A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm so glad people are enjoying this little mini-fic :) Without further ado, here's chapter two.
"Regina?" Emma asks, appearing equally surprised as the brunette. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm Cora's daughter," Regina says, taking a deep breath to help with her nerves.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Mary-Margaret, ever-oblivious, asks.
"We've met," Emma says, her green eyes not leaving Regina's.
"We have," Regina confirms, her eyes narrowing. "It's nice to see you again, Emma. If you'll all excuse me, I'm going to get another drink."
"Regina, wait…" Emma says as she starts to trail after the brunette, but the woman quickly disappears into the crowd of guests.
"What was that about?" David asks, looking at his sister-in-law who is still staring into the hall, hoping to see where the brunette ran off to.
"Nothing," Emma sighs. "Zelena, it's nice to finally meet you," she says as she tries to regain her focus.
"You as well," Zelena says, politely shaking the woman's hand. "So tell me, how do you know my sister?"
"I don't. Not really, anyway. Like I said, we've just met before."
Zelena opens her mouth as if to continue with her interrogation, but they're quickly interrupted.
"There you are! Emma, it's lovely to see you," Cora says as she joins the group, pulling the blonde into a hug and kissing both of her cheeks. "I'm so glad you made it. I was worried you would miss the party."
Emma smiles shyly as she looked at her future step-mother. "Well, that little nephew of mine takes quite a while to tire out. He is quite the little hockey player. But, I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"Where did Gina run off to?" Cora asks, looking around.
"Who knows…and who cares?" Zelena says, rolling her eyes. "It seems that Emma and my dear little sis have a past of some sort, though. Emma was just going to enlighten us with that story," she challenges.
"There really isn't a story. Like I said, we don't really know each other. We've just bumped into each other a few times through mutual friends," she shrugs, hoping that Zelena will leave it alone.
"Well, given that Regina couldn't get away from you fast enough, I would say there's more to it than that," Zelena states.
"Emma, what aren't you telling us?" Mary-Margaret presses as her suspicions grow.
"You would have to ask her about that. I have no idea," Emma says before politely excusing herself to go get a drink and a quick bite to eat.
Emma weaves her way through the crowded foyer and into the sitting room where the bar is set up. After grabbing a bottle of Blue Moon, she heads toward the back of the house, quickly loading various cheeses and cookies onto a small plate. Even though she had taken Neal out to dinner earlier after skating, she is still hungry. She contemplates returning to the living room to sit with her sister, but she can't take the inquisition from Zelena…not when there's a brunette who she desperately wants to speak with first.
As she continues her search through the house, she spots a silhouette in the three-season sunroom in the back corner of the house. The room is dark, aside from a faint glow from the cell phone in the woman's hands. It's not a room open for the party, because it's far too cold to be practical at this time of year. The walls of windows, which are original to the 19th century home, are drafty, and the lack of proper insulation makes it impossible to retain heat. As Emma opens the door and walks in, she can feel the temperature drop nearly 30 degrees, making it barely warmer in the room than it is outside. It seems fitting for the conversation they're about to have. "Hey, are you okay?" she asks tentatively as she approaches the brunette, who is sitting on the coffee table with her head in her hands, the phone now discarded next to her.
"Just peachy," she sasses as she grabs her phone off the table.
"Regina…"
"No, Emma," she says standing up and turning around, but not before taking the chance to wipe a few tears of frustration from her eyes before she faces the blonde.
As the brunette starts to walk past her, Emma blocks her path, forcing the woman to stand in front of her. She can't help but scan her eyes down Regina's form — even in the darkened room, she's beautiful. "You look great," she says, absentmindedly. It's been a year and a half since they last saw each other, but she is no less gorgeous now than she was then. Emma places a gentle hand on her bare arm, but retracts it when she sees Regina flinch. "Can we please talk?"
"You are the one who left without any explanation. If you didn't want to talk then, I see no reason to talk now. After tonight, you won't ever have to see me again."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"I just put myself on a standby list for the first flight back to D.C. in the morning. Coming here has been nothing but a mistake in so many ways, and it just reiterates that I am no longer part of this family. For tonight, let's just pretend that everything is fine, and then we can forget about each other all over again," she says, finally pushing past the blonde to return to the sea of guests.
