I'm trying to get back into the process of writing but writers block is harsh. Very harsh. Hang in there though I'm pushing through, hopefully to a writing period.
-X-X-X-X-
A short time after "Miss Swan I am not playing a childish game of tag with you in an office building cafeteria" and "You had better run", Emma found herself slipping between the cracks of the closing elevator doors with a hand reaching out to grasp her red leather jacket, just barely scratching the leather surface as the blonde vanished behind the metal barrier her heart pounding rapidly in her chest.
Emma gratefully and not so gracefully bent over, hands on her knees and heaved in a few gulps of the stuffy elevator air and tried to slow her racing heart as she glanced around the elevator at the curious and weary onlookers. In an attempt to give a calm and collected deameanour, Emma smirked lightly, stretched with a small yawn and leant against the wall closest to her, it wasn't till a low growl rumbled from one of the elevator cart occupants did Emma turn to face the funny feeling of something pressing against her arm. Her face dropped as she came face to face with a lit up elevator panel.
A small guilty look, sharp squeak and a barely audible "sorry" later and Emma was questioning which was a worse fate for her; facing a mob of angry sweaty and air deprived individuals on a fourth consecutive day of the one-hundred and thirteen degree Fahrenheit heatwave in a small cramped elevator or face a furious Regina Mills.
It took barely less then a second and most of that time was spent contemplating ways the woman would murder her. Emma's mind made up she turned to the panel and the rest of the buttons that had not been lit up when Emma had accidentally leant against it now had a white back light to them.
Twenty Minutes Earlier
"Come on Regina, let's go to the beach." Emma whined at the brunette straight across from her, who was content in just ignoring her whilst she downed the remainder of her seventh iced tea since arriving an hour or two beforehand.
They had arrived in Bloomington, Minnesota three days ago at mid day when temperatures where scorching beyond belief. Regina had taken the Hummer to a mechanic and had decided to get a full service check of the machine, as she had argued the sensibility of driving through Minnesota in a hulking black Hummer whilst the state was in the midst of a heatwave but she wasn't willing to leave her prized possession just sitting there. Sure it had an airconditioner but even Emma knew that wasn't such a smart idea. Either the vehicle would over heat and leave them stranded in the middle of nowhere or it would exploded.
Neither sounded good to Emma. So she exuberantly agreed.
So for the next couple of days, they settled themselves into a Best Western Hotel across from the Mall of America. At first it sounded good to rest and just do nothing but now boredom was starting to kick in for Emma, that and the ridiculous heat that had her sweating in airconditioned enclosed buildings.
"As I have told you, Miss Swan, you are perfectly capable of going to the beach by yourself." She glanced over at Emma for a brief second, as she finished her sentence before returning to the task at hand of skimming through the leather bound journal in front of her for their next destination, as she waved to the waitress a short distance away for a refill. "You're an adult are you not?" She paused to think that through before continuing. "Well on numerous occasions I have pondered whether that is true or not."
Emma didn't respond, she just drew her eyes into tiny slits and glared at the brunette woman in front of her. The glare eventually shifted off the regal woman and towards the waitress who was not even trying to be subtle as she leant over Regina practically rubbing her body all over the woman as she refilled her glass with iced tea.
Emma continued to glare until the young waitress's eyes fell on her, the moment they did both women held each others stare, glaring at one another until Emma let out a very low but only recognisable to the waitress, growl, from her throat. A flash of fear passed over the waitress's face as she back up and away from Regina before scampering off through the cafeterias kitchen doors.
Emma's glare returned to Regina, although triumpant marching bands were sounding and cheerleaders were cheering in her head at victory. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Regina asked without so much as even a glance in the blondes direction.
"She's young enough to be your daughter Regina..." Emma's brow furrowed as she realised the not so big age gap between herself and Regina, if one didn't count the Enchanted Forest or Curse years, "...God she's old enough to be my daughter."
"Which is exactly why I've been paying no attention to her blatant flirting."
Emma huffed, "Why don't you just tell her you aren't interested?"
"Because even if you tell them no they still persist, more so actually because you noticed the action. Not to mention it is just a stupid childish fantasy Miss Swan. Once I leave here she will find someone else to attach herself too. That is what young women with brief infatuations do."
"But she was rubbing all over you like a dog in heat."
Regina cocked a brow as she glanced up at Emma. With a sigh she lowered it, glanced back down at her journal and thumbed the page over. "Trust me when I say Miss Swan that there was a big enough gap for me to find it an appropriate distance."
"What the hell do you deem 'inappropriate' then?" Emma's voice rose a decibel slightly as she used finger quotations to get her point across.
"From your point of view, Miss Swan it would have looked as if we had been touching but I assure you we weren't." Regina's voice was steady but the slight drop in alto gave way to a warning of Regina's lack of patience she was having with the conversation. "Not that it is any concern of yours, what I do or don't do in private. Especially since that young woman is of legal age but I am not interested in someone so..so young.
"Good, because the young part makes it slightly creepy Regina."
"Miss Swan why are you trying to get a rise out of me? Are you intentionally trying to make me mad? Have you been planning suicide lately?"
Emma honestly wasn't sure. By the end of the second day of the heatwave her brain had started to become foggy and jumbled, not making an ounce of sense at times and in what had been brief intervals at the beginning but had slowly grown longer, with shorter breaks in between each occurence, her brain would shut down and refuse to work on command, saying and doing anything it pleased. Even if it was something stupid.
Times when it happened, she realised she really should never have wasted a wish on a shooting star to experience what a robot feels - because seriously it sucked.
"Miss Swan?"
Emma blinked once and then twice as the appendage passed in front of her eyes once again. "Sorry, what?"
A worried look briefly passed over Regina's face before she pushed her melting ice cubed tea towards Emma. "Take a couple of sips, Emma. It may help."
At the sound of her name on the former Mayor's lips, Emma took a sip, refusing to argue when the woman in front of her had shown an act of kindness towards her. She took a fourth and final draw of the cool brown liquid, feeling her senses coming back to her and her body respond to the sudden invasion of the chilly liquid.
It felt good.
Pleasant.
"Thanks," she said, throwing a sincere smile Regina's way as she slid the glass back over to Regina. "I think I needed that."
