Miss Swan... Miss Mills 2

Kathryn decided to sit on the couch at the den and read the newest issue of Time's magazine while she wait for her friend to come home. She passed by the Mayor's office at around 4:45 thinking that she could extract what happened to her friend's exam this afternoon, but to her surprise the brunette haven't arrived yet (and she knows it only takes about an hour to take the exam or less if the student is that good, unless David was making a joke and his information is not the truth).

How long does it really take to finish a manual driving exam? I'm sure it's not going to take this long for Regina to ace her exam... knowing Reg - she'd pass this one with flying colors!

The blonde thought as she turns the pages without actually reading. Truth is she's a bit nervous. Regina had her accident a month ago because she tried to drive the office issued mayoral car to go to an emergency meeting (her Mercedes was in Michael Tillman's garage for oil change that time), and if it wasn't for the presence of an instructor and the use of company car with double brakes, she'd probably be flying out of her office at 2 to be with Regina on her examination day. Regina had been like the sister she'd always dreamed of and she can't fathom what she'd do if something major happens to her favorite mayor.

Her musing though was cut short as said brunette walked into the den, stopping at what greeted her.

"Kat?" Regina called out with a smile on her lips.

"Well I thought it would be wise for me to trespass your home and wait, I passed by your office but you weren't there. I asked Claire and she said you didn't call whether you'd be back or not." The blonde smiled back,

"Oh yes, I was hold up after the exam and called Claire just five minutes ago... I should probably make it up to her yes?"

Kat laughed, "I did tell her you may not go in especially if the exam didn't go as you'd planned but..." she stood, walked closer to her dear friend and hugged her, "...from the look on your face, that smile and bright eyes - I'll say you nailed this one the head - as usual." she pulled away and hold one hand out. Regina raised one brow, "Let me see?"

She rolled her eyes at her friend's enthusiasm. She turned to get her result from the hand bag she left at the top of the cabinet at the foyer and smiled as she hears her friend follow. Once there, she took the white envelope inside her bag and handed it to Kathryn. "Do you like a glass of the best apple cider in town?"

Kathryn laughed, "You're threat doesn't work on me oh dear friend of mine," The laughed from the brunette that followed tells Kathryn her friend did ace this exam. Regina is an achiever and she doesn't take well to losing or in this case failing. So she decided she could drink the cider leisurely as she take a look at her friend's result.

The two came into the mayor's study, the brunette prepared two glasses of the best apple cider in town and then handed one glass to the grinning blonde before both women turned to the couch and sit side by side.

"You look happy, the exam must turned out great," Kat's smile widened, "I can't wait to tell Frederick and give David a deserved insult!"

Regina shook her head, "No wonder your brother finds it enjoyable to taunt me because you always do that."

"So think about how much I love you,"

"Aren't we glad Frederick is the kind of man who doesn't get jealous over his fiancee's best friend."

"That's called trust and he's never insecure."

"That he is," she said before lifting the glass to her mouth to drink, this was mirrored by her friend who while doing so opened the envelop with one hand and slowly pulled the paper inside. Regina has this grin on her face as she drinks... mouth lingering at the edge of the glass.

Kat smiled at her friend and then look down at the paper. Her smile dropped as she actually sprayed the cider onto the couch and floor when she saw the result... "Regina!" the brunette looked at her, face still slightly hidden by the glass, "You failed!"

"You're cleaning the couch and the floor,"

"YOU FAILED!"

-0-

Emma Swan entered her apartment and went straight to her living room, not that there is much space between her kitchen cum dining area and 'sala'(1). She sat on the large, black, leather couch (a desire she allowed herself to have), sighed and rested her back on the back rest then close her eyes.

"You're early," Emma Swan's son, a 14 yr old boy she named Henry asked as he steps down from their loft.

The blonde mother nodded.

"And you're unusually quiet," here Emma raised one brow, "I didn't hear you come in, you're usually loud and you always scream my name when you arrive. If I didn't feel like getting me something to eat I wouldn't have known you're already here." he explained with a grin.

"I don't scream Henry."

"Yes you do," he hopped off the stairs and sat beside his mother, "So why are you early?"

Emma sighed and looked at her son, "I think I may have to start looking for another job." She frowned, "Do you know if that deputy sheriff position is still open?"

Henry had been close to the diner's owner Granny whose granddaughter is one of the receptionist in S1 Driving Institute and a close friend of hers - Ruby - who happens to be dating the town Sheriff, Graham.

He grinned, "Finally decided to lean on your bail-bonding experience? I really think you'll be great in the Sheriff's office." he shrugged his shoulders, "Honestly, I think you'll be better than Graham as sheriff." then he shook his head, "No idea though." then he grinned again and sent his mother a knowing look.

"What did you do?" The blonde asked skeptically,

"What? I didn't do anything." he looked his mother in the eye, "What did you do?"

Another deep breath, "I failed the mayor,"

A momentary silence before Henry made a gasp as realization sets in, "WHAT?!"

