Disclaimer in Chapter One.
AN: Thanks so much for all the great feedback, alerts and favourites! You guys are phenomenal! Cora is most certainly a manipulative one. This is a shorter chapter and it's a set up for the next one. I do start school next week, so I don't know how frequent I'll be able to post or update stories, but rest assured I will still be writing :)
The two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving had kept Emma busy with taking more shifts and working longer hours. With the holidays just around the corner, Emma used it as her excuse to keep working. She didn't breathe a word to Regina or anyone about Cora's visit. When August had questioned her the following day about the scary dragon lady, Emma had dismissed him, but even she knew her tone was flat. She opted out of telling Regina because she knew Regina already had a questionable and strenuous relationship with her mother, and despite their differences, Regina really did love, or at least respected, Cora.
That's what Emma told herself at least.
She hated that she didn't rip the check up right in front of Cora and called her out on her tough love bullshit. She hated that even after bringing it home, she sat at her table for over an hour contemplating her next move. She could argue all she wanted that she had absolutely no intention of breaking up with Regina, but the fact of the matter was that she had considered keeping payoff money, and in her books, even that was low.
So she had made it a point to prove Cora wrong thus resulting in her accumulation of shifts. It was because of her extra shifts that Emma couldn't spend as much time with Regina, or Henry for that matter, but she was hoping a wicked awesome Christmas gift would make up for that. It was also because of her extra shifts that Emma had declined Regina's offer of spending Thanksgiving at Regina's family home arguing that she wanted to have some quality time with Henry, and the brunette didn't fault her for that. Though both knew the real reason why Emma had declined. The blonde was scared, there was no doubt about that. She couldn't hide behind Henry forever, and it was true, she wanted a nice quiet evening alone with the kid, but she just couldn't deal with Cora or Killian or whoever may be at the Mills mansion. Not right then. She had hinted to Regina that she was more than welcome to share Thanksgiving with them, and although brown eyes had brightened at the request, she was reluctant to accept claiming Cora had some news for her and her attendance was mandatory.
Emma fretted over what Cora's news could possibly be as she retrieved the small turkey from the oven. She hadn't heard from Regina all day, and Emma bit her lip in worry. What if Cora had told Regina that she had taken the money? It technically wasn't a lie since she had left with it, but surely Cora had noticed that five grand still remained in her bank account, though Emma was certain Cora could suffer a loss like that and go on with life as if she had just dropped a penny.
The stinging burn of the hot pan grazing her exposed wrist pulled Emma from her thoughts, and with great strength, she held firmly to the tray and set it down gently on cooling racks before removing her oven mitts to inspect the damage, relieved to find nothing more than reddening flesh.
"Henry!" Emma called as she rinsed her wrist. "Dinner's ready soon, come out and help me make the gravy!"
The boy raced out of his room just as Emma pulled out a saucepan and began tearing into the gravy packet. He paused and retraced his steps as soon as the phone rang and ran to the wall to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hello Henry," Regina's smooth voice sounded on the other line.
"Regina!"
Emma whipped her head up at the name and held her breath. She knows. Why else would she be calling? Emma set the gravy on low as it simmered then took a few steps toward Henry and the phone with her hand stretched out. Better to come clean now than face her wrath.
Her plan was stopped when Henry turned his back to her and kept the phone cradled to his ear. "How come you're not here?"
"I'm sorry, Henry," Regina apologized. "Perhaps you can save me some stuffing."
"Okay," he agreed happily. "My mom makes the best."
"Does she now?"Regina asked genuinely surprised.
Henry chuckled. "I know, it's weird, but she's good at it."
"Henry," Emma nudged impatiently, but all he did was take the phone and turn the corner toward the small entrance of the hallway that shielded his view of the kitchen and continued to talk to Regina about what he had been up to, and Emma's cooking apparently.
Emma sighed with the hint of a smirk on her face then returned to the stove to tend to the gravy. After ten minutes of hearing her son giggle and ramble on to Regina, Emma poured the gravy into a bowl and wiped her hands before coming behind Henry and swiping the phone from his ear. "Stop chatting up my girlfriend and go wash up."
With a grumble, Henry said his goodbyes to Regina and made his way to the washroom. As soon as the door was closed, Emma brought the phone up to her ear, her fingers dancing around the cord. "Hey. Happy Thanksgiving."
"It could be better," Regina mused.
Emma inhaled sharply, biting her lip in contemplation before responding. "Bad news?"
"The company here is less than appealing." It was then Emma finally registered the soft instrumental music in the background of Regina's line and the very faint murmuring in the background.
