Kailor: Such sweet reviews. Keep 'em coming and I'll keep these chappies coming, dearies! Thank you all! Enjoy!
Quick thought: Did anyone else realize that "Centuries" by Fall Out Boy is like...Regina's theme song? Seriously, go read those lyrics and think about it. If I knew how, I would have made a music video for her by now.
Regina took another bite of the lunch she was sharing with her mother and young Henry. She adored the boy already. When she'd shown up with lunch from Granny's Diner, he immediately took the bags from her, opened the door to Cora's office before she could even reach for the handle, and pulled out the chair she chose to sit in. The perfect gentleman. And he was insanely smart. Since he was only twelve, she had been prepared to spend lunch talking about pop culture and how much school sucked. But Henry was quick to surprise her with a lack of interest for anything new. He loved music and movies from her generation, which she suspected was his mother's doing. But when he quoted a Dr. Hook song, she almost dropped her coffee, very impressed with his tastes.
Suddenly, Henry glanced at the clock. "Oh! I have to get changed! Excuse me a few minutes." He rose, nodding politely as he hurried from the room.
"Mother, what private school did that boy grow up in?" Regina turned to Cora, who was grinning widely. "He's wonderful! I'm about to convince Miss Swan to let me adopt him!"
"Now, that would be interesting," Cora said, her eyebrows raising. "But he's wonderful, yes. His mother drills it into him every day that being a gentleman is the way to go. Speak of the devil!" The mayor rose to her feet, looking over Regina's head.
Regina turned, blinking at the sight before her.
Emma was standing in the doorway, dressed in army fatigue pants tucked into leather hiking boots, a loose gray tank top, and a messenger bag across her chest. A pair of binoculars hung from her neck. Her hair was tied low, the gray beanie back in place. But as Regina rose to greet her, Emma swept it off her head, nodding hello. "Hey! I was just here to pick up Henry."
"I'm here, Mom!" Henry stepped around his mother, wearing his own army fatigues, a gray, long sleeve shirt, with a black combat vest over it.
Cora rounded the desk to place a hand on Henry's shoulder. "My, my. What are we up to today, Swans?"
"Aunt Ruby is hiding something from us," Henry piped up. "We're going to find out what it is."
"For her own good, of course," Emma jumped in.
"Of course," Regina echoed, trying to hide her smile. "Do you often dress your son in combat gear and roam the town?"
The two Swans seemed to think about it. "Not often-" Emma said.
"Well, there was last month-"
"But the time before that was like a year ago."
"No, there was also the Operation in June."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that-"
"So," Cora cut them off. "Where are you headed?"
Before answering, Emma pulled out her phone and checked it. "Well my sources say Ruby is on her way to Granny's Diner and doing a little window shopping. So we'll just be heading down the street."
"Hmmm." Cora pursed her lips. "Then would you mind walking my Regina home? It's nearly on the way."
Regina opened her mouth to say that she knew the way home, but Emma beat her to it.
"Sounds like a deal," the blonde said.
"No, really, I know the-"
"Here," Cora cut her off, slapping a folded paper into her hands. "If you don't want to go home, then you can just go roam the town a bit. This is a map of Storybrooke and I even labelled each little house with who lives there!"
Henry eagerly leaned forward to look at the map as Regina unfolded it. "Wow, Mother." She eyed the little boxes with names scribbled in Cora's neat handwriting. "This is...quite...thorough."
"Is that creepy?" Cora clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her, scrunching her nose. "It's not like I'm an evil queen or anything. I just like to know where my subjects live so I can drop by to collect taxes and first borns."
Henry suddenly swung a wide-eyed look on Emma. "Am I the second born?"
"Third actually. First born she just takes, but you can trade the second born in for a big screen T.V."
"And third borns can be swapped for brand new cars," Cora added, eyes twinkling.
Emma grabbed Henry by the vest, pushing him into Cora's arms. "Bye, Hen."
Regina and Cora laughed while Henry straightened his vest, his face reddening. He glared at his mother playfully. "Is it bad that the main reason I know you wouldn't do that is how much you love the bug?"
"Question for another day, kid." Emma gestured to the door. "We have one lady to walk home and another to stalk through town. Come along."
