In the Courtroom

by Ash M. Knight

"Regina Mills and Emma Swan were an unlikely team, each with their own unique personalities and strategies in the courtroom. Still, the lawyers worked together well, which is why their superiors paired them up, despite their original reluctance to even be in the same room as each other." One-shot. SwanQueen.

Regina Mills and Emma Swan were an unlikely team, each with their own unique personalities and strategies in the courtroom. Still, the lawyers worked together well, which is why their superiors paired them up, despite their original reluctance to even be in the same room as each other.

"If you think I'm going to-"

"Give it a rest, Mills. Boss says we work together, we work together. That's it. If you can't tolerate a little competition, maybe this isn't the right profession for you."

"Fine! Jesus Christ. Just shut up and let's get this over with. We need to go over the case."

"Can't we get something to eat first? I'm starving."

"It's three in the afternoon."

"An I haven't eaten since lunch at one!"

"You really are a piece of work," Regina groaned, rolling her eyes and pulling a chair up to the elegant mahogany desk in front of her.

"Why do you get the desk?" the blonde whined. "I-"

"Shut up and sit down."

"Jeez. Cranky are we?"

"Shut. Up. And sit. Down."

"Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning, huh? You act like you're being crucified."

"Yep. That's pretty much it."

"What? The Cheerios or the crucifixion?"

"Both. And you pissed in my Cheerios."

"Yeah, yeah. Get over it. It is what it is. Let's just do this."

Four hours later, Emma's stomach was growling loudly, and Regina's patience had been tested to its limit.

"I don't even understand how you've won a single case when you can't even focus on the material for five minutes at a time," the dark-haired woman commented.

"I need a walk," Emma said absently, rising from her chair.

"Are you kidding me?" her partner snapped. "You just got up fifteen minutes ago!"

"I'm starving. Can we eat yet?"

"Fine. But we're not going to some greasy-"

"Cool! Granny's Diner it is then!"

"Oh, come on."

"Don't be such a prissy little princess, Mills. And don't be jealous that I've never lost a case, even though I put zero effort into preparation. Let's just say it's pure intuition."

Regina wanted to slap the cocky grin off the blonde's face, but on the other hand… she didn't really want to lose her job when her career was finally taking off. It was true that Emma had never lost a case, and although the brunette would never admit it, she was jealous. Still, the older lawyer had only lost two cases in her entire career, and the judge presiding over one of them had likely been bribed beforehand. There was much for her to be proud of, but given that the slightly younger woman had never lost a case, though she was clearly unwilling to put any effort in before actually entering the courtroom, Regina couldn't help but feel her blood boiling at the thought.

Once they'd arrived at the diner and had been served their food, Emma dug in immediately.

"You're disgusting," Regina announced, as soon as Emma shoved nearly half the burger into her mouth.

The blonde just laughed. Thankfully, she refrained from speaking until she had swallowed.

"Thanks."

"Ugh."

Once they were done eating, it was back to the office for a long evening of work.

When the day of the trial finally came, the two – to no one's surprise – completely dominated the courtroom, missing no opportunity to encourage the conviction of the criminal on the stand.

"I think," their boss started with a sly smile, "that you ladies deserve a celebratory night out."

"Uh…" Emma said dumbly. "I, uh…"

Regina chuckled, "Not one for cocktails, Swan?"

"Er… Not really. I don't go out much."

"Well, you look sharp enough for a night on the town," the man told her. "You certainly captivated the entire courtroom with your elegance and skill."

"Uh… Thanks?"

"You too, Regina. You both look lovely today."

"Thanks, Alex," Regina forced herself to say.

In truth, the man was slightly too forward and a little bit creepy, so most of his employees avoided him at all costs. Unfortunately, after such a huge case, it was relatively impossible to do. It was also a poor idea to decline his invitation, so the two reluctantly agreed and met later that evening at a club downtown.

"I look silly," Emma muttered to her colleague when their boss rose from his seat to use the restroom.

Regina hesitated, looking the woman over from head to toe. She looked far from silly. In fact, as much as Regina hated to admit it, she looked stunning, wearing a perfectly tailored suit that accentuated her toned, muscular figure.

