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Chapter sixteen

Once again, Regina watched people making altering-life decisions for her. It felt like sitting by a nest of snakes –people hiding behind forced smiles and under the pretense of caring about each other. They did it so easily that it scared her a little.

It was either deal with that or Mr. Gold would automatically take over the place; he had been her dad's secretary for years along with ruling the school, even though Regina knew he didn't trust the man. He always told her he kept Gold close to watch him.

Henry Mills loved Storybrooke and its town folks; Mr. Gold loved money, and if Regina didn't take her father's place, he would dry Storybrooke out.

With that thought in mind, Regina decided to honor her father's legacy instead of mourning his loss, a smart move when you had Cora Mills as mother and Mr. Gold as competition. When everyone left convinced that she was going to carry on with Henry's work, Regina finally could rest her tired back on her chair and think about other pressing matters.

Her father's funeral.

Her son.

It was around midnight and she was surprise when someone knocked at the door.

"Come in."

Katherine, her former school friend, popped her head hesitatingly inside the office.

"Regina. Hi."

Regina blinked at the sight. Katherine had been horrible to Emma back then, and then had acted like Regina's friend after the incident, keeping her away from everyone under Cora's orders. They didn't part ways on good terms, and Regina thought she had a lot of nerve to show up like that, given the circumstances.

"I know it's not a good time," Katherine said, reading between the lines of Regina's silence. "I just wanted to… There's something bad going on here. I think… I think your father was not a target because he was adored, and if the people suspected someone did anything to him, they would strike back. You just returned, and you have a son – you have weak spots, meaning he has a weapon against you. Let me help you through this."

Regina chuckled. "You think someone will try to… kill me? Gold? And you are going to help me?"

"I know my track record is for shit," Katherine sighed, and that was something, because she never cursed. "I just want to make amends. You've been through a lot, and I feel indirectly responsible."

"Oh really?" Regina narrowed her eyes. "Humor me."

The blonde woman faltered under her scrutiny; Regina Mills was no longer the frightened, innocent girl that Cora so easily manipulated.

"Emma came looking for you that day," she said quietly. "When your father won the election. I knew you were home. I told her you had left already. Maybe you'd get to say goodbye to her if I didn't stand in the way."

Regina's nostrils flared. It was too much to take in on a two day spam. She needed her dad. Everyone had lied, everyone manipulated her.

"Why are you telling me this?" she hissed.

"Because Storybrooke needs you now. I'm not asking you to do it for me. Do it for them. Your friends… your son, Emma-"

"Do not talk about my son, Katherine! Or Emma! You-" she struggled with her words. She was so angry that nothing she said could make it go away. "Get out of my office. Now!"

"I'm sorry for your loss," the blonde said, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Regina closed her eyes and considered it. If Katherine was lying, she was a lot more prepared to deal with her type. If she was telling the truth, Regina had to protect Henry. There was one person that could ensure his safety.

Katherine spun around when Regina called out for her. The brunette had followed her outside, and looked dangerously determined.

"You can organize the funeral. Make it classy, like he deserved. If you succeed, you can start working on my campaign. I expect you here tomorrow at nine."

"You will not regret this," Katherine smiled, and after waving politely, she left.

Keep your enemies closer, that's what Henry would tell Regina.

And she would follow his advice, even though he wasn't there and didn't actually give her any.

She was exhausted, and she knew it was late, but she had to go see him. Them, if she was being totally honest with herself. When she stopped in front of the Swans' house, her heart gave a violent jolt as the memories flooded back in.

When she took the front walk, she noticed her knees were trembling slightly.

The porch's light went on, and Emma Swan emerged from inside the house, wearing old sweatpants and a t-shirt, holding a baseball bat.

"Who's there-?" she barked, and a second later she recognized the brunette. "Oh, hi," she said, lowering it.

"I'm sorry to show up so late," Regina muttered. "I just got rid of that mob, and I wanted to -"

"Of course," Emma nodded. "Come in-"

The house had not changed in the slightest. It was still small, clustered and cozy, just as if it froze in time to wait for Regina.

"He's in my old bedroom," Emma whispered.

