A/N: So, updating got a bit crazy over Christmas/New Year, but hopefully I'll be able to stick to the once-a-week-updates now I'm back at work!
:D
Henry didn't call in the end. It was gone one in the morning when Liv finally admitted defeat, turned the television off and tried to sleep. It was almost impossible and, no sooner had she closed her eyes, than the alarm clock on the bedside table screeched into life and ripped her away from her dreams.
The next morning seemed oddly forced, with everyone doing a complex dance around each other. It was as though the routine was programmed into Liv as she moved around the house, preparing breakfast for herself and the children and getting ready for work. She barely had time to realise what was happening until she'd dropped all five off at the bus stop and was drawing to a halt in the parking lot at the Town Hall.
With a sense of déjà vu, the woman walked through the building until she reached the Mayor's office and took her seat behind the desk she had last sat at when she was eighteen-years-old. On autopilot, she turned on the computer and flicked through the files that lay on her desk. There was something strangely comforting as her eyes moved over information and she ranked the proposals and forms waiting for Regina's attention in order of importance.
Looking up as the clicking of heels across the marble floor broke through her concentration, Liv narrowed her eyes at her mother. A quick glance at the clock told her that Regina was almost an hour late. Clenching her jaw, she resolutely refused to give in to her curiosity and ask for the cause of her tardiness.
"You've got a meeting with the small business owners in forty minutes." She said instead, arming herself with a pile of folders. "You'll need to look over these proposals and familiarise yourself with the documents on the new licensing regulations." Regina took the files with a nod, apparently barely listening. "Then Mrs Nolan, Mr Hadland and Doctor Whale want to speak to you regarding the anti-liquor initiative they're running in Storybrooke Elementary and Middle School at the moment. I told them that you're free around three o'clock."
"Right…"
"So… are you going to tell me about last night?"
"Last night?"
"Your date, Mom."
Regina glanced at her, evidently wondering how she knew it had been a date, before recovering her control and smiling weakly. "I don't think so, dear."
"Mom!"
"Are you willing to tell me about your relationship with Jack?"
"No."
"Well then." The Mayor nodded as though that was the end of it.
"But that's different. Mom! This is–"
"None of your business, Olivia." Regina informed her bluntly. "I understand that it's difficult for you to accept that Emma and I are over. But we are. We're divorced. I'm moving on because, despite what some may believe, I do deserve to be happy."
Her daughter scowled, standing up and moving around the desk. Regina retreated towards her office door in response. "I never said you didn't, Mom. But your happy ending is with Ma. You know it deep down."
"No, Olivia, what I know is that I've found someone who takes care of me and makes me happy and I won't give that up; even for you."
"Ma did that!"
"She didn't!" Regina snarled, her eyes flashing with anger and sadness. "Not at the end, she didn't."
"Did you even try?"
The older brunette looked devastated at the accusation; as though she couldn't believe that Liv would even ask. "Of course we tried." She replied, her voice cracking. "We tried to make it work for years…"
"I don't… I don't wanna hear this." Liv told her, shaking her head and clenching her hands into fists at her sides. "If you and Ma can't make it work…"
"Sweetheart…"
Regina's tone and expression softened considerably and she stepped towards her daughter, seeing the crestfallen expression on her face. Before she could say anything about the younger woman's disastrous marriage, the phone on Liv's desk started ringing shrilly, making them both jump.
"I should get that." She said quietly, looking away from her mother's worried gaze before moving to answer the call.
After watching her for a moment, the Mayor turned and entered her office, knowing that if she waited until her daughter hung up, Liv would simply talk about work related things and refuse to continue the conversation. She sighed as her door closed with a firm click, knowing that Emma would have been able to get through to their daughter.
Then she shook her head and frowned, dismissing all thoughts of her ex-wife from her mind. She couldn't allow herself to think about the blonde, or she would get nothing done and would probably end up breaking something in anger. Again.
