Operation Happy Ending: Chapter Three
I don't own Once Upon A Time.
Please enjoy.
Emma was supposed to knock on Regina's door at precisely seven. It was almost seven and Emma hadn't yet convinced herself to rap on the door, even though she knew without a doubt that the woman behind it was already ready. But was it her fault that she couldn't knock? No. Not really. The way Emma thought about it, it was most certainly Regina's fault. That woman was just too…everything. Therefore, it wasn't Emma's fault that her hands were clammy and she was breathing just a little too fast and oh god was her collar choking her? She went to tug at her collar, only to remember that she was wearing a dress, and swallowed thickly instead. Faced with the white door that loomed in front of her, Emma was all set to run. She'd done it before. No doubt she would do it again.
But then, of all memories that could possibly convince her to knock on that door and potentially change the very fate of her entire life that stretched in an unknowable fashion with countless thousands of possible branches that her life could drift down (oh god she was panicking now, clearly), she remembered the white, pinched face of Regina when she had slapped her the other day.
Emma rubbed her cheek ruefully at the memory. Regina's eyes had flashed black and god the woman had a strong slap. Emma just thanked the gods that Regina hadn't punched her – she needed this face. It was the best thing about her. More importantly, and back to the topic at hand, it brought Emma back to the moment. Back to this moment. And she couldn't help but smile because, really, could Regina have possibly been any more jealous?
Emma wiped the smile off her face. She frowned, determined, at the door. She was about to knock on Regina's door. She was going to do it. She was going to do it. She just needed one second more.
But then the door opened and Regina swept out and smiled at her. And Emma gaped. "Regina? What are you doing?"
The brunette shrugged delicately. "I saw your monstrosity-"
"-It's called a bug, Regina-"
"And when you didn't knock, I assumed you wanted me to come out."
Emma crossed her arms. "Well, I didn't. Now go back inside."
Regina sighed. "Oh come now, Emma. I'm already outside." She smiled coyly up at the blonde. "Don't you want to tell me that I look lovely and take me out on a date?"
Emma just glowered down at Regina. "Go back inside, Regina. You're ruining this. I had this whole thing planned and-"
"And you were freaking out," Regina stated quite succinctly. Emma made a delightful replication of a gaping fish. "I thought I might as well get this started."
"I was going to knock!" Emma insisted.
"Of course you were, dear," Regina said, patting Emma on the arm. When the muscle flinched, a slight frown marred Regina's features. "I'm sorry," she murmured. The name was still a sore spot. Emma shook her head.
"It's fine," she assured Regina. Emma closed her eyes, swallowed, and then let her eyes open slowly. "Go back inside," she said again. Regina sighed loudly and turned on her heel. She slammed the door behind her and waited. One second passed. Then a second, and a third. When she finally reached thirty, she pulled the door open and Emma scowled at her, fist raised to knock on the door. "Seriously?"
Regina smiled broadly and closed the door. She locked it as well. She moved into the dining room and sat carefully, making sure she didn't wrinkle her dress. When the knock, the sharp raps on the wood, finally came, Regina didn't move.
Emma waited exactly a minute before she groaned and laid her head on the door. "Regina!" she called. "Come on. Open the door." Regina said nothing so Emma decided that was permission to test the door and, when she found that it was locked, she crouched and picked the lock with one of her numerous hairpins. She grumbled the whole while, only letting up when her grumbles turned into a triumphant 'aha!' when the lock was successfully picked.
Emma strode into the house, closing the door behind her, and moved into the dining room. Regina was sitting there waiting for her. One eyebrow, as usual, was quirked. A smile played over her lips.
"You think this is funny, don't you?" Emma asked Regina. The blonde planted her hands firmly on her hips and ignored the curls that tumbled down from where they had been previously pinned and tamed. "It took me a whole damn hour to put my hair up, woman. A whole hour."
"Should I be sympathetic, darling?" Regina drawled. She traced mindless patterns on the table top.
Emma frowned. "What you should be is answering the door when I knock." When Regina's brow quirked a fraction more, Emma lost all of the confidence Regina's riling had given her. "Or, you know, you don't have to be," she mumbled. Her eyes fell to stare at the floor and she shifted uneasily.
For Regina, it was a strange sight to see the woman she loved – clumsy and awkward and sweet – looking as she always did but in a dress. A very lovely dress. A very lovely dress that certainly flattered the blonde in ways that sent thrills through Regina's body. She wondered if it would look better on her floor that evening. And whether it was easily torn.
