"Do you wanna go out tonight?" Emma asked and smiled as she glanced at Regina. "Ruby just texted me. She and Belle are heading over to the Rabbit Hole later, and I figured it could be fun for you to get the chance to dance a little. We could celebrate your first week here."
"Sí," Regina smiled. "That sounds fun. It's been too long since I last danced."
"Great. It's a date then."
In the plushy armchair, Emma's mother looked up at smiled. They were currently hanging out in the living room. Emma nonchalantly sprawled in the other armchair, and Regina in the couch with her feet propped up on some pillows. That had been Mary Margaret's doing. She had stated that Regina had been on her feet for most of the morning and should relax a little. She had fussed over her "daughter-in-law" and had provided her with pillows and stuff. Emma found it to be absolutely adorable. Her mom was positively fawning over Regina.
Regina herself had seemed surprised, shocked even, and that had made Emma pissed because it was so obvious that Regina definitely not was used to be treated with such kindness from a mother figure.
It was the middle of the afternoon, and Emma had just provided a cup of hot chocolate for her girlfriend. And her mom. Hanging out in Emma's room seemed like such a silly teenage thing to do. There was no need for that at all. They were all adults here, and besides, Emma wanted Regina to bond with her mother. So far, her plan was succeeding. This was the end of Regina's first week in the Swan-house, and she and Mary Margaret were already completely chummy. More than that. Regina had completely won Mary Margaret's heart. It was a match made in heaven. Mary Margaret adored Regina, and judging by the way Regina's eyes were shining, the feeling was mutual. Mary Margaret was doting on Regina. Asking her if she felt okay, if she'd had enough to eat, if she needed rest. She never mentioned Regina's pregnancy with a word. She just made a point of ensuring that Regina was comfortable at any time. Emma could tell that Regina was genuinely touched by Mary Margaret's attention and didn't find it to be pushy or anything, and Emma silently confirmed a theory. That Regina needed some good ol' fashion lovin' from a mother figure. And Emma's mom was definitely a mother figure if there had ever been one. Mary Margaret had a big, warm heart overflowing with maternal love, and Emma was pretty sure that there never would be any conflict between her and Regina. The perfect mother-in-law/daughter-in-law- relationship.
"What are you grinning at?" Regina interrupted Emma's train of thoughts and took a sip of her cocoa.
"Nothing. You comfortable?"
"Very," Regina chuckled. "I don't think it's possible to be more comfortable than I am right now. Now for the big questions..."
"Yeah?" Emma asked and felt a hint of concern. Regina sounded positively serious.
"What should I wear tonight?" Regina continued, still deeply serious.
Mary Margaret chuckled.
"Oh," Emma said. "Jeez, for a second I thought something major was going on." she rolled her eyes.
"Something major IS going on, querida. I don't know what to wear."
Now Emma was the one to chuckle, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed how her mom beamed. She always seemed to do that whenever Regina was calling Emma "Querida".
"The dress you're wearing right now looks very nice," Emma said and took a second to admire the purple dress Regina was wearing.
"No, no, no, it's too casual for going out."
"Okay. How about the grey one you wore yesterday? That looked nice too."
Regina huffed slightly and completely ignored the way her cellphone buzzed on the table. "I wore that yesterday, querida. I can't wear that one tonight as well."
"Why can't you-"
"Em-ma..."
"Okay, okay," Emma laughed. "I'm not a very good help, am I?"
"No, you really aren't," Regina teased and laughed as she got up from the couch. But the moment she was standing on her feet, she wasn't laughing anymore. Instead she made a bit of a face and mumbled "ay, dios mio."
Emma was on her feet so fast she almost stumbled. "What's wrong?" she asked quickly. "What's with the face?"
"Just a bit of round ligament pain," Regina said lightly. "Nothing to worry about."
"Uhh, I always worry when you make a face."
Regina laughed, completely ignoring her phone when it buzzed again. Emma didn't ask any questions. She already knew who was calling Regina. Or, trying to at least. "I'll try not to make any faces then." she straightened her posture. "And now I think I'll head upstairs and search my suitcase for something appropriate to wear for tonight." she elegantly sauntered towards the stairs but turned her head and said over her shoulder: "and don't touch my cocoa while I'm gone."
"I wasn't gonna," Emma protested.
Another pearly laugh. A: "I wouldn't put it past you, querida.", and then Regina disappeared up the stairs. Emma watched her walk away and the moment she was out of earshot, the blonde wondered out loud: "what can you do about round ligament pain?"