"You don't," the brunette confessed, staring down at her glass of overly expensive wine.

"Sure I do."

"No, you really don't." Swallowing hard, she added, "You look… nice…"

"Uh… Thanks for the lie, but, uh… Yeah. No."

"Swan. Stop it. You look beau-"

But her sentence, which she'd been seriously reluctant to share, was interrupted by the appearance of their employer stepping behind them. He put a hand on each of their shoulders and smiled brightly.

"Well done, ladies. Well done."

Regina sighed and looked down again, but Emma smiled back confidently.

"Thanks, Alex. It did go pretty well, didn't it?"

"Yep. That little punk is going away for a long, long time, thanks to you two." When the man realized that they'd only had one drink, he ordered them each another, which they were both hesitant to accept.

"I really shouldn't-" Emma started, but he patted her on the shoulder and shook his head.

"Come on, Swan. Drink up. Celebrate! You two dominated today, just like I knew you would."

With a sigh, Emma downed the next drink as Regina sipped on her own.

The next few weeks proceeded at a painfully slow pace, and the more time they spent together, the more irritated Regina became at the woman's behavior, which she considered repulsive.

"Why can't you just sit still?" the brunette huffed, slammed her folder of paperwork down on the desk.

"Why can't you ever give me the desk?"

"Because you won't even sit for more than fifteen minutes!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. We won last time, didn't we?"

"Because I reviewed the evidence and the rest of the paperwork!"

"Oh, wow. That's some serious bullshit if I've ever heard any."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I carried your weight three times over."

"EXCUSE ME?!"

"What can I say? I'm just smooth. I know what I'm doing. You're too stiff. You need to relax and just roll with it."

"I really don't get you."

"Don't be jealous of my skills, Mills," Emma laughed. "Anyway, I'm gonna go get food. What do you want?"

"Well, if you insist on interrupting our work… I suppose a Greek salad would be fine."

"Sure thing. Be right back."

When Emma returned and placed the container on the desk in front of her colleague, Regina looked up slowly and attempted to hand over a small amount of cash.

"What? No way," Emma said quickly, pushing Regina's hand away.

"What do you mean 'no way?'"

"I mean. No. Way. I got this. It's fine."

"You really don't have to-"

"Can you please not make a big deal out of it? It's a salad, for fuck's sake."

"Alright… Thank you…"

"There we go. Some manners. Finally. You're such a barbarian."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Settle down, Mills. I'm just kidding."

"Ugh!"

She wanted to slam her head down on the desk, but she also refused to let the younger woman get to her. She wasn't going to let herself go crazy just because some-

"Hey. Can we call it a night? I'm bored."

"Oh, my God."

"Yep. Going home. See you tomorrow."

"Swan! We need to-"

"Plenty of time tomorrow."

"The trial is in two days! We need to-"

"Yeah, yeah. We'll be fine. Chill out, okay?"

"No! Sit your ass back down and focus!"

With a sigh, Emma did just that, even though every bone in her body wanted to defy her co-worker and walk away.

"Thank you."

"Whatever," the blonde grumbled, rolling her eyes and looking around the room.

Of course, they nailed the next case as well, and although they fought constantly in the office, they played their skills off each other perfectly in the courtroom. This time, though, when their boss suggested that they go out for drinks again, Regina was the one to shake her head.

"I'm sorry, Alex. I'm exhausted. I was up all night going over the case. Honestly, I'm just glad it's over."

"Fair enough," he said with a smile. "How about you, Swan?"

"Nah. I'm pretty tired too."

Regina rolled her eyes, sure that Emma had gotten a solid twelve hours of sleep the night before.

Their next case was more of a challenge, and as if Regina's stress meter could not rise any higher, it became so full that it threatened to burst.

"I can't do this," she huffed. "I honestly think there's no way to win this one."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"There's no enough evidence."

"We'll make enough evidence."

"What?"

"Sorry," Emma laughed. "We'll find enough evidence."

"That is not funny. I have some integrity, unlike you."

"It was a joke, Mills. A joke. We'll be fine. You need to relax. Have a drink or something."

"I don't use alcohol to cope with my stress."

"Maybe you should."

"Just because you-"

"I don't. I'm just saying maybe you need to."

