Work Text
Roni was cleaning up in the back of her bar when she heard someone come in. "I'll be with you in a second!" She called out before letting out a deep sigh.The bar was already closed but she forgot to change the sign outside, so it was her own fault that somebody ended up walking in. She put down the empty bottles and walked to the bar expecting an old already drunk man sitting at it. But she was pleasantly surprised when she saw a blonde woman -around her age- that was focused on taking her red leather jacket off. "I'm sorry. I thought you were still open but it looks like you were about to close up. I'll just have one drink and then I'll be gone." She hung the jacket on the chair next to her. "It's not a problem at all, dear." A very familiar voice said to Emma. The blonde immediately looked up to stare right in the brown eyes she had seen a million times before. Her heart skipped a few beats and suddenly she was in a loss of words."Regina?!" "Sorry?" "Regina, I can't believe I found you." "I think you might've mistaken me for someone else. I'm Roni." Regina -or now called Roni- held out her hand and Emma shook it.This version of Regina was totally different. Curly hair framed her face and jeans with a tanktop and a denim jacket were a polar opposite of the many pantsuits emma had seen her wear over the years."I'm Emma, Emma Swan." Emma studied Roni's face to see if there was any sign that she recognized her but there was not even a hint of recognition on her face. Regina clearly didn't remember who she used to be which meant that she also didn't remember Emma. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. She spend all these years looking for and missing her family. And now Regina was finally close but she could just as easy be a stranger. And right now Roni was indeed a total stranger to her. "Nice to meet you Emma. What can I get you?" "I-i honestly don't know. Can you make me your favorite drink?" Emma smiled at Roni sheepishly. "Of course!" Roni put down two shot glasses on the bar and poured some liquor in it."I'll have one too. It'll be our secret." She winked. "It's apple flavored, I hope you like apples." Emma couldn't help but notice the irony in that as she put the glass to her lips and took a shot. "Had a rough day?" The brunette asked."You have no idea." Emma laughed. "Are you new in town? I don't think I've ever seen you around before." Roni poured them both another shot. Emma was still struggling with coming to terms with this whole new Regina. She had never seen her this relaxed before and she couldn't wait until Regina woke up from the curse just to find herself looking like this. No way in hell that Emma would ever stop teasing her about this. "Yep. Actually my first day here." "Well I feel honoured that I'm the first bar you're visiting in town. What brings you here?" She asked."I'm looking for someone, and the trail I've been following brought me here." "Who are you looking for? If you don't mind me asking of course." Roni leaned forward on the bar, genuinely interested in what Emma had to tell her. "I can't discuss the details. But it's for work. i'm a bounty hunter." Okay, that was a straight up lie. But Emma couldn't tell Roni that she was the one she was looking for. And in all honesty Emma had been a bounty hunter before, so she wasn't completely lying."Sounds like you live a more interesting life than me. The most spectacular event I've witnessed is a drunk man getting dragged out of my bar by the police after getting in a fight." Roni told her while taking both their glasses, cleaning them and putting them back on the shelf. Emma reached for her wallet but Roni put her hand on Emma's to stop her. "It's on the house. I just need to get my jacket in the back, if you wait for me we can walk out together." Roni closed the door to the bar and then walked next to Emma to her car. "So where are you staying?" Roni asked when they stood in front of Emma's yellow bug. Emma shrugged and tapped on the roof of her car."You're looking at it right now." Roni's mouth fell open in disbelieve "You can't stay in your car, Emma. Please tell me you're kidding.""I'm afraid not, sorry." The blonde grimaced. "But it's fine I slept in this car plenty of times, it has become my second home at this point.""Well you must've not told a brunette bartender before because I'm not letting you stay in your car. You can stay at my place, I have a spare bedroom." "It's fine, really. I don't want to be a bother. Don't worry about me. For all you know I could be a thief and steal all your belongings." Emma said jokingly."There's one thing you need to know about me and that's that I don't take no for an answer." As if Emma didn't know that already after spending years with Regina. Maybe Roni wasn't so different after all. "And if you steal my stuff then I'll know where to find you, Emma Swan." "Maybe I've given you a fake name, who knows." "A blonde girl with a red leather jacket driving a yellow bug won't be hard to find. Even without knowing your name." Roni touched the collar of Emma's jacket and winked at her."Now are you coming with me or are you sleeping in your oh so comfortable