This is the final chapter. It is a pretty long one, but not as long as the last. I hope you enjoyed reading! Please review!
"So, Mom" Henry starts tentatively. His tone immediately catches his adoptive mother's attention.
"Yes Henry?" She asks suspiciously. She could tell he had wanted to talk to her about something all night and she was glad he was finally bringing it up.
"Well, Emma told me today that Miss Finkle, you know Dan and Tom's mom, had called her about all of us spending time together…since I haven't seen them since I left New York… and as like a last hurrah before going back to school, she said that they had made plans for all of us to meet in Boston next weekend…since it's a good halfway point and also kind of a vacation spot…but of course she told me to ask you if it's okay first." Henry rambled through his explanation as quickly as possible, to try and avoid an outburst from his mother.
"Of course you can go Henry" She is a little sad when she thinks about his life during their year apart, but she couldn't begrudge him time with his two best friends of that year.
Even though her words were meant to reassure him, he still looked a bit uneasy. And she was about to ask what was wrong when he decided to tell her first.
"I was hoping you could come with us."
"Oh" She's can't help but be pleased by her son's admission but she was a bit wary herself about going on a trip with him and Emma. "I'm sure Emma wouldn't appreciate me taking her time with you away."
"I already asked her and she thought it was a great idea to invite you." He hurries to reassure her.
"Really?"
"Yeah her exact words were 'that's a good idea kid, she'd be more than welcome to come along'." He recounts her words
"I suppose if you want me there, then I will be there."
That Saturday when Emma came over to pick up Henry for the weekend, she came inside to discuss the exact plans with Regina.
"Okay so we are planning on leaving early on Friday morning." Emma explains as he takes the coffee that other woman is offering her. "Then stay over Friday night and Saturday night and then leave again on Sunday morning. Can you take off of work next Friday?" Emma asks.
"Yes, I think I can work it out."
"Great, I'll pick you up around 6:30"
"Oh no, you won't!"
"What do you mean I won't?"
"I am not willingly going on another road trip in that deathtrap with you. I'll drive"
"My car is perfectly fine!"
"This isn't up for argument Miss Swan."
"Fine"
After their 'non'-argument, Henry comes in and clears his throat.
"I have a question." he starts. "Who is my mom supposed to be?" Henry asks
"What do you mean kid?" Emma and Regina both look, more than a little confused by the question.
"I mean, how am I supposed to introduce my mom? They only know you as my mother." He says to Emma "They don't know about all the adoption and magic and other craziness." He explains further.
"Ah" The gears start to click into place for both his mothers at that point.
"I suppose I could be your Aunt?" Regina suggests unhappily.
"I guess, but Debbie knows me pretty well. I was the closest to her than any of the other parents because we were both single moms. She knows that I grew up in the foster system. So unless you are like some long lost sibling who looks nothing like me, than I don't see that working out." Emma explains.
"I could just be a family friend then?"
"I guess that could work…" Emma says skeptically.
"But I want to be able to introduce you to them as my mom!" Henry practically whines. "I don't want to have to remember to call you Regina the entire weekend. It would feel too weird anyway."
"I don't know if we can avoid that Honey." Regina says sadly as she puts her arm around the boy.
"Well…" Emma starts. Regina can see that Emma is both a little embarrassed and nervous about finishing the thought.
"Well, what dear?"
"We could pretend to be married?" Emma's suggestion ends up coming out as a question due to her uncertainty
"Married?"
"Yeah, it would kind of clear up a lot of questions they might have. Like who you are and why you came with us. You and Henry also wouldn't have to act any differently because it would be logical for him to call you 'mom' and stuff. It would also help explain why we had decided to stay in Storybrooke." Emma explains her reasoning and finds that Henry is beaming at her.
"That's perfect!"
"Wouldn't you have told you're friends already if your mother had gotten married?" Regina interjects. She is not opposed to the idea, quite the contrary, but she still wants to work out the logistics of it.
"Maybe, but it's not like I've really had time to have an actual conversation with them since we moved back here. We mostly just text about new video games or if something crazy happened to a mutual friend." He explains, not willing to admit that there are any flaws to this plan.
"Okay" Regina agrees
"Okay?" Emma asks surprised. She wants to make sure she heard correctly.
"Yes, that sounds like the best plan. Don't you agree? It was your idea after all?"
"Of course it was. My ideas are the best." Emma says with faked arrogance. She is happy Regina took the suggestion so well. Now, actually pretending to be a couple would be a whole other battle.
