Disclaimer: I do not own the Once Upon a Time franchise.
Chapter Ten
The next day Emma found herself fidgeting with the band of her watch as she sat at a booth at Granny's waiting for Regina and Tink to show up. She was excited, but nervous to have lunch with the two women. She'd never really had girlfriends before, so this was potentially a new experience. And Emma was terrified she'd be horrible at it. Still, she was determined to try to form relationships in this town. And it seemed like even if she didn't want them, the people in the town were going to force her into them.
"Sorry I'm late." Tink apologized as she slid in across from Emma, tossing her sunglasses on the table. "I don't have any help, so I had to wait for a customer to leave to close up for lunch." She explained. "Regina texted me. She had a budget meeting that went a little long, but she should be here any minute."
"She's here now." Regina sat down gracefully, reminding Emma a bit of a queen.
"And how is our city's fine budget?" Tink asked, smiling at Ruby as she set waters out in front of the three of them.
Regina sent Tink a very impressive glare, "Numbers are stupid."
Emma wasn't quite sure what to say to the two women who were laughing together, quickly catching up on their mornings. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, picking up her menu and pretending to peruse it even though she knew what she was having. Regina and Tink shared a knowing look, but didn't comment, instead they both glanced over the menu as well, giving Emma a moment to collect herself.
After Ruby took their orders, Tink finally asked, "So, does Henry like school?" She felt like Henry would be a safe topic for the three of them to discuss for a moment, just until Emma relaxed a bit. It was clear that Emma was a very doting mother and loved talking about her son.
Twisting her napkin around a bit, Emma nodded, "Yeah, he loves school, actually. I'm glad he's in Mary Margaret's class and that all of his friends are in it. I feel like he's slid into our new town nicely."
Tink hummed, "That happens a lot here. This is an easy place to call home. I know when I moved from Australia I never thought I'd be able to potentially fit in, but it took all of a day and I'd met Graham, Dave, and Killian." She admitted. "And I knew I was home."
Emma smiled at Tink's words. "Yeah, this is home. Already so." She shook her head slightly in disbelief that pointing to a town on a map had led her to a place like this, "August and I grew up in foster care, so while my home has always somewhat been in him, it's never really been in a place. I'm glad Henry will have that. It's a pretty neat feeling. August is feeling that too."
Regina looked around the diner at the residents of her little town, "I grew up here." She finally commented, "It's always been my home. My father was the mayor before he died. I knew I wanted to take over from him when I could, to help keep our community the special place it has always been."
Reaching over, Emma covered Regina's hand with her own, "I'm sorry about your father, but I think you've done an amazing job. The town is friendly and beautiful and full of light and hope." Emma never knew what it was like to lose someone you love and who love you to death, but she did understand loss and being alone. She gathered that both of these women understood that in their own ways.
As they ate, Emma found herself enjoying the company of Tink and Regina immensely. She thought Tink and Regina were very similar in personality and Emma saw a bit of herself in each woman as well. And she thought each of them had a streak of honor and loyalty a mile wide. She'd only ever known August to have that quality and there was something nice about having two potential female friends instead of just August.
She found out that Tink and Belle had lost their mother at a very young age. Tink was two years older than Belle and after their mother's passing, their father had become very controlling, dictating everything about their lives. Including who they were to marry. When Belle announced she was marrying Robert Gold instead of some man named Gaston, their father threatened to lock Belle in the attic of their home. Tink snuck Belle out, helped Belle and Gold get married, and then ran off to Storybrooke with Mr. Gold and Belle to avoid the wrath of their father.
Regina had grown up here, but her mother had left her and her father when Regina was young, and she'd been raised by a doting father, who was also named Henry. Henry Mills had been the mayor for many years and everyone had adored him. He died unexpectedly just after Regina's fiancé, Daniel, was murdered. Regina indicated she went through a very terrible time with the two deaths and pushed away everyone in town. It sent her down a dark spiral of hate and she blamed everyone for her losses. She even said that when Mary Margaret insisted she get help that Regina tried to run over the small school teacher with her car. Things changed for Regina four years earlier though, when Robin moved to town. He and his late wife and their son had left England and come to Boston for a medical procedure for his wife, she'd died anyhow. A few months after Marian's death, they wound up in Storybrooke for a change of pace and he met Regina. They'd been married for two years and Regina said she'd never been happier.
Their stories made Emma comfortable enough to share her own past with the two women. Or at least the past August had created for her. There was still a lot of truth to it.
When the three left an hour later, Emma felt a bit lighter, like life was finally settling down. Instead of heading home, though, Emma found herself wandering to the Sheriff's Station. When she pushed open the door she found Graham, David, and Killian tossing a tennis ball around. "So, this is how Storybrooke Sheriff's Department utilizes their resources." She teased, her green eyes dancing with mirth.
Graham caught the ball, surprised by Emma's presence. "Emma, what brings you in?"
Shrugging, Emma slid out of her leather jacket and tossed it on one of the desks. "I don't know, I just had lunch with Tink and Regina and just kind of wound up here." She admitted.
"Well then," Graham tossed her the ball, "catch."
Emma rolled her eyes as the ball landed right in her hands before tossing it over to Killian, "I think I'm bored." She admitted. "The apartment is set up and it's so clean that even August is complaining about the lack of mess and he's a bit of a neat freak."
When the ball came back to him, Graham said, "Well, we can put you on the schedule for tomorrow if you'd like. You could do some patrolling? I know Dave was saying Mary Margaret wanted him to help her with the rest of a project she's working on at school. And then I could have the day off like I was supposed to." He rolled his eyes, "Tink really wants me to clean out the shed behind our house and she wants it done when she's at work so she doesn't have to help."
Emma glanced over at Killian, "I think Jones and I can handle it." She agreed.
"It would be my honor to patrol with you, Swan." Killian bowed toward her, grunting when Emma threw the ball at him harder than he anticipated. "See you at 8:30?" He asked.
"8:30 is perfect." Emma glanced up at the clock on the wall, "Well, I'll let you all continue your productive day. See you tomorrow, Killian." She waved to the three men and picked up her coat on her way out of the station.
David and Graham looked at each other and then at Killian. "Killian Jones!" Graham grinned at his deputy, "You like Emma!"
The tips of Killian's ears turned cherry red at Graham's words, but he shook his head, "I don't know her, but she seems like a nice enough lass and –"
"And nothing!" Graham interrupted, "You like her!"
Killian tossed the ball at Graham as hard as he could, "You sound like a bloody primary school girl."
David chuckled, "And defensive to boot."
"I hate you all." Killian grumbled. Although he had to admit that he was looking forward to a full day spent with the new blonde in town. There was something about her that he was drawn to. Killian thought they shared a similar look and understanding. He just hoped he'd be able to open up to Emma some and that she to him.