cafeeamordumont-blog

[italymystery-swanqueen]

OH SH... RUN!

[nicofitz]

Happy Lesbian Visibility Week!!

I can't get this song out of my head!

https://music.apple.com/us/album/good-luck-babe/1737497078?i=1737497080&ls

[grainsofexcellence]

COMING SOON

[zaffiri-saffici]

Happy Lesbian Visibility Week! I did a thing.

[fanfics-i-wanna-read]

Swan Queen Fake Dating Fanfics Masterlist

Canon-compliant*:

Temporary Distractions by amycarey (12/12 chapters)

Not So Fake Relationship (version 1) by edean13 (one shot)

Not So Fake Relationship (version 2) by edean13 (one shot)

Showtime by mustdefine (one shot)

One date by PhoenixTat (one shot)

Fauxlationship by CarrotLucky13 (one shot)

I Wear the Pants by inkheart9459 (one shot)

Look Who Came To Dinner by brokenmimir (one shot)

SwanQueen Week Summer 2014 (Ch. 2) by EmmaShalforever (one shot)

I Can Almost Hear Your Harmony by swansaloft (one shot)

See I Look For You In The Morning by BrokenEvilRegal (one shot)

Operation Albatross (or something like that) by perfection_located (6/6 chapters)

Milk Bottles and Misunderstandings by boxxybrown506 (one shot)

our tiktok remix is both atrocious and catchy by coalitiongirl (one shot)

Love Triangles Are For Losers by seriousfic (one shot)

See l Look For You In The Morning by BrokenEvilRegal (one shot)

Pretend We Used To Be Lesbian Lovers! Do It For The Children! by seriousfic (2/2 chapters)

Girlfriendy Displays by TheOnlySPL (one shot)

The Door to the Heart Is Open and Shut by undergroundlegends (one shot)

I thought love was only true in fairy-tales by OceanAndARock (one shot)

The Truth Always Comes Out by angstbot (16/16 chapters)

Fake Relationship by EmmaShalforever (one shot)

Fake Relationship by imaginecreatebefall (one shot)

My Girlfriend, Regina by giftofamber (one shot)

Not a Bad Thing by ofendlesswonder (one shot)

The Long Con by lostlilsnail (one shot)

AU:

The Story of It All by Sage1982 (14/14 chapters)

Date in the Name of the Law by apples-a-day (one shot)

For Love or Money by starsthatburn (38/38 chapters)

I'll Be Home For Christmas (With My Fake Girlfriend) by nakedrednailpolish (14/14 chapters)

Wedding Crasher by misscanteloupe (one shot)

Marry Me (Because I'd Like to Date You) by starsthatburn (10/10 chapters)

Faking It by YoungTruthLP (one shot)

Gonna Go Down in Flames by amycarey (one shot)

Let’s Play Pretend by shopfront (one shot)

Suitor in the garden by Sparring Woodpecker (one shot)

Right Kind of Wrong by cynarabueno (20/28 chapters, in progress)

This Baby is Not an Excuse by AlexRyzlinGold (one shot)

where dwell the brave at heart by coalitiongirl (one shot)

A bed of roses by sunofthemoon (10/10 chapters)

All I want for Christmas is you by FadedRiddler (one shot)

Complex Relations by MoonlitRamblings (11/11 chapters)

A Christmas Game by BlueHoneyBee (long one shot)

First Comes Marriage by Alternate8reality (7/7 chapters)

We haven't mended by HelveticaBrown (8/8 chapters)

Christmas at the Mills' by Swen and Chill (anotherouatwriter) (one shot)

Make Me Dance (I Want To Surrender) by glowswen (one shot)

*By "canon-compliant" I just mean that the story takes place in the universe of the show, it may still diverge drastically from the canon storylines at one point or have slight changes to canon.

[sqsupernova]

Title: A week of Regina Mills' Life Link: Click Here To View and Comment Artist: ErrolsFeather Find them on: -Twitter: netsen7 -Tumblr:

.

There are TWO FICS that were written for this art - please be sure to read and comment on both!

.

Title: A Week in Regina Mills' Life (A SN Prostart fic) Link: Click Here To View and Comment Author: Pinkpillow19 Find them on: -Twitter: pinkpillow19 -Tumblr: grainsofexcellence Rating: Mature Warning(s): Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Words: 13k Summary: So much can change in a week. So much can change in a day. Or even one moment to the next. Follow Regina Mills as she copes with a difficult week and finds that perhaps people do care about her.

