April Part 2
"Good morning, darling." Regina kissed the back of Emma's neck but kept her body far from her sweaty running outfit. "What has you up and cooking so early this morning? I thought for certain that I had managed to wear you out."
Emma moved the pan away from the fire before turning around and greeting her girlfriend properly.
"Nope." Regina wiggled her finger in front of the other woman's face. "You are not pressing that sweaty body against me. No, ma'am."
The blonde laughed. "You didn't mind so much last night."
Regina's cheeks pinked. "True. But I was the reason you were sweaty, which is completely different. This, however," she gestured with her free hand, "is a beautiful sight to behold, but not smell. You know you could have waited until you slept in your own bed again to resume your morning run."
"I needed to clear my mind and burn some calories, speaking of which,"
Laughing and shaking her head at her girlfriend, the blonde reached over to the cabinet and picked up a full cup of coffee, "do you want another cup of coffee while I'm getting mine?"
Mahogany eyes sparkled with joy taking her oversized cup, then a sip. "Thank you, dear." Her eyes flicked to the blonde, "My shower is waiting. Let me finish cooking the bacon while you shower."
Emma kissed the tip of her nose. "Sure thing. Don't burn the biscuits this time. When the buzzer goes off, take them OUT of the oven."
Regina sucked her teeth. "It was one time. And, I was on the phone. How was I supposed to know they would still cook with the oven off?"
Sappily grinning at her, the blonde kissed her again. "You are so cute sometimes."
Crinkles appeared on the skin above Regina's nose as she pondered the statement. Noticing the other woman's concern, Emma answered the unasked question. "You are sexy all the rest."
Red streaks flamed across olive cheeks.
"Like I said, cute."
Regina rolled her eyes. Then, she turned her attention back to the frying pan. She heard the rushing water of the shower above her as she flipped the strips over. Emma teased her for her lack of cooking finesse. She paused and considered the issue. It isn't that she can't be a good cook per se; it's merely that too many other things interest her more.
Her cellphone knocked her out of her introspection. She tried to remember where she left it. Turning off the flame under the pan, she started to hunt for her purse. She found it next to the bed.
One missed call. Mallory.
She returned the call as she trudged back down the stairs.
"Good morning?"
"Reggie, how would you like to come over to watch an unedited version of MM's arrest? Ursula and I thought we'd make a party of it?"
Regina thought quietly. "Who are you inviting? I don't mind if it's our friends, but I don't think I could handle the full WASP group. I'm not up to being sermonized the Sunday before we go back to school."
Mal snorted. "Why would I have their phone numbers?"
Noticing the air grew smokier, Regina entered the kitchen.
"Shit!" She waved a towel, trying to fan the smoke away from the pan of grease. "Mal, how do you put out a grease fire?
*****
"I know a lot of us must behave like responsible adults tomorrow, but for now, it is time to sit back and enjoy watching the world burn." Mal held her shot glass aloft. "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." She snorted when most of the room glared at her.
"Quit being so snarky. I was just kidding. Okay, everyone, the rules are simple every whimper is a sip; for an excuse, you have to down the whole shot, and if she blames someone else, you have to kiss your partner. Any questions?"
Regina rolled her eyes. "Do we have to turn this into a drinking game?"
"Yes," Thomas declared from the other side of the room. "It's required." Pierce snickered in agreement. "Just as the people celebrated during the beheading of Louis XVI, we will celebrate the dethroning of our little queen."
"She's more of an Umbridge style witch rather than a queen," Emma responded without any further explanation.
Both Ursula and Mal half-heartedly nodded in agreement.
"If we only knew--"
"Well, what I want to know is how you managed to get a copy of the full interview, not the bit from the news," Emma nudged Mal's hip as she slipped into the space between her girlfriend and the other woman while Ursula carried her laptop over to the television.
"You would have to ask Ursula how she managed that, but between you, me, and the walls, I suspect they had a thing at one time. And now Sharonda is easily persuaded if we let her stay in the closet."