"She has to avoid sudden movements such as standing up too quickly, flexing and bending her hips before she coughs, sneezes or laughs to avoid pulling at the ligaments, and she can try taking a warm bath or apply a heating pad," Emma's mother quickly summarized. "But she has to be careful, though. Too much heat can damage the baby."
"Okay," Emma said slightly surprised. "Wow. You're a goldmine, mom."
Mary Margaret squinted slightly behind the glasses she recently had acquired and even more recently had started to wear. She had been stubborn about not wanting to wear glasses, but in the end, she had caved and accepted that it was better for her eyes to wear glasses. "I do hope you're not being sarcastic," she said, squinting at Emma again. "I really don't want to overstep..."
"You're not. And I honestly wasn't being sarcastic, mom. I think Regina would appreciate some tips."
"Good, because I have plenty," her mom chuckled. "I struggled so much with round ligament pain when I was expecting you."
"You did?" Emma asked. "I didn't even know that."
"Your father doted on me at every given moment," her mom dreamily continued. "Much like you're doting on Regina these days."
Emma squirmed a bit. "I'm not that bad. Am I?"
"You are, honey. And it's absolutely a joy to watch." Now her mom was beaming.
"Mom." Emma said flatly and rolled her eyes in mock sarcasm. Then they both laughed.
The staircase creaked a little, and a moment later, Regina was standing in the living room again. "I found a dress for tonight," she announced triumphantly as she plopped down on the couch again.
"You did? Which one?" Emma asked curiously.
"You'll find out tonight," Regina teased and then began to circle her growing belly with the tip of her middle finger. She did that a lot when she was relaxing, Emma had noticed. But it didn't seem like Regina herself had noticed it. It was just a thing she did without thinking about it. Like wrapping strands of hair around her fingers or something. Emma wasn't sure how much meaning to put into the little gesture. If she even should be putting meaning into the gesture. It didn't necessarily have to mean anything. It could just be a random little thing.
"That is not fair," she said, remembering that Regina had just teased her.
Regina snickered lightly as she reached for her cup of cocoa and took a sip. "You'll have to contain your curiosity until tonight."
"What's the plan for tonight anyway?" Emma's mother asked curiously and looked at Emma.
Emma shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure we have any plans. Just some dancing-" she shot Regina a fond look. "And some cream sodas."
Regina snickered. "That sounds like the perfect night."
"Very," Mary Margaret agreed with a smile. "I'll leave the key in the plant pot."
"Thanks," Emma grinned. "We shall we quiet as mice."
"I'm so looking forward to dancing again!" Regina repeated, and her eyes sparkled at the mere thought.
"Did you bring your dancing shoes?" Emma joked.
"I did actually," Regina said unbothered by the teasing. "And I'm planning on wearing them tonight. I won't stop wearing them until I can't possibly squeeze my feet inside them." she frowned slightly. "I'm not sure when my feet will swell, but..."
"It'll typically start between week 22 and week 27 of the pregnancy," Emma's mom said. She clearly couldn't keep quiet when it came to this particular subject, but Regina didn't seem annoyed by it. If anything, she seemed interested as she turned her head, leaned forward and said: "really? I didn't know that. If and when my feet starts to swell, will there be any risks connected to wearing high heels?"
"Well, there's the risk of falling," Mary Margaret said seriously. "I stopped wearing high heels all together when I reached the point where I couldn't see my feet anymore. Just to be on the safe side."
"That does sound very sensible," Regina nodded. "So, I should ditch the high heels soon, sí?"
"It might be a good idea to switch to wearing flatter shoes," Mary Margaret said kindly. "You strain your muscles more when wearing high heels, and that can add to the round ligament pain you've been feeling."
"Oh," Regina said, nodding again. "That does actually make sense. Thank you for the tip."
"You don't have to thank me at all, dear," Mary Margaret beamed. "I'm happy to help, and if you have any questions about... well, anything, really, you can just ask me."
"Thank you so much," Regina said, and now she was beaming again.
"You are most welcome, Regina," Emma's mother replied, and Emma saw a shadow flicker past her eyes for a second. She knew exactly what her mom was thinking right now. That Regina was standing alone with this. That she was all on her own and didn't have anyone to ask pregnancy related questions. That she had to keep it a secret because of her mother. Mary Margaret had been something close to enraged. At least as enraged as she could become. Emma had heard her use the word "scandalous" about Regina's situation several times. Not that Regina was scandalous, god no, but the older woman had cursed Robin within an inch of his life and growled that he had been despicable to both Regina and his wife. And then she had said that it was "high time" that someone took properly care of Regina. And that's exactly what she had done. She had really taken Regina under her wing and made sure that she felt nothing but welcome. It was the same with Emma's father. He too had fallen head over heels for Regina's sweet way of being, and Emma found it to be so adorable.
