Of Airports and Engagements

Chapter VII


Author: ScarletBloodDoll

Editor: WinterBlazes

Dates written: May 12th, 2013 through May 14th, 2013

Status: In-progress

Series: Once Upon a Time

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Regina Mills | Emma Swan (Swan Queen)

Warnings: Post curse | Spoilers for Season Two

Distribution: Do not archive without author's permission.

Disclaimer: The characters and premise of Once Upon a Time belong to ABC Studios, Adam Horowitz, and Edward Kitsis. Any and all other copyright material mentioned subsequently belong to their respective owner(s), including but not limited to character(s) 'Detective Vanessa Wright' and 'Social Worker Winifred Payne' whom belong solely to the author. This work is a non-profit effort and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author's note: Reviews are appreciated. I was blown away by the amount of reviews for the last chapter, you are all amazing! I am so grateful you enjoy this story. The premise of this story, including the engagement plot, were conceived in February of 2013; a reviewer posted the plot about two chapters ahead of time, and I only wanted to make it clear that I am not appropriating someone else's idea and that in no way, was this a spontaneous occurrence.


A bomb had been detonated.

There would be a time in the not-so-distant future when the small family of three would be able to sit down in a downtown bistro in New York, hot cocoa and green tea at hand, and toast to the hilarity that was this exact moment, but that day was not today. Despite the chain reaction of absurdity, horror, and shock, the Mills family remained stoic in the aftermath. Their son kept his limbs firmly wrapped around his mother, waiting for her cues. The mayor held herself steady, chocolate eyes narrowed, and her red lips pursed, her fingers softly caressing the cheek of the woman before her. On the other hand the sheriff was the picture of speechlessness, her emerald eyes were as wide as fine china tea saucers, and though her pretty mouth was agape, not a sound was heard.

"Who are you?" a rough, female voice asked.

Though the shock had yet to fully wear off at the brunette's proclamation, birth mother and son simultaneously rolled their eyes.

They are in for it now, Emma thought.

"If you will excuse me, my dear," a smirk crossed her face as she caught the action, cheekily thumping the blonde on the nose with her index finger. Emma could not help but smile at the silly action as Regina drew herself up to her full height, tightened her jaw, and held their son tighter to her body. Although her own emotions were all over the place, Emma could not deny how wondrous the feeling of relief felt. Granted she was sure all but a minute ago that she would spend the next four years of her life in another jail cell, though when she caught Regina's eye, she knew the woman had a plan. Granted, fiancée?

"I do apologize for my sudden intrusion. Where are my manners?" Emma caught the woman's fake politician smile out of the corner of her eye as she offered her right hand to the Detective. "I am Regina Mills, Mayor of Storybrooke, Maine. We're a small town on the coast yet we boast a healthy population of four thousand citizens."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am. I am Detective Vanessa Wright from the Augusta Police Department." The Detective firmly shook the woman's hand, keeping her other on Emma's handcuffs.

A loud gurgling noise drew the crowd's attention to the little boy in the Mayor's arms. Henry's own eyes widened as he watched his mother's head slowly turn and her eyes narrow, first at him and then his stomach.

"When was the last time you ate?" Regina asked softly.

Henry innocently shrugged his shoulders.

Uh-oh. I'm in for it now. "He had a cinnamon roll before we were scheduled to depart," Emma supplied, fully prepared for an ear-full about his terrible eating habits with her.

"That was four hour ago." It was as if the light of the airport flickered on cue; Emma wearily glanced up towards the ceiling and then down to her other half. Scary.

"Are you telling me that our son has not eaten in four hours?" Regina posed the question in Emma's direction. "In the meanwhile, you have done what?" Regina snarled, staring hard at the Detective who helplessly floundered.

I wonder if this is what she looks like when she is about to rip out your heart, Emma wondered as she watched Regina's upper lip curl into a barely contained growl.

"Ma'am we-"

Regina quickly interjected. "From the looks of it, all you have done is starved my son and given him another year of therapy to look forward too." She gestured to Emma's bound hands. "I have it in my right mind to sue you for negligence."

"Ma'am, from the evidence we gathered," Detective Wright gulped, her earlier bravado gone. "It appeared as though Emma Swan was in the process of kidnapping your son, he is your son, right?" the latter part of the sentence was whispered and unsure.

Applying a slight pressure with her thumb into Henry's hip, Regina was pleased when her son dramatically burrowed his head into her neck, wailing, "Mommy! I'm hungry!"

"There, there, my little prince," Regina cooed. "Mommy will find you something to eat." She gingerly rubbed his back, and glanced about the room, secretly relishing in the physical contact her son had denied her for so long. "You there!" she suddenly barked, her head nodding to the cowering social worker. "Who are you?"

