A/N: Happy Wednesday one and all.
"How'd it go?"
Regina sighed at the question which greeted her as soon as the front door had closed against the dark night.
"May I at least take my coat off before you start on the third degree?" she asked, turning to face her best friend who was stood in the hallway.
"She brought you roses," Kathryn said, nodding to the large bouquet on the side table.
"She did," Regina said, unable to stop the soft smile which graced her lips at the sight of the flowers. The air smelt faintly sweet, their aroma floating throughout the hall.
"Henry asked who they were from."
Regina's heart sank. This was what she had been afraid of. She didn't want her son to know she was dating. At six, he was probably too young to understand anyway but she was very wary of what the introduction of a new person into their lives could do, especially in light of Doctor Hopper's comments.
"What did you tell him?"
"That they were from a happy client at work," Kathryn replied. "I got the feeling he doesn't know about Emma. Am I right?"
"Yes," Regina said, moving past the flowers and beckoning her friend to follow her into the lounge. "I haven't told him anything about her. I don't want the two of them to meet until I know if there is something between us that is worth pursuing."
"And is there?" Kathryn asked as she sat down on the couch beside her best friend.
Regina didn't reply at first. Instead she kicked off her heels and curled her feet up beneath her. Turning to face the persistent blonde, she couldn't help but smile again.
"I think so."
Kathryn squealed, at which Regina gave her an admonishing 'shush'. "Oh Henry won't wake up. He's fast asleep."
"How was he this evening? Did he let you wash his hair? Did he go to bed on time?"
"Hair washing was fine. Hair brushing … not so much. And as for bed time, let's just say he's sleeping now so I did my job. Anyway, stop changing the subject. Tell me everything. Where did you go? What did you eat? Did you kiss?"
Regina's cheeks pinked at the last question. Kathryn's eyes glittered at the realisation that her best friend was quite simply smitten.
"How'd it go?"
Emma looked up, key still in the lock, and spotted the lanky brunette lounging on the couch, TV remote poised in her hand and take away containers scattered across the coffee table.
"Geez, can I get in the door first?" she scowled.
"You're in," Ruby said, pausing whatever it was she had been watching and sitting up. "Tell me everything."
"Now?" Emma whined. "Can't you wait until tomorrow morning? I'm tired."
In truth, Emma was wide awake, her mind whirring with thoughts of her date. But that was exactly why she didn't want to talk to Ruby. She needed time to herself to digest what had happened between her and Regina; what had been said, what hadn't been said. Sadly, Ruby wasn't one to be kept waiting.
"Yes now. You borrowed my car on the condition that you would tell me everything. So, sit, and tell." She patted the couch beside her before reaching over and plucking a beer off the table, holding it out to the blonde.
Emma gave in because she knew there was no use in arguing with Ruby. She crossed the room, grabbed the beer from Ruby's fingers and plopped herself down with a sigh. "What do you want to know?"
"Did you kiss?"
"Jumping right in, are we?"
"Ignoring the question, are we?" Ruby shot back.
"No, well, yes," Emma said. "She kissed me on the cheek."
"The cheek?" Ruby frowned. "Like the way Granny kisses me on the cheek when I go to see her?"
"No," Emma grumbled. "Don't say that. It was sweet. Kinda tender, I guess. I don't know. I kissed her on the cheek at the end of our first date."
"But you didn't kiss," Ruby clarified.
"Not on the lips, no," Emma said.
"Why not?"
The blonde sighed and flopped back against the cushions. "I don't know."
"Did you want to kiss her?"
"God yes. You've seen Regina. Who wouldn't want to kiss her?"
"So why didn't you?" Ruby asked, confused as to what was holding Emma back. The blonde wasn't usually shy when it came to expression physical affection for women she was dating. More than once Ruby had walked into their apartment to catch Emma and whichever woman she was seeing at the time in a rather compromising position.
"We're taking it slow, I guess," Emma said. "It's complicated."
"Complicated for who?"
"For both of us," Emma replied. "We've both got some stuff in our past that we're talking about before -"
"Before you kiss?"
"Before we take our relationship to the next level," Emma replied.
"What stuff?"
"Private stuff," Emma shot back.
Ruby looked a little affronted. "Private stuff I don't know about?"
Emma took a swig from her beer before answering, trying to buy some time and work out how she could tell Ruby the truth without hurting her.
"Look, there are some aspects of my past I don't share with anyone, ok?" Emma said at last. "Not even you. Not even Elsa. But for reasons I can't tell you because it's not my place, I want to talk to Regina about this part of my life before we get more serious."
"You want to tell a woman you met two weeks ago something you won't tell your best friend of five years and didn't tell the woman you were in a long term relationship? Why? What is it about Regina that means she gets to know some big secret that I'm not entitled to know?"
"Rubes, please, just leave it, ok?" Emma pleaded. "I can't talk about this with you right now. I need some time to think. This is all happening super fast, I know, and I can't explain it but there's something about her. There's something between us; something special."
