A Sorta Fairytale (2/?)
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Pairing: Emma/Regina
Rating: K
Word Count: 1,337
Summary: After Emma and Regina divorced four years ago, Emma moved to Chicago while Henry stayed with Regina in Storybrooke. On the eve of Henry's tenth birthday, Emma knows she has to make things right with her son. And maybe along the way, she and Regina will find their way back to one another. Swan Queen AU.
Emma looked up to Henry from her menu, still surprised at how big her son had gotten. He caught her watching and tilted his head.
“You keep staring at me.”
“Sorry. I just- you’re so grown up.” She said, feeling the familiar sting of tears.
Henry shook his head in disagreement, “I’m only ten.”
“I know. But the last time I saw you-” there was that chest pain again, “you were seven.”
He seemed to understand what she was saying and nodded. Ruby interrupted and took their orders, giving Emma a wink as she took her menu. When she was gone, Henry asked innocently, “why has it been so long since you’ve come home?”
Emma took in a deep breath, knowing her answer wasn’t going to be enough to satisfy his curiosity. “I don’t know, kiddo. Things between your mom and I aren’t great, but I shouldn’t have let that keep me away for so long. I should’ve kept in touch with you more. I messed up and I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He said and took a sip from his milkshake. “I know you have stuff in Chicago that’s important.”
“Hey,” she leaned over the table, wanting to make sure he heard her words, and placed her hands on top of his, “you are the most important thing to me in this world, ok?” He nodded. “Nothing means more to me than you. And from now on, I’m going to do better. I’m going to call you all the time to check in, and I expect you to talk my ear off every time, ok?”
“Yeah.” He looked down to the table, a marked shift in his mood.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked up, but his eyes refused to meet hers, lingering instead on the tabletop in front of him. “When are you leaving?”
She frowned. She hadn’t thought that far into the future. “I don’t really know. In a couple of days, four, maybe five. Why?”
His gaze met hers. “I don’t want you to go.”
She closed her eyes briefly, feeling that ache again. “I know, buddy.” She gave him a forced smile and added, “I don’t really want to go back, but that’s where my life is now.”
“But I thought I was the most important thing to you?”
“You are. You absolutely are.”
“Then why can’t you stay here?”
She hesitated, not really sure how to answer the question, then said, “it’s complicated.”
“So uncomplicate it. Stay here. Please?”
His big eyes stared at her, wide with hope. She felt so much- guilt, sorrow, pain- but couldn’t seem to come up with a response. “Henry, I would really love to stay with you, but I just can’t. I can’t stay here.”
His face dropped and he looked down to the table.
She swallowed hard and hoped that one day he would understand.
-
She knew that this was asking for trouble.
All throughout Henry’s party, she and Regina had coexisted peacefully. For the most part, they avoided each other- or rather Regina avoided her- but when they were forced to talk with one another, they were oddly civil. Emma knew that Regina hated appearing anything but collected, especially to the people of Storybrooke, so she played along, trying to make the party as painless as possible for everyone involved. But standing at the door to the kitchen, the party long over, she knew that the truce that existed between her and Regina could fall apart at any moment. Once the crowds were gone, nothing was forcing them to maintain outward appearances.
She knew that forcing Regina into a conversation with her could backfire. It could turn into World War III if she wasn’t careful. She knew she should just go back into the living room and continue playing with Henry, but she couldn’t walk away. She had to talk to Regina. Pushing open the door to the kitchen, she mentally prepared herself for the possibility of a fight.
Regina was standing at the sink, washing the remaining dishes from the party, her back to Emma. Emma stopped just inside the door and took the opportunity to watch her ex. She had been stealing glances across the room all throughout Henry’s party, but this Regina was different than the one from earlier. This Regina wasn’t playing a part. She wasn’t Henry’s mom, she wasn’t town mayor or the perfect hostess. She was just Regina, an older version of the woman that Emma fell in love with some fifteen years ago.
She’d missed this. She’d missed Regina more than she’d ever let herself admit. Regina was the only person that Emma had ever let break through her walls. She was the only person that Emma had ever let get close, the only person that Emma had ever fallen in love with. She wanted to pretend like the past was in the past, but being back in that house again, she could feel all of those old feelings threatening to return.
When Regina was washing her hands, Emma walked closer, her footsteps echoing through the silent kitchen. Regina’s eyes met hers for a brief second before turning back towards the running water.
