Unfortunately, the frustration over not being able to zip up her dress turned into something else. Insecurity. She had looked too long at the scars on her neck, and now she had started to wonder whether she could go out without her scarf. This was supposed to be Henry's night. His chance to have a fun night. And surely, that would be ruined if the other parents and children stared at the marks on her neck.
Deep down, Regina knew that she was being ridiculous. She wasn't that interesting. The whole world didn't revolve around her. She DID know that. But she couldn't help feeling the way she felt. She had tried. Had smiled when Henry poked his head in here and asked when Emma would show up (Regina had held up five fingers to illustrate that it would be five minutes), but as soon as he had left, her smile had stiffened slightly, and she had gone back to examining her throat and trying to figure out how bad her scars looked to others. Through someone else's eyes, did she look like she had been strangled? Would her bared throat bring out a bunch of questions from the other parents?
Oh god, relax. She took a deep breath and tried her best to do just that. Relax. Be calm. She could do this. Of course she could. It was just a school-function thing. No big deal.
Regina took a deep breath and tried to relax in the shoulders. She was tensing and she shouldn't. Because sooner or later, that tension would travel up to her head and turn into a headache. And that couldn't happen. She didn't want to have a headache tonight. It was Henry's night. He had been so excited about the spaghetti dinner. And even more excited upon finding out that Regina and Emma was going with him. Regina faltered. Yes, this was Henry's night. And what if she would end up ruining it because everyone was staring at her? What if Henry became embarrassed?
No. No, that was stupid nonsense, and she knew that. Henry would never become embarrassed. If anything, he would come for those who dared looking at her for too long. Like a little bulldog. Despite her anxiety, Regina smiled at the thought. Not that it would be okay for Henry to be rude to the other parents. She wouldn't be surprised if one or two people ended up looking at her. She knew that she had been the source of some gossip at Henry's school. Not so much anymore, but when she first started picking up Henry, there had been some stares and some whispers.
Regina had tried to ignore it as best as she could. Just as she would do her best to ignore it tonight if anyone looked or stared at her. She could do that. Focus only on herself, Emma and Henry and have a good time. Eat some spaghetti. Dance to terrible disco music.
Her shoulders slumped and her eyebrows scrunched as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was very faintly aware that Henry had opened the door, but she was too busy tracing the faint lines on her throat to really listen to what happening downstairs.
It wasn't actually until there was a faint knock on the half-open door and a soft: "Knock-knock. Can I come in?", that Regina's head whipped up. She turned around and flashed Emma a smile, motioning for her to come all the way in.
Emma did as requested. She even closed the door behind her. "Hey, beautiful!" she grinned.
That grin. Regina couldn't help but smile. She looked at Emma's dress. Oh gosh, that was a beautiful dress. Was it new, or had she simply not seen Emma in it yet? Either way, Emma looked gorgeous in it. It was a black leather mini dress. Sleeveless. With just a little bit of cleavage on display. Had Regina been able to talk, she would have said 'wow!' or something else that was equally stupid. Now she had to settle for gesturing above her heart to indicate how that dress was making her feel.
"I'm giving you heart palpations?" Emma guessed with a chuckle.
Heart palpitations was a great word to use. Regina nodded eagerly in affirmation.
Emma laughed. "I'm pretty sure I don't even have a pulse right now. You look fantastic!"
Regina automatically shook her head. Emma was being silly. This was literally nothing special. Just the same old red dress Emma already had seen her in once. Perhaps she should have worn something different. Something new. But then she remembered that there was no reason to second-guess Emma's compliments. They were always genuine. If Emma said she looked fantastic, it was because she meant it and not because she was after something.
Regina leaned in and gave Emma a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. She had just remembered that her dress still wasn't zipped. Dared she hope that the zipper would budge now?
Nope. The zipper was doing absolutely nothing when she pulled at it. God damnit. Regina frowned.
"The zipper's stuck?" Emma softly asked.
Regina nodded. The zipper was indeed stuck. She yanked at it again, but absolutely nothing happened. God damnit.
"Do you want some help with that?" Emma gently offered.
She would have preferred if the issue had magically resolved itself. She gave the zipper another hard yank, but when nothing happened, she gave up and nodded. A bit defeated.
"Alright, hold still then," Emma chuckled warmly as she came closer.
Regina kept perfectly still, but honestly that was a bit of a struggle. Every so often, when the tiny, delicate zipper slipped between her fingers, Emma's hands were on her naked back and it made Regina think…. Things. Things that she definitely should not be thinking about right now. Not when her son downstairs. But she couldn't help it. Every touch reminded her of their time in the cabin. It was ridiculous, how much Emma touching her back was affecting her. How it send shivers down her spine. How she absolutely did not mind that Emma could see the back of her bra. Thank god she had chosen the red one. The one with all the straps. She had a feeling that Emma would like that one. A pity Emma couldn't see the front of her bra…
Wait, what? Regina snapped out of it and raised an eyebrow at her own reflection. Was she interested in Emma seeing her bra now? Interesting. Very interesting, actually. That counted as progress. Definitely.
