A/N: Hello dears! I apologize for taking so long on this. Compared to my other updates this one took a long time. But school is back in session and I wasn't happy with this chapter. So I reworked it and edited and threw some parts out completely until I was happy. I hope you will be happy with it too.
I hope that you are enjoying this story. If you are, please let me know. I love hearing your ideas and thoughts and suggestions. If you hate it, if you love it... say so. Click review at the bottom and send me a couple lines. It really means a lot.
As always, thank to Jenn for her help sorting through it all until I find what I am truly trying to say. My cheerleader!
The scraping of metal as she inserted the key into the lock was the only sound as Regina unlocked her front door and entered her darkened house. She hadn't left a light on since she hadn't planned on going to the diner tonight. In a way, she was glad she did go. She hadn't wanted to fight with Hook but it had opened her eyes to exactly what Emma was choosing for herself.
Regina closed the door and leaned back against it in the dark foyer. Her house was still and quiet. It had been like this before, just after the curse had broken and Henry had left.
Not yet moving from the doorway, Regina thought back on that awful time in her life. The curse was no more and she had lost her last grip on the town. They had come after her, to kill her, to punish her but Emma had defended her. She had rescued her and believed in her.
But then Gold had unleashed that damn wraith and she had been forced to open the portal using Jefferson's hat. Instead of the wraith going in alone, it had taken Emma and Snow. And then, not only had she lost her curse and the power it gave her over the town, she had lost Henry.
How many nights she had been alone in the dark house after that? She had to let him go though. It was the only thing she could do. She had missed him. Missed the sound of his games and of his laughter. Missed his grumbling when she woke him for school and his cries of distress at being served vegetables every single night. She had missed him so much. Even after things were better between them, it had been so long before he had finally come home to her. He'd lived with Emma, spent a year in New York, and upon their return, he had remained in the Charming's loft. But he was here now. And she knew Henry was here to stay. He was Emma's son… but he was her son too.
Regina pushed off the door and dropped her keys and purse on the side table at the top of the foyer stairs. She took her packaged dinner and entered the kitchen. Instead of turning on the bright overhead light, she let herself revel in the darkness of the house and instead only flipped on the small light over the stove.
Henry was home again and no matter who Emma married, nothing would change that. Would it?
Regina laid her take out container on the island and popped the box open. She looked down at the now cold dinner and wrinkled her nose in distaste. She just didn't feel like eating. Turning away, she dropped the dinner untouched into the trash and headed upstairs. The bath and a drink sounded good.
When the brunette reached her room, she flipped on the bedside lamp. It was the only other light in the house besides the light over the stove in the kitechen. The dimness of the light felt comfortable as it wrapped around her.
She slipped into her closet and out of her clothes, leaving them in an uncharacteristic pile on the closet floor. Picking up her gray pajamas and robe, she tossed them on the foot of her bed. On her vanity table sat a half empty decanter of her apple cider and a crystal tumbler. This vintage was one of the better ones she had ever made. Filling the glass with the amber liquid, Regina stepped into her bathroom and with a flick of her wrist lit candles all around. The flickering lights bathed the room in a golden glow. She turned on the tap and let the tub begin to fill with water almost too hot to endure and scooped in bath salts.
Looking around, Regina saw she had no fresh towels and walked naked from her bedroom through the house. It had been a while since she felt free to do that. With Henry there she never wandered about in the nude. But tonight, knowing he was with Emma, she indulged herself for a moment but did not linger. He would be home soon enough.
Slipping back into her room she shut and locked the door. Then into her bathroom, she shut the door as well. The mirrors were already beginning to fog from the bath. Regina took a moment to wash clean her face of all make-up and felt a little better about the day as the wet-heat of her cloth took with it the remnants of her tears.
The former queen took up the tumbler of cider and drank deeply. Before sliding into the bath, she refilled the glass and set the decanter on the floor by the tub. Liquid dinner again tonight I suppose.
Sinking into the hot water, her muscles began to relax. She hadn't realized just how tense she was. As the warmth of the water seeped in from the outside, the cider warmed her from the inside and both loosening her mind and her firm control on her thoughts. She allowed herself to think of things that she knew were not good for her to rehearse but could not resist.