6.30 that next Friday came by quicker than Regina would have thought. She had been in a slightly nervous state all week thinking about it. She was going to be pretending to be married to Emma! It was hard enough to be in the same room as the other woman lately and not tell her how she felt. Because without a doubt, she knew she was in love with Emma Swan. She had tried to get over what she had originally considered a "crush" but in the last few weeks she had found her feelings harder and harder to deny. It had gotten to the point where even Henry could tell, and was blatantly leaving them alone together whenever he could.
How was she going to survive a whole weekend pretending to be her wife?
With a flutter in the pit of her stomach, she answers the doorbell. Emma is standing there smiling at her. It's late August and despite the early morning chill, the woman is wearing short shorts and a tank top. She holds a duffle bag with a flannel on top in her right hand.
Regina tries her best not to stare.
"Good Morning Wifey" Emma says and laughs at the look Regina gives her at that statement.
"Good Morning" Is all she says in response though.
Just then Henry comes running down the stairs with this backpack already on his shoulders. "Morning moms!" He says excitedly as he gets on his shoes.
Regina grabs her to-go mug of coffee from the kitchen. As and after thought she decides to grab one for Emma too and an Orange juice for Henry.
"Thanks" Emma says surprised when one of the cups is handed to her.
"Just don't spill it in my car." Regina can't help but add.
"Yes, your majesty" Emma says with a curtsey
"That was terrible. You have a lot of work to do, Princess"
"Ugh don't call me that!" Emma makes a face at the title.
"Why not? That's who you are."
"Not this weekend. This weekend I'm just Emma Swan. Or Emma Swan-Mills I guess."
Regina quite likes the sound of that name, so she lets the banter drop as they get into the car and leave.
About halfway though the car ride, Henry bolts straight up from the back seat.
"Geez kid, where's the fire?" Emma questions, as she turns to look at him.
"I remembered that I have something for you guys." He states as he digs around in his book bag.
Finally he pulls out a small velvet drawstring bag. Emma was just about to question the kid further when he opens the bag and shakes two, plain, sliver rings onto his palm.
"What are those?" Regina asks. Looking suspiciously at Henry from the rearview mirror.
"If you guys are married than you need wedding bands." He explains. Then he hands them both to his blonde mother.
"Wow kid, these are kind of nice. Where did you get these?"
"I bought them at the second hand shop yesterday. Don't worry, they weren't too expensive…but they also shouldn't turn your fingers green."
Emma just looks at the rings in her palm for a while.
"Well put them on. I want to see if I got the right sizes." Henry insists
Emma sighs and slips one of the bands onto her ring finger. She must have picked the right one because it fits like a glove.
Regina can't help but watch Emma in her peripheral vision. The other woman seems to be having some kind of moment. She isn't sure if it's a happy one or not so she doesn't say or do anything about it. After a few minutes go by, Emma finally holds her hand out to Regina. Regina takes the other ring carefully from the palm. She doesn't want to become to distracted while she is driving so she refuses to look at the ring while she slips it onto her finger. It seems Henry was perfect in both of their ring sizes.
Although Regina may not look at her hand the entire rest of the ride, her left hand feels much heavier than it did before.
They arrive in Boston a few hours later. After a quick check-in they make their way to their room to drop of their baggage. Henry runs into the room and straight to the en suite. (As he'd been complaining of a full bladder for nearly an hour now) Meanwhile, Emma and Regina stand perfectly still in the doorway staring at the two double beds.
"I didn't really think about the sleeping arrangements." Emma admits. "I had made these reservations before I knew if you were coming along or not."
"No, it's my fault. I should have thought to make my own reservations."
"We're supposed to be married though. We wouldn't have wanted anyone to find out that you had gotten your own room, right?" Emma says, more trying to make herself feel better than the other woman.
"Right…"
Just then Henry comes bursting out of the bathroom. "Ready to go! They texted and said they would meet us in the Hotel lobby!"
"We'll deal with the sleeping arrangements later." Regina says dismissively. Emma takes this to mean that she is getting stuck sleeping with Henry but doesn't want to worry about that right now.
Henry practically pushes them all the way down to the Hotel lobby. Once they are finally there, he runs straight up to two ginger boys and they all high-five.
The women make their way over to the group and Emma claps one of the boys on the shoulder. "Hey Dan…Hey Tom" She always addresses both the boys at once because she is never positive which twin is which.
"Hi Miss Swan" They say in almost unison
"Emma it's so nice to see you." A tall woman (even taller than Emma) with red hair addresses Emma in a New York accent.
"Debbie! Hi…you too" Emma says as she gives her a quick hug. "This is Regina." she adds with a flourish of her hand toward the brunette.
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Debbie says as she pulls Regina into a hug also. Regina is a little startled by this but she's already started to slip into polite "Mayor mode" and doesn't let it show.
"For me as well. Henry talks about your boys constantly."
