I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.
Public Service Announcement: this story is an AU without magic.
A/N: I don't have a beta for this, so be ready for my usual flood of mistakes. If you would like to beta for me, please, let me know. If you guys want updates for this story or any of my work, come say hi to me on Facebook.
In the Public Eye
1: Word Around Town
Regina resisted the urge to stomp up the cement walkway as she marched back into the house with Henry trailing behind her. No reason to risk a heel with the way her luck was going. Her eyes burned, wanting to shed tears, but she did not have time for that. She needed to get Henry on his way.
Henry dropped his book bag on the floor along with his jacket and flopped down on the couch while she paced, phone to her ear. Emma had better be awake or there would be Hell to pay. She did not have time for the usual nonsense.
"Hello?" Emma's scratchy "just woke up" voice greeted her.
"You should've been up an hour ago," Regina replied with a frown, not that she expected anything less. Emma would sleep the day away if someone did not wake her.
Emma yawned, right into the phone. "I'm working on it. I just kinda still expect you to get me up."
Regina's already worn thin patience was set to shatter. "A week and you still haven't worked that out?" Does she just expect me to do everything for her while she thinks so little of me? Well, yes, that's probably why she thinks so little of you.
"My back has worked out this mattress at Granny's is a demon from Hell sent to torment it. And it's hard to fall asleep without you snoring against my chest."
Regina scowled. "I do not snore."
"It's cute that you think that, but you've actually woken yourself up in the middle of the night from snoring."
Regina ground her teeth together to prevent herself from barking insults into the phone. "Anyway, do you think you could pretend to be an adult for fifteen minutes and come pick Henry up for school?"
Emma let loose a louder, longer yawn. "Of course I'll pick him up from school. I always do."
Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. "Wake up, Emma. Pick him up for school, as in take him to school. Not pick him up from school."
Henry snickered, like he was aware how the conversation was going. But, then again, he had seen his mother function in the morning. There was only one way for this conversation to go.
Emma grunted, possibly sitting up in bed. "You usually take him."
Regina turned away from Henry, not wanting him to witness any of her aggression if possible. "Yes, I usually do, but today, I can't. My car won't start. So, could you wake up and come get him for school?"
There was yet another yawn. "Yeah. Be there in five minutes." That meant fifteen minutes.
Regina sighed. "Thank you. Drink some coffee before you come." She needed Emma as alert as she could be in the morning driving to them. She disconnected the call. "Your mother's coming to get you."
He grinned. "So, I can play my game until she comes?"
Regina let it go. She had enough stress for the morning. She did not need to add fighting with Henry to the list. While he played his Switch, she called into the office to let her assistant know she would be late. Thankfully, all her meetings were in the afternoon, after lunch. She would be behind in paperwork, though.
Fifteen minutes later, Emma was at the door. Her hair was wild, clearly neglected as she probably spent most of her time squeezing into her jeans. If Regina did have the urge to punch something, she might have taken the time to admire Emma in the pants, but her morning was ruined and her fury boiled over. So, fuck Emma, and not in the good way!
Regina's stomach twisted and her nerves scratched against her bones, clawing deep into the marrow. She wanted to rage against Emma, but she kept it in. Now is not the time. She just needed Henry to get to school. They had enough drama in their lives without people speculating why their son missed a day of school. And the town would talk about something that simple, just because it was her son.
Henry jumped up, shrugged back into his jacket, and secured his bag as Emma barely stepped inside. She did not need to come further than a step inside, which was good. They could run out and get him to school on time. There did not need to be any real interaction between them.
Emma glanced at Regina and their eyes caught. They stared at each other like idiots for too long. She bit her tongue, wanting to scold Emma over wearing her damn red leather jacket. Yes, it was deep into spring, but they had a cold spell the past few days, but now was not the time to reprimand Emma. Well, really, it would be the best time, but she wouldn't listen.
"Hey," Emma said.
"Hey," Regina replied.
"So…" Emma paused as if she did not know what to ask and rubbed the back of her neck, sheepish at the very wrong time. Where was this awkwardness a week ago when it would have been more appropriate and appreciated? "What's wrong with your car?"
Regina scowled. She did not even want to think about it. "I'm not sure. I called Michael and he's sending a tow truck." Or so he claimed since that was almost a half-hour ago! Meanwhile, her poor car was probably dead. No, don't think like that. The car would be fine. The way her heart clenched in on itself let her know she did not believe that in the slightest.
Emma looked around outside. "When? You called him before you called me, right?"
"I did."
Emma narrowed her gaze. "You were snippy."
Regina stomped her foot, heel echoing on the foyer tile. "I was annoyed! He had no clear answers for anything. After this, he'll have lost my business." He knew how important her car was and he acted like it was not a priority. She would take her business elsewhere, where someone could give her a straight answer when she asked a question.