Emma follows her back out, but she keeps a healthy distance until she notices that Regina has returned to the living room. Emma cautiously approaches the group and then sits down next to Mary-Margaret. If Regina wants to pretend that they don't know each other, then she can go along with it. She owes her that much.
"So, Emma, what do you do? Where do you live?" Zelena asks. Given that the redhead lives in London, this is her first time meeting her future sister-in-law. She had only met Mary-Margaret once about a year earlier, when Leopold took Mary-Margaret, David, Neal, and Cora to the U.K. for vacation. They had spent two days in London with Zelena and Walsh, but Emma had been unable to join them.
"I work in non-profit marketing," Emma says. "Right now I'm with Baltimore Museum of Art."
At that, Regina's eyes glance up at the woman, surprised to learn that she and Emma only work an hour away from each other. "How long have you been there?" Regina asks in an effort to appear like she's just trying to get to know her future step-sister and keep the conversation civil, but part of her is also morbidly curious. Just how long has Emma been so close to her?
"About six months. I was in Denver for two years before that, and Chicago for three years before Denver."
"So you move around a lot, then?" Zelena asks.
"For awhile I did. I went to grad school in Chicago and stayed there for a year after finishing, and then was offered the job in Colorado. Then the Baltimore opportunity came along, and I couldn't pass it up. I plan to stay in Baltimore for the foreseeable future. I really like it there."
"That's great," Regina says, forcing a smile as she takes another gulp of her drink. She's now on her third scotch, but the last time she went for a refill August had the good sense to add water, hoping to slow her down.
"And what about you, Regina?" Emma asks, challenging the brunette. If they have to play this game, she's at least going to get some information out of the woman.
"I'm a doctor," she replies, knowing that Emma already knows this. "I've been practicing in D.C. ever since I graduated med school there six years ago. A former mentor of mine from residency owns a family practice, so I work with him."
"Good for you," Emma says, genuinely smiling.
"Oh, Gina, there you are!" Cora says as she flutters back into the room. "Look who I found!" The older brunette pushes a reluctant man toward the group, who looks like he wishes the floor would open up and swallow him.
"Hi, Regina," he says, his eyes apologetic.
"Daniel," she says with a sigh, accepting his non-verbal apology and sending one of her own. "You look well."
"You, too."
"Oh, what is with all this formality? It's been years and you two have a lot to catch up on. Why don't you go upstairs and talk?" Cora suggests.
Regina rolls her eyes but knows that if she doesn't comply, the night will be even more unbearable than it already is and that her mother will continue to make her life a living hell. So, she takes the out, knowing that if she agrees to talk with him, that means her mother will leave them alone, giving her a temporary reprieve. "Fine," she says, standing up. She then turns to Daniel, "follow me."
Emma watches the couple leave before returning her gaze to the rest of the group, noting that Cora is smirking. Emma ignores it and turns to Zelena, whispering, "Who was that?"
"Daniel, my sister's ex-fiancé," Zelena explains, rolling her eyes. She's still not sure what happened between Regina and Daniel. She knows that her mother had pushed them together and it was essentially an arranged marriage, but she isn't sure why it crumbled long before they ever got a chance to walk down the aisle. She remembers that Daniel always doted on Regina back then and seemed to truly love her, and her sister had seemed happy enough. She has always wondered what made it fall apart.
Emma widens her eyes in realization as she processes what Zelena just said. She knows that Regina had been engaged to some guy, but Regina had never told her his name. After one too many drinks the first night they met, Regina had explained that after finding the courage to come out to her parents the night of her high school graduation, her mother had forced her into an engagement with the son of the town's country club owners. Her mother was running for mayor at the time, and she felt that not only would it help Regina "get over" being a lesbian, but that it would help Cora solidify her place in the election by connecting her to yet another wealthy and powerful family. The night Emma and Regina had met, the brunette had just officially ended her engagement and revealed that by doing so, she had also ended her mother's financial support for her education. Regina had gone from extremely wealthy to completely broke in the course of one day.
*.*.*
"Are you okay?" Daniel asks her as they sit down on the back staircase. It's quiet there, just off the kitchen where the caterers are getting ready to put out the last of the food, and it's away from all the guests.
"Never better," Regina says, mindlessly peeling the label off the empty beer bottle she found on the bottom step.
"I'm sorry. I had no idea you were coming," he says. "Your mother said that you didn't RSVP and that you hadn't been home in years. I never would have come if I knew you would be here."
