As I drove towards town I saw Regina's BMW on the side of the road. The hood was up and Regina was bent over trying to see what was wrong with the engine. I pulled over and got out of the bug. "Boy wonder couldn't fix the car?"
Regina shot up and hit her head. "Ow!" I cringed at the sound. "Uhg!" Regina rubbed her head and turned towards me. "No. He has no idea I'm out here." She straightened her dress and placed her hands on her hips in a very Regina fashion.
"Can I take a look?" I grabbed my flashlight from the bug and looked over the engine.
"You can look as long as you don't try to hotwire it later." I couldn't help but fall into my smartass remarks.
"Oh Regina I wouldn't do that. If I was to steal your car I'd get the spare key you keep under…"
"How the hell did you know about that?!" I couldn't help but chuckle at Regina's reaction.
"I didn't. You just fell into the illusion I knew where you keep a spare key. We all have spare keys somewhere. But yes, you have a very nice car and yes I have hotwired them before, but I wouldn't dare steal yours."
"And why is that?" I could only imagine the look on Regina's face. Not sure whether to be relieved or offended that I wouldn't steal her car. Her arms crossed over her chest and a foot tapping as she put more weight on the other foot.
"Because," I turned towards her; pointing the flashlight so I could see her face. "I wouldn't want you to kill me for it. And I'd be the first suspect." Regina rolled her eyes at me.
"Can you fix my car or not?" Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. She tried not to show how cold she was but I could see her shivering.
"Not tonight. I don't have the right tools. Let me get you home and I'll have someone pick it up tomorrow." I prayed Regina would take my invitation. Even if it was for a ride home I still wanted to be around her and it be just the two of us.
"Fine. Just don't get us killed in that metal death trap you call a car." I chuckled as I opened the door.
"I won't your Majesty." I could feel Regina's smirk as I rounded the car. We drove in silence until we hit the town.
"What's your read on Maleficent?" Regina continued looking out the window. To be honest, the question threw me off slightly.
"I'm not sure. I don't think she's a threat but I still want you to be careful." I could feel Regina's gaze turn towards me.
"Why do you care about my well being so much?"
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I knew I shouldn't have said that. Way to go Swan! "I just care because you're…important to Henry." And I love you and want you safe.
"Is that all?" We pulled up her driveway.
"Yeah." I turned off the engine and turned towards her. "Here we are." Regina continued to watch me. She knew I wasn't telling the whole truth.
"There's something you're hiding from me Miss. Swan and I will find out what it is."
"If it's the last thing you do?" I couldn't help the coy grin that came to my face. Regina rolled her eyes and tried to open her door. To her frustration and my amusement, it was stuck.
"Why won't my door open?" She glared back at me. "Get me out before I take it off myself."
"It sticks. And please don't destroy my car." I got out and walked around. I could hear Regina huff as she waited. With one hard pull the door opened. "It's a quirk my metal death trap has and I like it."
"Well you and your metal death trap have fun getting home." I closed the door as Regina made her way to her porch. As she unlocked the front door she turned towards me. "You coming or do I have to give you an invitation?"
"Oh okay." I jogged towards her and went into the house. I hung our coats on the rack as Regina made her way into the kitchen.
"Would you like some cider?" Regina brought two glasses down and reached for the ice.
"I'd love some if it's the best apple cider I've ever tasted." Regina paused as my statement registered.
"What's with you tonight? You're…" She paused trying to find the correct words. "Different. You're a smartass as usual but you act differently when I'm the only one around."
"Not really. We've been alone together before." I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms. Of course Regina read this as a sign of I didn't want to further the subject.
"This is true. But," she turned to hand me a glass. As I reached for it, she pulled it away at the last second. "You're acting different from that. Now that I think about it, you've been acting strange since Robin showed up and he and I started to date. Why is that?"
"I don't care for him because I don't know him. May I have the cider now?" Regina looked me over before handing me the glass. "Just how you don't like Hook."
"Who's to say I don't like the pirate who follows you like a puppy?" Regina leaned against the nearby counter. "And why don't you get to know him?"
"Who?" I continued to sip the cider. Regina shot me a smirk. "Oh forest boy. Eh. He smells like forest." Regina's brow rose at my words.
"Well boat boy smells like fish and sweat. He needs to bathe more." Are we really talking about the men who like us? And she didn't get offended when I called him forest boy?
