This one is just a bit shorter and i apologize for that, but i wrote this giant thing that was way too long for one chapter, but half was too short...yada yada... Good news with that though, is that i have a huge chunk of next chapter written.
Thanks so much for all the great nicknames! Enjoy ;)
Regina jerked up in bed as she saw the clock. It was after nine in the morning, much later than she ever slept. She should already be in her office, starting with the morning work. A she soon as she stood from the bed though, her head spun and a wave of dizziness knocked her back on her ass.
Regina groaned, realizing she actually felt worse than yesterday. Probably why Jessica took the second day off. Thinking on that, Regina reached for her phone and immediately saw a missed call, voice mail, and text message from her. They were sent over an hour ago. She opened the text first.
Good morning Madam Mayor! I just wanted to say that I will be at work today, ready for anything you need!
Regina blinked at the screen a few times. This girl was much too perky and excited. She hesitated before clicking on the voicemail and received the exact same message though she had to hear it out loud. And loud it was. She sighed and considered her options.
She had work that needed done. She had barely gotten any of the usual paperwork completed yesterday and there were meetings today. But the thought of moving anywhere beyond this house just made her more sick and Regina was surprising herself with the growing willingness to just skip all of it again. It took her a few more minutes, but then Regina finally grabbed her phone and sent a text to her overly enthusiastic secretary.
I will not be in today. Please cancel my appointments.
Regina had barely even gotten herself completely out of bed before there was a reply.
Already done for ya! The Sheriff called an hour ago. Don't worry about a thing, feel better!
Regina rolled her eyes, now thinking maybe she should find a reason to yell at Jessica just to knock the perkiness down a few notches. Then her thoughts jumped to Emma. She wasn't sure if she was annoyed or relieved. Maybe a little of both.
Taking the time to keep the dizziness at bay, Regina walked slowly down the steps. She was surprised to hear water running in the kitchen and headed that way. Emma's back was turned but Regina's shuffling seemed to catch her attention.
"Well, good morning, Princess." Emma smiled warmly before moving to the stove.
"Did you just call me Princess?" She asked with a small glare.
"It's way more sickly sweet than Queen." Emma smiled over her shoulder before she got back to work.
"I did nothing to deserve that." Regina replied as she leaned her head on her closed fist.
"Um excuse me, but did you forget this morning?" She asked and Regina squinted.
"What are you talking about?"
"This morning…when I went to check on you…" Emma shrugged and when Regina just kept staring, she continued. "…huh, well you were pretty out of it. I asked you if you were okay and you mumbled something about my mother's hair being a form of revenge and something about fries and 'damn it Miss Swan'…I don't know, you were being weird." She shrugged again and Regina's cheeks seemed just a bit pinker.
"You called Jessica?" She decided to change the subject.
"Yeah, I figured after that, you probably weren't feelings work again."
"Well…you should have checked with me first." She was lacking any real irritation from her tone and because of that, Emma responded genuinely.
"Got it. I did also call Archie and he asked if we wanted to come in tomorrow instead. You know, so you don't get your best friend sick." She smiled.
"I don't hate the man, but I'd hardly call Dr. Hopper my best friend."
"I was talking about Pongo." Emma grinned at Regina's eye roll, but the brunette didn't push back.
"So what are you making?" She moved her head a bit to try and see.
"A tea recipe Granny gave me this morning. She swears if you drink a few cups today, you'll be good as new tomorrow. It doesn't smell bad." She tilted her head as she poured some into a mug. "Try it."
"Yeah you can try it first." Regina looked distastefully at the steaming mug.
"Ugh, you're such a wimp." Emma shook her head and took a sip from the cup. "Okay…well...it's not great. But it's not disgusting either. Just drink it, it'll make you better." She held it out and Regina still just stared for another moment before taking the slowest, most tentative sip. "Sooooo?" Emma questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"It's awful." Regina made an even more disgusted face now.
"Well enjoy that, sweet cheeks." Emma shot a wink at her.
"And what was that for?"
"You're looking a little pale. The nicknames add color to your cheeks." Emma added with a grin, further darkening the older woman's face.
"You're impossible." Regina muttered under her breath, taking another slow sip of the tea.
"Back at ya Pumpkin. Ah see? You're looking better and better. Drink up." Emma couldn't wipe the grin off her face and Regina forced herself to stop being so embarrassed. It was satisfying the blonde way too much.
"Shouldn't you be at work?" Again, she wanted to change the subject.
"David's there now and he'll call if anything comes up. Henry is with Mary Margaret doing some home schooling like we planned and she's going to talk to the principal about getting her job back today."
"About taking her job back. She needs to tell them she is coming back. Not ask."