If the dress somehow slipped and ended up the floor, it wouldn't be the worst tragedy in the world.
"There we go," Emma said casually as she tugged up the zipper. "All done." she turned around and walked away from Regina.
Good thing they were done, because oh goodness, Regina had been one breath away from getting turned on. Clearly, it took nothing to make her tick these days. She flashed Emma an over-the-shoulder smile in gratitude and then walked over to her closet. Found her cream colored scarf. It wasn't a step back, choosing to wear a scarf for the school functioning. It wasn't. Quite the reverse, it was very mature of her to recognize that she was not ready for the whole world to see the scars on her neck. And besides, this night was about spaghetti and dancing and having a good time. Not about her throat.
As she tied the scarf around her neck in different ways to determine which style was best for hiding the markings now that the plaster wasn't there anymore, she noted that Emma had sat down on her bed. She was fiddling slightly with the edge of her ponytail. Regina wondered what that was about. She had noticed that Emma often played with her hair when she was tense or anxious about something. Regina hoped that there wasn't something wrong.
"So... David called me right before I left to drive here." Emma said. It was clear as day that she was trying to sound casual. And failing miserably.
Regina frowned as she looked at Emma in the mirror. Motioned for her to go on and wondered what on earth Emma's despicable adoptive father (who by the way wasn't worthy of that title!) wanted.
"Mary Margaret landed herself in the hospital a week ago. She had a heart attack." Now Emma was fiddling with the bedspread. "Apparently, her heart is in pretty bad shape. She's gonna have a major heart surgery when she's feeling a little stronger. She's going to have the surgery in Toronto. She and David are moving back."
Regina turned around so they were face to face. This was no conversation to have with her back turned to Emma. Not when there was so much vulnerability in her voice.
"I don't... I'm not sure how to feel about it. Any of it," Emma said quietly. "Apparently she wants to see me when she comes back to Toronto. David said that, but I don't... I don't know if that's a good idea."
Regina walked over to the bed and sat down next to Emma. She reached out and took her hand.
"I'm okay," Emma said quickly, and Regina made sure to uphold a completely neutral facial expression. Because now was not the time to call Emma out on a lie. She was most definitely not okay.
This just came as a surprise. An enormous one. I mean, I haven't seen David and Mary Margaret in person since I was seventeen years old. Since they kicked me out for being gay. Seeing them again... I don't know. I've been feeling really good lately, and I don't wanna screw that up and risk going back to black because I'm going to see them again."
The evidence of how not-okay she was, came to light when her voice broke, and Regina was quick to bring Emma's hand up to her lips and gently kiss the knuckles one by one.
"That feels nice," Emma tried for a little smile but failed again. Then she continued: "Am I a horrible person for not wanting to see her even though I know she's really ill?"
Regina shook her head firmly. No. No, it wasn't. Not at all. She more than understood why Emma was reluctant to seeing her toxic adoptive parents again. They didn't deserve to breathe the same air as she did!
Emma let out a sigh and leaned closer to Regina, and Regina shifted slightly, trying her best to encourage Emma to lean on her. In every way. The message went through loud and clear. Emma rested her head on Regina's shoulder. Seemed to inhale the scent of her shampoo. Emma, Regina had noted, had also done that in the cabin.
"I don't know what to do," Emma murmured, clearly breathing in the scent again. "And for whatever screwed up reason, I'm actually worried about David. He's all alone with a one month old baby, and he knows literally nothing about parenting. Mary Margaret was always the one to-" she stopped. Breathed. "Anyway, I don't suppose you can tell me what the right thing to do is?"
She could not. Regina shook her head. Then turned it so she could plant a soft kiss on the side of Emma's temple. After a moment, she stood from the bed. Grabbed her purse from the bedside table and dipped a hand inside it. Found what she was looking for, her phone, and began tapping in a message. A long one. She could not guide Emma to the right choice, because there was no obvious right choice. But she still had a lot to say about this. 'The choice is yours, Emma. I cannot tell you what you should chose. But I do know that it's perfectly understandable if you don't want to see your adoptive mother. She manipulated and controlled you throughout your childhood, and you're still healing from the trauma you've endured. It's more than understandable if you don't want to see her. But if you do choose to go to Toronto and see her, I could go with you if you'd like.' Not well thought through, but not something she needed to think about either. Of course she would go with Emma to Toronto if Emma asked her to. She would do it in a heartbeat. And completely without hesitation. She sat down on the bed again. Then turned the screen so Emma could read the message.
