Chapter 4

"Are we all set?" Mary Margaret ran over her list once more. "Food, pots and pans, plates, map, board games..."

"Board games?" Emma wrinkled her nose. "Really?"

"What else are we gonna do the whole time, sleep?" Henry said.

"Um, yeah." Emma responded. "That's what I'm planning to do." And hopefully be drunk enough to tolerate Regina.

She'd come back from the store laden with bottles and bottles hidden in the depths of her bag that would help her and David survive this...unique vacation. She had already been dreading this enough, all of the forced family family bonding that would surely happen. But with Regina present? Ugh.

She hoped Mary Margaret would deeply, deeply regret this when she and David were plastered.

There was one bright side to inviting the evil queen, though: it had made Henry very happy, albeit a bit nervous considering everything. She just hoped that everyone would be civil enough to give the kid the vacation he deserved.

As if on cue, Regina suddenly appeared at the end of the RV, a rolling suitcase in hand. Her posture was ramrod straight and her expression pinched, though she visibly relaxed when Henry came running over to give her a hug.

"Hi Mom!" He threw his arms around her. "I'm so glad you're coming with us."

She smiled stiffly but hugged him back. "Me too."

Liar. Emma thought as she shouldered her duffel and turned to climb up the steps that led into the RV. "Have you thought about our sleeping arrangements?" She asked her mother, who was busy securing the cupboard doors.

"Oh!" Mary Margaret looked up, flustered. "I forgot about that. One of the couches pulls out into a double bed."

"Which you assumed Henry and I would share." Emma finished. "You know. Before you went and invited Regina against our will."

"Enough." Mary Margaret frowned. "Well. I guess somebody will have to take one of the seats. They can recline a little but they're not the most comfortable. You and Regina can trade off. Sorry."

"Lovely." Regina, who had entered the RV with Henry, quipped. "Is there anything else you forgot?"

"It's fine." Emma broke in before world war 3 broke out. "I can take the seat." What she didn't add was that she had plenty of experience sleeping curled up in seats. And why she'd prefer not to sleep in the RV's pullout couch.

Regina nodded curtly. "Thanks. But it will only be for a week. As...generous as you've been I decided I will not impose for more than a week on what I'm sure will be a lovely little vacation."

"Oh, but we have plenty of food you're welcome to…" Mary Margaret started.

"I've decided." Regina cut in. "One week and then I will poof my way back to Storybrooke."

David, poking his head out of the bathroom, exchanged a quick glance with Emma; both bit their lips as they tried to hide their sighs of relief.

"All right." Mary Margaret shrugged. "Everyone ready?" She asked as she made her way over from the little kitchen area.

"Yep!" Henry answered excitedly. He settled himself onto one of the couches. There was a moment of awkwardness as Emma and Regina tried to decide where to sit; luckily Regina made the decision for her and plunked herself down next to Henry, sitting ramrod straight and looking downright uncomfortable as if afraid that the seat was somehow dirty.

Emma sat down on the second couch, stretching her legs out in front of her, settling in comfortably. She had to hand it to David. At least he'd chosen a nice RV.

To an outsider looking in, the first hour of the trip was silent. Relatively calm. While Mary Margaret read a book, David drove, Henry played a handheld video game, and Emma listened to music, Regina sat primly in her seat, not having changed position since they left Storybrooke.

Regina sighed as she thought about, for the thousandth time, the current predicament she was in. If someone told her several years ago that she'd been in an RV with her sworn enemies, their daughter, and the son she and that daughter kind of shared she'd laugh. And then probably rip their heart out for wasting her time.

And yet here she was. Why had she said yes? Or rather, she hadn't. She'd been forced to.

A loud tapping broke Regina out of her thoughts. She turned her head, looking for the source of the noise, her eyes narrowing as she realized what it was. "Could you not do that?"

Emma did not respond as she continued to look out the window, her head bobbing to whatever blasted into her head through her headphones.

"Hey!" Regina barked, standing up and yanking the earbuds out of the blonde's ears.

Emma looked up, irritation written all over her face. "You know, one of the most annoying things one can ever do is pull out somebody's earbuds. When someone is listening to music it kinda signals that they don't want to talk."

"Yeah, yeah." Regina rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you didn't listen to music at such a ridiculously loud volume you'd be able to hear me."

"Have you ever considered the thought that maybe the music was at such a high volume for that exact reason?"

"What, because you didn't want to hear me talk?"

"Hey, you said it. Not me."

Regina took a deep breath. She had a few choice comebacks lined up at the ready but decided at the last minute that they wouldn't be very appropriate for her son to hear. So she settled her curling her toes inside her boots, trying to calm herself down. But another loud tap and she could feel herself snap. "Would you please cut that out?"

"Cut what out?"

"That." Regina pointed at the windowsill behind Emma's seat, where her long fingernails were currently tapping along to the beat of the music blaring from her earbuds. "That incessant tapping."

