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Emma Swan never backs down from an argument. Never. It's just not in her blood. Never ever has she backed down. Maybe it's got something to do with her childhood, maybe it's got something to do with her genetics, maybe both, she couldn't tell you where the line was drawn. What she would tell you is that, again, she never backs down from an argument.
An argument to Emma isn't something petty, she knows kids in her old foster homes who'd start fights over toys, attention, maybe they just argue because they were angry at the world. Emma might be angry at the world but she won't start a throw down if you take the remote off her. No, Emma fights for things that mean something to her, things that are important, things that she holds close to her heart. She once got into a scuffle with a boy three years her senior because he'd find fun in tormenting the foster homes golden retriever.
Not that Emma Swan is admitting to have never gotten into some arguments over petty things, she has definitely had screaming matches with ex boyfriends over stupid things like toilet seats or toothpaste expenditure but those were mostly when she was in a grizzly mood. Also, it's not like her line of jobs led her to be a pacifist, of course she had to engage in arguments or physical confrontation. Emma didn't mind sporting a busted lip or a black eye or handing them out for the sake of her job but there had to be a good reason for it.
But when a kid comes knocking on her door, adorable smile and quick wit in tow, she didn't think that she'd end up arguing constantly with her confirmed biological son's other mother, even now. Six fucking years later.
Oh yeah, Emma never backed down from an argument and apparently people like Regina Mills use and abuse that characteristic. Even with her no petty fights rule, she is somehow sitting in her son's other mothers house with her brow furrowed, mouth opening and closing in shock. Regina Mills yelling at her from across the kitchen bench with an equally irritated expression.
“What on Earth are you gaping at? I have told you every time you come over to put your shoes outside the door and yet here we are. Your muddy footprint all throughout my foyer”
Petty things Emma, petty things , just apologise and clean up the mess you made. “It's not like you and Henry put your shoes outside, why do I have to--”
“Because you don't live here! Even though you have this odd impression that you do”
“I might as well because you're always complaining that I don't make enough effort to see you and Henry”
“You don't make enough effort, Henry is going to go off to college in a couple of years and you insist on wasting your nights down at the Rabbit Hole drinking with that wretched pirate” Regina rolls her eyes as the tip of the knife she is using digs into her wooden chopping board. Her hand resting on top the handle.
If Emma hadn't been in this position a thousand times, she might be intimidated by the knife... but she has been in this situation a thousand times. “I'm there once a week for fuck sake”
“Watch your language, our son is upstairs” The brunette reprimands as she begins expertly chopping a vegetable with ease.
“You know Regina, you'd think that you could at the very least make some room for me on the shoe rack in the closet because one day a spider is going to crawl into my shoe and it's gonna bite my toe and then I’ll be rushed to hospital and then you'll have to deal with Whale and my mother and the nurse-- wait are you crying?-- Regina don't cry, I’m sorry. I'll go clean up the mud and--”
“I'm not crying you idiot” The older woman interrupts with a roll of the eyes, she places the knife down and steps away from the bench with her head tilted backwards. “I'm cutting an onion”
Emma's mouth stays in a small 'o', her eyes wide in realisation “Oh right” she chuckles amusedly “I was gonna say that you've lost your touch if muddy foot prints are making you cry”
Regina wipes away the useless tears with the ball of her hand. She smiles briefly as she looks at Emma through her still watering eyes. “It takes a lot more than that to make me cry, my dear”
The blonde grins widely at the other woman. Her mind still trying to process the 'my' before the 'dear'. She walks around the bench, her eyes on the sink, she gently bumps her shoulder against Regina's in a friendly manner “I'll go clean it up but only because you cried”
The former Evil Queen rolls her eyes, she sniffles slightly as she grabs a small towel to wipe her hands. “Just shut up and scrubs the floors, Cinderella”
Regina watches with a subtle smile as she catches the odd socks on the feet strutting out of the room.
The next day, Emma will walk into the house without introduction, her shoes outside, jacket in hand and closet door open, which is when she sees it...
A small amount of room on Regina's rack for Emma's stuff.
Which sounds a lot worse when verbalised. Ask Emma, she's sure Regina's never going to let her live that down.
Emma Swan, when comfortable, likes to annoy people. She loves annoying her mother by walking into the apartment with nothing but jeans and a tank top on in the middle of winter. She loves annoying her dad by drinking all his beer. She loves annoying her little brother by kissing and hugging him loudly in front of all his friends. She loves annoying her son by messing with his hair or beating him at video games but lord almighty, does she love to annoy Regina.
Even when they were enemies, always at each other's throats, saying hurtful things and really just being horrible to each other. Emma loved watching Regina squirm.
Regina can't handle messes, sure but if Emma makes a mess, then she'll end up cleaning it so she only uses that tactic in extreme cases. Regina also gets annoyed severely when Emma chews loudly, now with that, Emma does when she knows Regina is in a good mood because she did it once when the former Evil Queen was in a bad mood and well, let's just say Emma didn't get to eat dinner that night.
Emma, on the occasion that she is too tired to yell or is too lazy to get up and meet Regina's aggressive stance, will smirk, makes snide comments and act generally disinterested and jeez Louise does that piss Regina off.
