The Second Hand Unwinds (Part 16/?) - Once Upon A Time - Regina/Emma
Title: The Second Hand Unwinds (Part 16/?)
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Rating: Hard R for the entire story
Pairings/Characters: Emma/Regina (eventually), Henry, Mary Margaret, all of Storybrooke
Summary: What if when Sidney cut Emma's brakes, the accident hadn't been so minor? And how will one little incident cause everything to unravel?
Spoilers: Up to 1x11, then goes decidedly AU
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Please don't sue.
Author's Note: So my plan of having this finished by the finale is not going to pan out. Oops. But, I do have a deadline of June 30th that I need to meet, so hopefully you'll all keep sticking with me until then.
Regina kept her arm looped in Emma's, even as they walked down Main Street. Emma hadn't offered up any protest and Regina found that she enjoyed the feeling of the warm body beside hers, not caring what anyone else might think about the picture they presented.
"So, is anything coming back to you?" Regina asked as they moved closer to Granny's.
"No." Emma admitted with a frown. "Not really anyway. I mean, these things look familiar, but I was here for a week before I left."
Regina nodded, then glanced over at Emma. "You seemed to have some kind of memory or knowledge of me bringing you apples, though."
Emma shrugged, her shoulder bumping Regina's. "I guess. I don't know. I get these… flashes, you could call them. Just little snippets of memory or - something. And they don't really make a lot of sense. I can't really tell what's real and what's not."
"What do your doctors say?"
"Dr. Rhodes, my doctor in California, said that it was normal. That it could be a sign that my memory is starting to come back. That I'm not crazy."
That stopped Regina short, which in turn caused Emma to be pulled to a halt. "You thought you were crazy?"
Again, Emma shrugged. "I didn't know what I was. Still don't. Sometimes it feels like I'm going crazy. I keep having these dreams and - everything is just jumbled and I can't make sense of any of it. And when I was in California…" Emma trailed off, knowing how crazy she would sound.
"What happened when you were in California?" Regina questioned, sincere in her concern for the former sheriff. "Emma, it's okay. You can tell me."
"I kept - I kept hearing voices and seeing people who weren't there." Emma pulled her arm away from Regina, running her hand over her face.
Regina's brow furrowed as she watched Emma's jerking movements. "What do you mean?"
"I would look at someone and I would see Henry or Mary Margaret or - or someone else. And then I'd blink and I'd see the real person. But for those few seconds -" Emma shook her head.
"Emma," Regina spoke softly but firmly, her tone forcing Emma to acknowledge her, "you were in a terrible accident. You had head trauma and brain surgery. You are still recovering. None of those things make you crazy."
"When I opened my door and Henry was standing there, I thought -" Emma trailed off, tears prickling at her eyes.
The clock tower rang out then, announcing the hour to the entire town, and Regina's eyes flew to it. The hands moved slowly, but they moved. Regina glanced over to Emma. Time was moving again. Emma had brought the changes back to Storybrooke. Regina felt the void inside her grow even smaller as she listened to the chimes.
Then she turned to Emma and slipped her arm back through the other woman's. "Well, it was Henry. Which means that you aren't crazy. Now come along, dear. I'm ready for breakfast."
**
"Emma!" The exclamation was punctuated by the sound of glassware shattering as Ruby once again dropped her tray at the sight of the mayor out with someone. This time though, there were only drinks on the tray and Ruby was far more interested in the mayor's companion than the mayor herself.
As coffee, milk, and orange juice puddled together on the floor, Ruby's arms wrapped tightly around Emma in an almost bruising hug. "You came back! I knew you would."
Emma flinched just slightly at the embrace, Regina noticed, before she relaxed into it, letting her own arms come up to wrap around the waitress. "Hey, Ruby."
"I missed you!" Ruby proclaimed as she pulled back, staring at Emma with a huge smile on her face. "Oh my god, look at you! Your hair is awesome. And you're so tan! Where did you go? Tell me all about it!"
Emma chuckled slightly as she listened to Ruby chatter away. She'd missed the waitress, Emma realized suddenly. She didn't remember her - besides the flashes of her face - but she'd missed her all the same. "I missed you too, Rubes." The nickname slid easily from her lips and Ruby lit up even more.
"Well," Regina cut in then, her mayoral voice coming out to play, "as charming as this reunion is, Emma and I came for breakfast, and it appears you have a mess to clean up, Miss Lucas."
At the sound of Regina's voice, Ruby quickly pulled back from Emma and looked down at the mess she'd made. "Oh! I - I'm so sorry, Mayor Mills. Please, have a seat and I'll be over to take your order just as soon as I clean this up."
Emma offered her a quick smile before she turned to Regina, looking at her as though trying to figure something out. Regina raised her eyebrow but said nothing. Emma shook her head and made her way to a booth.
