Regina was working on budget reports, papers spread across her desk in an uncharacteristically messy fashion when there was a knock on the door frame. Kathryn, two boxes of salad in hand smiling. "Hello Regina... I thought you might like some lunch."
Regina looked up and tried not to smile but that failed. "How do you know I haven't already eaten."
"Much like my father I have spies in your court. My secretary eats lunch with yours." Kathryn winked and Regina got up from her desk to grab a couple bottles of water from a minifrig.
"You are back to work already from your honeymoon."
"Yes, well, there is only so far you can travel in Storybrooke, but Jim and I are hardly bored."
Regina chuckled and wondered for a moment if this was what like having a friend was. Not that Kathryn wasn't trying, but she feared that there would always be the truth of what Regina had done to her under the surface. That Kathryn would always feel the need to protect herself from her. That Kathryn would have good reason to feel that way.
"Newly wedded bliss." Regina said with a half smile.
"I think I might not be the only one enjoying a bit of a honey moon." Kathryn passed the spinach salad over to Regina along with some plastic utensils.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"Oh come on, I saw you give that line to my father a dozen times. When you say that, it's opposite land."
Regina gave her a raised eyebrow.
"I live down the street from you. You don't think I see the sheriff trying to hide where she parks her car so she can go over to your place at night?"
"Emma and I are trying to figure out how to co-parent."
"Yes you are. And your dating." Kathryn said matter-of-factly. "You do know that you aren't going to be able to keep that hidden for long. Especially not in this town, when it's her, and it's you."
Regina wanted to continue to deny it, but Kathryn was relentless when she wanted to be and she knew it, "It's only been a couple of dates and we're still trying to figure things out. Figure out if I can avoid making a hash of it."
Kathryn nodded, taking a sip from her bottle of water. "I know what you mean. For all those lessons we got in how to court, no one bothered to teach me at least how to date. But my father never expected me to love whoever I married and my maids never expected me to enjoy making love. Sex for pleasure and marriage for love was for people who didn't have anything on the line."
Regina poked at her salad, "I've wondered if that's why the Charmings are so annoyingly happy. He's got no idea how lucky he is."
"Yes, well, David wasn't always a prince. And I'm not sure lucky is the way I'd describe their romance, given the evil sorceress with the obsessive streak."
Kathryn might have been harsh when she said it but there was a slight uneasy teasing to it.
"Just be glad it wasn't Maleficent they annoyed. She'd go after you for generations."
The two women nodded. "You love her?"
"Snow?" Regina asked surprised but didn't immediately deny it. Which even she actually wondered about.
"No, I mean Emma. Though the fact that you didn't immediately deny that one is a conversation for another time that you shouldn't think you are getting away from Regina."
"I'm not sure this having friends thing is all it's cracked up to be." She grumbled.
Kathryn smiled. "Too bad, you have one if you like it or not. Now, answer the question."
"There was a question in there?" Kathryn rolled her eyes and Regina sighed. "I... think it really doesn't matter what I feel for Emma. Or really what she feels for me. I'll mess this up either way."
"The fact that you are worried about it implies an answer." Kathryn observed. "Are you ready for the backlash?"
"No one's going to try gay bashing a sorceress and a woman with a gun."
"Really not in our culture anyway, at least not the way it is in this world," Kathryn agreed, "But there are people who are going to be mad about the town hero and the town..."
"Villain..." Regina whispered.
"I was going to say bully... but ... Regina do you really think of yourself that way?"
"As a bully or as a villain?"
"Stop paying semantics." Kathryn ordered, and for once Regina obeyed such an order.
"I think... if I want my son to be proud of me I really need to stop pretending I'm not a villain. I'm not sure I can stop being one but I can at least stop ... pretending I can keep doing what I've always done. Especially if I want Emma to feel about me the way I feel about her."
"You do love her." She observed.
She just nodded.
"Well then it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."
"Of course it does." Regina narrowed her eyes.
"Not in this world. In this world you gave us all a second chance. My father would never have let me marry Frederick gold statue or not. You gave me the world I could do that in and you gave yourself a chance to stop being a villain for the people you love. And for yourself. Take it Regina."
"You sound like Snow White."
"God I hope I don't sound as sanctimonious as Snow sounds most of the time."
And Regina laughed, perhaps a lot longer than she should, and Kathryn just grinned. Succeeding at her task for the day.
"You are going to be late for your riding session."
Regina called up the stairs as Henry was getting dressed. He'd been back home for four days and it seemed like he'd never left. Well, that was a lie. She wanted it to seem like he'd never left but he'd grown four inches while he was gone and she'd already had to start making a list of the clothes shopping she was going to have to do with him. The amount of sock his pants were revealing was particularly embarrassing.
She should drag Emma along just as punishment for her not taking care of it but she really didn't want her taste rubbing off on their son.
"Mom... would you come riding with me today?"
Regina froze as Henry asked the question coming down the stairs, is riding boots in hand.
"I ... ah... I haven't ridden in a very long time Henry."
"Grandma said you were really good."
Regina sighed, "Well, your grandmother likes to talk about other people's business." Henry gave her slightly scolding look before a Snow White diatribe could start. "But I guess I could go riding with you. I have to stop by my vault to pick up a saddle, boots and tack."
"You have that stuff in your vault."
Regina smiled. "Your grandmother was right, I did like to ride. It's just been a long time."
It didn't take her that long to get the riding gear, and for once Henry obeyed when she told him to stay at the car. The less he was in her vault the better she felt. Though it reminded her that she really needed to cast a muffling spell over the hearts if she was going to come down here with anyone else any time.
"Don't expect too much of me," Regina started...
"You've said it's been a while about sixteen times."
"I'm just a little nervous, Henry." Not really because she hadn't ridden in so long, but because she hadn't ridden since she was the Queen. The Evil Queen. It was a time she was starting to want to forget.
But the horse she was riding was a good one, friendly and strong, and her riding gear already broken in and perfect for her. The stable owner complimented her on the quality and she didn't tell him where it came from. It took only about twenty minutes before she was jumping. Mostly because of Henry's encouragement. He couldn't ride quite that well yet, but he was laughing and cheering her on as she road faster and faster and took more and more jumps.
And she could almost close her eyes and imagine that she was seventeen again. And free.
She turned the horse and patted his neck, thanking him when there was the sound of someone clapping. Emma. She'd forgotten Emma was supposed to pick Henry up.
"My mother wasn't lying, you are good, Your Majesty."
"Snow couldn't lie way out of a paper bag. Of course I'm good."
She dismounted and lead the horse back over to where Emma was. "And the jack boots are a really nice look on you." She grinned and with Henry out of sight she snuck a kiss.
"Riding boots dear."
They thought the kiss was brief... intimate... alone...
They were wrong.
"What the hell are you doing, Regina."
Snow White's voice echoed across the field and everyone in earshot stopped dead.