A/N: Friendly reminder, I love you all and my stories always have a happy ending. Also, kudos to the single reader who predicted this event…
The balmy weeks of June slid by. Maine was enjoying endless days of sunshine, capped with early dawn choruses and light summer evenings. Everyone took advantage of the weather, spending as much time as possible outside. Emma, Regina and Henry visited the park every weekend and at night the two women would often sit outside in Regina's back garden, nursing a chilled Riesling as they talked about their days.
But after a while, the hot weather began to take its toll. Flowers wilted, soil became cracked and dusty and the relentless sunshine was starting to become an irritant, rather than something to be enjoyed. When sleeping in the same bed, both Regina and Emma were restless under the thin sheet, the room stifling and uncomfortable.
"I hate this weather," Emma grumbled, plucking at her baggy t-shirt which was sticking to her skin, ten days into the heatwave.
"Me too," Regina murmured, her voice distorted slightly by the fan which was blowing, full power, into her face.
The CEO's own office was deliciously cool, thanks to the new air conditioning she had installed a few years before. But her eight hours of blissful cold meant Regina's body struggled to adjust when she left work to head home. Despite her family origins being Mediterranean, she had clearly adapted to the moderate Maine climate and was suffering through the constant heat she endured at night.
The kitchen at Hook, Line and Sinker was even worse. Had cooking naked not come with some serious health risks and hygiene issues, Emma would have gladly shed her chef whites. She kept a towel tucked into her waistband to wipe the sweat away; endless droplets forming on her brow and threatening to drip into whichever dish she was preparing. For some reason, people were still ordering all manner of cooked meals, rather than the cold salads which Emma would have much rather eaten herself. She cursed Killian for having invested in air conditioning for the restaurant.
"This was a terrible idea," Ruby gasped as she and Emma hauled the first of many boxes into the back of the removal van, on the second Saturday of the heat wave.
"Yup," Emma nodded, wiping her sweaty palms on her cut off denim shorts. "But there's nothing we can do about it now and the sooner we finish, the sooner we can have a beer. Come on."
Ruby grumbled something intelligible and followed Emma back into their building. She and Belle had found a beautiful little apartment just a few blocks away from the restaurant and were moving all of their possessions in before they flew to Paris the following day. Emma had, in a moment of insanity, suggested they just hire a removal van, not the full team, and do all the heavy lifting themselves. As the duo trudged up to their apartment, she realised what a mistake she had made.
It took most of the morning to move Ruby's possessions, including the couch which had resulted in a rather realistic re-enactment of the iconic 'pivot' scene from Friends. Both women agreed it was far less funny when they were the ones fighting a heavy, stubborn inanimate object.
"I'm so glad my new place has an elevator," Ruby panted as she heaved the couch up into the back of the truck.
"Ditto," Emma said. "Are you sure you want to take that dining table. We never sit at it so why do you think you and Belle will?"
Ruby shrugged. "Belle wants it."
"And Belle always gets what she wants when it comes to you, right?"
A dopey look crossed Ruby's face. "Yeah, she does."
Emma punched her friend lightly in the shoulder. "I'm really happy for you. I can't believe you two are getting married."
"I haven't asked her yet," Ruby reminded the blonde.
She had already bought the ring. It had taken her weeks to pick the right one and she had dragged Emma to countless jewellers. But the piece she had settled on was beautiful and Emma had no doubt that it would look simply perfect on Belle's finger.
"Right, let's get back upstairs and finish off," Ruby said. "There are some more boxes of clothes in my room which we can stack on top of the couch to save space."
Emma groaned and pushed herself off the side of the truck where she had been resting. "You know you're helping me do exactly this when you get back from Paris, right?" Emma said as she followed her friend.
"I know," Ruby replied. "Tit for tat, right? Have you and Regina set a date for the move?"
"The 31st," Emma nodded. "That's my last day here and we didn't want to push Henry. Plus, you're not back until the 28th and since your payment for me schlepping up and down these steps is to do the same for me, I figured we'd wait."
"Does jetlag count as a good excuse to get out of helping you?" Ruby asked, opening her bedroom door and picking up the closest box.
"Nope," Emma said. "And even if you're tired, you can draw energy from those happy, lovey-dovey feelings of being newly engaged to the love of your life."
A blissful look overcame Ruby's face where she stood, paused in the doorway. "Yeah."
It wasn't only Ruby who was excited about the next stage of her life. After the successful meeting between Henry and Archie, both women began to discuss their future plans with the small boy. While the idea of Emma moving in had been mentioned and Henry had spoken with Archie about it, when it came to the practicalities, there was more to discuss.
Regina began by talking to Henry alone, explaining to him that Emma was going to move in and that the three of them were going to live together. She made sure to repeat that were anything to happen which would change the arrangement at any time in the future, he would know.
