Here you are, friends! I hope this satisfies you all. Happy reading!
9.
"Come on mum, hurry!" Oliver called out, leading his mother by the hand.
"Honey, I am right here. We have to wait for your brother though." She smiled down at her ginger headed son.
"Ooooh but I want to play my game." He whined.
"It will still be there when we get in."
Robin and Roland strolled up behind the two chattering by the ugly, green door. "Well, are we going?" Robin asked.
"We were waiting for you, darling."
"Well, here I am. Go boys, go!" he laughed, opening the door. It was more like he was opening the gates on a bullpen. The two little ones shot through the door and vanished into a sea of mock space gear and screaming children.
"Now, why would you do that? We will never get them to eat, now."
"They are kids… this is a pizza joint… they will eat, trust me." He winked.
"I'm going to go find Belle, are you coming?" She asked, coming through the door.
"They are in the back by the sucky-air-thing." He called over the noise. "You know the thing…" he raised his hands over his head and mimicked an alien abduction, very poorly, to his wife.
"Spaceship, Robin... they are in the VIP area." She rolled her eyes.
"See, I told you." He smiled, leading her away from the crowded area, her hand in his.
They wove quickly in and out of isles packed with people, narrowly avoiding being crashed into by screaming children and their chasing parents. When they finally made it to the nearly empty, Reservation Only area on the far side of the shop, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well dearies, so glad to see that you made it here in one piece." The man seated next to Belle smiled and promptly stood to pull Regina out a chair.
"Thank you, Gold." The older brunette said, taking her seat. "I am pretty certain that this place is the worldly manifestation of hell. "
"Right you are." Gold laughed, taking his seat. "I am curious as to why you would choose to come here in the first place."
"Kids picked." Robin threw in. "They like it here."
"Speaking of the boys," Belle started. "Where are they?"
"They darted off the second I opened the door… I'm sure they are off destroying aliens somewhere." He smiled.
Belle smiled and nodded her head, gently. "I have no doubt that they are saving the universe."
"Or some such nonsense." Regina added, under her breathe.
#
"Can you remember that I parked us in isle D?" Jefferson asked his daughter as he opened her door.
"Yea, sure thing." She smiled. Her light brown hair fell in curtains down her pale face while she attempted to climb from the car. When she finally made it out and onto the pavement, she brushed her hair back and look up to her dad. "So… can I play the games?"
"Of course you can play the game, honey. Why else would we be here?"
Grace took his rough hand in hers and began to lead him across the lot. "Because sometimes adults need to break out of their every day routines and give in to their inner child?"
"Uh…" He laughed. "that too."
Hearing the interaction between the two, Emma started laughing. "Good grief kid, what are they teaching you in school?"
"They teach me about a lot of things. I'm a fast learner." She grinned, proudly. "What do you want to know?"
"I'll uh, get back to you on that one."
Ruby nudged Emma with her arm. "So, Grace…You seem pretty smart, how old are you?" she asked.
"I'm eight." She beamed up at the questioning brunette.
"Oh, that's cool!"
Ruby looked to Emma and shared a confused look. Right before they got to the front door, a collective yell from behind the group caught their attention. Running up behind them was another group of people. Neal lead the pack, he was the first to make it to them. Wrapping his arms around Ruby, he picked her up off of her feet. "How are you, pretty lady?" He asked, smiling.
"I am just fine." She replied when her feet were firmly planted back on the ground.
"Look who came!" He said, pointing to the curly haired girl who held Killian's hand as they walked up.
"Tee! Oh I have missed you so much!" Ruby cried, launching herself at the girl.
"Well hello, Ruby." She laughed, returning Ruby's hug. "How have you been?"
"Oh my god, no. I have so much to tell you!"
"I'm sure. I know you… you always have things to tell me."
Emma reached over and patted Killian's shoulder before turning to the new comer. "So, how is the real world treating you?"
"I hate it, honestly. I hate my job, my boss is a sexist asshole but I'm making it." She replied. Looking down, Tee realized that Grace had been standing there listening to their chatter. Putting her fingers to her lips, Tee smiled and bent down to the girl. "You will have to excuse my language, sweetheart. I didn't see you there."
