SwanQueen Oneshots

The Gap In-Between Stars

It's Friday afternoon, and since Snow has decided that they all need to spend more time as a family, Regina is kneeling in the dirt trying to pitch a tent instead of reading a good book on her back porch.

A mosquito buzzes close to her ear and she slaps it away with a grimace, glaring at the progress she has made with their tent. It is a bright red triangle of nylon that's been bought (apparently) for the specific purpose of housing both her and Emma this weekend. Apparently Snow and David are regular camp-goers with their very own luxury tent and Henry is willing to give the backpacking hammock a chance. So, they get their own tent.

Regina stands with a brittle wince, her knees cracking. She takes a slow step back and regards her progress.

Well...it's standing, at least.

She has managed to sink the pegs down deep enough in the sandy dirt to pull the tent upright but it still looks more like a child's drawing of a tent than something that will withstand the night.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Regina sighs and looks around their little campground. Their space is just a large patch of scrubby grass and pine trees, all surrounded by bees. In the distance, she can see a faint blue line of unsteady water which brings in the air the smell of salt.

Near the bear box, David whistles to himself as he stacks tin cans on top of tin cans and bags on top of boxes. In the corner, Snow helps tighten the ropes of Henry's nighttime hammock, laughing at some little joke of Henry's. Somewhere close, she can hear Neal rummaging around the space for interesting things like acorns and rocks to hide in his pocket. Nearly everyone is accounted for.

Except Emma.

Of course.

Regina sighs and covers her eyes with a palm, squinting worriedly through the late autumn afternoon. But only a moment later, Emma's voice booms from right beside her.

"Hey."

Regina startles. Then she closes her eyes.

"Emma," she sighs, and presses a hand to her chest. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry," Emma laughs, completely unrepentant. In fact she seems quite pleased with herself – her face is happy and warm under the late-autumn light, seemingly undisturbed by the thought of spending two nights under a frigid mosquito-infested sky with only a cheap, badly-put-together tent to protect them.

Regina sighs. "I don't think it's too late to rent a cabin, you know."

"Actually, I think it might be. A little bit."

"When did camping become such a popular family bonding trip," Regina grumbles. "Why couldn't we be swept away to a luxurious hotel with good food, beds, and hot water?"

"Oh, come on," Emma wraps an arm around Regina's shoulders, gives her a hearty, awkward half-hug that squeezes the air out of her ribs. "This is going to be fun! I always wanted to go camping with my family, and this tent looks great, you did a great job setting it up."

Regina grunts, unconvinced, but let's herself settle into Emma's space anyway. If Emma can ignore the tent's obvious flaws, she might as well too.

"I guess so," she says grudgingly. 'But ...doesn't it seem a little too small? Will we even fit?"

"What are you talking about, of course we will."

"Emma, this tent looks like it was made for a child."

"We can fit," Emma assures, and steps forward to show her, parting the nylon flaps with a swat of her hand. She steps inside the small slick, red-black world of the tent. "See?" she says, lays out on her back and spreads her arms as if to prove the enormous space around her, but either side of her fingertips meets the side of the tent. "We will have plenty of room."