The concern left Regina's face, a brief flash of relief replacing it before she once again slipped into and donned her emotionless mask. "Mhmm," she mumbled with a short nod before returning to her journal.
It took less than three minutes for Emma to become bored again and her body to start heating up as the cool liquid settled. Summoning up her courage, she reached across the table and poked the former Evil Queen on the shoulder before telling her, "You're it," as she jumped from her seat to avoid any incoming retaliation whether it was good or bad.
Regina tore her gaze away from her journal and turned it towards Emma, whose blonde hair started sticking to her heat flushed face. She was trying to comprehend whether or not Emma had just done what she thought she had done. Not only was it sweltering outside and barely acceptable inside the airconditioned cafeteria but the game was a child's one.
"Miss Swan I am not playing a childish game of tag with you in an office building cafeteria," Regina shook her head.
"Come on, Regina!" The heat turning Emma's words loud and exasperated with anger as her open palms connected with the table's surface sending it quaking as the iced tea drink precariously tilted and swivelled.
Emma drew in a sharp breath as she watched the drink hit the table with a small thud spilling the ice cool brown liquid over the surface and over the furious brunette's, white pants.
Regina didn't even flinch when the cool beverage hit her. The only signs of life from the woman was her heavy breathing and the twitch in her left eye. A minute or two of dead silence from any and everyone in the surrounding area, passed. Even never having met the two women, strangers knew hell was about to break loose and nobody wanted to make a squeak in fear it would be unleashed on them.
Regina finally calmed enough to look up at Emma who's expression was pained and slightly fearful. Pushing her chair back, she stood to her full height and even though Emma was taller then her, Emma had never felt as small as she did than in this moment.
In a deadly calm voice she spoke, "Looks like you got your wish Miss Swan." Ger eyes clouded over with a mixture of satisfaction, rage and mischief. "You had better run."
In a flash Emma was gone with a brunette Queen on her tail who was thinking God give me patience to deal with this insufferable idiot of mine and even though neither had paid the cheque, nobody was willing to go after them.
Present Time
Regina slapped an open palm against the closed elevator doors and silently cursed under her breath before straightening and composing herself. She glanced up at the red LED number at the top of the elevator that indicated the floors number before she looked around herself at the surroundings on the cafeteria floor. She spotted the fire exit stairs a little away and the maintenance stairs a couple of meters from her position and smirked.
She burst through the white doors, quickly surveyed her surroundings as two men dressed in overalls approached her with curious frowns.
"Lady, you can't be back here."
Regina ignored them, slipping between them, her hand gripping the staircase railing as she looked up through the middle of the massive staircase. It went up all thirty floors. Mind made up and set, she started taking the stairs two at a time with the two maintenance men screaming behind her.
She reached the next floor and burst through the door, the two men covered in overalls, hot on her heels. She scanned the building floor for the elevator and spotted the blonde hair of her target within the metal cart as the doors slid closed. Another silent curse under her breath and she turned back to the maintenance door where the two men were slowly closing in on her. To get to that staircase she would have to face them and right now she wasn't in the mood for slipping through them.
She made a move towards the red Fire Exit doors. She could hear one of the men calling for an office building Guard as she started up the staircase, she barely reached the next floor before she heard the crashing of the Fire Exit door and the sounds of heavy footfalls thudding against the stairs behind her.
Bursting onto the next floor she caught a glimpse of the red leather jacket. "Damnit, Miss Swan."
"Ma'am, you can't be on this floor."
Regina turned to the smurf dressed security guard as the other three men chose that moment to burst onto the scene.
"Stop that woman."
Regina and the Guards mind blanked for a moment as they stared at each other, Regina's returning to her first before she ducked underneath the guards sudden reach for her. She sprinted for the maintenance doors staircase and started up the stairs knowing she was being followed closely by two guards and two elevator engineers.
She hit the next floor and watched the red LED numbers flick over. She breathed a frustrated sigh before bursting through the fire escape.
Third floor
She caught a glimpse of the red leather jacket.
Fourth floor
The doors were already closed.
Fifteenth floor
The elevator was already two floors ahead.
Eighteenth floor
She caught sight of the blonde hair.
Twenty second floor
She glanced over the railings to find the four men puffed out and sweating profusely but following behind at a rather brisk pace nonetheless
Twenty fifth floor
She picked up a paint bucket and dumped the contents over the railing, hitting all four of her targets and with a small victory pump of her hand she continued up the stairs.
Twenty seventh floor -
She spotted the full figure of her blonde target before the doors closed.
Twenty eighth floor
She skipped it and continued forwards knowing her targets destination.
Thirtieth floor
The elevator came to a stop, the doors screeching open. Regina couldn't careless to register the look of panic on the blondes face as she pushed passed the furious crowd of elevator occupants who exited on the final floor.
"Push something, Emma, anything!" She called.
She barely managed to fall inside colliding with the only occupant left as the doors closed behind her, leaving curses and hands colliding with metal behind.
Pushing herself off of Emma she pressed herself back against an elevator wall, hunched slightly and breathing deeply.
"You okay?" Emma asked, tentatively reaching out to place a hand on the heaving womans shoulder.
Regina's cold hard glare turned to Emma. "What do you think? I just ran thirty flights of stairs without a break, in sweltering weather and with people chasing me."
Emma blinked before crossing her arms with a small glare as she turned away from Regina to focus on the elevator doors. "I didn't tell you too run after me now did I?"
Regina didn't answer just leant her body fully against the elevator wall, pressing her cheek agaisnt the cool metal, letting the cart support her weight.
A few seconds passed before Emma's arms unfolded and she hesitantly looked over at Regina. "Thirty flights?"
Regina turned her glare back to Emma and for a few brief moments she considered telling her to shove it but instead the glare fell from her face and a tired smile replaced it. "Yeah."
Emma gave her a small sound and nod, showing her she was impressed. "But why were they pink?"
"I found a paint bucket on the twenty fifth floor."
Emma stared at her a few more seconds passing before Emma let a small chuckle leave her lips as a smile found it's way across face.
It took Regina only a moment for a smile and her a chuckle of her own to leave her.
Soon they were both laughing loud and heavily.
The elevator came to a screeching halt bringing their laughter to one as well. Both women looked from each other to the door.
"Miss Swan, what floor did you press?"
