A/N: let's have some proper conversations between our two ladies shall we?
Emma had known she was gay since she was nineteen. She'd had boyfriends before that and it had been … fine. But it never felt quite right. It never felt how it was described in books or how it looked in movies. And when Emma met Lily, she had realised why. Their relationship was different in all the right ways and the two of them had been great together. Emma didn't let people in easily. Seventeen years of being shunted around the foster system had forced her to build walls, protecting herself when the day inevitably came and she was moved to a new home. But with Lily, those walls had slowly come down. She had let the raven haired woman in. She had trusted her, loved her, been devoted to her.
Until eight moths ago. Emma didn't want to blame Lily for her ending up on the streets but she couldn't deny the coincidental timing. Lily had left. She had joined the long list of people who had let Emma down. Who had abandoned her. When Emma had come back to their shared apartment and found it empty she had sworn to herself she would never trust anyone.
August had been gaining her trust however. He almost had it until the week before when he had announced that he too was leaving her. She could have kicked herself for letting herself believe that he was going to be different, that he was going to stick around. She should know better. No one ever stuck around for Emma Swan.
And Emma didn't stick around much either. She'd abandoned people too. She'd run away from countless foster homes and walked out on several boyfriends before she met Lily. She'd left people who needed her too. Maybe she just wasn't a relationship sort of person.
Which was one of the many reasons Emma knew nothing could ever happen between Regina and herself. Forget the fact that the woman had given no indication that she was even attracted to Emma. She didn't even know if she was interested in women. And there was the issue that she was so completely out of Emma's league. Regina came from the upper classes of New York, the creme de la creme of society. Emma came from … well, she didn't honestly know. But she doubted it was anywhere good. Why would a high flying lawyer be interested in a cold, sad, street rat? Emma had tried to forget those words but she had failed. And added street rat. She doubted those perfect, plump lips would ever use such a derogatory term. But that didn't mean Regina wasn't thinking it.
And on top of all that, Regina was Ruby's best friend. There was no way Ruby would want the two of them to be together. Her new employer might like her well enough to clear tables and sleep on the couch but she highly doubted Ruby would approve of a relationship.
What relationship? Emma huffed and turned over on the couch, trying to get comfortable. She really, really needed to stop thinking about that woman. It was never going to happen.
"Where's Henry?"
Ruby spun around and was met with the very worried face of the boy's mother, mere inches from her own. Regina had entered the diner only one hour late but after a quick scan of the place, had deduced that her four year old son was not there.
"Upstairs," Ruby said calmly.
"What? Alone?"
"Of course not," Ruby scoffed. After being best friends with Regina for twenty-four years, Ruby was almost offended that she had been asked that. She loved Henry like he was her own son. There was no way she was going to leave him unattended.
"Then who's there?" Regina snapped. "Unless you're Ruby's identical twin I never knew about or Dot got back from Kansas early then -,"
"Emma."
"Oh."
Ruby turned back to the coffee she was making and continued to speak.
"Emma is living on my couch at the moment. Her situation … changed, and I offered her a place to stay until she has enough money saved up to get an apartment of her own."
"Emma's staying with you?" Regain frowned.
"Yep," Ruby said. "She's only been here two days and she's already baked three batches of cookies and made me coffee every morning. She's the best flatmate I've ever had. Aside from you," Ruby quickly corrected as she turned to see Regina scowling at her. The two had shared an apartment at college and it had been the most fun either woman had ever had. Regina wasn't sure her liver would ever fully recover. "And since Emma had the afternoon off and she and Henry seem to get along so well, I thought it would be nice for him to spend some time upstairs rather than in the diner. Unless you're not happy with Emma watching him?"
"No, it's fine," Regina said, her heart rate slowly returning to normal as she realised her son was safe. "You're right. Henry is rather fond of her and I do feel bad for making you watch him and work every Friday."
"I don't mind," Ruby assured. "But whilst Emma's here, it makes sense, right?"
"Right," Regina nodded. "I'll go on up and get him."
"Say goodbye before you leave," Ruby said, picking up the two coffees she'd just finished making and walking out from behind the counter.
Regina made her way quickly into the back corridor and down to the apartment door. She opened it and climbed the narrow, dark staircase. Before she pushed open the living room door, she could already hear Henry's giggles. She wasn't being sneaky, she told herself as she gingerly laid her fingers on the wood and nudged it ajar. She just wanted to see how Emma interacted with her son when no one was around to watch. Poking her head around the door, her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw.
"Giddy up!" Henry cried, waving his hands in front of him and wiggling his legs.
Emma obediently crawled forwards on her hands and knees, Henry wobbling on her back. Her long blonde hair was draped over one side of her head, falling like a mane which, Regina supposed, was the idea.
"Faster," Henry cried, his little heels colliding with Emma's sides.
Regina heard a grunt of pain but the blonde sped up, shuffling around the carpet as Henry squealed in delight. The woman disappeared behind the couch for a moment, Henry's head bobbing along until she rounded the other side and stopped dead. Regina blinked, realising that the blonde was staring at her. She smiled slightly, embarrassed at having been caught spying, and stepped further into the room.
