a/n:
Summary: Emma asks Regina to help her bake a chocolate cake for her parents' anniversary. Regina agrees against her better judgment, resulting in some unexpected discovery. Snowing and Henry make an appearance.
1. All characters and OUAT belong to their creators, just borrowing them for a bit.
2. Thanks for the reviews, faves, and follows! :)
3. This turned out to be longer than any of my other one-shots but what the hey. I think even I gave myself cavities writing this one. Sorrynotsorry for the sticky-sweet-fluffiness. Dunno about anyone else but I find this whole Charming family dynamic really warm and fluffy. Regina to some extent as I really like her prickly persona in the show that's toned down some in the later seasons. So how Regina reacts to being called "grandma" after acting all grandmotherly without realising it is really fun to write about.
Ok enough rambling. On to the fic! Enjoy! :)
It was a balmy Friday evening in Storybrooke. The town's residents were glad to have spent a normal day without worrying about a new villain wreaking havoc. That includes their mayor, the former Evil Queen, Regina Mills. She decided to take a walk around town to enjoy the weather before heading home. Regina would rather die than tell anyone, but she was glad that the people of Storybrooke are slowly coming to accept her once again as an important member of the community.
As Regina passed by the Charmings' apartment building, she thought she heard some noises from inside. She could make out someone screaming colourful curse words punctuated with a clang of pans being thrown about and realised it was Emma. She entered the building, rushed up the staircase, and knocked loudly. Regina was surprised when Emma opened the door amidst thick smoke. She was wearing oven mitts and waving a blackened baking pan in all directions in an attempt to dispel the smoke.
"Don't come in!" Emma coughed.
"As if I would even try," Regina said, backing away a little. "What happened?"
Emma couldn't answer, she was too busy coughing and waving the pan around, effectively spreading smoke further from the charred remains in it.
"Oh, for goodness' sake, Miss Swan!" Regina flicked her wrists and the smoke disappeared. "What happened?" she asked again, entering the loft this time.
"I was... baking a cake," Emma mumbled sheepishly as she held out the pan. "Or at least I tried to."
"You were baking a cake," Regina echoed as she peeked into what looked like the remains of a cake. "Do Mary Margaret and David know about this?"
Emma looked away. "No."
"Well, why are you trying to bake? Judging from the state of this apartment you could hardly boil water as it is," Regina scoffed.
"Yeah, well, rub it in."
"Emma."
"Okay, okay!" Emma threw up her hands. "It's Mom and Dad's anniversary on Sunday and I wanted to surprise them. I was trying to make a test cake first."
"Good thing you did," Regina smirked.
"What are you doing here anyway?" Emma demanded instead.
"I was just passing by and heard you screaming." Regina couldn't help but laugh this time.
"And you came up to check on me. How touching," Emma said sarcastically.
"No, I was more concerned of the hassle that comes with buildings that burn down." Regina went over to the kitchen to inspect the oven. "Good thing you didn't destroy Mary Margaret's oven," she remarked.
"You and I both, Regina." Emma swiped a strand of hair that fell on her face. The action only spread a bit of chocolate batter on her cheek that was already dusted with flour. The rest of her was covered in flour as well. She began to tidy things up.
"So. A cake," Regina said conversationally after she wiped the counter clean. She had decided to help Emma clean up despite the blonde's protests.
Emma rolled her eyes. "Yes, a chocolate cake, to be exact. I'll try again in a bit before I meet my parents at Granny's for dinner. There is... no more flour," she ended with a sigh upon discovering the bag of flour empty. She looked at Regina, as if remembering something. "Hmm. You made that apple turnover yourself, didn't you?" she asked, referring to the poisoned turnover Regina had sent her over two years ago.
"Uh. Yes."
"So that means you know how to bake."
"Yeah, so?"
"So, maybe you could teach me how. I mean, making a turnover is different from a chocolate cake but I guess you practically use the same basic principles on-," Emma rambled, warming up to the idea.
"No," Regina interrupted.
Emma stopped mid-ramble. "No, as in you don't use the same baking principles or no, you don't want to teach me?"
"Door number two, Emma."
"All right," Emma sighed, looking dejected. "Too bad, I really wanted to surprise my parents with a cake for their anniversary. I've always wanted to do something like that when I was younger. Giving a foster parent a gift isn't the same when they don't appreciate it." She looked at Regina with what the latter suspected was puppy-dog eyes. "Guess I'll have to risk my parents' house burning down for real this time."
"Oh, fine!" Regina threw her hands in defeat. "Against my better judgment I'll teach you."
"Thank you!" Emma said happily, making a move to hug Regina.
"Uh-uh!" Regina said, holding out her hands to stop her.