Something that many people don't know about the Sheriff of Storybrook is that she has an immature side. A childish side that most don't get to see because she's so busy saving their asses from magical doom. Regina at first was pleasantly surprised when the blonde saviour started showing that side of her. It's mostly endearing but sometimes, it can simply be annoying.
“Shark week” Emma starts, her arms both laying on the back of the sofa, her feet on the table “The best week known to man”
Henry climbs over his mother's legs to get to the other sofa diagonal to Emma. “Do you reckon we should go fishing for sharks in the harbor, we could take Hooks boat?”
Emma tilts her head side to side, she shrugs “Is it fishing or is it shark ing?”
Henry rolls his eyes and pretends that his blonde mothers joke isn't funny.
Regina enters the room with a glass of red wine in one hand and an ice cold beer in the other. She sits down beside Emma, handing her the bottle of beer “Actually, dear, Sharking is the disgusting act of pulling down a woman's top or bottoms in public”
Both Henry and Emma's eyes widen in shock and a small amount of amusement.
“How'd you know that mom?” Henry asks, falling into his spot on his self claimed sofa.
Regina leans back in to sofa's cushions, she sips at her glass of wine before she answers “It was on the news”
Henry and Emma accept that answer as both of them would rather watch the morning cartoons than the news.
“Well I guess we can't go Sharking then” Henry chuckles as he lays down, his eyes on the screen.
Emma sips at her beer whilst making eye contact with Regina, she holds the bottle by its neck and mumbles “I don't know, Sharking might be fun in private and with a person you like” she wiggles her eyebrows.
Regina scoffs and averts her eyes.
Henry's scoff is almost identical.
Emma's eyes linger on Regina before she tilts her head to look at her son “Oh come on kid, don't think I didn't see you and that girl down at the docks the other day”
The teenagers exhales loudly in irritation “ Mom ”
Regina hits Emma's side gently as a warning “Stop teasing our son and watch the program”
The blonde snorts lowly “ Program, okay grandma 'Gina”
The older woman merely rolls her eyes and sips at her glass of wine, she braces herself for a long evening as she realises Emma is in one of those moods.
Two glasses of wine finished and a shared bowl of ice cream later and Regina might actually consider throwing a fireball at Emma's perfect head.
“Mayor Shark of the town of Sharkville” The blonde mutters as she sips at her beer, it's her fourth-- wait fifth beer. She's lost count, it's Regina's fault for stocking her all time favourite beverage in the house “Mayoring all the sharks of the shark town and following around the Shark Sheriff”
Regina rolls her eyes and places the near empty glass of wine in her hands on the table in front of them. “Are you done being a five year old Miss Swan?”
Emma looks around the empty room like she is looking for the person Regina is talking to. Henry went to bed half an hour ago so it's obviously her. She eventually points at herself and raises her eyebrows.
The brunette groans “Yes Emma, you. I can normally put up with your childish side but I'm tired and you are seriously getting on my nerves. You have a talent at switching from the saviour of this town to the most immature person in it” Regina sighs exhaustedly, work was filled with dull meetings that the Sheriff wasn't there to make better by being there. She knows Emma is harmlessly making fun but she's so tired .
There's a small pause “Then go to bed” she says it as though it's as simple as that.
“I can't leave you down here” Regina is sitting quite a distance away from Emma, she holds the other woman close to her heart but sometimes she gets annoyed at her for no real reason.
“I guess I'll leave then” Emma mutters. She makes no effort to move.
Regina looks over at Emma, the white flickering light illuminating the blonde. Emma is laid out on the couch lazily, the closest arm to the brunette outstretched on the back of the sofa, while the other holds the neck of the beer bottle. Her hair tied up messily, her eyelids heavy but her brow furrowed, there's a look in the green eyes that Regina knows means she's said something wrong “You don't have to leave”
“No, I should” Emma sighs as she leans forward. Quickly sobering. She stands, her feet taking her out of the room without a second glance at the brunette perched on the edge of the sofa.
Regina's brows scrunch together in confusion as she shoots up to follow her friend. “Emma, wait”
She finds Emma carelessly digging her feet into her shoes. Her beer still in one hand, her face void of any emotion.
“What did I say?”
Emma ignores her until she's happy with her shoes, they're not on properly but she decides to risk it with the heel part squished under her foot. “It's nothing, I'll see you on Sunday”
Regina doesn't have time to reply as the blonde shuffles over to the front door and walks out without another word.
Regina can handle when Emma yells at her, she can handle when Emma makes a snide comment, she'd actually take Emma punching her than have Emma ignore her.
Of course Regina walks out the door only seconds after it closes shut.
It's a beautiful summer night, crickets are chirping and there's a warm summer's breeze, carrying the light scent of blossoming flowers. The stars are twinkling brightly but Regina doesn't care for them as she sees Emma sitting on the porch steps her head dropped to rest against her crossed forearms and her beer discarded next to her.
The brunette sits down silently. She leaves a small amount of room between them. “I'm sorry” she says, her eyes looking at her bare feet.
Emma chuckles weakly, she rests her cheek on her forearm to look at Regina. “You don't need to apologise, you just said something and it reminded me of something else and-- uh yeah, nothing to be sorry for” she mumbles, her eyes trained steadily on the way Regina's eyelashes flutter when she blinks.