"Why?" Emma smirked. "Is it annoying you?"

Regina curled her lip. "Yes. Would you please stop?"

"Well now that we're on the topic of annoying things why don't you quit sitting like you have a stick up your a-" Emma was cut off by Mary Margaret, who had obviously overheard the argument.

"We're almost to Boston, Emma." Mary Margaret interjected loudly. "Why don't you come and help your father navigate?"

"Fine." Throwing a dirty look at Regina, Emma stood up and walked over to where her parents were perusing the map. "Haven't you guys ever heard of GPS? Who uses paper maps anymore?"

As Regina listened to the Charmings bicker loudly over which direction to go, she sat back in her seat and straightened her blouse. She looked over at Henry, who was still immersed in his game. To his credit he didn't seem too bothered by their argument. Probably because the volume on his game was turned up too loudly.

"What're you doing?" She asked.

Henry pulled out an earbud. "Trying to get to level 30. It's so hard."

"Really?" She looked over and peeked at the dizzying array of moving things on the screen. Briefly she noted that it was the game she'd bought Henry, causing a smile to cross her face despite the less than ideal situation she was in. "Want to let me try?"

Her suggestion was met by a loud snort from Emma. "Are you serious?" Before she could say more Mary Margaret nudged her and brought her attention back to the map.

Henry looked skeptically at his adoptive mother. "Are you sure?"

"Scared I'll be better than you?"

"No." He scoffed, handing her the game. "Good luck."

Despite her show of bravado, Regina quickly found out that this was not as easy as it looked. She could barely keep up with the flashing lights and little characters darting everywhere. Funny. She'd handled many things, mastered magic under the instruction of one of the most fearful teachers in all the realms, and cast a curse that few would be able to do. In short, she'd overcome much and accomplished a lot. But when it came to the modern world...well she was bested by a mere video game.

"Too hard?" A voice above her asked. It was Emma, who stood above her with a raised eyebrow.

"No." Regina scoffed. But when the game let out a loud bleep to indicate that she'd lost she huffed with frustration and set it down onto her lap."I can't concentrate with you standing there."

"Yeah. Sure. Don't sweat it. I grew up playing games like that and even I still have trouble." She waved her hand for the game. "Lemmee see."

Regina handed it over. "Good luck. Let's see if you'll get a higher score."

"Oh, I know you will." Emma bent down over the game, her brow furrowed with concentration. When the game let out the inevitable bleep she cursed quietly under her breath.

"Died? Yeah I figured you would." Came Regina's mocking tone. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't use that kind of language around my son."

Emma just stuck out her tongue in a childish move and restarted the level. "Damn-I mean God. How do you get past the ghosts?"

"Oh I know." Regina crossed over to the empty seat next to Emma and indicated with a long, red fingernail something on the screen. "The trick is to wait until they're facing you and then run."

"I could've figured that out." Emma retorted but she followed Regina's advice nonetheless, successfully bypassing the ghosts. "Oh man." She muttered. "What next?"

"I know." Henry piped up. Clearly, he wanted his game back. "Why don't you give it back?"

"Shush." Emma waved a dismissive hand. "We're busy."

"Try using your fireballs." Regina suggested, completely ignoring Henry.

"Oh, of course you'd suggest that out of all things."

"What can I say? They have proved to be effective."

Henry watched as his birth mom and his adoptive mother squint over his video game and exchange strategies. Part of him was annoyed that they'd just plucked it out of his hands and were now hoarding it but the other part was relieved that they'd stopped bickering.

Besides, watching them play and bond over a game of all things was kind of funny.

He crossed over to where his grandparents were driving. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost." Mary Margaret replied. "Take the next exit, David." She cast a look back at where Regina and Emma were huddled over his game. "Weren't you playing with that earlier?"

He shrugged. "Yeah."

"Well. At least they've stopped arguing." She looked up as the RV exited the freeway. "Emma." Mary Margaret called. "We're nearly there. Which way now?"

"Hmm." Emma said absently. "No, not there. You'll just die again and I don't feel like playing this level again. Go the other way."

"Which way do we go?"

"Just a minute."

"Emma!" Mary Margaret repeated, thinking to herself that maybe this was what dealing with a teenage Emma would've been like. "Do you want David to get lost again?"

That was apparently the most effective strategy. "Good point." When she looked up she looked mildly horrified to discover that she was sitting next to Regina of all people, playing a game. "I'm coming."

"Great." Regina replied sarcastically. "Go help your idiot parents navigate a road a toddler could with their eyes closed and leave me to die in the cave."

"Hey, it's not my fault they can't read a map."

"Agreed."

"Maps in this world are confusing." David piped up, while Mary Margaret just shook her head. Even though Emma and Regina were having a laugh at their expense at least they weren't trying to kill each other anymore.

For now.

A/N: Any thoughts before you go? Next up, their day in Boston.