of ice packs and celebrations (part two of three)

(Anonymous: Swan Queen: Emma prompts Henry to join a school sports team (bonus if it's a violent!sport) and Regina is worried and peeved.)

"Okay, kid. Her curtains are still closed. Looks like the coast is clear."

"Roger that!"

Emma chuckles against her walkie-talkie, still finding Henry's serious attitude to their plans a little endearing. She crosses her fingers as she crouches down in the bushes, hoping that Regina really is still asleep in her bedroom. Henry would be devastated if, after all their plotting, he couldn't make it to the game.

By the time Henry should be just about down the flight of stairs, Emma catches a slight movement of the curtains of the sitting room window. Shit! So Regina had been downstairs the whole time! "Henry!" she whispers frantically into the device. "Code red! Code red! Mission abort!"

But there's no reply, and Emma lets out a sigh, climbing out of the garden bed and walking towards the house. Sure enough, the front door swings open and Regina comes marching out, a defeated looking Henry slinking out after her.

"Of course. I should have known." Regina sneers at Emma, hands on her hips, practically radiating anger. She's wearing simple black sweatpants and a grey Abercrombie & Fitch sweater - probably as casual as Storybrooke's immaculately groomed Mayor ever gets, even on the weekend - as she obviously didn't plan on being seen so early. Her gaze flicks down to the defiant-looking ten year old now hovering between them. "Henry, I made it very clear that you were to play no more basketball."

"No you didn't!" Henry pouts, but there's a hint of mischief in his eyes. "You said that I can't go to any more trainings!"

"I - what?" Regina shakes her head, confused.

Emma clears her throat. "It's, uh, it's true. You only said he couldn't go to any trainings, but this is a match..." Emma notices Regina's shock at having her words turned against her, and tries a different approach that will hopefully appeal to the woman as a mother. "Henry's team needs him, Regina!" she pleads.

"Miss Swan, I simply cannot let you take him," Regina snaps, clearly trying to maintain some kind of control after being outsmarted. "It's far too risky. He has already been injured once, and under your careless vigil, I am sure it will happen again."

"Then why don't you come along?" Emma looks at Henry, who's more than a little confused by this turn of events. She can almost hear him thinking, this wasn't part of the plan!

Regina is equally stunned. "Excuse me?"

"Come and watch the match! It'll be fun, and you should be there to cheer him on." Emma offers her a smile, but it falters when she notices how the corners of Regina's mouth turn down, and how she breaks their eye contact to stare down at her slip-on-sneaker clad feet. She crosses her arms across her chest, but Emma reads it as more of an act of self-defence than defiance.

"I don't think that Henry would particularly enjoy having my support," she replies. "I would just be an embarrassment to him."

Henry glances back towards Emma, shrugging his shoulders slightly, before stepping closer to Regina. "No, Mom, I'd... I'd really like you to see me play."

Regina's head snaps back up, eyes wide. "Oh." A faint blush colours her cheeks, and she throws Emma a glance filled with surprise and gratitude. "Well... oh, alright then. You can play." She tosses her hair back. "But I have to get changed into something more presentable."

Henry laughs and shakes his head. "No way Mom, we're already gonna be late!"

"Regina, you look fine," Emma agrees, but she can see that Regina is determined to keep up her professional, dignified appearance in front of the townspeople. This could be fun.

"I insist on -" Her speech is cut off when Emma lunges forward, grinning, and grabs her arm. "What are you doing? Let me go!" Regina finds herself being practically dragged over to Emma's car, and she glares at Henry as he opens up the passenger door for her.

"Nope. You're getting in the car now," Emma laughs, but something about the closeness of the other woman and her tight grip the smooth skin of Regina's wrist causes a wicked glint to come into her eye, and she's not completely sure why she leans in a little closer to Regina and breathes, "unless you'd like me to force you?"

She hears Regina's ragged breath catch in her throat, and the usually composed Mayor's cheeks flush red for a second time that morning, this time for an entirely different reason. It's not until Henry clears his throat that their eye contact breaks and Regina nods slightly. "Fine." She wrenches her arm from Emma's grasp and smooths down her sweater. "I'll go."

Moments later, as Henry starts chatting incessantly about the upcoming game with even more enthusiasm than he has for his book, Emma's pleased to notice that Regina can't stop smiling either.