From Afar

Based on the song by Vance Joy, suggested by unintentional-gal-pals on tumblr (although I don't think this is what you expected).

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"Honey, did you get the juice boxes?"

Neal sighed, but he had grown to accept false endearments and functionality as a part of life.

"I got 'em. Did you get the kids?"

Emma sighed at her husband's weak attempt at a joke, and went up to Cara's room. Cara was seven and she thought she knew everything. Sometimes Emma thought so too.

"Hey, C-dawg."

Cara rolled her eyes. She was wearing a pretty pink dress, a matching headband, and a scornful expression which only intensified when she saw her mother's attire.

"That is not my name. You and Daddy gave me a lovely name. Why don't you use it?"

Emma chuckled. "You got your stuff? And I do use it. Where's Loel?"

"Yes," Cara said, picking up her purple princess backpack. "Loel's in the basement."

Emma was confused. "Why is Loel in the basement?"

Cara shrugged as she passed her mother on the way out of her room. "Ask Loel."

Emma stared after her daughter, with her dark hair and brown eyes and lightly tanned skin. You're so like her it scares me. Emma wandered downstairs, raking her hand through her own blonde locks.

"Time to go," Neal said as she passed him. She nodded, heading for the back stairs.

"What's down there?"

"Our son, apparently."

Neal shook his head. He loved his kids, but he often didn't understand them.

The basement was dank and dusty, as usual, but the light was on. Emma followed a strange scuffling noise, and soon located her son. Half of him, at least. The other half was buried in a box.

"What are you looking for, kid?"

Loel extracted himself, standing to his full height, easily 6 feet or more. When had that happened? He suffered from the plagues of most fifteen year old boys - intermittent acne, inability to put on weight, awkwardness about pretty much everything. He was also a sweetheart, and probably Emma's best friend.

"Your old catcher's mitt."

Emma leaned over the box, which was filled with her old softball gear. She dug around a bit and produced the mitt.

"How'd you find it so fast?" Loel exclaimed.

"Magic fingers. What do you want it for?" she asked, tossing it to him.

A pink tinge rose to Loel's cheeks. "I thought maybe… Maybe Dan would want to play with me."

Emma paused. Loel had never been sporty. He could run if he had to, but even then he tripped over his feet. This had never bothered her, she wanted him to be who he was, she'd never forced him into team sports and she actually loved his rather dorky interest in ancient fairytales and myths.

Daniel Mills, on the other hand, couldn't have been more athletic if he'd tried.

"That's a nice idea, Loel," Emma decided.

Loel smiled an adorable smile. "Hey, mom, where's my swimsuit?"

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Loel. We have been to the Locksley's summer barbecue every year since you were Cara's age and you have never once wanted to go swimming. In fact I remember several incidents of tantrums when it was even suggested that you might."

Loel attempted a nonchalant shrug. "I've grown up, that's all."

Dan always swam in the lake. Or cannonballed into it. Or dived into it like a professional.

"Okay," Emma said, trying not to seem incredulous. "I'll get your swimsuit. You find the ball, then go get in the car. Dad's getting antsy."

Loel made a face. "Dad's always antsy. It only takes an hour, we're not going to be late."

"Oh, but there might be construction!" Emma said dramatically.

"Or a tractor to get stuck behind!"

"Or a lazy deer!"

"Or an alien abduction!"

Emma hurried up the two flights of stairs, chuckling. She found Loel's swimsuit and grabbed a couple extra towels. You never knew. They'd all be swimming this time. Except maybe Henry. Henry was the in-between Mills, a charming eleven year old who would probably miss Loel a great deal if the older boy abandoned their book-talk in favour of "normality".

Minivans didn't come in yellow, so the car Emma clambered into was a sombre grey. She sat in the backseat with Cara since Loel's legs had gotten so long, and played with Cara's barbies. Cara allowed her to make her characters warrior women on the condition that they still had pretty hair.

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Regina was chopping salad vegetables as efficiently as humanly possible. Her son, Henry, was watching her.

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Are you magic?"

She rolled her eyes. "No. Just experienced. Do you want to help?"

Henry collected the huge salad bowl. "Is an army coming?"

Regina chuckled. "Not quite. But you can never have too much salad."

"I'm sure you could," Henry argued. "Who is coming?"

"The Cassidies, the Lucases, and your grandmother."

"You should just not tell Gram when it is next year."

Regina laughed. "She would find out."

"How?"

"I grew up with her, Henry. Believe me, I have tried keeping secrets from her, and it never works. Anyway, she's not that bad."