.

Title: A week of Regina Mills’ life Link: Click Here To View and Comment Author: Butimachrldr2 Find them on: -Twitter: -Tumblr: Rating: Explicit Warning(s): Major Character Death Words: 54k Summary: Summary: SwanQueen Super Nova IX Protostar Entry - inspired by the artwork of the same name created by ErrolsFeather. Regina Mills wakes up on Sunday determined to make it through the anniversary of her father’s passing. Her unexpectedly good morning rapidly unravels when Regina’s ex-fiancée announces plans to get married at the end of the week, on Regina’s birthday! Devastated and in a moment of abject vulnerability, Regina breaks down alone in her car. A knock on the driver’s window changes her day and possibly more… Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time nor the original characters from the show.

.

Remember - writers and artists spent months creating the fics and art you enjoy, so it would mean the world to them if you commented to tell them what you liked! A creator who feels appreciated is a creator who is more likely to write or create art again in the future!

[grilledcheeseandguavajelly]

To all of the ouat/swanqueen blogs that have followed me in the past week— I see you, and I love you 🤍✨

[ouatsnark]

saw a sq say that the "hook would never abandon emma" is a lie because he did it hen he worked with cora in rumple's cell and calls her useless. they weren't even together, regina tried to poison her a week ago in that time but alright

They love to use things villain Hook did but won't hold Regina to the same standard.

If Regina was so in love with Emma then why didn't she jump into the hat portal in S2 instead of Snow? Why did it take Henry pleading with her and threatening to never speak to her again to help save Emma?

So if villain Hook leaving Emma behind means that reformed Hook would do the same.... using that logic so would Regina.

In fact I did this whole thing a while back that pretty much displays how if they held Regina to the same standard by using the same logic they use against Hook that it would mean they shouldn't be shipping SwanQueen because it's like 20x worse.

[swanqueenelmaxshadowhunters]

Okay, so, I was thinking in the shower (bc where else is a better place?) about a fanfic I may write at some point:

It's a jemily/swanqueen (cm/ouat) kinda of crossover, slightly inspired by the movie bringing Ashley home:

Jennifer Jareau and Emma Swan are sisters. Emma was adopted when she was, idk, 10? And she had some rebellious phase in her teen days where she would run away but she would always come back a few days later. During her days away she always kept in touch with her sister, JJ, tho.

One day, when she's like 20, she doesn't return home after work or something. at first JJ doesn't think much about it, used to her sister's disappearances, but when 2 days pass and she doesn't hear a word from Emma, she starts to worry. She feels something is wrong.

JJ goes to the police, but they don't pay much attention due to Emma's history of running away during her adolescence. JJ begins her own search, and when a week passes and she hasn't heard from Emma, JJ takes a drastic step: she goes to the FBI.

There she meets the head of the behavioral analysis unit, Emily Prentiss, and she explains that they can't just take over an investigation without the invitation of the local police, but seeing the fear and desperation in JJ's eyes, Prentiss says she will see what you can do.

Prentiss then contacts Regina "Roni" Mills, an old acquaintance of hers, and chief of the local police - or something like that - and asks for her help. Regina asks if Prentiss has any evidence that this isn't just a case of escape, and Prentiss then asks Penelope to do a search, see if she can find any more cases that might be linked.

Penelope finds a few more cases that are at least suspicious and that's enough for Prentiss and Regina to move forward. Regina contacts a team she trusts and informs them about the case, and "kindly" asks them to invite the BAU to help with the case.

Things move from there.

Anyone would be interested?

[italymystery-swanqueen]

Masquerade Ball

The True Love never dies....and they love party .

__

ao3

Prompts : Masquerade Ball and Creep or Haunted Location

Sorry for 2 prompts in one but it started just as masquerade ball then edit got a mind of its own.

First reveal for @swanqueen-halloween-week

thanks to mod for organizing everything❤❤

[jeridandridge]

Tattoos

I wrote this a few years ago and now I find myself down the swanqueen rabbit hole. Again. Currently working on a new fic.

Regina and Emma get tattoos.