"I'm Winifred Payne, a social worker from Augusta County." The aging woman gestured to the Detective. "I was called in by the good Detective here, regarding your son." She offered Regina her card.

"I see." The Mayor did nothing more than offer a disapproving glance to the item before returning her attention her son. "Unfortunately I cannot be two places at once, would you be so kind as to find our son something nourishing to eat while I sort out this mess that apparently my fiancée has found herself in?"

The woman hesitated in answering until one serious look from the Wright said otherwise. "Of course, Ms. Mills."

"Mommy?"

"Yes, my prince?"

Though she had remained silent, Emma watched with longing eyes at the affection Henry easily bestowed on his mother, despite their tumultuous relationship. No matter what she had done in the past, Regina was his mother. In fact Emma was quite jealous of the natural act between mother and son, although she wondered how their son was able to roll with whatever his mother said.

"Are you going to save Emma?"

"I would like to think so," Regina offered him a genuine smile.

"Can I have anything I want to eat?" Henry shyly asked.

Regina playfully narrowed her eyes at him and pursed her lips, before kissing him on the forehead and setting him back down on his feet – a welcome relief for her already weak joints. "Please do not mix and match foods, you know it will make you sick." Sliding her wallet out of her purse, the older woman made a big show of handing him her credit card – an American Express Black Card, holy shit! Emma thought.

"I want you to be a good boy and show Mrs. Payne your manners," Regina patted his head. "I raised you better than that, you are a Prince after all."

Henry gave her a look that was a mixture of glee and horror before offering the social worker his arm. "Ma'am."

"Oh, and Henry, make sure you bring something edible for your mother." Regina murmured.

The boy nodded and the group watched as the pair walked through the hallway before turning the corner. Emma could not help but smile at the mother and son antics; either the pair were well versed in this sort of art, or mother and son were far more in tuned than I first believed.

"Now, how about you released my fiancée?" Emma did not notice that Regina had stealthily sauntered up to her.

"I cannot do that Ma'am." It had appeared as though the Detective had been lured into a false sense of security watching the woman interact with her child – as if that was a weakness. "She is under arrest for child kidnapping with extenuating circumstances."

"Oh, no?" Regina sweetly smiled and wrapped an arm around Emma. "My, my, my, so willing to make a name for yourself Detective."

Detective Wright watched uneasily as the Mayor began to run a hand up and down one of the blonde's bound arms. "The way I see it, you have blown this entire thing completely out of proportion. I am our son's adoptive mother, and I am here now, more than willing to provide you with the legal paperwork necessary to explain this rather unfortunate misunderstanding. What do you think, Emma?" Regina murmured as she leaned in and brushed her lips against the woman's cheek. "Would you like to place a bet with me that by oh, six o'clock tomorrow evening Ms. Wright will be standing the unemployment line?"

"Even I would not be as foolish as to bet against you, your Majesty." Emma purred, returning the soft nudge. The sheriff was quick to take a page out of their son's book, if this was how Regina was going to save her ass, she better play along. Fiancée or no fiancée.

"What do you say, Detective? How about you release my fiancée, give us a moment together, and then we will find a quiet place to sit down and have agood conversation?" Regina tilted her head. "I would hate for the press to catch wind that there may be a homophobic Detective with the Augusta Police Department."

The Detective grumbled and yet unlocked the cuffs. "Are we also going to discuss the undisclosed information that Henry's birth mother and adoptive birth mother are engaged?"

"That too." Regina smiled.


"I turn my back on you for one moment, one minute, and this is what happens?" With their hands sweetly interlaced, Regina pulled Emma along behind her until she found an empty bathroom. The moment the older woman insured the room was in fact empty and the door tightly shut behind them, she rounded on the blonde.

"I'm sorry?" Emma offered weakly as Regina dropped their grasped hands.

"This is ridiculous."

"You're acting as if this is my fault!" Emma snapped.

"It is your fault, dammit. I trusted you to take care of my son, no, instead you haul him across the state without so much as consulting me!"

"I told you I was sorry! It wasn't as if Gold gave me time for much of anything!"

"You told me you were sorry on a voice mail, which might I add, you are also terrible at doing. Do you know what it is like to drive several hours by yourself, fearing the worst?" Regina stomped her foot.

Emma moved forward and grabbed Regina's hand. "I am sorry," the younger woman enunciated each word. "I know you only came for our son, but thank you for saving me."

"We aren't out of the woods yet." Despite the uncharacteristic move on Emma's part, neither woman moved, their breathing soon fell into a matched pattern, allowing their tempers to even out.

"Speaking of Gold, where is he?"

It was Emma, this time, who dropped their hands in favor of moving to the sinks. "Gold is more than likely sitting in a federal holding cell."

Regina gave her an inquisitive look.

"He decided it would be a brilliant idea to beat the hell out of a businessman who had the nerve to sass him, as well as a couple of employees."