The darker woman sniffed. "I told you before I am not answering your question. Sharonda is a friend that I refuse to lose over silly gossiping."
"Right." Mal's pursed lips decried jealousy simmering under the surface.
Regina's grin hinted that she might no more, but a glare from Ursula kept her lips together. Emma pressed a kiss to the brunette's cheek. Her heart soared, seeing the woman's mood lightening.
Ursula looked up from where she sat with her laptop on the floor. "Are we expecting anyone else?" Her eyes roved across the room. The room held the core lunch group from their hall. Archie and his sister also received an invitation due to their ability to be "in the know."
"I wonder if they cut Shepherd's bare ass out of the broadcast." Judith's evil grin told everyone her vote on the matter.
"Oh, I hope not." Archie cringed and then glared at his sibling. "Some things can't be unseen." As usual, the group laughed at the siblings' antics which didn't come out often but entertained when they did.
"I don't believe anyone else is coming. Has anyone heard from Gaston?"
Emma sighed and shook her head. "He said that he watched the news yesterday. He didn't think watching our boss being pushed into a police car while wearing pajamas was anything worth wasting time to rewatch."
Archie shrugged. "Yeah. They ran a 15-second clip. I'm hoping ours will be much better."
"True. Ursula said that they have something close to 15 minutes of footage." Mal's eyebrows lifted as she leaned down and whispered conspiratorially. "I heard the Blanchard family attorney had A LOT to do with why the shown clip was so short."
"Funny. I heard he wasn't coming for entirely different reasons. Something about a job interview with tech: apparently, he may have a chance at coaching college ball," Thomas announced, then turned pink. "None of you heard that right. I don't know that I was supposed to share that little tidbit." He mockingly covered his mouth.
Choosing to ignore Thoma's missive, the group crammed around the television. Everyone sitting wherever they found an empty space.
"I seriously doubt Gaston cares if any of us knows. God knows very few are worse than keeping a secret than that man," Regina whispered in the blonde's ear playfully. "Maybe better than MM, but only just."
Taking their seats, Emma chose to sit on the arm of the sofa so that she could wrap an arm around Regina's shoulders. The brunette had one unsteady hand clenched on the blonde's knee.
Once the group settled, Ursula hit the fullscreen button but neglected the play button for a moment longer. "Shar shared this reluctantly. I know we are all excited about the game. Her hand pointed at the rows of prefilled shot glasses. "You need to remember they sent one of their interns out to capture a piece on upscale neighborhood pet theft. The girls unknowingly stumbled into a juicier story. She was smart enough to listen to police radio while they were setting up, but the kid is green and more than a little clueless."
Feeling a little old, Ursula looked at the unruly curls and generic news blazer filling the screen. The cameraman hadn't bothered putting her head in the shot yet. "And, the poor kid has no style at all."
"Are we rolling?" A disembodied voice asked before the camera swerved up to the young woman's face while she adjusted her clothing. "Does this look professional enough?"
"Mel, no one is going to be looking at you on this one. Just get in there and shout the hard questions. We gotta get the best feed before anyone gets wind of this. 7 has a reputation to uphold, you know." An older man's gruff directions drowned out all background noise. While the girl began to look considerably younger and scared.
She chewed her bottom lip anxiously and checked out the house and yard. "Right."
The camera swept over the yard showing a ridiculous lattice archway with fake flowers woven into the trelliswork. Garden gnomes inhabited the pebbled garden filled with potted plants.
The young reporter gawped at her background. "Seriously, who decorated this place? Little Miss Moffett?"
"Zip it, kid. You're ruining the chance of being seen as an adult."
"Got it, Marty. Thanks."
"No problem, baby girl. You are going to knock 'em dead."
A few police cruisers rolled up into the drive to their left, and one blocked the road leading out of the cul de sac.
"Okay, kid, it's showtime. Chase the uniforms to the door. Stay in tight. Shout your questions like we rehearsed. It isn't brain surgery, so put in on auto and do it."