"Hi," Regina said.
"Mama!" Henry cried, sliding clumsily from Emma's back and barrelling towards his mother.
"Hi Henry," Regina said, lifting him into her arms and kissing his nose.
"Emma's my horse," Henry said proudly. "She said I could be a jockey when I'm older because I have a strong sheet."
"Seat," Emma corrected, standing up and rubbing her sore knees.
"A jockey, eh?" Regina said, putting her son down and watching as he raced off towards the kitchen.
"Sorry," Emma said. Again. "I guess you want him to be a lawyer or a banker or something."
"No," Regina said, shaking her head. "I want him to be whatever he wants to be."
Just because her mother had set her on the path to be a corporate lawyer for as long as Regina could remember, it didn't mean she was going to inflict one chosen career on her own son. Regina briefly wondered what Emma's mother and father wanted for their daughter. She doubted it was what had transpired.
There was an awkward silence before Emma gestured to the couch.
"Would you like to sit down?" she asked, silently grateful she had tidied her bedding away earlier.
Regina did so, crossing her legs neatly as Emma took a seat at the far end of the couch, her feet curled beneath her as she leaned back against the arm.
"So, you're a lawyer?" Emma asked. Ruby had mentioned that fact a few nights before. Emma hadn't had many good experiences with lawyers. Her public defender was barely older than she was and she had been convinced his lack of experience was why she had got such a heavy sentence.
"Yes," Regina nodded. "But don't hold it against me."
"I wasn't," Emma said quickly.
"Yeah right," Regina chuckled. "I can read faces rather well and you," she pointed at the blonde, "are not a fan of people in my line of work."
"Laws and lawyers are important," Emma said. "I just … don't know many nice ones."
"I'm nice," Regina said.
"Outside of the courtroom, perhaps," Emma said.
"I'm in corporate law," Regina said. "But you're right. I might not be quite so pleasant when I'm trying to close a deal."
Emma laughed. "Then I'm glad I haven't met you in a meeting room."
Regina sobered, realising she owed the blonde an apology.
"Emma, I'm sorry for what I said to Kathryn a couple of weekends ago," Regina said. "I didn't mean for you to hear that."
"It's ok," Emma shrugged. "It's the truth."
"Doesn't mean it was a nice thing to say though," Regina pointed out. "And I saw how it … hurt you."
Emma's eyebrows rose. She thought she had managed to hide the punch in the gut the brunette's words had caused rather well. Apparently not.
"It's not the worst thing someone's ever called me," Emma said, her voice quieter. "I was cold. And sad. I can't blame you for thinking that."
"You look better now," Regina offered.
Emma blushed, averting her eyes from the woman before her and scanning the room for Henry. A clattering from the kitchen told her he was putting away the blocks they had been building with earlier.
"It's amazing what warmth, running water, and a couch to sleep on will do to a person," Emma said, trying to make a joke.
The pitying look in Regina's eyes told her she'd failed. She sighed and ran her fingers through her blonde hair.
"Please don't look at me like that."
"Like what?" Regina asked, confused.
"Like you think I've got this shit life and I'm someone to feel sorry for."
This time it was Regina's turn to blush. "Sorry," she offered. "That's not what I was -." She stopped talking. She didn't want to lie to the blonde and that really had been what she was thinking. This young woman had clearly been through a lot and she did feel sorry for her. That look Emma had given her three weeks previously had haunted her and now she seemed to be getting her life together, the desperation those green eyes had held seemed all the more poignant. Emma wanted better for herself. Emma was fighting to get a better life. Emma was going to get a better life.
"Thank you, by the way," Emma said.
"For what?" Regina asked.
"The money you gave me. Well, the money Henry gave me."
"Erm … you're welcome," Regina said, unsure quite how to respond without offending the blonde. "Henry thought you looked cold."
"And you agreed with him?"
"Excuse me?" Regina frowned, not quite sure where the question was going.
"You don't strike me as the kind of person who gives money to beggars," Emma shrugged. "But you did that day. Why?"
Regina swallowed, her throat feeling unnaturally tight. "Yes, I thought you looked cold."
"And," Emma prompted.
"And," Regina said, taking a deep breath. "I've never seen anyone looking quite so … alone."
The word felt like a slap in the face and Emma bit the inside of her cheek to force the tears which sprang to her eyes not to fall. That had been the day August had come back. That had been the day she had no longer been alone. After a week of solitude, the day Regina saw her, she had her friend and companion back. And yet, she still looked … lonely.
The sound of something breaking offered the blonde the perfect excuse to stop looking into those beautiful brown eyes. Emma stood quickly from the couch and headed into the kitchen.
"Henry, are you -? Oh."
"It slipped," came the guilty response.
"No problem," Emma said, hearing Regina's curious footsteps behind her. "Stay still until I clear this up."
She quickly bent down and picked up a few large pieces of shattered glass. Then she reached for the dustpan and efficiently swept the remaining fragments of the tumbler from the floor around Henry until it was safe for him to move again.
"Are you hurt?" Regina asked as Henry ran towards her.
He shook his head.
"Can we go home, Mama?"