Emma chuckled and shook her head. "And you probably lost his vote."
Regina waved that off. "It doesn't matter." The election was months away. She barely gave it any thought, especially lately. "Get Henry to school." Someone needed to be on time in their family.
"Okay." Emma waved Henry over to her. "Call with news about the car."
"I will. Please take Henry. He doesn't need to be late," Regina said, shooing them away.
Emma nodded and stepped forward, arms partially up. Then she stopped and her arms dropped, remembering she was no longer welcome in comforting Regina, even over something like this. No, Emma forfeit her right to touch Regina until she did the right thing. If Granny's bed was really hurting her back, maybe she would do the right thing sooner rather than later. Oh, please, this is Emma.
"Um… right. You can count on me," Emma said.
Regina bit back a snide comment and resisted folding her arms across her chest. They did not argue or fight in front of Henry. Emma had to know she dodged some scathing words, patted Henry on the shoulder, and they got moving. Henry hugged Regina on the way out while Emma watched her with puppy eyes. Regina ignored her.
Once she was alone, Regina sighed, tension draining from her body like someone pulled a plug. She had not been ready to see Emma. A week was not enough to heal the wound Emma dealt her.
"Don't think about it. Don't think about it," Regina said to herself. She needed something to do to get her mind off of things. Where was Michael and his damn tow truck?
-8-8-8-8-
"Mom's still mad at you, huh?" Henry asked from the passenger seat of Emma's bug. Regina would have Emma's head for this when she found out, but it was not like she could get in more trouble. She was neck deep in shit now.
Emma blew out a breath, hoping it would ease the knot in her chest from seeing Regina. It did not. "Yeah, man. Your ma messed the hell up, though."
He stared at her, studying her. "What did you do?"
"Nothing for you to worry about." It would pass eventually and they could go back to being a family.
He stared for a moment longer, like he did not believe her. He shifted in his seat. "When are you coming home?"
Emma drummed her thumbs against the steering wheel, hating the anxiety nipping at her insides, taking away little bits of her. How long until there's nothing left? Is that what Regina wants? "As soon as your mom stops being mad at me." Or so she hoped. Regina was the type to hold a grudge forever, even if she knew the truth.
He gave her a hard look. "Did you apologize?"
Emma arched an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"Did you apologize? You said you messed up. So, did you apologize for that? Sometimes, you make Mom stay mad at you longer because you don't apologize."
"Because your mom gets mad at every little thing. I'm not always wrong." She had not done anything wrong this time and Regina flipped out and kicked her out. She messed up because she opened her big mouth.
"You just said you messed up."
"Because I said something stupid, not because this whole thing is my fault."
Henry stared at her, eyes narrowed, examining her, as if trying to figure out how this was her fault. He did that to both of his mothers, but he usually could not figure out their screw-ups with each other. They kept their business away from him as best they could and she was proud of that. She had been in too many homes where the children knew more than they should or needed. It made it hard to have a happy, healthy childhood.
"I want you to come back home," Henry said in a small voice.
"I want that, too, kid." She wanted it more than anything. She missed her family. She rubbed his shoulder for a second as her heart squeezed in her chest. It was like there were thorns pressed against her lungs.
His eyes went wide, tears building up but not falling. "Then just apologize to Mom."
"It's not that simple, kid." She could not just fold for Regina or Regina might try this again. This was unfair.
He folded his arms and glared out of the window. "Have you even tried?"
She did not answer. She had no reason to apologize. She had not done anything wrong. Regina was punishing her for no reason.
"You can't wait Mom out," he said.
"I didn't do anything wrong," she replied. He might be onto something about not being able to out-wait Regina, though.
"Hurting Mom's feelings is wrong."
"But, I didn't do it." In fact, she tried to spare Regina's feelings, but no one wanted to give her credit for that. So, now she was the bad guy when really she was the victim who tried to do the right thing to save Regina grief.
Henry gave her a look that was too much like his mother for her to stand right now. She ached, longed for home, and it was not fair that she was being blamed for any of this. Well, if you just kept your mouth shut, things wouldn't be that way. A gnawing sensation in her stomach made her think that might not be the case.
The rest of the ride was tense, but thankfully short. Henry looked miserable by the time they pulled up to his school, scowling at the clean car floor. They had to fix this for him. It had been a week and he was so unhappy.
Emma caressed his head. "Hey, bud, we're going to fix this, okay?"
He did not bother to look at her. "Then just apologize." He was begging her and it cut her to the bone.
"I'll try." She had to do something. This was spilling over into Henry and that was unacceptable. "Love you."
"I love you, too." He hopped out of the car without looking at her.
Emma sighed and scrubbed her face with both hands. They had to do something now. She would talk to Regina about it, after she found out what was going on with Regina's car. She texted Regina to find out if Michael finally towed the car.
He claims he's five minutes away, Regina replied.