"I dunno," she said with a shrug. "Twenty three I think."
Both women turned to the elevator panel as the red '23' stared back at them and the doors screeched open revealing the pink liquid covered figures, two with handcuffs in one hand, the other settled on their nightstick.
"Run," Regina said before quickly dodging the security that lunged for her. Her back hit one of the side elevator walls as an engineer dove for her.
She crouched low and barely missed being grabbed and dragged to the ground before she slipped between the remaining two and took of for the maintenance staircase.
Emma's body snapped into action at Regina's words as a guard dove for her aswell. She jumped pressing one of her feet to the elevator railing before pushing off and planting her other foot against an elevator wall, landing her on the otherside of the elevator as two of the guards recovered and the third engineer reached for her. She pushed the elevator rooftop access panel loose and gripped the ledge pulling herself up and out of the elevator, losing her boot in the process as she escaped the engineer who had managed to grasp her ankle and attempt to pull her down.
"Damnit," one of the guards growled frustrated before turning to one of the engineers and snatching away the boot. "You two after the other one."
Emma took the momentary distraction to reach through the elevator roof access and snatch her boot away from the guard. "Thanks."
"Hey!" The man yelled up at the blonde before turning back to the engineers, "Now!" Turning to the other guard who looked to be younger then him, he motioned for him to go first and with a sigh the man complied and clambered up to reach the access.
Emma slipped her boot on and tucked her pants inside the new article. She was adjusting her purple shirt and jeans when she saw the youngest of the two guards pulling himself up with difficulty through the access hole.
"Time to go." Emma turned to the elevator ladder and grasped the prongs before climbing furiously for the nearest exit.
Regina jumped the last three steps and landed with a thud on the next floor, she could just hear the two engineers bursting the door on the floor above her muttering under their breath. She exited through the doors and made for the Fire exit staircase. Halfway there and the roof above her creaked and groaned. She stopped and glanced up.
"Stop! It can't take the weight of all of us."
Regina's brow furrowed Miss Swan?
"No..no..d..don't mo-"
Regina sighed and side stepped just as the roof crumbled above her and three bodies came falling from nowhere. One in purple and two in blue.
The purple one groaned with the two blue amongst the rubble as the two engineers burst through the maintenance door.
Eyes wide, Regina reached for Emma, pulled the injured woman up and slung an arm over her shoulder before pulling the woman to the nearest elevator. "Hold those doors!" Regina called out to the carts occupants.
"Just leave me." Emma groaned, "Save yourself, Regina."
A glance over her shoulder told her that she was once again being followed as the engineers assisted the guards in getting to their feet before stampeding after them. "Don't be an idiot, Emma, I'm not leaving you." Regina dove forward in the last second as the doors closed, pulling Emma with her and to the floor at the feet of the people inside.
With a groan, Emma cursed the pain as Regina stood, rolling her shoulders.
"Air ducts aren't as fun to crawl through as they look in movies," Emma finally said as she grasped the hand Regina offered her.
Regina pulled her blonde friend to her feet and heaved for air as she brushed off her clothes.
"Much more cramped as well."
Emma and Regina took a few moments to themselves before finally turning to the elevator panel noting they were headed towards their final destination.
"Maybe we should just give up," Emma suggested. "I can't run anymore. I ache, like, all over."
Regina turned to Emma, a look of disbelief in her eyes. "Do you understand what you're saying?"
Emma's brow furrowed. "If we give up now, we'll be in less trouble then if they catch us."
Regina threw her hands into the air and released a frustrated sigh. "We are already in trouble for resisting arrest by the security guards, which they will tell the police. Not to mention they will find out that we still have a warrant for arrest because of our Vegas stunt with your mother and not to mention we already have a record for disorderly and dangerous conduct and were arrested because of it." Regina turned to Emma and breathed heavily for air, "It won't just be a slap on the wrist we get. We'll be arrested. Thrown in prison."
Emma's eyes widened, "I've been there Regina it isn't as fun as you think or as interesting as they make it look on TV."
Regina frowned at that but couldn't help but add. "Big girls prison, Emma."
Emma face went white and Regina was sure the woman was about to faint as was the many other elevator occupants who subtly stepped out from behind the woman not prepared to be collapsed upon.
Emma hadn't be truly legal age to be put into an adult prison and by the time she had, they had relocated her to a small time jail out of town. That had a maximum of thirty people, all who had just reached legal age and had commited small time crimes. It was easy and simple, something she knew real prison wouldn't be like.
Shaking her head, Emma focused her attention on Regina. "What do we do then?"
Regina took a deep breath and contemplated her options. The look of utter fear on Emma's face told her that the woman would be off no help at the moment.
The guards took the stairs two at a time finally reaching ground level where the elevator would have to stop. The engineers came to an abrupt halt behind them as the four men strode up to the elevator door, the guards pulling their tasers from their holsters.
The elevator doors peeled open with a defeaning screech and Regina smirked at the two security guards and two overall covered engineers. "Bye boys," she offered a wink and in a puff of purple smoke herself and Emma vanished.
XXX
As the smoke receded Emma blinked a few times and found herself face to face with her bed. A grateful sigh later and she collapsed onto the soft bed. "Heaven," she breathed out whilst, Regina removed her shoes and started for the partition, her room on the other side. Emma's head shot up as she called over the room to the brunette. "Wait! Did you just use magic in public?"
Regina rolled her eyes, carefully placed her shoes next to her luggage bag and knelt down next to it to rummage through her clothes for a fresh pair of pants.
"You did! That's dangerous Regina, especially in front of all those people." Emma reprimanded her shooting to her feet. "What if they tell somebody? What if that somebody believes them? What if it's the government? I've heard the rumors you know."
"Please do tell," Regina said disinterest tinging her voice.
"I hear they cut open their head and poke and prod their brains to find out how they can do it."
"Ah huh!" Regina cheered as she pulled a pair of jeans and a button up shirt from her bag and stood. "Don't panic Miss Swan, nothings going to happen." With her attempt to reassure Emma done, she moved towards the bathroom, Emma on her heels. She moved to enter the bathroom and when she turned to close the door she came face to face with Emma who looked off in her own thoughts. "Miss Swan?" She asked gently not wanting to startle the woman who obviously wasn't there mentally. "Miss Swan," she spoke a little harder and finally it worked.
