The phone on her coffee table was buzzing. Mary Margaret fumbled forward, tripping over the shoes she had been slipping on before the sudden noise.
Scrambling to answer it, she didn't bother glancing at the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"I'm going to presume that since you're answering your phone, and I don't see you parked in front of my house that you're still at home" she paused "Unless you're on the phone while driving. In which case I'll need to reevaluate whether or not I'm going to allow my son in any vehicle with you, let alone that rust bucket you call a car."
Mary Margaret sighed.
"Hello to you too, Regina."
Tilting her head so the phone was pressed between her cheek and her shoulder she walked back toward the door to continue putting her shoes on.
"I'm just about to leave."
"You'd better be," The annoyance in her voice was clear "Henry's getting restless."
"Oh? Henry's the restless one?"
She swore that she could actually hear the sound of Regina's eyes rolling.
"Yes."
She laughed.
"Well tell Henry he can relax. I'll be there soon."
Regina scoffed, and Mary Margaret waited for the coming cruelty - waited for the sharp edge that always seemed to be there. Maybe a little duller lately, but it was still there.
"Well don't rush too much. I'd hate to have to alert Sheriff Graham to your reckless driving."
Mary Margaret's jaw tightened a bit at the mention of the sheriff, wondering if he would pull up to the mayor's mansion as soon as she pulled away with Henry in tow. But grabbing her purse from the hook beside the door, she took a breath and found some concern buried in Regina's threat.
A little duller indeed.
The tension eased and she opened the door to her apartment, stepping into the hallway.
"Please. You'd love to call the sheriff on me."
Regina laughed, actually laughed at that, and Mary Margaret's chest went light at the sound, key stilling in the knob as she locked the door behind her.
"Maybe so. Still, don't tempt me."
And before Mary Margaret could respond, the line went silent.
*
It wasn't regular, hardly as often as it had been. Maybe every other week, sometimes more. Still, it was something. It was time to see Henry and spend time with him, to play and watch him grow.
Though they occasionally went to the park or had lunch together at the diner, they mostly did things at the mansion - craft projects, games, reading together. Sometimes they would go for short walks or play in Regina's well manicured yard. They'd pick up fallen leaves in autumn, build snowmen in winter, and plant flowers in spring in the small part of the garden Regina had told them they could use.
And while Mary Margaret was watching Henry, Regina watched them both. She drifted in and out of the rooms, joining in on their activities for brief spurts that Mary Margaret was sure were becoming longer, more frequent, more comfortable.
Because with each visit, each careful kindness, a tentative type of rapport grew between them. Short conversations in front of the school when Regina picked Henry up after class. Lingering moments in the front entryway before Mary Margaret went home. Even a few awkward dinners here and there when Henry begged Regina to let her stay so he could tell them both stories about kindergarten, first grade, and now unbelievably second.
Pulling onto Mifflin Street, Mary Margaret cranked the AC. As a last gust of cool air blew over her before she stepped back into the summer heat, she lowered the visor and looked at herself in the small mirror. She smiled. Then she blinked. Lips pressing into a thin line, she brushed a few strands of dark hair to the side. With a quick and final hand smoothing the front of her white cotton blouse, she sighed and turned to get out of the car.
But just as her feet hit pavement, Regina's front door swung open, and Henry rushed toward her.
"Mary Margaret!"
She stepped around the car, a wide smile on her face as Henry jumped at her, wrapping her in a tight hug. His short arms pulled at her waist, and his tousled brown hair and the soft warmth of his cheek pressed against her stomach.
"Ready to go?"
He turned his head up.
"Yup!"
There was a whistle in his voice, and when he smiled up at her Mary Margaret saw that one of his front lower teeth was gone. When she'd been here last it had just started to loosen.
Helping Henry into the backseat of her car, she made sure he was strapped in, wearing both his shoes, and that his backpack was resting securely beside him.
Once he was settled, legs swinging and eyes already drifting to look out the window, Mary Margaret stepped back.
"I'm just going to go talk to your mom for a minute, okay?"
