A/N: Back from the dead! Sorry it's been so long, loves. I'm a terrible person, really. I promise to try and update this a bit more routinely. Mwah!
XX
Cora sat poised, a snake coiled, ready to strike, a hard and indistinguishable look upon her face.
"Is that any way to greet your mother, Regina? Have I not taught you better manners?"
Disregarding her safety, Regina relented, wishing only to avoid conflict.
"I'm very sorry, Mother. It has simply been a very difficult week, and as I was unaware that you would be here when I arrived, I was merely startled. You have my apology. What brings you here, if I may be so inclined to ask?"
Regina neared the chair her mother perched in regally, and this action accompanying her seemingly sincere apology seemed to thaw Cora ever so slightly.
"Word travels fast, Regina, especially when you have the contacts I do. I have already been informed of Sidney's...untimely demise. I was merely hoping you would fill me in on the remaining details?"
Regina pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to quell the irritation bubbling up inside her. She made a move towards the door, almost as if to escape, but, thinking twice about it led her to hang coat up instead.
"Would you like something to drink, Mother?"
Cora made what seemed like an honest attempt at smiling, but much to Regina's surprise there was a hint of sadness laced throughout the lines of her face.
"Yes, dear, that would be wonderful."
Regina swiftly moved towards the small kitchen-like area of her hotel room which housed a miniature fridge and microwave. Not ideal for a world famous meal, but thankfully Ruby had prepared the room for her, and Regina made a mental note to do something nice for the young lady who had helped take care of her while she continuously broke down over the past several days. She grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and handed one to Cora before sitting on the edge of her bed and sighing deeply.
"What exactly is it you want me to say, Mother? That the moron you had always hoped I would marry turned out to be a violent drunkard? That he very nearly raped me, that he very nearly killed me? That he came so close to, mere seconds away from, Mother, taking the life of a seventeen year old girl? A girl that I have only recently become somewhat friendly with? A girl who barely even knows me mother, and yet she jumped in harm's way to save me from a dark fate?"
Regina knew she should stop, that she should continue to perfectly conceal the amount of anger inside of her that had always threatened to boil over, and yet as Cora's eyes widened dramatically at each passing second, as her eyebrows pursued the far reaches of her forehead, an immense weight lifted from Regina's heart, and she remained on her war path.
"Do you want me to say, Mother, that maybe, just maybe, at a mere twenty-two years old, already possessing a college degree and the makings of a career, that maybe I know exactly who I am, a fact you seem extraordinarily intent upon ignoring? Allow me to point it out for you, Mother: the daughter of the great, respected, renowned Cora Mills is, in fact, a lesbian! And that is a fact that Sidney came so close to destroying! He almost took everything from me, Mother, he nearly wrecked whatever chance I have to be happy. He almost killed someone I care..."
Regina's words trailed off softly, her anger finally under control, and for the first time in her life, she broke down in front of her Mother. The tears flowed rapidly, and as she doubled over, gasping for air through the sobs she knew she would never live down, she felt Cora's hands on her shoulders, first one, then the other. Before she knew what had happened, Cora had ripped her up from her position in the bed and had embraced her tightly. Regina's shock was incomparable, but still, she allowed her mother to hug her tightly, rock her gently, and she wrapped her arms around the older woman willingly for the first time in her life.
"Regina I'm...I'm so sorry.."
Cora's words were broken by sobs of her own, and Regina felt her heart aching.
"I had..I really had no idea that...that he would turn out this way and I thought that you were just..shy or something I..I had no idea..."
Mother and daughter held tight throughout the remainder of the evening, ever so softly assuring one another that everything would be okay, and that their relationship would mend in time.
XX
Emma groaned quietly. The fall had winded her, but not nearly so much as the teacher lying atop her and the resulting pressure that she felt everywhere. Regina looked hungrily down at her and shuffled her leg slightly, sending a jolt through Emma that she was sure would kill her. Fire flared in her veins, and her thoughts were simple wisps of cloud floating through her head. Emma was aware of nothing at the moment, save the expression on Regina's face and her own nakedness. Her cheeks darkening, Emma groaned again as another slight leg shuffle sent fireworks through her groin and she noticed a wetness that had nothing to do with the bath she jumped out of moments before. Regina seemed to notice the same pool of warmth and she leaned down, almost as if to kiss Emma, who closed her eyes and parted her lips expectantly. At the last second, however, the brunette moved to the side of Emma's head, whispering one word softly in her ear: "soon."
