Emma:
At least she knew that after her tedious work day she would have the afternoon with Henry at the park before having to return to her insufferably sanitized and generic hotel room. That lit the morning up a bit.
She couldn't explain why but she just loved being with the kid. She loved watching the way his forehead crinkled when he was deep in thought and the way his hair stood on end when a breeze blew from the opposite direction. He was a Band-Aid on her scab of loneliness and she was thankful to know she had made at least one friend in this town. All right, two. Ruby seemed fascinated with her purely because she wouldn't allow The Mayor to walk all over her. It was as though she thought if she stayed close to Emma she could pick up the skill by osmosis.
At any rate, this morning she had the town drunk in the tank across the room. Emma could get up to give her long-winded lecture on public intoxication, but she knew he would just ignore it. So she ignored him.
"Hey David," the man making coffee looked up somewhat surprised. They still hadn't quite gotten to the point of being comfortable with one another. It wasn't that Emma was opposed to the idea; David was charming and very obviously sweet. It was simply that the Deputy came into the station every day and then headed out to the streets to patrol for – well she didn't know what – double parked cars or perhaps ditching teenagers? They hadn't had time to become friends.
Whatever he did, though, today she wanted a trade. "Do you mind if I do the patrols today?"
He seemed surprised for a moment then smiled warmly, "Of course not, Emma. I think it's a good idea. Besides," he gestured to the sleeping man, "Leroy can get kind of colorful when he first wakes up in here. There's no need for you to hear that."
She smiled back, slipping her jacket on before thanking him and heading out the door, pleased with her idea. This should stir up the monotony.
The sun was bright and the day was pleasantly cool as she made her way down Main. She knew there was little to do in a town so small so she strode casually, hands in her pockets, chatting politely with people as they passed and getting to know her surroundings.
Just as the sun was starting to warm into afternoon she turned the corner and groaned. Across the side fence of the local pawnshop was a large aerosol painting of a man doing something Emma wasn't sure she wanted to see him do with his cane.
"Crap." She breathed. She had to do something about this quick before – clacking heels let her know she was too late.
Damn it!
"Sheriff Swan."
"Crap." Emma groaned again, turning and facing the enraged face of The Mayor.
"I see no donut. I can only imagine, then, what you were doing this time while our town was being defaced."
God. What did this woman expect from her?
"Well, I'm going to guess it was teenagers, probably that little gang I keep hearing about. So I'm going to assume I was probably asleep in bed - just like you were, Regina."
"Madam Mayor."
"Wait, what are you even doing here?"
"Well when Mr. Gold got no response from you he decided to call me."
"Called you?" She dug out her phone to see if she had missed any calls from David at the station and groaned, of course, it was dead. Damn, she normally charged it at the station but she hadn't stayed there long enough today. How could she have been so stupid?
Defensively she squared her shoulders and her jaw, "My phone died, but I'm here now so you can go back to work."
"Can I? I'm not so sure. I don't know if I have faith that you can handle this. Are you sure you can handle this, Ms. Swan? Because I, for one, am not completely convinced."
"Yes." She answered lamely. Right now she had no room to be rude to Regina.
"Then do your job!" Regina barked aggressively and with a flash of liquid chocolate eyes, she spun on her heels clicking off the opposite direction.
"Damn it!" She kicked the fence in frustration and yelped, "Damn it!" as her toe throbbed. Emma glared, watching the pantyhose covered legs turn the corner.
After a brief conversation with Mr. Gold she returned to the station, sending David out to do his usual job.
She was frustrated. She was tired of Madam Mayor - her freaking majesty - tearing into her. She didn't know what the hell her problem was half the time but she was really getting tired of it. So when clicking heels sounded in the hallway that afternoon she just let her head drop into the desk with an exasperated groan.
"What now?"
The brunette produced a piece of paper from her bag and held it out for Emma, staring expectantly.
Emma looked back at the cold face and couldn't help but to picture the few smiles she had seen that were in direct contrast. It was amazing how this powerhouse of a woman could be so beautiful when she smiled; her eyes crackling, the scar across her top lip dimpling and yet so forbidding others. For a moment, she couldn't help but to wonder what it would be like to force one of those smiles. She wondered what it would be like to - "What's this?"
"It's a probation citing for the boys who did the graffiti."
"But we aren't sure of which boys that would be yet." She looked down at the list and scoffed, "Okay you can't just give probation to every boy in the gang."
"Ms. Swan," Regina steepled her fingers on the corner of the desk, leaning in threateningly, "I don't need to know which one of them did it because I know that all of them did it."
"Regina, you don't-"
"If you think that you know this town or the people in it better than I do then you are sorely mistaken."
They had fought all afternoon.
They had fought so long that by the time Regina had stomped out of the office to pick Henry up from school Emma needed a nap.
It was clear that Regina had tried to convince her son not to go to the park with Emma that afternoon - and had lost utterly and completely.
Her eyes were flashing like electric charges when Regina had ever so grudgingly handed her son over and Emma knew if she took one step out of line, even once, Regina would take her head off with one bite.
