30/10/17

The rest of the weekend had been filled with nothing but polite conversation, but eventually meaningless words would fade out and carefully dip into a new kind of awkwardness. Since the two's newfound kinship had been promoted – Regina couldn't quite figure out how to act around Emma. The blonde just seemed to be slipping into the role so easily. And at times Emma's smile was somewhat comforting in the way it felt genuine, and relaxed. Sometimes Regina was sure she could see relief tugging at thin lips as the blonde was no longer fearing rejection. And even though Emma had already made it abundantly clear that she had wanted a friendship, Regina could just tell that this was a long-awaited release for her. She looked so at ease now in their conversations, at peace when Regina would correct herself when she was would snap and for some reason, she seemed genuinely happy to be spending time with her.

She couldn't figure out why.

Why had this Emma been so giving in her side of their new relationship, and why had found it so stupidly easy for her to fall into an Emma that seemed to know Regina like the back of her hand. The brunette was far from feeling relaxed, she was on edge constantly. She didn't know what to do with herself in conversation, or in those silences that she would have used to glare down at her phone and purposely ignore the woman. But now, she felt she had to fill those gaps with something, or at least reply to the blonde when she was talking – because apparently it wasn't deemed acceptable to ignore your 'friends.' Regina shivered at the word, this was all too much too quickly.

Perhaps this had been a bad decision, she knew she would regret it as soon as the proposition had spilled from her lips in that meeting in the bathroom. And now it was all dawning on her, she looked to her phone and saw Emma was texting her as if they were suddenly close enough to do so. Her fingers clamping around the plastic casing of the phone, drawing daggers into the metal as she read and ignored the text.

It was an argument she had come close to winning, giving her phone number to Emma. Even though it made perfect sense and Twitter had been stupid from the start and wasn't getting any better and well, when the blonde had suggested it on a quiet evening in their shared bed – nothing seemed to matter much anymore. They'd already broken a million boundaries and she was weak willed, giving in after a small battle she thought necessary to keep that little bit of distance between them both. But Emma only laughed, seemingly amused by the whole thing.

It was all well and good her being sat in the back of her car, with her phone in her lap and her messages from Emma bleeding into the screen, and her thoughts of regret niggling in the back of her mind but it didn't help anything. And in reality, it was only when she was alone did she feel so remorseful. The moments she would get to herself at the con she felt guilt and hate and regret spinning in like a storm in her stomach. But as soon as that blonde mass of hair was breaking into view and her smile was splitting their conversation and Emma was laughing at things Regina didn't even deem a joke she felt at ease. She felt a little happier. She felt like this was something so horrendously natural and it scared the living hell out of her.

Quicker than she had hoped, she'd arrived home, face to face with the wood that separated her from whatever nightmare that lay dormant within those four walls. A smile dripping into a frown as thoughts of seeing Henry again were clouded with thoughts of seeing Cora again. Having to face her mother after the incident was only causing her nerves and qualms to tornado into a sickness. She didn't turn her key straight away, she didn't want to, but she was so desperate to see Henry that for a moment it almost didn't matter that hell on heels was also stood right beside him.

"Mom!" her son called from the living room, racing in his socks skidding beneath him. Gliding along the hardwood floor and almost slipping entirely off his feet. Regina frowned at him for a second, she'd told him repeatedly to be careful and yet the day he would listen was left for a future that was destined to never come. But her frown was replaced with a smile and a laugh as the boy ran into her embrace, burrowing into the scarf she had on.

She let her chin fall into his hair, hands rustling the mop until they froze into position when Regina heard the click of heels coming from the opposite direction Henry had appeared from. The brunette gripped onto her son for dear life, feeling lost in a pool of hopelessness when he'd pried himself away from her grip to stare at the woman who'd joined them.

Cora stood with that devious kind of smile on her lips, her hands knitting into one another. She looked down on the picture, waiting patiently for Regina to acknowledge her presence.

"Mother," she stared, her words wobbly. She cleared her throat, remembering all those times she'd been scolded for speaking so feebly. "I hope you're well," she finally said through clearer words. Taking a careful step forward. "I take it you're staying for dinner?" she asked, hopeful that the gleam in the woman's eyes hadn't meant she was scheming something dark.

"If that's alright," she beamed, cocking her head to the side. Regina knew that Cora knew she didn't have any other answer than yes, perfectly fine. Because both women were sure that Regina hadn't got the guts to kick her out since their last meeting had been so painful, in all respects.

