Regina's Rose

A Sucky Party

Rose's POV

We pulled up to Granny's in mother's car. She let out a deep breath and turned to me with a serious face.

"Here." She says while handing me my magic blocking bracelet. "Rules. Don't start any trouble that the Charmings would notice, don't make sarcastic jokes about killing people, don't let Grumpy get under your skin, and do not flirt with Ms.Swan in front of me."

"Did you just give me the rules of what to do at a party? Mother I'm an adult, I know how to act at a party." I say while looking slightly annoyed.

"Oh and one more thing." She says completely ignoring my comment. "Don't tell the Charmings about the battle. Got it?" She says with a stern look and her eyebrow slightly raised. I swallow hard. This is one of her many stupid rules that actually makes sense and frankly, I'm nervous about it.

"Got it." I say as I put on my bracelet.
_____________

After the initial stares and menacing looks, everyone calmed down about my mother and I being at the party. I was sitting next to her after Henry made a quick visit and got a slice of mom's famous lasagna when Emma walked over toward me.

"Hey." She said almost seeming nervous.

"Hey Swan, what's up?" I say casually trying to make this less awkward than it already was.

"Nothing just..." She pauses and seems to be looking behind me. Probably at my mother who is no doubt staring daggers at her. "Seeing how you're enjoying the party." She finishes with a confident smirk now on her face.

"Mother, you're not going to scare her off. She's not scared of you." I say while turning around to face her with a smug look on my face but it was quick to deflate when she met me with an unamused glare.

"You want to talk and mingle, Quartz?" Emma questioned oblivious to my mom's glare.

"If you mean walk around this restaurant and talk with you because no one else would ever want to talk with me, then yes." I say while getting up from my seat and walking with Emma to the other side of the dinner.

"So, what's up with this?" Emma questions while pointing at the magic bracelet around my wrist.

"This is a party with way too many people who don't trust me for me to walk around with my expressive magic showing how I feel about everything." I say while waving my wrist around dramatically. "And no one would have a good time which would make me a total buzz kill." I say sarcastically while rolling my eyes.

"So?" Emma says clearly seeing through my facade. "You don't care if people have a good time or a bad time at your expense. You'd find it hilarious if everyone here was scared of you and really you were just nervous the whole time because they would never find out." She says with a slight smile on her face. "So what's wrong that you didn't want people to see your expressive magic?" She says her face turning serious but I keep my composure.

"Nothing Swan, I'm fine." I couldn't really come up with a convincing lie and I didn't want to tell her that I was scared she would see cartoon hearts above my head every time she smiled at me.

"That's a terrible lie but I think I know what it is." Emma says causing my heart to skip a beat. Any confidence I had of her not finding out disappeared in this second.

"You do?" I say trying to sound amused but my voice cracked a little showing my nerves.

"Yep. I see right through you Danielle." The use of my first name instead of my nickname didn't help my nerves in the situation. She was confident. Scarily confident. "You know something about that battle you were talking to Mary-Margret about and you don't want her to know how you feel about it.

I was relieved but I couldn't show it or she would know she was wrong. But she was only half way wrong. I was worried about Snow finding out but it was less worry then scaring Emma off with my expressive magic that likes to show people I'm lovesick. Plus the hearts are a bit much it's like telling someone you love them on the first date. Except it's not the first date, it's not even talking anymore. It's just flirting. Lots and lots of flirting.

"Swan you can't tell Snow that, seriously." I say letting the little nerves I have for the situation come to the surface.

"What is it? What does she not know?" Emma says lowering her voice a little.

"I'll tell you when we're somewhere more private." I say not wanting to disclose this information to even Emma right now. She stands up from her stool and holds out her hand to me.

"Where are we going?" I question absolutely confused.

"Somewhere more private. I need to know what you know right now." Emma says her hand still out. I sigh and sit there on my stool for a second before taking her hand and getting up.

"Fine Swan." I say not really wanting to tell her this information. "Lead the wa-"

"Rose, we're going home." Mother says in a slightly saddened voice. I didn't even realize she was right behind me before she said anything.

"Oh um" I say and then look at Emma who really just wanted to hear what I had to say. But I was scared of what she would think of me after I tell her this. For a brief moment I think back to when she was first introduced to my story in Henry's storybook. How she hated me so much she didn't believe curse me and enchanted forest me were the same person. "Okay. Emma we'll talk later." I say before I teleport to the car. I didn't want to see Emma's face or for her to ask why I couldn't just leave later. And then I remembered. Mom said she wouldn't use magic. She promised Henry. I left her in there with the hero's.

I pulled the car around the front of Granny's to see her and Emma arguing before she gets in the car.

"Did you...apologize?" I ask shocked to see this side of my mother.

"You're in the drivers seat. So drive." She says angrily and I look at her shocked and then pull off without another word.