I had a ton of fun writing this chapter. It's fun and fluffy, which you all will need because the coming chapters are about to get a lot heavier. Please enjoy, send me comments and such. I don't bite!
Emma came skidding to a breathless halt beside her incredibly confused son. She heard him ask her something, but the blood was pounding so heavily in her ears that she couldn't hear anything else above it. The blonde held up a shaky finger, signifying that the boy needed to wait for her to catch her breath. She was bent double, leaning on her knees, panting like a tired, old dog.
Several minutes passed, and she finally looked at the perplexed boy with a weak smile. "Hey," she offered.
"Uh, hey?" Henry's eyes were full of worry, as he took in the sweaty, flustered look of the bent woman before him.
"Hey, look, a bench," Emma panted, pointing. "Wanna sit?"
"Sure? What's going on?" he asked once they plopped down onto the bench overlooking the stormy sea.
Emma fixed him with a piercing look. "What happened to me, Kid?"
"I don't know-"
"Yes, you do know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about that night almost six weeks ago. Henry, what happened to me?"
She watched him squirm next to her, looking exceedingly uncomfortable, and she thought she saw a touch of guilt clinging to his form. "Emma... I'm not ready to say what I saw..."
"I know. I know I asked you last night, and I know that I promised that I'd give you time, Kid. But I'm feeling really lost here. I need something. Even if it's just a little piece, a little tale. C'mon, Kid. Give me a chapter in my coma story." She playfully nudged him with her elbow, successfully diffusing the tension.
A slow smile spread across his face while he stared out across the water. "Okay, but you gotta promise that you won't get mad!"
Emma tensed immediately, fearing the worst, but that same smile was still plastered across his face; she couldn't tell if she should feel afraid or embarrassed for what was to come next. "I promise."
"You've got to Pinky Promise!" He stuck out his little finger.
"Sure thing, Kid." She hooked her finger around his, sealing the unbreakable promise not to get mad. His smile got bigger.
"Alright, Emma. What I'm about to tell you is not about the night you went into your coma," he said with an air of mysterious grandeur. "I'm going to tell you about a time when you were unconscious, and I tried to devise a plan to wake you up."
Emma opened her mouth, about to ask if Dr Whale sanctioned any of what he was going to try, but Henry held up a hand to stop her. "As you know," he continued with that same air. "Operation Cobra cannot continue without the Savior, so naturally I had to find a way to bring you back. It took me a while to figure out the means to wake you up," he said, casually leaving out the times he consulted with Mr Gold, knowing that Emma would not approve.
"Of course, the answer finally came to me, and I wondered how I hadn't thought of it before!" Emma stared at him, waiting for the big reveal. "True Love's Kiss! If it's powerful enough to break any curse, surely it could wake you up!" The blonde could not stop the eye roll that followed his statement, and she groaned, definitely afraid of what was to come next.
"I had no idea who your True Love was. In truth, nobody did. Not even Ms Blanchard. So there was only one way to find out for real."
"Oh no. Kid, please don't tell me..."
"I kinda had a sort of...audition?" Emma's eyes shot wide open as she stared, mouth agape at her son.
"I had everyone who I knew didn't have a True Love come and..."
"Oh God, no..."
"Kiss you."
"GROSS!" Emma started spitting, wiping her tongue and making all sorts of noises that one usually hears from a grossed-out teenager. "Henry! Really?"
"Sorry...?"
"I will never, never feel like my mouth is clean again! Ugh! Don't you know that boys have cooties? Nasty!"
Henry pulled a face. "Really, Emma?" he said in a matter-of-fact tone that sounded all too like Regina. "You're going to play the cooties card?"
"It's, like, a scientific fact that boys have cooties! Haven't any of the girls in your classes said that?"
"Maybe when I was in first grade?" He watched as his birthmother continued to try and wipe out her mouth, making funny blubbering, gagging noises. "Boys don't have cooties, Emma! I'm a boy, and I've never seen a single cootie crawling on me. Not even in my hair," he stated defiantly.
