Disclaimer : I DO NOT own OUAT or any of the characters.
Hey guys so I know I totally spoiled you all with updating so quickly the first time but I've had to sadly return to work from my vacation and I have been writing other snip its of other fics I plan to write and post eventually lol so here goes chapter 3 ! Hope you enjoy and R&R it's much appreciated.
"So this is what I pay you to do Sheriff?" Regina says rather loudly.
The blonde jerks awake and loses balance in her chair that was leaned back just so, "oomff" a yelp and a bang, the Mayor shakes her head, as she watches Emma try to recover, from the suddenness of being awoken and the chair that had somehow landed on top of her.
"I was only-"
"Only what? Taking a nap while on the job?" the brunette shoots back not letting the other woman finish her sentence aloud.
"What do you need Regina?" blue-green eyes roll as she stands her chair back up properly.
"The paperwork, your Father said he'd have it ready yesterday or leave it somewhere for me to find it easily" her arms cross against her chest as she makes her way closer to the desk, and sits on the edge of it, her body angled so she half faces the Sheriff.
"He didn't leave it in the mailbox?" Emma takes her seat again and begins to ruffle through the papers atop the desk.
"If he had, do you think I would've came here asking? I tried to call at first, but now I have my answer as to why I received no answer"
"Alright no need to be so snarky, I didn't sleep much last night," Regina tries not to let the question of why become present on her face, tries not to wonder if it had anything to do with the picture she'd sent the blonde by accident, but the questions clearly show. "Just couldn't manage to fall asleep or stay asleep," the younger woman shrugs and then holds a file folder out to the Mayor. "Think that's it"
All she can do is nod in response as she goes to stand from her place on the edge of the desk, "Thank you," she goes to leave but pauses on her way towards the door. "Miss Swan" she stops, she doesn't know what she wants to say, doesn't want to talk about the way she feels, but she feels like she owes the other something, they have become friends, good ones, but then suddenly her phone rings breaking the sudden silence that has fallen, Emma now standing, she'd stood at the call of her name. A questioning almost innocent look on her face, she seemed genuinely curious as the what the olive toned woman had planned to say.
"One minute," she pulls her phone out of her bag and sees the picture of her and Robin, she sighs as she swipes to answer the call, she doesn't know why she suddenly doesn't want to speak to him as much lately, it wasn't as if things between them were horrible, but they hadn't been perfect either. He'd fallen silent, she'd pulled back, she hadn't been as open with him as much as of late, and it bothered her that she felt this way, but if there was one thing she'd learned especially from raising Henry through the beginning of his 'My Mom's the Evil Queen phase' was that feelings couldn't be forced, or hidden forever.
"Hello dear"
"Hello love," he responds, she can hear the smile that she's sure is on his face right now, "I was just wondering what time you'd like me over for lunch," she holds back the huff of air she wished to release.
"I'm actually not feeling to well, I'm going to attempt catching some more sleep in a bit to see if that'll help at all, it was a restless night," Emma's ears perk at this and her eyebrow raises. So Regina hadn't slept much either, hmm curious, why though? A million and one questions raced through her mind, and she honestly wished she had the guts to ask them all.
"Regina, please, don't shut me out, I can tell something is bothering you," he sighs, the smile falls from his face and a worried expression replaces it.
"Robin, I'm not shutting you out, I just need some time," she moves so that she's right outside the doorway of the office, standing by the holding cells.
"You're lying to yourself if you think that's all it is, Regina, I love you and I love us, but I can't stand seeing you trying to go through things alone that you don't need to be doing in such a way."
A hand comes up and combs through brown locks.
"We should talk, but I'd rather it be in person, I honestly don't know what's come over me lately"
She lets out a deep sigh, it shouldn't be so hard to tell someone she holds close what's wrong.
"Alright, just let me know when, you know where to find me," and she hears the click before she has the chance to respond. She knows she's hurt him, she knows she's been hurting him lately with the distance, but she can't help how she copes with things, she doesn't know when exactly it started but she'd noticed a week or so ago that she wasn't as excited to see him anymore, she thought maybe it was the end of the 'honeymoon phase', she hadn't been in an actual relationship since back in the enchanted forrest and even then, none of them were really much of a relationship once she'd taken the moniker she was known well for.
And now with her suddenly having thoughts of Emma, her mind and heart were a muddled mess of everything. She leaned against the doorframe deep in thought.
"Penny for your thoughts?" the brunette jumps, not having expected the slightly taller woman to have come out at all.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she turns quickly to face Emma, and suddenly she's lost in the grin spread across pale lips, she was just so proud of herself for having successfully snuck up on her.
"Sorry, it's just, you were standing her for awhile and seemed way out of it," she'd seen sudden change in body posture, the sudden slump of shoulders, the hunch in the back, the way she'd let her arm fall from her face hand still firmly grasped around her phone as she had let the wall become her support.