They had barely gotten seated when another cry of "Emma!" rang through the diner. Looking up, Emma caught sight of a young woman with blonde hair, pushing a stroller. Regina frowned at the interruption, but bit her tongue. Perhaps she could play this to her advantage later.
Emma's face scrunched in concentration as she looked at the woman and baby, but nothing was coming to her. "Ashley." Regina mouthed the word at her, inclining her head in the direction of the other woman.
"A-Ashley." Emma tried the name out and was rewarded with a squeal of delight and another hug.
"I am so, so glad to see you back!" Ashley said as she wrapped her arms around Emma. "How are you?"
"I'm okay." Emma told her and it wasn't a lie. But more than Ashley, Emma's eyes were on the baby in the stroller, who seemed to be staring right at her. "And how are you?" She asked in a soft voice.
"Oh, Alexandra's just wonderful." Ashley cooed, already scooping the baby up and holding her out towards Emma. "Do you want to hold her?"
Emma opened her mouth to say no, but found herself saying yes instead. She carefully settled the baby's weight in her arms, looking down at the tiny person who seemed to know her. It wasn't possible of course, for a child that young to have any kind of recognition of Emma who she'd probably never seen before in her life, but there was still something in the way those blue eyes met hers that Emma couldn't explain away.
"Well, aren't you just beautiful?" Emma spoke softly, rocking the baby gently.
Regina watched and thought of Henry when he'd first been placed in her arms. Had Emma held him before she gave him away? She found herself wanting to know, but quashing the feeling. She needed to get Emma to stay in Storybrooke first. Then they could deal with all the other questions.
Ruby came over then with a cup of coffee for the mayor and a mug of hot chocolate with cinnamon for Emma. The waitress' presence seemed to spurn Ashley into action and she took the baby back, hugging Emma tightly before leaving with a promise that they would have to catch up soon.
Once Ashley and Ruby were both gone, Emma shook her head, her finger swiping through the whipped cream on top of her hot chocolate.
"Something wrong?"
"It just seems so surreal to me." Emma gestured around the diner. "Being here. Having people know me and apparently like me. I've never had that before."
Regina tamped down on the voice that reminded her that it was because of her that Emma had never had that before. They would certainly have to deal with those issues at some point, but now was not the time. "All the more reason for you to stay here in Storybrooke, isn't it?"
Emma let out a wry chuckle. "You know, I really don't get you. I mean, before my accident, you apparently wanted me gone enough that people in town thought that you'd cut my brakes. And now all of a sudden, you're doing your damnedest to get me to stay. Why is that, Regina?"
Regina averted her gaze, staring into her coffee cup, and Emma sighed. She slid her finger through the whipped cream again and licked it off. Something tickled at the back of her mind, but she shook it off. She had always done this when she had whipped cream in her cocoa and she didn't think there would be anything significant about it in her lost memories.
"I was… afraid." Regina finally admitted softly.
Emma's eyes flew up and locked on Regina's. She was telling the truth, that much was obvious. "What?"
"I thought you wanted to take Henry from me." Her voice stayed soft as she continued her admissions.
Without thinking, Emma reached across the table and took hold of Regina's hand. "Regina, I would never try to take him from you. He is your son." She squeezed the hand in hers and then offered up a sad smile. "But if you think that I'm capable of that -" Emma faltered for a second on those words, the tickling feeling increasing, but she shook it off and continued, "then that's all the more reason for me to leave."
Regina quickly flipped their hands, so that she was now grasping Emma's. "No." She shook her head quickly. "I know now that I was wrong. And you can ask anyone in Storybrooke - I don't admit that, ever."
Emma chuckled a little at that. "Regina -"
"One week." Regina said suddenly, looking up at her. "Stay for one week. And then see how you feel."
"One week." Emma repeated, her brow furrowing at the words and the familiarity of them. She glanced around the diner, taking in everything before she looked back at Regina. "One week and then if I want to leave, you won't stop me."
Regina took a moment to think about it - to consider the fact that Emma might not want to stay, might choose to leave again after a week - before she nodded. "Agreed."
"Well, I guess I need to check with Mary Margaret if it's okay if I stay an extra week."
"I am sure that Miss Blanchard will have no problem with that at all." Regina smiled genuinely. "I have to go to a meeting after we finish breakfast, but how would you like to pick Henry up from school and join us for dinner at the house?"
Emma swallowed and then smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice."
**
Emma leaned against the Bug, watching the school yard as the bell rang to dismiss the students for the day. She didn't even have time to scan the crowd before Henry had spotted her and was racing over.
"Emma!" He plowed into her, hugging her fiercely and causing her to slam back against the car. "You stayed!"
"Hey, kid." She smiled, hugging him back, even as her body ached in protest.
"I knew you'd stay. I knew you would." Henry grinned excitedly.