“What did I say?” Regina asks quietly, she now looks down to meet green eyes with her brown.
The blonde breathes in the summer air, cherishing the way it smells like the flowers that are blooming around the front of the house and she feels lucky that the breeze hits Regina before it hits her, she's always liked the smell of Regina. “I didn't mean to upset you”
Regina keeps herself from rolling her eyes at the clear evasion of the question “You didn't upset me Emma”
“You were”
“I wasn't upse-- I’m not upset. What makes you think that I was?” she asks, head tilted, eyes wide.
Emma doesn't reply, she just keeps her eyes on Regina.
The brunette thinks back to a mere five minutes ago “Because I called you immature?”
Still no reply, only a small quirk of her eyebrow. Which Regina translates to come-on-Regina-you-can-do-better-than-that
Silence falls between them. Crickets chirping and Emma's pretty sure that she hears a frog croaking somewhere.
Regina looks away. She looks at the fence that Emma repainted the other week, the blossoming tree that Emma brought Henry last year then she looks at the yellow bug parked nose to nose with her Mercedes.
“I said you were getting on my nerves” Brown eyes find the side of Emma's head as the blonde looks away for the first time.
The Sheriff sighs, her chin digging into her forearm uncomfortably “I know you didn't mean anything by it and it's not even a bad thing to say. You get on my nerves all the time”
Regina thinks back to when she said, how she said it and why she said. “I said you were childish”
Emma chuckles miserably, she shifts for a second to scratch at her nose before returning to her position. She stares straight ahead. “I used to be a kid at one stage, like an actual kid. I smiled, I made messes and I used to constantly be following around my foster parents.” Emma laughs pathetically “-but yeah, the pro's of being a foster parent is that you can send the kid back any time, even if all they wanted was to sleep in your room or y'know look for attention or if they were too energetic” the blonde sniffles even though her nose isn't running “I just remember hearing she's getting on my nerves whispered in the kitchen so many damn times”
Regina eyes flicker down to her feet in shame or guilt or just plain old sympathy.
Emma sits up straight, she shrugs it off like it was just a dirty coat on her shoulders that she didn't want. “Sorry, it's not like you knew that”
The brunette nods slowly, she watches as Emma smiles awkwardly. That lopsided grin that she does. “No I didn't”
The Sheriff looks away, her hands in her lap and her jaw set, mind reeling in embarrassment for having been so vulnerable. She tenses slightly as she feels a weight on her shoulder.
Emma Swan knows that feeling anywhere, she's pretty sure everyone knows that feeling. The small comforting weight of having someone’s head resting on your shoulder.
Regina exhales quietly, her eyes closed. “I'm sorry Emma”
The blonde strains her neck to look down at the woman leaning on her but she soon gives up and settles on resting her cheek against the top of silky raven hair “Me too” she sighs in content.
Everyone probably has a different threshold when it comes to picking their battles. What may seem like a trivial matter may be worth getting into a wrestling ring for someone else and vice versa.
A booth full of men staring at Regina from the moment they walked into the bar could be expected and it's obviously nothing to get mad about but of course... Emma's mad. She feels that sensation normally associated with red tensing in her shoulder and fists.
Regina buys her a drink and they toast to Emma taking down the latest serial graffiti artist. Not a huge deal but Henry is at his friend's house and both Regina and Emma felt like doing something other than sitting on the couch and watching television. It makes Emma forget about the men lingering at the back of the bar.
Halfway through her first beer and Regina's first cocktail and Emma is feeling like this night is going to be okay. “-- if we were down at the Rabbit Hole and you asked for that, I’m pretty sure Dave would've had an aneurysm”
Regina chuckles lowly as she sips at the lovely but strong cocktail “You know, I wasn't even aware that this place was still open”
Emma opens her mouth to reply, a smile on her lips which almost immediately turns into a quizzical expression as the bartender places another two drinks in front of Regina and herself.
Before Regina and Emma can ask the question that is on the tip of both their tongues...
“Guy over there says he thinks you're both hot and he's interested” The bartender has a hat on backwards and looks like he's probably too old to be doing that.
Regina snorts, if possible, it's a classy snort “Men still do this?” she asks no one in particular.
Emma looks at the bartender with both eyebrows raised “And what? You're his wingman?”
The bartender rolls his eyes as though he doesn't need a lecture “Whatever, he told me to say it”
“Yeah well you can tell him to shove his drinks u--”
“Emma.” Regina's hand reaches over and squeezes the blonde's hand which was gesturing aggressively at the bartender “It's okay, it's harmless”
The younger woman sighs. She nods her head upwards suggestively at the man behind the bar, he takes it as a subtle 'go away'.
“You're right, sorry” Emma looks sheepishly at Regina, her nerves calming.
Not even an hour later, they're at Emma's apartment.
“You're right, I’m sorry” The blonde bumps her forehead gently against the freezer.
Regina rolls her eyes, she growls in frustration “You can be so completely irresponsible sometimes Emma, what we're you thinking?!”
Emma shakes her head, her forehead still pressed against the cool surface “They were hitting on you”
The brunette scoffs “Oh and because they were hitting on me, you decided to hit them?”