"She's a bit evil, though," Henry said with a good natured smirk. "How old's Jenny Lucas now?"

"Sixteen, the same as your brother."

"She's hot. So's Ruby."

"Ruby is my age, Henry, and I taught you better than to objectify women." Regina secretly didn't much like Jenny Lucas. She was hot, but she was all too aware of the fact. Henry, ever perceptive, had noticed this too.

"I can't help but say Jenny's hot. She makes you see it, you know?"

Regina pursed her lips. "I suppose she does. But that's largely the fault of society, so try to see past it, okay?"

"Fine. But all your friends are pretty. Why does it make a difference that they're old?"

Regina poked him in the ribs. "Did you just call me old?"

Henry laughed. "You know what I mean. But you agree, right? Emma's really pretty."

Regina sighed. "Yes, I suppose she is." There wasn't really any suppose about it. "Now go find Robin, he should start up the grill."

"Do I have to?"

Regina gave him a look that was half stern, half pleading. "Not today, Henry."

It was no secret that Henry wasn't particularly fond of his stepfather. Robin was a sporty, outdoorsy man who had come into their lives when Henry was only two. It had been fine at first; Daniel had taken to Robin immediately. But Henry grew older, and somehow remembered his real father, despite having been only six months old when he died. Henry said they weren't really memories, more a strange feeling that someone was missing.

"You're so like him," Regina murmured.

Henry gave her a quick hug. "You should've done the names the other way."

Regina shook her head, smiling. "You don't have to have his name to be like him."

"Yeah, but Dan's nothing like him."

Regina thought about it. "I think Dan's more like him than he shows. Go on, go be nice to Robin and I'll let you have ice cream later."

Regina put the salad in the fridge and went in search of her third child. Another boy. She'd never told anyone, but she'd only agreed to have another baby because she'd dreamed of having a girl. She was sure that made her wicked. She loved her third son with all her heart, but the idea of never having a daughter still made her ache. She was too old now, though. Almost forty. Okay, that wasn't ancient, but she'd always said only one more.

"Momma!" Roland squealed. He had been sitting on the porch of their cabin, throwing rocks, and he was somehow almost completely covered in dirt.

Regina picked him up and kissed his nose - one of the few relatively clean spots left on his body.

"Come on. Bathtime, before our friends get here."

"Auntie Emma?"

Regina smiled. "Yes, Auntie Emma and Uncle Neal and Auntie Ruby, and all their children. And Grandma, too."

Roland splashed around in his bath; Regina watched him, thinking about his father. Her second husband. It still felt bizarre to have had two. She wasn't sure she loved either of them right. Daniel had been her high school sweetheart and everything had just been so obvious. They'd go to college, they'd get married, they'd get jobs, they'd have children. It had all worked out exactly as it was supposed to, until he'd gotten sick. And then he was just gone, and it had been all too easy to fill the empty space with Robin.

Roland chattered and she reciprocated, enjoying his easy thoughts and engaging curiosity. He wanted to be like Daddy and eat four burgers. Regina wondered who he was like, really. Her? He was too… Too free. A wild little thing, as if he should live in trees.

"Come on, Monkey," she said, wrapping him in a towel. "What do you want to wear to the party?"

The barbecue had been Robin's idea. He'd wanted to meet her friends. The three musketeers, because everyone had wondered if they were secretly plotting to kill each other. They'd been friends since High School; in fact, Regina had known Ruby Lucas since kindergarten. Emma had come later, when they were sixteen. The same age as the kids, Regina realised. That felt weird. Ruby had never had a husband, she'd always been a bit of a lone wolf, but her friends were her pack, and she was a great mother to Jen.

Neal Cassidy, Emma's husband, had been at school with them too, though Regina had hardly known him. She still didn't. He talked to Ruby some, but he wasn't great at talking to women. Old fashioned. Or just a bit crappy. Regina had never understood what Emma saw him, but their wedding had been the same year as hers. Her first.

The barbecue had been a great success, the kids manic with laughter, making friends, so they'd turned it into a yearly thing. Of course, Regina saw the Cassidies far more than that, but the barbecue was something different. Like a mini vacation for them all.

Roland found some clothes and Regina gave Dan a look.

"Don't let him get dirty," she mouthed. Dan rolled his eyes, just like she did.

"If you can't keep him clean, how do you expect me to manage it?"

His voice was so deep. He was going to be a man, and Regina was going to be lost.

"I think there was a compliment in there somewhere, Daniel," she chuckled, her eyes shining. She might feel hollow sometimes, but her children were her light.