In the lead up to the move, Mondays belonged to Emma and Henry. The blonde would pick the kid up from school, where she now had begun to speak to a few of the other parents, and the two of them would go shopping. They would then cook together and have a meal ready for Regina when she got home from work. Although the first fajita dish was always requested, Henry had learned how to make the tomato sauce he liked for his pasta and how to prepare a fresh summer salad (when the weather was just too hot for cooking). With close supervision, Henry was allowed to chop vegetables and stir items in the pan and he was loving his learning experience.
Every other week, when Emma was off work on Wednesday, she would also collect him from school. On those nights, however, Regina would cook. She wasn't as good as Emma, a point Henry liked to make, but she felt guilty about making her girlfriend cook on her day off considering her work revolved around food.
"I don't mind," Emma said as Regina tried to bat the blonde's hands away from chopping an onion.
"But I do," Regina said, gently prying the knife from Emma's grip, kissing the young woman's pout and shooing her back to the living room where she had been playing trains with Henry. "I like cooking for you and I know you've been working even harder since Ruby's been on vacation."
"Yeah but today was my day off and you've been working all day," Emma pointed out. "The least I could do is have dinner ready for you when you get home."
Regina turned around and quirked her lips. "Miss Swan, what century are you living in? Women are perfectly capable of working full time, raising a family and still manage to find the time to whip up a simple stir-fry."
"Are you sure Henry will eat that?" Emma asked, ignoring the rest of Regina's statement. The other woman knew full well Emma believed in equality. It was just that she liked cooking for the brunette.
"We discussed the noodles earlier and the vegetables are all things he eats now," Regina nodded. "And I have tins of baked beans as backup if it doesn't work."
"You know your cupboard looks like you're preparing for the apocalypse, right?" Emma said, opening the door to the storage space she knew Regina meant, within which were countless tins of baked beans and chopped tomatoes.
"I bought in bulk," Regina shrugged. "But, thanks to you, I don't think we're going to need them any more."
Emma grinned and waltzed across the kitchen to place a kiss to the side of Regina's neck. "You did your part too," she murmured into her girlfriend's ear. "We did this together."
Before Regina could answer, Henry's bellow from the living room for Emma to return and help him play trains interrupted the women. With a final kiss to Regina's neck, the blonde swept from the room to entertain the waiting child.
Towards the end of Ruby's vacation, Emma was growing increasingly tired. While her best friend's front of house team was good, she herself was still responsible for the bar ordering in addition to her own kitchen tasks. Her hours were long; she was arriving earlier than usual and leaving long after everyone else had finished. It was taking its toll on her sanity as well as her relationship with Regina.
After her late evenings, she didn't feel much like driving the extra ten kilometres to her girlfriend's house and usually stayed at her apartment. As a result, the two hadn't seen each other much and they missed one another. The short phone calls they managed were tense and a little irritable; Emma at the fact that Regina wanted her to come over even after her late nights at work and Regina at Emma's insistence that she just crash at her old apartment.
Emma's apartment itself was a little depressing. Since Ruby had moved all her things out, the space was sparse. Emma had started packing too and the apartment was no longer a home but a few empty rooms with a bed which, after sleeping on Regina's luxury mattress, hurt her back and made for a restless night. Regina's absence also didn't help her sleeping patterns.
The moment her best friend walked into work on her first day back, Emma shrieked and threw her arms around her. While the kitchen staff raised their eyebrows at their boss' behaviour, Ruby hugged her back, tightly. She might have had an amazing time in Paris but that didn't mean she hadn't missed the blonde.
"How was it?" Emma asked, pulling Ruby into her office and leaving August to deal with the prep for that day's lunch rush. "Can I see pictures of the proposal?"
Emma already knew Belle had accepted; her friend had sent a selfie of the two lovers the evening it had happened, standing in front of a glittering Eiffel tower and wearing identical grins.
"I didn't take a picture of myself proposing," Ruby said, stifling a yawn. She was still firmly in the grip of jet lag, having only landed the day before.
"Fine, can I see pictures of the ring then," Emma laughed.
"You've seen the ring."
"Not when it's on Belle's finger I haven't," Emma pointed out.
Ruby obliged and pulled out her phone, finding the numerous pictures she had taken of Belle after she had said yes. Emma swiped through them eagerly, oohing and aahing over the besotted couple until-
"Geez," she exclaimed, throwing the phone onto her desk as if it was white hot.
"What? Ohhhh…" Blushing, Ruby picked up the phone and closed the still open app, the naked photo vanishing from view. "Sorry."
"I'm never going to be able to unsee that," Emma growled, standing up and stalking from the office. "Welcome back, you pervert."
The night before the move, Regina called her girlfriend after she had put Henry to bed. The boy was very excited at the knowledge that the blonde was coming to live with them the following. Any doubts either woman had about the reaction of the small boy had been eclipsed by his positivity. Despite their small hiccup with Regina's stir-fry a few weeks earlier (it had involved noodles being thrown across the kitchen), his progress when it came to his diet was also moving forwards. Once those noodles had been cleaned up, by Henry, he had agreed to try the dish and eventually eaten a few mouthfuls before baked beans on toast had been requested.
