Once Upon a Time 1. The One That Got Away

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Once Upon A Time blah bah blah because if so, Swan Queen would have been canon right after Season 1.

**Author's Note: **

Katy Perry's on replay so this happened. It's been a while since I wrote something and I'm really sorry for not updating my other fics. I just need inspiration to snap me back into writing again. This baby has been brewing for quite a while now in my head and I just had to write it down so I hope you guys like this one, enjoy!

**The One That Got Away**

The wind was hitting her face through the open window of her car, blonde curls whipping every which way the breeze blows on it. The air, biting her exposed skin, is still chilly despite the summer sun peeking through the heavy clouds. She was driving for hours to get to a little sleepy town to visit the only family she's ever known. It was a surprise. Having been swamped with work for almost an entire year, she decided that a good break from the busy streets of the city is long overdue. So with a little backpack filled with some clothes and necessities, she hopped in her trusted yellow bug and drove in the middle of the night to Storybrooke, Maine.

xxx

"I should call you Apple," she mumbled in between grunts. She was currently slumped in the backseat trying to wrestle her skinny jeans back on.

The brunette beside her snorted –she doesn't know how the girl could still sound so regal while doing so- and Emma could _feel_ her rolling her eyes without even looking up to face her.

"No seriously babe, you smell like apples and you _taste_ like them too. How is that even possible?" successfully pulling her jeans back on, she looked up to stare at her girlfriend. She couldn't resist the urge to kiss the brunette – with her hair disheveled, adorable rosy cheeks, pouty lips slightly swollen from all their kissing, and her clothes still in disarray – so she pulled the currently dressing brunette to her lap and started kissing her luscious lips.

Ever since the two met at a 'highschool after grad' party a year ago, they've become inseparable. Their connection or some say 'spark' was instant. It was like the universe led them to each other that fateful night and now both couldn't seem to stop craving each other's company. It was a whirlwind romance yes, but it was still their love story – it sounds lame but she feels all girly and tingly whenever she thinks of it as that - and Emma couldn't be happier about it.

xxx

She's been travelling for god knows how long and the hunger she's feeling is slightly dampening her mood so with a loud sigh, she pressed on the pedal to accelerate her car's speed upon seeing the 'Welcome To Storybrooke' sign. _I'm home_. The thought ran through her mind but she brushed it off.

Approaching the town, she parked in front of a diner. Granny's Diner. The place where she knows she'll find the family she's been looking forward to seeing again and she let a small smile grace her lips at that thought.

xxx

"You know how my mother is, Emma. I want her to know about us, about our relationship so bad so she could stop making me go out with those prissy boys she's picked out for me to be my possible future husband but I'm afraid of what she'll do if she does find out about us. You have no idea what she's capable of." Her breath hitched and cracked with that last line so the blonde placed her hand on top of her girlfriend's to soothe her nerves. They're in the balcony of the brunette's house, sipping wine straight from the bottle, and laid out on a blanket staring up at the stars.

They've been out there for almost an hour just talking and lightly touching each other. In the duration of their relationship, they would sneak around town to see each other or if the brunette's parents are away for some business trip she would sneak into her house – a mansion really – so they could spend time together. It was difficult yes, all the sneaking around and stealing kisses but they make do. They're in love. She knows she loves the brunette beside her with every fiber of her being. She's never experienced that kind of feeling before. A love so strong it kind of scares her if she's being honest to herself. The love she has for her girlfriend is quite overwhelming at times too, the kind of overwhelming that you feel, like you're brimming with happiness that's verging on painful. But she wouldn't have it any other way. What she knows is that their love is everything she's ever dreamt of. Being an orphan, she could count in one finger the times she felt loved and the love she could feel coming from her girlfriend doesn't even compare to the love she's experienced before she met the brunette. Yes, it was all she ever dreamt of and she doesn't know what she'll do once she's lost it.

"I understand, babe. I do. Hey, just know that I love you so much, okay? I love you." She said, squeezing the hand in hers and shifting so she could tenderly kiss her girlfriend's lips.

"I love you too, so very much." The brunette whispered in between kisses, grasping at blonde locks with her free hand closer to her body so no space could come in between them.

xxx

The bell above the door rang making the whole diner turn towards the newcomer. There was an awkward silence before a shrill squeal was heard making the heads turn to the person behind the counter.

Emma was swallowed in a huge hug in an instant. She forgot how much she missed the brunette until that moment. If she was an emotional person, she's sure she'd be bawling her eyes out at that very moment like what the brunette in her arms is currently doing.

"Ow!" she shrieked when the brunette jumped from her arms and hit her in the arm. She wasn't able to react more because she was tugged in a fierce hug for the second time.

