"So she lives."
Emma turned to see Ruby, jogging down a back road in bright red heels and a piece of fabric constituting as shorts. The younger woman was just finishing up tying the ends of her blouse into a neat knot under her chest, exposing the piercing at her navel that was unsurprisingly matching the red the waitress seemed to adore.
"Were you worried?" Emma asked, waiting for Ruby to catch up so the pair could walk down the street together.
Ruby cast a look behind her where Regina had just turned a corner disappearing onto Montgomery that housed Town Hall. "Honestly? Yeah, I was. No one comes out of meeting the Mayor with their head on straight."
"I keep hearing that, but I'm not really seeing it," Emma said.
"Really?" Ruby asked incredulously. "She booted your car. A ticket would have done the job."
"Yeah, she's gonna get that fixed."
Ruby snorted as they turned onto the diner's patio. "So how is it you know Mayor Mills?"
"We're friends," Emma said, straightening her back as she eyed the younger brunette defensively.
"Really? I kinda thought you were lying about that." Ruby admitted, pulling open the diner door. "I didn't know the mayor had friends."
A burly man sitting by the counter smelling an awfully lot like booze and cleaning products guffawed as he caught the ending of Ruby's comment. "I bet she pays well to pretend though."
"Hey." Emma defended, dropping her duffel by the foot of the bar stool. "You don't know her like I do."
Ruby motioned to both of them in way of introduction as she walked around the counter, avoiding her grandmother's gaze at being late. "Emma, Leroy. Leroy, Emma."
Leroy looked at Emma as if another head were sprouting from her neck. He gave her a lecherous leer followed by a presumptuous smirk. "Oh yeah? You mean like the biblical sense?"
Emma rolled her eyes and glared at the man which was soon directed to Ruby who cackled at Leroy's presumption. "She did spend the night there," Ruby mock whispered to the man.
"And she's still living?" Leroy leaned in closer to Ruby to confirm the details.
"So how about those apple pancakes?" Emma asked loudly, effectively shutting the book on their teasing.
Regina pinched the bridge of her nose as she spoke to Sheriff Graham on the phone. After her morning meetings that led her to believe this town would dwindle away without her control, the last thing she needed was the Sheriff baffled and blubbering concerns about how he had followed her orders exactly and questioning why she wanted them undone.
"I understand perfectly that I told you to boot the Volkswagen in front of the clock tower, but do you understand what I'm telling you now, Sheriff?" Regina asked slowly and enunciated clearly. The man may have a knack for scouring the woods for any lost hikers or Dalmatians, but simple English appeared to escape his grasp.
"You want me to take it off," Graham answered.
Regina smiled and clapped her hand on her desk in praise. "Now you've got it. And I expect you to have it done before five o'clock today, or so help me."
Regina slammed her phone down as way of goodbye, shutting her eyes and breathing deeply to allow the stress to seep out through her fingers.
It was a shame, really, that she worked with such incompetent people. Emma's impromptu visit had certainly taken Regina by surprise, but Regina found that she wasn't upset by the blonde's presence. Finding Emma on her porch after realizing who exactly she was had sent Regina a curve ball, but the shock was nearly immediately replaced when Emma had said hi. For three years she had wondered who this brave woman was with whom she had written to and revealed information about herself and her son no less. The easiness in which they spoke upon meeting left no doubt to any onlooker that she and Emma had maintained a relationship - a true friendship, though unorthodox Regina would admit, but seeing Emma for the first time sparked something within the usually cold and indifferent brunette.
Emma was real, here, and despite their unusual start, for some reason, Emma continued to see Regina in the best light despite being on the receiving end on a Mayor Mills altercation. Regina could count on one hand the number of people with whom she had ever opened herself up to, and she was pleased to add the blonde to the count. Frankly, she was a little nervous about the idea of meeting Emma. What if she was too aggressive? Too strict? - which reminded Regina too much of her mother. Or what if Emma was simply nothing like the letters she had written?
For once, Regina was glad that she had been proven wrong.
Emma was the young soldier looking for her place in the world. She was every bit the wanderer as her messages indicated, and though her excitement for Henry was obvious in her words, seeing Henry in Emma's lap and tickled mercilessly by the blonde was relieving that their connection was true, and it was more than a little endearing seeing smiles plastered on both Henry and Emma's faces.
A knock pulled her from her reveries, and already her annoyance returned to its former levels at the interruption. "What is it?" She snapped at the intruder, brushing her hair out of her face to glare.
She was met with an amused smirk by the object of her thoughts as Emma leaned against the doorway with a take out bag in her grasp. "They warned me about your temper," Emma said by way of greeting.
"One day in town and you're already fully integrated into Storybrooke's rumour mill. Let me guess, you were formerly inducted by Miss Lucas," Regina quipped.
"If you mean Ruby then yes, though I haven't quite received my official membership card and complimentary shirt," Emma responded just as quickly. She cast her eyes toward the bag and held it up. "I know you're busy all day, but I wanted to bring you lunch for letting me stay."
Regina smiled and stood from her desk to accept the blonde's offer. "Thank you. How are you enjoying the town?"
"You were right when you said it was small," Emma admitted, following Regina back to her desk where she took a seat opposite the brunette. "I take it the diner is where the cool kids hang out."
"I frequent it only ever so often, so that mustn't be the location," Regina said casually, opening the bag to find a chicken salad club inside.
Emma's mouth opened in an exaggerated mock. "Did you just make a joke? My intel told me you personally extracted your funny bone from your body."
Regina pressed a finger to her lips holding Emma to the secret before motioning to her lunch. "How did you know?"
"I remember you mentioning it."
They shared a small smile, but before Regina could take a bite, another knock sounded at her door to find her timid secretary and one of the executives she was scheduled to meet with for the afternoon.
"Duty calls?" Emma guessed, standing from her seat and making her exit.
With a silent glare to the people at her door, Regina sent them away before turning to Emma, her expression softening as she shrugged apologetically. "I'll see you at home."
Storybrooke was a small town through and through. Its resistance to integrate into modern society was evident by the inexistent fast food chains and superstores. The fact that the entire town could be walked through on a clear day reflected just how small and close everything truly was. But it was the gossip that secured Storybrooke and its residents its place as an official small town.
The blonde haired stranger that had unexpectedly drove into town a week prior had been the talk of the town. Sure, Storybrooke had its fair share of newcomers wandering through Main Street in an effort to refuel both their vehicles and their stomachs before making their way up the coast, but no one had ever stayed longer than a day or two before. What was more unnerving was that nobody had ever come to Storybrooke for the sole purpose of visiting Regina Mills.