"This is Mary Margaret we're talking about."
"Right…" Regina sighed. "I'll call the school and arrange it myself."
"Probably for the best." Emma smiled and Regina let a small one slip. "Alright, what're you hungry for?" Emma clapped her hands together, but Regina snorted.
"You are going to cook?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes. Despite popular belief, I'm not that bad in the kitchen."
"I don't know if I'm willing to risk it." She said and Emma gave a dramatic eye roll.
"Stop being such a baby. You do not want to be slaving over a hot stove. I mean you're already so hot." Emma stopped herself as Regina's eye brows rose. "I-I mean warm…you're warm…cause you're sick." While Emma was stuttering, Regina just nodded along with a pseudo concentrated look.
"I see." She bit back a smirk at Emma's embarrassment.
"Whatever, what do you want?" She averted her eyes, but Regina saw the blonde's pink cheeks and let herself smile.
"Think you can handle oatmeal?" She asked in a condescending tone.
"Yes, Regina, I can. Just go watch TV, I'll bring it to you."
"I don't watch TV. I'll be working in the study." She started to turn but Emma moved in front of her.
"No working. You have to relax. Those are the rules of getting better. Come on, I'll find something for you to watch." Emma moved around her and walked confidently to the living room where Henry watched his cartoons.
Regina was just stubborn enough to wait another full minute before following. She walked in to see Emma flipping through the channels and took a seat on the couch. She could see Emma's profile and caught her side of the large grin pulling across the younger woman's face when she found a show she wanted.
"Awesome. Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes." She walked quickly out of the room and Regina leaned back into the cushions.
Regina had absolutely no interest in TV. She never had, but then again, she never really sat down to anything. Henry was always watching cartoons and that held no fascination with the brunette. She always had better things to do. She did have better things to do right now, that was for sure. But again, she just couldn't find any desire to sit down to city paperwork.
When she watched the opening of the television show Emma chose start, Regina immediately scoffed that the blonde would find something like this entertaining. She was going to just turned the damn program off but as her eyes lingered on the screen, slowly she was becoming more and more entranced with the women on screen.
When Emma bustled back into the living room, she couldn't help the triumphant smirk at the scene playing out in front of her. Not the scene on the TV exactly, but the one of the uppity brunette Mayor curled up on the couch with a blanket and box of tissues in her lap, eyes completely transfixed on the screen. Emma couldn't stop smiling as she sat down next to Regina and offered up one of the bowls of oatmeal. Regina finally snapped back to attention and blinked a few times before taking the food from Emma.
"Thank you, dear." She said distractingly, glancing back at the screen.
"So you like the show?" Emma leaned back, curling her own legs under her and started at her own bowl.
"It's a bit barbaric." Regina shrugged but Emma wasn't fooled.
"I knew you'd love it. Isn't she empowering?" Emma asked, indicating the female character on the screen, currently knocking five men into unconsciousness all by herself.
"I don't need to look to others for empowerment. I could have done the same as her without a sword."
"Yeah but you need magic. She doesn't have of that." Emma pointed out and Regina rolled her eyes.
"I could still take on many more than her." Regina lifted her chin and Emma just smiled as she looked back to the screen. The older woman took a cautious taste of the oatmeal, raising an eyebrow as she looked at Emma.
"Not bad huh?" She asked and Regina picked at it again.
"It's not as terrible as I was expecting." Regina lifted a shoulder casually and Emma shook her head.
"You're welcome." Emma muttered childishly. Regina sighed.
"Thank you Miss- damn it." Regina dropped her head.
"Why is it so impossible to call me Emma?" The blonde laughed as she watched Regina mentally scold herself.
"I don't' know." She sighed and Emma got a little lost in that thought.
"Why is it so impossible to call me Emma?" The blonde narrowed her eyes at Regina across from her.
"I don't know." Regina shrugged and sipped from her drink.
"Try it, try it with me…Em-Ma." Emma leaned forward and put her fingers on Regina's cheeks, attempting to make her lips move. "Eeeemmmm Maaaaa…"
"Stop that Miss Swan. You stop that now!" She pushed the blonde back a bit.
"No! You did it again! Stop it!"
"Stop what Miss Swan?" Regina smirked.
"Call me Emma!"
"Or what?" Regina challenged.
"Or…or I will call you Muffin. Yes, yes, I will call you Muffin. Mayor Muffin." Emma smiled wide, grabbing her drink to throw back.
"Miss Swan-"
"Yes Muffin?" She stopped when Regina irrupted in a fit of laughter. "Ah so you like that?" She asked and Regina only increased her giggling. Emma sat back, completely mesmerized. "I didn't….I didn't even know you could do that!" She slurred again and leaned in on Regina.