When she returned from her meeting with the small business owners, Liv handed her a stack of memos about calls that had come in while she'd been out, but said nothing about their previous conversation. In fact, to Regina's relief, on the few occasions that Liv entered her office or phoned through to let her know that someone important was on the line, nothing more was mentioned about her failed marriage or new relationship. She had been hoping that her children would be happy for her or that, at the very least, they'd accept that she needed to move on from their other mother. But, apparently, that would take a lot longer to achieve.
When it was time for her second meeting of the day, Regina gathered her things. She anticipated that this meeting would take a lot longer than the previous one and decided to go straight home afterwards. Hopefully her three younger children would be less angry with her than her elder daughter was.
Regina walked slowly towards the door after checking that everything was tidy and her computer was switched off. She wondered whether Liv would be adverse to bringing her family over for dinner; perhaps she could appease her anger with a homemade lasagne and some apple pie. Then she shook her head, frowning at her thought pattern. She was doing nothing wrong. If Liv had a problem with anything then that was her problem.
"Don't forget that Nicole and Billy have the dentist tonight." Regina informed her daughter as she paused in front of her desk, all the files she needed for the meeting balanced precariously in her arms.
"Umm… OK?"
"So you'll need to take them home before their appointment so they can brush their teeth." The Mayor said, as though spelling out something incredibly simple to an idiot.
"Me?"
The older woman glanced up from the email she had been reading on her phone. "Yes, Liv, you. You're on the school run as usual." She headed towards the door, distractedly. "Try not to be too long at the dentist, though, because you'll have to drop Billy off at soccer practice and Nicole off at band practice straight afterwards. You know how agitated your sister gets if she's late to things."
"Wait, what–?"
Regina paused, glancing at her quickly. There was concern in her eyes, but the main expression on her face was easily exasperation. Despite her irritation with her daughter, she was still almost always worried about her. "Liv, what's wrong with you at the moment?"
"I don't… what are you on about?"
"Your mind is somewhere else. You seemed surprised that you have to pick up the children from school; something you do every day." She frowned. "What's he done to you this time?"
"Nothing, Mom." Liv assured her quickly. "I promise… I'm just tired."
"You're not pregnant, are you?"
The younger woman snorted with laughter. "No. Fuck no. I'm just tired and I've got some stuff on my mind."
"What stuff?" Regina asked. "About me and…?"
"Not everything is about you, Madam Mayor." Was the tetchy response that was fired back instantly. Then Liv sighed. "Sorry."
With a small wince she glanced at her watch, before walking back across the marble floor and putting the files on Liv's desk. "Talk to me."
"You've got your meeting."
"You're more important than Mary Margaret Nolan and her cronies."
"It's just… you and Ma…"
Regina exhaled sharply and grabbed the files she had only just set down. "I don't have time for this. Lock up when you leave; I'm going home after my meeting."
Liv waited for the door to slam behind her mother, before rolling her eyes and muttering sarcastically under her breath. Then she flicked open the large diary that she hadn't taken any notice of so far that day and found the correct date; Monday October 25th. Arching an eyebrow, she read the entries aloud to herself.
"Nicole and Billy, dentist; 3:30pm. Frankie and Billy, soccer practice; 3:20 – 4:30pm. Izzy, cheerleading; 3:30 – 5:00. Nicole, band practise; 3:45 – 5:00pm." Allowing her other eyebrow to rise and meet the one already arched in half-surprise, half-amusement, Liv flicked through the pages of the book and saw that there were at least two extra-curricular entries for the children every day. "I thought it was a good day when I didn't escape from school early…"
Gathering up her things, she switched off her computer and headed out, setting the alarm to Regina's office as she went. Several people nodded or threw greetings her way as she walked through the corridors and out of the Town Hall, but Liv barely noticed. She was still waiting to hear back from her brother about what he had witnessed when spying on their mother's date the night before. Regina had refused to utter a single word about it and Henry wasn't replying to her calls or texts.
