A/N: I've just got past 100 reviews on this fic. Yay! Thank you to everyone leaving reviews. Keep 'em coming :)
There was something wrong with Regina.
Emma had known it as soon as they got back to the cabin. Her boss was being quiet and distant, detached from reality as if she were in a world of her own. As Mary Margaret would say, she was away with the fairies.
Emma had tried to draw her out of this state. She had been trying to talk to the brunette and make her laugh, but Regina was only responding with hums and unconvincing smiles. It was hard for Emma to cheer Regina up when she had no idea what was wrong with her. It was like a switch had been flipped. One moment she had been smiling contentedly, while Emma had had her arms wrapped around her on the rocks. The next moment, she had been refusing to look at Emma on the drive back to the cabin and had barely spoken two words to her since.
Yes, something was definitely bothering her, and Emma intended to find out what it was.
She had been trying to observe Regina, to see if she could see what the problem was, but that plan failed the moment Regina offered to help Mary Margaret cook dinner. Emma had followed her mom and 'fiancee' into the kitchen, only to be shouted at repeatedly for being in the way. In the end, her mother had ordered her to go back into the living room, where she wouldn't be an inconvenience.
The next time she saw Regina was when they were eating dinner. Emma sat next to her at the table, across from Mary Margaret and David. August was at the head of the table, overlooking them all. Emma thought the seating arrangement was perfect. She could finally figure out what was going on.
"Oh my God, this chicken is awesome, mom." Emma said after a few mouthfuls. Figuring out what was wrong with Regina was important, but Emma always had a soft spot for food. Besides, her mother made one hell of a roast dinner.
"Thank you, darling." Mary Margaret smiled.
"And the mashed potatoes are incredible." Emma continued, dropping a couple more spoonfuls onto her plate. "Creamier than you usually make them."
"Actually, Regina made the mashed potatoes." Mary Margaret explained.
Emma turned to the brunette next to her with a smile. "Really? They're great."
Regina nodded her head with a small smile. "I'm glad you like them."
That was the most the brunette had said to Emma for the past hour, so Emma took it as a small victory. Sure, she hadn't looked up at Emma when she said it. And sure, she was acting like the food on her plate was the most interesting thing in the room. But still... a small victory.
"Have you never made mashed potatoes for Emma before?" August asked curiously, looking at Regina as if he were accusing her of something.
"They're not really my forte." Regina replied, looking at August challengingly. "I prefer cooking lasagna."
"Regina makes the best lasagna." Emma informed the table. She had once brought it to an office party, and Emma had thought that her taste buds were having tiny orgasms. But, she wasn't going to say that in front of her parents.
"Oh, really?" Mary Margaret asked with genuine interest. "I've tried to make lasagna so many times, but I can never get it to taste good. Do you think you could give me a lesson sometime?"
"Of course." Regina nodded politely.
Emma smiled to herself at the small interaction between Regina and Mary Margaret. They seemed to be getting along swimmingly. For some reason, that made Emma happy to see.
"Would you like some brussel sprouts, Regina?" Mary Margaret asked, pointing to the bowl that contained the green vegetables.
"No, thank you."
"Regina hates brussel sprouts." Emma explained.
"Oh, I'll have to remember that for thanksgiving." Mary Margaret said casually, unaware to the way that Emma and Regina glanced at each other.
David made a comment that it was too early to start thinking about thanksgiving, to which Mary Margaret argued that it was never too early to start planning. This caused a debate between the pair of them, which gave Emma the perfect opportunity to talk to Regina.
"Is everything OK?" She asked in a quiet voice.
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Even as she spoke, Regina's gaze remained on the chicken that she was cutting.
"You're just being quiet." Emma explained. "Is it because of the PDA on the rocks? Were you uncomfortable with that?"
"I was perfectly fine."
"Then what is it?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it matters. If something's bothering you, then I want you to tell me about it so that I can fix it."
Regina didn't say anything, but looked up at Emma. She narrowed her eyes, as if looking for any signs of deception, but then seemed to realise that Emma wasn't lying. She swallowed and looked back at her plate. "We need to talk." She admitted.
"About what?" Emma asked with a frown, worry evident in her voice.
"We'll talk about it later."
"But-"
"Later."
The sternness in Regina's voice held no room for argument, so Emma just sighed and leaned back in her chair. She assumed that whatever Regina wanted to talk to her about was the reason for her strange behaviour, but she was no closer to finding out what it was.
At least now she knew that she'd find out later, though. It was times like these that she really wished she weren't so impatient.
There was something wrong with Regina.