"Are you guys fighting again?" Henry had asked wisely, but both women dropped their eyes and smiled warmly, insisting "nope" and "no way kid."
Emma had then spent another few hours running after Henry playing tag and make-believe that they were knights on horseback until it was dinnertime. She had enjoyed herself and was sad to see the boy go - only the moment his evil eyed mother was insight he began to insist that Emma needed to join them for dinner yet again.
Emma had tried to refuse. Regina had tried to insist but apparently neither had the power to deny those big beautiful eyes and they caved.
Dinner was the same as the night before. Slight quips. Heavy glares. Suggestions of inferiority.
When they stepped outside of the diner Emma, blood boiling from the day's frustrations couldn't help but to look around and the darkened town street.
"Huh," she muttered knowing she was about to get a rise out of the woman, "dark out here. And yet this mayor person swears I'm the one who is bad at their job."
Regina's eyes flashed, "Ms. Swan if you think-"
Emma shoved her hands in her pockets and with a wink and Henry excused herself and headed down the street, feeling the furious eyes burning into her back.
Emma chuckled, that had been fun.
When her phone rang Regina Mills at precisely 1:52 in the A.M. Emma had just groaned. She had spent all day fighting with this damned woman. What could she possibly want now? More graffiti? Had Archie's dog gotten out? Perhaps Leroy was passed out under the clock tower again. Whatever it was, she resented being woken.
"Sheriff Swan."
"Emma?" The use of her name woke Emma fully.
"Regina? What's wrong? Is it Henry?"
"There's a woman in my house."
"What?" She jumped up, already pulling her jeans and tank top on.
"There's a woman here. Hurry up!"
Tripping and stumbling over her loose shoes she grabbed her badge, crashing into the door frame in her in her effort to tie the shoe, secure her gun and badge and run out the door all at once.
When she arrived at the Mills mansion Regina and a groggy looking Henry were huddled on the porch. Regina was clearly panic-stricken. She had never seen the mayor like this, her guards down, her eyes wide in fright. Suddenly, with all of the aggression gone Emma realized she was beautiful. Not the kind of beautiful you see on the silver screen or in magazines but a true, deeply womanly beauty.
She was so surprised that she tripped on her way up the stairs and had to take a moment to regain her balance.
"Where is she?" Emma horse whispered, her gun nestled tightly between her palms.
"Henry, why don't you go wait in the car, sweetie?" Regina said shakily. He nodded grudgingly and climbed into the safety of the car, where he immediately passed out against the window, mouth open and fogging the glass.
"I don't know, I don't know where she is." Regina cried in a hoarse whisper.
Emma nodded quickly and with a reassuring brush of her hand against Regina's bare forearm, barely noticing the shock with all of the adrenaline flowing through her; she entered the house.
Slowly she made her way through darkened rooms, gun upright and ready to do its job if it was needed.
She cleared one room – two – three without consequence.
Slowly she made her way into Regina's bedroom and let out a high pitched and highly uncharacteristic yelp as someone appeared at her elbow. Swirling around she let out an authoritative "FREEZE" before double over and laughing at herself and feeling foolish. To her right stood a full length innately carved mirror. It had been her own reflection that had startled her. "Way to go, Swan."
Promising not to tell Regina about that she slowly cleared that room and then the rest before making her way back to the porch.
It was only then that she noticed Regina was only dressed in a small silk baby blue nightgown. She cleared her throat awkwardly and did her best not to see the way Regina's pert and clearly cold nipples grazed the thin cloth. "There's uh, no one in there."
Regina:
She didn't understand how this was possible. "Well look again!"
Emma shrugged, "I can if you would like but I promise you I looked thoroughly."
"I know what I saw." She could still picture rolling over and seeing someone at the foot of her bed. At first she had sleepily mumbled, thinking it was Henry but then, as her mind began to wake, she saw that though she couldn't see the face it was clearly much taller and guessing from the billowing at the hips the person was in a dress and, therefore, a woman. Confusion gripped her first as her sleep addled brain swore for a millisecond that her mother stood there, ready to yell at her for whatever she had done wrong that day. That worry had gripped her enough to wake her fully.
She hadn't spared a moment. Thinking of Henry and his safety she jumped out of bed but by the time she looked back the woman was gone. Where had she gone?
She had ushered Henry out of bed and through the front door, all but carrying her too heavy to be carried son down the stairs.
That's what you are supposed to do, right? Her mind had whined at her unable to remember if you simply were supposed to hide when someone was in the house or do your best to escape it. She was sure she had read an article on which was more proficient once.
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"
"Of course I'm sure, I'm not an idiot." She growled, wrapping her arms around her cold middle and wondering if a good slap would help this stupid girl.
Emma shrugged and sympathetically put a soft hand on her bicep, "Look, why don't we get Henry back up to his bed and you can tell me what happened?"
Regina considered throwing the hand off of her but the warmth and strength of it were oddly soothing. For a moment she wanted those strong arms to envelop her again so the nervous shaking would stop. But she was the mayor. She didn't hug.
Instead, she cleared her throat assertively insisted that The Sheriff do another sweep before she gathered her son back into his bed.
