A/N: It's become a bit of a reputation of mine to write sad, angst filled stories so I decided to fluff it up for this Big Bang. This should be a fun, feel-good fest basically from beginning to end...ish I live in Chicago so my fanfic Facebook has been all atwitter about the upcoming con. (So excited!) I made a joke about this concept one day on my page and I was shocked to see the number of people who responded asking me to actually write this story! So here goes!
I tried to go for younger Emma and Regina. This is the youngest I have written them yet. I hope I pulled it off!
A huge freaking THANK YOU to XV. She made this story possible, guys. I've never been to any type of convention and for those of you who know her, you know she is the Queen of cons and we should worship at her feet. She sat on Skype with me for a good two hours before I began this, telling me the ins and outs of her past cons. If you ever get a chance you should ask her about them; you'll have a good laugh.
Also. Have you seen these covers? The Beegoddess did SUCH a good job! I love them! They're a bit small on here but head to my profile and you can find them and a few other Colstead & Remma things on my Facebook and/or Tumblr
For those of you who got the email blasts as I put these chapters up...sorry about that ;-)
Part One
Fox 11: When Jake goes missing from a school outing the precinct worries he is the latest in a recent line of brash kidnappings but Chief Quinn is wary to act.
"Jake? JAKE? Have you seen my son? I said, have you seen my son?"
Samantha is worried that they are running out of time.
"You've got to be kidding me! We have to do SOMETHING! We are the damned police! This is what we do, Chief! We ACT!"
What will Halstead and Colt do? Will they listen to their boss or will they cross all lines in an effort to save Samantha's son?
An all-new 'Crime & Punishment', this Wednesday at eight on Fox; and watch anytime on Fox On Demand.
Is it going to be cold? Shit, she hadn't thought about that. She picked up her phone to check her weather app for the weekend only to drop it again when she realized that she had thought of it and it didn't fucking matter. It didn't matter if it was going to be arctic or sweltering outside, the damned hotel would be climate controlled.
She threw in a pair of skinny jeans, paused and threw in an even tighter pair that she could barely get on but hugged her ass like a glove; then frowned.
"What?" Shelby Bell, AKA 'TinkersBell' was sprawled out on Emma's bed cuddling her gross anatomy textbook as though the information within it would save her life one day. Emma supposed it would when it came down to the end of the year testing. "What's wrong?"
"Tink, do you think I should bring, I dunno, dress clothes?"
"Well, do you mean dress clothes or do you mean clubbing clothes?"
"Uh - yes?" she shrugged.
Tink rolled her eyes, "You said there is a dance at some point, right? It's a chance to show off your sexy stuff so, yeah, strut yer stuff with yer bad self!"
Emma rolled her eyes but went back to the closet, scanning through. How 'sexy' did she want to go? Not very, right? She wasn't looking to hook up but - okay, maybe one hook up - maybe. She didn't know. She was sharing a room with 'RidingHoodInRed' and while they had been something of online besties for years now, and couldn't fucking wait to meet; she hadn't actually met the damn chic yet so...maybe she shouldn't plan on any type of sex in the room they shared. You know, out of courtesy?
"Yeees, you do."
"What?" Emma whipped around with her eyebrows raised. Tink always had a very suspicious way of seeming to know what was happening inside of her head.
"Pull out all the stops. Sex is good. You want it. With as many people as possible this weekend."
Emma spluttered, but an understandable response wouldn't take hold. Goddamn it.
She grabbed her two favorite 'sexy' outfits from the closet, "If I'm not careful then I'm going to show up at this damn thing with like five freakin' suitcases."
"Yeah, I'll bet you won't be the only one. All those dykes like to pretend that they don't spend an hour in front of the mirror and they don't change their clothes four times before going out, but you know they do." The small pixie-like girl shut the thick textbook with a slap and sat up, stretching and shaking out her hair.
"Oh hey!" Emma scoffed, "I had forgotten what your face looks like without a book in it. Are those - are those stress lines that had developed in the last three weeks?"
"Shuuuut up. Some of us enjoy brains instead of brawn." Emma scoffed and threw a sock at her, "Besides, you can't talk."
