Royal Romancing

ONCE UPON A TIME-fanfic. Dinner at the Mills' household, and Henry wants his moms to go on a real date together.
(EMMA/REGINA, SWANQUEEN)

This is the third in a small series of short Swanqueen stories with the name "Royal" in it.

Read Royal Romancing

Disclaimer: As in the first story, Regina, Emma, Henry and everyone else in “Once Upon A Time” all belong to a bunch of people, among them probably ABC and Disney if I understand it all correctly. Either way they are not mine, and I’m just borrowing them for a little bit of Swanqueen.


This is the sequel to “Dinner for Royals”, and the third in my little “Royal” series.
As I write this I have watched up to episode 11 of the show, but it shouldn’t matter much since I’m just making things up as I go anyway.
A certain person requested that I’d use origami in a story, and this is what came to me. ;)






Royal Romancing
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by Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson





A dinner invitation to the Mills residence was a thing unheard of in Storybrooke, and that for some rather simple reasons. Although Regina might be woman capable of utter ruthlessness, she was also very protective of her son and cherished her time with him. So business-related dinners, although they were many in the life of a Mayor, were kept well away from her home. And of course, Regina Mills had no friends to invite home, and sad to say, neither did her son.

It was yet another small but important change brought on by Emma Swan, that one fine Sunday in autumn Regina Mills found herself busily preparing a slightly more elaborate dinner than what she usually would, intended for one additional person. She was also nervous, something which was equally unusual.

While she was not what anyone, least of all herself, would consider a domestic goddess, Regina was a perfectionist in all that she did and abhorred to not be at least utterly competent in what she set out to do, and so if asked she would normally have every confidence in her cooking skills. That she also in secret had found herself enjoying many domestic chores over the years that others might have thought too mundane for the woman that was Storybrooke’s Mayor, especially after Henry came into her life, well... she was a very private woman, and there was something satisfying in the knowledge that those that thought they really knew her, didn’t, or at least not as well as they thought.

There was a peculiar feeling when Regina opened her door to a bashful-looking Emma Swan, a little less dressed up than at their previous outings but still delectable, which hit Regina rather hard. She was really just coming to terms with the attraction she felt where Emma was concerned, after having denied it vehemently for almost as long as the blonde had been in Storybrooke, but this? This was new, this almost melancholy ache that would appear when Emma and Henry both looked at her with smiles on their faces.

To think that Regina had gone so far out of her way to make Emma her enemy from the start, so convinced that Henry’s birth mother would take him away from her... Looking at them now Regina felt that not only should she have realized much sooner the value of Emma as her ally, but also that in some mysterious way Emma was bringing Henry back to her, little by little. That rather than fearing that Henry would love her less, Regina needed to acknowledge that there was a vacant spot in their family in which Emma fitted perfectly.

Family. The very thought brought that curious feeling back, and more strongly than before.

Emma was family. Well, yes, Regina had, almost without realizing it herself, accepted that fact, the fact that Emma was indeed Henry’s other parent. Instead of making her jealous and afraid as it had, now Regina felt a certain measure of relief that there was someone to share the responsibilities with, to trust in, when it came to her precious baby boy. It would do Henry no harm to have two parents, like so many other children in his surroundings.

But that blast of longing spoke of something else, of another, deeper, level of sharing and trusting which Regina wished to have with Emma. Not just regarding Henry, but also regarding Regina herself, her life, her dreams, her burdens.

She was really just now realizing that she wanted to blonde not just for a casual lover, but for something far deeper. A companion in life, a partner, a... wife?

As impossible as it seemed, that thought skittered across Regina’s consciousness and refused to be banished, causing her to blush some as she ushered Emma into the house, which the blonde noticed.

“Wow, Regina...” Emma said almost breathlessly, a peculiar expression on her face. “You look so beautiful.”

At the praise Regina looked away a bit awkwardly, happy with the compliment but still confused with her own responses and their strength. It was at this point that, much to her own chagrin, Regina realized that she had answered the door while still wearing the frilly white apron with the red apple on its front pocket, the one that she often wore when warranted because Henry had helped her pick it out back in happier days. Henry was often what drew out that sentimental side of her, a side most people would swear up and down that Regina Mills did not possess.

“Thank you.” Regina murmured, a bit less primly than she might have as the embarrassment of being seen this way by the blonde was a bit too much to bear for her sensitivities. A closer look at Emma however revealed that the other woman kept looking at her with such a helplessly smitten expression that it made Regina feel better. A confident little smirk returned to her lips. “You look... charming, yourself. Do come in.”

With a little start it seemed that Emma remembered that she came bearing gifts, and she thrust both arms out in front of her. “Here. I didn’t know quite what to get, but I hope this is okay.” There was that disarming smile again, the one that Regina had always felt affected her a little too much.

Gracefully Regina accepted the wine bottle thrust at her and gave it a cursory glance while preparing to take what else was offered her, but instead did a double take. She could not prevent the smile that shaped her lips as she looked back up at Emma. “Apple wine?” She asked softly, not quite able to hide that she was, in fact, charmed by the gesture.

Emma grinned back. “I know squat about wine, really, but at the store they said it was a very good sweet dessert wine, whatever that means. Hopefully it won’t be too bad?”

“It is perfect.” Regina reassured her and meant it. “We are having apple pie for dessert, this will go very well together.”

The other woman did her happy bouncing thing. “Does that mean that I’ll get to eat your famous apples? Awesome.”

“Oh?” Regina could not help herself, one eyebrow arched while her gaze became slightly lidded. “I was unaware that you had such an interest in my...” Dark eyes bore into Emma who made a small noise in the back of her throat. “apples, miss Swan.” Her voice dropped lower in pitch. “And I was under the impression that you had already had a... taste?”

Emma was spared from having to reply to that by the arrival of their son, the happy boy barrelling into his blonde parent and completely unaware of the atmosphere between his mothers. Emma hugged him back and Regina smiled indulgently at them both, pleased now to see not only Henry but also Emma so happy.

“Hey kid, I’ve got something for you.” Emma ruffled Henry’s hair with one hand before handing over a largish blue cloth bag with the other. The boy beamed up at both of his mothers before eagerly pulling at the cord holding the bag together.

“And this is for you.” Again Emma seemed a bit shy as she handed over a small red bag to the surprised Regina. “Its not much, but, well...”

“Games!” Henry squealed happily and pulled out two boxes to show to Regina. “Emma got me two board games! And look, this is the one the kids at school are playing.” Emma reminded herself to thank Mary Margaret later for that little insight. “Can we play? Will you play with me?”

The boy’s eyes were bright and hopeful, including them both in his request. In an affectionate gesture that had once been common for them but that Regina had only very recently, with Emma’s help, become able to indulge in again, she reached out to smooth his messy hair back down. “If Emma is willing, perhaps we could play some after dinner?”

“Sure kiddo,” Emma promised cheerfully before Henry had managed to ask. “I’d love to play a game or two with you and your mom.”

With happy enthusiasm the boy clutched his new games to him with one arm and yanked Emma along after him with the other, chattering away about all the things he had heard about the games now in his possession.

“Dinner first, Henry.” Regina called after them, reminding her son as it sounded like he was about to drag Emma away to start one of the games right away. Emma’s laughter could be heard at his antics, and it made Regina feel warm inside to listen to them both.

Regina herself lingered for a moment in the hallway though, gingerly hefting the small red bag in one hand, looking thoughtful. The small box of Lady Godiva chocolates it contained, besides being Regina’s favourite, carried a few questions and possibilities that she uncharacteristically needed a moment to bask in.

Was Emma even aware that the chocolates inside this particular little golden box would all be shaped like hearts?

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Dinner had been an unequivocal success, Emma had praised Regina’s cooking, and by the time dessert was brought in, the blonde had all but swooned. To Regina’s great joy Henry had only hesitated for the briefest of moments before digging into his slice of pie with gusto, rediscovering how much he loved his mother’s apple pie after so long.

In a moment that was almost bittersweet to both adults in its simple domesticity, they had all cleared the table together, after which Emma had made Regina sit down and watch as she and Henry took care of the dishes. Before too long they had wound up in the livingroom with Henry’s new games, and been captivated with round after round of playing them until it had gotten quite late.

Regina sent Henry to put his things away and wash up for the night, granting herself a short while alone with Emma before their son would come back and Emma would say goodbye. She only wished that she had a clearer grasp on what she was going to say.

“I had a wonderful time today, Regina.” Emma turned to her as soon as Henry was out of sight, and spoke with warmth and quiet happiness in her voice. “Thank you for inviting me.”

Regina answered her smile with a relaxed one of her own. “I’m glad you came.” She was sidetracked for a moment as her eyes caressed the view before her, for the moment not even bothering to pretend she was not ogling Emma Swan and quite liking what she saw. “I think I simply must get you a few more of my shirts.” She mused out loud, mentally going over a variety of dark, rich colours which would look stunning on Emma, especially in smooth, high quality fabrics.

Emma blushed and coughed a bit, looking somewhat unsure of herself. “Regina? What...”

Oh talking was overrated anyway.

She crossed the space between them almost before that small niggling of frustration had registered, not only ignoring any semblance of personal space but coming so close that their bodies were all but touching already. Emma was so warm.

The blonde gasped quietly and shuddered, as Regina reached up to cup Emma’s face in her hands. She did not speak but let her eyes convey her intentions, caressing Emma’s slightly parted lips with a gaze more heated than even Regina herself realized, before finally becoming lost in green.

There was so much emotion swirling in those eyes, and Regina couldn’t identify it all. The fear that flashed by she knew however, and for a moment she felt it herself, the fear that Emma would back away and reject the silent offer. Reject Regina.

But then Emma’s arms came up around her and their lips met, so soft, so sweet, so innocently genuine a kiss that it hurt, somewhere deep within. Some forgotten part which had been sealed off for so very long ached with longing. And all for Emma Swan.

It would not have been them if the kiss had not quickly taken on heat and passion, Emma’s arms gaining strength and pulling them tightly together, while Regina’s hands moved to bury themselves in blonde waves. Someone gasped, but Regina could no longer tell whether it was Emma or herself. It did not matter. She just... needed...

