The song used below is Overjoyed, by Matchbox 20. It's perfect for them! I hope you think so, too, and that you like the ice skating party (finally!)!
Henry fidgeted horribly for the last half hour of school, looking for all the world like Emma in the last few minutes before 5 o'clock. He ran to Grace's classroom as soon as the bell rang, birthday balloons bouncing from the strings in his hand. He'd come in extra early to stow them in his classroom before anyone else got to school, so she wouldn't see them.
"Happy birthday, Grace!" he, Hansel, and Gretel shouted merrily as Grace laughed heartily, delighted. She hugged each of them in turn. Excited chatter filled the hallways as the children gathered their things before meeting their parental units at the edge of the forest. Henry and Hansel held hands tentatively on the long walk as Gretel shared several knowing, happy looks with the birthday girl.
Emma pulled up at the designated spot with her parents, many pairs of children's and adults' ice skates scattered in a couple of duffel bags on the shoulders of Snow and Charming. The trio joined Ruby and Belle - opening herself up to forming new friendships in lieu of remembering old ones - and some of the older Lost Boys. Neal was amongst them, and Regina's stomach boiled as she parked off to the side, hovering awkwardly twenty or so feet away from the rest of the adults.
No one noticed her presence but Emma, who offered her a wave and gestured her forward. Regina shook her head slightly as Jefferson and Michael joined the group.
Archie came along with Pongo - found easily by Emma the day before - just in time to see the blonde detach herself from the Charming family unit to stride over to the brunette. He smiled softly to himself, reflecting on the conversation he'd had with Henry at his therapy session yesterday.
So, remember how successful Operation Cobra was? Well, there's a new one, and I need you on board, Archie. It's Operation Phoenix, and the goal is to get my moms together.
A silence. Then:
Henry, you want to... to 'parent trap' your mothers? That's a... a laudable goal, Henry, but I don't see how I could possibly be of any help.
Ask Mom about her love life in therapy, if you don't think she'll bite your head off. Or just... just watch them together, Archie. They belong together. They love each other, I know they do, but they're both scared. I think if you and I both watch them, we can figure out how to help them be less scared.
Oh, Henry, I think they're the best people to do that.
But will you help if something comes up and I need you? Pleeease?
Another silence, and a smile. A memory of the concern flashing across Emma's face when Regina left that party, alone and unannounced.
Of course I will.
"I see you found Pongo," Regina offered as a greeting when Emma was within conversational range.
The blonde nodded awkwardly. "He's never too hard to find. You're uh, not going to stay off to the side the whole time, are you?"
Archie made a cake. You don't want to stay for a piece?
"I think Henry would want you to - "
"This isn't Henry's party, Sheriff," Regina reminded her softly.
Emma frowned. "I don't think Grace is the type to hold a grudge, and I'll protect you from Jefferson."
Both of their hearts leapt as Emma realized what she said. Regina opened her mouth and found her voice trapped inside her throat.
The sound of a gaggle of pre-teens approaching saved both women the awkwardness of a continued conversation. They strode back to the larger group together, greeting Henry happily.
Snow watched critically as their hands touched when Henry hugged them both at once, the way their fingers lingered on each other as they wished Grace a happy birthday. The way they jumped apart when they realized that they'd almost been holding hands.
Ruby nudged her in the ribcage. "Cute couple, don'tcha think?" she asked her best friend.
Snow groaned. "Not you, too."
"Oh, you know it, Snow," Ruby responded with a wicked grin.
A short hike, led by Ruby, opened the forest up into a gorgeous and surprisingly large lake, crystallized with cold and tinged with a majestic mauve, beautifully offsetting the rich green of the surrounding trees.
Everyone's breath was taken away at the sight, which was complete with a soundtrack of hawks screeching overhead and crickets chirping in nearby bushes.
"Why is it purple?" Hansel asked softly.
"Magic," Regina chimed from the back of the group. "It's not cold enough to be frozen naturally: it must have frozen when magic came to Storybrooke."
"Is it safe?" Charming asked, still staring at the captivating sight.
