"I can't believe you still insist on driving that heap of rubbish." Regina said over the roof of her newly polished car as Emma crossed the road towards her.
Emma briefly turned to look at her yellow bug.
"What's wrong with my car?" she asked as she caught up to Regina, falling into step with her as they made their way to the firehouse's entrance.
"It took you three attempts to close the driver's door." Regina opened one of the double glass doors and allowed Emma to walk through before her.
"The hinges probably just need a little oil. The rest of the car is fine. Besides, you can't talk. You're driving a clunker of a whale from the 80s- don't you think it's time you updated?"
"What?!" Regina stopped still in her tracks, horrified that anyone would say such a thing. "My car is a classic!"
"Yeah, a classic piece of shit!" Emma snorted, also stopping when she realised that Regina wasn't moving alongside her. They stood in the foyer eyeing each other off in silence.
"Okay you guys, stop flirting." Ruby walked over to the women and playfully smacked Emma on the bum with an open hand as she greeted them. Regina turned and glared at the vibrant young firefighter- brown eyes narrowing and lips pursing. Emma laughed and light-heartedly pushed Ruby away by the shoulder.
"Good morning Miss Lucas. Emma, if you will excuse me." Regina turned abruptly and marched off towards the locker rooms.
"What's her problem?" Ruby thumbed towards the retreating form that was Regina. "She knows I'm only joking right? I didn't really think you two were flirting, I mean she is straight and you have a girlfriend." Ruby defended.
"Actually only one of those statements is true."
Ruby looked over Emma's shoulder to see that Regina had stopped in the doorway to the locker room, one hand on her hip the other holding her phone as she looked down at the device. Without moving her eyes from the woman she said "Regina is now playing on the same team as us?"
Emma turned to see what she was looking at. Once she understood what the brunette was implying she turned around and slapped her on the upper arm. "No! And stop looking at her like that."
"Like what?" Ruby's eyes remained transfixed on the older paramedic.
"Like you want to eat her for breakfast, you perve."
"She's fucking hot though, and if she is now into the ladies- I so call dibs."
"She's not into the ladies… that I am aware of. What I was actually trying to tell you was that Elsa and I broke up. Well, technically she broke up with me and I cried like a little baby."
Ruby averted her eyes from Regina and refocused her attention onto Emma. "Oh, Em. I'm so sorry. That is really uncool. You are the nicest person in the world. Given, you can be kind of a dork. But you are still adorable." she gave the blonde a tight and heartfelt hug.
"Thanks Rubes." Emma smiled into her shoulder.
Ruby pulled away and they made their way to the common area that included couches, a TV, and a fully functional kitchen. Emma plonked herself onto one of the old, used couches and reached for a magazine lying on the coffee table. Ruby took the seat next to her and sat in what appeared to be deep thought.
After about ten minutes she piped up. "You need tequila and dancing." Ruby said decidedly.
Emma looked up from her magazine confused. "That I do- but in case you haven't noticed, that's kind of frowned upon while we are at work… at work to specifically save peoples' lives."
"See I told you that you were a dork. I didn't mean now." she said exasperatedly "Friday night. We are going to the Rabbit Hole, we are going to do tequila shots, and we are going to dance like mad men. We will set this town on fire… though not literally of course, seeing as you need clarification."
Emma appeared to contemplate the idea for a few minutes. "Okay. That is the best plan I've heard in about 2 hours. But I am only agreeing because I need some decent alcohol." she faced Ruby with a disgusted look on her face. "Regina tried to give me gin the other night."
Ruby returned the look of disgust. "Eeew. Is she 80?"
Emma shrugged in response.
"So that is a yes to this Friday then?"
'Yes it is."
"Yeah!" Ruby cheered.
She held her right hand up for a high five, when Emma mirrored the action Ruby excitedly misjudged her angle, her hand hitting Emma's far too late, skating off the other woman's and fair into the young EMT's face- effectively slapping the blonde in the eye. Emma swore and quickly brought the heel of her hand to her eye rubbing it weightily. She looked over to Ruby with her remaining good eye. Ruby, smiling guiltily, shrugged an apology.
"Oops"
Regina was at the wheel of the ambulance, looking over to Emma and then back to the road and then back to Emma. "I can't believe you actually let me drive today."
"Neither can I. But my vision is still a little blurry. Damn Ruby and her high-fives. Who even high-fives anymore?"
"Henry likes to high five."
"See? I rest my case."
Emma stretched her seat belt out with her hand and leaned over the space between the two front seats and stared at the speedo. She looked back up to Regina who had a look of concentration on her face, eyebrows knitted in a frown, eyes squinting out of the windscreen and onto the road ahead.
"You realize this is an emergency right? If I had a grandmother I am sure she would drive faster than this." Emma released her hold on the belt and relaxed back into her seat. Reaching up to feel around her right eye with her fingertips she winced at the pain.
Regina huffed audibly. "I am well aware that this is an emergency, Swan. But a certain amount of care does need to be exercised on the road, especially at high speeds and through such congested traffic. I don't want to inflict unnecessary injuries on innocent bystanders in our venture to get to our targeted crisis speedily."
"Geez, Regina. You could have just said you were scared of driving instead of that long winded lecture."
Regina turned to Emma in an exasperated fluster and opened her mouth to let Emma know exactly what she thought of her criticism.
"REGINA!" Emma yelled, one hand bracing the armrest and the other pointing to the road in front of them.
Regina turned her head in time to see that traffic was at a standstill and that they were headed right for the rear of a silver Volvo. Regina took evasive action, slamming on the brakes and pulling hard on the steering wheel. The ambulance bounced heavily up and over the curb, tossing the women around in their seats. Regina lurched forward, gripping the steering wheel tightly, while Emma was jolted to the right- cracking her head on the side window. They came to a halt on the sidewalk, the Volvo, Ambulance and two women relatively unscathed. Regina turned to look at Emma sheepishly "Are you okay?"
Emma was holding her hand over her right temple "Really? Are you kidding me right now?"
Regina smiled and shrugged. "Sorry."
"Between you, Ruby, and Elsa I am hurt both inside and out." she undid her seatbelt rather too violently and opened her door. She slide out of the vehicle effortlessly, slammed her door, and went around to the driver's side of the ambulance. Opening the door she said "Get out."
"What?"
"I said get out. I'm driving."
Instead of getting out, Regina just scooted over to the passenger seat and plugged herself in. She was too afraid to actually say anything that would make Emma angrier than she already was.
Emma negotiated the heavy van off the sidewalk and into the traffic where she proceeded to drive like they were in an emergency situation. After several blocks of silence Regina couldn't bare it anymore.
"Emma?"
"Yes I am fine, Regina. But you are most definitely going to be making this up to me."
"Really? How?" she asked suspiciously.
"Friday night. Rabbit Hole. Drinking. Dancing."
"You know I don't like to go out drinking, Emma."
Emma turned and glared at her. Regina gulped audibly "But I suppose I could make an exception just this one time."
