Chapter Text
The next morning, Regina and Kathryn made their way to Emma's apartment building. Kathryn had taken the morning off work to help her best friend out, and Regina was grateful, because this meant they would be taking Kathryn's car. Kathryn's car meant no walking. No walking meant Regina's feet got a vacation. Her car was still back in Brooklyn, getting some tender loving care at Nico's Shop, because even her car gets a little temperamental once Summer comes rolling in. The AC had died first, then the car got overheated, it was one thing after the other so, she was really grateful they were in Kathryn's car.
They arrived in the lower east side area of Manhattan and in front of 154 Hamilton Park Street with at least twenty minutes to spare. Regina glanced outside the window, taking in the surrounding area. The park was across the street; it seemed peaceful enough, she'll have to explore that later.
Kathryn unbuckled her seatbelt and after a moment Regina did the same. They made it to the front door and as Kathryn searched the list of names on the intercom, Regina waited. Kathryn spotted Swan - 801 and buzzed.
Buzz…Buzz…
After a minute passed by with no answer, Kathryn hit the intercom again.
"Hey!" Came the out-of-breath response from the other end. Both Kathryn and Regina winced from it.
"Yes, Emma, it's us." Kathryn explained.
"Oh, you're early. Ok, um…I'll buzz you in. Just take the elevator to the 8th floor." Emma explained and then the door made a buzzing noise followed by a small click of the door unlocking.
Kathryn pulled the door open and held it by the glass so that Regina could get inside as well.
"Thank you." Regina closed the door once they went inside.
The lobby was deserted, except for an old woman sitting on the corner sofa; she seemed to be reading a Greek newspaper.
They found the elevator quickly enough and Kathryn pushed the up arrow. Once it arrived they made their way inside and pushed for the 8th floor. The doors closed and it started moving. It didn't take long to get to the 8th floor.
The doors of the elevator opened and they were met by a tall woman, with long brown locks, and an outfit that could give an old man a heart attack, sending him to heaven a very happy man. She let Kathryn and Regina exit the elevator before entering herself.
Once the elevator was making its way down, Kathryn let out a small chuckle and Regina quickly joined in. "Wow. I mean, did you see her shoes?" Regina actually thought the blonde was going to take note of the plunging neckline, but yes, the shoes were definitely lethal.
Regina just smiled and shrugged one shoulder. She was anxious to get inside the apartment. Regina wasn't sure if this would even end up being where she would stay, but she really didn't want to voice her anxieties to her friend. To be fair, she probably didn't have to.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kathryn rang the doorbell of apartment 801 and waited for Emma to open the door.
A voice came from behind the door, "Coming!"
After a moment, the door flew wide open. Emma was wet, well, her hair was soaked, so that it stuck to the sides of her face. She was wearing a white tank top and yoga pants, Emma held a towel in one hand trying to dry her hair as best she could, while opening the door for them with the other. Kathryn smiled and Regina stayed behind her, waiting to be let in.
"Hey. Come in. I'm sorry, I just got out of the shower," She headed back inside, still drying the ends of her wet curls as Kathryn and Regina made their way inside.
"Sorry, Emma. I guess we got here a little earlier than planned. Traffic was not as bad as we thought it was going to be-" Kathryn explained.
"Oh, no. It's fine." Emma then looked at the other woman.
She's never met Regina, but she had heard a lot about her while she was still with Neal. Kathryn and Frederick would go on double dates sometimes with the former couple. It was nice talking to Kathryn; it was one of the very few things she missed when she was with Neal. She figured it tends to happen; people lose friends, or they lose touch. She was glad to see her again, though.
Regina gave Emma a tight smile, while she started examining the living room and kitchen area. '
"Hi," Emma smiled at the brunette.
"Hello." Regina said flatly.
Emma finished drying her hair as much as she could and left the towel in one of the kitchen stools as she walked to the living room.
"So, this is the living room," Emma showed them to a room with white walls covered in art. Some posters and some paintings hung, bringing color to the room. Kathryn had told her that Emma was an aspiring artist and she could see that. Photos, paintings, even sculptures decorated every area of the house. It seemed just on the borderline of clutter, but it wasn't there yet.