Emma squinted slightly as she did just that, and Regina immediately wondered if she had forgotten her contact lenses tonight. If that was the case, they could swing by Steveston to retrieve them. Emma shouldn't go around and struggle to see all night. But the squinting had nothing to do with missing contact lenses, Regina discovered. Emma was squinting in sheer disbelief. "Y-you'd do that?" she half-whispered as she looked from the phone and at Regina.
Regina nodded and patted Emma's cheek gently. Of course she would. Absolutely. And she would do it over and over again. Emma had been there for her so many times, and Regina had longed for the opportunity to return the favor. An opportunity to show Emma the same dedication. There wouldn't be a better opportunity than this one. It would be an honor to accompany Emma on this trip. And if her presence somehow could shield Emma from her abuse adoptive parents… well. Then Regina was prepared to give both of them her infamous 'Evil Queen'-stare.
"You're... You're amazing," Emma said quietly.
Amazing? Her? No. Regina shook her head lightly. She wasn't amazing. This didn't make her amazing. She was simply doing what Emma had done for her so many months now. She was being here. Supporting in any way she could. Showing Emma that she had her back.
Emma swallowed. Thickly. Audibly. Was she holding something back? Dear god, was she trying not to cry? Regina's heart broke a little. But if a good cry was what Emma needed, she would be here for that too. Tears wasn't something to be ashamed of. It had taken Regina quite a while to accept that. And she was more than willing to share that mantra with Emma if needed.
"I think I'll need some time to decide what I want," Emma said finally. Her eyes were dry and her voice steady.
Not gonna cry then. Regina nodded. Decided to let it stay with that. She certainly wasn't going to push Emma into keep talking about the subject. It was up to Emma to decide what she wanted.
Emma cleared her throat again. "You look beautiful tonight."
They were changing the subject. That was alright. Regina automatically shook her head. Pointed lightly to Emma and mouthed: 'YOU look beautiful tonight." A definite truth. That dress looked like it had been made for Emma. And just for Emma.
Emma chuckled a bit. "And because of my rambling, we're running late."
That…. Was actually true. Regina nodded to acknowledge this. Then she stood from the bed again. Walked over to the mirror and began fussing with the cream colored scarf again. She tied it around her neck, so it fanned out over her shoulder and chest. Should she wear it like that tonight? No. No, that didn't look good. She untied the scarf quickly and then re-tied it just as swiftly. No. No, no, no. That was too tight. She felt like she was choking. And that was not a feeling she wanted in her system ever again. New style. Maybe… a bow? Yes. A bow looked nice. Didn't it?
Her hands had gone slippery from anxiety, and the scarf slipped slightly between her fingers. Regina huffed in silent frustration.
"Babe," Emma said gently.
What? Regina looked at her girlfriend over her shoulder. And saw said girlfriend stand from the bed. Walk over to her. Put her hands on her shoulders.
"You look beautiful," Emma said simply.
Oh. Regina flashed Emma a quick smile in the mirror, but she was pretty sure that it wasn't enough. She was feeling self-conscious. She couldn't hide it. Not from Emma. Nor from herself.
Emma leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Her soft breath tickled Regina slightly as she said: "you are beautiful, babe. So beautiful."
For a moment, that was enough, and Regina leaned back against Emma. But then she remembered that she still had no idea how to wear her scarf tonight, and what would happen if someone saw her scars? She looked at her reflection in the mirror.
Emma gently rubbed her shoulders. "You're sure you're ready to do this?"
Yes. Self-conscious or not, she was going to do this. Regina nodded firmly and adjusted the bow she had tied the scarf into. That style DID look good, and no, her scars were NOT visible when she was wearing the scarf like that. End of story.
Emma gently rubbed her tense shoulders again. "Ready to have spaghetti with me Lady and the Tramp style?"
Oh bless her for thinking that there would be any meatballs. Regina rumbled in amusement, and this right here, was very much enough. She nodded.
"Great," Emma said and gave Regina's shoulders a slight squeeze. "I can't wait to listen to bad disco music with you."
Truthfully, Regina couldn't wait for that either. She was amused again as she spun around and smiled at Emma. Then she went over to the bed and grabbed her purse. She adjusted the scarf one. Last. Time., before going to the closet and finding her white trench coat. She slipped it on and was sure Emma was watching her as she buttoned it. But that was okay. She liked it when Emma looked at her. There was nothing bad about Emma's looks. It only made Regina feel special and appreciated. "Mom? Emma? You guys ready yet? We're gonna be late!"
Regina rolled her eyes and signed to Emma, asking her to answer Henry on both of their behalf.
"We'll be right there, kiddo," Emma called down the stairs.
"Hurry up!" Henry groaned. "We're gonna miss the spaghetti!"
"And that would be a bummer," Emma quietly snickered just as Regina opened the door.
Regina was silently amused as they 'reunited' with Henry on the stairs. He was being quite dramatic. They both knew that there would be spaghetti enough to feed a smaller village.