August had known it as soon as he had overheard the brunette on the phone, when she had been talking to her sister. The things that she had said, about having a plan and about Emma being her fiancee for 'all intents and purposes', had aroused suspicion in him. He didn't know what that meant. Emma was her fiancee for 'all intents and purposes'? It made it sound like Emma wasn't really her fiancee...
But, if that were true, then Emma must have missed the memo. All the time that Emma and Regina had been in Storybrooke, Emma had been at Regina's side, holding her hand, touching the small of her back, hugging her waist. Whereas Regina, with the exception of a few tentative touches, had done nothing quite as affectionate towards Emma.
Even at dinner just now, Emma had been making an effort with Regina. She had been talking to the brunette, trying to make her laugh or smile. She had nudged her playfully, and at one point, put her hand on Regina's knee as if to offer her some comfort. Meanwhile, Regina had found her boiled carrots much more interesting.
August had watched on, a suspicious look on his face. He didn't trust Regina as far as he could throw her. There was just something not quite right about her, and August wanted to know what it was.
While Emma and Mary Margaret discussed the tragic death of Emma's fourth grade teacher, Regina decided to clear away some dishes. She picked up Emma's plate and her own, then headed towards the kitchen, not before receiving a request from Emma for a slice of pie.
Regina nodded her head, telling the blonde that she would bring her some dessert, then went through the doors to the kitchen, going straight to the sink. Her mood couldn't get much worse right now. Knowing that she would have to give Emma the opportunity to abandon their plan, consequently ensuring her own deportation, was making her feel exceptionally dejected. She was going to lose her job. Zelena was going to get her job. She was going to have to leave New York. She was going to have to leave Emma.
If Regina had been told a week ago that there was a possibility that she would never see or speak to Emma again, she would have shrugged it off. Why should she care? Emma was just her assistant. She was expendable and replaceable.
But now, Regina had realised that Emma was more than just her assistant. She was more than just someone to get her coffee in the mornings and book her appointments for the day. She was also kind and funny. She had a big heart, which could be seen from the fact that she had helped Regina in this crazy scheme. And she was gentle. In the way that she touched Regina to keep up their charade, the way she would rest a hand on Regina's back or hug her from behind. She was so gentle in a way that made Regina feel special.
But, Emma was also no pushover. She was a strong woman, who could hold her own against Regina. Who else would have the nerve to demand to have their manuscript published and a new promotion in return for helping Regina?
Yes, Emma was so much more than just an assistant. And Regina may never see her again after she got deported.
Regina tried not the think about it. She tried not to think about how sad that thought made her, and instead focused on rinsing the gravy-splattered plates in the sink. Halfway through the task, the door to the kitchen opened, causing her to glance over her shoulder to see who it was.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she saw that it was August. He made her feel slightly nervous. It was the way that he looked at her, like he was studying her, that she didn't like. Usually, if Regina didn't like someone, then she made it perfectly clear by being hostile to them. But August was Emma's brother, so she knew that she would have to be civil with him.
August wordlessly walked over to the sink with a couple of other plates, and placed them on the counter next to Regina. Then he backed away, but he didn't leave the room. Instead, he walked over to the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest. Regina watched him for a second, then turned back to the sink and continued rinsing plates, not knowing if she was expected to say something to him.
"So," August said after a moment. "Are you enjoying your time in Storybrooke?"
Regina turned on fiancee-mode. "Yes. It's a lovely town."
"Has Emma been to your hometown?"
"No." Regina said, then quickly added, "Not yet."
"Huh," August said, causing Regina to turn to look at him. He was nodding thoughtfully, which made Regina frown and turn away. "What's your favourite thing about being here?"
Regina felt like this was a test. Like every question asked by August was a trick question. So, she tried to think about what her examiner wanted to hear. "I like seeing the place that Emma grew up. The place that shaped her into the person that she is now. I like that I can finally picture a young version of Emma running around this place, going back into her room and listening to NSYNC."
"NSYNC?" August repeated, confusion evident in his voice.
Regina swallowed, going back in her mind to when Mary Margaret had said that Emma still had an NSYNC poster in her old room. She had said that, right? "Yes. Emma like them when she was a teen."
"No she didn't." August said bluntly, causing Regina to turn around. "The popular kids at school liked them," August said matter-of-factly. "And Emma didn't have many friends, so she pretended to like them to fit in. But I don't think she could even name a single member of NSYNC."
Regina swallowed, suddenly feeling stupid. "Oh."
She swore that August had a smirk playing on his lips, which infuriated Regina. She wished that she could wipe it off his face, but she instead picked up the hand towel and started drying her hands.
"She's always preferred Queen and The Rolling Stones." August said smugly.