The apartment had floor to ceiling windows, and the dark grey curtains were drawn to let the natural light in. A sliding door let out to a balcony.
Emma noted Kathryn's curiosity, "Do you want to go outside? There's a really great view of the park from here."
Kathryn pointed at the sliding door, "May I?"
"Sure! Go right ahead. Would you both like something to drink?" Emma made eye contact with Regina, who still hadn't said much of anything since she'd been there.
"Yes, water would be fine." Regina answered.
"How about you, Kathryn?" Emma made sure that her voice carried to the other woman.
"Yes. I'll have the same. " she said while exiting towards the balcony.
Regina followed Emma to the kitchen. Her eyes explored the dark wooden cabinets, the stainless steel appliances, the marble countertops, the yellow tea kettle, and the pouring of water into two glasses.
"So, Kathryn tells me you're a lawyer."
"I'm a divorce attorney, yes," Emma offered a glass to Regina and she took it.
"So, how many square feet is the apartment?"
"It's around 775 square feet and the rent, before you ask, is $3,500."
Regina didn't looked fazed at all.
"How long have you lived here?"
"A little over three years." She answered.
Regina looked skeptical at that, "Really?"
"Yes, I used to share it with someone, but things didn't work out." Emma explained and shrugged her shoulders.
Regina took a small sip of water and it cooled her whole body. She looked at Emma as if she wanted to ask, but decided better to avoid getting too personal. She glanced at the balcony where Kathryn was looking at some weird-looking objects placed on a small patio table.
"Do you like the view?" Emma asked.
"Well, it's not blocked by a constant line of bricks or an intimate view of other apartments, so that's a plus." Emma gave her a knowing smile; she too had gone through hell trying to find a good apartment when she first moved to New York. It was a damn miracle that she ended up here.
"You want to look at the rest of the apartment?"
"I don't know. Do you think your decorations are safe out there?" Kathryn was toying with some of the wind chimes. She almost looked like a little girl and Regina felt like a mother desperately praying her child didn't break anything or they'd have to buy it. Would be sort of ironic.
Emma chuckled, "Yeah, I think it'll be fine, but you know…you break it, you buy it."
Regina nodded and then returned to the main subject. "So, the bedroom?" Regina got up from the stool and started heading over to the small hallway to the bedrooms.
Before Regina could see the bedroom, Emma showed her the guest bathroom.
"Yeah, um, here's the guest bathroom." It was a simple bathroom, no shower or bathtub, just a sink and a toilet. It seemed she was satisfied enough with that.
"There's a washer and dryer near the closet in the hallway, so you won't need to send anything to the dry cleaners."
"Well, my work clothes will have to be sent to the cleaners. Don't you send anything to the cleaners?"
Emma noticed that it really wasn't a question.
"Well, yeah," Emma would be surprised if Regina even knew how to use these machines. "Anyway, here's the room,"
Emma opened the door to a room that had a full size bed, white bedding, a small walk-in closet with enough space for a rack of clothes and shoes, a night stand with a white lamp, and a white dresser. It was a blank canvas, one that Regina could very well experiment with.
"I tried to keep it as simple as possible so that no matter who ends up moving in, they can decorate as they wish, you know…"
Regina touched the dresser as is inspecting it for dust. Emma took noticed and rolled her eyes.
"I cleaned before you came here." Emma didn't know why she felt the need to explain, but she was starting to feel a little annoyed with this woman.
"I see. There's no window." Regina didn't direct the comment to Emma, more like she was checking off a con in her mental pros and cons list.
"Yeah, no window," She let the last word hang in the air and rolled her eyes away from Regina's vision. Emma couldn't really say anything else, there was no window. She couldn't just make one appear out of thin air. Her room did have a window but she wasn't about to give away that info. Let's face it, she wasn't about to give away anything about her private space and she was one hundred percent sure that the brunette wouldn't as well if the roles were reversed.
"This door leads to the bathroom."
"Oh," Regina stepped forward and opened the door. She expected to find it much like the vacant room, mostly empty, void of anything unnecessary, but when she opened she got anything but.
