I am finally exams free so here is a longer chapter to celebrate this. I hope you like it and I will try to write the next one as soon as I can !!
Enjoy
oOoOoOo
Ruby and Belle had been staring at Emma with open mouths since she had revealed having feelingsfor someone. The two friends looked like they did not know if they should believe Emma or not.
"Are you ... in ... in love ?"
"In love ?" Emma shrugged "Love is not for me, Belle and you both know that. No, I don't love her, I guess I just really like her."
"That's kind of the same thing if you ask me." laughed Ruby even if she stopped almost instantly at the glare Emma shot her. "Anyway, you're way too complicated and I don't think we're ever going to understand your feelings so ... let's just stay at this : you like her."
"Yes. I do like her."
"Who is she anyway ? Is she the new girl in my maths class ? I heard she was bisexual so you could probably try to ask her out. Also, I've seen her staring at you when we were eating the other day, in my opinion, it will be more than easy to get her number." said an excited Belle at the idea of her friend finally getting a girlfriend, at least a serious one which was rare with Emma.
"No, it's not a student." said Emma, laughing lightly. She would wait before telling her friends about Regina, watching them wonder who Emma would like to date was way too funny for her to end their search.
"Then who is she ? Because other than students, you don't go out a lot, there is no way you could have met someone oustide of the highschool." asked Belle, still trying to find the name of the mysterious woman.
"Regina Mills."
"What did you just say ?! Who is Regina Mil- Oh my god !" yelled Ruby, standing up on the bed. Her mouth dropped open once again. "You are hot for the Evil Queen ?! What the fuck, Emma, are you sick ? I thought you hated her, what- why do you suddenly ... like her ?"
"She is quite beautiful, and if you like strong women, well ... then I totally understand your choice. But I must be honest, I'm also wondering ... why now ?" asked Belle.
"I don't know. Trust me, I'm as confused about my feelings as you are." Emma stopped talking and thought about the question her friends had asked her. Something must have happened for her to suddenly feel all those things for the beautiful brunette but what ? She couldn't come up with an explanation. Sure, Regina was breathtakinglysexybut Emma had always known this, it wasn't something new. She had always been attracted to the brunette's body but she never thought she would end up being attracted to more than it. Perhaps she just did not really know Regina before she got to spend so much time with her. Perhaps seeing Regina, the real Regina had changed her view towards her and she was now seeing the human behind the bitchy-mask. "Maybe I was just blind. I was so focusedon the hate that I did not see the ... attraction I was feeling for her and not only her physical assets."
"Ok but what made your opinion of her change so suddenly ? You were telling us about how much you hated her less than a week ago and now this." asked Ruby, more calm now that Emma was trying to explain the complicated situation.
"You know we have been spending a lot of time together ! I've even seen her son and he is-"
"You have what ?"
"The Evil Queen has a child ? I thought she wasn't even able to love !" yelled Ruby. Emma had had the exact same reaction when she had seen the picture of the small boy but hearing her friend say such things about Regina only made her angry. She had seen the love the brunette was feeling and giving to her son, she had witnessed the change in her eyes the second they laid on the dark haired boy. Regina Mills loved her son and she would not allow anyone to say otherwise now.
"Shut up, Ruby. Of course she is able to love. And stop calling her the 'Evil Queen' because she is far from evil. I know she sometimes is a little bit ... bitchy but definitly not evil." The look on Emma's face nearly made Ruby apologize but she only looked down at her laps, like a child who has been told 'no' for the first time.
"Ok but what did you mean by 'I've seen her son' ? I can understand that she has a family but I don't honestly think she would ever let you meet them. She hates you, Emma, and I am not saying this to be mean, I am saying this because it is the truth and you must face it." said a honest Belle. "I love you, Emma. I don't want to see you get hurt because of this woman."
Emma knew that she had promisedRegina to never mention the night to anyone but she could probably tell her friends about Henry. "You know Ariel was busy on friday night and I told you I would replace her as a baby-sitter. Well, the child I had to stay with happened to be Ms. Mills' son."
"You went into her house ? This is crazy, Emma." yelled Ruby.
"I know. But what's even more crazy is that she wasn't mean to me at all, and, believe me or not, she was actually quite nice."