That night, when the wraith had attacked and Emma had come to her defense, her magic had been unpredictable at best. She hadn't been able to defend herself to her subjects when they appeared at her door. And she had been unable to activate Jefferson's hat. Try as she might, she simply could not draw up the power she needed to get it to work.
Regina slid a bit deeper into the water now so only her shoulders and head remained above water. But her mind slipped farther into the memory. She had been panicked that the hat wasn't working, terrified that she was finally going to lose. The hat, the portal it created, that was her only hope. Without it, the wraith would certainly claim her. But that was what she deserved for all the evil she had done.
Oh but beautiful Emma, unknowingly accepting her role as Savior, she refused to let that happen. Regina's arm burned at the memory of Emma's hand on her bicep that night, offering an encouraging squeeze. And yet, she had given so much more. She had somehow reignited the Mayor's malfunctioning magic with only her touch.
Taking another long gulp of her cider, Regina closed her eyes, savoring the burn in her throat. She was ashamed to admit it to anyone and probably never would, but she had felt the magic in Emma's touch and been shocked. Was that true love's magic? Another long gulp and Regina refilled her tumbler. She had believed that night that Emma had started up her magic with the touch of true love if such a thing existed.
Indeed, she had read through many magical tomes in the following days looking for evidence of such a thing. What else could have explained it? Regina of course had identified by that point that she was attracted to Emma but love was the furthest thing from her mind. But if Emma loved her… did Emma love her? So many nights alone in this dark house, Henry living with David, Emma and Snow trapped in the Enchanted Forest, Regina had wondered and dreamed and allowed herself to believe maybe—just maybe—things would get better for her because maybe—just maybe—someone loved her. And not just anyone. No. Someone loved her who knew her and accepted her just as she was—broken, flawed, selfish and stubborn.
Regina shook her head and stretched her long legs out of the water, crossing her ankles on the edge of the tub. The water was too hot. What a fool she had been to believe that Emma loved her back then. The blonde had stood there on her porch such a short time later and accused her of murdering the cricket. The disappointed anger in her green eyes had confused Regina. How could she believe that she would kill Archie?
Then finding out that Emma could wield magic, natural, innate magic of her own. That reality had crashed into Regina and hurt worse than Emma's accusation. Regina had indeed felt true love's magic that night with the wraith, but not true love magic between her and Emma. It had been the magic of true love created by the Charming's that lived dormant inside their daughter until Gold brought magic into this world.
And maybe that was why it hurt so much now knowing Emma was marrying the pirate. She had let herself believe even for a moment that Emma loved her and it had done something to her. It had sparked some new life in her long dead heart. She had lived those long days and nights while Emma was gone, missing her, missing the challenge she had brought back into Regina's life, fantasizing about what life with Emma could be like. She had surrendered to that most dangerous of all emotions—hope. The darkness had begun to retreat in face of that tiny light.
But the truth had come crashing in and stamped out hope's tiny flame, propelling her back into the dark. The truth had not only hurt, it had primed Regina and set her up to fall back into her mother's corrupt plans. She never would have joined forces with her mother after all this time if she had felt like she had any other options. But losing Henry, finding out the Emma would never be hers to lose… it had been too much and Cora had been there, claiming to love her, to understand her. And she had listened and believed and been made a fool. Again.
Regina eased her legs back into the water and sat up straight. The bath didn't seem so relaxing now that Cora had entered her thoughts. Pushing back her dark hair from her forehead, she smirked thinking of the field day a therapist—a real therapist, not the bug—would have with her and her mommy issues.
Cora had been a nightmare all of Regina's life. It wasn't enough that her mother had withheld love and affection and abused her emotionally. That would have been destructive on its own. But she had manipulated her, coerced her, demanded response and action and, when she didn't get the results she desired, Cora had even physically restrained her as punishment. And not even her father could stop it.
Daddy. Poor, sad, hen-pecked Henry. He hadn't been much help to his daughter, but Regina knew he too was at the mercy of Cora's iron fist. She didn't blame him for what she had endured. She only wished she had been able to save them both from it and the scars Cora left behind.