The camera bounced up and down as they scrambled across the lawn.
"You can't be here," shouted an older cop who probably spent his days at a desk. Then, he saw the man behind the camera. "Oh, hey, Marty. I didn't realize it was you. Try to stay out of the way if you can."
"Freedom of the press, Smitty. There ain't shit you can do either way."
"True. See you at poker night tomorrow."
The screen caught an edge of the front door, a picture window, and a lot of officers who looked like they'd rather not be on camera with the way they side-eyed the news crew. The front man pushed the bell then raised his meaty fist to hammer against the door. "Open up. We have a warrant and are not opposed to breaking down the door."
The clangy, scratchy noises of several locks opening announced the principal's arrival. The camera focussed beyond the men to the tiny woman wrapped in a terrycloth robe. Her face held no expression, but her ashen pallor suggested she might not be having a great morning.
She stood, every hair out of place and her bedclothes askew, looking at each of the men and then the camera. "What do you mean you have a warrant?"
"Hey, can you hit pause?" Pierce leaned forward. "So, can we agree that when she parrots them, it's the same as a whimper?"
A few nodded.
"That's one sip."
"I'm Lieutenant Daniels. You are under arrest. We are taking you into custody, ma'am. Please put your hands behind your back."
Horror struck she stepped backward. "Can I put my clothes on first?"
Everyone furtively sipped.
Grabbing the woman by the shoulder, an officer pulled her out of the house. "No, ma'am. Please step aside. The men have orders to execute the warrant to search your house."
"My house!" she shouts. "Why? This is her doing, isn't it? It's Mrs. Shepherd whose doing this to me!"
The group downed the rest of their shots. Ursula paused the video while everyone grabbed a fresh round.
Emma whispered in the brunette's ear, "This is a lot duller than I expected." Regina poked her in the ribs and muttered. "We've barely started. Give her time. You know as well as I do that this will either be fireworks or waterworks."
The camera jostled as the man behind it barked. "Okay, kid. Go!"
"Principal Blanchard, is it true that you and Mr. Shepherd were lovers?"
Mary Margaret yelled, startling the officers and pivoted trying to escape the hold of the two men. They lost their footing, which allowed her to yank away, but in doing the maneuver, her robe sash caught on the decorative archway loosening the tie on her robe. Her growing belly glowed, sticking prominently from the rumpled fabric.
"Oh, my. That was unexpected," mumbled an officer off-camera.
"I don't need to answer that," she huffed at the camera, red blossoms appearing on her cheeks. "Don't you see I am being set up? James's wife is a jealous hag. She will do anything to break us apart."
Shot glasses slammed onto the table as everyone reached for another one. Silly giggles tittered here and there.
Eyes flashing with mischief, the intern rushed toward her victim. "She sure doesn't have to tell us anything, folks. The evidence is clear. It appears the rumors are true. She looks pregnant. VERY." She paused and looked knowingly at the woman. "So, did he con you into helping him steal from the school? Are you so incompetent that you are unaware of your underling's activities?"
"What?" MM shouted incredulously. "Of course not. I didn't steal. And, I always know what's going on in my building."
Archie coughed. "Did anyone else forget to eat dinner first? I'm getting kind of dizzy."
The lawyer paused the video.
"Lightweight," someone muttered.
"Do I need to stop it for anyone?" Ursula asked. Her face showed how little interest in waiting she had.
"No!"
The principal stomped her foot in agitation. "Can someone fix my robe?"
In the background, a sleek black luxury car started as a tiny speck but grew into a shiny backdrop as the vehicle jumped the curb and stopped between the police and their vehicle on the lawn.
"Lucius?" Blanchard cried.
An elegantly dressed older man jettisoned from the interior and enunciated clearly. "What is the meaning of this. The Blanchard family has been on retainer since before she was born. Which of you cretins bothered to call my office?" He paused theatrically, glaring at the officers while stalked toward him, crying with snot dripping from her nose. "That's what I thought."