Regina nodded, stepping to the edge of the lake and running her hands over the surface. "Except there," she pointed to her left. She rose and turned to face the group. "Children, you must not skate beyond..." She paused and waved her hand, drawing a dark blue mark over a portion of the lake. "... that line. That's where the magic ends, and the water - while nearly freezing - is just that: water, and not solid ice. Understood?"
The children nodded obediently as they plopped down on the ground to put on their ice skates, which Snow and Charming were happily distributing. A hand on Regina's lower back made her jump. The hand retracted quickly.
"Sorry, it was just me," Emma said quickly.
"Quite alright, dear," Regina told her, her voice clipped with nerves.
"Just wanted to ask you if you were going to skate with us. I've been ice skating a few times: I'm not great, but it's fun."
"Indeed," Regina agreed. "We had a lake similar to this where I grew up. When it froze over in the winter, I would go skating at night as the stars came out..." Regina gazed out at the lake fondly. Screams of delight from the first children heading out onto the lake made her start and snap back to the present. "Yes, Ms. Swan, I'll be skating with you."
"You uh... going in those clothes? No offense, Regina, but if you fall in that - " Emma gestured to Regina's pencil skirt.
"I don't fall," Regina deadpanned.
"I bet you don't," Emma muttered under her breath as she plopped clumsily down on the floor to pull on the skates Snow had brought for her.
"Excuse me?" Regina asked, insisting on changing into her majestically white skates while remaining standing.
"Nothing," Emma answered, her voice cracking as she took in the sight of Regina's legs slipping into her skates.
Regina hid her smile as she turned away, gliding effortlessly onto the ice, swishing her ass back and forth as she gathered speed for the blonde's benefit. She caught up to Henry quickly, holding her hand out for him as he wobbled slightly. Emma simply sat for a few stunned moments, staring at the brunette's grace and surprising strength in holding their son up from his many near-spills.
"Emma, come on!" Charming shouted from the ice, swerving horribly next to an unstable-looking Snow.
"What a family," Emma murmured contentedly as she scrambled up to join them.
She did a few passes 'round the lake with Archie, causing Neal to raise his eyebrows jealously. Little does he know, Emma thought amusedly.
Archie caught her staring at Regina and Henry enough times to make him feel justified in mentioning it.
"Emma, you know, if you'd like to go join Henry and Regina, I won't take any offense." His tone was mild, but she knew there was more buried in what he was saying. She glanced at him as Gretel and Grace swerved by, laughing hysterically.
"Not yet. I like watching them together... Is that creepy?" She'd never had a therapist-patient relationship with Archie, but she considered him a friend, and hoped he would answer her as a friend, not as a doctor. He didn't let her down.
"Of course not, Emma. He's your son. And she's your... well, she raised him..." he trailed off deliberately.
Emma looked at him again, eyes wide open. "What do you know that I don't, Archie? She's been acting... I don't know... she apologized to Snow, Henry's suddenly all over her, and she's been... I think she's been flirting with me..."
Archie smiled. This would be easier than he thought. He watched silently as Snow and Charming collapsed on the ice, nearly on top of each other. Emma turned away from the sight, more interested in the fact that Jefferson and Michael had started holding hands. She awaited Archie's answer nervously.
"I can't betray Regina's trust, Emma. I've done that before, and I'm not repeating that mistake. But I can tell you that... she has seemed a great deal happier - what I've seen in out of the office observations, you understand - recently. Which is surprising, considering everything that's happened with her mother... I think having people who genuinely care about her is helping her a great deal."
Emma lurched backward, and Archie reached out his hand to steady her. "People?" she inquired, gripping his hand too firmly.
"It's no secret that you care for her, Emma. Everyone can see it: you saved her, over and over, when no one else would. And you clearly - "
"Emma! Come on! Skate with Mom and me!" Henry grabbed Emma by the hand and swung her along with them. The blonde turned back to Archie as Henry's touch propelled her forward, a lopsidedly apologetic grin on her face. He laughed and went off to join Ruby and Belle.
