Chapter 10: Emma's Hidden Ability

A/N: Thank you to all who have followed this story so far. I apologize if there were any typos. I will work to correct those in the future. Bronxny22, you are always awesome and your reviews brighten my days.

Disclaimer is the same as in chapter 1.

Friday had come at last, and Regina was excited to get to the Nolan Residence to enjoy a nice wholesome game night. She had packed an overnight bag as she assumed Emma may want her to stay the night. As she made her way through the hall, she stopped into little Henry's room to bid him goodbye. She didn't find him; however, she did happen upon a red notebook with a label attached to it reading "Operation Swan Queen". She found this peculiar, but she decided to ignore it for the time being. She made her way downstairs and to the living room where she bade her family goodbye as she set off for the Nolan home. In order to protect her identity, she wore a large sunhat with sunglasses. Before exiting through the front however, Cora had called out to her.

"Regina, dear, there is something I need to discuss with you", Cora began with an all too serious tone.

"What is it, Mother? I have somewhere to be", Regina shot back with her regal persona perfectly in place.

"Well, young lady, it's funny you speak to me in such a way. Your backup singer Ashley did the exact same thing thinking she was some kind of Cinderella in the making. Because of this, she is no longer involved with us, therefore I need you to keep eyes and ears open for another singer", Cora finished matter-of-factly.

"Mother, you can't just go around getting rid of people you think are a threat to me. They need to support themselves as well", Regina defended.

"Regina Maria Mills you will not tell me what I can and cannot do as it relates to your career. You are the star. You are the queen. Start acting like it and realize that they are below you, and find a new singer who understands that", Cora ordered

"Fine, Mother. Oh, by the way, I have enough songs for a new album if you want to see them", Regina stated with pride.

"Very good, my love. Run along, we'll take a look at them when you have found a new singer", Cora stated once again returning to her prideful demeanor. Regina just shook her head and went out the door. Without hesitation or detours she finally made it to the Nolan home where she was greeted by David at the door.

"Oh, Hey Regina, come on in. Emma's up in her Room and we're just setting up", David greeted cheerfully as he allowed Regina into the house. Regina did so, and as she looked, she saw all the Rock Band equipment setup as if on a professional stage. The drumkit was set up in front of the couch. Next to that there was a keyboard controller. A microphone was sitting on a stand in the front and it was flanked on either side by two guitar controllers. "Mary-Margaret", David called out. "Regina's here. Did you find the second mic and stand?".

"Second mic?", Regina inquired. "I know you know I sing, but who is the other singer. Please tell me it's Mary-Margaret. I would love to see that", she laughed.

"Nope, Mary-Margaret plays guitar with me", David replied. "You'll just have to wait and see who the other singer is. Speaking of band members, Ingrid should be here before long. Regina grimaced to herself. Oh great, Permafrost is coming, she thought with a shiver.

"Speak of the Ice Queen, and she doth appear", Ingrid said cheerfully as she came through the door. She walked over and gave David a hug before turning to Regina. "Little Queenie", she acknowledged.

"Permafrost", Regina replied. David just shrugged at this unsure of what any of that meant. At that moment, Mary-Margaret appeared carrying a stand with another microphone attached to it.

"Oh, hey Regina. Hey Ingrid. Sorry I wasn't out here sooner. It took me a little bit to find the spare mic and stand". Emma picked that moment to come downstairs and make her presence known.

"Rina! I missed you", she said giving Regina a hug.

"And what am I, chopped ice?", Ingrid chuckled as she pulled Emma in for a big warm hug. Neal came down at that moment with drumsticks in hand and ran over to Ingrid as he saw her.

"Aunt Ingrid", he exclaimed. Ingrid smiled at her pseudo-nephew and gave him a tight hug.

"Hey, Little Man, are you ready to rock tonight?", she asked beaming down at the boy. Neal just gave a thumbs up and went over to the couch and sat down in front of the drums. Ingrid sat down next to him and picked up the small keyboard controller. David and Mary-Margaret proceeded to strap on their guitars as Regina stepped up to the mic on the right before turning to Emma.

"You're the other singer?" she asked in awe.

"I…I..", Emma stammered as she ran off and up to her room. Regina looked to Emma's parents then to Ingrid who all just nodded at her. Regina ran upstairs to Emma's room and knocked on her door.

"Emma? Come on, Em. Please don't do this again.", Regina said as she waited for Emma to open the door. "Emma, you promised me you wouldn't put yourself down anymore. Please let me in and we can talk about this". Emma slowly opened the door and just gave Regina a sad look.

"I can't sing, Rina. I am nothing compared to the amazing Queen Regina Mills", Regina just shook her head slowly.

"No, Emma; please don't look at me as The Regina Mills, Queen Regina, or anything like that again. To you I just want to be Rina, your Rina. Despite what some people say, I'm not the Evil Queen or evil anything for that matter. They only say that because I sometimes come off as a bit distant from my fans. That is all my mother's doing and that just isn't me at all. Please, just see me for the Rina you've come to know and now the Regina Mills you have only ever heard about in the past.", Regina said placing her hand on Emma's shoulder. Emma stood up and face Regina, taking both of her hands.

