The ringing of the phone startled Regina. She hadn't been sleeping. No. She never got more that three hours sleep when he was there. She was staring at the ceiling wondering what she was even doing anymore when the vibrating of her phone knocked her out of her thoughts.
"Hello?" she rasped into the receiver.
"Death by shark or alligator?"
"Miss Swan," she looked at the clock, "its 3 am."
"Come on Gina you have to answer. Death by shark or alligator."
"Ohhh. I don't know. The likelihood that I'd I be killed by either is extremely low. I mean I don't really swim in the ocean except on the rare occasion you and Henry drag me to the beach and alligators live primarily in marshes, swamps, and lakes in the deep southeastern U.S. where I never plan to go. Doesn't the premise of the game demand that both deaths be possible."
"What if you are on an airplane and it goes down in a swamp or in the ocean and you are not killed on impact?"
"Alright fine. Shark. Alligators drown you before they actually eat you. With sharks its quicker. Less drawn out."
There was an almost deafening silence between them before Emma spoke again, "Were you awake too or did I wake you?"
"You didn't wake me Emma."
"Oh good," another pause, "is he there?"
Sigh, she peaked over at the naked form of Robin Hood sleeping soundly next to her his breathing remained even. She swung her legs out of bed and tiptoed to the door. Slipping out of her bedroom and walking briskly but quietly down the hall to the stairs.
"Regina?"
"Ya he's here. I was just going downstairs to talk. Is Captain Guyliner there?"
"No. I don't do THAT with Henry around. We had a date that ended up in his room at the Inn… but I couldn't sleep so now I'm walking home."
"Ahhh. Miss Swan, your fear of commitment is showing."
"MY fear of commitment? What about you? You've been engaged for… two years now. I mean I know you said no rush but…"
"I don't want to have this discussion with you tonight just like I didn't want to have this discussion with your mother two days ago. You Charmings, push, push, push. It's not like you and I are getting married."
"No… it's not."
"How are you and Killian doing? Are you going to move in with him?"
"No. Probably for the same reason that you are not going to move in with Robin despite the fact that you two are engaged."
"Because of Henry?"
"No," there was another pause before Emma spoke again, "I'm thinking that I'm going to break up with Hook."
"Why Emma? He's so in love with you."
"It's completely one sided. I've known for a while now that he isn't my person. My true love. He's just filler and I don't think its fair to him anymore considering he's trying to build a life with me and I don't feel the same way. It was fine at first. We had some fun, there was some playful banter, and the sex is pretty good but I just don't feel anything more substantial for him. Since we are no longer constantly on the brink of death it made me realize he's… not really long term material."
"Henry will be disappointed."
"Not really. Last week Hook made a thinly veiled innuendo towards me when Henry was in the room. I swear I thought the kid was gonna punch him. Turns out our little boy is not so little or boyish anymore. He was so pissed." Emma laughed and it made Regina smile and chuckle as well. Just as quickly her laugher faded.
Regina swallowed a lump in her throat, "I'm gonna call off the engagement."
"I know."
"You know? How do you know? I didn't even know until about an hour ago."
"Is sex with Robin that bad?" Emma smirked. She could hear Regina huff on the other end of the line.
"Miss Swan…"
"I'm sorry. I guess what tipped me off is the way you've been with him lately: distant, moody, over-sensitive. I mean those traits are old Regina. Not my best friend Regina. I know you. I've know you for five years. Is it something in particular that sparked this revelation or are you just sick of your bed smelling like pine cones?"
"Ha… ha," Regina deadpanned, "I don't know. It's a lot of little things. Honestly, I don't feel like me anymore. Not the Evil Queen me but me, Regina. I don't love him. I feel like I should and I've been trying for so long but I don't. How did you say it? He's not my person. Stupid pixie dust!" Regina rested her elbows on the kitchen counter and put her head in her hands, "I've got to tell him."
"Yeah…" Emma sighed deeply watching the steam from her breath float in front of her face, "Well I'm home. Why don't you come to brunch tomorrow at my mom and dad's house? It'll be fun." Emma begged and then smirked devilishly, "And there will be mimosas."