"More special than our friendship?" Ruby asked, placing her own empty beer back on the table with a thud.
"It's different, ok?" Emma sighed. "I'm not deliberately keeping something from you."
"But there is something you're not telling me, right?" Ruby asked.
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't affect our friendship. You don't need to know."
"But Regina does?"
Emma reached over to hold Ruby's hand and flinched as the brunette pulled away from the gesture. "Rubes, please. I … I can't talk about this."
"Right, of course not. Because I'm not Regina," Ruby said, pushing herself off the couch and bundling the empty take away cartons into the delivery bag. "I'm going to bed. Night."
"Hey, Ruby!" Emma said, jumping up from where she sat as her best friend strode away from her. "Are you seriously just going to walk away because I won't tell you about something that happened years before I met you and has nothing to do with our friendship?"
"Friends tell each other everything, Emma," Ruby called over her shoulder. "So yeah, I'm walking away. Leave my car keys in the dish by the front door. See you tomorrow."
Emma gawped after the brunette who disappeared into the kitchen to deposit the trash and then returned to her view only fleetingly before heading into her bedroom and shutting the door with a snap of finality.
Did that just happen? Did Ruby really just get mad at her because she wouldn't tell her something she openly said she wasn't ready to share?
Sinking back onto the couch, Emma's hands wrapped around the beer bottle, the solid cool surface making her feel somewhat grounded. Her world was rocking back and forth at the moment. First she meets Regina and Henry. Then she recognises the signs of an eating disorder in the young boy. Then she realises how she feels about Regina. Then they start dating. And then she realises that she has to tell Regina. She has to share her secret. It wasn't fair to ask Regina to talk about her past, to confess to the triggers which had caused Henry's eating disorder if she didn't talk about her own.
Considering their differences when their eating disorders started; Henry being a four-year-old boy and Emma a fifteen-year-old girl, there were some surprising similarities. Ok, the events which triggered the eating disorders bore no resemblance but their respective reactions were the same. Both Henry and Emma had sought to take control of some aspect of their lives. At the feeling of being out of control, of being helpless and vulnerable, Henry and Emma had both turned to their diet as a way of establishing power.
Regina needed to know Emma's history. She needed to know what had happened, how Emma had been stripped of her power, of her control. Emma's past wasn't the same as Henry's experiences but she understood how he felt. She could relate. And that meant she could help. But before she offered to do so, she needed to tell Regina the truth.
And then there was the small matter of Regina not wanting Emma and Henry to meet. She respected the brunette's reasoning. She understood it. But she also wanted to get to know the small boy. Their brief encounter at the restaurant had replayed over and over again in Emma's mind since that evening. She had always loved kids. She had always wanted kids. And if she and Regina continued to explore whatever was between them, Emma hoped that she would not only become a part of Henry's life but be someone who could help him overcome his eating disorder.
They had to tread carefully, however. After what had happened with Mal, the thought of which sent a wave of anger throbbing through Emma's body, Henry didn't need any more loss in his life. When he met Emma, in whatever capacity they chose to introduce her, they had to be careful. She couldn't appear in his life only to disappear if she and Regina didn't work out. And at the same time, she had no right to remain in his life if their relationship did end.
Sighing, Emma drained the last of her beer and stood up. Her busy brain wasn't going to let her sleep any time soon but wallowing on the couch wasn't going to do any good. Turning off the lights, she left the empty bottle on the kitchen counter and headed into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She had hoped she would drift off to the sweet memory of Regina's lips pressed against her cheek but it seemed that wasn't to happen.
For the first time in months, when Emma closed her eyes that night, she saw his face.
Henry had thrown a tantrum when he had been told his mother was going out again for the evening on Wednesday. Regina's heart clenched as she held him against her chest, trying to soothe his cries. She felt guilty, of course. But at the same time, she didn't want to pass up a rare evening Emma had free from the restaurant.
"Henry, I promise you we'll spend all weekend together," Regina murmured in his ear, rocking him gently back and forth.
"I want you to stay," the boy sniffled. "I don't want you to go."
"I have to, my little prince," Regina said. "But you'll have fun with Aunty Zee, right? You had fun on Monday with Aunty Kat, didn't you?"
"I want you," Henry repeated.
Regina glanced up at her sister who was leaning against the door frame. "Zee, come here," she said softly, beckoning her sister over. "Can you take him?"
"He's crying," Zelena frowned.
"Yes and he needs comforting," Regina said. "Please, I'm going to be late."
The redhead sank onto the couch reluctantly. She had never been great with kids. Henry was fine if he was happy but she wasn't sure how to deal with the red
-faced boy currently sobbing against his mother.
"Henry, sweetheart, I have to go. Aunty Zee is going to let you watch TV for half and hour and then read you a bedtime story, ok?"
"No," Henry cried, fingers gripping more tightly to Regina's neck.
Regina's heart broke a little as she pried her child's hands from her body and shifted his weight to Zelena's lap. The redhead looked apprehensive but wrapped her arms around the squirming, crying child.
