AN: Hey guys! This is my first story, just an idea that came to mind while I was waiting to board my flight. English is not my first language so, sorry for my mistakes.
I own nothing.
Let me know what you think :)
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Emma looked up from her phone and glared warily at the brunette with a hint of surprise and annoyance.
"Not that it's any of your business, but my flight was delayed and I'm just waiting."
The brunette scoffed and crossed her arms still looking down at Emma.
"This is a public place, Regina. And it's not like I was planning on running into you here of all places. What are you doing here?"
"Well, Miss Swan, my flight also happens to be delayed and as you put it, I'm just waiting."
Emma sat up straight on her chair, "It's Miss Swan, now? Seriously? You'd think that after all we went through-wait, are you going home?"
"I can hardly call that place home, anymore." Said Regina averting the blonde's eyes.
Emma shook her head "You know what I mean."
"If you must know, yes, mother has been asking me to visit since my sister became pregnant with that devil's spawn."
"Oh, my god! Zee is pregnant? I didn't realize she and Walsh had been together that long. But then again it's been a while since-"
Regina interrupted whatever the blonde was saying "Miss Swan, I'm not here to make small talk with you. I just happened to see you, unfortunately, and decided to ask what were you doing here."
Emma got up from her chair and entered the brunette's personal space "Come on, Gina…" she went to touch the other woman's arm but she flinched and the blonde retreated her arm and took a step back. "Fine. And as to why I'm here, I'm going home, too. Mom and dad are renewing their vows and want me to be there and I have some other stuff to take care of, so yeah."
She sighed as the brunette just let out a hum of acknowledgement, still not meeting her eyes.
Emma shoved her hands in her back pockets "Is there anything else or are we just going to stand here?" There was no answer. "Right. I'll be out of your way then." Said the blonde after deciding she was hungry, anyway.
Since Regina was still not even looking at her she went to grab her bag and after a long glance at the brunette she walked away towards the food court. Regina let go of the breath she wasn't aware she was holding and sat down where the blonde was sitting just minutes before.
It had been over three months since the last time she had spoken to Emma. She didn't even think the blonde was still living in the city; after all it was her job that had required them to move to New York, so she figured that the blonde had moved back to Maine with her parents after everything.
She checked her watch and saw that there were still four hours to go before her flight, deciding to go get some coffee, she got up and walked to a small café, placed her order and sat on a booth by the window that overlooked the landing track. Taking a sip of her drink, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
7 years ago.
Something collided with her as she went to open the small café's door, making her hot drink spill all over her perfectly tucked in shirt. "God dammit! Could you watch where you are going?!" She said after trying, unsuccessfully, to clean herself with some napkins.
"Oh, my god! I am so sorry! I am late for a class but my coffee machine broke and I am in a hurry and I know that's no excuse but I truly am sorry and please let me make it up to you."
After hearing the woman's desperate rant she looked up from her now soaked and dirty shirt, ready to tell her to fuck off, but what she wasn't expecting was to be met by the most beautiful blue-green eyes that spoke more than a million words.
"Please?" Begged the blonde. "I'm Emma." She said with an awkward smile since the brunette hadn't answered yet and was just staring at her.
"Regina." Said the dark haired woman, extending her hand for the blonde to shake.
When their hands met, she smiled at the warm feeling and butterflies it gave her. Thinking to herself that this was definitely not the last time they would see each other.
She put the cup down and looked as various planes landed and took off.
6 years ago.
They were lying on a blanket that the blonde had set up on an empty field, looking at the stars.
"Do you remember the day we met?" Said the blonde folding her arms behind her head.
"How could I forget? You ruined my shirt. I had to run back home and change since it was my first day in my internship program."
Emma chuckled. "Yeah. But I did make up to it." She smiled and turned her head to see the brunette who was also smiling.
"That you did. I have to say I wasn't expecting you to show up at my office with a gallon of fresh brewed coffee."
"It's the least I could have done after making you spill yours. And ruin your expensive looking shirt." She turned her head back to see the sky.
There was a long moment of silence. Thing that was not normal between the two of them. In the year they had known each other they always found something to talk about, even if it was the most trivial of things.
"What's wrong?" Asked Regina after a few moments.
"Nothing is wrong. It's just that-" There was a pause. She removed her arms from behind her head so she could sit up on her elbows.
"You know you can tell me anything." Another pause.