"Well… Well…"

The blonde laughed and confidently told her, "We'll be fine. Take a night off. If you're stressed, you'll panic and freeze up, and we really don't need that."

"Excuse me, but I do not freeze up."

"You will if you don't relax."

"I'll have you know that I'm-"

"Perfectly capable of winning a case without an ounce of sleep. Yeah, yeah. I know."

Emma was grinning, and Regina found herself once again longing to slap her until her face was red.

"I'm not leaving this office until-"

"Come out with me. Let's have a drink."

"What?"

"Let's go out. You're exhausted and stressed to the limit. You need to relax. For real."

"I thought you said you don't go out."

"I said I don't go out often. I'll make an exception for you."

Eyes wide, Regina sat back in her chair, staring in disbelief. Though she tried to hide her look of surprise, it was blatant, and her partner noticed.

"What?"

"You… You don't have to-"

"Come on. Let's go."

When Emma stood up from her seat, Regina hesitated, but as the woman began to walk to the door of the office, she also stood up and followed slowly.

After Emma had convinced the woman to have three or four drinks at the club, Regina started to sway slightly on the bar stool.

"You okay?" the blonde laughed. "Do I need to walk you home?"

"I'm f-fine, thank you," Regina slurred. "I'm just a little-"

"Yep. I'm walking you home. Let's go."

"But I live-"

"We'll take a cab."

Once they reached Regina's apartment, Emma took the keys from her colleague and opened the door for her, knowing that the woman was a little too drunk to properly put the key in the lock. As she stepped inside, her eyes widened at the cleanliness of the place. It was immaculate.

"Well, uh…" the younger woman started. "I should, uh… I should go."

"W-Why didn't you d-drink anything?"

"I had a drink."

"Why did you let me have so much?" the brunette groaned, leaning against the nearest wall.

"You're okay. I wouldn't have let you get sick."

"I know, but…"

"Get some sleep. We'll finish up the work tomorrow, and then Thursday is the big day. You're gonna need your rest."

"Okay," Regina sighed. "Be careful, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

"What?"

"Just… be safe going home."

"I… I will. Thank you."

"Thank you for escorting me home, Swan."

"I wouldn't let you stumble out of there by yourself. That's why I didn't have more to drink. I just wanted to make sure that you got home safe."

"Wow…"

"What?"

"That's just… That's very sweet of you."

"I try," Emma chuckled in response, shrugging her shoulders.

The next morning, Emma arrived at the office first, which was highly unusual. Of course, she sat in the chair behind the desk and stared out the window, rather than studying the case notes. To her surprise, when Regina walked in, she was carrying two cups of coffee.

"Here," the woman said slowly, setting one down on the desk.

"You're not gonna tell me to move?"

"No."

After blinking a few times, the blonde said a simple, "Thank you," and took a sip of her coffee. "Shit!" she cried, as soon as the burning liquid touched her tongue. "Fuck, that's hot!"

Regina couldn't help but burst into laughter as she sat down in the chair across from the other woman.

"You're an idiot."

"Yeah, maybe. But I least I know how to win a case, yeah?"

With a sigh, feeling suddenly serious, the brunette replied, "Yeah," and leaned back in the chair.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

Raising an eyebrow, Emma leaned forward and looked at the woman intently, searching for any signs of a lie. She found several.

"What's the matter, Mills? What happened?"

"I can't handle this case," the lawyer blurted, dropping her head into her hands.

"Hey. It's gonna be fine. I promise. You're ready for this. So am I."

"No I'm not."

"You are. And I know I never focus, but I promised that I know this stuff, and I won't let you down. I won't mess up."

"I know you won't, Swan. I don't know how you manage it, but you always do. I'm worried about me. I feel like I-"

"You've got this. Don't worry, okay? We'll go through it one more time, and you'll have it down completely. Then we go out for drinks."

"No way. I am not embarrassing myself like that ever again."

"Why are you embarrassed?"

"Because you had to walk me home! I was a hot mess!"

"You really weren't. You were just a little drunk. It's no big deal. You didn't do anything stupid. You were fine."

"I was-"

"Relax, Mills. Seriously."