Of course this was where Henry would come in, running along happily with his hair still wet and his face shining, and too fast for either of them to cover up what they had been doing. Like a pair of teenagers caught in the act they slipped apart, but not that far, not so far that they did not still have a loose hold on one another.

They didn’t get the chance to move apart further. The little boy dashed forward and hugged both his mothers hard, turning the bewildered and awkward moment into a three-way hug.

Although they shared a look of confusion, Emma and Regina were quick to put their arms around their son to hug him back. If the force of his little charge had made them grip one another a bit more firmly it was surely only for balance, or perhaps Henry might believe so anyway.

“You guys are the best! I love you both.” He beamed up at his mothers, both of whom hurried to mumble their love in return, despite becoming quite teary at the declaration. “I’ve had lots of fun today, and at the restaurant, and at the movies.” He looked from one to the other, clearly building up to something important. “Can we please have more family days? Please? We don’t have to go anywhere, we can just eat and play games and stuff like we did today.”

“Cause if we can, if you promise we can and you promise to be nice to one another, it is okay if I stay with Miss Blanchard while you guys go on a dates once in a while.” His expression changed and he looked stern for a moment. “But only with each other! Nobody else! Anybody else is not okay.”

The two stunned and bewildered adults stared at one another while the child waited impatiently for a response, any response, from either of them. Finally it was Regina who wrestled herself back in control enough to speak to her son.

“Well, Henry...” She began slowly, but with a certain twitch at the corner of her lips which did not escape Emma’s notice. “it is really up to Emma, but if she is willing she is quite welcome to join us for dinner and other days like this when she has the time.” Regina looked into Emma’s eyes. “It would be... lovely.”

“But we must remember that Emma has a very important job, Henry, one that sometimes requires very long days and leaves little time to spend here. We cannot be selfish and demand that she should be here if she needs to be elsewhere, understood?” Regina searched her son’s eyes for acceptance, he was a smart boy though and would undoubtedly understand that if Emma could not always come visit them as promised, it would not be a rejection. She was, if entirely honest, perhaps not quite so certain of her own ability in that regard, whether it pertained to Henry or to Regina herself.

The boy nodded solemnly. “Being the Sheriff is an important job, important to all the people of Storybrooke. Just like being the Mayor.”

“That’s right, kiddo.” Emma smiled, not entirely able to cover up how moved she was by both mother and son. “But for when I’m not at work I’d love to spend time with you and your mom, as much as you guys can stand having me around.”

“Oh, I think you will find that we can stomach your presence in rather large quantities, dear.” Regina murmured, amusement colouring her tone although her statement was true. “Wouldn’t you agree, Henry?”

“Yes!” The happy outburst and eager little bounce made Emma laugh and Regina smile while thinking to herself that she now knew just where her son had gotten that particular trait. Then Henry stepped back a little, turning their three-way hug into a looser embrace and focusing his attention on Emma.

“So, Emma...” There was a great deal of expectation in his voice. “...when are you going to take mom out on a date?”

Regina could not help the snort of laughter that exploded from her, however briefly, and when Emma turned impossibly wide and desperate eyes on her she was met with a slightly wicked smile. “Why Emma dear...” Regina purred, not quite fluttering her lashes at the other woman but certainly giving her a magnetic look from under dark lashes. “...when are you going to take me out on a date?”

Emma spluttered and stammered, and only Regina’s suddenly quite strong grip around her back kept the fiercely blushing woman from backing away from mother and son. Eventually she settled down and, after an intense scrutiny of what she could still see of her shoes, met Regina’s eyes.

“Um,” Emma smiled a bit shyly at Regina. “I’d like to get the clothes I still have in Boston first, but unless things go crazy for the day I’m out of town, how about the day after that? Wednesday?”

More than just a little relieved that Emma’s reaction did not mean that she did not want to go on a date with her, and more than willing to rearrange not only her own but the entire town’s schedule if it should turn out to be interfering, Regina smiled and nodded. “Wednesday would be fine.”

“Yes!” Henry approved. “And I’ll bring clothes and my pyjamas to Miss Blanchard’s. Think Miss Blanchard will play one of the board games with me?”

That pulled Regina up short. “Miss Blanchard?” She blinked and frowned. It was true, if she was going to go on a date with Emma she would need a babysitter for Henry, and yet the only other person she truly trusted with her son was Emma. “Oh Henry, I don’t know...” She began reluctantly, as much as she truly wanted some alone time with Emma, it would not be at the expense of her son’s safety.

“It doesn’t have to be Mary Margaret.” Emma interjected calmly, committed now to taking Regina on that date. “If there’s someone you’d prefer, someone you’d trust more, we can talk them into staying here with Henry. Like Doctor Hopper, maybe? You trust him with Henry’s welfare, don’t you?”

Regina barely kept herself from grimacing, she might be desperate enough to have Henry in counselling with Hopper, but she certainly did not trust the man as far as she could throw him. Henry was less successful in hiding his grimace, although he liked Doctor Hopper well enough and trusted him with his secrets, he was looking forward to a fun night and less inadvertent therapy and talking about how he felt about things.

“Who do you usually have babysitting Henry?” The words that he was not a baby and did not need a babysitter were almost visible on Henry’s lips, but wisely he kept from speaking them out loud. Both women smiled at him for that. “Mary Margaret would do it though, if we asked. And you do trust her to look out for Henry every weekday during school.”

Henry nodded eagerly, he really liked his teacher and wouldn’t mind at all spending the night at her place. She would probably play a game or two with him, and Miss Blanchard usually had cookies and cocoa when he was there to see Emma, so it would be nice. And also, she was Snow White.

“We’ll see.” Regina reluctantly agreed, thinking she had a few days to try to come up with a better plan for Henry, or failing that at least get used to the idea. And perhaps have a little chat with a certain teacher regarding the health and proper care of her precious son. “Now Henry, say goodnight to Emma before you go to bed.”

Another round of hugs followed as the boy did as told before disappearing into his room. Regina and Emma silently walked towards the front door, well aware that even though they couldn’t see him, Henry was sure to be pressing his ear to his door to make sure nothing interfered with his matchmaking plans.

By the time they reached the door Emma and Regina were sharing warm smiles over the adorableness of their little boy, but soon they looked a little too deeply into each others eyes and the mood changed.

Exactly which one of them pulled the other close and initiated the kiss is something neither could say, only that in no time at all Regina found herself pushed up against the wall in the hallway with a very warm, very eager Emma wrapped all over her. For something which was so new to them and to their interactions with one another, they were surprisingly good at this, deep, languid, soul-moving kisses that drove them both just a little bit crazy.

“Wow...” Emma breathed after they parted just enough to breathe. “Why did we never do this before?” The blonde’s voice and face revealed both amazement and longing.

Regina did not answer verbally, merely smirked a little and leaned in to nibble lightly at Emma’s lips. A groan and another kiss or two was her reward for her efforts, before the two of them finally, reluctantly, drew apart.

“Why Sheriff Swan,” Regina purred and arched a brow. “I do believe your hand is on my posterior.”

Emma chuckled a little and patted the area in question. “Why Mayor Mills, I do believe you’re right.” As she let Regina go and stepped back she drew one hand along until she grasped Regina’s. In a playful gesture Emma then bowed low and drew that hand to her lips to place a tender kiss on Regina’s knuckles.

She didn’t see the darkening of Regina’s eyes in reaction, but she definitely could not miss when Regina surged forward, grabbed Emma by the front of her shirt, and pushed her up against the door for such an intense and heated kiss that it made Emma’s mind go completely blank.

When a flushed and slightly out of breath Regina finally let go and opened the door for her, Emma was wobbly and more than just a little stunned. With a little gentle encouragement the blonde managed to stagger outside and took several unsteady steps, completely unaware of her surroundings, until a quiet chuckle brought some of her awareness back. She turned around to see Regina leaning in the doorway and watching her with such a fond expression it squeezed at her heart a little.

“Goodnight Regina.” Emma called in a wistful and hushed voice, wishing she could just stay.

“Goodnight dear.” That one word, so common in her interactions with Regina from the start, sounded so different now. Emma found she liked it.

Another few steps, more or less taken backwards now, and then Emma’s mind caught up with her a bit better. “Regina? Will you call me tomorrow?”

The dark-haired woman smiled wider and leaned her head against the doorframe. “Of course. Tomorrow then, Emma.”

The woman in question nodded happily and staggered on towards where she had parked her car, still enough in a daze to need a few tries before she managed to unlock the door much less get herself into the driver’s seat. Regina looked on with affectionate amusement until the little yellow car finally made its way down the street before doing her nightly rounds of making sure everything was properly locked and the lights were all turned off.

Some time later Regina Mills, the illustrious Mayor of Storybrooke, could be found asleep while propped up in her silken sheets, an old romance novel carelessly tossed beside her on the bed and a small, gold-coloured box still carefully clutched to her chest.

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Monday morning found the Mayor curiously reluctant to focus on her job. Regina had settled in with her paperwork as usual, but found herself drifting every so often to thoughts of the last couple of days and a certain sheriff. In between signing forms and taking early phone calls, she found herself in something of a daze, and what was worse, her secretary noticed.

The woman had not breathed a word that did not pertain to work, and yet Regina was seriously considering putting the fear of god into her all the same... just as soon as the strangely distracting and pleasant mood had passed. She didn’t quite get the chance as in between signing one pile of papers and the next, Regina’s secretary disappeared and reappeared at her door, looking as if she was already fearing for her life.

In her arms she carried a rather large bouquet.

“Erm, Madam Mayor? This came for you.” The woman stammered somewhat nervously, flinching as Regina dropped the pen in her hand in surprise. “They came by special delivery.”

Regina never even noticed that the pen rolled away from her.

The skittish secretary placed the bouquet in Regina’s arms and mumbled something indistinct which could be taken in whatever way her impressive and occasionally quite scary employer wished, and fled the room as quickly as she could without outright running. Regina paid her no attention, gingerly handling the white-wrapped flowers as if they would shatter from too careless treatment.