Regina sipped on her cider like a proper lady, an automatic reaction to thoughts of her mother. Mother, I'll be good. But all the abuse, all the manipulation, even being forced into a marriage—and a marriage bed—with an old man could be forgiven… but Regina could never forgive Cora for what she did to Daniel.
Regina pushed back thoughts of Daniel. He was at peace now. She had finally released him to his rest eternal and he had released her to love again. I wish I could find love Daniel…
When Snow had told her secret and caused Daniel's death, it had been too much to bear. She knew now that all these years of hating Snow, blaming Snow, hadn't really been about Snow White at all. Regina knew Snow was just a child and Cora a masterful manipulator. Cora was to blame. But at the time, it had been easier to blame this strange child for her heart break than to look at her mother with hatred.
The mother-child relationship was the most basic in all the world. If it didn't work, what did that say about her? If her own mother didn't love her but only saw her as a piece of the puzzle in her bid to gain power… Regina drank the full contents of the tumbler now. She didn't want to think about Cora.
Standing from the tub, Regina wrapped herself in the towel and stepped from the bathroom. Another flick of her wrist and the candles went out and the darkness flooded in. Regina replaced the decanter of cider on her vanity table and began to pour another drink for herself.
Something about the reflection of her own movement in the mirror caught her eye and Regina stopped and stared at herself for a long moment. Who was that in the mirror?
Regina was surprised by what she saw. In fact she stood leaning close to the mirror for several long minutes, squinting in the near darkness to see herself more clearly. Is that really me?
Standing straight, she stepped away from the vanity and in front her full length mirror next to her closet. The room was suddenly illuminated as her magic switched on all the lights in her bedroom, exposing her to personal scrutiny. Letting go of the protection of her towel, Regina let it drop around her feet and stood bare in the light, examining herself.
What she saw made her gasp.
"My god, when did I get so thin?"
Though she had always been trim and slender, her body was much too skinny. She could easily count several ribs and turning about, she saw the bumpy ridge of her spine. Her shoulders were sharp and her hip bones too noticeable. No, she wasn't so thin as to appear as if she were starving, but she had somehow lost her shapeliness, her curves, her feminine figure that had served her so well in getting her way as Queen and had made her feel desirable.
Remembering that she had been subsisting on wine, cider, coffee and the occasional bite of food to appease Henry, Regina realized her weight loss had occurred recently and quite fast. This had happened since Emma…
As if inspecting herself for tiny flaws, Regina gazed into the mirror running lithe fingers across her skin. She had always had a golden glow, but now her flesh seemed dull and sallow. Sickly.
Her fingers touched the ends of her hair. Even though she had been in the tub, she knew her hair had ceased being lush and thick. How had it looked this morning when she readied for work? She hadn't even washed it since yesterday morning… or was it the day before?
Now her eyes settled on her face and she stepped closer to the mirror. Who was that woman looking back at her?
Her makeup had carefully hidden dark circles under her eyes, but standing here they were obvious. Her cheeks showed how thin she had really become. Her smile was weak and her eyes—usually so full of fire and life—seemed like dead black orbs staring back at her.
Regina stumbled back and bumped into the vanity. Her hand brushed the tumbler and she pulled the glass to her lips and began to drink a comforting mouthful. As she sipped she watched her reflection in the long mirror of her scrutiny and pulled the glass away. Her throat filled with bile as she looked at herself with disgust.
"Look at you. Cowering away in this dark house, drinking yourself to death. What the hell is wrong with you?"
Anger began to rise in her veins as she glared at her naked reflection.
"Emma doesn't love you. Get over it."
Stepping back further she held the crystal tumbler out toward the mirror and gestured with it, its contents sloshing out on her hand and falling to the carpet. She pulled her hand up to her mouth and lapped up the remnants of alcohol from her skin.
Looking at herself again, she released a wet chuckle. "Yeah. Just get over it. That's so easy to say, isn't it? Yet here I am, talking to myself in the mirror. Dammit. What is wrong with me?"
