Chapter Text
“A one large hot chocolate with whip and cinnamon, plus an apple muffin for Swan!”
Lifting her gaze from the phone screen, green eyes focused solely on the cardboard cup and a paper bag that were placed at the end of the counter at the same time as her last name registered in her ears. Taking the few needed steps towards the counter, she smiled at the blonde barista who had prepared her order before making her way through the lunch rush, desperate to get out of the filling building.
As she pushed open the door, she brought the cup to her nose and sniffed. A content smile spread on her face and she took a tentative sip, testing the temperature. Her stomach was rumbling like crazy and she had been counting the minutes to her lunch break as soon as she had sat down by her desk in the morning.
“You need to start eating some proper lunch, Emma.”
Her content smile stayed but she rolled her eyes. Before she could give back a snarky answer, the paper bag was snatched from her hand by a brunette woman clad in a plaid jacket and black high waisted jeans. Emma tried to get it back but she was too slow as the other woman had peeked inside and within seconds taken a bite of her favourite muffin.
“Ruby, what the fuck?!” she cursed as she reached for the muffin. Her good mood was gone as she glared daggers at her best friend, who had both of her cheeks full of the luscious muffin.
“Believe me.” she could barely get the words out of her mouth due to her current chipmunk like predicament. “You need to start eating something other than sugar. I’m doing you a favour. This muffin isn’t even that good.”
Emma raised a skeptical eyebrow and crossed her arms, minding her still full cup of hot chocolate that she wasn’t about to lose to her pushy friend.
“Okay, fine, fine, it’s absolutely divine, who am I kidding?” Ruby managed to swallow down most of it. “My point still stands. You don’t eat breakfast, you never bring in any lunch and you always come down here on your break to get your body weight in sugar.”
Emma knew there was a hint of truth in Ruby’s words. She had never been one to eat breakfast, but she also sucked at making her own lunch. Eating like this wasn’t good for her but she knew she balanced it out with enough exercise. As she was about to make her argument on that, there was a sudden high pitched yell coming from their right.
Both women turned to look in that direction, confused but the streets were busy under the lunch rush and nothing indicated there was anything wrong. They exchanged a brief glance and Emma opened her mouth to continue their conversation before there was more yelling and the busy streets divided in two like the ocean.
A man was running as fast as he could all the while holding something above his head. It didn’t take a genius to know what was happening and Emma sprung to action. She ran towards the street, hoping she would be fast enough. And right on time her body collided with the first runner and they fell to the ground.
Without missing a beat she produced a pair of handcuffs from the back pocket of her jeans as she flipped the man in question to his stomach. His groans of dissatisfaction went completely unnoticed and then before he knew it he was suddenly in a standing position.
“Well, well, well, look who we have here, Rubes?” Emma looked behind her at Ruby who sneered as it registered who they were dealing with.
“Detectives, what a lovely day, my ladies.” a scruffy looking man said and attempted to bow but Emma kept him securely in place. Ruby wasn’t wasting any time as she was already on the phone to have someone pick them up.
“I told you Rob, that I don’t want to have to deal with you again. Preferably ever.” Emma rolled her eyes as she had done more paperwork due to this man than she cared to admit. He was somewhat of a regular at their Precinct and Emma could happily live through the rest of her days without ever seeing this slime of a man ever again.
“You don’t have to if you just let me go.” he tried to put on a charming smile but it came off more constipated than anything and Emma grimaced again.
“There is a car coming for him.” Ruby informed Emma as she took a hold of Rob’s shoulder so Emma could step away to see what the man had dropped.
Even just looking down told Emma everything she needed to know. He had been running off with someone's purse and while she knew next to nothing about fashion, she knew that this purse was easily worth two of her pay checks if not more.
As she kneeled to pick the purse up, there was shuffling somewhere on her right and when she looked up, someone hit her square in the jaw.
“Emma!” Ruby rushed to catch Emma as she had taken the hit point blank and was about to lose her balance at the force of it. She recovered quickly and with a look towards her partner, Ruby retreated to stay with their criminal as Emma turned to see what the fuck was happening.
In front of her stood a woman.
