Regina frowned as she looked down at the book in her hands. Violet White, Cotton Breeze, Gentle Lavender, Sugared Lilac, Deep Aubergine. She flicked the page and squinted as she tried to decipher the difference between Moon Shimmer and Frosted Dawn.
"What about this?" Emma asked holding up a strip of different pinks and pointing to a pale square.
"Because she's a girl?"
"No," Emma replied. "Because it's a nice colour and it's called Pink Bunting. I used to love bunting as a kid. I had some strung up in one of my bedrooms I made when I went on some school craft course. We could make some for our baby too."
"I don't really want to paint her room pink," Regina said. "There are enough gender stereotypes she will feel forced to conform to when she grows up. I don't want to inflict any colour preferences on her from birth."
"Gotcha," Emma nodded. "No pinks."
The two women went back to the samples, sitting in the middle of B & Q on a Thursday afternoon. They had decided to start decorating the nursery but choosing a colour theme was proving difficult. Paint pots were stacked high around them, a shaggy Old English Sheepdog looking patiently down at them from every angle as they scanned the endless colour palettes available to them.
Their half term had been uneventful after Robin's call on Monday afternoon. There had been no further contact, probably because Regina's phone lay disconnected on the hall table. After thanking Emma for her support, the brunette had grumbled a little when she looked at the wiring and discovered they were damaged beyond repair. The phone itself had been an antique, a relic from the sixties her PhD supervisor had given her when she graduated. It lacked many of the modern features including a screen which identified callers on it and the sound quality wasn't great but she loved it. Emma had apologised profusely when the sentimental value had been revealed and immediately looked on eBay to find a replacement.
"What about this?" Emma asked ten minutes later.
"Green?" Regina frowned as she looked over at the strip Emma was holding.
"No, Peppermint Beach 6," the blonde said, pointing a pale, mint colour.
"What a ridiculous name," Regina replied.
"They're all ridiculous," Emma reasoned. "But it's a nice colour right? Gender neutral and all that."
"It is nice," Regina nodded, reaching out and taking the card from Emma. The paint tone was subtle, muted and yet warm and friendly at the same time. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the walls of the future nursery painted in that colour.
"Tester pot?" Emma said.
Regina nodded and Emma got up to locate a miniature tub of the minty colour where it joined the three other testers they had already decided on.
~
Later that evening, Emma, Regina and Henry stood side by side, arms folded as they looked at the seven coloured rectangles on the wall. They had tried and failed to narrow down their decisions further so Peppermint Beach 6 now joined Bermuda Cocktail 4, Blissful Blue, Fruit Fool 6, Silken Sunrise 5, Lavender Quartz, and Lagoon Falls.
"I like that one," Henry said after a long time, pointing to the yellow sample.
"Me too," Emma smiled. "But Regina thinks it's too gaudy."
"It's just a bit 'in-your-face', isn't it," Regina shrugged. "I'm not sure I'm going to want to be surrounded by bright yellow walls during a three am feeding."
"It might cheer you up," Emma pointed out.
"It might blind me. My corneas will never recover. Also it's called Fruit Fool and I think that's a bad omen."
YOU ARE READING
troubled teachers
Fanfiction[COMPLETE] Regina Mills works as a teacher and is abused by her husband, Robin. She doesn't speak up until a certain blonde comes to town. Emma Swan is a teacher with a 14 year old son and a history. She runs into a brunnete on the first day of work...