He nodded.
Walking up the pathway to the porch and the still open doorway, Mary Margaret paused as Regina stepped outside.
She was wearing casual clothes, or as casual as things got with her - a plain loose t-shirt, somehow managing to appear luxe, black and fitted bottoms, and a pair of trainers that looked like they had never stepped foot outside the well oiled floors of a yoga studio or spin class.
The entire ensemble made Mary Margaret's eyes widen. Though she wasn't sure if it was in shock or in an attempt to take in every detail of this yet unseen version of the normally formal mayor.
"Where are you going?"
Regina finished locking the door behind her and turned to face Mary Margaret, her brows creased.
"Hiking of course."
Mary Margaret's eyes widened even more.
"You're coming with us?"
"Is there a reason I shouldn't?"
Regaining a little composure, Mary Margaret shrugged and shook her head.
"No, I just didn't know you liked hiking."
Regina rolled her eyes.
"Henry likes it."
There was a dismissive tone in her voice as she said it, and even dressed down the look on her face left room for no questions. But as she pushed past Mary Margaret, leaving her slightly stunned on the pathway up to the house, she added over her shoulder;
"Besides, I wouldn't take my car through those mudded out backroads even if it did make him happy."
Still facing the mansion, Mary Margaret heard the car door open and shut behind her. And though she dropped her head, shaking it again lightly in surprise, a slow smile spread over her face as she turned to follow the walkway back to her car.
*
The drive was mostly pleasant. Henry talked from the backseat sharing little anecdotes and making up stories. Mary Margaret was constantly taken with the scope of his imagination.
Glancing at the passenger side, she watched Regina smiling quietly as she listened to him speak. She looked so relaxed as he babbled on and on, the cool air from the vent blowing the dark hair off her face.
Mary Margaret gripped a little harder at the steering wheel, trying not to be obvious that she was watching. She knew that Regina's smile would fade, maybe even turning to a sneer or harsh word if she saw Mary Margaret looking at her. It made her chest ache, just a little.
Even still, she loved seeing them together. Their connection was real and strong. It really was a wonder that there had ever been a time that Henry didn't settle in Regina's arms, didn't brighten at the sound of her voice.
Yet at the same time, Mary Margaret was secretly grateful for it. It had opened a door to something that she would never have expected. She got to be part of their lives, got to glimpse brief moments like these where Henry was excited and bubbling with excitement and Regina was smiling and happy.
Swallowing, the ache in her chest grew a little stronger, and she turned her focus back to driving. Pulling down a side street, she kept going until Storybrooke was a neat picture fit into the rearview mirror and the pavement had given way to gravel and dust.
Suddenly the car jolted, and Regina started, turning sharply to face Mary Margaret.
"You're sure that this death trap of yours won't break down?"
It was more an accusation than a question. But like their short phone conversation earlier, Mary Margaret didn't hear it as harshly as Regina probably intended.
Instead a small smile pulled at her face, and she suppressed a gentle laugh.
"I'm sure. Look, we're here anyway."
Bringing the car to a slow stop, Mary Margaret shifted into park. They were deep in the woods still on a dirt road that had widened to allow for parking. Thick trees surrounded them, stretching back and away, growing darker and greener the deeper they went.
Beside her, Regina nodded. But her expression was skeptical, as if she only now realized what the rest of the afternoon was going to entail. She didn't say anything to that effect though, only turning in her seat to face Henry and remind him not to run off, to stay where they could see him. As she spoke, he nodded at each rule, his round face serious even as his focus wandered toward the window.
Mary Margaret smiled at them both before unbuckling and stepping out of the car.
Taking a deep breath, she felt her back go straighter. The air was cooler here, fresher. Every breath made her feel rooted in herself, like this was where she could be who she was always trying to be everywhere else.
Storybrooke itself was nestled in a tangle of forest and trails. Some wound through the woods, slipping through dense trees. Others climbed up steep hillsides and over quietly burbling brooks. While others still looped around small ponds and across marshy grasses.
