It's been a while, sorry!
Regina spends the days following the funeral up in Henry's room. She sits there for hours and looks out of the window. She sees the sky, often grey these days, and the backyard in which Henry used to play.
Emma only checks up on her once, but she sends texts every day, asking if Regina maybe wants to talk or just have a drink with her. Regina declines every time. It's not that she doesn't want to see Emma, but she needs time alone to process.
She hasn't touched a thing in Henry's room. It still is exactly as he left it that day. Regina doesn't think she'll ever be able to move anything. This room is a sanctuary now.
She comes every morning and sits in silence. She lets the memories wash over her and she doesn't stop the tears from falling.
She's grieving.
Emma's frustration escalates each time Regina refuses her calls or answers her texts in the negative. The apartment is too small and the atmosphere is stifling. Her parents mean well, they want to help, but Emma doesn't want their help.
Every morning at dawn, she leaves the apartment and goes for a run. She runs several miles until she sees the streets filling with life and only then does she go back, because she doesn't want to deal with people's looks of pity or sympathy.
She insists to go back to work two days after Henry's funeral because she feels like she's losing her mind doing nothing. There is an investigation that she needs to lead before it's too late.
There were a few witnesses on the scene of the accident. She needs their testimonies. If she can have information about the car or the driver, she'll be able to track it. There is no way this is going to remain unpunished.
Every evening after her shift ends at the station, Emma stops by the cemetery and she sits in silence in front of the vault. Regina must have come here very soon after the funeral to have done this, because it's only on the third day that the vault has magically appeared out of nowhere. Emma has yet to go inside.
She comes every evening and sits in silence. She lets the memories wash over her and she doesn't stop the tears from falling.
She's grieving.
Soon, Emma has three witnesses swearing that the car was a deep forest green and definitely not from Storybrooke. The model of the car seemed new, although by Storybrooke's standards, anything after 1990 is considered new.
People were too shocked to note the license plate, and all Emma gets is a 9 and a W, which is way too slim to be useful. Discouraged, she sighs deeply and sits back in her chair after going over the testimonies all over again with no more clues.
Her eyes drift to her phone on the desk. She grabs it and pushes the dial-speed button for Regina. She's honestly surprised when the Queen picks up.
"Yes?"
"Regina? Hey, hi."
"Emma. Hello."
There's an awkward pause, before Emma shakes herself and asks:
"Are you doing anything right now?"
"I was on my way to the grocery store."
"Great. I'll meet you there!"
She doesn't wait for an answer because there's no way she's letting Regina refuse to see her once more. It's been almost two weeks since she stopped by her place and Emma's had enough.
She wants to see Regina. She needs to see her.
Emma calls David to let him know that she's leaving work, and he doesn't object and says he'll be at the station in ten minutes.
Regina is waiting for her in her car, as Emma parks right next to her on a rather empty parking lot. The brunette gets out of her Mercedes at the same time Emma slams the door of the bug and a few seconds later, they stand in front of each other.
"Hi," she says.
"What is it that you couldn't tell me on the phone?" Regina asks.
"I just want to see how you're doing."
"Couldn't you just ask?"
"I said I wanted to see, Regina. You're shutting me out and I don't like it."
"Miss Swan…"
"No, listen, Regina this is difficult for both of us. You can't push me away. It's not fair. We need to stick together."
"I think it's better if you stay away from me for a while. I'm not exactly looking for company right now."
"It's been days since I last saw you. What could you possibly—"
"Emma, please."
The Sheriff looks at Regina, confused and upset. She takes a step closer.
"Talk to me."
"I can't," the brunette replies as her eyes drop to the ground.
"Something's bothering you. A thought. It won't get better if you don't talk about it."
"It's… I can't. I have to go."
Regina doesn't wait for an answer this time. She turns around and walks resolutely toward the grocery store. Emma is left staring after her, wondering what all of this is about.
She thinks about it all day and when she slips into her bed that night, Emma is restless. There is no way she's going to sleep. Something is wrong with Regina. The other woman felt off, standoffish almost.
Emma waits ten minutes in her bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark, before she throws the covers back and gets up. She is sure that Regina is not asleep. Quickly, she grabs clean clothes from her closet and gets dressed. Then she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and disappears into a cloud of white smoke.
She reappears on Regina's porch. The lights are still on in the living-room and it's not that late so Emma knocks on the door and waits. It takes Regina a minute to open the door, and Emma immediately frowns when she sees the other woman.
"Regina?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Are you… Have you been drinking?" Emma asks as she pushes past the older woman and walks into the house.
"No," Regina replies easily as she closes the door.
Emma tilts her head and raises a disbelieving eyebrow, but Regina only shrugs and walks off to the living-room. Without another word, Emma follows. Regina is already pouring herself a drink—another drink—and she also has a glass ready for Emma.
"I think about him all the time, you know? He's everywhere, in this house. Sometimes I even think I can hear his footsteps. It's driving me crazy," Regina adds in a whisper.
Alcohol makes Regina lower her walls and it's a frightening sight. The woman, always so composed, is crumbling under Emma's eyes and the blonde is powerless. She can only nod because she does understand the feeling. Emma swallows half her bourbon and winces at the taste before she speaks.
"Yesterday I walked past the castle. The playground, I mean. And I had to—I had to stop walking and I sat down because I felt dizzy. I could still see him playing there. Talking to me about Operation Cobra."
Regina bristles at these words and suddenly there's a fire in her eyes that wasn't there a moment before.
"You want to know what I've been thinking about lately? Why I've been trying so hard to avoid you?"
Suddenly, Emma isn't sure that she wants to know anymore. Regina is now up and pacing in front of her, glass already empty, and she looks furious.
"I think… I think that this is all your fault! That none of this would have happened if you hadn't come here in the first place, if you had just left us alone! You should have left when I told you to leave. If the curse hadn't broken, Storybrooke would still be safe from the outside world! Henry would still be alive… He would still be alive…"
It feels like Emma has been punched in the gut. She looks at Regina, torn between anger, disbelief and grief. Of course Regina would come to this conclusion. From the very start she had believed Emma was there to take Henry from her, so it really shouldn't have been a surprise that all these years Regina had unconsciously held onto that belief. And now, Emma had succeeded. Henry was gone, and Regina was blaming her.
Emma stands up carefully, unsure of what Regina is going to do next. But Regina isn't done yet, and she gets up in Emma's face while spewing more words that the blonde wishes she didn't have to hear.
"I knew something bad would happen if the curse was broken. I knew I'd lose my son, I just never expected it would happen this way! It's your fault, Emma. Don't you realize that?"
"I… Regina…"
The brunette steps back, suddenly, and she turns away from Emma.
"Leave."
"We need to talk about this!"
"No. Go. Leave."
She wants to protest because there is no way they're going to argue over that, and Emma feels unjustly accused of something she's never really had any intention of doing, but she sees Regina's hands tremble at her sides and she knows it's best to leave it at that for now. She swallows her own anger and simply walks out of the room. However, she can't help but slam the door as hard as she can on her way out of the house.
She needs a drink, or ten.
Reviews are great; thanks to everyone who takes a little time to write me a few words! :)
OTH-FOQ