Chapter 3
Regina slowly started to wake when the throbbing in her head and heaviness of her body came to her awareness. Wincing, she started to roll onto her back when she felt herself being stopped by the weight of another body pressed up against hers. Emma. At some point during their slumber, Emma had curled herself around Regina. Fighting the pain in her head, she tried to work through her current predicament. Was Emma intentionally snuggled up against her? If so, why? She was sure friends didn't really snuggle this way. It seemed intimate. That's when memories of the night before flooded her mind. They had shared a somewhat passionate kiss last night. What did that mean? What were they doing? Suddenly a little panicked, Regina struggled out of bed and shut herself in the bathroom. After splashing some cool water over her face, she sat down for a moment to try to collect her thoughts. They were going to have to talk, that much was sure. She knew she wanted to be friends with Emma, but she wasn't sure what all the rest of this meant or how she felt about it other than terrified. Taking a deep breath, she decided a hot shower was in order.
Emma whimpered at the sudden empty space next to her and began to stir. She looked around confused for a moment and then remembered she had slept with Regina that night. Her mind started to race as she tried to remember if all they did was sleep. She recalled a steamy kiss downstairs and a sweeter one in the bathroom, but that had been all. She sighed in relief. Things were getting complicated enough as it is and she wasn't sure how to handle things or approach Regina at the moment. She was grateful to hear Regina in the shower knowing it would give her some time to herself to gather her thoughts. Emma made the bed and went down to the kitchen to start coffee and breakfast.
Regina stepped out of the hot shower into the steamy room with a sigh of relief. That cleansing ritual had definitely brought her to life a bit more. Regina finished her morning rituals and changed into some comfortable clothing before going to find Emma downstairs. When she entered the kitchen, she was greeted by the sizzling sound of bacon and the smell of coffee. She watched Emma for a few moments remembering the childish display the two had put on the night before. She couldn't help but smile. While it had led to some confusing exchanges, it had been fun and made Regina feel more free than ever.
"I thought you'd still be sleeping off the booze."
Emma turned around with a soft smile and offered her a glass of an absurd mixture of things that led Regina to give her a questionable look. "What in the world is this?"
"It's my special hang over remedy," she stated plainly as she continued cooking.
Regina gave the drink a sniff and wrinkled her nose. "What the hell is in this?"
"I can't tell you. Just drink it. I swear it works."
"How do I know you haven't decided to get me back for the apple turnover?"
Emma glanced over her shoulder with a sympathetic look. "I think you've paid enough for that."
Regina looked away sadly remembering the pain, fear, and regret she still carried for inadvertently harming her son. Without another thought, she drained the contents of the glass swiftly as if it were penance. Emma slid her a cup of coffee and put a plate in front of her on the island. Regina settled onto one of the bar stools at the island and gratefully accepted the chaser offered to her.
"Do you need any help?"
"Nope! I've got it all under control," she said as she spooned out some scrambled eggs and bacon onto Regina's plate. Soon enough, Emma sat across from her and began to eat.
"Thank you for making breakfast and for making the bed."
Emma shrugged. "Just being a good house guest."
They ate in awkward silence for a few minutes before Regina decided to confront the elephant in the room. "We kissed last night."
Emma froze for a minute before she continued chewing the bite in her mouth and gave a slow nod. Regina remained focused on her. "What does that mean?"
Emma refused to look up from her plate to meet her gaze. She continued to stab at the food on her plate. "I dunno. What do you think it means?"
Regina gave her an exasperated sigh. "I don't know, Emma, that's why I'm asking you."
Emma dropped her fork to her plate and sat back on her stool with a sigh. "Well I don't know what to tell you."
"Is this just something that friends do or did you want to kiss me for…other reasons?"
"If I remember correctly, you kissed me."
Regina blushed and looked away. "You did kiss me back….and you slept with your arms around me."
It was Emma's turn to blush now. "I'm sorry. I'm just used to sleeping cuddled up like that to a body pillow. It's habit."
Regina couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Emma's snuggling last night was nothing more than mere habit. Had Regina fully realized she was actually disappointed by that fact, she would have been seriously disturbed. "And the kiss? The flirting?"
"What do you want it mean, Regina?"
"Why are you turning this on me? I'm just trying to understand what's going on."
"Because you're the one asking all the questions!"
"So it's nothing then? You had no trace of confusion or question about anything?"
Emma sighed heavily. "Of course I did. I just…don't know. I don't want to say one thing and then find out you meant another and make a mess."
Regina sat back surprised and watched Emma carefully. "Emma, if we're going to be friends, we have to be honest with each other about everything. I know that's not easy for either of us, but…that is what we said we'd do. I need you to tell me exactly how you feel about it, not just what you might think I want to hear. If you're honest with me, I promise I'll be honest with you."
"I think…" she sighed, " I think we were both drunk, we both got caught up in everything that happened last night, and we both got confused about how to act with one another because we've never had real friends before. We've both learned how to use people for our own needs and keep things casual. I'm not saying we were using each other. I think we just aren't used to having someone genuinely care for us and it's easy to want to make that mean everything."
Regina considered what she had to say and nodded. "I think you're right. I do care about you, Emma, but I wasn't expecting anything like that. I don't want to ruin what we have, and we have Henry to consider. We're finally doing well taking care of him together. If we had been romantically involved and it didn't end well, he would be the one to suffer the most. I won't hurt him again."
Emma nodded. "We'll just leave at a drunken mishap. It's not like things like that don't happen between friends."
With a nod, Regina moved from her seat to start cleaning up the kitchen. Emma joined her and they moved together in companionable silence, letting their previous conversation sink in. As they came close to finishing their clean up, both women were a little anxious that their time together was coming to a close. Neither one of them were ready to admit that they weren't ready to say goodbye. Quickly, Emma turned to Regina with an idea.
"Why don't you come with me to pick up Henry and we all go out? I don't have my car right now anyway. We can pick it up later."
Regina immediately brightened. "I would love that! Where should we go?"
"I'm not sure. Let's leave it up to Henry." Regina smiled and nodded in agreement. "Awesome. Let's go change and get our kid."
"Sounds perfect."
The two women ran excitedly up the stairs together and were soon ready to head out for a day of family fun. Emma lead Regina into the apartment she shared with her parents. David and Henry were discussing Henry's comic books while Mary Margaret cleaned up the kitchen. Henry jumped up as he saw them walk through the door.
"Mom! Mom! You're both here!"
Running to them, he threw his arms around both of them in a warm embrace making the two women laugh with joy. Emma ruffled his hair. "We thought we would take you out today and have some family time. What do you say?"
Henry jumped up throwing his fist in the air. "Yes! Where are we going!?"
"That's up to you, Kiddo! Why don't you talk that over with your mom while I get change out of these clothes?"
"Awesome! What can we do?"
"Whatever you'd like, sweetheart," Regina said as she kissed his forehead and held him tight.
Snow smiled brightly at the display before her. This was the woman she had missed so much and always wanted to remember. Her eyes couldn't help but follow her daughter as she headed for the stairs and wondered what was happening between the two of them. Snow's gaze then drifted to meet David's who was obviously wondering the same thing. With a silent nod, she excused herself from the room and went to check on Emma. Knocking on the door as she leaned against the door frame, Snow watched Emma fumble through her closet for a new outfit.
"I suppose you two had fun last night?"
Emma glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah. It was good."
Shaking her head, she recognized all too easily her daughter's walls and knew there was more to this story. "Did you stay with Regina last night?"
Emma looked at her for a moment trying to figure out exactly what she was trying to get out of her. "I did. We both drank quite a bit and Regina didn't think either of us should drive, so she poofed us back to her house. We're going to pick up my car later."
Snow smiled. "That was very considerate of her. I'm glad to see the two of you getting along so well. I know it makes Henry happy."
Emma just nodded and continued getting dressed. "Yeah, it is a lot nicer being her friend than it is fighting with her."
"I'm glad the two of you are spending time together. You know you have us and so many others here who love and care for you, but I think you could both use a friend like this."
Emma looked at her mother and smiled at her genuine understanding. "It is nice. I mean, you're right, I know I have all of you. But Regina and I are…different I guess. I mean we have a kid together and neither of us really had friends before. We're figuring it out."
The look of sadness for the lonely childhood her daughter was cursed to washed over her as she moved to hold Emma close. In her embrace, Emma knew her mother wished she could hug away all the pain she'd been through. Closing her eyes, she willed all that love back to Snow knowing they'd both missed out on so much by being apart all those years. After a moment, Snow let her go with a sigh.
"I'll let you finish getting ready."
Descending the stairs, Snow smiled as she listened to Henry recount the evening he had spent with them for Regina. She was intrigued when she heard Henry ask her how her night out with Emma was and what they got into. Regina shifted a little in her chair as she looked away for a moment, carefully considering what she might say to him.
"It was a good night. Emma and I went out for drinks and socialized a bit."
Henry smiled. "Where did you go?"