"Of course you haven't seen them, Kid. Cooties are invisible! If we could see them, the human race would have died off a looooong time ago."
"What about my dad? Did he have cooties?"
"Absolutely he had cooties!"
"Then how come you stayed with him?"
"There are some people whose cooties you can ignore. Your dad's cooties were bearable enough that I could overlook them."
Henry pulled another face. "I thought girls had cooties too?"
"We do," Emma responded plainly. "But ours smell better!"
"They do not!" Henry said hotly. "Girls smell just as bad as boys do!"
"You'll change your tune in a couple years, trust me."
"Ew, Emma! I don't wanna think about that!"
The blonde snorted, smiling mischievously down at her son. "You will in a couple years."
"You're so gross! Maybe you have cooties!"
"I definitely do after what you put me through in that coma! Thank God I can't remember!" Emma scrunched her face comically. "Did Archie kiss me? Urg, did Leroy kiss me?"
Henry offered up a sheepish, apologetic smile. "Sorry?"
"Yes. Yes I have cooties. I have so many cooties that I will probably need to be hospitalized for a severe cootie infection."
"I know what to do! Gimme your arm!"
"Why? What are you gonna do?"
"Cure you," he said bluntly. Emma reluctantly offered up her left arm, and she watched as he rolled up her sleeve. "Circle, circle, dot, dot," he chanted, tracing his finger on her forearm. "Now you've got your cootie shot!" He looked proudly up at her, the accomplishment of abolishing Emma's cootie problem smeared all over his smug little face.
"Thanks, Kid. You just saved me a fortune in cootie-treatment bills. It's an expensive fix, let me tell you!"
"Okay, we're home now," Mary Margaret said. "Are going to finally tell me why I had to pick you up where The Castle used to be and why you kept spitting out of the car window?"
"Mm." Emma held up a finger, and dashed upstairs, stumbling a few times without her cane. When she came down, she was carrying an open bottle of Listerine, her cheeks puffed out from swishing the fluid around in her mouth.
Emma walked over to the sink, spitting it out and pulling a face from the way her mouth burned. "Care to tell me when you were going to let me know that you let every bachelor in town stick his tongue down my throat while I was in a fucking coma?!" She threw her hands up in exasperation, but both women knew Emma was being playful with her upset.
"About that..." The brunette watched her roommate take another generous swig of mouthwash. "You know how much Henry loves you, right?" She watched Emma spit the Listerine out.
"Of course I do. I love the little shit back!"
"You might want to come up with a better term of endearment."
"Yeah, well, it's still kinda true. You were saying?"
"Right. When you were in the hospital, and there was no knowing what was going to happen, when you'd wake up, or if you'd even wake up at all, Henry did what he always does. I know his whole idea of us being cursed is hogwash and all, but it's his outlet. It's his coping mechanism.
"That first week that you were out, I didn't even know that the boy staying with me was Henry. He never talked, he barely ate, and I'm sure that he slept even less. It was terrifying to witness. I did everything in my power to cheer him up, to make him confident that you'd recover, but my words seemed to wilt when they came near him.
"But then he found what had been giving him hope for so many months, Emma."
"What's that?" Emma had done everything in her power not to look at Mary Margaret. She still knew nothing of what had happened to her, but she couldn't fight the guilt that squirmed through her veins when she tried to imagine the pain that she put Henry through.
"Belief, Emma. He found his belief." She smiled warmly at him.
"Belief in what? Curses?"
"More than that. He found his belief in something bigger than him. He found belief in something bigger than all of us. He found his belief that Love can overcome any obstacle, and even more than that, he found his belief in you." Mary Margaret reached out, squeezing the blonde's trembling hand. She fought down a shudder at the sensation of Emma's icy skin.
"That still doesn't answer my question."
The brunette snorted with humor. "My point is, Em, he found what drove him. He smiled again. Henry got that mischievous glint back in his eyes, and he was eating, and yammering away about what he was going to do when you woke up. How could I deny him that? Yes, yes. I know, it's still weird and gross that I allowed him to have just about every man in town kiss you. However! I supervised it all, and I made sure every single kiss was quick, and there was no tongue!"