Emma lazily traces the wispy black lines that cover the top of her wife's arm while she lies completely content in their little bubble. She smiles as she thinks back to an afternoon they spent in Boston.

–

After a year of grieving for lost love, she and Regina had continued to build their friendship and eventually ignited a spark that kindled into a roaring fire.

Emma was the first to admit her feelings. She was shocked when Regina confessed she harbored her own hidden longing. It started one afternoon when Emma joined Regina in her office so they could work in comfortable, encouraging companionship.

When Emma entered the office, Regina flashed her a smile before shuffling her papers around. Emma looked on curiously. "What was that?" she asked.

"What?" Regina questioned.

"The paper you're covering."

Regina hesitantly pulled the scrap of paper out of the pile and handed it to Emma.

Emma smiled, looking at the swan that sat elegantly on the paper. "I love it," she said.

—

Sitting cuddled together on the couch one night after Henry had gone to bed, Regina detangled their fingers and rubbed her thumb over the small flower on Emma's wrist. "What did that feel like?" she asked.

"It stung a bit," Emma replied. "Why?"

Regina shrugged. "I was just wondering. I sort of want one."

Emma sat up and smiled at her. "Really? I never thought of you getting a tattoo before."

Regina laughed.

"What would you get?" Emma asked.

Regina took Emma's hands in her own and nearly blushed.

"Why are you so shy all of a sudden? C'mon, tell me!" Emma encouraged.

"I want to get the swan I was drawing that day you came to my office." Regina sat a little straighter after telling Emma what she wanted.

Emma remained quiet. Regina's mind took off.

Maybe it was too soon to do something like this. They'd only been together for seven months. She had to sound completely insane.

Emma sensed Regina's discomfort and squeezed her hand as she leaned forward to peck her on the lips.

Regina instantly relaxed at the tender gesture.

"If you're getting a swan I want something that reminds me of you," Emma insisted.

—

It was a beautiful summer day when Emma asked Regina on a date. They were in the car together. Emma had one hand on the wheel and the other over the center console to hold Regina's.

"I'm assuming this is going to be an all day trip?" Regina asked.

"Uh huh. Is that alright?" Emma responded.

"Of course, darling. I love spending time with you," Regina smiled.

Emma lifted Regina's hand and pressed her lips to the back of it. It'd been two weeks since she brought up the idea of a tattoo and Emma couldn't be more excited about it.

She'd done her research and called a shop ahead of time to book an appointment. Luckily the artist she wanted had a cancellation in her schedule for that afternoon and was looking to fill it.

When they pulled into the little strip, Regina looked at all the businesses around them, wondering what they were doing. She spotted a neon blue sign in one of the windows that simply read "Tattoo."

"Emma," Regina gasped.

Emma smiled, excitement spread across her face as she opened the driver's side door. "C'mon! Time for Madam Mayor herself to get a tattoo."

Walking into the shop, they were greeted by a woman covered in tattoos with black dreadlocks piled on top of her head. "Hi! What can I do for you today?" She asked.

"We have an appointment with Jessica at 2:00," Emma said.

"That's me!" Jessica declared. "You must be Emma and Regina. You can follow me back this way."

The two followed Jessica from the front desk to a cubicle at the back of the shop.

The walls of the shop were painted a light blue and covered in art work from stencils to framed flash-art.

Regina gave Emma a genuine smile.

"We're doing the swan and the crown today right?" Jessica asked.

"Right," Emma replied.

"A crown?" Regina asked with the quirk of her eyebrow.

"Yes, a crown," Emma laughed.

"Alright, if I could get a driver's license and these filled out from both of you, we can get started," Jessica said.

The two handed over their licenses and filled out the paperwork needed.

Regina volunteered to go first. She was seated on the black leather chair, feet up with her arm exposed. She felt her heart beat quickly in her chest while Jessica cleaned the area and put the stencil on.

"Go ahead and see if you like that placement." Jessica spoke, handing her a mirror.

Regina nodded and angled the mirror. "What do you think?" She asked Emma, who sat on the other side of her.

"It looks good," Emma said.

"Good to go then?" Jessica asked, putting her gloves on.

Regina nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Don't worry, that part of the arm doesn't hurt much. If you need me to stop just let me know." Jessica reassured her.

The machine buzzed as the needles grazed Regina's skin.

"This... actually isn't bad at all." Regina spoke.