As soon as she parked up outside Storybrooke Middle School and killed the engine, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialled Henry's number. The first call rang through to voicemail. Refusing to give up, she hit re-dial. This time the call was answered and a weary-sounding Henry greeted her.
"Liv?"
"Go on, then, spill…"
"You're really not going to like this."
"I already don't like it." She reminded him grumpily. "How much worse can it be?"
"Mom's boyfriend is–"
His voice was drowned out as the doors of the car opened and Nicole, Billy and Phoebe piled in, along with another girl that Liv was sure she'd never seen before. She glanced in the rear-view mirror, meeting her daughter's eyes and looking totally confused.
"You said you'd drop me and Kelsey at the library so we can work on our history project, remember?" Phoebe asked, looking as though reminding her mother of such things was a regular occurrence.
"Yeah, course… Where are your sisters?"
"Frankie's gone straight to soccer training and Izzy said she'd hang around with her friends until cheerleading practice." The twelve-year-old informed her, not looking remotely interested in what they were getting up to.
"Right, fine, let's roll." Liv sighed into her cell phone. "I'll call you back, Henry."
The young man started to protest but she ended the call anyway and dropped the handset into her purse, which Nicole had set on her lap when she got into the passenger side of the car. After dropping the two girls outside the library, briefly wondering whether Belle had become Lacey again or whether she was still as quiet as ever, Liv drove across town and drew up in the parking lot attached to the Storybrooke Dental Surgery. She frowned slightly as they excited the car and headed towards the building, catching sight of one of the names of the dentists and wondering why it meant something to her.
"Why do I recognise the name Dr Adam Hathaway?" She asked, more to herself than either of her younger siblings.
"He's the guy Mom's dating." Nicole reminded her, pulling a face.
A scowl twisted her lips as they entered the building and Liv informed the receptionist that her brother and sister were there for their appointment. They took their seats in the waiting room and Nicole immediately pulled out her cell phone and started texting her friends. Billy swung his legs and began to bombard his older sister with questions that she couldn't possibly begin to answer. Apparently some things would never change; curse or no curse.
"So… what would happen if a car was travelling down a road, swerved to miss a cat and then fell in a wormhole?" He asked.
Liv looked at him as though he was talking in a different language. "What?"
"What would happen?"
"I dunno…" She shrugged distractedly. "It would crash?"
"I doubt it…" Billy sniggered, fixing her with a look that clearly said he thought she was stupid.
Before she could retort irritably, the receptionist cleared her throat and informed them that the dentist was ready for them. Nicole shot a look at her sister, clearly pleading with her to accompany her into the surgery. With a nod Liv followed her younger siblings as they walked through the hallway, which had that stomach-churning hospital smell, and into a brightly lit room with a chair in the centre and counters along the back wall.
A dark haired man was leaning over with his back to them, filling in some paperwork on one of the counters. Liv narrowed her eyes, trying to work out whether she recognised him. The nameplate on the door had read 'Dr A. Hathaway' and she was eager to find out who she would have to remove from the picture to reunite her mothers.
Hearing them entering the room, the dentist turned and grinned at the trio. Liv's mouth dropped open and she tightened her grip on her brother's shoulder as she glared at the man in front of them.
"You?"
Regina hadn't managed to shake her bad mood on the way to the board room where she had arranged to hold the meeting with the anti-liquor league, as she liked to call them. Stephen Hadland was already seated at the table and smiled warmly as she entered. Sending the greying Middle School Principal a nod as she stalked to the head of the table, Regina settled herself in her seat and took a deep breath to compose herself.
As she shuffled the paperwork in front of her, she heard voices on the other side of the door and glanced up as it opened, expecting to see Mary Margaret and Doctor Whale entering the room. Instead, she saw the petite brunette talking animatedly to the Sherriff.
Regina's gaze dropped to the papers immediately and she braced her hands on the table, pushing her palms down flat to stop them shaking. She hated that the sight of the blonde still made her stomach flip and her heart flutter in her chest, even after everything that had happened between them. Those feelings should have stopped long ago; around the time when Regina realised that they were doing more damage being together than if they were apart. But they hadn't and, even now, Regina had to fight with herself not to throw herself into her ex-wife's arms.