Regina sighed not wanting to lie to Henry, though not wanting to confess where she'd been either. "The Rabbit Hole."
"Cool! I hear a lot of people have fun there."
Regina raised her brow. "Just what do you hear?"
He laughed and shook his head. "Mom, I watch movies. I know what happens in bars."
She gave him a frown. "Well there are ways to be responsible and have a good time as well. Not everyone has to be as ridiculous as some people in the movies. For example, Emma and I were both drinking last night, so we didn't drive. I used magic to transport us back to the house so no one would get hurt. Obviously, magic isn't always a feasible option, but if you ever go somewhere…when you are much older…and you aren't in any shape to get yourself home, I want you to call one of us to come and get you. Understood?"
Henry shot one of Regina's own classic eye rolls at her and nodded. "Yes, Mom."
"Good boy."
"Thank you for letting Emma stay with you last night, Regina. I appreciate you looking out for her."
Regina looked up at Snow in surprise and nodded. "Of course."
"I'm glad the two of you were safe and had a good time," she offered with a smile.
Regina shifted once again a little uncomfortably at the way Snow was looking at her. "Thank you."
Snow joined the two at the table. "How have you been?"
With her usually dismissive tone Regina scoffed a little at her overly friendly demeanor. "I'm fine."
Snow couldn't help the smirk that came over her face. "Well that's good to hear."
Regina visibly brightened and felt relieved to see Emma running down the stairs ready to go. "Are you ready?"
Emma smiled back at her. "Ready! You know where we're going, Kid?"
Henry perked up. "Yeah! I know the perfect spot!"
"Well all right then, let's go!"
The three said their goodbyes in a whirlwind as they anxiously hurried out the door, leaving David and Snow a bit bewildered.
"Are they ok," David asked.
"I think they're better than they've ever been," she said to him with a satisfied smile.
….
Emma, Regina, and Henry had spent a great afternoon at the stables riding horses. Regina found herself having to devote a lot of special attention to Emma who had more than a little trouble getting accustomed to being on a horse. It was all she could do not to laugh at Emma's comical expressions of discomfort. The caretaker offered to lead Emma's horse for her, but after a few moments of humiliation from being treated like a child, she'd had enough. Shaking her head with a laugh, Regina dismounted her horse and went to her side.
"Emma, come here."
She shook her head in frustration. "No. I'm done being humiliated. It looks like fun but those things are huge and terrifying! This might be your thing, Regina, but it's not mine. I didn't grow up in that world."
"Emma, it doesn't matter if you grew up in that world or not." Regina lovingly stroked her horse's head, demonstrating all the love and respect in the world. Emma was fascinated seeing her this way.
"Look at him. Look how beautiful he is. Yes, he's very powerful and you have to respect that. But he's also gentle. These creatures are loyal and loving. They're free spirits. They run with the wind and they'll carry you with them if you let them. You just have to trust and respect them."
Emma considered her words carefully and realized how much it sounded like she was describing herself. That was how Emma often thought of Regina. "I don't know how."
Regina smiled and reached for her hand. Emma hesitantly let Regina guide it up to the horse. She gazed into it's eyes and spoke nervously as she brushed her fingers through its mane. "Hey. It's ok. I'm not gonna hurt you. You're uh…you're a pretty handsome guy."
Regina chuckled a little and smiled back at the horse. "Are you ready to get back up there?"
"Can't we just do this? Isn't this enough for one day?"
"Emma Swan, I am not about to watch the Savior chicken out of something like this. You have to get back on that horse. You can't just let a little fear stop you from doing things or make you run away."
Emma sighed heavily and let out a whine. "But what if I fall off or something?"
"Then you get back on and try again."
"But what if he tramples me!?"
"Emma! Get on the horse."
Regina's uncompromising tone was more intimidating than the horse. Reluctantly, she obeyed and was more than a little relieved when Regina mounted the horse behind her. She tried to ignore the feeling of Regina pressed so close against her back and her arms coming around her to grab the reigns.
"Aren't we too heavy?"
Regina smiled and shook her head. "He's a sturdy guy. He can handle us. Just trust him. Trust me."
Emma gasped a little at her last comment and swallowed the lump in her throat. All she could do was nod her head. Regina made a soft clicking noise and suddenly the horse began to walk. Emma jumped at the movement and clutched the saddle desperately. Regina's chin hovered over her shoulder, her face next to Emma's.
"It's ok. We're just going for a walk right now."
Emma gulped and nodded again nervously. Once Regina felt her begin to relax, she signaled for the horse to pick up the pace a little.