Emma's attention snapped to Regina, "Yeah?"
Rolling her eyes, Regina pressed two fingers against Emma's forehead and pushed her backwards far enough to close the door.
"Oh." Emma voiced once it hit her. With a shrug she added, "But it's not like we don't have the same things. I mean I'm a woman too Regina! No biggy."
A few minutes later and Regina pulled the door open, flicked her hair from her inside the collar of her new shirt and looked with disbelief at Emma as she moved to their laundry bags. "You seriously did not just say that."
Emma shrugged again. "It's the truth."
Regina opened her own bag and noticed that washing would have to be a top priority whilst in Bloomington. She made note of that and folded her laundry placing it in her bag.
"Why do you fold your dirty laundry?" Emma asked with a curious expression on her face, "Seriously though, like...who does that?"
Regina placed her items in the bag and resealed the velcro before turning to face Emma. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it forcefully opting not to say what she thought. Instead she spun and headed to her luggage bag. "It's off no concern to you, Miss Swan."
Emma sighed, "I think you have OCD, Regina. Which is okay but obviously it's a problem for you in some areas."
"I don't have a problem Emma. Well there's you but other then that I have no problem."
"Right so this morning when you made the bed and used a ruler to extricate the creases on each sheet and then the comforter until it was as flat as the plains. You even did your pillow, Regina." Emma moved towards Regina's bed and thrusted a thumb at it, "It's straighter and neater then it was when we got here and the cleaners are professionals."
"Right, that's why there's dust on the TV."
Emma stared a Regina with a 'really' look as the woman folded her arms across her chest. Her defense mechanism.
"I don't have a problem." Regina said, voice hard and determined but she was unsure of who she was trying to convince.
"Okay then," Emma nodded glancing around the room. Finding it suitable enough to prove a point she started for the suitcase, Regina's second suitcase in the corner of the room.
"What are you doing, Miss Swan?"
"Proving a point, Regina."
Grabbing the suitcase, Emma unzipped it and moved towards Regina's bed with the suitcase open and the clothes folded perfectly not a crease in it.
When Regina noticed this her heart rate increased but her tone lowered. "Don't you dare, Miss Swan."
Emma reached for the comforter first, "Do what, Regina?"
"You know what."
"Then admit it."
"I don't have a problem."
With one hand, Emma yanked the comforter of the bed and held it out beside her. "Admit it, Regina."
"I don't have a problem."
Emma dropped the comforter to the floor her free hand returning to the suitcase of Regina's, holding it over the woman's bed. "Still not admitting it, Regina?"
Regina shook her head but glared.
Emma shrugged and turned the bag upside down watching as the contents spilled out messly onto the bed. That done she threw the bag onto the bed, picked the comforter up and threw that messly on top before jumping on top of it. "I'm still sweaty from our running, Regina."
Regina looked away, arms folded across her chest.
Emma sighed. "Just admit it, Regina."
Regina's cold hard glare turned towards Emma, "I don't have a problem."
Jumping to her feet, Emma nodded. "Good, then I guess we can leave this behind and go to the Mall." With a wave of her hand towards the messy bed she moved to Regina's luggage, "Worry about that later." Picking up the womans shoes she tossed them over her shoulder in the brunette's direction, "Put your shoes on, Regina, we're outta here for the day." That said Emma moved to the otherside of the partition where the door was.
Regina glanced over to her bed worry forming on her brow. She didn't like this one bit but it wasn't a problem, there had been plenty of time where she was fine with a not so clean environment, even with herself not being clean but just because she preferred things clean and neat didn't mean she had a problem.
Emma's head popped around the corner, "Unless there's something else you have to do..."
Regina glanced between the blonde and the bed challenge accepted, Miss Swan. With a nod she slipped on her shoes and strode purposely to Emma's side of the room, grabbing her purse and making for the door. "No diddle daddling, Miss Swan."
Emma growled. She'd prove the woman wrong. It was bound to drive her crazy.
XXX
"Well what now, Miss Swan?" Regina asked as they entered the massive mall.
"Come on, Regina, we're in America's biggest mall. What more can you ask for?"
Regina sighed, "I don't need to buy anything today, Miss Swan."
"Who says you need buy something just because you're in a mall?"
"That's what you do, Miss Swan you buy something at a mall."
Emma shook her head. "You're thinking to small here."
Regina's brow creased as she stared at the blonde. "You can start making sense anytime now."
Rolling her eyes, Emma pushed forward. "Live a little. Let your hair down. Pretend you're a kid in a candy store."
Regina opened her mouth to tell the woman that she was no child but shut it almost immediately. She needed to do something to take her mind of off her bed back at the hotel, she refused to let Emma be right especially when the woman wasn't. Plus it's not like they hadn't done something irresponsible before, this would just be another one of those 'we totally shouldn't have done it but it was awesome anyway' moments that she would never admit to having. With a reluctant nod, Regina conceded. "Very well, Miss Swan lead the way."
Nickelodeon Universe - Ride #1 Avatar Airbender
"Really, Miss Swan?" Regina raised a brow towards Emma, "I didn't think you'd ever want to see an amusement park again in your life, let alone willingly go on another ride."
"Oh ha ha, Regina." Emma showed her wrist band to the attendant as Regina did the same. Together they moved towards the ride the, seating themselves next to each other. The metal safety bar was pulled down over her head and locked firmly followed by Regina's. It took less then a second after the ride started for Emma to realise she probably shouldn't have eaten breakfast this morning or lunch earlier.
Nickelodeon Universe - Ride #2 Back at the Barnyard Hayride
"Why can't they make all rollercoasters like that?"
Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde.
Nickelodeon Universe - Ride #3 Backyardigans Swing-A-Long
"Miss Swan, I dare you to kick me again."
A dare was a dare in Emma's books, so she did.
Regina kicked her back, their swings jerking precariously in the air as they continued the back and forfth notion of kicking one another.
Once the ride was over the disappointed look that the teenage attendant gave them and the shake of the attendants head as he muttered a barely audible, 'adults' under his breath had Emma and Regina skulking out of there, head hung low, their eyes not moving from their shoes for a good ten minutes.
Nickelodeon Universe - Ride #4 Big Rigs
"Ma'am's unless you have a kid you're going to have to get off this ride."
