Hey guys, I'm back!
A lot of you have asked for a sequel to "Happily Ever After?" and I thought why not? I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
P.S 1: This story has no beta so try to ignore any typo or grammatical error
P.S 2: I will update this story every Wednesday and Sunday
P.S 3: There won't be any other sequel to this story so I hope I satisfy anyone with its ending!
G.E.R
18 Months Later...
"Boys, breakfast is ready!" Regina shouted as she put another pancake on a plate before placing in on the kitchen table. It was the beginning of another school year and havoc was noticeable in the Mills' household.
Eighteen months had passed since she and Emma had taken a divorce and life had finally started being normal once again. Truth be told, when the boys heard the news about their parents' separation, they didn't take it so well. For several weeks, chaos prevailed at the house, with Ezra and Colin crying and asking about Emma or giving the silent treatment to Regina. The same though, would happen when Emma would take the kids for the weekend. It had taken a lot of talks with both the mothers present and sometimes Cora, to help the kids get used to this new situation. Things hadn't been easy the first few months and the younger boys would try many things to bring their parents together again, but as months went by they eventually gave up. Henry on the other side, even though he had started warming up to Emma and they both would spend a lot of time together just the two of them, he didn't want Regina and Emma to try again. For one, he liked having two places to stay when he would have a fight with either of his mothers and secondly he didn't want for Regina to get hurt again. So, when the boys asked for his help he refused to get involved.
"I can't find my blue shirt!" Henry yelled from upstairs, making Regina roll her eyes.
"Mom, Colin won't help me with my shoes" Ezra yelled at the same time and his sentence was also followed by Colin's protests.
"I left my bag at Mama's place!" He whined.
"Welcome to a single mother's life" Regina roll her eyes at Mal, who had dropped by that morning to help Regina with breakfast as the latter knew that her boys wouldn't be ready until last minute. And judging by the yells, she knew she was right.
"I missed watching the boys giving you a hard time" Mal chuckled, enjoying every minute of it but at Regina's death glare she coughed and changed the topic.
"Do you want me to help you with these?" She asked as she pointed at the pancakes.
"I'd be so thankful if you did!" Regina retorted before sprinting out of the kitchen and upstairs to the boys' bedrooms.
"Your blue shirt is on the laundry so choose another one but just so you know, the red one would look good with these jeans" She advised Henry as she passed by his room while walking towards Ezra's one.
"Thanks, mom" She heard him saying and grinned to herself. Yeap, her boys still needed her.
As she entered the room, she noticed her younger son sitting on the bed and trying to tie his shoelaces but failing. She smiled to herself and crouched in front of him, letting his feet fall on her lap.
"I thought Emma taught you how to tie them?" She half asked half said.
"She did" Ezra admitted, but his eyes weren't meeting Regina's.
''But?'' Regina asked again.
"I wasn't paying attention" He mumbled making Regina chuckle.
"I see. Well, I'll show it to you one more time and you better watch this time mister" Regina patted his son's nose with her index finger earning a nod and a fake sneeze from the boy.
"So, are you ready for your first day at school?" Regina inquired the Benjamin of the family, as she was tying his shoes.
Despite all of Regina's wishes that her boy stayed a toddler forever, the time that he would go to school for the first time had come. His therapist was all certain that he was ready for such a big step, as his vocabulary was similar to his peers, his communication skills were perfect-Regina did really thank Ashley for that- and the boy didn't seem distraught at all when his mothers told him about the possibility of him starting school.
"I am" The boy grinned. "I'm gonna make a lot of friends and learn a lot of new stuff!"
"I know, baby boy. I'm so proud of you" She said as he kissed his temple. "And now I do believe it's time for breakfast. Mama will be here in a few minutes to drive us to school. Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, I'm ready, mama" Ezra replied as he put his hands around Regina's middle hugging her tightly.
"If you feel lonely when I'm at school, play with Simba. That's what I do when you and mama are at work" The boy said sincerely and Regina tried really hard not to cry in front of the boy.
"I will, my love" She smiled and gave one last peck on his cheek, before letting him leave the room and join his brothers downstairs.
After tidying her sons' bedrooms she joined them and Mal in the kitchen for a family breakfast. And yes, after Mal helping Regina and the boys adjust to this big change in their life Regina could confidently say that Mal had become a part of her family. The boys loved her as their own mother and the would also spend some time together even without Regina. Regina and the boys had also met Mal's daughter, Lily and took a shine on her immediately. That was one of the reasons that the younger brunette would visit more often, to spend some time with her mother and cousins as she would call them.
Their small family moment was however interrupted by a knock on the door. Regina stood up and headed towards the front door, but young Ezra had beaten her to it. Reaching the front door, she was met with her blonde ex-wife lifting their son in her arms and kissing his cheeks.
"Good morning, dear" Regina greeted her ex-wife.
"Regina, hey!" Emma smiled back as she let Ezra to his feet.
"The boys aren't ready yet, so you can join us for breakfast if you'd like," Regina said as she closed the front door and walked beside her wife.