Regina purposely stepped between Emma and Henry, putting her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Just when I thought you were a good influence on young Henry," she said over her shoulder as they passed his blonde mother. "I'm starting to think it's the other way around!"
Emma just smiled, shrugging. She couldn't exactly argue with that, since it was true.
The trio followed the hall to the front entrance. A young asian woman wearing a deputy unifrom was talking to Cora's assisstant, her face red and her hands clasped behind her back like she was reporting to a superior. Emma noticed the woman and sped up a bit, passing Henry and Regina.
Aurora, as Regina had learned her name was, was looking a little confused, her brow furrowed, but with a smile on her face. "I'm not sure I understand, Mulan. What about where I live?"
The deputy, Mulan, caught sight of Emma, and Regina could nearly see "Help me" flash across her face. Emma halted beside the shorter woman, spinning to face Aurora.
"Heya, Aurora!"
"Hello, Sheriff," Aurora answered politely, her eyes darting from the blonde to the brunette in front of her.
"I believe what Mulan was trying to say is that she knows you live alone very close to the woods, and she just wanted you to know if you ever wanted to get out sometime or if you just wanted company, she is very available to you. Right, Lan?"
Mulan floundered for words, her blush spreading all the way up to her ears.
The confusion on Aurora's face suddenly switched to a huge smile. "Oh, Mulan, that's so sweet of you! Of course! Maybe-uh-should I give you my number? Or do you want to give me yours? Or should we just-"
Emma had already produced a pen and pad from the back pocket of her fatigues. She handed them to Mulan. The deputy quickly scribbled down her number, her hands shaking visibly. Then Emma had Aurora write her number down on the same page, pulled it from the pad, and ripped it in half. "There you go. I must be going now. Enjoy yourselves!" And the sheriff strolled away, opening the door for Henry and Regina.
As Regina stepped out into the street, she glanced back at the odd scene behind her and found Mulan hurrying down the hall towards Cora's office and Aurora smiling down at the slip of paper in her hand, a blush on her own cheeks.
"Ah, this day is full of good deeds!" Emma declared, slinging an arm around Henry's shoulders and pulling her beanie back on.
Regina raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Haven't you heard the saying, 'No good deed goes unpunished'?"
"I have," Emma nodded. "But I never really understood it."
It was Henry that answered her. "It means that good deeds are often unappreciated or they're met with hostility. And if they are appreciated, they often lead to additional requests. So either people are unhappy with you helping or they expect you to help again in the future."
Emma ruffled his hair. "Where'd you get so smart, kid?"
"Oooh, there's Aunt Ruby!"
Regina jumped as her two companions hit the ground, rolling behind a nearby car and peering around it. She followed their line of sight, seeing a young brunette woman leaving what she remembered to be the library, the building with the clock tower above it. The brunette waved to someone inside, then headed down the street away from them, carrying a couple shopping bags.
"Target is in sight," Henry hissed, though he probably could have yelled and Ruby wouldn't have heard him since she was so far away.
"Copy that." Emma half-crouched, half-ran back to Regina's side. "Move out!"
And Regina found herself walking between the two of them, rolling her eyes as they hid behind benches and in between buildings, before hurrying to another hiding spot. "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever been a part of," she told them, glancing around. It worried her that not a single soul seemed phased by their sheriff and a young boy creeping through town dressed for combat. Luckily, they reached Mifflin before they did anything too embarrassing.
"Henry, you go ahead. Keep an eye on the target. Anything that looks suspicious, you call me." Emma tapped the walkie strapped to her hip.
"Where are you going?" Regina asked, realizing it really wasn't her business after the words were out.
"I'm walking you home, of course." Emma jerked a thumb down Mifflin Street.
"But-" Regina pointed down the street to where Ruby had disappeared.
Emma waved her protests off. "It won't take long. Unless you'd rather continue with us? I'm pretty sure we have an extra set of binoculars in Henry's vest."
Henry nodded, patting one of the many pockets on his vest.
"I'm perfectly all right," Regina said. "Fine. You may walk me home."
One of Emma's eyebrows rose an inch. "Yes, Your Majesty. This way." With a flourish and a short bow, she ushered Regina before her down the street. Henry waved and hurried in the direction Ruby had gone.
They walked in silence for half a block. Then, "It really is ridiculous. What Henry and you are up to, I mean."
