It all started with Henry wanting a pet. Regina wasn't too pleased with the idea, and as much as they gave her the puppy eyes, she wouldn't budge. ("my eyes are up here, Emma" she drawled in between the begging and the blonde had to make up an excuse about her buttoned shirt) she said no to dogs and cats and rabbits and horses and Henry kept saying how he wanted to have a pet and Regina saying Emma couldn't even keep a child alive that she went and brought Henry a turtle. Except Henry was confused and Regina was screaming at the abomination in her living room and Emma realized they didn't know what a turtle was.
So after ten minutes of explaining that yes, the turtle is an animal and showing them pictures of it on Google and Regina calling the national wildlife preserve to make sure this animal exists and is not harmful, she finally lets Henry take one step next to it. They both wait expectantly, holding their breath to see what the turtle would do. Regina only blinked and then with an upturned nose, declared it unfit or unsanitary to be kept in the manor. But Henry was too busy poking the turtle's shell, and Emma was too busy explaining to him about what to feed it, when the turtle pokes it head out, takes a look at them three, blinks twice and goes back into his shell. Henry smiles, a small real smile, a smile Regina and Emma haven't seen since they rescued him from Neverland and – "Fine, he stays here for one day." Regina declares and heads off to find something to drink, while Emma's smug grin disappears when she realizes the turtle has decided to poop on Regina's very clean pristine hard floor.
The next day the blonde finds Henry in front of the manor, a leash tied around the turtle's shell as he walked along with it. Between fits of laughter she tried explaining to Henry why that wasn't necessary. Heels clacking and Regina comes out of the manor, asking what was wrong with Emma, if she was alright. Apparently the blonde's wheezing was loud enough to bring her there, and after seeing that Emma was just fine she huffs and strolls back in, with Henry in tow glaring at Emma for not clarifying the fact that turtles don't need to be walked. Feeling a bit guilty, Emma comes back the next afternoon with turtle food and a makeshift box for a turtle house. Knocking at the door, Regina opens the door with the turtle in hand, and disapproving frown on her face. "It keeps going into my office" is all that she says before dropping the turtle into the woman's arm. Throughout the dinner the sheriff had to watch out for the turtle, making sure it doesn't sneak into Regina's office while she served them her famous lasagna. "And no, that was not me hitting your foot under the table Regina" – (but Emma took the blame and scoot the turtle away from Regina's leg before she said anything else. She was flustered though to notice).
As Emma washed the dishes and Regina leaned against the counter, chatting about PTA conferences, Henry sat in the other room, talking quietly to the turtle. They glanced in there and Regina had that special smile whenever she looked at Henry, and Emma couldn't stop looking at how the both of them looked so beautiful in this setting, wishing she could make the moment last longer. Unfortunately the turtle decided to poop, and it was still on Regina's carpet. The sheriff got a lovely lecture from the mayor as Henry placed the turtle in its new home.
A week passed and Emma expected Regina to come strolling into the station, demanding that turtle be returned wherever it was brought from. But Henry keeps letting it walk in the garden and taking it to school with him on other days. Emma could've sworn she saw it one time during the council meeting hidden in Regina's bag but the brunette completely denies it. One day Emma catches Henry saying that the turtle reminded his mother of her. Something about living in its shell and not having too many possessions when moving around.
That got Emma avoiding Regina for a few days until the mayor sends her a text that she is invited to dinner at their place, no arguments. The dinner was tense and awkward, the turtle munching whatever Emma dropped to the floor, Regina ignoring the interaction and focusing on Henry's questions. Its only when they get up to wash the dishes that Regina asks what got Emma in such a mood. Emma throws a rude offhand comment and Regina is surprised by where all this hostility is coming from, arguing for an hour that they don't realize Henry sneaking off with the turtle. Its only when they search for him that Emma mention's Henrys comment, and Regina blushing as she tries to make an excuse, that they find him standing outside, watching the turtle float around in the air as though its swimming. "Huh, that's new." Emma mentions as the three of them stood and watched the turtle.
So Henry joins Emma and Regina in their magic lessons to control the turtle, but leaves after the first thirty minutes when his moms kept going at each other in a very -awkward I don't want to see my moms hot for each other- way.
He names the turtle Adam, and dinner nights at the Mill's household turns into game nights where Emma and Regina take turns training the turtle its magic while Henry plays his video games. If he heard laughter from his moms or found Emma tentatively reaching for Regina's arm, he pretended nothing was amiss.
And that's how they find themselves each night, Henry and his moms and the turtle, playing pretend at a family until Emma finally decides to kiss Regina, with the turtle wearing a mistletoe over his head as he floats above them. Henry decided that was a cute idea until the turtle pooped. Again.