I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.
9: Dog Days
Regina was tired. She had not been sleeping well since Duckling moved out, but last night was the worst of it. Usually, she had problems with sleeping because Duckling left and she detested the absence of her pet. She spent hours tossing and turning in bed, unable to settle or find a comfortable position. This was not the first time in her life she experienced restlessness, but none of her usual counters worked to fight back. Not much helped those nights beyond waiting for an exhausted, bothered sleep to take her. But, it was not the worst thing that could happen.
No, worse than Duckling leaving was Duckling not showing up at all. That happened last night. It was impossible to sleep. There was not even a troubled couple of hours like the other nights.
She had cooked and waited and waited. No Duckling. So it begins. Duckling would drift away from her, realize how much of her life was ahead of her and how much better things were without Regina, and never look back. Regina would be alone again.
A rap on her window made Regina pop her head up. Oh, no. She fell asleep at the wheel. Did I kill someone?! Probably not. The car was not moving and an impact had not caused the small knock.
"Beds are better for sleeping," Maleficent said from outside her car door.
Regina groaned. "I am aware."
"Might we talk inside? We need to start our baking for the breakfast rush and you have to make all your sandwich bread before you go to work."
Regina nodded. "Yes. Let's." She got out of the car, chilled by the autumn early morning air, and they went into the shop.
Maleficent got out of her jacket and helped Regina do the same. "So, why are you sleeping in the car?"
Regina shook her head, trying to clear her mind of an abysmal fog. "I just had a horrible sleep. Duckling didn't come home last night."
Maleficent gasped as she put their jackets in their small office space. "Is she all right? Do we need to go look for her?"
Regina waved that off and moved around the kitchen, waking up more as she grabbed the things she required. "She's fine. She called. We spoke. It was a video call as a way to eat dinner together. It was just awkward and terrible."
Regina frowned as she thought about the night. She and Duckling hardly managed to converse over the phone. What they did say was small talk, if it could be called that. Duckling complained of exhaustion and dozed off as soon as she finished her food. Regina shooed her to bed and that was the end of the night.
"I've gotten used to a routine. Now, it being over, I'm suffering for it," Regina said.
Maleficent nodded. "Sorry you supported this moving out nonsense?"
"No. No matter what happens Duckling deserves this opportunity to grow. I'll never be opposed to her improvement. I wanted to believe her when she said she'd still have time to be Duckling, even though I knew it wasn't true." Regina shook her head. "I'm so weak for that girl." Her heart thumped at the thought of Duckling. I won't recover when she moves on.
"Hey!" Maleficent turned sharply, putting her finger in Regina's face. "You are not weak," she said in a sharp tone with a matching stare. "I don't want to ever hear your mother's words coming out of your mouth. Would I be supporting this sappy relationship if I thought it made you weak?"
Regina swallowed. "Of course not." I did sound like Mother, didn't I? Never again. Mother was never right. Ever.
"Yeah, of course not." Maleficent put a hand on Regina's cheek, getting flour on her face. "Duckling makes you happy and you deserve to be happy. She sets you free and you deserve to be free. And, look at how selfless she's made you."
Regina sucked her teeth, pulling away. "Shut up."
A soft smile settled on Maleficent's face as she got to cooking. "You're growing up, too, you know?"
"But, are you?" Regina countered as she went back to her task. She was done with this pep talk. It had done its job to a degree. She was still certain Duckling would leave her, but she was allowed to be happy right now and love was not a weakness, even if it did not work out.
Maleficent laughed. "Oh, silly girl. I've been growing since you came into my life. Don't act differently."
Regina sighed. "I wish I could be so open." Of course, Maleficent was not always so open with her. She was more open with Duckling now, more comfortable with talking about her life once Duckling met her mother. If Duckling was able to survive Mother, she was made of sterner stuff and the little bit of interaction between the two allowed Duckling to better understand Regina.
"I'm sure you are with Duckling. You're aware I'm not like this with everyone. I'm still not fantastic with it with you now, trying to recover my dignity for the longest."
