Regina heard a knock at her front door and rolled her eyes. Whoever it was, she probably didn't want to see them. She walked slowly to her door before she heard the doorbell ring.
"I'm coming!" She shouted, rather annoyed. She opened the door and could barely breathe upon seeing who was standing there.
"Emma?"
Emma smiled shyly and gave pathetic little wave. "Hey, Regina."
Regina blinked. She never thought that she would see Emma Swan again. "Have you moved back to Storybrooke?"
Emma smiled and nodded. "Can I come in?"
Regina stepped aside to allow room for Emma to walk in. She followed Emma to her dining room table.
"Same house, huh?" Emma smirked.
Regina rolled her eyes. "It would appear so."
"You just always said you wanted to get out of here. See the world, you know? What happened?"
Regina tensed. A lot of things happened. Things she didn't want to relive. Things she didn't want to talk about to Emma Swan of all people.
"I changed my mind." Regina said, barely above a whisper.
Regina was standing in her backyard with Emma and Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret was yammering on and on about a boy she likes and Regina stopped listening ten minutes ago and could only think about Daniel. Her Daniel. He should be there. He would be there too if her mother wasn't so strict on the type of people Regina dates.
What's so wrong with Daniel, anyway? So he doesn't have money. Big fucking deal. Regina had enough. She didn't even care if the person she dated was rich or not. If she loved them and they loved her, that's all that mattered. And she loved Daniel. He was everything to her. But she had to keep him a secret from her mother. He said he understood but Regina knew he thought she was ashamed of being with him. She wasn't, not even in the slightest. She was just scared of her mother.
"What are you thinking about?" Emma asked, snapping Regina back into reality.
"Daniel." Mary Margaret sing-songed.
"Oh, shut up, Mary Margaret." Regina scoffed. Emma smirked and laughed at Mary Margaret's scared expression.
"Were you thinking about him?" Emma asked shyly.
Regina huffed. "Well, if you must know, yes I was. It would seem that I almost always am. It's quite terrifying, really."
Emma's eyebrows furrowed. "Terrifying?"
Regina ignored her. She was in no mood to express her fear.
"I still think you should tell your mother." Mary Margaret said, barely audible.
Regina's eyes almost bulged out of her head. "Are you out of your mind, Mary Margaret? Do you have any idea of what that would do?" Regina's voice raised significantly. "I will never in a million years tell my mother about my relationship with Daniel! Do I make myself clear?"
Mary Margaret shrunk down. "Yes, Regina, you're clear. I'm sorry I suggested such a thing."
Emma watched as Mary Margaret surrendered so easily to Regina. She raised a hand up and lightly touched Regina's arm. Regina looked back at her and smiled.
Emma smiled at Regina. "What are you thinking about?"
Regina shrugged. "You, me, and Mary Margaret sitting in my backyard."
Emma laughed. "Oh, Mary Margaret. Where is she, by the way? I looked her up and couldn't find her."
Regina rolled her eyes. "She married the insufferable David Nolan. I can show you where they live."
Emma's eyes widened. "Mary Margaret and David Nolan? I knew she was always so in love with him but I didn't think he would like her back at all."
Regina smiled slightly. "Yes, well, there were circumstances surrounding the event that made it easier for them to start a relationship. I actually set them up on a date, yet it seems that Mary Margaret has forgotten that and refuses to thank me."
Emma laughed lightly. "Why hasn't she thanked you?"
"I would say that our relationship has been pretty rocky since you left. The set up was mostly for David because his ex wife, Kathryn Nolan who is a very good friend of mine, asked me to set him up. I knew Mary Margaret was in love with him in high school so I asked her." Regina sighed. "And there has been no thank you."
"Do they have children?" Emma asked.
Regina tensed up. She did not like speaking about the child that Mary Margaret had or what she had chosen to name it. Mary Margaret had thought it would be a nice idea but it was just a painful reminder to Regina about how unfortunate her life was.
"They have son. His name is Daniel."
Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Daniel?"
Regina nodded slightly. "Yes, she made the stupid decision to name her son after an old lover of mine."
Emma leaned forward. "So you're not still with him?"
Regina thought about telling Emma exactly what their "innocent" little best friend did after she left. She thought about saying why she wasn't with Daniel anymore. Instead, she just shook her head.
"No, things ended between us not long after you left."
Emma sighed. "I wished I never left."
Regina laughed lightly. "No you don't, Emma. For your whole life, you've wanted to leave Storybrooke. We both did, you're just the one that did it. I wish I could have gone with you."
"You could have. You just had more people to stay for than I did."
Regina sighed. Emma had always thought that no one loved her, wanted her. "I had people, yes. But so did you."
Emma shook her head. "I don't know about that."
Mary Margaret came running into Regina's bedroom. "Regina!"
Regina shot up from her bed. "What is it, Mary Margaret?"
"Emma's gone. She just left town." Mary Margaret stopped to catch her breath. "No note or anything. No one knows where she could have gone."
Regina could barely breathe. She felt moisture in her eyes. "Emma's...gone?"
Mary Margaret nodded sadly. Regina fell back onto her bed and cried lightly. Mary Margaret sat next to her and rubbed her back. "I don't know why she would leave." Mary Margaret murmured.
"I don't know either." Regina said between sniffles.
Regina and Emma walked up to Mary Margaret and David's door. Regina hesitated before knocking on the door. She turned to Emma and smiled.
"Daniel is actually very precious. He's about three years old and calls me Auntie Gina. And no, that is not permission for you to call me Gina again. That was horrible."
Emma smirked just as the door was opened. Mary Margaret stood with her mouth hanging open, staring at Emma. "Emma?"
"Hi."
Mary Margaret flew forward and hugged Emma so forcefully that she hit the wall behind her. "Oof."
Regina rolled her eyes. "Oh for goodness sake, Mary Margaret. Let her breathe."
Mary Margaret backed away from Emma and smiled. "Sorry. It's just so good to see you. Regina and I, we were so worried when you left. It's been so long, I just..." She shook her head and looked at Emma. "I really missed you, Emma."
"I missed you guys, too." Emma smiled at her two best friends. She sighed at how much the two seemed to hate each other.
