Two hours later, Emma her parents and Regina were sitting round the table, eating dinner.
"This tastes great" Emma said, munching on a piece of chicken and looking around the table to see everyone staring at her.
"What?"
"You have some food on your face honey"
Emma quickly grabbed her napkin and looked to Regina "sorry, I'm not usually this messy with food"
"That's okay" the brunette replied, I've seen worse eating habits"
David chuckled.
"Where have you seen worse eating habits?" Emma asked seriously.
Regina bit her lip in thought, I can't say young guardians can I? she thought and then said "I used to look after some kids" she looked down sadly.
There was a slight pause.
"Were you in the Foster system Regina?" Mary Margaret asked.
Regina then glanced up, she didn't want to lie, but she had no choice and she had come across an article, about a foster home and now knew, what that word meant
"Yes" she replied, not meeting anyone's eyes.
Emma however sensed the lie.
"That explains a lot" Mary Margaret muttered.
"So these kids, were they really that messy?" Emma joked, easing the sudden tension in the room.
Regina smiled, fondly remembering the times the young guardians would fight over the best food and then get themselves in a mess.
"Yes, very messy" she chuckled and then she held Emma's soft gaze and Emma noted that her eyes were darkening.
Later that night, Regina was sat on her bed, tending to her wings, when she heard a beeping from the mobile phone. She looked around the room confused for a moment, then realized it was her phone making the noise.
She then got up and went to the side table where the phone was and picked it up, pressing a button on the screen and it flashed a new message.
She clicked on the button, to open it and read it.
Emma: Hey Regina, its me Emma thought id sent you your first ever text message :) and let you know if you ever want to message or phone me please do.
Regina's wings began to flutter.
She saw the word reply, on the screen and pressed the button underneath and began to type consciously.
it took her ten minutes.
Regina: Hello Emma, Thank you for your message and for this unusual device it is rather clever.
she pressed the send button and stared at the screen for a good minute, before setting it down.
Emma meanwhile was smiling to herself and sent another message.
It was no problem, really. I was just thinking, do you want to met be at the Diner tomorrow at 5pm, I want you to meet a friend of mine.
Regina stared at the screen, upon reading the message.
She want's me to meet her friend...she whispered in surprise and another ten minutes later she replied.
Regina: Okay, I will see you at 5, sweet dreams Emma.
Emma grinned widely.
Emma: Goodnight Regina.
The next day, Regina spent most of the afternoon in the library, looking for books that would make sense of how she ended up in this world and if there was a way to get back.
She had spent hours of unsuccessfully reading, when she decided to head off to the Diner, where she sat and tapped her fingers on the table anxiously because Emma was late.
The door then opened seconds later and Regina looked wide-eyed at the door, but it wasn't Emma and she frowned.
The door then opened again and Emma came bounding through the door, in her leather jacket and looked around eagerly to find Regina and spotting her sat at a table. She smiled widely and walked over.
"Regina, sorry, Elsa got held up"
"That's okay" she replied shortly.
Elsa then came to stand next to her and stared at Regina.
"Regina this is Elsa, Elsa this is Regina" Emma smiled brightly.
"Hey" Elsa said.
"Hello"
"Me and Elsa have been friends since we were seventeen, she's lives not far from here, with her sister Anna"
Regina nodded happily.
"Emma tells me your applying for a post at the school, that should be good" Elsa smiled, noticing Regina looking at Emma lovingly.
"Yes, I hope I get it" she replied.
Emma then sat down and Elsa next to her.
"Emma has told me a lot about you" Elsa said with a smirk and she began to fiddle with her long side platt, that was resting on her blue dress.
"No I did not" Emma snapped, her cheeks beginning to redden.
Regina looked between the both of them curiously.
"Where are you from Regina?" Elsa asked softly.
Regina glanced down.
"I am.. from a place called New York" she said tentivatly New York, the big apple, lucky you" she smiled.
The brunette then started fiddling with her hands on the table, she hated lying and unknown to her, Emma knew Regina was lying.
"Anyway" Emma said. "Tell Regina about yourself, she's always interested in other people's experiences"
And twenty minutes later, Regina knew Elsa's interests, her sisters interests, about her parents about her past and things Emma and herself had done"
Regina found it quite fascinating how people here were very different from her own kind, but still had the same appearance apart from the wings.
"I better go" Elsa said. "My sister is expecting me back"
Emma nodded.
"Maybe I'll see you again sometime, Regina"
Regina nodded with a small smile and once Elsa left Emma asked
"What did you think of her?"
Regina smirked.
"She's nice"
"Is that all your going to say?" Emma frowned.
"What do you want me to say?"
"I dunno, I just wanted you to meet one of my good friends and I dunno" she sighed.
Regina chuckled before asking
"Why is my opinion of your friends important?"
Emma gulped.
"I...Your my friend right, so its important to me that you also like my other friends and maybe your become their friends too"
"That's sweet of you Emma, but I am okay, I have three or four friends here in Storybrooke and that is more than enough for me, but if you really want me to be Elsa's friend I would be okay with that too.
Emma pondered for a moment.
"Did you not have many friends in the past?"
Regina looked across the diner, not meeting Emma's eyes.
"I had some, yes" she replied., while cupping her hands in her lap.
"Will you tell me more about your past sometime, I would really like that" Emma asked softly, whilst staring at her.
"There's not much to tell" she replied, now fiddling with her hands.
"Sure there is, your childhood, your family, do you have a family?" Emma asked.
Regina took a deep breath and brought her hands to rest, on top of the table.
"My parents have passed, but I do have a sister"
"I'm sorry to hear that (she reached her hand out and squeezed Regina's hand)...and where is your sister?"
"I don't know" her eyes started to glaze and Emma could see that it was a unsettling subject.
"Okay, we don't have to talk about it" she glanced down, looking at her hand on top of Regina's.
Regina then smiled and thought how understanding Emma was.
There was then a slight pause and neither moved their hands.
"Her name is Zelena" Regina whispered.
Emma nodded.
"She's a couple of years older than me" Regina added.
"Okay" Emma said softly, genuinely interested and pleased that Regina, was opening up to her.
Regina then fell silent in thought, thinking of her sister and thought that she must be worried about her.
Emma then squeezed her hand again, bringing her out of her thoughts.
"Hey, how about we play a game, called twenty questions"
"Are you a five year old? because only children play games" Regina teased and Emma shook her head.
"That's not true Regina, adults do too and no I am not five, It's my turn now" she smirked "Um, what is your favourite color?"
"Black" Regina replied quickly as she looked at Emma sweetly, thinking she is too adorable.
Emma then said "It's your turn"
"What is your favourite color?" she tilted her head.
"It's Red" she then noticed a plate of food going past and asked "If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?"
Regina thought for a moment.
"Lasagna, I had that last week and I could seriously eat it everyday...I also like red apples, can't I have two?"
"Okay but only because I like you" Emma grinned goofily, while the brunette felt all warm inside and asked "What makes you happy Emma?"
Emma's laugh died in her throat and she blinked a few times.
"Um...I guess, my family and my friends make me the happiest"
she then asked "Same question to you?"
Regina swallowed thickly, her eyes darted around the Diner, then settled back on Emma's hand on her own.
"It would be the same as you" she replied looking back up at Emma and then added in her head, also Flying and being loved and if I had a partner, loving them too.
She then sighed and by the time they had left the diner, they both knew a number of new random things about each other and it made their bond stronger than before.
Next chapter we jump forward a little. Thanks for reading