"You haven't seen the photo album yet!" Emma's mom exclaimed and got up from the couch. "That was what I've been wanting to show you all week! Now I remember!"
"Mom..." Emma said warningly. She knew for a fact that the family album only contained pictures of her in various states of baby, toddler, kid and awkward teenage years. "I'm sure Regina doesn't wanna see that."
"Oh, but I do!" Regina said eagerly and flashed Emma a big grin. "Of course I do!"
"Wonderful!" Mary Margaret quickly went to fetch the photo album and Emma groaned again. "This is gonna be terrible!"
"No, it won't," Regina scoffed. "I bet you were such a cute baby!"
"I wasn't."
"Nonsense. Of course you were. Positively adorable."
Emma just moaned in response when her mom came trotting back to the couch with the velvet photo album wedged under her arm. She put the album on the table and opened it. Emma couldn't help but notice that her mom tactfully skipped a few pages in the album and thereby avoided showing Regina the pictures taken in the hospital where the blonde was nothing but a tiny bundle in Mary Margaret's arms. Emma found that to be incredibly thoughtful, and she flashed her mom a smile despite the awkwardness.
"Awww," Regina cooed upon seeing the pictures of a one year old Emma Swan with tiny blonde locks arranged in pigtails. "Look at those cheeks!"
Emma groaned. "And that's exactly why the album should stay on the shelf."
"Te ven tan linda!" Regina continued and smiled widely.
"Oh god!" Emma hissed when she was confronted with the picture of herself with a flowerpot on her head for some reason. Seriously, why hadn't anyone stopped her?
"And here's Emma on Christmas Eve," her mom happily continued. "Look, she's trying to eat the Christmas tree!"
"I have the strongest urge to go jump from a bridge real quickly," Emma mumbled.
"Then I'll have to jump after you and save you," Regina said without looking up from the album.
Now it was Emma's turn to fawn quietly. Maybe she could survive seeing Regina looking through the old album. Admittedly, witnessing Regina looking at the pictures of her four year old self was pretty bad, but what the hell.
"Baby Swan," Regina cooed and flashed Emma a huge grin. "With pigtails and all."
Emma shrugged a little but still smiled back.
That evening, Emma was in her room trying her best to tame her wild mane of blonde hair while Regina was changing clothes in the bathroom. Emma cursed a bit over her hair. The shower she'd taken earlier had made it become all frizzy and weird, and the result was that she was struggling to make it do anything right now. She had had plans about letting it hang loose down her back, but she couldn't do that tonight. It was simply too frizzy. For the millionth time, Emma considered to snip the damn mane off and get a bob haircut instead. But then again, she would probably regret it the moment she did it. She had a love/hate relationship with her hair at best, and tonight she definitely hated every part of her normally so complying hair.
"Fuck this," she muttered and felt a sudden urge to throw the hairbrush at the mirror. She did look pretty sharp tonight with her eyes tightly lined and plenty of mascara and pale pink lipstick. And her clothes weren't that bad either. A tight, red tanktop, a pair of black skinny jeans, ankle boots and black blazer that matched the color of her jeans perfectly. The only problem was her hair, which looked absolutely fucking terrible. Emma gathered that she would have to use plenty of hairspray and then tie it back into a tight, slick ponytail. Like when she was at working as a wedding photographer. Boring much?
The door to the bedroom opened, and Emma momentarily forgot all about her hair when Regina came into the bedroom. She was wearing a white dress with blue polka dots all over. The dress had little cap sleeves and a big, blue bow just below the chest. The skirt was nice and flowy and went all the way down to her pretty ankles, whereas the bodice was a bit more tightfitting. A little bit of cleavage on display, and the bow sitting just below the chest accentuated her growing bump in the cutest and most tasteful way possible. Emma's theory had been absolutely correct. Regina pregnant was an unbelievably cute and beautiful sight. Regina's hair was hanging in loose curls down her back, and she had fastened a blue flower in the dark locks.
"Aaaaww," Emma said and smiled goofily. "You look absolutely fantastic!"
"You think so? It's not too much?"
"No, I don't think so," Emma smiled. "You look awesome. Comfortable in your own skin."
"Well, hearing your mom talk about it in such a normal way made me realize that I should probably just flaunt it instead of hiding it," Regina said lightly and rubbed a palm over her growing belly.
"It suits you," Emma assured and grinned when she looked down at Regina's feet. "And so does the heels, beautiful girl."
"Thank you," Regina said, snickering lightly. "I'm taking advantage of my still tiny feet."