bug?" "Do I even have choice?" Emma rolled her eyes and laughed. "I'm afraid not, dear." The apartment where Roni lived happened to conveniently be in the street next to her bar. Roni opened the door and let Emma walk in.The first thing she noticed after was how different this was from how Regina's mansion had been. Regina's house was very stylish of course, but big and it always felt very empty. This apartment was the opposite, it still was styled very nicely but it was cozy, with dark colours and candles burning everywhere.They walked into the living room and Emma realized they weren't alone in the house, on the couch was a girl seated with her back facing them, she was busy typing something on her laptop and didn't notice them coming in."Charlotte there's someone I'd like you to meet." Roni said, her voice in the same sweet tone she had once used on Henry -and on Emma in rare occasions- the girl turned around, smiled at Emma and walked over to them."Charlotte, this is Emma, a friend who is staying here overnight. Emma this is my 16 year old daughter charlotte, who may look sweet but don't feel fooled she is a real pain in the ass." "I'm not, mom stop it!" Charlotte playfully hit Roni's arm. "Exhibit A- I told you to go to sleep before I got home from work. And you're still awake, madame." "You know I normally listen to you but it's a friday night, and for the record I'm working on an assignment for school." The girl shook her head at her mom and then looked at Emma again, smiling widely. "Y-you have a daughter?" Was the last thing the blonde remembered saying before everything went dark and she fell to the ground.
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You're alive!" The teenager said once Emma walked in the living room and plopped down on the couch next to Charlotte."Oh, right. I fainted, sorry about that." Emma grimaced which made Charlotte laugh. Now Emma -sort of- recovered from the information that Roni had a daughter she could actually take a proper look at Charlotte. She was a brunette just like Roni, with half long wavy hair falling over her shoulders and green eyes contrasting from her dark hair. She managed to look wise and mature but young and playful at the same time. "Don't worry about it, mom told me you had a rough day. How are you feeling now?" "Surprisingly not bad at all." Emma touched her head like she wanted to make sure. "Speaking of your mom. Where is she?" "She went to the bakery in town to get us croissants and fresh orange juice. Asked me to set the table in the meantime, which I did already." Charlotte answered, waving her hand to the table that was indeed already set. Then she put her hands on her lap and started playing with her sleeves as if she was nervous, in a split second she recovered and straightened her back while looking up at Emma again. A kid of Regina -or Roni- indeed, she thought to herself. Regina had always done this too. Showing her true emotions for the slightest moment and then acting as if she was okay. Nobody picked up on this but somehow Emma noticed every time."I need to tell you something, quickly before mom gets back." The girl smiled, Emma smiled back. Not wanting to interrupt her with words."I know who you are." "Yeah. I'm Emma. Your mom told you yesterday, you needed to tell me that?" She answered jokingly. "No, I know who you actually are. The saviour. The daughter of Snow white and Charming." Charlotte stated, looking at Emma as she nervously awaited her reaction. Emma just stared at her for a few seconds before the questions came pouring in, and she didn't hesitate before asking them. "Do you know who your mom is? How did you find out? How did you know I did remember who I was?" "I do know who my mom is. Regina Mills, former evil queen and mayor of storybrooke." The mention of Regina's name and storybrooke made Emma's heart flutter. It had been years since she heard anyone else talk about it. She lost everyone she had in Storybrooke and she couldn't exactly talk about any of it with the new people she met. How do you explain you used to have a family and friends but they all disappeared into thin air? Talking about any of that was out of the question. This was why most her relationships or friendships failed. She was "Too closed off." She "Hid things and was't honest." And "How can I be in a relationship with you if I don't know anything about you and you don't want to tell?"Emma had heard it all and gotten used to the fact that none of the friendships or relationships would last. "Years ago I found a storybook in my closet, I had no idea where it came from but it intrigued me. I spend that whole night reading the stories it told. Starting with you coming to storybrooke and meeting my mom. Didn't take me long to come to the realization that Regina and Roni were the same person. Of course the drawings of Regina in the book looked like my mom but suddenly some characteristics of my mom made sense." She eyed the clock on the wall to check how much time she had left before her mom came back, she reckoned her mom would come walking in with their breakfast in about 5 minutes, just enough time to cover the basics for this