Emma and Regina had gotten a taxi to the hotel hosting the reunion. It had been an interesting experience for both women, with Emma trying not to gape at Regina's soft, flowing pale pink dress, so contrary to what she normally wore, and Regina trying her best to look at Emma's eyes when she was speaking to her and not the expanse of chest that the other woman's tight blue dress showed.
Emma tried to shake herself out of it when they got to the entrance. It worked; she stopped staring at Regina and started explaining the layout. "We were in cells of eight and I think the tables are set up in those. I mean, hopefully they've all gotten out by now, we weren't exactly murderers down our end. There's name tags on the tables…"
A curvy woman wearing a faux fur coat waved at them. "Emma Swan- plus one!" Five other women on her table started whooping and Regina felt herself being appraised.
Emma smiled as she allowed herself to be drawn into an encompassing hug of fluffy. "Maya. It's good to see you."
"You too Swan. Looking gorgeous darling!"
Emma was similarly petted by all the women in the table while Regina waited patiently.
"This is Regina. She's my..." Emma trailed off, trying to think of a word that would encapsulate the woman who used to be her enemy, was currently the mother of her child, had killed more people than were currently in this room, had comforted her about Neal…
While she was floundering around for this elusive word, Maya gasped and said "Oh sure hon, lesbians are all the range in cons like us nowadays, I've been watching Orange is the New Black."
"Aww, it's exactly like Piper and Alex!" Another woman cooed. "The blonde and brunette!"
"I bet she has a pair of glasses and they, you know, do scenes." A confidential wink was thrown with this statement from a third woman.
"Uh, Regina doesn't exactly have much time for TV." Emma realised that this wasn't the protest she intended to make, nor was it remotely close to it.
Before she could rectify things and not be burnt to a crisp the minute they crossed the town border and magic was a thing again, another woman added a final nail to the coffin.
"I bet you keep her busy in the evenings, eh Emma." Dirty laughs came from the rest of the table.
"Well," Regina cut in and Emma tensed as she felt a hand grip her waist. This was it. Regina wouldn't even let her reach Storybrooke. She'd take Emma out back and batter her to death.
Regina continued, "Of course, that's the reason I keep her around."
Maya spat out her wine, but the other women seemed delighted and they introduced themselves and their spouses to Regina.
Emma had gone still, unable to process Regina's words, or remove the hand on her waist. A tightening of the hand woke her up.
"What about you two?" Emma asked at the two women that hadn't introduced a significant other. "Got anybody?"
"Oh honey, you must not have had your gaydar back then," Karen giggled and put an arm around the woman next to her.
"What- you and Naomi- all this time?"
"Isn't that sweet." Regina stated with a soft smile that had Emma wondering if she had imagined the comment about keeping Regina busy at night and if the hand on her waist was truly there.
Naomi smiled gratefully at Regina. "Here, sit down. Everyone's here, so I think you'll have to regale us with the story of how Emma Swan found her gay side."
Regina sat next to Naomi and was immediately drawn into conversation with her and Karen, so Emma talked to one of the women on her side.
Emma had been talking to Asha, the one of her cell mates that was closest to her in age (though still 15 years older) for a few minutes, but she heard the end of one of Regina's sentences.
"Well, Emma thought she was straight and then she met me. Let's say apple pie wasn't the only thing getting eaten at dinner!"
"That's not cute, that's TMI," Emma protested against Asha's and her husbands 'Aw' noises. Again, not the denial she was aiming for. Emma thought she'd better try this evening with a drink or two in hand. "I'm going to get a drink. Wine, Regina?"
"Yes dear."
Regina was talking and the entire table looked like they were hanging on her every word when Emma came back with the drinks. She arrived just in time to hear the last comments.
"So Emma's Sheriff in your town?" Maya asked with an impressed tone.
"And you're the mayor?" Another woman asked.
"Girl did good." The group nodded in approval and there was a moment of reverent silence.
"She did." Regina made brief eye contact with Emma, and then bowed her head. Regina was thoroughly enjoying herself and she wanted to make sure Emma knew of it; she projected her voice in the blonde's direction. "And girls, she certainly does good with those cuffs."
The table howled with laughter, that for some reason, Emma's arrival did not lessen.
"I got you your wine." Emma nearly growled.
"Thank you dear." Regina smiled and tried not to have it come out too triumphant about her teasing. When the laughter died down and no one was paying attention to them, she decided to bring up something she'd noticed. "You know Emma, these women seem very protective of you."
Emma's expression became worried. "Are you okay? I mean I'm glad you came, but if they're making you uncomfortable we can leave."
