A/N: I don't own ONCE or any of its characters; the plot, though, is entirely mine. Anything recognizable is probably not mine (like the opening lyrics).
All mistakes are mine.
Chapter Five: Equalise
—
"This time,
I'm not leaving,
Without you."
—
"Goodness gracious, girl…just let that be already! When will you be heading out for the Swan's?" Eugenia demanded of her niece when the girl kept fretting with the table mats and silverware.
"I don't even know if I should, honestly. I never thought Emma would leave me; let alone twice, Aunt 'Genia," the younger woman murmured sadly, her hands coming up to brush her messy morning hair away from her face.
"Well, when you decide, make sure you're not wearing those ridiculous shades of yours," her aunt advised, "It's alright to let Emma and the rest of the Swans see how distressed you actually are right now—and those deep circles under your eyes..."
"I get it," Regina growled out, her head pounding as she stabbed a piece of turkey sausage, "The shittier I look, the better the outcome. I bet her mother would lunge at the chance of seeing me—"
"But it's not about her, you stupid girl," the older woman snorted, "Sometimes I really wonder how you and Ruby got so far in life, when your common sense is just out the window!" she said with finality as she poured both of them more juice, and snuck a little more of the sausage onto her niece's plate.
If the girl was actually this daft, then Eugenia might as well begin preparing the guest room as her niece's official lodging.
When she started picking up the plates, the older woman noticed how the brunette typed something away on her cellphone before getting up from the chair with a frustrated groan.
Shaking her head, she left her to be; walking away to the kitchen to do the dishes before trying to catch her afternoon soap opera.
As if she needed it though, right? When she had a personal episode going on right now.
—
"Who was it, honey?" Mary Margaret asked as Emma came back into view; a frown atop her brows as she sat by her father once again and toyed with a loose string on the sleeve of her boyfriend half-zip up.
"It was Regina," she murmured as one of her brothers passed her a bottle of water before they both got up from their chairs, and took their places on the corresponding sides of the court.
Emma had taken her first swing at the ball when her mother began firing off more questions as was expected by everyone.
"What did she want?"
"Ma', she's my girlfriend," the younger woman heaved out a sigh as she stroked the felt ball over the net, and across to Jack; who hit the tennis ball without missing a single beat, "It's rather normal for her to call me."
"Not when you are on a 'break'," Mary threw at her as she pushed her big sunglasses up her nose, and sniffed the air as if something stunk, "As you had so delicately put it, when you came over a week ago, sweetheart."
"Can we talk about this later?" Emma asked; feeling way to exasperated with her mother when all she was supposed to be doing was relaxing, "We're supposed to be having fun, and all you're doing is stressing me the hell out…"
"Emma Swan, language!" her Ma' stressed with a nod towards Cameron, who was eagerly looking to her with a pen and a pad; trying to keep score of his siblings' game.
"Sorry," she muttered grumpily as she missed a hit, and got struck by the ball on her chest, "Fuck!" she screamed as she threw her racquet behind her, "Jack—"
"Emma!" her parents exclaimed in unison as her brother merely laughed it out; though Henry still approached her to check the already heavily forming bruise.
Cameron was oblivious to the words fluttering out of his oldest sister's mouth as he stared over the privacy fence from where he was standing at the gazebo.
Talbot, the family German Shepherd, began barking when someone approached the backyard door, and David got up to catch a glimpse of who he already suspected to be there.
"Regina!" Little Cameron shouted excitedly as he dropped his pad, and ran off to the brunette.
Emma's face was red right now; not only from the shame catching up to her from running away from her girlfriend yesterday morning, but also because of the vicious heat attacking her covered skin. So, naturally she had decided to only face Jack as she willed the red tint to leave her girlish cheekbones.
"Hello Cameron," her brunette girlfriend greeted her youngest brother kindly, though Emma could hear the small struggle to her voice.
"Let me give you a hand with that," David offered with a smile as he went to grab for what she was carrying in her arms.
"Thank you, Mr. Swan," she said gratefully, and Emma almost missed the shy tone to the other woman's voice.
Finally turning to look at them, Emma's eyes grew wide as she saw exactly what her father was carrying.
"My babies!"
"What are they, Emma?" Cameron asked; his voice in total awe as he sat on the floor of the gazebo, and stared at the creatures his sister was gently picking up from the tank.
"African tortoises," the blonde woman answered; a beautiful smiled on her lips as her fingers softly traced Astro's shell before doing the same to Louie's.
"So turtles?" Jack asked as he came over too, about to reach over and pet it, but thinking twice of it a second later.
"Can I hold them too?" Cameron asked, and a second later Emma felt a presence behind her; an arm tentatively sliding around her shoulders.
Looking up, she saw Regina crouched down behind her.
"You brought them all the way across from home?" Emma asked as the brunette's fingers played with her wild, golden waves.
"It isn't like I could have left them there," Regina husked, and the blonde wished she could see those dark eyes peering down at her.
Sensing Emma's silent inquiry, Regina pushed her shades up, letting them rest on her head; she would admit, that she looked like shit, but she had been in a rush to get over here and she had forgone all makeup in order to hurry up (something she rarely did, unless she was in the privacy of her home, or planned on spending the day in bed with her girlfriend).
"Do they have names?" Emma snapped her head back down, and gave her little brother an expectant look; not wanting him to think she hadn't been paying attention, "The creatures, do they have names?"
Regina was the first one to clear her throat.
"This one here, the larger one, is Louie," his sister's girlfriend said, "As sophisticated as it sounds, your sister Emma merely named him after the Jungle Book's own King Louie…"
"Silly Em."
"Indeed, huh, Cam?" the blonde woman gushed as she ruffled the boy's hair, and came to lean a little against Regina's side; not as deaf to her parent's conversation as she appeared to be.