Emma turned to Regina before turning back to the attendant, "We do have a kid."
Regina nodded.
The attendant pouted, "I don't see them."
"Well duh," Emma said with a shake of her head in disbelief. Turning to Regina she thumbed towards the teenager, "Can you believe this kid?"
Regina shook her head and stated rather obviously, "Obviously he's not here."
The boys brows furrowed before he sighed, "I'm going to have to ask you to get off."
Emma and Regina huffed but acquiesced, Emma stood first and exited holding out a hand for Regina before helping the woman out.
Regina glared at the boy who swallowed audibly. "Your manager will be hearing from me," she told him as she walked away.
Emma nodded with a glare of her own, "Now you're in trouble boy."
Nickelodeon Universe - Ride #5 Brain Surge
It definitely deserved it's name, they both wouldn't argue that.
"Miss Swan, will you stop moving."
"I'm not moving, Regina." Emma plonked herself down on the ground feeling a wave of nausea overcome her.
Regina on the other hand was having trouble walking as dizziness claimed her and the ground slowly grew large was that an ant?
Nickelodeon Universe - Ride #6 Crazy Cars
Seated in the black car at opposite ends, Regina and Emma gripped the wheel tightly. This was war and they both knew it. Neither would get away unscathed and one person would come out victorious.
As the attendant told them they could begin, Emma and Regina started towards each other when they were cut-off by a little kid who rammed Emma. Regina chuckled at the look of disbelief on Emma's face when she found her own car spinning out of control and little girl behind the wheel of the culprit car, cackling madly.
When Emma and Regina left they tried their best to walk away with some dignity intact.
Nickelodeon Universe - Ride #7 Shell Shock
"It won't stop, Regina!" Emma called, regretting moving in the beginning. From the moment she had followed Regina's advice and had rocked her body side to side, she knew it was the wrong thing to do as her seat tilted and spun.
"Relax, Emma." Regina told her whilst she spun upside down and around.
Nickelodeon Universe - Ride #8 Splat-O-Sphere
Emma never thought she would see the day that Regina would pout an honest to god pout but here she was witnessing it. The moment the Splat-O-Sphere had come into their line off sight Regina had been exuberant to try it, Emma on the other loathed the height of the thing and had quickly shut Regina down.
Emma never again wanted to witness that pout of Regina's again, it was damn powerful. Moreso then the woman's magic, even Grumpy would smile if Regina asked him to with that pout on her face.
That's how she found herself tucked into the metal safety bar, eyes squeezed shut and rocketing into the air before plummeting to the ground.
Never again did she want to see that damn pout.
Toys R' Us #1
Emma crawled along the floor, green plastic soldiers helmet on her head, NERF N-Strike Barrel Break IX-2 Blaster in hand and a NERF N-Strike Rampage Elite Blaster holstered to her back and a bright orange vest on.
Emma peered underneath the store shelves checking for familiar shoes before continuing her crawl to the corner. Peeking around she looked for Regina, when the brunette didn't make presence known, Emma jumped to her feet but remained crouched low as she SWAT rolled and moved from aisle to aisle.
Picking an aisle to move down she dropped to the floor again and crawled along it ignoring the odd looks parents were throwing her way. Stopping she checked once again under the shelves and came face to face with a familiar pair of shoes two aisles over.
With a smirk Emma stood and rounded into the next aisle moving down it silently, gun raised to eye level for battle. Taking a deep breath Emma SWAT rolled into the next aisle and fired her weapon.
The foam bullet bounced off the figure and landed at it's feet. Emma's brow furrowed as she cautiously stood and moved towards the figure. Upon closer inspection, Emma noticed the familiar plastic of the figure and tugged on the wig, watching as it fluttered to ground like a feather.
Emma's eyes widened in realisation, "Oh no."
"Oh yes, Emma."
Emma turned around coming face to face with Regina who had a red bandana wrapped around her head and brown and green war paint spread across her face, whilst she donned an olive green vest and held a NERF Vortex Pyragon Blaster. She looked pretty ridiculous to Emma and yet she still managed to hold some sort of regal attraction to her and Emma still felt somewhat intimidated whilst staring down the barrel of the fake gun.
Lifting her hands into a surrender pose, she dropped her gun and pleaded with the gun crazy woman. "Regina, please. You don't have to do this."
Regina laughed manically and Emma swore she heard thunder crackle somewhere off in the distance.
"Show no mercy." Regina smirked.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Emma found herself flailing her arms in the air and falling back into the plastic mannequin before finding herself sprawled out on the floor real limbs tangled with fake ones and orange and white NERF bullets surrounding her.
"Here kid, have fun." Regina said to the girl nearest her as she handed the fully reloaded NERF gun over.
Emma groaned as an onslaught off NERF bullets hit her again. She barely managed to see Regina escaping around the corner before she orange and white buried her amongst the fake limbs.
Toys R' Us #2
Emma rounded a corner her NERF N-Strike Rampage Elite Blaster in hand. "What th-" Emma swatted at her neck, once again the soft thud of something landing on her neck returned and she swatted again at it until it happened again and again. Finally she spun to face the culprit but instead came face to face with...nothing.
Looking down she spotted the floor at her feet riddled with little red and orange bullets. Kneeling down she picked up a bullet and inspected it, "What the fu-" Emma's words came to a screeching halt at the throat clears around her. Finally noticing she was being followed by kids and their parents, she finished. "Fudge." Upon a nod of approval Emma went back to inspecting the bullet when her left eye suddenly saw red and orange. "Ow!" She cried in pain as she blinked, "What the fudge?"
Regina from across the store jumped up from a pit of teddy bears that had concealed her and a NERF N-Strike Elite Centurion Mega Blaster.
"Seriously?" Emma questioned but she wasn't sure whether the question was for Regina or for herself.
Instead of pondering the question, she lifted her own gun and fired. In a mixture of awe and shock she watched Regina skillfully dodge out of the NERF bullet's path with the small blue bullets passing by her. A salute later and Regina was nowhere in sight once again. For a few moments Emma and the rest of the onlookers stood there mouths agape staring at the spot Regina had been standing in just a few seconds prior.
Toys R' Us #3
Finally Emma's senses returned and she sprinted after Regina.