With a sigh, Regina rubbed her temples and stared down at the pile of paperwork on her lap, then took a long sip of her coffee, which had cooled significantly since she'd arrived.

When the woman started to panic again, Emma quickly assured her, "We got this," and subconsciously reached out and put her hand on top of her partner's. "It's okay."

"I am such a mess," the woman groaned, dropping her head onto the desk.

"Hey. Don't do that. It's gonna be fine. I promise."

"I need to get out of here."

"Alright. Let's go get dinner."

"No diners!"

"Alright, alright. Where do you want to go?"

"I don't care. Just not a greasy diner."

"Alright. There's a really great steak place a few blocks from here. I think that'll do fine."

When they arrived, though, it was a far fancier establishment than Regina had been expecting.

"What the fuck are you-" she started, gaping at the high ceiling and chandeliers.

"Shut up. Just sit down and enjoy yourself, okay? You deserve it."

Reluctantly lowering herself into the seat, Regina protested, "We haven't won anything yet."

"That doesn't matter. You work hard. You deserve to be treated to a nice meal."

"There's no way you're-"

"I got this. It's fine. Just relax, for fuck's sake."

As the meal progressed, Emma's subconscious drives took over, and she found herself unable to ignore the woman's well-fitting outfit, which perfectly exposed her cleavage.

"Swan?"

"Huh?"

"You're staring. Did I drop something on myself?"

"N-No! I, uh. I was just zoning out is all. Sorry."

"It's… It's okay. Anyway… Thank you so much for bringing me here. This place is amazing…"

The blonde nodded and pushed a nervous hand through her loose curls, then looked away.

"You okay?" Regina asked her, looking concerned.

"Fine. Yeah."

Though she didn't believe the woman across from her, the brunette didn't push the issue. To their surprise, the rest of the evening went smoothly, without a single argument. Of course, Emma offered to walk her partner home again, and though Regina declined the first time, the woman persisted.

Once she was standing in the woman's doorway, the younger lawyer hesitated.

"I'm sorry I wasn't really dressed properly for this evening…" Regina told her slowly, embarrassment all over her face. "I-"

"You look amazing."

"What?"

"I should go. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? It's gonna go great."

Though she didn't really believe this, the brunette nodded.

Not to their boss' surprise, the trial went off without a hitch, and they won the case. Upon leaving the courtroom, Regina appeared in complete and total shock.

"Why are you surprised?" Emma asked her. "You did great. You were prepared. I told you it would be fine."

"I…"

"You ladies are my pride and joy, you know that?" their boss laughed, patting them both on the back.

"Yeah, Alex," Emma joked. "We know."

Back at the office, one they'd filed away all the paperwork, Emma stood awkwardly in the doorway, watching as her partner gathered her coat.

"Good show, Mills," she said sincerely.

"Thanks. You too, Swan. You really do know your stuff."

"Guess I'm not half bad, huh?"

"Guess not."

Regina couldn't help but smile.

A month or so later, after a few more cases, their opposite personalities finally came into play again.

"Why can't you just fucking sit still?" Regina screamed, slamming her pile of paperwork down on the desk. "You're going to fuck me over one of these times, and I swear to God, when you do-"

"What the fuck, Mills! Relax!"

"Don't tell me to fucking relax! I am relaxed! I'm fucking peachy! YOU are my fucking problem! YOU are stressing me the fuck out!"

"You've seen how I work. You know I have this shit down. Why are you freaking out all of the sudden?"

"This is the biggest case we've ever had," the woman growled, standing up and walking around to the other side of the desk where Emma was sitting.

As she got closer, Emma stood up and scowled at her, saying, "And?"

"AND YOU WON'T STOP DICKING AROUND! If you're not going to put in any effort, fine! But don't fucking sit there and distract me while I'm trying to do my fucking job!"

"Holy shit, Mills! You losing your mind or something? On the rag, perhaps?"

"Fuck you, Swan," Regina hissed, shoving the woman backwards, causing her to stumble back and nearly trip over the chair.

"You need to chill the fuck out right now."

"YOU need to get your fucking shit together, or you're going to ruin this for us both! My year review is coming up in ten days, and I-"

"OH! So that's what this is about! You're worried that I'll fuck up your promotion!"