She relaxed realizing that for some reason Cora hadn't told Regina about their interaction, and she was thankful for the small miracle. Leaning against the wall, significantly at ease now, Emma smirked into the phone. "You know you can say that you miss me. You don't have to be coy about it."
Regina laughed once. "Don't flatter yourself, Ms. Swan."
"It's Ms. Swan, now? Why do I feel like I'm in trouble?"
"You generally find yourself in that state."
"What are you gonna do about it? Punish me?"
Regina's throaty chuckle sent shivers down Emma's spine. "Don't give me ideas."
"You could come over after your party," Emma offered none too subtly about her intentions. "Unless you're all talk."
"You don't work tonight?"
Emma shook her head despite being on the phone. "It's Thanksgiving. I've got the night off."
"I just assumed since you've been working every night."
"Yeah," Emma sighed guiltily, rubbing the back of her neck with her palm. "The extra shifts. But good news. I made enough to pay you back."
"For what?"
"The rent," Emma muttered quickly as if admitting her shortcomings would make them stand out further.
"Oh," Regina said casually. "It's not necessary, dear."
"Regina..." Emma drew the word out between her teeth as she fidgeted with the cord, twirling it into a tangle.
"Use it for this month's rent," the brunette insisted.
"Regina-"
"Emma." Regina's voice was firm and unwavering. "I know you need it. Just use it for this month and don't worry about paying me back."
"You don't need to pity me," Emma mumbled running a hand through her hair in aggravation. Even as the words left her mouth she knew she would be regretting them, but she couldn't help but sit back and listen as they spilled forth.
"Excuse me?" Regina's tone took a cold turn. When Emma's only response was incoherent words strung together, Regina spoke again. "Is this why you've been cancelling on me to work extra shifts? You think I pity you."
"No, no it's not that, I just-" Emma sighed to collect her thoughts. "I didn't mean that. I know you're just trying to help. I've just been stressed and tired lately."
It was a long moment before anything was said between them. Emma could hear the string instruments play, and she held her breath wondering if she had messed up. Again. It seemed to be a habit of hers lately.
"It's fine." Regina finally responded, but Emma couldn't help but hear the curt dismissal in it. It so was not fine.
Her saving grace came in the form of Henry finally exiting the bathroom, his eyes dead set on the turkey and mashed potatoes sitting on the kitchen counter.
"I gotta go," Emma said hurriedly. "Dinner's ready and you know how Henry eats." She winced when she didn't even get a chuckle out of Regina. "I'll call you later?"
"Very well. Tell Henry I say happy thanksgiving."
With that Emma placed the phone back in its cradle on the wall and released a breath. She sighed heavily before putting on a smile and heading toward the kitchen, thankful that at least she hadn't upset Henry in any way.
Regina held her phone tightly in her hand, staring at the black screen with aggravation etched into her face. She knew Emma had been acting strangely, and with her cancelling dates on her left and right, she had an inkling that Emma's guilt had finally gotten the better of her. She didn't think Emma would react to it. They had been doing well with communication, Regina especially making an effort she didn't usually make in most relationships but wanting this one to be different. She'd brought the woman home for god's sake. Didn't Emma understand that? Granted, her mother was something else entirely but still.
She tapped her toe, continuing to stare at the blank screen wondering if she should call back and discuss the matters further. The unsettling feeling churning in her stomach made her feel like they had left off on a bad note, and granted, they did with her vague dismissal, but this feeling just would not do. Resolved to do something about it, Regina's finger hovered over Emma's name in her contacts.
"Problem, dear?"
Regina growled at the sound of Maleficent's voice as she entered into the empty hallway Regina had isolated herself in to make her phone call in peace. The knowing smile and leering eyes of the blonde made Regina realize why Emma had such a problem with her. Placing her phone into her clutch with a firm snap, she tilted her head up to address Maleficent. "Nothing that's any of your concern."
"It sounds to me like there's trouble in paradise." Maleficent stalked over to Regina, a wine glass clutched between her forefingers as she sipped daintily on the deep purple liquid. "Quite frankly I have no idea why you put up with a girl like her."
Regina's eyes hardened. "A girl like her?"
"Well I can see why you would want to dip into the wild side, but for this long?" Maleficent tsked. "You seem to be softening at the edges now. Getting the chance to play family now, are you?"
"You seem to be needing a new dress." Maleficent looked down at her dress immediately, confused at finding nothing wrong. Under the guise of bringing her clutch under her arm, Regina tipped Maleficent's glass causing the red wine to pour down the blonde's champagne coloured dress, staining the front a deep purple, the blonde's nearly exposed cleavage getting the worst of it. "Oh, how clumsy of me."
