So Does This Make Us Both The Other Woman?

2. Meditation Over Villainy (And Coffee, In The Late Afternoon)

"It's weird, isn't it," Emma says, sliding a coffee across Regina's desk and sitting down. The name scrawled on the styrofoam cup is Her Majesty and she rolls her eyes and tries not to smile.

"What is, dear?"

"I got the villain and you got the white hat." She shrugs, grinning at Regina's scowl. "Yin and yang, right?"

"They're both thieves," Regina says dismissively, sipping at her hot cup. There's too much milk in it, which means Emma has figured out how she actually likes her coffee instead of how she's said that she likes it. Terrible. "Robin's just a thief who's also managed to steal a second outfit."

"Oh, haha." Emma makes a face. "Hook had, like, six of the same shirts but David tried teaching him how to use a washing machine and he accidentally shrank them all. I gave him some black tees but he refuses to wear them because...I don't know, something about feeling the wind on his chest at sea. Is that a villain thing too? Evil cleavage?"

Regina purses her lips. "Absolutely not."

She gets a dubious sidelong glance. "Really? Because Ruby says that you–"

"I suppose this means you've adjusted to your life with Hook, then?" Regina cuts her off, and she takes a little time to relish the way Emma's face pales. She might be on Team Charming lately (or perhaps the Charmings are on Team Regina now) but there's still lasting appeal to getting in a hit that Emma Swan can't return.

"Don't call it that." Emma groans. "What is an Enchanted Forest bedding and is that what it sounds like and if it is then why the fuck does my mother keep talking about it?" She leans forward. "Did you...um, did you have one of these traditional weddings when you married..." She wrinkles her nose like she's tasted something awful. "My grandfather?"

Regina ignores the way bile rises in her throat at the thought of it- of Emma and her grandfather and Emma's grandfather– "Not quite. It was a simple ceremony. A ring, a few noblemen, a terrible dress. Snow's birthday was several months later and her celebration was thrice the size." Emma's looking at her like she's said something awful, and she tries to remember if she'd accidentally mentioned any murderous intentions toward Snow and comes up blank. "Might have been why my subjects never quite took to me."

"That or the whole evil thing, right?"

"So, you and Hook, hm?"

She gets a sulky "Fine," and spins the cup in her hands, noting that below the Her Majesty someone has doodled a stylized Regina in pen.

They finish their coffee in silence and Regina thinks about asking why Emma is here, to begin with, because they hadn't scheduled any magic lessons and she's supposed to be having dinner with Robin after work. But Emma is quiet and she looks at peace for the first time in ages so Regina keeps quiet and watches her instead.

There's a little dimple threatening to break free on her cheek if she smiles, and she comes close to it when Regina finishes her coffee and Emma snatches it back to decorate her name some more. Her forehead wrinkles in little horizontal lines that curve pleasingly between arched eyebrows as she focuses and she licks her lips a little too often and–

"Did women ever marry women in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asks, and Regina blinks.

"What?"

"Lesbian weddings. Yes, no, only in some realms?" The dimple makes its appearance and Regina falters. "You know, for our epic love story. I think you make a much more impressive villain for me to fall in love with." She smirks. "Plus the whole family history. You ruin my life as a baby and then we move the moon three decades later? Henry would need a new storybook for the length of this fairytale."

"You're ridiculous." She stands up. It's half past four, which is why these coffees make no sense and Emma's presence here is even stranger. Robin's probably waiting for her at Granny's, and Emma's going to insist on walking her, and then there'll be a stilted conversation and non-accusations and she's just so tired of all of this. "Women wed women on occasion, yes. I haven't heard of it in Snow's family, though."

"That's another point you have on Hook, then. No wedding." They make it outside and it's close enough to winter that there's a chill in the air and when she shivers, Emma pulls off her coat and offers it to her. And it's the long peacoat and it smells like Emma's shampoo and the Bug's seats and not at all like pirate leather, so she pulls it around herself with no protest at all.

"Emma," she says patiently when they're in front of Granny's. Robin is sitting at a table, Roland happily eating a cookie, and- of all people- Hook is standing next to him, all three watching the front window expectantly. "If you're looking for reasons to date an evil queen instead of your boyfriend, it might be time to reevaluate the relationship."

There isn't a part of that that doesn't hurt her or Emma, but somehow it twists the knife, even more, when Emma sighs at her and says, "You're not an evil queen anymore, no matter how ridiculous your embargo on the sheriff's department has gotten."

"Go ahead," the other woman adds, squeezing her arm over the coat. "Robin's waiting for you." She flashes a smile as she walks down the block. Inside, Hook frowns and makes a beeline for the door. "I'll call you."

She doesn't retrieve her coat and Regina keeps it folded on her lap while she drinks black coffee and smiles at Robin and watches Hook catch up to Emma outside.