A/N: Prompt from eshusplayground: More Regina climbing on things and making mischief.
Regina stares down the tree with narrowed eyes and total determination.
It's much, much larger than her, yes, this is true. Most likely someone like Mary-Margaret will be very angry when she see her trying to climb it, but she has no magic, and never ever gets as mad as Mama does, so Regina doesn't see this as so much of a concern. If Mama were here, she'd never get even the slightest chance. She'd be whisked away into lessons before the desire got a chance to manifest and tug at her heart, and even if they did, Mama would have found out. She'd have found out, and found a reason why Regina should never ever climb that tree. Maybe she'd break the tree, like she broke Regina's favorite doll when she played with it instead of practicing her curtsies. Like she broke Regina's arm when she accidentally met the scary lords and ladies with scabbed knees.
She pushes these thoughts away with ferocity. After all, Mama fixed her arm right up. And she's not here. The tree is hers to climb, and hers alone. She has a basket with a story-book in it. The one about fairies with all the pictures. And she'll pick the best looking apple, and she'll sit on the tree, and wait for Emma to get back from her day with David. The sun will hit her back, and she'll dream of days to come.
Besides the tree isn't that big. And Emma Swan is a huge lier, she's not that small. She scowls as remembers Emma resting her arm on Regina's head and giggling, Yep, you are. You're a little munchkin. And now you're my headrest. Regina had shook her head until the hand dropped before pushing Emma in the leaves and running away, Emma's laughter following her, and her own small smile unable to be wiped from her lips.
Tall people are silly anyway. Or scary. Emma Swan is by far, the silliest person she's ever encountered. (Not scary, however.) The only not silly (or scary) tall person Regina knows is her Daddy.
She misses her Daddy. The basket wilts in her hand, and she remembers him hoisting her up she can pick the very best apple. No. She refuses to be sad today. Today she'll think of how proud her Daddy would be to see her getting the apple all by herself. (Not Mama and her scary disappointed face. How her eyes look like the moon in winter. So very, very cold.)
She loops the basket on her elbow before beginning her journey. She's climbed things before, but much smaller things. Like that "play structure" at the building where Henry has his lessons. Or the rocks in the woods. But never a tree. She can't help the way her heart beats rapidly in fear, but also in excitement. She's never done something so bold, so entirely risky. She imagines the scratches she could get from the bark, and hopes Mary Margaret won't be too mad. So far, she's been so kind. She even cuddles Regina at night, cuddles her whenever Regina is lonely and in need of one, really, and always-cuddles isn't something Regina is used to. And she reads to Regina. And lets Regina wear pants. (She loves red capris with the jeweled apple on the side.)
She fits her small feet in grooves along the bark. Just a little bit off the air–she exhales in wonder as her feet finally leave–she feels herself slipping down, and she gasps, holding tightly to the trunk. She furrows her brow and purses her lips. She will not give up. This is her tree. She tries again, and places her feet in two other grooves.
It takes many minutes of huffing and puffing and almost falling many times before Regina gets to the easier part; past the scary trunk and up the winding branches towards the red, red apples. Her legs feel like jelly on those sandwiches Mary Margaret packs for them, and she's breathing heavily. But she's smiling. She's laughing as she hoists herself to the perfect branch for sitting. There's a giddiness in her laughter; pure happiness that she could get used to.
She opens the book with trembling features, and begins to read. (She can read more than Emma, but she's helping Mary Margaret teach Emma, and wants to have a head start so she can know the story before their bedtime.) She loses track of time in the words, in the lovely sway of the summer green leaves, in the way the sun peaks and shines through their little windows. She only stops to pick her apple, a beautiful one that almost causes her to fall from her spot. She curls as close as she can to the tree trunk, and bites into the apple with a satisfying crunch and goes back to her book.
She doesn't look up until she hears a voice.
"Regina! Come on down! Someone's gonna see, and you're gonna get in lots of trouble!"
Regina peers down and there's Emma, red-faced from a day of practicing her swordplay in the hot sun, her curls tied back, and head covered with a lidded hat. Regina grins and waves.
"Nu-uh. I'm just fine, Emma. I'll get down before anyone notices. I'm a master tree climber, of course."
Emma frowns. "No you're not!"
"Am too!"
Emma throws her hands up. "Come on, I just wanna play with you." She looks down then, almost shyly. Her hands come down to clasp behind her back. "I….missed you. Kinda. Whatever." She mumbles and pushes her hat further down so it covers whatever facial expression she's making.
There's a wonderful warmth in Regina's stomach to know that Emma missed her, but of course she won't let Emma know. Yet.
"Then come up here!" Regina calls down. "Or are you too scared? Is thebrave Emma Swan too scared to climb a measly tree?"
Emma draws up to her full heigh and narrows her eyes.
"Oh you'll take that back, Shorty. You wait and see. I can totally climb trees."
"Prove it, then!"
Emma braces herself and gives herself a running start, thinking she can just attach herself to the tree like a spider, but instead finds herself still with two feet on the ground, hugging the tree around the trunk. She grumbles and tries again, finding the same places as Regina did to put her feet. However, since Emma is bigger than Regina, it's more of a struggle. She gets a few feet off the ground before her foot slips and down she goes, sprawling across the green grass.
Regina starts a laughing fit, and just as she begins to open her mouth to gloat, she notices that Emma hasn't gotten up yet. In fact she's clutching her leg and her face is contorted in pain.
Fear rushes through Regina, as well as acute panic, and she drops her book in her basket and begins to scramble down the tree, not caring that bark is getting caught in her skin as she inches carefully down the trunk. She doesn't even remember that her basket is still hanging off a branch. She crouches beside Emma, and tentatively touches her hand.
"….Emma? Did you….do I-"
Emma shakes her head and cracks a smile.
"I'm okay. It just spooked me, and I hit the ground a little funny, that's all. I'm just….really bad at climbing I guess." She frowns and stretches out her leg, moving it around a bit and apparently happy with how easily it's moving.
"Yes, you are." Regina retorts. Her heart is still beating so fast, she would think Emma really is hurt. She wants to climb back up the tree again, and repeat this part of the afternoon.
"Well, who told me to climb the tree?"
"Only because you were being an idiot! But…" She bites her lip and stares at Emma's almost hurt leg. "I suppose you could say it's good that you didn't get hurt. I don't want you to get yourself hurt. And….here it would have been my fault too." She says, a little bit crestfallen.
Emma rolls her eyes before squeezing her hand and she leans over to give Regina a hug. Her expression of pain gone, she says:
"Nope, not your fault. The tree just must not like me or something." She says, leaning back and tapping Regina on the nose. Her eyes then light up with realization, and she gives a scowling Regina a cheeky smile.
"Hey, now you're down and we can play!"
Regina rolls her eyes. Emma then leaps up and points towards the house.
"Wanna go back inside and play dress-up or something?"
Regina nods and as they walk to the house, she takes Emma's hand and holds it tightly. They swing their arms together in the space between them the whole way back, both of them eventually growing matching smiles.