Emma seemed to realise at the same time what she tried to do and stopped in her tracks. "Right. Thanks again," she said, putting her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.
"You're welcome. But it'll have to be at my place," Regina said.
"Why?"
"Because, Miss Swan," Regina began, as if talking to a child, "you want to surprise your parents. You don't want them to surprise you instead when they come home unexpectedly and make you explain all this mess, do you?"
The next day, Regina dropped Henry off at Mr. Gold's shop before heading home in time for Emma to arrive. Emma was dropping by at around three in the afternoon. It was two-thirty, giving her enough time to set everything up. She had accompanied Emma to the grocery store the previous evening to buy more ingredients and brought them home with her in order not to spoil the surprise. It has also been agreed upon that the finished product will remain in Regina's house until Emma's parents leave the loft.
The doorbell rang as Regina placed the last ingredient on the kitchen table. She opened the front door. "Are you ready?" she asked by way of greeting.
Emma let out a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Very well. Come in." Regina led the way to the kitchen, where all the ingredients for the cake and equipment were already laid out.
Emma noticed that the ingredients were lined up on the table according to their number in the recipe's procedure which she picked up from beside the mixing bowl. "Wow, even the ingredients and utensils even stand in an orderly fashion at your command. I'm impressed."
Regina fixed Emma with a look. "The better for you to follow the instructions to a T," she said drily. "Think of baking as making a potion. You should get everything just right down to the tiniest amount and temperature or you'll get disastrous results. In this case, I don't want you burning my house down like you almost did yours."
"Should you remind me of that?" Emma grumbled as she tied an apron around her waist. She picked up the recipe again. "This looks easy enough."
"Yes, it is easy, Emma. But when it comes to you, close supervision is key." Regina held up a finger as if to prove her point.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma narrowed her eyes.
"Exactly how it should mean." Without giving Emma a chance to react, Regina led Emma to the oven. "Now, the first thing that one should do before baking is to preheat the oven. It actually helps the cake or anything else to cook right away at the right temperature once you place it inside," she explained before Emma had the chance to ask why.
"Preheat. Got it." Emma set the oven temperature to three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit.
"Next, you carefully measure the dry ingredients into the sifter. Make sure you get the right measurements before you sift them into the mixing bowl," Regina instructed.
"Yes, ma'am!" Emma saluted.
Regina only rolled her eyes.
When Emma had carefully sifted the dry ingredients, it was time to mix in the wet ones. "Same procedure, Emma," Regina said. "But this time make a small well in the middle of the flour mixture. Add the wet ingredients one by one in there and don't forget to put in the right amount... what is it?"
Emma looked at Regina, slightly worried. "I think I may have added a bit of eggshells in the mix." She poked at the eggs with her fingertip.
"That's not a problem, Emma. Just use a fork to get it out," Regina said.
Emma heaved a sigh of relief when she got the bits of shell out. "Whew. Okay, now oil... milk... and vanilla," she said as she measured the rest into the bowl. "All right, let's mix this bad boy up!" Emma picked up the handheld mixer eagerly and set it to high speed.
"Emma, wait!" Regina called out, but it was too late.
Emma had already turned on the mixer before she placed it in the bowl, thus causing some of the flour mixture to fly out and dust both her and Regina with it.
Regina whirled at Emma, who suddenly flinched and raised her arms as if to protect herself. Puzzled at the blonde's reaction, she asked, "Emma. What's the matter?"
Emma lowered her arms slowly, but didn't say anything. Comprehension dawned on Regina's face. "Wait. You thought I was going to hit you?"
"I don't know. Maybe," Emma said vaguely. "Let's not talk about it, okay?"
Regina sighed. Although it was obvious that her own startled reaction at the flying flour triggered something in Emma, it was clearly not the time to dig into her past. The very thought that she was responsible for that pulled at her blackened heart. Regina did her best to give Emma a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about the mess, Emma. I'm just glad I caught you when I did, otherwise we'll have to do everything all over again." She dusted herself off and gently took the mixer from Emma who was still holding it.
"I'm sorry, Regina," Emma mumbled. "I just wanted everything to be perfect for Mom and Dad."
Regina placed the mixer on the table and took Emma's hands. "Don't worry about it," she repeated. "No harm done, okay? Your cake is still fine."
Emma nodded slowly, with a small smile on her lips. "Okay. So how do I mix this thing again?"
The rest of the baking session went by smoothly. After Regina let Emma place the two round cake pans inside the oven and set the timer, she said, "Now we make the frosting."
"Don't I get to lick the batter first?" Emma asked even as she already had a finger dipped in the remains of the cake batter. "Mm, so good."
"Not as good when you get salmonella from that," Regina answered. "That's what the frosting is for when we finish it."
