Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Regina was already tired by the time the gym doors opened.
The morning had been busy, to say the least. It had asked too many small things of her in quick succession. A missing lunch order, a parent email that should have waited until later in the day but didn’t, one teacher running late, another who went home sick.
Still, it was all normal, familiar work. Just another day at the office for her.
Henry’s class filed in last and Regina spotted him immediately, tucked into the third row near the front, sneakers swinging as he twisted around to take everything in. His jacket was already half off and forgotten about on the floor beside him. She was pretty sure that given the opportunity, he’d be bouncing off the walls.
Fire safety day had been circled on the calendar for a week in the Mills’ household. Courtesy of Henry, of course.
“Eyes forward,” Mary Margaret murmured gently to her class, but Henry didn’t even pretend to hear her. He was staring at the double doors at the far end of the gym like he expected them to burst open at any moment.
Regina moved to stand along the wall with the other faculty and she folded her arms loosely as her eyes scanned over the gym like they usually do when they have an assembly like this. She told herself she was there because she should be. Because this was part of her job.
She was watching Henry, mostly.
The doors opened with less excitement than he was clearly hoping for, but his disappointment lasted all of two seconds the moment the firefighters walked in, boots echoing faintly against the gym floor. There were more of them than Regina anticipated. It was a small group.
David was easy to spot even without a uniform. August and Killian trailed behind him, hauling equipment and sharing quiet laughs with each other. Mulan walked with her hands clasped loosely behind her back as she flicked her eyes over tiny elementary schoolers.
And then there was Emma.
Regina didn’t know her name yet. That came later. For now, she was just one of the lieutenants who was dressed in department blues and had her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked… at ease. She wasn’t radiating the nervous energy Regina was used to seeing with these kinds of presentations. Elementary schoolers could be intimidating, she gets it. Emma, however, wasn’t giving any of those signals.
And of course, Henry spotted her immediately. His legs stilled instantly, his hands dropped into his lap, and he leaned forward without realizing he was doing it.
Regina’s mouth curved despite the professional persona she was determined to keep, insisting to herself she was there because she was principal and not because of Henry.
David stepped forward first and clapped once. It was sharp and got the kids’ attention pretty quickly. Once he had it, he introduced the team. He kept it brief and personable, perfect for children who already had trouble paying attention.
“This is Lieutenant Emma Swan,” he said, gesturing beside him. “She’s going to lead us today.”
Henry made a quiet, awed sound Regina recognized from museum visits and particularly impressive construction vehicles.
Emma tucked her helmet under her arm and dropped to one knee in front of the group instead of looming over them. “Hey! Before we get started, I need to know something.”
Hands shot up instantly. A few kids forgot to raise theirs and blurted out anyway. Emma laughed while dozens of little eyes were on her, on the equipment, on everything.
Regina couldn’t help but notice the way Emma didn’t rush to fill the silence.
“Yes,” Emma said, pointing to a girl in the front row. “What do you think?”
Soon enough, they were off with the presentation. And Regina hadn’t quite seen it unfold this way, not quite like this. Because not only did Emma explain things clearly, but she also listened. She gave each child her undivided attention. When a child answered incorrectly, she didn’t dismiss it but she built from it without tearing it down. She was constantly crouching at their level, then standing up and gesturing with her hands before crouching back down and doing it all over again.
And Henry? Henry didn’t take his eyes off her. They didn’t so much as drift off to the side like Regina would have expected from him by now.
When she demonstrated ‘stop, drop, and roll,’ he rolled his shoulders eagerly, already halfway out of his seat before Mary Margaret gently pressed a hand to his shoulder.
“Soon,” Emma promised with a grin.
Regina felt warmth throughout her chest. She had seen Henry engaged before—with books, with puzzles, with his legos, with anything that sparked seven year old curiosity. But this was different. Emma called on him multiple times, using his name without stumbling over it like she forgot. She answered every single question he asked and she never talked down to him. Not once. She simply explained things in a way an elementary schooler could understand and Regina appreciated that more than she was willing to admit.
Henry raised his hand so fast once again that Regina straightened instinctively.
“Henry,” she said quietly.
He stilled immediately, glancing back at her with a sheepish smile before righting himself. Emma noticed that, too. Her gaze flicked briefly toward Regina, then back to Henry. She nodded, acknowledging both of them in the smallest possible way.
“Yes?” she asked Henry. “What’s your question, bud?”