"It's alright, you know who my dad is… I have heard worse."
"Oh Jefferson, you don't censor yourself around her? Shame on you." She said, standing up.
"Hey, she is out in the world every day, I don't want her to be confused or surprised by the words people say… might as well start young."
Grace looked up at her dad and squeezed his hand. "I know what appropriate language is. I don't use those words but I know what they mean and I am not offended by them."
"Whoa, Jeff. Looks like your girl's brain might be a tad bigger than yours." Neal cut in.
"Actually…" Grace started.
"Nope. Come on, we aren't arguing with people today, Gracie." Laughed Jefferson, leading her through the door.
"That kid is a genius." Killi whispered to Emma.
"Oh yea. Uh… do any of you know how old Jefferson is?"
After looking around as the shaking heads around him, Killi replied. "No, why?"
"She is eight." Ruby blurted.
"So?"
"That means that Jeff is much older than us."
"Older than you maybe." He laughed.
"Oh, he went to high school with Belle…" Neal said. "That would make him like 26 or 27."
Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "Now how would you know that?"
"She told me…"
"Never mind Neal." She huffed. "Are we going to stand out here all night?"
"Where is Leroy?" Ruby asked, looking out into the parking lot.
"Haven't a clue." Killi shook his head. "We passed his house on the way here, his truck wasn't there."
"Weird." Emma said. "Alright, come along children, let's go get some pizza."
#
As the adults carried on a casual conversation in the back room, the two boys came running to the table. "They have a new game, mum. It's basketball!" Oliver wailed over the background noise.
"Is that so? You're really good at basketball aren't you?" Regina smiled at her son.
"So, we need quarters to play." Roland said, calmly. "There are some really cool games that weren't here last time, we want you guys to come play with us."
"How about this, lad." Gold said, leaning down to the boys. "We will get the food while you play and after we all eat, you two included, we will all go play games."
"Oh yea!" danced the red-head. "Can I have those candy things on my half?"
Robin eyeballed Regina before looking back at the bouncing boy. "Candy things?"
"You know, they are yellow and sweet."
Robin looked over to Belle before shaking his head. "I don't know what that is, darling."
"He is talking about pineapple, Robin." Regina mumbled.
"Oh! Now I see. Of course you can have pineapple. What would you like on your half, Roland?"
"I don't really care what's on it. I'll just have some of yours if you don't mind. You're getting the meat one right?"
"Sure am."
"Good. I'll have a few pieces of yours." He smiled.
After a quick nod from Robin, the brunette boy grabbed his brother's hand and pulled him back into the action.
"How do we have such different children?" Robin asked, smiling.
"Well, if you recall… they only share half of their DNA." Regina replied sarcastically.
"You don't actually tell them that do you?" Belle whined.
"Of course not," Snapped the older woman. We are a family and I am his mother, regardless of what blood says."
"I didn't mean to…" Belle started.
"No, no. Silly girl. It's fine." Regina waved.
A young girl came trotting up to the table where they all sat. She dug a pen from her apron and looked to Gold. "Do yall know what you want?" She asked, smacking her gum.
"Um, Regina dear, order yours first." He said.
"We will be having a medium, thin crust pizza with spinach, green peppers and black olives on one half and pineapples and extra cheese on the other."
"ight. What about you?" She turned to Robin.
"I'll have the Meat Monster, large, deep dish."
"And you sir?"
"I would like a macaroni and cheese pizza with barbecue sauce on the side." Gold said quickly. He could feel the eyes on him, judging.
"What size?" She snapped her gum against her teeth.
"Medium, thin crust please."
"And what can I get you, sugar?" She looked at belle.
"I will just have a house salad with lite Italian dressing." She smiled up, hands crossed neatly on the table top.
"What about drinks?"
"I'll have a sweetened tea, cold." Belle responded.
Gold looked at the impatient woman standing in front of him. "What do you serve here?"