"He does. God knows that boy needs to bathe more." I finished my glass. "I have to secretly breathe through my mouth around him because of the smell." Regina chuckled and finished her glass. "At least your perfume masks forest boy's smell." Regina quirked a brow at my comment.
"You've smelt my perfume?" Blood drained from my face as Regina stared me down.
"Uh…no…I mean…when you stand close…." This was not going well for me. "I better go."
As I hurried towards the door, I was being pulled back. "Oh no you don't. Come here." Really Regina? Must you use your magic on me?
"Really? You know I don't have magic so I can't fight back." She spun me towards her.
"And whose fault is that?" She had a hand on her hip and a smirk to go with it. "You kissed him after you knew it would take your magic away."
I threw my head back with a groan. "It was CPR not a kiss. He was being drowned. May I move now or are you going to keep me trapped here?"
"I may keep you trapped here for my own pleasure." My head tilted slightly to the side. "Or until you finish answering my question." Regina strutted towards me. God this woman was sexy. "Why do you smell my perfume?"
"Because when I stand close to you I can smell it." Regina just watched me. "I have a question for you. Why did you change it after forest boy came along?"
Regina didn't answer right away. "Because he was allergic to the other one."
"Oh that's bullshit and you know it. He didn't like the mix of apple and undertone of some flower and cinnamon. And you never bake with apples either. I'm guessing that's because of him too." I immediately regretted my comment.
A mischievous grin played at Regina's lips. "Does someone miss my old perfume Miss. Swan?" I felt a light blush cross my cheeks. Her voice was a sexy purr that was driving me crazy. "And I'm surprised you'd miss my baking since I tried to poison you once."
"Yeah…well…you only did that because you thought I was going to take Henry. Which you know by now that I'm not going to do."
"Why is it you've always given me the benefit of the doubt? You've always seen the good in me even after your parents have drilled into your head that I'm evil."
"Regina, for this conversation, can we open a bottle of wine?" She chuckled and walked over to the wineglass wrack she had next to her stove.
"The wine is above the fridge. Grab the third bottle to the left on the top wrack. I'll cool it if you don't tell Henry I used magic." I chuckled as I got the bottle and opened it. "Thank you." The bottle got a layer of thin ice around the surface as Regina held it. "There we go." She poured us each a glass.
"Why didn't you teach me that? I was getting better with magic before it was taken away but I was never able to do that." Regina chuckled as I took a sip of wine.
"Because at that time, I needed you to learn the things you could use against my sister. Not random things that make your life easier."
"True. And to answer your question, I'm not sure. I know you as Regina. Not the Evil Queen. I've seen you with Henry and how much you love him. Even before we became…even before we started to get along, I saw that you cared for him. You just didn't know how to show it very well."
"Well thank you Emma. And I'm glad we're…" It seems Regina has a hard time deciding what kind of relationship we have too. "For the most part, on the same side." We drank our wine in silence. I poured us each another glass.
"This is your favorite wine isn't it? And it's very hard to get here so why did you drink it with me?" I looked from the bottle to Regina.
"Robin...or forest boy…doesn't like wine. And I wanted to drink it." There was something she wasn't telling me. I know when she's lying.
"Oh. I don't see why he doesn't like it. I'm more of a whiskey person but I do enjoy a nice wine on occasion. Though, to get this here, it's easily fifty bucks alone for shipping and thirty for the bottle."
Regina tilted her head slightly as she studied me. "How do you know that?" Oh shit! She can't find out that I looked that up. I wanted to surprise her with a bottle of it but the day I got it was the day she started to date Robin so I couldn't give it to her.
"Uh…I just know these things." Regina continued to watch me. She folded her arms and leaned against the counter.
"You're lying to me again." Before I could deny it, the front door opened. The smell of trees and grass drifted into the kitchen as the door shut.
"Regina darling, where's your car?" I knew there was a look of disgust on my face. Regina smirked as she passed me.
"I had car trouble so the Sheriff brought me home. I'll have someone tow it to the mechanic tomorrow." Even though my back was towards them I could hear them hug and kiss each other. I finished my glass of wine and Regina's too. The fuzzy buzz I had was gone the second he walked inside.
I cleared my throat loudly and started for the door. "Well I will leave the two of you alone. Here are my keys Madame Mayor so you can drive tomorrow." I emphasized Regina's formal title. "I'm fine with walking since I don't wear four inch stilettos to work." Regina watched in silence as I grabbed my coat and went out the door.