Emma and Henry arrived at Regina's front door only 14 minutes late, which in Emma's book was a success. She chapped the door jauntily and was surprised when it was opened only a few seconds later by an immaculate looking mayor. Emma herself looked like she had just rolled out of bed, which wasn't far from the truth.
'Late again, Miss Swan. How unusual,' Regina commented as Henry rushed into the house to gather his things.
'Go easy on me, Regina. It's hard to run fast before you've had coffee,' Emma replied.
She noticed Regina look at her hard for a second, before opening her mouth to speak and being interrupted by Henry running past to catch the bus.
'Bye Mom! Bye Mom!' He panted at the two women as he went.
'Goodbye, Flash!' Emma yelled after him.
'Flash?' Regina asked, once their son was out of sight.
'Never mind,' Emma replied.
They stood awkwardly at the door of a moment. Or at least Emma knew she was awkward. They Mayor just looked bored.
'So what does a woman have to do around here to be offered a cup of coffee?' Emma eventually said, grinning.
Regina simply raised an eyebrow and walked inside towards the kitchen, leaving the door open behind her. Emma took this as an invitation to follow, so she did.
When Emma entered the kitchen, Regina was already pouring coffee into two mugs, and she handed the slightly fuller one to the blonde, who took it and leant against the counter behind her. Regina mimicked her actions across the room, and they both blew on their coffee, trying to find something to say.
'Sorry for making you choke last night,' Emma blurted out. 'I mean I'm not really sorry, because it was hilarious, but y'know, I'm sorry.' She ended her little rant with a small smile and tentatively sipped her coffee.
'That might honestly be the least convincing apology I've ever heard. You're worse at it that your mother.' Regina replied, a smirk on her face.
'I have a present for you,' she continued. Now it was Emma's turn to choke, and choke on her coffee she did, wincing as the searing hot liquid burned down her throat.
'But Regina, you've never given me anything except for a questionable apple turnover that nearly killed Henry. It isn't another apple turnover, is it? Because if it is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to respectfully decline.' Emma replied.
Regina chuckled at this, which worried Emma even more. But the brunette just put her still-full mug down on the counter and said 'follow me, Miss Swan,' as she exited the room. Emma dithered in the kitchen for a moment trying to decide whether or not to take the coffee with her, and followed a second later, trying desperately not to spill coffee on the floor.
She caught up with the Mayor at the foot of the stairs, and traipsed up them trying furiously to keep her eyes off of the pencil skirt-covered ass in front of her.
Damn it, Emma thought. Damnitdamnitdamnit. Don't lose you're cool, Swan. You've seen it before, many times. It's nothing new. And just because it's right in front of you doesn't give you an excuse to stare. HA! I'm trying not to stare on the stairs! I'm hilarious. God help me...
Regina looked over her shoulder as she reached the landing and caught Emma (in a moment of weakness) staring.
Emma's cheeks felt like they were on fire, but Regina didn't give any indication that she had noticed, as she just continued to walk forwards, towards a room at the end of the hall.
'I don't think I've ever been up here,' Emma stated, taking in the her surroundings. 'It's very...white.'
'Well, I did consider having everything painted black and purple when I first arrived here, but I decided against it,' Regina replied, speaking ahead of her.
'Really?' Emma said in amazement.
'No, not really. That would have been ridiculous.'
Regina opened a large white (not black or purple) door and walked through, Emma following behind and freezing when she realised where she was.
'I'm in your bedroom,' she said, although she really had no idea why she was so shocked.
'Well spotted. You are a true testament to this land's education system.'
'You have a bed!' Emma continued, still clueless as to why she was saying these things.
'Where did you think I slept? Hanging upside down from the rafters?' Regina replied, sounding amused.
'No, I just never thought about the fact you sleep. I mean, I've seen you unconscious a few times, but never asleep. But evidently you do. Sleep, that is. In a bed. I mean, if I was to imagine you in bed you wouldn't be asleep. I mean...' Emma rambled.
For fucks sake Swan, of course she sleeps. Who doesn't sleep? Idiot. And now she's looking at you like you just beamed down from Mars. No more speaking, okay?
'What exactly am I doing, if I'm not sleeping?' Regina asked, turning around and walking into her closet, a small smirk on her face.
Emma didn't know what to do, so she just followed after the mayor.