"Yes, I'm sure they are never good stories." She says with a chuckle. "Gotta love 'em, but they sure aren't little gentlemen like Henry." She compliments.
After the entire introduction they decide to make their way into the city. Emma and Henry insist that they are 'starving', so they decide to make their first stop should be Quincy Market. Regina is a little overwhelmed by the food choices.
Henry is already seen eating a cannoli from one of the bakery stalls. Regina wants to reprimand him for eating junk food so early in the morning but she has resolved herself to the fact that he would eat very poorly this weekend. Instead of arguing about it, she just makes sure he eats actual food to go along with his dessert.
Emma watches Regina with interest. To her, Boston is nothing special, so it's fascinating to see the city through the eyes of a tourist. She loves the way Regina's eyes widen with interest when she sees a particular piece of architecture or interesting food item.
While they are searching for food, Emma impulsively grabs Regina's hand. It's her first attempt at trying to play the role of a "couple". She doesn't know what made her do it, but she wanted to. Couples should hold hands right? She justifies to herself.
For her part, Regina doesn't comment about the hand-holding. Emma has half a mind to wonder if the other woman hasn't even noticed. However, Regina gives her hand a squeeze before she pulls her hand away so that she can pay for her Panini. This assures her that Regina knew about, and didn't mind, the contact…and for this, Emma was a little glad. Maybe being a couple won't be so bad. Emma thinks.
Eventually they all decide on what they want to eat and sit down.
"So, I was surprised when Emma had said she was bringing her wife on the trip. I didn't think this one would ever settle down." Debbie jokes when they start to eat.
"Yeah well, this one changed my mind I guess." Emma says a little uncomfortably. She knows she's not a great liar, so she tries to keep her answers vague, but honest.
"How did you two meet?" Debbie continues with her line of questioning.
"Ahhh" Emma stumbles for a second
"We met through Henry actually." Regina saves. Emma gives the brunette an incredulous look. What version of the truth was she going for here?
"I am the mayor of Storybrooke and when Emma came to town on her case, I was fortunate enough to spend some time him while she was busy." Regina continues. "Let's just say Emma and I did not get along very well at first but...we eventually bonded through Henry.
"He seems to have really taken to you." Debbie interjects
"Yes, he's a wonderful boy. Sometimes I forget that he's not biologically mine." Regina says thoughtfully.
"That's very sweet. Emma is lucky to have found you."
"I'm the lucky one. She may have upended my life a little at first…but ultimately my life is a hundred times better since she came to town."
Emma can't help but stare at the woman next to her. Regina's words had rung true, not an ounce of deception could be heard. Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't moved a little.
Debbie gives the pair a, "awe" face before she becomes distracted and starts yelling at her boys for starting a spit-ball contest.
Soon after that the group departs the market and decides to go on a 'duck tour'. Regina is confused by the suggestion at first and asks why they would bother to look at ducks when they are in a city so rich with history. But Emma laughed at her and explained that it was historic bus tour that took you on both land and in the water. Regina had was about to reprimand Emma for laughing at her when the other woman grabbed her hand to pull her toward the ticket stand. Regina suddenly couldn't hold in her anger anymore.
"Are you still feeling sick dear?" Regina asks her with audible concern in her voice.
The boat ride earlier had been nice while they were on land, but as son as the boat hit the water; Emma's head began to pound. She had suddenly felt more seasick than she ever had before. Of course this had lead to Regina teasing her about how she could have ever been with a pirate when she didn't have any sea legs. She had spent the rest of the tour with her head between her knees, while Regina rubbed small circles in her back. Overall not a terrible experience. Emma thinks.
After the boat tour, the boys decided that they want to go back to the hotel and go in the pool; which is where Regina is currently inquiring about Emma's health.
The god honest truth is that Emma doesn't know if she's okay. Regina has just taken off her coverall and is now standing in front of her in a skimpy bathing suit. It is much more revealing than the one she had worn at the lake. While that one had been flattering, it had also seemed almost athletic in it's style. This one is also a one-piece, but for all the skin it shows, and curves it hugs, it might as well be a bikini.
Emma momentarily lost all train of thought and her breath became sporadic. What the hell is wrong with me? Sure, she had always thought her son's other mother was attractive. And sure, they had some chemistry. But it wasn't until that moment that she realized she might be attracted to her.
Emma shakes her head to clear her thoughts. Regina takes this as Emma telling her that she is not okay, and consequently comes closer to offer her support. However, this action only makes the situation worse, so Emma sits down on one of the lounge chairs. By this point their entire party is watching her with concern.
"I'm fine, really." Emma tries to assure everyone.
"Perhaps your blood sugar is low. We should probably eat dinner soon." Regina suggests.