"As you should," Emma said, eying Regina's baby bump. It seemed even more pronounced when she wore this dress, and Emma found that she was incredibly tempted to go over there and rub it. She wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was just some strange thing that happened when you were near a pregnant woman or something like that.
"You look beautiful too, querida," Regina said admiringly and smiled as she looked at Emma. "I like your... everything."
Emma chuckled. "I like your everything too, babe. But as you can see, my hair is completely refusing to do what it's supposed to do!"
"It is?" Regina said, tilting her head as though trying to see what the problem was.
"Yes!" Emma said firmly. "It's completely frizzy!"
"Curly," Regina corrected. "Your hair is curly, mi amor. Not frizzy."
"It's not like yours," Emma said stubbornly and looked at Regina's hair. "Your hair always looks awesome!" it really did. And especially tonight where Regina had undone her braid and allowed to curl as it wanted. But for some reason, her curls looked completely professional. Really, Regina looked like someone who had just stepped out of a fashion magazine with her cute dress, perfect hair and beautiful makeup. Emma especially had a weakness for the dark red lipstick and darker eye makeup Regina was wearing tonight. It reminded Emma of her "flamenco"-look. Tonight, Regina was combining sweet and sexy, and the effect was absolutely marvelous.
"Anyway," Emma continued, snapping out of her haze. "I need to do something about this frizzy mess."
"Can I help?" Regina asked sweetly.
Emma quirked up an eyebrow. "You wanna help me with my hair?"
"Sí!" Regina said eagerly. "I love your hair. Any excuse to have my hands in it."
Emma cackled upon remembering how Regina had had her hands in her hair last night.
"I can hear you think," Regina complained, and her cheeks pinked slightly. "Stop thinking so loudly!"
"Hardly my fault your mind is in the gutter, mi belleza."
Regina ignored that and queried: "so, can I help you with your hair?"
"Yeah. You can help me with my hair," Emma chuckled. How could she possibly say no that sweet, eager face in front of her?
"¡Espléndida!" Regina said eagerly and grinned. "Sit down. On the bed. Now!"
"Soooo close to the perfect sentence," Emma teased as she obediently sat down on the bed.
"Who's in the gutter now?" Regina mock scowled as she opened a drawer in Emma's vanity and found the little box containing all of Emma's hairpins and rubber bands and scrunchies, etc.
"Me," Emma said rather shamelessly and grinned.
"Todo en lo que piensas es en sexo," Regina said, clicking her tongue as she came over to the bed with the box and Emma's hairbrush in her hand.
"What does that mean?" Emma immediately asked. "I know the word 'sexo'. That's something about sex, right?"
"You'll never find out," Regina chuckled, teasing as she climbed up on the bed and shifted to sit behind Emma. "Now sit still and relax while I brush your hair, yes?"
"You are so unfair," Emma grumbled.
"Oh yes," Regina said simply and began to brush out Emma's hair.
The prickling sensation in her scalp as Regina gently brushed her hair immediately made Emma relax. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh of pure enjoyment. Regina definitely had a particular way of brushing her hair. She applied just the right amount of pressure to make Emma's scalp tingle, and she was bound to have some sort of special technique that made her able to not pull on Emma's hair at all. The tangles in Emma's hair seemed invisible now. Emma wasn't quite sure how she was doing it, but either way...
"How can this make me hot?" Emma wondered out loud. Yeah, she had recognized the way her body had started to hum and murmur when Regina brushed her hair.
Regina chuckled. "How indeed? Maybe you just really like having your hair brushed?"
"Yes, I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that it's you brushing my hair," Emma said flatly.
Regina chuckled again. "I am pretty skilled with my hands."
"Right. And that's exactly the kind of stuff that makes me wanna postpone our night out and stay in instead..."
"Not when your parents are home, querida," Regina said firmly. "I'm actually trying to be a good girl..."
"You need to stop calling yourself a 'good girl'," Emma groaned.
"Or what? ¿Me vas a castigar?"
"That's not fair. You know I don't know what that means. But judging by your tone, I can sense that you just said something terribly scandalous to me..."
"I did," Regina laughed and glided her fingers through Emma's hair, and Emma had to sigh again. Her hair felt unbelievably soft now. Like water. And having Regina running her fingers through it didn't help much either...
"How do you want your hair tonight, querida?" Regina inquired. "Any particular style in mind? Pigtails, perhaps?"
"Ha-ha-ha. Hella funny," Emma scowled. "No, in all seriousness, my go to method when it's like this is lots of hairspray and a ponytail, but-"
"Hairspray?" Regina interrupted, and Emma could practically hear her scowl. "No-no-no-no, let's not abuse your hair like that, mi amor."