His question came out earnest and slightly jumbled, words tripping over each other in his hurry to get them out. Something about fires being loud, about how fast they moved, and about whether firefighters got scared.
The gym was quiet now as tiny ears waited for an answer. Emma stood there for a moment, eyes flicking upwards as she thought before answering honestly.
“Yeah,” she said. “Sometimes we do get scared. But that’s why we train so much. So even when something feels scary, we know what to do next.”
Henry nodded enthusiastically as if he was going to remember that useful bit of information in the future. Across the gym, Regina let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
It was somewhere in the middle of the presentation that Emma looked up again. And this time, she really saw Regina.
She was tall in sharp heels that were fit for a queen. Her dark hair fell just below her shoulders. Her blazer fitted just right and pencil skirt hugging her in all the right places. She was beautiful, yet so composed in a very professional way. But Emma watched how she watched her son with an expression she had no immediate words for but felt deeply. An expression she felt instinctively respectful of, one she was still not used to seeing herself even in adulthood.
Emma’s sentence faltered just slightly. Barely enough that anyone else would notice. But Ruby noticed, of course she did. From the back of the gym, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, Ruby’s mouth quirked. She tilted her head, following Emma’s line of sight.
“Oh,” she said to herself. “Oh.”
Emma recovered, but even as she was talking about the oxygen tanks, she couldn’t help but notice out of the corner of her eye the way Regina smiled at Henry. It wasn’t even a big smile, it was restrained because here she was the principal and not ‘mom’, but her face lit up anyway.
But this time, there was a flutter in her chest that most certainly had not been there before. She lost her place for half a second, staring at the ground like she had forgotten what came next. Her brain offered her nothing helpful in return.
Okay. Wow. Okay. Don’t be weird. Definitely don’t be weird.
She cleared her throat and continued on, but now she was acutely aware of herself. Of the way her hands were moving, of the way her voice felt like it was higher now. Of the way Regina’s attention didn’t drift away from Henry when there was a scuffle near the doorway. Emma knew immediately she would never live this down. They wouldn’t even make it out of the gym before Ruby was all over her about it.
The presentation wrapped up to enthusiastic applause and at least one kid attempting a dramatic roll across the floor before being gently stopped. Henry clapped so hard that his palms stung.
Regina watched Emma stand, laughing softly as Ruby murmured something in her ear. She watched her thank the kids and the teachers, laughing easily when the same child attempted again to ‘stop, drop, and roll.’ She especially caught the way Emma glanced back one more time.
The gym emptied in stages. Teachers gathered their classes and herded them back to their classrooms. The gym floor gradually cleared until only a few stragglers remained. Students lingered to ask questions only to soon be corralled by a teacher. Some parents who’d come to watch waited by the doors and the firefighters started breaking down their equipment piece by piece.
Regina, however, stayed right where she was. She told herself it was administrative and courteous to see things through. That she should thank the department properly before they left. All of that was true, but none of it felt like the full explanation.
Henry drifted back to her side eventually, with a wide smile and bright eyes. “That was so cool! Did you know their boots are really heavy? And the air tanks?”
“I saw, sweetheart,” Regina said fondly. She rested her hand briefly between his shoulder blades, a gentle reminder so he didn’t sprint back into the remaining cluster of firefighters. “Inside voice.”
He nodded and was silent for exactly three seconds, then craned his neck again to watch Emma laugh at something Killian said.
Regina noticed the way Henry’s attention kept orbiting back in that direction, how he inched forward without realizing it. She also noticed the way Emma looked now that the presentation was over. She was less focused, looser at the edges, still clearly in her element but no longer checking herself now that she wasn’t presenting anymore.
Ruby, who was still leaning against the back wall, caught Regina’s glance and lifted her brows slightly. Regina met her gaze evenly, clearly unimpressed, and that just made Ruby grin wider as she turned to walk toward Emma. She murmured something in her ear that made them go faintly pink, even Regina could see from where she was standing.
Emma did not notice Regina noticing that. She was too busy trying very hard not to look directly at her. Which was difficult, considering Regina had moved closer now that the bulk of the room had cleared. Heels were quiet but clipped against the gym floor, posture relaxed and still straight as a board at the same time.
Once she was close enough, Emma turned to meet her. “Oh, hi,” she said too quickly. She winced internally and tried again. “Hi.”
Regina’s mouth twitched. “Hello.”