"Can we stay here and get room service?" Much to Debbie's surprise, Henry's question is directed to Regina and not Emma.
Regina makes a face at the thought of room service food but doesn't want to drag Henry away for dinner while he seemed to be having fun. Henry and the twins had been obsessed with the idea of getting food delivered to the pool since they had read that it was possible on a sign at check-in.
Emma sensed the hesitation and jumped in to the conversation "I don't think your mom wants to eat hotel food. Especially since we're in a major city that has a world of culinary opportunities."
Henry seems a little disappointed but tries not to let it show too much.
"I can stay here with the boys, while you are Regina go out to eat." Debbie suggests.
"We couldn't let you do that." Regina counters
"Of course you can! Henry is no problem at all! And you can't spend your fist trip to Boston in a hotel room!"
"Only if you're sure…" Emma says. She knows there is no point in arguing. Debbie is a well-meaning but pushy person.
"Absolutely! You guys go have fun!"
After a quick change of clothes and some freshening up, Emma and Regina make their way to dinner.
"Where would you like to eat?" Emma asks as they walk down the sidewalk. They aren't holding hands but they are close enough for their hands to bush against each other on occasion.
"I don't know of anywhere. You're the one who lived here. How about you show me somewhere you like."
Emma was a little nervous that this was some sort of test form the brunette. But in the end she thinks she made a good decision. At least it seems that way, considering the fact that the only item left on Regina's plate was the decorative parsley.
"This place was a decent choice Emma, good job"
Emma rolled her eyes at the half-compliment.
"I really like the atmosphere" She adds.
Emma can't help but agree. She took Regina to what claimed to be the "Oldest Tavern in America." She thought that it would go along nicely with the all the historical information they had been given that day.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to the restroom before we leave." Regina says as she stands up.
"Hurry back, I need to go after you." Emma says as she starts to leave.
"I was planning on spending at least 20 minutes in there but I suppose I could try and go quicker since you asked." Regina replies sarcastically.
Emma rolls her eyes, but Regina is already walking away and doesn't see.
Emma thought about how nice the day had been while she finished her beer and waited for the other woman to come back.
"Can I clear your wife's plate?" The waitress asks Emma.
"Oh, uh, she's not my wife…I, uh, think she's done though" Emma stumbles over her words. She knows that they had been pretending to be a couple all day, but for a perfect stranger to assume they were married was still strange and unexpected.
"Oh! I'm sorry for the assumption. I just heard you talking about your son before." The waitress looks down, clearly embarrassed.
"Hey it's no problem. In fact…" Emma says as she gets an idea "When my friend comes back, how about you ask her the same question." At the girl's confused look Emma tries to explain further. "Like call me her wife. And then tell me what her reaction is."
The girl giggles a little, clearly still embarrassed, but she agrees.
Finally Regina makes her way back to the table and Emma stands up. "Took you long enough" she says dramatically as she walks past the brunette. This time it's Regina's turn to roll her eyes.
As Emma makes her way back from the bathroom she sees the waitress and walks over to the bar.
"I can pay now." Emma states.
"Okay, give me one second then." The girl chirps as she leans over the cash register.
"So, what was her reaction?" Emma asks as the girl hands her the check.
"Oh, nothing really."
"What do you mean nothing really?" Emma looks up confused.
"I mean she didn't really have a reaction. I asked if her wife was done with her dink and she just responded 'yes, thank you'" The waitress explained.
"Huh" Emma says as she pulls out her wallet. "I was really sure she was going to ring you a new one for even insinuating that we were together."
"Thanks for sending me into a trap" The girl responds sarcastically.
"No harm, no foul." Emma says with a laugh. Despite her nonchalant nature, she does feel a bit guilty and consequently leaves the girl a very generous tip.
She walks over to the table and hold out her hand to Regina. "Ready to go?" she asks
Regina takes her hand and gets up, letting go once she is standing. "I know you use to be a thief Miss Swan, but I'm not in the habit of leaving without paying the bill."
"Har Har" Emma deadpans. "I already paid"
"Oh…thank you."
"Anytime." Emma answers, and Regina hopes that she actually means it.
It's already quite late by the time the women get back to the hotel. On their way there, they had walked past a chocolate shop that was still open. Regina suggested that they go in a get Debbie a small gift for having watched the boys for them. Emma was pleasantly surprised by the idea. Regina has really come a long way since her "evil" queen days.
When they get back to the room, Henry is already asleep and sprawled out on one of the beds. His game-boy still glowing, and in his lax hand. Regina goes over and carefully takes the device from him and turns it off. She then lays the throw blanket over his legs.
"Uh" Emma says uncomfortably.