"Yeah, I figured you'd say something like that," Emma chuckled. She was well aware that her go-to method with lots and lots of hairspray wasn't the healthiest.
"Hmm," Regina said and played around with Emma's hair for a moment. Bundling it up on top of her head, pushing it back over her shoulders, gathering it in a low ponytail before wrapping a few strands around her fingers. "How does a side fishtail braid sound?"
"Complicated," Emma chuckled. "Definitely not something I'd be able to do myself, but if you wanna give it a shot, by all means go ahead."
"I rather think I will," Regina said. She quickly brushed Emma's hair again before gathering it and pulling it to one side. She hummed a little to herself as she divided it into two sections. The humming continued as she began the intrigant and complicated braid.
"Where did you learn to braid like that?" Emma inquired. She had seen Regina donning a variety of different braids. French braids. Fishtail braids. Braids that had been rolled into a bun. Dutch braid. Reverse braid. And some sort of twisty braid Emma hadn't been able to identify.
"My mother," Regina said. "She used to force me to sit down every morning so she could "sort out my hair" as she put it."
"That doesn't sound very nice."
"It wasn't. She could be pretty rough when she brushed my hair. She said that it was because my hair was so full of tangles."
Emma growled lowly. She did not like the sound of that at all!
"I learned to do my own hair pretty quickly," Regina continued. "To avoid her pulling and tugging at my hair. But she always stayed in my room to make sure I did it the right way. She didn't want me to look like a "slob" as she put it."
"How old were you?"
"I'm not sure. Seven, maybe eight. She also liked to decide what I should wear. I wore lots of frilly dresses until I turned thirteen and refused to play her games anymore."
"Jesus."
"That was just how she did things," Regina said lightly. "She wanted me to look like her, I guess."
"That's crazy!"
"Maybe," Regina agreed and added another little section of hair to the braid. "But she didn't teach me how to make this braid, however. My father did."
"He did?"
"Oh yes. When I turned four and started to become interested, he went out and bought a big ol' book on how to do all sorts of braids. Having him do my hair was a rarity because of Mother, but I love it whenever he did my hair. He never pulled on my hair."
"No, I can't imagine him doing that," Emma said gently. "I'm glad you had him."
"Me, too."
"Have you, uhh... Did your mom stop calling you?" Emma asked. Regina's phone had buzzed regularly throughout the week. Regina had said almost in a cheery voice that her mother was trying to reach her. The buzzing had stopped at one point and then started again sometime later. Regina had rolled her eyes and quietly called her mother very persistent. Emma nor her parents hadn't commented on it, but Mary Margaret had looked rather furious. She had already developed somewhat of a dislike for the infamous Cora Mills.
"Sí, I send her a text a little earlier and explained to her that I'm busy." Regina said lightly. "She doesn't even know that I'm in the States, so I'm guessing she hasn't been talking to my dad at all. Anyway, I haven't heard from her since. Let's hope that's a permanent thing."
"Yeah," Emma said simply.
"But I did hear from my dad too. He said that he hopes we're having a good time. Dios mio, sometimes I can't believe how different he is from my mother."
Emma spontaneously reached back and patted her hand. "I hope you sent him my love."
"Of course I did," Regina assured, bowed her head and planted a very quick kiss on the side of Emma's neck. "There we go! All done, señorita." She elegantly hopped off the bed and grabbed Emma's little mirror so the blonde could see the result for herself.
"Oh wow," Emma said, smiling as she inspected the very professional fishtail braid Regina had made. "That looks amazing!"
"Sí, you totally owe me a cream soda," Regina chuckled as she smoothened a hand over the bottom of her dress. "Now, are you ready to go?"
"I am," Emma said and climbed off the bed as well. She walked over to Regina and put her hands on the brunette's hips. "Have I mentioned that you look absolutely amazing tonight?"
"You have," Regina smirked. One of her hands came up to play with the lapels of Emma's blazer. "And so do you, querida. I quite fancy you in blazers."
"You do, do you?" Emma gave Regina's hips a little squeeze.
"Mmmm. You look so... mature."
"And that's good?"
"Sí, querida. It's very sexy."
Emma sighed and squeezed Regina's hips again. "You need to stop saying the word "sexy". It drives me insane!"
Regina elegantly wiggled out of Emma's grasp. Took a step back and teasingly looked her up and down. "You look pretty sane to me, querida."
"You are such a little minx. I'd kiss you, but I'm afraid it would mess up your lipstick."
"And we obviously can't have that." Regina chuckled as she grabbed Emma's hand. "Come on, we're gonna be late if we don't hurry!"