''I already had one at Nate's but thanks anyway. I can wait for the boys in the living room" She said as she moved towards it but Regina's voice stopped her.
"You know she won't bite. And besides, it wouldn't hurt to come and say hello" Regina prompted.
After a few moments of silence, Emma relented following Regina back in the kitchen.
Even though the boys loved Mal, Emma, after an incident which involved Ezra and him calling Mal mom by accident, causing a big fight between Regina and her, tried to stay as far away as she could from the other blonde. Her thoughts about Mal were really complicated; the first few months she was plain jealous of the other woman, as she was afraid of her making a move on her wife. Then she was really thankful for her being on Regina's life, especially after the divorce, as the other woman really helped Regina move on and even starting talking to Emma again. But after that incident, Emma became even more distant towards the other blonde.
"Hey, ma!" Henry said through a mouthful of pancakes, grinning at his mother.
"Yeap, definitely my son" Emma joked as he ruffled his hair before taking a chair and sitting next to Colin.
"Easy there big guy!" He said to her other son, who was eating as fast as his brother, kissing his cheek.
"Emma, would you like some coffee?" Mal, who was standing next to the coffee pot, offered.
"No, I'm good, thank you" Emma replied tightly before turning her attention back to her sons.
"So, Bubbah, are you ready for school?" at which the boy nodded enthusiastically. Emma beamed at him and reached to ruffle his hair.
When all the boys had finished with their breakfast and Regina cleaned the table, the whole family, after checking that the boys had everything they needed with them, left the house and Mal behind. Henry opted to walk to school as being seen with his mothers and brothers wouldn't be considered cool by his friends. So, Regina, Emma, and the two younger boys left for the school.
Less than a half an hour later the family had arrived in front of the school's entrance. Colin, after giving a kiss to both his mothers left in search of his friends. Ezra seemed quite eager to follow his brother and go friend-hunting but Regina stopped him before he could run away. Crouching down so as to meet his eyes, she said to him.
"Alright there baby, this is it. Go in there and make friends. Remember, be good and don't initiate fights unless someone comes to you first okay?"
"Yes mama" They boy nodded before hugging his mother tightly. After their hug, Regina stood up quickly, before Ezra could see the tears in her eyes. Emma also gave him a small speech about being good and after a strong hug, she let him go.
Regina and Emma stayed in silence for a few minutes, Emma allowing her ex-wife to composure herself before talking.
"He's gonna be alright Regina. He's ready for it" Emma soothed as she reached for the brunette's hand squeezing it softly.
''I know but I'm worried. He is shy and I don't want the other kids to see that as a weakness and start bothering him." Regina admitted.
"Look, Colin will be there watching him. He wouldn't let his baby brother being bullied. Besides, I'm pretty sure that Ezra can take care of himself" Emma said.
"You're right I'm sorry" Regina replied and then continued "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?" Emma asked confused.
"This weekend would you mind if the boys wouldn't come stay with you?" At Emma's still confused face, Regina elaborated. "Mal suggested we go to her lake house this weekend since the weather is still nice."
"I don't know Regina, I have planned a really fun weekend with the boys" Emma admitted.
"I know and I hate asking that from you, but it's a good opportunity for the kids, one last trip before school and responsibilities start for good." Regina implored and Emma really tried to say no but eventually, she gave in.
"Fine, but we're doing Thanksgiving at my parents" Emma declared.
"Of course, it's a family tradition after all" Regina agreed, making Emma smile at the family part.
"So.." Emma began changing the subject "I actually have a couple of hours before going to court and I was wondering if you'd like to grab a coffee? We haven't really talked the past week and it's a good opportunity to catch up"
"Ι would love to, but I have already made plans with Kathryn and Mal. We're taking Simba for a walk and then we're going for lunch. So, rain check?"
"Yeah, sure! Just call me whenever you want, for some coffee, lunch or even a bottle of wine." Emma smiled "Anyway, do you want me to drive you back home?" Emma offered.
"No, it's okay, Kathryn is picking me up. But thank you, Emma."
"No problem Gina. So, I should go. Remember, Ezra, is going to be fine." Emma reassured, before hugging Regina and leaving the school premises.
"How are you feeling?" Mal asked once the three ladies had finished placing their offers. After Kathryn picked Regina up, they drove to Regina's house where they left the car, picked Mal and Simba up and went for a small walk to the nearest park. Their next stop was the diner nearby Regina's house, where the three women decided for an early lunch as Mal had to get back to her office.
"I'm fine dear" Regina lied, not meeting the blonde's eyes. Instead, she seemed pretty focused on whatever there was on her phone's screen.
"And I'm an astronaut" Mal sassed, earning an eye roll from the brunette.
"Fine, I'm a little worried. I mean, for four years Ezra used to be this extremely shy kid, who would avoid any stranger at any cost. And now he's in a new environment with hundreds of strangers all alone. That surely can be overwhelming" Regina said, chewing her bottom lip.