Emma knelt down so that she was on level with him. "Listen, Henry, I don't want to get you too excited, okay? I did stay and I am staying, but only for a week. That's it, okay?"
"One week." Henry's smile grew wider at those words, as though he knew something that she didn't. "Okay, Emma."
"You're staying?" Mary Margaret's voice cut in and Emma looked up at her with a sheepish smile.
"Um, yeah. If you don't mind me crashing in your guest room for another week?" She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for the response.
Mary Margaret's face lit up. "Of course you can stay, Emma! You know you're welcome for as long as you want."
"Yeah?" Emma still wasn't used to these feelings - to having a sort of home and family that she was building slowly.
"Yeah." Mary Margaret smiled.
"Okay, kid," Emma stood up, "we need to get going. I promised your mom that I'd take you home and get your homework done before dinner."
"You're staying for dinner?"
"As long as it's okay with you." Emma told him honestly. She wouldn't force her way into Henry's life.
"Of course!" Henry assured quickly. "Come on." He tugged on her arm, trying to get her into the Bug.
Emma called out to Mary Margaret as she climbed into the car. "I'll be home later, Mary Margaret."
Mary Margaret's heart felt like it expanded at those words. They had to keep Emma in Storybrooke and she knew that she would do anything, just like Henry and Regina would, to make sure she stayed.
**
Mary Margaret looked up from her place on the couch at the sound of the door opening. She watched as Emma walked through the door, unable to keep the probably sappy smile off her face. This was her daughter. It was strange to think of Emma that way, and yet she felt the sudden rush of love towards the other woman that had always been there from the moment she laid eyes on her. She might not remember carrying her or giving birth to her, but she certainly felt a connection to her.
"How was dinner?" She asked with a smile, patting the spot next to her and lifting up the blanket that she had thrown over herself.
Emma smiled at the sight - it felt familiar, even if she didn't remember it. That had been happening a lot today - feeling more than remembering. "Let me go change and then I'll tell you all about it."
"Hot chocolate?" Mary Margaret called up the stairs after her and Emma laughed.
"You know it! With cinnamon."
The smile widened, if that was even possible.
**
"So, how was dinner?" Mary Margaret asked once they were both settled on the couch with their hot chocolate and a marathon of Designing Women queued up on the DVR.
"It was nice. Great, really. Regina made lasagna and it was to die for and Henry didn't mention the curse once and… it just felt really nice."
"So why do you sound so upset about that?" Mary Margaret asked softly.
"Because…" Emma's head fell on Mary Margaret's shoulder, and instantly the teacher began to gently comb her fingers through shortened blonde hair. "I'm only staying for a week. Allowing myself to become more attached - I can't do that, Mary Margaret."
"Well, is there a law written somewhere that you only have to stay for the week? Did Regina demand that you go after the week was up?"
"No. And that's the worst part. She acts like she wants me to stay. Like she wants me to have a relationship with Henry now."
"And how is that a bad thing?"
Emma's head lifted off Mary Margaret's shoulder as she looked at her with wide eyes. "Before I left you were warning me away from Regina, telling me to be careful around her, saying she was a bad mother. You thought she cut the brakes in my car, Mary Margaret! And Henry was even worse than you with the things he was saying about her. And now, suddenly, both of you are full force on the Regina bandwagon? What the hell happened while I was gone to make you both change your mind so suddenly?"
Mary Margaret glanced down at the mug in her hands. "I was wrong about Regina. I didn't - I didn't understand her then."
"And now you do?"
"Not completely. But Emma, while you were gone - Regina changed. She opened herself up. And I got to see another side of her, a side that did help me understand her more."
Emma's eyes closed. She couldn't say that Regina didn't seem different - more open, like Mary Margaret had said. But everything still felt so confusing and jumbled.
"I just don't understand why she's suddenly okay with me being here now. It doesn’t make sense."
"She missed you. I truly believe that. And she wants you here now because of that and because of Henry. She does want you to be a part of Henry's life, because she knows that's what he wants and what you want. She understands now that you aren't trying to take him away. She saw that when you left."
Emma's head fell back on Mary Margaret's shoulder and she glanced at the TV. "Okay. I'll accept that maybe Regina has actually changed her tune in regards to me, at least for the time being. But let's drop this, because Julia is about to give her Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia speech, and I'm not missing that."
Mary Margaret laughed and turned the television up louder as Emma began to quote along with the show.
**
"Madam Mayor, sheriff - I mean, Miss Swan is here to see you." Leslie's voice announced from the speaker.
Regina's head snapped up, her attention instantly on the door. "Send her in, Leslie."
A minute later, Emma entered the office. "Sorry to interrupt." She said, her hands stuffed in her pockets awkwardly.
Regina rose and moved around the desk towards her. "It's fine. You're not interrupting anything but paperwork. What can I do for you?"
Emma glanced at the ground, scuffing her feet against the floor. It felt foolish now, coming here. "I - I'm sorry. You're obviously busy and I should leave you to your work."
