Chapter 11
"Well this is charming," Regina muttered as she stepped out of her Mercedes.
The Pines Ridge Inn was a dilapidated little roadside motel that had seen better days. The blacktop parking lot was uneven and filled with potholes, and the water in the kidney-shaped outdoor pool glowed an unnatural green color. Neon pink lettering flickered on the motel's signage, indicating that rooms were available.
Emma stood staring at the single-story motel, her hands on her hips. "We're in the middle of nowhere, Regina," she said, shaking her head. "I doubt there's a five-star hotel between here and Storybrooke. You should just be thankful we're not camping."
"I grew up in a world without indoor plumbing," Regina sniffed. "I think I can handle a little camping."
An amused smile curled the ends of Emma's mouth. "Careful, I might call your bluff on that one of these days."
"I'll go see about rooms," Regina grumbled on her way to the front office. "Hopefully this relic takes credit cards."
Ursula and Hook climbed out of Regina's car and stretched their limbs.
"Nothing like the stench of mothballs to make a girl feel at home," Ursula remarked. "Although I'd wager it's a step up from the snake pits you've called home, Killian."
"Steady there, lass," Hook uttered in warning.
Henry inspected the two adults who seemed the misfits of the road trip group. No one had explained exactly who they were or why they were part of the group. Then again, no one had bothered to explain much to Henry about this unexpected detour from his life in New York. "Who are you guys again?" he asked.
"The name's Killian. Killian Jones." Hook bowed with his usual flourish.
Henry scrutinized Hook's features with his usual curiosity. "Are you wearing makeup?"
The smile dropped from the pirate's face. "Funny lad."
Henry turned his attention next to the former sea queen. "What about you?"
"The name's Ursula." The former sea queen surveyed their surroundings with barely contained disdain.
"Is that your real name?" Henry posed.
"Why? Do you have a problem with it?" Ursula challenged.
"No, it's just a little weird. Did your parents name you after the octopus in the Little Mermaid or are you too old for that movie?"
Ursula eyeballed the teenaged boy. "You ask a lot of questions."
"I like knowing what's going on," Henry responded with an unaffected shrug.
Regina exited the motel office, her high heels clicking on the broken pavement. "I got us three rooms," she announced. "Ursula and I can share a room. Emma and Henry. And Killian and …" she forced herself to keep a neutral tone. "Walsh."
"But I'm with Emma," Walsh interjected.
"No you're not," Regina retorted.
Regina stared at Emma expectantly. Without words, Emma knew the other woman would never tolerate letting Henry stay in a room with her and Walsh. It had been a miracle she had allowed the greasy-spoon diner food for dinner.
Emma snagged the dangling room key from Regina. "It's just one night, Walsh. We all have to make some sacrifices."
Regina couldn't help tossing a particularly smug smile in Walsh's direction.
Emma tilted her head to one side and made a noise of satisfaction when she heard and felt her neck crack. She would never admit it, especially not to Regina, but road trips in her beloved yellow bug were not ideal on her body.
She inspected her reflection in the dingy mirror above the sink in her motel room's bathroom. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she was on top of the world. She and Henry had been happy—not just content—but truly happy with their lives. Once all of her memories came rushing back, however, all of that had changed. She had a responsibility to people beyond herself and Henry. She had the burden of being the Savior, itself a kind of double-edged blessing and curse. She had a family now, but with that came more complications than she could ever have imagined.
Emma didn't worry about getting to the bottom of this second curse. She and her friends and family had weathered worse. They'd crossed realms and had defeated Peter Pan. A cursed Storybrooke felt like amateur stuff compared to that. She'd already broken one curse anyway. More troublesome was the realization that once they broke this second curse, she had a difficult decision to make. Would she and Henry return to the life Regina had made for them in New York? Or would they remain in Storybrooke?
Outside of the motel bathroom, Emma found Henry had already claimed one of the double beds as his own. She grabbed the television remote and flipped through the few channels, but, finding nothing of interest, turned the TV off.
Emma sat down on the edge of one of the empty double bed. "So we haven't had a chance to really talk about this road trip."
Henry propped his hands under his head like a pillow and stared at the ceiling. "I thought you liked your job in New York."
"I did. I do," Emma corrected. "But a little change might be nice."
"Do you really want to be a cop?" Henry asked.