Regina remembered something that Emma had said in the car, and decided to use in to her advantage. "And Nirvana." She supplied.
August narrowed his eyes slightly, but nodded his head, seeming to hate the fact that he had to admit that Regina was correct.
Regina smiled insincerely and walked over to the fridge to get Emma some pie. On the top shelf sat three pies, each one labelled with its flavour. Regina debated for a moment, then took the one from the middle and put it on the counter, taking out a plate and knife to cut her assistant a slice.
"Is that kiwi-lime?" August said, walking towards her slightly.
Regina glanced at him, then looked back down as she cut quite a large slice. "It is."
"Are you eating it?" August asked curiously.
Regina frowned, not seeing the significance of this. "No, it's for Emma."
"Oh, really? You're cutting kiwi-lime pie for Emma?"
Regina put the knife down and looked at the man incredulously. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"My sister's allergic to kiwi." August informed her with a glint in his eye, as if he was satisfied that Regina didn't know that.
Regina swallowed, infuriated with herself for adding fuel to August's fire of mistrust.
"So, are you trying to kill my sister? Or do you not know your fiancee well at all?"
Regina clenched her jaw and bit her tongue, forcing herself not to say anything until she had counted to ten in her head. She didn't appreciate the way that August was making her feel like she was under attack, and she could think of a million biting remarks to show him that, but she was supposed to be being civil. She wasn't supposed to be giving Emma's family any reasons not to trust her, but now she had just shown how little she knew about Emma, which was a big reason to be wary of her. She was blowing this, and she needed to stop.
Luckily, Emma decided to enter the kitchen at that moment, meaning that Regina didn't need to thin of a nauseatingly polite response to August.
"What's taking you so long?" Emma asked, looking between her brother and her boss. "I thought you'd got lost or something."
"You never told me that you were allergic to kiwi." Regina said, throwing August a dirty look as she did.
"Yeah..." Emma looked at Regina with a frown. "It never really came up..."
"Don't you think it's weird that your fiancee doesn't know what you're allergic to?" August said, folding his arms across his chest.
Emma realised that August seemed suspicious, so she swallowed nervously. "Not really. I don't know everything about Regina, and she doesn't know everything about me. But what we do know is enough to make us want to be married to each other. We learn new things about each other everyday, which means I find new things to like about Regina everyday. I don't think there's anything wrong with that."
Regina smiled to herself at how calmly Emma handled her brother's suspicions, then looked to August to see if he would argue.
August narrowed his eyes. "Well, your fiancee was about to feed you something that would have sent you to hospital."
Emma looked over to Regina, her eyes finding the kiwi-lime pie beside the brunette. "And now she knows that I'm allergic to kiwi, and it'll never happen again." She shrugged casually.
"So, you're not bothered that Regina almost-"
Emma didn't even let August finish his sentence. "No, I'm not bothered. I haven't told her that I'm allergic to kiwi because it's never really been relevant, so how the hell would she have known? Stop acting like she did it on purpose and-"
"I'm not acting like she did it on purpose." August said firmly. "I'm acting like I think it's weird that the woman you're engaged to doesn't know something so basic about you."
"What exactly are you suggesting?"
"I'm not suggesting anything."
The siblings stared at each other for a few moments, causing an awkward silence to fill the room. Eventually, Emma shifted and shook her head. "Just let it go, August. Does it really matter that Regina didn't know that I was allergic to kiwi? You're making a big deal about something that's a small deal. A tiny deal."
August held his hands up in surrender. "Fine. I'll drop it."
"Good." Emma was quiet for a second, then sighed. "Anyway, I'm not hungry anymore. I'm just going to go upstairs."
August nodded and leaned back against the counter, watching the two women. Regina wrapped the pie back up and put it in the fridge, hating the tension that was now in the room. After she had closed the door to the fridge, she felt Emma grab her hand. She looked up, expecting to find green eyes looking at her, but instead Emma had already turned around and started walking in the direction of the stairs, pulling Regina behind her.
Regina sighed, but followed the blonde up the stairs. She had thought her mood couldn't get much worse, but she had been wrong. Now it was a lot worse.
Once they got to the top of the stairs, Emma dropped her hand and walked into their bedroom, leaving Regina to trail behind like a dog. Once they were both in the safety of their room, Emma closed the door and turned to Regina.
"Now you're going to tell me what's been bothering you all night." She said firmly.
Regina closed her eyes and released a breath. It was time to tell Emma that didn't have to go through with this plan.
A/N: I'm so unhappy with this chapter. Ugh.
Anyway, what do you think will happen when Regina gives Emma the choice to end their charade and be with Neal?
Thanks for reading.