"YES!"

"Well, fuck you too then!" Emma snapped, shoving her partner into the bookcase that was directly behind the woman.

"You're a fucking mess! Look at you!"

"I'm a mess? My review is in two months, and I'm not worried. I know he'll give me a raise. You know why? Because I'm good at my fucking job!"

"Yeah? And you fuck with the focus of everyone around you while you're at it!"

"You know something? You need to-"

But before the blonde could finish the sentence, Regina's hand was flat against her cheek, and a stinging sensation shot through her.

Emma wanted to scream. To punch the woman in front of her. But seeing the sweat forming on her brow, the anger in her eyes… The passion with which she spewed her rage. Something about it made her stomach flip.

"You wanna hit me? You need to get out a little excess energy? You wanna take your own shit out on someone else? DO IT." When the woman stood frozen with fury, she added, "FUCKING DO IT!"

Regina swung her arm back, but when she brought it forward, Emma caught it and pinned it against the book shelf, just above her head, and stepped forward until their bodies were close together.

"Come on," she taunted. "Hit me."

With a low growl, the brunette tried with her other arm, but her partner caught that too and placed it beside the other hand, which remained above her head. Full of rage and defiance, Regina brought her knee up against Emma's thigh, but the toned muscle there did not respond. Instead, Emma pressed their bodies together, holding the woman still, and leaned in until her lips were hovering over the other woman's.

"What are you doing?" the older women asked breathlessly, staring into her colleague's glistening green eyes.

"Stopping you from doing something you'll regret. What are you doing?"

"I…"

When Regina's tongue slipped out to wet her lips, Emma felt her stomach drop.

Oh, shit, she was thinking, completely frozen by the sight of it. Before she could stop herself, she was leaning in again, and to her surprise, the woman responded by catching her lips with her own. Instead of breaking the kiss, Emma let Regina's hands drop to her side, but the brunette quickly raised them and placed them on her partner's hips to pull her closer.

"Swan," she mumbled against the blonde's lips. "I…"

"Shh. This has been a long time coming. Just let it happen."

Rather than protest further, Regina reached behind the woman's head, twisted a large handful of her hair in her fist, and pulled hard, dropping her lips to Emma's neck until she moaned.

It didn't take long for Emma to lift the woman into her arms and carry her over to the desk, setting her down, spreading her legs, and sliding her skirt up past her thighs.

"Swan," Regina gasped, pulling on her hair once again.

"Regina."

The sound of her first name on her partner's lips sent shivers down the brunette's spine, and the way Emma slid her hands over her hips made her legs shake.

"Take me."

The blonde nodded and pulled her panties down, dropping them on the floor, leaving only the woman's heels remaining, then removed the clothing covering the lower half of her own body.

"Oh, holy shit," Regina moaned, as Emma's expert fingers slid between her folds. "Oh, my God."

Again, she tugged on the younger woman's hair until she let out a breathy moan.

"Emma," she whimpered. "Please."

When the woman obliged and pushed a second finger inside her, she cried out, then slipped her own hand beneath the woman's shirt to unclasp her bra and palm her breasts.

Emma sighed, then gasped as Regina's fingers found her core.

"Wait," she breathed, but the woman was already pushing in a second finger and curling them to hit the perfect spot inside her.

The blonde increased the speed of her movements and fine-tuned them to the sound of the brunette's moans, until her muscles were contracting around her fingers.

"That's it, honey," Emma cooed. "Come for me."

But her gasps became more desperate and more frantic as Regina increased her own speed, until they were both at their climax. Once the feeling had washed over them, Emma leaned Regina backwards until she was flat on the desk, then bent over her and pressed her lips to the woman's neck.

"Emma," her partner sighed. "That…"

"Should have happened forever ago."

Regina nodded weakly.

"I guess it's gonna be a little easier to work with you now."

"Or maybe a little bit harder. I'm pretty confident that I can completely destroy your focus now."

"Whatever, brat," the woman laughed. "At least you got me to relax."

"You still wanna hit me?"

"Of course I do." It was Emma's turn to laugh, but Regina quickly silenced her by touching her cheek and softly saying, "But kiss me first."