Disclaimer: OUaT is ABC's property... And I've nothing to say about it or my failure to take over... One day however...
Mondays in Storybrook had never been so hard to get up as this one for the sheriff. The previous day was the most exhaustive to say the least. In between her mother trying to apologize for her ability to never handle a secret and the 'ending-of-festival' version of Leroy, now with drunken Hook as a bonus, the sheriff had to be constantly checking for any turmoil. By the end of the day she had a pirate and a dwarf arrested and could be back on time to help Regina returning the kids to the hospital with Henry. She tried to walk Regina back home but the brunette politely declined saying she should get Henry home as it was getting late.
As always when she had just finished taking the damn alarm off and continued her sleep her charming of a father appeared and took the covers away from her body. "I don't care for the covers today." She said in a sleepy voice.
"I'll be right back with the cold water." Was his reply.
She immediately got up on her feet. "I'm up!"
When Henry was about to finish his breakfast she announced that today she'd be walking him to school.
They were walking on the sidewalk when she decided to talk. "So, kid... I think we should have a talk."
Henry turned to face his mother. "Is this about you and mom?"
Emma looked at him for a moment. "Yeah... I know you must be confused... And I'm sorry for not telling you before."
"It's okay." He simply said.
Emma waited for him to complete the sentence but that never came. "What is okay?" She faced him confused and they stopped walking.
Henry turned to face his mother as if she was being the silliest person in the world. "That you want to date her, of course." Emma made her 'oh-that' face and nodded. "I think she likes being around you... I'll be okay if you make her happy. And if you're happy too."
Emma smiled brightly at her son's words. "Thanks kid."
She hugged him tightly. "No need suffocate me." He said giving little slaps at her back. When Emma stopped the hug the boy fixed his clothes and started to walk, she giggle and followed him.
Once again Regina was wearing her casual jeans and a t-shirt but this time she was heading not to the police station but to the main street, she'd be helping with getting everything dismounted. It had been a while she didn't have to do some handiwork but she'd try at least. The former mayor started searching for David when she arrived at the place and once he was found she went to talk with him. "Hello, Charming."
He turned to look at her. "Hi. So you came to help us?"
"I hope this was a rhetorical question." She said and when he was about to speak she continued. "How should I be helping?"
He shook his head. "Well, as Leroy is still at drunk-arrest... Can you climb a ladder?"
He pointed to where the ladder was set studying it. "It should be no problem." The people around stopped their tasks to look at her direction as they remembered that the sheriff had an incident doing the same task. She didn't know what the funny looks were about so she simply ignored them.
Emma had just arrived and was looking for her father when she saw the man in question he went to talk to him. "Hey... I was just looking for..." Her mouth stood open and her legs stopped walking when she saw Regina up on the top ladder.
David looked from his daughter to the brunette. "Stop staring, would you?"
"I'm not staring..." She said not looking at him as her eyes stayed at Regina's butt.
"Stop looking." He said slowly and she finally turned to face him. "Where's Leroy?"
"I'm just going to get him off... I guess." She turned to leave but for some reason her feet walked into one another and she almost got to the floor. "I'm fine." She quickly spoke putting herself together to leave with her poor of a dignity.
Nobody saw but Regina had a smile on her face for seeing how she affected the blonde.
After a while David had decided that he had to speak with the brunette... And soon. That woman was causing him a bunch of trouble without even having a relationship with Emma. When he saw her alone he walked on her direction. "We need to talk." His voice was serious and Regina passed the opportunity to make a spice comment this time.
"About what?"
"Emma." He waited to see if he had her full attention before continuing. "We both know that Snow is not happy about you two being together but Emma is an adult and she has to make her own decisions. I won't say I'm happy but I respect it and if it's you who should make her happy I'll be okay... Just don't make her suffer."
Regina had a confused glare. "You are aware that there's nothing between me and your daughter, aren't you?"
"Yet..." He said and left before Regina could say anything.
It was Wednesday and she had just left the family mausoleum and headed to the hospital, a destination that was becoming more and more constant.
Today she was coming earlier as she wanted to take her favorite girl to spend the whole day with her. Somehow the more time she'd spent with the girl seemed to never be enough. As she walked in she saw her little angel sleeping yet. The day before she had arranged with miss Peterson that she'd be coming to get Julia.
After seeing the brunette the girl was fast awake and ready to leave with her. Before leaving Regina stopped by the dining hall so they could have breakfast together, she had brought food with her.
Things at the diner were calm, only the sheriff sitting on the counter and a couple of other costumers were there. When they walked in Emma fast looked smiling but her smile slowly disappeared when she saw matching clothes. Julia looked like a little Regina Mills, they were both on white button up shirts and black suit pants. Even the shoes were similar only the girl's were not high heeled ones.
"Oh my God! What did you do to the child, Regina?" She said as the two walked closer.
"It is not my fault she has a good taste on clothes, dear. Obviously you don't even know what that means." She pointed to Emma's leather jacket.
"The truth? I think you love my jackets..."
"It's not the jackets that I like, Miss Swan..." Emma almost fell from her seat after the words Regina said and she quickly started to blush. The brunette only walked away to take a seat with a smile. Ruby came from the kitchen and saw Emma with a weird face.
"What happened?"
"I think Regina just flirted with me." Ruby turned to look for Regina and when she found the former mayor the woman gave her a smile and blinked.
Emma was walking by the streets heading nowhere, as everyday for the last month she was thinking about Regina. The blonde hadn't seen her in four days, the last two times were the occasions when her dignity went away waving her goodbye.
She found herself at the entry of the white mansion, for a moment she hesitated to walk to the door but her wish was bigger that it should and she went there. When she turned the door lock for her surprise it was open, as the blonde entered she heard someone humming it came from the study.
