Chapter 4
Friday 1st December, 2017
The buzzing of Emma's alarm sounded throughout the room. Emma opened her eyes and smiled as she turned off her alarm. I have a date tonight. Today was going to be great. December is usually a stressful time of year for Emma. But now that she was out of the big city, her work life was a breeze. She need not worry about doing over time to help catch robbers breaking in people's homes. She didn't need to worry about drunken idiots killing people while they attempted to drive themselves home either. This year is going to be different and she couldn't be more thrilled.
Emma rolled herself out of bed, stretched and then made her way to the bathroom. Next was coffee machine, Bonnie and then the liquid gold. Breakfast was eggs on toast again, much to both her and the dogs pleasure. They made their way into town, listening to the local radio show on their way to the station.
"good morning Mulan" Emma said with a little extra skip in her step.
"coffee must be good this morning" she quipped back.
"something like that" she smiled. She made her way into her office and booted up the computer. She took her phone out of her pocket and decided to text Regina.
Good morning. Looking forward to tonight. I hope you have a good day. Say hi to Henry for me. X
After sending it, she thought maybe the 'x' was a little too much, but there is no point in stressing over it, it's too late now.
Graham made his way in shortly after and sat down in front of Emma. They spoke about the plans for this month and how they planned on tackling any unruly youth when the school break begins. Graham was second in-charge, he was acting Sheriff until Emma had came along. The young man was an excellent deputy and rather spend his time out on the field instead of in the office. Emma didn't mind both. The fact that she was on top of her paperwork so far helped and allowed her to patrol the streets with her deputies. It was also a great way to get to know the locals. She'd only been in Storybrooke for a month now and she already knew majority of the town.
Emma's phone buzzed as Graham left the office to go for the first patrol. It was a message from Regina and Emma couldn't hide the smile from her face, even if she tried.
hi Sherrifff. Henry x
a second message soon followed.
Good morning Emma. He demanded the phone as proof and ran off with it to message back. I hope you have a great day too and I'll see you tonight. Xx
Emma's face hurt from how big she was smiling. The 'x' clearly wasn't too much after all. Emma felt like one of those dorky teenage kids that she makes fun of in movies, but she didn't care. Regina is beautiful and makes her feel all giddy inside and Emma was all to happy to see where these feelings would lead. She had not felt this way since she was a teenager herself when she had met Elsa. It was refreshing to her to know that she wasn't as emotionally crippled as she'd thought, and she was excited to explore it all over again with someone new.
Emma spent the rest of her day in the office finishing up all the reports from the week. Everything was set for the weekend and she wouldn't be needed. She loved the Monday – Friday lifestyle, 6am – 4pm. In Boston, she was on a rotating 4/4 roster on 12 hour shifts. Most of those shifts easily turned to 16 hours when an incident occurred. This job was like a gift from the gods for her. It was easier on Bonnie too. The dog was closing up on her 8th Birthday and isn't quite up for those kinds of hours now. Here in Storybrooke was perfect for her. Her main job was to help find any other dog that had ran off from their owners or escaped their yards. They both were quite content with their lives here.
Once Emma said her goodbyes and heading on home after her shift finished, she decided it'd be wise to text Regina to see what the plan for the night was.
Hey Regina. Just checking we're still on for tonight?
Regina texted back 15 minutes later.
I sure hope so. Z just came and picked up Henry. He is sad that he wasn't joining us tonight.
Emma smiled at the reply, she already had a soft spot in her heart for that little boy.
That's cute. So what's the plans for tonight? Anything in particular I should be wearing?
I would suggest warmer clothes, I'm not certain on the heating in this joint.
Where are we going?
You'll just have to wait and see ;-)
Emma laughed at the winking face. She loved that the woman loved to tease her.
I'll see you in an hour? I'm still picking you up yeah?
Regina's reply was almost instant
Yes please, dear. I'll see you in an hour.
Emma fist pumped in the air and bit her lip. She hadn't been this excited for a date in quite some time. She had dated a few women in the time since splitting with her ex, but nothing ever sparked out of it. This was different with Regina though, the sparks were already there. All she had to do was show and enjoy her time with the woman. No pressure. No pressure at all. But that still didn't stop the butterflies from fluttering in her tummy.