"It's b--be-been awful. They they they--" she erupted into a fresh batch of tears. All the while the police muttered back and forth between trying to decide who should deal with this latest impediment.
Lucius wiped at her eyes but avoided her nasal dripping. He pet her shoulder in a ludicrously half-hearted attempt at comforting her.
Seeing her opportunity, the intern hurled another question "So, you did have knowledge that Mr. Shepherd had taken furniture and appliances from the school?"
"He what?" Blanchard's face crumpled as she began to angry cry. "Someone get this twisted and sick child away from me. She doesn't understand about what love makes you do." With her fists wadded into tight balls behind her back, she screamed.
"Mary Margaret, STOP TALKING. And you, the press, is not welcome here. LEAVE!"
"Freedom of the press. Either she tells us what we need to know, or we go speak to Mrs. Shepherd."
Melancholy chocolate eyes turned toward the camera. "I love him, goddamnit! Why can't you people see it's true love? I love him. He loves me. Is that so hard to believe?" Spittle dripped from her lower lip as she howled in her lovesick pain. She dropped to her knees, crying. Officers lifted her to her feet by her arms and blocked her from the camera's view.
Lucius held out his business card. "Give this to your boss. Tell her to call me before you air any of this tripe, or I will sue this station into the ground."
"Oh, my! I think we may have hit a nerve." The junior reporter hustled toward the police car holding Blanchard.
"One last question, did you steal as well? We've heard from multiple sources that funds were misallocated and payments were made to the various businesses that---"
"Drive, damn you! Miss Blanchard do not answer him." The lawyer grew infinitely more hostile. Blanchard continued to cry. And, the policemen gave up trying to control the situation any further. The tires of the patrol car squealed away. The camera caught only the maligned face of the now maligned woman.
"There you have it. Principal Blanchard is dethroned and devastated."
"Did anyone else forget the rules as soon as the lawyer showed up?" Archie slurred, listing to his left. His sister pat his knee helplessly.
"He always has been a tea-totaler. I guess you now know why."
Judith's disappointed words hung in the air for a minute before Regina cleared her throat, "Has anyone heard who our interim principal will be?"
*****
Turning the key to kill the engine, Emma glanced over to the sleeping woman in the passenger seat. She wakes the other with a gentle nudge. "Regina, my love. We're home." Home. The word flung carelessly from her mouth but startled Emma nonetheless.
"Hmm?" Blearily sitting up, the brunette takes in the familiar front porch. "This is my place. I thought--" In her drunken rambling, confusion took over. Regina's brow furrowed. Her eyes shifted from the door to Emma and back. "But, it isn't it. Is it?"
The blonde eyed her girlfriend. Apologetic and regretful caramel orbs shone in the darkness. She thought about how the other woman's nerves had overpowered her logic; she'd ingested far too much alcohol after picking at her dinner rather than eating it. "We don't have to talk about this now. Let's go get you tucked into bed."
Emma opened her door without waiting on Regina's response. Regina retreated anytime the next step in their relationship was mentioned. Tonight didn't feel like the time to open old, deep wounds. Whatever damage Dani had inflicted, Emma still felt like Regina stayed afraid she'd disappear. Over the past few months, the blonde had tried to broach the topic but usually found herself lost in her girlfriend's seduction, her favorite form of rerouting a conversation. The slam of the other car door pulled the younger woman from her spiraling thoughts.
Regina's clumsy movements inspired Emma to race around the car and wrap a steadying arm around her to guide her over the curb and up the walkway. She'd expected the brunette to stiffen or pull away, considering her current mood, but Regina leaned into her lover. Her head balanced carefully on Emma's shoulder as the history teacher struggled with getting her keys into the locked front door. Regina buried her nose in the soft curls around Emma's neck.
"You always take such care of me."
The words came out in a hummed slur. A small smile appeared on pale pink lips. "Always will."
"I know." Regina succumbed to the alcohol; her body collapsed bonelessly against her lover.
The blonde lifted and carried her over the threshold. The honesty in the other woman's admission filled her heart.