A/N: Potential trigger warnings throughout this chapter.
Emma and Regina arrived at Kathryn's apartment block just a little after 7. The traffic had been an absolute nightmare, to the point Regina had asked James to just pull up around the corner and they had walked the last two blocks. The apartment block wasn't nearly as splendid as Regina's, and Emma wondered how she came to be friends with someone who wasn't quite in the same social circle as she was.
Regina stepped out of the small elevator first, and Emma fell into line waddling along a little behind her, as she strode towards the door. They had barely spoken in the car and the silence between them was becoming awkward. Regina came to a stop at a door midway down the corridor and Emma promptly stopped behind her, and used her to hide a little out of sight.
"Emma, don't be shy. Come out so Kathryn can at least see you when she answers the door!" Regina insisted.
But Emma stayed firmly behind her, peering round as she heard the scratching of nails against the door as a chain was undone, and the lock was clicked open. The door swung back gently to reveal a sheepish looking woman, with long blonde-ish hair like her own. She was pretty and trim and tall, with sculpted facial features that made it appear as if she was pouting gently, even though she was smiling.
"Regina, hi, come in come in" she stated as she stepped aside.
Regina smiled, greeted her friend and headed straight on in, exposing Emma and leaving her stood in the hallway like a lost little girl. She couldn't bring herself to look at the woman, and knew she was staring at her. Kathryn was indeed, with a grin still on her face she eyed Emma from head to toe and then looked back to Regina.
"This is your girlfriend?" she asked in a slightly amused tone.
Kathryn couldn't believe her eyes. Emma was shy, and timid, not what she had imagined at all. She was so young as well, which definitely surprised her. She thought Regina might have gone for someone similar to herself, powerful, of a similar class and background, neat, tidy, authoritarian, but no, she had completely got it wrong. When Regina nodded and smirked somewhat proudly in confirmation that Emma was in fact her girlfriend, Kathryn looked back at the blonde and chuckled a little as she insisted she come inside also.
Emma glanced up for just a second and quickly hurried into the small apartment. To her surprise it seemed much bigger on the inside, and that was because it was a long rectangular shape. Emma had assumed from the windows outside that each apartment was small, but they weren't at all. It was all very modern inside, but with a shabby chic feel and look. Emma looked around nervously as she followed Kathryn and Regina towards the kitchenette, once the hostess had closed the front door.
"So, what's your girlfriend's name Regina? Introduce us properly" Kathryn grinned as she extended her hand out to Emma.
"Kathryn, this is Emma. Emma, this is Kathryn, my oldest and only friend" Regina sighed heavily.
She hated the whole introductions thing, and she rolled her eyes at Kathryn as she shook Emma's hand politely.
"Well, at least now I know what to call you Emma. Would have been awful to have to keep calling you Regina's girlfriend, wouldn't it?" Kathryn joked in an attempt to break the ice.
Emma murmured her agreement and nodded, forcing a small polite smile at the blonde stranger.
"So what are you cooking Kathryn. Something smells good?" Regina asked.
She was trying to make conversation before Kathryn started an Emma inquisition.
"Oh you know, that is the wonderful smell of freshly delivered Chinese" Kathryn grinned again, as she reached down two wine glasses from the shelf, and went to reach for a third.
Regina forced a smile. She wasn't amused. Kathryn hated cooking she knew that, but she despised the greasy Chinese that Kathryn enjoyed from the grotty little place opposite her apartment block. She regretted saying it smelt good now because it meant Kathryn would actually expect her to consume some of it. She just had to pray now that it didn't have the same effects on her delicate stomach as last time.
"Kathryn hates to cook" Regina informed Emma, so as to explain the facial expression she had given.
"And Regina hates Chinese from Wongs downstairs, so she can stop pulling that face because I got this Chinese from that super new posh place in the centre. The Mystic River"
"You bought food from The Mystic River?" Regina questioned.
She had to admit that wasn't half as bad as Wongs, but it was pricy and Kathryn didn't easily part with her wealth, unless it was for a vintage bottle of something alcoholic.
"Well I am impressed" Regina quipped, somewhat sarcastically still.
Kathryn shook her head playfully with a little tut and smirked at Regina as she grabbed a bottle of red from her wine rack and started to pour into all three glasses. She was generous with the servings and promptly brought a glass over for both Regina and Emma. The brunette took hers and instantly had a taste, it was full bodied and a delight to the taste buds. Kathryn also handed a glass to the blonde who stammered, not knowing how to refuse the drink.
"Oh Kat, Emma can't have that" Regina quickly interjected.
"Why not? She underage or something?" Kathryn joked, still holding the glass out to Emma.
"Hardly. No, she's…." Regina was less that impressed trying to reply when Emma simply spirted out the reason rather innocently herself.