Regina turns and gives her a questioning look.
"We never resolved the bed situation. " She whispers.
"Oh"
"It's fine I can move Henry or sleep on the floor or something."
"Nonsense Miss Swan, there is enough room in the bed for the two of us." Regina had suspected, and secretly hoped, all along that they would end up sharing one of the two beds.
Emma is surprised by the offer. She also doesn't understand why the offer gives her a nervous butterfly feeling in her stomach. She's shared a bed platonically with people before. It should be no big deal. Why does it feel like a big deal?
"Thanks" She replies as she grabs her things and gets changed.
She lays down and a few minutes later Regina comes out in her silk shorts pajama set. If she hadn't just seen Regina in her bathing suit today, this image of her would have been too much for Emma to handle.
"I hope you don't mind that I took the right side of the bed." Emma says and lays down facing Regina.
"Not at all. I actually get in on the left side of my bed at home anyway." Regina gets under the covers and lies on her back.
"Get in?"
"Well, yes, I usually end up somewhere toward the middle." She adds almost shyly.
Regina acting shy? What is going on? This trip is confusing Emma more than she ever thought.
"Good Night Emma" She says and turns off the lamp.
"'Night" Emma says and closes her eyes and wills herself to not think of her bedmate and fall asleep. Soon she does.
However, Regina is wide-awake. Being so close to Emma without actually having contact is driving her insane. She didn't realize it would be this bad when she had offered to share the bed. She doesn't want to be pushy or creepy but she can't relax. She finally turns her body to face the other woman and scoots more toward the middle of the bed, while still keeping some distance. She lays her hand on Emma's upper arm and closes her eyes. With Emma grounding her, she quickly falls asleep.
Emma wakes up a few hours later when something tickles her face. She opens her eyes and is slightly alarmed to see how close Regina has become during the night. Regina's hand is lying on her arm and their faces are merely inches apart. It may even have been Regina's breath on her face that woke her up.
Emma strains her head to look at the clock behind her. It's still only the wee hours of the morning, and they have plenty of time left to sleep. She knows she should probably turn around and put some distance between them, but she can't find it in herself to move. Regina looks so peaceful in sleep. Younger too.
Perhaps it's this vulnerability that makes Emma put her arm around Regina's waist. Wanting to protect her from some non-existent danger of the night. She knows the other woman will probably be furious in the morning if they wake up like this, but Emma can't find it in herself to care. She could always use being asleep as an excuse. And will Regina be furious? She's acting so differently lately. Emma allows her mind to wander and she drifts back into unconsciousness.
When Regina wakes up again, the sun is just staring to peak out from the clouds. She feels safe, and warm, and comfortable. She slowly wakes up and notices the blonde woman next to her…or she should say, practically on top of her. Their position looks as if they were giving each other a hug, except that Emma's head is no longer on the pillow but leaning against her chest.
All of a sudden, Regina's chest feels tight. It's as if the light pressure of Emma's forehead is somehow suffocating her. Her heart is pounding like a race horse. She needs to get up. And fast.
She tries to gently untangle herself but she knows that in her panicked state she has probably jostled the other woman too much.
Regina runs into the bathroom and turns the mirror light on. She doesn't want to actually look at herself in the mirror though. She roughly grabs the counter of the sink and looks down at her hands. Emma just had been so close. Too close. She tries to breathe deeply but it still feels like she can't get enough air.
Then suddenly there is a hand on her shoulder.
"Regina, what's wrong?" A soft and concerned voice implores.
Regina doesn't know how it happens so fast but suddenly she is all over Emma. She is grabbing the other woman's face with both her hands as she kisses her. The kiss is full of desperation as well as uncontrollable desire. She maneuvers their bodies so they are flush against each other, with the blonde's back against the sink. Emma lets out a small "umph" when her back hits the marble.
The noise causes Regina's brain clicks into motion again. What is she doing!?
Regina starts to pull away from Emma. The look on her face is a mixture of horrified and apologetic. Emma had been too dazed to actually process the situation, but now her mind is in overdrive.
Before Regina can pull their bodies apart completely, Emma puts her hands on the woman's neck and pulls her into herself once more. Regina makes a noise of surprise but otherwise contributes as fully to the kiss as Emma. Emma suddenly realizes that if their son should wake up, he would see them. Not willing to break from their kiss, she pushes herself from off the sink and lightly kicks the door shut. She moves around until Regina's back is leaning against the now closed door.
She starts to kiss down the side of Regina's face and neck. Regina lets out a small moan when she sucks on her pulse point.
Then Regina's hands are on her cheeks, guiding her face so that they are level again. The other woman leans forward so their foreheads and resting against each other and they both try to catch their breath.
