***Author's Notes: I have a feeling that you may be upset with me after you read this one, but I still really hope that you like it and continue to stay with me until the end of the story. I can't say much without giving anything away, so please enjoy and leave me a comment with your thoughts!***
Emma walks up to the front door of the bar and can already hear the party going on inside. She steps in and is surprised to see that the place is decorated very festively. There are lights and tinsel hanging from the rafters, the top of the bar, around the doorways , and there are sprigs of holly and mistletoe hanging randomly throughout the entire dining area as well.. She thinks to herself that she should probably avoid those particular spots just so she is not caught in any uncomfortable situations with any of strangers or bar regulars.
Emma sees that Killian is behind the bar doing what he does best, chatting with some of the party guests while pouring out two martinis. She looks around for Regina but does not see her anywhere. When she walks towards the bar, she is suddenly spotted by Marian.
"Emma! We were wondering when you were going to show up." Marian calls out to her. "Robin is in the kitchen helping Regina with the appetizers but he's been waiting for you to get here so he can redeem himself on the pool table."
Emma chuckles before replying, "He really just needs to just let that go because I'm just going to beat him again." Emma says with a cheeky grin. "And this place looks great by the way. How'd you ever talk Regina into all these decorations?"
"It was more difficult than we thought it would be, that's for sure. But thank goodness she has a soft spot for the boys. Once Killian and Robin started batting those eyelashes, she couldn't resist. Oh! And Killian told me that you helped him to convince Regina to let us throw the party. Thank you so much for that."
Emma laughs. "You're so right about that soft spot she has for the guys so I don't think that I was the one that really convinced her in the end." Emma adds with a smile.
Marian laughs because of how clueless Emma is when it comes to Regina's affections for her. Even though she wants to hint at it, she decides against it and instead slips her arm into Emma's. "C'mon, let me introduce you to some of our other friends from high school."
Emma agrees happily and walks around the bar with Marian as she introduces her to all of their friends from high school that are at the party. She finds it funny that almost everyone she talks to about Regina tells her they never would have imagined that Regina would be the owner of a bar. They all, including Robin and Marian, had expected Regina to go into law like she had always talked about as a teenager, and some even said that back then they might have pegged her as some that would eventually go into politics. They share stories of the Regina they knew in high school and laugh about how she always spent all of her time to studying and rarely to hanging out and having a good time.
Emma smiles as she tries to imagine Regina as this other person that everyone is painting her to be but she just seems to fall short. She admits she really likes the version of Regina that she knows now and just cannot imagine her to be anyone different.
The thought of Regina makes Emma look around again for her and she still does not see the other woman anywhere. She does however see Janie and Joe at a table by themselves so she excuses herself from Marian and the group so she can walk in their direction to say hi. "Hey there, you two." Emma says before she even reaches the table.
"Emma!" Janie exclaims as she leans over to give Emma a hug.
"How are you, Sport?" Joe asks.
"Oh, you know, just living the dream." Emma smiles at the couple.
They chat about the condo and then about what they have been up to lately. They tell Emma that they recently took a cruise to Alaska and shows her some pictures that they took on Joe's phone. They talk for a while but when Emma's phone rings, she excuses herself so that she can take the call outside. She glances down at her phone once she is walking towards the door to see that it is her mom calling.
She answers the call with as much cheer as she can muster. "Hey, Ma."
"Hi Emma! It's not Momma. It's Neal."
Emma chuckles. "Hey Squirt. What are you doing with Mom's phone?"
Emma can hear her parents in the background when Neal answers her. "Momma wants you to come home for Christmas and she told me to ask you..."
Emma rolls her eyes. Before Neal can finish what he was saying, she hears her mother's voice on the other end of the line. "Emma?"
"Hi, Ma. What are you guys doing up so late? It is like nearly 11pm over there." Emma asks.
"We just got back from a movie with your brother. Believe me, he is going to march himself to his bedroom right now to get ready for bed." Emma can hear Neal whining in the background followed by her father's stern voice telling him to 'move it'. Then she hears her mother clear her throat. "Emma, Sweetie, will you be coming home for Christmas? We were thinking that since you probably don't have anyone to spend it with in Seattle that you could make a trip back East."