"I'm pregnant"
The style of her dress was actually hiding her bump quite well, and Kathryn hadn't even noticed it. She stared at Emma for a moment, then looked between the two of them with their serious looking faces. It had to be a joke, she was certain. She smirked and tried not to laugh as she questioned Regina.
"Seriously?"
"Seriously" she confirmed, from behind her wine glass that was now to her lips and hiding a developing smirk.
She watched Kathryn as she eyed Emma up and down again in complete shock. They could both see the baby bump but Kathryn seemed to be having some difficulty.
Kathryn was naturally intrusive as a person, very curious and suspicious of others and that was what made her so good at her job as a journalist, but she really was having trouble with understanding if she was being played or not. She circled around Emma, looking for evidence of tightness, or stretch in the fabric of her dress, which may give further insight as to whether she was in fact pregnant and just not showing very much. It made Emma suddenly feel very uneasy as she peered to Regina who was still hiding behind her wine glass and keeping quiet. Eventually Kathryn stopped and stood still right in front of her. She tried her very best to look Emma in the eye and ask again if they were serious, but failed miserably only to break out in light giggles.
Emma realised she was going to have to show Kathryn, or that she was going to be gawked at all night as she looked for signs, which made her feel uncomfortable about being there. She didn't want to be on show for someone like that, well not privately anyway. She pulled the skirt on her dress down, and held it back a little so that it stretched across her tummy.
"Ohhhh" Kathryn stated as her eyes widened a little.
She could see it now, and took a sip of wine from the glass she had been offering Emma to help her get over the realisation. That was two surprises about Regina's girlfriend she had had in one night, and she wondered if there were anymore. She loved a good bit of gossip and secretly hoped there was.
Kathryn took a step back finally when Emma let go of her dress and her bump seemed to disappear under it once more. She was keen to get them sat at the table and eating so that she could get them chatting and hopefully learn more about her friend's new relationship. She gathered the silver foil trays and started laying them out on the table, then returned to the kitchen for plates and cutlery which she set out in three places.
"Ok well sit down, get comfy" she declared as she showed off the table.
She headed back into the kitchen one last time to fetch Emma a glass of water, and then returned to the table to take her seat. Both Emma and Regina were sitting silently, neither of them making a move for the food, which made Kathryn sigh dramatically as she grabbed one foil container.
"I'll be mother then" she joked as she unfolded the rim and popped the cardboard lid off.
Emma thanked her politely as she empty out some rice onto her plate, and then some meat from another tub. Regina got served a noodle dish, which she for once didn't look at disgusted and Kathryn had the same as Emma. They all started eating silently, the only noise in the apartment the sounds of cutlery hitting the plates.
Kathryn and Regina ate elegantly at always, but Emma's only picked at her food very slowly. She was starving but scared to eat as she usually would.
"Don't you like it Emma?" Regina asked gently.
"Yeah. Yeah it's nice"
"Well then eat up, enjoy it!" Kathryn smiled.
Emma looked down at her plate and the mix of food that she had pushed around. She scooped up a large forkful and shoved it in her mouth, quickly followed by another because it was delicious. Kathryn and Regina exchanged a smile, and then focused their attention back to their own dinners.
"So, how did you two meet?" Kathryn asked as they all finished eating, and she topped up Emma's plate.
She looked between them both as Regina and Emma exchanged glances. The brunette didn't know if Emma was going to answer at all, and if she would be honest, and well she wasn't sure to answer because she had her own agenda given Kathryn's occupation. But, Emma seemed nervous and lost for words so Regina quickly took a sip of wine and cleared her throat.
"At a diner"
Emma gave her a confused look. She didn't see why if the two women were friends, Regina was giving Kathryn and constructed version of the truth.
"The one opposite where you work?" Kathryn asked intrigued.
Regina nodded in confirmation and reached for her wine once more. She took a small sip and then complimented the food trying to get Kathryn off the scent. She wasn't ready to share her and Emma's story yet and she only wanted certain details released into the media, as she knew her friend would not be able to resist tweeting about their evening the second they left, if not whilst they were still there.
"Regina, don't change the subject! I wanna know about you and Emma" Kathryn teased, cocking her head and beaming a mischievous grin at her.
"I told you!"
"No, you said at a diner. Come on I want details?" Kathryn grinned.
Emma felt herself feeling awkward and she didn't dare to say a thing at all when Kathryn looked in her direction for answers, when Regina wasn't forthcoming. Regina tried to take back control by ordering her gently to leave Emma alone, and Kathryn huffed and puffed and began hounding her again for detail.
She felt grateful to Regina for taking the heat back off of her, but Kathryn was soon back firing questions at her on a different subject.