"It's fine. You're as much a victim in this as I am," she says, resting her elbows on the step behind her. "I'm just sorry you got hurt by it. It's bad enough when my mother destroys her own family, but I hate that she brings in other people as a pawn in her games."
"For what it's worth, I was a willing pawn. I think I always knew that you didn't feel the same way about me as I did about you…even before you told me as much."
She reaches out and places her hand on top of his. "If I was straight, I probably would have fallen for you. You're an amazing guy, Daniel, and someday you will make someone the luckiest woman on Earth," she smiles. "I am sorry I hurt you."
"It's fine, Regina. You can't help who you love, or who you don't. And I actually have found someone. I'm planning to propose to her tomorrow night."
"Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you," Regina says, squeezing his hand in hers. "I'm guessing my mother doesn't know that?"
"Oh, she does."
"And yet she's still trying to push us together. Unbelievable. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault," he says, squeezing her hand once before standing up. "Take care of yourself, Regina. I hope you find your happiness."
She smiles sadly. "Thank you, Daniel."
"And don't be a stranger."
She nods as she watches him walk away, before returning to her task of peeling the beer label. No less than a minute later, Cora approaches her. "Why did I just see Daniel leaving the party?"
Regina looks up at her mother, trying to find the inner will to fight back, but she's just too tired. "Because, Mother, he has a fiancée to get home to," she says.
"They aren't engaged yet, Regina. There's still time. You know how much he loves you. He would leave her in a second for you. I don't know why you can't, for once, see what's right in front of you and realize that I'm only trying to help."
"First, Mother, he doesn't love me like that…not anymore. And the bigger issue is that despite your wishes to the contrary, I am still 100 percent gay. You couldn't force me to marry Daniel back in college, even with all your threats, and you sure as hell won't be able to do it now."
Cora growls in anger just as she catches a glimpse of blonde in her periphery. "Emma," she says, quickly putting on her mask and speaking in the fake voice she uses with her constituents when they complain about something in the town. "What are you doing back here?"
"Sorry," she meekly apologizes. "I was coming to use the bathroom. The others on this floor are in use."
"Oh, of course, dear. Right through there," Cora says, directing Emma to the small room off the back hallway.
As Emma walks by, she sends Regina a sympathetic look, mouthing "sorry" once again.
Regina stands up and takes a few steps down the stairs until she reaches the bottom, looking her mother in the eye. "I am going to go to bed now, Mother. Congratulations on your engagement."
*.*.*
By the time Regina gets back to the room in the guest cottage, she can't control the influx of emotions coursing through her veins. She's frustrated, angry, and heartbroken all at once, and it results in pure exhaustion. She quickly rips off her dress and throws on the flannel pajamas she brought with her, taking out her phone once again to check the flight listings.
When she escaped to the sunroom earlier in the evening after seeing Emma at the party, she immediately looked up plane tickets to get home. Unfortunately for her, there weren't any flights available. She had pushed her pride aside and quickly dialed Mal's number: "I need you," she had said when the older blonde answered the phone. Regina's ex-girlfriend Mal works for one of the airlines and still has Regina listed as one of her guest pass flyers. Choking back her tears, Regina had begged Mal to list her as a standby passenger on the first flight out of Portland tomorrow morning. The flights were full, but she had hoped she would be able to get on one of the four flights that day. After Regina had briefly explained her situation, Mal had agreed. They had both been hurt in their relationship but had ended things relatively amicably, and occasionally they still help each other out in times of crisis.
"Fuck!" Regina yells as she throws her phone across the room, aiming carefully so that it would land on the carpet and not do any real damage to the device, but still satisfy her need to get out her aggression.
"Everything okay?" Emma asks from where she's hovering just beyond the doorway, seemingly warring with herself as she decides whether she wants to enter the room.
"Does it look like it's okay?" Regina retorts.
Emma cautiously takes a step into the room, picking up the iPhone that is now by her feet. She runs her hand across the illuminated glass and smiles. "It's not cracked, so at least there's that," she offers. "If I give this back to you, are you just going to throw it again?"
Regina lets out a wry chuckle. "No, it's safe."
Emma smiles and approaches her, extending her hand to give the brunette her phone, but pulling her hand back as their fingers brush against each other.