Regina's heart softened at Emma's consideration, despite all of Regina's antics. She shook her head and amended, "No, not at all. I meant protective in a good way, like they think of you as their child."
Emma relaxed slightly. "Well I was the youngest one there, and they all pretty much agreed I'd been screwed by Neal, and then I was pregnant, I guess they was a real female solidarity going on. I think they think I've made it."
"Well it's not like we've lied to them. You are the Sheriff." Regina stated. She hoped her matter of fact tone would stop Emma joking, or brushing off the complement. Regina knew that Emma had hinted at how deep her insecurities ran with regards to being left by her parents before, but Regina was a bit heartbroken over the way Emma didn't take any aspect of herself seriously.
Despite Regina's firm tone, Emma opened her mouth with a wry smile, "Okay, but-"
"Emma look! Remember that guard?" Naomi nudged Emma.
"Oh yeah." Regina noticed Naomi practically bouncing, so she gave Emma a pointed look.
Emma glanced back to guard. "She was cool, right? Let's go say hi."
Emma had gone to the bathroom on the way back. She had that feeling of drunken giddiness that she knew only ever comes when a drunk person is peeing by themselves, but it didn't matter. Regina was flirting! And it was awesome!
She made her way back unsteadily, but she concentrated enough not to get caught in a chair or stand on someone's dress. Emma was concentrating so hard, she didn't realise she was nearly back at the table until she heard Regina's voice.
"-anyway, this guy Gold, on the day we left he says she can't control the town. I was telling you right, how I used to rule the land with an iron fist, not let anybody off, positively brutal?"
The women nodded along, apart from Asha who had a confused look on her face. "The land of Storybrooke?"
"Oh, yes indeed, being a mayor I get quite carried away." Regina smiled, but Emma spotted a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "Well, if we'd have had more time, I'd have gone back and told him that if Emma's got me, who everyone was terrified of once upon a time, under her thumb, then he's deluded if he thinks Emma couldn't face down absolutely anything!"
Regina drove the point home by slamming her hand down on the table, and the women grinned as Emma stood behind Regina's chair.
Emma leant down close to Regina's face, "Mind if I borrow you?"
"I always have time for a quickie in the cloakroom." Regina smiled as the women tittered, but she got up to follow Emma. They were by one of the less busy doors when Emma pulled Regina out into the hall by her skirt.
Emma made sure the room was empty and then asked. "What the hell is going on?"
"What? They're having fun. And I'm actually having fun with the acting."
Regina's coy smile really got to Emma, after all they'd been through together, was Emma just a joke to her? Emma felt every inch the homeless orphan compared to Regina's suave manner that she had surely learnt in order to converse with the rich of her land.
Emma couldn't stop herself launching a bitter tirade. "Why would you like play-acting? Why do you need to pretend anything? You're the mayor, you have a huge house and money and clothes."
"I don't have- love." Regina's voice faltered at the end of the sentence and she was no longer smiling.
"You have Henry." Emma could have kicked herself for saying that, when it clearly wasn't what Regina was getting at. She floundered for another topic to cover her mistake. "All this play-acting…was this what you were like before you became the Evil Queen? What about when we kind of argue but not argue, and like you get all mad at me and need to have the last word and-"
"I like that. I mean it's nice that we can be different, but still get on."
"For Henry's sake?" Emma asked coyly.
"Yes." Regina replied stiffly.
Emma heard the lie and, before she could let herself think, started gushing. "Because I'm getting pretty fond of you, you're brave and funny and annoying and beautiful. And when you said 'our' family, when we were talking about Henry and Neal, it- it fixed me. I mean, I love my mom and dad, but I get all the hype about love when I think about you as my family. All the songs make sense."
Regina stared, slack-jawed. "I- you think that of me?"
Emma couldn't believe the stuff that just came out of her own mouth. All the songs made sense? Love? Surely, even for someone who lived in a fairytale, this was all moving too fast. Emma could fix it. She would calmly explain it.
"Well, I mean I don't exactly- I mean I'm all fucked up from being an orphan still- it's probably just me projecting-"
"No don't try and say sorry." Emma's stuttering came to a stop. "My mother kill me if she knew I was talking like this. It's not something to be proud of back home."
Emma hated the smile that Regina wore with that last sentence. It reminded her of when the curse had just broken, and everyone was trying to deprive Regina of Henry. Regina looked broken.
Emma rallied herself and said, "Well here it is. Don't you know what the parades are called?" Emma asked slyly.