"So, who is the father?" she asked nodding in gesture to Emma's bump.
The blonde's eyes widen and she stammered, hesitating with an answer before confirming that she didn't know. It earned her a glare from Regina. The brunette clearly was unimpressed with the question and Emma's answer. She felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment and quickly excused herself, asking politely if she could use the bathroom.
Kathryn kindly pointed her in the right direction, and Emma quickly disappeared towards and into the bathroom. She waited until she heard the door click shut and then leaned in close to her friend. Resting her elbows on the table, she linked her hands and used them to support her chin as she rested her head upon them and grinned at her friend.
"Right, come on. Spill. What the hell is going on?!" she demanded, widening her eyes excitedly at Regina, which made her eyebrows arch up towards her hairline.
"There is nothing to tell, I have told you all you need to know"
"Well if that's true, how come she couldn't answer the innocent question I asked her?" Kathryn mused.
She stared at Regina waiting for an explanation to that question. The brunette really thought she was smart, but she wouldn't outsmart her this time, no wool was being pulled over her eyes. She smirked as she saw Regina squirm in her seat and instantly recognised the signs of discomfort.
"Oh. My. God! I've got it!" she suddenly declared out of nowhere just as Regina had been about to attempt an excuse.
"It's not! Is it?" she gasped.
Regina swallowed hard, she knew exactly who Kathryn meant. She also couldn't be sure it wasn't after what Emma had admitted earlier in the evening, despite what she said that doubt was still there.
Her silence just spoke volumes to Kathryn and she made the assumption that it had to be true. It was certainly very interesting and it explained so much. She leaned back in her seat and smirked knowingly at Regina. It had to be because of Leopold, and now she was using the blonde to get back at him.
"Well, well, well who knew? You've learned to fight dirty! It's about time he got what was coming to him though. So does he know?"
Emma emerged from the bathroom just as Regina was confirming that it wasn't Leopold's and explaining that he had Emma had an altercation in the past but it wasn't anything to write home about. She just caught the end of the conversation and felt physically sick as she approached the two women deep in conversation. Neither of them had noticed her and she sniffled as she slid back into her seat.
They finally looked up, Regina's cheeks instantly turning crimson with embarrassment and knowing she had been overheard, and Kathryn grinned as she looked at Emma just sat there.
"Emma, we weren't, I…Kathryn got the wrong end of the stick. I had to explain"
"She thinks I slept with your husband and ran off because the baby is his?" Emma queried, a little sassier than she had intended and, than Regina had expected from her.
Kathryn was keen to find out and quickly confirmed Emma's statement, meaning she was still waiting for some confirmation of her suspicions. She suspected she didn't need them though. She gazed at Emma hopefully but her smile soon faded when the blonde scoffed and shook her head in disbelief. She wasn't in the mood to be gossiped about, and she certainly wasn't in the mood to continue on with the pleasantries of an evening with a woman who just wanted to pry.
"What? So I look like some cheap little whore to you, and she'd only be interested in me if there was an ulterior motive?" she accused.
"Emma!" Regina scolded.
Kathryn sat back in shock and looked at Regina. So the shy little blonde had some fire in her. It impressed Kathryn somewhat and eventually she smiled. Emma just stared at her coldly. She still wasn't impressed and she didn't like being judged by strangers who made accusations about her when they had no facts. Kathryn knew she'd touched a nerve though, and it had been her intention. When people were worked up, tongues started to loosen and suddenly truths would slip free.
"My baby is my business, and no just because I slept with her husband doesn't mean it's his!"
Kathryn smiled. The blonde had retaliated again out of nowhere, earning herself another scolding of her name from Regina, and she was certain there would be more shortly. So, she was not disappointed when Emma continued on.
Regina willed for Emma to be quiet. She didn't want Kathryn to have this much information at her fingertips yet and it just appeared to be getting more and more heated. Kathryn was questioning everything Emma said and she was getting so much that by the time Regina finally stood up to stop it all, Kathryn practically knew more about Emma's life and feelings than she had manged to get in the days they had spent together since meeting.
"Emma, we should go. It's getting late." Regina stated as she glared at her friend.
"So soon?" Kathryn questioned with a grin.
"We were just getting started"
"Yes Kathryn I know but Emma is tired. I am tired. I will call you" Regina rushed as she hurried around to Emma's seat and helped her up.
The blonde was fuming and all het up from the slightly heated conversation with Kathryn. She reluctantly got up and practically had to be pushed towards the door by Regina, because she was dragging her heels like a petulant child. Kathryn decided to follow them to the door, observing their interactions very closely and with invested interest as she bid them goodnight.
"Good Night Kat" Regina snapped as she disappeared to awards the elevator with Emma.