Chapter Text
Lieutenant Regina Mills had just finished her first day at TOPGUN school and despite having been “shot down” by the instructors, she still felt good about her chances. She was damned good at flying and she knew it. Hours later and still keyed up from the day, she gassed up her bike and went out for a ride.
She’d been out for over an hour when she noticed another bike pacing her. Regina turned up the speed just a little, checking the other driver, half-wondering if it was someone from her class. Wouldn’t that be a disappointment?
But then with an impressive move, the bike tailing her slid past, taking the lead with long blonde curls whipping in the wind. Regina was suddenly much more interested as she sped up to keep pace. For half an hour, they traded the lead, pushing each other and their bikes until the blonde in a red leather jacket pulled up at a deserted four-way stop.
She waited for Regina to stop beside her then flipped up the black helmet’s visor. “Fifteen mile straight-a-way, loser buys the winner drinks.”
Regina glanced at the road, looked solid as far as she could see. She nodded. “Done. My drink is tequila.”
“Mine isn’t,” the blonde said, flipping her visor back down. She held up three fingers, counted down, put her hands back on the gas at one, and they took off.
Hours later, they sat or rather slumped happily in the back corner of a dingy, dark dive bar that normally Regina wouldn’t have gone within five miles of, but the winner got to choose. And Regina blamed the blonde’s knowledge of the area for her being able to eke out a win against her. Then again, they both had wandering hands between cheap shots of warm liquor and losing wasn’t all that bad.
“I’ve got an apartment nearby,” the blonde said, one hand stroking lazily beneath Regina’s shirt. “It’s not much but it’s cleaner than this place.”
The hot mouth leaving wet marks behind her ear was incredibly distracting, but Regina tried to be responsible. “I’ve got to be at class early in the morning.”
“No one asked you to stay the night.” Warm breath huffed against Regina’s neck and the wandering hand squeezed a breast. “What kind of class?” Before Regina could answer, both hands and the body heat suddenly withdrew as the blonde leaned back to take a closer look at her companion. She squinted. “Oh fuck, you’re a pilot, aren’t you?”
Not the reaction she normally received; Regina nodded. “Yes, is that a problem?”
The blonde sighed heavily and ran a hand through tangled curls. “I don’t date pilots.”
“Well, who said anything about dating?” She put her hand on the blonde’s thigh. “I thought we were just having a good time.”
The blonde looked down at the hand but didn’t try and remove it. “I work as a bartender, okay? I get hit on by pilots all of the time, and it’s always the same damn line.” The hand moved further up her thigh and she allowed it. “I know how fucking arrogant you all are.”
“I didn’t hit on you because you look hot serving up a round of beers,” Regina argued, shifting her hand so her thumb could rub against the seam of skin tight jeans. “I hit on you because you looked hot straddling a motorcycle at 100 mph.” The jeans were a hindrance, too much material to feel much of anything, but she applied pressure anyway. “And it’s only arrogance if you can’t back it up.”
The blonde rolled her eyes and leaned away. “God, do they give all pilots a handbook of awful pickup lines?” She began to slide her way out of the booth with a disgruntled sigh. “You don’t even know my name, do you?”
Regina leaned back against the booth. It was rare that she struck out this badly, but she would hardly take all the blame. “You’re the one that invited me back to your apartment, knowing you haven’t given me your name.”
The blonde smirked. “Emma Swan.”
“Regina Mills.”
“Call sign?”
Regina’s eyes narrowed. “Queen.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Well, your Majesty, pay the damn tab and let’s get out of here.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Regina had been conscious, up and walking by the time emergency services arrived at the crash site. She was, of course, taken to the hospital for scans and observation immediately. A headache and some slight swelling along her spine meant she had to stay overnight.
The crash had been all over the news. There would be an inquiry, of course, but Mal assured her it had not been her fault. Charming pointed out she wasn’t the first plane they’d lost and wouldn’t be the last; he’d actually managed to sound supportive when he’d assured her, they’d get her back in the air as soon as she was cleared.
The student that caused the accident had already been expelled and faced his own inquiry board which would determine if he would keep his wings. He’d recklessly endangered lives by continuing the exercise after avalanche had been called; Regina likely could have landed the jet if she hadn’t had to maneuver away from him, straining her already faltering engines into complete failure. His excuse that he thought Regina was simply trying to get out of being shot down had almost gotten him decked, by Lancelot of all people.
