May
Rolling over to meet warm caramel, Emma's eyes traced the other woman's features. "Are you serious?" Regina's surprising question destroyed the last vestiges of the blonde's sleepy brain. Now, wide awake, she needed confirmation that her brain did not misinterpret the other woman's words.
"Yes. I've been tying myself into knots for years. But, you--you remind me every day, all day, that life is meant to be lived. You remind me how to laugh." Regina yawned, still sleepy but content that she'd finally worked up the nerve to verbalize what she wanted.
Emerald eyes glistened as the brunette used her fingers to stroke the furrow from the blonde's forehead. "Regina, I need you to promise me that you won't change your mind. This is it. If we move in together, you can't send me packing two days later when I don't screw the lid on the mayonnaise jar straight."
"Honey, you never screw any lid on straight. Never. It does not happen. If that were a deal-breaker, we would not have made it past the first hour." Regina smiled at her reassuringly, then swiped her thumb along Emma's lower lip. With the care that she rarely showed anyone, she lifted a pale hand and kissed the palm. "I promise, Emma. I want this. After enduring the havoc and drama enveloping our lives for months, I realized I couldn't do any of this without you. I don't sleep when you aren't with me. I only eat because my body requires it unless I have you to share the meal and talk. I worry less when I know that you will catch me when I fall. I am not fully alive unless you are here with me. I don't know how else to say it."
The brunette sucked in a calming breath and caught Emma's chin with her other hand. "You, Emma Swan, turned my life upside down. For that, I will be forever grateful. I once thought that I would never have an equal, a partner. But I do. I know that last year you felt like I carried you through it. This year, you've carried me. Even though I shoved you away many, many times, you caught me when I couldn't carry my own weight. Isn't that what a great relationship is supposed to be?"
She sealed their lips together in a passionate kiss. All too soon, Emma ended the romantic moment with an air of despair, "I hate to say this, but we have to get moving. School starts in less than an hour."
"Is it ridiculous that I don't want to go?"
"It doesn't change the fact that we've both signed contracts that insist we show up."
"We could call out," Regina suggested, knowing full well that the deadline for that passed while they still slept.
Emma narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips at the childish display. "I don't feel like being drug over the coals on a day that half the faculty will show up with a hangover and the other half will be spreading rumors, mostly true, but still–"
Regina turned and glared at the clock. "True." She looked deflated, wondering why Emma hadn't answered yet. "Why don't you take the first shower? I will get the coffeemaker running."
Emma ran her fingers through her tangled morning mane; her eyes danced with subdued happiness. "I was hoping for some help with the shower. We can tackle breakfast together after we are both clean and dressed." The blonde stepped forward, pressing a kiss to Regina's bare shoulder. "Besides, it might be good to establish our new normal now rather than after figuring out the logistics of where we will live."
Skilled fingers plucked the silky material up and over the brunette's form. Regina gave her a knowing look as she marched into the bathroom first. "You might be on to something there, Dr. Swan."
The blonde laughed and marveled at how sexy the woman sounded, saying those words like she had almost every day for the last year.
The bathroom door opened again. "Aren't you coming?"
"Not yet, I" m not," Emma mumbled.
"I heard that!"
*****
"Who do you think is going to be in charge once we get to school? I mean, the principal is in jail, and an assistant principal should be there too. How is Wolf going to fix this mess?" Emma wondered rather loudly as they stepped out of Regina's car.
Regina's head swiveled around the lot, seeing several news trucks and a fair few cars that didn't belong there. "I hope they don't congest the parking lot to the point most of the faculty is late."
The blonde eyed all the empty spaces around them. "I'd say that ship already sailed. Unless fifty-plus people can arrive in–" she glanced at her watch–" less than fifteen minutes, I'd say our school day will have a bit of a delay."
"Thank God our AP exams don't start until tomorrow."
"Right!" Emma stopped, frozen in the parking lot. "I meant to ask you, do you want to co-host my annual AP breakfast for the kids this year? I always do it for all the humanities classes since we tend to have the early morning slots."
"I'd love to do that. We could make it our thing year after year."
"Basically, we'd be the mommies for the smart kids." Emma's eyes widened. Once again, her mouth spewed words before fully processing their meaning.
Regina's head cocked to the side. "That sounds lovely, doesn't it?"
"It does." Relieved, Emma looked over at her fondly before linking their hands to pull the brunette along. For some reason, the closer they got to the building, the more reticent Regina appeared.
"Are you okay?"
Brown curls waved as she shook her head. "Not even close to it. But, I will be once we get through whatever ridiculousness this morning brings."
Two students held open the front doors allowing the two women to step through while diligently ignoring the news crews jockeying for positions. Neither commented on the stupidity. It didn't feel relevant or worth it. As soon as they stepped into the administrative offices, all sounds died in the building. Emma could hear the steady clicking on someone's keyboard.
"I think Belle's here. It sounds like her."
Regina rolled her eyes. "You can't seriously tell me that you recognize her from the way her typing sounds."
Emma's ears pinked. "Hers is fast with a pause that I suspect is the end of a line or paragraph, so she has a lot of teeny stops as opposed to yours that sounds like a flood hitting a tin roof."
"You're ridiculous."
The blonde shrugged. "Maybe."
The two signed in, but the further they went into the building, the more they realized how dead silent everything was.
"I suggest the library," Belle's voice rang out behind them, causing both women to startle. Regina's hand clutched at her chest while Emma blinked owlishly. "Genie Wolf told me that we'd begin the day with a faculty meeting. We're delaying the students entering the building by a few minutes." She waved at them both, smiled, and headed back to her desk.
"Is it just me, or did she seem particularly cheerful?" Emma asked.
