The School Play

Chapter 48

"I am so sorry for ruining your Christmas Eve." She was fumbling with her fingers and shifted in her seat. It was rather cold outside, but it was better than being suffocated somewhere inside.

"Don't worry about that. I'm glad to have an escape. My parents should've gotten divorced years ago, yet they're still here, ruining Christmas Eve with their stupid fights."

Regina looked at her old friend and scooted slightly closer. She wrapped one arm around Ivy's shoulder and sighed softly. "So, what's important enough for you to leave your girlfriend's house and pound on my door, in the middle of the night?"

"I'm angry at Emma," Regina said. She knew beating around the bush was useless and Ivy had never judged her, so she'd decided she'd just be upfront.

"What happened?" Ivy asked.

Regina shrugged and sighed again. "I'm sorry for bothering you with this nonsense," she said, softly. It was absolutely ridiculous that she'd gone to Ivy's home and disturb her to talk about Emma. Before this afternoon, they hadn't spoken in ten years and yet, here she was, destroying her evening.

"Regina, don't start with this crap. If I didn't want to listen, I wouldn't have come outside. You're not bothering me. Tell me what's going on."

"I saw my mother," Regina started. "She came to Mary Margaret and David's apartment, wanting to speak to me."

"Oh."

"I know I'm being really unfair, blaming Emma for this, but I do. I know it wasn't her intention and I've gone along with everything she'd planned, but how did she think I was going to set foot in Storybrooke without my mother noticing?"

Regina exhaled loudly, in utter annoyance, and rubbed her temples. She knew she was being a hypocrite. She'd believed she was able to avoid her mother in Storybrooke, but clearly, she'd been way too naive.

"As much as I'd like to help you, Regina, I think this is something you should talk to Emma about."

"I don't want to talk to Emma," Regina immediately responded.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm angry at her."

"Isn't that exactly the reason why you should talk to her?"

Regina shook her head, though she knew Ivy was making points. Communication was something she truly valued. Until now, Emma and she had always talked about everything, which prevented any unnecessary discussions or fights. She'd never been angry at Emma before and she didn't want to confront her girlfriend.

"I was hoping I could talk to you instead, so that I could face Emma without being angry anymore."

"Regina.."

"I don't want to talk to her!" Regina said, and rubbed her temples. "What if she gets angry too and we start yelling and she dumps me? She could easily do that. I don't want that. I love her."

It stayed silent. Ivy seemed to contemplate her words and Regina was rather curious to see what the woman would come up with. She hoped it was a plan that involved not having to talk to Emma.

"Regina, I'm going to be really honest with you, but if you fear your relationship might end if you get angry just once, you don't have a very healthy relationship," Ivy eventually said. "Emma is not going to break up with you over something like this. You should be able to express your feelings, whether they're positive or negative."

"I know," Regina whispered. "It's just hard. I've never spent so much time with someone I love as much as Emma. And she.. Emma is just so full of love and I've never had that before. I've never had someone love me the way Emma does, truly unconditionally and I don't really know how to handle it. I don't want to lose her."