"Emma." Regina moved closer, reaching out to grasp Emma's arm. "You came here for a reason and I've already told you, you're not interrupting anything important. Truth be told, I'm glad of the interruption. So please, have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink? Some cider perhaps?"
Emma blinked at that and looked up at Regina. "The best apple cider I ever tasted." She murmured softly. "You've offered me cider before."
"Yes." Regina nodded, sitting down beside her. "You remember that?"
"I guess I do. I remember the words anyway. Not the situation but… I remember the words at least."
"That's good, isn't it?" Regina asked, although she herself was unsure whether it was good that Emma was remembering or not. If Emma remembered the way their relationship had been before, it could drive the woman away.
"I guess it is." Emma nodded, although there was still a slight frown on her face. "At least, it's good to know that what I'm remembering is real." She glanced over at Regina. "That's actually why I'm here. I - I keep having these dreams and I was hoping you could tell me if they're real or -"
"Of course. If I know, I'll be happy to tell you."
"Were we ever," Emma paused, trying to consider how best to ask about the dreams she'd been having, "trapped somewhere with smoke? In a fire maybe or - or something else?"
Regina swallowed and then nodded. "There was a fire here in Town Hall."
"Did you ask me to help you because you were… injured or…"
"Yes. We were walking downstairs and when we opened the door, the fire exploded and threw us back. My legs were trapped and even after you got me free, I couldn't move. I asked you to help me."
Emma searched Regina's face, remembering the look of panic on it from her dream and the words she kept hearing. "You thought I was going to leave you."
Regina swallowed. "Yes."
"Did I?"
"Yes."
Emma frowned at that. Her dreams and memories were hazy at best, but she couldn't believe that she had left Regina behind during a fire.
"You came back though." Regina's voice was quiet. "I thought that perhaps you wouldn't but you did, with a fire extinguisher."
"I saved you." Emma breathed the words out, feeling like a weight had been lifted.
"You did." Regina acknowledged. "It seems like that is becoming a pattern. You leave me, only to come back."
Emma's eyes met Regina's as she admitted quietly, "I don't usually come back when I run."
"Perhaps you've found something worth coming back for here." Regina's voice was barely a whisper.
Emma tilted her head, her eyes roaming over Regina's face. "Perhaps I have."
They were silent for long moments, just staring at each other, until Emma finally averted her gaze, brushing tendrils of hair away from her face.
"What made you cut your hair?" Regina asked softly.
"Oh. Um. I was looking in the mirror and I just… didn't like what I saw. I needed a change so I just grabbed a pair of scissors and started cutting."
Regina's eyebrows rose at that. "You did it yourself?"
"Yeah. Do you need a hairdresser here in Storybrooke?" Emma forced a laugh.
"A hairdresser, no." Regina admitted. "But a sheriff…"
Emma's eyes widened. "What about Sidney?"
Yes, what about Sidney indeed? Regina pursed her lips as she answered. "Sidney has proved to be a… mediocre replacement."
"Not behaving like a proper lapdog then?" Emma spat, her hand coming up to cover her mouth before the words were even completely out. "Oh god, Regina, I - I'm so sorry. I don't know where that came from. I - "
Regina actually tossed her head back and laughed. There was the Emma Swan she knew, with all the grit and fire that she'd been seemingly lacking. "I know where it came from." Regina assured. "And actually, it is just the opposite. Sidney is the perfect lapdog. And I've found that to be dreadfully boring."
"Regina, are you offering me the sheriff's job back?" Emma asked, amazed at the turn in the conversation.
"Would you consider taking it? It would mean staying more than a week." She hadn't planned to offer the job back to Emma, but now that she had, in a round about way, she realized that it was what she wanted. She wanted Emma back in the sheriff's office, just as she wanted her back here in Storybrooke - permanently.
Emma faltered at that. She hadn't been expecting this at all when she came over and honestly, she still wasn't convinced that she should stay in Storybrooke. Plus, the fact that she had ever been the sheriff here still seemed totally foreign to her. "I - I need time to think about it."
Regina nodded, reaching over and carefully taking Emma's hands in hers. "It is yours, if you want it. I know that no one, except perhaps Sidney, will contest it."
Emma offered a small smile at that. "Well, thank you, Regina. For everything." She slid her hands out of Regina's grip and stood up. "I really should be going though. I've kept you from your work for far too long."
"It's been a pleasure." Regina's voice was almost a purr. "Please, come back and interrupt me at any time."
Emma laughed and headed for the door. Then, as she stood in the doorway, she turned back to look at the mayor. "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? Mary Margaret will be there and you could bring Henry, of course. Maybe we could… watch a movie or something after?"
A smile blossomed on Regina's face. "I'd like that very much."
Emma flashed a smile back at Regina. "See you around six then?"