There was no card, but unless the flowers turned into an armful of snakes upon opening the wrapping there was really only one person in Storybrooke that could have sent them. Well, actually, Regina did occasionally receive floral arrangements from various members of city council or local businesses that wished to ingratiate themselves, however this... was different. It felt different, personal.

The paper came away to reveal an arrangement of deep red roses with a smattering of baby’s breath. Something inside ached with a number of unfamiliar or long forgotten emotions and made Regina simply gaze at the flowers, gently touching their petals, for a long moment before she finally roused herself enough to locate a vase.

She placed them on her desk, something that would otherwise have been unheard of, where she could continue to look at them at her leisure. It amused her to note that there were neither a dozen red roses nor half a dozen, but exactly ten of them. How very Emma.

The smirk that was half-formed upon her lips transformed into a softer, gentler expression.

Such a charming gesture, and one that deserved reciprocation. It made Regina feel better about her little... whim... this morning, although it also called for something more, something with a bit more... flair.

The piles of paperwork were ignored as Regina, with sparkling eyes and a smile playing at her lips, reached over her desk with a rather specific item in mind.

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Emma tossed her leather jacket across the room while dropping herself into the chair at her desk, already feeling a bit tired. Storybrooke was a fairly peaceful town all considered, there were a few troublemakers, sure, but they weren’t many and usually more or less well behaved, so being a Sheriff wasn’t that bad of a job. Of course that generally meant that the real evil was simply too cunning and too manipulative to leave anything that might get him caught, in Emma’s opinion, but Emma liked to look at the bright side.

After a weekend or holiday of any sort though, there was the dreaded paperwork to handle, plus to be Sheriff in this town meant to be at the beck and call of not only the Mayor, which to be honest Emma no longer minded, but everyone that had any sort of matter large or small with which they did not want to deal themselves. Frankly most of what Emma did in the average workday, apart from spending time either with Regina or at Granny’s, amounted to things that in another town would never be brought to police attention.

Not that Emma minded being called out when Mary Margaret needed help to remove a bird’s nest from the chimney at the school, or when Granny needed someone to chop a few logs or when Pongo had chased someone’s cat up a tree. Even dealing with the town drunks were an amiable thing, in particular Leroy whom she tended to round up on a weekly basis.

But while some days where idle enough to drive her crazy, busy days were really busy. Emma, being only one person, occasionally got tired when lunchtime came around and she just wanted to get the chance to scrounge up a meal from one of the fast-food places available, and maybe some peace and quiet in which to eat it.

This day Emma did not relish the fact that she was already tired and still had to make her food run, but she figured a little breather at her desk and then she would drag her sorry behind over to Granny’s to see what Ruby had to offer.

There were bags on her desk. Two of them, plain brown, and neither had been there when Emma left the station earlier that morning.

Emma eyed the bags with weary caution, only just keeping herself from grabbing for that gun that came with her glamorous new job. In this town, you just never knew, and maybe she had been too hasty in thinking that most of the Storybrooke troublemakers were harmless. She poked at one of the bags, and waited.

Nothing.

No hissing, no explosions, nothing. Emboldened, Emma opened the larger bag.

A warm and appetizing scent spread from the opened bag and made Emma’s stomach make itself heard, loudly. Too surprised, and frankly hungry, Emma forgot to be careful and tore open the bag in her hand. A plastic food container, still warm, a bread roll, and a set of eating utensils wrapped in a paper napkin. The container couldn’t quite keep the scent of the food in, and Emma’s stomach rumbled some more.

Smiling delightedly at the find, it did briefly occur to Emma that she should probably be suspicious of this gift, but to be honest she had a pretty good hunch who the thoughtful individual that decided to feed the starving Sheriff might be. She peeked into the second bag.

A large coffee, still warm enough, a note, and one rather particular blood red apple.

Emma felt something sting at her eyes. She tried to blink it away as she set out the container, the bread and the coffee in front of her, ready to dig in, and picked up the note. It was simple and short, written in Regina’s unmistakable elegant cursive writing.

That appalling and greasy take-out food is unhealthy for you dear, you really should endeavour to eat better once in a while.

It was not signed, but it didn’t need to be. Emma grinned and carefully lay the little note aside, before tucking into her surprise lunch with enthusiasm. She would later blame the fact that her second introduction to Regina Mill’s culinary skills was in no way any less impressive than the first one for the fact that it took until the food and drink was gone, the container all but licked clean, for Emma to find the last little surprise Regina had left her.

She picked up the apple to put it aside while clearing the remains of the paper bags off the desk when she spotted it. Behind the bags a tiny paper object had been hidden, an origami figure in crisp white.

Carefully, reverently Emma picked it up, fighting a lump in her throat as she studied it. In the back of her mind she pictured Regina’s elegant fingers folding the creases, not at all surprised that the other woman had the knowledge and skill to do such a thing. She angled it carefully in awe, trying to see it from all directions.

The small paper figure was a swan.

Dinner for Royals

ONCE UPON A TIME-fanfic. They've been to the movies and now Regina wants to ask Emma out to dinner.
(EMMA/REGINA, SWANQUEEN)

This is the second in a small series of short Swanqueen stories with the name "Royal" in it.

Read Dinner for Royals

Disclaimer: As in the first story, Regina, Emma, Henry and everyone else in “Once Upon A Time” all belong to a bunch of people, among them probably ABC and Disney if I understand it all correctly. Either way they are not mine, and I’m just borrowing them for a little bit of Swanqueen.


This is the sequel to “Royal Movie Night”.
A small note of interest (perhaps): in my stories Regina drives a four-door Mercedes sedan rather than a two-door sports model of the same.
Also, as I write these stories I’ve only watched the first 11 episodes, and yes, Vanessa Devin and her restaurant is something I made up. I’m sure it is pretty obvious why though.






Dinner for Royals
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by Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson




The day after their trip to the movies Emma saw neither Regina nor Henry. Henry was in school, of course, but unfortunately Emma had work to do and couldn’t casually be around either as he got there or when school let out for the day, and he did not drop by at any point during the day to see her.

Emma chose to see this as a good sign, that perhaps he was a little more comfortable around his mother and did not feel the need to run away as soon as Regina’s back was turned to find Emma and plot Operation Cobra. It would have been nice to have some confirmation though.

A bit more disconcerting was the complete and utter absence of irate or at least somewhat snarky Mayors dropping in on Emma in her office or other random places to accuse her of not working. Although she would never say so to Regina, all those casual visits had made Emma wonder just what exactly the good Mayor herself considered to be working for those hard-earned tax dollars, since Regina had the time to stalk Emma at any odd hour during the workday. Because she had oddly enough come to enjoy the visits and the verbal sparring, as long as it did not turn to acidic, she opted not to rock the boat and risk having Regina refrain from showing up to add some variety to what was usually a rather monotone job. Storybrooke was not exactly a hive of scum and villainy, after all.

So no Regina for a whole day made Emma very nervous. Had she gone too far? Had she pushed the prickly woman to a point where Regina decided that no contact was the better course of action? By the end of her shift a permanent frown had taken up residence on Emma’s features, and she had been bouncing her little red rubber ball a bit too aggressively – her in-office entertainment for those dull Regina-less hours – causing even Leroy to comment.

At home Mary Margaret had been concerned, as evidenced by the cup of hot cocoa that found its way into Emma’s hands fairly quickly, and the sweet but absentminded little gesture where Mary Margaret stroked a wayward lock of hair out of Emma’s eyes as she sat down next to her to talk.

It happened a little more frequently lately, these tiny maternal gestures from Mary Margaret that the other woman seemed unaware of but that Emma was very conscious of. She didn’t say anything about it though, as embarrassing as it was all things considered, there was this tiny part of Emma that was that lonely and abandoned child longing for a mother’s love, that soaked up these moments. As long as Mary Margaret was unaware of what she was doing, Emma would fight down the blush and just allow it. It was probably just some habit from being a teacher of young children on Mary Margaret’s part, really, no need to go reading into it further.

They had both been a bit too awkward to really talk about what was bothering Emma though. The previous evening, when Emma had come home after an outing which Mary Margaret was well aware of were with Regina and Henry, wearing a clear imprint of lipstick on her cheek, had been embarrassing for both of them.

All of a sudden Mary Margaret had grabbed Emma’s face and turned her to the side, staring at her with huge, almost bulging eyes. “E-emma? What...” Was all she had managed to choke out before Emma realized what had caught her attention, and, unfortunately, blushed rather badly. She had reached up to wipe at her cheek immediately, but it was too late.

“Lipstick?” A part of Emma had been amazed that Mary Margaret’s voice could hit such shrill tones. “Regina’s lipstick? Emma, what is going on?”

From her reaction you would think Emma had come home revealing she had been kissed by a tiger or a venomous snake, but Emma hadn’t quite been in the place to appreciate the humour in her situation as it happened. She had been shuffling her feet in embarrassment, glancing at Mary Margaret in worry over how the other woman reacted. It was something of an eye-opener that Mary Margaret’s opinion of her mattered that much.

“She was just saying thank you.” Emma had muttered, not exactly being the most eloquent she had ever been and generally feeling like a teenager again.

“Regina said thank you? With her lips?” Mary Margaret had still held onto Emma’s face, and for some reason Emma had not even thought to dislodge her. “Regina Mills, the Mayor of Storybrooke... that Regina? She kissed you?”

Something of Emma’s normal attitude had reasserted itself then, and she had smirked slightly at her friend. “That’s the only Regina I know.” She had told Mary Margaret blithely. “In fact, that’s the only Regina you know.”

It wasn’t too much of an assumption on Emma’s part to say that, in fact Emma reminded herself once again to ask Regina at some point if there had been a massive gas leak or a chemical spill of some kind in Storybrooke before Regina became Mayor, because clearly something had badly affected the memory of just about everybody in town at a certain point in the past. She had been meaning to bring it up with Regina because Emma figured she would be the only person to actually know, but she was always sidetracked whenever in the other woman’s presence.