"yes, of course," Regina held back a sigh, brushing past her mother so she couldn't see the pained look on her face. She let herself get busy in the kitchen. Taking out some vegetables and a large knife. It was a little early to start preparing dinner, but this was certainly better than having to sit and entertain her mother with tired out conversation. "What brings you down here?"

"Business," Cora called out, waltzing into the kitchen and inspecting it as if it were drenched in grime. Regina shivered under the judgement. She was sure to keep her house well maintained but Cora always felt the need to act as though the woman was less than capable. "And a party," she offered after a moment of running lines along the counters, looking down to her finger and wiping it on a dish cloth as if she'd caught something from the non-existent dirt.

Regina snuck a look to the area Cora had just stripped down, it seemed perfectly fine. She sighed, brushing it down with a cloth anyway.

"Who's party?"

"Yours."

Regina turned to her once more, utterly confused. Surely she hadn't planned a party and forgotten.

But Cora continued before Regina had chance to investigate further.

"Well technically, ours. But I think it's about time you played hostess for our annual Christmas party," She smiled. Winking to Regina who was now furiously scrubbing down on the kitchen sides. The brunette let a sigh slip from her lips, biting down immediately on the flesh so to stop anything crude spilling out.

"Mother I can hardly host a whole party with barely any time to prepare," she could, and she had done before. But there was no way in hell she was prepared to admit that to her mother and have some stupidly boring Christmas party filled with old business men. Especially in her house.

"You don't need to worry about that dear, it's all sorted. All you need to do is get this house looking presentable and make yourself look pretty," her mother was being so overly condescending that it was painful to stay in the conversation and not slap her again. But Regina's hand was nailing hard into the side, clenching around the counter with enough grip that it was sure to leave red marks in tanned skin.

"We'll discuss this more over dinner, I have some calls to make," Cora mused, waving to her daughter so she could go make home in the office. Regina threw the tea towel she had to hand harshly into the floor below her. Stifling a groan – not wanting to give Cora the satisfaction.

There was only a moment of sweet silence during their meal until Cora had brought the party back into conversation.

"To be perfectly honest Regina, I'm a shocked that you haven't asked to host before now," Cora wasn't looking at her daughter. Only cutting into the food and grimacing. But Regina saw her picking at it, telling her that the woman was only pretending to hate the food for the sake of knocking Regina down a little.

"It's not really my forte mother," she murmured, pleased that her mother was actually enjoying the food even though she continued to glare down at it. "Besides, I have Henry," Henry had never attended one of these events. He'd never shown much interest and as much as Regina would have loved for him to be there with her, she hadn't wanted to put him through the pain of it all.

"Henry's rather excited actually," she looked over to the small boy, sending him a threatening kind of glare that was masked in a smile. He looked between the two women nervously, nodding his head a little. Avoiding the betrayed look on his mother's face and only looking to the smile on Cora's. "It seems you don't have any excuses left Regina. This party is happening." Regina scowled into her vegetables, not wanting to argue any further.

"I know something that would make it better for you mom," Henry whispered into the silence, Regina looked up to meet his hopeful stare. She cocked her head, ushering for him to continue.

"Emma," he breathed, suddenly entering a high at the mention of her name. Regina paled.

"Henry, I hardly think that's appropriate," she bit through tight lips. Teeth clenching hard in her mouth.

"But she invited us to her thing," he whined, going back to play with his carrots. Head resting on his hand in defeat. Regina lingered on his frown before going back to dinner. Cora cleared her throat.

"Emma?" she asked, eyeing Regina suspiciously. She tightened in her seat. Regina sighed, wishing she had powers that would just whoosh her out of existence.

"Yeah, mom's friend," Henry glittered. He'd lit up a little again.

"She's hardly a friend Henry."

"Mom, she's not here you know, you don't have to pretend you don't like her," he was giggling a little, and god how she hated how grown up he could be in his sarcasm sometimes. He'd definitely learnt that from her, and she couldn't tell if she wanted to be proud or angry. So, she stayed silent.

"And how did we meet this, Emma," Cora seemingly hadn't let the topic go. Letting her cutlery fall to the table as she fell deeper into the conversation. Lips downturned and eyes narrow on her daughter. Regina sighed.