"I'll be back around ten," Regina said, standing up. "He'll calm down after I leave and if he doesn't, call me and I'll come back."
"Sure," Zelena said. "Go, enjoy." Although she didn't want to be left alone with her upset nephew, Zelena was pleased to see that her little sister had found someone. It had been too long, in her opinion. After Mal left, her sister had shut herself away from the world, despite Zelena's coaxing. And this woman, whomever she was, had broken the cycle. If she had to suffer an evening with a crying child in exchange for Regina's happiness, she was prepared to do that.
Emma wiggled the second earring until it slid through her piercing and then observed herself in the mirror. Satisfied, she glanced at her cell phone and saw that Regina was due any second. The brunette had been cryptic about the evening plans, repaying Emma for her mystique regarding their date on Monday night. All she knew was that Regina was picking her up at eight.
Exiting her bedroom into the living room, Emma saw her flatmate sat on the couch. The two of them had barely spoken since their argument on Monday evening. Emma had tried to start a conversation but Ruby had shut it down. Any other contact had been strictly work-related. It had only been two days but Emma missed their friendship desperately.
"Hey," she said, sidling over to the brunette and leaning against the back of the armchair which was never sat in because they always just shared the couch. "Any plans for the evening?"
"Belle's coming over," Ruby said, not taking her eyes off the television.
"Nice. Say hi to her from me," Emma said.
At that, brown orbs slid across to the blonde, taking in Emma's attire. "You've got another date with Regina." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah," Emma said, just as her cell phone vibrated. It was a text, letting her know the older woman had arrived outside their apartment building. "She's here. I'll see you later."
Ruby didn't answer.
Leaning against the side of her car, Regina looked up at the building before her. It was nice enough, she decided. Close to the restaurant and probably had a good view of the ocean from the higher floors. Emma hadn't told her the apartment number though; just the address. Regina wondered why.
And then she was there; stepping out onto the top step in a shocking pink dress, blonde curls tumbling over her shoulders. Regina's heart quickened at the sight of her, the guilt at leaving her son abated slightly. She liked this woman; really liked her. She deserved to be happy. That meant taking time for herself, away from motherhood.
"Hi," Emma said, walking carefully down the steps in her high heels.
"Hi," Regina said, smiling at the woman now approaching her car. "I love that dress on you."
"Thanks, yours is beautiful too," Emma said as she reached her date, eyes roving up and down the sleek black number the brunette was wearing. Her gaze settled on a white box in Regina's hands.
"Oh, these are for you," Regina said, holding out the gift. "I was going to bring you flowers but since you didn't give me an apartment number, I figured you wouldn't want to go back up to put them in water. Chocolates seemed simpler."
"Chocolates from Treat Time? I love this place!" Emma exclaimed, taking in the gold embossed logo on the front. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Regina smiled.
"And, just so you know, I didn't not want you coming up to my apartment."
Regina raised an eyebrow. "You didn't?"
"No, of course not," Emma said, reaching for one of Regina's hands with her spare.
"Ok," Regina nodded, accepting the gesture but not believing the blonde.
Emma could sense the scepticism and decided to explain. "Look, to be honest, Ruby and I had a fight after our date on Monday night. I didn't think you showing up at the door would help matters."
"You had a fight? About me?"
"Indirectly, yes," Emma said.
"Henry was screaming when I left the house this evening," Regina admitted quietly. "He didn't want me to go out again. My sister's there looking after him but I feel really guilty."
Emma swallowed thickly before forcing out the words she knew she needed to say. "Do you want to postpone this?"
"No," Regina said at once. "No, that's not what I want."
"Do you need to postpone this?" Emma asked.
"No," Regina said, more softly this time. "He'll be fine by now. Zelena is with him and she'll call if there's a problem. But it was hard to leave. And now, hearing that you and your best friend have been arguing … are we making a mistake? Is this too complicated?"
Emma bit her lip. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't been thinking the same thing. Ever since Monday night she had been wondering if it was all worth it. For her, for Regina, for Henry. But then she had walked out of her apartment that evening and her heart had skipped a beat at the sight of the beautiful woman leaning regally against the side of her Mercedes. And the answer had come to her, easily, effortlessly, without thought or reason.
"I don't think this is a mistake," Emma said. "It might be complicated but what relationship isn't? I want to give this a chance, Regina. Because I haven't felt like this in a long time and I think whatever we have is worth fighting for."
Regina's fingers twisted their way between Emma's as she stepped closer to her date.
"Me too," she murmured, looking up into the delicate face above her.
Green eyes bore down, flitting between the wide brown orbs and the full, red lips. Regina could practically feel Emma vibrating with want against her body, the blonde mere inches away. It was obvious the younger woman was restraining herself, was holding back, was hesitating. But Regina was tired of hesitating. She was tired of pretending. She was tired of concealing the way she really felt about the woman before her.
Emma couldn't hold back the moan as plump lips pressed against her own.
A/N: You know, I really wanted their first kiss to be in a kitchen but, hey!