hunnyfresh - Letters from War

She shrugged casually with a roll of her shoulder. "I told you. I saw my friend," she said quietly, mindful of the surrounding soldiers. "The one I've been writing to."

He nodded, his lips curving upward slightly at finally cracking the infamous Emma Swan. "You knew her as a kid or an old school friend?"

Her lips thinned in contemplation, wondering where to begin and wondering what to leave out. She knew Neal well enough, but not that well. "No."

He waited a moment, but it seemed that was all Emma was willing to offer. "No?" He repeated dryly. "That's it? Come on, Swan, you gotta give me something here."

She scoffed and stood, tucking her belongings to her before a thought made her falter. She wouldn't give him the information he wanted, but maybe she'd let him in just a little bit. Eyeing Neal with hopeful caution, she dug into her pants pocket and pulled out a small card. "Can you show me how to use this?"

Regina pressed two fingers to both sides of her temple and rubbed small circles to ease the headache that was forming there. Her council was a bunch of idiots, taking advantage of the fact that Regina had been otherwise preoccupied the past few weeks. True, she had rescheduled many important meetings for the week following Emma's departure, but she had failed to reschedule a voting that ended up pulling funds from the hospital in order to do road repairs along Smiths Circle. They had argued that Storybrooke was peaceful and quiet where very few citizens truly needed all that the hospital had to offer and that the town should better spend their money fixing up the aesthetics in order to bring in tourists thereby increasing profit.

That was a load of crap since Smiths Circle was a more isolated and residential part of town where eight out of the twelve council members resided. The other four lived on Mifflin.

Now Regina had to call an emergency voting, and though she had wanted to make it open to the public just to show that it wasn't she who was the only cold-hearted politician in this town, she had to make sure the people still had faith in their government despite the majority's idiocy.

Thus, her headache had formed.

"Madam Mayor, you have a call on line one," her secretary beeped in through the intercom.

Regina rolled her eyes and suppressed a groan. She had hoped Elizabeth had some sense when Regina had given her strict orders not to disturb her, but here's to hoping. She pressed the button on her speaker and made no effort to hide the annoyance from her voice. "Ms. Sparrow, please take a message as I had originally instructed you to do."

"I know, Ms. Mills, but I thought you would want to take this one."

"Is it Henry?" She questioned immediately, panic already creeping into her imagination.

"No, it's not–"

Regina overrode her secretary's microphone to speak. "Then what is so important that you can't take a message?"

There was a moment of hesitation on Elizabeth's end where Regina could virtually see the fear in the hazel eyes of her subordinate as she wondered whether to further disobey her. The white noise of the speaker crackled and Elizabeth's mousy voice leaked through again. "It's Corporal Swan–"

Regina ended their communication and reached for her phone, patching the line through to her office. "Hey," she said breathlessly.

" Hi. "

Emma stood in front of one of the many pay phones located just down the hallway and across mess hall of the common room after waiting nearly twenty minutes for her turn. There were two lines for some reason, despite the fact that there were at least five pay phones available. Neal said it was because the phone closest to the corner wall by the window was the best spot, and it was an unspoken rule that the time limit on that one was inexistent. She saw a new recruit on the phone there, sitting on the window sill with his back to the line, nestled in his own private cocoon as he talked happily, probably with his mother. Neal had graciously stood in line with her though she could see that he was shaking with the need to ask who she was going to call. She knew he knew who she was going to call, but confirmation would have had the man reeling. Still, he held his tongue. Emma had never made a phone call since she came, and it was pretty exciting to see it first hand.

By the time a line freed up, Neal stood across the hall, holding up the wall with his shoulder as he crossed his arms and waited for Emma to finish up.

She had followed the instructions he had given her and soon the phone was ringing for Mifflin Street. So this is what zoo animals feel like , Emma thought as she looked around awkwardly at the impatient soldiers waiting for their turn. She felt their gaze deepen when the phone just continued to ring at the mansion and Emma quickly hung up only to dial Town Hall. Maybe she was breaking protocol and it was only one call per person, but like hell that was going to happen. She stood in line and everything.

The line rang and rang, and Emma became nervous and a little embarrassed that she had been standing at this phone for so long not talking to anyone. She stole a glance at Neal who had ceased watching her and had struck up a conversation with a man in the next unit over. Frederick Holt, if she remembered right. He was a pretty nice guy, which made many of his opponents underestimate him whenever they trained for close combat. His smile and friendliness was no match against his right hook. She quickly ducked back to the phone, pressing her hand on the wall above it when they turned at her gaze. She only managed a tight lipped smile at them just before turning her back to them.

The line continued to ring, and just when she was about to call it a day and hang up, Ms. Lizzie, as Henry liked to call her, answered and put her on hold. Instead of the dial tone, Emma had to suffer through some Muzak. She made a mental note to quiz Regina on that musification they had talked about on their non-date date.

But then the instrumentals cut out and her ears were flooded with the velvety smooth, rich and dark sound she hadn't heard in weeks.

" Hey ," Regina said breathlessly.

Emma's face broke out into a grin she had no chance at containing. "Hi. I figured out how to use the calling card."

" It took you long enough ," Regina quipped.

"Hey, there's like two numbers on the back of this thing before I get to put in yours," she argued.

" Our country is being protected by the best and brightest, " Regina quipped.

"If you want to call me an idiot, just say it."

" . . .Idiot. "

"Feel better?" The blonde snorted.

They shared in a laugh before the line quieted down in contentment.

"It's good to hear your voice again," Emma whispered, breaking the silence.

"I know the feeling ," Regina admitted, and though Emma couldn't see her, she was willing to bet Regina's cheeks had taken on a rosy hue. " How have you been? "

"Okay," the blonde said, twisting the phone to her other ear and turning to lean her back against the wall. "I've just been working a lot. They've got me in weapons control."

" I've no idea what that means, " Regina admitted.

"It means I get to save the day by making sure our arms are in working condition."

" You're starting to sound like Henry with his hero ramblings, " Regina teased. " Do you get to have a shield with a star on it as well? "

"You know Captain America? You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

" You know this yet you continue to be surprised. "

"It keeps things interesting," the blonde grinned. "Is Henry with you?"

" No, he's still at pre-school, " Regina said apologetically.

Emma flipped her wrist and scrunched up her brow. "What's he doing there? It's almost 7. And why are you still working?"