And Mary Margaret had hiked most of them.
This trail was one of her favorites. Not too long and mostly flat, it was an easier trail but perfect to share with Henry. But now Regain was here too.
The car doors opened and then closed. Turning she saw Henry rushing forward, Regina calmly walking just a step behind.
Together, the three of them faced the the large wooden sign marking the trailhead and outlining the path they would take. Mary Margaret watched Henry look up at it, eyes wide and tracing each colored path. She took a step forward and knelt beside him.
"This line, the blue one," she said, lifting a hand to point along the map "is the one we're going to walk."
Henry turned and smiled at her.
"Is it the best one?"
Mary Margaret smiled back at him.
"The very best."
But behind them Regina suddenly cleared her throat. And as Mary Margaret shifted toward the sound Regina looked away, one of her chic trainers toeing the dirt.
Neither of them said anything and a beat passed in silence - the only noise the quiet humming of a forest in the summer heat. Mary Margaret though felt her throat constrict and she wished she'd said something else, done something else, done nothing at all.
Regina just stood tense, the tip of her shoe growing dusty, until Henry at last broke the quiet.
"Let's go already!"
And at that he grabbed one of each of their hands, pulling them down along the winding dirt path as it led off into the trees.
*
As soon as they were past the trailhead, Henry dropped their hands and rushed ahead. Not too far though. Regina reminded him with a stern voice to stay at least somewhat nearby every time it seemed he might slip out of sight.
That left she and Mary Margaret walking more or less side by side.
They walked in silence, both keeping their eyes fixed on the trail or on Henry still speeding along in front.
But every now and then Mary Margaret caught sight of Regina beside her. Her skin was tan and gold in the summer sunlight, even as she swatted at flies and blew strands of hair out of her face.
Though the time they spent together had increased over the years, Mary Margaret didn't know much about her. And Regina didn't seem especially interested in Mary Margaret beyond her ability to babysit.
So though they had known each other for years now - even longer if she tried to trace back to their first meeting and the point where Regina started to appear in the periphery of her life - it still seemed like they were strangers.
At least in some ways.
Because sometimes…sometimes Mary Margaret was sure that Regina understood her better than anyone. Like she saw parts of Mary Margaret that no one else did, parts of Mary Margaret that weren't even there when she was with anyone else.
And there were other times, rarer but still there, that she was sure she understood Regina in a way that surprised them both.
Like they knew each other.
And she wondered if being here with Regina, if the time that they had been spending together, meant that they were moving farther away from being strangers and perhaps closer to something like friends.
But there was also something about being here with her - in the forest with branches crowding overhead and dappling the path in shadow, the smell of warm pine in the air - that made Mary Margaret anxious, excited.
She wasn't certain why, but her skin tingled on the side where they walked together, and her gaze kept drifting to Regina, making sure she was always in sight.
And while being outdoors usually relaxed her, she was nervous. And she felt a distinct urge to run deep into the woods and hide. The urge to steal into the forest like a fox looking down the barrel of the hunter's gun.
But she also felt brave, headstrong, and a little reckless.
So as the path grew narrow, and Regina's hand brushed against her own, Mary Margaret's desire to run eased and a desire to be bold and careless flared.
The idea of taking Regina's hand fully in her own passed as fast and steady as a flying arrow through her mind.
Lowering her head she watched her own feet as they continued on.
Regina hadn't seemed to notice the brief touch anyway.
But before the moment passed in full, another image flashed behind her eyes. It was placeless and hazy, but sharp in someways too with smells and sounds that didn't seem imagined.
Breaking the silence, Mary Margaret looked up and asked;
"Have you ever gone horseback riding?"
Regina turned so sharply to look at her, the image faded from her thoughts and she forgot what had made her ask.
"What?" Regina said, eyes dark and sparking with anger.
Mary Margaret swallowed, and turned to look ahead, watching Henry squat to examine something farther up the path.
"It's just, I think this used to be a horse trail."
She turned back in time to see Regina's eyes narrow, to feel the full weight of her scrutiny. But then whatever had made her suddenly suspicious fell away, and her expression shifted and grew distant.
