Author's Note: Now I normally don't respond to hate and choose to ignore it, but I can't this time.
Mindi, your reviews are not constructive in any way or form. Your personal attacks on me are uncalled for and childish. If you do not like what you are reading either stop reading my stories and write your own, or find another story that appeals to you. It's that easy. Your personal attacks and name calling are unnecessary, and again, childish. As far as I am concerned, I did nothing to you, I don't even know who you are as you hide behind anonymity. Do yourself a favor and stop leaving such hateful comments that are personal attacks against me when there is no need for that. Thank you and good day.
As for everyone else, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Emma had ultimately been right about being a terrible shopping companion. Regina had found a handful of different clothes in the second-hand shop that Emma insisted they check out first since they both knew Regina wouldn't ever wear casual clothes inside of Storybrooke.
The first thing Regina had noticed upon walking into the store, Second Time Around, was the distinct smell that lingered in the air. It was an odd smell, not a bad one, but one that reminded her of the clothes she'd kept for many years in a closet and had forgotten about. The second thing that Regina noticed was the way Emma was already increasingly becoming fidgety as she browsed the racks of clothes that were organized not by style, but by size.
Regina knew she could afford to shop at another store, even one in the next town over, but Emma had seemed a little excited that Regina took her suggestion to check the second-hand store first.
Two hours passed easily and Regina had a small pile of clothes acceptable enough for a trip to a horse ranch in northern Vermont. She went through the pile, noting that she could repurpose a few of the items into different outfits, given they didn't get too dirty for a second wear or even a third.
After she paid for her purchases, Emma seemed to be on autopilot, grabbing the bags off the counter as Regina took the receipt from the woman behind the register. She followed Emma out of the store with an amused smirk dancing over her lips and down the street to where Emma had parked the Bug.
"You wanna go for lunch?" Emma asked once she had the bags in the backseat. "Or do you need to go home and do whatever it is you need to do before tomorrow?"
Regina glanced at the dainty gold watch on her left wrist. It was still fairly early in the day and the light breakfast they'd had at Emma's house with Henry earlier that morning hadn't quite filled her up nor had it done a thing to subdue the slight hangover she had from drinking far too much wine the night before.
"Yes, I suppose we can go for lunch."
"Great," Emma said and she hopped into the driver's seat just as Regina got into the passenger seat. "We can talk more about tomorrow, times and stuff."
"All right."
"I'm taking the Bug to the shop this afternoon to have Michael look over it and make sure we won't run into any problems on the road."
"I thought you said the Bug is reliable?" Regina asked in a teasing tone as Emma turned over the engine. "But in reality, it truly is a metal coffin on wheels, isn't it?"
"No," Emma muttered grumpily. "Just a precaution. It's been a while since I've taken her in for a tune-up."
Regina reached over to place her hand on top of Emma's as Emma reached for the gearshift. "I was just teasing you, Emma."
She watched Emma stiffen as she glanced at their hands and Regina frowned as she withdrew quickly and placed her hands in her lap. Emma pulled away from the curb a second later and drove the half a block to the diner where she parked in her usual spot.
Regina took a moment to compose herself before she followed Emma out of the Bug and into the busy diner. She knew it shouldn't have come as a surprise to find Emma's parents and baby brother there in their usual both and immediately waving them over to join them for lunch.
"You don't mind?" Emma asked quietly over the din in the diner. "We could always just go sit somewhere else."
"It's fine," Regina replied. "I want to talk to them about watching Henry this week anyway. Now is as good a time as any."
Snow waved at them frantically before she handed the baby off to David and again waved at them to come over and join them. Emma led the way to the booth and slid into the bench seat opposite of her parents with ease. Regina sat down beside Emma and smiled politely at the Charming's.
"So, how was the shopping trip?" Snow asked. "Did you find anything for your trip, Regina?"
"A few things, yes," Regina nodded. "Although Emma would not stop complaining the entire time."
"I wasn't complaining!"
"You were fidgeting," Regina said pointedly. "And you do not have to say a word for me to know that you are complaining. You get this look on your face."
"She does, doesn't she?" Snow chuckled lightly. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who knows what that look looks like. Sorry, sweetie, but we both seem to know you too well."