“Well yeah, you're not a piece of meat Regina” Emma turns, her shoulder now leaning against the fridge, her hand coming up behind her head and touching it delicately and then looking down at it for any signs of blood “They don't get to speak to you like that, so yeah I hit them and I’d do it again”
Regina tilts her head, her resolve breaking quickly. Within moments she shakes her head and takes three steps forward.
Emma's breath catches when Regina steps into her personal space.
The older woman's hands come up to rest on Emma shoulders, Emma thinks that maybe Regina is going to hug her but instead she's turned around and Regina is inspecting the back of her head.
“You're such a Charming” She says it like it's a terrible thing while simultaneously being an endearing thing.
Emma grins softly as fingers gently part her hair to look at where she hit her head. She managed to get one hit to connect to some dudes face before she was dragged out of the bar by the surprisingly strong bartender. Her head hit the door frame during their struggle.
After a few hums of acknowledgement from Regina and a few hisses of pain from Emma, Regina opens the freezer door and presses and old bag of frozen peas against blonde hair.
Emma turns around and faces the other woman whom is still standing very close to her. It's not like they're new to each other's personal space. She smiles that lopsided grin and Regina rolls her eyes as she leans against the fridge, her ankles crossed “You're the Sheriff of this town and as noble as it may be... you can't just go punching men when they look at every random woman, my dear”
The blonde doesn't admit this for a few years but when Regina puts 'my' in front of 'dear' when talking to her, she feels like she's being submerged in a nicely scented warm, steamy bath.
“They didn't look at a random woman--” Emma tilts her head, the pack of peas crinkling in her hand “-they looked at you ”
Regina's lips press together and her eyes scan the face in front of her for any sort of indicator to tell her what she should say next “I'm not entirely sure...” her nose scrunches together (adorable, Emma might say) “...but I do believe that you didn't punch Robin when he looked at me”
The blonde holds back the eye roll, she replaces it with an averted glance “He loved you though” she takes a quick deep breath before meeting Regina's gaze again “I mean, he smelled like dirt and moss but yeah, he saw past your looks”
The older woman is surprised by how unaffected she is by the topic of conversation, sure it's been awhile since that whole mentioning of Robin... but it's been a while now “My looks aren't enough?” she jokes with a light in her eyes.
Emma grins toothily, she rolls her eyes “You're fishing for a compliment”
“Not fishing” she shakes her head once, subtly.
The blonde raises an eyebrow, she tries to remain serious “Sharking?”
Regina lets out a beautiful laugh that fills the apartment, her head thrown back and eyes closed. Emma chuckles along but is more concerned with the view in front of her.
“Oh, you wish dear” Regina's laugh dies down to a chuckle and then to a wide, genuine smile. Her hand reaches up to Emma's face, her thumb running gently across Emma's cheek. “Thank you for your nobility Emma but please be more careful” Regina's mind fills with the memory of seeing Emma sacrifice herself to the darkness. It makes her heart feel lighter knowing that someone thinks she's worth fighting for. No one's ever fought for her because they cared.
Emma leans into the touch, her smile turning into one of content.
Intense eye contact ensues until Emma tries to switch hands so she can place her hand against the one on her cheek but with this certain Sheriff's luck, the bag was open unbeknownst to both women... so long story short, they spent the next twenty minutes crawling around the floor cleaning up peas that had scattered all through the kitchen.
Emma never liked when people use the term ' fight like a married couple ' she always thought that was stupid because married couples shouldn't fight that often but ever since her and Regina started tolerating each other, she began to see that it wasn't really ' fight like a married couple ' it's more like ' bicker like a married couple'. Not that they were a married couple, people just made comments sometimes. People being Henry or Mary-Margaret or Ruby or David or Bel-- yeah a lot of people.
“You know that Henry has to drive eventually”
“And he will”
“Just not in my car or my dads”
“I will not let him practice driving in a pickup truck or a death trap”
“And you're willing to risk your Mercedes?”
“Of course I am”
“Then let me take him out now in your Mercedes”
“I'd trust Henry to drive my car alone than trust you with teaching him, dear”
“Yeah well I trust my bug more than I trust your Mercedes”
“That's because you have trust issues”
“And you don't?” Emma makes a sounds close to 'pff'
Regina rolls her eyes as she continues to push the grocery cart “Go do something useful”
“I offered to do something useful”
“Teaching our son how to crash into signs is not useful ”
“And what, you'll teach him how to drive like a Grandma?”
“If driving the speed limit is the way of the elderly, then indeed, I will teach our son how to drive like a grandma”
“It's just as dangerous to drive overly slowly”
“I'm surprised I need to remind myself that you're the Sheriff of this town”
“As the Sheriff, I get to drive fast because you know... emergencies ”
“Pongo relieving himself on Eugenia's foot path is not an emergency”
“But when Pongo uses your front yard as a toilet, it suddenly is an emergency?”
Regina thought Emma had forgotten about that one time she made Emma come over halfway through her shift to get Pongo and take him home. She rolls her eyes again “Fine”
“Fine?”
“Yes fine ”
“I can take him driving?”
Regina examines the array of vegetables in front of her “No, we will take him driving”
“When?” Emma thinks that's an even better idea, she loves spending time with her two favourite people.
“Soon”
“Soon?”
“Yes dear, soon”
“What's soon?” Henry asks as he swaggers over with his choice of snacks.
“You're mother wants to take you driving” The brunette answers with a loving glint in her eyes.
Emma never gets sick of seeing the way Regina looks at their son. Complete adoration. “Yeah kid, your mom said we can take her Mercedes”
“Wait, you're letting me and Ma drive your car unsupervised? ” His eyes widen in disbelief
“You won't be unsupervised, I will be there too”
Emma good naturedly rolls her eyes, she swings her arm lazily over Henry's shoulder “She doesn't trust me kid”
Henry tries to shrug out of his mother's grasp “I mean you did crash into that sign”
Regina raises an eyebrow proudly.
Emma gasps in faux offence, she lets go of her son and holds her hand over her chest “I'm offended, you'd rather your mom teach you how to drive?” she gestures at the woman who has halted her shopping to interact with her family.
“I stepped into one of your fights didn't I?” Henry asks with a shake of his head.
“We weren't fighting dear, Emma and I were merely...” Regina places her hand on Emma's shoulder affectionately “... discussing”
“Yeah, negotiating” Emma agrees
“Whatever” Henry rolls his eyes and waves his parents off as he turns his head down to his phone.
Emma and Regina sigh in sync before both walking away pushing the shopping cart.
“You know he doesn't mean it, he totally wants me to teach him”
“And what makes you think that dear?”
“He's a boy, he wants to drive a manual and learn how to drift and shit”
“So eloquent”
Emma's hand comes to hover over the small of Regina's back as they pass through a particularly busy aisle. Henry watches from behind them with a knowing smirk.
“You know what I mean, he's a teenage boy”
“You'd do well not to generalise our son”
“I'm not generalising, I’m just saying-- he's always asking me how manuals work and he has the whole Fast and Furious box set”
“And yet, he wants me to teach him”
Emma rolls her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. She loves when their bickering gets them absolutely nowhere.
They pull up to the frozen food section, Emma opens it up to get out their favourite ice creams “You know, you can be so stubborn sometimes” she says when leaning into the cold fridge.
“Is this news to you?”
Emma looks at Regina through the window door which is beginning to cloud from condensation. She writes with her finger ' No' which Regina sees as 'oN'. She closes the door and carelessly throws the tubs of ice cream into the cart. “You're mean”
“Is that news to you also?” Regina doesn't draw Emma's attention to the writing on the fridge door.
The blonde rolls her eyes and pouts “' Gina” she draws out the name like a child.
Regina sighs and tries to hide the smile that is trying to come forward. “Emma, you know it's up to Henry”
“But-”
Henry interjects, he pockets his phone and walks beside his mother's “You can both take me driving, Jesus” he shakes his head at them like they're children “-just get married already”
Emma head tilts in confusion and Regina sighs at her son's lack of subtlety.
Henry changes the subject when he asks his brunette mother if he can buy frozen pizza for when she's working late. Regina and Henry begin negotiating those terms while the blonde shuffles behind her head tilted in confusion like a puppy.
When Emma says she likes fighting with Regina, she doesn't mean the fights they used to have. Not the fights that would bring them to violence or words that would hit them right where it hurts most. No, the arguments she enjoys with Regina are the ones that make her feel like she's part of a family.
Those arguments that are so stupid and easily solvable that Emma knows it's because they care. When Regina yells at her for getting hurt at work or for not answering her calls, it's because she worries... it's because she cares and Emma loves that feeling.
When Emma yells at Regina for leaving the door unlocked, she does it because the scariest thing in the world to her is her son and her son's other mother being in danger. She'll go to the ends of the Earth to make sure that they're safe. Even though she knows it's because Regina is leaving it unlocked for her.
That argument is the most common, 'big' or 'real' argument if Emma is being honest. It happens at least every couple of months because Emma will come back from some police force workshops (that Regina makes her do) and the brunette insists that Emma come straight to her house to debrief her on everything. No matter what the time is when she gets back. There's always leftovers waiting in the fridge for her.
Last workshop, Emma got back at 11 which didn't cause an argument because both Regina and Henry were awake, lights on and cup of herbal tea waiting. Emma hates herbal tea but Whale says that she's got a caffeine dependency that gives her headaches. Regina obviously buys her only the best of various herbal teas, only because she can't handle the complaining... obviously.
This particular workshop finished late and there was some huge event in the middle of Boston meaning the traffic was hair rippingly slow.
Emma ended up at the Mills Mansion at 4:30am.
She'd have gone back to her own apartment because of the time but she already left a duffel bag full of her clothes and toiletries in the guest room. Besides, she could go for a big breakfast, hopefully Regina makes blueberry pancakes.
The Sheriff's eyelids feel like they're carrying weights, her eyes barely staying open. It was entirely stupid for her to drive at this time of night but the thought of scoffing down blueberry pancakes, tolerable herbal tea and sitting across from her messy haired son and next to a make up free Regina, is what forced her to make the relatively long trip.
Emma's hand wraps around the door knob instinctively, she turns it slightly expecting to hear and feel it's limited movement. She's sure Regina would have locked the door after their last argument. They ended up not speaking for a week and being completely miserable. Surely Regina would lock the door this time, they even spoke about the placement of the spare key and the spell that covers it.
But Emma's hand turns and the sound of the door opening is what meets her ears.
Now, Emma Swan isn't so tired, she's just frustrated.
Regina Mills wasn't an aggressive child, hell her mother taught her that women should never scream and break things. Calmly and intensely was the way of a lady. She remembers the look that somehow made Regina feel like she was the world's biggest disappointment while also somehow like her mother wasn't surprised. Like her expectations of Regina were so low that when she supposedly did something wrong it was as though Cora was reprimanding herself for believing her daughter was anything better than what she was.
Somehow though, Regina has ended up being the kind of person that throws things and yells.
Aggression and acts of violence were a thing of the past for Regina, she's killed countless amounts of people, she's hurt people with her magic and she's punched Emma Swan in the face but that's in her past and she is still working to redeem herself.
Again though, a thing of the past. Violence isn't needed any more. Storybrooke is safe from most impending dooms, Henry is happy and growing up way too fast, Snow White is slowly becoming more tolerable and Emma, well Emma is infuriating and funny and grossly irritating and childish and to put it simply, Regina doesn't feel the need to punch the blonde any more. Well she might feel like it but she'd never actually do it.
“Hey-- Ow! Regina what the hell?!”
Regina's eyes open wide, her heart racing and her knuckles beginning to ache with the quick deterioration of adrenaline due to realising who it is in her room. “Emma? What are you doing here?” she shuffles upwards to sit in her bed, leaning over to turn on her lamp. Her eyes squinting at the sudden lost of darkness.
The light illuminates the room in a soft golden glow, it also illuminates Emma Swan, her fingers covering her mouth. “Are you kidding me-- you just punched me in the face and you're asking me what I’m doing here? No apology?”
The brunette rolls her eyes as she reaches out her hand for Emma “I've hit you harder before Miss Swan”
Emma is touching her lip delicately, looking down at her fingers for any sign of blood “You busted my lip” she mutters, ignoring Regina's extended hand.
“Well you only have yourself to blame, dear.” Regina moves her hand suggestively, eyebrows raised in perfect sync.
The blonde sighs as she looks down again at her fingers for any signs of blood. She sits down on the side of Regina's bed, leaning over the other woman, one hand on each side of Regina's body.
Regina inspects the thin lips, the top one beginning to swell slightly in one area. She lets out a long exhale through her nose when her fingers are tilting the blonde's face from side to side. “As much of an inconvenience as it may be, you'll live. No blood nor cut, darling”
Emma swipes her tongue over the injured site, she sighs when she tastes no blood and only feels a small numbness. “Right” she's momentarily caught of guard at how relaxed and beautiful Regina looks right now. Her face in a steely look of concentration as she tries to remember why she came in here. She remembers almost immediately “Oh hold on, don't darling me--” Emma's leans, realising that she came in here to reprimand Regina for leaving the door unlocked, again . “--you didn't lock the fucking door again”
If whisper yelling is a thing. That's what Emma is doing.
Regina rolls her eyes, she pushes herself up against the headboard more “What is the point of you looking for the key, expending energy on magic when you're already exhausted and you could just walk straight in?”
“I could be bleeding internally and I’d rather do a simple spell then find you and Henry in an unlocked house at nearly five in the morning” Emma hisses with her frustrated eyes. She stands from her place on the bed.
“Do you really think I would leave this house completely unprotected Emma?” Regina asks with a raised eyebrow, she gestures to her open bedroom door before clicking her fingers. The walls and empty doorway ripple as though a barrier had just deteriorated.
The blonde's arms come out in front of her like she's saying big deal . “I'm not talking about barriers or protective spells or whatever the hell that is, I’m saying you. Can't. Leave. Your. Door. Un. Locked.” she accentuates each syllable like she's speaking to a child.
“Do speak to me like an adult and not how you speak to your boyfriend dear” Regina rolls her eyes as she pulls back her covers and slides her legs over the edge of her mattress.
Emma ignores the feeling of seeing Regina in her pyjamas which looks like light blue silk short and a matching singl-- the blonde shakes her messy ponytail looser with the forceful head shake “My boyfriend ? Ohmygod-” she mutters with an exasperated roll of the eyes “- we're on this again? Hook?”
“What do you mean again ?” Regina stands up and walks past Emma whispering irritatingly “and keep your voice down, Henry is asleep down the hall”
The blonde looks over her shoulder and then back at the retreating figure “Regina” she whisper yells.
“I'm merely washing my face. If you want to lecture me, do so in the bathroom” The older woman says from her bathroom doorway, the white light contrasting poorly against the softness of the golden lamp light.
Emma takes that offer and walks over, determined to get her point across. “You can't be so reckless with yours and Henry's safety”
Regina stops mid splash, she turns the gentle stream of water off and looks at Emma through the mirror “ Reckless with Henry's safety?” she repeats, insult oozing from each word.
The blonde's head lulls back slightly, her eyes rolling. She didn't mean anything by it and yet--
“You'll do well to remember Miss Swan that it wasn't you who really raised Henry for the first ten years of his life” Regina turns around to look at Emma without the mirror between them.
