AN: Okay, I know I promised more frequent updates, but it hasn't been quite two weeks yet. I'll try to update even more often than this, but I am in the middle of writing my master thesis so.
"So your birthday is coming up," Graham said, as he and Regina were putting the finishing touches on some of the yearbook pictures. The rest of the staff had gone home, and the deadline for getting the mock-up ready was getting closer and closer. Everyone always talked about all the stuff that Regina Mills was doing, all the clubs she was president of, and all the things she did but people rarely talked about the fact that Graham Humbert was right there next to her. He was the vice president to her president; he was the lead editor to her chief editor of the newspaper and the yearbook. He was always right behind her.
Regina supposed that was why people had thought of them as Graham and Regina for so long, that whether they were actually dating or not had never made much of a difference. Of course, that had changed after Regina has "unofficially" come out. She had never made a statement to anyone; Graham was the only one she had actually told. But dating Emma Swan-Blanchard had made people aware of the fact that she certainly wasn't straight, and at the very least no longer dating Graham. But as she looked at her best friend, she realized they were still Graham and Regina and she hoped they always would be.
"Yes, it is," Regina said, simply stating the fact. Truth be told, she usually despised her birthdays. They held too many bad memories, and in her experience her birthday was usually not the happy day people expected it to be. However, she hoped this year would be better. She had a plan.
"Do you have anything planned?" Graham asked as he was moving pictures around on the page.
"Actually, yes. But I'm going to need your help," Regina said, as she turned over and looked at the work Graham was doing. She nodded her approval and went back to her own stuff.
"That sounds intriguing. What is it?" Graham asked.
"Taking Emma to Wachusett for the weekend," Regina said. She wanted to show Emma their winter cabin; she wanted to snuggle with her girlfriend in front of a roaring fire and roast marshmallows and drink cocoa. She wanted to lie on the couch and snuggle the night away. She wanted to take Emma somewhere they could be just them. If she could go skiing as well, that would just be a bonus.
"Sounds simple enough. Why do you need my help?" Graham asked.
"Because I can't exactly tell my mother that I want to take Emma on a romantic getaway, now can I?" Regina said, slightly annoyed. Not at Graham, but at the situation. She wished things were simpler, she wished she could just tell her mother the truth and that everything would be okay. But she knew that was not the case. Her mother had lost it when she found out that Fiona was gay; the truth that Regina was gay? Regina wasn't sure she would come out on the other side breathing.
"True," Graham said, and Regina could tell that he too was a little upset with the whole situation. Not with her. No, he was over whatever discomfort he had when Regina came out. Regina knew that. She knew that everything that had happened over the past year had been hard on her best friend, and she was so happy that when she looked into Graham's eyes all she saw was love. Graham wanted her to be happy, and he wanted her to be able to be everything she was born to be.
"So what do you need my help with?" Graham asked.
"Ah, I need an alibi so to speak. I'm going to tell mother that I'm having a small get-together with a few friends, and, well, I kind of need you to make sure that said friends are not in town next weekend," Regina said. Her whole plan really hinged on Graham being willing to help her pull it off. If she told her mother that she was going to Wachusett with Graham and a couple of friends, Cora couldn't run into them in town that weekend.
"I'll help you," Graham said, and before Regina could thank him, he added, "On one condition."
"And what would that be?" Regina asked. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Not that Graham wouldn't help her with whatever she wanted, especially if it mattered. But he also knew when he could push back. That was half of their relationship, her pushing and him pushing back. Never too hard, and never too much, but always enough to keep each other on their toes.
"That it isn't just an alibi. Let me throw you a party for Friday." Graham said, and Regina couldn't stop the groan that came out of her mouth.
"Come on, Graham. You know I'm not really into the parties," Regina said, and it was true. Ever since that party at the Moreno House that had led to her losing her virginity, she had been wary of parties, and then everything that had happened last spring had just made it worse. The only reason why she had gone to the party that had gotten the ball rolling last fall was because Mary Margaret had asked her herself, and Regina didn't have the heart to say no.
"I didn't mean like a full-fledged rager, Regina," Graham teased, "I meant like the six of us. We get a little drunk and we celebrate your birthday. And we'll do it in our cabin, and everyone who's invited can stay with us, so that it won't interfere with your romantic weekend. I just want to be able to celebrate your birthday, Regina."