Emma made a retching noise as she had the sudden and revolting image of Leroy, drunk and sweaty trying to ram his tongue down her throat. She immediately brought the bottle of mouthwash up to her lips for a third time.
"I thought that would be good news...?"
"Good news," she said after spitting again. "Bad visuals!"
The brunette pulled a face. "Urgh, you're right."
"Ha! Karma's a bitch!"
"Is that really Karma?"
"Not a clue, Mar. Not a clue."
"Speaking of which, where's your cane?"
Emma's eyes widened at the question, and it was impossible for the teacher not to notice the flush blossoming across the woman's cheeks. "I, uh... I left it at the physical therapy place?"
"And is that in any way linked to the reason why I picked you up at the beach and not the hospital?"
The scowl that Emma donned would have made a brooding teenager proud. "I kinda got kicked out."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Yeah, I kinda got into it with Regina, but not really. I d'know, it was weird. Okay, I can tell from that look on your face that you'll never sleep until I tell you. So, sit down, I'll make some coffee, and I guess I'll tell you everything."
Emma recounted the events of that morning, and her very short physical therapy session. Despite feeling ashamed of her actions, she told her friend every single thing that happened. She knew how small town gossip worked, and by now she was sure that the story had already warped into something that was only a shadow of the truth. She knew telling it exactly as it was would save her roomie from plugging any holes with untrue details.
"I don't get it, Emma." She rolled her half-empty mug between her palms.
"And you think I do? I'm still in disbelief about it all."
"I mean, do you gain anything from this?"
"Do I ever gain anything? I know that Regina didn't deserve an ounce of what I tried to do for her. God knows that she wouldn't have repaid the favor if it had been me. And I know that I should have let those two dumbasses spread that video of Regina getting toppled over by me.
"Let me tell you, everything in my head was screaming for me to just let it happen. I gave up a perfect opportunity to have that bitch knocked down a couple pegs, but I couldn't. It was like all of my instincts were overridden, and I had no choice but to yell at those douche bags."
"And then Regina kicked you out?"
"Yep. And in all Mayor Mills Style too."
"I didn't know she had the power to do that..."
"She doesn't, but you should have seen the look on her face! I'm pretty sure everyone there just about wet themselves. They weren't about to say anything against her command. I considered calling you, but I was so fucking pissed that I needed to work it out of my body. So I ran."
"That was dangerous! What if you had fallen and genuinely hurt yourself?"
Emma let out a small chuckle. "I suppose Regina won't always be there to slam into and break my fall?"
"Ha. Ha. That's not funny, Em! You just got out of the hospital!"
"Ugh! I know! I just... You weren't there, Mary Margaret. It was wicked intense, and I was so wound up. Running makes sense to me. It's easy, familiar, and grounding. What would you have done? Wait! Don't answer that. I don't want to know."
"Do you think that maybe you should apologize?"
"To who?"
"To Regina."
"Oh, I thought you were gonna tell me to say sorry to those kids."
"I'd like to think that you would have had the decency to do so, but they kind of had it coming," Mary Margaret admitted with a blush of guilt. "However, I do think you managed to embarrass Regina more than they did."
"Why do you care? I thought you hated her more than I do?"
"I don't hate her, Emma. Strongly dislike, yes, but I don't hate Regina. Even if I did, hate shouldn't stop me from doing the right thing." She held up a hand to stem the flow of protests that were about to tumble out of Emma's mouth. "You're the sheriff, and it's your job to set an example. Go and apologize. The sooner you get it over with, the better."
"But she'll-"
"I'm sure she won't graciously accept the gesture in any way, and I'm almost positive she'll just throw it back at you and insult you. Even so, you will have done the right thing, and she can't take that from you."
"Fine," Emma snapped. "But I'm not going to do it today. I'll do it on Monday. I'll need time to come up with a plan or something."
"A plan?" The brunette raised her eyebrows at her roommate.
"Hey, this is Regina we're talking about."