Emma laughed. "Told you."

"So this is a couples' tattoo, right?" Jessica asked.

"Yes it is." Regina replied. She sucked in a deep breath when Jessica wiped her arm with a paper towel.

"How long have you two been together?" Jessica asked with genuine interest.

Emma laughed. "Officially seven months but we've known each other for a long time."

"That's cool," Jessica replied. "You guys picked really cute designs."

Before she knew it, Regina was looking at her arm in the floor length mirror.

She looked at the area, seeing the protruding lines of the design and that the color of the surrounding skin was almost the same shade of the red tank top she wore. Jessica bandaged her arm while explaining how to clean the new ink.

Emma sat chitchatting with their artist as she was tattooed. Walking around the small cubicle, Regina laughed to herself when she came across a framed drawing of the original Disney villains. There stood The Evil Queen, Maleficent, Cruella Deville, and Ursula. She'd have to take a picture of that to send to Mal.

"Regina, look," Emma called.

Regina spun around and found Emma's arm wrapped like hers.

Underneath cling film sat a regal crown with an R in an elegant font.

"It looks amazing," Regina happily remarked.

_

Emma traces the lines on her wife's arm again and places a kiss to her chest just above where her tank top sits. Regina brings her hand to rest on Emma's neck and hums contentedly.

Every time Regina's arms are exposed, Emma's hand always finds its way to the black ink there. "I love this," she murmurs.

Regina lets out a light laugh before opening her eyes. She grabs Emma's chin between her thumb and index finger, bringing her lips to hers and smiling into a kiss.

[ouatsqincorrect]

Hello! Swanqueen are currently bickering about what they should eat tonight. Emma wants greasy pizza but Regina is frustrated with her wife's eating habits (though she really wants take out, she's too tired to cook tonight). "You eat like a child! Worse than a child! Even Henry wasn't as picky as you when he was in the Phase™"

oh yeah totally. i 100% believe regina just says she doesn’t like junk food now because she caved like two weeks after she started dating emma

[grainsofexcellence]

A Week in Regina Mills' Life

have you read @Errolsfeather and my collab for #sqsupernova yet? Check it out! https://archiveofourown.org/works/58134763 #swanqueen #supernova #sapphic #stories #books

[thelastevilregal]

Sorry I can't stop thinking about swanqueen/rizzles wife swap.

Maura and Emma would go out solving cases. Emma would surprise Maura with her competence and be considered honorary detective of the week at the station. Maura would also be surprised when she shares her fun facts and Emma listens attentively and any teasing comments made are gentle instead of mean spirited and rude.

Emma tells Maura about magic, expecting some stupid "magic vs science" debate but all she gets is Maura's interested nods and careful questions. She wants to learn as much about Emma's world as she can.

The two bond over being separated from their bio parents as newborns, and what it was like to grow up feeling lost in the world. They talk about finding purpose in life and navigating complicated family relationships.

The conversations are always pleasant and respectful.

Meanwhile at the Mills mansion, everything is on fire, at least three fairytale characters have been fatally shot as a result of Jane's trigger happy tendencies, and Jane is in a coma after one too many screaming matches with Regina earned her a bite of one very tasty apple turnover.

[parttime-creative]

The Portrait of Regina Mills - Part 3

This is based on this prompt by @italymystery-swanqueen

_________________

pairing: SwanQueen

fandom: Once Upon A Time

setting: AU

chapter summery: Emma and Henry have some mother-son bonding time with each other and the old manor. However staying here starts to become creepy as Emma has an unlikely nightly encounter and makes an interesting discoverey...

WC: 3703

prev / next (coming soon)

read on AO3

__________________

CHAPTER 3: The first full moon.

The first week of their stay at the late Mills manor was nearing its end and Emma finally dared to say, the old house started to feel like a home again. She could see their three months here turning into something like a vacation. Being a house sitter wasn’t at that hard after all, she determined proudly. Now that she had eliminated times dusty grasp on the manor. The old keeper really hadn’t done a great job at maintaining it. She blew out her feather duster like a sheriffs revolver and winked at the pair of golden eyes of R. Mills in front of her.

The paintings brown eyes sparkled in amusement.

“Don’t worry, Darling, I am your knight in maid’s armor. Those dust bunny armies have nothing on me and my Excalibur. Pew, pew, pew!” She fished some cobwebs of the paintings corner.

