The following Monday, Regina's stomach clenched with anxiety at the thought of returning to the cafeteria. She wanted to see Granny. Now that she'd finally gone to see the woman, she couldn't stop thinking of her, had dreamt of her all weekend, and was looking forward to seeing her for lunch. But she was dreading going into that caf alone. She kept glancing up at the clock, waiting for Miss Swan to barge into her room, but ten minutes into her lunch period had yielded negative results.
Sighing and resigning herself to the fact that she was going to have to 'face the music' on her own, Regina stood and straightened her clothes before heading to the cafeteria. She found Granny in the kitchen, as usual, the woman's lips parting in a wide grin when she spotted her.
"There's my girl! I hoped you wouldn't disappoint me today," she said happily, giving Regina soft kiss on the cheek. "I made you something special."
"Hello, Granny. You didn't have to do that."
"Nonsense. Here. Churros y chocolate for you and Emma. I know it's your favourite treat. Or it used to be, all those years ago. And a few slices of eggplant parmesan for you girls as well. The two tastes don't really mix, but the eggplant is what the kids are getting today and I figured I'd save you two a couple of pieces."
Regina grabbed the container with the eggplant, placing it beneath the plate which held the mugs of chocolate and the churros. She accepted the wad of napkins from Granny, smiling widely and thanking her for the special treat.
"But I haven't see Emma…"
"She'll be in her classroom. It's Monday; she teaches PE was right before lunch on Mondays. She didn't come in here all sweaty and looking for lunch, which means she's probably worn herself out and has some of prepackaged snack she's eating instead of coming to get something good. Bring her this and tell her she owes me a hug later."
Regina paused for a second before finally nodding.
"Alright."
"Well, go on, girl. Before the food gets cold. I'll see you tomorrow for pierogie day."
Regina grinned.
"Yes you will."
She carefully carried the container and the plate in her hands, ignoring the looks from the other teachers as she made her way down the hall to Emma's classroom. She didn't bother knocking, just pushing the slightly-ajar door open and then pushing it closed with her foot.
"Regina," Emma said, surprised, jumping up and grabbing the plate the woman was balancing in her hands. "What are you doing here?"
"Granny insisted I bring you something to eat. She stated that you'd likely be eating something unhealthy and after doing exercise, you should be eating something more filling than," Regina glanced over at the packet of Oreos sitting on her colleague's desk, "cookies. Is that all you're going to be eating for lunch?"
Emma shrugged, walking back to her desk and pulling up a second chair for Regina, who thanked her as she sat and opened the container in her hands.
"They're quick and easy."
"And what would your mother have to say about eating cookies for lunch?"
When she didn't receive a response, Regina glanced up from the piece of eggplant she was putting on a napkin for Emma, watching the woman as she struggled with an impassive expression. She received a shrug, Emma plopping down in her chair as she licked her finger clean of the chocolate that had sloshed over on the plate and onto her hand.
"I don't know. Dunno who she is. But if you find out, you can ask her."
Regina frowned before smoothing out her expression, moving to put her own piece of eggplant on a napkin.
"You don't know who your mother is?" she asked casually. Or what she hoped was casually.
"No clue."
"And your father?" Regina asked carefully.
Emma shrugged again.
"I don't have parents. So I can pretty much eat what I want and nobody cares. Your kid wasn't lying when he said I have no family."
The way she said it, with such impassivity, tugged at Regina's heart.
"Not no one," Regina countered, pushing the eggplant over to her colleague. "Granny was quite adamant that you eat this."
Emma smiled.
"Yeah. She's pretty good to me."
Regina took a delicate bite of her own eggplant parmesan, stifling a moan at the delicious flavours that burst on her tongue. God, Granny was a good cook. She looked up at Emma, who was eating quietly, her face betraying none of what she was feeling. She was currently looking down at her meal, picking at it rather than inhaling it like Regina had seen her every other time she ate. When several minutes passed between them without conversation, Regina spoke again.
"Does this line of questioning upset you? I didn't mean to bring up old wounds."
Emma lifted a shoulder, letting it drop heavily as she took another bite of the admittedly tasty eggplant.
"Eh, not my favourite topic of conversation. But, you were honest the other day with me, so I'll return the favour."