Want me to come wait with you?
No, go to work. It's not like you have deputies to spare.
I would if someone would increase my budget.
She could see Regina rolling her eyes in her mind. As soon as Storybrooke turns into Gotham City, you'll get the budget for your batmobile.
Emma chuckled. So, now's the time for me to start my super villain career to up the crime rate.
We both know you don't have the attention span to become a super villain.
No, if anyone was the super villain between them, it was Regina. Too bad they were not in a good place for her to make that joke. She would not step on that landmine.
Michael's finally here, Regina reported.
Good. Call me about the car.
There was no response, so Emma assumed everything was in motion… or Regina was cursing Michael out. Maybe it was a little bit of both. She would hear about it later.
Emma went to the station, late thanks to the unexpected pick up and drop off. Good thing she was her own boss… kind of. Mulan was already there, ever the faithful and responsible deputy. One day Mulan would run for Sheriff and beat Emma in a super landslide. Emma would not be mad. She would vote for Mulan.
"Everything okay?" Mulan asked, sitting at her desk, on the computer. It was possible she was watching YouTube videos, but Emma would still vote for her the day she decided to run for Sheriff.
Emma made a beeline to the coffee pot. "Yeah. Regina's car wouldn't start, so I had to go pick up Henry and drop him off at school."
Mulan nodded, but gave her a puzzled look. "What's wrong with Regina's car?"
"She doesn't know yet." It better not be serious. Regina would fall apart if her classic Benz could not be saved. It meant the world to her.
"How's Henry?"
Emma blew out a breath as she poured herself a large cup of coffee. "This is starting to get to him."
Mulan gave her a hard stare. "Then maybe it's time you set it right."
Emma arched an eyebrow. "How? I didn't do anything wrong, but she kicked me out." She drank her coffee, even though it was just a habit now. She was awake since Mulan was jumping on her about this thing with Regina. She had not done anything wrong, even if Mulan wanted to make it sound like she did. Hell, even if Regina wanted to make it seem like she did.
Mulan leaned toward her a little without getting out of her seat. "You left willingly. You must have understood underneath it all, you did something."
"I left because she was crying. I didn't want to make it worse." She could not take Regina crying and did not want to find out what happened after crying. It hurt to see Regina reduced to tears, even if she did not get why. It was not her fault. Why the hell did she have to cry? Thinking about it was like a punch to the gut, but it still did not mean she did something wrong.
Mulan had the nerve to give her "the look," like she was a bad child. "Because you did something wrong."
Emma was tired of hearing that. She wished the whole damn town would mind its collective freaking business. They were the reason this whole thing was as bad as it was.
"You don't usually butt into people's personal lives," Emma said. That was probably rude and since Mulan was her friend and employee, she cared. She drank more coffee and waited to see how Mulan would react to that.
"Yes, well, when I see you drowning, I tend to throw you a line. You can't keep saying it wasn't your fault," Mulan replied.
Emma scowled and paced a few steps. "It wasn't! She kissed me and if this town had better things to do with their lives, Regina wouldn't even know!"
Mulan stared at her like she was an idiot. "So, you weren't going to tell her?"
"No. What good would that do?" That was the whole problem! If no one had said anything, Regina would be none the wiser, and she would be at home sleeping in her own bed without getting a stiff neck.
Mulan narrowed her gaze on Emma and her jaw clenched, but she did not say anything. Emma's insides shook, but she ignored it. She had not done anything wrong, regardless what Mulan's silence insisted.
"I'm sorry Miss-Perfect-Marriage, but I didn't do anything wrong," Emma said.
"The anger you're directing at me is really for yourself. But, you did nothing wrong," Mulan replied with a shrug and put her attention back to her computer screen.
That was as close to snippy as Mulan came and Emma did not want to press her luck in finding out what it was like when Mulan snapped. She flopped down at her desk in the "bullpen." There was paperwork to do, as always. She did not get a chance to feign doing it. Her phone buzzed. It was Regina.
"So, what happened with your car, babe?" Emma asked.
Regina actually sniffled. "He said… he said… he can't fix it. It's done." Her voice cracked at the end.
"What? That can't be right." Emma took care of both of their cars. She would know when that car was done. Now was not the time.
Regina took a couple of breaths before she managed to speak again. "He said there's nothing he can do. He asked me to sell him the car for scraps."
"Fuck that!" Emma huffed. Mulan looked at her with an arched eyebrow and Emma waved her off. "Babe, have him bring the car back to the house. I'll look at it."
"Are you sure?"
"If I can keep my damn bug running for longer than Henry's been alive, I think I can save your car." Of course, Regina's car might have been older than the bug, but it did not matter. She could save the damn thing. Michael was just being a lazy ass.
"Will you?" Regina's voice was so small, a little hope sneaking in, but life had taught her not to hope.