"When you put it like that..." Regina said, and she really couldn't argue with that. Graham was her best friend, and with everything she had put him through over the last year, the least she could do was indulge him when he wanted to celebrate her birthday.
"The year is almost over, Regina. In just a few months we won't be together anymore. You're going to UPenn, Mary Margaret is going to Thomas, Emma is staying here and I'm going to Princeton. I just want us to enjoy these last few months we have together."
"You know that it takes less than an hour to drive from UPenn to Princeton, right?" Regina asked, and smiled.
"Yes. That's why I chose Princeton instead of Stanford." Graham admitted, "The idea of being that far away from you seemed almost impossible."
"Graham..." Regina said. "I didn't know."
"Look, Princeton is a great school. It's not like it's a big sacrifice. You know I'm only going to college because my family wants me to at least give it a chance. Maybe discover that I don't want to become a cop after all."
"So that's still the end goal?" Regina asked. It had been a shock to her, as well as to Graham's family, when he admitted that he wanted to become a cop and not take over the family business which was expected of him. But no, Graham wanted to be a cop.
"Yes," Graham said, and Regina could tell that this was something that Graham burned for. Something he really wanted. Regina envied him. She wanted to have something like that. The only reason she chose UPenn was because it was Cora's alma mater. The only reason she was thinking of becoming a lawyer was because her mother told her so. She wished she burned for something the way Graham burned for law enforcement or Mary Margaret burned for education. She wished she knew what she wanted.
"I think I'm going to major in criminology and maybe minor in business if my family gets their way," Graham joked. "No, but I don't mind having to go to college first. I'm not ready to jump out into the real world just yet."
"I'm with you there," Regina agreed. Everything seemed to be moving so fast. She wasn't ready to leave; she wasn't ready to grow up.
"So, about the party?" Graham asked. "I mean the totally casual get together in Wachusett next weekend," he quickly added.
"What about it?" Regina said. "It was your idea. I'll just follow your lead."
"Are you sure? You're not usually one for surprises, Regina." Graham said.
"I'm getting better at them," Regina said, smiling. After meeting Emma, and especially after dating her, she had started to let things go more easily, not having to control every detail. Emma had taught her to just let go and enjoy things as they came.
"She's a good influence on you, you know?" Graham said, and Regina just smiled because they both knew who he was talking about, and Regina had to agree.
"I know," Regina said, and her hand automatically went up to the necklace Emma had given her for Christmas. She wore it almost every day now.
"So, just the six of us right?" Graham asked. "That's it?"
"Actually…" Regina said. "You should invite Katie and Fiona too. If they want to. I know they don't know Ruby and Peter very well, but still..."
"You want me to invite your girlfriend's ex-girlfriend to your birthday party?" Graham asked.
"I thought that's what lesbians do," Regina joked, and Graham laughed. "No, but seriously. We're mending our friendship and I think I would actually like her to be there. I miss her," Regina admitted. It had been hard to face that fact, but as Fiona had made her way back into her life through Emma, she had realized just how much she had missed her.
"I'm glad," Graham said. "Not that you miss her, but that you are fixing things. She was your best friend for so long."
"And she was a great best friend, but she has nothing on you," Regina said. "I mean that Graham. Really. What you did for me last year is something I can never repay."
"I loved you," Graham said. "I mean I still love you, but you were hurting, and although things didn't turn out as I expected, I never want you to hurt like that again."
"Thank you," Regina said before leaning in and hugging her best friend. She was forever grateful that Graham hadn't walked out of her life last spring. Truth was, he probably saved her life by staying.
"Mother?" Regina asked carefully. She knew she had to be clever to get Cora to agree to let her use the cabin for her birthday weekend.
"Yes, dear." Cora answered, and Regina let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her mother was in a good mood. Something that has become increasingly rarer and rarer over the past couple of months as Cora had spent less time in New York and more time in Storybrooke.
"Next weekend is my birthday, and I was wondering if I could possibly have a couple of friends at the winter cabin at Wachusett?" Regina said, carefully avoiding any mentions of Emma or her original plan for the weekend, before Graham has convinced her to actually make a weekend out of it.