"I kind of like you." Said Emma without looking at the brunette. "I really, really like you." When she was met with no answer she looked at Regina, fearing that she had screwed up by saying anything. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. But since the day I met you all I can think about is how warm and fuzzy you make me feel and that you have the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen and that you are just wonderful, inside and outside and I don't know how or when it happened but I just started developing feelings for you and I-" She was stopped by a soft hand cupping her cheek.
"Miss Swan, shut up." Regina leaned in and kissed her with everything she had, not only to make the blonde stop her rambling, but to show her that whatever she was feeling was not one sided. After a couple minutes they parted. "I kind of really, really like you, too." And they both smiled looking into each other's eyes.
She finished her coffee and checked her watch again. Three hours to go.
5 years ago.
There was a knock on the door. Emma was early. She cleaned her hands with the dishtowel and smoothed the non-existent wrinkles of her dress as she went to open the apartment door. She was met with a grinning blonde who was holding a huge bouquet of flowers.
"Happy anniversary! I know I'm early but I just couldn't wait to see you."
"Happy anniversary to you, too, beautiful." She gave the blonde a peck on the lips and opened the door completely to let her in. "And it's alright. I was just about to put dinner in the oven." She took the flowers from the other woman. "I'll just put these in a vase. You can sit on the couch, I'll join you in a second."
She finished arranging the flowers "Do you want anything to drink? I have wine. Or beer." She was met with silence. "Emma?" No answer. She walked into the living room where Emma was sitting, looking intently into the fireplace, fidgeting with her hands. "What is it, dear?"
Emma looked at her and then down at her hands. "I know that we have only been dating for a year." Regina sat down next to her. "But I can say that it has been the best year of my life." She smiled shyly. "And I guess that what I am trying to say is, Regina, I- I love you."
She knew. The brunette knew. By all the looks the blonde gave her, the little details. The late night calls. The way she cared for her. But they had never said those words out loud. And she knew that the blonde had never said those words to anyone before. She grabbed both Emma's hands on her own. "Darling, look at me." And she did, still nervous. Regina smiled from ear to ear. "I love you, too."
"You do?" Emma asked with a watery smile that could have lit up the whole city.
"I do." And she leaned in wanting to kiss the blonde and show her just how much. Minutes later the oven's timer made itself known, announcing that dinner was ready and they parted. Regina stood up offering her hand for the other woman to take. "Let's eat." Said the brunette as they walked hand in hand towards the kitchen with matching smiles that lasted for the rest of the night.
Regina got up from the small booth and decided she would walk around the duty free area since there were still two and a half hours left for her flight. As she walked by a small shop she saw a couple of very colorful key chains.
4 years ago.
"Where is she? She said she would be here." Emma was looking around the auditorium trying to spot her girlfriend.
"And she will be, sweetie. She must be caught up in traffic or something." Said Emma's mother with a shy smile trying to calm the uneasy woman.
"There she is!" Emma's father said from behind her.
"Oh, thank god!" Emma ran to the brunette's arms.
"I'm sorry, darling. My boss wouldn't let me go and then I got caught up with traffic. But I am here now." She greeted her girlfriend with a soft kiss. "How are you feeling?"
"Nervous. But better now that you are here." Said the blonde giving Regina another kiss.
"Ladies and gentlemen, briefly we'll start the graduation ceremony so please, take your seats and enjoy." Said someone from the podium.
"That's my queue to go up there. I'll see you guys in a bit!" Emma told her parents and girlfriend.
After the ceremony, Emma's parents decided to have the couple over for dinner to give the blonde her graduation presents. Her mom and dad gave her a brand new laptop so she could work on her projects wherever she wanted and her dad also gave her a mug that read "World's best graphic designer." She gave them both a hug and expressed how grateful she was.
They had dessert and after, the blonde's parents retreated to their bedroom, leaving the couple alone in the living room. "I got you something." Said Regina, pulling a box from her coat pocket.
"What is it?" Emma opened the box, seeing that it was a key ring with a small, silver apple on it. "A key chain? What for?" Asked the blonde a little confused since they had bought one together already that held a little golden heart.
"For this." Said the brunette, reaching again for her pocket, taking out a key. Emma still had a confused look on her face. "Move in with me."
"What?"
The brunette bit her lower lip. "Move in with me."
"Are you serious?" The blonde turned to face the other woman fully.
"Yes, I am serious. You spend most of your time in my place, anyway. So what do you say?"