Damn, she's acting like I'm not going to do anything for her just because she's being unreasonable. She liked to think most of their relationship involved Regina being unreasonable and she still did things with Regina. "Of course. I'll take a look at it when I drop Henry off at home and we'll go from there."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Regina. I'm sure."
There was a pause. "Thank you," her voice was barely audible.
"No problem. Are you at work?"
"No, I…" Regina blew out a breath. "I had to take a walk."
"It'll be okay. I've got this. Go to work. You'll feel better when you don your Madam Mayor persona."
"That is not a persona."
Emma scoffed. "Yeah, you're right. It's damn good body armor." It took her a long time to figure out the person Regina projected to the world was not the "real" Regina. Regina on her own was soft, but stern, and pretty introverted. Madam Mayor was hard, take-charge, and occasionally bordered on anti-social in the way she dealt with people.
"I'm hanging up now."
"Love you." Emma winced when the call was disconnected without another word. Regina could not be so pissed at her that she stopped loving her, right? Why not? People stop loving you all the time, even back when you were little and cute.
"So, what happened? You'll fix her car and magically she'll forget you kissed Lily?" Mulan asked.
Emma scowled. "First of all, I didn't kiss Lily. She kissed me. Again, the town blew this shit way out of proportion. But, this isn't about that."
"Then what's it about?"
"That car's Regina's other kid. She takes care of it in ways I would've killed for as a kid. It used to belong to her father and he gave it to her as a present when she started law school… and then he had the bad manners to die right after. It was his last gift to her and the one of the few things of his that her mother didn't take from her. That car's so much more than a car to her. Michael doesn't know that, so when he told her it was done and asked her to sell it for scrap, he just ripped her heart out of her chest and danced the tango on it. I can't just sit back and do nothing." It was not like Regina would be upset with her forever anyway.
"So, you'll fix the woman's broken down car for sentimental reasons, but refuse to apologize for kissing another woman and not telling her?" Mulan said that like those two things were related.
"I didn't kiss another woman. Lily kissed me. I hate Lily."
Mulan rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger. "That's not the point."
Emma sucked her teeth. "Isn't it? I'm not a cheater. I didn't cheat, but everyone is acting like I did."
With wide eyes, Mulan made a show of looking around the station. "Absolutely no one is acting like that."
"Yes, they are." People gave her hostile looks and whispered about her behind her back. It was not like she was not used to it, but she was not used to being labeled a cheater. She had not cheated in any way, shape, or form. The only reason she did not deck Lily for daring to touch her like that was she was the Sheriff and just felt like she should hold herself to higher standards.
"It'll get better," Mulan said.
Emma scoffed. "Can't really get any worse with me being homeless, could it?"
"You're not homeless and that could be easily remedied if you simply accepted responsibility."
Emma groaned and threw her hands up. "I didn't do anything wrong! She kissed me without my consent. I'm the victim here! Lily always ruins my fucking life." She should have punched Lily when she kissed her. Sure, the town probably would have viewed that as worse, but at least Regina would not think she was a cheater. Regina would not have kicked her out. Her life would not be completely ruined.
"Your life isn't ruined. You can fix this."
"You think flowers would help?" Emma asked, not that she would buy flowers. That was too close to an apology and she had not done anything wrong.
Mulan laughed. "Save up and buy an orchard."
That was probably the best advice Emma got since this whole mess started. How much did apple orchards cost anyway? She would have to look that up later.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina stared out of the window of Kathryn's car as they got closer to her home. Kathryn had been kind enough to offer to ride Regina to and from work while her car was out of commission. There was a knot in her stomach and her nerves shook like they were attempting to flee her body. It took everything inside of her to keep the anxiety inside. She wanted to say it was because of her car possibly dying, but that was not the reason.
She tended to be the last one home and that usually did not bother her, except for this past week. When she got home, Emma was there because Emma picked Henry up from school and now stayed with him until Regina got home, which meant she had to see Emma. And Regina very much did not want to see Emma. The betrayal was still fresh, seeping blood, and the sight of her made the injury to her soul throb and itch.
"You'll be all right?" Kathryn asked from the driver's seat as she pulled up in front of Regina's house. Emma was in the driveway, inspecting Regina's car. Henry was there as well, probably "assisting." He did not know a thing about cars.
Regina sighed and ignored the pain in her heart. "I will."
Kathryn pursed her lips as she took in the scene. "At least she's fixing the car like she said she would."
"The problem is never her doing what she says she will." The problem would always be the things not said.
"I'll be by in the morning at eight."
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
Kathryn scoffed. "You've done the same for me. We should just be happy my office is close to town hall."
Regina nodded and exited the car, briefcase in hand. Kathryn waved and drove off. It was a warm and sunny day, but it did nothing for Regina's mood. Regina barely had a chance to step onto the walkway when Henry grabbed her into a tight hug. The embrace helped ease the tension coiling inside of her like a bulky python.
