A/N: Sorry again about the formatting guys, the editor on the site isn't working for me for some reason and my word-edits don't transfer across – if anyone has a solution please let me know, because it's really frustrating me! Anyway, enjoy! Let me know what you think
Chapter 17.
"How did you go, sweetheart?" Regina asked as she wrapped a protective arm around the blonde's shoulder as they left the clinic.
Emma bit her lip, "It was okay. She's kind of nice, I guess," she mumbled, "But I still didn't tell her."
Regina nodded, "Don't worry so much about that, dear," she waved a hand, "You tell her what you're comfortable with telling her. Don't try to put some kind time limit on it."
Emma nodded, "Okay. So, do I get a lolly pop now?" she teased.
Regina's eyebrows shot up, "Excuse me?" she frowned.
Emma smiled sheepishly, "You think I don't notice, but every time I go to an appointment or do something…challenging, you do this reward thing. Like last time, you got me chocolate, and before that you cooked me butter chicken," she shrugged, "It's cute though, I like it."
Regina shook her head, "That obvious, huh?"
The blonde smiled as she hopped into the car, "Kinda, yeah. So, come on, what do I get?"
Regina rolled her eyes, "What would you like?" she asked.
Emma stroked her chin as she pretended to think, "Hrmm," she wondered aloud, "Pizza!"
The brunette grinned, "Yum, that certainly works for me. Do you want to have it at Granny's or at home?"
"Home," Emma stated, "I have more homework to do," she sighed.
Regina's eyes narrowed for a moment before she made up her mind, "No, not tonight, dear. You've been working so hard, you deserve a night off."
Emma tilted her head, "Really? You think that's wise? I have so much to do," she said unsurely.
Regina smiled, "Trust me, dear, one night of relaxing will be good for you."
"Relaxing," Emma said slowly, "Is that what you call it?" she sniggered.
Regina slapped her on the arm playfully, "That's not what I meant," she tutted, rolling her eyes, "Silly girl. Now, order the pizza."
"Yes, your majesty," Emma muttered as she pulled out her phone.
Mary Margaret clicked her car locked as she pulled her bags over her shoulder; she hated this time of year, there was way too much marking to do and to carry around all over the place. But she did it anyway, after all, if she could get some marked during class she wouldn't have to do them at home later.
She sighed; it was more than just the marking that was stressing her. As a teacher, she had a responsibility to her students, more than just academically, and she still couldn't figure out if what she had seen between Regina and Emma, a student, had been anything worth mentioning.
After all, the girl had been quite upset, she thought, maybe it had just been an innocent, comforting gesture by the teacher. But, for some reason, her gut told her differently. There was that expression that most people could see when others' were more or less comfortable with another, and Mary Margaret could see, or thought she could see, that the two women had seemed overly comfortable together. It hadn't seemed to be their first, awkward physical interaction.
It was not just a quick hug, though even those between student and teacher were deemed inappropriate. Emma, the student who struggled to make eye contact with anyone, had seemed to feel more than quietly comfortable in her teachers arms, not just sitting her head there idly but actually turning deeper into the hug as the teacher's arms had tightened around her, even laying a hand in blonde hair for a moment, before staying in that position for longer than seemed necessary.
As she dumped her bags down on her desk, she sighed again. The fact that she was still thinking about this, after the weekend, gave her an answer; she needed to confront Regina. She would at least give the woman a chance to explain before going straight to Mr. Gold.
"Swan, what are you working on?" Belle slumped opposite her friend in the café.
Emma looked up briefly, chewing the end of her pen, "This report for Nova," she mumbled, "Nearly done."
Belle nodded as she began to unwrap her lunch, "That's cool," she waved a hand, "Don't rush on my account, Em."
Emma smiled and went back to her work.
"Yo, Em, never seen you work so hard," Ruby joked as she approached, "Can I sit?"
Emma nodded, "Sure, you can keep Belle company while I finish this off."
Ruby smiled and plopped down next to Belle, "Sweet. Oh man," she stretched, "I'm so over Aurora and Mulan's PDA."
Belle looked over at the two girls Ruby was talking about, "Really? I think they're kinda sweet," she smiled.
Ruby rolled her eyes, "They are for a while, I guess. But trust me, you get over it. You kinda crave real conversation, rather than like oh did you like read that like magazine on like fluffing your eyebrows?"
Belle giggled, "What the hell is fluffing your eyebrows?"
Ruby shrugged sheepishly, "I don't know, I can't keep up with all these fashion trends. Maybe they didn't say that, it all sounds the same to me," she sighed.
"Yeah, well, lucky you're back with us, huh?" Belle said, before frowning at the assumption she had just vocalised, "I mean, if you want," she shrugged.
Ruby's face broke out into a wolfish grin, "Trust me, I want. Does that mean Tuesday dinner's are back on?"
Emma threw her pen down triumphantly, "Take that, bam! One down, three to go!" she grinned proudly.
