Regina used to love watching Henry chase fireflies in her backyard. Emma wants to make some new summer memories.
Despite the summertime theme, this story is part of the @sqspringbreakweek event. I combined days 1 & 6. I love the firefly prompt but missed it so I thought that I’d squeeze it in here.
“I didn’t know you were an outdoorsy person.” Emma remarks, holding the picture frame at eye level.
“I’m not.” Regina replies.
Emma quirks a brow. “Explain it.” She holds out the picture for Regina to see.
Her own face looks back at her, smiling and smudged with mud. She wears jeans, rolled up at the ankles, and a plain black t-shirt. She holds a baby-faced Henry who holds up a little craft–yarn tied upon two sticks to make a colorful square. He has twigs and leaves in his hair and muddy hands.
“Henry had a boy scouts phase.” Regina shrugs. “I signed him up to be a part of Storybrooke’s troop. I was just trying to be supportive, don’t get the wrong idea.”
“I already have.” Emma chuckles. “We should go on a camping trip!”
Regina quirks a brow, “seriously?”
“Yes, seriously! We can go camping by the beach, I’ve always wanted to try camping on a beach.” Emma declares. “Can we at least have a picnic or a barbecue in your yard for old time’s sake?”
Regina considers with a sigh. “I suppose. I did enjoy watching Henry chase fireflies when he was a child.”
Emma smiles, “you’ll have to tell me about that.”
“There isn’t much to tell.”
And yet there is so much to share.
So much like the warm wind in her hair and the smell of fresh fruits and barbecues all around. A touch of a quaint Maine summer in full swing.
She remembers it as vividly as when it had happened–perhaps the best day of her life for a very long time. The last good day of her life before Emma had come swooping into town to set her life in disarray. She remembers having felt a sense that she was actually cherished. She remembers having forgotten about her own curse for just a moment. And for one night Storybrooke, Maine had always been her home. The people gathered in her yard to celebrate the 4th of July had always been her neighbors and friends.
4th of July had always been a thing that she’d celebrated. A thing that she had always hosted as mayor.
She remembers smiling for the flash of Sydney’s camera, her hand on Henry’s shoulder before telling him to run along and get a burger from Graham.
Graham had always made the best burgers and hotdogs. She feels a pinch of regret. More than a pinch, at the thought of him.
“It was wonderful Emma. We were celebrating the 4th of July as a town. There were fireworks–Henry used to be afraid of them so he would just cling to my legs until Paige managed to pry him away.” She smiles. “I had these strings of lights that I would wrap around the trees in my yard and sometimes, I would decorate them with ribbons and banners. And just when it started getting dark there would be a contest. Everyone would go out and catch fireflies. We would count them all up and see who caught the most and then we would hang the jars in the trees and then go watch the fireworks.” She pauses. “I didn’t catch any myself, I don’t like bugs crawling on me. But I loved seeing them in the trees Emma. It was like a little piece of the Enchanted Forest. There were so many of them. It was like the trees were glittering.’
Emma elbowers her lightly in the ribs. “So much for, ‘there isn’t much to tell’!” She chuckles. “That sounds like a really nice time.”
“It was, Emma. I was…” she furrows her brows. “I think that I was happy. I thought that things could be okay for me. That I could have friends…”
Emma smiles and squeezes her hand. “And look! You do. You have friends and,” she lifts Regina’s hand and lets sunlight glint off of the ring upon her finger. “And a wife who really wants to go on a seaside camping trip with you.”
Regina smiles. “Yes, I suppose I do.”
“And maybe while we’re roasting marshmallows–on the beach, preferably–we can plan out a little 4th of July party?”
Regina sighs. “Perhaps we could.”
.oOo.
These days, she knows what to expect of Regina. ‘Perhaps’ and ‘maybe’ is usually Regina for ‘with a little convincing and some puppy eyes from Henry, yes’. And two sets of puppy dog eyes later, they are on the beach.
As Emma unpacks her barbecue equipment, she watches her wife and son pad across the sand. It is a touch cloudy, with a light shower in the forecast. There is already a haze in the air and a light breeze to stir Regina’s locks as she walks. But it is just as well; they have the beach to themselves.
She just needs to get these burgers done before the rain begins.
A task that would come along much faster if she could stop staring at Regina. If the woman hadn’t caught her staring and offered her a smile and a wave from across the beach. She sweeps her bangs out of her face, only to have them tossed right back to where they were.
Admittedly it is bizarre to see Regina so dressed down. To see her in jean shorts and a black bikini top–sunflower print. She turns her head to watch Henry throw himself at a wave with a jubilant cry. And with a mischievous smirk, he gives Regina a good splash.
Emma laughs to herself as she ignites the grill.
She can already see the rest of the summer unfolding in her mind. They still have a month left to plan the 4th of July party but she thinks that she already knows exactly how she’d like it to go. They can set up a foldout table full of bags of chips and plates of watermelon, pineapple, and cantaloupe. There will be buckets of sparklers and sprays of confetti…
“How is our lunch coming along, dear?”
“Great.” Emma smiles.
“Really? I can smell it burning from across the beach.”
Emma flushes before quickly flipping the burger. “Actually that’s how I like my burgers.”
“I’ll have to remember that for when we have our party.” She kisses Emma’s pink cheek.
“Thanks, that’s really thoughtful.” Emma rolls her eyes. “Do you want to try?” She hands the woman the spatula.
Regina quirks a brow. “Alright, but only because I know that you enjoy your burgers burnt.”
“You’re the worst.” Emma grumbles.
“Thank you. I do try.” She smirks.
And there is a new vision now; they are still in Regina’s backyard, the fireflies are still there. But this time, Regina is the one doing the barbecuing instead of her. In Emma’s mind, she isn’t half bad. She wonders if she should bring that idea up when they start planning the party for real.
“You can take it off the grill now.” Emma whispers in her ear before giving it a little kiss. Emma takes her by the wrist and guides her through lifting the burger and shifting it onto the plate. “We’re going to have to practice a lot if you’re going to do the barbecuing this year.”
“Swan, you’re pushing it.” She sniffs.
“I don’t know, I think that it would be kind of fun. We can both barbecue!”