"Emma said she can save the car!" Henry grinned, bouncing on his heels.
Regina's heart jumped in her chest and she looked to Emma for affirmation. Emma was wiping her hands on a rag. Her undershirt was filthy and her skin glistened with sweat. Regina's fingers itched to trace muscled biceps, but her brain crushed her heart immediately as memories of Lily caressing those arms flashed through her mind. Lily had her hands on Emma and had her tongue in Emma's mouth. And Emma wasn't going to say a damn thing about it.
"So, it'll live?" Regina managed to ask in almost her normal tone, or so she hoped. There was a tremble in her throat. It might have managed to escape with the question. It doesn't matter. Emma understands. It hurt that Emma understood this, but did not seem to understand how she messed up. How can she know me so well and not at all?
Emma nodded. "It'll take a lot of work, but I got this. I just need to start hunting around for parts."
"Well, money is no object here." She could not lose this car right now. Daddy… Her stomach crunched into itself and she felt like she might vomit.
"I didn't think it was. So, I'll get started as soon as I get home…" Emma winced and glanced away. "I mean Granny's."
"You could start in the house!" Henry pointed to the stairs.
"No, I think it would be best for Emma to go home," Regina said. Emma flinched. Regina did not care. She was not in the mood to see or deal with Emma now, not when she swore she had not done anything wrong.
"But, mom!" Henry glared at her.
For once, Henry's anger did not affect Regina. He did not know what his mother put her through. She was not wrong here. "Everyone has work to do. We should get to it." And Regina did not have the urge to share space with Emma anytime soon. Emma did not deserve it.
And Emma knew. She did not argue. She hugged Henry, promised to get him on time in the morning, and she would start on the Benz as soon as the parts began coming in. She was good at leaving. If only she was good at recognizing she did the wrong thing.
Regina and Henry retreated into the house. Henry watched Regina with glistening eyes. Regina would address that issue after she got out of this suit. She needed comfortable pants and wine ASAP.
Once she was in black yoga pants and a well-worn t-shirt, Regina was ready to face Henry. He was in the living room, frowning at a schoolbook. She sat down on the end of the couch, tucked her feet under herself, and sighed as silence reigned in the room.
Henry eventually turned to her, a shattered look in his eyes. "Mom, when can Ma come home?"
"As soon as she admits she was wrong and apologizes." And properly begged forgiveness. Yes, she could come home, but Regina would still be infuriated.
Henry scratched his cheek. "What if she doesn't think she did anything wrong?"
Then welcome to our new normal. It's Hell. It was Hell and it hurt. There was no way Emma did not know what she did, or that would hurt even more. "She knows what she did." She just refused to acknowledge it.
Henry's face twisted in an unfortunate grimace. "What if she didn't do anything wrong, though?"
"Is that what she told you?" Regina fought to keep her face from showing her fury. What was Emma playing at? It was low to try and have Henry think she was overreacting when Emma betrayed her.
Henry shook his head. "Not in so many words."
"Henry, this is between me and your mother. It's not your concern."
Henry frowned. "My other mother getting kicked out isn't my concern? People whispering behind my back isn't my concern?"
Regina snapped to attention. "Who has been whispering behind your back?" The town loved to gossip, especially when Regina was involved, especially about this matter, but she would destroy whoever mentioned this to Henry. She did not want his opinion of Emma to change, even if she was a damn liar. Emma was Henry's hero and children deserved to have parents they could look up to.
Henry shrugged. "People."
She stared him down until he squirmed. "People like who? Your classmates or your teachers?"
He looked away. "Classmates."
Regina ground her teeth together. She could not punish children for repeating things they probably heard from parents and older siblings. So, she would focus on what she could fix. She reached over and ran her hand through Henry's hair. He looked at her.
"Henry, don't listen to any nonsense you hear. They don't know what happened between me and your mother. They're talking about nonsense for pure entertainment. They're not part of this family," Regina said.
"But, I am! Shouldn't I know what happened or get a say in if Ma stays or goes?" Henry asked with fire in his eyes.
"No."
He balled his hands into fists and his arms shook. "Why not? Is it because Ma's gonna leave you?"
"She's not." Regina was very confident in that. People seemed to think they were at the end of their marriage as Emma planned to trade her in for a younger, more familiar model. That was not going to happen, but the truth did not make for fun gossip.
Henry scowled. "Then why can't she stay here?"
"Because I can't stand to look at her right now and she has to face what she did wrong." And how she hurt me.
"And until then I just don't get to live with my mother? How is that fair?" His face was red. He looked like he wanted to hit something.
It really was not, but Regina could not trust herself to see Emma constantly right now and not do something they would all regret. "You can see her wherever you want. She knows where you are. You know where she is. And I'm not saying this is fair. None of this is fair, but we have to make do with what we have."