Regina glanced over at Emma over Henry's head. "You skate rather better than I expected you to, Ms. Swan," she said, her voice laced with relaxation.
Henry squeezed her hand, and Regina squeezed back. He decelerated suddenly, pulling their hands together as he did so. When he saw their hands connect, he smiled and skated off in the opposite direction. "See you later, guys! Grace, Hansel, wait up!"
Electricity crackled through their fingers as they connected, neither wanting to pull away. They chose to ignore the fact that they were holding hands as Henry toppled over upon catching up with his friends, bringing them down with him. They laughed as the pile of kids tried and failed to get up, giggling too hard to steady themselves.
"How did you skate in the dark?" Emma asked.
"I'm sorry?" Regina responded, clearly confused.
"Oh uh..." Emma seemed uncharacteristically embarrassed, and suddenly Regina couldn't tell if the red tinge in her cheeks was the cold or her blushing. "You said you would skate at night, when you were a kid..."
"Ah," Regina said simply, happily processing the fact that Emma not only actually listened to her, but thought about what she shared. "You forget that the stars and the moon in unpolluted atmospheres shine much brighter than they can in most places in this realm, Ms. - "
"Emma." The blonde's grip on Regina's hand tightened as Regina swerved unexpectedly with this intensity of Emma's interruption. "If we're going to really raise our kid together, calling me by my name can't hurt, Regina."
"Emma," Regina whispered in response, her eyes boring into Emma's. It was the blonde's turn to slip, and Regina's turn to catch her. Emma's sense of balance went haywire, her skates turning haphazardly towards the older woman, stumbling into her body, their lips mere inches from each other.
Neither woman noticed the spill that Snow and Charming took upon noticing this. Neither woman cared.
Emma's eyes flickered down to Regina's mouth as Regina's made the same journey across Emma's face.
"Emma," Regina whispered again. "I - "
A scream from across the lake shattered Regina's words and their contact. The women jumped apart tensely as they both realized it wasn't just any scream. It was Henry's.
They were across the lake in moments, Regina getting there before Emma. Henry was flat on his stomach on the blue line Regina had drawn, his hands flailing about in the broken ice.
Regina was in the icy water before Henry could finish his panicked explanation about how Hansel had taken a spill too close to the line, and - unable to stop himself - had fallen into the depths below.
"He doesn't know how to swim!" Gretel's voice joined Henry's as the sound of dozens of skates scraping the ice, converging near the blue line, grated in Emma's ears. She held Henry back as she desperately watched the water - which was so deep and dense with broken ice that she couldn't see more than a foot down - waiting for Regina and Hansel to surface.
The child's head broke the surface first, spluttering and shivering violently. His hands groped for Henry's, who pulled him as Emma stabilized her son's body so he wasn't pulled forward. Strong hands emerged under Hansel's underarms as Regina pushed him back onto the solid ice.
"Regina!" Emma shouted as Gretel and Michael took over responsibility for helping the child breathe more evenly and get warm.
She thrust out her arms for the brunette, who grabbed her wrists gratefully.
"Come on, baby, you've got it," Emma murmured as she helped pull Regina to safety, yanking her up the final bit so that the older woman fell square on top of her.
Freezing water dripped onto Emma's face. She didn't notice. She wrapped her arms around Regina and stayed there, frozen, but not by the ice. She was roused only by Regina's coughing and spluttering for breath. Emma rolled her over gently so they could both sit up, sliding off her jacket and scarf and moving to strip Regina of her own outer garments so she could replace them with her drier ones.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sheriff," Regina wheezed, refusing her clothes and crawling over to Hansel. She leaned over him and asked, "Hansel, I have a spell that can make you warm again. Is it alright if I use it on you? It won't hurt, I promise." The boy looked wildly at Henry, whose hands he was holding, and Henry nodded rapidly. Hansel mirrored the nod at Regina, who promptly waved her wrist at him. Steam hissed off of his body as his clothes dried and heated and his hair fluffed up. Regina smiled at the effect as Michael and Gretel hugged Hansel in deep relief.
