Summary: -Regina Mills was reported missing the 23rd of March, 2012, from the small town of Storybrooke, Maine, leaving behind a broken son, and an angry biological mother. -with her son's mom gone, Emma Swan had to step up; raising a son wasn't going to be easy, but she had to do it. And she had to find Regina. -after six years of no results, and a declaration of death by absentia, on the 14th of July, 2018, Regina Mills is found in a cabin in the woods, fighting for her life. -with her son's adoptive mother back from the dead, Emma Swan must learn to adjust again, though this time, it was for her friend's sake.
First time writing in this fandom, go easy on me people :)
This was loosely base on Absentia, the TV show starring Stana Katic.
Enjoy!
Emma wakes up with a start, hearing her phone ringing from beside her on her bedside table. A phone call at -she looks at her alarm clock and notes that it's 3 am- this time of the morning is never a good sing. Grumbling like the big baby she is when she doesn't get enough sleep, she slides the green button towards the right, and brings the device to her ear.
"Hello," she groans, and straightens up when she hears sirens in the background of the call. Sirens?
"Is this sheriff Emma Swan, from Storybrooke?"
"This is she," she said. She's sitting up completely now, doing her best to cover her bare chest. She hears a muffled mumble escape from the sleeping form beside her, and dismisses it with a glare.
"Well, sheriff, you're not gonna believe this, but remember the missing person's case from seven years ago? The mayor?"
Emma nearly thinks that her heart is going to escape her chest. She swallows thickly, and wow no, I've been looking for her everywhere for years and some other detective found her? But she silences the petty voice and chides that thank god, they found her, it's nothing short of a miracle. She feels tears roll down her cheeks, because this is it, this is where they tell her that the mother of her son is dead, that they found her decomposed body lying somewhere-
"We're at Boston general, if you'll meet us here to confirm that this is your girl?" The voice continues on in that same bored tone, and Emma wonders how many times this person had to do this before.
She throws her legs to the ground, rooting them firmly -she's always had the special ability to fall on her face randomly, and for no reason-, and scrambles to get on her underwear, a pair of jeans, a tank top, and her sheriff jacket. Boston is just a few hours away, and she can make it in less, if there's no traffic- Henry. Shit. She has completely forgotten that she has a son she's completely responsible for- again. It happens often, so she just brushes it off, and decides that it's never too late to wake up her sleeping friends and ask them a favor.
She completely disregards the sleeping lump on her bed, and stomps towards her closet, finding her converses, and putting them on. Shit, they said hospital. Hospital. That means she's alive. How the hell is that possible? Where has she been all these years? Who took her? Was she coming back to live with them?
After Regina's untimely disappearance, Emma moved into the mayoral mansion with Henry. She didn't want him to lose the familiar environment, not after just losing his mom, and she found herself finding comfort in the empty white house, that still smells exactly like Regina- of cinnamon, and apples.
Finally deciding to acknowledge the man sleeping in her bed, she nudges him with the pointy end of her shoe, struggling to put her messy curls up in a ponytail.
"Killian, wake up. Fuck it, wake up, you useless lump, I have better things to do." Like finding out where Regina has been for seven years, she mulls bitterly.
Killian growls something like 'not now, Swan,' and that was it for Emma.
"Get the fuck up you stupid jerk, and get the fuck out of my house," she yells, loud enough for Killian to jerk awake, and low enough for Henry to continue sleeping.
The man scrambles to his feet, an embarrassing sight really. All nude, with a terrified look on his face, like a deer caught in headlights.
"What-"
"Get out, Jesus Christ!" She screams again, making him gather his clothes, and rush out of the master bedroom, still in his birthday suit.
"I can't believe I let you sleep in Regina's bed," she grumbles, but it isn't like she was conscious of it when they did it.
She's pretty sure that she was at the rabbit hole, and they had gotten drunk, like usual, and decided to fuck. It isn't the first time it happens, but Emma still feels a sour taste in her mouth. What would Regina say if she learns that I drink so much, while still trying to be a good mother to Henry?
Regina would probably do everything in her power to get Henry the hell away from her, and yell at her until she cleans up her act. But with no one to yell at her, Emma swan was at a loss. She still manages to be a decent mother though; she only has those 'outings' with Killian after putting Henry to bed.
She rushes to Henry's bedroom, pausing in the doorway to take a breath. Okay, Henry's not a kid anymore. He's fourteen now. He notices when something's are wrong. I better pull this off.
She tiptoes into his room, careful not to bump into anything and shakes his shoulder gently.
"Henry, wake up honey."
"What now, Ma," he groans. "It's Saturday morning."
"I know honey, I know," she sighs and tries to calm her nerves, but they feel like they're on fire. "But something came up, and I need to take you to Mary's because I'll be out of town."
He groans loudly, his mutating voice making it sound awkward and creaky, but he gets up nonetheless, putting on his own converses.
They run down the stairs, Henry clutching his cell phone in one hand, and his pillow in another, making a beeline for Regina's cruiser.
She's always liked big cars, and Emma finally understood why after a year of Regina's disappearance. Driving a bug with someone else in it can become suffocating. She decided to start using the cruiser after a fit of claustrophobia, where she had to take Henry and a couple of his friends to the movie theater.
They get in, and Emma immediately turns it on, driving off with a screech into the night.
"Henry, can you call Mary for me?" Emma asks him, looking at him from the corner of her eye. He doesn't seem to notice that anything is going on.
He nods sleepily, punching in Mary's phone number onto his screen.
It rings for a few seconds, before a sleepy, but panicked voice answers.
"Henry, honey, are you okay?" Mary Margaret asks in a hurry, and it's impressive for someone who has just woken up.
"Yeah, yeah, work stuff for Ma. Can I stay over?"
"Sure thing, Hun. You know you're always welcome," the woman practically coos on the phone, making mother and son smile.
After dropping Henry off at Mary's place, Emma drives off to Boston in the silence of the night, with country music as her only companion. She wonders what Regina's going to look like after seven damn years. She bets that she's still as gorgeous as ever. She smiles as she pictures Regina's perfect olive skin, plum lips, blinding smirk. Holy fuck, she misses her so much. She realizes that just then, as she took the highway.
She's been trying to push Regina into a far, dark corner of her mind for god knows how long, which made her forget that she missed her. How fucked up is that.
Emma shrugs, deciding that she was going to make up for it. Second chances don't come around too often, and she was dead set on making the best of hers.
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