"I didn't know she could be nice to you. And how was she today ? Did you go to your daily'detention' ?" asked a curious Belle.
"Yeah and we talked. A lot. And she truly was ... amazing."
"You totally have a crush on her. Hopefully it will pass, I don't want you to get hurt. This woman could easily crush you heart."
oOoOoOoOo
"Miss Swan, can you please stay for a minute ? There is something I have to talk to you about."
Emma was already halfway to the door when Regina called her. She did not know what the brunette wanted to tell her but she hoped it had nothing to do with her staring at her body during the entire hour. The teacher was wearing her usual pant suit but this time she had chosen a red blouse, as red as her lips and Emma just could not resist letting her eyes wander over her curves. She wondered about the age of the brunette. She could not possibly be older than her mother. Yet, the age gap between them probably was of more than ten years.
The blonde walked towards Regina's desk, unsure of what the brunette was going to say. She glanced at the students who were hurrying out of the class and then stared at the woman sitting behind the wooden desk, legs crossed. Once no one but them was left in the room, Regina finally looked up at Emma.
"I wanted to inform you that I have a work appointmentlater today so you will not have to stay with me after class. I thought about asking Kat- Ms. Nolan to replace me exceptionallybut I guess that, for once, I could let you go home early."
Emma had to try very hard to hide her disappointment. She had been looking forward to the hour she would spend with her teacher, even more now that she had finally admitted her feelings and shared them with her friends. Even if she felt sad at the idea of the time she could have spent with the beautiful brunette, she was happy to see that Regina was actually being nice to her, once again.
Even if the dark haired woman saw the disappointed look on the blonde's face, she did not mention it, as curious as it made her. "I will see you on thursday, thought. I believe you will be with Ms. Nolan tomorrow."
"Yeah, ok. Thank you ... I guess." sighed Emma. "What is your appointment about ? Is it with some parents who complain about Mr. Hood being a horrible teacher again ? Because that would not be very surprising, you know." joked Emma, laughing lightly.
"Oh ... no, not this time." said Regina, giving Emma an embarassed smile. "It just is about ... business, as always." lied the brunette. She did not know why she had felt the need to lie to the blonde when she simply could have told her that Henry had asked for his mother to bring him to the park because he felt like Regina 'was not spending enough time with him'. Probably because she felt guilty and she did not want Emma to think that she was a bad mother, even if the blonde would never doubt this.
"Oh and by the way, Ariel called me this morning and she confirmedwhat you told me yesterday. I think Henry would love for you to keep an eye on him when I or my sister can not. I do not go out a lot but whenever I do and I need your help, I will call you and informyou of the day and the time or simply talk to you directly, after all, we see each other nearly every day."
"Ok, you have my number, right ? I can't wait to spend some time with the-"
"Regina ?" said a third voice, knocking on the open door. "Oh, you're busy, I'm sorry to bother you but I was waiting for you and you were not coming. We have lunch but you probably forgot."
When Emma glanced at the entrance, she realized that the voice was Kathryn's voice. The blonde was staying outside of the room and she seemed to be in a rush, probably because she was late to wherever she had to go because of Regina.
"Oh, no, I had not forgotten, I was about to join you. I had to talk to Miss Swan before, I hope we are not going to be late." said Regina, standing up and reaching for her coat. The two friends had decided to eat lunch at the restaurant after Kathryn had told her that she needed to talk to someone in privacy and even if they were safe from anyone's ears in Regina's office, her secretary had the bad habit of bursting throught door without knocking.
Emma understood that it was time for her to go and she walked past the door and turned toward her brunette teacher. "I will see you on thursday, Ms. Mills. Thank you again for the job offer." She then looked at the woman standing next to her. "Have a great lunch."
When Emma was finally gone, Kathryn arched a browand looked at Regina. "I thought you hated her. And I also thought you told me your opinion about her would never change. I must have misheard." said the blonde, laughing. "Now hurry up, we already are late enough."
oOoOoOo
"So ... you and Emma ? It's getting better as I can see. What did she mean by 'Thanks for the job offer' thought ? What job could you have possibly offered her ?" asked a curious Kathryn. Regina and her blonde friend were waiting for their food to arrive. Kathryn had chosen a calm restaurant which, if Regina remembered correctly, was one of her favorite place in town. There was no risk of meeting someone she or Kathryn knew here at this hour and it was one of the reasons Kathryn at bought her friend here.