"Alright but do not say one word about Robin to your mother."
"You got it. Goodnight doll."
"Goodnight Emma."
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Regina strode hastily toward Granny's Diner where Henry's other mother
had texted her to meet at 10:30am. They would be walking to Snow White and Prince Charming's new abode which was not far. They had left the loft to Emma about a year ago and moved nearer to the sheriffs station into a quaint single family home in a residential neighbor. Somewhere, they had said, Neal would enjoy growing up. It had been beneficial for all involved. Henry got his own room at Emma's and Emma got her parents to stop hovering over her and focus on her baby brother who needed a lot more coddling then she did.
"Hey. You're late. It's so unlike you."
"I did it. He cleaned out his drawer this morning and took the whole thing surprisingly well."
"That's great Gina. I'm happy for you." Emma hugged her. It didn't last long, "A free woman at last. We might need to go celebrate your newfound freedom this weekend. Shots are on me." Emma linked her arm with Regina's.
Regina smirked at her friend as they set off down Main St. arm in arm. They walked in silence for a minute.
"Aneurysm or cancer? I mean aneurysm is quick and painless and you're gone. But cancer you get to stick around for a while say your goodbyes to those you love etc."
The blonde thought about it for a while, "I think I'm going to go with aneurysm. I don't want to suffer and be in constant pain. I don't want to see it coming. Ok. I got one: death by drowning or fire?"
Regina smiled at the game they had started playing together than never seemed to let up, "Why are we so fixated on such horrible, gruesome, and depressing scenarios?"
"I think your deflecting," Emma countered which caused Regina to let out a hearty laugh which not many people had ever witnessed.
"Alright. I would most definitely prefer drowning. It is painless. Like going to sleep. Burned alive you would feel everything." Regina looked up from where they were walking as she felt Emma stop walking. They were standing in front of the Charming residence and Regina just couldn't resist, "Just as charming as I remember it."
Emma smirked at her, opening the gate that lead up the front walk and allowing Regina to go first toward the charming abode (Charming abode?).
Emma reached for the knocker and rapped on the front door. Quite the commotion was happening inside. If Emma and Regina hadn't noticed on their way up the front walk, they certainly noticed now. A child's joyful yells could be heard from through the door. It was at that point that Emma decided to take matters into her own hands. She grabbed the front door knob and turned sticking her head inside her parents home first and calling out a, "Hello?"
"Emma dear come on in we are running just a little behind schedule." Emma saw her mother's retreating form disappear into the kitchen. Emma took Regina's coat and her own signature, red leather jacket to hang on the coat rack that sat by her parents front door. When she turned around moments later to a child's squeal, she held her arms open just in time to catch her brother in her arms. He was wearing only his pull-ups and clearly avoiding his mother "Mama!"
Emma and Regina both laughed. His attempts to say Emma always came out mama. It didn't help that Henry constantly called Emma Mama or Ma as well. "Gina!"
"Hello Neal. Aren't we looking underdressed today?" She chuckled at his toothy grin so much like his much older sister. Just then Snow came rushing into the room to catch her son.
"Emma would you please tell your brother that he needs to get dressed. He listens to you."
"Come on lil man lets go get some clothes on. If I have to wear 'em so do you."
"Thank god for that." Regina smirked as Emma glared whilst walking her baby brother to his room to put on clothes.
Snow gave Regina a warm smile and pulled her in for a hug, "How are things with Robin?"
"Wow. Ten seconds without butting into my life. That must be a new record." She smirked at Snow who just looked innocently into Regina's eyes.
"I just want you to be happy Regina and it seems like something is the matter if you refuse to marry the man who loves you."
"Yes well so much for the man who loves me. He didn't even put up a fight when I called off the engagement this morning and told him that I didn't love him that way. He didn't say anything really. Other than he's been feeling guilty about everything thats happened with Zelena and Tucker. He's been feeling it for a while I know and I don't think it helped when I refused to take her revenge spawn and raise him as my own. It's not his fault that Zelena is his mother but I couldn't forcibly take a child from its mother. Not after everything I've been through with Henry. I know all too well how that feels."