Finally Regina pulls back slightly and looks at Emma. "Not here…Not now." She says, still a little out of breath. Then she pecks Emma quickly and moves their bodies so that suddenly Emma finds herself on the other side of the door, in the bedroom.
Emma can see that the sun has risen pretty fully in the sky by now. How long had they been in the bathroom? A part of her thinks it has been only a few minutes but, another part of her feels like they were kissing (practically making out, she thinks smugly) for quite a while.
Emma had felt something inside of her snap with that kiss. She no longer knew what to think, how to act, or how she felt. It was as if some had pulled a rug out from under her, and she couldn't decide if she liked the view from the ground or not.
She can hear the shower start in the bathroom and assumes Regina is going to be a while. She decides to clear her head and take a walk around the hotel. Maybe get some coffee from the breakfast bar downstairs.
By the time Emma comes back upstairs, Regina and Henry are both showered and changed. They are sitting on one of the beds with a few brochres between them. Regina looks up as Emma comes through the door but quickly looks back down at the paper. Emma isn't sure how she feels about that. She doesn't think she could face the other woman just yet. At the same time, a part of her was hoping Regina would look at her with the same desire as before. That way Emma could be assured that Regina didn't regret the whole ordeal.
"Morning kid." She tries to keep her voice chipper as she greets them "Breakfast is still going on in the lobby for another half hour. They even have doughnuts." She adds with a wink to the boy.
Henry immediately hops up from the bed. "Awesome! You coming mom?" he directs at his brunette mother.
"Yes, let me just put these away first."
"I'm going to get ready while you're eating but I'll meet you in the lobby in a little while and we can leave from there." Emma says specifically to Henry as she makes her way into the bathroom.
Henry looks between his two moms curiously but doesn't say anything except and quick "Sounds good" before he leaves the room.
That day is spent at Fenway Park. Although Henry was never big into sports but the Finkles are big baseball fans.
"I still can't believe Ma convinced you to wear a baseball cap!" Henry says with a knowing smile.
"Yes, well, she seems to think that I'm going to melt in this weather without one." Regina says.
The day has not been the most pleasant one for her. On top of her anxiety over what happened that morning, the day had been hot and tiring. Regina couldn't help but notice that their seats are not that great, but considering she has little idea of how the game works anyway, she doesn't care that much. However, she does care that it is extremely hot out and the chairs are uncomfortable. She tries not to complain but Emma had noticed her grumblings and insisted she drink tons of water and wear this ridiculous hat.
"Stop picking on your mom Henry." Emma says as she arrives with more water for them. "She looks cute." She adds, while refusing to look at Regina. Regina is thankful that no one is paying attention to her rapidly appearing blush.
Emma had avoided looking directly at Regina most of the morning. She didn't know what she wanted to find behind the other woman's eyes. Does she want a relationship? Do I? What if it didn't work out? She had been repeatedly asking herself these questions most of the morning.
A part of Emma wanted to flee; wanted to fake an emergency in Storybrooke and have to go home. She knew that plan was flawed for many reasons though. One big flaw was that her mind was torn between actually wanting to run from Regina, and wanting to kiss her again.
Debbie of course noticed her distress and confronted her about it at the concession stand earlier.
"Are you okay?" She asks
"Yeah, I'm fine"
"Did you and Regina have a fight?"
"No…it's complicated but we're fine, really."
"Okay? Well I'm sure you'll work it out. I've rarely seen such a perfect little family as yours." Debbie says before she drops the subject completely.
Since that conversation Emma had been trying to not over think the situation with Regina. They would talk about it later, she decided. For now, she would just let herself do all the couple things that she's been enjoying doing yesterday. She knew she was failing at acting completely normal though. So both she and Regina had focused their attention on the boys and the players, for the rest of the game.
"I'm hungry!" Henry announces as they leave the ballpark.
"How can you possibly be thinking about food, kid? You spent like 30 dollars at the concession stand on snacks!" Emma asks incredulously.
"I'm a growing boy!" he laughs and then hits her arm. "Plus you and mom ate half of my stuff anyway!" He adds
"I did not!" Regina chimes in.
"You did too, but it's okay. It was hilarious to watch you try a corn dog!"
Emma can't help but to laugh at Henry's statement. Regina's disgusted face as she chewed the corn battered hot dog was one of the funniest things she had seen in a long time.
"Well it was awful" Regina simply states with an air of regality that Emma doesn't think anyone else in a baseball cap could pull off.
Then Henry tugs on Emma's sleeve and pulls her aside.
"Can we go out to for a family dinner since it's our last night here." Henry whispers
"Yeah kid I think that sounds great! Why the secretive nature though?" She responds curiously
"I don't want Tom and Dan to think I don't want to hang out with them tonight. I would just rather spend some time with you guys though."