"I know you don't have any hearing defect,"

"We are so screwed! Why the mayor? Is she that bad in driving?" there was a nervous undertone in his voice which dropped when his mother's facial expression changed and a grin found its way to her face.

She shook her head then said, "She almost crashed my bug..."

-0-

"We alive?"

"Yeah..."

The only sound to be heard after was the driver of the car that almost collide with them as the brunette swerve, cussing at the two women who had stopped at the middle of the street. The cussing was followed by non stop honking of car horns as the mayor still was unable to move therefore they were stuck and is jamming traffic.

"I think you should start the car again," the blonde instructor said a minute passed.

"This is a coffin on wheels Miss Swan,"

"I don't think you have the right to insult my car when it is your driving that almost got us killed."

"Maybe if you just stop ticking on those boxes then I would have focused better,"

"Driving is about focus no matter what your passenger is doing, and I am doing my job, it is just normal I tick boxes!"

"Will you please turn your voice down?"

Emma Swan gritted her teeth then she looked down and with force she wrote a big letter F on the paper and encircled it.

"What? You fail me?"

"As I've said, driving is all about focus. Even if you do all the prep right, flip lights at the right moments and stop at the right signals, if you don't focus you end up dead, and me being here means you could have killed me!"

"You..." but there really was nothing she could say. She was sure there was a compliment in there somewhere while the gorgeous blonde rants. Regina frowned, first dashing now gorgeous... what is this woman doing to her?

Emma eyed the mayor which was returned as the brunette deflated, "We alive?"

The blonde smiled, "Yeah,"

"When can I take my exam again?"

"Tomorrow if your up for it,"

"Schedule Miss Swan, there is a reason why I pay my assistant handsomely, so to keep my schedule..."

"Yeah yeah..."

"I better check with Miss Seawater again."

Silence

"I don't know about you but I could use a giant mug of coffee right now."

"I agree..."

"Are you going to drive -"

"I think I need a break from your coffin,"

"Just for that you'll pay for your own caffeine," The blonde hurriedly stepped out of the car and was followed by the mayor. "Get in Madame Mayor, we could drive together to Granny's."

"I think I said I need a break from your metal contraption-"

"Alright you can walk to Granny's and I'll be waiting there-"

"Not funny,"

"Decide now Madame Mayor, are you walking or riding?" she grinned as the brunette rolled her eyes, huffed and yet walked towards the passenger side and went in. Emma Swan sure loved watching the interplay of emotions on the regal woman's face... and that little scar on her lips -

-0-

[Exactly One week later]

"What the hell is happening?" Emma asked exasperatedly as the engine sputtered and died once again.

"Sorry?"

"You didn't murder my engine last week how come you seem to have decided that killing my engine now is better than killing my entire car?" A raised brow was the answer, "And what happened to flipping signal lights every time you turn?"

"Is it my fault your signal lights doesn't work? I've been wondering when will your car fall apart." Regina didn't moved her eyes from the road, "Stop screaming on my ears I'm trying to focus."

"My lights works just fine!"

"Oh... you could have fooled me."

"Your impossible!"

"You should talk more with my friend Kat," she looked at the blonde woman, "Or you may have talked to her already?"

"HUMP!"

BLAG!

SPUTTER

"I told you shut up!"

The blonde gritted her teeth once again as she wrote in a much bigger font the letter F, encircled then underlined once. She then looked at the brunette who have raised eyebrows at her. "What? You drive worse today than last week and that's something since you tried to kill me last time."

"Maybe if I'm driving a more inspiring car-"

"It's the driver not the car!"

"I didn't know your name is Tiffany,"

"Get out!"

"We getting coffee again?"

Emma just looked at the brunette, "I'm not paying-"

"Good thing I plan to pay," The brunette grinned as she get out of the driver side of the car and waited until Emma walked over and they switched sides.

-0-

[Another week]

SCREECH... BLAG

Emma Swan's eyes bulged at the damage her car incurred. She looked back at her car's front to see her beloved bug's front lights, bumper and tip of the hood ruined. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCCCK!" Emma screamed and then looked at the brunette who was biting her lips. "You were smooth in doing parallel parking the last two exams! What is your quarrel with my damn car?!"

"I swear it was an accident!"

"You're lying!"

"No... okay it was so bright I got distracted!"

"Are you punishing me still for being late the first meeting?!"

"I didn't even think of that, I swear!"

"I'd get you the biggest cocoa mug with extra extra whip cream and cinnamon?"

Emma swore she felt tears falling from her eyes, "That's my baby..."

"Oh come on..."

Emma tore the sheet of paper from the paper holder, put a letter F on the entire page and hand it to the brunette, "Refresher for you Madame Mayor and yes, I want that giant cocoa drink!"

"What?"

"Refresher!"

"But..."

"And Cocoa and I don't want to hear it! No buts!"

Regina watched as the blonde instructor hurried towards the reception and when she was gone, a large smile make its way to her face. "Big, Hot Cocoa coming up."

-TBC-

1 - sala is our term for living room, I'm not sure if its origin is spanish since a lot of our words are Spanish in origin I thought it is also.