Emma groans softly to herself. "I have to work, Ma. And I do have people to spend Christmas with. I mean, I do actually have friends here. And Christmas is in like nine days. Even if I decide to now, it's too late to make a trip out. The plane tickets will be so expensive."
"Well, I just thought I'd ask…" She says quietly.
Emma hates that her parents can always make her feel guilty for not visiting when they want her to. Everything is always on their schedule and on their terms and it seems as though they could not care less about what she may or may not have planned already.
In all honesty though, she has not really been home in four years. The last time she saw her family, they had visited Emma in New York for Neal's ninth birthday. She sighs, "How about I make a trip back in a couple of months for Dad's birthday? I can plan ahead and make sure that I have the time off."
Her mother perks up at this, "Oh, Sweetie! Your father and I would love that. We just miss you so very much." Then Emma hears her mom speaking to her father, "Honey, Emma says that she will come home for your birthday instead. Emma, your father wants to speak with you so I'm going to give him the phone now. I love you."
"Love you-."
But before she can finish her reply, her dad is on the line. "Hey, Kiddo. How's the West coast treatin' ya?"
Her father's voice makes her smile. "Hey Dad. Everything is good. How is everything going back there? Is Ma driving you crazy or what?" Emma has always been a Daddy's girl and hearing his voice makes her realize that she does actually miss him a lot.
"Oh, you know. Hangin' in there." He says.
Emma laughs. "She's still standing right there, isn't she?"
That makes him laugh as well. "I miss you, Emma. You know, we understand if you can't make it home. I know that you have other things going on. You know that I don't ask for much, I just want you happy and healthy."
"I know, Dad. I'm gonna try for March though. I promise." Emma assures him.
"Alright then, we're gonna go hit the hay. Call us if there is anything that you need. We love you." He says.
"Okay. Love you, too, Daddy." Emma says as she smiles into the phone.
She ends the call and shakes her head as she tries to gather her thoughts. Her relationship with her parents has definitely been rocky since she came out to them as bisexual when she was in high school. Her mother was very upset for a very long time. And her father just never brought it up again. While Emma does not blame her mom at all for her reaction, she still wishes that everything happened differently. In the end, all the tension only made it easier for her to move out of the house when she did.
When she first started dating Walsh, her mom was ecstatic. And when she left him, she once again felt like she was going to be such a disappointment to them. She remembers not being able to be upfront about the breakup for a long time because she was worried that they would be angry. Instead, her parents told her that they supported her decision and that they just wanted her to be happy. Her dad has since been sending er random text messages asking if she has been dating anyone new, if she had a girlfriend or boyfriend, basically fishing for any details that he could get. He has even mentioned once or twice that he is ready to be a grandad. She smiles at that thought and then goes back inside to enjoy the rest of the party.
The party seems to still be going full force. She heads to the restroom first and when she is finished, she goes behind the bar and pours herself a drink. Emma is sipping on it when realizes that she has been at the party for nearly an hour now and she has still not even seen or talked to Regina. She wonders if Regina is finally done doing whatever she was doing and scans the room once again looking for her.
Emma finally finds Regina standing over by the rest of the group. Her and Killian are both laughing while listening to one of Robin and Marian's stories and everyone looks like they are having a great time. She downs the rest of her bourbon and soda and walks in their direction. Robin is first to see her approaching them and waves her over.
Regina is still talking with Marian when Emma makes her way over to the group. Marian mentioned that Emma had made it to the party and so Regina has been looking for her since she rejoined the party and was not able to spot her anywhere. When she finally catches a glimpse of Emma in her slacks and a dress shirt she immediately feels very warm.
Emma jokes with Robin for a couple minutes about the pool game rematch that needs to happen and then he and Killian go off on a tangent about soccer and the recent matches that they watched on television earlier in the week. Emma can see Regina from the corner of her eye and notices that the woman is wearing a short, cocktail dress with thigh-high black boots. She does not want to get caught staring so she turns back towards the guys as she listens to them jabber on about sports.
When someone from across the room is calling for Marian, Emma watches as she excuses herself and leaves Regina's side, walking towards the other group of people.
Emma takes this opportunity to move awkwardly to the spot next to Regina. She lightly elbows Regina from the side while wearing a huge grin on her face, "Hey there, stranger. Do you come here often?"