"Well initially through her fiancé – he's a co-worker, but after that we met through events." Regina, murmured, barely making eye contact. But Cora was burning for something more "Really, no one to worry about," she reassured her mother, who looked like steam was going to start blowing from her ears.

"This wouldn't be Emma Swan, would it?" Cora asked, her anger slowly disintegrating into curiosity.

"Yes, it would be." Regina added, eyeing her quizzically.

"She's very pretty," Cora sniped, her cheeks being tugged at for her teeth to bite into. She looked tenser than she had done the entire evening.

"But we aren't really those kinds of frien-"

"Well it only seems polite to invite her, seeing as she'd invited you to her thing as Henry so delicately put it," Cora interrupted quickly, holding her hand out for Regina to stop. She was plotting something, and god Regina really didn't like it one bit. She swallowed, paling and freezing over all at once till she was left staring blankly into the dinner below her.

Henry was beaming in the corner, he seemed happy enough.

"We're hosting a little early this year, mid-November time. So, I would invite her sooner than later Regina."

The brunette only nodded. She hated this feeling, she hated not knowing and she hated the smile that was splitting like cracked glass onto her mothers' lips. Why had she been so desperate for Emma to attend? it could only mean she was plotting something, she felt so stupidly helpless. She was about to ask why there had been a change in dates, but the malicious glare bleeding from Cora's end of the table had told the younger woman she would get no explanations this evening.

"And Robin will be attending, so it's really the perfect opportunity for the two of you to better acquaint yourselves," Cora added after a beat of silence. That sent a stone of nervousness to fall and liquify into the pit of her stomach. She nodded once more. Staying still for the rest of dinner.

She curled into bed, having felt tired and drained from keeping conversation with her mother. Especially after Henry had been put into bed – she didn't really have anything to say and so everything was being forced between the two them.

Her phone was in hand and Emma's messages were open. She hadn't been sure how to message first. She hadn't done it before.

Miss Swan.

Was what she had settled with. A little weird over text, but overtly better than trying to initiate small talk of any sort with casual evening greetings.

There wasn't long before she'd received a reply.

Regina.

The actress sighed at the informality, she knew Emma would be sat on the receiving end of a bright screen with a smile seeping into the message. She took in a breath, typing out a million different responses and deleting them in the same motion. She'd wanted to invite her, but she was also dreading whatever it was her mother was planning to do with her.

I'm heading into town tomorrow.

She decided she would leave giving the invitation long enough that Emma was sure to be busy by the time she'd asked. At least that way, technically, she wasn't disobeying her mothers' orders, but it also meant Emma was saved from whatever hell Cora was preparing to rain down on them.

She'd realised far too late that her reply had been meaningless, and Emma would only be sat confused now for the abruptness of the message. Updating her life to the blonde was hardly going to become a habit and she wasn't about to let her become too comfortable in their new arrangement. Okay. Are you trying to ask me out with you or…?

Regina swallowed, a lump forming in her throat. She didn't know what to say next. Leaving only seconds after she'd seen the grey blob of writing slice the white of the background to reply.

Well if I'd been given time to finish, I was actually going to ask if you'd like to accompany me.

She sighed heavily into her chest. The blearing light of her phone almost mockingly ironic in the way she was blinded waiting for the three dots at the bottom of the screen to transform into words.

Usually people tend to send everything they'd like in one message. But, yes, I would love to accompany you.

If it weren't for the laughing emoji obnoxiously painted next to the message and if Regina hadn't, on one too many occasions, heard the way in which her blonde friend would bleed sarcasm, the brunette would have shut off her phone and gone to sleep in a mood that was an entirely unnecessary reaction to the jest. But there was something endearing about how the blonde would reply, something that kept Regina in the flow of conversation. She thought for a while on how to respond, noticing how everything she seemed to type felt too desperate or seemed almost too excitable.

Her hand clapping against her forehead to stop it from spinning. It hadn't work, and now all she felt was dizzy and sore. Slipping back into the covers she rubbed hard at the injured area when she saw Emma had sent another message.

I know this cute little diner just on the outskirts of the centre, I can send you over the address?

I suppose I can spare some time in my rather busy schedule to accommodate you.

There's nothing I wouldn't love more.

Regina blushed the winking emoji that was sent alongside the message, fingers dancing circles across the screen as she battled with herself, momentarily fighting the urge to carry on the conversation.