"What of the other one, then?" Henry asked a little louder to block out the argument going on behind them; as the oldest, he definitely felt the need to do so.
"We named the other Astro," Emma piped in with a massive grin just as the smaller tortoise bit onto her finger; not even hard enough to hurt, "Regina thought it logical, in a way," she chuckled, and the brunette couldn't help but give a charming smile as she let herself fall down the rabbit hole of comfortability she was feeling right now, "She said it made sense to name him so, since spaceflights usually take longest when traveling; fellas like Astro and Louie do as well."
Regina's smile widened further.
This was something that was entirely, and solely, theirs; something more they shared, and remembered together—something that no one could ever deprive them of.
"This is entirely inappropriate," Mary Margaret hissed as she looked over to where her kids, and the brunette were all huddled by; her cheeks had turned red like Emma's, though hers weren't of shame nor heat.
David tried not saying anything more; he knew his wife, and she was stubborn.
With a shake of his head, he directed his words towards the kids.
"Why don't we take the tortoises inside now guys, and see if they'll cool off for bit?" he offered, and Regina was the first to jump up, and off the floor about to reach for the tank, "Don't worry about it, Regina; I've got it," the blonde man finished with a charming smile as he walked away to take the miniature creatures inside.
Emma approached her slowly, she noticed, and when she looked slightly down at the other woman, she saw the small frown on her face before the blonde slid her hands from her upper arms further up to her neck; she had never been afraid of public displays of affection around her family, and aside from her mother, no one in her family minded it.
Regina gasped, her eyes fluttering closed, when Emma tilt her head up a little and pressed her chapped lips against her cheekbone for a few seconds. Her arms were quick to wrap around the blonde's middle, and hold her against her.
"Thank you," Emma murmured only for her ears to hear as the tips of her fingers drew small circles on the back of her neck.
The brunette nodded, and Emma came in for another kiss; this time, Regina was smart enough to turn her head and capture her upper lip as they sealed their mouths together, a small whimper escaping Emma's as it took her by surprise.
The faint taste of tobacco hit the blonde like a gently crashing wave, as well as the subtle hint of frosty mint. Surprisingly though, she couldn't smell the cigarettes on Regina; the woman smelled of fresh, cinnamon soap and apples, a scent she was more than familiar of. Emma was sure, that she herself, probably smelled like a sweaty gym.
"David!" both girls heard as they pulled away from each other's lips; Regina smirking as she saw the older raven haired woman run inside with her fists clenched at her sides.
Emma found herself staring up at her girlfriend; having been a while since she'd seen the brunette this relaxed in her own skin. She hadn't really seen Regina wear any of her old band shirts since her university days, and the fact that she was wearing Vans, although old and faded, had her mouth hanging open.
"So Regina," Henry was the first to speak as he came closer, an awkward smile on his face, "Will you be lingering around?"
Regina nodded once, an eyebrow arching, "I shall," she supplied as she gave him a sideways look.
"Well this will definitely be interesting," Jack drawled comically as he playfully threw a tennis ball at his sister, "Mom's gonna go ballistic—"
"Jack!" Emma complained as she roughly pushed at his shoulder when he just laughed.
"Oh, c'mon now, little sister!" he began as he winked at Regina, "It's not as if Regina doesn't already know Ma's feelings towards her."
Emma glared at him, and both men chuckled.
"As if, right?" Regina said, and Emma caught the melancholic hint to her tone.
She knew they still had so much to talk about, by no means were they in great terms, but right now…she felt so good in her arms, and in her presence. And, she could admit to herself that she hadn't felt like this in a long while.
When the boys, including Cameron, turned to play fetch with Talbot, Emma felt the brunette's nose graze against her temple.
"You smell nice," Regina mentioned, and the blonde smacked her on the arm when a grin appeared on her lips, "Did you get a new perfume?"
Emma rolled her eyes right before Regina grasped her chin, and with her finger, turned her face up to hers.
"God, getta room already!" Jack mocked as little Cam giggled, and Henry merely slapped him on the back of his head.
The girls ignored them for the moment.
"Have dinner with me tonight."
"Yeah, and then what?"
"Then, we could go back to the beach; just you and I," Regina murmured as she tucked a couple of golden tendrils behind the blonde's ear, her index knuckle and thumb caressing her jaw, "And, seriously talk things through; talk about us."
Emma bit her bottom lip, her eyes straying down to the ground as Regina came closer to place a whisper of a kiss against her forehead.
"I will never be ready to let us end; especially not like this—never at all," the brunette breathed against her soft skin, and before she knew it, Emma was once again staring into her warm, brown eyes; searching within them for the honesty of her words, or for something that signaled to her that their meaning were in reality so unreal.
All she found herself with was the bare truth; that Regina was more than willing to fight for her, and win her back at whatever cost there was to pay.
"How about it, Regina?" they both turned to Jack as he spoke; a smirk adorning his lips as he tossed and caught the tennis ball in his palm, "You win a game, and Emma leaves with you…"
The brunette almost scoffed at the younger man, her eyebrow raising as she eyed him suspiciously.
"You lose," his eyebrows almost disappeared up into his hairline as he shrugged, and Henry laughed.
"—And you must stay with us for dinner," little Cameron hollered, clearly a conspirator as well, as he ran up to the brunette; with his arms up in the air like Superman. Thankfully, she caught him before he tripped over his feet, and landed on the ground.
"Cameron!" his blonde sister chastised.
"The question, my dear," she began as she smiled to the boy before looking back to Emma. She would play their game, she decided with a smirk of her own, "Is, who shall I be playing?"
Sorry I've been gone so long! Life has been crazy; I didn't mean to abandon any of the stories though. Hopefully you forgive? Review if you'd like. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :3 MVWCT will be next.