"Thank you," she says as she takes the phone, unable to help herself from really looking at Emma for the first time all night. She's in a short, black velvet camisole dress, with a red leather moto jacket that's cropped to hit at her natural waist. Her long hair is piled into a top knot, likely because she didn't have time to wash her hair after her afternoon outing with Neal.
"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Emma asks hesitantly. Before she had handed the phone back she couldn't help but see the website that was still displayed on the screen, but she doesn't want to overstep.
Regina shrugs. "It looks like I won't be able to get out of here tomorrow, after all. I'm now 18th on the standby list, and there will likely be many more to come that will have higher priority than me in the system. It's Christmas Eve so there are a lot of people trying to get home, I'm guessing."
Emma nods in understanding. "Can I?" she asks timidly, her eyes flickering to the spot next to where Regina is sitting on the bed. Regina gives a barely noticeable non-committal shrug in response, which Emma accepts as consent. "Please don't feel like you need to leave on my account," she says. "I'm sorry if me being here is painful for you. We can totally go on ignoring each other the rest of the time, if it's easier for you."
"It's not just you," Regina says, not daring to look at Emma. Instead, her eyes fixate on a spot on the wall in front of her. "It's everything about being back here. I shouldn't have come."
"Cora seems like a piece of work," Emma comments. She had met the woman several times in the past, but she has only seen her mayoral mask, the mask of the woman who wants to impress Leopold and his daughters. Tonight has been her first glimpse into the real Cora West.
"She is," Regina confirms. "I don't know why I thought tonight might be different. It's been ten years and she's exactly the same."
Emma nods, not knowing what else to say. Anything she says will seem like an empty gesture. "Regina, look…"
"Emma, I can't do this tonight. I don't want to do it at all, but I really can't tonight," Regina pleads, looking at Emma for the first time since she sat down on her bed.
"Okay," Emma nods as she stands up, putting some much-needed distance between them.
"But, can I ask you one thing?" Regina asks quietly. "I need to know..."
"Of course," Emma nods. "Anything."
Regina sighs as she braces herself for the answer she knows she's going to get. "Did you know who I was?" When she sees Emma's confusion, she clarifies. "Obviously you didn't at first, but last time…. Our parents were already together then. So, did you know who I was? Is that why you found me again and then left? Is that why you told me your last name is Swan instead of Blanchard? You didn't want me to know who you really were?" Despite hating her mother, Regina has been keeping tabs on what's been going on in Storybrooke during her absence. While she has fallen out of touch with most of her friends from town, she occasionally reads The Daily Mirror online to see what her mother is up to. Over the years she has seen photographs of Cora and Leopold together at events on the newspaper's website.
Emma shakes her head vigorously. "Okay, first, I never lied to you. My last name really is Swan. I was adopted when I was 11. Leopold and Eva let me keep the last name Swan, because they didn't want me to forget about my connection to my birth parents who died in a car accident when I was a few weeks old," Emma says, immediately getting defensive over Regina's accusations. The brunette at least has the decency to look ashamed when Emma reveals that bit of information. "And no, Regina, I had no idea who you were. I didn't even know your last name until that last night, and it didn't ring any bells. Yes, I had met your mom by that point, but she never said anything about her previous last name being Mills. I've only known her as Cora West. And when she talked about her daughter 'Gina,' I never knew she meant 'Regina.' I assumed her other daughter would have the same last name as she and Zelena do. I never for a second thought 'Gina West' and 'Regina Mills' might be the same person. And you never told me the name of your hometown, so I never made that connection."
"Oh," Regina sighs in relief. She really had thought that Emma may have been deliberately playing her.
"And," Emma continues, "I certainly didn't leave you because of—"
"No, stop," Regina commands, holding up a hand to emphasize her point. "Please don't say anymore right now."
"Okay, sorry. Have a good night, Regina," she says, excusing herself from the room and closing the door behind her.
Regina allows herself to fall back on the bed, bringing her hands to her face as she finally feels the freedom to let the tears she's been holding back all night to fall from her eyes.
A/N: So, there's a little bit of the backstory between the two, but there's a lot more to come in the remaining three chapters (much more will be revealed in the next chapter, including the details of how they met and what happened, and then we'll find out what's in store for them in the future). Admittedly when I said this would be finished by Christmas Eve I was thinking there was still two weeks to go, not one (note to self: look at a calendar before making promises), but I'm going to do my best to get it all posted by then. If for some reason I fall behind, it should only be a few days late.