Awakening (Once Upon a Time; Regina/Emma)
TITLE: Awakening
CHAPTER 3: Insanities
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: "Witch Hunt" (3x13)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: This was insane. Standing here speculating about Regina and this… guy. Listening to her father butcher a movie title in a way only a father could. This entire conversation was insane, and… sorta pointless.
*****
“Whoa, wait a minute.” Emma wheeled around to face her father, brows knit together in confusion. “…What?”
David just shrugged. “What?”
“Robin Hood… the Robin Hood… is Regina’s boyfriend?” It sounded so weird, yet she couldn’t figure out why.
“Well…” Another shrug and a noncommittal facial shrug later, David told her, “I don’t know if ‘boyfriend’ is the correct term, but… they’ve been seeing each other.” Then, as if realizing he was gossiping, David made a face at himself and said, “I don’t know, go ask your mother. Or better yet, ask Regina.”
Emma scoffed. “Right, because you know Regina and I love talking about boys together. We also paint each other’s nails and have pillow fights.”
He rolled his eyes. “You were the one that asked. Are you jealous?”
Her heart skipped a beat and without her better judgment, she flipped into defensive mode. “Why would I be jealous of Robin Hood? It’s not like Regina and I are married to each other! Or even divorced. I mean, we have Henry, but-“
“Emma…”
She looked up to see her father’s smirk. “What?”
“I meant, maybe you’re a bit jealous of Regina? I know you’re still missing Neal, and-“
“No way, no.” She waved that idea away immediately. Being jealous was just… silly. And she wasn’t jealous of Regina for having someone. There was something else gnawing at her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “That has nothing to do with it.” After a beat, she side-eyed him. “And I’m not jealous of Robin, either.”
“If you say so, but let’s not forget that you once alluded to me being attracted to Hook.”
Emma had to smirk right back at that. “Okay, well… it’s not my fault you guys give off a ‘Brokeback Mountain’ vibe sometimes.”
“We do not give off a… what’s a ‘Backbreak Mountain’?”
“Nevermind,” she chuckled, slapping a hand over her eyes. This was insane. Standing here speculating about Regina and this… guy. Listening to her father butcher a movie title in a way only a father could. This entire conversation was insane, and… sorta pointless. Maybe if she made one... “The point is, I’m not jealous of anybody.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I never said there was a problem! I just…” After a moment she huffed again, frustrated.
By that time, Regina and Robin (or Rob or whoever he was currently) had begun making their way back. Regina raised her brows to Emma and asked, “Is there a problem?”
She plastered on a smile. “No problem. Just… talking.”
Regina eyed her strangely, but nodded nonetheless. She grabbed her arm and began steering her toward the door. “Let’s go, then.”
“Regina.”
They spun to find Robin looking at Regina hopefully, and David looking at him.
“Will I see you this evening?”
Emma turned to her counterpart to find her cheeks flaring pink once more - though if it was annoyance or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell.
To Robin, Regina ducked her head just slightly and answered him in a simple, clipped tone, “Perhaps.”
Emma then found herself practically dragged out of the sheriff’s station.
“So I trust your father got you up to speed a bit?”
“Yeah.” She couldn’t resist the opportunity Regina had just dumped in her lap. “He told me all about how you’re dating Robin Hood.”
“What?!” Regina whirled around, eyes ablaze. “How dare he!” She began stomping toward the car, her footsteps short and quick as she continued, “The nature of my relationship with him - if it can even be called as much - is my business and mine alone!”
“Well…” Emma cringed slightly, unaware that one innocent comment would be akin to poking a sleeping grizzly. “And mine, a little bit.”
Regina stopped her speed-walk of fury at the passenger side of the Bug. “Excuse me?”
Emma shrugged, opening the car door. “It’s a little bit my business too, you know.”
“How’s that?”
Emma climbed in and shut the door, noticing how Regina stayed outside the car - though whether it was out of defiance or confusion, she had no idea. So she waited until the former queen gave up and slid in on the passenger side.
“I mean because of Henry. Because we share him.”
Regina rolled her eyes, reaching for the seatbelt. “Well first of all, Henry is none the wiser about that part.”
Sticking the key in the ignition, Emma let the Bug roar to life and then pulled out of her space, heading back to the Regina’s office. “Okay… second of all?”
