Who thought paint could save them?

Chapter 2

Emma steps up to the door of the mansion. She looks down at herself, Well, like Mia Thermopolis, this is as good as it's gonna get... She thinks as she stares at her attire. She only has so much, and Regina's seen it all. She's wearing her classic skinny jeans, but she's decided to shake up the leather jacket with a boyfriend jacket, and she is of course wearing her tank top... the lucky one. She takes a breath and knocks on the door.

Henry opens it and looks oddly at Emma, "Uhh, mom hasn't even started dinner yet. She just came home and disappeared..."

Emma gives him an odd look right back, "Did she tell you anything about tonight?"

"No, she was humming and in a daze...like I think she was high."

"Kid, do you even know what that means?" Emma tries not to laugh of the visual in her head of Regina eating a pot brownie and dancing around.

"Yeah...? You taught me... Remember last year when you came to the school to teach D. A. R. E.?" Henry is still looking at her like there's something off with her too.

"Right!" Emma realizes he in fact does know, "Well... I don't know how to tell you this, kid, but your mom's not high. I think she's happy." She gives him a concerned look, "Is that okay with you?"

Henry expression completely changes; he nods vigorously, "Yes!...Why wouldn't it be okay?"

"Because kid... I'm the one making her happy." She is a little proud of herself for this.

Henry rolls his eyes, "I know, you're not exactly subtle.."

Emma raises her brows, "Is that right?"

"Well, there's been two coffee mugs in the sink in the morning when I've come down for breakfast this last week."

Why does that sound familiar? Emma thinks as Henry continues.

"You park right outside my window when you come to see her at night. And when you guys first met you went at each other's throats... Now you look at each other like Mary Margaret and David." He pulls her closer, "I don't know what your plan is, but this has to be good for Operation Cobra."

Emma opens her mouth to say something, but can't. She shakes her head, "Where's your mother again?" She asks as she steps inside the mansion.

Henry gestures for her to follow, "She's in her shed."

"Her shed? What the hell is her shed? Where the hell is her shed? Why the hell's she got a shed?" Emma asks him as he leads her through the kitchen to the back door.

Henry stops and turns around to Emma. He gives her a 'doy!' look, "I'm 12. She's private. It's locked when she's not in there and she's blacked out all the windows..."

Emma returns the 'doy!' look, "You've never gone down there with her?"

"She's never asked and I'm not sure I want to know what's on the other side..."

"Henry." Emma scolds him, "Your mother is not..." She sighs, "Alright. Even if she were the evil queen, do you really think that she would keep anything scary or incriminating so close to home?"

Henry thinks about it for a moment, "I guess you're right..." he's a bit sheepish and apologetic. "She smells of paint when she comes back from there... that's all I can tell you about the shed."

"You can't tell me where it is?" Emma asks him.

"Just go passed the fifth apple tree. It's hidden in the woods just a few feet in. You can't see it from here, but you will when you get closer." Henry instructs his blonde mother.

"You're not going to find out with me?" Emma turns as she starts heading down the lawn.

"You go ahead." Henry waves her on and shuts the door.

Henry is right; as soon as Emma gets close to the shed she can smell the paint. She also hears this weird sort of whirring noise. She tries to prepare herself for the most random thing before she enters, but this doesn't work because nothing could have prepared her for what she sees when she shoves the shed door to the side.

Regina jumps and turns around. She's wearing a spray paint fume mask and dirty blue coveralls. Emma can still see the wide brown cow eyes of one Regina Mills over the top of the mask. She grins slightly at the brunette then leans to the side a bit.

She takes in the 48X144" canvas behind Regina and gasps, "Holy shit! Is that me?" Emma's eyes were wide now.

Regina turns around then back to her. She embarrassingly takes her mask off and walks over to her, "What are you doing here?"

Emma can't help but move closer to the painting. She glances at the sewn in name of the coveralls Regina's wearing, "Well, Earl..."

Regina knits her brows, then looks down and rolls her eyes, "Oh geez..." she sighs a mumble under her breath.

Emma looks at her pointedly and crosses her arms, "I was picking you up for our first official date, which you haven't even told your son about."

"Our son.."

Emma turns around quickly, hair flipping better than Cameron Diaz's in Charlie's Angels. She smiles and cocks her head to the side, "Did you just hear what you said?"

Regina nods, "Yes, Sherriff I did."

Emma is already turned back around to the painting, "I look like such a badass. I got a sword and everything."

The blonde cocks her head again as she takes in the painting. She has the same epic hair she's always had, but she looks completely medieval chic. She still has pauldrons and vambraces, but the rest of her is covered in leather...or she supposes it is... it is a bit of a trademark for her, which she ironically isn't wearing at the moment. She has a scratch on her face and she was defending something in her arms. The blade of the sword she holds, and the way she is holding it told her that.

She turns to Regina, "What's going to go there?" She points to the blank space that Regina hasn't begun yet.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Regina bites her bottom lip and winks at Emma.

Emma hmphs, "Well, how come you didn't tell me about this?" She waves her hand about. "How come you haven't told me you could paint?" Realization comes over the blonde's face, "You painted that swan didn't you?" Regina looks down and Emma walks over to her. She takes Regina's face in her hands and kisses her, "You are fucking amazing, you know that?"

Regina reverts from the sentimental moment, "You're not the first person to tell me that... You are the first to tell me that without having fucked me yet..."

Emma's jaw drops then she grins wide, "Woman after my own heart."

"No. Please... don't say that. I'm not after it. I don't have to have it. I don't want it." Regina looks at her and Emma looks hurt, "NO! I mean...I do. I just... I don't want it the way that statement implies unless you want to give it to me..."

Emma nods. She takes a step closer, "I want to give it to you." She kisses Regina hard once more, "Let's go on our date so that we can come back from our date... so that we can...see how right that statement I made earlier is..." Emma raises and lowers her brows a couple times.

Regina smirks, "Alright. I just need to change."