“Hi,” Emma said softly, her heartbeat pulsing in her ears.
“Hello.” Regina looked at her suspiciously. “What are you doing in here? I thought you were playing with Henry.”
“Yeah, I was. But he was kinda kicking my ass on the Xbox so I gave up.” She tried giving Regina a smile but the brunette turned away before she could see it.
“Well, giving up is what you do best.” Regina muttered, grabbing a dishtowel off of the counter beside her to dry her hands.
Emma winced at the comment but decided it was best to ignore it. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we need to talk about.” Regina said and started to turn away. Emma reached out, her hand gently grabbing Regina’s upper arm, stopping Regina’s movement. Brown eyes snapped up to meet Emma’s.
She quickly pulled her hand away, saying, “I wanted to apologize.”
Regina studied her for a long moment, causing Emma to shift nervously, then asked, “what for?”
“Everything. Everything I ever did that hurt you and Henry. You both deserve so much more from me, and I let you down. I am so sorry for fucking everything up. I’m sorry for being a disappointment, but I am going to change, Regina, I promise you. I’m not going to disappear again.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, the emotion in Regina’s eyes unreadable. She looked away first, back to the door to the dining room, and said, “I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” She started again towards the exit, trying to end their conversation.
“I already apologized to him. At lunch.” Regina looked back to her in surprise. “And I’m going to keep apologizing to you until you forgive me.” She said the last part much less confidently than she had wanted to.
Regina turned towards her fully, eyes studying her. “I don’t care what you do. My only concern is for my son. You’re only here for a few days, so why are you wasting your time caring about what I think about you? You should be focusing on Henry, not me.”
“I am focusing on him, but I’d still like for things to be better between us.”
Regina’s jaw set, her gaze hardening. “Things aren’t going to change between us. For Henry’s sake, I will be civil with you, but that’s where it ends. You and I are not friends. We will never be friends. The only reason why we are still in contact is because of Henry. Am I clear?”
Emma swallowed hard. Finding her voice, she let out a rigid, “yes.”
Regina gave her a slight nod and headed out into the dining room, the door swinging shut behind her. Emma sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“That went well,” she whispered.
Pairing: Emma/Regina
Rating: K
Word Count: 1,337
Summary: After Emma and Regina divorced four years ago, Emma moved to Chicago while Henry stayed with Regina in Storybrooke. On the eve of Henry's tenth birthday, Emma knows she has to make things right with her son. And maybe along the way, she and Regina will find their way back to one another. Swan Queen AU.
Emma looked up to Henry from her menu, still surprised at how big her son had gotten. He caught her watching and tilted his head.
“You keep staring at me.”
“Sorry. I just- you’re so grown up.” She said, feeling the familiar sting of tears.
Henry shook his head in disagreement, “I’m only ten.”
“I know. But the last time I saw you-” there was that chest pain again, “you were seven.”
He seemed to understand what she was saying and nodded. Ruby interrupted and took their orders, giving Emma a wink as she took her menu. When she was gone, Henry asked innocently, “why has it been so long since you’ve come home?”
Emma took in a deep breath, knowing her answer wasn’t going to be enough to satisfy his curiosity. “I don’t know, kiddo. Things between your mom and I aren’t great, but I shouldn’t have let that keep me away for so long. I should’ve kept in touch with you more. I messed up and I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He said and took a sip from his milkshake. “I know you have stuff in Chicago that’s important.”
“Hey,” she leaned over the table, wanting to make sure he heard her words, and placed her hands on top of his, “you are the most important thing to me in this world, ok?” He nodded. “Nothing means more to me than you. And from now on, I’m going to do better. I’m going to call you all the time to check in, and I expect you to talk my ear off every time, ok?”
“Yeah.” He looked down to the table, a marked shift in his mood.
“What’s wrong?”
He looked up, but his eyes refused to meet hers, lingering instead on the tabletop in front of him. “When are you leaving?”
She frowned. She hadn’t thought that far into the future. “I don’t really know. In a couple of days, four, maybe five. Why?”
His gaze met hers. “I don’t want you to go.”
She closed her eyes briefly, feeling that ache again. “I know, buddy.” She gave him a forced smile and added, “I don’t really want to go back, but that’s where my life is now.”
“But I thought I was the most important thing to you?”
“You are. You absolutely are.”