Regina raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Suspiciously so. If it weren't for knowing that she no longer had to deal with MM and her nuttiness, I'd suspect she'd received good news of some sort."
"Maybe she likes her new boss."
Regina scoffed. "I seriously doubt she knows who that is. Why would she?"
They followed the trickle of teachers into the media center. Less than half of the staff had arrived, most of which had the gray pallor of death warmed over.
After scanning the room, Emma led them to two seats toward the middle. "I'll get us some coffees. Judging from the condition of most people, I don't think the party we attended was the only one."
"I don't think I thanked you enough for making me eat a midnight snack and drink water. I doubt my functionality would be half what it is if you had not put in the effort."
"Anything for you, babe. Anything for you." Emma squeezed the other woman's fingers between her own before dropping her hand. "I'm going to find us a little more caffeine. I think it'll be that kind of morning."
Regina nodded her agreement. By the time Emma returned, the room bustled with activity. Many teachers sucked down their coffees, while others appeared to be chewing aspirin-like TicTacs.
"If I didn't know any better, I would swear this was the Monday after Mardi Gras or the Super Bowl, not a random one at the beginning of May." Emma's clipped but confused tone brought little more than a chuckle from her neighbor.
The side door opened. As they expected, Eugenia Wolf led the standard group of suits from the county office.
"Good morning, everyone. I think we can all agree that LBHS has sailed off course. I'm sure you would all agree that a change in your captain is necessary."
"What's with all the nautical metaphors?" Regina asked no one in particular.
"I have no idea, but I guess it's to distract us from the fact that we basically relived Harry Potter year five," Thomas answered from behind them, causing both women to turn and look toward the back.
"Yeah, but I don't remember Umbridge having a torrid affair with Filch throughout the building." Thomas's insightful words made both women scowl as their stomachs churned at the memories.
"I concede your point," Regina said before gasping at whoever appeared at the media center doors. The group around her, Emma included, turned to see why. Everyone felt relief flood their veins when they saw a familiar face that they trusted to make his way to the front.
The last man to arrive sent the room into a tizzy. Even though he moved slower due to the attention, he shook hands and greeted everyone he came across while leaning on his cane. Unlike the rest of the crowd, Regina stood and hugged her step-father. He looked healthier and happier than the last time she'd seen him. Robert Gold smiled as he made his way to the front of the room.
"As I was saying." Eugenia continued. "LBHS is a great school in dire need of great leadership. It goes without saying that you enjoyed it for the twenty-two years this man was in charge. Would everyone welcome Robert Gold back to the building?"
Applause broke out as all the faculty members began to stand one at a time. They wanted Gold to know how much they appreciated his sacrifice. Giving up retirement to allow them to regain their footing was something few people would have chosen. But then again, Robert Gold was not your average administrator.
He stepped up to the microphone and winked at Belle. "As I am sure you all have guessed, Eugenia requested I step in to help you through the next few months. I cannot promise how long I will stay in this seat, but at this moment, it looks like I will be here through the 2019-2020 school year. That gives you at least fourteen months to suffer through my witticisms, charm, and curmudgeonry, as my lovely daughter, Regina, likes to put it. Before everyone heads out to their classroom, please be aware that I will be hosting a barbeque after school this Friday for the parents to have a meet and greet. I do require your attendance, and I expect decorum."
He rapped his cane against the podium, and after the parents and kids leave, your decorum can evaporate as I think we could all use some moments to get together and enjoy ourselves, but that's after that happens. As it is, it's time to open the doors. I will be dropping by everyone's classrooms in the next day to introduce myself to the students and say hello. Have a good morning. You are dismissed.
*****
Three weeks later, the faculty blew out a collective sigh as they watched their graduates leaving with their parents. Emma peeled her sweaty graduation robes off her body. "There has got to be a better way to do this."
"Quit your whining. You know there isn't," Regina teased. "We need to hurry home to shower."
"That's right. What time are we meeting with the realtor again?"
"Tori said she'd pick us up from the townhouse at 2." She checked her watch. "It's half past noon now." She sighed. "We're never going to make it in time. Why did we agree to today?"
Emma chuckled, "Because neither one of us wanted to wait any longer. How many times have we rescheduled this already, hmmm?"
"God, you are right." Regina shook her head. "Let's go deal with the moronic people in the parking lot."
Emma ignored the disparaging remark; she didn't entirely disagree, seeing as to how the place appeared to be emptying at a snail's pace. "Thank you, by the way."
"For what?" The brunette stared at her confusedly as they dropped their gowns and stoles in the back of the yellow crayon.
The blonde smiled softly, connected their lips, and answered, "For understanding that I don't want to live in a townhouse that you shared with Dani. I want us to have a place that's ours. No one from either of our pasts taints that. You could have said no or argued, but instead, you agreed without question. So, thank you, babe. It means a lot."
Regina closed the space between them again, allowing her lips and tongue to remind Emma what was in store for her every day for the rest of her life as she pushed Emma against the car. "I'm thrilled to be starting this new life together. Clean slate. All that." She pushed away and walked to the far side of the car. "We best get moving."
"Right."
They both closed the doors and slipped into the long line of waiting cars.
"Is it wrong of me to think that next year can't possibly be any worse?" Emma asked.
Regina slapped her forearm. "Shut up!." Her eyes flashed. "Stop tempting fate. Last year, I said a change in principal couldn't be that bad. Look what happened," she huffed. "Do not tempt fate. Not again!"
"What could possibly make school worse than having Mary Margaret Blanchard Nolan as principal," Emma laughingly exclaimed as Regina stared at her in horror.
"You have no idea what you've done, do you?"
Emma shook her head. "Babe, lighten up. The 2019 school year is going to be awesome."
The knot in Regina's stomach tightened, but she wanted to agree with Emma. It couldn't possibly be worse, right?