"We got this machine in the back that spits out like a million different drinks. As long as it isn't booze, if you think it, we can make it."
"What would you suggest, dearie?"
"Raspberry, cherry coke is pretty nice." She put her hand on her hip. "but we have coke products, root beer, Dr. pepper and sprite. We have a bunch of flavored syrups to put in it. We also have coffee and tea."
"I'll have a root beer, thank you."
"okay, and you miss?"
"I need a cherry coke, a vanilla coke and a cherry, vanilla Dr. Pepper. Make the cokes small."
"And you?"
"Can you do an iced coffee?"
"Black or creamy?"
"Um… creamy." Robin replied, swallowing down a chuckle.
"Alright folks I got two kiddy cokes, one cherry one vanilla. Root beer, sweet tea, cherry-vanilla DP, Large, deep, Meat Monster. Bunny Platter with Skinny Italian, Mac'n'cheese, thin, with BBQ on the side and a medium thin with half peppers, olives and spinach with extra cheese and fruit on the other half. Also got a creamy-ass-coffee for the cutie, that it?"
Faces all around the table were steadily turning red. Gold was the only one who felt he could speak clearly. "Yes, dearie. Thank you." He nodded.
When the girl turned away, the table erupted into wild laughter. "Creamy-ASS-coffee?" Robin gasped. "Cherry-vanilla DP?!"
"Oh for the love of God, Robin, calm down." Regina hissed, coming off of her giggle fit. "Some people don't pronounce things correctly… it isn't that funny."
#
"Hey, Jefferson!" Emma called over a small hoard of teenage boys.
"what?"
"We are going to put together all of our earnings and get Grace something from the prize rack… come give us an idea of what she would want." Emma said once she approached him.
"I can tell you what she wants but good luck getting it." He smirked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm just saying, she has always wanted that big white rabbit.
"the one that's been here for like twenty years?" Emma arched a brow.
"Yup. It's over 1,000 tickets."
"Hm… there are six of us here now, plus her… I bet we could do it…"
"Good luck." He laughed, patting her elbow.
"Skill outweighs luck, any day." She winked before turning away.
Walking around the gaming area, Emma was faced with dozens of towering, black boxes, flashing lights and obnoxious sound effects. She wandered for while, weighing her options. In the far corner of the wide floor, a simple netted section caught her eye. As she approached the mystery area, she saw that it was a mini basketball court. A single green, metal hoop hung attached to the side wall, opposite a small but wide floor setup.
"Hey Miss, do you want to give it a go?" A man in green, stepped out from next to the booth.
"Depends… how's it work?"
"Well, a dollar gets you five balls, make them in from anywhere on the court. Five balls in gets you fifty tickets."
"I'll do it." She smiled, digging her hand into her pocket and pulling out a plastic bag full of quarters.
She took up her first, cool, green and black ball. It was smaller than a women's league ball but it fit nicely in her palms. Rotating the orb with her fingertips, she let it fall to the ground by her feet. A giant smirk spread across her face as she stared up at the hoop. Taking a step forward into the court, she brought the ball up close to her forehead. It rested lightly on her fingertips as she pulled her arm back ever so slightly. In one fluid motion, her arm pushed up and out; sending the ball sailing through the air. It descended in a perfect arch. Arms still held high, Emma watched as the basketball fell through the center of the hoop.
"Mhm. Still got it." She said to herself, taking up another ball.
Shot after shot, she sank them in. When her last shot went straight of the wall and through the goal, she turned, smiling wide, to the ticket-holder. "So… Do you want to start a tab then?" He asked flatly.
"Uh… yea."
"Cool, here you go." He mumbled, handing her the next ball.
She took a step back, ball in hand. Feet firmly planted on the carpet outside of the court, she sent it sailing. A bounce off the wall and a loop around the rim later, the ball fell into the goal.
Emma turned to grab her next ball when she saw Tee standing next to the ticket-holder. Arms crossed and smiling, the blonde shook her head. "Now you're just showing off."