The attitude change had done the trick, and Mary Margaret had let go of Emma’s face to giggle and blush a little, looking a good deal more like her usual self. She then handed Emma a handkerchief, whisked apparently out of nowhere, and looked on with obvious affection and concern as Emma wiped at her cheek. “Oh Emma. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Emma had followed her impulse for once at that, and gently enveloped the smaller woman in a hug. Mary Margaret had hugged back, and it had felt nice, nice enough that Emma had admitted in a quiet tone that she really didn’t. “I haven’t a clue, Mary Margaret.” She muttered over the other woman’s shoulder. “But we have Henry together, and underneath all that defensiveness I really rather like Regina. She and I aren’t that dissimilar, you know?”

She’d hesitated before continuing in a voice she cursed herself for because it made her sound so young and confused. “It isn’t bad, is it? To want to be a part of their lives?”

“Of course not, sweetie.” Mary Margaret had reassured, letting Emma go so that she could pet her hair instead. Both the tone of voice used and the suspicious sheen of tears in her eyes revealed how emotional the topic had become. “Of course it isn’t.”

There was a flash of determination in Mary Margaret’s eyes before she urged them both to get ready for bed that had Emma a bit worried that the usually so timid teacher would actually confront Storybrooke’s Mayor and give her a lecture in treating Emma right. Although the thought was equal parts amusing and amazing, Emma decided that she would keep an eye on Mary Margaret for a while, just to make sure she didn’t get herself into trouble on Emma’s account.

------------------------

The second day after the family outing had Emma plan ways of bumping into Henry, determined if not a little bit desperate to find out how things were with both her son and his other mother. She never got the chance to implement any of the half thought-out plans though.

Storybrooke’s Mayor came sweeping into the Sheriff’s office as if she owned it, nothing unusual there, but there was a distinctive lack of biting commentary to go along with it. That was pretty much unheard of, and to make things even more eerie, Regina seemed to be avoiding eye contact. To properly intimidate someone and verbally rip them to shreds, eye contact, a complete disregard for personal space or tact were all clearly required, as Emma had learned from earlier confrontations, and this time Regina did not seem to consider either of these things.

It didn’t really occur to Emma that the big, beaming smile she sported upon seeing the other woman might have something to do with the unusual behaviour.

“Regina.” Emma exclaimed happily and jumped up to perch at the edge of her desk, mutely offering Regina the chair she’d just vacated. “How nice to see you.”

Regina’s eyes darted to Emma’s face at that, her expression fairly incredulous, before darting away. The chair was ignored. “Sheriff... no, miss Swan...”

“Oh,” Emma said, her enthusiasm fading a little. “Is this an official visit?”

Dark brown eyes looked at her strangely again, before Regina actually sighed.

“No, dear.” A smirk twitched at Regina’s lips, but it seemed more amused than anything else. However whether it was with Emma or Regina herself was anybody’s guess. “This isn’t an official visit.” She cleared her throat delicately and strayed to the other side of the desk, one gloved hand lightly trailing the edge.

“Oh?” Emma turned to continue watching her, pleased again. “In that case, what can I do for you Regina?”

“I was... wondering...” Regina continued with some difficulty, even frowning a little when the words seemed to take a bit too long to move past her lips. “if you would care to... join Henry and I for dinner. This evening?”

“I’d love to!” Emma exclaimed and jumped down from the desk. She knew she was a bit too eager but couldn’t quite stop herself. “When and where? Or, that’s right, I promised to take you out, so we could do that if you’d rather?”

Then she frowned and put a hand up to her chin, thinking. “Huh. As much as I like Granny’s it isn’t quite the type of place I’d take someone to, not to mention that I’m not sure what they have on the menu for dinner. But what else is there in Storybrooke?”

A quiet chuckle from Regina interrupted Emma’s musing out loud.

“Contrary to what you might believe, dear, Granny does not own monopoly on the small businesses in town. There are other venues, I assure you... even a restaurant that is well worth a visit when you are in the mood for fine dining.”

Emma smiled sheepishly and scratched a bit at the back of her head. “Really? Yeah, I guess I haven’t checked out any other food place yet. When I’m not eating with Mary Margaret I just go over to Granny’s.”

“In no small measure due to the waitress there, I presume.” Regina muttered somewhat under her breath, and if Emma had been a bit less awkward and inclined to study her own boots at that moment, she would have recognized the narrowing and the flashing of dark eyes as a dangerous sign.

“You mean Ruby? Huh, well, I suppose so?” A little confused as to what the question really was, Emma answered while still trying to figure it out. She was somewhat distracted by the slight twitching in one elegant eyebrow though. “Its kind of nice to go where everybody knows you, where people will stop to chat, and where the waitress knows what your usual order is.”

Something subtly shifted in Regina’s expression, and she turned to slowly saunter towards Emma, her fingers still lightly tracing the desk. Emma found herself desperately hoping that the desk would, for once, actually be clean. She did not want to imagine Regina’s reaction if she left the room to find that the fingers of her undoubtedly expensive black gloves where covered in dust.

“Pray tell,” The Mayor of Storybrooke purred slowly with a touch of suggestiveness that made Emma swallow hard as her throat suddenly went dry. “what is your usual order... Emma?”

The gloved hand continued its journey and as Regina spoke it moved from the desk to the arm of Emma’s red leather jacket, coming to a halt high upon a lapel when Emma’s name was spoken.

“Hot chocolate with cinnamon?” Emma’s voice squeaked a little, to her embarrassment. Her wide eyes locked with brown ones and something happened.

Realization.

They were standing far too close, staring deeply into each other’s eyes, with Regina’s hand pressed against Emma’s upper chest. There had been flirtation just now, in the words spoken and in how Regina acted, and they both seemed equally stunned by that.

There was a tremor, though Emma couldn’t say whether it came from Regina or herself, and a tilting. A leaning in, a drowning in those dark eyes. Emma felt the faintest of breaths ghost over her lips, and then...

A door slammed elsewhere in the building.

Emma and Regina flew apart, almost to opposite ends of the room, and Regina spun around so that her back was facing Emma’s way. Someone called out for the Sheriff, and heavy footsteps made their way towards the office.

“It appears that you have some business to attend to.” Regina told the air over her shoulder while aiming for the door herself. “I shall leave you too it then, Sheriff.”

“Regina!” Emma gasped, raising her hand as if she could reach for the other woman. “What about...”

Regina stopped with one hand on the handle. She glanced over her shoulder at Emma, and even in that partial profile it was plain to see that Regina was rattled. A faint blush dusted her cheeks and there was something almost frightened in her eyes.

Then their eyes met and something in Regina’s softened, grew warmer.

“Tonight, at the Crown and Trident. I’ll make the reservations and text you the time and place to meet.” One of Regina’s brows rose teasingly as the faintest trace of a smirk returned to her lips. “I trust you can find your way there...” Her voice dropped in tone into something purring and rather seductive on the last word, almost despite herself it seemed. “...Sheriff.”

With that Regina disappeared, leaving Emma to stare transfixed at the door in her wake.

------------------------

When Emma had, in an utterly failed attempt at being casual, told Mary Margaret where and with whom she was to have dinner, the brunette had paled and almost choked on her own tongue. Once the bout of sudden coughing was done, Mary Margaret had stared at Emma for a long moment with an intensity that had Emma squirming uncomfortably before she let up.

After Mary Margaret was told exactly when this dinner was to take place, the timid schoolteacher was replaced by a squeaking and squealing whirlwind. She almost yanked Emma’s arm off, or so the blonde thought, in first charging what passed as Emma’s wardrobe and then her own. Emma was very confused, and said so.

“The Crown and Trident isn’t just any old restaurant, Emma.” The breathless Mary Margaret informed her, a strange sheen to her eyes as she rifled through her clothes and threw several items onto her bed. “You might not think it, considering Storybrooke is such a small place, but that restaurant is really high end. The Mayor goes there for all her fancy dinner meetings, but most of us ordinary folks only ever go there for special occasions.” Emma dodged a pair of pants flying past as Mary Margaret dug deeper into her closet. “I’ve only ever been there once...” She stopped and gave Emma another curiously sparkling look. “Their seafood is to die for!”

“Anyway, although they don’t officially have a dress code, well, people have been known to be refused to eat there if they’re not up to standards, so to speak.” Another, slightly more evaluating look at Emma. “Don’t worry though, I’ll come up with something.” Before Emma was about to ask just exactly what that meant, Mary Margaret shooed her out of the room. “What are you standing around for? Hurry, go shower and get ready! I’ll get the clothes sorted, now go!”

And while grumping quietly to herself that she did know how to dress herself, and that she could dress up if she wanted to – well maybe not, most of her clothes weren’t actually in Storybrooke yet – Emma obeyed. If nothing else letting Mary Margaret put together her outfit and fix up her hair and makeup seemed to have worked well last time. Emma had faith in the other woman’s skills.

When she entered the restaurant, for a moment a bit stunned that this was still Storybrooke, Emma felt slightly less confident, and regretted that Mary Margaret had rather meagre means to work with. She still didn’t know which of them actually owned the pair of black slacks she was wearing, and felt that she would have been a lot more comfortable in the shirt she’d once, if indirectly, filched from Regina. Still, Mary Margaret had done wonders with her beat-up old dress shirt, and the black blazer Emma had borrowed was actually quite stylish in her opinion. She was rather glad Mary Margaret had convinced her it wasn’t okay to simply show up in her jeans and the brown leather jacket though.

She was barely through the door when she was asked to give her name, and once she had the scrawny but impeccably dressed man in front of her was quickly replaced by a mountain of a woman whose almost white hair stood in startling contrast to her flawless black tuxedo. She was swiftly ushered to a somewhat secluded table where Regina and Henry waited for her.

Until that moment Emma had been unsure whether Henry would be there or not, and how she would react if he hadn’t been.

The little boy flew up from the table to barrel into her almost as soon as he saw her, but even so Emma did not miss that both of the faces that turned her way when she approached had lit up at the sight of her. It made Emma’s heart beat a bit faster in her chest, and brought a big, uncontrollable smile to her lips.

“Hey kiddo.” She told her son and hugged him back, relishing for that brief moment in the feel of his tiny body in her arms. Every hug she had the fortune to receive was such a gift, and something she not that long ago would never have thought she could have. Then she let him go and looked at the person watching them both from the other side of the table. “Regina.” She never noticed it herself, how her voice and her expression both turned a touch more tender as she greeted the other woman.