Emma seemed to think about it for a second. She then grabbed the brunette's face with both hands and kissed her as if her life depended on it. "Yes! Yes. I'd love to move in with you."
"Let's go home, then. We'll pick up your stuff later."
"I love you, so much."
"I love you, too, darling."
Regina kept walking around. Two hours to go.
3 years ago.
Emma was pacing in the living room. Regina had texted her hours ago and told her that she couldn't get out of the office in time to make it to their dinner reservation, but Emma assured her that she understood and it was fine. That they could get take out and have a quiet meal in for their third anniversary.
It was around 9pm when Regina finally got home. "Hello? Honey?" Emma stood up from where she was sitting and went to greet her girlfriend at the door.
"Hello, gorgeous. It feels like forever since I last saw you." She said wrapping her arms around the brunette's waist.
"I know, sweetie. I'm sorry. Between my boss and my mother I believe I am about to lose my mind."
"I know. I just miss you. Happy anniversary" The blonde gave Regina a soft kiss and smiled.
"Happy anniversary, darling. I can't believe it's been three years already."
"I know, right?" Taking a step back, she grabbed the brunette's hand and guided her to the couch in front of the fireplace and a coffee table where she had set up a couple of plates and a glass of wine for each. "Come, let's eat."
They had their meal while discussing their day and making small talk. When they were done, Regina took their plates to the kitchen sink and went to refill their wine glasses. "I swear, if I didn't want the promotion so bad I would have quit already. I wish we could get out of this place." She gave Emma her glass back and sat down next to her. "You know, a new scenery. New people. Just you and me."
"Hm." Emma was looking at Regina while she spoke. She knew what the older woman was saying but her mind was somewhere else. She was listening to her voice. Her blue-green eyes wandered from brown eyes, to perfect lips, to beautiful, long fingers.
"What do you think? If we could, would you go away with me? Regina turned her head to face the blonde. "Emma?"
"Marry me."
"What?" The brunette whispered.
Emma sat up and placed her glass on the table, taking Regina's as well.
"Marry me." She grabbed one of the other woman's hands and ran her thumb over it. "I want you. I want this. I want us. More than anything I have ever wanted in my life. You make me so happy and I want to make you as happy for the rest of my life." She glanced down at their joined hands and then looked up to meet brown eyes. "I can't imagine a life without you. You stole my heart, my mind and my soul a long time ago and I don't want them back. They are yours to keep. So, what do you say? Marry me?"
"Yes." She said with eyes full of tears and a huge smile.
"Yeah?"
"Yes, Emma. I want you. I want this. I want us."
"I love you, so much. I wasn't planning on doing this today, but I just saw you and came to the conclusion that I didn't want to wait anymore."
The brunette chuckled. "I love you, too."
"We are really doing this."
Regina leaned in and kissed Emma with all the love she had to offer. "Yes, we are."
She decided to walk back to the gate since there was only an hour left to go. When she got there, she sat down and held her head in her hands.
2 years ago.
After the wedding, Regina was offered the promotion with the condition that she moved to New York City. She couldn't pass it up; she was her own boss now.
The first few weeks went by smoothly. They decided to spend their honeymoon sightseeing around the place they would now be calling home. Emma found a job that allowed her to work from home and she was doing great. Everything was going great.
Until Regina started settling down in her new office.
She woke up with the sound of the front door opening. She had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for the brunette to come home after she had received a text saying that she would be late. She checked her watch, it was 7am. "Hey, Gina." She said in a sleepy voice. "Did you just get here?"
Regina walked over to her and gave her a short kiss. "Yes, darling. I'm sorry. One of my new employees really messed up the paperwork yesterday and I had to stay and fix everything for today's meeting."
"Oh." Said the blonde a little confused and not completely awake, yet. "So, you have to go back?"
"I do, sweetie. I just came to change." The blonde just nodded.
Regina groaned, wondering how did she let thing get out of hand so fast.
18 months ago.
Emma was on the phone, arguing with the brunette. "What do you mean you are not coming home tonight? Regina, I haven't seen you in days!"
"I know, darling, but what do you want me to do? I can't just drop everything and expect these people to figure out how to run the business." There was a rustling of papers.
"That is not what I'm saying." She sighed. "I just miss you. I miss my wife." She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I know, honey, but I-"
"Gina?"
"I'm sorry, Emma, I have a meeting. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Fine"
"Okay, I love you."