Rouding the corner she came face to face with Regina who was standing legs parted, hands behind her back, smirk in place, in the middle of the aisle.
A smirk crossed her own face as she raised her gun.
Regina one shoulder shrugged as a few kids gasped not wanting their sudden hero to lose, "You're out of bullets, Emma."
Emma's brow furrowed and as if to prove Regina's point she pulled the trigger, listening to the sound of an empty cartridge click over. "Oh fudge!" Emma yelled as she threw the gun to the ground.
"We did it your way, Emma and you couldn't defeat me." Regina rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. "Let's do this my way." Bringing her hands out from behind her back she tossed a NERF N-Force Stonewall sword at the blonde before jumping in a defense pose with her own sword. "On guard, Emma."
Hesitantly Emma caught it and raised it.
Regina struck first, hitting the sword once before hitting Emma's shoulder. "Check your stance."
Emma did so and fired back with a strike forcing Regina to back up and around the corner. Emma following.
Regina nodded satisfied, "Nice strike."
Emma struck again but was quickly out manoeuvred by Regina who ducked, spun and struck against her back.
"Don't sacrifice agility and speed for raw power, they're all essential. Without all three you may as well fall on your own sword."
Emma growled, struck again and again and backed up, dodging the incoming attack of Regina's before she struck again, their swords clashing together in a criss cross fashion as they stood nose to nose with each other, the only thing seperating them was their blades.
At this close range, Emma questioned the brunette in a low voice. "How do you know how to do this?"
Regina smirked, "All Royals in the Enchanted Forest know a bit of self defense when it comes weapons. They must know how to defend themselves in case the enemy breaks through their defenses. As such I always did have an affinity towards fencing and sword play. Now stay in character, Emma." Regina told her before pushing away from her. "Feet further apart, raise your arm a little more and don't hold it so tightly. It must sway with the wind. Also don't be so tense, if this were real and you were tense you could shatter a bone."
Emma following her instructions raised her sword a little higher and waited for the attack.
Regina struck out and once again their swords clashed but Regina pulled back this time and struck again and again having all attempts blocked by the blonde. Finally she saw an opening when the blonde faltered lightly and she took it. Striking out against Emma, the blonde dropped her fake sword as the brunette took a few steps backwards, raised the sword again and bounced on the toes of her feet. "Relax," she called out over the muttering of the onlooking crowd to Emma. "Let your body do the thinking, not your brain."
Picking up the sword again, Emma relaxed her muscles, closed her eyes, positioned her feet apart at a respectable distance, raised her sword, took a deep breath and opened her eyes a determined flare in them that made Regina falter slightly.
Regina barely countered the first strike of Emma's before a fluid second shot struck and once again she managed to counter it, the third struck and this time all she could do was block, the fourth struck and a fifth and once again she could only block. Each strike made her back up closer and closer to the wall, by the time the eighth strike hit, her back hit the wall and her sword clattered to the ground as she found herself pressed firmly between the wall and a solid yet soft body with a fake sword pressed to her throat, staring into blazing eyes that held no hint of the playful Emma from before.
Regina swallowed the slight bout of fear lodged in her throat as both women heaved for air. With a distant, emotionless tone Regina spoke loud enough for only Emma to hear. "Congratulations, Miss Swan, it looks like you truly are the Savior after all."
Regina noted the change in Emma's eyes first. The fire relinquishing it's hold as the womans actions and position finally registered.
Shocked at what had just occurred and at the small look of fear in Regina's eyes, Emma backed away, dropped the sword and ran. Leaving the onlookers behind with curious and questioning looks.
It took Regina only a second before she followed after the blonde.
XXX
Emma pushed the door to the womens restroom open more forcefully then neccessary as she moved towards the sink. Turning the cold water tap on she flooded the sink as she cupped her hands gathered the water and brought it to her face looking up at the mirror to see the droplets falling freely from her eyelashes and leaving a trail down her cheek to her chin.
The door to the womens restroom opened again and this time Regina stepped inside, made her way down the aisle and pushed open each stall door checking for occupants. When she found no one she turned to Emma and waited.
"Why didn't you do something? Protect yourself or something, Regina?"
"I can't do magic in public, Miss Swan."
"Bullshit!" Emma yelled, spinning to face Regina. "You could have done something subtly and even if not, you didn't have a problem poofing us in a elevator full of people in front of two security guards this morning, Regina. So don't you dare give me that crap!"
Regina blinked noting the millions of emotions passing over Emma but two caught her attention the most, fear and anger. "Why are you mad? Was it because I called you the Savior?"
"Yes!" Emma yelled again turning back towards the mirror, hands resting against the sink counter. "Do you realise what me being the Savior entails?" Emma stared up into the mirror, looking Regina in the eyes through it as she spoke. "I'm supposed to destroy you. You realise this right?"
Even though it never looked like it Regina had long ago made peace with her fate and destiny but something didn't sit right with what Emma said.
"I don't want to kill anyone, Regina." Emma bowed her head staring into the running water from the tap, "I don't want to kill you."
It was barely a whisper but the restroom's only occupant heard it nontheless.
Regina reached out for Emma, spun her around to face her and sternly told her. "You listen to me, Emma. If it comes down to that boy of ours or killing me, you damn well better screw your morals to hell and do what is necessary."
"I don't want to be the Savior, Regina."
It sounded like a lost child to Regina and for the first time in years, her heart actually broke at the sound. "It's time to grow up Emma, life isn't fair but we do what we can with what we have and you have being the Savior."
"I don't accept that Regina. I don't accept any of this but if it does come down to a fight between us Regina then...then..." Emma stuttered for a moment searching for the right words, none came "...then you had damn well better fight back. Don't give up like you did in there."
Regina took a step back considered her options for a moment before nodding. "Of course I will. Have to keep you on your toes after all." Though she knew that if it came down to them, to herself and Emma, she wouldn't. She couldn't. Not if it meant facing Henry afterwards or having to kill the insufferable blonde in front of her.
With a small smile, Emma dropped it for now as she reached for the paper towel and pulled a handful free before wetting it under the still running tap and motioning with it to Regina's face where the war paint was now smudged with either sweat or tears. "Mind if I?"
Regina brows furrowed for a second.
"The war paint on your face," Emma said once again motioning to the former Mayor's face.