"Yeah. Thanks," Emma muttered. "Have you guys ordered yet?"
"Just a coffee," David replied. "We hadn't decided what to order yet."
"What is the special today?" Emma asked and she leaned over the table, straining to look at the board where the daily special was written out. "Waffles?"
"Waffle sandwiches," David said and Emma scrunched her face and reached for the menu they all had memorized yet still utilized every time they ate at the diner.
"Where is Henry?" Snow asked. "Is he out with his friends today?"
"With Violet," Regina clarified. "He wanted to take her down to the beach for a picnic."
"A little chilly for a picnic on the beach, isn't it?" Snow mused and Regina nodded in agreement. "But that is still quite romantic," she swooned. "Definitely the Charming genes in him, wouldn't you say?"
"A little," Regina replied. "Perhaps it is a bit more of nurture over nature as well."
"You are a romantic? Who knew?" Snow chuckled lightly and Regina just scowled and turned her attention to the menu. "I didn't mean it like that, Regina."
"It's fine, Snow. Let's just figure out what to order, shall we?"
Regina already had her mind settled on ordering a garden salad with light vinaigrette dressing on the side along with a much needed cup of coffee. What she didn't fail to notice was the way that Snow kept looking at her and Emma with a perplexed look in her eyes that made Regina nervous—and it wasn't often that Regina got nervous around Snow White, of all people. Emma, however, did fail to notice the way her mother was looking at the two of them, her attention focused solely on the menu as she decided what to order.
"Just get your usual, Emma," Regina said with a heavy sigh. "We all know you're going to end up wishing you ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of onion rings."
"Hey, I like the burgers here too," Emma muttered as she closed the menu and smiled at Ruby when the brunette approached their booth. "You want your usual, Gina?"
"Yes, dear."
"Okay, Regina's gonna have the garden salad, the light vinaigrette dressing on the side and a coffee. I'm gonna try the chicken burger with the works and onion rings with a coffee too and a Coke when the food is ready."
"Okay," Ruby nodded and Regina noticed that she and Snow exchanged a look between them before she took David and Snow's order. "I'll be right back with your drinks, guys."
"Thank you," Snow and Emma said in unison.
Regina shrugged out of her coat, leaving it to pool on the bench seat just behind her and she straightened out her plum colored blouse as Emma proceeded to do the same with her own jacket and pushed up the sleeves of her light gray sweater. Again, the look that Snow gave the both of them was not lost on Regina and since she was well accustomed to not letting her true emotions show, especially when something bothered her, she sat there with a stoic expression on her face as she waited for Ruby to return with their drinks.
"So, tell us more about this trip?" Snow fished as Emma fidgeted until she casually draped her arm around the back of the booth and behind Regina. "You're leaving tomorrow?"
"Yeah. As soon as Henry is off to school, we're gonna pack up the Bug and get on the road."
"And you'll be back when?"
"Tuesday afternoon?" Emma shrugged as she looked over at Regina. "We've got seven days and seven nights booked."
"What will you be doing there?"
"Relaxing," Emma said. "There are daily rides on the trails around the ranch and other activities too, but mostly relaxing."
"That sounds like a dream, sweetie."
"Maybe more like Regina's dream," Emma shrugged and Regina had to fight the blush that crept over her cheeks. "I just wanted to take my family away for a vacation, but the whole family vacation thing is gonna have to wait until Henry is done school for the summer."
"I'm sure you two will enjoy the time away," David said as he placed a hand on his wife's shoulder, ceasing whatever it was she was about to say. "If it is enjoyable enough, perhaps I can take your mother away there soon as well."
"We'll return the favor of looking after Neal while you two are gone," Emma said quickly and she turned again to look at Regina. "That's okay with you, right?"
"Of course."
"Actually," Snow said slowly. "I was thinking maybe all of us can go away together sometime soon? A true family vacation!"
More like a week in hell with the in-laws, Regina thought before she could catch herself thinking far too ahead. "We'll discuss it upon our return next week," she said with a tight smile. "Next week over lunch?"
"Yes, of course," Snow beamed. "Or dinner if you two don't get back in time for lunch."