Regina smirked at Maleficent's gaping mouth before exiting the hallway and returning to the grand dining room, hips swaying in victory as Maleficent stomped her foot and growled furiously.
Dinner had been a long drawn out affair filled with speeches of thanks to another prosperous year with so-and-so's company or business. The only thing that kept Regina going was the fact that Kathryn had sat next to her all night as the two exchanged stories and caught each other up on their personal lives. The blonde was pleased to note that Frederick had gotten along famously with her father, which was a shock for Regina to hear. Alexander Hawthorne kept his one and only daughter heavily protected, and very few dates had ever made it past the stage of meeting him. It seemed Frederick had captured more than one of the Hawthorne's hearts, and Regina was more than a little envious of the fact. Regina had refrained from recounting all the details of Emma and Henry meeting her mother, though she went on about the fact that Killian was still as insufferable as always.
She was relieved, and more than a little smug, when Maleficent was nowhere to be seen, but she had caught word that the temperamental blonde had excused herself early that evening to attend to a pressing matter. No doubt Regina would be receiving a dry cleaning bill, but it was worth it to shut her up in the end.
The combination of the dull dinner and the tension she still felt from her less than pleasant conversation with Emma made Regina weary, and by the time her mother tapped incessantly on a wine glass and stood at the head of the table to gain everyone's attention, Regina was ready to go home and forget the night. So much for an evening of thanks. Maybe if she had accepted Emma's invitation to begin with this evening could have been salvaged. Though she was certain if Emma had accepted her own invitation dinner would have been far more easier to endure. Regina looked up when Cora tapped her wine glass again.
"As this is a time of thanks, I would like to show my gratitude for my daughter, Regina." Cora smiled proudly at her, and the younger brunette couldn't help but blush at Cora's admission. "As you all may be aware, Regina has chosen to stray from the family business, but no matter. I am thankful for a daughter who is incredibly talented in her craft, and she's finally gained the recognition for it."
Regina furrowed her brow wondering what her mother meant as Cora held out a hand and waited for one of the servers to hand her a newspaper.
"My daughter, Regina stand up dear, has been featured in Rachel Ghorm's article as a promising rising photographer!"
Regina snapped her head toward her mother as she stood and refrained from ripping the newspaper right out of her hands as the guests clapped and nodded their congratulations. Instead, she managed to gently retrieve the paper and flip open to the Arts section where half a page's worth of words about Regina and finally finding her niche was on display for the world to see. She gasped as she saw her name in print under Ms. Ghorm's column, praising her for her photos and eye for art. A verbal compliment from Ms. Ghorm had been enough to make Regina ecstatic, but this, a printed article from one of New York's toughest critics would change her career overnight.
"Where did you see this?" Regina asked as she continued skimming the article.
"The editor of the newspaper gave me an advanced copy of tomorrow's paper, dear," Cora answered, squeezing Regina's shoulder affectionately. "You finally did something right."
Regina beamed, allowing Cora to pull her into a hug before they both sat down, Regina still furiously reading the article, soaking up every word.
"It's a shame your little lady friend and Henry couldn't make it," Cora commented casually under her breath so only Regina could hear. "I suppose they had more important things than to celebrate your good news with you."
Regina set her jaw and let her mother's words roll off her back as Cora turned to address a business colleague, ignoring the impact her statement had had on Regina. Regina knew Cora had a unique way of showing affection, and despite her backhanded mention of Emma and Henry, the fact that she could speak openly about them said a lot. It didn't ease the sting of regret though, and she soon realized she needed Emma and Henry to know of her good news. She stared down at the article again and sighed a deep breath of relief. She was right. Things were going to be changing.
It was the third time around of watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving did Henry finally knock out, his head in Emma's lap as he snored softly, his belly full and his dreams filled with Snoopy and Woodstock. Emma inched his head up and slid out from under it before bending over to shoulder the limp and heavy nine-year old and carry him to his room. She figured he could sleep in the sweats he was already wearing and found no use in waking him to change into his pjs. With a kiss to his forehead, she flicked off the lights to his room and shut the door quietly.
Wide awake despite the late hour due to her erratic work schedule, Emma began tidying up the apartment, cleaning up the kernels of popcorn littering the floor and couch from their movie marathon. Normally Emma hated cleaning, but her earlier conversation with Regina had her on edge. She wasn't sure if Regina was mad or not, and she didn't want to interrupt her party to find out. Deciding a turkey sandwich was her best bet at keeping her distracted, Emma removed the half a turkey from the fridge and set it on the counter, using the knife and fork she had left embedded in it to carve out thick slices of turkey.