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah," was all she could say, but at least she was able to speak. Regina took it as a good sign. Emma distracted herself watching Henry and his horse trot around the course. He looked just as happy and comfortable as Regina did. Once Emma had relaxed enough to lean back into Regina, her low velvety voice sounded in her ear.
"Are you ready to fly, Swan?"
Emma's stomach clenched both out of nervousness and from the way Regina's voice affected her. "Um….I…"
Without giving her a chance to argue, Regina told her to hold on tight and urged the horse into a full gallop. The wind blew through their hair as they raced across the hillside. Suddenly, Emma heard a sound come from Regina she'd never expected or heard before. It was the lightest, sweetest, most joyful giggle she'd ever heard. She wished so desperately she could see the smile on Regina's face in that very moment. Instead, Emma closed her eyes and allowed herself to envision that smile as she let herself feel what it felt like to fly with this amazing woman. All at once, she understood why Regina loved horses so much. At Granny's that evening, Henry has asked Emma if she would ever go riding again. She had told him she would love to if Regina didn't mind teaching her some more. Regina instantly made it known she'd be more than happy to help.
…..
It had been a few days since then. Emma and Regina hadn't seen much of each other, but they did check in. They both found joy in receiving each other's text messages throughout the day. Regina had just finished a less than pleasant meeting when her phone buzzed. Rubbing her temples with a sigh, she hesitantly grasped it to see who it was. '
Hey! How's your day going?
It was Emma. A soft smile came to her lips as she tapped out a response. It could be better and it could be worse. I trust the town is peaceful?
Not a creature is stirring. Not even a mouse.
In the mood for Christmas already? We're only just about to see Fall.
Santa's always watching, Regina.
Oh, I see. Trying to get on his good side?
I'm already on the Nice list.
What makes you so sure of that?
Cuz I'm the Sheriff. I protect people. I'm a peace keeper. It's just a given.
Do you suppose I'll make the cut this year?
Most definitely.
That's a relief. I have enough coal to host a BBQ to feed all of Storybrooke.
I'll bring the beer!
Thank you for your contribution to help end hunger in our town, Sheriff. You are indeed on the Nice list.
Just doing my job, ma'am. Since you've been a good girl, what do you want for Christmas?
Regina gave her question some thought. She'd never really thought of what she might ask for as a Christmas wish. What would she want? In that moment, her assistant had buzzed to inform her she had a visitor. With a sigh she replied to Emma.
A vacation. Perhaps to the beach? One of the townspeople has requested an audience with the queen.
I'll put in a good word with the big guy….and good luck with that.
Thanks. Hug Henry for me when you pick him up.
Will do. Talk to you later!
Regina pushed her phone to the side as the door opened. When she looked up, she was a little surprised to see Robin standing before her. She hadn't seen him since the night at the bar, and suddenly her cheeks flushed remembering their dance together.
"Mr. Locksley. What can I do for you?"
He smiled. "It's Robin. I wanted to speak to you about perhaps putting up some signs or having a town meeting perhaps to help warn some of the young ones from playing on the dam. I know many people like to go fishing there. It's also a wonderful picnic place, but one of my men found two young boys unsupervised there roughing around and stopped one of them from falling. He could have been seriously injured."
Regina sighed, her brow furrowing. "Of course. Thank you for calling it to my attention and give thanks to your friend on my behalf as well. This could have been a real disaster."
"Of course. You're very welcome, Ms. Mills."
She smiled. "You can call me Regina."
"Regina," he repeated with a smile. "There is one other thing I was hoping to speak with you about if you don't mind."
"Of course. What's on your mind?"
"The other night at the bar…that brainless moron who said all of those horrible things about you…"
Regina looked away and frowned. She was sure he would want to know how much was true and why he'd said what he did. She would never escape her past no matter how hard she tried to change. Yet, the question he asked was not the one she'd expected.
"Are you all right?"
She looked up at him completely confused, even more so when she saw the genuine concern in his face. She'd only seen that look from Emma and Henry. "I…yes, I'm fine. Hook and I have a long history."
Robin nodded, not wanting to pry. "For what it's worth, the Sheriff isn't the only one who knows he was wrong about you."
Regina wasn't sure how to respond. She wanted to cry, blush, laugh, argue…she suddenly couldn't breathe. "How do you know? You don't know me."