"Absolutely."
Fandom: Once Upon A Time
Rating: Hard R for the entire story
Pairings/Characters: Emma/Regina (eventually), Henry, Mary Margaret, all of Storybrooke
Summary: What if when Sidney cut Emma's brakes, the accident hadn't been so minor? And how will one little incident cause everything to unravel?
Spoilers: Up to 1x11, then goes decidedly AU
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Please don't sue.
Author's Note: So my plan of having this finished by the finale is not going to pan out. Oops. But, I do have a deadline of June 30th that I need to meet, so hopefully you'll all keep sticking with me until then.
Regina kept her arm looped in Emma's, even as they walked down Main Street. Emma hadn't offered up any protest and Regina found that she enjoyed the feeling of the warm body beside hers, not caring what anyone else might think about the picture they presented.
"So, is anything coming back to you?" Regina asked as they moved closer to Granny's.
"No." Emma admitted with a frown. "Not really anyway. I mean, these things look familiar, but I was here for a week before I left."
Regina nodded, then glanced over at Emma. "You seemed to have some kind of memory or knowledge of me bringing you apples, though."
Emma shrugged, her shoulder bumping Regina's. "I guess. I don't know. I get these… flashes, you could call them. Just little snippets of memory or - something. And they don't really make a lot of sense. I can't really tell what's real and what's not."
"What do your doctors say?"
"Dr. Rhodes, my doctor in California, said that it was normal. That it could be a sign that my memory is starting to come back. That I'm not crazy."
That stopped Regina short, which in turn caused Emma to be pulled to a halt. "You thought you were crazy?"
Again, Emma shrugged. "I didn't know what I was. Still don't. Sometimes it feels like I'm going crazy. I keep having these dreams and - everything is just jumbled and I can't make sense of any of it. And when I was in California…" Emma trailed off, knowing how crazy she would sound.
"What happened when you were in California?" Regina questioned, sincere in her concern for the former sheriff. "Emma, it's okay. You can tell me."
"I kept - I kept hearing voices and seeing people who weren't there." Emma pulled her arm away from Regina, running her hand over her face.
Regina's brow furrowed as she watched Emma's jerking movements. "What do you mean?"
"I would look at someone and I would see Henry or Mary Margaret or - or someone else. And then I'd blink and I'd see the real person. But for those few seconds -" Emma shook her head.
"Emma," Regina spoke softly but firmly, her tone forcing Emma to acknowledge her, "you were in a terrible accident. You had head trauma and brain surgery. You are still recovering. None of those things make you crazy."
"When I opened my door and Henry was standing there, I thought -" Emma trailed off, tears prickling at her eyes.
The clock tower rang out then, announcing the hour to the entire town, and Regina's eyes flew to it. The hands moved slowly, but they moved. Regina glanced over to Emma. Time was moving again. Emma had brought the changes back to Storybrooke. Regina felt the void inside her grow even smaller as she listened to the chimes.
Then she turned to Emma and slipped her arm back through the other woman's. "Well, it was Henry. Which means that you aren't crazy. Now come along, dear. I'm ready for breakfast."
**
"Emma!" The exclamation was punctuated by the sound of glassware shattering as Ruby once again dropped her tray at the sight of the mayor out with someone. This time though, there were only drinks on the tray and Ruby was far more interested in the mayor's companion than the mayor herself.
As coffee, milk, and orange juice puddled together on the floor, Ruby's arms wrapped tightly around Emma in an almost bruising hug. "You came back! I knew you would."
Emma flinched just slightly at the embrace, Regina noticed, before she relaxed into it, letting her own arms come up to wrap around the waitress. "Hey, Ruby."
"I missed you!" Ruby proclaimed as she pulled back, staring at Emma with a huge smile on her face. "Oh my god, look at you! Your hair is awesome. And you're so tan! Where did you go? Tell me all about it!"
Emma chuckled slightly as she listened to Ruby chatter away. She'd missed the waitress, Emma realized suddenly. She didn't remember her - besides the flashes of her face - but she'd missed her all the same. "I missed you too, Rubes." The nickname slid easily from her lips and Ruby lit up even more.
"Well," Regina cut in then, her mayoral voice coming out to play, "as charming as this reunion is, Emma and I came for breakfast, and it appears you have a mess to clean up, Miss Lucas."
At the sound of Regina's voice, Ruby quickly pulled back from Emma and looked down at the mess she'd made. "Oh! I - I'm so sorry, Mayor Mills. Please, have a seat and I'll be over to take your order just as soon as I clean this up."
Emma offered her a quick smile before she turned to Regina, looking at her as though trying to figure something out. Regina raised her eyebrow but said nothing. Emma shook her head and made her way to a booth.
They had barely gotten seated when another cry of "Emma!" rang through the diner. Looking up, Emma caught sight of a young woman with blonde hair, pushing a stroller. Regina frowned at the interruption, but bit her tongue. Perhaps she could play this to her advantage later.