"Well this is kind of a shock but I guess I knew something was up for a while. I just thought," Snow looked down at her hands which were clutched together in front of her, "I thought maybe it had something to do with your marriage to my father." Snow looked sadly into Regina's eyes.
Regina sighed as much as she hated to comfort Snow White, "Listen Snow. Nothing that happened between Leopold and I has any baring on any marriage I have in the future. It was a different time, a different life and I was a different person so don't feel responsible or guilty anymore. I've learned an important thing these last few years. You have to let go and move on. That is how you earn your happiness."
A throat cleared behind them as Emma came back in the room holding a much more reserved Neal in her arms. She hugged her mother, kissed her on the cheek and handed Neal over to the brunette woman.
"Well it seems as if someone has come down a few pegs," Snow smiled at her son, "I'm going to just take him next door. Mrs. Jeffries offered to babysit for a while today. She just adores your brother. I'll be back in a minute."
When Snow was out the door, Emma and Regina headed to the covered porch at the back of the house where Emma assumed their brunch gathering would be held. Her mother had put out quite the spread as if she had forgotten it was only the three of them. There were little cucumber finger sandwiches, veggies and dip, deviled eggs, ham and pickle roll-ups, and, Emma's favorite, Banana Crumb Cake.
"Hey I heard what you said about Robin. I'm real sorry Gina. If anyone deserves someone who will fight for her its you," Emma gave her a half smile as she filled a plate with a little of everything and handed it to Regina.
"Thanks Emma. I truly appreciate you saying that. I do know that I am a difficult woman to live with so I don't really blame him for making a clean getaway. I'm a bit disappointed though. I've enjoyed being a surrogate mother to Roland and enjoyed having a child around again."
"I kinda know what you mean. I keep thinking that if I tell Killian it's over, I may not get another chance to have a child for a long time and honestly I'd really like to do it at least once from the beginning."
"You are breaking up with Killian?" Snow had reentered the brunch party with perfect timing as always.
"Mom I don't want a lecture either. I don't love him. He's an overgrown teenage boy. End of discussion."
"Alright fine. All I want is for you girls to be happy and if Robin and Killian are not your happiness I just hope you find the right person. Sooner rather than later." Emma and Regina both just gaped at Snow who's statement that they should continue down a path that, for now at least, led away from perfectly acceptable suitors had shocked them.
"Thanks mom you are taking this extremely well."
"Yes well I haven't slept since your brother was born maybe I'm just finally succumbing to insanity. Just revel in this small victory. More nagging is coming your way down the road I'm sure." They all laughed and enjoyed the rest of the early afternoon together.
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Three weeks passed and two best friends enjoyed the newly single life with family dinners will their son and drunken Friday nights with too many tequila shots. It was a full three and a half weeks later on a Wednesday afternoon that Emma's cellphone rang. She was sitting at her desk in the sheriff's station leaning all the way back in her desk chair and throwing a tennis ball straight up in the air and catching it when the phone buzzed nearly causing Emma to fall backwards before she righted herself.
"Sheriff Swan," she answered in the event this actually was a work call. In the struggle to not fall onto the station floor, she had not looked at the caller ID. There was no answer, "Hello?" She pulled the phone away from her face and glanced at it seeing the mayors face on the screen, "Regina? What's up?"
"Did you mean what you said a couple weeks ago?"
Emma was very concerned about the way Regina was acting, "Um… probably not. You know I don't mean half of what I say. Unless of course you want me to say I meant it in which case I meant every word and would stand by it to the death," Emma smirked at her own humor.
"If you are not busy I need you to come by the house tonight. Alone."
"Oh… kay… is everything alright?" Emma sounded concerned, "you are acting very strange."
"Just please come by the house tonight at 6. I'll feed you and there's something I really want to run by you but not over the phone. Alright?"
"Alright then I'll see you at 6 tonight."