“Hehe! Emma Swan, manor maid magnifique!” She stopped abruptly. “Okay no. That sounds atrocious.”

“Don’t you laugh at me! Not my fault this house is such a dust bin! Couldn’t you have lived in a smaller one?”

Her ladder wobbled as Emma shifted her weight and she yelp as she held onto it.

“Woah! Okay, okay! I didn’t say nothing! Your house is beautiful. Peace, okay? No ones gonna clean here, if I fall. Certainly not Henry!”

“Moooom! I am done dusting the living room!”

Emma could have sworn the paintings eyebrows rose ever so slightly. She rolled her eyes.

“Okay, usually you wouldn’t get him to clean anything. Have you seen the room of a teenager these days?”

“Mooom?” Henrys head appeared in the doorway to the entrance hall. “Who are you talking to?”

“Uhm, no one…. ?”

Her son raised his eyebrows in a way that made it abundantly clear he was not convinced.

“Are you losing it? Do I need to call the nice people in white?”

“Oh yeah! Ruth really is. Especially for brainstorming story ideas. She really has good ideas, unlike someone …”

“Ha.ha. Very funny.” Emma climbed down the ladder.

“If you must know, I was talking with Mrs. Mills. She is an excellent listener.”

“I don’t, but Ruth? Really?”

“Henry, give me a break! No everyone can have a mind like yours, also…. Ruth? Why Ruth?”

“ R dot Mills? Or do you know her name?”

“What? It starts with “R”!”

“Sure, but have you looked at her? She doesn’t look like a Ruth at all!”

“She totally does!”

“No way!”

“Okay what do you think is her name then?”

“Absolutely!”

“Never!”

Emma hesitated. She looked back up at the enormous painting of the dark haired woman. Her dark eyes looking back down at her. Their brown iris seemingly almost golden in the midmorning sun. Her expression regal. She looked like a queen ready to rule over her subjects, watching her residency. She looked refined and respectful.

“If she’s old, what am I then?”

“I don’t know, something powerful and elegant, like… Rose or Raven … maybe even Raegan.”

“Nahhh, those are too modern. She’s old!”

“Not in that picture, mom! But have you looked at this place. These portraits are painted like what, a hundred years ago? No one lived in this place for ages.”

Henry was right and Emma had cleaned the dust to prove it. But still, it felt utterly wrong to call a woman like that old. It felt disrespectful and somehow…. Unfair?

“Still, Ruth? That’s not it. Maybe Roslynn?”

“She so does NOT look like a Roslynn! You really bad at naming people, it’s embarrassing.”

“Hey! I named you!”

“Mum, my name is Henry. As in your grandfather. Reaaaaal creative!”

“OH, SHUT UP YOU LITTLE-!”

Her voice got cut by her son’s yelp as she began chasing him into the living room, waving her duster like a baseball bat. Henry giggled and laughed as he ran from her until his escape came to a sudden halt on the big sofa.

“I, Henry Daniel Swan, shan’t be afraid of a mere woman, waving about with a toothpick. Face me wench, ENGARDE!” and he pulled his own feather duster from in between the sofa cushions, holding it out towards his mother. Emma was taken aback for a second then, she grinned.

“You have overstepped your welcome boy!” she taunted, lightly tapping her duster against his. “I shall accept your duel, for I win, tonight’s dinner shall be server by your hands, child!”

“Wretched maid, so it shall be, for I win, it shall be paid by your gold in the fine woman granny’s establishment!”

“So it shall be!”

“AHHHH MOM AHAHAHAH NO, STOP AHHAH I can’t,I yield….  I YIELD!!!”

With a quick flick of her wrist Emma gave Henry a mouthful of feathery dust. Her son coughed and yapped and glared at her.

“The wench plays unfair. So be it!” he tossed a cushion at her and followed it up with a big jump from the sofa onto her. Emma managed to avoid the pillow but couldn’t dodge her son. Immediately she felt his bodyweight in her arms and sputtered to get the dusters feathers out of her mouth.

“Take that, evil queen!” he laughed as he kept tickling her nose with the old feathers.

Emma couldn’t speak, her mouth still full of feathers, her nose itching from the dust and with a gigantic sneeze she threw her son back onto the sofa. He yelped. Emma sneezed again before her fingers found their way under his arms and began tickling the boy relentlessly.

