A/N: My apologizes for the delay in updating!
I know it's been forever...again.
Real life just got in the way...again.
Anyway...here is the new chapter - I hope you'll enjoy it.
As you might have realized already this is a slow burn story. And when I say 'slow burn' I mean SLOW.
It's really complicated with Emma's and Regina's past and all their issues - there will be more about that in the upcoming chapters.
But they'll find their way eventually - it's a SQ story after all ;)
Thanks for bearing with me...
You are amazing...I love you all!
Thanks for all your support and these lovely comments...they always make my day and help me to get me motivated :)
xoxo
raven
TAKE ME TO WONDERLAND
Chapter 7
Emma had enjoyed her evening with Henry even more than she had expected.
Once the boy had found out that they were Emma's neighbours now he had been ecstatic and had given her a bone crushing hug, obviously fully aware that they owed it to Emma and her enormous generosity that they had this new apartment now.
A much better apartment.
There had been a certain sparkle in his innocent eyes and that had been more than enough of a 'Thank you' for Emma, but what had been even more precious than Henry's reaction had been Regina's relieved and honest smile.
It had been so genuine and Emma had promised to herself that she would do everything in her powers to bring that smile back on the brunette's face as often as possible.
Once Regina had left for 'The Rabbit Hole' Henry had continued to work on some school project while Emma had gotten some paperwork done, but once they both had been finished Henry had talked her into playing 'Scrabble'.
Emma had been surprised once again, because she had expected that he would want to watch TV or play some computer game or something, but of course Henry had chosen something completely different.
And yet it had been a great evening with a lot of fun and laughter and Emma had realized once again what a great mother Regina was.
Always has been.
Her night at work had been long, but bearable at least.
No incidents with annoying customers and since Gold was out of town Regina's shift had went smoothly.
But now that she sat in the backseat of the black car on her way back "home" – she had to chuckle at the thought.
Home.
Home was now a beautiful and comfortable top floor apartment with two bedrooms, not the run down, dirty hell hole without a working heater .
Her new home was an apartment she could never afford if it would not be for Emma Swan.
The blonde was still a mystery to her.
What was her gain from all of this?
Was it possible that she really did it out of the goodness of her heart?
It sounded too good to be true and yet it seemed to be the case.
Earlier today she had thought the bubble would finally burst when Emma had asked her for a favor.
She had thought that this would be it.
The turning point.
The moment Emma would drop her mask and show who she really was under all the layers of kindness and generosity, but Regina had been wrong once again.
"Please, call me Emma."
She had needed a minute to realize that the blonde was actually serious and she had wanted to laugh out loud.
It had to be a joke, right?
Emma had been helping her out from the moment they had met and all she had asked of her in return was to be addressed by her first name?
Regina had been too surprised to answer, she had truly been rendered speechless, so she had only nodded her agreement and had earned a decent smile from the blonde.
Which had not been the weirdest thing that day, because it had made her happy to see Emma smile at her – and that had been far more confusing than anything else that had happened to her lately.
She even had grabbed Emma's hand that day, had squeezed it in gratitude and Regina was doubting her own sanity.
What had gotten into her?
Why was she letting her guard down?
It was not much, but still.
It had not stayed unnoticed that Emma had found a way to get under her skin and Regina was worried.
What if she got too close?
She would get burned eventually – she was certain about that.
It was always the same in the end.
When Regina finally arrived at Emma's apartment it was close to 5 am.
The blonde had already made coffee and had offered Regina to drive her and Henry to his school in about two hours since they still had to talk about the transportation problem.
Henry was sleeping in Emma's guest room safe and sound so Regina had grabbed a mug of coffee and headed to her own apartment to take a shower and change clothes while Emma would do the same in her own apartment.
It was a bizarre situation, but Regina had to admit that it did not feel as awkward as she thought it would and she returned to the penthouse about an hour later, surprised to find Emma preparing breakfast once again while Henry set the table with a smile.
This felt way too familiar, way too comfortable.
And yet Regina was so unbelievably grateful, because she was too worn out from her shift to do it herself.
Once they had dropped Henry off at school Emma had brought her back home and had driven off to go to her office only a minute later, but not without telling Regina that she would meet her in front of their building at 4 pm.
Their builiding.
It had sounded so absurd.
Well, it still did, but somehow Regina did not mind that much anymore.
Now that she was waiting for Emma she felt nervous though.
What would the blonde want now?
At least she had gotten some hours of well deserved sleep and Regina had to admit that she had slept like a stone – the new bed was way more comfortable than the old, shabby couch.
When Emma's black Mercedes finally showed up and the blonde waved her over to get into the car Regina was a bit confused, but she did it anyway, praying that she did the right thing.
Why was she so anxious?
Emma had driven her home before and the blonde had been nothing, but kind and caring.
She would not harm her now and Regina knew it, but still.
Trusting was not her strong skill and it never would be, no matter how nice Emma would be.
"Sorry, I'm late..." Emma announced with an apologizing smile, "First I got held up in my office and well...traffic is a disaster today as well."
"It's fine, Mi...Emma", Regina corrected herself immediately.