"Do I get a cup of it for myself?" Emma asked with a toothy grin.
Regina just shook her head. "We'll see." She was relieved that the prospect of chocolate seemed to have dispelled Emma's apprehension from earlier.
While Emma prepared the frosting under Regina's strict eye, the most delicious smell wafted from the oven. "Oh, that smells so freaking good." Emma closed her eyes in delight as she inhaled the heavenly chocolate scent. She opened them again when Regina tapped her arm lightly. "What?"
"The frosting, if you please," Regina said firmly.
"Oh. Right." Emma got the frosting done in no time and got a spoonful before Regina could stop her. "Mm, I wish we could eat the cake already," she said, taking a lick of frosting. "Tomorrow can't come soon enough."
"Well, I hope for your parents' sake that you would have enough willpower not to have a slice after frosting the cake. That is, if we even have any frosting left. Stop eating that!" Regina screeched when Emma dove for another spoonful.
Finally, the timer dinged. Emma couldn't help but inhale deeply once more as she carefully took the pans from the oven. She placed the pans on the cooling rack and sighed. "How long before we get to frost this?" she asked.
"Patience, Miss Swan. Not everything can be done in a flash," Regina replied. "While waiting for them to cool, we can now start on clearing everything except the cake stand and spatula."
Emma groaned. "Fine." She began placing the measuring cups and spoons into the mixing bowl to bring to the sink. "I didn't really have good memories of baking when I was young," she said out of the blue.
Regina acknowledged Emma with a nod, slightly apprehensive at what she was about to say.
"I was about seven. The mom in one of the foster homes I lived in loved to bake and let us kids help her when she was in the mood. But she had a quick temper and lashed out at the tiniest mistake. And I being the youngest there and still at that age where I was eager to help, got into all the scrapes possible. You could just imagine what she did to me in those times."
So that explains her worried look when she got some eggshells in the batter and why she flinched. Regina felt her heart cracking as she scrubbed a used bowl. A part of her hoped that Emma would stop talking about it but if she continued, Regina thought that she deserved to hear every little bit of it.
"I'm just glad you didn't slap my arm or something when I got that second spoonful of frosting," Emma said now with a grin, "because that was the best frosting I've ever tasted. Which reminds me, how come you know how to bake so well?"
Nice transition, Swan. Regina thought wryly. Guess it's my turn. She placed the last of the measuring cups inside the dishwasher before she spoke. "It was my go-to then when I was younger. As you know, my mother Cora had this obsession about me marrying into royalty. Aside from my father and Daniel, my grandmother-Cora's mother-was the only other person who kept me sane."
Emma snickered at that, causing Regina to pierce her with another look. "She used to bake all these yummy treats for everyone. My most favourite of all was anything that she baked with apples and cinnamon. I always escaped into the kitchen where she spent most of her time, and she taught me all there is to know about baking. Of course I messed things up sometimes, some worse than what you did, but my grandmother never got angry. In fact, those were really happy times for me." Regina didn't add to the fact that she used the knowledge for evil later on; Emma already knew that.
"So there," Regina ended with a small smile. "Happy memories with my grandmother and all that before all the craziness that came afterwards." She touched the cake pans lightly. "There, all cool. Now we can frost this bad boy up," she said, imitating Emma.
"I think that sounds better when I say it," Emma quipped.
Following Regina's instructions, Emma set the first layer of cake onto the cake stand carefully and spread the frosting on top before setting the second layer on top of it. "There are more cracks on top of this one," Emma commented.
"Any imperfections that the cake may have will be covered by the frosting, Emma, so don't worry. Let's just hope that there's enough of it, considering how much you've devoured," Regina said knowingly.
"You say that as if I'm such a chocolate monster." Emma spread the last of the frosting on the whole cake and surveyed her handiwork. "Not bad at all, if I do say so myself."
Regina tilted her head to one side. "Yup," she agreed. "Great work, if a little lopsided. But it needs something else."
"What's that?"
"A little note on the cake using some icing." Regina took a tube of white icing from the fridge and warmed it up with her hands. "Will you do the honours?" she held out the tube to Emma.
Emma piped the words "Happy Anniversary" onto the cake, but since she made the letters a little too big, the word 'Anniversary' didn't fit and Emma had to write '-ersary' at the bottom part along with three exclamation points. "Love, Emma" had to be done in tiny letters afterwards. "Guess we should have made a rectangular cake instead," Emma chuckled.
"This is fine. I'm sure Mary Margaret and David will love this," Regina said.
"You think so?" Emma asked hopefully.
"They're Snow White and Prince Charming. Your parents. Of course they will love whatever you give them," Regina said, surprising herself.