The former mayor was looking out the window and when she turned Emma was found standing by the doorstep with a awkward smile. "I'm sorry... The door was open and I just... Thought that-"
"You thought you could step into my house as you did with my life." Beside the hard words Regina's tone was soft as was her eyes.
"I'm sorry..." Emma tuned to leave but the brunette's voice stopped her to even make 'till first step.
"Wait! You don't have to leave." Regina said as she took seat.
"It's okay, you don't have to be polite or anything. And I interrupted your... Lonely moment anyway..."
"I don't want to be alone right now... Some company would be good for a change."
With these words Emma took a seat at the couch in front of her. "So... Do you want to talk about it?"
Regina's voice was with a soft trace of nervousness. She thought that Emma was referring to their situation. "Oh, I wasn't asking to-"
"No, not about that." The sheriff cut her to correct. "I agreed to give you time for you to think and I'm doing it... Though I'd like to be young enough to still can handle sexual activities, you can take as much time as you want... I know it's gonna be worth it." She blinked at the end. For the first time at the whole day Regina laughed and the amazing part was the motive being a cheesy pick up line from Emma.
"You should be ashamed of your charm skills, sheriff."
"Guess I should be spending more time with my father..."
Regina made an expression as if she was thinking for a moment. "It's not like the two idiots and their 'I found you' moments are any better."
"It's cute... And you should not call them by that on my face, I'm their daughter you know..." Emma said pretending to be offended.
"That just makes you Idiot Jr."
Emma laughed at the joke. It was usually hard to be seen but Regina had some sense of humor. "Okay, I'm not an idiot but you made your point. I won't be starting an argument." The blonde went back to their main subject. "So, are we talking about what's bothering you?"
Regina took a deep breath. "It's Julia..." She stopped for a moment and Emma made a sign for there to proceed. "Well, I've known her for a month or so but it just feels as if she's been here for years. And I there's also this need to be there for her, to protect her. I like the boys, really I do beside their hate for me-"
"They don't hate you... They're just confused 'cause you're being nice to them and they didn't expect it."
"Maybe... But with her is just much deeper. I've felt this much affection for anyone only once..." Regina's voice was full of caring.
"Henry." Emma said in a whisper.
"Yes, Henry."
"Are you saying you want to adopt her?"
"Her parents could be anywhere and I can't go through it again." The other woman knew what she was referring to.
She got up from the couch and got to her knees in front of Regina. "Look at me." The words came out softly. Regina hesitated but looked into the green eyes. "If you feel it like you felt with Henry. If you think she needs you and you can be there for her, then so be it. Yes, her parents might get back one day but even if they happen to came into her life again she'll still love you and care for you as much as you for her."
"I wish it was that easy."
"It is, if you want it to be."
"You have no idea what it was like-" She stopped for a moment to take a deep breath. "What it was like having the one person I most love taken away from my life." Regina said getting up from her seat.
"I didn't take him away... You know it, he's still here."
"Where?" She said turning her back to the blonde and facing a window.
"He's here at your life... Only now you have to share him but that doesn't make him love you any less. You can have a future with this girl too and you know you're not by yourself."
Regina laughed a weak laugh. "You don't know how ridiculous that sounded, dear." After a silent moment Regina spoke again. "Her friends might not think I'm evil but other people do... And I can't really say they're entirely wrong." She turned to face Emma.
"We both know that's not true. You were evil but that's neither who you are nor who you have to be." Emma's words were serious as she wanted to make Regina have belief at herself.
"I appreciate your hopes and dreams for my future but that's not how things work, Emma. And I'm sorry to crash your fantasy but I cannot be that good soul character you play me for." She said with much of a conviction that Emma for the first time knew she really hadn't. In front of her was a woman that wanted to be a better person not only for their child but for herself. Henry was proud of her but the fact is that Regina also wanted to be proud of herself and be able to finally let the Evil Queen be just a part of who she is not all her being. Once again she wanted to be Regina Mills for a change, she just didn't know if or how that'd happen and bring a child into that mess wouldn't be fair.
"You can try but you can no longer play me. You think that just because making everyone see only the devil you want to show them is going to make you tough and unreachable but it won't. You know that it's not all you want them to see in you and surely is not all you are. You say you can't be the good guy but I know you and you're Regina. Freaking. Mills. You can be whoever or whatever you want and that's one of the amazing things about you. And I really think that if you let yourself just be people might start to see a little of what I see..." Emma took a step closer. "I don't expect you to be good. I expect you to be you, with all the bad things included on the package, 'cause all of these make you who you're... And for me you're just perfect." At the end of her sentence Emma's voice was nothing more than a whisper and her face was the closer she had ever got to Regina's. "I believe you can do it..."
"I want to believe that too..." Her voice too was a whisper and soon everything didn't matter, only Emma Swan. Their lips were almost reaching each other when the brunette abruptly took a step back.
Emma closed her eyes frustrated. "I'm sorry... I... I should go..." She said softly.
Regina only remained watching the blonde leave, for a moment she almost lost control. These feeling for Emma were getting out of proportion. The words said by the other woman started to be processed.
It was like her legs had life and the next thing she knew she was stepping outside her house hoping the blond hadn't gonne too far. "Emma!" The blonde stopped before she got to the streets when she heard the voice and turned to face Regina with a smile. "I... I think I might be free Saturday night..." And with that the older woman returned to her home.
After it took while but Emma finally processed the words and went jumping through the streets happily. She was walking backwards when a parked car came out of nowhere and she fell on it making the alarm turn on, she ran as fast as she could before anyone arrived.