"Thank you," Michael mouthed to Regina over his son's head. Regina, still shaking with cold, nodded curtly, shakily.
"Do that spell thing to yourself," Emma encouraged her.
"Call me 'baby' again and I just might," Regina said as silkily as she could through chattering teeth.
Emma flushed.
"Regina, I slipped, I didn't mean to - "
"Not at all, dear," Regina interrupted as steam began pouring off of her body, as well. She held her hand out to Emma questioningly: her front was fairly soaked, too. Emma nodded, and felt a warm surge of relief flood through her.
It took a full half hour or so for everyone to stop feeling quite so shaken by Hansel's fall into the water, and no one was in too much of a skating mood anymore. Hansel wouldn't stop apologizing to Grace, who was insisting that the best birthday present was to be with her papa and her friends, and that included Hansel; and he didn't fall in on purpose, anyway, so he hardly had anything to apologize for. Jefferson smiled proudly at his daughter as his arm slipped firmly, comfortingly, around Michael's shoulders.
The group decided on Granny's as a nice end to Grace's birthday festivities. Regina hesitated at the door.
"Come on, Mom," Henry said as he and Hansel crossed the threshold of the restaurant. "You're the hero of the day, after all." He gave her a smile she could never resist, and she followed him in.
She hesitated again, however, when Henry sat with Grace on one side of him, and Hansel on the other. For a moment, she looked like a lost bunny staring into a coyote's eyes as she rapidly scanned the restaurant for somewhere to sit.
"Regina!" Emma called. She was sitting alone at a table with Archie, near to the children, but separate, so that they could have their own fun without too much grown-up interference.
A smile formed across Regina's face as she gratefully - and excitedly: Henry was really quite good at this Operation Phoenix business - walked over to Emma.
The blonde stood and pulled out the chair across from her. "Your Majesty," she said grandly, a lopsided grin on her face. Regina raised one eyebrow, amused but skeptical.
Emma pouted. "Come on, Regina: you saved Hansel's life an hour ago, the least you deserve is to have someone pull out a damn chair for you."
Archie chuckled as Regina sat primly.
"Well, what about you, Ms. Swan? You know where I've ice skated before. Yourself?"
Emma shrugged noncommittally. "Around," she murmured. Archie looked at his silverware as Regina studied the woman in front of her. She nodded, understanding her hesitance to share better than anyone else could.
Regina decided that sharing herself might help Emma feel more comfortable. "When I first learned - I taught myself, you know - I fell in, as well. I nearly caught my death. It was the only time my mother ever used magic for good when I was a child. She must have heard my flailing around in the water after a while, and she magicked me out, warmed me as I did Hansel. I was under for a long time, though. It was terrifying. It took me a whole season to get up the courage to try again."
Emma frowned. "Cora let you ice skate by yourself when you were just a kid?" Regina raised an eyebrow. "Never mind," Emma backpedaled. "Stupid question."
To her surprise, Regina smiled softly. "I was usually alone as a child. As were both of you, I imagine."
"And now we're all here together," Archie chimed in contentedly, quietly.
"Indeed," Regina whispered as the three misfits turned to watch the children laugh, delighted with their party.
Emma and Regina found themselves standing next to each other when Granny brought out a massive cake for Grace's happy birthday song. As everyone else cheered at the end of the song, Regina - egged on by Henry's wink from across the room and the recent memory of Emma's breath on her lips at the lake - leaned close to the blonde's ear and whispered, "You have a surprisingly good voice, Emma."
"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult, Your Majesty?" Emma answered breathily.
"You return to formalities when I drop them, Em-ma?" Regina flirted, her heart fluttering somewhere inside her stomach.
Snow jabbed Charming roughly in the ribs and stabbed her finger in their direction. Henry, though clapping Grace on the back and encouraging her to blow out her candles, was also transfixed.
"Do you always have to answer my questions with a question, Regina?" Emma retorted, her voice an octave lower than usual.