"I'm fine," she pushes herself off the wall
"You're not though, come on Regina, talk to me," and as mocha eyes meet emerald she can't help the fluttering in her stomach at the care she sees reflected in them, she's known Emma cares, known that the blonde didn't have many friends still or many she would willingly speak to because she didn't feel they understood her like Regina did.
She gestures back towards her desk and chair, "Just come sit with me at least, maybe we can both use some talk time"
Regina walks back into the office, brushing past the Sheriff she feels her hand come into contact with the blonde's and jumps slightly at the feeling of warmth that resonates throughout her body.
She quickly moves past her and sits back on the edge of the desk, crossing her legs.
"Things have just been off lately," Regina says simply.
Emma makes her way towards the desk, but rather than going behind it and taking her seat she sits next to the older woman on the firm wood.
"Trouble in paradise?" she offers and looks at the Mayor's face, gauging her reaction. She's definitely learned a lot about this woman since she first arrived, and she knows Regina, well, as she knows her.
A nod is the only response she gets and a sigh escapes pink lips, "Well, the honeymoon phase always comes to an end eventually, and then it becomes work, I've never really been one for relationships because of it," she pauses and seeing she's not going to get any verbal response she continues on, "It's great at first, it always is, but then the first argument happens, or someone else catches your eye, you find things they do that annoy you to no end, and you are either able to look past it all or you can't move past 'em, not everyone can do relationships, or perhaps it's just not the right person. Maybe the timing seemed good but now you realize it's not.
"I don't know what it is you two are going through, but you've been looking more and more down each time I've seen you, and thats just not good, is it something he did? Said? Are the feelings just not the same anymore?"
Red lips part slightly and then close again, she debates what to say next, "I just feel as if we've grown apart, I've been working more, it's just a busy time of year, holidays are coming, then taxes are soon after that, I've been swamped, so yes I may have blown him off a few times, but I feel like he should understand. I was Mayor when we first started whatever this is any way, it's not like he doesn't know, or didn't know I have an entire town to run, I just wish he'd offer to help every now and then, even if it's small things, so I know he's still there."
"First of all is the Regina Mills asking for help?" Emma mocks shock and Regina can't help the laugh and her arm smacking the blonde's playfully. "Ow" the Sheriff says holding her arm as if she'd been hit with a bag of bricks, "You know I need my arms working, they're important for the job," she flexes her arm and the brunette just stares at the rippling muscles, gods those arms, the amount of times she'd gotten lost in them, imagined the other woman's workout that she must do to maintain them.
"You're ridiculous," she scoffs rolling her eyes.
"Mhmm but you love it," a cheesy grin comes across the younger woman's face and then suddenly it hits her what she's said 'love' did she really just 'Jesus fucking Christ' she thinks to herself, 'Get it together Swan' if Regina weren't there she would've face palmed herself.
"I do somewhat enjoy your company," Regina replies, gracing right over the word choice that had been used.
Emma chuckles.
And gods does Regina love that sound, that laugh, that smile that comes with it all, and oh gods had she just thought, 'love' what the hell was going on, yes she liked Emma, yes she enjoyed her company, but this talk was doing nothing to relieve the pressure in her chest.
"Well I'm glad I am good company, so what do you think you want to do?"
They both glance up at the same time, eyes connecting.
And time stands still.
Emma gasps suddenly as she realizes she's moved further into Regina's personal space, brown eyes drop down to pink lips and back up, and neither woman can understand why she has the urge to kiss the other senseless. Neither move and neither break the eye contact, both of them leaning closer in, Emma places a hand on top of Regina's thigh and is somewhat surprised when it isn't burnt to a crisp or shoved off of it's new place of residence.
"Regina," Emma mutters, she doesn't know what else to say, doesn't know if she should close the gap, but then her conscience kicks in full blast. This woman has a boyfriend and is trying to figure out why it isn't working and here she is thinking of kissing her senseless. She'd always gotten the bisexual vibe from the brunette but now with the way she's looking from sea foam eyes to pale lips, Emma's mouth has gone dry.
"I-," whatever she was going to say she doesn't, she quickly glances away.
Emma's hand still rests on a firm thigh, "Hey listen, I'm here for you, and maybe you just need some time off from each other, see some different people or just enjoy the single life again, it is a rather great thing"
Regina smiles at that, even if only partially, it's still a smile.
"Ive been window shopping while with him, I don't know what else to call it exactly, and I don't know why I do it, and I suppose it bothers me, that I don't have eyes for just him, but for another," her voice falls to a whisper at the last part, Emma hears it though and blinks rapidly, why was she thinking it was herself that was being referenced.
An olive hand comes to rest atop her own, and Emma feels the spark that Regina had felt earlier, she assumed it to just be her magic reacting to the others until, "Did you feel that?" an eyebrow quirks upward.
Emma simply nods, eyes going wide slightly.
"What does it mean?"