"Now," Regina said just as Ruby returned to their booth with their drinks. "Regarding Henry while we're gone, he has a strict curfew he must stick with and there is no doubt that he will try and talk you two into allowing him to push some of the boundaries that Emma and I have set for him."
"Of course, Regina," David said with an encouraging nod that did nothing to hide the fact that he, along with Snow, were a bit nervous about watching a nearly fifteen-year-old for almost ten days. "We've got this under complete control."
"See?" Emma said with a wide grin. "Complete control."
"We'll see," Regina muttered under her breath and she reached for the small ceramic creamer and added just a splash to her coffee. "We shall see, indeed."
[X]
It was warm for eight in the morning, possibly the warmest day of the year so far, and Emma was packing up the Bug, loading up the backseat with a cooler filled with food and her duffel bag, making sure to leave plenty of room for Regina's own bag when she made the trip to Mifflin Street to pick her up in less than half an hour.
She shut the driver's door just as her father pulled up behind the Bug in his truck and came to a stop, the brakes squealing a little. With a smile, she walked around to the side of the truck just as David hopped out.
"Hey," Emma greeted. "You're early."
"Your mother wanted me to bring our stuff over now. She's still at home getting Neal ready to go. He's fussy this morning."
"More so than usual?"
"Yes," David said tiredly. "You just about all set to go?"
"Yeah."
"Henry off to school already?"
"He stayed with Regina last night," Emma replied. "He should be on the bus by now."
"All right," David said and he walked around to the bed of the truck and pulled out a rather large brown suitcase. "Where can your mom and I sleep?"
"My room?" Emma shrugged.
"Are you sure?"
"No funny business in my bed, all right?"
"What is this funny business that you speak of?" David said with a playful wink and Emma fake gagged as she led the way up the front walkway to the front door. "You should really look into getting a proper bed for the guest room."
"Yeah, I'll get right on that right after I ask Regina for a raise," Emma replied with a roll of her eyes and she opened the front door. "Just change the sheets before I get back."
"Of course."
"Regina made me print up her itinerary for Henry for the week," she continued as she led the way into the kitchen where her cup of coffee still sat on the kitchen table. "It's uh, quite a lot. We really don't have that many rules and expectations when it comes to Henry, but Regina is—"
"She's nervous about leaving him home," David said with a knowing nod. "It's understandable. Henry is in good hands."
"I know."
"Can I ask you something, Em?"
"Sure."
"Is there something going on between you and Regina?"
Emma sputtered mid-sip of her now cold coffee. "What? Something going on between—like what?"
"I don't know, I was just asking," David replied calmly and he placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "It's just that you two seem a little closer than you've ever been before and you two are going on vacation together for a week. Your mother and I are just curious, that's all."
"What would you even need to be curious about? Regina and I are just friends, Dad."
"I know."
"But?"
"Yesterday," he said. "At the diner."
"What about it?"
David sighed and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Nothing. Just friends, right?"
"Just friends, Dad."
Emma's mind was spinning as she tried to keep a stoic expression on her face while she thought about why her parents would think that she and Regina were more than friends. Sure, they were closer than they'd ever been before and it was a good thing, it was a great thing, but they weren't more than friends and Emma was solely convinced that it would always be that way.
Did her parents confuse their friendly, albeit a little bit too flirty banter, as something else? That was the only logical reason she could think of as to why they would think that she and Regina were more than just friends.
She refused to think of any other signs, choosing to stay oblivious since her feelings for Regina were beginning to surface far more quickly than they ever had before now that Hook was out of the picture completely.
"I should get going," Emma stammered and she moved away from her father to place her mug in the sink. "I—I'll call you guys once we get there, okay?"
"All right," David nodded. "Drive safe, Em."
"Will do."
Emma couldn't get out of the house fast enough and the ride to Regina's house was a quick one as she nearly ran through a few stop signs since she wasn't exactly paying attention. She cursed at how she was reacting several times before she pulled into Regina's driveway and exhaled sharply.
She tried to shake the brief conversation she'd had with David as she got out of the Bug just as Regina came out the side door.
"Hey, ready to go?" Emma asked nervously.