Regina's prediction turned out to be absolutely correct. They actually were a few minutes late. Mostly because Emma's mom had spent several minutes on complimenting Emma's hairdo. Another point for Regina. Another point that she was the best daughter-in-law in the world. Emma had found it to be exceptionally cute. Regina clearly couldn't do anything wrong in Mary Margaret's eyes.
Belle and Ruby were waiting for them inside the bar, and Emma laughed as Regina scolded when they headed inside.
"I don't think they'll kill us for being a little late, honey," Emma said lightly.
Regina scoffed and muttered something about being rude.
"Hey!" Ruby called and smiled when she spotted Emma and Regina.
"Hola. Sorry we're late," Regina said and smiled at both her and Belle. "Emma had a hair crisis."
"Hey!" Emma protested and almost gave Regina a nudge but decided against it when Regina smiled so sweetly up at her.
"I don't see any hair crisis," Belle said, inspecting Emma's neat braid. "That style suits you very well, Emma."
"It's Regina's doing," Emma said immediately. "Turns out she's quite the hair artist."
"I can see that," Ruby said, smiling as she inspected Emma's hair. She looked at Regina. "Any chance you wanna do my hair too?"
"Sure," Regina chuckled. "Anytime."
Belle shook her head and smiled. "Come on. Let's find a table."
They didn't exactly find a table. But they did find four available barstools. Once seated, Belle started to compliment Regina's dress, and Emma felt all kinds of weak when she saw Regina blush and thank Belle for the compliment. Regina was too cute for words.
"So, what are we having tonight?" Ruby asked briskly. "Em?"
"Hmm, I think I'll have some water," Emma said airily.
Regina looked at her and frowned. "Why on earth would you want water? Are you trying to show solidarity because I can't drink?"
Emma made a half-hearted sound. That was actually exactly what she was trying to do.
Regina chuckled. "For gods sake, querida, order yourself a drink. To hell with solidarity!"
"Okay," Emma laughed. "I'll do that."
"Atta girl. I think I'll be having some water then," Regina said lightly and snickered. "It's a little strange to know that I'm not even old enough to drink here, even if I wasn't- oh well."
"We'll throw you one hell of a part when you turn twenty one!" Ruby promised. "Won't we, Emma?"
"The biggest part everrr," Emma assured.
"That does sound like fun," Regina grinned. "I'll be looking forward to that."
Their little conversation was interrupted when Keith Nottingham, the bartender came over to them. "Sorry about the waiting, ladies," he said in his usual too slick manner. "What can I get for you?"
Ruby didn't bother with sophisticated drink names and ordered herself one large beer. Belle showed a bit more distinction and ordered herself a Cosmopolitan.
"Apple cider," Emma said and grinned at Regina. She remembered Regina making her an apple cider when Emma came to see her at the bar that night.
Regina clearly remembered it too. She grinned right back at Emma.
"One beer, one Cosmopolitan and one apple cider," Nottingham summarized, and his smile positively widened when he looked at Regina. "And what can I find for you?"
"Water please," Regina said lightly.
Nottingham hovered. "Are you sure? First drink is always on the house for new customers. That's the rule. You can be as adventurous as you want to..."
Emma bit the inside of her cheek hard not to spat something nasty at the bartender. That was bullshit. New customers paid for the drinks exactly like everyone else did. That "rule" was invented by Nottingham right at this moment in an attempt to flirt with Regina, and Emma sort of hated him for doing it.
"Just water, thank you," Regina said. Her voice was a bit firmer now. There was a hint of that "back off"-tone Emma had heard her use with a few customers back at the bar in Madrid. Emma watched Nottingham and Regina look at each other for a moment, and she wondered whether Nottingham could recognize a fellow bartender.
"Alright then. Just water for the lady. Let me know if you change your mind though," he said, flashing her another beaming smile before walking off.
"I doubt that'll happen," Regina said quietly and chuckled to herself.
"Un-fucking-believable," Emma growled. "You've been here for five minutes!"
"I was better at flirting with the customers than he is," Regina said lightly.
"I bet you were," Emma half-groaned. "I bet you were..."
"I'm kidding," Regina said quickly and gave Emma's arm a little squeeze. "I'm just kidding, querida. I never flirted that much with the customers. And I certainly haven't for a long, long time."
"Well, good ol' Keith certainly had no problems with flirting with you..."
"Only because I was sitting down and he couldn't see my belly," Regina said grimly.
"That is not-"
"Yes, it is. But right now, I think that's an advantage," she lightly continued and looked around in the bar with curiosity. "This is a great place."
"The best Storybrooke has to offer," Emma quipped. "Not as fancy as Madrid, but-"
"It's nice," Regina said firmly. "I like it."