"I love y-" The line went dead. She sighed, again. "You, too."
14 months ago.
Emma had just come out from a meeting with a client, so she decided to have a surprise lunch date with her wife. She had been seeing her more, lately, not that the older woman was spending much time at home, but at least she spent the night there and not at the office couch. So she was not going to complain, especially after how it went down the last time.
She picked up take out from a small restaurant the brunette loved and walked the few blocks to the office building.
There was something she wanted to discuss with the other woman. Something she thought could help them both in a way. But she was nervous. They had touched the subject a couple of times before, but nothing definite. She was worried about what Regina's answer would be, considering her mind was always at work.
There was a knock at the door. "Come in." The brunette said without looking up from her computer.
"Well, hello there." The blonde said smiling at her wife's concentrated stance. "Lunch delivery." She raised the paper bags for the other woman to see.
"Emma! Hi! What are you doing here?" She got up from her chair to greet the other woman. She gave her a short but loving kiss.
"I got out from my meeting earlier and knowing you, figured you hadn't eaten yet." She gave her another kiss. "So. I thought we could eat together." She smiled.
"Thank you." She went to clear her desk so they could eat. "And you are right, I haven't eaten since the toast you made me have this morning."
The blonde shook her head, knowing better than to reprimand the older woman for not taking care of herself. She started taking the containers out of the bag and they sat down to eat.
"You are unusually quiet. What are you thinking?" Asked the brunette in between bites.
Emma had finished eating already and was looking down at her shoes. She looked up and studied the brunette's face. There was a long pause. "Let's have a baby."
"What? Em-"
"Just hear me out." The brunette set the empty container down. "I know what you are going to say, because you had said it before. I know how important your job is. And I know that you are busy most of the time. But I work from home, I am there most of my time, except for my morning run and when I have meetings with clients." She stood up and sat on the desk in front of the other woman. "I want this. I want a family, with you." She sighed. "I'm not getting any younger and neither are you. So, what better time than now? Plus…" She grabbed the woman's hand in her own. "Maybe it'll give you a reason to want to come home more often." She said with a smirk. She knew that that was just hopeful thinking, but she did want this. Even if Regina wasn't going to be there 24/7, she wanted a family with the brunette.
Regina stared at the blonde biting her lip. "And how would you propose we do this?"
Emma smiled shyly. "Well, I was thinking, we get a donor, your eggs and my womb." She looked down. "That way it'd be a part of both of us, and you wouldn't have to miss work…"
Regina looked down at their hands and whispered. "Okay."
"Really?" Emma whispered back looking at her wife with hopeful eyes.
"Really." Regina got up and cupped the blonde's cheek with her other hand. "I want a family with you, too."
The younger woman's eyes filled with tears. "I love you, so much."
"I love you, too, darling." And leaned in to kiss the other woman.
"Mrs. Mills, your 3 o'clock is here." Interrupted the intercom.
The couple parted and smiled at each other. "Thank you, Jane. Just give me a minute."
"I better go, then." Said the blonde getting up from the desk. "See you at home?"
"See you at home." They shared another kiss and the blonde left the office.
Regina felt her vision starting to blur from the tears that were forming there. She was trying really hard to stop thinking, but with no avail. And there was still half hour to go.
4 months ago.
Emma was calling Regina but she wasn't answering her phone. The blonde had gone to her doctor's appointment alone, again, and had the same result. Negative, again.
She was upset and didn't understand why it wasn't working.
The brunette had been a lot more distant since their third failed attempt and the younger woman didn't know what to do. She was heartbroken and she needed her wife.
After a few more minutes of trying, she answered her phone. "Emma, if I don't answer my phone it is because I am busy. I am in a very important meeting. What do you need?"
Emma didn't answer. It wasn't the first time that the other woman talked to her that way but right now, it hurt more than the other times.
"So it isn't urgent, I assume."
The blonde managed to whisper out a response. "No."
"Okay then, I'll see you at home." And she hung up.
Emma cried herself to sleep.
Hours later she woke up with the sound of a closing door and walked into the living room, leaning against a wall, crossing her arms. Her eyes were red from crying but she didn't say a word.
Regina looked over at her. "Aren't you going to say anything?"
The blonde looked everywhere but the other woman's eyes.
The brunette shook her head. "I'm not doing this right now. I'm tired."
Emma looked down. "I needed you today." She managed to get out.