Regina nodded and walked a short distance to get to the doorway. It was because of the fish tank light that she could see her son comfortably sleeping, nested on Emma's pillow and bedsheets, just as if he always belonged to that place.

Like Regina did.

When she turned around, Emma was in the kitchen making tea.

"My mom used to say that you can't offer coffee after nine, and if it's past midnight, you can only pour vodka or tea. As you correctly guessed, I'm out of vodka."

Regina grinned at her light and amused tone. It seemed Emma would never lose that juvenile air.

"You shouldn't have bothered. It's late, and I know you get up early-"

Emma wanted to interrupt her babbling with a kiss, but she had no idea if she should. In the past ten years, she had stayed up all night in many occasions just because she missed Regina and was mad at her, and now it seemed stupid to want to go to bed, because Regina was finally standing there, alone with a child and a funeral to prepare.

Emma placed her hand on top of hers on the table, and that made her stop talking.

"Relax, Mills," she said softly, and she could've sworn Regina blushed. The brunette sipped her tea and looked at Emma. "So, how did the conclave go?"

"It was a nightmare," she chuckled.

"Are you running for Mayor, now?"

"I didn't come here with the intention to do that, but it looks like I don't have much of a choice."

Emma nodded. "You'll do fine."

"You think so?" Regina chuckled miserably. "I have no idea how to handle this."

"You're Regina Mills. Of course you can handle this."

Emma had always pictured Regina dressed up in those fancy attires, like a business woman, and it seemed to her that the career in politics was something natural.

They remained in silence for a long time, until it became too tense.

"Do you wanna go outside?" Emma asked, standing up from her chair. "We can talk in the porch, like… like before. It took me two matches of Clue and ten rounds of Naval Battle to get him to fall asleep-"

Regina only nodded, incredibly touched with her concern for her son. She had always being a single parent, and it was a sort of relief to get some help during that turmoil.

They used to sit on the porch when they were young and Regina didn't want to go straight home after spending the day with Emma and Ingrid.

They sat down by the old bench, listening to crickets for a long time.

"I missed you," Regina muttered, and it made Emma turn to look at her. "The way you talked to me… The way you looked… Like I was the most important thing you had."

Emma was unable to voice her feelings; Regina still was the most important thing, she just wasn't sure if she could still have her.

"Are you cold?" she asked instead.

Regina nodded, and accepted the arm and the blanket that Emma placed around her shoulders.

"I missed you, too," the blonde whispered, noticing how Regina softened and huddled against her body.

Emma might have dozed off a few times. However, the bench was too uncomfortable, and she felt a high sense of duty now that Henry and Regina were in her jurisdiction, so to speak. Only when it was dawning she relaxed a little, and woke up startled when she heard footsteps.

She opened her eyes and almost screamed when a pair of light eyes greeted her, accompanied by a boy's face.

"Jesus Christ, kid!" she hissed.

"Wow, she must really like you," Henry said, unfazed by the reaction, sitting on the porch's step to tie his shoes. "My mom is a light sleeper. She should've been up from the minute I flushed the toilet."

"She's tired," Emma grunted, not wanting to feed her ego with that information. "She got here around one in the morning."

"Well, if you think that's the reason," he shrugged. "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

Emma frowned. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty. I have to be in school at eight."

"Holy crap," she mumbled, moving slightly to the side so that she could look down at Regina. "Hey-"

Regina opened her eyes slowly, and her first reaction was to offer a sleepy smile to the blonde.

"Um. We have an audience here," Emma said awkwardly.

The brunette sat up straight, noticing her son watching them with that knowing look. It was amazing how alike he was his grandfather without barely knowing him or even being related to him by blood.

"Hi, honey!" she chuckled, and hugged him when Emma stood up from the bench. "Did you sleep well? How was your day at the Nolan's? Did you obey Emma-?"

The blonde decided to give them privacy as they chatted; she entered her house feeling slightly disoriented. As she changed and brushed her teeth, all she could think about was that she didn't have a fridge compatible with the small family assembled on her front porch.

"We're out for breakfast," she said, getting out of the house as she put on her jacket. Regina looked hesitatingly at her. "C'mon, I'll drop him off at school and you can go take care of your stuff-"

The ride to Granny's had been incredibly fast; when they entered the diner, a small group of people turned to look at them.