Emma sighs, her head tilted in a way that Regina knows is the blonde's way of saying I didn't mean it like that and you know it. “'Gina--”
“No Emma, I love Henry more than anything and you should know that by now. I am quickly growing tired of you insinuating otherwise” Regina is standing in the middle of her small bathroom, silk pyjamas and hair sticking out from behind and yet, Emma is still slightly intimidated by her.
“I know you love him Regina, you don't need to tell me tha-”
“I'd never put Henry in danger”
“I know you wouldn't”
“You act like me leaving the door unlocked for you is the worst crime I’ve committed when I did it for you because I wanted to make something easier for you . And yet, you yell at me even when I've proven that I never truly did put Henry at risk” Regina shakes her head, she turns back around to her sink. Her fingers clutching the side, elbows locked and head down.
“Regina” Emma calls quietly, she leans on the door frame her head resting against the wooden panel.
No reply.
“' Gina ”
Regina always did have a weakness for when Emma called her 'Gina. Not that she'd ever admit that to anyone, ever. Emma mostly just says it when she's too tired to say full words or when she's acting like a child.
“What?” The brunette says, all venom lost from her voice.
Emma pulls herself off the door frame, she steps behind Regina and wraps her arms around her waist.
If anyone knows anything, it's that the more exhausted someone is, the more delirious they become and the less their brain filters work.
Regina tenses at the contact but Emma lets out a long, tired exhale and she relaxes. She can feel Emma's breath across her shoulder blade.
“I just worry” Emma mutters. She takes in another deep breath, inhaling the light violet scent on Regina's skin.
“ You worry?”
Emma feels the small chuckle shake the body her arms are wrapped around “Of course I do. You and Henry mean everything to me”
The brunette sighs, she's never been oblivious to how close her and Emma have become, it's just that Emma is ignorant in that way and she doesn't want to be the one to break that bubble because she's heard that ignorance is bliss. But it's 5am and she's tired, emotional and her brain to mouth filter may not be functioning at it's peak “When did that happen?”
With her eyes closed and the warmth of Regina, Emma could fall asleep standing up “Hm?” she mumbles against soft skin “When did what happen?”
Regina shifts and Emma follows in suit. Regina turns in Emma's arm and Emma, well she doesn't quite know what to do with her arms now. So they lie limply by her sides.
“When did it become me and Henry?”
Emma's mind reels for a moment before she understands the question “Oh” she breathes, she sheepishly scratches the back of her neck “I don't know”
The brunette rolls her eyes very briefly, Emma is one of the best people she knows but that doesn't mean her flaws can't be a little irritating. Regina sighs “You--- we ” she corrects “used to always use Henry as justification and I'm not so sure when that stopped”
Emma thinks back to all the moments when they've done nice things for each other, it's always been Henry. Regina absorbed a death curse for Henry , Emma invited Regina to the diner for Henry, Regina gave Emma and Henry a new life for Henry. She tilts her head as though it's her first time considering it which wouldn't be a complete lie, she just always used to remember feeling like she was lying each time she said it. “Neither do I” that's a lie too... Emma became the dark one for no one but Regina, she wasn't thinking about the town or Hook or anyone, all she saw was Regina in trouble and what happened, happened because Emma didn't want to see Regina hurt.
They stand in silence for a few moments.
Emma's head downcast, looking at both their feet and the tiles in between.
Regina looks at Emma, messy ponytail and shoulders hunched with exhaustion.
The first one to speak up is Regina, she says it so quietly, filled with such vulnerability. “Do you actually mean that or do you just say it?”
The blonde looks up with that ignorant look on her face but staring into Regina's eyes for only a second and she understands what she's talking about. “I mean it” it's whispered but the way she says it leaves no room for imagination.
Regina is sure they're both on the same page.
Emma steps forward, her heart doing some weird drum beats as she gets closer “Henry's our kid and he'll always be our first priority--” she looks down between them, she brings her hand closer to the other woman’s, her index finger reaching out and hooking with Regina's “-- but you come a pretty close second”
The blonde looks up slowly, Regina still staring at their linked fingers. Emma's eyes flicker from feature to feature on the beautiful face in front of her.
Regina gains the courage to meet Emma's gaze and when she does, she lets out a small and completely ill timed laugh. She genuinely laughs and Emma doesn't know whether to be offended or amused.
With her head dropping back and her shoulders rising and falling in laughter, Emma can't help but step back and watch this with a confused smile.
When Emma steps back, Regina tries to compose herself. She shakes her head “You don't see the irony in this?”
The blonde shakes her head and shrugs, she can't help but smile when Regina smiles. It's some weird thing that's been happening a lot lately.
“Oh Emma” Regina holds her hand out for Emma to take, she raises both eyebrows and sighs in relief when Emma takes her hand. “All that talk of you helping me find my happy ending and soulmates and yet... this last year with just you and Henry have made me so incredibly happ--”
Out of nowhere, Regina is cut off by two lips on hers.
Emma is kissing her.
And Regina is kissing back as though it's what her body was programmed to do.
Both women sink into the kiss, their lips pressing against each other again and again.
If she were an artist, Regina would spend years trying to capture how it feels to kiss Emma Swan.
Daniel was all beautiful reds and sunset oranges, fire, passion, love followed by years and years of anger. Maleficent was dark greys, ash, deep crimson red but it was all rather opaque, because it wasn't meant to last. Robin was green, all of the shades. Light green for hope, dark green for growth, sickly green for jealousy. Leaves are green but they wither and brown, Robin knew that better than anyone.