"I do not know if it is getting in any way better but at least I can see her more than a minute without getting angry at the simple sight of her." Regina knew she was lying. Things were getting better. Yet, admitting this to Kathryn would be like acknowledging that she had been wrong when she had told her that she hated the young blonde way too much for this to ever happen and Regina simply hated to be wrong about something. "And for the job well ... Ariel is leaving town so I was in the need of a new baby-sitter and Ms. Swan told me she would appreciate to have the job. Henry is also very fond of her."
"If Henry likes her than there are no problem with her being his new baby-sitter. I'm just ... surprised, I guess." sighed Kathryn.
"Anyways, we did not come here to talk about me and Miss Swan. You wanted to talk to me, right ? What is the matter ?"
"It's about David." started Kathryn. Regina rolled her eyes at the mention of the man. She could not stand him and talking about him during their entire lunch was not something she was looking forwardto. "I think he's ... I think he's cheating on me."
"What make you say that ? Do you have any proof ? That would not be surprising thought, he is certainly not smart enough to be able to hide such thing, anyway."
"Regina, please, insulting him won't change anything. It's just that he is always getting home late and when I ask him about it he says it's because of the mayor. From what he is telling me, the man gives him too much work and he has to stay late to finish it." The blonde stopped talking when the waiter bought them their plates. She waited and then continued. "I believed him at first but now, I am starting to get suspicious. What do you think ? Am I being too paranoiac."
"It was time for you to realize that you are too good for this man. Now, about the cheating, you do not have anough proofs. You should check his phone, if he is seeing someone else, he is probably talking to her over the phone."
"Yes, I will do this. Hopefully, I won't find anything." replied Kathryn.
"Yes. Hopefully." lied Regina. She loved Kathryn and she only wanted her to be happy but, she knew it would never be possible with this man.
oOoOoOo
Emma had arrived at the appartmentshe shared with her mother sooner than she used to since she did not have to stay with Regina or to hang out with her friends. She studied a small bit, not having anything to do other than her homeworks, before deciding that it was the right time to go out for a run. With High School and what was happening with Regina, she had completely forgotten about taking care of her body. She quickly changed into a black sport bra and black runningshorts, put her hair into a ponytail and walked out.
She had been running for 30 minutes already when her mind started drifting. Running helped her to think. She entered in a kind of bubblewhere she felt safe and isolated from any problems she could have or things which were bothering her. She ran faster than usual and she soon found herself in streets she rarely saw. When she arrived in a park, which she quickly recognized to be the park in which her mother used to bring her after school when she was a child, she stopped running to walk on the pathnext to the lake.
Staring at the ducks, she nearly missed the dark haired woman walking in the opposite direction with a tall redhead woman and a child.
"Regina ?!"
oOoOoOo
When Regina had finished worked, she had driven to her sister's house. The two sisters had been talking about Henry when Regina realized that she had not shared a meal with Zelena in a long time and that now was the right moment to invite her.
"Would you like to come with Henry and I at the park ? You could also join us for dinner, I will find something to cook. I am sure Henry would love for you to eat with us, right sweetie ?" said Regina while helping her son into his coat.
"Yes !" yelled Henry, a little bit too loud in his mother's opinion. She never stopped telling him about keeping the volume of his voice low but the small boy just wasn't listening.
"Then that is settled. Come on, grab your coat, you are coming with us."
"If you insist so much, I guess I can only say yes to my family." replied Zelena, laughing at her nephew's excitement.
The trio arrived at Henry's favorite place in Regina's car. Henry spent most of the time feeding the duck with Zelena and Regina stayed behind to watch her son. Once Henry had thrownall the bread his mother had given him, the sisters decided that it was time for them to head to Regina's mansion. Henry was walking between them and they were doing small talk when someone called Regina's name. She instantly looked up and gasped when she realized that the woman standing in front of her was none other than Emma Swan.
"Miss Swan ? What are you doing here ?" asked an incredulousRegina.
