A/N: So it went from entertaining, to serious, to entertaining, to 'where the hell did this come from?' I know, I have other stories I should be writing. And I'm getting there. Eventually. The whole issue with Prayer and Despair put me off writing entirely for a bit there, so I had to get an idea to kick me back into it. This fic was the result of talking with my best friend about how Regina would react to having to go through security at an airport, and how horrified she would be by having to take off her shoes and submit to being searched. I guess its okay? Maybe?

This was ridiculous. The amount of people swarming the security line at Bangor International Airport was almost nauseating, and Regina Mills was not much for patience or waiting. Arms folded, she took a few steps forward when the line shuffled closer to the belt that carried all carry-on items through to the other side. Of course, once they reached fifteen minutes of wait time, she had dumped her bag on Emma Swan; the blonde next to her had given her one of the dirtiest looks Regina had ever seen cross her beautiful face, but the brunette wasn't all that giving or understanding that day. It was early, she was exhausted, and it was all Emma's fault anyway. That was the last time she gave into carnal desires when she was required to be awake by four in the damn morning.

"Who in their right mind would think Tuesday is a good idea to travel?" Regina muttered. It was supposed to be to herself, but both Emma and Henry heard her and exchanged glances. Regina shot both of them an irritable glare. "What?"

"Tuesdays are the biggest traveling days, Mom," Henry supplied. "It's cheapest to fly on a Tuesday. Our flight would have been at least a hundred dollars more expensive on any other day."

"I still do not see why that would have mattered," Regina replied, still muttering. She was basically rich, after all; she would have been happy to cover flight expenses, but the blonde idiot next to her had insisted on doing it herself. Her insistence of independence annoyed Regina to no end, especially considering they had been dating for six months now. In Regina's opinion, it was time for a little teamwork, even financially.

"Will you take your damn bag?" Emma groaned, dropping a black bag to the floor with a grunt. Of course Regina hadn't considered a roller board. Any way to make Emma's life that much more difficult.

"No," Regina said simply, arms still folded as they shuffled closer. Alright, so perhaps teamwork was a bit of a strong term; there was no way she was carrying that bag any further through this line.

When they finally reached the belt, Regina glanced at Emma in an attempt to see what the blonde was doing. She had never actually traveled by plane. There had been no point: everything she had needed was in Storybrooke. Of course, she had researched other places in this world, and perhaps had developed a small desire to see other places, but had never really felt the need to act upon them. Not until the Savior had stolen her heart away and held it hostage with her damn bright green eyes and her inability to see Regina as anything but radiant and kind souled. Which still shocked Regina to no end, especially how horrible the woman had been to Emma before the curse broke. Now that they were serious, Emma had insisted on a vacation, on Regina finally getting out of Storybrooke and seeing more of what was offered in the world. And while she wouldn't admit it, Regina had a very serious problem saying no to Emma Swan.

"Shoes off, jacket open," Emma said to Regina upon seeing her hesitant confusion. The blonde had already tugged off her boots and deposited them into a tray, and was working on wrestling her laptop from her own gray carry-on bag. She had already taken Regina's laptop out and put it in a separate tray, and her jacket was completely unzipped. Regina's eyes narrowed.

"If you really think I'm about to remove my shoes in this filthy –"

"It's kinda the law, Regina," Emma pointed out with a firm tone that said she wasn't willing to argue about it. "Take your damn shoes off and unbutton your blazer. It's a ten second process. Seriously." She ended the words with shoving Regina's boarding pass in her hand and giving her a sharp look. With a growl, Regina snatched the boarding pass. The nerve of these people…

After snatching off her black pumps and slamming them into a tray, Regina looked down at the red blazer clinging to her form and scowled. It was like they were trying to invade her personal space. They basically were doing just that. If she wanted to blow up this airport, she didn't need normal human ways to do so. She could bet all of the money she had – which was more than perhaps anyone on this planet – that they wouldn't be letting her fly if they knew that piece of information.

Regina's thoughts were interrupted when Emma stepped in front of her, pale fingers tugging the couple of buttons of Regina's blazer free. The former Queen was definitely still cross about this; it was visible in her eyes, and the way she half glared at her partner. But the act was so simple and gentle that Regina couldn't quite fight against it. When Emma spoke, however, Regina was more than happy to come back at her.

"It's a ten second process," Emma said again, voice as non-threatening as she could make it. "Just show them your boarding pass."

"What is that thing?" Regina asked shortly, eying the tall machine that separated them from the agents on the other side. She had watched a couple of people get in it, and the process looked absolutely degrading. What the hell were they looking for with that thing? Could they see through her clothes? There was only one person that was allowed to see what was beneath them, and she was almost positive they weren't going to take the word of Emma Swan that she had nothing on her but her garments.

"They're just going to scan to make sure you don't have anything on you that you shouldn't," Emma said softly. "That's an even shorter process."

"Ma'am," a firm voice from the other side of the machine called. "I need you to step into the Security Scanner." Regina turned to view a short blonde waving her hand at her, and the brunette sneered. Who was she to rush her through anything!?

"Go on," Emma muttered, gently pushing on Regina's shoulders to motivate her towards the scanner. Still sneering, Regina stomped into the scanner, glaring down at the obnoxious yellow footprints on the ground. Sighing, she took the hint and planted her feet on both of the footprints, glaring ahead of her dangerously.

"Arms lifted, please," the same blonde woman said to her, and Regina's head turned to glare at her.

"You have got to be kidding," Regina snarled. "This is ridicu –"

"Regina!" Emma snapped in a panicked tone from the other end. "Just do it!"

"I will not!" Regina snarled in response. "It's bad enough you've got me in some foreign machine that more than likely looks through my clothing, but now you're asking me to stand like some common peasant!?"