"You've got a point. You might want to come up with an escape plan while you're at it."
"It's already on my agenda," the blonde said with a tone of sarcastic humor.
Emma did not apologize to Regina the following Monday. She spent all of Sunday in a nervous fit, tossing around different ways to tell the mayor the regret she felt for her actions. The fact that she still couldn't sleep, being plagued by constant nightmares, and her inability to get warm didn't help her situation either. But when the time came, she stalled. And then she stalled again. She even had her phone out, one digit away from completing Regina's number before she lost her nerve for the billionth time that day.
When Mary Margaret came home from school to find her roommate sitting at the breakfast bar nursing a glass of scotch, a deep frown etched across her face. "I'm guessing it didn't go well?"
"Nothing happened, Mar."
"She didn't respond?"
"No, I mean I didn't go, or call, or anything." Emma's face was weary, her eyes dark and focusing on something far away. It was clear to the brunette that she hadn't slept well again.
"What happened?"
"I d'know. I mean, I want to apologize and all. I know it's the right thing to do, but..."
"But?"
Emma took another sip of her drink, scrunching her face in response to the way it burned her throat. "It's weird, Mary Margaret. Apologizing to Regina doesn't feel right after all that we've been through and done to each other with no apologies prior."
"That's understandable, but Emma..." Mary Margaret paused, glancing down at the glass in her friend's hand. "Are you even allowed to have alcohol?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah I discontinued those meds today."
"Did you ask Dr Whale if you could start drinking immediately after? What if you have a reaction or something?"
"Calm down, Mar. Jeez, what are you, my mom?"
"I'm sorry, it's just..."
"I know, I know. You're looking out for me, and I appreciate it. I really do, but I'm not in the mood for mothering tonight."
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
"Nope," Emma said popping the 'p'. "And good ol' Jack here doesn't seem to be much help either."
"Have you talked to Whale?"
"Nah. I figure it'll pass in time."
"Emma-" But she stopped at the look the blonde shot her.
"It's not a matter of being drowsy or anything. I'm exhausted right down to my bones, and I know everyone around me can see it. It's just these damn nightmares that won't go away. Maybe if the doc could give me something for a dreamless sleep, then I'd be golden." Emma's words were bitter, but not because she was upset that there wasn't a pill for her problems, but because she felt somehow abandoned by that mystery person in her coma who always chased away the terror.
She was made to relive all of the visions that came with her coma, but why did her shrouded hero not come along as well? Where was he when she needed him? Gone, like everyone else. Every person that entered her life and managed to assuage some of her pain always left in the end. And even though she knew it was childish and silly to feel anger over the lack of her Dream Savior's presence, she couldn't fight those petulant urges that rose in her like a fire in a drought.
"Maybe you could talk to Archie about hypnosis?"
Emma shuddered visibly. "Thanks but no thanks."
"Still not over those kisses?"
"What do you think?" she asked after polishing off her drink. "I still feel gross and mildly violated, and I'm waiting to see when I get my first breakout of mouth herpes."
"Not sure anyone in town has herpes..."
"And you know this how?"
"Small town gossip, Em. Plus, I did sort of have that thing with Whale, and he liked to talk about some of the things he's seen as a doctor. Some of it was pretty nasty."
"Guess he knows how to show a girl a good time..."
"I'm a teacher, Emma. I've seen a lot of less-than-savory things coming from all different orifices of my students. You get a strong stomach from that." Mary Margaret started laughing loudly at the horrified expression on the blonde's face.
"On that disgusting note of which I want zero further details, I'm gonna go do some of my stretches. I'm hoping to get back to work next week. Being stuck gimping around is driving me nuts."
"I've got papers to grade, so I'll leave you to it."
"I'll try again tomorrow."
"Try what?"
"Apologizing. I wanna do things right, and I wanna show Regina that I'm... I d'know...good? Better? That I can do the right things?"
Mary Margaret flashed Emma a warm, encouraging smile. "Of course you can, Em. You've got this."
Meet me at Granny's for lunch? I've got something I need to say.