The Mayor shrugs, "I don't know, but I'm curious to find out," she runs her thumb over the back of the hand her own resides upon at the moment, she can't explain it, doesn't know why or how, but she finds it soothing, relaxing almost. Just being close to her like this, the woman she used to want gone at any cost, the irritation in her life, now her friend, her comfort, she'd never left her, no matter how hard she pushed. And even when she'd successfully pushed her away she hadn't remained gone for long.
Her mind thinks of a past time when such an incident had occurred…
Emma had had a bad day at work as did Regina and both were easily irritable.
"Miss Swan, if you don't get your elbows off the table!" she hissed.
And Emma being, well Emma, laughed.
"I'm sorry your Majesty," she rolled her eyes, "geez someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed"
"Don't tell me what I did or didn't do dear"
"Oh my god is this just because I was late? Like seriously Gina? It was five minutes! The kid didn't suffer from starvation in those five minutes so just chill"
"Don't call me that! And do not tell me to 'chill' in my own household"
"Moms!" Both women's heads whipped around towards their son.
"Please, just stop, you guys haven't argued in forever, don't start it now, please"
"Well she started it," Emma grumbled under her breath.
If looks could kill Emma would've been incinerated on the spot.
"Oh real mature!" Henry let out a frustrated sigh and moved his pork chop around his plate once more, he didn't get why they did this, they were friends now, sure friends bicker but they were just arguing for the sake of having the last word he felt.
"Yeah because throwing a tantrum over five minutes is so much better Gina," the blonde smirked and that was the last straw, they'd been going back and forth since the arrival of one Sheriff Swan and their son.
"Well if you don't like it perhaps you should just leave me and MY son to our dinner" she knew it was a low blow but at the time she wasn't thinking straight, anger, irritability, lack of sleep and all the extra hours at work were speaking for her now.
"He's MY son too!" and then Henry had slammed his fists on the table startling both his mothers and stormed out of the house, only grabbing his backpack from the coat rack on his way out.
As the door slammed shut behind him Emma snapped out of it, Regina on the other hand still full of her anger, she'd always had a temper and the blonde always knew just which buttons to push, "Get out of my house!"
She stood, shaking, Emma tried to move towards her.
"OUT!" and Emma had ran, she ran right out and right to her bug.
She spotted Henry at an intersection waiting to cross the street, sadness overtook her facial expression and she put more pressure on the gas speeding past in hopes he wouldn't recognize it was her.
She'd done to him the one thing she'd said she wouldn't do, not after Regina and her had gotten so far, she'd said they wouldn't ever go back to "claiming" him, yet they had, both of them.
She felt like complete shit, like a failure, old insecurities and thoughts creeped into her head and she didn't realize her destination until she saw the sign up ahead, "Leaving Storybrooke" she slammed on her breaks hard.
The bug came to a screeching halt and Emma shut it off then began pounding the steering wheel.
"Fuck!" she didn't know why she just couldn't have kept quiet, why she'd felt the need to come back with a smart response when Regina had stated that they were late, she'd been getting good with timing too, so it just felt like none of her attempts were being noticed or worth it.
She sat head on the steering wheel for a few minutes, just trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.
Her phone started to vibrate in her pocket, she pulled it out and saw 'Regina' as the caller, she silenced it and threw it to the passengers seat.
She heard it begin to vibrate again, and groaned, "Why can't you just leave me alone," she says as if Regina can hear her, as if anyone can.
Her phone stops moving and then she hears one quick vibrate, she'd left a voicemail?
She sighed and grabbed her phone back to listen.
"Emma," she heard the tears evident in her voice, "Please, I'm s-sorry, I c-can't find him!" a sharp inhale and silence for a moment, "I checked his castle, t-the library, I-" and then the voicemail ended.
Tears of her own rolled down her cheeks.
And she soon found herself back at 108 Mifflin Street.
Emma waves her hand in front of Regina's face once more "Gina!"
The former Queen shakes her head and glances up at Emma, whose suddenly brushing her thumb along her cheek, she hadn't noticed she'd zoned out, nor that she had began to cry.
"It's okay, it's all going to be okay," and then strong arms wrap around her and she doesn't quite know why she doesn't push her away, doesn't know for sure why she allows this, they'd never hugged before even and yet here she was sobbing into the arms and chest of one Sheriff Emma Swan.
"We'll figure out how you want to deal with Robin, and we'll figure out what this is, okay?"
All she can do is nod, and Emma kisses the top of her head.
She pulls back sitting up slightly, causing Emma's arms to fall around her waist, they are still both sat on the desk top.
And their eyes connect, they move closer.
A pink tongue comes out to moisten ruby red lips and the blonde follows suit with wetting her own lips.
They rest their foreheads together still not breaking eye contact and Emma can feel the warmth of her son's other mother's breath on her lips.
"Em-" but the blonde places a finger over soft plump lips.
She drags it down over her bottom lip and moves her hand to the back of Regina's neck.
They inch closer and closer in slow motion it would seem.
YEAH SO IM EVIL i know haha
R&R
and don't hate me for too long lol