A few minutes later their drinks arrived, and they toasted and talked and laughed. Until someone turned the volume up on the music playing in the bar. Emma found it annoying until she identified the song as "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira. An oldie, but a goldie. Regina's foot started tapping up and down and Emma chuckled as she asked: "Wanna dance?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Regina said and practically jumped off her chair and grabbed Emma's hand.
Emma laughed as she willingly let herself being dragged out on the dancefloor. She wanted to dance with Regina. And Ruby and Belle could get a moment to themselves. Emma had seen how Ruby looked at Belle. Who knew, maybe tonight would be the night where Ruby finally plucked up the courage to ask Belle on a date.
Regina set the pace, and Emma did her best to fall into the rhythm with her. Regina was doing a far better job. The way her body moved and twisted when she danced was something that never would cease to amaze Emma. Regina was wearing pretty high heels tonight, but that didn't seem to be a problem at all. She was a hundred percent in control over her feet. She was a fucking work of art when she twirled around with her skirt and hair billowing behind her. Emma had never seen anything more beautiful. And judging by other's reaction, neither had they. Regina was turning quite a few heads tonight. Men and women. Perhaps a tad rude, but then again it wasn't everyday a flamenco dancer came to Storybrooke.
Emma chuckled as she released Regina's hands.
"You don't wanna dance anymore?" Regina half-teased as she effortlessly spun around.
"I can't keep up," Emma said honestly and chuckled again.
"Oh. Want me to stop then?"
"No. Dance as much as you want, beautiful girl."
Regina looked at her over her shoulder and flashed her a cheeky grin. "You asked for it." with that she picked up her skirt and fell into the dance routine Emma had seen her perform a million times. Emma took a step back and left the dancefloor to Regina. She didn't mind it at all. She knew that Regina had missed dancing lately, and this was a perfect opportunity for her to do just that. Emma was perfectly fine with letting Regina do her thing. She smirked a little as she whipped out her phone and snapped a picture or two of Regina dancing. She unfortunately hadn't brough her camera, but oh well.
Regina twirled around again, skirt swishing around her, and Emma swallowed something when she saw how Regina's hips moved. It was possible that it was a bit of a "bastard"-thing to think, but damn, Emma felt like one very lucky bastard! Regina just had this ability to make dancing look sexy. She wasn't a making a point of looking sexy, she was just doing her usual thing. Following the music. Half of the bar was looking at her, and Emma thought to herself that Regina probably made quite a few men "want to speak Spanish". Then she chuckled to herself at her own good/bad joke.
"Damn," Ruby commented from her chair at the bar. "Your girl knows to dance, Swan."
"Why do you think I was stunned the first time I saw her," Emma said plainly and shook her head a little as she looked at Regina dancing. The flowy dress she was wearing tonight wasn't exactly the same as her red flamenco dress with the ruffled skirt, but Emma still got flashbacks of sitting in that bar and witnessing Regina dance for the very first time.
"She looks incredible out there," Belle smiled. "Puts everyone else's dancing skills to shame."
"That she does," Emma laughed. "Definitely."
"If I could dance like that..." Ruby said and sighed slightly. "I mean... damn."
"I know," Emma nodded, shaking her head as Regina spun around again. Her hips wiggled and her feet stomping.
"When you first told us that she was a flamenco dancer, I was skeptical," Ruby admitted. "Sounds terrible, but I was. But now that I've seen her dance... Well, let's just say that I'm not skeptical anymore. At all. She's crazy talented!"
"Make sure you tell her that. She'll be so happy," Emma gushed and then frowned a little. "Especially because her mom keeps bringing her down over it..."
"Because she's dancing?" Belle raised an eyebrow. "Why is she doing that? Why isn't she proud that Regina is so talented?"
"You tell me," Emma shook her head again. But now she smiled when she turned her attention back to Regina who spun around again and made eye contact with Emma. She didn't just have half of the bar with her now. She had everyone. All eyes were on her, and perhaps that should have bothered Emma in some stupid jealousy-way, but it didn't. Regina was having the time of her life and enjoying herself. That was the main thing. Right now, she reminded Emma of the unconcerned girl she had met in Madrid. The girl who's biggest concern was making it to the next dance performance. Regina was a bit different now. Thirteen weeks pregnant and with just a hint of concern in her eyes. Emma was happy to see her acting this unconcerned. Just a twenty year old young woman enjoying herself. Not having to constantly worry about the future. Not thinking about major decisions like pregnancy and adoption. A moment's peace.