Regina chuckles. She really loves the way that Emma makes her smile so easily and thinks about how strange it is that just four months ago, they were complete strangers. This feeling that she gets around Emma is honestly really starting to scare her because at times, it feels all too familiar. "You are recycling all of Killian's horrible pickup lines and I should be the first to tell you that they have a very low approval rating."
"I hate to disappoint you but you definitely aren't the first to tell me that." Emma says as she chuckles. It also makes Regina laugh which Emma realizes is one of her most favorite sounds. They stand there in a comfortable silence, looking out into the crowd of people when Emma clears her throat and speaks up again. "It's really a great party. You guys did an amazing job getting everything set up. Do you feel any better about letting them talk you into throwing a holiday shindig or do you still feel that you'll regret it later?"
Suddenly, they both hear a loud thud and look to see that a few books had fallen off of a side table over just a few feet away from them. Regina walks over so that she can pick them up and Emma follows her. She returns them back to her bookcase before replying to Emma. "Hmm...I think that you will need to ask me again tomorrow morning when I'm back in here cleaning all of this up."
Emma finds that she has been looking for excuses to be around Regina whenever she can so this really sounds like another perfectly good way for them to hang out. "Aww well, I can come help you with that in the morning. I don't have anything going on tomorrow." She says.
Regina nods and cannot help smiling. Thinking back to her previous thoughts about Emma, she feels that a lot of the time now, she does not know how to act properly around the other woman. Her heart races and she always feels so nervous. Since they started spending more time together, Emma is constantly on her mind and no matter how hard she tries to push any romantic feelings aside, Emma always seems to say or do something that makes her feel so conflicted. "I guess that would be nice if you have the time. Also assuming that you are able to get up before noon tomorrow after tonight," she teases.
Emma is quick to respond. "Well, I can always just sleep over at your place and then I'll know for sure that I'll get up when you do?"
Regina cannot think of an appropriate response to Emma's suggestion and just the thought of sharing a bed again really starts to make her face heat up, so she takes a sip of her drink before Emma notices her blushing. After her drink, she says, "You are getting really good at inviting yourself over for sleepovers."
Emma smiles proudly. "I really am, huh?" Then she laughs.
Regina just smiles and shakes her head. Out of nowhere, Killian and Robin are right next to them again. Robin calls out urgently to Marian and waves her over. She is quick to make it to her husband's side, however, she is just as bewildered as Emma and Regina seem to be at the moment.
"Is everything alright?" Marian asks with a look of confusion on her face.
"Oh yes, everything is splendid, Darling. Killian and I just wanted you to be here when we pointed out to our two favorite ladies that they are currently standing underneath the mistletoe." He smiles at the two excitedly.
Both Regina and Emma look up at the same time and see that it is true. That they are in fact, standing directly under the mistletoe.
Emma curses internally because she had already noted all the areas she was supposed to avoid tonight. It must have slipped her mind while she was talking to Regina.
Regina tries to walk away but Killian holds her in place, "Oh, don't you dare try to leave. You two owe us a good snog."
Robin and Marian are looking at Regina as well, waiting and ready to see what transpires.
Killian wraps his arms around Regina's shoulders and squeezes her. "I've been waiting all night for someone to get caught under the mistletoe, but I was hoping it would be you and I, Love." He says as he winks at her playfully.
This earns him a harsh elbow into his side which makes him fall backwards laughing. Regina rolls her eyes and observes that he is probably already drunk. He is more talkative than usual and maybe a bit less reserved. She hopes that it does not get him into trouble tonight.
Emma looks up at the mistletoe again and thinks that Regina will have to be the one to get them out of this situation because she does not think that she can or even wants to walk away right now.
Regina considers her options but highly doubts that any of their friends will let her and Emma off without a fight, and if she is to be completely honest with herself, she does not really want to walk away from a chance to kiss Emma. So instead, she takes a step closer to and looks into Emma's eyes silently pleading for permission.
Emma wants to say something but she cannot form any words. They are standing really close to each other now and the scent of Regina's perfume is making it hard for her to focus. Emma finds herself completely mesmerized by the stunning woman standing in front of her.