"Sherriff, to what do we owe the pleasure of your presence?" She asked snappily.
Emma smiled, the expression not meeting her eyes. "Mary Margaret thought you might appreciate some input from the Sherriff's office on this issue."
"I mean… I just thought having another perspective might help?" The brunette Principal offered weakly, seeing Regina's jaw tightening.
"Very well." The Mayor agreed, unable to think of a reasonable reason to kick Emma out of the meeting. "Shall we begin?"
She indicated for them all to take a seat at the table, before settling herself at its head and pulling out relevant paperwork. As the two principals and the doctor started discussing the matter at hand, both the Mayor and the Sheriff stayed quiet, neither of them paying much attention to what was being said.
Emma leant back in her seat, her legs stretched out in front of her under the table. One hand was clenched into a fist and rested on her thigh, while the other fiddled absently with the corner of the bundle of papers laid out in front of her. Every now and then a frown would furrow her brow and she'd draw her bottom lip between her teeth, deep in thought.
At the other end of the table, Regina wasn't fairing much better. She was sitting ram-rod straight in her chair with her forearms and palms laid flat against the surface of the table. She looked, to those not paying too close attention to her, as though she was reading the information in front of her and occasionally looking between the arguing trio, but she wasn't. Her mind was somewhere else completely.
"What d'you think, Emma?" Mary Margaret asked suddenly, making both women start.
Emma's hand grasped at the paper she was fiddling with reflexively, scrunching it up. "Uhh… what?"
"Not paying attention, Sheriff?" Regina asked with a smirk.
"Perhaps you could repeat the question for me." Emma challenged. She grinned as her ex-wife's face fell, knowing that she hadn't heard either. "Or perhaps not."
Looking between the two women warily, Mary Margaret decided to step in. "We were just wondering whether re-starting the drop-in centre for the children and teenagers would be a good idea so that they have something constructive to do after school and at the weekends… and whether someone from the Sherriff's office would be willing to be around sometimes. You know, to show a friendly face and things…"
"Umm… yeah, whatever…" Emma agreed absently, waving a hand in her direction. "Sounds good."
"Fantastic!" The brunette beamed at her, before looking around the assembled group. "Is that all for today? I need to get back to speak to some parents."
Regina nodded, gathering up her belongings. "I think that's everything."
The two Principals walked out together, deep in educational discussions, while Emma hung back hoping to speak to Regina alone. Doctor Whale, not for the first time, decided to try his luck, suggesting that the two of them went for a drink to further discuss the scheme. Emma simply arched an eyebrow at him and said that she wasn't interested.
As he slunk away, looking disappointed, the blonde could have sworn she heard Regina snort in amusement. But, when she glanced over at the brunette, she was looking at her with irritation plain on her face.
"Can I help you, Ms Swan?"
"It's still Swan-Mills, actually." Emma said with a shrug.
Regina froze for a moment, forcing herself not to react. "I apologise."
"No worries." The blonde smiled. "I was just wondering whether you wanted to go to Nicole's band thing together tomorrow? You know… united front for the kids and all that…"
"Oh… I asked Adam to take us. I thought it might be nice to include him…" She trailed off, seeing the unmistakable hurt in Emma's eyes.
"I see."
"But, maybe we could go for dinner at Granny's afterwards?" Regina suggested quickly as Emma turned to leave. Their eyes met for a moment and neither spoke. Then the brunette forced herself to look down and continue gathering the papers on the desk. "The children like it when we're all together."
"Yeah. Yeah, that would be good." With a nod, the younger woman shifted nervously from foot to foot. "So I'll… I'll see you tomorrow."
Regina smiled weakly, only sparing her a quick glance, before Emma turned and left the room. Once she had gone, the brunette leant heavily on the table, her head bowed as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders.