Chapter Text
"Hey, Regina?" Emma says, fiddling with the glass in her hand. Regina and Emma had moved to the kitchen, each with a book, reportedly to get a snack. Truthfully, the study was crowded with the extra adults and neither girl felt completely comfortable in such a small space with so many strangers.
"Yes?"
Emma tries to gather her courage. "I know… I know what they said, Snow, or my mom, or whatever, but… Do you think that maybe they were…?" Emma sighed, "Never mind."
Regina takes a deep breath before giving voice to what she suspects Emma has been thinking, what she herself had been thinking. "Do I think that perhaps they were wrong or uninformed? That we were in fact in a relationship?"
Emma looks up, startled, "Yeah."
Regina sighed, looking into her cup of cocoa, "It has crossed my mind, yes. After all, they thought we didn't get along when we do, so I think it is very possible they misunderstood the older versions of ourselves too. Henry certainly seemed to behave as if it wasn't unusual for us to be working together and getting along and I trust his opinion more than theirs. I am a private person and I don't enjoy letting others in on my personal feelings or thoughts."
She learned when she was young how to keep a neutral mask around Mother, who enjoyed destroying things Regina cherished as punishment, or to impart some lesson, or holding them over her head in order to manipulate her further. She didn't trust her father's discretion, not where Mother was concerned and half the time she tried to talk to him, in seemed to go in one ear and come out as something completely different.
"Yeah, I'm normally like that too, but I don't know…" She frowns at the marble countertop, "If she is my mother…" She'd often thought about having a mother to talk to and confide in, but it was more a nice daydream. What she wanted was a mother who'd actually raised her to talk to, who knew her—not this fairytale princess with her mushy looks. The woman didn't feel like her mother, she felt like anyone else. Maybe older her had been uncomfortable too.
Emma shrugs, "Well, she seems kinda pushy and I only just met her or have only known her for a year or something." She scrunches her brow, the timeline she'd been told had been very confusing. She was distracting herself, "But you're saying, it wouldn't be impossible for us…"
"I," Regina begins, shuffling a little closer to the blonde, "I certainly don't think so. Mother wouldn't approve…" she gnawed her lip. Mother certainly wouldn't. Regina was supposed to marry a prince or a king and have his children, secure a role as queen and the power that comes with it. Falling in love has nothing to do with her future, according to her, and not with a woman—even if she was a princess. However, Regina did not want that, she wanted love and if she found that person… Mother could not keep her from them.
Regina sees Emma shift her weight in the corner of her eye and Regina realizes she'd fallen quiet for too long. She tries to find her previous train of thought.
"Beyond the fact that I find you very attractive," she tries to make up for her pause with the confession even as her cheeks pink. "I feel like we have a connection, that there is this pull between us. And sharing a son is certainly a strong bond."
Emma has to try not to let out a sigh of relief when Regina begins talking again. Every time the brunette mentioned her mother, she got a very strange look on her face—one Emma was starting to dislike more and more. She was glad though Regina seemed to have moved past whatever was bothering her. Her eyes widen when she hears the compliment and then the rest of what the brunette says really catches her attention. "Yeah, exactly," Emma nods eagerly, leaning towards the other girl. "I find you easier to be around than just about anyone I can remember."
Regina smiles, before looking down. She wrings her fingers together slightly, an idea had been brewing in the back of her mind, "There is one thing we could try, to break the spell."
"What?" Emma asks, trying to ignore her sudden breathlessness.
"True Love's kiss," Regina says, not wanting to see Emma's reaction yet. "It would shatter any spell that was cast on us without our permission. True Love is the most powerful magic of all."
"We could try," Emma says, trying not to sound too desperate. She has no idea is she believes in true love or even if it would really break this weird spell they apparently have on them. But she thinks Regina does believe and she's never felt so connected to another person. And she'll take any excuse to kiss the other girl, even if she will probably screw it up somehow.
Regina nods decisively, ignoring her nerves as she faces the other girl more fully. Emma's wide blue-green eyes are only slightly above her own and she sees that the younger girl is just as anxious as she is. Her hand automatically covers the blonde's hand on the counter and gives it a gentle squeeze. "It's not the end of the world if this doesn't work," she teases lightly. "It just means we have to wait a little longer."
Emma nods, recognizing that this isn't Regina saying she doesn't believe in them, just being realistic, giving them a way out and she appreciates it. She can get behind that, no pressure. "Right."
"But we should try to believe it," Regina continues. "Believe that we are true loves."
Emma swallows, because the scariest part is that she could see herself loving this girl. The part she can't believe is someone as wonderful as Regina loving her back, choosing her. But Regina doesn't seem to see it that way, so she decides to put her trust in the other girl. "Alright."
Regina smiles at the blonde, her hand coming up to cup her cheek. She knows she should find it hard to believe, she's only known Emma for a few hours after all. And yet… And yet, Emma makes her feel free, so she doesn't have a hard time believing at all.
Their lips meet, tentatively, their eyes still open so as not to miss. They slip closed quickly, though as they press closer. Emma parts her lips ever so slightly against Regina's plump ones while Regina pulls the other girl a little more firmly against her. It feels right, the way they fit together.
A pulse of multi-colored light envelopes the pair, and only them.
Two adult women's eyes flutter open at the sudden sensation, brains scrambling to catch up, but they don't pull away. In fact, Regina's grip tightens and Emma's arms leave their places on the counter and hanging by her side to wrap around the brunette. This kiss heats up from a chaste pressing of lips to a much more passionate embrace. Emma's mouth opens further and Regina nips at her bottom lip causing a small noise of satisfaction from the blonde before her tongue sneaks out. Regina's other hand twists itself into the ponytail Emma still has.
When they pull apart a moment later, slightly breathless, they stay in their close embrace. They share a smile. "Well, that was something," Emma speaks first.
Regina laughs, "I'll say." She smirks, "You were cute as a teenager."
Emma rolls her eyes, "Please, you were adorable. And I love this outfit, by the way." She runs her hands up and down the sweater which is even softer than it looks. One hand ventures further and squeezes Regina's ass lightly. "I'd've cast the spell myself if I knew I'd get to see you in jeans."
"All you needed to do was ask, Miss Swan, and I'd have been happy to oblige," Regina teases, her voice dropping an octave.
Emma laughs, her eyes darkening, "I'll definitely keep that in mind. I've been hearing rumors about your wardrobe in Ye Old World that I'd be very interested in seeing in person." She ruins most of the seductive effect by obscenely waggling her eyebrows.
Regina laughs, "I'll keep that in mind, darling." She glances at the doorway that leads into the kitchen and sighs. "We should probably go tell the others we broke the spell."
Emma sighs reluctantly, "And I should go find those kids who tried to steal our age. How did they even get their hands on a spell like that?" Emma pulls her arms away from the brunette, but they stay close to each other.
"Who knows? A lot of things got mixed up with how many curses we keep getting subject too. I just don't know why they'd want to use magic to make themselves older," Regina says, shaking her head.
"Probably to get into bars or buy alcohol or something,' Emma speculates. "Going from fifteen to thirty can be useful, assuming the two of them split the difference."
"Most likely. The spell would have worn off at midnight regardless," Regina says. "Even though I maintained some of my raw abilities, now that I have my memories back I recognize the spell. Since we broke it now though, I expect if they've tried anything like that, you'll get a call very soon about sudden teenagers appearing where they shouldn't."
Emma laughs and nods before smiling just for the older woman. "I didn't mind taking a short cut," Emma says, eyes twinkling. "Although, we should probably tell the others we're together. As much as I've loved the time to ourselves, it would save us a lot of time if something like this happens again."
"I suppose, for all I find it hard to believe 'something like this' will happen again," Regina acknowledges. "I think our younger selves did clue your father in—at least to some extent. Snow is still oblivious to an almost mentally incompetent degree."
Emma nudges Regina's shoulder with her own and rolls her eyes at how the other woman can't seem to help herself when it comes to Snow, "Yeah, well looking back, I think Ruby was gonna start squealing over teenage us."
Regina smirks as they leave the kitchen, "Yes, she did rather give off that vibe. I suppose we should put her out of her misery. But we should tell Henry first."
"Deal."