"I knew you'd find it."

Dan took Roland's hand and led him to the living room.

"Let's read something," he suggested. Regina gave him a wide smile of gratitude. He winked at her. She wished she could stay and listen to him read, she'd always loved to, since he first learned, but she had to go help Robin.

"Hey, gorgeous."

She bit back a snippy comment. She didn't like being addressed by her appearance, but Robin meant to be nice, and she knew that, so she forced a smile.

"Hello, dear. Have I missed anything?"

She surveyed the main table and then the table of meat she had prepared.

"Of course not. You're perfect," he said without looking. She wished he would look. She appreciated the faith he had in her, but it wasn't the reassurance she wanted. She looked over everything herself.

"I'll go and get the bread ready. Where did Henry go?"

Robin pointed. "He's on the jetty, reading. At least he's outside."

Regina didn't miss the negativity in his tone.

"Don't be too hard on him. Emma's Loel is just the same. And they're both wonderful boys."

"Old souls, I guess."

Regina sighed. "Or just, souls different from yours?"

Robin smiled in the way he did when he was "letting her win" a disagreement. She thought it made him look rather constipated.

The bread didn't take long, and then it was time for her to get dressed. She put on her favourite red sundress and matching wedge heels. She had a new red bikini too, which she was definitely planning to air later. She, Emma, and Ruby had something of a competition when it came to their swimwear.

When she came down again, Dan and Roland were building block towers, Robin was grilling, and Henry was still on the jetty. Regina slipped off her shoes and went out to him, enjoying the feeling of the warm wood under her feet. His were dangling in the water; she joined him, smiling when he leaned against her and let her wrap an arm around his shoulders.

"How's batman?"

"In dire straights. But he'll figure it out."

"He always does."

"Well, duh. Hey, Mom?"

Regina looked into his big, brown eyes. "What's up?"

"D'you think Robin knows I don't like him?"

Regina had made a promise when she first saw the two red lines that she would never lie to her children.

"I think you are very different people with very different interests. I know he's never been sure of how to engage with you."

"Do you think if he thought I liked him, he'd like me better?"

Regina held him closer. "He likes you, Henry. He loves you. You have to know that, really."

Henry shrugged. "Your friends like me better."

Regina sighed. "They've known you longer, and they're better at showing it. Robin's very physical-"

"Do you love him? Really? As much as you loved my Dad?"

Regina bit her lip at the interruption.

"He's my husband. He'll never replace your father, but he's our family."

Henry nodded. "But you didn't answer the question."

Regina took a deep breath. "Yes, I love him," she whispered. It wasn't a lie. It wasn't a lie. She took another breath. "You gonna come back to the cabin with me so you're there when they arrive?" she said at a more human volume.

Henry clambered to his feet, tucked his comic under his arm, and held out his hand to help her up. They held hands all the way back to the cabin; the Cassidies' van was pulling up just as they reached the drive.

"HENRY!"

Emma was wrapping him into a huge hug almost before the car had stopped. He pretended to protest, but his godmother meant the world to him. And she liked video games.

Cara slid neatly from the car, smiling shyly at Regina. Regina beamed at her, crouching down to her level and holding out her arms.

"Hey, sweetie," she breathed into her goddaughter's hair. "Did you make your Mom a lady yet?"

Cara pulled back and laughed. "No way. But I've decided I like her the way she is."

"I'm glad to hear it! I'll always support your projects, dear, but I'm quite fond of Emma as she is, too."

Emma rolled her eyes over their heads.

"Where are my other boys?" she demanded when Regina finally stood. Neal was already making his way over to help at the macho grill. Loel and Henry were deep in conversation about something equally fascinating and incomprehensible to the untrained ear, so Regina settled for brushing the shoulder of her other godchild before leading the way into the cabin.

"I know it's a crime to be inside on a day like this," she said as Emma fell into step beside her, "but Roland gets so dirty, I had to give him an extra bath just now and I wanted him to at least be clean until you got here."

Emma grinned. "You should've seen me at five. I didn't have a single item of clothing that didn't have holes and stains."

Regina laughed dryly. "Yes, however, you also didn't have a mother. Roland, on the other hand, has me, and I am determined to raise him properly. Also, my mother will be here shortly and I hardly need to give her extra ammunition."

"Psh, Cora's great!"

"I cannot believe you practically named your daughter after her. You do know she despises you, right?"

"Absolutely. And Cara's not named after her, I just wasn't going to give up my favourite name for some mean old woman."

"Please call her that to her face."