The bathroom walls were painted in a light beige color that made her gag. Was that vomit color? The shower curtains had an off-white, rubber ducks print. There were rubber ducks beside the sink as well. Was this woman five? Maybe Kathryn was not right about Emma. She quickly came to face a closed door at the opposite side of the one she came in from. That's when it hit her, this is a shared bathroom. Oh, no.
Regina grabbed one of the ducks and inspected it, as if it were going to contaminate the atmosphere with its mere presence. "These will have to go."
"Excuse me?" Emma was going to take a lot of things, but not that.
"Well, this is a shared bathroom, dear. I don't care what you find appealing in ducks, but I think more than one is already enough. There's about 10 near the sink alone."
"Oh, please. That's a bit of an exaggeration. Listen, you don't have to like the ducks, but the ducks were here first. The ducks stay." She folded her arms.
"No, dear. The ducks go. I'm not five. Are you?" Regina examined the blonde, "Well-"
"Listen, lady-" She huffed out and let her hands go to her hips. Emma had had enough.
"Regina, the name is Regina, not lady." Regina placed the duck on Emma's chest and got out of the bathroom leaving a shocked woman behind.
Emma couldn't understand this woman. Give her a great room, a killer view, a nice kitchen and she's complaining about her rubber duckies. Was she for real?
"Kathryn, I think we're done here." Regina was grabbing her purse when Kathryn went back inside.
"So, did you see your new room?" Kathryn had taken her glass of water and was sipping the cool liquid when Regina came back to the living room.
Regina lifted her eyebrows, "Oh, no. I'm not staying here."
"I don't understand." Kathryn was truly confused at her friend's statement. She wasn't gone for that long, was she?
"She doesn't like the ducks." Emma explained to Kathryn, ignoring the brunette who was already halfway to the door.
"What?" Kathryn sounded confused.
"I think we should leave. It was a pleasure," Regina turned and gave a smile to Emma, one that was far too fake for an actor of the court. "But, really, I can't stay."
"Emma, would you give us a minute?" Kathryn smiled at the woman and grabbed her friend by the elbow, taking her to the balcony for some one-on-one time. Regina did not look pleased.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Once outside, Kathryn rounded on her friend, "Ducks? Really? Ducks is your deal breaker?"
"They multiplied; it's a duck farm in there." Regina started to sound like she was the five-year old and she cursed herself for it.
"Oh, please. There's only three," She really couldn't understand why Regina couldn't just tell her what was really bothering her.
"And anyway, you're not here to stay inside a bathroom. You're here to stay with the nice view of the park, the really comfortable room - with a walking closet - might I add. You're here to stay inside a nice apartment that's just a few minutes away from the firm and not an hour-long train ride away, remember? Don't let some duck curtains be the dealbreaker."
"You little sneak. You came here before bringing me, didn't you?" Regina was wide-eyed, but not truly shocked.
"I had to. I knew what you were going to do." Kathryn explained suddenly but then calmed her voice.
Regina averted her eyes to the view; it really was a beautiful view. "Oh, and what exactly is it that I'm doing?" she kept her hands together and her eyes on the tree tops. The wind was picking up a bit and it didn't feel as hot out here as it did in there when a cool breeze hit them. It would have calmed Regina, if it weren't for the fact that she was having a very uncomfortable conversation. She really didn't want to be doing this.
Kathryn placed a hand on Regina's left shoulder. "You're looking for faults; you're already trying to convince yourself that there must be something wrong with this place."
"I'm doing no such thing." Regina then looked at her friend; she was going to fight a losing battle. She could never hide the truth from Kathryn. Even when they were kids, Regina's poker face was ineffective. Regina would say that she didn't eat all the chocolate, but the small upturn of lips and the chocolate smeared on half her face indicated otherwise. How she became an attorney was a mystery to them both sometimes.
"You are afraid."
Regina looked a little offended.
"You're kidding right? I'm not afraid."
"Maybe a little." Kathryn didn't want to offend her friend, she just needed Regina to face the truth and sometimes, the truth hurts.
"No." She was stubborn.
"A tinsy bit afraid." Kathryn gave her a small smile and tilted her head a bit, because she was going to get her talking.
"Kathryn." Regina let out a sigh.
"What's going on?"
