Awakening (Once Upon a Time; Regina/Emma)
TITLE: Awakening
CHAPTER 1: Difficulties
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: "Witch Hunt" (3x13)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: She reached out and took Regina’s hand, the same way Regina took hers before the curse was destroyed. She held it within both of her own and pleaded with her, "Trust me when I say, we’re gonna figure this out. We will wake him up, and we’ll figure out who cursed everyone. We just have to stick together."
*****
The first couple of days back in Storybrooke were difficult, in many different ways. Part of it was the double life now rattling around in Emma’s head - thirteen years-worth of memories, and only one of them was real.
Part of it was the new foe still on the loose somewhere in town, turning its citizens into her winged minions (the Wicked Witch? Really?) while the others had no recollection of what she even looked like.
Another part still was the sibling on its way, thirty years her junior, while her mother was still so youthful they could pass as sisters.
But the most difficult part of all this was Henry. Watching him look around the town as though he’d never been there before was downright painful. ‘Introducing’ him to all these people that had known him since birth was tough as well. Even tougher for the citizens of Storybrooke, who now had to dodge questions about how they knew some of Henry’s preferences for certain things, like cocoa toppings and soda flavors.
And to their credit, many of the Storybrooke inhabitants were great at keeping up pretenses. The only one that really struggled, of course, was Regina.
Perhaps that was the hardest part of all this - watching Regina struggle to keep her composure with Henry nearby.
Seeing them lock eyes for the first time had been an undeniable gut punch. Emma had acted on instinct and pulled Regina into the back hall for a quick catch-up session. She only gently pushed her toward ‘meeting’ him and made sure she was keeping it together every step of the way. But it was hard.
At the loft, when Regina moved in for a hug and Henry stuck out his hand for a shake, Emma had been unable to help the sad frown.
“How was that? You okay?” she had asked her quietly when he was out of earshot.
Regina had blinked back the forming tears as quickly as she could, telling her softly, “It’s a start.”
During the day, she let Regina show him around town and take him to get ice cream. At night, he would sit at the kitchen island in the loft and recount his time with ‘the mayor,’ telling Emma every time, “I just don’t get why she’s so interested in me.”
And for the first few days in Storybrooke, Emma just shrugged off his concern and said, “I’ve told her a lot about you.”
It was now their third day in town. She and Henry were at the diner, having lunch. They were already late to meet up with Regina, who had offered to show Henry around the wharf for the day.
Henry was watching her wolf down her patty melt with a half-amused smirk. He opened his mouth - probably to ask her just why she was behaving like a caveman - when the bell over the door jingled.
They both turned to spot Regina, and Henry waved at her. “Hi, Mayor Mills.”
Emma watched as that now-familiar look flashed in Regina’s eyes - fleeting pain. Still, she smiled and said smoothly, “Hello, Henry.”
Then, an all-business look was sent to Emma. “Could I speak with you a moment? Privately?”
Before she could respond, a gloved hand had seized her upper arm and she was being hauled up from her seat, toward the back of the diner. “Ow…”
Whatever was on Regina’s mind was urgent, so she threw Henry a quick look to tell him she’d be right back, and he nodded and turned back to his food.
Regina dropped her arm once they reached the secluded alcove between the diner and the bed-and-breakfast. It was the same place she brought Regina when she first saw Henry.
“What’s going on?” she whispered, watching as the brunette’s eyes drifted toward their son.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Regina hissed. “We need to wake him up. Right now.”
Emma sighed, hands settling on her hips as she dipped her head. She should have known this would happen sooner or later. Regina didn’t really ‘do’ the whole patience thing. “Look… I know this is hard--“
“How?” Regina shot back. “How could you possibly know what this is like?”
She pressed her lips together, trying a different tack. “You and I have been working on this memory potion thing every night since I got back, and we haven’t been able to come up with anything. It’s going to take some time.”
“Well then you need to stop pawning him off on me during the day.”
Emma was slightly taken aback at the choice of words - like spending the day with their son was a huge inconvenience - but she let the offense pass. She knew where Regina’s venom was coming from, just as she knew she had to deflect or diffuse it before it got out of hand.
She tried yet another path, this one more abrupt as she asked softly, “Do you trust me?”
Success - she caught her off-guard. “What?”
Emma swallowed, taking a step toward the brunette. Proximity had never been a foreign occurrence between them and, in most cases, it served to make a point. So she repeated, “Do you trust me?”
The question seemed to settle in with Regina. Emma could have sworn she saw the gears turning - probably thinking back to their moment outside the loft.
”It’s gonna be fine. Trust me.”
Regina met her eyes then. She swallowed whatever pride she had that was telling her to bite back and make a snappy comment. Then she said, “Yes.”