She poured herself a long glass of red wine after she made her way back to the study where Emma was waiting, clicking her fireplace on and lighting a fire.
"Do you mind?"
She just shook her head and offered a glass to The Sheriff. Emma took it with a grateful nod.
Regina stood before the fire for a moment, her hands still shaking before defensively saying again, "I know what I saw." She would be damned if this girl was going to make her believe she was crazy. Her mind was sound and she was sure.
"Look, Regina, I'm not saying that you didn't see someone. I'm just saying isn't there a chance at all that you were having a dream? You said your door was still locked from the inside when you came out."
"No, Ms. Swan there isn't a chance that I was dreaming."
"Regina I just mean - "
"I know what I saw! I woke up and there was a woman at the foot of my bed." To her horror, her eyes welled with frustrated and strained tears.
Emma relented asking for details but Regina only fidgeted, toying with the ring on her finger. She didn't have many details. It had been dark. When she had given all she knew Emma nodded tightly.
"I don't know if there is much I can do about this but I will –"
"You will do something, Ms. Swan! My son sleeps in this house and I will be damned if he is not going to be safe at night. As a matter of fact," Regina remembered the bone she had to pick with this woman.
"I was going to say," Emma growled back cutting Regina off, "that I will keep an eye out for the rest of tonight and we will see."
"As a matter of fact," Regina bit over her, "I would like to have a word with you about my son and his protection when he is with you. He came back from the park today bleeding. Bleeding, Ms. Swan."
Emma had the audacity to look baffled, her emerald eyes huge behind her fluttering lashes, "The kid fell and scraped his knee."
"Exactly. If I can not count on you to keep him safe then he will not be allowed to be with you without some kind of supervision."
"This is ridiculous, Regina! He scraped his knee when we were playing. It happens to everyone!"
"Don't you dare call me ridiculous." Regina was yelling now despite her sleeping boy, her fright of the evening, her many hours of fighting with the blonde that day was wearing on her. "What is ridiculous is-"
Regina jumped a bit when suddenly the blonde flew to her feet coming perhaps a bit too close for Regina's comfort level.
"That's it! I'm so fucking sick of this!" She bellowed in a hoarse whisper, doing her best to not wake Henry while letting this woman know exactly how she felt, "That's it! What is your problem, Regina?"
"I'm sorry?" Fury rippled through Regina as she crossed her arms, speaking in a deadpan.
"It's always something with you. How is it possible that I displease you this much? You don't even know me! You can't say I'm bad at my job because you've never given me the chance to do it without interfering. You need to back the hell off and remove the stick from your prim little ass!"
Loathing bubbled up hot and sticky in Regina's chest. Reflexively, she gripped the blonde's jaw, palming her chin and leaning in for the kill, "Excuse me, Ms. Swan?" She wasn't sure what had made her do it but suddenly she needed to get her hands on the Sheriff in some way. She couldn't choke the life out of her so instead she clutched her.
The women stood silently, the air around them fire as Regina waited for the blonde to be stupid enough to make her next move so she could go for the kill.
And then she was on her. Her lips crashing into the blondes, her tongue desperately seeking entrance through the gate Emma had already opened to her.
If Regina's mind hadn't been so instantaneously muddled the moment their lips had touched she would have been surprised at what she had done; at her own lack of control. It was true that love and hate often shared the same bed until this moment Regina would not have said she felt any attraction to the beautiful blonde - at all. She was annoying, insufferable even.
She let out a small grunt and pushed, her hand clenching harder, nails digging into the soft think as they stumbled backward. Regina slammed her, hard enough to force a groan out of the blonde's throat, to the wall; picture frames wobbling haphazardly.
With a shudder, Regina felt that groan everywhere before it trickled down into a pool, throbbing ball between her legs. A wave of want flowed through her, grasping at her strings and making her dance.
With a grunt, she pulled and slammed her into the wall again, her tongue throbbing greedily seeking inside of Emma's mouth and reveling in the delicious sensation of her tongue wrapping around her own.
Hands wrapped constricting around the small of her back and her head, nails digging, hair ripping as the blonde pulled her tighter against her, their hips rocking together, almost straining.
With a gasp, the lips pulled away from hers, snipping and biting along her jawline and down her throat. Her groan intertwined with Emma's as itching hands found the backs of her thighs and quickly crept up to grab handfuls of Regina's softly round ass.
Regina was all too aware that she had nothing on under the thin strip of silk. She had been asleep in her own bed, after all.
Emma chuckled, lightly, breathlessly, "So this is what your problem has been" then whimpered as Regina harshly sank her teeth into the soft flesh of her neck.
Grabbing her face again Regina locked eyes with the blonde, her lip curled as she snarled, venom dripping from every sultry word "Shut up."
Then they flew stumbling and twisting backward as Emma thrust her against the desk. Regina crawling quickly on top of it willingly and wrapping her long legs around Emma's waist, crossing her ankles behind her, successfully trapping the woman against her body. She whimpered softly as the soft bulge of Emma's zipper softly rubbed against the spot where all sensation seemed to be pulling.