"My Rina", Emma pondered. "I was thinking about that for a while now, and I was wondering. Will you officially be my girlfriend?", Emma asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

"You don't even need to ask, Miss Swan. I would have said yes either way," Regina said before pulling the other girl into a searing kiss that seemed to go on forever. However, it was only a minute or two before they both went downstairs hand in hand. This gesture alone caused everyone to light up. With thousand-watt smiles. They knew Emma liked Regina, and from what they could tell Regina felt the same for Emma, so to them it was only a matter of time. The only one who wasn't really smiling was Ingrid. She had a look of skepticism and uncertainty on her face. Regina and Emma stepped up to their mics as the first song was chosen. Ingrid had selected Heart of Glass by Blondie. This was one of the few songs she knew that offered keyboard support, so she took what she could get. This also featured solo vocals for the most part, so Regina took the opportunity to step back and see what Emma could do. Having detected the nervousness on Emma's face, Regina grabbed her hand and held tight like her life depended on it; thus, assuring Emma she was there for her. The song began, and everyone in the family soon fell into a rhythm as though they had sung these songs many times before. Finally, the vocal notes started coming in and Emma jumped right in without missing a beat. If Regina didn't know any better, she would have assumed Emma was secretly a pop-star. By the first chorus, Emma had slowly pulled her hand away preferring to take hold of the mic and move with the music. The family just sat there and played as if this were a normal thing, but to Regina; she was completely awestruck by her girlfriend's talent on the microphone. Once the song concluded, Regina decided to pull Emma aside one more time. Emma was surprised to say the least when Regina dragged her up to her bedroom, but was more than prepared to hear the young singer out.

"What's this about, Rina?", Emma asked with concern. "Was I that bad a singer?". Regina put up her hands in a placating gesture before answering.

"No, Emma; you really weren't. quite the contrary actually. I was actually wondering", Regina paused as she felt embarrassed. "okay, this is tough. You asking me to be your girlfriend far outweighs this and I don't think I could ask you for anything that amounts to what you gave me",

"Don't worry", Emma said assuring Regina that everything would be fine. "Whatever it is you want to ask is perfectly fine I'm sure". Regina took a deep breath and grabbed Emma's hands.

"alright then, Emma; I was wondering if you would come on tour with me as my new singer". Regina just waited as Emma said nothing with an unreadable expression on her face. This caused panic to cross Regina's face as she knew she needed a new singer and that she didn't want to be away from Emma while she was on tour.

"Is this some kind of game. Rina?", Emma asked in disbelief. "this would be amazing if it was true, but I could never be this lucky. I will accept your offer, but I swear; Regina Mills, if this is some kind of game, we are through", Emma finished angrily.

"Em, please relax. This is not a game", Regina placated. "I will even call my mother who is also my manager here and now and put her on speaker so you know this is true", Emma thought for a moment with slight concern. Regina sensed this and placed a hand in Emma's. with that touch and assurance Emma gave a nod of permission for her to make the call. Regina did so and after about 3 rings, a faint voice could be heard.

"Hello Dear, are you alright? Those people better not be harming you because if they are….", Regina cut her mother off immediately.

"Calm down, Mother I am calling because I think I just found a singer. This works perfectly because this is also that friend you wanted to meet. I'm going to go ahead and put you on speaker, okay?". Cora gave an affirmative from the other end and a few moments later, a slight background noise could be heard. "Mother, I would like you to meet Emma Swan. Emma, this is my mother, Cora Mills". Regina introduced.

"It's great to meet you Mrs. Mills", Emma says nervously.

"Likewise, Miss Swan. Now if what my daughter says is true, you will audition for me tomorrow evening". Emma could plainly see where the no nonsense personality was coming from and it gave her a chill that she believed could give Ingrid a run for her money.

"um…..yes, Ma'am, I can do that", Emma said with timidity. Cora smiled on the other end of the phone because this was the effect she wanted to have. It gave her a sense of power over those she believed to be beneath her and Regina.

"Very Good, Miss Swan. Regina, you had best be telling me the truth", Cora snapped before hanging up. Emma just looked at Regina in confusion.

"I told you she was a bitch", Regina nonchalantly replied. The two girls went downstairs to the family. Before they returned to their instruments however, they went over and grabbed some food. Emma just beamed at the fact that Regina had said yes to her question and asked her to come on tour with her. The game resumed and the girls blew everyone away as they sang Dreams by the Cranberries, Emma singing the high part and Regina opting for the lower part. They held hands and looked into each other's eyes. The whole family could see the change in the dynamic between Emma and Regina. Ingrid just smirked because she knew it was going to happen soon and she knew, or at least believed she had a certain power over Regina. The rest of the night went by with everyone enjoying food and fun. Eventually, however as all nights did this one had come to an end. Ingrid went home after giving her kisses and hugs to the family and a stern warning to Regina. Everyone including Regina went upstairs to go to bed. Emma and Regina cuddled together and soon drifted off to sleep after good night kisses.

A/N: Sorry this took a while to finish. I got a new job and the hours are still something to get used to. Also, I think there is some kind of curse where whenever I write Cora into a chapter it takes forever to finish. Fear not wonderful Swen. I will see this through.