“Take that, ungrateful peasant.” Emma grinned. “Dinner’s on you tonight.”

Henry grumbled and sat up. 

“That’s so unfair.”

“Hey, I won fair and square. You gave up.”

~*~

In the evening Emma and Henry settled on the huge leather couch. Both grasping a cup of cocoa with cinnamon in their hands and huddled around Emma’s old Laptop for a cozy Netflix session. The manor didn’t have a TV, which wasn’t all that bad, Emma reconned. It was a good reason for Henry to try out new things and activities that he couldn’t do in the city.

They had settled for Star Wars, both of their favorite movie franchise - also the only movies Emma had still downloaded on her laptop. Their love for movie nights was one of Emma’s favorite things she shared with her son. That and hot cocoa with cinnamon of course. She loved it when Henry snuggled into her. She’d miss this terribly once he’d be all grown up, maybe even moved out. So she took every second of his cuddling, even when it meant she’d have to watch Start Wars for the millionth time.

“Huh… I don’t remember there was a piano in the score in that scene…” Henry suddenly mumbled.

“What do you mean?” Emma asked confused. Her mind had drifted off, lulled in by John Williams’ music and the constant light saber noises.

“Don’t you hear the piano? I don’t remember there being a piano.” Henry repeated and this time Emma heard it too.

“You’re right. I never noticed before.”

“ ‘Cuz there usually isn’t!”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely!” Henry kept insisting and finally just paused the movie. His and Emma’s eyes grew wide as the faint sound of the piano continued.

“What, it wasn’t in the movie?” he whispered, his voice audible scared.

“No, I am coming with you!” He demanded. Emma chuckled.

Emma shifted on the couch and sat up.

“Sounds like it’s coming from the music room. I probably forgot to turn off the radio after cleaning this afternoon. I’ll get it. You can continue the movie, if you want.”

“Are you scared?” she teased.

“Maybe a little…” he admitted, his hand slipping into hers.

Emma held her tongue. It was not fair to tease her son for being scared. He was a child after all and the stories about the manor being haunted probably hadn’t gone past him either. She felt a small bit of anger rise up in her chest again. Small town folk really was the worst. Never the less the two of them made their way to the music room, following the soft piano notes.

“Did… Did that piano… just play on it’s own?”  Henry whispered, his voice quivering.

“Mom… that doesn’t sound like the radio”, Henry whispered and she felt him hugging her arm. It in fact did not sound like the old radio sitting atop the fireplace. There was no crackling or statics within the sound.

“I know that song…” Emma mumbled.

With determination in her step she walked over to the old piano and opened the wooden lid atop it’s key. Within moments the music stopped, but Emma could have sworn she had seen the keys below the cover move, when she lifted it.

“Almost seems like it. But hey, that’s not unheard of” Emma tried to reassure him.

Henry nibbled on his lower lip and eyed the instrument from a safe distance.

“But, it’s a piano!”

“Well it could be a pianola.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a clockwork instrument, like a hurdy gurdy. Some rich folks or like restaurants had them to simulate life music. They have a small metal cylinder with bumps on it, that turns and basically pings the right strings of the piano to play the notes. It’s all mechanical an no magic.” She winked. “We probably activated it this afternoon. Nothing to worry about.”

“Okay…”. He didn’t seem convinced.

“So it did play on it’s own! The piano is haunted!” Henry shrieked and immediately duck behind the Chaise in the middle of the room.

“Come, look if you press the key, you can’t hear anything, it’s dead-“ her voice got cut short when the soft pling of the piano note sounded through the room.

“What the-“, she mumbled. She pressed the key again. The note was slightly out of tune, no one, it probably hadn’t been played in years, but this… definitely wasn’t a pianola.

Emma had to admit, she was at a loss for words. There was no reasonable explanation. If that piano was a simple, regular old piano – was there really a ghost in these halls? She just stared at the wall against which the piano was placed. It wasn’t an outer wall. She couldn’t find anything that could explain the notes. No mold, no water, no signs of mice living in it, no wind blasting through the walls. Just a regular old piano, against a wall decorated with paintings. There even was one, where R. Mills sat on a very similar one, eyes closed lost in the music she probably was playing. Maybe this was the same piano? Was it really haunted by the late owner? Maybe she missed hearing its sound.

