My God, thank you for all the sweet response. It makes me so happy! So here you have another chapter just because you're so awesome!
A couple of days later, Regina, Robin and Henry were at their beach house. The brunette was feeling better after some medication changes and was running around on the beach with her son, playing tag.
Regina was happy for once and she loved moments like this. Family time meant the world to her. Mostly because she had never had this until Robin came into her life.
"I love being here," Regina said with a smile to Robin as she joined him in the kitchen. He was preparing food for them, and he turned around and met his wife with a beaming smile.
"Me too dear, and I knew the air out here would do you good, as it always does," Robin chuckled when the front door all of a sudden opened, making the brunette quirk an eyebrow. She didn't know they were expecting company, or were they?
"Auntie Kathryn!" Henry shouted and Regina placed a kiss on her husband's lips before walking out to the hallway, meeting her only friend.
"You missed me?" Kathryn said and embraced the young boy in an enormous hug. She had watched this boy grow up and before the nanny had been hired, she had helped Regina with him, so Henry would always have a special place in her heart.
"You always make these surprise visits, don't you?" Regina asked as she gave Kathryn a hug. She hadn't seen her for months and was so happy that she was here.
"Well, since you don't answer your damn phone like a normal person does, I don't have much choice other than to show up like this, now do I?" Kathryn replied and even if the words were said with a smile, they hurt Regina to hear. She felt terrible but didn't let it show. Her poker face was from another world.
After dinner, Henry and Robin went down to the boat, leaving the two friends to catch up, so they went out on the enormous back porch. Kathryn had a glass of wine, while Regina was drinking mineral water.
"So, how are you doing then? You haven't really talked with me so much these last few months," Kathryn said with a careful tone in her voice, knowing Regina could easily shut her out completely, but sometimes she needed to push Regina to her limit for her to even open up at all.
"I'm doing better, finally," Regina replied with a shrug. "I've been struggling a bit, but now it's better. I made some medicine adjustments that I think will help me."
"Yeah, I can see that small fire in your eyes again, Gina, and I don't think I have seen that particular fire for years," Kathryn replied with a wink.
Regina simply shrugged again. She still had that nagging anxiety in the back of her head, that she shouldn't continue her life with Robin. He deserved someone else and she didn't deserve him. She didn't love him like he loved her...
"But I also see in your eyes that you're doubting something. Gina, what's troubling you?"
Kathryn lived a happy life with her husband and children, and had more money than she ever needed. Which meant Regina knew she would be able to help her if she actually took the step and filed for divorce, but she knew she couldn't hurt Henry like that. Right?
He loved his father so much, and that she could see even now, when the two were down by the boat. Robin was Henry's idol….
But then again, would she ever be truly happy if she continued to live this… lie?
"I can't tell you… its.. It's too complicated."
"Gina, come on," Kathryn chuckled, then added "Everything with you is complicated, you know."
"I don't know if that's supposed to be a compliment or not.. " Regina huffed.
"You know what I meant Gina. I didn't mean it in a bad way. So come on, what's troubling you?"
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" the brunette snapped.
"Okay sure. I will leave it alone, but only if you agree to this," Kathryn smirked. "Let's go out to a bar and have a good time, yeah?"
"I can't drink alcohol on these stupid pills, so I'm supposed to look at you while you drink yourself silly?" Regina shot back with a quirked eyebrow. Kathryn just rolled her eyes, ignoring the question.
"Anyway, I've been told about this small biker's club, that one of the bartenders perform at Fridays and Saturdays and she's supposed to be awesome. The place is always packed! So what do you think?"
Regina thought for a while before she glanced back at her friend.
"Sure. Let's do it."
The bar was indeed packed with people and Regina felt coming here was a bad idea almost immediately. But when the blonde girl finally stepped up on the stage and sat down on a chair, with a old guitar in her lap, time almost stopped.
Regina couldn't stop looking at her and when she started to sing, she felt a calm wash over her like never before.
The blonde was so incredibly beautiful and Regina felt alive, for what had to be years since…
When Emma had a short break, and walked off stage, Regina snapped back to reality as she felt her friend Kathryn's hand touch her shoulder.
"Hey, you disappeared on me for a moment there. Are you okay?" she asked when Regina turned around and offered her a smile.
"I have to talk to that girl.. She's talented.. Robin has to sign her!"
"Oh, ehm okay?" Kathryn said and before she got the chance to say anything more, the brunette had disappeared into the crowd. Kathryn cursed under her breathe and almost panicked.
This wasn't going to end well…
"God you're were so freaking good out there!" Ruby smirked as Emma downed her beer. "And I think you've got a fan in the crowd tonight Ems. Did you see the brunette standing in the front? Goddammit what a bombshell!"