"Oh."
"Yeah, I'm not entirely sure how I managed to have a serious conversation with you, with that stuff on your face." Emma chuckled lightly along with Regina before offering, "So may I?"
Regina nodded as Emma took a step closer and raised the wet towel to her face, lightly brushing away the war paint. It took Regina only a second for her to notice the tears mixed with water in the corner of the blondes eye. On instinct she reached up towards it, her thumb brushing the droplet away but even with it gone she didn't pull back.
Emma's hand froze and for a few moments she was content to just stare into those brown eyes. With a tilt of her head, she shifted to move closer feeling Regina follow suit when the door to the restroom burst open and woman rushed to the nearest stall not taking the slightest notice of them as she closed the door behind her forcefully.
It jolted Emma and Regina a part both looking slightly frazzled and confused. A few moments passed as both women collected themselves.
Emma finally turned to Regina and offered the wet paper towel to the woman. "Here, you still have some stuff on your face."
Hesitantly Regina took the offered paper towel and started scrubbing her face. A few minutes later and her face was finally freed of the brown and green war paint and she began to look more like Regina Mills. Taking a breath Regina composed herself enough to look Emma in the eyes through the mirror. She knew Emma awaited to see what she would say about earlier but when she opened her mouth to speak, she knew she couldn't do it. "I'm starting to get a little hungry. Food court?"
Emma turned away from the mirror shrugged lightly before turning back to face Regina a smile plastered on her face. She would respect, Regina's wishes even if she had that niggling feeling forming in the back of her mind. "Whatever you say, Rambo Regina."
Food Court
Emma was sure something was up.
Absolutely positive.
"Theef rrr deleshs!" Regina declared around a mouthful of cowboy bites, slider buns from Cadillac Ranch.
Yep, something is definitely up. "You do realise that they are filled with Angus beef and melted cheese, right?"
Regina nodded, it was disgusting. Truly disgusting but for now she would live with eating it as long as it meant she could pretend that they didn't have to talk about the bathroom incident.
So once she had managed to swallow the mouthful of burger, she reached forward and grasped a handful of Cadillac Ranch Kettle Chips and shovelled them into her mouth. "Gwoof."
But then again, it could be a Freaky Friday incident, after all she was sitting here eating a salad from one of the health food restraunts in the food court.
"Is this strange to you?"
She swallowed the mouthful of Ranch chips, put her cowboy bite down and reached for her glass of mixed soda. "What do you mean?"
Emma's brows furrowed as she glanced down at her own food before looking over towards Regina's food. "Conversion is only supposed to go one way, you know?"
"Just trying something new is all."
"Right," Emma drew out. "Do we need to talk?"
Regina quickly picked up her burger and took a bite from it, "Abowf whaf?"
"What happened in the bathroom."
Emma swore she saw a flicker of fear cross through Regina's eyes before she felt herself being drenched in a shower of food and soda and a man profusely apologizing behind her as he reached for a napkin and began his attempt at dabbing her down.
Regina knew it was cruel but she wasn't ready to discuss a situation in which she had no upper hand in, had no hand in at all. She would be a pawn among a chess board, putting her life into someone elses hands.
Snapping to her own feet, Regina grabbed her glass and doused the man in her mixed soda and a split second later, another young man had jumped to his feet and declared...no screamed 'FOOD FIGHT'.
A matter of seconds later the cafeteria had food being hurled in numerous directions but Regina had forgotten all about the bathroom incident or the talk that they should have had afterwards as Emma flipped a table and pulled Regina down behind it with her.
The cafeteria was abuzz with laughter and sploosh! sounds as food decorated the the third level of the Mall of America.
"Security!" A young man in a security outfit yelled out as he tore towards the cafeterias occupants with another fifty men and women trailing behind him. "Stop!"
"Time to leave," Emma spoke and quietly started crawling towards the nearest staircase as the smart part of the crowd took to the elevators and the dumb part continued their food fight. "Follow me."
Regina peeked over the flipped table and watched as security rounded up the misfits. Turnign back to Emma, she dropped to her hands and knees, "Lead the way Miss Swan."
Emma wondered whether this was what war felt like as food whizzed over her head and a knife took half a few strands of hair with it as it impaled a seat to her right. Emma thoroughly pissed that someone was throwing knives in a food fight, grabbed the nearest object, stood up and hurled it into the fight and as the chicken piece flew through the air, Emma screeched "Now who the fuck did that?"
It was enough to alert the attention of the nearby security force.
"Oops."
"Run!" Regina yelled scrambling to her feat and taking the flights of stairs three by three with Emma close on her heels. It was until they lost the security force in the midst of the massive crowds did both Regina and Emma share a whole hearted laugh, neither knew whether it was because of the food fight incident or the fact they had nearly gotten caught by security again in one day or the fact that they were just laughing to fill silence.
Mall of America - Future Me
It was a couple of hours more before the mall closed, Regina would have just been happy to stew in silent contemplation of the next item on her bucket ist but Emma being Emma hadn't had the ability to be able to sit still long enough and Regina had gone through all her coins for the massage chair that the blonde was now pouting in.
"Come on, Regina, let's do something fun."
"Oh do tell, what is fun for you, Miss Swan? Getting arrested perhaps? Hmm?" Regina questioned with an arched brow.
"Hey, your ideas of fun are a lot weirder then mine."
Regina didn't answer that because honestly, she knew Emma was right. The bucket list had some pretty...different stuff then normal.
A smirk slipped onto Emma's lips as she took in the sight of a blonde haired kid no more then ten meters away looking into a candy store. "Hey, Regina?"
Regina sighed, "Yes?"
"Watch this." Emma pushed herself up from the massage chair and approached the kid, feeling the brunettes eyes follow her the entire way. "Hey, kid!"
The blonde girl spun to face her and Emma smiled lightly at the young girl. "Guess what?"
"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers."
"Well thats good, cause' I'm not a stranger." Emma gave the kid a serious look before leaning down to look her in the eye, "I'm you. From the future."
Mall of America - Professor Emma Swan
It had been a pretty bad idea to begin with, Regina knew that, hell Emma knew that and yet she had still done it and had the cane marks from the girls grandfathers cane and the bruises from the girls grandmothers hand bag to prove it had been a bad idea.