All three of them went downstairs and into the hallway where Henry seemed to fumble a bit with his coat and scarf. Not unlike the way Regina had fumbled with her own scarf a moment ago. But Henry was not fumbling because he was anxious. He was fumbling because he was excited. Good.
A thing that wasn't quite as good was that he already was wearing his shoes. And that he had been up the stairs and back again while wearing said shoes. Regina clapped a hand over her forehead. Oh, Henry, Henry, Henry! Why was it that his memory always seemed to mysteriously fail him when it came to not wearing his shoes all over the house?!
"Oops, sorry mom," Henry said sheepishly, quickly realizing why Regina was giving him that look. "I'll clean it up when we get back."
Pretty, pretty words. Regina raised an eyebrow.
"I promise," Henry said earnestly. "I'll clean it up!"
He wouldn't. He would be completely beat by the time they got home, and tomorrow morning he would have forgotten all about it. But Regina wasn't about to make him clean up now. It wasn't fair when they already were running late. She settled for signing: 'I'll make sure to leave the vacuum cleaner out for you.'
"And I'll say sorry to Auntie Z for making muddy footprints on her carpet," Henry said with so much faux honesty the room almost reeked of lies.
Regina was not impressed, but it would appear that Emma was. Regina was pretty sure she had seen her grin a moment ago. Well. As long as Emma was amused, things weren't that bad. Regina waved both of them out of the door, and as they walked towards Regina's car, Emma asked: "Zelena working late tonight?"
"She's with Chad," Henry informed. "She's there almost every weekend now. I think they're getting married soon."
Regina suffocated her amusement. That boy. Where DID he get his assumptions from?
"Really?" Emma asked, shooting Regina a sideway glance.
Regina shook her head and mouthed: 'no'. She had heard absolutely nothing about a wedding, and as much respect as she had for Henry's close relationship with his aunt, she doubted that he was better informed than she was.
Still, Emma went along on it. "Do you think she'll let me be bridesmaid then?" she asked Henry and chuckled.
"Do you like pink?" Henry asked dead seriously.
Regina recognized that tone. It was the same one seven year old Henry had used when he in the dead of night suddenly had been standing by her bedside and asking: 'Mommy? Where do babies come from?'
It was safe to say that Regina hadn't gotten any more sleep that night.
She was brought back to the present when Emma said: "uhm... No, not really."
"Then you can't be bridesmaid," Henry said, and then both of them bursted out laughing.
Regina shook her head gravely at their antics. What a horrible sense of humor they had, the pair of them. Emma and Henry were still laughing when they piled into the car. Henry in the back seat. Emma on the passenger's seat. And Regina behind the wheel. She found the car keys in her purse and inserted it. Got the car started, and off they went. Away from Zelena's place and on the way to the school.
Henry and Emma talked. Well, Henry was chit-chatting in that brisk way he always did when feeling particularly excited about something, and Emma was meeting his excitement in an appropriate manner. That was lovely to see. Regina would have loved to feel just as excited. But she had gotten anxious again. She could feel that. She made sure to breathe in that deep, slow way Doctor Kristine had taught her. It always worked whenever she was feeling stressed. She needed it to work tonight too. The odds that she would have a good night were actually very good. She wasn't alone, after all. She was NOT going alone.
As though able to read her thoughts, Emma put a warm hand on Regina's knee. "Right here," she quietly reminded her.
Regina nodded. Gave the hand on her knee a quick pat and then put her hand back on the wheel again. She was still nervous about this, very nervous indeed, but she had Emma by her side. Things couldn't go completely wrong as long as Emma was here with her. After all, it was just spaghetti. Only that. Overly salted spaghetti, thin sauce and too loud music. Nothing to be afraid of.
Nothing whatsoever to be afraid of.
She could do this. Of course she could. It was as easy as one-two-three…
The school was crowded. Of course. The moment Regina parked, she saw them. The children, running in and out of the school building. Some of them by themselves, some of them in groups. And a few unfortunate souls were being 'chased' by their tired-looking parents. Oh yes, no doubt this would be a fun evening indeed.
"Finally!" Henry cried excitedly as he ripped the door open as soon as they were parked. He exited and looked like he was going to sprint off, but at the very last moment he caught himself and looked at Regina. "Can I run ahead, mom?"
No, he could not. Because her son wasn't one of those wayward kids who ran in the hallways and nearly knocked everything over. Regina shook her head as she too exited the car. Then she lifted her head and signed: 'no, you may not. You'll be going with us.'
Henry pouted but accepted it. "Oooookayyyy," he groaned. "We'll go together."
Regina smiled and patted his cheek. Silent praise for accepting the 'no' without making a fuss. She was proud of him for that.
"So? Where's this thing happening?" Emma asked briskly as she hopped out of the car and slammed the door behind her.
"In the gym hall," Henry told her, groaning dramatically again as Regina opened her purse and checked if she had remembered everything. She had. There was literally no excuse to stand out here.