XX
Emma was awoken suddenly, and quite unhappily, to a knock at her door. She mumbled a quick reply and stretched marvelously as Mary Margaret, followed by a slightly grumpy looking Sheriff Charming, waltzed into her room. She bunched up against her headboard to allow her parents to sit, her mother obliging almost instantly and her father preferring to stand and shuffle uncomfortably by the side of the bed.
"How are you feeling today, sweetheart?" Emma noted the genuine concern in her mother's voice and smile, and gave her a reassuring look.
"I'm alright, Mom, I promise. I feel good as new, no joke."
Her foster Mother smiled warmly at her, and David flashed her a small grin.
"Your mother and I have talked," he began, and Emma looked down at the bed, afraid to get her hopes up, "and we are okay with you going to the conference, provided you follow a few small rules."
Emma could not contain her excitement at hearing such wonderful news. She jumped from her bed, catching first her mother, then her father, in a hug.
"I'll do whatever you want, thank you so much Mom, Dad. I'm so excited."
Her foster parents shot sad looks at one another; they recognized that their baby was growing up, but they both knew it would be better for the entire family if they simply allowed her to do so without stifling her. David was the first to clear his throat, allowing Mary Margaret a moment to wipe her glistening eyes.
"Right, Emma, here's the thing. We want to know where you are staying, and we want you to check in every so often. At the very least, every morning and night, although we'd love to hear from you more often. Sound fair?"
Emma grinned at her father. "Yeah, dad, that's alright by me, and you guys act like I'm going to be gone forever. It's only four days! But, still, I will definitely keep in contact with you, ok?'
The Charmings nodded in agreement before making their way downstairs. It was an early Saturday morning, not too hot nor too cold, and David had paperwork to finish in the office. Mary Margaret had a meeting to attend, so Emma decided to head to Granny's for breakfast. Taking a quick, cold shower to quell the lingering feelings from her previous dream, Emma's mind wandered off into somewhat forbidden territory, at the promise of four days alone with the perfect Regina Mills in a hotel room which left a dry taste in her mouth and a yearning in her veins.
Relax, Emma. You don't even know that she is attracted to you. Calm down dude, seriously.
But still, there was the deep rooted memory of the night before, when Regina had pulled Emma's naked form tightly against her before the two were forced to separate due to Mary Margaret's famous perfect timing. Emma's heartbeat scrambled to catch up with her thoughts, and she took a deep breath, dressing for a bright day and pocketing her cell phone. Her car would still be at Regina's, so she would have to walk to Granny's. Popping her headphones in, Emma pulled on her trusty low tops and made her way to her favorite diner.
XX
"Hey, Rubes, how's it going?"
Ruby glared halfheartedly at her best friend, a harassed look on her face as she motioned around her. "Busy. Room 4."
Ruby hurriedly pushed a tray into Emma's arms, and the blonde just shrugged before making her way to the requisite room. She wouldn't bother complaining; she rarely had to pay for meals at Granny's diner, so she would do whatever was necessary of her whenever. Knocking politely on the door, Emma softly called 'breakfast' out to the recipients. The door swung wide open, revealing a smiling row of perfect teeth and chocolate eyes.
"Good morning, Miss Swan. What a pleasure."
Emma's eyes automatically glided down her former teacher's silk robe, noticing how it perfectly hugged her curves, before shaking her head and forcing herself to focus.
"Ruby asked me to bring your breakf-"
Emma's words were cut off by the appearance of a slightly older woman, who retained supreme beauty even though she was clearly several years Regina's senior. Emma was unsure who this older woman was, but one thing was for certain: seeing another beautiful woman in the room with Regina all but destroyed her, and she immediately pushed the tray into Regina's arms.
"-f...fast...I-I have to go, have a good...a good day, Miss Mills.."
XX
A/N: Thoughts?