He flexed his jaw, as if chewing on his words. "Well, what we have sucks."
That was only partially true. "We still have each other. I like to think that doesn't suck."
He shrugged. She did not expect him to agree. He did not know what it was like to have a loved one gone forever. Beyond that, he was too raw over the situation, especially not really knowing what happened. She was festering with knowledge, rotting away with the truth. Emma did not trust her and after everything still did not think she did anything wrong. The nerve of her! And people thought Regina was a sociopath.
No, no, no. To avoid going down that rabbit hole, Regina went and got her glass of wine. She returned to the couch, in case Henry required her assistance with any of his work.
When Henry finished his homework, only needing help with a little bit of math, he retreated to the safety of his room. Regina resisted the urge to chase him and explain this was not her fault. It was not, but he apparently already heard that from Emma. He was more likely to believe Emma. They were always allies. Possibly because Emma gave birth to him. Whatever the reason, she would not change his mind once he laid the blame at her feet.
Regina started dinner to keep busy. The house was quiet without Emma. Once upon a time, she would have killed for this, but now it felt like it strangled her. Emma breathed life into the house and her absence brought deathly silence. But, Regina would take the cemetery silence over Emma's face. How dare she claim she did not do anything!
She tried not to think about it, but it was impossible as she moved about the kitchen. She stood in this very spot when she confronted Emma over the kiss with Lily. Emma denied it was her fault and then turned the knife counterclockwise with, "I wasn't even going to tell you!" Apparently, that was acceptable to her. Regina had blown up at that and Emma doubled down. She needed Emma to leave or things would have gotten messy. Emma had to realize that and that was why she left. But, she probably thought she was just deescalating the situation, like Regina was being hysterical.
"But, she's the one who betrayed me," Regina growled. Unfortunately, it seemed she was the only one the truth mattered to. The town had their gossip. Emma had her denial and Henry had Emma's word. Regina was left alone, which was the story of her life.
-8-8-8-8-
The most embarrassing thing about this whole mess was how the whole town knew, so the second Regina stepped into her office, she noticed the whispers and looks. Technically, being part of town gossip was nothing new. It really was the story of her life. There was never a shortage for them to whisper about when it came to her, even when she was doing her best to keep things close to her chest.
But, there was something malicious to this gossip that had not been present in all of the other gossip. Before, it was typically talk, speculation, on something that happened involving her. This was different. They presented the situation like somehow Regina had gotten what was coming to her, that it had to be her fault, and only her fault. It had to be her fault because there was no way the town's favorite fuck-up could actually fuck up.
So, people passed the time trying to blame Regina for Emma kissing another woman, outside, during a town festival, on goddamn Main Street, where all the world could see. It was a bit jarring to find out how conservative and traditional the town could be, considering how much they enjoyed celebrating their bisexual mayor and sheriff, Maine's favorite same sex couple. It helped that how they got together was like a fairy tale or movie. The town had praised them up to the point that there was news coverage of their engagement and wedding. But, now, all of that was out of the window and sides were chosen. It seemed like most people sided with Emma.
"If she loosened up a bit, she'd probably save her marriage," a clerk said just as Regina came up behind her.
"I hope whomever this is manages," Regina said and the clerk practically jumped out of her skin as she turned around.
"Madam Mayor! Good morning!" she said that with the appropriate amount of terror.
"Good morning. I had assumed it was a work day, but you know what they say about assumptions," Regina replied.
"Oh! Um…" The little group of three scattered.
Regina continued on her way to her office, where her assistant, Tinker Bell, waited for her at the door. She was the product of hippie parents and it showed in every aspect of her life, but she was loyal, fierce, and forceful when necessary. She did not take any guff, not even from Regina, even when Regina was purposefully, unnecessarily mean. She was the perfect person to help Regina in business.
"Green dress again? People will think you're in a perpetual walk of shame," Regina said as she stepped into her office with Tinker Bell right behind her.
"It's my favorite color!" Tinker Bell smiled, looking like a blond pixie. Regina liked to think it was part of Tinker Bell's disguise, people never suspected she was as pugnacious as she was as she came off as an airhead blond much of the time.
Regina had little room to talk about attire considering her love of red and black. "What do we have today?"
"Not much. A lot of paperwork. Oh!" Tinker Bell winced.
"What?"
"A safety meeting with Sheriff Swan."
"Of course." Because why should her days not be filled with Emma?
"I can reschedule if you want, until the heat dies down."
Regina fought down a headache as she eased into her chain. Usually, the soft leather hugged her and felt like a throne. Now, it felt like the electric chair. "No. We can be professional."
Tinker Bell arched an eyebrow. "Can you?"
"When have we not been?" It was a ridiculous thing to say, but she could not let Tinker Bell get by, as that was not who Regina was. So, obviously throwing fuel on the fire was the way to go.