She set the glass down and sat on the foot of her bed. A shiver reminded her she was still naked so she slipped on her pajamas and robe. After a moment she stood again, examining herself once more. Anger flooded her veins and she spoke to her reflection again.
"What's wrong with me?! I'll tell you. Everything important in my life has been decided by someone else. Cora decided I'd be queen. She decided I'd marry Leopold. Hell, she orchestrated that whole damn thing. She decided Daniel would die. And that bastard, Gold. Damn him. That little imp decided I would cast the curse. He decided and manipulated everything so I would see magic and revenge as my only choice. Jefferson and Whale… they decided to destroy my last hope and crush all the good that was left in me by pretending Daniel couldn't be saved! To hell with them both."
She picked up the glass again and sloshed more cider in.
"And to hell with pixie dust! A lot of good that did me. Pixie dust decided I belonged with that asshole, Robin. I can't believe I fell for that. Idiot! What were you thinking?!"
Regina turned toward the mirror, scowling at her own reflection.
"And you… you are the worst of all. When you did have the power to decide for yourself, what did you do with it? You destroyed yourself. You killed innocent people. You hurt people who wanted to help you. You wasted every chance someone offered you to make things better. And for what? Just to wind up miserable anyway."
Raging now at her mirror image, Regina stalked about, maintaining eye contact with her reflected-self. Her eyes drifted to the glass in her hand and she stopped her pacing, considering the sweet amber-liquid shining in the light. Looking back at her reflection, Regina's eyes filled with tears and the tumbler and decanter disappeared in a wisp of purple smoke.
"That's enough of that," she whispered, her voice suddenly quiet and raspy after all her ranting. "This is ridiculous. You are the Queen. Henry's mother. A hero. You are Regina-Fucking-Mills. You don't sulk in a dark corner. You don't drink away your troubles. You deal with them. Even if you lose. And you don't give up on the people you love."
Taking a deep breath, Regina made a decision of her own. This was going to stop and life was going to go on. She was through wallowing. What she was going to face in the coming days would be hard, but she could—she would do it.
"Time to get your shit together, Regina. For Henry. For your family. For Emma."
Swallowing down the last of her hurt feelings, Regina looked at her bed. She hadn't slept there in three full weeks. It was time. She needed sleep. She needed something good to eat in the morning. And then she needed to accept that if Emma only wanted her as her friend… that was something she was willing to live with. She wanted Emma in her life, even if the blonde never knew how much she loved her.
Things were about to change. She had been avoiding Emma. She wasn't going to do that anymore. She had been acting strange around Emma. That was over too. It was time to get back to normal.
Normal for them had always included things that would be hard for her to do knowing Emma was about to have "Property of Captain Guyliner" tattooed on her ass, but she was going to do her best to be totally normal. Cuddling on the couch? OK. Flirty banter over dinner? Sure. Lingering glances, personal space invasions and one hundred other couples-only actions that seemed to be the hallmark of their friendship? Why the hell not. It would be hard at first, maybe forever, but Emma was worth it… so she had to try. She was willing to do whatever it took to see that Emma was happy, even at her own expense.
But she would not apologize to the pirate for their argument. So, he thought she loved Emma. Good. Let him worry that someone else might be a better choice for his prize. Maybe that would make him a better husband.
Weary from an emotional day, Regina dropped into her bed and pulled the covers tight around her. She drifted into a deep and restful sleep formulating a plan. Tomorrow was indeed going to be different.
~ (SQ) ~
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
Regina was drawn from her sleep by a noise. What the hell is that?
Bzzzz. Bzzzz.
Opening tired chocolate orbs, Regina saw her phone buzzing on her nightstand. Her eyes drifted to the clock. It was eight in the morning. Who was texting her at this hour on a Saturday?
The brunette reached a hand out and pulled the offending device under the covers with her, blocking out the morning sun pouring in the window. She may have resolved to be better today, but she didn't have to start at 8am.
The screen of the phone came to glowing life, illuminating the dark space under her heavy blanket.
Text Messages: Henry (1) Emma (3)
Regina swiped her finger across the screen. She hadn't remained awake long enough last night to see that Henry was home safe. She hoped nothing was wrong.