That was the text that Emma sent to Regina the following morning after she agonized over the short message since 6am. She had retyped the text a dozen times, deleted the message, nearly thrown her phone and clawed at her face over and over again before she decided that there was no good way of doing this. She finally opted for something brief and vague, sure to get Regina's attention.
Fifteen minutes later Emma's phone buzzed in response: I am quite busy today, Ms Swan. As such, I do not have time for idle meals with the town's emotionally-unstable cripple. If it's really important, you can call my office and set up an appointment, which, I seem to have to constantly remind you, is standard procedure.
"Seriously! Wow, way to go Regina. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Can't believe I'm going to be apologizing to you later today..."
Mar, Regina called me an 'emotionally-unstable cripple' when I asked her to lunch so I could say sorry. Do I really have to apologize?
Yes, you do. Prove her wrong.
But I don't want to! She's going to be so difficult!
And you'll be playing right into her hands if you give in to your frustration. Now quit stalling and do what needs done. I have a class now, so good luck, and I'll see you tonight!
"Being responsible sucks," Emma muttered to herself while she punched in the numbers for Regina's office.
"Storybrooke City Hall, this is the mayor's office, can I help you?" a girl's voice came through the speaker.
"Uh, yeah. This is Emma Swan, and I'm wondering if Regina has any openings for today? It's kinda urgent."
"Let me take a look." There was a short pause. "It would appear that Mayor Mills is booked for today. Her earliest opening isn't until Thursday. Would you like me to put you down for a time on that day?"
Emma had a strong feeling that the brunette had told her secretary not to book any meetings with the sheriff should she call. A hot bubble of anger swelled in her chest.
"Nope. Thanks for nothing. Have a great day."
Will you please meet me for lunch? It's important.
Ms Swan, does my being busy seem to translate in your pathetic excuse for a brain to continue to bother me? I told you earlier to confer with my receptionist.
Well it seems that you're conveniently booked all day.
I did not lie when I said I was busy.
And yet you have time to text me? Weird.
Perhaps I am simply good a multi-tasking. A skill you could benefit from.
It doesn't matter how busy you are, even mayors need to eat. Lunch will be on me, I just really need to say something, and it's important.
Emma sat waiting for a response for over fifteen minutes. She sulked at the table, just staring at her screen and fidgeting with her fingernails. Her phone buzzed.
You will meet me at 12:30 sharp. You will have fifteen minutes. Not a second more.
I'll be there.
Emma sat at one of the booths, more than ten minutes early. She figured the best way to start off was to show Regina that she could be punctual - even if she didn't care too much for it. She stared out the window, her weary features pinched with anxiety. Under normal circumstances, this would be nothing more than a minor nuisance, but she couldn't quite place where all of her jitters were coming from.
She swirled her finger absentmindedly through her ice water, mildly aware of the fact that her own skin was so cold that it barely registered a temperature difference in the water. She jumped a little every time she saw a dark car drive by, expecting it to be Regina's Mercedes.
She glanced down at the time on her phone for the hundredth time. It read 12:25. Her eyes slid back up to the window, and Emma felt her heart jump to her throat when she saw the mayor's car pulling into a spot on the side of the road. She felt the tiniest of smiles pull one corner of her mouth. Of course Regina would be precisely five minutes early.
The blonde spied the slightest of limps in the mayor's gait, and she found herself wondering once again what had happened to her. She was almost positive that that limp had not been present prior to her stay in the hospital, so what happened?
The bell over the door tinkled merrily when Regina casually strode in, and Emma's lips curled into another small smile when she saw the older woman pause almost imperceptibly, clearly thrown by the fact that she was already there.
"Ms Swan, so nice to see you on time for once in your life."
"Nice to see you too, Regina."
Ruby slid up to their table. "Anything I can get you ladies? Coffee?"
"No, thank you," the brunette responded curtly.
"How about you, Em? Bear claw? Slice of apple pie? It's still hot."
"Urgh, no, Rubes. Don't mention apples around me... I might puke."