"Perhaps not as well as I'd like to, but I've seen you, Regina. I've seen you run this town. I've seen you care for your son. I've seen you aid in many threats to this town. I saw you that night with your friends. I know you have a very complex past, Regina, but I can also see that it's made you so much stronger than you realize. What I see is a woman who fights everyday, who loves her son with all her heart, who tries to do what's right. I see a woman who has hurt before and doesn't know how to let people in. But I also know, that you want to."
Regina shook her head breathlessly. "How could you possibly know all of this?"
"Because I see you, Regina. You captured my attention and whenever you're around, I can't help but watch you."
She looked away, unable to meet his gaze. Her heart was racing and her stomach was in knots. Where had this come from? Too much was happening all at once and she wanted to run and hide. No man had spoken to her this way since Daniel. The only person since Daniel that she'd heard these things from was Emma. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming need for Emma, for her friend.
"I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything," he said as he stepped in close to her.
She gasped a little and took a small step back. "I appreciate what you said. I do. Not many people see me that way. Most people only see the Evil Queen. I can't deny that it's wonderful to not have that be someone's first impression of me. I'm just not sure what to do with that. But…thank you…for seeing me."
He nodded with a smile. "You're welcome. And you don't have to do anything with it…unless you want to."
Immediately, she dropped her gaze and cleared her throat. "I'll let you and your men know about the signs and the meeting about the damn. Thank you for your help. I'm certain the citizens of Storybrooke will be just as appreciative."
Knowing she was ready for their exchanged to end, he bowed out gracefully. Once he was gone, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her stomach was still turning, so she rushed over to her phone and quickly sent a message to Emma.
Are you busy?
Nervously, her knee bounced on the floor as she desperately waited for Emma to respond. She jumped a little at the sound of her phone's notification.
Just working on some paperwork. Why? What do you need?
I need you to meet me at Granny's.
Sure! When?
Now.
Are you ok? What's wrong?
Everything is fine. I'll explain later.
Ok. I'll see you soon.
Thanks, Emma.
Anytime.
Emma jumped up from her desk, grabbing her keys and her jacket. She knew something was wrong. She could sense it. If she wasn't convinced of it before, she was when Regina sent her the "thank you" text. Not that it was out of the ordinary for Regina to say "thank you" for anything. This thank you felt more personal. When she arrived at the diner, she rushed through the door and found Regina sitting anxiously at a corner booth waiting for her. When their eyes met, Emma's heart raced a little when she saw the instant relief in Regina's eye when she walked towards her. Emma quickly slid into the seat opposite Regina.
"Hey! What's going on?"
"Emma, thank you so much for meeting me."
"Of course! You know I'm here. What can I do?"
Regina never stopped fidgeting. The look of anxious worry remained etched on her face as she struggled for words. "I don't know."
"Well what's going on? What happened?"
"I don't know," she said desperately.
Emma held both of Regina's hands in hers across the table and looked into her eyes to help calm and focus her. "Regina, look at me."
As she met Emma's gaze and felt the warmth of her hands, her heart calmed and she took a deep breath. "Robin Hood came to see me."
"Okay…"
"We…he said some things…"
Emma suddenly felt a fire growing inside of her ready to attack in case he'd uttered one harsh word to her. "What the hell did he say!?"
"Emma calm down. It's not like that." Her heart smiled seeing how fiercely protective Emma was of her. "He was there at the bar that night."
"Yeah, I remember. You guys were dancing weren't you?"
Regina nodded. "We were. He heard what Hook said before you hit him." Her voice adopted a tone of amusement for a moment at the recollection of how Emma had literally fought for her honor. "He was apparently upset by it the same way you were. He was saying all these things about how he knew that wasn't me, how he…knew me, he saw me…"
Emma started to understand what was happening and a part of her she couldn't understand was suddenly afraid. "He has feelings for you…"
"I…I don't know. No man has ever spoken to me or looked at me that way since Daniel."
"And what Tinker Bell said…"
"I don't know what to make of it. I just…suddenly, I felt the same way I felt the night I went to find him at the bar. I just wanted to run."
Emma looked at her for a moment. "Why, Regina? Is it because you're afraid you might have feelings for him too?"
Regina shook her head helplessly. "I don't know! I don't know what to think or feel. I didn't see this coming."
"You didn't see fate catching up with you," she asked skeptically.
"It's not fate! I don't know what's happening. I don't know what to do."
Emma sighed. "Do you like him?"
Regina shot her a look. "I don't even know him!"
"Do you want to know him?"
"I don't know!"
"Regina, it's not that complicated. You're either interested or you're not. If you'd like to get to know him, then get to know him. You can make a new friend. You don't have to marry him. If you don't want to, then don't. It's that simple."