Regina, however, did, and melted a little further. “Henry, let Emma sit down now. We’re here to have dinner, remember?”

He obeyed, still smiling happily, and sat down, not really noticing or at least not finding anything to object about how his mothers were lost staring warmly at one another. The tall woman standing next to the table, completely forgotten by all three, certainly did notice the loving looks however, and broke out in an amused smile.

“Madame Mayor,” The woman spoke up with a voice unfortunately made for booming no matter how hard the speaker tried to modulate it, making Emma jump in surprise. “do you and your... companions wish to order,” The polite smile twitched into a smirk briefly, as Regina had stated it was a family dinner. “or shall I return later?”

The usually unflappable Mayor of Storybrooke looked a bit bashful for the briefest of moments before she rallied and settled on an expression of amused superiority. “Thank you, Vanessa. Emma, may I introduce you to Vanessa Devin, the proprietor of this fine establishment?” Emma goggled slightly up at the impossibly tall woman, wishing for a moment that she had remained standing. Sitting down she felt like she was the size of Henry. “Vanessa, this is Emma Swan.”

“Co-owner, madame, please. Let us not break my poor brother’s heart by forgetting him.” Vanessa boomed and smiled, inclining her white head at Emma in a surprisingly regal-looking gesture. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sheriff Swan. I have of course heard much about you.”

“Likewise, um, Vanessa?” A quick glance at Regina as she hesitated gave Emma an encouraging look, and a subtle gesture to go on. “While I haven’t had the pleasure of coming here before, I have been told by a very reliable source that the seafood here is to die for. So I know I’m in for a rare treat.”

Apparently this was the right thing to say, as the giant woman beamed happily and nodded several times. “Good! Good!” Vanessa once again spoke just a touch too loudly for her own establishment and turned towards Regina. “Shall I leave you to consider the menu, or do you wish to order the usual?”

Regina rather pointedly confiscated the only menu at the table from in front of Emma and handed it to Vanessa. “The usual, please. You never disappoint.” She shared a smile with Vanessa before the tall woman inclined her head and disappeared, presumably to the kitchen to inform the chef of whatever Regina had just ordered for the three of them.

“Impressive woman.” Emma muttered quietly at Regina, still feeling a bit short. “Don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that tall before.”

“Vanessa is really nice.” Henry informed her, apparently not even slightly intimidated. “She always gives me extra dessert. And it is cool how she dyes her hair white.”

“Yes...” Regina murmured discreetly, not entirely managing to hide her amusement at Emma’s reaction. “Vanessa is nice, but often misunderstood. People tend to be intimidated by her and her brother.” Regina’s eyes met Emma’s with a slight warning. “She is not a woman to cross, however.” She turned to Henry with a fond look. “And it is ‘bleaches’, Henry. Vanessa bleaches her hair white.”

Emma absorbed the information and nodded to show that she understood the warning. She couldn’t imagine why she’d ever do anything to offend the restauranter, but then again this was Storybrooke. Anything and everything could happen, and apparently there were more potentially dangerous people here than she had initially thought.

“Out of curiosity, what did we just order?” Emma asked playfully, not willing to linger on such thoughts when she was finally with Regina and their son. “Incidentally, I think I was supposed to take you out, not the other way around.”

That earned her a smile from Regina and a little giggle from Henry.

“It depends. We just ordered the best full course menu the kitchen can come up with today, and that rarely repeats. It never fails to be perfectly delicious however, so unless you have any dietary compunctions I doubt you will be disappointed.” Regina eyed Emma a little and then leaned forward slightly to continue in a conspiratorial tone directed at both Emma and their son. “I only ever order from the menu here if I am on official business and really do not care for the company I am forced to keep.”

There was another little giggle from the boy and an amused snort from Emma in reply to that, and for a moment both women were content to just bask in this little moment of shared and familial warmth.

“Well,” Emma said after a moment, a smile still lingering on her lips. “I have no food allergies and I’m willing to try just about anything once.” Regina smirked a little more at that but Emma leaned over towards Henry and ignored her. “I’ve even eaten snails, eugh.” She pretended to shudder in disgust to amuse the boy.

“Indeed? I trust you refer to escargot and not some juvenile attempt at ingesting the garden variety?” Regina hummed teasingly but also filed the information away for later. No food allergies, and a willingness to try anything once? How promising.

Emma smiled wryly. “Yeah, escargot. The garden snails have been safe from me so far in my life, not that it hasn’t been touch and go once or twice. And contrary to what certain people think of me, I’m not entirely unfamiliar with fine dining or dressing up.” Her lips twitched a little. “Boston is just a little bit bigger than Storybrooke, actually.”

Regina took a small sip of water and eyed Emma. “Mary Margaret?” The question was simple, and neutral.

“Yeah.” Emma sighed a little, but it was an amused and affectionate sound somehow. “She’s the one that told me about the seafood. She almost salivated talking about the one time she’s been here, so I’m thinking it will be impressive.”

“I see.” Regina had suspected as much, she doubted very much Ruby would sing praises for this place, if indeed the scantily clad young woman had ever been allowed in. “And did Mary Margaret... dress you again?” Once again there was a strange glint in Regina’s eyes that Emma missed.

“Oh yeah.” Emma chuckled a little. “What you see before you is the result of Mary Margaret’s hard work and our combined wardrobes. I actually don’t know which one of us owns these pants.” She shook her head. “Not sure if I should be insulted that she thinks I’m incapable of dressing up on my own, but then again its true that I don’t have much clothes here yet.”

“My... compliments to Mary Margaret then.” Regina murmured while her eyes passed over every visible bit of Emma Swan slowly enough to make Emma’s ears burn. “You look quite striking tonight.”

Feeling just a bit shy and awkward, as well as sending a thankful thought to Mary Margaret, Emma returned the slow inspection. She hadn’t dared to let herself look too closely before, because even though Regina’s discreetly shimmering grey dress was modest, showing not a hint of cleavage, the banding covering her shoulders but leaving her arms bare and otherwise being a simple, slim design, the way the brunette wore it with effortless elegance did funny things to Emma’s insides. “And you look... stunningly beautiful, Regina.”

Black eyes locked with green, and the intensity of them had Emma’s breath hitch. It was undoubtedly dangerous how one look from Regina could make her mind go blank, and make Emma aware of nothing but that ache inside.

“Yeah mom, you look beautiful!” Henry’s cheerful voice cut the moment and caused both of his mothers to blush slightly and look at anything but one another. Too young to notice he just beamed at them as Regina thanked him for the compliment.

Struggling for a good long while to find something to talk about, something safe preferably, Emma finally recalled what she had been talking about before she had gotten sidetracked by Regina’s looks. “Speaking of clothes, the lease on my apartment is coming up soon. I’ll have to go to Boston sometime next week or the week after that.”

Noticing how the happy smile was quickly replaced by a wide-eyed and worried look on her son’s face, Emma blinked and reached out to take his hand, reassuring him. “No kiddo, I’m not leaving town for more than a day, then I’ll be right back.” She looked over at Regina, but to her surprise the other woman was watching her with a worried expression as well. “I just need to get my stuff into storage and to sign some things.”

“I’m going to take the opportunity to bring more of my clothes back here with me while I’m there.” She frowned a little, trying to figure out the logistics of that. She didn’t have much, certainly, but it would still be a hard if not impossible task for her bug. “Regina, do you think it would be possible for me to borrow the sheriff’s car for the day? Naturally I’d be paying for the gas and all myself.”

Regina watched her silently for a moment, in an evaluating way that made Emma feel as if the other woman was considering whether or not Emma would in fact skip town. “I think,” Regina said eventually, her words a bit slower than usual. “that perhaps it would be best if you take my car. It would be safer.”

“You’re not leaving?” Henry asked, needing more reassurance. Emma smiled and gave him a sideways hug.

“No honey, I’m not leaving. I just need to settle things in Boston and get some of my stuff. Can’t rely on Mary Margaret’s wardrobe all the time, right?”

“And if she does not return while in possession of my car she knows she’ll be wanted by the police for theft.” Regina added calmly in an odd sort of reassurance for her son.

Normally Emma would have bristled at the implied threat, but she had gotten to know Regina better lately and realized that this was Regina’s way of making sure Emma would not disappear from their lives. The fact that Regina had gone from wanting to get Emma out of town in any way possible to going out of her way to come up with, frankly rather silly, ways to make sure she stayed meant a lot. Regina wanting Emma to stick around meant a lot. Emma grinned at Regina as she straightened in her chair.

“If you’re only going to be gone for a day, can I come?” Eager again now that his worries had been cleared, Henry spoke fast. “And why don’t you bring your stuff here? Get it into storage here in Storybrooke?”

“No kiddo, it’ll be a long, exhausting day, and you’ve got school.” She smiled at him and had to keep herself from ruffling his hair. “And as for putting my things into storage here...” Emma sighed a bit and looked at Regina. “It’d take a day or two at the most, and then there would be a very localized but thorough fire.”

Regina looked startled and just a little upset at that. “I hope you are not suggesting that I...”

Emma interrupted her by reaching over to take one of Regina’s hands into her own. “No.” She said calmly and with conviction. “Not you, Regina. But there are others in this town that’d love to rip through my things in the hopes of finding something, anything they could use.” She wondered if Regina was aware of how her fingers curled up to lightly hold Emma’s hand in place, but either way it was nice. “A fire or an explosion would pretty much be a given.”

Despite the fact that she would have been perfectly happy to continue sitting there holding Regina’s hand, Emma was forced to let go as waiters finally came to serve them the first set of dishes.

------------------------

When they finally made their way out of the restaurant it was later than either had expected. The food had, much as Regina and Mary Margaret both had suggested, been spectacular, and in their reluctance to end the very pleasant evening both women had lingered, long enough in fact that Henry had managed to sneak himself a small second dessert. They could only drag it out for so long however, and full and content they eventually had to venture into the cooling evening air.

Emma regretted that they both had driven to the restaurant, wishing she could have stolen a few more moments with Regina and their son by walking them home, but not even in Storybrooke could one walk everywhere. She had to settle for walking them to their car.