Emma got herself ready and settled her dog in for the night. She dressed in her dark blue denim jeans, green button up shirt and decided on a black coat instead of her leather jacket tonight. she checked her hair was fine one last time before making her way over to Mifflin Street.
Emma knocked on the door and waited patiently for Regina. She shuffled back a few steps and began to lean against one of the columns but decided against it as it may look cocky. She shuffled her feet again and looked around the front garden instead. The shrubs that lead down the foot path were surprisingly still green in this cold weather. Emma had no idea how she was meant to act when picking up a date. She always met them at the destination so she had an easy way out. She wouldn't be needed that tonight though.
Emma turned back around when she heard the click of the door as it was being opened. Her jaw slackened and a smirk graced her face, "wow Regina, you look absolutely stunning" she said in awe.
Regina tucked the lose strands of her hair back behind her ear as she blushed, "thank you, dear. So do you"
Emma smiled at the woman as she took in what she was wearing. A deep maroon dress that came to just above her knees, black knee high boots and a black walking coat that looked so warm and comfortable to wear. Emma tilted her head towards her awaiting patrol car.
"ready to go?"
Regina nodded and they made their way down the foot path together. Emma opened the little gate for her and closed it after them. Regina smiled and waited for Emma beside the car.
"we're taking your work vehicle?" she asked with a curious brow.
Emma shrugged and opened the passenger side door for her, "perks of the job"
They both chuckled together and entered the vehicle.
"so, where we off to?" Emma asked as she started the car.
"down to the docks. It's down on the esplanade there. I was thinking we could go for a stroll after we eat?"
Emma nodded and shifted the gear into drive, "sounds good to me"
They enjoy listening to the radio as they made the short distance down to the docks. Emma then followed Regina into a small restaurant just off the pier. They ordered themselves a drink at the bar as they waited for the waiter to finish setting up their table.
"this is a nice place, I haven't been down here yet" Emma said as she took a mouthful of her drink and looked around the establishment.
"it is. Zelena and I come down here for a few drinks when Henry has a sleep over at his friends"
"Zelena? You've mentioned her a few times. She your best friend or something?"
"you could say that." Regina took a sip of her wine, "she's my sister"
"you have a sister? I thought you'd said you had no family after your parents past." Emma said confused.
"she's my half-sister. Mother had her when she was quite young and put her up for adoption. I had no idea. Zelena then found me a year after Daniel died. Said that she found the Mills estate when she was going through her old documents and she wanted to meet our mother. She fell in love with Henry straight away and moved here. She runs a small farm on the outskirts of town. She's got a real green thumb thanks to her adoption parents."
"that's amazing. I'll have to go check it out sometime. I've still yet to fully explore the town fully yet"
Regina started to play with the bottom of her wine glass, "maybe we could take you sometime? Henry and I."
Emma smiled at the brunette, "I'd love that".
The waitress came over and escorted the ladies to a table that was next to the large windows that looked out over the terrace and towards the ocean. Their meals were ordered and another drink on its way. The small talk they had ran over the course of their meals and they continued it once they'd finished. Regina took Emma for a walk down the wharf and they took a seat next to each other as they looked out across the sea.
"I've loved tonight. definitely beats all the other dates I've had back in Boston" Emma confessed.
Regina chuckled deeply and raised an eyebrow at her, "have many dates back there, did you?"
"not really, no. I think maybe 4? Nothing ever became serious about them. I think the longest person I dated was 3 weeks and that was because I had to work most of those days. I never really felt a spark with anyone."
"and now?" Regina asked quietly. Emma didn't respond immediately, so she presumed she wasn't heard.
Emma looked out across the water and sighed happily, "yeah. I feel a spark here."
They both looked at each other and smiled shyly. Emma nudged Regina's shoulder and began to laugh.
"what's funny dear?" Regina giggled.
"I was just thinking. I've never played 20 questions on a date. I want to. I want to know random stuff about you"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but ok" Regina said as she looked amusingly at Emma.
"ok. So we both each get to ask each other 20 random questions and we both have to answer them. I'll start and make it easy. My favourite colour is yellow, what is yours?"
"what's my favourite colour? I don't know. I'd say black but technically black is the absence of colour… so maybe, purple?" Regina crinkled her nose up in thought.