Regina sighed and ran her hand through her hair as her thoughts raced. Emma watched her carefully for a moment. "I think you want to get to know him and you know it. It just scares the shit out of you."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because, Regina, the last time you opened yourself up to that kind of attention or potential, it was taken away from you. You were traumatized. This kind of stuff isn't easy to get over. It makes sense that you're scared. Just don't let it stop you from living your life. Remember what you told me the other day at the stables? You have to get back on the horse if you want to fly."
A soft smile graced her features as she remembered their day riding horses. She squeezed Emma's hands gratefully. "Thank you, Emma. The last thing I ever thought I'd be doing is sit at this diner talking about boys."
Emma laughed. "Hey, we gotta catch up some time, right?"
Regina smiled. "I guess so. Speaking of which, have you heard any more from Captain Guyliner?"
Emma rolled her eyes and sank back into her seat with a groan. "He tried to apologize to me, but I told him to save it because I wasn't interested in anything he had to say."
"Hmm…"
"What?"
"You know you don't have to dislike him just because I think he's an idiot, Emma. If you want to dislike him out of your own good judgement, be my guest, but don't do it just for me," she said with a wink.
"Regina, you're being ridiculous. He's a scum bag. You've been saying it yourself."
"I know. I just would rather you come to that conclusion on your own. I don't want to hold you back from anything."
"There's nothing to hold me back from."
"Okay. I'd better get back to the office and finish up things there if I plan on having dinner ready on time tonight."
"Yeah, I better get back to the station before my boss realizes I skipped out to meet up with my friend to gossip about boys. She's kind of a tight ass."
"I think you meant to say she has one, not is one," Regina quipped.
"Can't it be both," Emma asked with a wink.
Regina let out a little flustered giggle. "Get back to work, Sheriff."
"Right away, Your Majesty. See you at dinner."
….
At the town meeting, Regina had discussed the hazards of the dam and commended Robin and the Merry Men for their efforts in the forest.
"On behalf of the town of Storybrooke, I would like to also offer an official position to Robin and his men. Robin of Locksley, if it pleases you, I would like to offer you the position as game warden of Storybrooke with the assistance of your men, patrolling our forests and keeping them safe. This position would make you an extension to the valiant efforts of Sheriff Swan and her office. You are more than welcome to take time to discuss this opportunity amongst yourselves and consider this offer."
Robin stood completely astounded. With one look to Little John and his men, they all nodded in agreement together. "Madame Mayor, it is with great pleasure that I and the Merry Men humbly accept the responsibility you have bestowed upon us with much gratitude. Thank you."
Regina smiled at him. "Citizens of Storybrooke, please welcome your new game warden."
The town hall erupted in applause. As the people began to mill about, buzzing with conversation and excitement, Robin found Regina.
"Regina, I can't thank you enough for this opportunity. You didn't have to do this."
"Robin, I didn't do anything but make official what you and your men already do on your own. I merely thought it was high time you received some compensation for your efforts. It's a modest offering, but I can make sure that you and your men are well supplied at your camp. Whatever you need, just report to Sheriff Swan."
"I appreciate that. We all do. You've given us purpose here, Regina. I would love to take you out as a proper thank you."
Regina blushed and hesitated for a moment. "You don't have to do that."
"But I want to."
"All right."
The excitement at her acceptance overflowed from within his heart. "Wonderful! How about tomorrow night?"
She nodded. "Okay."
"Great. I'll pick you up at seven."
"I'll see you then."
Regina watched him as he walked away, not noticing when Emma came to stand beside her.
"What was that about?"
Regina jumped a little. "He was just saying thank you."
"That looked like a little more than a thank you."
She sighed. "He's taking me out tomorrow night."
Emma clamped down hard at the feelings that began to stir deep within her. Dammit, Swan. What's wrong with you? Get a grip! "Well that sounds nice. Henry can stay the night with me if you want so you can enjoy your evening without having to worry about when you get home."
Regina thought about it for a moment. "I appreciate the thought. Thank you, Emma."
"Sure, no problem."
Without another word, Emma walked away rather cooly and it left Regina uneasy. The next afternoon, Regina asked Henry to pack an overnight bag and be ready for Emma to pick him up.
"Why am I staying the night with Emma? I thought it was your night?"
"It is. We switched nights because I'm going out tonight."
"Where are you going?"
Regina sighed at her son's interrogation. "Robin asked to take me to dinner to say thank you for the position."
"Is it like a date?"
Regina didn't miss the uneasy tone in her son's voice and was quick to reassure him. "No, honey. It's nothing like that."