“I wish you could come home with us.” Henry said as he hugged Emma tight. She hugged him back but didn’t say anything as she wasn’t sure just what she could say. As absurd as it seemed all things considered, Emma really wanted to go home with them. But it wasn’t a reasonable request to make on her part, and it wasn’t her call.

“It’s late, Henry.” Regina told her son gently, but shifted her focus to Emma as she continued, something a little bashful in her voice. “Perhaps Emma would like to join us for dinner the day after tomorrow, though? At home?”

“Yes!” The boy didn’t wait for Emma’s answer, he lit up at the prospect and hugged her once more before charging Regina, giving her a hug as well. “Thanks mom!”

The smile on Regina’s face as she hugged her son back was beautiful and loving, and brought a lump to Emma’s throat. She ran her hand through Henry’s hair before letting him go. “Why don’t you go get into the car while I speak to Emma?”

With a smile and an obedient nod the boy did as told, leaving his mothers to a brief moment of somewhat private conversation.

It took Regina a moment to find her voice, but Emma was too mesmerized with how the wind blew a lock of hair to cross Regina’s face, and the curiously feminine little gesture that pulled it back in place, to notice. “So...” Regina asked somewhat awkwardly. “you did not answer. Will you come over for dinner on Sunday?”

“I’d love to, Regina.” Without really meaning to Emma took a step closer. “If I’m not imposing?”

Regina smiled, far more confident now. “Of course not. But beware...” She added playfully. “I will be cooking.”

“That sounds really great.” Without really noticing it Emma had reached out and taken Regina’s hand. “Should I bring anything?”

“Just yourself.” The happy smile directed her way did strange things to Emma’s heart, and it was amazing that Regina would look so pleased that Emma had said yes to the invitation.

Grabbing hold of her guts with both hands, Emma took the final step to get in close to Regina. She smiled at her, perhaps a bit more tenderly than Emma herself was even aware of, causing Regina’s eyes to widen, and brought her free hand up to Regina’s face.

“Thank you so much for tonight, Regina.” She said quietly, her voice warm. “I had a wonderful time.”

And then Emma Swan leaned in and pressed her lips to Regina’s cheek, dangerously close to the corner of her mouth.

She held the kiss for a moment longer than what was entirely appropriate, before finally letting Regina go and stepping back. With her heart thundering in her ears and an embarrassed heat spreading slowly to her cheeks, made all the worse as Emma caught sight of Henry grinning widely at his mothers from inside the car, Emma smiled sheepishly and scratched at her neck.

In a gesture similar to the one Emma herself had made when the situation was the other way around, Regina reached up to touch at her cheek. She looked shy, and longing, as those dark eyes came back up to meet Emma’s again. The slow, lopsided smile appearing reassured Emma that she had not gone too far.

“Goodnight, Emma.” Regina purred, and then quickly walked over to get into her car.

“Goodnight Regina.” Emma managed before Regina closed her door, unaware of just how lovestruck she sounded. Regina heard it however, and flushed as their son giggled and waved his own goodbye to Emma.

A little embarrassed now at her rather bold move, Emma quickly trotted off to find her yellow bug. As she got behind the wheel and started the car she was touched and a bit charmed to see that Regina had waited for her to get safely inside the car, and gotten the car started, before she drove off herself. It was thoughtful, even if Emma was a woman who could take care of herself, not to mention that she was actually the law in this little town.

Thoughtful, and sweet.

And it almost made Mary Margaret faint when Emma told her about it.

Royal Movie Night

ONCE UPON A TIME-fanfic. Emma approaches Regina about taking Henry to see a movie.
(EMMA/REGINA, SWANQUEEN)

This is the first part in a small series of short Swanqueen stories with the name "Royal" in it.

Read Royal Movie Night

Disclaimer: Regina, Emma, Henry and everyone else in Storybrooke all belong to... actually, I don’t know, but I think ABC and Disney are some of those that own the rights to “Once Upon A Time”. Either way they are not mine, but I’m just borrowing them for that little bit of Swanqueen that sadly we are unlikely to really get on the show... even though we should. ;)

Small note of interest (perhaps): in my stories Regina drives a four-door Mercedes sedan rather than a two-door sports model of the same.




Royal Movie Night
-----------------------------------------------------------
by Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson




Being the Mayor of Storybrooke was perhaps not high on the scale of prestige in the eyes of the world at large, but in the rather closed-off community of Storybrooke itself, well, the Mayor did rule supreme. And being the uncrowned ruler of all she surveyed did come with its perks, the fearful respect of her subjects but one of them.

So when Regina’s workday was interrupted by a brief, brisk knock at her door, followed by that door opening before Regina had in any way indicated that the supplicant was allowed to step into her domain, or office if you please, it was somewhat startling. What was less startling, if marginally, was that the person barging in uninvited was one Emma Swan.

Of course. The irrepressibly rude woman was the only one in Storybrooke that did not instinctively cower before Regina, not to mention generally lacking any trace of normal social graces and good manners. Honestly, was it so hard to simply wait the few seconds it would take to be told to come in? Most likely the woman was out to annoy her in any small way she could, again. But this time Regina would be cool and collected, and not allow herself to be baited.

“Is this official business or personal?” She asked calmly, arching a well-manicured brow at the blonde that shuffled in while hands returning to her pockets where they tended to live out their lives. Regina was perfectly civil, although she barely deigned a glance at the Sheriff as she finished writing on the paper in front of her before filing it and putting her writing utensil away. Anyone that thought to barge in unasked could very well wait until she was finished.

“Erm, personal?” Emma sounded sheepish as she replied, shuffling over to the window to sway oddly in front of it in a restless way that really should have bothered Regina more. What also should have bothered Regina was how the reply came out sounding as a question instead of a statement, usually she disliked people that did not have a firm grasp on what they were saying or what they wanted.

Instead she was, reluctantly, intrigued. Emma was always a worthy adversary in that her will and determination matched Regina’s own, and she was not usually one to hesitate much.

“I see.” Regina glanced at the subtly rocking woman as she feigned taking a bit longer with her papers than was strictly necessary. Her interest in the uncharacteristic behaviour took a slight detour as her eyes caught on something else which, also reluctantly, intrigued her... the snugness of Emma Swan’s clearly painted-on jeans. She forced herself to blink and look away.

“In that case, miss Swan...” She blamed her unusual distraction and the unnatural shapeliness of the other woman’s backside in those accursed jeans for the lack of acid in her voice. “I take it this is about Henry?”

It was not a hard guess to make. Official business meant that the two of them yelled at each other over Storybrooke matters, and that they were Madam Mayor and Sheriff Swan. Personal business meant that the two of them yelled at each other over Henry, and were Regina and miss Swan, or occasionally ‘my dear’.

“Well, yeah.” Emma turned from the window and flashed a lopsided grin at Regina, whom in turn lost track of the snarky or possibly haughty remark that she had been about to make.

To make it worse the impossible woman shrugged a little and then, with a familiarity that would have been outrageous if Regina could have collected her thoughts enough to come to that conclusion, seated herself on Regina’s desk.

On Regina’s desk.
In all fairness Regina was too shocked to react other than stare mutely at this, unintentionally giving Emma all the time needed to say what she wanted to.

“See, I kinda want to take him to the movies, which as you know we don’t have here in Storybrooke.” Emma swung her feet slightly, most likely without meaning to, causing Regina’s wide eyes to track to them without fail, until the blonde scratched her head in a sheepish gesture that then had all of Regina’s attention. “It’s a kid’s movie, animated but not Disney or about princesses and fairytales, I promise. It’s fantasy, I guess, and based on some book or something, but no fairytales. Honest.” Emma locked eyes with Regina. “So, what do you think? Would that be okay?”

Regina blinked at the woman who looked far too earnest and was far, far too close. Her lips moved but no words came out. Thankfully Emma did not appear to notice.

“I know it’s a bit of a drive, but I figure if we go right after Henry gets out of school we’ll get there in time to get something to eat before the movie starts, and then we’d be back again with plenty of time to spare before he needs to get ready for bed.” Emma turned even more towards Regina and leaned forwards, sending a very small and very brief wave of panic over Regina who had to resist leaning back herself, or worse, blush.

Emma’s voice dropped a bit and her expression turned a touch more serious. “I figure it could be a good thing too, showing him that you can in fact leave Storybrooke without disaster striking. I mean, I know it won’t really convince him that the curse isn’t real, but it would be one more little piece of ‘evidence’ against it, and one day that can make a difference.”

“I... see.” Regina said once more, returning to what felt more like herself and ignoring the other woman’s close proximity, the tightness of her clothes, or the open and curiously attractive body language she would sometimes have. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she bored her gaze into Emma’s skull. “You would do this to dissuade Henry of his... fairytale obsession?” A touch of contempt crept back into her voice. “Considering that you are the one that supports his delusions the most, miss Swan, I find that hard to believe.”

Emma sighed and leaned forward a bit further, causing Regina’s newly regained composure to falter and a slight touch of heat to creep up her cheeks. “Look, Regina, you know as well as I do that outright denying what he believes in won’t do a thing but alienate him. Not only does doctor Hopper advise against it, but if I did outright cut his fantasies down, then neither of us will have any idea where he goes or what he’s up to as he ‘fights’ the curse.”

Dark brown eyes bored into green. There was an undeniable truth to Emma’s words, and to be honest Regina was aware that Emma herself did not believe in Henry’s talk of fairytales and curses. It was also true that as much as Regina resented Emma for being the one Henry trusted and confided in, the one that was along for all his little adventures, there was also a part of her that were relieved whenever it became clear that her missing son was with Emma, because that meant that whatever insanity went down he would not be physically harmed. Emma would not allow their son to be hurt. Emma was the only being in this or any world that Regina would trust with the safety of her baby, not that she could or would ever admit as much.

Her son, hers!

Jealousy flared, along with hurt. The arrogance of this woman! To think that Regina was stupid enough to what, simply smile and say, ‘oh certainly, do go ahead and take my son and drive off so that you can take him away and never return again’?