Tinker Bell snorted. "That's a long list, especially from year one."
Regina waved that off. "The first year doesn't count. We hated each other."
"You punched her in the face." Tinker Bell snickered.
"It's a good thing I wasn't up for reelection that year."
"I dunno. Knowing you throw a mean right would've secured my vote."
"Well, maybe that'll hold true this year. My current scandal isn't winning over voters." People seemed to think the worst of her. While she had no plans to start really thinking about her reelection until the summer, this could be something that stuck with people all the way to Election Day. And, who knew when it would be over, especially since Emma did want to acknowledge she had done anything wrong.
"None of that is your fault."
"Tell that to the masses." They had already decided Regina was guilty. Her hours were too long, so she could not possibly be a good wife. She was too bossy and no one wanted to be bitched at constantly (they clearly did not know Emma). She was too uptight, so she probably was not good in bed (clearly they did not know her very well). Every excuse pointed the finger solely at her. Emma's indiscretion was on her for some imaginary personal failing.
Tinker Bell frowned. "People need to mind their own business."
"My life long request." The town knew more about her than she ever wanted and she often felt bare before them. One day, she might just leave and never look back. She would probably be happier for it.
"May your prayers be answered."
Regina smiled, even though sorrow weighed heavy in her. Her prayers were often answered. The answer was always no, hence her current situation.
"Let's get the day started," Regina said. She needed something to get her mind off of Emma, the town, and everything that was not work.
Tinker Bell nodded and they began working. It went smoothly until her eleven o'clock arrived. Tinker Bell always scheduled Emma right before lunch, so they could spend lunch together. That would have been much appreciated a little over a week ago.
"Damn, you'd think they'd have something else to whisper about by now," Emma grumbled as she stepped into the office and slammed the door behind her.
"I'm sure this will hold them for months," Regina replied. She had been involved in gossip that lasted for years. Hell, some of them still liked to whisper about her "feud" with the damn Blanchard girl, as if Snow had not damn near ruined her life.
Emma scowled, not used to small town life, not that Storybrooke was actually a small town, legally speaking or by its size. There were over thirty thousand people, but they were mostly generational, so everyone knew each other. Every family knew of every other family, even if they never met. Emma had never been anywhere long enough to experience that.
"This is bullshit," Emma said as she flopped into the seat across from Regina.
"Yes, well, remember that the next time you let a random woman kiss you."
Emma sucked her teeth. "Damn Lily. She is constantly messing up my life. Why the hell is she even here?"
"Searching for family." She would not have even bothered to look into that if only Lily had not been personal with her wife. After that, she needed to know why that bitch was in her town. It turned out Lily and Emma had a lot in common.
Emma groaned and held her head in her hands for a moment. "Of course her family would end up in the same town as mine. God hates me."
"You're not alone in that."
Emma looked her in the eyes. "It hasn't been all bad luck."
Regina curled her lip. "Says you." She had the misfortune to fall in love with a woman who thought so little of her she was not even worth the truth.
Emma flinched, not expecting that. Like Regina was supposed to melt from her flattery. She needed this meeting over now.
"Onto business…" Regina said to get Emma out of the office, out of her face.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma had never been happier for a meeting to be over. Regina looked like she was trying to set her on fire the whole time. She could partially understand why Regina was upset. She spent all day in an office with people talking about her just outside her door, but she did not have to take it out on Emma. It was not like what they were saying was true.
Emma needed comfort food. She grabbed a table at Granny's and while she waited for her grilled cheese and fries, she checked on the car parts she ordered. A couple of days wait. Hopefully, Regina lets me live for those couple of days.
"Dude, you look troubled," Ruby said as she sat down Emma's food and then sat down with Emma.
"I just had a meeting with Regina," Emma replied.
"How did that go?"
Emma shook her head. "She's still pissed."
"Well, you did have another woman's tongue in your mouth right in the middle of the main street with fireworks going off in the background."
"But, it's not like I wanted it. Everybody at Town Hall won't shut up about it and they've made up all these damn lies about what happened or why it happened."
Ruby snorted. "This is nothing. You missed the time she tried to elope with Daniel and he ended up dead. People are still speculating her mother murdered that poor guy."
"I've heard about it." Emma heard some of the rumors, but Regina told her the truth. She and Daniel were set to elope when he dropped dead right in front of her. Her mother stepped in right after, barely sparring Daniel a glance and reminded Regina who she belonged to and where she belonged. It was creepy and scary to hear Regina talk about it. Regina would not put it past her mother to have poisoned Daniel somehow, but his official cause of death was an aneurysm.
"Gives you an idea as to how much people love talking about her. For a while, thanks to your happy family vibes, people had nice gossip, but deep down the town loves when Regina's doing bad." Ruby shook her head.
Emma curled her lip. "Well, that's awful. I thought people liked her. They voted her in as mayor and reelected her."