She wasn’t all that tall, even when she was wearing heels so high that Emma felt slightly dizzy even looking at them. She was wearing black dress pants and a long blazer with a white shirt underneath it. Her hair was a beautiful shade of dark brown that almost looked black in certain light. It seemed well cared for and styled but it was ever so slightly off as it seemed like the other woman had run. Her laboured breathing just confirmed it.
Lips as red as blood, her eyes the deepest of coffee, cheeks red.
She was stunning and Emma had a hard time kicking her brain in gear to figure out what was happening in front of her.
“Give me my purse.”
Emma was sure she saw the lips of this mystery woman move, but all she heard was a growl. The brunette was angry and she had no idea why.
“Excuse me?”
“You took my purse.” another growl made her flash her white teeth as she took a step closer.
Oooooh.
“Ma’am, I certainly did not take your purse.” Emma said, her tone hard. “I happened to see this douche…” she pointed towards where Ruby was holding onto Rob who was now directing his attempt at a charming smile towards the fuming brunette in front of her. “… run off with it, so I tackled him. I picked up your purse to see who I should contact to retrieve it and discuss pressing charges.”
The other woman’s eyes widened ever so slightly and Emma was sure that if she had not stared deeply in them she would have missed it. Coffee brown eyes focused first on Ruby and then Rob, before meeting Emma’s green eyes once more. The brunette opened her mouth like she was about to say something but she swallowed it down when her eyes zeroed on her jaw. Emma was sure there was already a bruise forming if the throbbing pain was anything to go by.
“Pressing charges?” the brunette finally asked, not a waiver in her voice. Everything about her oozed confidence and Emma’s only response was to pull back her jacket to reveal a badge attached to her belt.
“Yes. Rob here is an infinity loser and I’m more than happy to write one more lengthy report if it means I can finally be done catching him around town twice a week. And I will need your help with that.” she offered the purse to the woman standing in front of her as a token of some sort of peace and alliance.
Brown eyes stared at the black purse for a few seconds before reaching for it and elegantly swinging it on their shoulder.
“I think I can help you.” Her response gave their conversation a very professional vibe and Emma nodded in agreement, standing a bit straighter.
Before she could ask for further information, Ruby appeared out of nowhere. “Yo, Emma! Gran is here to pick us up, do you guys need a lift back as well?”
Emma looked at the woman standing in front of her, their eyes briefly meeting. If it had been any other case she would have accepted Ruby’s offer and had the statement taken at the Precinct. Something was different though, and she couldn’t really put her finger on it.
“It’s alright, Ruby. I will catch you later.”
With a quick ‘bye’ Ruby jogged to where a police cruiser was parked and slid in. The car peeled off with a greying woman in the wheel, smiling widely as she flicked on the lights on top of the car.
“I’m sorry.”
Emma turned quickly towards the direction of the voice and the brunette woman the voice belonged to. Her tone had lost some of its hardness and it was definitely less uptight. There was softness to it and it didn’t take being a Detective for Emma to realise that the other woman was feeling guilty and wanted to clear the air. She wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easily though.
“For what?”
“For punching you.” she looked down for the first time, unwilling to meet Emma’s eyes. “I was just having such a rush after that man stole my purse and I didn’t-“
Emma took a step closer to silence the woman as she was still not looking at her.
“You assaulted a Detective.”
You could almost hear the crack in the other woman’s neck when she snapped her head back up to meet Emma’s stare. There was a flash of something in the pool of brown but Emma wasn’t fast enough to figure out what it was. The gorgeous woman in front of her was endlessly interesting and for some reason Emma could just stand there in the middle of the street all day just staring at her, trying to figure her out. Right now she had to get her point across.
“That’s a criminal offence.”
Whatever softness had appeared with the apology was long gone and the fire was back. “But I didn’t-“
“However, I know there was a misunderstanding here and I am willing to let it go. Just don’t go punching people in the face, lady. You might end up like Rob.” Emma gently touched her aching jaw and flinched when her fingertips made contact. She attempted to flash a goofy smile.
The other woman scoffed before crossing her arms. “I would never ever be like this Rob. Did you see that beard and sleazy smile? Disgusting.” she was smirking now.
Emma snorted before offering her hand to the other woman. “Detective Emma Swan.”
Stepping even closer, the brunette took Emma’s hand in her own to shake it. “Regina Mills.”