The sheriff shrugged, hooking her thumbs in her back pockets. "It's just fun. I am curious to know what Ruby's hiding, but all this-" she indicated her outfit and the binoculars bouncing against her chest. "This is just for Henry's benefit. We used to do this a lot when he was younger. I would give him chores, like cleaning his room or going down the street to get sugar from a friend's house, and we'd turn it into a game. He would name each one 'Operation Cobra' or 'Operation North Star'. And this seriousness would come over him, like he really was on a mission. As he grew, he started assigning operation names to anything he wanted."
Regina fingered the strap of her purse, taking all of that in.
Emma continued when Regina didn't immediately answer. "I know it's kinda, you know, dumb. But the thing is, since we started it, Henry has yet to fail at whatever operation he's started. I can only take a little credit for it, but I think they were what taught him to go for what he wants and not to give up." She shrugged, laughing. "Or maybe he's just stubborn, like his mother."
A car passed, blowing up fallen leaves from the street. Regina glanced at the blonde beside her. "I think he's probably just stubborn." Then she smiled, taking the bite from her words. "But I like your version of it better, so we'll go with that."
Emma laughed, her head falling back. It reminded Regina of the first time she'd seen the sheriff, when she'd been sitting in her car, waiting for the road to clear.
"So, Miss Swan," Regina said. "You're the sheriff. You work construction. You're a mother, running around town with your son, acting like children. Do you have any other jobs?"
"Not really. I just dabble in everything. Since there's not normally huge crimes around here, I feel like I need to earn that nice salary your mother pays me. So people call me to help with all kinds of things." Emma kicked at a can on the sidewalk, then picked it up and tossed it in the trash can of 104. "Most of the time, though, I'm just getting cats out of trees or locking up Leroy for getting too drunk."
"Oh, you poor thing."
"You would realize how unwarranted your sarcasm is if you'd ever tried to get a cat out of a tree." Emma pointed to a long white line from her right elbow to the middle of her upper arm. "Cats are evil. This one looked like a sweet little kitten, until it attacked."
"Perhaps you just don't know how to handle them."
"Or they're evil."
"Evil is such a...strong term for a house pet."
"Exactly. Cats aren't house pets. They're demon spawn."
Regina laughed, shaking her head at the earnest dislike Emma spoke with. She wasn't a fan of cats herself. They shed everywhere and acted like royalty. There was only room for one queen in Regina's house.
"Well, here we are." Emma stopped walking.
Regina blinked up at her house, surprised they'd already reached it. She didn't know why, because it was a very short walk, but she felt like it should have been longer. "Here we are," she agreed, clasping her hands in front of her primly.
Emma bounced on the balls of her feet, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth as an awkward silence fell over them.
It was broken by the crackle of Emma's walkie.
"ABORT MISSION! I REPEAT, ABORT MISSION! WE'VE BEEN MADE! HIDE!"
Emma snatched the walkie from her hip. "What happened?"
"She spotted me!" Henry's breathless voice puffed out. "And she's chasing me! Hide! I'm heading your way!"
"What!" Emma hissed. "You're leading her to me, you little rat?!"
"I said 'hide', didn't I!"
Regina heard the footsteps first, leaning around Emma. Henry had rounded the corner of the street and was sprinting towards them, holding his vest to keep it from bouncing everywhere.
Emma reacted immediately, launching herself into the hedges along the front of 108. The bushes shook violently for a few moments, then stilled. It was then that Regina saw the brunette from earlier appear, galloping after Henry, her shopping bags gone and her red highlights flaring behind her.
Henry shot past Regina. "Hi, Miss Mills!" She watched him cut through her yard, hit the fence, and clamber over clumsily.
The brunette clomped to a stop before Regina, clutching her ribs and glaring. "Did you see a blonde around here? Probably wearing the same kind of clothes as that kid?"
Regina drew herself up to her full height, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "I'm sorry? Who are you looking for?"
But the brunette's eyes narrowed, searching her face. "Are you Mayor Mills' daughter? You look a lot like her."
"I am," Regina said, relieved. She refused to lie for the strange woman now hiding in her hedges. "Regina Mills."
The brunette shook her hand. "Ruby Lucas. So you know Emma then?"