Henry was instantly relieved. "Ok…but why am I spending the night?"
"Because I don't know how late I'll be and I don't want to move you around at all hours on a school night."
"But-"
"Henry Daniel Mills! You're going to spend the night with Emma because I'm your mother and I said so! Now stop questioning me and do as I say."
Henry swallowed knowing he'd pushed her too far. "Yes, Mom."
Regina sighed as she watched him make his way up the stairs. She poured herself a drink to calm her nerves before she headed upstairs to finish getting ready herself. Soon, the doorbell rang and Regina went back down to let Emma in.
"Hey…" Emma was immediately taken back by the way Regina looked. Suddenly, she was a little jealous that this was what Robin was getting. "You look nice."
"You think so?"
Emma wasn't used to seeing Regina so insecure and she didn't like it at all. It just confirmed that she had butterflies, which could mean she had actual feelings for him. Emma couldn't explain why that possibility made her unhappy. The fact that it did and she didn't know why made her even more upset.
"Yes, you do. You always do."
Regina flushed a little and smiled. Seeing that smile on her face warmed Emma's heart and calmed her a bit.
"Come on in. Henry was just upstairs getting ready."
"Are you ready? Ready for your big date?"
"I-"
Suddenly, Henry's voice erupted from the top of the stairs. "You lied to me! You told me it wasn't a date!"
"Henry!"
"No! I'm sick of your lies! You always do this! You always mess up everything!"
Emma wasn't sure what was going on, but she didn't like it one bit. "Henry! Don't talk to your mother that way!"
"Why are you defending her? You should be more upset than anybody!"
Regina stepped forward. "Henry what are you talking about?"
"You can't go out with him! You can't go on this date!"
The two women made their way up the stairs to him and Regina placed a hand on his shoulder. "Honey, it's not as serious as you think. At least I don't think it is. I'm just going to dinner, that's all. Nothing is going to take me away from you, no matter who I go out with. I promise you that. You always come first in my life, Henry, and you always will. Nothing will ever change that."
"He's not taking you away from me. He's taking you away from Emma!"
The two of them exchanged a confused and worried look. "Henry, what are you talking about?"
"You two were doing fine. I thought everything was ok. Things were good now!"
Emma kneeled down beside him. "Henry, things are good. This doesn't change anything. Your mom and I are still friends. Just because she's going out with Robin doesn't mean we can't be friends anymore."
"But it means you can't be more than friends. It means you can't be together. Tinker Bell was wrong, Mom. You don't belong with Robin! You belong with Emma!"
Both women were completely shocked. Regina moved to kneel down with him next to Emma. "Henry, Emma and I…we…we're just friends."
Emma suddenly found a war of emotions going on inside of her. She fought hard to stay quiet and see what Regina had to say for them.
"You're just friends now but that doesn't mean you won't be together in the future."
"Henry, sweetheart, listen to me. Your mom and I will always be family because we share you and because we're friends. If I decided to date someone, it doesn't mean we couldn't still have family meals or family outings together."
Henry growled in frustration, "That's not the point! You're going to take away Emma's happy ending…and yours!"
"Henry, I'm not her happy ending! If Emma and I were together, it may not end well and not only would she get hurt, but so would you…more than you're hurting now. I won't risk that."
Emma looked at her confused. Before she could ask for any kind of clarification, Henry had another outburst.
"I won't let you ruin this family!" Storming of towards his room, he slammed the door shut and locked it behind him.
"Henry!" Regina ran after him and knocked on his door. She called out to him several times before giving up. She was more than distraught. Henry hadn't spoken to her this way since he first found the book and attempted the break the curse. Had he lost faith in her again? She couldn't bear that thought. Running a hand through her hair, she walked toward a silent Emma. Emma was completely lost in thought and didn't look pleased herself. Before Regina could ask her what she was thinking, the bell rang again.
"Dammit!" She ran down the stairs and opened the door to a smiling Robin.
"Regina! You look lovely."
"Robin, I'm sorry. I have to cancel our plans for this evening."
His look was that of concern and disappointment. "Is everything all right?"
She sighed heavily. "It's Henry. He's very upset and I need to stay with him to sort it out."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, thank you. I'll see you my office on Monday."
Robin nodded understanding that children came first. He was still a bit disappointed that there was no offer for a raincheck. Instead, he accepted the situation and again bowed out gracefully. "I'll see you then. I hope your boy feels better soon."
"Thank you. Goodnight."