"Ready, babe?" Emma asked gently.
Regina nodded. As ready as she would ever be.
All three of them walked towards the building. Henry ripped the door open and was sweet enough to hold it while Regina and Emma went through. Down the hallway they walked and encountered many children. All of them laughing, all of them with sparkling eyes. Some of them knew her and chirped: 'hi, miss Mills!' or 'hi, Professor Mills!', and for each smile in recognition Regina gave them, her anxiety was flapping about in her chest like a bird trying to escape a cage.
Reaching the wardrobe, they discarded of their coats, and Regina made sure to 'rescue' her stack of post-its and the pencil she had brought.
Then they continued down the hallway, and Henry couldn't help himself another moment. He eagerly skipped ahead and opened the door to the gym hall where the grand affair was taking place. He looked pleadingly up at Regina with those big, big eyes of his. "Can I go in?"
This time, Regina took mercy on her eager little boy (who didn't look as little in his neat button up and with slicked back hair) and nodded. Yes, he could go in.
Henry immediately disappeared inside the gym room. Regina heard him greet his friends. She was supposed to go inside too, but….
She stopped in front of the open door and took a deep breath. So many people. Regina bit her lip. None of them would be looking at her. Obviously. They would be much too busy watching their children. Why should they pay any attention to her?
Her hand was taken. Gently squeezed. Then: "you all good?" Emma softly asked.
Regina turned her head and gave a little smile. Then she nodded towards the open door.
"Yeah. Let's head inside and see what it's all about," Emma said nonchalantly.
She made it sound so easy, Emma did. Regina squeezed her fingers slightly as they went inside. And she wished that it truly WAS that easy.
The 'party' had already started. The noise from the laughing children who skipped around and played 'tag' and other games was the first thing to greet Regina. The second thing was the distinct smell of spaghetti. And meatballs. Oh. So there WAS meatballs this year. Interesting. Regina hoped that they wouldn't be raw like they had been a few years ago. That had been a great disaster. For everyone involved.
"That smells awesome," Emma grinned.
Right, of course she thought so. Regina smirked. Emma's eating habits was an eternal source of amusement to her. Of course not in a mean way. Never in a mean way. No, it was sweet how Emma appreciated the same types of dishes as Regina would cook for her son. It made it very easy to invite Emma over for dinner.
"You think it tastes good too?" Emma asked. "You mentioned something about it being too salty?"
Regina nodded. That was absolutely correct. The salty spaghetti had almost become a tradition.
"Let me guess... It's been really salty all the other years?"
Indeed. Regina nodded again. Amused now.
"Right. Looking forward to that," Emma chuckled. "Wanna find a place to sit down, beautiful?"
Sitting down seemed like a good idea. Hand in hand, they crossed the floor, elegantly avoiding the makeshift dance floor that had been thoroughly decked out for the occasion. Completely with flashing lights and a great big disco ball.
Regina felt as though she was attending a party that took place in the nineties.
They steered towards the cluster of little round tables that had been placed here and there, and just as they were about to sit down by an available one, Regina heard a familiar voice saying: "Regina? I thought that was you."
Anastasia Scarlet. Regina had never liked that woman. But she nonetheless gave her a thin smile and exchanged handshakes with her.
"Oh, hello," Anastasia said as she turned to Emma. "I'm Anastasia. Anastasia Scarlet."
"Hi, I'm Emma. Emma Swan," Emma said politely and shook Anastasia's hand once.
"My husband is out there with our daughter," Anastasia said, nodding towards her blonde angel of a daughter.
Regina turned her head to make sure Anastasia didn't see her roll her eyes. Anastasia's daughter had once blown up at Henry because he refused to let her copy her answers for a test. And later on, Anastasia had had the cheek to call Regina and complain about it. Claim that Henry could 'have helped out a friend'. It was clear as day that Anastasia had forgotten all about that now, but Regina had not.
"Which one of them is yours?" Anastasia continued, nodding towards the flock of children running around and playing.
Regina's attention spiked. This was interesting. What would Emma's answer be to that?
"Henry. Uhh, I mean, I'm here with Henry too." Emma said. There was a twang of awkwardness in her voice, but not much. And Regina was sure she had detected a fair amount of pride too. She smiled, still with her head turned away. Yes, Emma was very much here with Henry!
"Oh," Anastasia said airily. "You're here together. How nice."
And just like that, Anastasia had given Regina another reason to dislike her.
"Anyway," Anastasia said briskly. "It was lovely to see you again, Regina. We should catch up again soon." With that she breezed away to join her husband and daughter.
No. They absolutely should not be catching up again soon.
"Please don't tell me she's the mother of one of Henry's good friends," Emma whispered.
God no. Regina shook her head.
"Oh, thank god," Emma half-snickered as they finally sat down by one of the little round tables.