"Is that why you're like this?" That was news to Regina.
Maleficent shrugged and focused on her biscuits. "You witnessed me at my worst, Regina, which says a lot. Sometimes, I wonder how you managed to ever respect me again."
Regina rolled her eyes. "I never lost respect for you. I understood how you ended up in that position. Hell, helping you is probably the only reason I didn't end up the same way."
Maleficent made a noise. "I suppose. I never considered it. Perhaps we should try to be more open with each other."
"Agreed."
"And then, I'll let my two idiot cousins do enough of it with everyone else, so we won't have to bother."
Regina laughed. "Your two idiot cousins are helping us a great deal. Not many people would be open to working double shifts every day."
Maleficent snorted. "They don't have anything better to do, they need the money, and they'd do anything to not go back to their mother. If I paid them to jump in the lake in January, they'd do it."
"That's tragic, though I very much understand. But, at least she didn't crush their spirits."
"Not for lack of trying. Of course, brainwashing is just as bad. Although, I think she was more explicit than they make her out to be, but they're not ready to talk about it. I'm going to recommend therapy soon, once they've gotten comfortable."
"Are they still staying with you or did you find them a place yet?" Regina asked, enjoying the distraction of catching up on Maleficent and her cousins.
"They're still with me. I need to make sure they're used to living here before I let them out of my sight. The last thing I need is Tink trying to follow a firefly into the woods." Maleficent pursed her lips. "Now that I think about it, Nova might try it as well. We'll never see them again. They'll be eaten by bears."
Regina snickered. "That might happen. Very plausible."
"And, believe it or not, you're the reason I called them to come. Regina, you really seem to forget you saved me from a bad place. I wanted to save them from a bad place. I want to give them a chance to become who they should be, like you're doing with Duckling. You have to give it time. And, at least you can be confident Duckling won't be eaten by bears."
Regina outright laughed at that. "Quite true." While she was still unaware of much of what Duckling did in her spare time, Duckling had enough sense to stay away from the woods.
There was silence between them for a few minutes. "Are you still planning to meet Marian after all that sorted business, too?" Maleficent asked.
"Yes, that's set for lunch today. We'll be right here, actually. Let people see we can get along civilly and there's nothing to film here… unless Robin wonders in, anyway." This was a possibility and she was not sure how things would go. She might injure that man should he step a hostile foot into her establishment again.
Maleficent shrugged. "He'll deserve whatever cursing out he gets. Maybe one of you can throw hot tea in his face. Probably you. From what I know of Marian, she would be too polite for it. For him to think he can just jump back and forth from you to her is insane and arrogant."
Regina would not argue that. "Well, now I'm going to want to spill hot tea on him."
Maleficent smiled. "You're welcome for the idea."
Regina snickered and let the image play in her mind on a loop. It would be satisfying to pour tea in his lap to help him understand he was not wanted there. She finished up her morning baking and then went to work. Lunchtime came soon and she was back at Two Witches.
Mulan and Marian were already there, sitting at a booth by the window, one side empty. This meant people already knew something was up and were lining up for the best view. May they choke on their disappointment.
"Thank you both for coming," Regina said as she slid into the empty side of the booth.
"No, thank you for coming and sitting with me. I owe you so much more than an apology," Marian replied.
Before Marian got a chance to say her peace, the bell above the door sang out. Duckling burst in, as much as the door allowed for such a thing. She scanned the cafe like a woman on a mission, but she spotted Regina, she did not move. She stared, stuck, as if in shock. Regina waved her over and she wandered to the table in a daze.
"Sit." Regina patted next to her. Duckling obeyed as if it was the only thing she could do. "Mulan, Marian, this is Emma. Emma, this is Mulan and Marian."
"Uh… hi." Duckling gave a weak wave. She buzzed a little, adrenaline pumping with nowhere to go. Regina grabbed her hand and squeezed. Duckling gasped and then settled.
Mulan smiled. "I am familiar with Emma. She and Tink used to gang up on me to keep me from putting money in the tip jar."