"Come on, Regina. Enjoy life as it is."
"I knew that bag of marshmallows was a bad idea."
Emma smiled cockily as she popped a marshmallow into her mouth, "Admit it, you felt bad for me and my pain."
Regina rolled her eyes, "I felt sorry for my ears having to put up with your whining." Regina had expected a retort to what she had just said but none came. Looking to her right she did a double take when she noticed the blonde was no longer by her side and instead a few steps back peering inside a kitchen supply store. "What are you doing?"
"Hey, Regina, you like science right?"
The mischievous smirk on the blondes face should have given sounded her alarm bells but instead she nodded and pressed a hesitant, "Why?"
"Follow me."
Regina knew it was a bad idea but followed along behind Emma nontheless, as the woman entered the kitchen supply store and started towards the back of the store. She weaved between isles until the blonde came to a stop in front of the microwaves. "Emma?"
Emma took a glance around before picking one of the display microwaves up and starting towards a power point a small distance away.
"Emma?" Rregina called a little more hesitancy in her voice this time.
"Watch this." With a twinkle in her eye, Emma set the microwave down on a shelf nearby, plugged it in and pulled a marshmallow from the bag before placing it into the microwave.
Regina watched as Emma punched in a few buttons causing the microwave to start up with a slight whirring sound.
"Hey! What do you think you are doing?"
The two women spun around to face the voice, coming face to face with a man dressed in an apron with the kitchen supply stores logo on it.
"Uh," Emma fumbled for a reply, "Testing the store merchandise before purchasing it."
Mall of America - Handy...woman?
Regina had to agree it probably wasn't the best idea. In fact it was worse than the marshmallow idea but she had still been impressed upon watching the blonde construct a fully functional porch deck in the middle of a hardware store with no instructions, only using the tools and materials she had around her.
In fact Regina had been so impressed, that she had made a mental note to have Emma construct a backyard porch when they returned. Of course that meant she actually had to finish with the Bucket List and at this rate...well...
Mall of America - And In First Place...
Emma rounded the corner in a wide arch, wheels grinding against the flooring of the mall.
"Faster, Mi-Emma. They're gaining on us."
"Next time you're pushing, Regina."
The trolley hit a small bump on the mall flooring and Regina was almost sure that with the speed they were going and the sudden bump, her insides had just jumped out of her throat and been left behind and Emma pushed on.
The trolley clattered and rattled as Emma took a sharp left with their two opponents closing in behind them.
Emma took a gander back at them over her shoulder and swore before turning to Regina, "It's a shopping trolley Regina, look for something to slow them down."
With a nod, Regina scoured the shopping trolley she was sitting in, contents. Picking up a potato she hurled it at the boys, the pusher of the trolley barely ducking before it hit his head.
"Slow'em down, not kill'em!" Emma shrieked.
Regina grumbled out a retort before once again scouring the shopping trolley as they rounded another corner. Picking up a bottle of detergent, Regina twisted the lid off, leaned over the side of the trolley and tipped the bottle over the flooring. The boys managed to slide on through the mess with the pusher jumping onto the back of the trolley to gracefully skid along behind them.
"Ouch," Regina cringed as she watched the mall cops round the corner to their slippery demise.
"What?"
Regina looked up at Emma, "Nothing. Just keep pushing!"
Mall of America - Size...Wait?
Emma managed to squash her guilt knowing it was a kill or be killed world and that race was an every man and woman for themselves. So when the mall cops had finally managed to clamber to their feet and catch the two teenage boys racing shopping trolleys behind them after Regina had launched the empty detergent bottle at them hitting their pusher in the face, neither her nor Regina had protested against their escape.
Yet, they knew they were still being looked for by security and in an attempt to hide out for a while since mall cops were being posted at entrances and exits, until they caught the accomplices.
Hidden in a clothing store, Regina hadn't expected for Emma to be able to find any trouble to get herself into but she shouldn't have been surprised when Emma started switching the childrens clothing to the adults section and the adults clothing to the childrens section and truthfully, Regina was surprised she got away with it as they walked out of the total rearranged store with so much as a second glance at them.
Mall of America - Free Hugs
"That wasn't very nice, Regina." Emma told her brunette counterpart as the woman dragged her away from the young man who was hopping up and down on the one spot.
"I told you I saw security."
"I don't see any, Regina and was it really necessary to stamp on that poor guys foot. I mean I was just giving free hugs. Though I will admit it started getting creepy when people started lining up, I mean I was supposed to be creeping people out not the other way around."
It wasn't until five minutes later that Emma had realised that Regina hadn't answered her and she would swear to this day that she hadn't smiled a little when Regina huffed at the fact that people were still following her for free hugs, it may or may not have had something to do with the t-shirt she sported that read in bold "FREEHUGZ".
Mall of America - Sing-It-Louder
As the mall came closer to it's closing time, Regina had known it was probably best to just pack up and leave but it had been a dream of Emma's for a while and so when those puppy dog eyes were turned on her, Regina couldn't turn the blonde down. It was weak - pathetically weak on her part.
Emma's dream...
To sing on the PA system. Any PA system really but Emma had to have the thought right in the middle of a Mall in a city in which they were probably being hunted in by bounty hunters and police officers.
It hadn't taken them very long to find the main office with the PA system and in fact she was a little disappointed in how easy it was to break in and use the PA system. Once the microphone was turned on Emma had cleared her throat and started belting out a rather loud song at the top of her lungs.
It took Regina a few moments before she realised Emma was just repeating the chorus over and over again, not knowing the rest of the song. After a while, Regina caught onto the words in the chorus and joined her. You only live once after all.
A split second later, the door was kicked in with officers piling into the room and S.W.A.T. breaking through windows in a combat roll laser and iron sights trained on the two women.
"Seriously, the SWAT?" Regina intoned with disbelief as she looked at the covered faces of the tactical unit.
Emma dropped the microphone from her hand and rose them above her head. "I didn't do it."
Regina was just confused and in a dazed voice as they where tackled to the ground, flipped over and handcuffed, she spoke again. "They sent SWAT?"
So the girls are off to prison in the next chapter and for those of you who have wanted it since Chapter 5 when Regina revealed a little of her history to Emma, we will be getting some Emma revealing to Regina next chapter. Hope you enjoyed.