"Yes, I have two more bags inside," Regina said as she lugged out a large suitcase. "Could you grab them for me?"
"Two more? You know we're only going away for a week, right?"
"One can never be too prepared, Emma."
Emma just nodded dumbly and hurried into the side door where she found two smaller suitcases sitting by the door in the mudroom. She also noticed the case of wine and a smaller case of Regina's homemade cider and she shook her head as she carried the two luggage bags out to the car.
"What did you pack anyway?"
"Things I'm sure I won't need, but—"
"One can never be too prepared," Emma repeated her earlier words. "You know they have alcohol there, right?"
"Ah," Regina nodded as Emma struggled to open the passenger door and push the seat forward. "I prefer to drink my own. The wine is vintage. These are bottles I'd forgotten were in the cellar until I checked this morning."
"Sounds good," Emma said and she struggled to get Regina's bags into the backseat and barely managed to push the seat back. "Uh, I'm not sure where we're going to put them."
"What about the trunk?"
"Uh—" Emma coughed as she scratched at the back of her neck. "I have some stuff in there I haven't gotten around to taking out yet."
"Stuff?" Regina didn't look amused. "Like what?"
"Boxes I brought from Boston with me. The first time."
"Emma."
"I know!" Emma groaned. "I just keep forgetting."
"Why don't you store the boxes in my garage?" Regina suggested as she casually pulled her sunglasses that were on top of her head over her eyes. "They'll be safe there until our return, I assure you. I'll even help you carry them in."
"I'm sure I can get those cases to fit," Emma muttered and Regina just shook her head and walked around to the front of the Bug. "Regina—"
"Whatever your reason for forgetting to take those boxes out after years, I'm not going to press you for an answer, but we do need the space, do we not? Your backseat is packed tight and for no good reason with all that space up front."
Emma just shook her head and walked around to the driver's side to pop the trunk. The boxes were mostly books and odds'n'ends she had lugged around for years, but one of those boxes contained personal, adult toys she kept meaning to store away in the attic for months and never had a chance to get them out without anyone seeing the box, the label on the box, or even the contents of said box.
"You have a house now," Regina stated as she waited for Emma to pull the first box out. "Why didn't you put these away somewhere?"
"I kept forgetting."
"So you said. If you kept forgetting, surely whatever is in these boxes make no difference to you."
"Are you going to help me carry these into your garage or what, Gina?"
The box in question was left for last and Emma had hoped to get to it first before Regina pulled it out for herself. It wasn't taped like the others were and she did not, absolutely did not want Regina knowing the extent of her sex toy collection she hadn't used since before Henry had found her.
Emma just wasn't quick enough to get back to the Bug after she had struggled with the box of books without hurting herself trying to put it down on the floor with the others.
"Toys?" Regina asked as Emma exited the side door of the garage and Emma already felt the mortification flooding through her immensely. "Are these Henry's toys?"
"No!" Emma said and she ran over to the Bug, placing both hands down on the flaps of the box before Regina could open it. "They're not Henry's toys, Gina. Let me take this one and you can just wait in the car and—"
"So, you are a child?" Regina teased. "Or are you one of those types who collect toys in original packaging in hopes of selling them for a small fortune in the future?"
"Uh—"
"Well?"
Emma shook her head and grabbed the box, pulling it away from Regina quickly. "They're not those kind of toys."
"Oh?"
Emma wanted to die of embarrassment and she backed away with the box firmly held in her hands. "They're adult toys, Regina."
"What are—oh! I see."
"Yeah."
"Just hurry up and put it with the other boxes. I'd like to get on the road soon."
Emma nodded before nearly tripping over her own two feet as she made a dash for the garage. After a quick scan around the workbench, she found a roll of duct tape and taped up the box before she found an old drop sheet and threw it over her boxes. Satisfied, she walked out of the garage and locked it with the single key Regina had left in there and pocketed it as she headed back to the car.
Emma said nothing as she got into the car and backed out of the driveway a few seconds later. Regina was busy paying attention to her phone, an iPhone 5S that Henry convinced her to get a few weeks ago to "stay with the times" since her Blackberry was, in the eyes on a teenage, ancient technology.