"What?" Regina muttered.
"Gay pride."
Regina wrinkled her nose up. "Seriously?"
"Yeah." Emma decided there and then to advance the mayor of Storybrooke several decades of ignorance, and gloss over the homophobia the world still presented. Regina seemed so nervous after all, and Emma knew full well that certain members of the Storybrooke community were aligned non-heterosexually. After all, racism and homophobia were learned, not inborn. Maybe Emma could convince the people of Storybrooke that they must adjust to this world's views, and conveniently skew this world's views, to create an equal society.
Emma pulled herself back to the present and started to make good on her thoughts. "I haven't told many people what happened to me between foster care and Neal. I went to gay pride parades before my petty crime days. This gay couple took me in."
"Emma, when I said my mother would kill me, I meant she would kill you. She'd kill you like she killed Daniel. Because you'd distract me from everything."
"Evil Queeness?"
Regina looked at her disbelievingly. "I'm going to give you a minute for your brain to catch up with your mouth."
"Oh you want to try? You want us?"
"Yes. I want to try."
Emma grinned and didn't know where to put her hands all of sudden. They fluttered over Regina's skin before she linked her hands to both of Regina's and pulled her closer. "You're so warm."
"Really?" Regina's dark tone so close to her ear made Emma bite her lip. "I imagine there are warmer parts of me than my hands."
Emma's eyes closed briefly at the thought, and she didn't hesitate when she pulled Regina towards her mouth.
Their lips met and Emma found her hands wandering to the small of Regina's back. Emma pulled Regina closer and licked her lips, delighting internally when Regina's mouth opened with no hesitation.
They continued for a few moments, then Emma sighed happily and pulled apart from Regina to gouge her reaction.
Regina had a blissed-out expression on her face, which pretty much echoed how Emma felt too, but she had a slight issue to bring up first.
"Your lipstick's not smudged."
Regina raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "That's what you're focusing on?"
"That was some good kissing!"
"Yes, it was. However, my lipstick can stand up to a bit of kissing. If you have any problems with it-"
"No. No problems." Regina's breath caught for a moment at Emma's sharp response. Emma slipped her hand into Regina's. "Walk me to my car?"
"I'm surprised you ever got pregnant with the rate you're going." Regina muttered.
Emma looked at her. "I am going to our hotel room and you're coming with me. What do you think is going to happen?"
"Your lipstick's smudged." Afterwards, Emma was resting her head on one of her elbows next to Regina. She looked exhausted, but of course she had to delight in her glory.
"Cunninglingus will do that. Go to sleep Emma." Regina knocked Emma's elbow out of the way and was quite surprised when Emma curled easily into her arms.
"Okay."
A few minutes later, Regina was tugged up by Emma.
"Hey! You said we didn't lie to my cell mates!"
"You are Sheriff, dear."
"Yeah but you said we were doing sexy stuff!"
"What did we just do, Emma?"
"But it was a lie!"
"I promise it will all come true. Especially you eating me out." Regina thought that was the end of it and settled back to sleep.
"What about the cuffs bit?"
"Goodnight."
Emma woke up. Really woke up, and realised that although warmth was great and cuddling was even better, the arms she was wrapped in were probably Regina's.
Definitely Regina's. The eye contact only served to make Emma's cheeks burn in a way they never had.
"Good morning Emma. Now that you've decided to wake up, shall we order breakfast?"
Emma pulled Regina's arms tighter around her. "At least I've got one thing from this trip." Regina raised an eyebrow. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
Regina pried Emma's arms away, despite the whine Emma gave. She sat up next to Emma. "I agree, as do most nutrition experts and their research. But I'd hardly say that was the most important message from this trip. We belong together Emma. And, when given the chance, you can prove that your sheriff-hood is most appropriate."
"Because you were my bitch last night?"
"Miss Swan, I believe we have a son to return to. If you can rein in your vulgarity for one moment." Regina sounded every bit as unimpressed as she had when Emma suggested Henry stay up all night playing video games.
But then her voice softened, and she added, "You've performed exceptionally as Sheriff, you came in a stranger in a strange land, having never truly settled before, and broke a curse you barely believed in. You've continued exceeding all prophetical expectations of what a Saviour would be ever since. And, Emma," Regina put her hand on Emma's arm to keep the other woman still. "My opinion is far worthier than Gold's."
Emma buried her face in Regina's lap, embarrassed as hell but determined not to show it. "Never said it wasn't," was all Emma could think of as a witty response.
There'll be one more chapter of when they return to Storybrooke! Thank you for reading.