Emma's face scrunched in concentration as she looked at the woman and baby, but nothing was coming to her. "Ashley." Regina mouthed the word at her, inclining her head in the direction of the other woman.
"A-Ashley." Emma tried the name out and was rewarded with a squeal of delight and another hug.
"I am so, so glad to see you back!" Ashley said as she wrapped her arms around Emma. "How are you?"
"I'm okay." Emma told her and it wasn't a lie. But more than Ashley, Emma's eyes were on the baby in the stroller, who seemed to be staring right at her. "And how are you?" She asked in a soft voice.
"Oh, Alexandra's just wonderful." Ashley cooed, already scooping the baby up and holding her out towards Emma. "Do you want to hold her?"
Emma opened her mouth to say no, but found herself saying yes instead. She carefully settled the baby's weight in her arms, looking down at the tiny person who seemed to know her. It wasn't possible of course, for a child that young to have any kind of recognition of Emma who she'd probably never seen before in her life, but there was still something in the way those blue eyes met hers that Emma couldn't explain away.
"Well, aren't you just beautiful?" Emma spoke softly, rocking the baby gently.
Regina watched and thought of Henry when he'd first been placed in her arms. Had Emma held him before she gave him away? She found herself wanting to know, but quashing the feeling. She needed to get Emma to stay in Storybrooke first. Then they could deal with all the other questions.
Ruby came over then with a cup of coffee for the mayor and a mug of hot chocolate with cinnamon for Emma. The waitress' presence seemed to spurn Ashley into action and she took the baby back, hugging Emma tightly before leaving with a promise that they would have to catch up soon.
Once Ashley and Ruby were both gone, Emma shook her head, her finger swiping through the whipped cream on top of her hot chocolate.
"Something wrong?"
"It just seems so surreal to me." Emma gestured around the diner. "Being here. Having people know me and apparently like me. I've never had that before."
Regina tamped down on the voice that reminded her that it was because of her that Emma had never had that before. They would certainly have to deal with those issues at some point, but now was not the time. "All the more reason for you to stay here in Storybrooke, isn't it?"
Emma let out a wry chuckle. "You know, I really don't get you. I mean, before my accident, you apparently wanted me gone enough that people in town thought that you'd cut my brakes. And now all of a sudden, you're doing your damnedest to get me to stay. Why is that, Regina?"
Regina averted her gaze, staring into her coffee cup, and Emma sighed. She slid her finger through the whipped cream again and licked it off. Something tickled at the back of her mind, but she shook it off. She had always done this when she had whipped cream in her cocoa and she didn't think there would be anything significant about it in her lost memories.
"I was… afraid." Regina finally admitted softly.
Emma's eyes flew up and locked on Regina's. She was telling the truth, that much was obvious. "What?"
"I thought you wanted to take Henry from me." Her voice stayed soft as she continued her admissions.
Without thinking, Emma reached across the table and took hold of Regina's hand. "Regina, I would never try to take him from you. He is your son." She squeezed the hand in hers and then offered up a sad smile. "But if you think that I'm capable of that -" Emma faltered for a second on those words, the tickling feeling increasing, but she shook it off and continued, "then that's all the more reason for me to leave."
Regina quickly flipped their hands, so that she was now grasping Emma's. "No." She shook her head quickly. "I know now that I was wrong. And you can ask anyone in Storybrooke - I don't admit that, ever."
Emma chuckled a little at that. "Regina -"
"One week." Regina said suddenly, looking up at her. "Stay for one week. And then see how you feel."
"One week." Emma repeated, her brow furrowing at the words and the familiarity of them. She glanced around the diner, taking in everything before she looked back at Regina. "One week and then if I want to leave, you won't stop me."
Regina took a moment to think about it - to consider the fact that Emma might not want to stay, might choose to leave again after a week - before she nodded. "Agreed."
"Well, I guess I need to check with Mary Margaret if it's okay if I stay an extra week."
"I am sure that Miss Blanchard will have no problem with that at all." Regina smiled genuinely. "I have to go to a meeting after we finish breakfast, but how would you like to pick Henry up from school and join us for dinner at the house?"
Emma swallowed and then smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice."
**
Emma leaned against the Bug, watching the school yard as the bell rang to dismiss the students for the day. She didn't even have time to scan the crowd before Henry had spotted her and was racing over.
"Emma!" He plowed into her, hugging her fiercely and causing her to slam back against the car. "You stayed!"
"Hey, kid." She smiled, hugging him back, even as her body ached in protest.
"I knew you'd stay. I knew you would." Henry grinned excitedly.
Emma knelt down so that she was on level with him. "Listen, Henry, I don't want to get you too excited, okay? I did stay and I am staying, but only for a week. That's it, okay?"