"I wanted to see what effort you would go to in order to collect me," Regina stated.
Emma groaned. "Seriously, Regina? I would go to the ends of the earth for you," she grumbled. "Why the hell did you want to see if I would pick a lock? That's just silly."
Regina felt a foolish smile spread over her face. I would go to the ends of the earth for you. She liked it. She especially liked that Emma had said it without a single thought or quibble. She especially liked that it wasn't as sappy or ridiculous as 'I will always find you' – because really, how many times must one be 'found'?
Regina stood in a single, fluid movement that made Emma bite her tongue quite by accident. Her dress was black and boy did the colour suit her. It made her skin glow and her eyes spark and her hair just wow. Emma swallowed.
"I believe you told me I should say you look lovely," she husked. Regina tilted her head to the side, pleased by Emma's reaction. "Fuck that. You look…" Emma trailed off. She had no words. False – she had plenty of words. Gorgeous, breathtaking, splendid, amazing, beautiful, wonderful. Perfection. Regina didn't need any of those words. The greatest compliment was the way that Emma moved without realising she was moving, the way that Emma's eyes were glued to her, and particularly the way those hungry eyes moved up her figure to meet her eyes and the way they melted when they reached her eyes and the way Emma took a faltering step forward and her hand clenched and unclenched as if unsure whether she was allowed to touch that paragon of beauty. It filled Regina with warmth.
"Thank you," Regina demurred.
"May I take you to dinner, My Queen?" Emma asked. She held out a hand and Regina took it.
Emma led Regina, without speaking, out onto the street. She took her right past the Bug and just walked down the street. When they reached the park, Emma turned in and, though Regina was bursting with questions, she held back. She knew that Emma wanted to surprise her.
And surprise her she did.
Deep in the park, beneath a large tree with splayed branches, was a small square table. A simple white tablecloth covered the table, and cushions covered each bench. A candle was lit, and plates were laid, and steaming dishes of pasta awaited them.
"Who?" Regina began to ask.
Emma pointed over to a table far enough away to give the couple some privacy and a waving Henry greeted Regina before he turned to pack up his things. "He wanted to help out. And he wanted to wait to make sure we got here alright."
"He was here in the park all by himself?" Regina questioned sharply.
"What? No. My parents are waiting in the car to take him to their place." Emma looked away from Regina. "I'm not wholly incompetent, Regina," Emma scolded semi-playfully.
The brunette woman, however, heard the slight pain and she rested her hand on Emma's arm. "You aren't," she assured her date. "And I'm sorry. But really, dear, does anyone not know that we are going on a date tonight?"
Emma winced. "Probably not."
Regina considered leaving in a huff but the table was right there and Emma was warm by her side and, to tell the truth, she didn't actually mind as much as she pretended that she did. "Well," she sniffed. "At least now they know who you belong to."
Emma grinned at that. "Who I belong to…" she murmured. "And who might that be?"
Regina turned on her and grabbed Emma's cheeks, pulling her down into a quick and fiery kiss that left Emma breathless with both surprise and sudden arousal.
"Me," she growled. Then she turned and seated herself primly at the table and waited to be served. Emma took a moment to regain the motor function of her limbs and joined her at the table. She poured a centimetre of wine for Regina, pausing to let the brunette smell and taste and nod her approval, and then poured a full glass before displaying a large platter of finger foods between them. Regina frowned at the plate.
"Do you, do you not like it?" Emma asked hesitantly. "It's just I thought maybe we could start casual. And, you know, chat. Because I know that you're wonderful and a great mom and the mayor but I don't actually know that much about you," she explained.
Regina looked up across the table and let a small smile grace her lips. "This is very thoughtful, Emma." The blonde shrugged. "Though I'm not sure the wine will go with this."
"Who cares? It tastes good, doesn't it?" Regina nodded. "Then just enjoy it. Do you prefer red or white wine?" Emma asked and Regina realised that she was beginning their discussion.
The night passed peacefully. It was a strange limbo for them to be in, but certainly not unpleasant. Without problems or issues sitting heavily between them, without secrets or ill-felt emotions, without fears or heartbreak, the night was calming. Quiet.
In the beginning, however, Regina would catch Emma looking down into her lap and, confused and curious, Regina reached over the table and demanded to know what had captured Emma's attention so, leading to the blonde's embarrassed admission that she had prepared notes. Which Regina promptly took and burned. Following that, the conversation lost its stilted manner and flowed naturally, though they were careful to avoid topics that had in the past led to more violent discussions.