"Oh okay" She says. She is kind of touched that he would want to spend time with them over his friends. "I'll play the mom card than and insist on it." She says with a wink.
Emma then went and talked to Debbie about it. Debbie proceeded to announce that everyone needed some family time. Her sons groaned but didn't object further. Those boys might be kind of a pain, but they really did love their mom.
With no further objections, they went off in their respective ways.
When Emma left the table at dinner, Henry turned his attention to Regina.
"What happened, and why were you guys being so weird earlier?" Henry demands.
"Henry…"
"Don't tell me you weren't either. You were." He adds before she can deny the claim. "Is this because you guys cuddled last night?" He asks.
"How did you…?" She starts to question. Suddenly she is terrified that they hadn't closed the door to the bathroom soon enough.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and saw you." He assuages her fears.
"Wait…did you fall asleep before we got back on purpose?" She asks as the thought occurs to her.
"Nope, that was a happy accident." He says with a smile. "But you never told me why you're being weird."
"Henry it was a little awkward this morning but we're fine now." She says. And it's pretty true. Things were still slightly awkward but once it was only them and Henry, their "normal" family routine slipped into place easily.
"Yeah I guess…" Henry says just as Emma comes back.
"You guess what?" Emma asks as she sits down
"He guesses that he's getting excited for school to start." Regina easily makes up.
Emma gives her a curious look. Perhaps it's her lie detector going off? Regina thinks.
Emma chooses not to comment though, and instead resumes eating.
"Ugh" Henry groaned, "I'm so full, I can barely walk"
"I'm not surprised after everything you've eaten today." Regina says with a slight reprimand in her voice.
"I'm surprised you've been letting him eat so much junk today." Emma studies the brunette as they walk. Regina has seemed so much more laid back lately than she usually is.
"He is on vacation" She ruffles his hair as she responds. She can feel Emma staring at her but purposely ignores her son's other mother. " I expect you to eat healthier once we get home again though." She adds with a yawn.
"Are you tired?" Emma inquires and puts a hand on her shoulder. "You look dead on your feet." She adds to explain the question.
"I'm fine dear." She says a little short. Exhausted and Sexually Frustrated she adds mentally But fine.
"Well we should probably get back to the hotel." Emma says, fully not believing that the other woman is fine.
When they get to the hotel, they see the Finkles arriving with ice cream cones in their hands.
"Funny seeing you here." Debbie announces when she sees their group.
"Henry, would you want to stay in our room tonight?" One of the boys asks almost immediately upon seeing their son.
"Can I?" Henry asks, turning around to his mothers.
"We wouldn't want to impose on Miss Finkle, Henry" Regina says gently.
"It's really no problem." Debbie returns with a smile. "I'm not actually staying in the same room as them. My room has an attached door though, so I can hear if they start becoming too rambunctious."
"If your sure" Emma says skeptically
"I am."
"Okay Henry, then it's fine. How about we meet downstairs for breakfast at 8.30?" Emma suggests
"Cool thanks!" Henry says while he hugs his moms real quick and runs away with the boys.
"See you in the morning!" Debbie says as she steers the boys toward their rooms on the first floor.
Emma and Regina separate from the rest of the group at that point to go upstairs. The atmosphere immediately changes when they enter the empty elevator together. They are both very aware that this is the first time they've been alone since the bathroom incident early that morning. They were also aware that they would have the entire hotel room to themselves. However, neither woman spoke the entire way to the room.
When they get back to the room Regina grabs her bag and heads straight to the bathroom without a word to the blonde. For the second time that day she found herself gripping the bathroom sink and trying to breathe deeply. In and out. In and out.
Why are you acting so pathetic? She chastises herself. It's only Emma in the other room. You have the power to control this situation.
With that in mind, Regina is able to calm down enough to freshen up and change into her pajamas.
By the time she leaves the bathroom, Emma is already changed and lounging on one of the beds with the TV on low in the corner. She looks up as Regina walks back into the main room. Their eyes lock and Regina can't seem to move. She realizes now that she is faced with another problem. Because Henry isn't here, there is an extra bed in the room tonight. There is actually no need for her and Emma to share one again. She's looks at Emma and isn't sure of what she should do. Should she go and lay on the extra bed?