“How very clever, miss Swan.” She began coolly, a superior smirk on her lips and one perfectly shaped and polished nail tapping lightly in their vicinity in a pantomime of giving thought to Emma’s words. Regina did not fail to notice how those green eyes zeroed in on the movement with an almost hypnotic intensity, and felt a small but hard to place thrill of glee before forcing it down. “But if you think that I will simply let you take my son in that atrocious safety hazard you call a car and...”

“Oh!” Emma interrupted, sounding far too eager for Regina’s liking. “But we could take your car if you want? We could split the drive, I’d drive there and you could drive back?”

All thought came to a screeching halt before plummeting helplessly in an entirely new direction, with Regina scrambling to catch up and make some kind of orderly sense out of things. “I...” She began and faltered right away, blinking at Emma. “My car? I’ll drive?”

“Sure, whichever you feel more comfortable with.” Emma agreed happily, completely missing the stunned expression on Regina’s face. “So, when can you go? I mean, if we go after school’s out we won’t have to take a lot of time off from work, but we’ll still have to leave work a bit early. For me that’s not really a problem, barring anything unexpected, so...” Emma leaned in inappropriately close again. “...when would be a good day for you this week?”

This time as Regina stared deeply into Emma’s eyes from far too close, Emma noticed. Blushing slightly Emma got caught up in that dark regard, until they were both locked in that silent but magnetic stare. Neither noticed that they swayed just a little closer to the other.

What was meant to be a brisk knock instead unexpectedly threw the door to Regina’s office open, as Emma had apparently neglected to close it properly earlier, and in the doorway stood Regina’s deeply startled secretary with several folders in one hand and the other raised as if to knock. A little whimper escaped her lips as she took in the two women in the room and the way they were situated, Sheriff Swan sitting on the Mayor’s desk, the Mayor herself placed in between the Sheriff’s knees, and the two of them leaning in close to one another in a very intimate way. As she had not been hired because she was stupid, the secretary quickly did the math and realized that she had just barged in on her fearsome employer in a highly private moment, possibly about to have a quickie with Storybrooke’s female Sheriff in the middle of the workday, she blushed furiously while stammering out fragments of an apology.

“I saw nothing!” She declared loudly at the end of her not quite finished apology, uncharacteristically tossing the folders she had brought onto the nearest surface inside the room so that she could slap one hand across her eyes, firmly, while the other fumbled for the door. As the two other women were still frozen in shock the secretary slammed the door shut, hard, and fled to her own office to hide in terror, hyperventilate, and contemplate writing out her will.

The moment was well and thoroughly broken, and the women at the desk awkwardly put distance between themselves without making eye contact. Regina moved towards the window, her arms coming up to wrap around herself as she tried to make sense of where her thoughts had gone. Emma got up from Regina’s desk and took a few hesitant steps towards the door, her hands briefly yanking on her hair before going into her pockets.

“Erm, so...” Emma cleared her throat nervously. “...about that movie?”

“You... really want me to come with you and Henry?” Regina’s voice was subdued, and between the dusk in the room and the brightness of the day outside her window, her expression was hard to make out. Emma smiled anyway.

There were a lot of things Emma could say to that, a lot of things she wanted to say, but really only one thing that mattered. “Of course.”

Regina turned slightly to ostensibly look out the window, hiding her reaction as she took a moment to reply.

“...tomorrow.” The answer, when it came, was spoken very softly.

“Yes!” Emma exclaimed, perhaps a bit too exuberantly before she caught herself and continued in a more normal tone of voice, however the happy smile was out of her control. “That’s great!” She edged towards the door, a hand already on the handle. “In that case, I’ll come by here tomorrow, Regina.”

With that Emma left, but not before she’d caught sight of the edges of a smile not even the shadows falling over Regina’s face could entirely hide. It was not a smirk, it was not arrogant, haughty nor dangerous, not like any of the smiles those lips had directed Emma’s way during her stay in Storybrooke, and it made the smile on her own lips turn into a grin.

Emma all but skipped down the corridor, slowing only to give a certain secretary’s door a hearty slam and causing the rattled woman inside to emit a high-pitched sound. “Great timing there, thanks!” The blonde shouted at the door, the playful sarcasm lost on the woman hiding on the other side of it, before Sheriff Emma Swan left the building to, presumably, continue her vigilance in keeping Storybrooke safe.

Regina leaned against her window and slightly surprised to hear herself chuckle at Emma’s antics.

“Until tomorrow, then... Emma.”

And the soft little smile lingered, long after the woman that put it there had left.

------------------------

A rather awkward phonecall to a confused and somewhat cautious Mary Margaret that evening while Emma was busy escorting the town drunk to his nightly cell amended the agreement slightly. Instead of meeting at Henry’s school when he was done for the day as implied, Emma met up with Regina and Henry at their home forty minutes later, giving Henry the chance to change and put his school things away before leaving.

Regina compromised somewhat for the drive and their intended activity, trading the skirt she would otherwise have worn for a pair of slacks, and allowing Henry to wear jeans and sneakers along with his pullover and blazer. All in all between makeup and hair and choice of clothing, Regina was rather satisfied that she looked nothing short of perfect. She always did, but this time it was strangely not enough to look simply perfect, although it took until after Emma arrived for her to pinpoint exactly what it was.

Storybrooke’s Sheriff unfolded herself from inside that hideous little yellow car and managed to surprise Regina. As Henry rushed over to hug Emma, Regina took the opportunity to study her more in detail, admiring the clearly new but still impossibly tight black jeans, as well as the stylish black vest that was buttoned over what she was amused to see was her own shirt. Emma’s hair looked as if someone had actually taken the time to work through it with a brush for once, and there were even traces of light makeup visible to Regina’s sharp eyes.

“Wow...” Emma told Regina once she looked up from their son to take in the other woman’s appearance. “You look stunning, Regina.”

Shocked by the strong sense of pleasure and satisfaction, as well as a jolt of happiness and the long forgotten emotion of bashfulness, Regina’s reply was far meeker than intended. “As are you as well... Emma.”

“Thanks!” Emma smiled happily and tugged a bit self-consciously at her hair. “I let Mary Margaret dress me today.”

Regina could feel herself looking at Emma oddly at that statement, which caused the blonde to blink a bit and amend herself. “No, I mean, Mary Margaret helped me pick out what to wear, and the makeup.”

She wasn’t entirely sure what to say about that, as she could not even begin to imagine the kind of desperation it would take to conceive to ask frumpy little Mary Margaret for fashion advice, the clothes Henry’s teacher usually wore were in Regina’s opinion far better suited for some elderly grandmother. However, Emma did indeed look... good. Very good in fact. Regina found some difficulty in wrestling her eyes away from Emma’s denim clad posterior and focus on getting herself behind the wheel of her car.

Regina was a little charmed to see that after complimenting their son on his appearance, Emma ushered him into the backseat with instructions on buckling up safely, and took it upon herself to close his door properly before getting into the passenger seat. Regina glanced over her shoulder at Henry, who gave an embarrassed shrug and a little roll of his eyes, causing her to smirk. Henry was a big boy now, and he had earned the right and the trust, if reluctantly, to seat and buckle himself into a car since he was eight. He would raise a fuss if Regina treated him the way Emma just did, and it did clearly embarrass him that she thought him that much of a ‘baby’, but he didn’t protest it, just shared a look of fond exasperation with his mother.

Perhaps it should have annoyed her a little, that her son would not raise a fuss with Emma the way he would have with her, but instead it amused Regina. The look of shared understanding had warmed her heart as much as watching Emma’s awkward maternal worry for their child had, and frankly she understood that in this case at least, that he wouldn’t protest Emma’s treatment simply meant that no matter how much she was his mother too, Regina was mom.

Satisfied that her son and Emma were buckled in Regina drove them off, listening to the conversation between the two of them with a tense anticipation. Much as she had expected, as Henry realized that they were in fact driving out of Storybrooke, he became increasingly agitated and nervous, which was the reason Regina had told him that they were spending the day with Emma but not specified what they were going to do. As they were almost upon the border Henry’s protests that they could not leave Storybrooke because something bad would happen to them became more frantic, Regina was about to stop the car to take care of her son.

She might be a hard woman in so many ways, but Henry had a firm grasp of her dark heart ever since the first moment she had held him in her arms when he was a mere three weeks old, and she would always respond to her son’s distress. No matter what he currently thought of her, or who came into their lives, she was his mother.

To Regina’s surprise, and not entirely hidden relief, Emma acted first. She turned in her seat so that she could face Henry, and told him in a very serious tone of voice to calm down. She told him that his mother would never ever willingly put him in danger, and that she, Emma, would never do that either. While the somewhat stunned Regina paid far too much attention to Emma and Henry and far too little to the road she was driving on, Emma also explained to their son in a calm way that causing too much of a ruckus in the back of a car was a good way to distract the driver until they in fact caused an accident. Regina snapped her attention back to the road at that, rattled that she might just have put her son at risk unintentionally.

A little smirk found its way to her lips soon though as she noticed where they were. She glanced back at her son in the rear-view mirror, and while displeased he had quieted down and was listening to Emma who was now encouraging him. “Henry?” Her voice gentled a little, instinctively wanting to comfort her baby if he was upset. “Are you alright?”

The boy met her eyes in the mirror and straightened, almost visibly drawing himself together, gathering his composure in a way that was touchingly familiar, and nodded. The smirk became a small smile. “Look out the window. We have already passed the border of Storybrooke.”

Henry and Emma both snapped around to stare through the back window, where the sign marking the edge of their little town just disappeared in the distance as the road they were on swerved. Two sets of green eyes turned to Regina, who finally let herself begin to relax. The dreaded exit from Storybrooke had been far less of a disaster than she had feared, thanks to Emma, and from there on the trip could only get better. In a rare bout of playfulness she started singing that bus song Henry had learned in kindergarten, her son quickly joining in with delight after a stunned moment. Emma stared at Regina long enough to make her feel uncomfortable before she too joined in, causing their son to laugh and demand more songs after the first had been finished.

When they reached their destination Regina felt the drive had not been long at all.

------------------------

“McDonalds!” Henry requested eagerly, bouncing up and down on the sidewalk, his cheeks rosy and his wide eyes trying to take in everything at once. They had only just parked the car and reached the main street, but he already knew where he wanted them to have dinner.