Both she and Tink spent most of their time at the down street school of UCLA; though their paths were very different. Tink was on her way to becoming a doctor, a very devoted - something or other - while Emma had originally come to UCLA to play soccer; she was now on her way to becoming a social worker instead. While Tink liked to tease, it was their shared school that had solidified their meeting.
It had been a typical thread three years ago in the Facebook group of 'Fanfiction Addicts'; ones that you see every day "I need some friends to fangirl with! No one in my life gets it! Where are you guys from, who do you ship and what do you do?" Emma had responded without thinking, that she was in L.A. and about to begin classes at UCLA. Nothing was meant to come of it, responding to those types of threads was habit. So when she got a message from TinkersBell saying she was in school at UCLA too, she had been pleased; especially when it looked like Tink wasn't crazy - or weirdly needy - or - crazy. They had agreed to meet a few times because Tink was desperately in need of a roommate for the year. They had hit it off wonderfully and had gotten along since. There was only one problem. How Tink could ship Carlie, Emma didn't understand. It was true, she wasn't a huge fan of Samantha Halstead's new partner, Annabella Colt; but Tink had to see that Charlie, Annabella's boyfriend, was an ass and clearly standing in the way of the beautiful and totally hot relationship that Samantha and Annabella could and should share.
Ugh.
Anyway.
At least it kept viewing nights interesting, filled with friendly debates about who was better, Charlie or Sam. Plus, what was really important was that they were both diehard and irrevocable fangirls of C&P.
'Crime & Punishment' was still a fairly new show; currently on hiatus mid second season. While many cop dramas were popular right now, C&P stood out. It was about a police foursome. The grumpy and often closed off Chief - AKA Dennis Quinn - played by Eugene Gold, ran the station with an iron fist. His young love interest, Ashley Hope - played by the very cute Belle French, was a bitchy powerhouse and attorney who saved the asses of the characters on a regular basis. Neither Tink nor Emma really cared much for either of those two or their romantic pairing of 'Dope', even though they were the main pairing of the show. They, instead, focused on the secondary duo, known as 'Colstead'. Some shipped Colstead as friends and a badass crime-fighting duo, but more shipped them as possible and perhaps already secret lovers. Samantha Halstead, played by the super sexy Zelena Malvagio was the slightly butch cop-in-aviators who took no shit while her counterpart, Annabella Colt, was played by the new and somewhat unknown Regina Mills. Colt was the yin to Halstead's yang, sweet, feminine and wise - though how wise she could be with an idiot boyfriend like Charlie, Emma didn't know.
The two ladies went around town, fighting bad guys and routinely kicking ass and taking names...when they weren't staring at one another with heart-eyes the size of Texas, that is.
Emma was a hopelessly devoted fan and - holy shit, Emma still couldn't believe she was about to meet them. All of them.
Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.
Tink watched Emma study a pair of heels and then throw them into her bag, "So do you think there will actually be any Colstead stuff there? Or do you think they're just going to pretend it doesn't exist and it will be all about Dope and Carlie?"
Emma groaned, "I fucking hope not." That better not be true. She was paying good fucking money to go to this fucking con and she had better get some Colstead. God, she still didn't freaking get it. This was the goddamned twenty-first century! Why was it still taboo to show a lesbian pairing on TV? Unintentional, my ass.
She cut herself off before she could go down that mental path. There had to be some Colstead there. The Colstead following was much larger than the Carlie following, she was sure of that.
"I guess it doesn't really matter because you're going to see them either way. God, I hate you. You're going to meet them. All of them. Are you going to touch Zelena Malvagio? Will you feel her arms? Seriously. Just once. For me. I have to know if she is as ripped as she seems."
Emma thought of caressing the firm bicep of the dykey redhead and flushed - hard. She couldn't think about that. If she did she wouldn't be able to function because - holy shit.
Tink saw that and began to laugh at her friend, "Ha! You're so gonna cream when you see her."
"Shut up." She threw a few more things into her bag and tried to will her red cheeks to cool, "I told you that you would regret not buying a ticket but did you listen to me? Noooo."
"'ey, man! Some of us are fairly new to the fandom and didn't have a whole year to save up!"
Emma grinned, a flash of excitement rushing through her yet again. She only had one more day of classes and one more shift at the bar before she left for Anaheim and the hotel tomorrow - finally! Would Tink judge her if she did a little dance? "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
Tink's phone chirped and she checked it, "Aw, Pete wants to go out tonight. You wanna come? I think Tish will be there."