Eventually she threw her phone to the bedside table.

Regina felt a cloud of nerves attack her like a swarm of bees, she felt light headed. She hadn't really wanted to go to coffee with Emma, but now she felt suddenly excited to be seeing her again. And that was the one thing she hadn't wanted to feel. She ignored the next few messages. Putting the phone down on her bedside table and forcing herself to sleep.

31/10/17

Regina heard the knocking of feet against wood before she had even entered the kitchen but as she turned the corner she found her son swinging happily on the stool, rocket in its usual place above his head. She smiled curtly, eyes grazing over Cora who was pouring coffee into two mugs.

She turned, noticing Regina's presence before the woman had even had a chance to announce her good mornings. The brunette smiled a little wider, weaker, but wider at least.

"Regina, I'm glad you're finally up," Cora crooned, Regina's dark orbs floating to time. It was still only mid-morning. "I was hoping to discuss some renovations with you before the party," Cora stared, making it more of a statement than a question. She was cutting into Regina's movements with the thrust of a coffee cup, eyeing brunette hair as it was tugged at nervously to sit just behind Regina's ear.

Regina took the drink, eyes just as dark as the liquid steaming from the porcelain that was hot in her hands. She daren't look to Cora's prying eyes for fear of spilling every secret she wished to keep under wraps. Her mother seemed to have that affect on people.

"I'm actually not available today," the actress murmured, taking her purse up her arm and moving over to Henry in one movement. She still had eyes loyal to the drink below her, the steam dancing in the air as it slowly engulfed her anxieties.

"How so?" Cora asked. Heels shuffling against the floor to join her daughters new found position. Regina saw out the corner of her eye her mother edging closer to the island Henry was still sat at. His legs suddenly still as his grandmother melted into the counter. "Regina?"

"I have plans," she started, finally looking up. Coffee cup slamming down in parallel to her eyes. She jumped a little at the sound, but Cora remained unphased. "With a friend," she whispered now, fingers dancing gingerly around the rim of her drink – suddenly remembering why she had avoided all eye contact with her mother this morning.

Cora's eyes were shrinking, squaring into her daughter and scanning the lie that technically hadn't been a lie. She knew there was something else and Regina knew that she was bound to suss it out, but still the brunette stared down the glare.

"hmm," Cora hummed, pushing back off the counter so that she could fold her arms tight across her chest. Still looking expertly suspicious but holding back a tongue filled with questions. "Well don't be back late, I meant it when I said this house needs some major improvements," the older woman took a side step to reclaim her own hot drink. Leaving the conversation, for now at least.

Regina ran a hand through Henry's hair, kissing lightly on his forehead and receiving a small smile. "I won't be," she spoke through a smile. Reassuring Henry more than her mother. She felt a little guilty for having to leave him alone, but there was no way in hell he was coming with her to meet Emma for coffee.

Regina felt a swell of sickness stone in her stomach, she pushed a hand to the area, rubbing down hard enough in hopes the feeling would shrink into something bearable. This was certainly not how she had seen her and Emma's future, she hadn't seen a future at all! The Regina who had coffee spilt down her dress would scoff at the accusation and shrug it off with an insult of some sort, unnecessary of course, but worth it at the time.

She waved off her son but was blatantly ignored by Cora who sat flipping through some catalogue on the kitchen side. She sighed silently, she hadn't been expecting some polite send off, but a smile or even an acknowledgment of her existence would have been nice.

Her heels echoed through the foyer, each one more damning than the next. All sending every kind of anxiety to rush around her body, this was all so weird. Everything about this was so off and she really didn't know how to handle any of it. And Emma still hadn't sent over the address, so now she was frustrated. She was annoyed, and she was anxious and that was possibly two of the worst things she could have been feeling right at that second.

She reached for the door and pried the wood open, she was met with a bright sun and a cold wind

and…

"What the hell-"

"Hi!" Emma was stood, red faced and bringing down the fist that was held out to fumble around with a pair of jangling keys. She was hopping from one foot to the other. Clearly nervous.

Regina had other more important matters on her mind, she stepped forward into Emma's space.

Closing the door as she did so. Emma looked a little confused, panicked even, at the sudden move. But she hadn't edged from being out of the way. The older woman, with every ounce of fury she could emit into her body got right in the blonde's bubble, their faces only inches apart.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she spat, quietly.