"I'm sorry, I just. The ducks freaked me out, it was a trigger or something, and the walls were the color of vomit and-"
Kathryn squeezed Regina's shoulder again and gave her a warm smile, "I think I get it. I know you've felt safe staying with us. So much so, that you even reorganized our kitchen cupboards-"
"Well, they were a mess. I just had to," she interrupted.
She had been comfortable in Kathryn's apartment. It felt like she was living with a sister. It was one of those things she never got to have in life. It felt safe, she felt welcomed, and now she was going to leave. Regina wasn't really accustomed to change and she had done much of it these past few weeks.
"And we thank you for that. We have loved you staying with us, but we also know that you need more space for yourself. You need to be surrounded by your own things and this will give you that and more." She kept on giving her friend a knowing smile.
Kathryn then asked, "You want to know what I need?"
"Privacy with Fred, I know. I'm sorry--"
"Well, yes, but what I really need is my friend to get back in the game."
Regina gave a small chuckle, "You spend way too much time with Coach Fred."
"Yes, well, I am living with the man… Come on, Regina…" Kathryn made Regina focus, "Try." Kathryn let out a small sigh. "Hm?"
With that one word -try- Regina came down from her perfect bubble of duck-free zone and realized that Kathryn was right, she was just making excuses and finding faults where there truly weren't any.
She doesn't really know Emma, she isn't even really sure is she wants to get to know Emma, but she also needed this one change. Change was inevitable. She had to go right ahead and put on her big girl panties and start embracing change.
"Being cooped up in a house with an old married couple isn't exactly what you want from life, now is it? You need to leave the nest, my friend."
"Nest? Old married couple? Kathryn, you're the same age as I am and you're not even technically married yet."
"Technically no, but it sure feels that way and I think you know you need to spread those little wings and journey off into the unknown. It might be worthwhile." Kathryn was such a great friend, Regina didn't think she deserved her sometimes. She was the only person to be brutally honest, but impossibly kind at the same time.
"You care too much." Regina smiled. She agreed, she needed this.
"It's my job as best friend and if I have to hold your hand through this, I will, because that's what we've always done. But I think we both know, you can do this, you can take a chance that this might not work out. You've done it before, you can do it again." Kathryn let go of Regina's shoulder.
Regina took a deep breath and as the fresh summer air went in and out of her lungs, she decided she would do it. She would try. "Can you promise me one thing, though?"
"What?"
"Never change." She gave Kathryn a whole smile.
"Wasn't planning to. Now, are you ready?" she scooted Regina in front of her and started to lead her inside.
"Yes."
"Attagirl!" Kathryn smacked her on the ass.
"Kathryn!" Regina laughed but looked slightly embarrassed.
"What? I live with a baseball coach." Kathryn said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and a perfect excuse, but they both ended up laughing because, yes, they were like sisters.
"Look at you, you're so grown up," Kathryn's voice feigned being all choked up, like a mother seeing her child make a first big life altering decision, "I'm so proud."
"Oh, shush… You know, I wonder if Emma knows about that yoga instructor-" an evil grin formed on Regina's lips.
Kathryn knew better than to continue. "Sorry… You know you won't be able to use that against me forever." She pointed her finger at her friend as if to make her point clear.
"I know, but I like the face you make every time I mention it."
"Evil."
Regina smiled at that, "Very and don't you forget it." She started to go back inside.
"Ah, I shall miss that sense of humor."
Regina shook her head, "I'm only moving a few miles away, it's not like I'm leaving the country."
"Thank God!"
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
They went inside and Regina let herself relax a bit. She really did not enjoy apologizing, but it was something she knew she had to do.
"Listen, Emma," Emma was in the kitchen when they came back inside. She looked at the brunette, arms folded, and still looking annoyed, if not a bit angry.
"Yes?" Came the curt response.
"Emma, I'm sorry. I might have gone a little—"
"Crazy." She finished for the brunette.
Regina gave a small nod, even if it looked like it hurt to agree, "Will you accept my apology?"
"I don't know, Regina. Maybe this just isn't a right fit." Emma certainly wasn't going to make it easy on her.
"No, please. I…I'm sorry I was rude. I really loved the room, the view is amazing, the kitchen is wonderful, the bathroom is a little…out there, but maybe we can come to a consensus on that end."