Emma smiled. Another step in the right direction. She reached out and took Regina’s hand, the same way Regina took hers before the curse was destroyed. She held it within both of her own and pleaded with her, “Then trust me when I say, we’re gonna figure this out. We will wake him up, and we’ll figure out who cursed everyone. We just have to stick together,” she raised her brows meaningfully as she added, “and we have to stay strong. Okay?”
Regina searched her eyes for a long moment. Emma watched the skin of her brows furrow and wrinkle, and then relax. Finally, she got a nod and a soft, “Okay,” and almost breathed a sigh of relief.
It worked. She finally figured out a surefire way to handle Regina when she got in these destructive, impatient moods. She considered that a ‘win’ for the day. “Okay,” she repeated, smiling, and released her hand.
They stood silently for a moment, Regina looking at her hands while Emma placed her own on her hips and glanced at the floor. “Why don’t I send him with Mary Margaret today?”
Regina looked up at her, the tension back in her shoulders.
Emma gave her a half-smile. “I think we could use some more potion-making time. Maybe make this whole thing go a little faster. I can be to your office in fifteen minutes.”
And then she seemed to relax once again. “Thank you,” she told her. It was simple and short, but the weight behind it didn’t go unnoticed.
Emma just nodded and patted her arm. “Sure,” and they turned to head back into the diner.
As they did, she caught just a glimpse of Henry whipping around in his seat, facing his food again. “Hey kid,” she said, sliding into the booth again.
“Hey,” he told her, his eyes on Regina as she brushed past. “Bye, Mayor Mills!” he called.
She turned around in the doorway, looking momentarily surprised he’d spoken to her again, before she covered it with a smile and returned warmly, “Goodbye, Henry.”
They both watched her go, and Emma turned back to her son to find him grinning at her. She couldn’t help the chuckle. “What?”
Henry just shrugged and chirped, “Nothing!” as he went back to his food. He shrugged again, saying to his French fries, “I just… I get it now.”
“You get what?”
He looked up, tilting his head. “Why she’s so interested in me.” Shaking his head, he told her, “It’s not me. It’s you.”
Emma stared at her son, narrowing her eyes in confusion. “What do you mean?”
This time, he just smiled and took one last bite of his hamburger. “Nevermind.”
“Henry…”
“Don’t worry about it, Mom.”
Emma sighed, glancing at the clock. She supposed further questioning would have to wait.
She had to go meet up with Regina.
TBC
CHAPTER 1: Difficulties
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: "Witch Hunt" (3x13)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: She reached out and took Regina’s hand, the same way Regina took hers before the curse was destroyed. She held it within both of her own and pleaded with her, "Trust me when I say, we’re gonna figure this out. We will wake him up, and we’ll figure out who cursed everyone. We just have to stick together."
*****
The first couple of days back in Storybrooke were difficult, in many different ways. Part of it was the double life now rattling around in Emma’s head - thirteen years-worth of memories, and only one of them was real.
Part of it was the new foe still on the loose somewhere in town, turning its citizens into her winged minions (the Wicked Witch? Really?) while the others had no recollection of what she even looked like.
Another part still was the sibling on its way, thirty years her junior, while her mother was still so youthful they could pass as sisters.
But the most difficult part of all this was Henry. Watching him look around the town as though he’d never been there before was downright painful. ‘Introducing’ him to all these people that had known him since birth was tough as well. Even tougher for the citizens of Storybrooke, who now had to dodge questions about how they knew some of Henry’s preferences for certain things, like cocoa toppings and soda flavors.
And to their credit, many of the Storybrooke inhabitants were great at keeping up pretenses. The only one that really struggled, of course, was Regina.
Perhaps that was the hardest part of all this - watching Regina struggle to keep her composure with Henry nearby.
Seeing them lock eyes for the first time had been an undeniable gut punch. Emma had acted on instinct and pulled Regina into the back hall for a quick catch-up session. She only gently pushed her toward ‘meeting’ him and made sure she was keeping it together every step of the way. But it was hard.
At the loft, when Regina moved in for a hug and Henry stuck out his hand for a shake, Emma had been unable to help the sad frown.
“How was that? You okay?” she had asked her quietly when he was out of earshot.
Regina had blinked back the forming tears as quickly as she could, telling her softly, “It’s a start.”
During the day, she let Regina show him around town and take him to get ice cream. At night, he would sit at the kitchen island in the loft and recount his time with ‘the mayor,’ telling Emma every time, “I just don’t get why she’s so interested in me.”
And for the first few days in Storybrooke, Emma just shrugged off his concern and said, “I’ve told her a lot about you.”
It was now their third day in town. She and Henry were at the diner, having lunch. They were already late to meet up with Regina, who had offered to show Henry around the wharf for the day.