Emma licked her lips. Mouth opening and closing as she thought of something to say. But Regina was growing impatient, taking the red leathered elbow and yanking her away from the porch. But she'd been too late.

"Were you not planning on introducing us to your friend dear?" Cora cooed from the now fully open door. The brunette stopped in her tracks, with her back to her mother and a desperately kind of confused blonde in her hand. She sighed silently before turning with a smile.

"We have a reservation," she started, glaring to Emma who stood dumbfounded.

"Cora Mills," her mother introduced anyway, ignoring Regina's obvious lie. She stepped forwards with a hand held out. Regina had long let Emma's elbow fall from her grip so the blonde (after a painfully silent minute) mimicked the woman's movements and shook her hand.

"Mills?" Emma asked, her voice so quiet and confused. Regina rolled her eyes, biting hard on her tongue to stop herself from saying something she was bound to regret later.

"Regina's mother," she started with a smile. "I know, I don't look a day over twenty," the woman laughed, posing with a hand on her hip. Regina sighed more vocally now, eyes rolling again. Emma hadn't been sure if the woman was joking so she only offered a weak kind of smile and a faint laugh that was barely even noticeable. And then the three of them fell silent again, all eyes on an Emma who was stood scuffing her shoes against the wood beneath her feet.

"Oh! Swan," she called out after realising what it was the two brunettes had been waiting for, "I mean Emma…Emma Swan," the blonde stuttered, a trickling red flush was spraying her cheeks as she flustered helplessly in front of the brunette and her mother. Regina scoffed, and Emma looked back to her with a playful kind of scowl. The moment was so brief, but Regina suddenly felt a little more at ease. "You can just call me Emma," she mumbled, shuffling back on her feet a little – falling just slightly into Regina's bubble. Cora eyed the two, smile tight and fake on her cheeks.

"You seem to be quite famous in my daughters house Miss Swan," Cora said easily, looking to Regina with something dark in her eyes. The brunette squirmed a little under the glare. But kept her stance strong.

"Well that's news to me," Emma laughed, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked back to give Regina a wink. "I would have thought quite the opposite," she added, smiling back at Regina's glare.

"On the contrary dear, Regina and I were just discussing our annual Christmas party. She was supposed to have already given you your invitation," Cora commanded, hands knotting in front of her as she very obviously tried to keep her agitation under wraps.

"Me?" Emma asked, shuffling uncomfortably under the conversation. She didn't look back at Regina that time and the brunette let out another sigh.

"I'm assuming you're free?"

"Well I don't know when it-"

"Excellent. It was a pleasure to meet you Miss Swan. I'll be patiently waiting for the next time," Cora crooned, stepping back into the house. Giving Regina one last glare before completley slamming the door shut.

Regina sighed, loudly. Emma only shuffled under the sound, eyes flickering back to the brunette.

She had a smallish smile painting her lips, waiting patiently for Regina to say something.

But the brunette felt hot, she took in a breath and started back down the path. Only to be followed by the loud padding of boots against concrete and an Emma who was calling out her name.

"So, a Christmas party," she started, something a little more hopeful in her voice than before, but still wobbly with nerves.

"Just forget about it Emma," Regina bit out, mouth forming into a frown as she neared Emma's beat up bug.

"What if I don't want to," the blonde was still a few feet behind Regina, leaving enough space for

the brunette to turn and step back into distance between them.

"That's not an option," she warned, but her voice was melty instead of stern and Emma couldn't help the smile tighten her lips. Pale hands were slipping from out of her back pockets, she looked down to Regina as she crossed them over her chest.

"Well your mother just made it pretty clear that it was," she teased, leaning just an inch forward. They both heard the scuff of heels beneath them as Regina almost fell from the curb, hand splayed into the side if the bug behind her to keep her feet from giving way. Charcoal eyes were darting over every feature, over every inch of the blonde body that was only one move away from being pressed against her own.

"Do you have the address?" Regina gulped out. Emma furrowed her brows.

"What-"

"We're taking my car" and just as quickly as she had spoken she was slipping out from Emma's' glare, her tanned legs striding the miles back to her driveway, Emma sighed and turned.

"Why?" she asked, whining like a child.

"Because Miss Swan, I'm hardly risking my life in that metal coffin on wheels for a cup of coffee," the brunette scoffed. Emma threw her head back in frustration, dragging her boots to meet Regina who was already halfway into the black vehicle.