There was a moment of silence between them, but surprisingly it wasn’t uncomfortable.
“Thank you,” Regina said when Emma didn’t immediately fill it. “That was very well done. You kept their attention the entire time.”
Emma blinked. “Oh. Yeah. I mean—thanks. They were a good group.” She gestured vaguely toward where the students had disappeared. “Especially your son.”
Henry straightened immediately. “I asked the best questions.”
“You did,” Emma agreed easily. “You made us think.”
Regina’s eyes flicked to her quickly before they softened. “He does that.”
Emma smiled at Henry, then looked back at Regina and this time, she couldn’t quite stop herself. Up close, Regina was… a lot.
Not intimidating, not exactly. But not unkind either. Her dark hair was tucked behind her ears neatly, expression controlled but not closed off. She was watching Emma carefully, with interest she hadn’t named.
Emma’s brain promptly forgot what she had been about to say.
Say something normal, she told herself. Any sentence. Please.
“So,” she blurted. “Uh. Fire safety.”
Henry giggled.
Regina lifted an eyebrow. “I gathered.”
Emma laughed helplessly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Sorry. Long morning.”
“Understandable,” Regina said. She gestured lightly around the gym. “This tends to take more energy than people expect.”
Emma nodded, grateful for the lifeline. “Yeah. But it’s worth it. Kids remember things better when someone treats them like they’re actual human beings and not babies.”
Regina studied her for a beat longer than was strictly polite. “I noticed that. You didn’t talk over them.”
“They’re already loud. No need to compete.”
Henry looked between them. “Are you coming back again?”
Emma smiled at him. “Maybe. Depends if your school invites us.”
Regina considered that. “We’ll keep that in mind.”
Emma took a moment and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small stack of business cards. She hesitated, then extended one toward Regina.
“If the school ever needs anything,” she said. “Or if you just have questions. Safety stuff. Alarms. Drills. Whatever, you know where to find us.”
Regina took it and their fingers brushed, sending a spark of electricity through Emma. She didn’t fully understand it, but she knew that moment would definitely be one she’d be thinking about later in the shower.
“Thank you,” Regina said, slipping the card neatly into her blazer pocket. “Lieutenant Swan, was it?”
“Emma’s fine.”
Regina nodded. “Regina.”
Henry beamed at both of them like he was witnessing a secret handshake.
Behind them, Ruby watched the exchange with open delight. “Wow,” she said under her breath as Emma rejoined her a moment later. “You’re gone.”
Emma shot her a warning look. “I’m standing right here.”
“You know what I mean,” Ruby replied, completely undeterred. She bumped Emma’s shoulder as they headed toward the gym doors.
“Just so we’re clear,” she said, “if you ever need a reminder of this moment, I will be happy to describe it in detail.”
Emma groaned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was professional.”
“You were polite,” Ruby corrected. “Professional left your body when she said your name.”
Emma narrowed her eyes at her. “What are you even doing here? You have no reason to be here.”
Ruby chuckled. “I had nothing better to do. I don’t have to be at the diner until later. And besides, after that show? I’m glad I came.”
Emma went silent as she started to pack up the last of the equipment left. It was methodical in the way she took things apart and put them away. She worked as if she was trying to pretend what had happened didn’t happen. Even though it had. And Emma knew she could focus on her work all she wanted, but there was nothing she could do to stop the heat that had rushed to her face.
Ruby leaned in, voice low. “You know she noticed you too, right?”
Emma froze. “No she didn’t.”
Ruby hummed. “Okay. Keep telling yourself that. I’ll be over here, watching this unfold.”
Emma paused for a moment before packing up one last helmet and chanced one last glance back.
Regina was already turning away, hand resting lightly on Henry’s shoulder as she guided him toward the classrooms. She didn’t look back, but Emma had the distinct sense that she didn’t need to. She exhaled slowly, heart still beating faster than it should have been.
“Well,” Ruby said. “That was… definitely something.”
Emma stared after Regina, smiling without meaning to. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I think it was.”
And for reasons she couldn’t yet explain, she hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she walked into that gym.
**********
Henry chattered the entire walk toward his class, words tumbling over each other in an enthusiastic rant that Regina didn’t interrupt.
“They have a pole,” he told her, wide eyed. “Like in the movies. And their jackets are really heavy. And she said they train a lot so they don’t forget what to do when it’s scary.”
“She did,” Regina agreed.