But at least no one had died.
Despite Mal bringing her things to her and Regina immediately sending out a few reassuring texts, she hadn’t heard from Emma. It was the middle of the night and Regina wished she could just get up and leave, but that would only work against her getting back in the air. When the door to her hospital room slowly opened, she assumed it was another visit from a nurse until she saw the blonde head carefully poke around the door.
“Emma.” Regina was surprised at how relieved she was to see her.
“Hey,” she said, quietly sliding into the room and closing the door behind her. She immediately crossed to the bed and grabbed for the hand reaching out to her. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She looked her over, noticing some scrapes and faint bruising. “You are okay, aren’t you?”
“I’m fine,” Regina assured her then added, “I’ll be sore as hell tomorrow I’m sure, but I’m fine.”
Emma pushed some of Regina’s dark hair back behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. “Guess we’ll have to adjust our plans for tomorrow,” she joked, then kissed Regina’s skinned knuckles. “It was all over the news and Henry came rushing into the storeroom to tell me…I mean, no one knew it was you at that point, but I just…god, I was so scared.”
Regina squeezed her hand and scooted over on the bed, motioning for Emma to sit. “I’m fine, Emma, really. I promise. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
Emma partially collapsed onto the bed. “And then the phone rang at the bar and they said it was for me, a Captain Drake calling.” She chuckled ruefully. “I didn’t immediately put it together that Mal was Captain Drake.”
“Mal called the bar?”
Emma nodded. “She didn’t have my cell, but she wanted to let me know before I heard it anywhere else. She said you’d want me to know.”
“I did. I texted you as soon as I could.” Regina watched Emma nod, acknowledging her, but the blonde wouldn’t raise her head and look at her. “Hey, are you okay?”
Emma sniffed. “I should be asking you that.”
“You did ask me that,” Regina tried to reassure her. “Now, I’m asking.”
Emma didn’t answer, not immediately, instead she sniffed and snuggled down on the bed up against Regina’s side. She wrapped her hand in the t-shirt Regina wore. “Do you remember the first time you met Henry?”
Regina blinked. “Of course, I do.” It had been quite the shock to show up at Emma’s apartment and find a five-year-old boy answering the door when it had only been two years since she’d last seen the blonde. “That no good foster brother of yours had dumped him on you, but you’d taken him in and provided for him like he was yours.”
While that was all true, it wasn’t what Emma was thinking about. “Yeah, but do you remember why you were able to visit that time?”
Oh. That. “I was grounded because of a busted ankle.” Her first ejection from an out-of-control aircraft had ended with a poor landing.
Emma nodded against her. “I remember staying awake that night after you fell asleep, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. You had so many fading bruises, but you just brushed them off like it was no big thing. I mean, you had to eject from an aircraft that crashed and burned, and it was just another day at the office for you. As much as I fought against it, another part of me fell in love with you that day.”
Those were words they never said to each other out loud. “You loved me because I crashed a multi-million-dollar jet?”
“No.” Emma slapped her stomach. “Because it didn’t phase you. Henry shocked you, don’t deny it, but then once I introduced you, you just took it in stride. You played with him all afternoon like that had been your plan all along. You were just so steady in everything you did; considering how I grew up, I loved that about you.”
Regina felt a flush of guilt race through her. She’d never perceived herself that way in regards to Emma. “But…I left.”
“I’m aware,” Emma said ruefully. “But you always came back.” She inhaled a shaky breath. “But this time, when I saw that smoking wreckage on the television and the phone rang. I was worried that this was it. This would be the time you weren’t coming back.”
“I’m here, Emma.”
“I need you to stay, Regina,” she said quietly. “Maybe it’s not fair of me to ask, but I have to. I need you to be here. I need it to be different this time.”
Regina kissed the top of her head. “I’m here; I’m not going anywhere.”