"Do what, dear?" Regina asked as she calmed down, the alcohol making her confused expression comical.
"Laugh! You know without being all evil and shit." Emma grinned.
"Emma?"
Emma felt her body being shook and blinked a few times. She had not realized she'd fallen asleep and jerked a little at the movement. She was both surprised and confused to see Henry standing in front of her.
"Henry?" She questioned quietly, sitting up slowly now.
"You were sleeping." He said curiously.
"Sorry kid, we were watching TV." She glanced over and found herself surprised to see the side of Regina's face pressed against the back of the couch, her eyes closed as the woman sleeping soundly. She was even more surprised to see both bowls sitting side by side on the table and a new blanket laying over her own body. She smiled at that for a second before looking back at her son. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to get another change of clothes. Grandma said if Mom was staying home again cause she's sick, I should stay there another night."
"We?" Emma questioned and then for the first time, saw her mother standing in the doorway, looking as out of place and awkward as humanly possible.
Carefully, Emma stood from the couch. She glanced back and readjusted the blanket falling off of Regina. She grabbed both bowels and managed to catch the mug with her pinkie and ring finger. Moving towards the doorway, she tilted her head to indicate her mother and son follow her. Mary Margaret gave one last lingering look to the couch before following her daughter.
"You need to be careful Emma…you're going to get sick." Mary Margaret had her arms crossed as she moved through the house, having never been through it and not even the slightest bit comfortable.
"Trust me, I won't." She smiled as they made it into the kitchen and placed the bowls in the sink. "Henry, why don't you go up and grab your clothes. Quietly." She emphasized and he nodded before leaving the room.
"Looks like things are going okay." Mary Margaret said with a bit less of an undertone today, though Emma knew she was definitely thrown by the scene she had just witnessed.
"Yeah they are." Emma busied herself turning on the stove again to heat the new soup she got from Granny's this morning and another cup of tea. She saw from the clock it was almost noon already and if Regina woke up soon, it would be a good time for another cup. "Thanks for helping with Henry."
"Oh it's no problem. We're more than happy to have him around again." She smiled lightly.
"Good. I know he loves getting to be around everyone."
"I was wondering…do you think maybe we could try another dinner tonight…together? The four of us again. I'd really like to make up for the last one." She smiled softly and spoke genuinely. Emma returned the smile and nodded.
"Yeah I think we could do that."
Regina stretched as she slowly rejoined the waking world again. As her eyes opened, she saw immediately that she was alone. The bare spot she was facing was the obvious indication of that. She also noticed though, that the dishes had been removed. Taking an extra moment to get her bearings, Regina stood up slowly, pleased that there was no wave of dizziness this time. In fact, she actually felt the slightest bit better.
She walked the kitchen again and just like earlier, she saw Emma moving about the room confidently.
"Ah, perfect timing. Lunch is about to be served." She smiled before turning back to the stove.
"You made lunch?" She couldn't hide the incredulousness from her tone. Making breakfast had thrown her enough already.
"Well made is possibly the wrong word." She grinned and Regina glanced around to see a familiar bag on the counter.
"You heated up lunch." She realized and Emma spun back around.
"Yes but I heated it up really well." She sounded like a child that wanted approval by a parent and Regina shook her head.
"I'm sure you did, dear." And she answered like she was praising a small child.
Emma served out the soup for the brunette, setting out another cup of tea and a water as well. Regina watched her curiously, wondering how she could seem this natural with caring for someone else. There was no reason for her to be. Up until recently, Regina didn't think Emma had ever cared for anyone but herself, and though the brunette tried not to think much on it, she didn't think anyone had cared for Emma either. Again, there was just so much more to this girl then Regina ever imagined.
"Thank you." She smiled as she sat down.
"You're welcome." Emma took a seat opposite her and worked on a sandwich. After a minute, Regina noticed something and smirked.
"Nice choice, dear." She looked pointedly at the club sandwich from Granny's on Emma's plate.
"Shut up." She mumbled before resuming. Regina just kept her pleased smile.
After Emma asked Regina about Henry staying with her parents again and about their dinner tonight, they ate in comfortable silence during the rest of the meal. It was interesting for both of them, how far they had come in a week. Both glanced up sporadically, just checking in with the other. Emma was pleased her attempts at helping seemed to be appreciated, instead of pushed aside like they would have been before any of this happened. Both were realizing that though the marriage was most definitely a mistake and completely temporary, it would still help them in the long run.
When Emma finished up, she cleaned up her dishes again and wiped down the counter. Regina just watched her in amazement, but didn't comment in fear of breaking the spell. Once that was completed, the blonde faced her again.