"You look like those perfect ad families, but really awkward and uptight," Ruby said, serving coffee for Emma and Regina and then turning to Henry. "What about you, kid? Hot chocolate?"

As he nodded, the tall brunette winked and beckoned him to go help her.

"I thought it would be awkward," Regina muttered when Henry left.

"She must be in a good mood about something. She will give us shit in no time, don't worry-"

The doorbell rang and Sergeant Gale barged in, fully dressed in her uniform, wearing her hair into a neat knot on the back of her head. Emma scoffed.

"What?" Regina chuckled. "Can't stand another hot and muscular woman in the same room as you?"

"Do you think she's hot?" Emma asked annoyed.

The butterflies in Regina's stomach started to dance the Conga with that jealous tone.

"She's not really my type," Regina shrugged, trying to hide her smile. "But it looks like she's Ruby's-"

As Regina mentioned that, Emma noticed her friend flushing like a teenager, dropping several bowls behind the counter. When she squatted to collect them, Henry started to interrogate the fire fighter like he usually did, and she was being absolutely adorable with him.

Emma scoffed again. "I think Ruby forgot how that bully used to steal her lunch back in fourth grade-"

"Isn't it a small ironic world?" Regina said amused. "A bully that suddenly falls in the good graces of their victim-"

"I never stole your food," Emma grunted, avoiding Regina's eyes.

The brunette only smiled. She couldn't tell for sure if Emma hated Dorothy Gale for the simple fact of hating her or if that had anything to do with Ruby. Considering she didn't know about their fling until now, Regina assumed it was some kind of old school feud.

"She's gonna marry you for the food, you know," Emma grunted to Ruby when she returned to their table with Henry's hot chocolate and a variety of pastry for them. "That huge-"

"Yeah, she apologized for that," Ruby snickered. "And for stealing your Mickey Mouse lunch bag, too."

Regina wanted to jump on Emma's arms as she blushed and looked adorable like a child. So it was an old feud over a Disney lunch bag.

They ate in silence and then Emma grumpily insisted on paying for breakfast. She didn't say goodbye to Ruby – who wouldn't notice anyway, because she was too distracted by Sergeant Gale – and she didn't say a word to Regina as they walked towards her car.

They dropped Henry at school, and Regina was glad that Mary Margaret was waiting for him outside – it was his first day, and the brunette had never missed a first day before. She kissed the top of his head and told MM to call her directly at the Mayor's office in case anything happened.

"Call her if you can't reach me," Regina added in undertone, indicating Emma inside the car.

"He'll be fine here, don't worry," Mary grinned. "But I'll make sure I'll call if he needs his moms… mom," she corrected herself as she shook her head awkwardly. "Or… the Sheriff."

"Thank you, MM," Regina couldn't help smiling at the Freudian slip.

"I'll pick him up, if you're busy later," Emma muttered after a while, parking in front of Town Hall.

Regina sighed. "I'm giving you too much trouble-"

"Just until the dust settle," Emma shrugged. "I don't have anything to do anyway."

The brunette observed her sulking while she visibly tried to be sweet, and that was another 'Mickey Mouse lunch bag' sort of cute.

"Do you want to come inside for a minute? My first appointment is only at nine, and I have a few minutes."

"Fine."

Emma followed her, trying not to look too much at her ass, but Jesus Christ, it would be easier to have her eyes removed. When they were inside Henry Mills' office, Regina folded her arms.

"So. This grumpy face is because Ruby has someone new?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "You said she was hot!"

"And I said she was not my type!"

"Who's your type, then?"

It wasn't a secret that they had always loved to provoke each other before turning the fight into a passionate make out session. It wasn't a secret that things were only growing hotter and angrier, and that was not helping Emma to keep her hands to herself.

"I like the idiots," Regina said impatiently, and that was the moment Emma forgot all about her resolve to wait until they talked.

She pinned the brunette to the wall with a loud thud, smacking her hands above her head as she claimed her lips violently. Regina cupped her face as she responded equally desperate for contact and friction.