"Stick around and find out, Sheriff Swan," Regina whispered lasciviously in her ear, sauntering away to stand with Henry, making sure to swish her ass extra for Emma.
"Operation Phoenix is definitely going well," she whispered excitedly into her son's ear.
His smile supernovaed brilliantly. "Can I sleep over tonight and you'll tell me all about it? I can't wait to hear! And I have the next step in mind, I have to tell you about it! It's very time sensitive!"
"I'll see what I can do, honey. Just enjoy the party for now." She kissed his head and slipped back to Emma's side.
"Henry wanted to know if he could sleep over by me tonight. Something to consider," she told the blonde, less confidently than before. Emma was too stunned by the non-lethal flirting they'd just engaged in to respond.
The celebration thinned gradually as one by one, the children began dozing mid-conversation. Henry was the last child to sleep, having migrated to the adults' tables after Michael and Jefferson took their kids home together.
He was dozing hard against Emma's shoulder when Granny came around to take their last orders on coffee, tea, and liquor.
"Emma, we should take him home," Snow said softly across the tables, which, to Regina's extreme discomfort, had been pushed together, joining herself, Henry, Archie, and Emma with Snow and David.
"Oh, um..." Emma stammered. "I was actually thinking he might like to stay at Regina's tonight. I think he'd be happy to wake up there, and anyway, it's got less stairs than our apartment..." She looked across the table at Regina. "Can I help you carry him? I don't wanna wake him..."
"That would be lovely," Regina responded evenly, terribly nervous to be conversing with Emma in front of her parents. She slipped to the other side of the table and gathered Henry into her arms. In sleep, he latched his arms around her neck like a baby koala bear. She smiled as Emma tucked his jacket over him and into Regina's arms, swinging his backpack over her shoulder and taking Regina's purse for her. The blonde waved a cheery good night to everyone, and Regina nodded pleasantly to Archie. Emma held the door for her as they left the restaurant.
"They'll be married within the week," Charming muttered into his coffee.
Regina elected to sit in the back seat of Emma's bug with Henry - she would normally object, but it didn't make sense for them to take two cars, and there was no way the blonde was driving her Benz - and laid him out across most of the back seat, placing his head delicately on her lap.
A pleasant silence filled the car - accompanied by soft music from a CD Emma slid in - as the blonde drove extra slowly to avoid waking their son.
Feeling my hands start shaking
Hearing your voice I'm overjoyed
I'm sorry but I have no choice
You're only getting better
Regina's eyes drifted closed, replaying the glorious aspects of the day as the lyrics to the song Emma was playing - was she playing it on purpose? -washed over her:
Maybe you have your reasons
Maybe you're scared you'll be let down
Are you crying when there's no one around?
Then maybe
Maybe if you hold me, baby
Let me come over
I will tell you secrets nobody knows
I cannot overstate it
I will be overjoyed
She saw herself skating around the lake with Henry; nearly kissing Emma (what?!); watching Henry and Hansel try to flirt at dinner; seeing them holding hands on the lake; sharing stories of her past with Emma; being asked to call the blonde by her first name; doing so... nearly kissing...
The smile on your face like summer
The way that your hand keeps touching mine
Let me be the one to make it right
Her thoughts slowed and ceased as her mind slipped into sleep.
Emma glanced back in the mirror, expecting to see Regina's alert eyes watching the road, back seat driver that she imagined she would be. What she found made her heart skip a beat: Regina's head tilted to one side, leaning back against the head rest, eyes closed gently, breathing evenly, face beautifully relaxed as one hand rested in Henry's hair and the other draped protectively across his body, falling gracefully on his waist.
And if you want, we'll share this life
Anytime you need a friend I'm gonna be by your side
When nobody understands you
Well, I do
Tears sprang unbidden to Emma's eyes. She wanted to take a photo, but didn't want to violate Regina's trust.
She parked and got out of the car as silently as she could when they reached the mansion. She opened the door on Regina's side, gently touching her arm, leaning close to her.
"Regina," she whispered. She had expected her to jump, but she didn't. Instead, a smile tilted up in her lips.