"Yeah, but when Regina's doing bad, it's always free entertainment. You know, I don't think Regina has ever had to struggle in private."
Emma kept her mouth closed, but for all the town swore they knew about Regina, they had barely scratched the surface of her suffering. As nosy as people were, they failed to notice Regina was a lifelong victim of child abuse from her mother. No one knew how deep her father's death actually hit her and how she battled depression for a year while climbing to the top of her class in law school. No one knew she adopted Henry to try to fill a void in her soul, which she considered the very wrong reason and she had almost sent him back, but could not find it in her to do. Added to that, they did not know she constantly fought back ideas that she was a bad mother or would end up like her mother as she loved Henry and tried to give him everything he needed to grow into a wonderful person. No one knew the struggle of gaining and building a relationship with her sister after Zelena literally tried to destroy her. They knew the stuff that would make a good movie, not the stuff that made a tough human being.
"So, you think she's ready to forgive you yet?" Ruby asked.
Emma snorted. "Not with all the talk at her office and not from the way she looked at me for the whole meeting. I wouldn't have been surprised if she strapped me to the chair and whipped me."
Ruby grinned. "Ah, so you think she will forgive you."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Shut up. Being tied up isn't one of my kinks, anyway."
"But, whipping is?" Ruby wiggled her eyebrows and Emma growled. She was not in the mood for this. Ruby held her hands up in surrender. "So, what are you going to do?"
Emma shrugged. "Wait her out."
Ruby guffawed. "Wait out Queen of Grudges? She's still pissed at Snow for something that happened twenty years ago."
Emma did not say anything, but she did not begrudge Regina's desire to hold onto that hatred. Snow might have only been ten, but her loose lips cost Regina the life she wanted and possibly cost Daniel his actual life. As far as Regina was concerned, Snow was a murderer, killing the life that could have made Regina free and happy. Snow telling Regina's mother about Daniel was the end of them, whether he died or not, as far as Regina was concerned. But, the town did not know that bit.
"Hopefully, this doesn't mess up her run for reelection," Ruby said.
Emma stared at her friend. "So, screw my marriage, huh?"
Ruby waved that off. "Dude, you pulled Regina from a burning building when you both hated each other. I don't think she'll be walking away because of a kiss that may or may not have been your fault. The woman is Queen Petty, but goddamn."
Emma was not sure about that. They never brought up Emma's act of heroism, or stupidity as Regina called, a little while after it happened. Emma did not like to think about. They almost died. Regina almost died. Her kid almost lost his mother and it might have been from Emma's unwittingly making a deal with the devil for her job as sheriff. Politics clearly were not her thing.
"Okay, you also saved Henry from falling down a mine. Come on. If that's not a free pass for life, nothing is," Ruby said.
Emma nodded. That probably turned a corner for her and Regina more than her saving Regina's life. Henry was everything for Regina, which Emma was very happy about. When she gave Henry up for adoption, she wanted him to find his forever family, a loving family. Regina was that, with or without Emma.
"Well, gotta get back to work. Talk to you tonight?" Ruby asked, a subtle way of finding out if Emma was welcomed at home.
"Yup."
Ruby sighed as she got up. Emma devoured her food without really tasting it, which honestly made comfort food pointless. She missed Regina's cooking. She missed Regina's rendition of classic comfort food, always done up with fancy spices and posh ingredients. She missed Regina, and home, and their life together. This was not fair. She had not done anything wrong!
Emma went back to work, ready to explode. Of course the universe decided to rub salt in the wound. Mulan was back from lunch and at her desk, FaceTiming Marian, her wife. They had a cute, happy blended family just like Emma and Regina. Except an evil blast from Mulan's past did not wreck things for her like Lily did for Regina. Emma did not mean to slam the door to her office, but she did. Luckily, the glass did not shatter, but so what if it did? Everything else around her was falling apart, so why not her office as well?
After a couple of minutes, Mulan ended her call and poked her head in Emma's office. "Is this a cry for help? If so, I already told you how to fix it."
Emma stared at her desk, as if she wanted to burn a hole through the damn thing. "I'm not apologizing. I didn't do anything wrong." She locked eyes with Mulan. "I didn't do anything wrong."
Mulan gave her a thoughtful look. "So, Regina should apologize?"
There was a snowball's chance in Hell of that happening. "No, but she should let me back into the house."
"And you can talk about it?"
"What's there to talk about? I told her Lily kissed me. I didn't want any part of it. It was totally non-consented on my part. What more does she want from me?"
Mulan sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe you should look at this at a different angle."
"And what angle is that?"
"What if the kiss isn't the problem?"
Emma's face scrunched up to the point she thought she would give herself a headache. What the hell did that mean? Mulan did not stick around to explain, leaving Emma to stew in her own devices. Boo.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: the end, where someone may or may not fix this mess.