"Brilliant indeed. Pray tell, what of your deal?" Regina moved to the cold tile wall, eyes downcast, her thumb running over the spot where Emma's fingers had lain.

"He told me that our deal was valid, no matter what. Although any information he had on his son is no doubt in his bags. As far as I can tell I will make a reasonable effort to track down one man, with no evidence of a father, in the great city of New York where there are thousands of men who fit that same exact profile." Emma snickered. "How long do you think we have until Wright comes looking for us?" she eyed the door.

"Not long enough," Regina grumbled.

Emma sighed and shrugged off her coat and threw it on the counter, determined to scrub away the bruises and dirt the handcuffs had left behind. "I need a shower," she muttered more to herself than anything. The sheriff had been impressed when the Detective had waved the couple off, grumbling about her own stomach and gorgeous brunette women.

Peering through her eyelashes, Emma searched the large mirror for Regina. She was taken aback to see the normally strong and uptight mayor leaning heavily on the towel dispenser, one hand pushed back through her hair, and her eyes tightly closed. The fluorescent lights cast a sickly color over the woman, highlighting sunken cheekbones and collarbones, barely peeking out of the collar of the dress shirt. "Has anyone told you you look like hell?" Emma asked.

"No one would be as stupid to say such a thing," Regina muttered despite not opening her eyes.

Emma splashed water on her face and ran a wet hand through her hair several times.

"Although I do feel like it too."

The admission surprised Emma.

"Why did you come?"

"For Henry."

"How long do you plan to use that excuse?"

"For as long as it takes." Regina opened her eyes and sauntered over to the sinks, beginning her own task of placing her cold, wet hands onto her warm cheeks.

"I am your fiancée, though?" Emma flicked water in Regina's direction. "You're going to sit there and tell me that you are the feared Evil Queen of a far off fairytale land could not do this heroic 'saving' thing without getting into my pants?" she teased. "For Henry, right?"

"Do not make me turn around and tell the Detective that I was sorely mistaken," Regina snarled and turned, flinging an arm in the blonde's direction.

Emma easily caught the limb and seeing an advantage, she hoisted the brunette up onto the counter in one foul move.

"You would, like you said, you love our son far too much." Emma growled right back. "If I am going to play the part of your willing fiancée, would it be so bad if I asked you for a kiss?"

"You bitch!"

"Ms. Swan, Ms. Mills?" A voice came at the door. The couple's eyes widened as the doorknob turned and the door began to open.

"Quick!" Regina caught sight of their compromised and wet position, and though the fit was tight with a pencil skirt, she pulled the young woman atop her. It looks like Emma is going to get her kiss. Grasping a handful of blonde mane in one hand and sliding the other into Emma's shirt, Regina painfully groaned as her head thumped against the mirrors, gravity not quite on their side. Fortunately Emma was quick to grasp the idea and capture Regina's lips in hers, slipping an arm around the woman's waist, pressing her into her body.

"Ladies," a cough was heard. "I am sorry to apologize but-"

"Of course Detective Wright," Regina gasped. "Please give us one moment; we shouldn't keep you waiting much longer." Except as Regina's eyelashes fluttered open, she gave no indication that she had physically looked at the intruder. The door slammed shut and Emma pounced, seeking out Regina's lips once more, despite the other woman's undignified squeak.

"You're my fiancée, I can do that." Emma sassed and nipped at her bottom lip.

Only Regina did not respond as Emma pulled her back into a sitting position.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Regina's head dropped onto Emma's shoulder. Inhaling deeply, Regina stiffly sat up.

"It's nothing. Get me down."

"No, it is something!" Emma frowned, able to closely scan the older woman's face. "Did something happen after we left?"

"You were there when it happened, or at least you arrived afterwards." Regina muttered. Emma gently tilted the woman's head back and caught sight of the concealed bags under her eyes.

"The well incident?"

"Indeed."

"Henry never told me what exactly happened."

"We'll talk about this later. For the time being, you and I are a loving couple. Your job is simple, follow my lead. It would be your place in our marriage if it were real."

"Ouch." Using the arm she still had wrapped around her body, Emma slowly lowered Regina to the floor. "You hair!" Glancing in the mirror, she caught sight of the chestnut mane that now cascaded down Regina's back.

"Extensions."

"Uh-huh." Emma grinned knowingly.

The couple quickly dried themselves off and straightened their clothes, forgoing their jackets for two completely different reasons. Offering her hand, much like she had seen their son do earlier, Emma opened the door. "Hey, since we're getting married and obviously changing our last names, it would totally be Mills-Swan, right?"

Regina gave her a look as she took the offered hand and tightly grasped their fingers together. "Swan-Mills."

"Oh come on Regina! Mills-Swan sounds better."

"It does not. Swan-Mills."

Emma grumbled as she followed Regina down the hallway.