"Emma," she murmured. Emma's heart nearly exploded with joy, and her smile lit up the night.
"We're home, 'Gina. We have to take Henry inside."
Regina groaned softly, pleased to have the blonde's voice washing over her, and Emma decided she wanted to hear that sound every day.
She opened her eyes lazily, tilting her head to her left to indicate that Emma should go to the other side of the car to help her get Henry out without having to drag him.
Without much hassle - the women found that when they weren't at each other's throats, they communicated excellently, almost instinctively - they got Henry's sleeping form out of the car and into the house. Emma carried him upstairs, and waited at the side of his bed for Regina to pull back the covers for him. After fluffing his pillow, Regina slipped his shoes off as Emma laid him down. They unbuttoned his jeans so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable, but knew he was coming to the age that he might feel awkward with them undressing him. Wanting to respect that, they simply tucked him in, each leaning down to give him a gentle kiss good night. He sighed contentedly in his sleep.
They tiptoed out of his room and Regina closed his door silently, both keenly aware that this was the first time they'd ever tucked their son in together.
When their eyes met, both of their hearts took an extra beat.
"I - "
"Would - "
They started and stopped speaking at the same time.
"Go ahead."
"Sorry, go ahead."
Simultaneity again.
They laughed awkwardly, softly.
Regina began again.
"Would you like a drink, Emma? Night cap?" Regina's voice was so open that Emma wanted to fall into it and never stop descending. Fear fastened her to the precipice.
"I'd love to, I really would, but uh, I have to drive home, and - "
"Oh, well, I thought you could stay here tonight. I'm sure Henry would be thrilled if you were here when he wakes up - "
"I... I don't even have a toothbrush..." It was the most ridiculous excuse Emma could think of, but she needed to use it. She was panicked: she did this. She slept with people before dating them, and while she knew that worked for other people, for her, it always ended badly. She always ran. Or wound up in jail. Or both.
She didn't want to do that to Regina, didn't want to mess things up with her. Seeing the hurt and panic tear across Regina's face - the toothbrush thing was so obviously a horrid excuse (could anyone really think the Queen only had one toothbrush in that entire mansion?) - Emma opted for the truth.
"I just don't want to fuck things up, Regina. I - we're just getting used to each other, just getting to know each other, really, and I - there's too much at stake to - "
"Of course." Regina's tone was clipped: she was back in mayor mode. Emma's heart broke.
"No, come on, don't do that, don't close up. Please. I mean it, Regina. I'm just scared of messing things up. I... I don't want to mess you up."
"Any more than I already am, you mean," Regina deadpanned, feeling every door in her body slam shut the more Emma tried to explain why she was running. Because that's what it felt like to Regina: like the blonde was running, too scared to share a bed with the Evil Queen, too terrified even to be in the same house overnight with her (because no one had said anything about sharing her bed... not out loud, anyway...).
Emma sighed patiently. "That's a trick question, Regina, and I'm not going to answer it. You said you care about me and want to protect me? Well, I've got a news flash for you, lady, I care about you and want to protect you, too. I stay in this house tonight, I'm gonna wanna do things we're both gonna regret, and - "
"You'd regret sleeping with me?" Regina whispered, her doors having been blasted apart, Emma-shaped holes boring through each of them.
Emma stepped closer, reaching out and taking Regina's hands into hers. "Tonight? Yes. One of us - maybe even both of us - would panic. I'm panicking now, and I know you are, too. I can't speak for you, but I know I'm only panicking because I so don't want to fuck this up. I meant what I said: you're an amazing woman, Regina, and you're worth the wait."
A single tear slid down Regina's face. Emma frowned. "Has no one ever told you that?"
Regina didn't need to answer. They both knew the answer well enough.
The older woman took a step back, breaking their contact.
"Get home safe, Emma," she whispered, and disappeared into her bedroom before she could change her mind.
Emma let herself out in a daze, and blasted her CD the entire drive home.
Both women lay awake all night, each thinking of the other.