"I hate you, you know. But I missed you so much, Em!" the tall brunette whispered-yelled in her arms.

"I missed you too, Ruby." she chuckled and patted Ruby's back.

"Don't disappear on me, on us again, understand?" Ruby hissed while removing herself from the blonde.

Nodding, she felt herself being engulfed in a motherly embrace that almost made her cry. "Granny," she whispered in the older woman's neck and tightened the hug a bit.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady. Now go sit, I know you're starving." The older woman patted her on the cheek and led her to an empty booth with Ruby clinging to her other side. _I'm home_. The thought ran through her mind again and this time she just hid a smile.

xxx

"You want me to skip town?" Her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. She was currently sitting in front of the Mayor in her pristine office. And Emma being Emma felt like a sore thumb sticking out in that overly immaculate place.

"I want you to stay away from my daughter, Miss Swan. If that meant you leaving town, then so be it. I don't want you ruining her life. She has so much ahead of her, would you really pull her down with you? This infatuation she has for you is not healthy for her. So I suggest if you really care about my daughter, you would leave her and not be a burden to her life." The Mayor with her cold eyes stared her down without missing a beat. If she wasn't sitting down she's sure her knees would give out because it wouldn't stop from shaking.

"But I love her! You can't just make me leave!" She replied with so much emotion; fear, anger, confusion. This conversation is making her head spin she just wanted to be with her girlfriend at that very moment.

"I can and I will. You don't know what I'm capable of, Miss Swan." She shuddered unexpectedly upon hearing that phrase coming from the older woman's lips. She could clearly remember that same phrase leaving her girlfriend's lips when she was talking about her mother. A tear slipped from her eye and she quickly brushed it away. She couldn't afford to look weak in front of this woman.

"No! I won't leave. You can't make me!" She gripped the arms of the chair and gritted her teeth. She was also fighting the urge to cry and she's barely keeping herself from physically lashing out.

"Even for my daughter's sake? Because I assure you if you don't leave, my daughter is the one that's going to suffer. We wouldn't want that to happen now, do we?" The Mayor said nonchalantly and the blonde deflated at that.

"You'll do that to your own daughter?! What kind of mother are you?!" The anger is seeping out of her and she was so close to pouncing on the Mayor and scratching her cold stony face with her fingers.

"The one that is invested in my daughter's future. So do us all a favor and leave." That statement was like the final nail to her coffin. She didn't want to leave but she didn't want to ruin her girlfriend's life either. She was sure now that if they run away together, they wouldn't go very far without the Mayor knowing where they are. And what kind of life could she give her girlfriend if they did run away? A life on the run like criminals? A struggling life because they're still both young and without jobs? No, she's not that selfish to mess up her girlfriend's life.

So with the last strand of composure she has, she walked briskly out of the Mayor's office. When she was outside the building, she ran to the nearest alley and broke down.

xxx

The bell rang again and she automatically looked at the new customer of the Diner. She smiled a little when she saw a man carrying a little boy in his arms while talking animatedly to a boy beside him. What caught her eye next was when the little boy in the man's arms outstretched his arms like he wanted to be picked up by the person behind the man.

Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widened a bit, her palms started to sweat, and she couldn't stop the pounding of her heart. She whispered under her breath a name that's tattooed in her heart, "Regina."

It was as if the wind carried her whisper to the brunette now holding the little boy in her arms and they suddenly made eye contact. She watched Regina stopped in her tracks with lips slightly parted in shock. But the magic and tension was cut short when the man – Regina's husband she thinks – wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her on the temple before leading his family to an empty booth.

xxx

"I'm leaving," she muttered slowly void of any emotion. They were in the swings, shivering slightly from the night breeze.

"Emma?" she heard Regina whisper, her voice hoarse maybe because of her unshed tears. They've been in the park for hours and she knows that the brunette knows something was off.

"I'm leaving town, Regina." Her grip tightened on the swing. She kept her voice cold and her gaze straight to the trees surrounding them.

"You're leaving me?" this time when her voice broke she knows that her Regina is crying and it's tearing her heart to pieces she couldn't even look at her face.

"I'm sorry." Without looking at the brunette, she stood up and started walking back to town.

"Emma! Emma Swan you come back here this instant! If you're pulling one of your pranks on me again, stop it! This isn't funny anymore. Emma! Emma, I love you! Come back!" she was crying now too. She clutched at her shirt to where her heart is. She could feel the organ breaking inside her chest. She wanted it out of her because the pain was unbearable. She felt like dying inside. Every cry from Regina is ripping her very soul.

"I'm sorry. I love you too." She whispered and hoped that the wind would carry it to her love. She made herself run. Run away from the only girl that she knows she'll ever love because Regina will always have her heart.