"Hey, when you have skills…"
"Who are you trying to impress? The kids?"
"Rude. No, I'm just having fun, you kill-joy."
"Uh-huh. What do you want on your pizza?"
"Cheese… lots and lots of cheese. Throw some veggies on it too, I don't care what kind. No hot peppers though, those things kill my guts."
"I hear ya. Finish showing off and come sit with us. We are over by the door." Tee said, pointing to the entrance.
"Alright." Emma said, grabbing up the next ball.
She stepped back out onto the polished floor and danced around a bit. She did a quick pump fake before sidestepping and sinking it in. Throwing her hand out, the man in green bounced her another ball. She took it as a layup; two steps and in, from just under the rim. The last two balls were in just as quick as the others. Smiling, she walked off the court.
"Keep my tab open, brother. I'll be back." She said as she walked away.
#
The cool, lively air from the outside world poured in through the open door at Emma's back. She did not even notice that anyone had walked in until there were strong, gripping hands on her shoulders. For a moment, she went rigid; hot slice of pizza in hand. A wiry beard brushed the side of her face as one of the mystery hands shot past her and grabbed up a piece of her pizza.
"Hey sister." A deep, grumbling voice hit her ears.
Instantly she relaxed. "Leroy, you shit. You scared me."
"Oh, I'm sorry." He chuckled, slamming down into the seat next to her. Shoving half of the hot triangle into his mouth, he looked around the table with smiling eyes. When he landed on Jefferson and his daughter, Leroy narrowed his stare and swallowed hard. "Who it this, beautiful little thing?"
"I'm Grace." The little girl said before anyone else could.
"Well, hello Miss Grace. I'm Leroy. It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too, Leroy." She beamed back.
Emma turned around and studied the door behind her. "Where is Nova?"
"She, um… is busy doing some things." He mumbled, shoving more food into his mouth.
"Oh." She looked at the high browed brunette across the table before turning back to her bearded friend. "Did you guys break up again?" she asked in a more motherly tone that she meant to.
"Uh, na. She just has to figure some stuff out, today."
"Uh-huh." Ruby hummed. "You two are so wishy-washy."
"Hey, it's not me. She just has to do her thing and that's fine. I'll just be waiting around till she gets her shit sorted."
"Leroy, you can't spend your life waiting for your dreams to come true…" Ruby started before Emma's cold glare cut her off.
"That's the thing Ruby… Nova is my dream. She is perfect in every way but until she figures that out…"
Emma backed away from the table. Standing up, she mumbled "I have to piss," before practically running away.
Leroy shot the brunette a curious glance.
"She is having a relationship crisis, too." She said in a hushed voice.
"Emma? Relationship?" Leroy shook his head. "Impossible."
"Oh dude, you wouldn't believe it even if I told you."
"Yea." Killian cut in from next to Ruby. "She has got herself in deep this time... you know how lassies do."
"You have to tell me." Leroy demanded, leaning forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"No, I don't." Ruby replied flatly.
"Oh come on. Who am I going to tell?"
Ruby looked around the table and saw Grace sitting curiously still. She looked like she was focusing really hard to hear what Ruby had to say. "Can't… Virgin ears." She said, nodding over to the girl.
Jefferson was also listening in on their conversation. "Hey Rubes, do you want to take Grace over to watch Emma play some ball?" He asked.
"Uh, sure. You can fill him in." She mumbled.
Grace was already hugging her dad before Ruby got up from her seat. "Are you coming?" the little girl asked, sarcastically.
#
Tight muscles danced under light skin as the ball repeatedly left her hands. Emma dribbled around in place before sending the rubber-fleshed ball soaring into the goal. She was in a sort of daze, launching one ball after the next, lazily into the target. Her prior spunk had floated away like a feather in the breeze.
When she turned to grab her next ball, Emma saw the duo standing off to the side. Grace smiled and waved at her, in turn making Emma smile too. She started to walk over to Ruby and the girl but her path was suddenly blocked by two young boys.
"Excuse me?" The littlest boy said.