"One week." Henry's smile grew wider at those words, as though he knew something that she didn't. "Okay, Emma."
"You're staying?" Mary Margaret's voice cut in and Emma looked up at her with a sheepish smile.
"Um, yeah. If you don't mind me crashing in your guest room for another week?" She chewed on her bottom lip as she waited for the response.
Mary Margaret's face lit up. "Of course you can stay, Emma! You know you're welcome for as long as you want."
"Yeah?" Emma still wasn't used to these feelings - to having a sort of home and family that she was building slowly.
"Yeah." Mary Margaret smiled.
"Okay, kid," Emma stood up, "we need to get going. I promised your mom that I'd take you home and get your homework done before dinner."
"You're staying for dinner?"
"As long as it's okay with you." Emma told him honestly. She wouldn't force her way into Henry's life.
"Of course!" Henry assured quickly. "Come on." He tugged on her arm, trying to get her into the Bug.
Emma called out to Mary Margaret as she climbed into the car. "I'll be home later, Mary Margaret."
Mary Margaret's heart felt like it expanded at those words. They had to keep Emma in Storybrooke and she knew that she would do anything, just like Henry and Regina would, to make sure she stayed.
**
Mary Margaret looked up from her place on the couch at the sound of the door opening. She watched as Emma walked through the door, unable to keep the probably sappy smile off her face. This was her daughter. It was strange to think of Emma that way, and yet she felt the sudden rush of love towards the other woman that had always been there from the moment she laid eyes on her. She might not remember carrying her or giving birth to her, but she certainly felt a connection to her.
"How was dinner?" She asked with a smile, patting the spot next to her and lifting up the blanket that she had thrown over herself.
Emma smiled at the sight - it felt familiar, even if she didn't remember it. That had been happening a lot today - feeling more than remembering. "Let me go change and then I'll tell you all about it."
"Hot chocolate?" Mary Margaret called up the stairs after her and Emma laughed.
"You know it! With cinnamon."
The smile widened, if that was even possible.
**
"So, how was dinner?" Mary Margaret asked once they were both settled on the couch with their hot chocolate and a marathon of Designing Women queued up on the DVR.
"It was nice. Great, really. Regina made lasagna and it was to die for and Henry didn't mention the curse once and… it just felt really nice."
"So why do you sound so upset about that?" Mary Margaret asked softly.
"Because…" Emma's head fell on Mary Margaret's shoulder, and instantly the teacher began to gently comb her fingers through shortened blonde hair. "I'm only staying for a week. Allowing myself to become more attached - I can't do that, Mary Margaret."
"Well, is there a law written somewhere that you only have to stay for the week? Did Regina demand that you go after the week was up?"
"No. And that's the worst part. She acts like she wants me to stay. Like she wants me to have a relationship with Henry now."
"And how is that a bad thing?"
Emma's head lifted off Mary Margaret's shoulder as she looked at her with wide eyes. "Before I left you were warning me away from Regina, telling me to be careful around her, saying she was a bad mother. You thought she cut the brakes in my car, Mary Margaret! And Henry was even worse than you with the things he was saying about her. And now, suddenly, both of you are full force on the Regina bandwagon? What the hell happened while I was gone to make you both change your mind so suddenly?"
Mary Margaret glanced down at the mug in her hands. "I was wrong about Regina. I didn't - I didn't understand her then."
"And now you do?"
"Not completely. But Emma, while you were gone - Regina changed. She opened herself up. And I got to see another side of her, a side that did help me understand her more."
Emma's eyes closed. She couldn't say that Regina didn't seem different - more open, like Mary Margaret had said. But everything still felt so confusing and jumbled.
"I just don't understand why she's suddenly okay with me being here now. It doesn’t make sense."
"She missed you. I truly believe that. And she wants you here now because of that and because of Henry. She does want you to be a part of Henry's life, because she knows that's what he wants and what you want. She understands now that you aren't trying to take him away. She saw that when you left."
Emma's head fell back on Mary Margaret's shoulder and she glanced at the TV. "Okay. I'll accept that maybe Regina has actually changed her tune in regards to me, at least for the time being. But let's drop this, because Julia is about to give her Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia speech, and I'm not missing that."
Mary Margaret laughed and turned the television up louder as Emma began to quote along with the show.
**
"Madam Mayor, sheriff - I mean, Miss Swan is here to see you." Leslie's voice announced from the speaker.
Regina's head snapped up, her attention instantly on the door. "Send her in, Leslie."
A minute later, Emma entered the office. "Sorry to interrupt." She said, her hands stuffed in her pockets awkwardly.
Regina rose and moved around the desk towards her. "It's fine. You're not interrupting anything but paperwork. What can I do for you?"
Emma glanced at the ground, scuffing her feet against the floor. It felt foolish now, coming here. "I - I'm sorry. You're obviously busy and I should leave you to your work."