God, she's so beautiful, Emma thought to herself, taking a sip of her apple cider. It was hard not to admire Regina. Dark locks billowing, eyes sparkling and golden skin flushing just a little. Emma had the strongest urge to swallow hard. She hadn't quite realized how much she had missed seeing Regina dance, and she was only partially distracted by the vibrating sound coming from Regina's purse. Someone was clearly trying to get a hold of Regina. Emma didn't know who, and right now she didn't care much either. Couldn't bring herself to care when Regina was dancing like that. She took another sip of her cider.
When the song ended and Regina concluded the dance with a slight stomp, everyone at the bar actually clapped and whooped. Regina looked slightly surprised but nevertheless did a little mock bow before she came back to her seat and emptied her glass of water in one go.
"Holy crap," Ruby said simply.
"You were amazing," Belle added with a smile.
"Didn't you notice that everyone were looking at you?" Emma half-chuckled and gave Regina's elbow a little squeeze.
"No. I was only looking at you."
"Oh," Emma slipped an arm around Regina. "That's really sweet."
"No, it isn't," Regina scoffed. "Who else would I be looking at?"
"Good point," Emma half-chuckled.
"You are terrible," Ruby said flatly. "Both of you!"
"No, they're not, Rubes. They're adorable," Belle corrected and winked at her brunette friend. "You're just jealous, aren't you?"
"Openly. And mostly at Regina's dancing skills," Ruby replied and took a sip of her beer. "Any chance you'll give me lessons?"
"Anytime," Regina snickered and turned her head and smiled at Emma. "And what about you, querida? Do you want dancing lessons too?"
Oh yes, Emma wanted lessons alright. But she wasn't so sure she wanted dancing lessons. There were other things she'd rather do with Regina right now, but she couldn't exactly say that. Because it was horribly inappropriate. And because Regina's phone vibrated in her purse again.
Regina glanced at her purse and raised an eyebrow.
"It did that a moment ago too," Emma told her. "I think someone is trying to reach you."
"Really?" Regina teased as she fished her phone out of her purse. Her frown deepened as she glanced at the screen. "Hmm. This should be interesting."
"Who is it?" Emma asked and mirrored Regina's frown.
Instead of answering her, Regina brought the phone up to her ear and said: "hola, Madre. ¿Cómo estás?"
Oh. That was pretty much the only explanation Emma needed. She couldn't exactly hear what Cora Mills said to that, but Regina rolled her eyes, corrected herself: "good evening, Mother. It's late in Spain, I thought you'd be asleep by now. Hmm? What? Yes, Mother I'm in a bar." she rolled her eyes again, and Emma felt tempted to curse "the old dragon" (Regina's nickname for her, not Emma's), it was obvious that Cora Mills didn't have anything positive to say to her daughter this time either.
"You knew I'd be in the US, Mother," Regina said tiredly. "I told you I'd be visiting Emma for a couple of weeks. If you'd talked to daddy once in a while, you would have known."
Emma winced now. She couldn't hear Cora's side of the conversation, but she was pretty sure that the older Mills once again was trying to control her daughter in one way or the other.
"W-what?" Regina said, and suddenly her voice was completely different. Slightly trembling and nervous sounding. Emma saw how her eyes widened, and she mouthed 'what?'
But Regina didn't react to it. "Y-you what?" she croaked and gone was any trace of playful flirting. "Why would you-" she was interrupted, and Emma could hear Cora say a bunch of stuff quickly, but she couldn't hear what she was saying exactly. Just that she was upset in some way.
"What? Mother, I can't hear you- hello? Hello?" Regina frowned as she moved the phone away from her ear. She muttered something about the connection being sketchy, and Emma could have sworn she saw her finger trembled as she swiped across the screen to end the call. Then she quietly slipped the phone back inside her purse. She rubbed a hand over her face, suddenly looking both years younger and older at the same time. Her face was almost a bit grey. She looked queasy, like she had when battling morning sickness.
"What is it?" Emma asked, already getting angry. "What the fuck just happened?!"
Regina laughed croakily and just a tad hysterically. "What happened is that my Mother and I probably will have a very serious conversation when I come home..."
"Why? What did she say to you? Do I need to come at her?"
Regina laughed again. "Her official story is that she didn't know that I was visiting you, and so she got 'worried' because she hadn't heard from me in a while... So she went to my apartment and coaxed the landlord into unlocking the door."
"You've mean she's been in your apartment?" Emma asked. How utter controlling was that?!
"Sí." Regina rubbed her face again. "Dios mio!" after a second, she removed her hands from her face and looked at Emma. "Remember the bottle of prenatal vitamins I forgot? The one I left standing on the table because I was in a hurry when I left? She found them. Mother found them..."
To Be Continued...