Duckling frowned. "Free is free. What don't you get about it?"
"I can afford to pay, so you should let me, but let's not have this argument again, especially since you can't block me from tipping now. Why did you stop working here, though?" Mulan replied.
"Technically, I never worked here. I was helping out for free food." Duckling put her chin in the air, proud of this fact for some reason.
Marian nodded. "The food is quite good." She had a pressed tuna melt with lettuce, tomatoes, and fries with a custom blend of seasonings Regina and Maleficent worked hard to create. Mulan only had a basket of fries in front of her, like she ordered something for show.
"We do our best," Regina said in an even tone.
"So, what's happening here? A friendly lunch?" Duckling asked, eyes darting between Mulan and Marian. "I mean, I saw the posts going up on social media and I just kinda reacted." Regina gave her hand another squeeze to calm her down.
"That's understandable, considering we're aware of how people are when they think they'll have a dose of drama here," Mulan replied.
"I'm sorry about causing such a stir, Regina," Marian said. "I think I lashed out at you as I'm just not ready to admit I'm the cause of my failed relationships. Robin and I grew apart, and even though I was the one to suggest we go our separate ways, I couldn't quite let him go. Then, I met Mulan and understood why I drifted from Robin, but couldn't quite commit to her when things got serious and left things on rather rotten terms with her to go back to him."
Mulan waved that off. "This isn't about us."
Marian nodded, holding up her hands briefly. "I know. I know. It still needs to be said considering what I accused Regina of. Anyway, with Robin, we're two different people now. It's glaring. I barely know him anymore on so many different levels. There's nothing left to save between us beyond figuring out how to be the best possible parents to Roland. Instead of facing those hard truths, I decided to make it your problem. It was unbecoming."
Regina nodded. "But, you're trying to set things right and that takes a lot of strength."
Marian glanced at Mulan. "Doing the best I can. I have to work on myself. I had no idea I was my biggest enemy until I saw the footage of myself in here. I didn't recognize that woman and I didn't like her behavior. I didn't like what I was becoming. It's the first time that happened to me. I don't ever want it to happen again."
"So, you're starting to be honest with yourself and your desires," Regina said. It sounded like a question, but it was a statement.
"Yes. I won't be back in here with any wild accusations or any reason to be in your face, but if it's all right with you, I'd like to come back here," Marian replied.
Regina was surprised and arched an eyebrow. "You would?" Why the hell would Marian want to support her business?
"I think Roland would like it and maybe he'd like to see you. He deserves to be happy and not caught in the drama made by his pigheaded parents," Marian replied.
Regina smiled. "I'd like to see him, too. You've raised him well. He's such a sweet child." Perhaps one day she would be able to have a sweet child as well.
"Thank you for saying so," Marian said.
The rest of the lunch went rather well. Mulan ordered a sandwich to go with her fries. Nova was kind enough to bring Duckling some chicken stew with rice and a biscuit, so she had something to eat. Then, they all talked like old friends, but all too soon both Duckling and Mulan had to rush off.
"Your girlfriend's sweet," Marian said to Regina.
Regina smiled, flattered. "Yours is as well."
Marian glanced away as a deep sigh escaped her. "She's not mine yet. I do want to change that, though."
"Then, change yourself and honor her properly this time. Mulan is an incredible woman. She helped me more than she'll ever realize. She deserves your best," Regina replied. She meant those words.
Marian nodded. "I'm ready to give her my all. I think I needed the backslide to truly understand and appreciate what I had with her. Yes, I wish I could've worked things out with Robin for Roland's sake, but it wasn't meant to be."
Regina held in a laugh, but amusement still sneaked into her tone. "Too gay?"
Marian laughed. "Oh, so gay." She took a shaky breath and drummed her fingers against the table for a moment. "That's the first time I've said it aloud." A tiny smile settled on her face. Her eyes shined.
Regina smiled as well. "I remember that moment. You'll be fine. Love is precious. Finding someone to share your life with is nothing short of magical."