"that's adorable when you do that." Emma pointed to Regina's face.
Regina put her hand over her nose and tssked her.
"so now you have to ask me a question and answer it too."
"ok. Well something I don't know is your age, so how old are you? I'm 32."
"I'm 26. What's your favourite food? I LOVE bearclaws" Emma exclaimed as she rubbed her tummy and licked her lips.
Regina laughed at her dorkiness, "I prefer the more healthier option of red apples. But not just any red apples, they have to be from my honey-crisp tree that I have out the back of my house"
"oh wow! You have your own apple tree? That's awesome!"
"if you say so" she smirked.
"you turn for a question!" Emma turned so she could face Regina more and laid one of her arms across the back of the chair.
"hmmm… a deep one. When did you first fall in love?"
"a few months after my 18th birthday. Elsa" Emma shrugged, "was Daniel your first love? You'd said 17 didn't you?"
Regina smiled and hummed at Emma, "I'm glad you pay attention. And yes, Daniel was my first love. Now your turn to ask"
"let me think…" Emma tapped her chin, "what's your all-time favourite song? Mine is Smile by Nat King Cole. I know it's sad, but it gives you a sense of owning yourself and claiming who you are. Despite that things get bad, as long as you can smile and see the light from the other side, it isn't so bad"
"I wouldn't have picked that from you. I would have guessed you'd be more into rock and roll."
"eh.. I love all genres. As long as I can feel the music in my soul, I'm content."
"fair point. My favourite song would have to be Only You by Yazoo. It makes me want to get up and dance and feel myself wrapped around a lover's arms."
Emma nodded her head and smiled, "I'll remember that"
Regina raised an eyebrow in response and smirked, "oh will you now?"
Emma chuckled nervously and looked away as she blushed.
Silence filled them once more as Regina leant over and placed her head against Emma's shoulder. She nuzzled in close to keep herself warm and Emma rested her cheek against Regina's head.
"you getting cold?" Emma said huskily.
"a little. But I want to stay here for a little longer more. This is nice" Regina nuzzled in more.
Emma took a deep breath in through her nose and breathed out through her mouth to appease the rising anxiety, "it really is"
Emma walked Regina back up the foot path and to her door. The air around them thick, despite the cold nip in the wind.
"tonight was lovely. Thank you for allowing me to take you out" Regina said as she slowly drew her keys out from her jacket pocket.
Emma smiled and leant back on her heels with her hands in her back pockets, "the pleasure was all mine. Thank you for asking me out"
They both chuckled nervously at each other as the silence once again filled them. It wasn't awkward but yet still held tension in the air.
"so I was thinking," Emma started, "I was going to take Bonnie to the park again tomorrow, think you and Henry would like to join us?"
Regina's toothy smile was accompanied by bright red cheeks, "I'd love that. Henry would too. You two are all he is ever talking about these past few days"
Emma's smile mimicked that of Regina's, "awesome! I'll text you tomorrow for a time that would suit you both."
"sounds perfect"
Regina took a step closer to Emma and held her keys to her side, "would you like to come inside for a drink?"
Emma chuckled nervously and took a step backwards, "I'd love too but I have to drive. Can't have the Sheriff drink driving now can we?"
Regina's face faltered for a moment before a smile graced her features again, "I guess not."
"I'll see you tomorrow though, right?" Emma said as she took another step back.
"that you will" Regina frowned, "Emma WATCH OUT!"
But it was too late. Emma took another step backwards and fell down the small stairs that lead up to the door. She shot herself back up onto her feet, goofy smile on her face which had Regina break out into a fit of laughter.
Emma blushed profusely and continued walking backwards down the path, "till tomorrow" she said excitedly.
"till tomorrow," Regina mimicked, "just mind your step dear. We don't need you to break that pretty face of yours"
Emma scrunched up her nose and laughed. Why do I have to be so clumsy! "have sweet dreams Regina"
"I'm sure they will be filled with you falling over and knocking things over. Drive safely and I'll text you in the morning" she laughed at the retreating woman.
Emma smiled at her and turned around to walk back to her car more safely. An extra stride in her step, despite her insistence in embarrassing herself. Tomorrow she gets to see Regina and Henry again, and she could not think of any better way to spend her weekend off.