Emma rested the ball on her hip. "What can I do for you?" She asked the boy. Looking down at him, Emma felt something familiar but she couldn't quite place it.
"I just wanted you to know that I think you are really, really good." He smiled.
"Aww." Emma grinned. "Thank you."
"Yea Miss," the older, brunette boy started. Emma picked up the English tones in his voice instantly. "you are good but I bet my little brother here can give you a run for your money."
"Oh?" She laughed. "You think so?" Looking over at the red haired boy in question, she could see that his face was growing red with embarrassment.
"Oh yea. He is really good."
Emma smiled at the pair. "Alright then… Show me."
The younger boy's head shot straight up, he looked as if he would be sick. Digging around in his pocket, he pulled out what looked to be his last bunch of quarters. Before he could get to far, Emma gently pushed his hand away. "Save your money, kid. This is on me."
"Really? Thank you Miss… um?"
"Emma. Just Emma." She smiled down at him. "and you are?"
Just then, Grace cut in. "This is Ollie and that is his brother Rollie… He is British." She said in a knowing tone.
"You know these boys?"
"Yup. Ollie is in my grade, we sit together at lunch."
"Hmm. That's cool. Well… Ollie, show me your moves." Emma said, walking backwards onto the polished floor. She bounced him the ball that had been resting under her arm.
Hesitantly, he took the ball between his hands. Stepping further out onto the court, he centered himself a few paces in front of the hoop. Slowly, he bounced the ball off of the floor between his feet and stared at his goal. He planted his feet and drew in a deep breath before pulling the ball up to his chest. With both arms, the boy pushed the ball away and sent it sailing in a straight line. It hit the rim head on and fell back to the floor like dead weight.
Head down, the ginger boy retrieved his ball as tried again with the same result. His face saw slowly turning redder, he was obviously getting disheartened. Emma watched him for a moment before she took a deep breath and approached him.
"Can I show you something?" She asked softly.
"Of course you can. I'm sorry I'm not making any… My brother thinks that I am better than I am… Honestly he just wanted to keep me busy." He said, checking over his shoulder. He dropped his voice and stared Emma in the eyes. "He has a really big crush on Grace."
"That's cute." Emma smiled. "Do you want me to show you some tricks that I've learned?"
"That would be good." He nodded.
"Cool. I'm going to touch your arms, is that okay?" She paused.
When the boy nodded, she pulled his wrists up level with his face. "What you do is you shoot from your chest, you throw the ball out at a steep angle." She said, putting the ball back into his hands. "I'm going to teach you how to get a good arch on your shot… what arm is your dominate arm?"
"I'm right handed."
"Do you throw punches with your right arm too?"
"Um… yes. Why?"
"Just making sure that your dominate arm is your right one." She smiled. Pushing his elbows a little higher. "Now, what you're going to do is hold the ball with the pads of your fingertips. Just let it sit there on your fingers."
He pushed the ball up on his hand and held it high up above his head. Emma pulled his arm back down and brought his free hand to rest lightly on the side of the ball. "Use your other hand to keep that ball steady." She said.
Taking the ball back down to his chest, the boy walked a little closer to the hoop. He centered his feet and brought his arms up by his face. Pulling his bottom lip up in between his teeth, he focused on the hoop. He shifted around for a second before he pulled his arm back and threw the ball up. It arched beautifully and fell right through the ring.
A wide grin was etched on his face. "I did it!"
"On the first try even! Looks like Rollie was right, kid. You have skills." She winked.
"You are a good teacher… now you can show me your moves in action! You shoot, I'll assist!" He half demanded, tossing her a ball.
#
"I don't wish to alarm you, Regina but look who is chatting it up with your oldest." Belle whispered from across the table.
Ever so slowly, Regina turned to see Ruby and Grace engaged in an apparently hilarious conversation with Roland. Gentlay, she nudged Robin. "Isn't that interesting, darling?"
Turning, he squinted in his son's general direction. "Isn't that Ruby?"
"Oh yes."
"Hmm… Well. I wonder who the little girl…" He started.