Henry: GM Mom. U were asleep when I got home. Still sleeping this AM. Going fishing with Gramps, Nick & Michael. BBL. ILY.
Regina smiled. She was glad Henry had real friends. She was loathe to admit it but she was glad her son had a man like David in his life since his father was gone. Yes, his two mothers loved him and supported him but she was glad he had a man to talk to about guy stuff. David would never hear her say so though. She wasn't that much of a hero.
Regina held her finger tentatively over Emma's messages. Was this about her blow up with Hook? Had he told her? She took a deep breath and tapped Emma's name.
From last night.
Emma: You awake? Thought we might have that wine… and talk.
Regina frowned. She must have been extremely sleepy. She hadn't heard the alert at all.
From this morning.
Emma: Good morning sunshine! Time to wake up. (Smiling emoji)
Emma: You better text me back or I'm gonna think you are dead. Radio silence for like 12 hours. (Crying emoji)
Regina couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. Idiot.
She typed back a quick response before Emma broke her front door down.
Regina: Not dead, just sleeping like I ate an apple turnover. (Winky face emoji)
In just a moment her phone buzzed a reply.
Emma: Oh nice. Very meta. Are you up now?
Regina: Awake but not up. Still lying in bed. Our son informed me he is fishing with your father.
Emma: In bed? Want some company? (Grinning Evil emoji) JK. JK. Yeah, dad said they had planned a day trip with the Tillman's. So you may be on your own today. Any plans?
Regina was glad she was under the covers. Her cheeks burned at Emma's flirtation. But this was what normal looked like for them.
Regina: No plans. You?
Emma: Nope. Hook had something going on with the JR and said he'd call me when it was resolved. But until then… free as a bird.
Regina wrinkled up her nose at the mention of the pirate. She swallowed down her distaste. This was a new day. She was going to be good. Before she could respond, another message from Emma made her phone vibrate.
Emma: So, you want some breakfast?
There it was. The invitation she had been expecting since Emma asked about her plans for the day.
Regina: Sure. I'm actually starving.
Emma: STARVING?! Wow! I'm glad to hear that. You haven't been eating right. I can tell. Looking thin. Still lovely as ever but thin. So, maybe want some coffee? Pancakes?
Regina: I'm not sure but I think you insulted me in there somewhere and tried to hide it with a pancake, lol. Coffee sounds good and yes, pancakes. And fruit. I told you, s-t-a-r-v-i-n-g!
Emma: No insults. Just worried about you. I want to keep you around so I've gotta be sure you eat right.
Regina: Hey! That's my line. How many vegetables HAVE you had this week, dear?
Emma: Um… so pancakes…
Regina chuckled. She had missed this comfortable part of her relationship with Emma while she was hiding out in her room. I can do this.
Regina: Yes, there was a mention of pancakes. What time?
Emma: Um… now? I'm downstairs. Coffee brewing and batter ready to pour in the pan. Just waiting on you.
Regina sat up straight in bed. Emma was there?! In her house already?
Regina: Be down in a minute.
The brunette sprang from her bed and dashed into her bathroom. She splashed water on her face and cleared the sleep from her eyes. Grabbing her toothbrush, she squeezed a glob of paste on and started brushing with one hand while the other raked through her hair. Ok, so it is a new day and things are normal… but I still want to look my best, right?
Spitting and rinsing as fast as she could, Regina took a look at herself in the mirror. To her horror, she saw a smear of toothpaste on her pajama top. Dammit.
She ripped the shirt over her head and dropped it on her chaise. Slipping off the pants, she kicked them close to the seat as well. She didn't want to keep Emma waiting. Rushing into her closet, she pulled open the drawer of her bureau and felt around for another set of pajamas.
Her fingers grazed something soft and lacy. Hmmm. I did say we'd get back to normal. Why not?
With that, she dressed and dashed to her door. She stopped at the top of the stairs and slowed her breathing to normal. Just breakfast with her best friend. Her engaged best friend.
Who I am hopelessly in love with.