**A/N:** No beta so I apologize for the mistakes. Any comments? Violent reactions? Thanks for reading, my dears! xo


	2. Thinking Of You

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Once Upon A Time blah bah blah because if so, Swan Queen would have been canon right after Season 1.

**Author's Note: **

So here's a new chapter. Yes, there's a lot of angst (I love it, really) but just for your sake I will consider a happy ending for this fic. Don't hold your breath though. I'm kidding. I'm a sucker for happy endings so hang in there, SWEN. HA!

**Thinking of You**

Lying on her side of the bed, she thinks about the last few days. How he's being overly affectionate and clingy. It's happening all over again and she just turns a blind eye to it every time. She knows she should say something, do something but she doesn't. She doesn't have the energy to confront her husband and if she was being honest to herself, she actually doesn't care at all; well perhaps she cares a bit just for the sake of her children. Everything she's doing now is for the sake of her little darlings. So she puts her carefully constructed mask and pretends. She's good at it now anyway.

xxx

"Well this is nice," Emma says from beside her. They were under the shade of the brunette's apple tree, wrapped around each other, "this is very couple-y." the blonde continued while burying her nose in brunette locks.

"Is that even a word?" she quipped and giggled when Emma nipped at her earlobe.

"Babe?" Emma snuggles to her more as if there's still an inch of space left between them.

"Yes, my love?" she whispers to her girlfriend's cheek.

Emma brushes the hair away from her face and leans closer, "Say that again," she whispers close to her own lips. She could practically taste Emma's minty breath.

"My love," she whispers once more before her lips are pressed to her girlfriend's.

"I love it when you say shit like that, I feel so girly and tingly inside." Emma says with that smug smirk of hers that makes her feel 'girly and tingly inside' as the blonde put it.

She just rolled her eyes in reply and bumped her nose with her girlfriend's, "What were you going to say?"

Emma shifted so she could cup her face in her hands, "We should go to Vegas. I'm 18 and you'll be too in a few weeks so we're both legal to go away for a while."

Her eyes twinkled at that and a smile graced her lips, "And what are we going to do there? Hmm?"

"Duh! Casino, baby!" the blonde shrieks before launching into more babble, "and then we'll go to one of those chapels where people get hitched. You know just like in the movies. An Elvis Presley impersonator marries us, you'll wear a little bridal dress with a thin veil on top of your head," she stopped her animated talking and seemed to be thinking of something before sputtering her chatter again, "OR! How about a cute little floral crown on your head, huh? And then I'll wear a white sexy tuxedo with a funky bow tie."

Emma's excitement was contagious. The little smile on her face grew into a large grin when she started her own spiel as well, "We should move to the suburbs after that and buy our own house with white picket fences and…" she drifted off teasingly, "we should adopt a dog, and I'll name her Emma junior." She finished while trying to hold in her laughter at Emma's incredulous look.

"Oh you are paying for that, come here!" Emma feigned hurt before jumping her and tickling her sides.

xxx

A hand snakes to her waist which startles her a little. The breathing and body sliding closer to her from behind lets her know that her husband is awake. He tugs on her so she's lying on her back while he hovers above her. When he starts kissing her she tenses for a split second before reluctantly kissing him back. The hand holding her waist starts caressing and wandering over her body, the weight on top of her pushes her more down on the bed and the kiss deepens. She panics internally before she's pulling away from the kiss, from his possessive hold, "Robin, the kids will be up soon." She's pushing him away from her, she didn't want to be intimate with him. She tried to love him, she did. Maybe she loves him, she's just not in love with him. She cares for him deeply because they've been together for years and they have children together so it was never hard to care for him. But even the idea of falling in love with another was hastily thrown out the window. She couldn't, not after the pain she's been through after losing the one person she ever gave her everything to.

The quiet sigh she released when the weight on top of her budged and the hold on her was removed was one of relief. It was always like this and she half blames herself because maybe it's also her fault why her husband looks for another to warm his bed.

"Fine," he grunts before pushing off the bed and striding towards the adjoining bathroom. He not so subtly closes the door that makes her flinch involuntarily. She doesn't move from the bed and just stares at the ceiling.

xxx

"Emma!" she screamed at the top of her lungs before plopping back down on the soft cloth they've laid on top of the cool grass.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." The blonde snickers while wriggling her way up her body. They were naked, breathless, sweaty, and lain out in a clearing under the twinkling stars.

Feeling the chill of the night air, she snuggled closer to her girlfriend's warmth. "I love you, Emma Swan." She whispered sleepily in the crook of the blonde's neck, their previous activity making her feel drowsy and relaxed.