It was the soft knock on her door that prevented Emma from tying up the bread bag after retrieving two slices. Wiping her hands on her jeans, she made her way to the door and checked the peep hole, surprised to find Regina on the other side. She unlocked the chain and pulled the door open with a tilt of her head. "Hey."
"Hi," Regina said with a hesitant smile on her face. "I realize it's late. May I come in?"
"Yeah, yeah of course." Emma stepped aside allowing Regina into her apartment. They dawdled by her front door for a moment as the silence surrounded them.
"Look I-"
"Emma I-"
The blonde chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. "Go ahead."
Regina bit her lip and took a step closer. "Earlier, I had no intention on offending you in any way."
"I know," Emma insisted resting her hand on Regina's forearm. With a heavy sigh, she nodded once, deciding now was as good as any to open up to Regina about her most recent interaction with her mother. "It's just your mom-"
"Did she say something to you?" Emma's eyes shifted uneasily, but Regina continued her questioning. "I know the dinner wasn't pleasant, and I don't blame you for not wanting to attend tonight, but if she said something to you that night, I hope it wasn't enough to let her sway you."
Emma shut her mouth at Regina's vulnerable state, her hand clutching Emma's wrist tightly as her eyes widened with hesitance. She had never seen Regina like that before, hopeful and fearful at the same time. Over a month ago Regina had promised her that nothing her mother would say could tear her away from their prospering relationship, and still, weeks later Regina held tightly to that promise. Why make it worse with unnecessary drama? What she didn't know couldn't hurt her, and like Regina said, it wouldn't matter if she knew anyway.
So Emma leaned down, capturing the woman's lips between her own, finding solace in the breath of relief puffed against her lips as Regina eagerly kissed her back. Pulling back, Emma played with the strands of brown hair between her fingertips as their foreheads came into contact. She placed another tender kiss on Regina's cheek before speaking. "I'm sorry for earlier. The holidays, they stress me out."
"They're my mother's favourite. Everyone flocking into the city from across the country to watch the Macy Parade or to watch the ball drop on New Years," Regina said dryly. "She says it's good for business."
Emma chuckled before pulling back entirely, helping Regina shrug out of her coat before leading her to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge for her. She continued to make her sandwich, but before she took a bite, she leapt back to the fridge and pulled out a prepared plate and set it in front of Regina. "Henry made me promise to give this to you."
Regina grinned down at the plate with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and an unnatural amount of stuffing on it. "And what do you have to give me? I'm told this is the best stuffing I'll ever taste."
"I'm still waiting to see if you'll dish out that punishment," Emma winked before taking a bite of her sandwich.
Regina rolled her eyes playfully, placing the plate back in the fridge with a promise of eating it tomorrow. "Oh!" She turned suddenly and walked to her coat draped over a chair, pulling out a folded newspaper clipping. "I want to show you something."
Emma set her sandwich down at Regina's obvious excitement and waited as she joined her against the counter.
"Read it," Regina urged, thrusting the clipping into Emma's hands.
Emma eyed Regina as she leaned over Emma's side as if the close proximity would make her read faster. She smirked before directing her gaze to the page, her lips curling into a smile from the first sentence alone. Her smile grew as her eyes tore through the page as she read the critique.
"'-Mills has found her forte, a collection of stills emulating and capturing real life while integrating a sense of storytelling will surely be a strength in her future projects. I look forward to see if Regina Mills fulfills her potential for surely great pieces will come from her great imagination and creativity.'" Emma quoted the script, her voice edging on excitement with each passing word. She turned to Regina who sported a proud beam on her face, Emma's expression matching the brunette's. "Holy crap Regina, this is the hard to please lady!"
Regina rolled her eyes at the language but clapped her hands in front of her and nodded excitedly. "Ms. Ghorm, yes. She praised my work."
Emma extended her arms out. "You are amazing." With little thought she cupped Regina's cheeks and pulled her into a deep kiss, causing a giggle to erupt from the usually stoic woman. Emma tugged her body close, Regina's toes barely touching the ground as her arms wrapped around Emma's neck.
"Am I now?" Regina asked breathless as Emma dove for her neck, moving the brunette backwards toward Emma's bedroom door.
"Mmhmm," she nodded into her neck. "Want me to write out why?"
Regina shook her head using a free hand to blindly turn at the door knob behind her while the other one was preoccupied with pulling Emma's lips back toward her own by the base of her neck. "I want you to show me."