Henry nodded, then looked down at his sneakers. “She was nice.”
Regina’s hand tightened briefly on his shoulder. “I noticed.”
She did what she’d done since he had become his own person. She watched him in the aftermath of something exciting. More specifically, for the subtle tells that meant he was overstimulated, or anxious, or the quiet collapse that happened once the excitement had worn off. But Henry didn’t do any of that. He didn’t pull away either.
He glanced back once more toward the far side of the gym. Toward Emma, still laughing softly with the others as they gathered their things.
“You think I could be a firefighter?” he asked casually.
Regina considered him. She considered his curiosity, his empathy, his eagerness. The way he paid attention when something mattered to him.
“I think,” she said carefully, “that you could be anything you decide to work for.”
He grinned. “Even that?”
“Yes, my prince,” she said. “Even that.”
Henry seemed satisfied. He leaned into her side as they stopped near the hallway and her arm settled around him instinctively.
Regina had seen a lot of adults speak to children. Too many talked at them. Too many simplified things until they lost all meaning. Too many missed the moment where a child wasn’t just absorbing information, they were forming an idea of themselves. Too many times adults forgot how smart children were, how intelligent they could be when no one was watching.
She glanced back again before she could stop herself.
Emma was helping August lift a bin of equipment now. She moved with the kind of ease that came from familiarity and confidence in her work. Regina didn’t usually linger on strangers. She remembered faces, names, impressions and everything in between and moved on. It was a huge part of her job. She was good at it. But something about this stuck with her, tugging at her attention.
“She listened to me,” Henry said suddenly.
Regina looked down at him. “Who?”
“The firefighter. Emma.” He said her name with confidence, like he was sure he had it right. “She didn’t rush me like they do sometimes. Or talk to me the way Mr. Fritz talks to me.”
Regina’s gaze flicked back once more. “No. She didn’t, did she?”
**********
Emma barely remembered how she ended up outside. One moment she had been standing in the gym, card lighter in her pocket, heart doing something deeply inconvenient. The next, the late morning sun hit her square in the face and she had to stop walking for half a second just to remember where she was.
Ruby clocked it immediately. “Wow. You really are done.”
“I’m fine,” Emma insisted, too quickly, adjusting her grip on the gear bag. “She was just… that was just her being the principal.”
Ruby hummed, unconvinced. “A principal who ruined your brain function.”
Emma scoffed as she unlocked the truck. “She asked normal questions any parent or teacher would.”
“She existed. In the same room as you,” Ruby corrected. “In close proximity. I just saw you go through the five stages of gay panic in less than a minute.”
Emma laughed despite herself, shaking her head as she loaded equipment. She tried to tell herself it was nothing. That it had been a nice moment, a pleasant interaction between mother and son, one she’d forget by dinner.
Except she already knew she wouldn’t.
It wasn’t just that Regina had been beautiful, though that certainly didn’t help. It had been the way she watched her son. The way she held eye contact like she had been genuinely interested in what Emma had to say and whenever Henry chimed in. She hadn’t demanded respect, she had just given it and expected it would be returned.
Emma closed the compartment door harder than necessary.
“Okay,” Ruby said gently, leaning her back against the truck. “You don’t get this flustered unless it’s bad.”
“I’m not flustered,” Emma said, then immediately rubbed her face with both hands. “Okay. I’m flustered. But she’s… a lot.”
“She’s very ‘step on your throat but ask permission first,’” Ruby agreed cheerfully. “You’re doomed.”
Emma glared at her. “She has a kid, Ruby. It’s not like that.”
Ruby smiled, sharp and knowing. “Yes, she does have a kid and he lit up when he talked to you. Which means you’re extremely doomed.”
Emma exhaled, leaning back against the truck. “I don’t even know her.”
“No,” Ruby said. “But you want to.”
Emma didn’t answer. She watched the school doors for a second longer than she needed to. Regina emerged with Henry, her hand steady at his shoulder. She watched the way Regina bent slightly to say something to him, face softening in a way Emma hadn’t seen all morning.
Ruby nudged her. “Be honest.”
Emma swallowed. “She makes me nervous.”
Ruby grinned. “Congratulations. It’s been a while. I was wondering how long you’d stay a sad, lonely little gay firefighter.”
Emma punched her arm and Ruby couldn’t help the cackle that escaped from her mouth.
“Oh babe. This is going to be so good.”