"I used to ride, but it's been a very long time."
Mary Margaret nodded, still unsure what had made her bring it up in the first place.
Dropping her gaze back down, she eyed the dirt path and tried not notice Regina watching her as they walked on.
*
Finally, they reached the top of the trail. It was a high cliff overlooking a deep canyon carpeted with forest - light green leaves swaying in the wind and shining almost yellow in the sunshine and darker conifers creating a patchwork of color stretching on to the horizon.
Henry ran back to them, taking Regina's hand in his and pulling her closer to the ledge pointing out across the open landscape.
Mary Margaret stayed where she was, just a step behind them, watching as Regina knelt and wrapped Henry in her arms as they looked out over the scenery together.
Her chest went tight and she looked away.
The walk back was shorter and longer all at once. Henry still held tight to Regina's hand pulling her along beside him.
Mary Margaret followed at a distance.
*
When they got back to the car everyone piled in without a word - the drive home much quieter than the one up.
Regina was silent in the passenger seat, and Henry drifted in and out of sleep in the back.
Mary Margaret didn't speak either.
She didn't want to.
Sometimes with Regina it was better not to speak, not to do anything that might incite her anger, provoke her hostility.
But right now silence felt like the best way to keep the moment in tact, quiet and peaceful and glowing gold and orange in the evening light of summer.
Though there was a tinge of sadness edging against it too.
Still, when Mary Margaret looked in the rearview mirror to see Henry dozing in the seat behind her she couldn't help but smile.
And when she glanced at Regain in gazing out the window next to her, there was a flutter in her stomach that only seemed to grow stronger when she tried to swallow it down.
Then, without knowing why, Mary Margaret remembered the sudden urge she had had on the hike - not to run, but to reach out and hold Regina's hand in her own.
She took a breath. Keeping her eyes forward, she focused on the road and the sun hanging low in the sky in front of them.
As they finally came up on Mifflin Street Regina's attention shifted away from the window, and she sat up straight as Mary Margaret pulled up to the curb.
The car rattled as it came to a slow stop.
"Pull into the driveway."
"What? Why?" Mary Margaret asked, glancing at Regina. But even as she spoke, she was already shifting back into drive and turning up to park in front of the garage.
"This is a nice neighborhood, Miss Blanchard. I don't want your gas guzzling station wagon parked in front of my house and lowering the property value."
Turning the car off, Mary Margaret didn't say anything as she tried to figure out if she had missed something.
Beside her, Regina had turned in the passenger seat. Her eyes dark and brows creasing in a mix of confusion and irritation.
Then she let out a sharp breath and directed her focus to Henry.
"Henry, did you remember to ask Miss Blanchard what you told me you were going to ask her?"
He smiled sheepishly from the backseat.
"Oops. I forgot."
Regina's eyes narrowed at him, and as she rotated to face Mary Margaret she rolled her eyes and sighed.
"He wants you to have dinner with us."
Mary Margaret blinked. But as Regina's words sunk in she shook her head, eyes widening in realization.
"Oh. Oh!"
"While I don't relish the thought of you sweating all over my dining room furniture, I also don't love the idea of eating leftover pasta salad for the next three days because I made too much for tonight."
Regina was still looking at Mary Margaret as she finished speaking. The mix of confusion and irritation plain on her face, tilting further toward irritation with each passing moment.
After a beat of silence, she added;
"So?"
Mary Margaret started, not yet done processing the invitation.
"Yes! I mean, of course. Thank you" said looking at Regina. But before she could roll her eyes or throw out a casual insult, Mary Margaret turned to the backseat. "Thank you for inviting me, Henry."
He beamed at her, his tongue poking through the gap in his teeth.
Regina said nothing else, but Mary Margaret heard her scoff as she opened her door to get out, only pausing to open Henry's door so he could do the same.
And as Mary Margaret got out to follow them up to the house, she couldn't help the easy smile on her face and the warm pulsing feeling spreading in her chest.