"Which friends?" Cora asked, and Regina knew there was only one answer to this question.
"Graham and his girlfriend. A couple of girls from student council, maybe their boyfriends, and David and Kathryn." Regina said. The only reason why she included David and Kathryn is because she knew they'd be in Boston next weekend, visiting Kathryn's grandparents. She didn't really have anything against the two of them, but they had always been more Graham's friends than hers. And she hadn't even spoken with them since the Winter Ball.
But she knew her mother approved of them, they weren't mansion rich but their family were well enough respected that Cora thought they were a good influence, and it was not like any of the other mansion kids with the exception of Graham that were still on Cora's approved list. Fiona had fallen off a long time ago, Killian fell off about the time he started calling himself Killian, and since no one had heard from Michael in nearly five years, he was not even a thought on her radar.
"Graham has a girlfriend?" Cora asked, and Regina couldn't tell whether this fact pleased or displeased her mother. "Who is she?"
Regina took a breath, and thought about what she was going to say. She knew her mother didn't approve that much of Leo, but Eva had been well regarded. And Cora hadn't completely freaked out when she had brought Emma over. It was probably safe to tell her mother who Graham's girlfriend was.
"Mary Margaret Blanchard, Eva and Leo's daughter." Regina said.
Her mother stiffened, but it was only for a second and Regina was sure she had imagined it. She had been on high alert for months, worrying about her mother. The fact that Cora was spending so much more time at home had made her paranoid.
"Ah, yes. Your friend, Emma's sister?" Cora said, and this time Regina was the one who stiffened. She knew that Cora hadn't just let go of Emma, she didn't exactly fit into Cora's mold of "appropriate" friends. But she hadn't said anything since that Friday, Emma had come over. Actually, her mother had been scary silent on most fronts that included Regina's personal life since New York.
Regina couldn't help the feeling that told her that Cora was planning something, something she didn't want. There were just so many things that were new this year, and it made Regina worried. Her mother not meddling as much in her business but still staying home more than Regina could ever remember her doing, the way her father had left without properly saying goodbye after Christmas, several days before he planned on leaving, and then it was just the way her mother was. Regina was worried. Regina was terrified her mother had found out somehow, found out about Emma or about Fiona or just figured out that Regina was gay.
"Uhm, yeah." Regina said, "I mean, yes. Mary Margaret is Emma's sister." She corrected. She knew her mother didn't approve of her using words like "yeah". It wasn't very ladylike. It was supposed to be simple 'yes' or 'no's. Nothing in between.
"Is Emma going to be coming to this party?" Cora asked.
"It's not a party mother. We'll only be a couple of people, and I thought it would be nice to spend the weekend up in Wachusett. It's been a while since I went skiing." Regina said.
"You didn't answer the question Regina." Cora said, and Regina felt the hair on the back of her neck rise up. It was never a good thing when her mother became like this. It usually ended up with bruises.
"I haven't asked her yet." Regina said, "She may have other plans." And it was the truth. Regina hadn't talked to Emma about it yet. She wanted to make sure she was allowed to go first. But without Emma there wasn't really any point in going at all. It was all because of Emma she wanted to go in the first place.
"Okay." Cora said, and Regina paused. Had her mother just agreed to let her borrow the cabin or was it a more general okay about her having not asked Emma if she wanted to come. Cora was generally pretty strict about what Regina was allowed to do or not do. There was a reason why Regina was the only who of the "Golden Five" who had never had a mansion party. Even Michael had had one, before he disappeared of the radar. They'd been ten, and it had been sodas and bouncy castles but still. It had been the best sodas and extravagant cakes. Regina never had that. She had celebrated her birthday a handful of times, usually only a dinner with her parents and Fiona back in the day. A couple of years, Graham had thrown her party. Last year, she had celebrated it alone, lied to Graham and said she was going to New York, and instead spent the entire day alone in her house.
Birthday's generally meant she was in the center of attention, and Regina didn't particularly like that. She was happier behind the scenes, watching and making sure everything went smoothly. The spotlight wasn't her thing. That was why she took her name of the ballots for various Queens over the years. She didn't want that attention. She wanted space, and the opportunity to be who she was.
"Will you be leaving on Thursday or Friday?" Cora asked, and Regina realized that her mother had just agreed to let her to use the cabin.