"Henry's made you a present for moving in," Regina told the blonde after the formalities of hello were out of the way.
"Does that mean I have to get him something?" Emma asked, phone trapped between her cheek and shoulder as she cooked up some prawns for an order.
"You are the present, my dear," Regina said. "And you're clearly busy. Why are you answering your phone while cooking?"
"Because I saw it was you calling. I knew it was important."
"It's not," Regina said. "I just wanted to speak to you. But get back to work. I don't want you burning yourself or dropping your cell. Have a good night and call me tomorrow morning when you're leaving your apartment with the van. I don't have to go into the office until two so I'll be around until then to help you unload."
"Ok," Emma said, passing the sizzling pan to August so he could plate up. "Thank you for taking the morning off. I know Mondays are busy for you so I really appreciate it."
"Of course," Regina said. "I can't wait to help you move into my house. Or should I say our house."
Emma's heart swelled at the sound of those words. "I can't wait," she murmured.
"Me neither," Regina said, her voice equally soft. "Drive safe tonight. There's a storm rolling in."
"Finally," Emma sighed.
The weather had been threatening to break for days. Endless sunshine was finally about to end with the heavy rain clouds which had swept in from the east and now hovered over the coast. The air was thick with anticipation and the rumbles of thunder, way out to sea, had been echoing over Storybrooke for hours.
"Well, the news said to expect a lot of rain so just be careful, ok?"
"Always am," Emma said. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Regina hung up the phone and headed into her bedroom to complete her task of clearing space in her wardrobes for Emma. She stood, hands on hips, and began to psych herself up for the dreaded task of culling her beloved clothes.
"See you tomorrow at eight. Don't be late, ok?" Emma said.
"Because there's nothing I'd rather do on my day off than wake up at eight in the morning when I'm still jet lagged," Ruby snarked, not looking up from the till where she was counting the night's takings.
"Well, Paris is ahead of Maine so technically jet lag would make you more awake," Emma pointed out, grinning at the glower she received from her friend. "Anyway, you owe me."
Ruby's scowl deepened. "Fine, I'll be there."
"Yeah you will," Emma said, shrugging on her leather jacket. "See you tomorrow."
A goodbye was grunted at her back as Emma picked up her helmet and keys from where they rested on the bar and headed out into the parking lot. She grimaced at once. Regina had been right. Sheets of rain lashed down, the asphalt soaked and the air cold for the first time in weeks. Realising that she didn't have her gloves, Emma zipped up her jacket, jammed her helmet on and hurried over to her bike.
By the time she straddled the wet seat, the rain was already beginning to soak through her supposedly waterproof jacket. A flash of lightening cracked across the sky, illuminating the almost empty parking lot. She looked almost wistfully at Ruby's car, parked neatly beside her bike.
"Let's just get this over with," Emma said out loud, turning the key and starting the powerful machine.
The roads were quiet. Only a few cars passed her, driving slowly through the terrible weather. Emma drove slower than usual too; her promise to Regina ringing in her ears. Her bike lights were good but the relentless rain and the shine from the wet road limited her visibility. She slowed further as she entered her neighbourhood even though the streets were now deserted. It was close to midnight.
Turning into her road, she realised that this was the last time she would make the journey from Hook, Line and Sinker to that apartment. From the following day, her drive home would take her to the edge of Portland. To Regina. To Henry. She smiled.
Out of nowhere, a set of yellow lights pierced her eyes, reflecting straight through her visor. Over the hammering of the rain, she heard the squeal of tyres on the wet road as the vehicle hurtled towards her, out of control, unstoppable. With a yell, unheard by anyone but herself, Emma yanked the handlebars to one side, swerving to avoid the car now metres away from her.
The front tyre skidded across the sodden surface and though she tried to correct it, the weight of the bike pulled her down, the slap of the leather against the road the only sound she registered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw sparks fly as her motorbike scraped against the road, the machine having left her behind as it hurtled onwards. Dimly, she was aware that her body was also moving, scraping. Her helmet clunked against the street, her neck jolting painfully as her body was thrown forwards, finally stopping on the hard, cold, wet ground.
She drew a great, shuddering breath, an excruciating pain shooting through her rib cage at the effort. Through her scratched visor, in the distance, she saw a car wrapped around a lamp post, its bonnet steaming. She thought she saw movement; a person. Someone climbed from the car and paused. Were they looking at her? She tried to call out but no words came. She tried to raise her arm only to find it impossible to move. For a moment, she was sure, the person was looking right at her. And then, quite suddenly, the dark figured turned and started to run.
Before they were out of sight on the dark, deserted street, Emma's eyes had closed.