Emma, of course, had been thinking about this problem since Regina had first entered the bathroom. She was extremely confused by the brunette's actions this morning, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't hoping it would happen again. She was also wondering if she should bring up the incident. She knew they needed to talk about it before anything else was to happen. Emma wasn't sure what Regina was thinking at all…until Regina came out of the bathroom that is. Emma could see the uncertainly in Regina's eyes as she looked at the spare bed and then back to Emma. This uncharacteristic uncertainty gave Emma just a little bit of confidence. She scooted from her spot in the middle of the bed to off to the side, leaving plenty of room for the other woman. Then she went back to "watching" the television and waited for Regina to make her decision. After a few moments she felt a dip in the bed as Regina rested against the head board next to her.
A few more moments passed before Regina finally broke the silence. "What the hell are we watching Miss Swan?"
Emma can't help laugh in relief. Sassy Regina is a Regina she could handle.
"You mean to tell me that you are a female over the age of twelve and you've never seen Mean Girls before?" Emma responds in mock outrage.
"I think you're forgetting that the only movies I have seen are with my 14 year old son." She responds.
"We need to rectify that problem then." Emma says as she starts playing with the remote.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to find the pay per view channels on this TV. If we are going to introduce you to the quintessential teenage girl movie than we have to watch it from the beginning."
"You're going to pay to watch a movie that is currently playing on TV for free?"
"It's worth it, trust me."
Those last two words are what get Regina in the end. She shuts her mouth and lets Emma play the movie from the beginning.
Regina has to admit that the movie is pretty funny at times. Of course Emma makes quite a few jokes about Regina sharing the same name as the evil main character. But she appreciated that even Regina George, the "villain" of the movie, had a pretty happy ending.
By the time the movie is over Regina is half asleep, having already been tired before the movie even started. Emma herself was already under the covers and groaned as she reached for the remote to turn off the TV.
Now the room is shrouded in darkness. Emma turns to face her body toward the brunette and raises an eyebrow. Regina sighs and slips under the covers herself. They simply stare at each other in the low light of the clock on the nightstand.
"I'm sorry I attacked you this morning." The words fall out of Regina's mouth before she realizes it.
This is not what Emma expected her to say at all. It seems to her that Regina isn't going to acknowledge why it happened though.
"Is this the part where you tell me it didn't mean anything?" The venom in her voice is surprising even to herself. The Dark One anger hadn't surfaced in a while, but she can feel it rising inside of her now.
"Of course it meant something." Regina responds after a frustrated sigh. "I just didn't think that's the way I would tell you how I felt."
"And how do you feel?" Emma asks, significantly softer.
Regina sighs again. She is still not really comfortable with having heartfelt talks.
"Do you remember a few weeks ago when Henry made me make a list of all the qualities I would want in a partner?" She waits until Emma nods her head in confirmation to continue. "Everything on the list described you. Henry pointed it out almost immediately. I, of course, was pretty reluctant to the idea when he first said it. However, I quickly realized that I had been subconsciously thinking of you when I wrote the list to begin with. After a while I came to think that it was silly of me to be spending my time and effort trying to find a cheap imitation of you when the actual person I wanted was right in front of me.
If you had been anyone else, I would have kissed you the moment I had realized I wanted to. But you aren't anyone else. You are the mother of my child…the daughter of my former enemies…and for all I knew, not interested in being anything more than my friend. After last night though, I couldn't handle my emotions anymore. You were so close. And then you came to check on me with such concern in your voice and…not many people have ever cared enough about me to check on me."
Emma had listened to Regina's speech in silence. When she had been the dark one, Regina had said that Emma was included in her Happy Ending. When Regina saved her, she realized that the same went for her as well. She had no idea however, that she could want Regina in any other capacity until this trip. She had never given too much thought into her feelings toward the other woman because she never knew the possibility for more of a relationship was there. Now that she did though, Emma realized that she wanted it. She wanted more. She wanted to be a family with Regina and Henry like they had been "pretending" to do all weekend.
"So what do you want?" Emma finally asks. Emma knows what she wants now, but a small part of her is still unsure what Regina wants exactly.
Regina gives her a weak smile and grabs Emma's hand from between them.
"You" She whispers. "The way I've been pretending to have you all weekend. I'm not suggesting we get married right now or anything, but…maybe someday? I at least want the possibility of a someday with you."
Emma isn't quite sure how to respond. She is close to tears but refusing to allow them to fall. So instead, she leans over a kisses Regina. The kiss sends an electric shock straight through to her heart. (Which is now almost painfully beating in her chest.) This kiss stays slow and loving; both of them wanting to embrace the new sensation.
Finally, they part and Regina lifts her hand and rests it on Emma's cheek. "I'm going to assume that is your way of saying you want a real relationship too."
"I was never really pretending to begin with." Emma says
They kiss once more before Regina turns around and becomes the "little spoon." Now that she knows the possibility for more is there, she is in no need to hurry things between them.
Her last thoughts before going to sleep are of Henry, and how smug he is going to be when he finds out.