slightly -that was an underestimation- confused Emma."My mom always carries herself like she is regal. And how she tells me not to slouch. Henry would agree with me that our posture is a big concern of hers." "Henry." The blonde breathed as her eyes filled with tears.Charlotte squeezed her hand. "We'll find him, Emma. I promise. We're gonna bring mom back and then we'll find everyone." Emma knew Regina was the key to everything. They had always done everything together and without her, bringing everyone back seemed impossible. At least having a mini-Regina here would make it easier to get Regina back. "I know. Thank you, kid. Can't believe Regina's daughter is giving me a hope speech." Emma joked to lighten the mood."That's definitely a Charmings thing. Your parents would love me." Before Emma could answer they heard a knock on the door and Roni's voice following it."Dear, can you open the door? I forgot my keys.""Sure. I'm coming." Charlotte called back. "One thing you need to know about Roni is that she forgets her keys pretty much everytime she leaves the house." She told Emma."That's definitely a Roni thing." Emma answered amused."Oh and before I forget." Charlotte said before getting up and opening the door. "I knew you weren't cursed when you fainted when my mom told you I was her daughter. I'm her adoptive daughter by the way." The moment Roni walked in the room and saw Emma she gave her a bright smile. "Good morning, sleeping beauty. You're not gonna faint on me again are you." "Nope, I'm good. You must think that I'm a crazy person by now. I'm really sorry." Emma replied."Not at all. I think you're interesting. Now sit down at the table and join us for breakfast." Roni put the croissants on their plates while Charlotte poured the orange juice in their glasses. This was similar to what the morning looked like when she stayed at Regina's. Drinking too much wine and falling asleep more on top of Regina than on the actual couch. Then waking up to the smell of breakfast and walking into the kitchen and joining her best friend and their son at the table for breakfast. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Roni asked, taking another sip of orange juice while curiously eyeing Emma at the same time. "Hm? Oh. Nothing much." She mumbled still lost in thoughts. Charlotte gave her a quick smile, knowing that Emma was thinking about her life in storybrooke. Roni just raised her eyebrow, not being satisfied with this answer."Why am I not convinced by that?" "Maybe I'm not that convincing am I?" Emma grimaced. "No you're not. Now spill." "The drink?" Emma teased, tilting her glass ever so slightly, Roni gave her a challenging look."What a polite guest you make." "I know right. Fainting, spilling drinks. I'm basically the dream guest." The blonde answered sarcastically. Roni shook her head with a little giggle leaving her mouth. "Charming." "You might say Charming could be my last name." A few hours later Emma had gotten ready and was walking next to Roni on their way to the bar. Roni had told her she had a day off and suggested she'd take Emma to the best hotel in town to make sure she wouldn't end up sleeping in her car this night. They made a stop at the bar first to give the key to the girl that was working instead of Roni today. As they arrived at the bar someone behind them whistled and when they turned around Emma stood face to face with nobody less than Ruby. The curse hadn't changed her at all it seemed, at least not as much as it changed Regina.The former waitress wore her long brown hair in a ponytail and was dressed in a dark red blouse -with the buttons opened just enough to see her cleavage- with high waisted black jeans. She walked up to them and hugged Roni. She then turned to Emma and gave her a hug as well. "Hi, I'm Ruby! You must be Emma? I heard a lot about you." She greeted her enthusiastically. "I sent you one text about her, Ruby! That's barely a lot." Roni rolled her eyes. "Yes I'm Emma. Nice to meet you Ruby." Emma then turned to Roni and wiggled her eyebrows. "So you sent her a text about me? All good I hope." "Yes, I told her about you wanting to purposely spill your drink on my table and afterwards breaking one of my plates while helping me doing the dishes." Oh right, that had happened as well. Emma made a mental note to be less clumsy. "Hey, it's the thought that counts." Ruby came to Emma's defensive. "See, Ruby understands me. I'll give her a big tip next time I come to your bar." "If I allow you in." The bar owner teased."I'm so scared right now." Emma laughed. "You should be." Roni warned her, still smiling."Anyways we're going to get you a room in the hotel. Ruby here are the keys. Don't burn the place down while I'm away please, dear." She handed Ruby the keys. "Oh I would never. I'll see you tomorrow, Roni. And it was great seeing you Emma, I'll be waiting for that big tip the next time you're here." She winked as she turned around and opened the door to the bar.Roni sighed but there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. "She's such a handful. But I have only known you since yesterday night and I'm 99.9 percent sure you are too."