Emma, finally, looked down at her phone and blinked. "Regina," she said quietly. "I should get you home."
Regina looked at her watch and sighed. It was getting late. Or early, depending on how one looked at it. As it was nearing two in the morning, Regina agreed and happily accepted the hand Emma extended. The blonde pulled her up and hooked Regina's hand into the crook of her elbow. Together, they wandered back down the streets to the mayor's home and Emma walked her to the door.
Regina stepped up to open the door before turning back, a wicked glint in her eyes. "You know, you did promise that we would have a little fun after you took me on a date," she reminded Emma.
Emma grinned at her woman. "And we will. But it is late and I will see you tomorrow." She wavered in her place though and, seemingly fighting with herself, strode forward. She pressed her body against Regina's and brought her up against the door, claiming her mouth. She didn't mind that Regina's ruby lipstick rubbed off quickly as they parted and dove back towards one another again and again until Regina was quite thoroughly breathless and Emma grinned victoriously. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she said again, asking this time.
Regina nodded shakily and opened the door behind her. "Are you coming in?" she asked, a little confused when Emma didn't move to leave. The blonde shook her head no.
"I'm just making sure you get home safe, Madame Mayor," the sheriff said sweetly. True to her word, she watched as the mayor moved through the open door and the lock bolted into place. When the curtains to the side twitched open, Emma waved and turned, moving to her car.
Only when she was safely inside her trusted Bug did she grin so widely that she feared her face would split in two. Her heart was pounding faster than ever before and there was a tingling feeling that covered her skin. She felt like…she felt like there was nothing wrong in the whole wide world. She felt like she was just a skin covering a ball of energy that shook and shimmered and pulsed with an effervescent light and she felt loved.
She sent one last smile to the mayor's home – where her love was slipping into her bed sheets, a similarly ecstatic emotion broiling within her – before pulling out onto the street.
When she entered the apartment she shared with her parents and son, she crept in quietly, hoping not to wake the occupants, but it was to no avail. Her mother sat up groggily and smiled at her daughter.
"How did it go?" she rasped, voice thick with sleep.
Emma just beamed at her and gave her a double thumbs up. She moved up the stairs and into her room, where Henry was asleep on her bed. She changed quickly in the bathroom and then padded back into their room. Sitting next to Henry on the bed, she brushed his hair off his forehead carefully. She leant down and pressed a fleeting kiss to his brow.
"Ma?" he whispered.
"Yeah, kid. It's me."
Henry smiled and blinked his bleary eyes. "How did it go?"
Emma felt more comfortable talking to Henry about the date for some reason and she let her smile just take over her face. "It was perfect," she murmured.
"Mom liked it?"
"Yeah, I think so. We talked the whole time and she laughed." Emma shrugged. "Don't even worry about it kid – it's True Love. What could go wrong?"
Henry frowned. "Take that back. Do you really want to jinx this? A whole bunch of stuff could go wrong!" He crossed his arms and glowered at his mother, who held up her hands in surrender.
"Whoa, I take it back! I'm sorry, kid, I didn't think it was a big deal."
Henry's glare softened very slowly and he harrumphed but let her off the proverbial hook. "Well it is. And I really want this to work out so don't jinx it again." He hugged her and she hugged him back fiercely. "I really like having my moms together."
She nodded and pressed her lips fervently to his head one, two, three times. She laughed when he groaned and pulled away, wiping the imaginary 'mom' germs away. "I really like us together as well." She made her son shuffle over and eased herself into the bed. Staring up at the ceiling, she smiled again. It seemed as if she couldn't stop. "We're like a family," she murmured.
"We are a family," Henry corrected her, tired. "Are we hanging out with mom tomorrow?" he asked.
"You betcha." She sighed and relaxed more fully into the pillows. Tonight had been a good night. A hopefully the first of many more to come.
Hey everyone sorry for the major delay. I was on a holiday! Yay! Don't forget to say hi and leave a review with a scenario you would like me to write. I will dedicate it to you (or if you tell me not to, I won't) and I love writing so just sling them at me, friends. Oh and feel free to message me on tumblr if you want. My name over there is elizadownunder. (I think…) I pretty much waste all my time over there now so message and follow me and I love you all. Thank you so much for your reviews! Happy reading, readers :)