~ (SQ) ~
Emma poured Regina a cup of coffee and placed it on the island in front of her usual stool as soon as she heard the sounds of movement on the stairs. Turning back to the stove, she poured a perfect circle of pancake batter into the pan and waited. Regina's messages had sounded more like normal today.
Emma had come to the house the night before with Henry as soon as her parents returned from their kid-free dinner. The house had been dark, save for the light over the stove. She had texted Regina just in case, claiming to want a glass of wine. In truth, she just wanted to talk.
In the weeks since she had agreed to marry Killian, her best friend in all this world (and countless others) had been acting strangely. After her quick exit from Granny's, Emma had decided no matter what else happened, she was going to have a talk with Regina and find out just what was going on.
When Regina had not replied to her text last night, she had followed Henry upstairs to his room. The kid had told her that his mom wasn't herself at home either but wouldn't elaborate as to why that was. He knew why, Emma was sure of it, but he wasn't telling.
Slipping away from his room, Emma had gone to Regina's door to look in on her. She always looked so peaceful when she slept. Many nights Emma had sat on the couch with Regina asleep against her, Henry snoring quietly on the floor after a movie marathon was too long for the two brunettes. She knew she should wake them, send them off to bed and return to the loft but something held her there.
On those nights, she would often look into Regina's sleeping face and wonder what she was dreaming. Sometimes a tiny smile would tug at the corners of plump lips and Emma would wonder if Regina was happy in her dream. She had hoped to see that same face last night, but Regina's door had been locked.
It was Regina's door. She could lock it. But something about the action felt heavy on Emma's heart. Was she locking Emma out? It felt like it for the last few weeks. But why?
Their relationship had never been conventional. Even aside from the fact that they were fairytale characters, their bond would be considered strange. But it was unique… special and Emma didn't want to lose it.
She had thought Regina would be happy for her when she told her she was getting married. Wasn't this what a happy ending was supposed to look like? Wasn't this what everyone wanted for her? The princess overcoming so much adversity to finally have a home and family with a prince? To be fair, Killian was not a prince but he wasn't a villain anymore. And he tried so hard to please her. He loved her. He wanted her.
When she was a child, Emma had worked so hard to find someone to love her. She had practiced being good, never causing trouble. They don't like the ones who cause trouble. She had made good grades. Smart ones get picked faster. She had kept her hair brushed and her clothes without stains as best she could. Everyone wanted a blonde-haired little girl in pretty dresses. But no one had wanted her.
She had given up on trying to please people as a teenager. When she met Neal, she had been running a long time. Running from the system, running from her past… running from herself. And Neal had wanted her. Just like she was. She had latched on to that with both hands.
Neal promised her a home and safety and love. But he hadn't come through on any of that. Well, maybe he had brought her home in a way. He'd given her Henry. And Henry had led her here… to Storybrooke, and her family. And Regina… the one person who had always understood.
Now, here she was on the verge of realizing the fairytale dream and her best friend was behaving so out of sorts. It was keeping Emma from really enjoying the thoughts of her wedding and her new home. She wanted to tell Regina about the places she had been looking at. Would she approve? She wanted to ask Regina's opinion about the flowers. She knew all about things like that. She wanted Regina to be happy for her. She wanted Regina—
"Good morning, dear."
Emma was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Regina's voice. It was deep and rich from lack of use. Emma turned to see her friend slipping on her robe, cinching it around her waist. What is she wearing?
Emma was quite familiar with Regina's wardrobe. She had personally worn several pieces when she first arrived in Storybrooke. Regina had impeccable taste. The materials were always luxurious, the styles on trend and the fit perfectly tailored to her form.
She had also seen quite a few of Regina's sleepwear options on nights when she was too sleepy or too inebriated to drive home. While most of what she had observed were in shades of silvery gray, silky black and midnight blue, every single one had been pajamas with a robe. But what she saw now made her heart skip.
She had only had a moment to take it in, but Regina was wearing a short silk and lace nightgown. It was gray, naturally, with black lace trim along the bottom and bodice. The edge of the lace barely grazed her mid-thigh while the top accentuated her décolletage and teased at her cleavage. She caught sight of thin spaghetti straps across her shoulders before the robe hid them away. Some women wore lingerie that leaned more toward slutty or too revealing to get their lover's attention. But this—this was demure and classy… and incredibly sexy. Even to Emma.
