Reset

Regina looked down and grinned as she shrugged, “you get used to it.”

“Do you wanna,” Emma waved her arm in the air, “us home?”

“Such a way with words,” Regina sighed but with a smile as she raised her arm and the purple mist started to rise again.

Chapter 71

A moment later they stood facing each other in the hallway at 108 Mifflin Street and Emma smiled, “thank you.”

“Well I was hardly going to walk home in this,” Regina sniffed as she indicated her clothes.

“I meant thank you for everything,” Emma said softly, “you didn’t have to do any of that, I know it must have been hard for you to.. bring the Evil Queen out of her box.”

Mary Margaret head the soft voices and was approaching to hallway when she realised she would be intruding. With Grace asleep in her arms she hid behind the wall of the living room and watched them interact with interest.

“It wasn’t.. pleasant..” Regina agreed, “although I think some of the unpleasant stems from the how easy it is to be her.”

Emma understood, “if it’s any consolation I was terrified of you,” she looked Regina up and down, “still am a bit.”

Regina laughed, “it’s all costuming, Dear.”

“And the voice, the tone, the words, the magic, the look, God, the look,” Emma shuddered, “I almost felt sorry for John Battle.”

“We’re lucky he was loyal to me, it helped to convince him,” Regina pointed out.

“Also helped that his eyes were bugging out of his head with, you know,” Emma pointed at Regina’s chest, “that, outfit..”

Mary Margaret had been holding her breath for so long she was practically turning blue and had to remind herself to breath. She looked down at Grave to check she was asleep and then looked back up at the two women.

“Well,” Regina smiled, “first rule of being Queen.. flaunt it..”

Emma nodded, “I prefer Regina.”

Mary Margaret gave a tiny fist pump in her daughter’s honour at such a perfect line.

Regina’s eyes flicked up to meet Emma’s and she licked her lips nervously, “I’m sure many despise both in equal measure,” she guessed sadly.

“I don’t care what they think,” Emma whispered decisively.

Regina took a small step forward and brought them closer together and Mary Margaret was glad she was holding Grace in her arms or she might have clapped her hands in glee.

“What do you think?” Regina asked with a trace of apprehension in her tone.

Emma’s tongue darted out to wet her dry lips and she opened her mouth to speak but at the same they were leaning closer to each other. At the same time Mary Margaret was leaning forward to and three women were bitterly disappointed when Emma’s phone suddenly rang.

Emma jumped back a step and Regina covered her mouth as she gave a discreet cough and looked away but it was Mary Margaret storming angrily towards them that shocked them both even more than the ill timing of the phone call.

“For God’s sake,” Mary Margaret grumbled as she shook her head and thrust Grace into Regina’s arms and snatched Emma’s phone out of her daughter’s hand and looked at her husband’s stupid smiling face on the screen.

She pushed the button to answer the call and held it to her ear and hissed, “not now, David!”

She hung up the phone and put her hands on her hips and looked at the two women who were staring at her in shock.

“Er, hi,” Emma said nervously.

Regina wisely decided to stay out of it and simply adjusted her grip on Grace as she looked at the mother and daughter.

“Hi,” Mary Margaret smiled in a sugary sweet way, “your father, wrong number,” she smiled at Emma as she put the phone back in her daughter’s still-open hand.

Emma looked at Regina and Regina took a step back in a clear indication that she intended to leave Emma with her crazy mother.

“Do you want me to take Grace while you guys get changed, or talk, or.. whatever?” Mary Margaret asked Regina.

Regina took another step back, “no, thank you, Snow, no.. I’m going to.. head upstairs and.. get changed,” she said while looking from Mary Margaret’s crazy eyes to Emma’s pleading eyes.

“I’ll leave you two to catch up,” Regina said as she turned and climbed the stairs without a look back to them.

Mary Margaret looked at her watch, “I have to be going, it’s time for.. well, it’s time I had to be going!”

Emma grabbed her arm before she managed to leave, “oh, no way, you are coming with me into the kitchen and you are going to tell me what is going on with you.”

Before Mary Margaret could argue Emma was dragging her into the kitchen and pointing at the dining room table for her to take a seat, “tea or coffee?”

“Tea,” Mary Margaret said before quickly adding, “but I’m fine, just.. you know.. pregnant!”

“I’ve been pregnant and I was nothing like you are now,” Emma said as she started to make the tea.

“Different hormones, maybe it’s because I’m from the Enchanted Forest?” Mary Margaret said in the hope that Emma would accept that and she would be able to leave without meddling.

“Oh was everyone from the Enchanted Forest batshit crazy?” Emma asked with a smile.