But kissing Emma is different, kissing Emma is magical . It's white, pure as the light that is Emma, the light that Emma sacrificed for her. Not Henry... her . Kissing Emma is gold, soft and glowing like early morning confessions with the sun spilling in. Kissing Emma is the all consuming darkness, easy to fall into, to become addicted to because of its embrace. Kissing Emma is blue, red, green, yellow, pink, purple and it's beautiful. Kissing Emma is an artwork that she hopes she never finishes.
Emma smiles into Regina's lips. It grows wider as she feels the smile being pressed against hers.
If she were a writer, Emma would explain kissing Regina like walking through the front door after a miserable, cold day at work. She'd write novels trying to find the right word for how it makes her feel every single time. How it feels similar to collapsing onto a soft bed and relaxing into the comfortable duvet after spending all day on her feet. Like the first gratifying sip of a hot cup of cof-- herbal tea on a cold winter's morning. Floating carelessly in a crystal clear pool on a hot summer's day. It's the chirping of crickets and the croaks of frogs, it's the relaxing and terrifying feeling of looking up at the stars on a clear warm night.
Kissing Regina Mills is like coming home after a long vacation. Emma Swan has never had a home but she's knows this is what it feels like.
Henry Mills has learnt a lot about conflict in his growing number of years. His story book taught him that the bad guys lose and the good guys win but life isn't a story book and his mother have taught him that. Bad people do good things and good people do bad things.
He used to like it when Emma first came to town and would fight with his adoptive mother. It meant that justice was being served and the curse was going to be broken.
After the curse broke and the series of events that followed, Henry realised that he didn't like it so much when both of his mothers would fight. They were allies, friends even, they weren't meant to argue, they were meant to work together to save the day.
Now though as a 20 year old, 4 years after his mothers got together, Henry Mills stirs the contents sitting on the stove, his back turned to his mothers. He smiles wickedly and thinks that maybe their arguing isn't that bad.
“I told you to let me do it, you idiot”
“ Excuse me for wanting to help out”
“I'm pretty sure children under the age of ten should not handle objects with sharp edges”
“I'm pretty sure sarcasm is the lowest form of humour”
“and I am fairly sure that I wasn't trying to be funny”
“You're being stupid, It's not that big of a deal”
“ Stupid ?”
“Oh--” a long and overly dramatic sigh comes from Emma's lips “- here we go again”
“If I’m so stupid then you can clean your own cut”
“Regin- babe-- you're obviously not stupid”
“Don't say it if you're going to contradict yourself”
“Okay, I didn't mean stupid, I meant...” Emma has to think of an appropriate word that is true but not insulting “fussy”
“Fussy?”
“Yes fussy” The blonde waves her injured finger around suggestively “Look at it, it's barely bleeding any more”
“That's because I stopped it dear”
“Yeah, yeah”
Henry turns around to see his mothers facing each other in the middle of the kitchen, Emma with her injured finger pointed upwards, her eyes on her girlfriend adoringly and Regina shaking her head with a smile that would have you believing that they fell in love yesterday.
“Will you be able to handle putting a band-aid on it properly?” Regina asks gesturing to the cupboard in the corner.
Emma tilts her head with a cheeky smile “I don't know, depends”
“On?”
The blonde leans forward, her neck straining to reach the other woman’s personal space “if you'll kiss it better”
Henry loves that his parents are in love but... ew “Gross moms”
Both women turn their attention to their only son “You love it kid” Emma smiles as she wraps her uninjured extremity around her girlfriend, she smothers kisses all over Regina's face paired with loud, dramatic smooching sounds.
Regina takes it like a boss and rolls her eyes, even though she so obviously loves it.
“You guys have all the time in the world to be gross when I’m not here, the arguing is entertaining but keep the P.D.A on the DL”
“The Dee El ?” Regina asks with raised eyebrows.
“The Down Low, right kid?” Emma doesn't even wait for a response, she merely saunters off with a proud smug grin on her face “See I'm up to date on the lingo Regina, I’m the cool mom”
Regina and Henry share an almost perfectly synchronised eye roll.
“I'm sure you are, my love” The brunette responds as she steps over to her son, her hand resting on his shoulder as he shakes his head and points at his adoptive mother and mouths ' you're the cool mom' .
“Hey! I saw that!”
It's not an argument that follows, it's more of a playful wrestling in the centre of the kitchen between mother and son.
No, the argument is after that when Emma accidentally knocks and smashes Regina's favourite wine glass on the floor.
Don't worry, later that night when Emma and Regina are in bed, golden light softly embracing them, Henry safely down the hall for the first time in a while, the blonde will mumble a sincere apology into the crook of Regina's neck, followed by gentle kisses and truthful 'I love you's.
The reply that comes is the most unexpected and most likely, the least dramatic thing that's ever happened to both of them. “Marry me”
Eyes water and lips tremble.
Heads are nodded and kisses exchanged.
There's (to Emma's surprise) a beautiful ring and it will spark a small yet harmless argument later but that's later . For now, they just enjoy it.
Okay maybe, some private Sharking commences.
Fin.