“Second of all,” she went on, shooting her a look, “I don’t recall you consulting me when you decided to put your lips on that pirate. Or drag that mangy Baelfire back into everyone’s lives…”
Emma felt her hands tightening on the wheel, but Regina wasn’t finished.
“Nor do I recall you including me in your decision to become engaged to a flying monkey.”
Emma felt her jaw grow slack at that. “How-“
“Henry told me.” Regina frowned down at her lap. “The other day, when we were having ice cream in the park.” Glancing up, she told her, “So I don’t know that you’re in a position to say what I should or shouldn’t run by you when it comes to my romantic life.”
How in the hell was this even reality right now? Gossiping at the station with David was one thing. Arguing with Regina like a newly-divorced couple was another entirely.
“Fine, I’ll back off,” she finally conceded. “But when we wake Henry up, you’re going to have to figure out a way to tell him-“
“Tell him what? There will be nothing to tell him, because when he finally remembers, it will be just him and me like it should be.”
Emma pulled up in front of Storybrooke City Hall and threw the car in park, letting it idle. “So as soon as Henry remembers you, you’re gonna drop this guy?”
“No! I don’t know, maybe.” Regina ducked her head again, stuffing a slice of hair behind her ear, and Emma thought it may have been a nervous tic. “I don’t know that there’s anything to drop, necessarily.” Heaving a sigh, she looked up. “I remember saying goodbye to you two and tearing up the curse as you drove past the town line. I remember the clouds rolling over us to take us back. Then the next thing I remembered was coming to in that man’s arms right near the town line, with his son standing between us clutching my legs.”
Emma raised her brows. “He has a son?”
At that, Regina smiled. It was warm, and reminded her of the way she would smile whenever Henry’s name was mentioned. She nodded and said, “Roland. He’s a wonderful, bright little boy.” Then, the smile faded as she said softly to her lap, “But he’s not Henry.”
Emma gave her a nudge. “Of course he’s not Henry. But… clearly you and this Robin Hood guy must have something, right?”
Regina shrugged. “Perhaps. But who’s to say? What if we were standing near each other when the new curse hit, and just instinctively grabbed on? Should I tether my life to him because of coincidence?”
She shook her head, telling Regina, “No you shouldn’t, but you shouldn’t shrug something off as coincidence that might have actually meant something to you - to both of you. Hell, maybe to Roland too!”
“I know. I just…” Regina huffed again, looking out the window at the main doors of City Hall.
The rest of the sentence was evident, and Emma nodded, watching the brunette. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” she offered.
“Precisely.”
When Regina unbuckled her belt, Emma assumed the conversation to be over. Laying her foot on the brake, she took the car out of park and watched as Regina climbed out. “Well listen, we’ll figure out all the stuff you don’t know. Okay? If you want us to start working overnights to get this memory potion figured out, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Regina leaned down to the window, smiling. “Thank you.” She then nodded down the main road. “You’d best get back to Henry.”
“Right,” she sighed. “Hopefully Mary Margaret hasn’t driven him too nuts.”
She spotted another smile on Regina’s lips, this one pursing them just slightly. After a beat, she said, “I will reserve the comment I was going to make.”
Emma chuckled, “Don’t worry, Regina I know you - I know how to fill in the blanks.”
With that, she then gave the brunette a wave and drove off toward the loft, not noticing Regina lingering outside and watching her go.
*****
Back at the loft, she found Henry playing one of his handheld games while Mary Margaret did the dishes.
“Emma!” she was greeted with a bright smile. “How was your day?”
Emma threw a glance at her son before hanging up her jacket. “It was, uh… informative! In many different ways.” Going over to the kitchen island, she leaned her arms on it. “How about you guys?”
“We got the nursery taken care of! Everything’s ready for the baby.”
Emma eyed her mother warily. She sounded just a little bit too chipper… like something was wrong but she didn’t want to acknowledge it. “O… kay…”
“And Henry had an interesting theory as to why you guys are here!” she exclaimed, smile stretched tight across her elfin face.
She raised her brows, as if to ask ‘Is that why you’re being weird?’ and then turned to her son. “Really.”
Henry looked up from his game and nodded, giving a one-shouldered shrug a moment later. “It’s kinda obvious, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“We’re here so you can get back together with Regina.”