Henry was watching her wolf down her patty melt with a half-amused smirk. He opened his mouth - probably to ask her just why she was behaving like a caveman - when the bell over the door jingled.
They both turned to spot Regina, and Henry waved at her. “Hi, Mayor Mills.”
Emma watched as that now-familiar look flashed in Regina’s eyes - fleeting pain. Still, she smiled and said smoothly, “Hello, Henry.”
Then, an all-business look was sent to Emma. “Could I speak with you a moment? Privately?”
Before she could respond, a gloved hand had seized her upper arm and she was being hauled up from her seat, toward the back of the diner. “Ow…”
Whatever was on Regina’s mind was urgent, so she threw Henry a quick look to tell him she’d be right back, and he nodded and turned back to his food.
Regina dropped her arm once they reached the secluded alcove between the diner and the bed-and-breakfast. It was the same place she brought Regina when she first saw Henry.
“What’s going on?” she whispered, watching as the brunette’s eyes drifted toward their son.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Regina hissed. “We need to wake him up. Right now.”
Emma sighed, hands settling on her hips as she dipped her head. She should have known this would happen sooner or later. Regina didn’t really ‘do’ the whole patience thing. “Look… I know this is hard--“
“How?” Regina shot back. “How could you possibly know what this is like?”
She pressed her lips together, trying a different tack. “You and I have been working on this memory potion thing every night since I got back, and we haven’t been able to come up with anything. It’s going to take some time.”
“Well then you need to stop pawning him off on me during the day.”
Emma was slightly taken aback at the choice of words - like spending the day with their son was a huge inconvenience - but she let the offense pass. She knew where Regina’s venom was coming from, just as she knew she had to deflect or diffuse it before it got out of hand.
She tried yet another path, this one more abrupt as she asked softly, “Do you trust me?”
Success - she caught her off-guard. “What?”
Emma swallowed, taking a step toward the brunette. Proximity had never been a foreign occurrence between them and, in most cases, it served to make a point. So she repeated, “Do you trust me?”
The question seemed to settle in with Regina. Emma could have sworn she saw the gears turning - probably thinking back to their moment outside the loft.
”It’s gonna be fine. Trust me.”
Regina met her eyes then. She swallowed whatever pride she had that was telling her to bite back and make a snappy comment. Then she said, “Yes.”
Emma smiled. Another step in the right direction. She reached out and took Regina’s hand, the same way Regina took hers before the curse was destroyed. She held it within both of her own and pleaded with her, “Then trust me when I say, we’re gonna figure this out. We will wake him up, and we’ll figure out who cursed everyone. We just have to stick together,” she raised her brows meaningfully as she added, “and we have to stay strong. Okay?”
Regina searched her eyes for a long moment. Emma watched the skin of her brows furrow and wrinkle, and then relax. Finally, she got a nod and a soft, “Okay,” and almost breathed a sigh of relief.
It worked. She finally figured out a surefire way to handle Regina when she got in these destructive, impatient moods. She considered that a ‘win’ for the day. “Okay,” she repeated, smiling, and released her hand.
They stood silently for a moment, Regina looking at her hands while Emma placed her own on her hips and glanced at the floor. “Why don’t I send him with Mary Margaret today?”
Regina looked up at her, the tension back in her shoulders.
Emma gave her a half-smile. “I think we could use some more potion-making time. Maybe make this whole thing go a little faster. I can be to your office in fifteen minutes.”
And then she seemed to relax once again. “Thank you,” she told her. It was simple and short, but the weight behind it didn’t go unnoticed.
Emma just nodded and patted her arm. “Sure,” and they turned to head back into the diner.
As they did, she caught just a glimpse of Henry whipping around in his seat, facing his food again. “Hey kid,” she said, sliding into the booth again.
“Hey,” he told her, his eyes on Regina as she brushed past. “Bye, Mayor Mills!” he called.
She turned around in the doorway, looking momentarily surprised he’d spoken to her again, before she covered it with a smile and returned warmly, “Goodbye, Henry.”
They both watched her go, and Emma turned back to her son to find him grinning at her. She couldn’t help the chuckle. “What?”
Henry just shrugged and chirped, “Nothing!” as he went back to his food. He shrugged again, saying to his French fries, “I just… I get it now.”
“You get what?”
He looked up, tilting his head. “Why she’s so interested in me.” Shaking his head, he told her, “It’s not me. It’s you.”
Emma stared at her son, narrowing her eyes in confusion. “What do you mean?”
This time, he just smiled and took one last bite of his hamburger. “Nevermind.”
“Henry…”
“Don’t worry about it, Mom.”
Emma sighed, glancing at the clock. She supposed further questioning would have to wait.
She had to go meet up with Regina.
TBC