"I should be the one asking this question 'Ms. I have a business appointment'. You could have told me the truth, you know." said Emma, playfully. She wasn't mad at Regina for lying to her, she totally understood why the brunette would prefer to spend some time with her son instead of being blocked in a room with Emma for a whole hour.
"Yes ... I apologize for this." blushed Regina. She really had not planned on meeting the blonde here but from what she could tell from Emma's outfit, she had chosen to go for a run here exactly when Regina was there. Her cheeks became even redder when she realized that the blonde's abs were completelybare.
"Emma ! Do you remember me ? I'm Henry."
"Of course I remember you, Henry. We're friends, right ?" said Emma, now staring at the small boy. She then looked at Zelena. "I don't know you thought. Are you related to Regina ?"
"Yes, Zelena Mills. Her sister. And you are ... ?" said Zelena, reaching for Emma's hand with a wide smile.
"Emma Swan, I'm one of your sister's student. No, actually, I'm quite sure I am her best student." laughed Emma, shaking Zelena's hand and winking at Regina.
"Oh please ..." sighed Regina, rolling her eyes.
"I don't know about that but you surely are her hottest student ! How do you control your hormones with women like her in your class ?" flirted Zelena, looking at Emma up and down, her eyes lingering on her perfect abs. "You never told me this student you hated so much was that hot."
Emma blushed and laughed at the redhead's words. "You're not bad yourself. You don't look at all like Regina, I would never have guessed that you two are sisters."
"We actually are half-sisters but we've spent our whole lives together and we are now used to call each other 'sisters'. And trust me, our apparences are not our only differences. I'm way more ... adventurous." winked Zelena.
"Zelena. Your nephew is right there. Please, control yourself. You will excuse us, Miss Swan, but we have to go. It is getting rather late and I do not want my son to go to bed late because you and my sister decided to ... flirt with each other." said an angry brunette. She then took Henry's hand and walked away, leaving her sister and her student behind her.
"I guess this is my clue to go. It was a pleasure to meet you, Emma."
Emma rolled her eyes playfully. The two sisters were complete oppositesbut even if Zelena was quite the funny woman and from what Emma understood, interested in her, Regina was the only woman to make her heart beat faster.
oOoOoOo
After dinner, Regina and Zelena sat in the living room and Henry went to bed. The two sisters spent some time catching up and they talked about anything and everything. Even if they saw each other practicallyevery day, they rarely had much time to talk, Regina having to go to work. They were drinking the brunette's famous cider when Zelena completely changed their subject of discussion to something which had been bothering her mind.
"So ... What was that about your student earlier ?" asked Zelena, crossing her legs and getting more comfortable on the couch.
"What do you mean ?"
"I don't know, you just seemed ... I mean, do not get mad but when you interruptedus, you almost seemed ... jealous."
Regina's expression instantly darkened. "What are you talking about ? Why would I be jealous ? Have you lost your mind ?"
"You can lie to yourself, sweetheart, but you can not lie to me. I know you more than you know yourself and this was jealousy."
"Are you assuming that I have feelings for Miss Swan. She is my student and nothing more, Zelena." The more Zelena talked, the more Regina was getting angry. She could not have been jealous and she certainly did not have any feelings for her blonde student. Yes, she was starting to appreciate the time she spent with Emma, yet it did not mean anything.
"I am not assuming anything, I'm just wondering why you looked so angry when I was talking to her." said Zelena. She really loved to annoy her sister, even more now that they were adults.
"You were practically drooling over her ! Also, my son was right there if you did not notice, and he should not have to hear his aunt flirt with someone."
"He's a child, Regina. There is no way he understands what 'flirt' is. I had every right to have some fun with Emma, after all, you know I was just playing with her and, trust me, she knew it too."
"Well next time you will find someone else to play with. I do not like you doing this with her."
"You, Regina Mills, were jealous. Don't try to deny it, I've seen and heard enough to know what I'm talking about."
Regina rolled her eyes. She would never win an argument against her stubborn sister anyway, fighting would not change Zelena's opinion. Also, the fact that Regina knew that the redhead was probably right about some things made her choice of staying silent an even better option. I was jealous, thought Regina. How could this even happen ?