Emma couldn’t help but notice how incredibly soft this woman’s hands were. And her name seemed like something that had been invented for her specifically. She was definitely a Regina.
“Well, Miss Mills, I need to take your statement so I can do an official write up. We need to process Rob towards a long term jail cell as soon as possible.” she dug a phone out of her pocket. “If you feel more comfortable at the station I can arrange someone to pick us up but I thought that-“
A soft hand on her wrist stopped whatever ramble Emma was gearing herself towards. She looked up and her breath caught in her throat as she was suddenly almost face to face with Regina.
“Or… I can buy you coffee since it was partially my fault that yours is on the ground.” she looked pointedly at the cup and the brown liquid that had formed around it. Emma didn’t know if it was a lucky guess because it could have belonged to anyone but she wasn’t about to mention it.
Emma couldn’t deny the hunger still rumbling in her stomach as she truly had not had a single bite today so before she noticed she was following Regina towards the coffee shop she had been to not too long ago. The lunch rush was dying down as the line had only two people in front of them.
As Emma stepped to the counter, she turned to ask Regina what she would like. But the brunette was nowhere to be found. Emma swirled on her heels quickly before she opened her mouth to call Regina by her name.
“Detective, what can I get you?”
Twirling back around and facing the counter, Emma could feel her jaw drop despite the throbbing pain it was in. Regina was standing behind the counter, having lost her oversized blazer. She was sporting a black apron with the coffee shop logo and she had a pair of huge black rimmed glasses perched on her nose.
“Um, Regina, I’m pretty sure we are not allowed to be in there.” She gestured quickly to the area behind the counter as she looked wildly around to see if any of the workers could see Regina so casually standing there taking her order.
“Just tell me what you are drinking.” The smile on the red lips was playful as she put her hands on the counter and leaned closer, expecting an answer.
Emma shot a few more concerned glances around the coffee shop and for reasons unknown, instead of insisting for Regina to come to the right side of the counter, she gave out her normal order.
“Hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon.” At Regina’s raised eyebrow, Emma blushed and muttered. “Shut up.”
Melodic laughter filled every part of Emma’s soul as every single thought vanished from her head. She could only stare at the thrown back head and a smooth expanse of neck that was suddenly revealed to her.
Maybe I should arrest her. Emma thought. It’s illegal to be that beautiful.
Making quick work with the registry, Regina looked up expectantly. “Anything else?”
Emma looked at the glass display, her stomach growling as she saw everything the coffee shop had to offer. She decided on a sandwich and a desert because she damn well deserved it after the dive she took for Rob. Fucking Rob.
“Can I have the chicken sandwich and one of those apple muffins, please?” she muttered, but Regina caught it nonetheless. She moved to put everything on a plate before proceeding to make the hot chocolate in a black mug the coffee shop used if you were staying in.
Emma was at the coffee shop almost every day but she had not once eaten there, as she always took her lunch to her desk at work. The huge room was cozy, set up with warm lights, soft browns and there were bookcases on each available wall. You could choose to sit anywhere from small private tables to the comfiest booths you had ever encountered. There was a small plant on each table, bigger ones decorating the corners and whenever you came in through the door, it smelled wonderful.
“Detective? Detective Swan?”
It took an extra second for her brain to return to this moment. Regina had moved to the end of the counter, looking at her with a hint of a smile on her face. Both her drink and lunch were ready and she moved quickly towards the counter.
Only then did she realise she had not paid for any of it.
“Regina, I have to pay for this-“
“Nonsense.” the other woman waved her hand ever so slightly as she was working on another drink now, barely even looking at Emma.
There were a lot of things that didn’t exactly make sense to Emma, but before she could voice any of her many questions, a young woman with a similar black apron appeared behind the counter.
“Good afternoon, boss. Everything going alright here?”
Regina turned to look at the woman and smiled warmly. “Everything is wonderful, Alex. Just came for a small meeting and decided to make us some lunch.” she gestured towards Emma and shot her a smirk. “Is it okay for you to take over from here?”
“Absolutely. Also, James wanted me to ask you could you make some extra muffins tomorrow morning? They are flying out of here and the customers keep asking them even in the evening and at that point we have been out for hours.” The woman speaking to her was confident and professional, and very clearly on good terms with her boss.