Emma heard the distant sound of something large and expensive crashing on the floor, and she caught a breathy oh dear with her lips as Regina noticed what was broken. Their kiss deepened as the last century vase lay shattered by their feet.

The blonde ran her hand up Regina's thigh, lifting the hem of her dress along the way, stopping when her thumb was hooked around the elastic of the brunette's underwear. Regina gasped, buckling her hips, demanding more contact.

Emma pushed her harder against the wall and they hit the furniture; a lampshade spun around and crashed, too. Emma chuckled with the feat, and received a painful bite on her lower lip as punishment.

Before she could complain, Regina reached down for her underwear, rolling it down her legs and breaking the kiss for a moment to kick it under the desk. Emma groaned, sliding her hand between her legs as the other reached behind Regina's dress to unzip it.

The second her brain registered how wet the future Mayor was, Katherine barged in the office.

"Good morning, Regina, I… Oh, sorry!" she exclaimed, jumping back and almost tripping. "I didn't know you-"

Emma growled under her breath, removing her hands from the incredibly hot body in front of her. She looked down at Regina; her green eyes were loaded with lust and frustration.

"See you later," she whispered, pulling away from Regina and passing by Katherine angrily.

Both women clearly heard her hiss something nasty on her way out - something that was definitively not taught at the Lady Bugs of Storybrooke Etiquette Classes Regina and Katherine attended together when they were ten.

"She elbowed me," Katherine said incredulously.

"You are early," Regina said, sitting down composedly as she tried to hide her panties under the carpet with the tip of her shoe.

"I figured I should start off on your good books, but Jesus. I would've waited if I knew."

Regina offered her a cynical smile. "You can start now, by cleaning this mess," she pointed the shattered porcelain behind her chair.

"Fine," Katherine nodded with a discreet eye roll. "Tell the Sheriff to stop elbowing people. We're not in high school anymore."

"You should start knocking, dear. Now, less whining, more sweeping."

Regina sighed as she watched the Sheriff through the window. She seemed a lot angry when she slammed the door of her car and drove away. She felt guilty for the unattended waves of pleasure rolling around her abdomen; she had a funeral to plan, a dead parent to mourn, and a ten year old boy to take care of, but all she craved was Emma Swan between her legs for five more minutes.

Katherine re-entered the office with a stack of folders after collecting the broken china. She silently split it in two on top of Regina's desk.

"I have three pre-approved funeral services here," she pointed the first pile. "And three campaign slogans and line of action here," she tapped the second one. "If you dislike all of them, I'll bring you three more of each."

Regina waited until she was gone to open the first file. The mention of a coffin, flowers and catering menu made her sick. She flipped it shut and decided to make Katherine decide. She moved to the files regarding her campaign. The last proposition was the only one she had liked – it counted on heavy support from local figures of authority such as the Sheriff, meaning she would get to see Emma on regular basis even if she won and became an extremely busy person.

She buzzed Katherine's intercom. The blonde was by her desk in two seconds, with a cup of coffee and a note pad.

"I can't really decide what to do about the funeral. Pick what you think is best," she said rubbing her eyes. "As for the campaign… I chose the third option."

Katherine smirked.

Regina knew she probably spent the night doing all of that, but she was not ready to give in and compliment her good job – she still was too smug and arrogant.

"That would be all for now," she said with a dismissive tone, accepting the coffee and waving her off.

The smirk disappeared and her shoulders fell slightly, but she didn't cave either. She nodded politely and closed the door behind her as she left.

XXX

Around four o'clock, Emma parked in front of the school building.

She avoided looking at the brick walls and the benches out of habit; she had some good and happy memories from school, after all.

The bell rang and an avalanche of children burst out the doors and down the front steps. She watched them hurry towards the buses or their bicycles, and it reminded her of the days they rode to school squeezed inside the GTI.

A few months ago her old car stopped working, and now Killian held it hostage in his shop, trying to make it rumble again. It had been four months already, and Emma was starting to lose hope. Not to mention she grew fond of the yellow bug – an indulgence from her friend, who found it unclaimed on the streets and refurbished it without the pretension of ever selling it – until Emma needed a new car.