Regina found her stack of post-it notes and her pencil. Now she was prepared for yet another conversation with Emma.
"Hello, miss Mills!" two little cheerful voice chirped.
Regina turned her head and smiled at Nick and Ava, Henry's actual friends. Very good kids.
"This is my friends, Nick and Ava," Henry introduced his friends to Emma. "And this is Emma Swan!"
Regina thought to herself that Henry just as well could have introduced Nick and Ava to the queen of England. All he needed was to make a grand gesture with his hands. She was amused. She was just boring old mom while Emma was worthy of proud smiles and grand gestures.
It was absolutely wonderful.
"Hi," Emma said and smiled at the children. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too, miss Swan," Ava chirped.
"Just Emma," Emma corrected and gave a little smile.
Henry's attention shifted to Regina. "Mom, is it okay if Nick and Ava and I head into the music room with some of the other kids?"
Well…. Regina pursed her lips and her fingers wiggled in the air as she signed: 'Yes, but make sure to be back here in twenty minutes so I know where you are.'
"Back in twenty minutes," Henry confirmed. "Okay."
Regina smiled, happy that he was still sticking by their rule. To always repeat what she had said so she was sure he had understood it. She didn't want anything to get lost in translation because she was too bad at signing, or he wasn't paying properly attention.
The kids took off and left Regina and Emma to their own devices.
"Those were nice kids," Emma commented.
Indeed they were. Regina nodded.
"So... Want me to fetch you some spaghetti?" Emma asked and smirked a little.
Shaking her head, Regina grabbed the first (of many) post-its and wrote down an answer. 'No. I'll be fetching us some spaghetti. You stay here and enjoy the flashing lights.' She was the one who had invited. She was the one who would get the food. Just like this had been a proper date. She gave the note to Emma.
Emma chuckled. "Okay then. I'll do that."
And so, Regina took off and ventured towards the spaghetti-stall. Her 'spider-sense' was going off and she was certain that some of the other parents and kids were looking at her. Perhaps they were. She didn't bother glaring back at them. Right now she was more interested in the tidbit of conversation she had heard between Henry and his friends who hadn't made it to the music room yet.
"So, is Emma your mom's girlfriend?" Ava asked curiously.
"Ava!" Nick scolded his sister and pushed at her arm.
"What, I'm just asking," Ava huffed. "I'm not gonna be mean about it or anything!"
Henry chuckled. "Yeah, she is. Isn't she just cool?"
Regina smiled and quickly walked away. She wasn't interested in eavesdropping on her son's conversation with his friends. But she silently agreed with Henry.
Emma was most definitely 'cool'.
And the meatballs most definitely looked well-cooked. Very well-cooked. Oh well. Regina smiled at the canteen-lady as she scooped portions of spaghetti onto the plates Regina had fetched. This should be interesting. Hopefully, Emma wasn't expecting too much of the poor spaghetti.
Once armed with two plates full of said spaghetti with meatballs, Regina walked back to the little table she was sharing with Emma.
"That looks hella good!" Emma said as soon as Regina came close enough.
Regina felt amused as she sat down and handed Emma one of the plates.
Emma dug into the food. She looked like she was genuinely enjoying the meatballs, but as soon as she tasted the spaghetti, her features dropped ever so slightly.
"Pretty salty," she commented and gave a little fake cough.
Regina nodded in what she hoped was an 'I told you so'-manner. Yes, the spaghetti was salty. Very salty. She wondered why they weren't learning from their mistakes. Why hadn't anyone thought of taking the saltshaker away yet? That would undoubtedly solve the problem with the salty spaghetti. Still, Regina forced the spaghetti down. Because Henry had participated in making it. Because he was proud of contributing to the spaghetti-night. She would be damned if she didn't eat anything.
"You wanna dance afterwards?" Emma asked just as Regina was taking a little break from eating the overly salted spaghetti.
Regina gave an automatic nod. Sure she wanted to dance. But as she let her eyes roam over the dance floor where the other parents were dancing, she once again felt like the entire room was watching her. The rational part of her knew that while some definitely had been looking at her, there were twice as many who had not. Yes, her presence and her silence had attracted a few curious looks here and there, but that was all. The entire room was NOT watching her.
She was brought out of her paranoia when Emma leaned forward and murmured: "How are you feeling? I mean, actually feeling?"
As usually, Emma just knew. And Regina didn't want to lie to her. She didn't want to pretend that she was fine when she was not. So she pursed her lips slightly as she wiped her hands on one of the napkins, she had brought with her. Then she grabbed her trusted stack of post-its and her ever faithful pencil. She began to write down and an answer and told herself not to squeeze the pencil so tightly, damnit. Was she interested in snapping the pencil in half?