Ruby looked at the blonde strangely. "Er, okay. Holler if you need me."
"Why the sudden aversion to apples?" Regina blurted before she could stop herself.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I remember liking them before my stupid coma, and then I wake up and now the very thought of them makes me sick. So, let's change the subject."
"Indeed. You said you had something important to tell me?"
"Yes, I suppose I did." Emma licked her lips nervously, while she swirled the ice cubes around her glass once more.
"Ms Swan, I gave you fifteen minutes. You're down to eleven."
Emma cleared her throat. "Right. Listen, I uh... I just wanted to say..." She faltered, tripping over words that weren't coming.
"Your eloquence is astonishing."
"You're not helping!" Emma snapped back. "I wanted to apologize." The sheriff watched the slow ascent of Regina's eyebrows into her hairline. "I know, this is equally painful for me as well, okay? I wanted to apologize for my behavior on Saturday. It was uncalled for and really inappropriate. I'm sorry. For embarrassing you and stuff."
Regina's eyes narrowed at the woman across from her. "Is that all you wanted, Ms Swan? To apologize?"
"Yeah, what a crazy concept. I'm not looking for anything, or trying to play some trick. What I did was bad, and now I'm trying to make up for it."
A strange expression passed over the mayor's face, as though she was perplexed by the idea of an unsolicited apology. Emma continued to play with her ice. "Thank you," Regina said in the smallest of voices.
Emma's jaw practically hit the floor. "Uh... You're welcome?"
"Have you found a solution to your sleeping problem?" the brunette asked almost gently.
"No. Still got a head full of nightmares, and no Dream Savior to speak of."
"Dream Savior?"
"Uh, yeah. It's a long story, and you're busy. Why does it matter to you anyway?"
"I never said it mattered. However, Mr Nolan is only acting sheriff. Regrettably, you will need to be back at the station to do your job. You need to be healthy for that."
"Right. Well, I should be back to work on Monday."
"Indeed. Thank you, Ms Swan for the apology. I have to get back to City Hall. Enjoy treating your finger for frostbite." She gestured briefly at the digit on Emma's left hand that remained submerged in her water throughout their exchange. Without another word, Regina swept away, not glancing back at the frowning woman she left at the booth.
"Okay, so even from a distance, that looked painful to watch."
"Good to know, Rubes."
"What were you guys talking about? You looked like you were going to puke all over her."
The image of Regina's exasperated face as her expensive clothes became doused in vomit tugged at the corners of Emma's mouth. "Can you imagine the way she'd scream if I did?"
"I'm pretty sure all of the windows would break."
"But she raised Henry. You think she'd be used to a little puke. And I'm sure with the reign of terror she's got going on in City Hall, that she's made more than one intern lose their lunch from fear alone."
"Yeah, but anything that comes out of Henry is excusable because it's Henry. You, on the other hand..."
"I'd be spraying my cooties all over her."
Ruby lapsed into a fit of giggles. "Really, Emma? Cooties?"
"Yeah, everyone's got 'em!"
The waitress immediately held out her forearm, tracing two circles and a dot in the center of each while chanting the sacred mantra of the cootie shot. "I'm cootie-free, Emma!"
"Great, why couldn't you have played tonsil-hockey with me while I was in my coma?"
A flush dark enough to match Ruby's namesake spread across her cheeks in roughly two seconds.
Emma narrowed her eyes. "Oh my God! You kissed me!"
"Augh! No, I did not kiss you! Henry only let dudes kiss you anyway."
"Well, True Love's Kiss didn't work on me. Go figure, right?"
The flush on the waitress' cheeks deepened further. "Yeah, go figure," she echoed nervously. "I gotta go clean...something. Later, Em!"
The young woman scampered off, leaving Emma feeling undeniably confused about what they just talked about - rather, what did not get said. But the blonde was exhausted, and she was done pushing for the day. She got the apology off of her chest, and a bizarre show of subtle concern from the mayor in response. There was no point in prying any more into something that was clearly more complex than it looked.
As always, you can find me on Tumblr at writers-dilemma. tumblr. com