Closing the door, Regina sighed in relief that she didn't have to face the night out alone with him. She hadn't realized until that moment how uneasy she really was about it all. In the next second, her eyes searched for Emma at the top of the staircase.
"Emma?"
She looked down at Regina but remained silent.
"Do you want to have a drink in my study while we figure this out?"
Emma considered her offer for a moment and only responded by descending the stairs, following Regina to the study. Emma's silence made Regina more uneasy than anything else had that entire day. Regina moved straight toward the decanter of whiskey, pouring them each a glass. As the door closed behind them, Emma spoke up.
"What was that about?"
"I have no idea."
"Not Henry…"
Regina turned to her, handing her the drink with a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"That excuse you gave Henry for why we can't be together."
Taken back by her words, Regina's mind began to race. "Emma, is that not the same conclusion we came to the other day when we discussed this?"
"Are you saying that the only reason we aren't together is because you're afraid we'll get hurt?"
Regina let out a desperate whimper as she searched for words. "Emma, I really didn't consider this an option. I thought we made that clear."
"Did we? Because I'm not so sure anymore."
Regina sat down abruptly on the couch as she mumbled to herself in frustration, running her hand through her hair, "Jesus Christ…"
"Picking up the colloquial phrases of the new world I see. I don't know that he's gonna help us right now."
"Emma what do you want me to say?"
"I want you to say the fucking truth, Regina! All of it!"
"I thought I did! Why the hell is everyone angry with me all of a sudden!?" She was in tears now. "No matter what I do, no matter how fucking hard I try, I always seem to 'ruin everyone's happiness.' I don't know what you people want from me anymore! I don't know what to do!"
"Just follow your heart and be honest, Regina! What do you want!?"
"You said it was a drunken mishap, Emma! Remember? You're the one who qualified what this is, so you don't get to stand here and act like I broke your heart!"
"Maybe we're both guilty then. What difference does it make if I own up to anything if you won't do the same?"
"You tell me, Emma. You want to act so high and mighty, you want to be Princess Charming, then go ahead! You start spitting out some honesty!"
"Fine! It wasn't some drunken mishap. I think I want you and it scares the hell out of me. Thinking about you and Robin for the past week has driven me crazy inside and I didn't know why at first. I just know that I can't stand the thought of you with anyone else, sharing what we share. I hate the thought of anyone being closer to you than I am. I want to be the one who puts those smiles on your face, who comes home to our family. I see you too, Regina! I saw you first! And no matter what you say, Henry is right about one thing. We do belong together."
Regina stood trembling before her, tears running down her face. Everything she longed to hear and everything she was afraid of was right in front of her. "I can't do this, Emma."
It was Emma's turn to let the tears flow freely now. "No. You don't get to run away from this now. You don't get to run away from me. It's your turn, Regina, so stand here and face this. Tell me how you really feel."
With her arms wrapped tight around her, she tried desperately to hold herself together as her voice wavered. "I think this is a mistake."
Emma shook her head and took a step back from her her tears increased. "You're going to wake up one day scared and alone, Regina. You are such a hypocrite! You sit there and lecture me about not letting fear make you run from something or miss out on something and yet you do just that! You're sad, Regina. No matter what you've gone through or how far you've come, you just keep making the same stupid mistakes and ripping people's hearts out! And it's not out of power, revenge, or evil. It's out of pure fucking misery and fear. You wallow in it and if you don't stop at some point, you'll continue to lose everything that means anything to you until you are nothing."
Regina couldn't move. She could hardly breathe. Emma's words stung her in a way she'd never felt before. In one night, the two people she cherished most in the world, the only two who believed in her and loved her had looked at her as if she were the Evil Queen once again. She was losing it all over again. This is what happens when you love…when you try to be happy…it never lasts.
"Fine. Then take Henry and go. You won't have to worry about me destroying anything ever again."
Emma grabbed her arm forcefully as she turned away from her. "No. You don't get to run away from this. If you leave right now and you turn your back on him…if you turn your back on me…we may not be able to go back."
Regina swallowed the sob that rose up in her throat and pulled her arm away from Emma before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.
"REGINA!"
Emma threw her glass across the room, shattering it against the wall. She fell to her knees and sobbed angrily hugging onto a couch pillow before exhaustion overtook her. In the vault, Regina stood crying in front of her mirror watching Emma and her son. What had she done? What could she do? Had she truly lost everything? Was she truly destined to always be this cursed, destructive woman? She sank into the floor, leaning back against the wall as she lost herself in thought. In that moment, Regina felt numb, empty, and raw. The only thing she had left in her was the whisper of a name on her lips.
Emma.
