Prompt I got on tumblr:
Anonymous said: Are you talking prompts? This one is based on a true story I saw on FB: Emma brings toddler Henry to class because the babysitter cancelled last minute and she doesn't have no one can take care of him. In the middle of the class Henry starts crying and Emma gets up to leave - but to everyone's surprise Regina Mills takes the kid in her arms and continues teaching.
Thank you for the prompt, nonnie!
"Hurry up, Henry," she said, dragging her three year old behind her. Her toddler, Henry, was fascinated by the fountain that decorated the campus's main square and giving her a hard time to get on time to her lecture.
"Watew," he said excitedly, wanting to run opposite to the direction his mother was pulling him.
"Yes, baby," Emma lost her patience and after taking Henry on her arms, started walking faster towards the classroom where she had classes. The toddler started crying, watching how they got away from the fountain "Shhh, Henry. We will come back later, I promise,"
He looked at her "Pwomise?"
"If you stay behave during my class I promise we will come to the fountain, I'll even buy you ice cream!" Emma said, she usually didn't spoil Henry, but she was desperate. And desperate times merited desperate measures.
It was just Emma's luck, that the day her babysitter decided to cancel on her was the day she had class with the most feared teacher in campus: Regina Mills.
Granted, Prof. Mills was a brilliant teacher, but she demanded full attention and impeccable manners during her lectures. And Emma was 100% sure that a toddler talking in the back of the classroom would not please the strict woman.
It had to be something like karma. Emma didn't even need to take this subject, but the crush she had had on Professor Mills since she started college had made her sign up. She should have just dropped out, her schedule was already full between the subjects she really needed and taking care of Henry. But no, she was greedy and wanted to spend forty-five minutes looking at the beautiful latina.
Emma rushed into the classroom few minutes before the class has supposed to start. Luckily for her, Professor Mills always arrived to the classroom at 9:00am, not a minute earlier not a minute later. Few of her classmates made some comments about Henry as she walked towards the back row; she ignored them and went straight to the empty place that Ruby had saved for her.
"Thanks, Rubes," Emma said as she placed Henry on the floor and unpacked some toys she had brought for him "I need you to stay quiet, Henry, do you understand?"
The boy responded by grabbing his toys and ignoring her mother. He didn't make any sound as he started playing, so Emma relaxed a little bit and dropped her body in the empty chair next to Ruby.
"This is going to be interesting," her brunette friend leaned closer and whispered as Prof. Mills entered the classroom, closing the door behind her.
After her regular greeting, the Professor started giving her lecture and for twenty full minutes, Emma had believed that the forty-five minutes long lecture would pass by uneventful.
That was, until Henry got bored of the airplanes his mother had brought him and decided to stand up and walk back and forth between the first and the last row.
"Henry!" Emma hissed "Sit. Down."
The boy shook his head. Emma called him couple of times, but he ignored her and continued walking, his hand sliding against the wall. This time, he stopped in front of Professor Mills and extended his hands towards her, the professor looked at the toddler with a confused face.
"Fuck," Emma's heart stopped.
"Looks like Swans have a thing for Regina," Ruby teased her.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," the blonde started packing the toys and her notebook.
"Emma, stop," Ruby placed a hand on Emma's shoulder "Look,"
At Ruby's order, Emma raised her sight, waiting for the worst. Instead, she saw that Prof. Mills had continued with the lecture with the toddler on her arms, as if nothing had happened - as I'd it would be normal that students bring their children to her lectures.
Henry remained quiet playing with professor's Mills dark-brown hair, and the Professor didn't put the toddler down for the remaining twenty-five minutes. If Emma had a crush on the woman before that day, now she worshiped her.
At the end of the lecture, the professor stood next to her desk as her students left the class. It was something she always did out of respect. This time she did it while carrying Henry. The kid waved bye to most of the students who passed by.
Emma watched the interaction from afar, her heart warming at the way Henry seemed to have taken up to Regina - he usually didn't like people. And Regina seemed so at peace with the toddled in her arms - as far as Emma knew, the brunette didn't have children so it had a natural talent the one Regina had.
"I'll see you later," Ruby said and ran out of the classroom, leaving Emma alone with the professor who was still carrying son.
"I'm terribly sorry, Professor Mills," Emma apologised rushing towards the woman "The babysitter canceled today and no one could take of him in such short no -," she shut up when she saw the other woman raising a hand.
"It's alright, dear," she switched Henry from one hip to the other "Henry tells me you promised him ice cream," the professor added, clearly not carrying why Emma thought it was wise to bring a toddler to college.