And she meant it. For possibly the first time ever, Regina Mills did not feel the need to run. She was exactly where she wanted to be.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Two weeks later, Regina’s first class of TOPGUN students were ready to graduate. It was a short ceremony with drinks and a light lunch provided afterwards. Stories were told and awards were given. A new name got added to the plaque for top-of-the-class pilots alongside the Queen and the Dragon. Emma and Henry attended the festivities as Regina’s guests, and Zelena had shown up unexpectedly to Mal’s delight.
It was only a half-hour into the festivities, when Charming called out to gain everyone’s attention. “Before anything gets out of hand or moves to another location,” a few glasses were raised in Emma’s direction. The Swan Dive always celebrated new graduates. “I have an announcement to make.”
“There’s a new international military exercise being commissioned by our allies. It’ll be a six-month joint effort between multiple nations to have all aspects of our diverse militaries working together. You’ll be flying against and with pilots from six different nations.” He paused to scan the audience. “Naturally, we want to send only our best to represent us. Every pilot in attendance today is invited to submit their name for consideration.” His gaze paused on the clutch of pilots standing towards the back of the audience. “If anyone, of any rank, is interested, speak with Lancelot before leaving. Congratulations and enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”
A murmur of talking lit up the room immediately as soon as Charming finished. The young pilots were all discussing their options while casually keeping an eye on Lancelot’s whereabouts. In the back of the audience, Zelena was the first to turn and address her colleagues.
“That last little bit wasn’t very subtle, was it?” she asked, eyeing both Mal and Regina.
Regina glanced at Emma who gave her a shaky smile; Henry was already scowling with his hands jammed deep in his pockets. Before she could say anything to either of them, Charming arrived in their midst.
He gave them his best smile. “I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, Mills, but I hope you found your time here useful.”
“Excuse me?” she asked, feeling Emma stiffen next to her.
Charming glanced around at the clutch of women. “I figured you and Mal would both jump at the chance to go overseas again. It’ll be a great experience, nothing keeping you here, and as much as it pains me to say, you both are the most qualified.”
“Oh, Charming, if only your wits matched your looks,” Zelena muttered, sipping from her drink as Mal snorted.
“What?” he asked, looking between them all. “I thought you’d jump at the chance to get away from here.”
Regina glanced at Mal and confirmed silently what they were both thinking. She slipped her arm around Emma’s waist and pulled her closer. “Sorry, Charming, but I think I’ll be sitting this one out.”
Zelena draped herself over Mal’s shoulder. “It’s time to let the young ones out to play. If we keep sending these two out, no one else will ever get any experience.”
Charming frowned, looking at the four women. “Wait, are you all…together?”
“Geez, dude, read the room,” Henry muttered, ignoring Emma’s hissed censure.
Mal rolled her eyes. “You’re stuck with us, Charming. Go harass the students to play your war games. The Queen and I aren’t going anywhere.”
His ears pinked as Charming muttered a quick, excuse me, before fleeing their company. Showing a little bit of restraint, Regina managed not to laugh out loud until he was gone. “Oh my god, I never realized he was that oblivious.”
“Thick as a plank,” Mal muttered. “Come on, Henry. You deserve dessert for that.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Emma said but nodded when he looked to her for permission to go off with Mal and Z. “They’re going to let him have way too much sugar.”
Regina shrugged, unconcerned. They had already planned to go to Mal’s after the graduation ceremony. “He can swim it off in the pool, and if he doesn’t, we can leave him there. Let them deal with a moody teenager.”
“You know you can go, if you want.”
Emma’s quiet offer immediately caught Regina’s complete attention and she knew immediately that it had nothing to do with dessert or Mal’s pool.
“I don’t want to hold you back or anything,” Emma said, looking down.
Regina put her finger under Emma’s chin, lifting it up so she could see the green eyes she loved so much. “I am not going anywhere. And this,” she entwined their hands and brought Emma’s hand up to her lips to kiss, “this does not hold me back from anything. This…us, lifts me up higher than any jet I’ve ever flown.”
Emma’s expression slid from cautious to amused. “That was an awful pickup line, Queenie.”
“It’s only arrogance if I can’t back it up.” Regina slung her arm over the blonde’s shoulders and kissed her temple. “Let’s go for a ride; winner gets to make the proposal; loser has to book the venue.”
Emma grinned, knowing there was a ring already in Regina’s pocket. Maybe, just this once, she’d let Regina win.
Then again…