“Hold on, kid, your mom gets to pick where we’re eating.” Emma grinned at Henry and missed Regina’s brief surprise at the continued easy and casual acknowledgement of her as Henry’s mother. “You and I got to pick the movie, so its only fair she gets to pick where to eat... right?”

Henry nodded and turned to Regina, who smiled indulgently at the two of them. She scanned the streets ahead and saw several places she would rather eat than at that greasy fast-food place, and one restaurant in particular she would certainly have liked to go to. But this wasn’t about her. “Weell...” She drew out the word and made a show of choosing, her adorable and beautiful little boy looking at her expectantly. “I suppose that just this once, to celebrate the occasion...” She watched his face light up further as he realized what she was saying, and Regina could no longer hold back her grin. “McDonalds it is.”

“Thanks mom!” Henry cried and rushed forward to impulsively give Regina a hug. She felt the warm pressure of his tiny form for just a moment, and then he was running ahead to where the familiar sign beckoned, shouting over his shoulder for them to hurry.

Regina was frozen in place, her mind running over the last few minutes again and again as her eyes stung and something caused her chest to constrict. When had she gotten a hug from her son last? It was longer than she cared to remember.

A warm hand in hers finally pulled Regina back to the present.

Regina looked down at the hand holding her own, and then up into green eyes that held something remarkable, compassion and understanding. When did anyone, anyone at all, look at her that way?

“Ready to brave grease, noise and heartburn?” Emma said nothing of Regina’s reaction to a simple hug from their son, merely tugged gently at her hand to get them both moving towards where Henry waved before disappearing into the building. “I would have taken you to any of these other restaurants, you know.”

Allowing herself to be tugged along, while pretending she was not at all awkward at the contact and fighting a small blush, Regina mustered a smirk. “Believe it or not, but I have a cast-iron stomach, so I’ll manage.” Remembering her son’s happiness she could not resist adding. “It is worth it, for just this once.”

Emma’s smile was like a ray of sunlight, and equally blinding. “Yeah, well, I survive my own cooking so burgers and fries aren’t a problem.” Green eyes shifted away for a moment and Emma’s free hand found its way to her pocket. “Maybe, if today turns out to be okay, you could consider letting me take you out to a proper restaurant sometime?”

A little confused as to how Emma meant the proposal, not to mention how she herself wanted Emma to mean it, Regina nodded slowly. If things continued as they had so far, she would be more than willing to have another outing with Emma. There was something about spending time together, the three of them, without any animosity between herself and Emma, that stirred a sense of wistful longing in Regina. It felt like...

It felt like... family.

Was she willing to share her son to have this? Was she willing to let down her guard and make herself vulnerable, to trust Emma, in order to keep these family outings, this sense of happy belonging? To keep the blonde smiling and looking at Regina the way she did in just that moment as she gallantly held the door for her?

An informed decision could not be made so hastily, so Regina filed it away for further consideration when she would be alone and at home. Instead she simply allowed herself to experience all she could, walking towards where her eager son had reached the counter with the somehow warm, firm presence of Emma by her side.

------------------------

Coming out of the theatre dusk was settling in, and the cool evening air did wonders for Regina. Henry bounced along a few steps in front of them, somehow just as happy and excited now as he had been going in, still talking about the movie they had just seen, with Emma adding a few comments of her own. It seemed like such a small thing to make him so happy, and she regretted not having thought to make the occasional trip like this with him before.

Glancing at the woman next to her, now laughing at something their son had said, Regina had to admit that it probably wouldn’t have been the same, for any of them, if she had. Emma was a large part in why this evening was a success, and if Regina was completely honest with herself, she rather wanted Emma with them for more evenings like this. The blonde woman who had entered their lives as Regina’s nemesis, a serious threat to the only thing Regina truly loved, and who had been at odds with her unlike anyone ever had before, had turned out, when not baited or antagonized, to be... not so bad.

Sweet, actually. Considerate.

For instance, the movie they had just watched. True to Emma’s word it had not been an insipid Disney story about some helpless princess beset by some wickedly evil queen and finally dashingly saved by the heroic prince, granting an equally insipid and mindless happily ever after for the young lady now that she finally had a proper man to take care of her. Oh no. Instead the centre of the movie had been about children, and, to Regina’s surprise, at least indirectly of the importance of a mother in the life of her child.

For the briefest of moments Regina had felt something like betrayal, just the tiniest sting of it, thinking Emma had chosen this film to point out her importance in Henry’s life. That feeling was quickly washed away with amazement and gratitude when Henry looked away from the screen to look at her, carefully put his popcorn away, and squeeze her hand. He kept his hand there for a while, until the lure of his treats pulled it away, but it was enough for Regina. She looked over his head across to the woman sitting on his other side and was met with a knowing look and a warm smile. Emma nodded slightly before returning her attention to the movie, a pleased look still on her features.

The choice of movie had not been for the benefit of Emma’s connection to Henry, but for Regina’s.

While cautioning Henry to watch where he was going, Regina casually linked her arms with the one of Emma’s closest to her. She enjoyed the startled look the other woman gave her, it was only fair that Regina was not the only one on the receiving end of that experience tonight, and it certainly was not unpleasant, walking so close to the incredibly warm woman as the evening turned chilly.

She watched in silent amusement as Emma repeated the process of securing their son into the car from earlier that day, especially when Henry looked to her for help. Regina simply smiled in response, causing him to giggle but not protest as Emma closed the door for him. She took the wheel herself of course, because while she did trust Emma to consider Henry’s safety, well, she just trusted herself a whole lot more to drive carefully. She had seen Emma drive before, after all.

The conversation about the movie soon petered out as the car started moving, and a glance in the rear-view mirror confirmed that the boy that had been overflowing with energy had fallen asleep. Regina had expected that he would, after such a full day for him, and the motion of the car had always had that effect on him. She could recall the relief when she had discovered that, when Henry was an infant and had gone through a bout of colic and nothing she could come up with would soothe his crying. She had been at her wits end, truly near tears herself, and unfortunately the doctors she had seen had been no help. A comment from a nurse in passing had suggested it, and after that Regina spent many am evening driving through the streets of Storybrooke to rock her little boy to sleep.

Shaking herself out the memories, Regina looked over to the woman beside her. She found Emma looking right back, a faint smile on her lips and something Regina couldn’t read in her expression.

“What are you thinking about?” Emma asked, her voice hushed as not to disturb the boy sleeping in the backseat.

Regina’s eyes returned to the road, but for some reason she couldn’t find it in her to just avoid the question or give some half truth in reply. It was a delicate and sensitive subject between them, certainly, but at the same time... Regina had never had anyone to talk about these things with before, to share the experiences or the things Henry had done when he was younger. No, no-one spoke of personal things with Regina Mills.

So, haltingly and with a touch of hesitation, just in case this would be the thing to ruin what had been such a wonderful day, Regina told Emma what had been on her mind. She spoke of the many suggested household remedies she had tried, and how none of them had worked until she had found that the car actually did. She revealed to Emma how any longer trip in a car was sure to put Henry to sleep still, only they had not been anywhere that required an extended drive in so long that she was sure Henry had forgotten. He did seem so sure that he had not ever been away from Storybrooke other than his trip to Boston to find Emma, after all.

Trying to gauge Emma’s reaction Regina glanced at the blonde, only to find that the other woman had unshed tears in her eyes.

“Wow.” Emma said quietly, her tone full of emotion. “It sounds... you sound amazing. Such a...” Her voice caught slightly. “...a great mom.”

Regina grasped the wheel a bit harder and had to swallow against the lump in her throat. “I...” She began slowly after a moment, not knowing what, if anything, she could possibly say to make things better. “I have... pictures, and home movies... maybe you could... see them, sometime?” She looked at Emma again. “If you wanted to?”

Emma tried to be discreet in rubbing at her eyes and failed miserably, but there was at least a smile on her lips. A tremulous one, as fragile as the longing and grateful look she bestowed upon Regina. “I would, I would like that very much. It sounds... wonderful.” Her voice dropped even lower. “Thank you, Regina. Just... thank you.”

The final part of the drive was done in silence, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable one.

After parking her car Regina moved to gently wake her son so that he could go upstairs and get to bed. Emma intercepted her, patting her arm and indicating the front door. Nodding slightly Regina backed away, readying her keys, and watched as Emma carefully unbuckled Henry and scooped him up in her arms.

“Its been years since I could carry him like that.” Regina said softly to Emma and smiled, noting the somewhat bashful look she was given in response. She unlocked the door and followed Emma who carried Henry to his room, where Regina, with the ease and familiarity of years of doing the same, eased off his shoes and his clothes without waking him up. She tucked his blankets around him and he snuggled into them instinctively.

Relieved of her burden Emma shoved her hands into her pockets and obediently followed Regina as she tiptoed out of the room.

“He’ll probably wake up in a few hours and go brush his teeth, but it shouldn’t hurt him any to go to sleep a bit early today.” Regina confided as they made their way back to the front door.

Emma nodded, and looked a little surprised to see that Regina not only followed her to the door but also outside, albeit really just right outside.

“I really have to thank you for today. Henry had a wonderful time, I expect he will talk of nothing else for days.” They shared a smile at that, before Regina glanced away. “I... had a lovely time also. Thank you Emma.”

With that Regina Mills, feared and respected Mayor of Storybrooke, reached over and placed a soft, lingering kiss on Emma Swan’s cheek.

“Thank you.” She breathed. “And drive safely.”

And then Regina was gone, the door hiding the slight heating of her cheeks as she carefully peeked out the window without being seen. There, still practically on Regina’s doorstep, Emma remained unmoving, only a stunned look on her face and one hand up to touch the cheek Regina had kissed.

Regina couldn’t resist the smile that wanted to claim her lips, and when Emma beamed happily at her door before she turned around and all but skipped over to her car, arms raised in some utterly silly gesture at the night sky, there was no holding it back.

She leaned against the window and allowed it full reign, one hand finding its way up to touch lightly at her heart. There was a warmth there that was unfamiliar.

Regina decided she liked it.