Mirth twinkled in their eyes as they went through to the living room. Cara had gone to "check on the table", but Henry and Loel were with them.

Emma watched as Dan jumped up and pulled Loel into a hug. Loel seemed first surprised, then blissful. Henry looked a little left out, especially when Loel brought up softball, but they managed to pull some kind of group conversation together as they went back outside.

"Emma used to play softball, you know," Regina told the boys.

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Regina already knew the new girl. She was impossible not to notice; she was loud and cheeky and exceptionally bright, and now she was dominating the sports field, too. Regina plucked at her cheerleading uniform. It made her feel awkward, on show, as if the whole world was watching her. She hadn't wanted to join, but she had to do something for gym, and her mother had said it was either this or track (because everything else was dirty). Regina would sooner watch paint dry than run track, so she'd signed up for cheer.

Ruby had gone with her, but Ruby had legs. Then again, Regina realised, if everyone was looking at Ruby's legs, they wouldn't be looking at her, so there was no reason for her to be jealous. Ruby's legs worked to her advantage.

"But if you had legs like Ruby Lucas, you wouldn't mind people looking," a cruel voice in her head supplied.

Emma Swan smashed the bat into the ball, her muscles rippling under her tight tank top as she swung, then threw down the bat and charged around the bases. Regina watched, enthralled, until her instructor yelled at her for missing several steps. She blushed, apologising, but couldn't help glancing sideways at Emma at every possible opportunity.

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"Yeah, and Regina came and cheered for me at every game."

"Not by choice, dear. Not by choice."

"Do you need help, or can we go play catch?" Dan asked. Regina was glad that he was so keen on Loel's suggestion; she'd been worried they'd been growing apart. She didn't want Loel to be left behind, and she thought he was good for Dan. He countered Robin's influence.

She wondered where it had come from, though. Loel certainly didn't look any sportier, but maybe it was just a new interest. Children changed all the time.

Emma caught Henry's forlorn stare after the older boys. She ruffled his hair.

"Come on. I want to teach you how to wrestle."

The poor kid looked terrified. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Joke, Henry. Joke. Let's go sit by the lake and read your comic to Roland, keep him clean for your Grandma."

This suggestion had a far more favourable reception. Regina caught one last twinkle from Emma's bright green eyes before she was greeted by Cara, who was carrying her shoes.

"Can I try them?" Cara asked. Regina settled her on the porch steps and helped her out of her sandals. Cara giggled happily as she clomped around in the heels.

"Everything for dinner looks lovely, by the way," Cara said, smiling.

"Thank you, dear. I was worried I might have missed something.

"I don't think so. We should offer around some drinks, though."

"You're quite right."

Cara sat back on the steps next to Regina.

"My Daddy will want beer."

"I would imagine so. What would you like, Cara?"

Cara smiled at the sound of her name. She liked when people used it. "Just water, please. But can we sit awhile?"

She leaned her head on Regina's lap and waited for comforting hands to begin playing with her hair.

"Are you sad, Auntie Gina?" she asked suddenly, sitting up and staring into Regina's eyes.

"What? No, darling, I'm not sad."

Cara seemed relieved, but still a bit uncertain.

"Why did you think I was sad?" Regina couldn't help but ask.

"It wasn't from now. It was when we arrived. I saw you from the car when you were walking with Henry."

Well, shit. Regina bit her lip. Cara took her hand, playing with her rings.

"I suppose everyone is sad sometimes. But right now I'm very happy. I'm always happy when I get to see you."

Cara accepted this answer and grinned again. "I like seeing you too. You should teach Mommy how to braid."

"She knows how."

"Really?"

"I've seen her do it," Regina confirmed. Cara frowned.

"She told me she couldn't."

Regina paused. Emma had made the same vow of honesty that she had, or so she thought. "Maybe she forgot," Regina reasoned. "I only saw her do it a long time ago."

"When you were at school?"

"Yes, that's right."

Cara nodded. "I like school. My friend Amy and I are going to be friends forever, just like you and Emma."

Regina wasn't sure any friendship could be quite like hers and Emma's, but she smiled and nodded nonetheless.

"But we don't want husbands," Cara added.

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because boys have cooties!"

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A/N: Again, I'm marking as complete because this could stand alone, but depending on the response, continuation is possible. I could see a massive story erupting from this if you have the interest and I have the time, so I guess we'll have to see.

Note on names: Cara is Latin in origin, meaning beloved. Loel is a shortened spelling of Lowell, English in origin, also meaning beloved. Since Emma lacked love in her childhood, I chose names that suggest her determination to give her children everything she never had.