"That is Grace. She is Oliver's friend." Regina said flatly, eyes searching around the boy.
"Speaking of Oliver… I only see Roland… do you see him?"
A mild wave of panic washed over the brunette. "No but I'm going to go ask Roland where he is." She said, standing up.
"Alright, dear." Robin called at her retreating back. Shaking his head, he looked back to Belle and Gold. "Where there is a Ruby… there is a Swan." He smiled.
"I'm sorry," Gold leaned back in his seat. "were we expecting to be joined by someone else?"
"No, but I have a feeling that we will be, anyway." Robin smiled.
The trio watched as Regina strutted across the room, obviously a mother on a mission. She floated through the tabled of people scattered all around the floor. She had just reached a pillar that was situated off to the side of the room when she stopped dead in her tracks.
"What is she doing?" Belle asked as she watched Regina back up and appear to hide behind the large pole.
"I'm not sure." He laughed. "But I'm going to go find out."
He got up and slowly made his way over to where his wife was. When he got close enough to really read her features, he was surprised to find her in a sort of dreamy state.
Regina watched on as her youngest son, smiling brightly, launched a distracting green ball across the court. Her eyes followed the projectile all the way into the strong, creamy hands of who she knew right away to be Emma's.
Robin cleared his throat quietly, alerting his wife of his presents. She turned and met his gaze. "Are you seeing this?" She asked, pointing to where Oliver and Emma bounced around the court.
"I am, darling and I will say that it is a very interesting sight indeed."
"I haven't seen him smile like that in a long time." Regina sighed.
"He seems to have come right out of his shell for your Emma."
"It's strange, I know." She said, studying her boy.
#
"Hey dude," Emma called to the booth manager. "How high would you say this rim is?"
"Seven or eight feet." he replied dully.
"Give me another ball." She called to him.
When the man in green bounced her another ball, she grasped its rubber skin and stooped down next to Oliver. "So kid… Do you want to dunk it?"
He stood there, fixed to the floor with wide eyes and a slack jaw. "Really? I think I have some more growing to do before that can happen." He sighed.
"Not if I hoist you up there…" She said, teasingly.
"You would do that?!" He all but yelled in excitement.
"Well yea."
Suddenly his features fell into a serious look. "Are you sure you could hold me up there?" He ask in a very concerned voice.
Emma smiled and stood up. "Hmm, well I'm not sure. Let me see."
"Oh gosh." He laughed as she bent her knees and rested her hands at his hips. "On three, you jump."
"Okay." He nodded.
"One, Two, Three!" She shouted, pushing him up into the air.
"Whoa!" he laughed from above her. He spread his arms out to his sides like a bird riding a breeze. "I think you are strong enough" he called down to her.
She lowered him down slowly. When his feet touched the floor, he instantly started jumping around. "This is going to be awesome!"
"Sure is, kid. So here is what we are going to do…." She told him quietly.
#
"What the hell is she doing?" Regina huffed. "She could have dropped him!"
Robin brought his hand up o rest on her arm, as if he was the only thing keeping her from running over to the court. "Let's just watch and see. He didn't look afraid. He actually looks like he trusts her."
"I know but Robin…"
"Hey… Shhh. Just watch. They are up to something" He said, pointing to the court. "I want to get closer."
"Fine." She huffed, following him up closer to the court. They had made it just past the last row of tables when they stopped. They were less than ten feet from the court but no one noticed them watching from behind the fine netting.
Ruby and Roland had made their way onto the floor. Emma stood a few feet in front of the hoop while Ruby stood a few paces behind her. Roland stood in the middle of the court and off to the side a bit. He bounced the ball around, waiting for his queue. Oliver stood on the carpet in front of the court, bouncing on his toes. He had no idea that his parents were literally standing right on the other side of the net, watching. Grace called a 'good luck' to him, from the opposite side of the floor.
He took a few full vertical jumps before nodding to Emma. Bending down, she put her hands out in front of her, much like a catcher at a baseball game.
"Ready?" Emma called out.
"Yup." Oliver smiled.