"I need to go to the station for awhile. I'll probably go to my parents from there."
"Alright." Regina nodded, already thinking about watching more of that show on TV. It seemed to be showing episodes all day as it was still on when she woke up and Regina didn't want to admit she could probably enjoy it for the rest of the night.
"Call me if you need anything."
"I'm sure I'll be fine."
"I'm sure you will. Enjoy Xena." Emma smiled at Regina before turning and leaving. Regina waited one more minute before taking her tea and retreating back to the living room. She grabbed a few files this time though and decided because she was a master at multitasking, she might as well get some work done.
Emma leaned back in her chair, laughing easily at the story her father was telling. Tonight was definitely making up for last week, as both parents were very obviously trying their best to avoid talking about Regina or anything pertaining to their daughter's marriage. They kept everything light and friendly and Emma was very grateful for that. She missed these moments where she could really sit back and be with her parents. To enjoy what she wished for, for twenty-eight years.
Her thoughts had gone towards the sick mayor more than a few times. She had checked in on her way to the apartment after work and Regina had reported feeling better and getting some work done as well. Emma didn't think through her growing relief that the strong woman was going to be fine. It's not like Regina was that sick, just that Emma had never seen her in anything but tip top shape in all the time she'd known her.
Emma wasn't sure how to deal with sick people. She never had before. This was the first time in her life that she even had the opportunity. While growing up, she'd been sick quite often. She didn't receive the proper vaccinations and so she caught each bug that came around easily. No one had ever actually taken care of her. She got the bare minimum meds for her ailments sometimes and nothing more.
She didn't know if she was going overboard or not quite meeting expectations when it came to Regina. She was going by the book really. People who were sick were supposed to rest and have soup. So Emma insisted Regina rest and brought her soup. That was right, right? She wasn't sure but then seeing the pleased, if surprised looks on Regina's face told her she might actually be doing a decent job. Although she wanted Regina better, it did give her a kind of comfort doing this for her.
After eating, while they were just sitting around talking, Emma sent a text to Regina to ask if the woman needed anything on her way home. She didn't expect the brunette to be able to ask for something she needed without being encouraged a little. She was surprised to receive a response from Regina stating she needed the rest of her work from today at her office, but she would get it herself. Emma tried telling her she would do it for her, but Regina insisted she was more than capable of making the trip to and from there on her own. Emma realized she must be feeling pretty good if she got that much work done.
It was while doing dishes with her mother, that the call came in. Nothing too crazy. The caller gave a small and generic description of a disturbance out by the toll bridge. It certainly was not the first time they went out there. It was an area a lot of teenagers went to drink or smoke or just mess around. Both Emma and David had made a few runs out there recently. Emma planned on going alone, but it was getting dark now.
"I thought we agreed you'd have back up when we got these calls." David crossed his arms and regarded his daughter as she was preparing to leave.
"It's probably just those kids again." She said, but saw the firm, stubborn set of his jaw. "Oh fine, come on." She muttered. David just grinned before donning his holster and guns and heading out behind his daughter.
"Are you sure this is where they said it was?" David questioned as they walked down the length of the bridge, flashlights in hand.
"Yeah. I mean they said the toll bridge." She started walking back on the other side, checking over the edge every few feet but seeing nothing.
"Well whoever called may have scared them off if they were close enough to see them." He shrugged, placing his hands on his hips.
"Yeah probably." Emma met him in the middle as they started walking back towards the car. She was just moving towards the passenger door when the feeling hit her. She clutched her chest with one hand and grabbed the side of the car with the other.
"Emma?" As their eyes met, David didn't need any magical bond to understand the fear taking hold of his daughter.
Regina was starting to regret not just having Emma stop by on her way back to the house. She had managed to complete all the work she had at home while relaxed in the living room and the tea seemed to be doing the trick quite well. She felt much better and saw no problem with running over to her office. She figured she could keep up the momentum and get caught up tonight. It would help her tremendously because now they had therapy tomorrow and that would cut into her work day again.
She thought it would be quick and easy. That was until she had to be up and walking around in and out of her car and the building. She was tired again and frustrated now. Luckily, it didn't take too long before she was locking up the door to her office with the oversized purse hanging off her shoulder, the new files inside.
As she stepped outside, she wasn't paying much attention at all. She had only made it a few feet before a soft noise had her head snapping up. She squinted through the darkness to make out the shape in front of her. It took her a second to confirm she was seeing right and she tilted her head curiously.
"Sidney?"
Dun Dun Dun! Little bit of drama coming up.. but that shouldn't be too surprising. ;)
Thank you to CMiller13 for having the idea of Snow catching Emma and Regina asleep on the couch together :) Hope you all enjoyed and Please Review!