"I love you too, Regina Mills." She heard Emma whisper on top of her head before leaving a kiss there. She was just on the edge of dozing when she heard the blonde mumble, "You have my heart, Gina. I'll miss you." She didn't get to respond and think much of it because sleep has taken her.

xxx

The door bangs open before a sudden weight lands on top of her. She smiles. A tender loving smile only reserved for her sons.

"Mama!" her little boy squeals on top of her before he's standing up and jumping on the bed.

"Mom? I'm starving," another little brunette head pokes from the doorway before moving sluggishly on her perch on the bed. Her smile grows more.

"Henry!" Roland shouts before he shoots off the bed and clings to his older brother. The added weight startles her older son making them both stumble on top of her bed, laughing hysterically. She moves to sit, pressing her back on the headboard while joining in the laughter of her sons. She motions for them to hug her and so they did while squealing.

"What's with all the ruckus out here?" Robin asks appearing from the doorway of the bathroom. He's freshly showered and smiling fondly at them. He may have his faults as a husband but he's a great father to their children which she's grateful for.

"I'm starving, Dad!" Henry sighs dramatically and lets himself fall to the bed beside her. Roland shrieks before copying his older brother. The sight warms her heart so she starts tickling them both making their peals of laughter echo throughout their house. Robin, never wanting to be left out joins in on the tickle war. Moments like these make her forget for a brief time about her problems and worries and just embrace her little family.

"Why don't we go to Granny's for breakfast?" she asks after a while and the laughter died down. She was answered by big smiles and bobbing of heads.

xxx

"Robin Locksley, milady." The man, Robin, extended his hand in greeting. He was a decent looking man, she'd give him that but he wasn't really her type.

"Regina Mills, it's a pleasure to meet you." She greeted politely in return.

It was a week later after her girlfriend packed and left town. The past week passed in a blur. She was in autopilot the whole time. She couldn't even remember the event that led her to this 'blind date', with this man who slightly smelled of forest. It was her mother who made her come here in the first place. Her mother have had enough of her moping, she didn't really know about her relationship with Emma and just regarded her foul mood as 'a phase of her transitioning into a woman', if there was such a thing.

"The pleasure is mine." He pulled the chair for her, _so gallant,_ she thought. She pulled a smile, a grimace really, in thanks.

After they ordered, they stayed in an awkward bubble where they would just talk a little, stare or smile at each other. Once the food came, they ate in a somewhat companionable silence.

"They say this isn't a forced union, eh?" He said after a while breaking the silence, "Could've fooled me" he snorted and chuckled at his own thought.

Her utensil clanked against her plate when she looked up at him with wide eyes. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks. She remembered her mother telling her that she should impress this man while she was getting ready for this meeting. She knew her mother always has something up her sleeve but she never imagined she would pull something like this on her.

xxx

It was a lovely day so they opted to walk to the Diner. Robin carried Roland in his arms while Henry, side hugging her and leaning much of his weight on her, walked in between her and her husband.

People greeted them politely on their walk. It was a small town and everyone just about knows each other.

The Diner bell rang alerting the people inside of their entrance. Robin shifted his stance and so she glanced his way. Roland was reaching for her so she took him in her arms and when her sight was caught by something red that was when her world tilted on its own axis.

The same blonde curls and blue-green eyes that haunted her in her dreams have now come face to face with her. An inaudible gasp left her lips and she tightened her hold on Roland slightly. She couldn't wrap her head around what she's seeing. After 12 years, she's back. Emma's back. Her infuriatingly charming Emma Swan is back.

She was pulled out of her daze when she felt Robin, her husband, place his arms around her so he could guide them to an available booth.

She could feel Emma's eyes on her. She wanted to turn and face her, she wanted to slap her, she wanted to kiss her senseless, she wanted to do a lot of things but she mostly wanted to rush out of the Diner away from everyone, away from Emma Swan. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall, the happy mood she was in turned sour in an instant and she just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. After all the years she spent trying to move on, she thought she had a firm grip on her emotions. But just one look and one glance at the woman who left her, made all her walls come crashing down.

xxx

Her 'I do' was a pained whisper, her actions were robotic and lacking any emotion, it was as if she was having an out of body experience. This was her wedding day; she was supposed to be tearing up because of happiness not of sadness. Her dress feels tight; she's feeling claustrophobic in front of Robin, in front of the priest, in front of her mother, in front of half the town. She's having a panic attack but when she heard the resounding, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." It was like a bucket of ice was dumped on her and she was pulled back to the here and now.

Robin held her hand and pulled her closer to him. He smiled softly at her and leaned in for the kiss. As their lips met in a lingering kiss, a lone tear fell from her eye. Her fate is sealed. She's a married woman now.

**A/N:** No beta so I apologize for the mistakes. Thanks for reading, my dears! Tell me what you think. xo


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