"I know what you mean. I thought I found such a wonderful love with Robin the first time, but being with Mulan was so much greater than being with Robin was our first time around, the time when I thought he was the love of my life."
"I know something about what that's like." Everyone Regina loved in her life, she loved differently, but ferociously. She never experienced her usual fervor with Robin. It was something she ignored, truly believing she would never capture a passionate love again.
Marian ran her hand through her long, dark hair as she let out a long exhale. "Now, I need to help Robin understand he didn't do anything to make me this way."
Regina's smile vanished. "Is that what he thinks?"
Marian made a face. "I think that's part of his problem, but I'm not sure. He thinks he did something to make me attracted to women. And, meeting Emma, I'm sure it's a blow to his self-esteem for you to be with a woman as well. He thinks he's broken."
"Unfortunately, at this point, he is, but more because he perceives it that way. Besides, I'm sure that's only one of his problems." Regina had little desire to contemplate why he was the way he was now, though.
"Well, yes. There are other things at play and I think they've been at play for a long time, but this didn't help. It's making him spiral."
Regina scoffed. She did not care. "If you need help in that regard, I'd sit down with him to help him move on," Regina said. It might persuade him to leave both her and Marian alone.
Marian's eyes twinkled. "You are not the demon people make you out to be."
Regina smirked. "Oh, no, I promise you, I am. The demon comes out on special occasions. Now, I have to return to the office."
Marian checked the time on her phone. "Oh, as do I. Thank you again for sitting down with me."
"It was a pleasure." With that, they parted ways, but Regina was confident they would see more of each other. She hoped from now on their interactions would be pleasant.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma went about her tasks at Granny's in a daze. What the hell was that with Mulan and Marian? Sure, nothing crazy happened. It was a simple lunch, but it made Emma's brain glitch the second she walked into Two Witches Out of the Fire.
It was for a split second, but she thought Regina and Mulan were having lunch together, like her brain completely skipped Marian. The fear that tore through her, shredded every bit of her for what felt like an eternity. She had been so sure she would vomit up all of her organs right then and there. It was like she lost Regina, and to Mulan. She would have never been able to compete with damn Mulan.
"You okay back here?" Ashley asked, popping up next to Emma as she loaded the dishwasher.
Emma blinked. "Yeah. A little tired from the repetitiveness of this, I guess."
Ashley chuckled. "Then you're in luck. Granny's pulling you from this to do some repairs at the B&B. At least you get to stretch your brain there. We can handle this. It's not hard."
Emma nodded. "I know. It's just something for me to do in between fixing things, even though there's no shortage of things to fix. Damn place is falling apart." She chuckled, even though it was quite true.
"You better not let Granny hear you say."
Emma laughed as she left, going to fulfill her tasks in the B&B. She was thankful for the busy work. None of the fixes were too far, but it was enough to keep her mind off the lunch. Yes, she understood it was nothing, but the thought of losing Regina haunted her.
It had not occurred to her until now she might lose Regina to someone way superior to Robin. She was not sure what to do with this information. Beating Robin was possible, beating literally anyone else not so much. I gotta make sure I level up to the point Regina doesn't think about dating anyone else.
At the end of her work day, Emma got what she longed for — her first paycheck. I've made it! She waved the check around in the diner and Ruby laughed.
"You'd think she never made minimum wage before," Granny said with her arms folded across her chest.
"It's about earning a real living. I've never actually earned a check before," Emma replied. Scamming and petty crimes did not pay in checks.
Granny shook her head. "That explains why you didn't have a bank account set up for direct deposit. Your fancy girlfriend privy to this nonsense?"
Emma groaned. "She's not my girlfriend." She ignored the thing about the bank account. She never needed one until now. Regina might think she was immature for that one. Don't think about that right now.
"I'll take you to get a bank account set up," Ruby said and clapped Emma on the shoulder. "No way I'm letting you go to a check cashing place to pay for the service."