"Friday morning, mother." Regina said, "It's what makes the most sense for everyone, and since we have Friday off we won't miss any classes."
"That's fine, dear." Cora said, and it was like there had never been any problem at all. "Just makes sure you tell Rosemary."
"I will, mother. Thank you." Regina said.
"So, do you have any plans next weekend?" Regina asked Emma as they were walking home from school. The snow was starting to melt, and it was getting warmer in Storybrooke. Regina hoped it would still be cold enough in Wachusett, but she wasn't too worried. The snow lasted longer up there than it did in Storybrooke. That was the whole point of having the winter cabin up there in the first place.
"Oh, I don't know." Emma said innocently. "There isn't anything happening is there?"
Regina punched her shoulder, "You think you're so cute don't you?"
"Well yes." Emma said, "Because I am."
Emma turned slightly to Regina and kissed her carefully. They're generally more careful about their public kisses when Cora is in Storybrooke in case she would see them. But the kiss was short and sweet, and left Regina craving more. It always left Regina craving more.
"But no. I don't have any plans. All I know it's that it's your birthday and I want to spent it with you."
"Good. Because that's what I want too." Regina said, "So, I may have a plan."
"A plan?" Emma said, "That sounds devious. Does it include that Evil Queen costume?"
"Emma!" Regina said as she felt her cheeks blush. It wasn't the first time Emma had made references to her Halloween costume, and she would be lying if Emma hadn't been the main reason why she had worn it in the first place but it still made her feel a little strange. She and Emma hadn't talked that much about sex, she knew they needed to. Their make out sessions had become hotter, and after the incident with Mary Margaret, she knew that this was something they needed to discuss. But they always just ended up making out more every time they'd try.
"What?" Emma asked, just as innocent as always.
"You know what." Regina said the blush still strong on her cheeks.
"You're so easy sometimes." Emma said, "That's why I do it."
"You're a little brat." Regina said, and she almost laughed at the offended look that crossed her girlfriends face.
"Why do I even hang out with you?" Emma asked, as she took Regina's hand in her own.
"Because I am hot." Regina stated frankly, "And dating me does wonders for your reputation."
"I can't argue with that." Emma said, and smiled. This was Regina's favorite part of her entire day. Just walking with Emma. Sometimes Graham or Mary Margaret or Ruby was with them. But moments like this, when it was just her and Emma was Regina's favorite. Moments when she was just walking home with her girlfriend. She almost felt normal. This was how it was supposed to be, she was supposed to be able to walk home holding her girlfriends hand, and feel giddy every time Emma kissed her. That's what all the romcoms Fiona had forced her to watch when they were younger had taught her.¨
She had believed that all of that was just bullshit. It had never felt like the movies before. It had always felt like it was something she was supposed to do, so she had to do it. Walking down Main Street holding Graham's hand had felt like something that was expected of her, not something she desperately wanted. But it was different now. Everything was different with Emma.
Regina wished she hadn't wasted so much time, trying so hard to be something she wasn't. She was leaving in a few months, she would be leaving all this behind, the thing that had once been the only thing she looked forwards, was something she was started to dread. The idea of leaving Emma behind to go to UPenn seemed almost impossible.
"So what is this master plan of yours?" Emma asked, pulling Regina back into reality.
"What?" Regina asked, still a little lost in her own thoughts.
"Your master plan for your birthday? What is it?" Emma repeated and Regina remembered what it was they were talking about in the first place. Her birthday. The cabin in Wachusett. The party.
They were coming up to the drive way of the Blanchard home, and Regina could smell the dinner that Leo was cooking.
"I'll tell you inside." Regina said, and the two girls made their way inside. The entire house smelled of spices and Regina was reminded of her father, and the food he used to make her when she was a kid.
"Hi, dad!" Emma said, "Sorry, we're late. Regina was stuck doing something incredibly boring and important at school."
"No worries, girls. I supposed that means you are staying for dinner, Regina?" Leo asked from the kitchen.
"If that's alright with you, Leo." Regina said, calling Leo by his first name had been hard to begin with but it hadn't taken too long for Leo to convince her to do it. The Blanchard house had started to feel more like home than her own did. It had started to feel like the Moreno house when she was a kid.