That didn't happen. She made it through writing the message without snapping anything. Not the pencil nor her own psyche. 'Honestly, I'm feeling very self-conscious tonight. I keep imagining that everyone is staring at me and talking about me. I know I'm just being silly and paranoid, but I can't help it. I'm glad I'm not here alone.' Seriously, thank god she wasn't. She pushed the note towards Emma.
"That you aren't," Emma said as soon as she had read the message. She reached across the table and took Regina's hand. Gave it a little squeeze. "I'm right here. And I kinda love having spaghetti with you. Ohhh, maybe I could make us some the next time you come to dinner! Something that's less salty. And with better meatballs."
Regina shook her head. Not because her answer to the spaghetti-suggestion was no, but because she found Emma to be positively endearing. There was no doubt in Regina's mind that Emma would in fact prepare the perfect 'Lady and the Tramp-style spaghetti for them. And there also wasn't any doubt in her mind that Emma was doing everything in her power to distract her. And it was working. By all the gods, it was working.
Regina smiled at Emma. Didn't bother with writing a new message. Instead she lifted her hands and signed: 'thank you'
"Don't thank me until you've tasted the spaghetti," Emma half-chuckled. "Who knows, maybe it'll be as salty as this one."
Regina doubted it. And she wasn't saying thank you because of the spaghetti offer. And she had a feeling that Emma already knew that.
They finished up their portion of said salty spaghetti and not overly pleasant meatballs. Regina wasn't about to have a second portion. She wasn't sure all that salt was good for her. And Emma didn't seem overly keen either. But she still deserved a massive amount of kudos for forcing down one portion. That was impressive.
Emma took her hand again as she nodded towards the dance floor and flashing lights and spinning disco ball. "You wanna give that a shot? The music is pretty crappy, but I think we can make it work, don't you?"
Regina smiled genuinely at that. Yes, they could make it work. And yes, she would absolutely love to dance with Emma. She stood from the chair just as Emma did the same, and hand in hand they walked out on the dancefloor.
On the dancefloor, Emma put a hand on the middle of Regina's back and the other lightly on her hip. Then she looked at Regina.
Regina smiled because she knew that look. That was Emma's way of asking if the way she was touching her was alright. And it was. It was nice to be back in Emma's arms.
They danced to 'Staying Alive', and as Emma elegantly spun her around and laughed about it, Regina let go of the last part of anxiety she had been feeling. What was there to be anxious about? It was just her and Emma dancing. Like they had in the cabin. They were dancing and having a good time. That was the only thing that mattered.
This was one of the many valuable things Emma had taught her during the time they had been together. To dance like nobody else was watching.
Out of the corner of her eye, Regina spotted Henry who had returned to the gym hall with Nick and Ava. He was smiling and laughing with his friends. Clearly having a good time too. Excellent.
"You know what, I'd love to go to more school functioning's with you in the future," Emma said to her as she jokingly spun Regina around again.
Regina smiled and brushed her lips against Emma's cheek in answer. She would love that too. Having Emma coming to more school arrangements would intensify what Regina was already starting to feel. That they were a family.
"So..." Emma asked as they spun around once more. "Are you busy next Saturday? I'm not sure the menu will be spaghetti, but something delicious for sure."
Oh, another date! Yes! Yes, a million times! Regina nodded eagerly.
"Yeah? How does... seven o'clock sound?" Emma asked, laughing to her as she gave her hips a gentle squeeze.
Seven o'clock sounded perfect. Regina nodded and smiled at Emma. While trying not to get affected because of that tiny little hip-squeeze. It had just been an innocent gesture, for crying out loud!
"It's a date then," Emma grinned.
It very much was. Regina couldn't wait.
"Mom!"
Regina turned her head to find Henry standing right next to them and grinning broadly at her. He outstretched a hand towards her. "Mother-son-dance?" he asked sweetly.
Oh, what a sweet gesture! Regina felt very fortunate that her son still wanted to dance with her. That he wasn't 'too old' to indulge in such things. She nodded and took his little hand in hers. Then she glanced at Emma and pursed her lips slightly, mock apologizing for leaving her in the middle of a dance.
"No, good ahead," Emma laughed, waving her hands slightly. "Go and set fire to that dance floor, you two!"
Henry giggled and Regina smiled overbearingly at her girlfriend. Setting fire to the dance floor was hardly something she'd do. She was too old for that. But she would never let the opportunity to dance with Henry go to waste.
So they left Emma by the little round table and engaged in a mother-son dance. She jokingly spun Henry around like Emma had done with her a moment ago.
"Are you having a good time, mom?" Henry asked her.
Regina nodded at her son and smiled. She was indeed having a good time.
"It's nice that Emma is here, isn't it? Otherwise you couldn't have gone dancing!"
Regina nodded. That was very true. Emma was very good when it came to dancing. And many other things.
Henry tilted his head slightly. "You look real pretty, mom."