"I'm afraid so," Regina said, making sure the hedges could hear her soulful sigh.
Ruby grinned. She pointed one finger at the very spot Emma had disappeared. "Well, I guess she isn't here, right?"
Regina just lifted one eyebrow, pursing her lips to keep from smiling.
Without warning, Ruby leapt into the hedges, growling. She heard Emma cry out, then a string of profanities left the bush before the two women came rolling out, wrestling to free themselves from each other.
"Well!" Regina called over their bickering. "I'm going inside. It was lovely to meet you, Miss Lucas. Miss Swan, thank you for walking me home. Good day." She turned on her heel, striding away before either could answer her.
Ruby, still wrapped around Emma's neck, said, "I like her. She totally told me where you were."
"She gave me up too? I'm surrounded by rats!"
XXXXXXX
Regina closed the door, hanging her coat in the hall closet. She couldn't stop herself from chuckling at the scene she'd just watched. Small towns were so much more interesting than the big city, she thought. She kicked off her heels and padded down to the kitchen, hearing her father moving around in there, singing off-key.
But he wasn't alone. Henry Swan was also there, his vest hanging on the back of a chair while he moved around the kitchen, retrieving things that her father needed to cook.
The older man smiled when she entered, leaning heavily on his cane to make the few steps to hug her. "Welcome home, princesa. How was your lunch?"
"It was interesting, Daddy." She eyed the sheriff's son over his shoulder. "I see you've found a hideout. Your mother is rolling on the cement with your aunt outside."
Henry grinned. "I knew Aunt Ruby would find her easy. Pops saw me out the window and called me in to help him out."
Regina's eyebrow curved up. "Pops?"
Her father laughed. "Young Henry is here quite often, helping around the house. It got confusing when your mother would call for one of us."
Henry nodded. "It makes sense, though. Since I'm named after Pops."
If possible, Regina felt her eyebrows rise farther. "And why is the sheriff's son named after you, Daddy? Is there something I should know?"
Henry Sr. laughed his loud belly laugh. "No, dear. I helped Emma out when she was younger. Not my story to tell though. Here, niƱo, stir this pot." He handed Henry the wooden spoon he'd been using. Then he limped to the table and sat heavily in one of the high-backed chairs. "But I would be interested in hearing this story. Why is Emma rolling on the cement outside?"
Henry Jr. laughed out loud as Regina rolled her eyes and sat to tell her father what she'd been dragged into during her lunch.
XXXXXXX
When Ruby and Emma finally clambered to their feet, dusting themselves off and chuckling, Ruby said, "Emma, I will tell you when I'm ready. Okay?"
The blonde nodded, rubbing her face where it had hit the sidewalk. "Okay. But you tell me first!"
"Of course," Ruby giggled. Then she pulled out her phone and tapped the message waiting for her. "I have to go back to Granny's to pick up my shopping. I dropped it there when I saw Henry looking through the window with his binoculars. You two really need to learn the definition of 'sneaky'." She slipped the phone back in her pocket. "Oh, and Mary Margaret wants to go out tonight for one last girls' night before the baby gets here. You coming?"
Emma tapped her chin, thinking about it. "Yeah, I can do that if David agrees to watch Henry. Who else is going?"
"The usuals. M&M said she was about to text you." Ruby patted her pocket.
As if on cue, Emma's phone dinged. "Sounds like my invite has arrived. But I need to go find my son now. So I can teach him what we do to rats in Storybrooke."
Ruby laughed. "How about you don't find him? I'll text him saying I got his mother and he's next and you just go home and wait for him there."
Emma's eyes lit up. "You're devious, my friend. He'll spend the day wondering what you might have done to me. I'm pretty sure I know where he's hiding anyways." She tipped her chin at the large house before them.
"More than likely." Ruby waved her off. "Go home and play dead. I'll make sure he's here, then head that way. You owe me. I expect my laundry to be running when I get there."
"Aye, aye, captain," Emma saluted jovially.
Kailor: Reviews appreciated! Anybody noticed who Dusty is yet? Hmmm. Well, more character references coming in the next chapter and I hope you all like them. Let me know what you think! Who do you think Ruby is crushing on? Why is Henry named after Regina's father? Is Henry really safe and sound in 108? Mwahahahahahahaa.