“I will certainly do my best, thank you for letting me know.” Regina smiled and moved her cup next to Emma’s that was still resting on the counter. “See you tomorrow morning, then.”
The other woman smiled and waved, shooting a brief glance at Emma’s direction before moving to serve the newest customer waiting for their turn at the registry.
Regina moved swiftly from her spot, folding her apron nicely and leaving it behind the counter while she picked up her purse and blazer. Emma was still standing dumbfounded in her spot, just staring at the brunette open mouthed.
“Do close your mouth, Detective.” Regina said as she shrugged on her blazer. She picked up her cup and moved towards one of the vacant seats at the end of the room. “Come along, dear.”
Emma hurried to pick up her order, sniffing the hot chocolate on her way and her mouth watered. She sat across from Regina, who had delicately crossed her legs and was sipping her drink.
They were quiet for a while, Emma wanting to ask more than was necessary considering she was here on business. She needed a statement but she realised wanted so much more.
“I can almost hear your brain grind.” Regina laughed lightly. “Go on, Detective.”
Emma narrowed her eyes at the brunette as she was taking a sip of her drink. God, it was like heaven, so creamy and sweet. The amount of whipped cream was just right and the layer of cinnamon was light.
Saying nothing, Emma just waited. She wasn’t a Detective for nothing and while she wasn’t suspecting Regina of anything, she seemed like someone who liked playing games. And Emma was fine with that.
They held eye contact long enough for Emma having downed half of her hot chocolate and having finished her sandwich. The blonde woman was sure if the time allowed they would have sat there until closing, but for some reason - maybe out of guilt for punching her - Regina let her win.
“I own FairyTale.I inherited the property from my father and spent the rest of the money he left me to make it what it is today. I’m mainly here as a manager as my wonderful staff handles the day to day but I make everything that we sell. Every pastry, every sandwich.” she looked pointedly at the muffin still resting on Emma’s plate. “Every muffin. I have poured everything I have into this place and I’m happy it seems to bring so much joy as we always have a steady stream of people coming and going.”
It all made sense when Regina put it in words like that. She had only good things to say about the coffee shop, what with her being a regular and replacing several meals with coffee and pastries. Ruby had not been exaggerating when she said that the muffin had tasted divine.
“You have a great place here. I come by almost every day.” Emma wasn’t ashamed to admit that she was a fan but she could feel a hot blush rise from her neck towards her cheeks.
“How do you like it?” Regina asked, leaning ever so slightly closer. It was clear she wanted to remain indifferent and casual for whatever reason but she failed to hide her interest and excitement at feedback.
Emma smiled before saying. “Well, let’s put it this way. If I have to be rolled out of my apartment, it will be your fault.”
Leaning back on her seat, Regina let a satisfied smile spread on her face. She took a last long sip of her drink before putting her cup back on the table.
“Is there something you wanted to ask me, Detective?”
Emma knew it was time for business as she put down her own cup. Pulling out her phone, she set it to record before asking Regina for her consent to be recorded and for her to state her entire name so they could begin.
And they went through the mundane details of Rob appearing out of nowhere and yanking Regina’s purse from her shoulder. How she had taken off after him and how about a minute later the coffee shop owner had punched Emma in the jaw. Regina shot an apologetic look towards the blonde, but Emma just smiled back.
Sure it hurt like hell, but she couldn’t find it in herself to muster any real annoyance. Nothing was broken, the bruise would heal in about a week.
As she turned off her recording, she looked up at Regina. It was so easy to look Regina in the eye, even when the brown looking back was sometimes so intense it hurt a bit. “I will need to type this out and have you sign the copy for the official record. I don’t think you need to show up to court because of this or anything, though.”
“You know where to find me.” Regina smiled as she played with the cup in front of her.
“Do I? You just told me you are not here for the day to day.” Emma smirked, almost ready to fist pump because it definitely seemed like they were flirting.
“I might just have a reason to start doing a few more day shifts.” Regina smirked, not wavering for a second as she stood from her seat. “I’m sure I will see you later, Detective.”
Emma turned to look at the brunette retreat towards the door that led to the staff spaces. She didn’t think she would ever have a reason to thank Rob for anything, but here she was.
Getting a muffin at FairyTale was never going to be the same again.