Regina patted her son's cheek and mouthed 'I love you' at him. That was very sweet of him to say. And she was glad to be here with him and Emma…
Henry turned out to be less of a gentleman when Regina later declared that it was time to go home. He groaned and complained and pleaded with her to stay a bit longer. But Regina didn't budge. Going home was non-negotiable. And with good reason. She knew why Henry was sulking and being 'difficult'. It was because he was tired. But refused to acknowledge it because he wanted to stay.
That didn't happen, though, and once discovering that it wasn't just her, but Emma too felt like it was time to go home, Henry caved in and agreed that it was late.
Regina knew her son well. Of course he was tired. He was yawning non-stop when they were driving home. And so was Emma. Regina hoped that she'd had a good night. They had danced until their feet hurt. Sometimes together just the two of them, and sometimes with Henry too. They had both forced down a second portion of the salty spaghetti and the lumpy meatballs because Henry was asking if they didn't like it. They had eaten the chocolate-chip cookies that had made it out for dessert, and all the time, Emma had been smiling and smiling and her green eyes had been all ashine. Just as they were supposed to be. Regina hoped that Emma hadn't been thinking too much of the phone call she had received from her (not worthy) adoptive father and the following difficult choice she had to make.
She was brought out of her musings when Emma suddenly stretched her arms high and yawned until her jaw clicked.
Henry snickered from the backseat. "I think Emma's tired," he singsong'ed.
"I think Emma's tired too," Emma chuckled. "Very tired."
So was Regina. It had been a while since she last had attended a social event like this one, and it had taken its toll. But she was tired in the good way. The comfortable way.
"Good thing it's the weekend then," Henry observed. Then letting out a massive yawn.
"The hell was that?" Emma laughed. "Some kind of dinosaur sound?"
"Shut up," Henry mock sneered.
Beg your pardon? Regina made eye contact with Henry in the mirror and tapped the wheel in warning. Her son did NOT cuss. Not even as a joke.
"I mean, be quiet," Henry quickly corrected himself and made an apologetic grimace in the mirror.
"Dinosaur," Emma teased.
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not!"
Regina sighed deeply as Emma and Henry laughed. She wasn't aware that she was driving with two children and not one. But deep down, she too was amused….
Henry was practically half asleep when they came home, and Regina had to gently shake him awake. He could barely keep his eyes open and was mumbling sleepily under his breath as he stumbled inside and up the stairs. While wearing his shoes. Regina held back a sigh. She wasn't gonna reprimand him for that now. Not when he was this tired. And as for the footprints… Well, she would take care of those later. Right now, there were more important things to think about. Like the fact that it was getting late. And that the wind had picked up. It wasn't safe to be on the roads in that weather. Yes. The weather made for a great reason to ask Emma to stay.
Regina eagerly typed on her phone. 'It's getting a bit late. Would you like to stay over?' she turned the screen towards Emma and hoped for the best. Hoped that Emma would say yes. She couldn't imagine parting ways after the wonderful evening they had just spent together. And she so missed sleeping in the same bed as Emma. She missed feeling her arms around her-
"Definitely!" Emma exclaimed and making Regina snap out of it.
Oh, wonderful! Regina smiled beamingly at her girlfriend. It would appear that Emma was just as ready for more co-sleeping as Regina was.
Co-sleeping and…. Maybe some kissing. Yes. That was exactly what Regina was hoping for. Just some little pecks would be enough. There hadn't been many opportunities to kiss Emma tonight, and Regina would like to rectify that immediately.
"Lead the way, Mills," Emma said softly, and Regina rumbled in amusement. Mills. That was something Emma had started to call her quite recently, and Regina had to admit that she liked it a lot. But then again, she liked every single of the pet names Emma had come up with. Each and everyone of them made her feel special.
She smiled at Emma. So very excited for more co-sleeping with her girlfriend. But she hadn't suggested this only because of her own needs. She had also done it because she didn't want Emma to lie awake and think about the phone call from her adoptive father and the choice she had to make.
Regina wanted to make sure Emma got a good night of sleep, and since Emma had slept extremely well in the cabin…... Well, the choice had been a very easy one to make. A very easy one indeed. There was no way she would leave Emma to be on her own tonight.
"Co-sleeping," Emma said, eyes gleaming with happiness as she reached over and took Regina's hand. "Can't wait!"
Neither could Regina. Sleeping next to Emma was one of her favorite things to do. Besides kissing her, of course. That still was her favorite thing to do. Well… apart from certain activities that had happened at the cabin.
"Are you blushing?" Emma asked softly, head tilting slightly to the left.
Regina quickly shook her head in denial. She was definitely not blushing. Nor was she definitely not thinking about other things that could happen in a bed. She had no idea where those thoughts were even coming from. With Henry under the same roof, it was entirely inappropriate to have these kinds of thoughts.
Co-sleeping, Regina firmly reminded herself. That was the only thing that would happen tonight. Period.
To Be Continued….