"Did I ever think I'd be in this position when I was your age? Absolutely not. But a little change might be nice. And it would be better job security than what I've been doing lately."
"In Maine."
"In Maine," Emma echoed with a nod. "Do you really like New York?"
"I guess," Henry responded noncommittally. "It's where my school and my friends are."
"I know, but I want you to keep an open mind when we get to Storybrooke. Give it a chance, okay?"
"Okay," Henry agreed. "But can I get a new PlayStation?"
Emma chuckled at the question. "No, you may not."
She wanted to say something on behalf of Regina, but she didn't know what or how. Before she could think very hard, however, she heard a light knock on the door.
The door had no peephole and the windows at the front of the motel room were angled in a way that made it impossible to see who was standing out in front. After taking quick mental inventory of herself, Emma opened the door.
"Hey, beautiful." Walsh's leaned his lanky body against the doorframe.
"Hey, you." Emma tugged on her ponytail. In an old t-shirt and sweatpants, with her hair tossed up in a messy ponytail, she felt far from beautiful.
"Think you can get away for a few minutes?" Walsh smiled benignly. "It's a beautiful night. I thought maybe we could go for a walk."
Emma glanced back into the room. Henry continued to stare at the ceiling, a thoughtful look on his face. "I wish I could, Walsh, but I don't really feel comfortable leaving Henry in the room by himself."
"So drop him off at one of the other rooms," Walsh suggested. "I'm sure Regina wouldn't mind looking after him."
"No. She's probably already sleeping. I don't want to bother her."
"We've hardly seen each other the past few days." Walsh frowned and tipped his chin down. His long, shaggy hair fell in front of his eyes. "I miss you."
"I know. Things have been crazy these past few days. And now Regina's got this job for me…" Emma trailed off, not sure what else to say. She felt guilty for keeping so many important details from Walsh, but it was for the best she told herself. The truth was messy and complicated and something she couldn't deal with for the moment.
Walsh stood to his full height and crossed his arms across his chest. "What exactly is it that you're doing for her?"
"I, uh, it's hard to explain."
"Try me," he coaxed with a smile. "I'm a pretty smart guy."
"It's just a job," Emma dismissed. "It's super boring bails bonds person stuff."
Walsh's features narrowed in genuine concern. "Is everything okay?"
"Of course it is," Emma replied a little too quickly for her own ears. "I'm just tired," she insisted. "It's been a long day, and we'll have an even longer day tomorrow."
"Okay, I get it. But you can't blame a guy for trying." Walsh leaned forward for a kiss, and unlike her, Emma leaned back.
The tall man's features crumpled in confusion. Emma put her hand over her mouth. "Onions," she hastily explained. "There were so many onions on my burger. I'll see you in the morning." The motel room door shut in Walsh's face before he could utter another complaint.
Emma released a long breath and leaned against the backside of the door. She couldn't rationalize why she had just denied Walsh a simple kiss, but she chalked it up to confusion about what their future held. Her head was too busy, too loud.
"Hey, Henry?"
"Yeah?"
She grabbed the ice bucket off the bureau beside her. "I'm gonna get some ice. I'll be right back."
Outside of her motel room, the night air was mild, but brought goosebumps to her arms in her short-sleeved t-shirt. She found the ice machine near the motel office and took a detour on her way back to her and Henry's room.
She knocked tentatively on the motel room door with the number 4 hanging from it. She heard the rustle of movement coming from inside the room until the door swung open.
"Hey," she greeted.
Regina's peered out into the night. She couldn't fathom why Emma was knocking on her room door at this hour. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah." Emma's eyes raked down Regina's body. "Do you always dress so fancy for bed?"
"No." Regina self-consciously pulled the neckline of her nightgown higher on her clavicle, which only succeeded in tugging it higher up her bare thighs, an action not entirely lost on the blonde woman.
"Right. How could I forget?" Emma clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Sometimes you just pass out in your underwear."
Regina curled up her lip in disdain. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"
Emma's grin was wide. "Nope."
"I'll assume you had an actual purpose for stopping by beyond commenting on my sleepwear?" Regina asked in an impatient tone.
"Yeah, uh, I just forgot to ask what time you want to hit the road in the morning."
"I'm not sure. I'm an early riser, but I know Henry isn't."
