Song Prompt from OnceUponAGryffindor on Tumblr.
Song is "A Quiet Mind" by Blue October
The public opinion of her tanking once again didn't really surprise Regina all that much. It stung, a lot more than she was willing to express, but she wasn't all that surprised. After all, without the pressing worry of a clear villain like Peter or Zelena looming over their heads, the fact still remained that the entire population of Storybrooke, sans Emma and Henry, was trapped their because of her insatiable need for vengeance.
Her day had been filled with person and person coming into her office, demanding everything from getting them back to the enchanted forest to helping them find their missing loved ones. Each and every meeting was filled with thinly veiled threats and insults and hostile words, and though Regina accepted that she deserved a good chunk of their ire, it was still exhausting.
The moment she entered her house she was kicking off her heels and collapsing back against the door. The mansion was normally quiet in the evenings, but the Mayor could just make out the sounds of distant chatter. Instinctually her guard rose, and Regina silently sat down her briefcase. Eyes wide and breathing controlled, she walked towards the sounds of the voices, preparing herself for whoever or whatever this town was about to throw at her.
"Whoever is in my kitchen identify yourselves now or face the consequences," Regina called out, already poised to throw a fireball if need be.
"It's just Henry and me," Emma called back, a smile evident in her tone when she continued with, "no need for fireballs Madame Mayor."
Breathing a sign of relief the woman turned the corner to indeed find Henry and Emma standing at the counter, busy making what looked like a ridiculously large salad.
"Hello Henry," Regina said smiling widely when her son stepped around the counter to give her a hug. Looking over her shoulder she nodded at Emma, her cheeks flushing a little. "And Emma."
"Hey Regina. I heard you had a rough day so the Kid and I decided to come over here and cheer you up with food," Emma explained as she tossed a handful of carrots into the bowl.
"I…I greatly appreciate that," Regina said, her head dipping and her blush intensifying.
"And afterwards the three of us can watch a movie or play a board game or something," Henry said, his tone thick with excitement.
"That sounds lovely," Regina said, brushing the hair off of his forehead tenderly.
"Hey Kid, why don't you go set up the table and Regina and I'll bring in the food," Emma said looking over her shoulder as she stirred the contents of a large pot.
"Okay," Henry said, smiling widely and racing out of the room.
Regina watched him go, her eyes becoming watery at the idea of how happy he seemed lately. A hand on her shoulder made her jump slightly and she turned to see Emma staring at her with a nervous expression. "I hope this is okay. I just…wanted to see you. And I did hear you had a crap day."
"This…this is actually perfect," Regina said, looking back towards the door to make sure Henry wasn't there, before turning back around and pulling Emma into a gentle kiss, their 8th by her count. "I…thank you."
Emma smiled, cocking her head to the side. "You're welcome Madame Mayor," she said, her tone teasing. "And maybe if this pasta we made doesn't kill us all, after Henry goes to bed, maybe we can finally talk. About…well this."
"I…I would like that," Regina said, biting her bottom lip. "I would actually love that Miss Swan." She said, boldly running a hand down Emma's back to rest on her hips.
"Good. That's good. We'll talk…and stuff."
"And stuff," Regina said, her lips curling into a smirk at the now flustered look on Emma's face.
Two hours later the three of them were sitting on the couch, cuddled up under a warm blanket, and watching some super hero movie that Henry had picked out. The room was dark save the light from the t.v. and Regina took advantage of it by glancing at Emma ever few moments.
She knew that things were going to get very messy when and if they decided to continue to explore this new faucet of their relationship, especially when the citizens of Storybrooke discovered she was bedding their savior.
But for the first time in a long time, sitting on the couch with her son pressed up against her, and Emma's fingers tentatively resting on the back of her neck, she was happy, peaceful even, and she figured the inevitable backlash was definitely worth it.