Emma played with the dial on the radio, trying to tune into anything but the one station they had in Storybrooke, but because it was impossible to get anything else, she had to settle on the 80's pop that played on the station or silence.
After ten minutes, they were approaching the fading town line and even though there was no longer a barrier in place, Emma still held her breath and she noticed that Regina did the same. As they passed over, the slight buzz of magic Emma always felt diminished, but it didn't fade completely.
"Did you feel that?"
"Yes," Regina nodded. "I still have my magic."
"Just a little," Emma replied. "It's not as strong."
"No, it wouldn't be, but there is magic in the rest of the world now, more so than there has ever been before. It feels stronger than the last time."
"It does."
"Are we driving straight to the ranch or do you have a stop or two planned along the way?"
"We'll need to stop for gas in Augusta," Emma replied as she checked the gas gauge. "Did you eat?"
"French toast with apples with Henry and a cup of espresso before he left for school."
"So," Emma drawled. "You want to stop for breakfast somewhere?"
"Sure."
"Hardee's again?" Emma asked and Regina rolled her eyes when Emma looked over at her. "No shame in it, Gina. It's good food, for fast food anyway."
"Perhaps we could try something else?"
"Of course, we'll see what's on the way, yeah?"
"Of course."
[X]
After two hours of driving, Regina sighed for the umpteenth time as they passed a sign that advertised a rest stop and numerous restaurants. She was hungry, yet too proud to admit the fact, but she knew Emma well enough to know that it wouldn't be much longer at all until Emma gave into the hunger pangs and pulled off the interstate so they could get some gas and eat.
There was one thing Regina couldn't seem to get off her mind and it was the box that had Emma looking completely and utterly mortified. Adult toys. She wasn't vanilla or naïve, at least she hadn't thought to be until she subtly searched on her phone for said adult toys and it opened her mind up to a whole other world completely.
It also raised a lot of questions that she wanted to ask, but she knew that asking Emma those questions was pushing the boundaries between them just a little too far. They talked openly about a lot of things, but there were just some things that were entirely taboo between them, sex and anything related to it had never been discussed between them unless they'd had a bit too much to drink to loosen their tongues.
"You hungry?" Emma asked as she turned off the radio, silencing an old Tom Petty song that had been playing. "I don't think we're gonna make it to Augusta on what I got left in the tank anyway."
"Next exit?"
"Yeah. Next exit."
Unfortunately for both of them, the next three exits didn't have a rest stop, a gas station, or even a town for the first two. Regina was growing increasingly restless and she ended up back on her phone, browsing through the website that had come up after she had searched for adult toys.
She couldn't help but wonder what kind of toys Emma had. The box was rather large to contain just a few and the more she thought about it, the hotter and more aroused she became. She shifted in her seat and bit her bottom lip when she felt her panties growing damp.
"What are you looking at?" Emma asked as the exit loomed up ahead. "Regina?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you doing on your phone?"
"Nothing, just some research."
"Okay," Emma said skeptically. "What kind of research?"
"I'm bored," Regina stated. "I'm just browsing an online store, all right?"
"That's research?"
"I'm comparing prices," she said with a frown and she quickly hit the lock button. "You're going to miss it."
"Huh?"
"The exit," Regina said as she motioned ahead and Emma nearly swerved off the road to make the exit. "Luckily for us, there aren't any cars on the road with us or else you may have just killed us, dear."
"Nah," Emma laughed. "I had it all under control."
"Of course you did."
"Hey, can you pull up the map on your phone? I don't want to get lost."
"What am I looking for?"
"Restaurants, a gas station, something. Anything."
Regina sighed and pulled up the map and she waited for their current location to show up. After zooming in, she saw nothing and she turned to Emma with a frown.
"What?"
"There is nothing around here but farmland, Emma."
"The sign a few miles back said—"
"I know what the sign said but there is nothing around here, Emma."
Emma pulled over to the side of the road and pulled the emergency brake. She pulled out her own phone and after a moment she groaned in frustration.
"You're right. There is nothing around here. Maybe we took the wrong exit?"
"I don't know, Emma."
"We'll just turn around and get back on the interstate."