“Then why can’t you stay here?”
She hesitated, not really sure how to answer the question, then said, “it’s complicated.”
“So uncomplicate it. Stay here. Please?”
His big eyes stared at her, wide with hope. She felt so much- guilt, sorrow, pain- but couldn’t seem to come up with a response. “Henry, I would really love to stay with you, but I just can’t. I can’t stay here.”
His face dropped and he looked down to the table.
She swallowed hard and hoped that one day he would understand.
-
She knew that this was asking for trouble.
All throughout Henry’s party, she and Regina had coexisted peacefully. For the most part, they avoided each other- or rather Regina avoided her- but when they were forced to talk with one another, they were oddly civil. Emma knew that Regina hated appearing anything but collected, especially to the people of Storybrooke, so she played along, trying to make the party as painless as possible for everyone involved. But standing at the door to the kitchen, the party long over, she knew that the truce that existed between her and Regina could fall apart at any moment. Once the crowds were gone, nothing was forcing them to maintain outward appearances.
She knew that forcing Regina into a conversation with her could backfire. It could turn into World War III if she wasn’t careful. She knew she should just go back into the living room and continue playing with Henry, but she couldn’t walk away. She had to talk to Regina. Pushing open the door to the kitchen, she mentally prepared herself for the possibility of a fight.
Regina was standing at the sink, washing the remaining dishes from the party, her back to Emma. Emma stopped just inside the door and took the opportunity to watch her ex. She had been stealing glances across the room all throughout Henry’s party, but this Regina was different than the one from earlier. This Regina wasn’t playing a part. She wasn’t Henry’s mom, she wasn’t town mayor or the perfect hostess. She was just Regina, an older version of the woman that Emma fell in love with some fifteen years ago.
She’d missed this. She’d missed Regina more than she’d ever let herself admit. Regina was the only person that Emma had ever let break through her walls. She was the only person that Emma had ever let get close, the only person that Emma had ever fallen in love with. She wanted to pretend like the past was in the past, but being back in that house again, she could feel all of those old feelings threatening to return.
When Regina was washing her hands, Emma walked closer, her footsteps echoing through the silent kitchen. Regina’s eyes met hers for a brief second before turning back towards the running water.
“Hi,” Emma said softly, her heartbeat pulsing in her ears.
“Hello.” Regina looked at her suspiciously. “What are you doing in here? I thought you were playing with Henry.”
“Yeah, I was. But he was kinda kicking my ass on the Xbox so I gave up.” She tried giving Regina a smile but the brunette turned away before she could see it.
“Well, giving up is what you do best.” Regina muttered, grabbing a dishtowel off of the counter beside her to dry her hands.
Emma winced at the comment but decided it was best to ignore it. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we need to talk about.” Regina said and started to turn away. Emma reached out, her hand gently grabbing Regina’s upper arm, stopping Regina’s movement. Brown eyes snapped up to meet Emma’s.
She quickly pulled her hand away, saying, “I wanted to apologize.”
Regina studied her for a long moment, causing Emma to shift nervously, then asked, “what for?”
“Everything. Everything I ever did that hurt you and Henry. You both deserve so much more from me, and I let you down. I am so sorry for fucking everything up. I’m sorry for being a disappointment, but I am going to change, Regina, I promise you. I’m not going to disappear again.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, the emotion in Regina’s eyes unreadable. She looked away first, back to the door to the dining room, and said, “I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” She started again towards the exit, trying to end their conversation.
“I already apologized to him. At lunch.” Regina looked back to her in surprise. “And I’m going to keep apologizing to you until you forgive me.” She said the last part much less confidently than she had wanted to.
Regina turned towards her fully, eyes studying her. “I don’t care what you do. My only concern is for my son. You’re only here for a few days, so why are you wasting your time caring about what I think about you? You should be focusing on Henry, not me.”
“I am focusing on him, but I’d still like for things to be better between us.”
Regina’s jaw set, her gaze hardening. “Things aren’t going to change between us. For Henry’s sake, I will be civil with you, but that’s where it ends. You and I are not friends. We will never be friends. The only reason why we are still in contact is because of Henry. Am I clear?”
Emma swallowed hard. Finding her voice, she let out a rigid, “yes.”
Regina gave her a slight nod and headed out into the dining room, the door swinging shut behind her. Emma sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“That went well,” she whispered.