"Okay… One. Two. Three!" she yelled.
A flash of red darted off of the carpeted floor, and headed straight for Emma. Roland threw the ball right in front of his brother, who caught it on the fly. Oliver launched himself just over where Emma was stooped. She put her hands on his hips and shot him high into the air. She held him there, in front of the rim. Bringing up his arm, Oliver smashed the ball down through the center of the hoop with a yip of excitement. Emma lowered him down with Ruby as her spotter and once he was on the ground, he wrapped his arms around the blonde's waist.
"That was so great!" He laughed, looking up at her. "You are so cool."
"Well, I'm glad you had fun. Now I think we should probably find your parents." She said, rubbing her fingers through his windblown hair.
"Mum will freak when we tell her." Roland said, patting his brother's arm. "Good shot, little brother."
Oliver beamed up at the dark haired boy. "We are all a team now." He said, happily.
"Yup. Now, I'm going to go eat more pizza." Roland said casually, strolling away.
"So your brother... He is easily bored, huh?"
"Yea, Roland doesn't like sports, really." He smiled up at her.
She felt as though cold water had been dumped on her head. "Your brother's name is Roland?"
"Yup." He nodded and leaned his weight against Emma's hip. They hand just barely made it onto the carpet when something caught her attention. She glanced over past the net to find Robin standing with his weight on one hip, one arm folded across his chest and a finger resting next to his smiling lips. Next to him, stood a very impressed Regina, smirking, hands on her hips.
Instantly, Emma's heart stopped, and so did her feet. When she stopped, Oliver looked over to see his parents standing there watching them. "Mum, Dad!" he called, running to them. "Did you see me?!"
Robin scooped the excited boy into his arms and picked him up. "We sure did, my little huntsmen! You were incredible!" He laughed.
"Emma taught me!" the boy called to his mother. "She is my new friend!"
"Well." Regina smiled at her son, running her hand down his cheek. "you two are certainly an amazing pair. Go with your father back to the table while I talk to Emma, okay?" she said softly. "We will join you in a few minutes."
"Don't be mad at her, it was my idea." He whispered to his mother.
"No, no darling, I am not angry, I just need to speak with her." Regina smiled, rubbing his arm.
Emma stood stock still, watching the exchange between her new friend and his parents. Ruby walked right past them and led Grace back to their table without a word.
Regina watched Robin tote their kids away before turning to Emma. Their eyes locked. Emma felt a little light headed. She could feel sweat running down her face, making her oddly aware of the vein pounding at her temple. Her heart was racing; she wanted to go to Regina, to talk to her, but her feet were heavy... glued in place. Instead, she stood in place and stared into the woman's eyes from a small distance.
The brunette took a moment to appreciate the beads of moisture that sparkled on Emma's skin. She let her eyes wander over the tight muscles of the woman's arms. A familiar tingle made itself known in the depths of her abdomen. Closing her eyes, Regina's mind raced over all the things that she could do to make the woman even sweater. She slowly shook away her thoughts before meeting the green eyes that were focused so unyieldingly on her own. Smiling, she curled a finger in the air, signaling the blonde to come to her.
Emma stood there, wide eyed for a moment, willing her feet to move. She had seen the way the brunette's eyes hungrily scanned her skin. A shiver went through her body at the possibility of what the woman could be thinking. Hesitantly, her feet finally started moving. She slowly made her way to the brunette, her head low and her breathing heavy, as if she were expecting to be punished.
"So, Miss Swan, I see you have met our children."
"They are great kids. I had no idea they were yours…"
"You have a talent with children, it would seem... Oliver doesn't usually talk to people that he doesn't know… let alone let them touch him." Regina said, firmly.
"I'm sorry. It was my idea... he was having so much fun…" Emma started.
Regina shook her head, smiling. "Join me outside for a moment?"
"Uh…" Emma looked around. "Sure."
As they made their way past where all of the blonde's friends sat, all eyes were on them. Leroy whistled at them when they made it to the door. Shooting him a look that could kill, Emma led the woman through the door.