Emma sighed. "Told you this adult stuff is hard, but that'll have to wait for the next check. This one, I gotta spend the whole thing."
"On what?" Ruby threw her hands up. "And I'm the one who told you this adult shit was shit. You're crazy for wanting to do this."
Emma grinned. "I'd do anything for Regina and that's who I'm spending this check on."
Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell would you spend your whole check on a woman who could buy and sell your scrawny ass?"
"I gotta take her on a great first date." It was obvious. She had to impress Regina and fast. She had to show she was capable of being a good partner before some amazing woman came and swept Regina off of her feet. "I'm starting to get why your girlfriend broke up with you."
Ruby glared at her. "First off, I broke up with her. Second off, you sound insane. You think you can buy Regina the perfect date?"
"Yeah. I gotta be able to afford things, duh." That was how life in general worked.
Granny shook her head. "I'm almost sad I won't be able to watch this grand scheme blow up in your ridiculous face. You have a woman who already let you move in, so you move out. She cooks your meals, so you turn those down to take her to a restaurant. She listens to everything you have to say to her when you're with her, so you make sure you have less time to be with her. I'm so glad I'm old. I wouldn't be able to keep up with you lot." She flung her hands in their direction and then left.
Emma chuckled. "She's always so done with us."
Ruby grinned. "Can you blame her?"
"Not at all. There's only two brain cells between us."
"And clearly I have both of them right now."
Emma snorted. "Wanna use them and help me plan an amazing fucking first date, so Regina can actually be my girlfriend?" Emma wiggled her eyebrows.
"I'll call M&M while you order a pizza."
Emma shot Ruby a thumb's up. She ordered pizza, which Mary Margaret showed up with when she arrived at Emma's room. Emma's stomach twisted as she sat with her best friends, needing them to have awesome ideas to share.
Emma needed to get this right. She had shaken their world to become a good partner for Regina and she had already failed at that. She had not been able to go home some nights as she promised. She had been too tired to be worth anything as company other nights. She was not what Regina needed or wanted. She would be left behind if she kept this up.
"So, we're planning a date?" Mary Margaret asked, putting the pizza on the coffee table of the small room.
"We're gonna try," Emma sighed as she grabbed a cheap six-pack from her mini-fridge.
"It's not that hard. You take her to dinner. You show up with some roses. You order one dessert for you to share and kiss her at the end." Ruby shrugged.
Emma gave Ruby a deadpan stare. "It makes so much sense why you don't have a girlfriend."
Ruby scoffed and grabbed a slice. "Because why have one when I can have many?" She bit her slice. "Of course, if I could have one that looked like yours, I'd definitely settle down. The mayor's ass alone!" She let loose a lewd, exaggerated groan, and rolled her eyes into the back of her head.
Emma threw a couch pillow at Ruby. "You stop looking at her ass!"
Ruby laughed around the pizza in her mouth. "How do you expect me to do that? It's a fine ass."
Mary Margaret shook her head. "You're just as bad as a guy sometimes." She grabbed her own slice, putting it on a paper plate like a civilized person. "Emma, do you have something other than beer?"
Ruby scoffed. "This beer is so cheap it's just flavored water."
Emma shrugged. "She's not wrong, but I've got some juice in there. Regina got me hooked on apple juice because she thinks I'm a fucking child."
Ruby laughed. "She's not wrong."
"She is wrong because, above all else, I'm a stray cat," Emma said with her chin in the air.
"I thought you wanted her to see that you're an adult and capable of taking care of yourself?" Mary Margaret asked as she grabbed a jar of apple juice from the mini-fridge.
Emma nodded. "No, that's the plan. I need her to see I can be the partner she needs and the partner she deserves. So, I need to plan the perfect first date. I don't care if I blow the whole paycheck."
Ruby sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, like she was over everything Emma suggested. "Dude, no. That's irresponsible."
"Putting you at the wrong end of the good partner spectrum," Mary Margaret added.