"Ma'am, please step from the scanner," the same blonde that had told her to step into it said. Regina did so, only because she was tired of whipping her head in both directions to glare back and forth between her and her lover. The woman did not look happy. Regina honestly didn't give a damn: she wouldn't let some blonde stranger intimidate her. Especially one wearing such a horrible looking black jacket with TSA in giant yellow letters. Whoever designed that uniform needed a reminder of what intimidating actually meant.

"Your boarding pass," the woman – Cassandra, from what the name on her jacket said – snatched the paper from Regina's hand before the brunette could even process the words, and the brunette advanced a few threatening steps forward on her, eyes flashing. The only reason she didn't strike was because Emma was standing on the other side of the scanner, watching with wide eyes.

"I suggest you watch who you snatch things from, Miss Cassandra," Regina said quietly, voice reflecting the danger that the brunette most surely was in that moment. "I'm not a very tolerant person."

Though Cassandra seemed to realize what she was dealing with, she still appeared more bored than anything. It annoyed Regina to no end. These people, these magic-free fools…none of them were afraid of her. It was true, Regina didn't really look for fear in others anymore; not since Emma, and not since she was trying to be what Henry wanted in a mother. But she wouldn't have minded this foolish woman cowering at her knees in fear in some deep fantasy she held of her old days.

Cassandra handed Regina's passport back to her, and Regina snatched it from her with another scowl. It seemed like her face was contorting more towards negativity than anything that day, and they weren't even off the damn ground yet. She was hoping beyond anything that Los Angeles had better manners than these, though from what she had heard about the city, she could expect worse. If she made it to Los Angeles, at least; Cassandra was waving over a slightly burly man wearing what looked to be a bit more of law enforcement attire than the blonde bitch, and Regina's eyes narrowed in warning when they both stood a bit too close.

"Stand right there, ma'am," Cassandra called behind Regina, and the brunette realized Emma had tried to approach. It wasn't exactly like she needed Emma to come to her rescue, but hearing someone speak to her partner in such a way made Regina angry and a bit put off.

"Miss Mills," the man standing next to Cassandra said. "We need you to get in the scanner and put your hands over your head. It really isn't that difficult."

"I won't do it," Regina said shortly. "I won't have my privacy violated because you fools can't seem to keep an airport safe."

"How do you think we keep it safe, ma'am?" Cassandra asked sharply. "You refusing is just going to make things look suspicious. Judging by your attitude, you already are suspicious. You're either getting in the scanner, or you're submitting to a manual pat down."

"A pat down?" Regina snarled. "I think not. Do you idiots really believe that if I wanted to blow this place up, I would need a bomb? Believe me, there are plenty of other, more efficient ways."

"Oh God," came a groan from the other side of the scanner, belonging to Emma. Even Regina could see that she had taken that one a bit too far. The glances exchanged between the two standing in front of her were far more dangerous than Regina had time for, but the former Queen refused to back down. She was going to submit to civilians.

"What are you doing?" Regina snarled when a pair of handcuffs came out of the guard's pocket. She took a step back when he reached for her wrist, jerking her arm from his vicinity and glaring. "Do not even think of –"

"Miss Mills, you're coming with me to have a talk," the security guard said, reaching for her arm again. Regina backed up further, glare set in place.

"Touch me, and see how quickly you end up a dead man," Regina said bluntly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emma's panicked face, and she really didn't understand why the blonde was so afraid. These idiots wouldn't do anything to her. They couldn't. Because if this guard kept up, Regina was going to break her own rule, and she wouldn't feel bad about it, either.

"Get your hands off of me!" Regina screeched when she was suddenly grabbed forcibly. She had been too slow to avoid that one. Jerking harshly, she attempted to free herself, but the guy definitely had a good hold. The look of absolute disgust and disbelief on her face was comical; she could tell that Emma would be laughing at her if the situation wasn't so serious.

"No, stop!" Emma yelled as she jumped through the scanner to get to her lover, Henry right behind her. "Let her go!"

"Get. Off. OF ME!" Regina screeched again. She was drawing attention now; people in other lines were looking at them, eyes full of judgement and confusion. They could all go to hell. There were too many people for Regina to do any significant magic, but like hell she was going anywhere with the man who had completely violated her personal space; something she had been protesting when she refused to stay in the scanner in the first place. Unless…

Regina's head turned to Emma, and any thought she had completely blanked out when she realized someone had grabbed her, too. It was one thing for them to touch her, but to put their hands on one of the two most important people in her life…before she knew what was happening, a harsh light had erupted from her body, and everything seemed to freeze. With a heavy exhale, Regina pulled herself free from the grip of the unmoving guard. "Idiot fools," she hissed as she stomped over to where another man held Emma. With a wave of Regina's hand, Emma gasped, and her movement was returned to her. The man behind her remained immobile.

Green eyes scanned around them, then closed with the realization of what was happening. "Regina," she whispered. "This…you shouldn't have…"

"No one touches you," Regina said simply, firmly, with the kind of force behind her tone that startled the blonde. She pulled Emma free from her hostage and did the same thing with Henry, who looked around and signed too. Regina would just have to make up for the look of disappointment he gave her later. When she could think straight, and realize this had all been one big mistake because of her stubbornness. "Let's go home…"

"What about –"

Regina's hand lifted, and she shook her head. "Next time," she said. "From another airport. One I didn't make a complete fool of myself in…" The last part was muttered under her breath. She waved her hand two more times; one to erase the memories of those frozen, and another to release everyone from their frozen state. And as she hurried her family towards the exit, she ignored the looks of confusion from those around them.

Next time, she knew, she'd scream loudly and then act like nothing had happened. Just to piss them off a little more.