"Sure," Regina nodded. "Where's your bag?"
Henry pointed to the chair and Regina picked it up, popping Marlo, whom she'd found on the couch, back inside. The two made their way over to the door, leaving Emma to deal with the broken glass. By the time Henry had his shoes on, the blonde was resting her hip against the couch, watching as Regina buttoned up his coat and then did the same to her own.
"Bye Emma," Henry said, waving enthusiastically.
"Bye kid," Emma said. "See you next week."
"Thank you," Regina said. "And … sorry. Again."
"Don't worry about it," Emma said. "Have a good weekend."
"You too," Regina said before she opened the door and she and Henry disappeared into the dark corridor beyond.
Tuesdays were fast becoming Emma's least favourite day of the week. Even with a roof over her head and not having to worry about where her next meal was coming from, she loathed the free time. Twenty-four unstructured hours. Twenty-four hours where she had to find some way of entertaining herself. This week, she had decided to do some research. She guessed she was going to regret it.
Ruby had graciously offered her laptop for Emma to use and hadn't even asked what she needed it for. Emma wasn't sure she'd have told the truth if she had. She hated lying but she hated the conversation which would have followed the reveal even more.
It was embarrassing. Who is so unloveable that even their parents abandon them on the side of a highway when they're mere hours old? Emma Swan, that's who. She first began to try and track down her birth parents when she was seventeen, after she had run away from her final foster home. Since then her searching had been sporadic but so far she had only reached dead ends. Each clue, each glimmer of hope had been doused out when the trails went cold, leaving Emma angrier and sadder than before.
But she fired up the laptop that Tuesday morning with a sense of optimism. She was in a good place in her life. She had a job. She had a place to live, sort of. She had a plan to get her own apartment. Maybe that would translate to her search.
It didn't, and nine hours later Emma slammed the lid of the laptop shut with more force than she intended. She winced and gingerly opened it up again, relieved to see the screen had survived the outburst of her anger. She was even more relieved that Ruby wasn't home. The brunette had left in a whirlwind of make-up, perfume, and a ridiculously short dress, shouting something about Dot having the following day off work over her shoulder.
Emma stood from the couch (her bed) and headed to the fridge. Opening it, she grabbed a bottle of beer, noting as she did so that she should probably buy some more. The problem was she didn't have any ID and looked so young that she was unlikely to get served. Popping off the cap, she returned to her bed (the couch) and flicked on the television. No sooner had she done so, the landline started ringing.
Emma hadn't even realised Ruby had a landline but she stood to answer it nonetheless.
"Hello?"
"Emma?"
"Yes," she replied. "Regina?"
"Yeah." The brunette sounded tired. "Is Ruby there?"
"No, she's out with Dot."
"Ah," Regina said. "That explains why she didn't pick up my calls. Do you happen to know what shift she's working tomorrow?"
"Afternoon," Emma said. "Why?"
"Henry's got the pox," Regina sighed. "He can't go to school nor the childminder's and I have a crucial meeting with a new client. I was wondering if Ruby was able to look after him."
"I'm sure she'd say yes," Emma said. She knew the brunette was besotted with the little boy. And she had to say she couldn't blame her. Henry was rather adorable.
"I'd think so too," Regina said.
"Oh, hang on. Dot's off work tomorrow. I don't think they were planning to come back here tonight," Emma said, remembering the quip Ruby had made about Emma not throwing any wild parties whilst she was home alone. She had flinched when the brunette used the word home.
"Damn," Regina murmured. "Ok, well, thanks for your help."
"I'll watch him."
The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"Excuse me?"
"I'll swap my shift and watch him," Emma said, not quite sure how she was going to do what she had just offered but continuing anyway.
"Really?"
"Yeah," Emma nodded. "I had the pox when I was Henry's age and it's miserable. I'd be happy to watch the scratchy little man."
"Are you sure?" Regina asked. "I don't want you to lose out on earnings. I'll pay you if -,"
"No."
Regina bit her lip. From the harsh tone, she knew she had offended the blonde and immediately wished she could turn back time.
"No," Emma said more gently. "I'll just swap my shift so I won't be missing out on any hours. Plus I haven't had a chance to work up to closing before. It's about time I learn what that entails."
"Are you really sure about this, Emma?" Regina asked. "Henry's … whiney."
"Trust me, I've had a lot of experience with taking care of sick kids," Emma said.
"Do you have lots of siblings?"
"Something like that," Emma muttered, thinking back to all the foster homes she had passed through. She'd stopped counting how many 'brothers' and 'sisters' she had lived with when she reached twenty. She had been nine years old.
"Ok, well I'll drop him round before work tomorrow. It'll be about seven," Regina said, focusing Emma once more on her current life rather than the painful past.
"Perfect," Emma said. "I'll see you both then."
"Thank you so much Emma. You really are a life saver."
The line went dead and Emma replaced the handset. Sitting back down on the couch, Emma took a long drag of her beer and un-muted the television.
So … that was happening. Emma Swan. Street rat turned bus-girl turned childminder. She shook her head in mild disbelief, wondering what on earth would come next in her life.