaurant had reached into her bag, removing a packet of what looked to be small tissues when Emma glanced back up.

The headwaiter returned minutes later with her specialty birthday cupcake, and all of a sudden she had an idea.

Not particularly sure what she was thinking, she found herself standing up, carrying her cupcake with her towards the table of the beautiful crying woman. It was only when she was an arms length before the table that she realized what she had done. To late to turn around without the woman noticing, she sucked in her a breath, saying a silent prayer.

"Hi."

The raven haired woman who had been stifling her tears through her tissues, stopped, freezing in place. It was a moment before she even moved again, Emma fearing that she had sent the woman into a hyperactive shock. Her thick hair moved first, as the hands dabbing at her face fell down slowly. The deepest brown eyes starred back at the blonde in confusion, red rimmed from the tears. Before the woman could become more confused, Emma spoke.

"I know you don't know me, and I want you to know I don't normally do this. But I saw what happened and I just wanted to... well," Emma struggled. Not completely sure of why exactly she found herself at the table of a stranger. With a huff she thrust out her arms, "It's my 28th birthday today and I'm out celebrating by myself and I noticed that you're now by yourself, and it's really not that fun to go to fancy places with no one to share the memories with, and as it is my birthday, I get a birthday wish, and well, mine is to see you smile."

Emma bit her tongue. She had no idea what effect the insane yammerings that were pouring out of her mouth were having on the broken woman. For a moment her eyes searched for every possible form of exit, and as the silence wore on she found herself praying to switch the wish to her melting straight into the floor that very moment. But neither need happen as the raven haired woman spoke.

"Please sit," the woman said, her voice powerful yet soft from crying.

Emma took her cue and sat down on the banquette on the opposite side of the woman. Now at a closer angle, she could see the telltale signs of her beauty more clearly. Her eyes were wide and a deep chocolate brown. She had a small button nose, and full lips that were dashed red, to compliment her deep olive skin tone, but just above the left side of her lip was the faint markings of a scar, never healed. Emma blinked, pulling her focus back to the cupcake in her hands as she felt the woman's eyes rank over her.

For a moment the woman looked as if she were going to close off until Emma gave in and walked away in shame. However, she didn't. The raven haired woman sat up straight, running her free hand over her dress to smooth away nonexistent wrinkles.

"My name is Regina Locksley. Well, Mills now. Yes, Mills."

"Regina? Hi, Well my name is Emma Swan and I'd like to spend my birthday with you. "

"Well by all means Miss Swan, please do."

The woman smiled.