TBC
CHAPTER 3: Insanities
FANDOM: Once Upon a Time
PAIRING: Swan Queen (Regina/Emma)
SPOILERS: "Witch Hunt" (3x13)
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: This was insane. Standing here speculating about Regina and this… guy. Listening to her father butcher a movie title in a way only a father could. This entire conversation was insane, and… sorta pointless.
*****
“Whoa, wait a minute.” Emma wheeled around to face her father, brows knit together in confusion. “…What?”
David just shrugged. “What?”
“Robin Hood… the Robin Hood… is Regina’s boyfriend?” It sounded so weird, yet she couldn’t figure out why.
“Well…” Another shrug and a noncommittal facial shrug later, David told her, “I don’t know if ‘boyfriend’ is the correct term, but… they’ve been seeing each other.” Then, as if realizing he was gossiping, David made a face at himself and said, “I don’t know, go ask your mother. Or better yet, ask Regina.”
Emma scoffed. “Right, because you know Regina and I love talking about boys together. We also paint each other’s nails and have pillow fights.”
He rolled his eyes. “You were the one that asked. Are you jealous?”
Her heart skipped a beat and without her better judgment, she flipped into defensive mode. “Why would I be jealous of Robin Hood? It’s not like Regina and I are married to each other! Or even divorced. I mean, we have Henry, but-“
“Emma…”
She looked up to see her father’s smirk. “What?”
“I meant, maybe you’re a bit jealous of Regina? I know you’re still missing Neal, and-“
“No way, no.” She waved that idea away immediately. Being jealous was just… silly. And she wasn’t jealous of Regina for having someone. There was something else gnawing at her, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “That has nothing to do with it.” After a beat, she side-eyed him. “And I’m not jealous of Robin, either.”
“If you say so, but let’s not forget that you once alluded to me being attracted to Hook.”
Emma had to smirk right back at that. “Okay, well… it’s not my fault you guys give off a ‘Brokeback Mountain’ vibe sometimes.”
“We do not give off a… what’s a ‘Backbreak Mountain’?”
“Nevermind,” she chuckled, slapping a hand over her eyes. This was insane. Standing here speculating about Regina and this… guy. Listening to her father butcher a movie title in a way only a father could. This entire conversation was insane, and… sorta pointless. Maybe if she made one... “The point is, I’m not jealous of anybody.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I never said there was a problem! I just…” After a moment she huffed again, frustrated.
By that time, Regina and Robin (or Rob or whoever he was currently) had begun making their way back. Regina raised her brows to Emma and asked, “Is there a problem?”
She plastered on a smile. “No problem. Just… talking.”
Regina eyed her strangely, but nodded nonetheless. She grabbed her arm and began steering her toward the door. “Let’s go, then.”
“Regina.”
They spun to find Robin looking at Regina hopefully, and David looking at him.
“Will I see you this evening?”
Emma turned to her counterpart to find her cheeks flaring pink once more - though if it was annoyance or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell.
To Robin, Regina ducked her head just slightly and answered him in a simple, clipped tone, “Perhaps.”
Emma then found herself practically dragged out of the sheriff’s station.
“So I trust your father got you up to speed a bit?”
“Yeah.” She couldn’t resist the opportunity Regina had just dumped in her lap. “He told me all about how you’re dating Robin Hood.”
“What?!” Regina whirled around, eyes ablaze. “How dare he!” She began stomping toward the car, her footsteps short and quick as she continued, “The nature of my relationship with him - if it can even be called as much - is my business and mine alone!”
“Well…” Emma cringed slightly, unaware that one innocent comment would be akin to poking a sleeping grizzly. “And mine, a little bit.”
Regina stopped her speed-walk of fury at the passenger side of the Bug. “Excuse me?”
Emma shrugged, opening the car door. “It’s a little bit my business too, you know.”
“How’s that?”
Emma climbed in and shut the door, noticing how Regina stayed outside the car - though whether it was out of defiance or confusion, she had no idea. So she waited until the former queen gave up and slid in on the passenger side.
“I mean because of Henry. Because we share him.”
Regina rolled her eyes, reaching for the seatbelt. “Well first of all, Henry is none the wiser about that part.”
Sticking the key in the ignition, Emma let the Bug roar to life and then pulled out of her space, heading back to the Regina’s office. “Okay… second of all?”