Regina is still looking into Emma's eyes and even after a few more long seconds, neither of them move or say a word. When Emma does not show any sort of resistance, Regina leans in and presses her lips to Emma's. Her only thought in that moment is how soft and warm Emma's lips are. Then when her mind clears, she realizes right away that Emma is not kissing her back. It takes all of her willpower to pull away from the kiss but she eventually forces herself to. Her ears are ringing with the sound of her own heartbeat and the muffled sounds of everyone cheering. She looks around to see that Rob is clapping, Killian is hooting and hollering, and Marian has the most satisfied smile on her face. But, when she finally finds the courage to look over at the Emma, the blonde just looks like a deer caught in headlights. Regina blinks a few times before clearing her throat, trying hard to push away the embarrassment and hurt that she is now feeling. "I should probably go and make sure these people haven't completely cleaned me out of food and alcohol. I'll be back." She smiles hiding the pain she feels in her chest and then backs away and walks over towards the bar.
Emma turns her head to watch Regina walk away. She touches her fingers to her lips and that's when Killian puts his arm her in the shoulder and giving her a couple of pats of approval. "Damn good job, Swan. The must have been really something, right?"
Emma is still dazed and distracted but she nods. Regina just kissed her but unfortunately, it was the quickest few seconds of her life. And before she could react to it, it was over. Emma can still feel her own heart racing like it is about to jump out of her chest and her mind is racing with a million thoughts. Why did Regina just walk away like that? Was she upset because she realized that she didn't want to kiss to me at all? Suddenly, the feeling of impending heartache hits Emma so quickly that she shakes herself out of her musings and rush towards the door and running out of the bar without saying anything to anyone. The brisk air hits her as soon as she is outside and it helps to clear her head immediately. She takes a few deep breaths and when her pulse slows down, she suppresses everything that she is feeling in the moment and jogs her way back home.
Regina shuts her office door and stands with her back against it. She brings her hands up to her face hoping that it will help to suppress the tears that are already stinging her eyes. She takes a couple of deep breaths before she starts berating herself. Regina, why did you do that. How could you be so stupid? She closes her eyes and all she can see is the look of horror on Emma's face which just makes her heart hurt more. How are you going to face Emma after doing that to her? "God, Regina. You're such an idiot." She says aloud to herself. How are you going to fix this?
Regina gives herself another ten minutes and probably close to another dozen pep talks before she walks back into the party. She looks around for Emma so that she could apologize but the blonde is nowhere to be seen. She sees that Robin and Killian are now by the pool table and walk over to where they are. "Hey guys, where's Emma?"
"Huh…" Killian says as he looks around the bar. "Actually, I don't know where she went off to."
Regina hides her disappointment and goes back behind the bar. She anxiously waits for another half hour or so just in case Emma was in the restroom or decided to step out for a second but when Regina sees no sign of the other woman she pulls out her phone and types out a text message to the blonde.
Hey, Emma. Are you alright? Did you leave?
The reply comes rather quickly.
Oh yeah, sorry. I had to take a phone call and then I just thought that I would just call it a night.
Regina frowns and types out another message.
Oh, okay. Thank you for stopping by tonight. I'm really glad that you did and I hope that you had a good time.
Regina waits for another reply from Emma but she never receives one. She spends the rest of the night chatting with friends and playing pool with the guys but the whole time, the only thing she could think about is Emma and their kiss. When the party is finally over, she makes sure that Killian calls a cab while she helps Marian get a very tipsy Robin into their car. After that, she clears up as many dirty glasses and as much trash as she can, turns out all of the lights, and locks up the bar.
When she gets home, she thinks about how Emma had offered to help her clean up the bar in the morning and thinks that they can probably talk about everything then. Still troubled and upset, she tries to sleep, however with her mind still filled with the events of the evening, she ends up having a very restless night.
The next morning Regina eventually drags herself out of bed at seven and makes it over to the bar hoping that her talk with Emma will make her feel better.
By the time Killian makes it in for his shift, he sees that Regina has everything cleaned up and back to the way that it was. Regina even offers to stay for most of the lunch rush since she knows that Killian is suffering from a pretty bad hangover. She spends most of the day looking towards the front door every time she hears it opening but by three in the afternoon she realizes that Emma has no plans to stop in.