"Emma." Regina moved closer, reaching out to grasp Emma's arm. "You came here for a reason and I've already told you, you're not interrupting anything important. Truth be told, I'm glad of the interruption. So please, have a seat. Can I get you anything to drink? Some cider perhaps?"
Emma blinked at that and looked up at Regina. "The best apple cider I ever tasted." She murmured softly. "You've offered me cider before."
"Yes." Regina nodded, sitting down beside her. "You remember that?"
"I guess I do. I remember the words anyway. Not the situation but… I remember the words at least."
"That's good, isn't it?" Regina asked, although she herself was unsure whether it was good that Emma was remembering or not. If Emma remembered the way their relationship had been before, it could drive the woman away.
"I guess it is." Emma nodded, although there was still a slight frown on her face. "At least, it's good to know that what I'm remembering is real." She glanced over at Regina. "That's actually why I'm here. I - I keep having these dreams and I was hoping you could tell me if they're real or -"
"Of course. If I know, I'll be happy to tell you."
"Were we ever," Emma paused, trying to consider how best to ask about the dreams she'd been having, "trapped somewhere with smoke? In a fire maybe or - or something else?"
Regina swallowed and then nodded. "There was a fire here in Town Hall."
"Did you ask me to help you because you were… injured or…"
"Yes. We were walking downstairs and when we opened the door, the fire exploded and threw us back. My legs were trapped and even after you got me free, I couldn't move. I asked you to help me."
Emma searched Regina's face, remembering the look of panic on it from her dream and the words she kept hearing. "You thought I was going to leave you."
Regina swallowed. "Yes."
"Did I?"
"Yes."
Emma frowned at that. Her dreams and memories were hazy at best, but she couldn't believe that she had left Regina behind during a fire.
"You came back though." Regina's voice was quiet. "I thought that perhaps you wouldn't but you did, with a fire extinguisher."
"I saved you." Emma breathed the words out, feeling like a weight had been lifted.
"You did." Regina acknowledged. "It seems like that is becoming a pattern. You leave me, only to come back."
Emma's eyes met Regina's as she admitted quietly, "I don't usually come back when I run."
"Perhaps you've found something worth coming back for here." Regina's voice was barely a whisper.
Emma tilted her head, her eyes roaming over Regina's face. "Perhaps I have."
They were silent for long moments, just staring at each other, until Emma finally averted her gaze, brushing tendrils of hair away from her face.
"What made you cut your hair?" Regina asked softly.
"Oh. Um. I was looking in the mirror and I just… didn't like what I saw. I needed a change so I just grabbed a pair of scissors and started cutting."
Regina's eyebrows rose at that. "You did it yourself?"
"Yeah. Do you need a hairdresser here in Storybrooke?" Emma forced a laugh.
"A hairdresser, no." Regina admitted. "But a sheriff…"
Emma's eyes widened. "What about Sidney?"
Yes, what about Sidney indeed? Regina pursed her lips as she answered. "Sidney has proved to be a… mediocre replacement."
"Not behaving like a proper lapdog then?" Emma spat, her hand coming up to cover her mouth before the words were even completely out. "Oh god, Regina, I - I'm so sorry. I don't know where that came from. I - "
Regina actually tossed her head back and laughed. There was the Emma Swan she knew, with all the grit and fire that she'd been seemingly lacking. "I know where it came from." Regina assured. "And actually, it is just the opposite. Sidney is the perfect lapdog. And I've found that to be dreadfully boring."
"Regina, are you offering me the sheriff's job back?" Emma asked, amazed at the turn in the conversation.
"Would you consider taking it? It would mean staying more than a week." She hadn't planned to offer the job back to Emma, but now that she had, in a round about way, she realized that it was what she wanted. She wanted Emma back in the sheriff's office, just as she wanted her back here in Storybrooke - permanently.
Emma faltered at that. She hadn't been expecting this at all when she came over and honestly, she still wasn't convinced that she should stay in Storybrooke. Plus, the fact that she had ever been the sheriff here still seemed totally foreign to her. "I - I need time to think about it."
Regina nodded, reaching over and carefully taking Emma's hands in hers. "It is yours, if you want it. I know that no one, except perhaps Sidney, will contest it."
Emma offered a small smile at that. "Well, thank you, Regina. For everything." She slid her hands out of Regina's grip and stood up. "I really should be going though. I've kept you from your work for far too long."
"It's been a pleasure." Regina's voice was almost a purr. "Please, come back and interrupt me at any time."
Emma laughed and headed for the door. Then, as she stood in the doorway, she turned back to look at the mayor. "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? Mary Margaret will be there and you could bring Henry, of course. Maybe we could… watch a movie or something after?"
A smile blossomed on Regina's face. "I'd like that very much."
Emma flashed a smile back at Regina. "See you around six then?"
"Absolutely."