She did not like addressing Emma with her first name, because it meant that they became closer, that her walls got more and more cracks, but it was the only thing Emma had asked of her, so she would do the blonde the favor, because Regina had noticed that Emma tensed up whenever she called her 'Miss Swan'.
And after all the blonde had done for her it was the least she could do, whether she liked it or not.
"I hope you slept well?" Emma asked, obviously unsure if the question was appropriate or not, but Regina nodded her approval before she could say anything else, "Yes, dear. I did indeed sleep well."
"Awesome."
Right that moment they arrived at the backside of the building where the entranceway of the garage was located and Emma handed Regina a small remote, "You need that to open the door. Just push the yellow button."
Regina did as she was told and the door started to open immediately.
"If the battery is low or something...the code is 7478852...you have to enter it over there...right next to the door...see?"
Emma pointed at the display on the wall and Regina nodded in understanding, "I'll write it down for you later."
That said Emma manouvered the car down into the garage and parked her car in the empty spot with the name tag 'Swan'.
Both women got out of the car and Emma waved Regina over to her once again, just to hand her a key, "I figured you would never agree to driving my car...or that you would want to drive one of the Swan company...so I thought you could take my old car. And before you argue with me now...hear me out."
Emma watched Regina closely, waiting for her to snap at her or something, but when the brunette stayed silent she continued, "It was my first car...and it never let me down till this very day. I got it when I was about sixteen and I worked my ass off for two summers to save up the money to get it. My parents would have bought it for me...well, they probably would have gotten me a lot fancier one...no doubt...but I wanted to own this car and I wanted to earn it...so yeah...it's not the newest car anymore, but it's the best one...I swear. And you need to get to work somehow...or drive Henry to school...and we both know it."
And then Emma pointed to a yellow bug, that was parked in the spot right next to her Mercedes.
A spot with the name tag 'Mills'.
Regina stood there and did not know what to say.
Emma was right – of course.
With everything in fact.
She would have never agreed to driving one of the expensive cars of the Swans, but she needed a car, because she had to go to work and Henry needed to go to school.
But that bug, well.
She was suspicious to say the least.
To her it seemed to be more of a deathtrap than an actual car, but Emma seemed to love that bug dearly and she had worked hard for it to get it – so, for once Regina decided to trust Emma's judgement, hoping that she would not regret it.
Once they made it up to Emma's penthouse the blonde wrote the code down for Regina as she had promised down in the garage, but before the brunette could have left she had another suggestion for the stripper.
The Swans were good friends with Archie Hopper, who happened to be the headmaster of one of the best private schools in Boston and she wanted Henry to go there and meet him.
When Regina told her that she could never afford it, but more than that she did not want Emma to pay for it either, Emma explained that Henry would have to take some test and if he would pass it he would get a scholarship and neither of them would have to pay.
It had taken Emma some time to convince Regina that it would be Henry's best shot, because hell, that boy was smart, but in the end the brunette had given in and had agreed to take Henry to see headmaster Hopper on Friday.
Henry took the test a couple of days later and got the scholarship as Emma had predicted, because clearly he was one of the smartest kids she had ever met.
Even Archie had said that.
And although Regina had her doubts in the beginning, she was happy after all, because it meant that Henry would have it a lot better in life than her.
He would get a chance, a real chance.
When the headmaster had asked her what she did for a living she had been so scared to admit that she was a stripper, but Emma had nodded at her with a smile and so she had told Archie Hopper the truth.
He had been surprised for a moment, but had not paid much attention to it. He had been too focused on his new student.
And Regina had wondered why he had not cared more, but she had figured that it was Emma's presence that had saved her once again.
She would never be able to re-pay her for everything the blonde had done for her. And Henry.
And then again she did not want to owe someone so much, but it was too late.
Henry deserved this – she reminded herself of it every day.
Over the next week the three of them developed some sort of a routine – together with the help of Jefferson, who had agreed to coordinate Regina's shifts with Emma's schedule whenever possible, which had worked out well in the end.
Regina would bring Henry over to Emma before she left for "The Rabbit Hole" and the blonde would finish her paperwork at home instead of in her office – so she would be there by the time Regina had to leave.
When Emma had an event she had to attend to Regina would take that day off that week.
The big plus was that Henry's new school was only a ten minute walk away and when Regina was too tired after a long shift Emma would get him over.
Of course Regina hated that she had grown so dependent on Emma, but it was for Henry's best and her son simply adored Emma, who seemed quite fond of him as well.
The one thing Regina really had gotten used to was the mug of fresh coffee every morning when she came home, because Emma would always have some ready for her.
Emma's sleeping hours were a mystery to her, but the blonde probably went to bed the same time as Henry or at least that was what Regina hoped, because otherwise Emma would collapse at some point.
Yes, she had started to care about Emma's well-being lately, but she did not know why.
First she had thought that it was, because the blonde had done so much for them, but at some point Regina had realized that there had to be another reason.
Sure, she felt immense gratitude, but there was more to it.
Was it possible that Emma slowly became her friend?
A real friend?
She was not sure about it, but she would have an eye on Emma anyway, because the blonde always looked out for them – it was time someone looked out for her as well.