Before Emma had the chance to be awkward, Regina started talking. "I need you to know that Belle is in no way a threat to you. She is the boy's nanny. She is married to our friend, Mr. Gold." She said quickly. "And I'm sorry for snapping at you the other day… I was having a terrible day, the worst, actually. I got in some trouble with Mr. Glass and he was monitoring our exchange from outside the door. I didn't mean to hurt you, Emma I'm sorry."
"I know." Whispered the blonde, to her own surprise. "I know you didn't I mean… I was hurt, regardless. But it's okay now."
"Are you sure?"
"Honestly..." She turned he body slightly and peered out over the parking lot. "I have thought about the things I would say to you when I got the chance... Like how I don't deserve to be yelled at or ignored... How I don't need you, I have perfectly good lays waiting for me to say the word... I don't need to feel like shit for no reason."
"Emma..."
"Not done." She said, putting her hand up. "When I saw you laughing and having a good ole time with Belle... after you had literally just made a fool out of me... I wanted to march right up to you, to tell you what a piece of shit you were for being with her after you had just been with me..." Her voice trailed off.
"I'm sorry, I tried to meet with you, to explain... but you didn't come."
"Yea, I slept all day... I was kind of drained. But it's fine, everything is fine... We can go back to playing teacher and pupil now." She mumbled, staring at the ground.
Regina stood silent for a moment, searching the blonde's features. "You… want to go back to that?"
"Well, isn't that what you want?" Emma asked, looking up to meet dark, saddening eyes.
She shook her head gently. "No… Not at all, actually."
"What?" Emma asked, not believing her own ears.
Regina stepped forward and cupped the blonde's jaw lightly between her fingers. She could fell the blonde tense up at her touch but she would not be deterred by hesitation. Slowly, she pulled Emma closer. Their lips met, softly, for only a second before Emma pulled back. "We are in public." She gasped, sarcastically.
"Then come home with me." Regina whispered.
Emma took a step back, half shocked. "I can't do that… your kids" She said, frantically. "I have plans tonight."
"Okay tomorrow then? I'm sure Oliver would love to have you over for dinner." She smirked, teasingly.
Emma smiled and stole another short kiss before turning around. She walked back into the restaurant, leaving Regina standing without an answer. When she made it back into the building, all her friends had left the table. Searching around, Emma heard the annoyingly unmistakable laugh of Neal from the back room. When she made it to the VIP area, she was caught off guard by the mix of people; Killi, Tee and Leroy were chatting with Robin while Ruby, Jefferson and Grace were sitting by the boys. Neal stood awkwardly behind Belle, at the far end of the table.
"Em, I want you to meet my Papa." Neal said, as soon as she made it through the door frame.
"Your dad?" She asked, looking around.
Next to Belle sat an older man with shoulder length, salt and pepper hair. He smiled up at her, charmingly. "Emma." Nodded the man.
"Wait... Gold is your dad?" She gaped.
"Yup, and I know you have met his wife, Belle."
"Holy shit." Emma sighed.
"Hey, sister! How'd it go out there?" Leroy asked with a toothy grin.
"It went, uh..."
A sharp pain shot from Emma's back side. She turned around to see Regina walking past her, hips swing a bit more than usual. Their eyes met long enough for the brunette to send a sly wink before taking her seat.
The blonde stared a hole in Regina's back. Did that crazy bitch just pinch my ass?! Of course she did! She thought, throwing herself back against the door frame. A small smile spread across her mouth as Regina's voice hit her ears.
"Miss Swan... Emma, will be joining us for dinner tomorrow night." She told her boys.
All the blonde could hear after that was excited vocalizations from the kids and the light murmuring of voices around her. She shook her head, knowing that she wouldn't be able to turn down the brunette's offer now. So this is the game that I choose to play then? She asked herself while studying Regina's profile from across the room. I think I'm okay with that.
And so it begins... again. =p On a side note, you may not see another update unil next week, I'm getting ready for mid-terms. It blows but hey... what can you do? Thanks for reading! -DR