OUAL: Write Me A Story
Just a little ficlet for OUAL. Swan-Mills family stuff, with Emma/Regina bonding.
“Henry! You ready to go?” Emma called up the stairs. Regina shifted in the doorway, and hugged her purse closer to her body.
“Just a sec, ma! Have you seen my shoe?” Emma smiled uncomfortably at Regina and looked around the staircase, reaching down to pull up a single discarded tennis shoe.
“I see you two are settling in quite easily,” Regina said, pursing her lips.
“It’s not-“
“Thanks, ma!” Henry ran down the stairs and took the shoe from his mother’s hand, sitting down to put it on. Looking up as he tied the laces, he smiled at Regina. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Madam Mayor.”
Regina’s smile faltered and she shook her head. “Please, Henry, call me Regina.” She looked up and met Emma’s eyes, soft in their sympathy. “Are you ready to go?”
Henry nodded, and stood up, taking his jacket from the hook by the door. “See ya later, ma.” Emma nodded, and Henry dashed through the door. As Regina started to follow, Emma reached out, and snagged her arm gently.
“Regina,” she started.
“Be careful with him, yes I know. I promise he’ll be fine,” she said shortly.
Emma dropped her hand and stuffed her fingers in her pockets, shrugging. Head tilted down, she said quietly, “No, I just,” she sighed, “give me a call if it’s too hard, or whatever.”
Regina watched her closely for a moment before her face softened and she offered Emma a sincere smile. “I will,” she nodded, and turned to leave.
***
Shared laughter echoed in through the apartment door as Henry walked inside, followed by Regina. Emma sat up straighter where she was slouched on the couch watching TV, and looked over the back of the sofa at them.
“I thought it was Rocky Road!” Henry defended, though his laughter revealed the true nature of his conversation. Regina smiled sweetly and took Henry’s jacket without thinking, hanging it up on the wall.
“Did you two have a good time?” Emma asked, as she stood up and rounded the living area to come stand with them.
“Totally,” Henry said, smiling wide. “Regina let me taste every one of the ice cream flavors, and then bought me three cones when I couldn’t decide.” Emma raised a brow at the Mayor but she looked away, focusing on Henry.
“Did she?”
“If it’s his first time eating there he had to try them all,” she said matter-of-factly, and stared Emma down with a small smile.
“I’m gonna go text Kyle about it,” Henry nodded toward the couch and started to walk away. After a beat he turned around, and looked up at Regina. “Thanks, for today. It was a lot of fun,” he leaned forward and hugged her, quickly, and was gone before she could react to hug him back.
Emma watched her closely as Henry flopped down in the living room, and stepped closer to Regina.
“Hey, are you-“
“Of course,” Regina bit out, her jaw clenching. After a beat she looked over at Emma and deflated, her shoulders dropping as she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Emma. Yes, I’m fine. It’s just-“
“Hard?” Emma supplied.
“Different,” Regina said. She looked at Emma for a long moment before licking her lips. When she spoke, her voice was low. “It was nice, easy, with him today. And it hasn’t been that in a very, very long time.”
Emma smiled in understanding, and Regina reached out, clasping her forearm tightly. “Thank you, Emma.”
Guilt roiled in her stomach and she let out a breath, stepping back. “You shouldn’t be thanking me Regina. He’s your kid,” she lowered her voice as she spoke, eyeing a distracted Henry as she did so. “I can’t imagine how tough this must be for you, and I’m sorry.” At Regina’s pained look, she crossed her arms, hugging her stomach. “Really, I am.
“I’ve had some time to think, since I got my memories back. About how everything went down, when I got to Storybrooke, and then when you sent us away.” Regina held her breath, bracing for what Emma was about to say. “And you gave me a fresh start with Henry; eleven years worth of happiness with him that I can never repay.”
Tears prickled behind her eyes and Regina stepped forward, her hand held out to stop the words as she murmured, “Emma…”
Emma shook her head. “No, I need to say this. You gave me a happy ending, and when I came to Storybrooke I destroyed yours. And I know it’s more complicated, I’m not saying you didn’t do some seriously shitty stuff both before and after I got here,” Regina stiffened. “But, I guess, I’m saying I know I did, too.”
Emma smiled tightly, worn out from the effort to both acknowledge and forgive what had happened in the past, and she dropped her arms, leaning back against the staircase. “It basically all boils down to the fact that you gave Henry a happy childhood, which was all I ever wanted for him. And I never got to thank you for that.”
The painful heat that built behind her eyes finally broke, and a few silent tears fell down Regina’s cheeks. The feeling of understanding that passed between them was painful, overwhelming, and before she could stop herself, Regina reached out and hugged Emma.
The movement surprised both of them, and the contact was awkward, rigid as they stilled in each others’ arms. Finally, Emma relaxed first, her shoulders rolling forward and her arms coming up to pull the small woman closer to her.