The two girl's laughed at their friend's enthusiasm.
"And yep, dinner's back on," she continued, "I really, really missed your Granny's cooking. Though, Regina is kinda a whiz in the kitchen."
Ruby snickered, "What about in the bedroom?"
"Ruby!" Belle exclaimed, "God," she shook her head, "Don't ask her that."
"Oh come on, she's the only one of us who's been with an older woman, isn't that every teenagers fantasy?" Ruby said casually.
Belle blushed, "Not mine," she muttered.
Emma stared at her hands nervously.
"Come on, have you guys gone all the way or what?" Ruby persisted with her line of questioning.
Emma blushed, "Um, well, no we haven't actually," she mumbled.
"You're with a sexy, latino, older woman and you're telling me you haven't gone there?" Ruby asked incredulously.
"We've done other stuff, just not…that," Emma's cheeks burnt deeper.
Ruby squinted at her friend, "But you've seen her naked, right?"
Belle sighed audibly, "Oh my god, Ruby, not everybody is a sex addict like you," she rolled her eyes.
"I refuse to believe that," Ruby teased, shrugging, "So, have you?"
Emma bit her lip before nodding, "Yeah," she admitted.
"And?" Ruby lent forward eagerly.
"And what?" Emma asked, "She's beautiful. She's gorgeous. She's…damn sexy, especially when she speaks Spanish," she blushed even further as her mind unconsciously conjured up the image of her naked girlfriend.
"I bet," Ruby snickered at both of her blushing friends, "Good to be back, guys."
Regina sighed and put her pen down as she took a sip of coffee and lent back in her chair for a moment, savouring the taste. She could only read so many Spanish introduction's before all the words began to blend together. She looked up hopefully as there was a light knock on the door, but sighed upon seeing Mary Margaret.
"Mary Margaret, what can I do for you?" she asked.
The brunette teacher shifted on her feet, looking uncharacteristically awkward, "I need to have a word to you… about Emma Swan."
Regina frowned, feeling her stomach turn, "Oh? Has she not been attending class or – "
"No, no, her attendance and her work has been fine. She's been quite receptive lately, in fact," Mary Margaret assured the other woman.
"Okay," Regina brow furrowed further, "Then, what is it?"
Mary Margaret hesitated, "The other day, after the incident in my class, she came to see you. I was passing by after the bell and I noticed the two of you were… close."
Regina felt the blood in her veins go cold and took a moment to compose herself, "Uh, well I was, I was comforting her. She was quite upset, and as you know, I have been helping her lately, so I suppose she feels close to me…"
"That's…all it was? A comfort thing?" Mary Margaret asked evenly.
Regina nodded, "Of course," she stated, more confidence in her voice this time.
"You just looked very… comfortable with one another. It seems interesting to me that she ran straight to you, instead of her friends, when she was upset," the smaller brunette observed.
Regina sighed, "As I said, she has confided in me… Look," she sighed once again, deciding to try a little honesty, "You know, she has no parents, no adult influence. Nobody should have to grow up like that, so I suppose, perhaps, I have taken her under my wing a little. I believe she trusts me, and that's why she comes to me when she's upset. I don't think that's a bad thing," she finished, pushing a hand through her hair, hoping this explanation would satisfy the other teacher.
Mary Margaret nodded slowly, "I see. I suppose I can understand that… " she sighed, "You should be careful, Regina. If someone else had seen you like that… Just be careful?"
Regina was surprised, but grateful for the change in this woman in the last few weeks, "Okay, yeah, sure," she stuttered, "Thank you for coming to me first, I appreciate it."
The other woman smiled, "Sure. You know, I was thinking… I know you've been helping Emma a lot in regards to her illness and it seems to be something you're knowledgeable and passionate about. I wondered perhaps, if you had thought of running some kind of program," she paused, "I don't know. I just know that I am not the only one uneducated about mental illness, and I have come to realise how important it is that we, as teachers, have knowledge about the subject. Emma Swan is not the only student who has faced these issues. I think, with your passion, you could really make a difference."
Regina felt her eyes widen, "Thank you," she said quietly, "I really appreciate that. I don't know that I have any qualifications to educate others… but sometimes it is experience rather than qualification…" she sighed, "I do agree it's an important issue. I will certainly put some thought into that, and I really do admire that you are willing to change your opinions and learn. Not everybody has the self-awareness to do that."
Mary Margaret nodded, "I think it is something worth looking into… and if there's anything I could do to help, I would be willing," she smiled, "I should get some more marking done, though, and let you do the same," she raised her eyebrows at the other woman's pile of work.
"Yes, that time of year," Regina agreed before they parted ways. She sighed in relief, but also with some amount of guilt. She didn't like to lie but she had found herself in a situation where she had no choice. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Feeling a little stressed, all she wanted to do was curl up with her young girlfriend, but she knew she needed to get some more marking done before she could take Emma home, so she opened her eyes and focussed her attention on the tests in front of her.