Emma frowned and shook her head. She never looked into the crowd while performing, never let herself get distracted… instead she always disappeared into her own world, and Ruby knew that. So why did she even ask?
"Emma, you've got someone who wants to talk to you," Killian suddenly said as he popped his head into the small room she was in at the moment. Emma frowned even more. What was going on tonight?
"Ehm sure, ehm, Ruby can you put on some random music so I can speak to whoever it is for like 10 minutes?" Emma asked and Ruby nodded her answer, and disappeared. Minutes later, the door opened and a brunette walked inside the room. Emma almost dropped her jaw to the floor. That has to be the girl Ruby meant.
"Ehm, hi?" Emma finally managed to say and the brunette smiled at her. Emma almost melted into a puddle. She had never seen such a beautiful smile in her whole life…
"I'm sorry to interrupt your break, but I just had to speak to you… it's nice to meet you, I'm Regina Mills."
"Ehm, Mills? As in like Robin Mills, the famous producer?"
"Yes, he is my husband," Regina replied with a gentle tone and Emma let out a big sigh. Of course the first woman who had caught Emma's attention for years had to be married…
"Sorry, but I didn't get your name?"
"I'm Emma. And I use have to ask.. how come you wanted to talk to me ?" Emma asked carefully, and for some reason she choose to not tell Regina she had already met Robin about her music..
In the meanwhile, Emma studied the brunette. She was wearing an immaculate black dress and even if the room was poorly lighted, Emma easily noticed the scars and weird marks on Regina's arms. It broke Emma's heart in a way, which even surprised her, since it was the first time they met.
Regina suddenly realized she was showing her arms when she felt Emma's eyes studying her, probably judging her so she stood to her feet.
"Sorry,. I.. This was a bad idea.. " she said when she suddenly felt Emma's hand taking hers, and the simple touch, made Regina's breathing become much easier..
"No please, don't go. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just.. I just noticed the scars.. But I didn't mean to.. Please."
There was a kindness to Emma's voice that made Regina actually believe her and she nodded as she sat down. Emma smiled at the move and they started talking again.
Emma was sad when Ruby poked her head inside the room and told her she had to go back up, and winked at her when she noticed Regina.
"Maybe we can speak after the show?" Emma asked and felt her cheeks turn red, and even if she knew this was a really stupid idea, she was met with a nod and a smile, before Regina disappeared.
Kathryn was about to rip her hair out when she finally found Regina. She was so relieved to see her, but still mad as hell because Regina had just disappeared like that. So when she walked up to Regina, Kathryn quickly grabbed her arm.
"Where the hell did you go? I was terrified!" Kathryn scoffed and Regina didn't blame her. They had been friends for years and Kathryn had seen her at her worst. She had saved her many times and found her countless numbers of times, passed out in some toilets due to drug overdoses. And she knew how easily Regina could slip back to old habits.
"Never mind. It's my fault. I shouldn't have made you come here in the first place.. " Kathryn added when she saw the blonde come out from the same place Regina had come from just a couple of minutes ago.
She saw the quick smile Emma gave Regina and it made Kathryn intrigued.
"Can't we just stay until Emma's show is over?"
"Okay sure. But after that we're going home, and no more running off!"
"I promise Kathryn," Regina smiled and turned her attention to the stage where the beautiful blonde started to sing again.
Kathryn wondered how and why Regina knew the singers name, since it wasn't on any posters or anything like that in the club. And that smile the women had given each other… what was that even about?
When Emma came off the stage, her eyes quickly started to look for that beautiful brunette again. Emma's mother frowned when she saw her daughter disappear in the crowd, because she always ran up to them when she was done with the performance, but this time she didn't. It made her confused.
"Where on earth is Emma going?" Mary said as she glanced over to Ruby. "Did she have something to do after the show?"
The redhead grinned to herself, but chose to keep quiet about the brunette, and played stupid.
"No, I don't think so. But she probably had to use the bathroom. She drank a hell of a lot of beer when she had her break," Ruby lied, and even if Mary and James swallowed the bait, Belle didn't. She didn't believe those words for a second.
"They might believe you but I don't," Belle whispered into her girlfriends ears, then nibbled on her ear, something she knew drove Ruby completely crazy, then added, "And if you wont tell me, I will refuse sex until you do."
"Regina, hey!" Emma said with a grin as she finally found the brunette she'd been looking for. A blonde was with her and she seemed sceptical, but kept to herself, even if she kept a close eye on Emma.
"I didn't think you would find me in this chaos" Regina said, and tugged on her lower lip. That almost made Emma lose her balance. This woman was so incredibly sexy… keep it in your pants Swan she told herself.
"I know this place like the back of my hand. So ehm, can I buy you a drink?"