The older woman sighed. "I'm sorry. I was busy. I told you last month that the investors were coming this week and I was going to be swamped with work." She said with irritation.
"I know, and I wasn't asking for you to drop everything and come home. I just needed you to pick up the phone for a second."
"And I did!" The brunette huffed. Her temper rising.
Emma shook her head. "Doesn't matter." She still wasn't looking at Regina.
"What do you mean it doesn't matter? You can't just start an argument and then say it doesn't matter."
"I am not starting an argument." She said softly. "I just needed my wife today. But yeah, you were busy. I get it."
"What do you want me to do, Emma? You want me to drop everything every time this thing doesn't work? Every time you are upset?" She said in disbelief.
She looked up at her wife. "I just said that that's not-"
"Then what, Emma? What do you want me to say? I have no time for this."
"You mean that you have no time for me."
"What?" She almost yelled.
"Yeah, I mean, you have time for everything else. For work, meetings, investors, contractors." She said sadly. "Everything that doesn't involve me."
"Where is this coming from?"
"Regina, our anniversary was two months ago and you still haven't noticed." A single tear escaped her eye and her voice cracked.
The brunette looked at her with a mix of shock and anger. But she was too stubborn to admit she did anything wrong. "You know what? I think that you are right." She knew she would regret this. "I have no time for anything that involves you. This job is my life and I have to focus on that, not on your mood swings and clinginess." She said without meeting the blonde's eyes.
"What?" The blonde whispered uncrossing her arms. "What are you say-"
"I love you, but I think we jumped into this too fast."
"Too fast?! Regina, we have known each other for over seven years!"
"Still, this is not working. I didn't have my job then, and I am not losing it."
"So, you'd rather lose me? What about our family? What abou-?"
"What family, Emma? It's obvious that we are never having kids. It didn't work. It's not going to work and you can't deal with the fact that I'm busy all the time."
"So that's it, then? You choose your job?" The tears were flowing freely now.
She wasn't about to back down. "Was there ever a choice?"
Regina was dying inside but she wasn't going to let it show. When the blonde didn't move or say anything she went to grab her purse from where she had left it when she got in. "I'll go stay at a hotel, or something."
Emma wiped the tears away with her palms. "Don't worry about it." She said in the coldest tone she could mage without her voice wavering. She went to grab her phone and keys from the table next to the front door. "The apartment's in your name, anyway." She opened the door and left without another word.
"Fuck."
And that's the last time they saw each other. Emma had called and texted after Regina's lawyer gave her the divorce papers, but the brunette didn't answer. Couldn't answer.
She called the blonde once, to say that she was sorry how things went down but that she believed this was the better option. In that conversation Emma told her that no matter what she said, she loved her with every fiber of her being and always would. The older woman ended the call after that.
They had just announced the plane had arrived and they would be boarding shortly. She started swiping the tears that escaped her eyes when she saw the blonde approaching her, having heard the announcement, too.
"You okay?" Said Emma taking the seat next to Regina.
The older woman just then noticed that the blonde was still wearing her wedding ring. "Why haven't you signed the divorce papers?"
The younger woman sighed. "Because I wanted to talk to you about some things before I did. That's why I have been calling you."
"What could you possibly want to talk to me about? We already discussed everything with our lawyers." Said the annoyed brunette.
Emma looked down and then to the older woman. "It worked." She said softly looking back down.
"What worked? Emma, what are you talking about?" She was losing her patience.
Emma looked into brown eyes, again. "It worked, Regina. I'm pregnant." She said a little firmer this time.
"W-what? How?" She was not expecting that. "Last time we talked you weren't and it hadn't worked and-"
"That day. The one I was so upset after my appointment, I made another one for a month later and I forgot to cancel it. When the time came I said to myself, what the hell. And well, it worked." She smiled to herself and moved her hand to her lower abdomen.
Regina looked from the blonde's face to her hand. She couldn't speak.
"That's one of the reasons I'm going home. I'm thinking about moving back but I wanted to talk to my parents first. And you, of course, but you hadn't answered so-" She was interrupted by someone in the front desk.
"We will now be boarding passengers from groups 4 and 5."
The brunette still hadn't said anything so Emma got up. "We'll that's me." She grabbed her bag giving the older woman time to say something. Anything.
"Last call for groups 4 and 5."
"Whenever you are ready to talk, you know where to find me." She gave a soft smile to the older woman, who finally made eye contact.
Regina just nodded and Emma walked away without looking back.