Without much of a thought Emma slit back the stool placed in front of the instrument and sat down. It had been sometime since she had last played, but some songs had been so engrained in her mind that her fingers still remembered them. Within a few unsure notes, she started playing Für Elise. The piano was out of tune, yes, but not so bad that it was horrible to listen to. The notes were some halftones lower and gave the song a deeper, kind of sorrowful sound to it.

“What are you doing, Mom?” Henry asked after some lines.

“Are you not scared?”

“I am playing the piano. If there really is a ghost, he very obviously wanted the piano to be played again. I might not now all the notes to the Bone Waltz, but I guess that’s the next best thing to it, don’t you think?”

Henry was quiet, but she saw him come up from his hiding place.

“Maybe a little.” She winked as she continued playing.

“What if the ghost doesn’t like it?”

“Then he should request a song I have the sheets for next time.”

The soft laughter of her son warmed Emma’s chest and her fingers grew steadier.

“I didn’t know you could play the piano.”

“There is a lot you don’t know about me, kiddo.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You never asked.”

“Can you teach me?”

“Sure! Come here.”

She made room for her son on the piano stool and Henry slipped beside her. She took his small hands and placed them on the key.

“These are the base octave, called C-Dur.” She played the notes. “And every 8 keys up and down the line there is the same but an octave higher or lower.”

“What are those then?” he pointed to the black keys.

“Look if you press a key it makes the sound and slowly fades again, because the string in the piano is stopped from vibrating once it’s hammer is pressed onto it again.”

“Those are halftones”

“For what do you need these pedals?”

“For special effects.” Emma made Jazz hands and Henry laughed again.

“There are strings in a piano? And hammers? Don’t they break it?” Henry’s eyes were big and Emma realized he really had never learned anything about a piano before. She chuckled

“Of course not.”

With that their movie was forgotten and the two of them spend the rest of the evening on the piano. Emma teaching her son how to play some simple scales and how to use the pedals. As usual Henry was a fast learner and Emma played with the thought of getting him a keyboard, once they were back in the city.

For the rest of the evening the piano did not once play by itself again.

When Henrys yawning got more frequently and the full moon already shone bright through the windows of the music room, Emma decided it was time for her son to hit the hay. He did protest, of course, but by now she was pretty experienced in shutting him down.

“Okay. Good night, Ruth.” He waved the portrait above the piano. “Looks like she liked our jamming session.” He grinned and left the music room.

“We can continue tomorrow. Maybe we can find some old music sheets in the shelves then. But I am pretty sure we’d need sunlight to read them.”

He rolled his eyes, obviously looking right through her bad argument. The manor had electricity after all.

Emma followed his wave n confusion. The raven-haired woman was leaning on the piano, a brown dog curled up at her feet, her head resting on her hand, the other softly resting on the piano top. A soft smile playing around her lips and her dark eyes gently looking down at Emma, who stared at the portrait.

She hadn’t noticed the dog before, and hadn’t Mrs. Mills been playing the piano before? Her eyes closed and her hands on the keys? Emma rubbed her eyes. She must have imagined that. The painting was still gently smiling at her, blinking softly. Blinking?!

“What the-?!” Emma jumped from her seat. “I guess I should go to bed as well.” She decided and almost sprinted from the room. She must be tired. Portraits don’t blink. Well, usually people also don’t talk to them, like she had done for the past week. But that was different. She didn’t think Ruth would answer! Maybe she had acted to much like the portrait could listen. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Her mind was most definitely playing tricks on her! And yet, when she reached her room, she still threw a blanket over the portrait hanging above her dresser. In this one Mrs. Mills was sitting in the room’s armchair, reading a book. The same chocolate brown dog from the piano painting curled at her feet. No, if this woman really haunted the manor, she would most definitely not be watched during her sleep. Emma made sure the blanket was secure and wouldn’t slip down during the night.

“Ghosts aren’t real…” she mumbled.

But she still pulled her blanket over her head tonight.

~*~

Within seconds she was wide awake. On tiptoes she sneaked to her door, in her hand she held the first things her fingers had reached – her bedside lamp. Upside down.

The old grandfather clock down the hallways chimed when Emma suddenly woke up.

There was someone in the house. She was sure she hadn’t just dreamed the sound of footsteps walking down the hall outside of her door.