"He'll be fine," Emma dismissed. "He can sleep in the car."
"Okay. On the road by 8:00 a.m. then?"
"Sounds good to me."
"I'm actually glad you stopped by," Regina announced.
"Yeah?" The hopefulness in Emma's voice embarrassed her; she prayed Regina hadn't heard the excited lilt.
"We should probably get our story straight about why exactly you're coming to Storybrooke. Henry's been asking questions."
"So has Walsh," Emma noted.
"What does he want to know?"
"Think you two can take your conversation someplace else?" Ursula's voice carried through the doorway. "Some of us actually like to sleep."
Regina's head whipped in the direction of the disembodied voice. "Don't make me regret not throwing you back under the sea," she snapped.
Despite her threat, Regina stepped outside and partially closed the hotel room door behind her, careful not to lock herself out.
"Aren't you going to be cold?" Emma worried.
"I'll be fine," Regina stubbornly insisted despite giving her arms a brisk rub.
"I'd give you my shirt," Emma casually offered, "but I'm not wearing a bra, so…"
Regina's eyes inadvertently darted to Emma's chest. "I-I'm really okay," she stumbled. "But back to Walsh."
Emma tugged on her ponytail and made a noise of frustration. "I realized now that it was stupid and short-sighted to have let him come along. It's bad enough having to watch what I say in front of Henry let alone another set of ears."
"But you like him?" Regina pressed. "You-you trust him? Even now that you've got your memories back?"
"I do," Emma confirmed. "You'll probably think it's stupid, but it's kind of nice having someone in my life that's not a fairytale character. It makes me feel almost normal. And since he doesn't really know who I am, I don't have to worry that he likes me just because I'm the Savior or because I'm Snow White's kid or something."
"No. That's not dumb," Regina said quietly.
As someone betrothed to the king of her realm, Regina had constantly been wary of anyone who tried to get close to her. She perpetually doubted their motives. Even her mother—especially her mother—she could never be sure if her mother's attempts to reconcile were born of maternal love or the desire to be close to the crown.
Regina cleared her throat. "We should probably talk about living arrangements while we're at it."
"Oh, I kinda just assumed we'd stay at Granny's."
"It's a little crowded there, actually. More people from the Enchanted Forest are in Storybrooke. And since I didn't include them in the First Curse, most of them don't have a place to stay in this world."
Emma's lips formed a silent o. "I never thought about of that."
"My guess is it's one of the new people who enacted the second curse," Regina voiced.
"What about motive?" Emma reasoned.
Regina sighed. "Your parents and I have been over that again and again, but without our memories from the past year, I'm afraid we keep hitting dead ends."
"So we get your memories back."
"We thought of that, too. But it's a little more complicated than that. Magic exists in Storybrooke, but it's a limited magic. For as all-powerful as I seem, even I can only do so many things."
"Maybe I can help," Emma offered. "You know—Captain Planet—with our powers combined kind of stuff. It can't hurt to try, right?"
Regina hummed. "Maybe."
Emma scratched at her head. "I guess Henry and I could stay with my parents. Maybe Walsh could bunk with Hook or something."
Regina bit the inside of her lip. Emma didn't know about the coming addition to Snow and Charming's family. It wasn't her place to tell her about the pregnancy, but she still felt the nagging tug of guilt for withholding that important piece of information. "That could work. I suppose I'll have to let Ursula room with me until she gets more settled."
"Yeah, it's not like you don't have the room."
"I'd offer to let you and Henry stay, but that might be…"
"Awkward," Emma finished for her. "Yeah. Because of Henry. His old room. Probably for the best…"
"Right. You should stay with your parents," Regina hastily agreed.
Emma shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She felt unwontedly awkward around Regina these days, and it didn't help that the raven-haired woman was wearing little more than a lavendar-colored slip. She didn't know where her eyes should go. "I should probably get back to my room."
"Right. Your ice is melting," Regina observed.
Emma quietly laughed, a little self-consciously. "See you in the morning, Regina."
"Good night, Emma," Regina returned.
Regina chewed on the inside of her cheek as she watched Emma retreat to her respective motel room. She was eager to return to Storybrooke and get on with her life. She hoped that once home, and no longer in disequilibrium because of her surroundings, she'd be able to shake what she could only describe as a crush on one Emma Swan.
TBC