6 o'clock in the morning and Regina had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair wet, towel hugging her moist skin. She ringed her hair out over the sink and heard Henry's alarm go off from his room. She wished he would turn down the volume on the noisy contraption, but if it got him up and awake she taught herself to put up with it. She wanted to hustle to Henry's room and hug him, but the white fleece towel disagreed. Regina called from her bathroom to her son that breakfast will be ready soon, and he replied with a tiresome groan.
"Emma, can you," She began as Regina spun around with her hair starting to drip, prepared to ask Emma to beat Henry downstairs. They had a routine, the blonde woke up first and showered, woke up her wife, and scurried downstairs to make everyone's breakfast. This was the first time in a long time Regina was alone, and she didn't like it. Her mouth gradually came to a frown, and looked around the bathroom as if she imagined hard enough, Emma would return.
"Mom, can I have eggs today instead of an apple? I got a big endurance thingamabob in gym today and I need all the energy I can get- WOAH." Henry's voice much deeper and exhausted, was stopped by the sight of his mom in a towel, quickly covering his eyes and backing away slowly; as if he'd seen a ghost. Regina remained leaning toward her reflection in bathroom mirror, doing her mascara.
"Oh my goodness Henry, you act like it's a crime to see me in a towel. May I remind you, I'm fully covered, and all you're wearing at the moment is a pair of boxers. Plus I changed your diapers, so hush." Regina fought very hard not to let out a snicker, so she bit her bottom lip as she stood straight going through her makeup.
"Yeah but, you're my mom. This is just...new to me." Henry's hand slowly came off his face as he inched toward his mother. "Where's mom? You know the other one." Henry laughed at the joke, Regina unamused as hearing it thousands of times and memories from the previous night, stopped in her tracks.
"Work."
"Already? She promised to wash my socks. Did she tell you anything?" Regina looking dead forward at her reflection, she could feel her chest tensing up.
"No."
"Oh. Alright, I'm gonna go get dressed," Henry jogged out of the room and shouted, "Remember, eggs!" Regina shot a grin even though her son had already shut his room door changing his clothes. She walked out of the bathroom and slowly removed her towel, standing naked in front of her dresser. Opening the top drawer, she picked up one of Emma's shirts. She held it to her chest and nodded her head. She quickly threw the shirt back in the drawer and slammed it shut. She then hastily walked to her closet and snatched up a black cardigan, white camisole, and black pants. Regina walked back into her restroom and grabbed a brush, brushing her hair on the way downstairs to the kitchen.
"Henry," Regina yelled to her son, "do you want scrambled eggs or not? I know your mother prefers scrambled, but I can't remember if you like them over easy or not?"
"Scrambled! You're the one who likes over easy." Henry responded, making his way down the staircase. Regina could hear him rubbing his hands together like a person does in a restaurant while their food is placed before them.
"I'm gonna visit mom at work today. You know the other-"
"Henry, please." Regina cut him off.
"Oh, sorry. Alright. I'll go get my backpack." Henry gave his mother a suspicious look and walked to the front door where his backpack and Regina's shoes were. Emma's lunchbox that Regina made for Emma's birthday was there, too.
"Uh, mom?"
"Yes, Henry?"
"Why is Emma's lunchbox here if she's at work? She never forgets that thing even if she orders takeout."
"She orders takeout?"
"Huh?" Henry panicked, that was he and Emma's little secret. Knowing time was running out, Regina waved her hand and eggs appeared on the plate beside her. She quickly walked over to her son and handed him the eggs.
"I don't know, maybe she forgot." Regina had a nervous tone in her voice, not wanting Henry to find out just yet about the horrible night. More importantly, not ready to talk about it.
"Yeah, right. I don't know, I'll bring it to her at work today."
"Henry I really don't think that's the best idea," this time, Henry cut her off sounding eager to leave.
"Yeah, yeah, okay mom. I'm gonna miss the bus. Bye, love you." He placed a kiss on his mothers cheek and sprinted out the door to the nearby bus stop. Regina watched him run, and as he reached halfway down the street, she thought to herself, Bye, Henry. I love you, too. Leaning down and grabbing her high heels, Regina held them by the ankle and walked to her car, terrified of the day.
"Yo, mom!" Henry said doing his best to impress his mom, walking into the sheriff's department. Emma looked over to her son laughing, curls hanging at her shoulder and she raised her arm.
"Hey Henry," she gave him a hug. "How'd you sleep?"
"Pretty good for the most part, but you know. It was a school night so I can't technically have 'slept well'." Henry moved his fingers up in down quoting his words, and Emma nodded.
"I'm with ya on that one, kid."
"Oh, I saw this by the door and apparently you left it. Can't imagine why, though." Henry placed the lunchbox on his backside, so the photo of he, Emma, and Regina faced the two. Emma crossed her arms, confused.