“Second of all,” she went on, shooting her a look, “I don’t recall you consulting me when you decided to put your lips on that pirate. Or drag that mangy Baelfire back into everyone’s lives…”
Emma felt her hands tightening on the wheel, but Regina wasn’t finished.
“Nor do I recall you including me in your decision to become engaged to a flying monkey.”
Emma felt her jaw grow slack at that. “How-“
“Henry told me.” Regina frowned down at her lap. “The other day, when we were having ice cream in the park.” Glancing up, she told her, “So I don’t know that you’re in a position to say what I should or shouldn’t run by you when it comes to my romantic life.”
How in the hell was this even reality right now? Gossiping at the station with David was one thing. Arguing with Regina like a newly-divorced couple was another entirely.
“Fine, I’ll back off,” she finally conceded. “But when we wake Henry up, you’re going to have to figure out a way to tell him-“
“Tell him what? There will be nothing to tell him, because when he finally remembers, it will be just him and me like it should be.”
Emma pulled up in front of Storybrooke City Hall and threw the car in park, letting it idle. “So as soon as Henry remembers you, you’re gonna drop this guy?”
“No! I don’t know, maybe.” Regina ducked her head again, stuffing a slice of hair behind her ear, and Emma thought it may have been a nervous tic. “I don’t know that there’s anything to drop, necessarily.” Heaving a sigh, she looked up. “I remember saying goodbye to you two and tearing up the curse as you drove past the town line. I remember the clouds rolling over us to take us back. Then the next thing I remembered was coming to in that man’s arms right near the town line, with his son standing between us clutching my legs.”
Emma raised her brows. “He has a son?”
At that, Regina smiled. It was warm, and reminded her of the way she would smile whenever Henry’s name was mentioned. She nodded and said, “Roland. He’s a wonderful, bright little boy.” Then, the smile faded as she said softly to her lap, “But he’s not Henry.”
Emma gave her a nudge. “Of course he’s not Henry. But… clearly you and this Robin Hood guy must have something, right?”
Regina shrugged. “Perhaps. But who’s to say? What if we were standing near each other when the new curse hit, and just instinctively grabbed on? Should I tether my life to him because of coincidence?”
She shook her head, telling Regina, “No you shouldn’t, but you shouldn’t shrug something off as coincidence that might have actually meant something to you - to both of you. Hell, maybe to Roland too!”
“I know. I just…” Regina huffed again, looking out the window at the main doors of City Hall.
The rest of the sentence was evident, and Emma nodded, watching the brunette. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” she offered.
“Precisely.”
When Regina unbuckled her belt, Emma assumed the conversation to be over. Laying her foot on the brake, she took the car out of park and watched as Regina climbed out. “Well listen, we’ll figure out all the stuff you don’t know. Okay? If you want us to start working overnights to get this memory potion figured out, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Regina leaned down to the window, smiling. “Thank you.” She then nodded down the main road. “You’d best get back to Henry.”
“Right,” she sighed. “Hopefully Mary Margaret hasn’t driven him too nuts.”
She spotted another smile on Regina’s lips, this one pursing them just slightly. After a beat, she said, “I will reserve the comment I was going to make.”
Emma chuckled, “Don’t worry, Regina I know you - I know how to fill in the blanks.”
With that, she then gave the brunette a wave and drove off toward the loft, not noticing Regina lingering outside and watching her go.
*****
Back at the loft, she found Henry playing one of his handheld games while Mary Margaret did the dishes.
“Emma!” she was greeted with a bright smile. “How was your day?”
Emma threw a glance at her son before hanging up her jacket. “It was, uh… informative! In many different ways.” Going over to the kitchen island, she leaned her arms on it. “How about you guys?”
“We got the nursery taken care of! Everything’s ready for the baby.”
Emma eyed her mother warily. She sounded just a little bit too chipper… like something was wrong but she didn’t want to acknowledge it. “O… kay…”
“And Henry had an interesting theory as to why you guys are here!” she exclaimed, smile stretched tight across her elfin face.
She raised her brows, as if to ask ‘Is that why you’re being weird?’ and then turned to her son. “Really.”
Henry looked up from his game and nodded, giving a one-shouldered shrug a moment later. “It’s kinda obvious, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“We’re here so you can get back together with Regina.”
TBC