'I, erm, I...' she started to stutter in response, but Regina had never actually intended for Emma to answer, and cut her off by holding up a black and red leather jacket.
'I trust you like it?' the brunette said, taking the coffee out of Emma's hands and replacing it with the jacket.
Emma just gaped in response, so Regina just carried on regardless.
'When I first woke up in this house I added some of what I was more used to wearing to the closet, out of some sort of sentimentality I guess, since it's not exactly the most appropriate attire for this world. Anyway, this appeared in my wardrobe at the same time as I added all the other things, and I really have no idea where it came from,' Regina explained, finally adding with a smile, 'So if it's cursed. I accept no liability.'
'But why give it to me?' Emma finally managed to spit out, looking the garment over and falling a little bit in love with it.
'I've thought it would suit you ever since you arrived here. But as you know, Miss Swan, I haven't exactly been in a gift giving mood towards you for the majority of your time here. Apple turnovers excepted, as you so graciously pointed out earlier'.
'Thank you.'
'You're very welcome, Emma,' Regina purred, and she flicked her hand causing the jacket to disappear from Emma's hands. Emma looked confused and the sudden retracting of the gift.
What the hell. It's hard enough for me to understand her giving me a present in the first place, but now I need to understand her taking it back? What kind of sick game is she playi... Oh never mind, I'm wearing it. Hmm.
'I was right, it does suit you,' Regina said, breaking Emma out of her train of thought.
'Thank you,' she said again.
'You already said that, dear.'
'Oh yea, so I did. Well I mean it.' Emma added, stretching around in the jacket, which fitted perfectly.
'I must admit, there's another reason I brought you up here,' Regina said, taking a step closer to Emma.
Emma stopped moving around and held her breath as the mayor leaned closer to her.
SHE'S GOING TO KISS ME!Wait, is she going to kiss me? What the hell? I'm pretty sure she didn't even know my first name before I broke the curse, why would she suddenly be interested in me now? Maybe she's playing a game. May be this is just another plan to get back at my mother. Maybe she just needs to get it out of her system. It's the nice thing to do, to let her kiss me. The hero thing to do. It would help her. Wait, why is she diverging off to the left? Is there someone beside me she would rather kiss? Why doesn't she want to kiss me!?
But Emma was interrupted by the feeling of Regina's breath against her ear.
'Welcome to my 'collection of leather'. Regina whispered, as she pushed a button and the far wall spun, revealing another room behind it.
Regina let Emma walk in front of her, and the blonde wandered in, not sure what to expect.
'I warn you Regina, if this is some Fifty Shades of Grey crap I won't be pleased,' Emma said as she walked, but as she entered the room she was relieved to find nothing except rails and rails of dressed and trousers, shoes and riding boots, belts and hair pieces.
'That's in a different room,' Regina stated, following after her.
Emma looked at the woman's face, but couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.
'Do you ever actually wear these?' Emma said, looking at a few of the dresses and wondering how it was possible.
'I used to,' Regina said.
'They're beautiful,' Emma stated. 'In a scary, evil kind of way'.
'Yes well, the Evil Queen wouldn't have been quite so intimidating if I was wearing a pink fairy dress, now would she?'
'That's true, I'm not sure you could pull of wearing a pink fairy dress. Oh crap! What's the time?' Emma said, it suddenly dawning on her that she had work.
Regina looked at her watch.
'A quarter past nine,' she replied.
'I was meant to be at the station twenty minutes ago. Goddamnit!' Emma exclaimed, running past Regina and back out into the bedroom.
'Sherrif Swan, if I may,' the mayor called after her.
Emma turned round and was immediately engulfed in purple smoke, and when the smoke cleared she found herself standing right outside the door to the station. She rushed inside to find her very grumpy father waiting to be relieved from the early shift.
'Where have you been?'
'Sorry dad, I got tied up with... stuff,' she said, unzipping her jacket and hanging it on the back of her chair.
'Is that new?' David asked, eyeing the item of clothing.
'Shouldn't you be home by now? Emma replied, not answering the question.
David gave Emma a scowl and left, leaving Emma alone. She sank back in her chair and looked down at her desk, grinning when she saw one of Regina's mugs sitting on it, still steaming and refilled. There was a note attached in Regina's fancy handwriting, that read.
'I thought you might need the rest of this. Also, please do not make a habit of being late for work.
Regina,'