"Tish?" But Emma knew from the teasing lilt of her voice that this must be the name of the girl that Tink had been trying to set her up with for over a month.
"Tish. The one I keep telling you about. Comeon, keep up."
Emma feigned an apology and went back to staring at her bag as though glaring at it with the intensity of the sun would make it tell her what else she needed.
"Comeon. You gotta meet her sometime."
"Tiiiink-"
"Give me one reason why not. Just one."
Emma scoffed, "You have a horrible taste in women? Thank god you're not a lesbian."
"Oy! I have a great taste in women. You are just a Nun."
"I'm not a Nun; I'm just a fucking student."
They stared at one another for a moment before collapsing into a fit of hysterics.
"Fiiine. I'll go. But if she sucks, then you're buying."
"Good." Tink got up and clapped her on the back.
"Let out Sammy!" Emma called after her. Their Dalmatian who had been asleep at the end of Emma's bed raised her head sleepily at the sound of her name.
"Sammy! Comeon, Sam." Tink called and the dog went barreling toward her, tail wagging.
It took Emma forever to finalize her bags because - what the fuck did you wear when you were going to meet all of your favorite fucking TV stars and two of the hottest women on TV? But finally she had to put the bags down. She was going to make herself go crazy. She just had to settle on the fact that there was nothing good enough and move on.
She forced herself out of her room and cried, "Samantha! Run? Do you wanna go for a run?" Now she had no choice but to do something besides worry about her clothes because she would feel too guilty about her dog's sad puppy face if she decided that she really needed to go through them one more time - again.
Sammy came bounding up to her, panting and wagging her tail excitedly. Emma laughed and scratched behind her ears, "Alright, let's go!"
Yes. Emma Swan had named her dog after Samantha Halstead. It had been a whole new level of fangirl - but - oh well. It made her giggle every time she thought about it.
She changed quickly into her running clothes and then together she and Sammy went out for their usual evening run.
She tried not to think as she ran. When she thought of her coming weekend, she went into cardiac arrest. She was excited to meet the small cast, she really was. But she wasn't really sure she was going to be able to speak to Zelena and Regina. Oh god - and what if she looked like a total freak? She wanted to be respectful to both of them as people but...would it be respectful if her jaw simply hit the floor, her tongue lolling out like in old cartoons? What if she tripped and fell? She was so klutzy there was a good chance she would!
She let out a giddy shriek and ran faster, pushing Sammy a little harder. She couldn't think about that. Hoooooly fuck, she couldn't think about that.
Only - she couldn't not!
There had only been one Crime & Punishment con thus far since the show was new and only just beginning to grow in popularity. As a matter of fact, the first con had been in a small hotel, somewhere on the east coast and rumor had it that it had only held a hundred people. It was said that it was so small that the actors had simply mingled with everyone as people, hanging out during meals, joining them at the bar.
She had never been to a con before, but she was fairly certain that was atypical.
She remembered the cute tux that Eugene Gold had worn as well as the sweet little peasant dress that Belle French had arrived in. She had seen all the pictures and obsessively watched all the videos. But the thing that had been her favorite was the fan photo ops. Photos of Zelena Malvagio arm in arm with a fan in a stunning plaid button up and jeans while Regina Mills stood on the other side in a crisp red blouse and black slacks.
They had been stunning - especially Zelena with her wild red hair and vibrant green eyes.
Emma had watched their panels twice - okay four times - eating up the moments when they were asked about Colstead and Zelena would grab Regina and kiss her cheek or the simple moments when they would get a question and look at one another as though they had a secret. Of course those looks had all but convinced Colstead shippers that the coupling was well on their way to becoming the canon pairing; Carlie be damned. Emma kind of hoped that the whiny Charlie - played by Graham Humbert -would get hit by a bus. But….that was just her.
She thought of her favorite fan photo op; their arms clutched tightly around Zelena's waist and more importantly, Zelena's arms clutched tightly around the slightly stunned looking girl.
She stumbled on a rock and almost went sprawling across the asphalt.
She could do that if she wanted to. She could do anything she wanted in her photo ops, right? It was clear that Malvagio loved her Colstead shippers and would indulge them as much as the network and the Con would allow.
What would they be wearing? God, she hoped that Zelena would be in something kind of dykey like she usually was. Would it be weird if she brought a pair of aviators for Zelena to wear in the photo?
What would they feel like? What would it feel like when they asked her what her name was? Would she be able to respond? Or would she just faint on the spot? Crap, what if one of them hugged her? She had seen the video from the last con where a fan had burst into tears at the autograph table. Both Zelena and Regina had jumped up and hugged her with all of their might.
What would they smell like?
This time, Emma did stumble.
When the pair, Emma and Sammy, appeared on the front stoop of their apartment they were both sweaty and panting but Emma's excitedly nervous energy had been exorcised - for the time being. She released Sammy from her leash and pulled her hair down readying herself for her shower. Tink had gone, leaving a note for Emma stuck to the television.
"Don't even think of starting a rerun of C&P. You're coming out tonight. Otherwise, I'm kicking your ass when I get home."
To the point.
Emma swallowed guiltily, okay so she had been thinking of putting on a random episode a bit later. Caught, she turned from the TV.
It was rare for her to have an evening like this where Tink was gone and Emma was actually home.
She showered quickly then pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail and was happy to let herself walk around the house in her underwear and bright green fuzzy socks.
She fed Sammy and then debated. It was too early to go meet Tink now.
If she put on an episode of C&P she wouldn't get back up.
So she flopped down on the couch and went through her phone, checking her Tumblr and Instagram for anything good, just to waste time. She flicked through adorable selfies of the cast, manipulations of Halstead and Colt together and many a picture of Jake, Sam's son played by the super cute little redhead, August Booth.
Finally, she opened her Facebook account and gasped. There with a star beside her name was a post from her favorite of all Fanfiction writers, 'Annabella Halstead'.
It read: "Alright guys, for all of you who only read completed fics; 'Truth and Justice' is finally completed! The last chapter went up today! Please review!" Following, was an absolutely adorable cover art picture of her two favorite characters, in uniform and snuggling Jake between them.
Crap. She had been waiting for this fic to be completed for over a month! Of freaking course, it would finally be done tonight.
She smacked her phone onto the couch beside her and stood. She wasn't going to look. Not right now. She had promised Tink she would go out with her. She had been meaning to for weeks but every time they had made plans something had come up.
No. She was going.
She stood and spent a moment playing with Sammy; her eyes flicking every now and then toward the couch.
Nope. She wasn't going to. Not right now.
She brushed her teeth and went to her closet to decide what she would wear. Shit. Everything good was packed and ready to go to the Con.
Craning her neck, she glanced toward the living room where her phone still sat and could almost see her favorite pairing lounging there, arms around one another and grinning at her in the most come-hither kind of way.
She ducked back into her closet.
From the couch, her phone let out the small chime which meant she had a Facebook message.
Noooooo, Swan.
She knew without a doubt that it would be one of her friends - probably Red - who had already finished the fic and was singing its praises.
Don't look, don't look, don't look.
She piddled around her room for a while, trying to find busy work, but her phone was calling to her, seducing her with the promise of fluff, smut, and angst.
She didn't even know what the story was about! She had refused to look into it. She hadn't wanted to know because if she knew, she probably would have started it - and then been annoyed every single freaking day that there wasn't an update.
Was it fluffy humor/romance?
Was it angsty hurt/comfort?
Was it a sweet and innocent K+ or was it a sultry M?
Would she spend the night turned on by the smut or bawling her eyes out as Halstead and Colt stumbled through a rough patch?
She eyed the phone again.
It couldn't hurt to simply know what it was about.
Yeah.
That way she could look forward to it.
But she wasn't going to do anything else.
She grabbed her phone and standing in the middle of the living room she clicked the link through her Facebook.
Truth and Justice reviews
Not yet over the loss of her last partner; Samantha, the badass of precinct 38, isn't sure about the new brunette in the office; especially when the Chief partners them up. But when her son begins to sing the woman's praises, Samantha has to wonder if there is more to her than lipstick and high heels. NOW COMPLETE!
Crime & Punishment - Rated: M - English - Romance/Drama - Chapters: 35 - Words: 138,199 - Reviews: 421 - Favs: 650 - Follows: 874 - Updated: May 20 - Published: Apr 13 - [Samantha H., Annabella C.] Jake Colt, Dennis Quinn/The Chief – Complete
Emma grinned. She loved ColsteadFamily fics.