She held it close like a baseball bat, ready to swing at whoever came her way.

“Henry, is that you?” she whispered into the darkness. Well it wasn’t all that dark really. The house was lit up by the full moon shining through some of the windows Emma hadn’t bothered to close all the way.

There, in the pale silver light stood a figure over the sink. One of the sharp kitchen knives glistened in the moonlight as the figure appeared to … cut some apple slices???

Again, there were sounds coming from downstairs!

Emma gripped her lamp tighter and tiptoed down the stairs. A metallic clanking made her turn towards the kitchen.

“Hold it right there!” Emma called out, her lamp raised high, ready to swing.

She heard the figure gasp as she turned around. It was most definitely a woman. Dark hair. A bit smaller than Emma. For a long woman the two of them just stared at each other than the woman bolted from the kitchen towards the dinning room. Emma’s lamp broke on the floor as she sprinted after the intruder.

Suddenly Emma stood in a room where she hadn’t been in before. She was sure this room had been locked before. It looked, however, like a study. One wall was a single big book shelf, a second a single window front. In the middle of the room facing the door stood an enormous desk. Its dark polished wood reflecting the moonlight shinning directly into the room.

“Stop!” she called after her, but the woman literally burst trough the dining rooms double doors into the entry hall. Emma could barely follow. She ran full force into the big swinging doors and could just see the woman’s feet bolt up the stairs. She immediately ran after her. Almost on all fours Emma ran up the stairs and down the hall way. Past the grandfather clock, past Henrys room, past her own and through the door at the end of the hallway.

Emma leaned with one hand in the door frame, panting heavily.

Where did that woman go? She was no where to be seen and this was the only room that had been open. There was no second door out of the room, no window open. It was as if the woman just disappeared into thin air.

“This can’t be…” Emma mumbled. “You don’t get to disappear like that, Missy. I have found quicker people than you again!”

So, the young mother took to exploring the room, searching for any clue where the woman had disappeared to. The bookshelf resulted into no hidden staircase. The desk had no obvious hidden compartments. Or at least none, that would be big enough to house a human. There were no closets in the room Just a dresser on the third wall, opposing the bookshelf. Above the dresser hung another one of R. Mills’ portraits. This one however looked different than the other. It was the same woman, undoubtedly, as in the other pictures all over the manor. But she didn’t smile. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes had a sort of panic in them. She looked uneasy, agitated, as if she was waiting for something - something bad.  She sat at the edge of the huge desk, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her posture however wasn’t straight, now regal. She looked as if she had hurried to be on time to an appointment and just waited to jump up again to get to the next. Below her feet der was the rugs corner folded back as if she had just stumbled over it and the painter had decided to capture this exact moment to paint. A truly remarkable painter. This portrait looked so much more life like than the others. It felt like it had just dried moments ago. No, as if the paint was still fresh, still dripping. Emma leaned closer. She could almost feel the emotion of the hurried women in it. Hadn’t she just had a similar situation? R. Mills almost looked like she held her breath in order to not pant.

“Huh, you really must have had a busy life. But why decide to keep a painting like that? Well, I guess I know why you locked it in here, huh?”

Finally, Emma gave up on looking for the intruder.  She must have fled into anther room and probably had already jumped out an open window or left the same way she had come. Emma decided to looked for her exit in the morning and swore herself to control every room from now on, so no one could come in uninvited. She probably shouldn’t have been so sloppy with it. After all, hadn’t that been on of Mills’ rules?

She turned on her heels giving the room one last once over before heading back to bed. On her way to the door however her food caught on something and she stumbled. Looking down it was a corner of the old rug, that was folded back. Huh, she must have lifted it, when she had burst into the room. When she kneeled down to fix it her eyes noticed a small indent in the sideboard of the enormous desk. Curiously she let her fingers glider over it. Wait – that was a button! Curiously she pressed it. With a soft click opened the desks side panel. Emma nudged it open fully. It was a small compartment between the inner and the outer panel of the desk, just deep enough for a small book to fit in it. Marveling at the craftsmanship of the desk Emma took out the book from its hiding place.

It looked to be a handbound notebook. Its neat canvas surface was dusty. In the moonlight Emma could read the words on the cover, written in an elegant cursive handwriting:

The diary of Regina Mills.