Regina shifted in her seat, feeling increasingly antsy and in dire need just to get out of the car even if it was just to stretch her legs. But Emma was quick to turn the car around and was back on the interstate before Regina could suggest they take a little break and get out of the car for a few minutes.
It was almost twenty minutes before Emma pulled off the interstate again and into a rest stop where she stopped to get gas first before parking in front of the small diner that was next to the station. Regina walked into the diner with an irritated grunt and she didn't even bother once to make sure that Emma was right behind her.
After they ordered soup and sandwiches for lunch, and Regina got a half-decent cup of coffee, she sat in the tiny booth and knew she had to shake her bad mood. If she didn't get out of her bad mood, it'd be a long drive the rest of the way and an even longer week.
"Are you okay?" Emma asked. "You've barely said a word since we got back on the road."
"I'm fine, Emma. I'm hungry."
"And bored. Road trips should be fun," Emma said as the waitress with the white curly hair placed their bowls of soup down in front of them. "We spent over eight hours in the car going to New York and another eight coming home. We've barely been on the road for three hours, Gina."
"I know."
"Do you not want to go on this trip?"
"I didn't say that."
"Then what is it?" Emma asked in a hushed whisper. "Are you nervous about spending so much time away from Henry?"
"No."
"Are you afraid we're going to end up killing each other after spending a whole week together?"
"No," Regina said with a light chuckle. "As insane as you drive me at times, Emma, I don't want to kill you. I'm fairly certain I've already made that statement."
"Right."
I'm in love with you, you idiot, Regina thought and she glanced down at her bowl of soup, a simple looking bowl of chicken noodle soup that smelled absolutely delicious. I'm in love with you and I can't tell you how I feel, not when I know that you'll never feel the same way.
Emma was stirring her own soup, tomato, while waiting for it to cool and for her grilled cheese sandwich to be served. Regina had opted for the grilled chicken sandwich and when hers was served first, Emma just muttered grumpily into her bowl of soup and pouted like a child.
It was moments like that when Regina questioned her feelings for the blonde, but it was also moments like that that reminded her of why she fell in love with her in the first place.
Emma Swan was different than anyone Regina had ever known in her lifetime. Emma Swan had many layers to her and Regina loved peeling back each one despite knowing there were so many more layers to unearth and discover. Emma Swan had invaded her dreams for years, her dreams and her fantasies, and in the beginning, her nightmares. Emma Swan was constantly on her mind, day and night.
When she first realized how she felt about Emma, she thought that she was going to go insane with the amount of times she thought of her or thoughts of her just crept into her mind and most times it happened out of nowhere. But now that it had been so long since she'd realized her true feelings for Emma and accepted how she felt without doubting her heart, thinking of Emma constantly was just a part of her daily life, and it was one she had learned to embrace fully.
Regina watched Emma eat with a small yet amused smile on her face. Emma, as always, was completely oblivious to the fact that Regina could not take her eyes off of her. Regina ate what she could and sat back in the booth, full and satisfied as Emma continued to slowly devour her sandwich and soup.
In recent weeks, she'd seen the old Emma come back, and now that she knew why, she didn't ever want Emma to fall back into that deep, dark hole where being in a relationship drained her and turned her into someone she was not.
"I'm just going to head to the washroom before we head out," Regina said. "Do you want me to pay while I'm up?"
"You sure?"
"Yes," she said with a smile and she slipped out of the booth and headed for the washrooms near the back of the small diner.
She was quick as the facilities were not the cleanest she'd ever been in and after she washed up and checked her hair and her makeup, she headed out to the till to pay for their meal. The white-haired waitress rang up their check and Regina pulled out her credit card from her purse.
"Have you and your wife been together long?" The woman asked as she handed Regina her card back.
"My wife?" Regina asked, trying to reign in the shock that someone thought that she and Emma were not only together, but married. "Uh, no, not long at all."
"Well, I wish you two the best."
"Thank you."
Regina folded the receipt the woman handed her and headed back to the booth. Emma stood up immediately just as she took the last bite of her sandwich and wiped her hands on her jean-clad thighs.
"Ready to go, Gina?"
Regina let her lead the way out of the diner and she groaned in frustration. It was going to be an even longer day than she thought it'd be, that was for sure.