Biting her lip she swiped down to the Author's Notes. Annabella Halstead was notorious for hilarious Author's Notes.
She read them with a grin and, without actually giving her permission, her eyes flicked down a little further and read: "The rain was cold on the back of Sam's neck but try as she might, she couldn't find the energy to pick up the umbrella at her feet. This was her fault. She should have shot first and asked questions later. She should have been there sooner."
An hour later, Emma jumped as her phone let out a loud, startling ding.
When the fuck had she sat down on the couch? When had she gotten a beer from the fridge...or the bag of Doritos from the cupboard? And when had she gotten herself into this position? She was lying on her back, sprawled out across the couch with one leg over the back of the cushions, one leg on the floor and her head resting on Sammy's sleeping haunches.
What fucking time was it?
She was three chapters in. She hadn't meant to get three chapters in but - crap.
She clicked over to the text message, knowing what it would say.
"Hey! Where the hell are you? Get your ass over here!"
She stared at the text, debating. She could get up and get dressed then go out to the very loud bar that would be very much like the one where Emma worked. She could meet this new woman that Tink had for her. She could have a few drinks - or - she could stay here and read.
Ugh, she was so comfy and Quinn was about to introduce Colt to Halstead.
She didn't have to debate any longer than that.
She typed a response quickly and without a second thought, "I got a Sparkle date. I'll see you later."
It...could happen! Tink knew Sparkle was installed on her phone. And she had gone on a few dates from Sparkle before…
Yeah. Tink would totally buy it.
A second later Tink texted her back wishing her a good time and steaming hot sex.
Emma rolled her eyes and, with only a small amount of guilt, opened the fic again.
She started off comfortably on her back, as Halstead glared at Colt's full, painted lips. She giggled, her head slipping off the couch and hanging upside down as Colt put Halstead on her ass for the first time. She flipped over onto her stomach and squealed when Colt and Jake sat together in the back of the cruiser, cuddling and having a heart to heart. She sat up when Quinn insisted that the women either had to get along or be put on suspension but then face-planted and writhed with joy when, angry and fighting, Colt's lips accidentally brushed Halstead's ear.
"Fuck!" she screamed at her phone when Halstead stared at Colt in shock, her body pounding in answer to the accidentally intimate caress. She flipped onto her stomach; her phone held inches from her face in rapt attention as Halstead leaned forward. Their lips met and Emma swore in a delighted shout. Her eyes flicked over the lines reading quickly, a flush building in Emma's cheeks - and groin - as Colt's long manicured nails slipped under Halstead's button up. The flush spread across Emma's body as Halstead groaned and slid her hand down Colt's thigh.
Keys rattled in the door.
Fuck!
Emma was still lying on the couch, in her underwear and possibly littered with crumbs from the Dorito bag she had finished off. It couldn't be – shit, it was 2 A.M. and a drunken Tink was about to stumble her way up the stairs and catch her for the dirty liar she was.
Emma vaulted from the couch, throwing herself at full speed into her bedroom. She shut the door with a quiet click and wiggled under the covers.
She had left Sammy out there, crap. And the Dorito bag and beer bottles.
She was so busted.
Let's just hope that Tink was too drunk to -
"OH, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"
Shit.
Tink threw open her bedroom door, wobbling slightly, "YOU SO DID NOT HAVE A DATE!"
Emma sat up, looking innocent.
Tink pointed a drunken finger and glared, "You stayed home and read fanfiction, didn't you? Ugh, you loser! Don't you want to get laid?"
Emma bit her lip, to hide her giggle, "I'm not a loser! I'm just very - committed." She wasn't entirely sure if that was true. She might be a little bit of a loser. Okay, a lot.
"Ugh. I give up on you!" Tink rolled her eyes. "Let your pussy remain dry and unused!"
Emma laughed and chucked a pillow at her.
"As punishment, you have to take out Sammy...loser." Tink swayed her way into the bathroom and closed the door with a crash.
Amused and not at all embarrassed, Emma got up and cleaned up her mess, her mind back with Halsted and Colt. If she hurried up and if Sammy peed quickly, she could easily read another chapter before bed. She had class the next day but - one more...
Or two...or three.