Stop objectifying your best friend, Swan. She's gorgeous, we get it.
Regina slipped past Emma and picked up her mug of coffee. She sniffed it before taking a sip. "Delicious. How long on the pancakes?"
The former queen eased up onto the counter next to the stove, crossing her legs. The action made her robe fall open below the waist and two long, smooth legs were exposed. Emma looked away, but not before Regina caught her appreciative gaze.
Regina reached down and slowly smoothed her robe back over her legs. "You are awfully quiet, Emma. What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" She purred and took another sip of her coffee.
Emma shook herself. Regina had always made her feel just a bit on edge with her open sensuality. Emma knew she was attractive, sexy even but she also knew she was not even in the same league as Regina. Perhaps she should be ashamed for thinking her friend to be desirable, but she wasn't. This was their normal, right? Hadn't they always pushed each other's buttons? Hadn't they always stood toe to toe, nose to nose, breathing the same air? This was their dynamic. Flirt, gaze longingly, laugh and confide… but nothing more. They were just friends. Lather, rinse, repeat.
"Good morning, Mayor McSexy. Forgive my silence but that is the most legs I've seen since you were perched on that desk in my office, daring me to accuse you of kidnapping Kathryn." Emma flipped the pancake. It had nearly burned.
"Laundry day, dear. I'm out of pajamas." Regina shrugged and took another sip of her coffee.
"Mhmm. I see. Good thing the kid isn't here then, huh?" Emma winked at Regina. She had missed their playful flirtation. It was harmless, right? The grin on Regina's face seemed so natural. Maybe things were back to normal.
"If Henry were here, Miss Swan, I'd have dressed before I came down." Regina slid from the counter and opened the fridge, pulling out a container of fruit she had cut up for Henry to snack on. He hadn't.
"Oh, so this is all just for me?" Hearing Regina call her Miss Swan used to terrify her but over the years the name had become a term of endearment. Regina usually pulled it up when she was teasing her. Emma cocked an amused eyebrow at her friend.
Regina reached into the pantry and pulled out the syrup. "Isn't everything?"
With a wink, Regina eased behind Emma again and pulled down two plates and opened a drawer for flatware. Emma plated another pancake and poured more batter in its place. She couldn't imagine making pancakes with Killian like this. He was such a grouch in the morning. Maybe she could get a spatula attachment for his hook-hand and he could flip while she set the table like Regina. That would be the first item on her gift registry. One spatula-hand attachment.
Emma couldn't help but laugh at the image.
"What's funny?" Regina scooted onto her stool and crossed her legs again. This time she left the robe open, her legs exposed.
"Oh, just imagining Hook with a spatula hand trying to flip these pancakes." Emma saw a flash of something in Regina's eyes and her hands reached down to close the robe again. Suddenly the room felt cold. Did I say something wrong?
"I'm sure he will learn to be domestic after… the wedding." Regina's tone was definitely cooler.
"Maybe." Emma said, turning with a stack of pancakes and taking her seat beside her friend.
They ate the breakfast for a few minutes in silence. Emma was about to just put everything out there and ask Regina what was going on when the brunette spoke.
"So, is your mom really insisting on the pink dresses? I will not wear a pink dress."
"Um, yeah. She thinks pink is best. I was sorta hoping you could talk some sense into her. She can't stand up against us both. We make too good a team. Do you think… well, would you…" Emma hesitated.
"Would I what, Emma?" Regina stopped eating and looked into Emma's green eyes. Emma studied her and felt an unbidden urge to wrap her arms around the brunette.
Instead she took another bite of pancake and washed it down with coffee. "I just wondered if you might go with us today to look at dresses in the shop down town? I mean, since you don't have plans and all."
A smile spread across Emma's face. She knew Regina couldn't say no. She had already confessed to having made no plans that day. She watched Regina closely. She seemed to be looking for an excuse. Finding none, she nodded her agreement.
"Sure, Emma. I can do that."