MM showed up at the front doors with Henry. She spotted the Bug and led the boy towards it.

"Hey!"

"Hi there," Emma waved, reaching out to open the door for him. "How's first day?" she asked him, then looked up at her friend.

"It was cool," Henry said, hiding behind a comic book on the back seat.

"You need a ride?" Emma asked MM, who promptly sat down on the passenger seat.

"Do you mind? Thanks! I would walk home, but I'm preparing a surprise for David, you know. So, yeah, I'm in a bit of a hurry-"

Emma refrained from grimacing. David had already mentioned that they were trying to get pregnant and that today was the first day of MM's fertile cycle. Whatever he said after that, Emma was no longer listening.

Her friends were disgusting.

"Yeah, yeah, no problem," she said with an awkward smile. Usually she would drive as fast as she could to get rid of her friend, but today she had Henry. She was sure MM would not mention anything regarding her sex life while there was a child inside the car.

They dropped her off – Emma was sure she was disappointed for not telling the details – and then they drove to her house again. Henry was oddly quiet even though he looked really comfortable around Emma.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"Whatever you pick," he said with a shrug, moving to Emma's old bedroom.

The blonde struggled for a moment, and then decided against it. Whatever it was that happened in school was not her problem. After pacing in the kitchen for a moment, she walked towards the bedroom.

He looked up at her as she lingered by the doorway. He seemed so closed up that she didn't even try to force the truth out of him.

"Are you gonna use the bathroom?" she asked instead.

Henry shook his head no.

"Huh. Okay. I'm gonna-" she pointed over her shoulder, feeling stupid.

He shrugged again.

"Alright, what's the beef?" Emma asked, rolling her eyes and plopping down by the foot of the bed.

"Nothing."

"Kid."

Henry looked up at her, and now he really seemed upset. "Some people in my class made fun of you and my mom. They said… They said you are my… dad. Because you're-"

"What? Dykes? That's the word they used?" Emma asked with a chuckle, folding her arms in a relaxed attitude. "Next time they annoy you, ask them if that's the best they can do and walk away. Don't fuel the fire and they'll leave you alone."

"What if they don't?"

Emma considered it. She could teach him to pick up fights and punch, but that didn't sound like something Regina would approve. On the other hand, he would be with her only for a few more days, and then he was no longer her responsibility.

But then she remembered about the promise she made to him.

And she wanted Regina back.

For that reason, she spoke out before she could think about how it would come out. "Tell them your dad will kick their asses."

Henry laughed, and that sound made her heart flutter.

"Okay, I'm gonna go shower," Emma said. "You get a free pass today if you want."

"I won't tell my mom, I promise," he positively beamed.

"Get the Chinese place phone on the fridge and order some Sheriff Swan's special. They'll know what to deliver."

She closed the bathroom's door as she heard him dialing.

"Wow," she breathed.

She said she was his dad.

Fuck.

So much for fueling other people's fire, Swan…

XXX

It was around nine when Regina arrived. She felt that she needed a shower even more than she needed food, and when she saw Henry with his school bag packed and ready to go, she felt a tug of gratitude towards Emma that she could barely contain that weird compulsion to throw herself into her arms.

However, the blonde kept her arms folded against her chest as she leaned on the wooden column of her porch.

Regina waited until Henry was inside the car to speak.

"This is not your responsibility, and if you don't want to do this anymore-"

"Some kids picked on him in school today," Emma interrupted her, trying to hide her anger towards mere school boys. "You have to go talk to MM. If you don't want to, I will."

The urge to kiss the blonde intensified, but the walls she had lifted around her muscular body were so visible that Regina was forced to focus on the matter at hand.

"Was it about… us?"

"Yeah," Emma grunted. "I don't want him to suffer like you did because of me-"

Screw the walls.

Regina pulled her to a gentle kiss, and Emma finally gave up on the cold and distant façade.

"Thank God you're still here for me," Regina whispered, pulling away and walking backwards to her car with a discreet smile on her lips. "I promise you I'll talk to Mary, and I promise you we will… finish that. Someday."

"Someday," Emma repeated to herself as the black Mercedes disappeared around the corner.