Emma pursed her lips. "But, she deserves to be treated. You guys don't know half the stuff she's done for me. She's so amazing."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "I've heard you swoon after her enough." She looked at Mary Margaret. "You're so lucky you don't work with her. It's just what she's doing with Regina nonstop." She bit another piece of her slice.
Mary Margaret smiled. "I think it's cute."
Emma grabbed a slice. "I'm not cute. And that's another thing. I need Regina to think I'm sexually appealing. I'm a damn snack. She thinks I'm cute, too."
Ruby shook her head. "I dunno. She lets you get away with a lot of shit because she thinks you're cute."
"I feel like I need to be caught up to speed," Mary Margaret said.
Emma waved her off. "You're fine. What you need to do is help me figure out a date. You're from Regina's world. What's gonna impress her?"
Mary Margaret shook her head. "I have to admit I don't know. With Regina being with you, I don't know her as well as I thought I did. I mean, at the very least, I thought she was straight."
"She told me dating Maleficent is why your father didn't want to marry her," Emma replied.
"That is true, but I thought that was a trick, so she'd be able to run away with her boyfriend. She told me she was so in love with him." Mary Margaret rubbed the side of her head. "I have to admit I'm so confused now."
Emma made a face. "Bisexuality and pansexuals exist. Hi, bi right here." She waved.
Mary Margaret blushed. "Yes, sorry, I forgot. I do agree with you that Regina deserves to be loved. She used to have such a wonderful and high opinion of love." Mary Margaret gave a dreamy smile. "She actually explained the concept of true love to me. I thought she had that with her boyfriend, but then she agreed to marry my father, and then Maleficent showed up. This is all so confusing."
Emma nodded. "A lot happened and I don't think either of us will ever know the whole story. But, none of this is helping me plan this date. I mean, I don't want to end up doing something lame like taking her to the zoo. Although, she loves animals." Now, there was a thought. Regina probably never had a zoo date, and might have never gone to the zoo. No, that's lame.
"No, no, no. Please, don't do that." Ruby pressed her hands together with her pizza crust in between her fingers.
"Well, you two ain't helping!" Emma pointed out and then finally took a bite of her slice. Thankfully, it was still warm.
"Just do dinner and be cool. Take her to some fancy restaurant or something. Let her order good wine and have a tasty dessert." Ruby waved around her pizza crust before shoving it in her mouth.
"That's uninspired, dude. I'm trying to impress this woman. I want to date her, not have her laugh in my face," Emma said.
Mary Margaret gasped. "You should do The Little Mermaid! It's a seafood place, but they do a unique thing where they put a little picnic set up for you right on the beach. It's surrounded by roses and candles. They light the beach with torches, so you can go for a romantic walk afterward."
Ruby rolled her eyes. "You're paying money to walk on the beach."
"But, that sounds so nice. I've never heard of that," Emma said.
"Emma, you're spending money to walk on a beach. You can do that for free. Not to mention, it might be cold. You can freeze and walk on the beach for free," Ruby said.
"Well, do you have any better ideas? I need to do something big before someone else comes in. I mean…" Emma sighed, gnawing the inside of her cheek for a moment. "I went to her cafe today and for a second saw her with a friend, but thought about if that friend made a move. I wouldn't be able to compare to her. I need to be able to compare to people. I need to be able to do stuff like this for her because if I don't someone else will. Someone else is going to take her from me." Emma shook her head and sniffled, willing back tears. "Someone better is going to take her from me."
"Hey…" Ruby rubbed her knee. "I'm sorry. You're incredible and she knows that, but if you wanna make a grand gesture to prove it, I'm with you. I just don't think you need it, but I'm with you. Whatever you need, I'm with you. So, let's figure out a good outfit for you if you're doing this."
Emma nodded. "You sure?"
"I'm very sure," Ruby answered.
"Let's plan the best first date ever." Mary Margaret grinned and clapped her hands, pumped up. Ruby reached across the table and slapped Mary Margaret a high-five. This gave Emma hope. If her friends had her back, she could not lose.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: the date doesn't go well.