hunnyfresh - Letters from War

"Oh please, Sheriff," Ruby scoffed. "If you really wanted a deputy that badly you could have hired me."

"She's actually experienced, Ruby," Graham argued.

"Right," the waitress drawled dismissing his claim. She turned back to August and repeated Tina's question. "So what do you know?"

"I've got over five years of knowledge about Emma and three from when they first started writing. I got them together," he added with smug pride.

"I had no idea Regina was even writing to someone," Tina added. "Henry had talked about his 'special friend' before, but I thought she was an imaginary friend that the Mayor encouraged."

"Emma sort of just popped up out of nowhere," Graham said. "She's been good for Regina though, and the boy."

"I know," August agreed quietly. "And vice versa."

"You're staying the weekend, right?" Ruby inquired, leaning forward in her seat when she heard movement coming from presumably the laundry room.

Graham shook his head incorrigibly at the brunette while August chuckled. "I'm leaving tonight."

"You know, my family owns a B&B, right?"

"Ms. Lucas if I didn't know any better I'd say you were positively smitten with Mr. Booth," Regina said as she stalked into the room with a pouting and clean Henry on her hip and Emma trailing closely behind her.

Ruby's ears reddened at Regina's assumption, and August pressed his chin into his chest to stifle his laughter. Regina was bold, and she clearly knew what was going on around her and never failed to call bullshit. Ruby ducked her head like a dog with her tail between her legs and refrained from sucking her teeth at the interruption.

"All better?" Graham asked as the trio sat on the couch next to him, Emma and Regina sitting shoulder to shoulder with a freshly scolded Henry sitting studiously in his mother's lap.

"Someone was sneaking sweets again," Regina said pointedly to her son who crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, angry that his mother had ruined his fun.

"He wouldn't let Regina wash or change him," Emma explained poking at Henry's fresh polo.

He tried to squirm out of Regina's lap and into Emma's, but Regina kept him firmly in her grasp, his punishment clearly being that he had some time out and thinking about his actions to do.

"You two make quite the team," Tina said casually. It was a comment August had expected, if not from Tina than himself or Ruby, but it was Regina's glazed eyes, worried lip, and furrowed brow that had August wondering. He had hopefully gotten through to Emma getting her head out of her ass, but talking sense into the blonde was always a toss up. He had no idea that Regina may also pose the same if not more difficult problem.

Emma's first real birthday party had lasted late into the night. Henry had sufficiently suffered his time out and wore himself out with putting on a dance show for everyone, going so far as to entice Ms. Bell to show everyone the song and dance she had taught him at school the day before. By the time Henry had knocked out for bed (with Rex in tow since Emma had graciously allowed him a sleepover with the toddler), all the guests had left and a car arrived for August. The two friends walked down the path of the mayoral mansion, Emma pushing his empty wheelchair as August held a take out container of a few slices of Regina's lasagna and red velvet cake.

"Thanks again for coming," Emma spoke softly, nudging his shoulder as they walked. "Are you sure you don't want to stay the weekend?"

"I'll be fine. I have to feed my cat and all." August helped Emma fold up the chair and place it into the trunk of the car.

"It's a long drive," Emma noted.

"It's your last weekend here, Em," he reminded. "Enjoy it."

"We didn't get to hang out a lot, did we?" She asked guiltily.

"Hey," he rapped her chin with his knuckles. "Don't sweat it. Next time you bring Regina and Henry to my neck of the woods."

Emma smirked at his implication, but she nodded. "Okay."

They lingered by the open passenger door, and Emma could feel an array of emotions fighting one another to dominate the blonde's features. She was indescribably happy yet the sorrow filling her seemed to hit back with a harder punch. She caught August's eye, and he held it for a second before motioning his head to himself and opened his arms with an expectant grin. Emma rolled her eyes, shimmying from foot to foot for a second before relenting and stepping into his embrace.

He hugged her tightly, his scruff scraping her temple as she buried her face into his chest. "Take care of yourself," he ordered gently, placing a kiss to her temple.

Emma nodded and pulled back, her eyes watery but with a blink she was immediately composed save for a trickle of moisture lining just under her eye. "You too."

He slid into the car, and Emma helped to close it shut. She waited as August rolled down the window and stuck his head out the window. "Oh, my birthday gift to you is free babysitting whenever you and Regina want to..." He waggled his eyebrows with a smirk.

Emma snorted and crossed her arms. "Yeah, Regina doesn't have the best track record with babysitters."

"Kid thinks I'm a cyborg," August argued. "You really think he's gonna sneak candy with me around?"

Emma laughed and patted the top of the cab. "Can't argue with that one."

He smiled earnestly and leaned back into the seat. "Think about what I said."

The taxi drove off leaving Emma to stand on the sidewalk, holding herself with a content smile on her face. "Can't argue with that one either," she muttered to herself before turning and walking back up the path.

By the time she entered the mansion and locked the door behind her, the sound of the dishwasher was already running, and she could only assume Regina had already finished up the rest of the cleaning. She took one final sweep of the main floor, shutting off each light as she deemed it clear and confirmed her suspicion that Regina had tidied up the few plates and cups that still littered the tables. The hallway light was the last to go as Emma ascended the stairs, reaching the top just as Regina was peaking her head into Henry's room.

Her palms sweat as she observed Regina check in on her son, and the voice in her head that had started out as August's but slowly faded to her own screamed at her that for once in her goddamn life to do something good, something just for her. The wall held her up for support as she tried to gather the nerve to approach Regina, but before she could even formulate another thought, Regina deemed her inspection satisfactory and closed Henry's door gently behind her.

She smiled when she noticed Emma and raised a curious eyebrow, silently questioning what was running through Emma's head, but the blonde held out her hand, and Regina latched onto it because it was something they had grown so familiar with in the past week alone that the natural tendency to be close was just as innate in Regina as it was in Emma.

Neither woman questioned when they made their way into Regina's room, their go-to late-night talking spot when they managed to remember to remove themselves from the couch before falling asleep. Emma claimed Regina's bed was the prime location if the brunette didn't want to lose any of those pillows both women were so fond of. They navigated their way into the room in the dark, Regina dropping their hands in favour of retreating to the bathroom as Emma moved to the corner where her sleep clothes lay folded on the chaise.

She changed quickly into a tank and shorts, and the sound of a toilet flushing and the faucet turned on was her cue that she could knock on the door and enter the master bathroom where they both brushed their teeth.

"Have I thanked you yet?" Emma asked shoving her brush in her mouth.

Regina spat and rinsed her mouth, catching Emma's eye in the mirror with a wry grin. "Perhaps once or twice."