“Henry! You ready to go?” Emma called up the stairs. Regina shifted in the doorway, and hugged her purse closer to her body.
“Just a sec, ma! Have you seen my shoe?” Emma smiled uncomfortably at Regina and looked around the staircase, reaching down to pull up a single discarded tennis shoe.
“I see you two are settling in quite easily,” Regina said, pursing her lips.
“It’s not-“
“Thanks, ma!” Henry ran down the stairs and took the shoe from his mother’s hand, sitting down to put it on. Looking up as he tied the laces, he smiled at Regina. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Madam Mayor.”
Regina’s smile faltered and she shook her head. “Please, Henry, call me Regina.” She looked up and met Emma’s eyes, soft in their sympathy. “Are you ready to go?”
Henry nodded, and stood up, taking his jacket from the hook by the door. “See ya later, ma.” Emma nodded, and Henry dashed through the door. As Regina started to follow, Emma reached out, and snagged her arm gently.
“Regina,” she started.
“Be careful with him, yes I know. I promise he’ll be fine,” she said shortly.
Emma dropped her hand and stuffed her fingers in her pockets, shrugging. Head tilted down, she said quietly, “No, I just,” she sighed, “give me a call if it’s too hard, or whatever.”
Regina watched her closely for a moment before her face softened and she offered Emma a sincere smile. “I will,” she nodded, and turned to leave.
***
Shared laughter echoed in through the apartment door as Henry walked inside, followed by Regina. Emma sat up straighter where she was slouched on the couch watching TV, and looked over the back of the sofa at them.
“I thought it was Rocky Road!” Henry defended, though his laughter revealed the true nature of his conversation. Regina smiled sweetly and took Henry’s jacket without thinking, hanging it up on the wall.
“Did you two have a good time?” Emma asked, as she stood up and rounded the living area to come stand with them.
“Totally,” Henry said, smiling wide. “Regina let me taste every one of the ice cream flavors, and then bought me three cones when I couldn’t decide.” Emma raised a brow at the Mayor but she looked away, focusing on Henry.
“Did she?”
“If it’s his first time eating there he had to try them all,” she said matter-of-factly, and stared Emma down with a small smile.
“I’m gonna go text Kyle about it,” Henry nodded toward the couch and started to walk away. After a beat he turned around, and looked up at Regina. “Thanks, for today. It was a lot of fun,” he leaned forward and hugged her, quickly, and was gone before she could react to hug him back.
Emma watched her closely as Henry flopped down in the living room, and stepped closer to Regina.
“Hey, are you-“
“Of course,” Regina bit out, her jaw clenching. After a beat she looked over at Emma and deflated, her shoulders dropping as she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Emma. Yes, I’m fine. It’s just-“
“Hard?” Emma supplied.
“Different,” Regina said. She looked at Emma for a long moment before licking her lips. When she spoke, her voice was low. “It was nice, easy, with him today. And it hasn’t been that in a very, very long time.”
Emma smiled in understanding, and Regina reached out, clasping her forearm tightly. “Thank you, Emma.”
Guilt roiled in her stomach and she let out a breath, stepping back. “You shouldn’t be thanking me Regina. He’s your kid,” she lowered her voice as she spoke, eyeing a distracted Henry as she did so. “I can’t imagine how tough this must be for you, and I’m sorry.” At Regina’s pained look, she crossed her arms, hugging her stomach. “Really, I am.
“I’ve had some time to think, since I got my memories back. About how everything went down, when I got to Storybrooke, and then when you sent us away.” Regina held her breath, bracing for what Emma was about to say. “And you gave me a fresh start with Henry; eleven years worth of happiness with him that I can never repay.”
Tears prickled behind her eyes and Regina stepped forward, her hand held out to stop the words as she murmured, “Emma…”
Emma shook her head. “No, I need to say this. You gave me a happy ending, and when I came to Storybrooke I destroyed yours. And I know it’s more complicated, I’m not saying you didn’t do some seriously shitty stuff both before and after I got here,” Regina stiffened. “But, I guess, I’m saying I know I did, too.”
Emma smiled tightly, worn out from the effort to both acknowledge and forgive what had happened in the past, and she dropped her arms, leaning back against the staircase. “It basically all boils down to the fact that you gave Henry a happy childhood, which was all I ever wanted for him. And I never got to thank you for that.”
The painful heat that built behind her eyes finally broke, and a few silent tears fell down Regina’s cheeks. The feeling of understanding that passed between them was painful, overwhelming, and before she could stop herself, Regina reached out and hugged Emma.
The movement surprised both of them, and the contact was awkward, rigid as they stilled in each others’ arms. Finally, Emma relaxed first, her shoulders rolling forward and her arms coming up to pull the small woman closer to her.