Emma could see she was being sincere, "I'm not getting rid of the ducks." Emma didn't want to back down on that one.
Kathryn cleared her throat a bit and Emma noticed it was directed at her.
There was a short pause.
"Ok," Emma visibly deflated, letting her arms go to her sides. "But I'm keeping this one," she showed them the purple duck, "And you'll have to buy new curtains, 'cause those are the only ones I have." Emma then waited for an answer.
"Fine." Regina gave a small smile.
"So, does this mean you're moving in?" asked Kathryn as if to seal the deal.
"If she'll have me, I suppose I can give it a try."
"What about it, Emma? Do you think you can give it a try as well?" Kathryn asked.
Emma smiled, "Yeah, sure."
"Great! I think this calls for drinks!" Kathryn was grabbing her purse but was stopped by Regina.
"Kathryn."
"What?" Kathryn looked at Regina, not understanding why they weren't moving out the door.
"It's eleven o'clock in the morning."
"Ah...well-"
Emma chuckled at that.
Regina then added, "Anyway, we should probably go, you do need to get back to work and so do I."
Kathryn's phone decided it was about time it should start ringing, it would never stop now. "Sorry, I have to get this," She signaled to the balcony and took the call. "Hello!"
A moment passed before Emma broke the silence. "So, when will you be moving in?"
"I was thinking about Sunday."
Emma stepped closer, "I have a class in the morning, but I'll be here around lunchtime."
"Perfect, I'll bring some of my things by then." Regina explained.
"Ok." Emma agreed.
"Ok, then."
Emma then let out a small breath, "You know...if you really don't like the color of the walls, you can always paint them."
Regina looked a little surprised; she hadn't mentioned she disliked the walls.
Emma smiled, "Yeah, I saw your face when you looked at them. I guess since this will be our apartment, it's only fair to let you make some changes to it."
Regina felt caught a bit by the blonde's observation, but agreed, "Thank you. I think I'll do that."
"No problem." Emma gave her a small smile.
Kathryn made her way inside, "Ok, well, we have to go. Apparently leaving the gallery alone for a few hours wasn't a very good idea. My assistant just called and it seems there's a problem with the structure of one of the exhibits. Emma, you should come to this one. It's in about a month. Look, I'll send you the invite."
"That's sounds great, Kathryn. I'll mark it down."
"Great, well, it was wonderful seeing you again." Kathryn said then kissed Emma on the cheek.
"It was great seeing you...and Regina, I'll be here on Sunday."
"Good, see you then." she smiled back at the blonde.
Regina and Kathryn made their way to the door. Emma let them both out with a small wave goodbye. She wasn't sure if this was going to work, but at least she knew that affording the rent was going to come a lot easier with Regina paying for half of it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Once Regina and Kathryn were out the door and inside the elevator, Emma's phone rang, "That's strange." She voiced to herself.
She picked it up and a woman's voice came from the other end. "Swan! My girl, how are you?"
"I'm fine, Clarissa. You?" Emma's voice was a little surprised, she didn't expect her boss to call this early.
"I'm good! Hey, do you think you have time for a couple of calls today?"
Emma had nothing more to do, so she figured, why not? It was extra cash in her pocket. "Actually, I do."
"Oh, that's great. Ruby called in sick today."
Emma tried to not sound surprised by that. She thought Ruby looked just fine about an hour ago when she came by to bring back some movies she'd borrowed. "She did?"
"Yeah, something about eating bad mussels."
"Sure, ok. Log me in, Yoda!" Emma chuckled; she would always call Clarissa, Yoda, even if she knew her boss wasn't particularly fond of that nickname.
"Here's your first caller, sweetie. Now, try to not call him Yoda."
"Nah, that one's reserved just for you."
"Ok... Break legs!"
The sound of a recorded voice started giving a description, "Male, white, barely legal, anything goes."
There was a short pause as Emma waited for the line to connect to her first caller. Once it did, a male voice greeted her.
"Hello."
"Hi there, my name's Swan," Emma's voice took this young teen tone to it, completely foreign to her normal register. It sounded like she was about to go have a slumber party with all her friends, drink too much soda, dive into a sugar high, and go braid some friend's hair. "What's yours?"
Emma then went to her bedroom and closed the door.