"Yes, but only if he behaved," Emma extended her arms towards her son, who after studying his mom for a while decided to hold on tighter to the brunette's neck "You little traitor!" Emma chuckled and poked him gently on the belly. She couldn't blame him, she would also chose Regina Mills over anyone else.
"I think he did a good job," the professor said, rubbing Henry's back and smiling at the boy
"Yes, he did a good job embarrassing me,"
"He's a child, did you really are expect him to sit in silence for forty five minutes?" she chuckled and it made Emma feel butterflies in her stomach - she never imagined she'd see the professor so relaxed "Besides, he was not really misbehaving that much,"
"Mommy, ice-cweam," Henry reminded her. "And the watew,"
"The water?" the professor seemed confused
"The fountain," Emma explained "Alright, Henry, do you think you can let go of Professor Mills so we can go to the fountain?" Emma extended her arms once again.
Henry laid his head against the brunette's upper chest "No,"
"Henry, I'm sure Professor Mills has other things to do," the young mother had started to panic, she didn't want Henry making a scene in front of the older woman.
"Actually, I have no other appointments today," the professor smiled at Emma "And I was on my way to getting an ice-cream myself,"
"Weally?" Henry asked excitedly and when the brunette nodded he turned his face to his mother "Mommy?"
Emma knew what Henry was asking. She felt her cheeks blush slightly as she asked "Would you like to have ice-cream with us, Professor Mills?"
"If you're asking me on a date, Emma, I think you can call me Regina," Regina teased her student and Emma was sure her cheeks had to be as red as blood now "And I'd love to have ice-cream with Henry and you,"
"Awesome!" Emma let out far too quickly, and it made Regina smirk at her "Henry, can you please walk? I'm sure Regina is tired of carrying you,"
At his mom's request, Henry threw his body towards the floor, as if he would be jumping into a pool. The sudden movement took Regina by surprise, who tightened her arms around him until she realised what the kid wanted and placed him on the floor.
Emma smiled, clearly amused at Regina's little heart attack. Henry ran out of the classroom as soon as his feet were on the floor, not even turning once to see if his mother was following him. Emma didn't worry much, the campus was perfectly safe, specially during day-time.
"I'm sorry,"
"You really don't need to apologise," Regina replied as they walked out of the classroom and towards the fountain "He's a good boy,"
"Just wait until you say you won't tell him a second bedtime story," Emma commented, and as soon as the words left her mouth she realised that they implied that this event wouldn't be their last one "I mean, not that you-you will put him to bed... Its just anyone, he is really -,"
"Emma," Regina interrupted her, grabbing her forearm.
"Yes?" Emma was too embarrassed to look into the professor's eyes.
"Look at me," the blonde did as she was told "If you want this to repeat, you just need to drop out of my subject. It's not like you need the credits anyway," Regina added with a smirk.
"How did you know that?"
"I never quite understood what is a psychology senior student, who also happens to be a single mother, doing in an advanced economy course,"
Emma felt, once again her face heating up. Because, of course Regina Mills knew why Emma was taking her class.
"I think it's save to say that Henry is not the only Swan who wants to have me around," she teased Emma.
"Well, don't be so smug about it!" The blonde pretended to be annoyed. "Besides, who do you know I'm a psychology senior and a single mother?"
"I -," it was Regina's time to blush and it delighted Emma.
"Would you like me to drop out from your class, Professor Mills?"
"Yes, please,"
A big smile appeared in Emma's face "Consider it done,"
Regina squished Emma's forehand, which she was still holding, and then let go of her, missing the blonde's warmth as soon as she retracted her hand. They stayed in silence for a while, just staring at each others eyes, until Henry crashed against Emma's legs
"Mooooommyyyyy," he whined "Ice-cweeeam,"
"Henry, what have I told you about interrupting when mommy is having a conversation?"
He frowned "You not speaking," the boy explained, he had obviously caught them staring at each other.
"I guess you're right, Henry, we were not talking," Regina corrected him gently. "Let's go get you that ice-cream," she added.
Once again, Henry didn't run away this time, instead he decided to jump from square tile to square tile. Regina and Emma followed him close behind. Neither of the women knew who made the bold move, but by the time they reached the cafeteria, they were holding hands and wearing matching smiles.
And to think, none of this would have happened if the babysitter wouldn't have cancelled that day. Maybe, some happenings seem a punishment at first, and end up being fortuitous events