"You don't have to speak about it, Emma. I chose to be honest with you, despite the fact that it felt rather… uncomfortable. You have no obligations to do the same."
"Well, it's not like you're gonna go blab to all your friends here at the school, right?" Emma winced as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "Sorry. Foot in mouth."
Luckily, Regina laughed rather than became offended.
"No. There's no worries about that. I don't have any friends here. But, even if I did, I wouldn't. I know what it's like to be spoken about, for people to talk behind my back. It isn't enjoyable, being the source of gossip. I wouldn't do that to someone who is… trying to be friendly with me."
Emma smiled finally, looking up at her.
"Noticed, did you?"
"That you're trying to be my friend? I've no idea why."
"Everyone needs a friend."
Regina took another bite of her eggplant, chewing slowly before finally admitting, "It's been so long, I'm not sure I remember how to be a friend."
"Well, I'm not the best at it either. Didn't really have friends growing up," Emma admitted, before slowly opening up. "Nobody wants to be friends with the kid who has no parents, whose clothes is too big and is obviously from Goodwill, and who never has any of the stuff that's 'in' cause she's too poor." Emma glanced down for a second, reaching for a churro and dipping it in chocolate before taking a healthy bite. She then looked back up at Regina, chewing methodically before continuing. "People don't become foster parents 'cause they want to raise other people's kids. They do it for the money, which isn't all that much – or so I was told my whole life. Not really sure why they did it then if it wasn't 'worth the trouble'."
Regina frowned heavily, at a loss of what to say. She was saved from responding though, when Emma looked at her and insisted, "He's a really lucky kid, Regina, that you adopted him. Maybe you made some mistakes and stuff, but him being adopted by you is a billion times better than growing up how I did. And maybe how you did too. I had some foster moms that were like your mom. They're the scary ones. They act all nice in front of others and get praised for taking care of 'those poor little orphans'. But then you get home and are at the other end of a metal rod for an hour because you didn't remember to thank the host when they handed you a napkin."
Regina's eyes widened when Emma spoke, the blonde back peddling as soon as she saw the look on the other woman's face.
"Sorry. Not saying that like happened or anything. Just that, y'know, those types of people exist and-"
"No," Regina said, cutting her off. She knew what Emma was trying to do, what Regina did whenever she made the mistake of opening up to someone who became overwhelmed or uncomfortable hearing what her mother had put her through. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to show my shock quite so blatantly. Normally, I have better control of my expressions. I'm sure that it did happen, and that it happened to you, at the hands of the type of woman you described. And… yes. My mother is the type of woman who will lock a child who is terrified of the dark in a closet for hours because she hit the wrong key during a piano recital and embarrassed her in front of everyone. And when that child wets herself because she was both afraid and denied a bathroom, well. There are consequences for that too."
Emma, not having expected the admission, bit her tongue.
"I knew I should have decked her right in her stupid face as soon as I saw her."
Regina gave a small smile, picking at her nail.
"She played a lot of mind games," Regina admitted, "which is why Henry and I don't see her very often."
"I don't think you should ever see her. I mean, I had some pretty fucked up foster parents, but at least I don't ever have to see them again."
Regina's expression contorted into one of displeasure, sitting back in her seat.
"What?" Emma asked.
"I don't know how you pry these things out of me." Granny, well. She was Granny. She could get anything out of Regina. But Miss Swan? The woman she had just met a few months ago? Surely Regina's resolve was better than that.
Emma just shrugged.
"Maybe because you know I can relate? Or because I opened up to you and trusted you, so you're actually trying to do the same? Or maybe cause you've already thrown your mean stuff at me and I stuck around, still wanted to be your friend, and still chose to open up to you, so you're taking a vote of confidence?"
Regina didn't say anything, uncomfortable with how close Emma's guesses were to the truth.
"Or maybe I'm just attractive as all hell and this is your way of getting into my pants."
Regina laughed loudly at that, lightening the heaviness in the room with the sound.
"You know, be all dark and mysterious, then open up a little, then next thing you know, bam. I'm naked and tied up in your bed."
"Is that all it takes?" Regina teased.
"Nah," Emma said, getting up and throwing her napkins in the garbage and gathering her dishes to return them to Granny. "You're pretty much exactly my type. All you'd have had to do was ask."