"Of course, Regina. Dinner should be done in about half an hour. I'm trying something new." Leo answered.
"Come on. Let's go upstairs." Emma said, and the two girls walked up into Emma's room. Regina was surprised at how lax Leo was about her spending time in Emma's bedroom unsupervised, but after spending time with Leo, and Emma and Mary Margaret it was clear that Leo trusted his daughters and did not want to control their lives. It was a feeling that was new to Regina.
"So, the plan?" Emma asked, as the two girls found their respective spots on opposite sides of Emma's bed. Regina leaning at the head frame while Emma was sitting on the other side, leaning at the end frame.
"So, here's the deal. My family has a cabin up in Wachusett, near the Ski Resort." Regina started, "And I convinced my mother to let me use it next weekend"
"So far, I'm following." Emma said, "But where is this master plan part of it?"
"So, the thing is. I couldn't exactly tell my mother that I wanted to take my girlfriend to a weekend getaway in the mountains for my birthday."
"Understandable. As your mother doesn't know that you have a girlfriend." Emma added, with a smile on her face. Regina was so happy that Emma was so understanding about how she couldn't tell her mother the truth about them. How patient Emma was, and how she just trusted Regina with this.
"Right." Regina said, "So originally I just planned on having Graham cover for us, so we could have the whole weekend for ourselves. If you wanted to go of course."
"Regina. There is nothing more I would like than to spend a weekend with you up in the cold mountains." Emma laughed. "But what do you mean originally?"
"Turns out, Graham actually likes me and would like to celebrate my birthday." Regina said, "So we came up with this plan, which actually needs way less coordination and will probably make it less likely that my mother finds out."
"Are you telling me that Graham is the brains of this operation? Should I be worried?" Emma teased, and Regina continues to be grateful for the friendship that had grown between Graham and Emma.
"Actually. It's pretty smart." Regina said, and continued to tell Emma about the plan, the party thrown at Graham's cabin on Friday and how everyone who is coming could stay over there so they would still have the Mills cabin for themselves.
"So what you are saying is that we're going to have an entire cabin for ourselves for almost a whole weekend?" Emma said, and wiggled her eyebrows and Regina decided that maybe this was the moment she was waiting for when it came to talking about sex.
"There are six bedrooms in the cabin, Emma. I'm not expecting anything." Regina said, making sure that Emma knew that this weekend wasn't just an excuse to get laid. She wanted to spend the weekend with Emma because Emma made everything better, and she wanted to do it some place where no one really knew her. Where she didn't have to worry about Cora popping up every other second. She wanted a place where she and Emma could just be.
"Regina." Emma said, and moved closer to Regina, "I'm ready."
"What?" Regina said, completely caught off guard.
"I'm not saying we have to have sex next weekend," Emma said, "But if it happens, I'm ready. I want to."
Regina felt herself grow warmer at the idea of having sex with Emma, she wanted this. She'd wanted it for a while if she was honest with herself, but the last thing she wanted to do was push Emma. She hadn't even really thought about sex when she had planned the weekend up at Wachusett.
"Are you sure?" Regina said, "I don't want you to think that I expect it. That I planned all of this, so that you would sleep with me."
"I decided a while ago." Emma said, "I'm ready. I don't want to force it or plan it or anything like that. But if we find ourselves in that situation next weekend, I'm ready. I want to do this, Regina. I want to do this with you."
Regina leaned in and kissed Emma. The kiss grew passionate, and Regina knew that there wouldn't be long before they had sex, and Regina wanted to make sure it was perfect for Emma. She wouldn't push, and she wouldn't plan, because she was worried that if she made a big deal out of it, Emma wouldn't say no even if she changed her mind. She wanted whatever happened next to be what Emma wanted. She needed Emma's first time to mean more than her own, and she was happy that Emma trusted her this much.
"Okay?" Emma asked when they finally broke apart.
"Yes." Regina said, and smiled as Emma decided that she would rather snuggle into her girlfriend than sit on the opposite side of her.
AN: Next time: Emma gets ready for the big weekend, and Emma and Leo have "the talk." Also, I'm not one to beg for comments, but last chapter had exactly zero comments, so if you would be so kind to leave a comment, I would be eternally grateful.