Regina and Henry arrived at the penthouse early a few days later, just to bump into a small woman with a strange accent, who glared at them in disbelief.
"Em, isn't that...the stripper from 'The Rabbit Hole'?"
Emma turned to face the woman immediately, "Regina, this is my friend Belle French...Belle, this is Regina Mills...and her son Henry...my new neighbours."
"Your what?"
The woman's stare became even more intense.
"I rented my apartment to them...down the hall", Emma explained with a smile in Regina's direction and winked at Henry.
"You did what?! I can't believe you rented your place to a..."
But before Belle could say anything else, she got interrupted by Emma, "Don't even think about continuing that sentence. For one...there is a kid in the room...and second...show Regina some respect. You are not better than her just because your father has a shitload of money...which you love spending..."
Henry sensed that this would turn into a talk between grown ups and he headed for the guestroom before anyone could tell him to.
"How dare you talk to me like that, Emma Swan? I'm just worried about you...worried that somebody uses you again...like that..."
"Enough! You don't have to worry about me...Regina did not even want to live here...I practically had to drag her over...and I would have never succeeded if her landlord had agreed to get the heater repaired", Emma snapped, clearly not ready to have her past discussed in front of Regina.
"We should probably go..." Regina stated quietly, obviously uncomfortable.
"No! Please stay...Belle wanted to go anyway", Emma shot the small woman a glare, who only shook her head, "I thought we wanted to go visit Ruby together. Last time before she finally gets released."
"I've changed my mind. I'll call her later."
That said Emma walked over to the kitchen counter and grabbed some take out menu, "I'm starving. Who's hungry?"
Belle's reaction to her presence had startled Regina for a minute, but the woman was gone before she could have said anything more.
"I'm sorry that we came over so early...I did not mean to get you in trouble with your friend", she stated quickly, feeling the need to apologize.
"Don't be ridiculous, Regina. Belle is a spoiled brat and she has no manners...obviously. I have not seen her in a while...well, I have not seen anyone in a while, because I've been busy with work..." Emma started, but got interrupted, "Or you've been watching Henry when your friends are in hospital...I'm sorry for being so selfish..."
"Stop it! I love spending time with Henry...really, I do. And I've been visiting them twice last week...in my lunch break. It's fine, really. As you heard...Ruby will get released tomorrow and David is still in a coma. There's not much I can do for him. But some of my friends are coming over this weekend for some drinks...even Mary Margaret...although she does not want to leave him...but she needs a break."
Regina nodded in understanding, "That's a good idea. And since I'm off work this Saturday you'll have the day to yourself."
Emma hesitated for a second, "Actually...I thought...you could...you know...join us? You and Henry of course."
"Now why would you want that? You've seen how well that goes only a minute ago..." Regina eyed her suspiciously.
"Believe it or not, Regina...but you and your son have become a part of my life too. I don't care if anyone approves of you living in my apartment...I don't care that you are a stripper...and if one of my friends has a problem with it...they know where the door is", Emma stated, all serious, a challenging sparkle shining in her eyes.
"I'll think about it."
It was all Regina could say, because she was well aware that Emma meant every word she had said.
And once again she was impressed by the blonde, who had been a stranger to her only a few weeks ago.
But she was also hit by the realization that Emma Swan had become a part of her life as well.
And that was exactly the moment Regina Mills finally accepted her life for what it was now and reached out to the blonde, whom she had tried to stay away from whenever possible.
Because yes, Emma had indeed become her friend.
And the blonde had never pushed her, had never asked to spend time with her although they were living door to door – definitely not because she did not want to, but because she respected Regina and her wish for privacy.
But after all that Emma had done to help them it was time that she gave something back to her and Regina knew exactly what she would do.
"How come that you always order dinner...because I know for a fact that you can cook?" she asked all of a sudden and caught Emma completely off guard.
"Well...cooking for one person is kind of...you know...lame. Makes you realize how lonely you really are...I guess that's why I try to avoid it", Emma shrugged rather helplessly.
"I understand. May I suggest something?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
Emma seemed to be quite curious.
"I'm cooking every day...because of Henry. Healthy food is important...especially for kids. Why don't we have dinner together since you should be home by then anyway? You would not have to order this unhealthy stuff all the time and I would not have to throw half of the food away", Regina explained and watched Emma expectantly.
"Are you sure? You don't have to do this. I don't want to interrupt or something..."
"Emma, now you should stop being ridiculous. Of course I am sure. It would be my pleasure...and I think it's safe to say that my son would be thrilled as well. So, do we have a deal?"
The smile on Regina's face was what convinced Emma in the end, "We have a deal."
"Great. I'll expect you over at our place tomorrow at six then. Sharp."
That said Regina headed for the door, because she could not afford to be late – especially since Jefferson was helping her so much.
But before she left she turned to face Emma one last time, "I'll see you in the morning, dear. Oh, right...and order a salad, Miss Swan."
And while Emma had never been happy to hear her address her like that, this time it earned Regina a truly genuine smile.
Maybe because of the playful tone in her voice.
Maybe because they really made progress.
Because they had become an important part of each other's life after all.