"You mean you don't know?"
"Huh?" Henry turned around to the sound of Regina.
"Henry! I thought I sent you to school, not jail." Regina said laughing, her smile singing her own praises. Emma quickly took the lunchbox and shoved it into a slot of her desk.
"No, I told you I was going to visit Emma before I went to school. I have 30 minutes to kill so I figured I'd visit her since I couldn't at home." Henry argued.
"Actually kid, I'd love for you to stay but Belle asked me to help around the library. I'll give you 20 bucks if you go instead." Emma said holding out her hand, leaving the deal in the air.
"Do I get to tell her I'm getting 20 bucks out of it?"
"Absolutely not!"
"I'm still down for it." Henry took his mothers hand and shook it firmly, shooting a bright white smile at the two women, grabbed his backpack, and left letting the door slam behind him. Regina faced the floor and Emma put her hands in her jean pockets. There was a dead silence for only 4 or 5 seconds, but it seemed like 4 or 5 years. Regina knew she couldn't look vulnerable, she had to look completely immune to what was happening. Therefore, she spoke the first words, being the stronger woman.
"Where did you go?"
"What?"
"Last night, where did you go? To sleep."
"Mom's place." The blonde wiggled her elbows like a bird, squawking and began to bob her head back and forth as an attempt to make Regina smile.
"Ms. Swan, now is not the time." Regina stood her ground, but was blushing like a tomato at the sight of the dorky woman in front of her.
"Okay, Regina. Since when do you call me 'Ms. Swan'? Is this some kind of message that you want to stop seeing each other or are you just being Regina?" Emma could see the game Regina was playing, so she played along.
"Excuse me, what does 'being Regina' mean?" Regina raised her hand and shut her eyes, shaking her head as a hint to forget the question. "Nevermind." she finished.
"Can I come home tonight?" Emma blurted out, her face scrunched as she asked the question. Regina's eyebrows rose and she crossed her arms.
"Tell me why you did it."
"You know why I did it, 'Gina."
"Stop calling me 'Gina. That isn't my name and ever since we started dating you knew I hated it." Knowing this was true, Emma raised her arms in surrender.
"I gotta say, you're kinda blowing this out of proportion."
"Excuse me?"
"You're calling me Ms. Swan, you won't let me come home, you kicked me out in the rain to go to my mom's place, all because of one mistake."
"That mistake could've cost us everything."
"But it didn't."
"That aside, you still took the risk without even consulting me. You know how dangerous and sneaky he is and yet you still made this stupid deal behind my back, putting in danger not only your life but everyone else in Storybrooke's, too!" Regina's voice wasn't completely raised, but raised enough for the point to slap Emma in the face. She was tired from her mother and father watching loud TV the previous night resulting in no sleep, and she missed her son. Her wife. Her home.
"I love you, Regina. You know I do. I did it for you, you have to understand that. I'm pretty sure I could handle Rumplestiltskin, and you know how much he's changed since he and Belle reunited from Neverland."
"He's still a snake. An imp. An imp that can outsmart any of us, and don't act like you don't know damn well of that. Belle or not he's always been the slithering coward he is now."
"But we're fine, Regina! We're okay. Why can't you just accept that? It's not like I've gone back." Emma was taking deep breaths, her words were pushing Regina's buttons. The I-know-I'm-losing-this-argument buttons.
"I loved you, too. But it's come to my attention that maybe I gave a little too much. Because if you knew it truly then you wouldn't risk it all because someone asked you to." Regina hustled out to the door battling back tears, she hated fighting with Emma. Despite her tough exterior, she loved Emma with everything she had. And she loved her for a while. Emma stood there, hands still in her pockets and she remained that way minutes after Regina left the department.
She slumped down in her chair, leaning back in it letting out a sigh. She looked to the slot she left the lunchbox in, and opened it with care. Lifting the lunchbox onto her desk, she stared at the picture. She remembered the day they took that picture. It was Emma's birthday from a year earlier. Regina had planned a surprise party for her wife, everyone in Storybrooke showed up. Emma loved that day. The photo had Emma on the left, Henry center, and Regina right. Emma's arm around the brunette with a sparkling smile, Regina's lips placed against Emma's with a goofy look on her face, and Henry with a smile on his face. But not a normal smile. It was beaming. He was happy. They were happy.
Emma sat there as two tears rand down her cheek and onto the lunchbox. Damn. What happened? Emma thought to herself. She opened the lunchbox knowing there was nothing in it, but she liked the metal rubbing sound it made. Emma picked up the lunchbox and placed it back in the slot, making sure it was safe. She then locked it up, and walked out of the department to Granny's, hoping for answers.