Emma looked equally surprised at Regina's words. "Thank you. That means a lot," she said quietly when she found her voice. She took some photos of the cake with her phone to fill in the sudden awkward atmosphere. "You know what, Regina, you're a pretty good teacher when you're not grouchy. I actually had fun during the lesson, would you believe it?"
Regina shrugged good-naturedly. "Well, you're a pretty good pupil yourself when you put your heart into it."
"I try. And from what you told me about your grandmother, I bet she used to teach you the way that you did for me today," Emma continued. "Maybe if I had a grandmother myself..." she trailed off, looking at Regina in a new light. "Or maybe I do."
"What did you almost call me?" Regina asked with eyes narrowed. Almost being the operative word, but still.
Emma smirked. "Come on, just think about it. Moms who like to bake normally do so with their kids. But if Mom would find out what I nearly did to her oven yesterday, she might not let me near it anytime soon. So who better else could give baking lessons but grandmothers, right? And you, Regina, technically are." Emma laughed outright at Regina, who crossed her arms and glared at her.
"Whatever," Regina muttered helplessly. I'm just glad I still look the way I do. Grandmother. Really?
"But seriously, Regina," Emma coughed as she struggled to stop laughing, "Thanks for a good time. I don't know what I'd do if you hadn't helped me today. I really appreciate it."
Regina finally smiled. "Anytime, Miss Swan."
Just don't ask me to teach you how to knit next time.
Epilogue
After a sumptuous anniversary dinner at Granny's, Mary Margaret and David drove back to the loft with Emma and Henry. Regina drove her own car, having been invited to the occasion as well. Henry now knew about Emma's surprise after Regina told him about it, and he was being good at keeping the secret from his grandparents.
Emma might have been the one to spill the beans though as her nerves were getting the best of her by the time they parked. Henry held her hand and squeezed it. Emma smiled at her son gratefully for the encouragement.
Once everyone was seated around the table, Emma carefully took the chocolate cake out of the fridge and with slightly shaking hands set it before Mary Margaret and David. "Happy anniversary, guys," she said shyly.
The surprise and love that shone from her parents' eyes finally drove out any uncertainty that Emma was still feeling. Mary Margaret was the first to recover.
"Why, Emma, this is the loveliest surprise ever. I love it. Thank you!" Mary Margaret stood and squeezed her daughter tight.
"What your mom said," David added. He didn't trust himself to speak as he was too choked up but he enveloped his wife and daughter in his arms.
Emma wouldn't admit it to anyone but she loved being in her parents' arms. But the call of the cake was louder at this moment. And so she was the first to ease back from her parents' embrace and eagerly asked to the amusement of everyone, "Shall we have some cake now?"
Everyone got a slice of cake each except for Mary Margaret and David, who decided to share a slice instead.
"This is the best cake I've ever eaten, honey," David declared as he took a piece that Mary Margaret offered him.
"I agree with your dad. Maybe you could give me tips. Mm," Mary Margaret said when David fed her a piece of cake.
"I had some help." Emma rolled her eyes at the mushiness before her. "Okay, a lot of help," she conceded when her parents and Regina sent her knowing looks.
Emma looked on with satisfaction as the family got second helpings of cake. She stood up to get everyone more drinks to wash it down.
"Oops, let me take care of that," Mary Margaret suddenly said, wiping some chocolate frosting from her husband's lips with her thumb and licking it off. David grinned mischievously and kissed her. Mary Margaret giggled, laying the plate of cake down on the table to link her arms over David's shoulders.
"Happy anniversary," Mary Margaret said in a low voice.
"Happy anniversary." David kissed her again with such passion, much to the amusement of Henry and consternation of Regina, who were still at the table.
"Oh, come on!" Emma cried out, returning just in time to see her parents kissing passionately, their cake forgotten on the table. "Kids in the house!"
Regina had to smile at Emma's reaction. Emma seemed to have forgotten that Henry was literally the only kid there, but that could work anyway. She is Mary Margaret and David's kid, after all.
"Oh, Emma, why so grumpy?" David laughed, slinging one arm over Emma's shoulders and kissing her on the cheek.
"Come here, baby!" grinning widely, Mary Margaret followed David's lead, effectively trapping Emma between them and kissed Emma on the other cheek. Both she and David only laughed, not letting go despite Emma's feeble protests.
"Mom, that was a great thing that you did for her," Henry said happily to Regina, who was gazing at the little group hug with something that's close to fondness.
"Oh, Emma actually did everything. I just told her what to do," Regina replied nonchalantly. But inside she was bursting with happiness herself. Not just for helping Emma with the cake, but in seeing how she played a part now in bringing Emma's family closer than ever instead of trying to drive them apart. If this was a result of trying to be a better person, then she's all for it for as long as she lives.