"Honey, first of all, his therapist was really positive about Ezra going to school. He survived kindergarten and he made a lot of friends. He was never secluded and as far as I remember he never came home, crying or something like that. He enjoyed that." Kathryn reasoned.
"I know and I was so proud of him but elementary school is a whole different situation. There are much more kids, a lot of them much older than him and you can't seriously compare kindergarten with primary school!" Regina huffed.
"I'm not comparing them, dear, all I'm saying is that you don't need to worry. It's not like you forced him to go. He chose to and he seemed pretty happy with this choice. If you're worried all the time he's going to pick on that and then he'll be worried too. You don't want him to start thinking that school is a bad place for him, do you?"
"Of course not! Should I call them though, to see how's he doing?" Regina asked
"No," both blondes said in unison. "In a few hours he'll be back and then you can ask him yourself. Now, enjoy what little free time you have with your best friends because you're in for a long evening with the little devils!" Mal said and Regina laughed.
"Well, they are little devils but they are mine. You can't imagine how much I miss them when they spend the weekends on Emma."
"We know dear, but imagine how hard it is for Emma to wait for five days so she can spend a weekend with them." Kathryn pointed out.
"I know and that's why I felt terrible when I asked her to take the boys away for this weekend. But she was so understanding. She didn't even start a fight."
"She surely had come a long way" Mal remarked.
"Yes, I do believe that this divorce helped her worked on some of her issues. We haven't had a fight since forever and she spends time with the boys as much as she can. Some evenings she even drops by and helps them with their homework. She had changed" Regina admitted.
"So any chance of getting back together?" Kathryn asked.
"God, no! I mean yes, she had considerably changed but I do like it that way to tell you the truth. It's fun being single again!"
"Single women out there watch out!" Mal joked and all three women burst out laughing.
"Well, I may or may not have a date next week," Regina confessed, causing her cheeks to turn pink.
"What?" Kathryn shrieked. Mal, however, was unfazed by this news.
"You knew?" the blonde asked Mal.
"Of course I knew, I set this up!" Mal grinned.
"First of all I hate you, secondly do tell more" She exclaimed, turning her attention to the brunette.
"Well, Mal a few weeks back created an account on this dating app. She made one for me, without telling me so, may I add. So, one day she dropped by the clinic, saying that she set up a date for me. At first, I wanted to strangle her but after a bit persuasion, I thought why not." Regina shrugged.
"Tell me everything you know about her" Kathryn prompted.
"It's a blind date so the only thing I know about her is the things she wrote in her bio. These being that she's around our age, she works as a photographer and that she likes kids and puppies."
"That's good! I'm so happy for you Regina! I hope it works out!" Kathryn said as she reached out, entwining her fingers with Regina's.
"Are you ready for something like this though?" the blonde asked after a few minutes of silence.
"I believe I am. I mean, yes it hasn't been a lot of time since the divorce but the marriage, in my opinion, had ended a long before that. I have missed the flirting and the exhilaration a date gives you. I have missed being flirted by someone" Regina admitted.
"Then you have all my blessings darling. Now let's eat!" Kathryn jokingly ordered.
When they finished their lunch, Regina along with Kathryn walked back home. Mal had long ago left them to get back to her office, giving to the two friends the chance to catch up a bit more. Once outside the big house, Regina noticed Emma leaning on her car while looking at her phone. Hearing the clicking of Regina's high heels, Emma raised her eyes to meet with her ex-wife and her blonde best friend.
"Hello, ladies!" Emma greeted the two women, as she put her phone in her slack's pocket.
"Good afternoon dear. I can see, it wasn't a busy day at the court." She teased.
"It was an easy case so I finished early. Besides, I really wanted to come with you and pick the boys from school. If that's okay with you" She said hesitantly.
"It is, and thank you for being here" Regina smiled at Emma who beamed back. Kathryn coughed so as to catch the other women's attention.
"Anyway, I'm going to get my car and go back to the clinic." She announced.
"Okay dear, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye" Regina waved as she stepped into Emma's car.
"Goodbye shortie!" Kathryn said back.
Once inside the car and after a few moments of silence Emma spoke.
"Did you miss them?" She asked in a low voice.
"Of course. The girls stopped me three times before I called the principal's office to ask about Ezra."
"I tried that too, to be honest, but Nate stopped me." Emma laughed.
"The brother's always on the rescue. And speaking about brothers, it's Graham's birthday next week. He asked me to invite you. He's doing it at my parent's house."
"Nice, tell him I'll be there." Emma said "And we're here" She added a few seconds later, as she pulled over in front of the school's entrance. Regina had already stepped out of the car, before it had even stopped, jogging a bit, making Emma laugh.
When Emma actually made it at the doors, Regina was hugging and kissing Ezra, like the mama bear she was, asking him a million questions, not giving, that way, the chance at the boy to talk.
"Regina, slow down a bit," Emma suggested.
"Oh right, sorry." She stood up, taking Ezra's hand in hers, as Emma hugged Colin and took his hand too.
Inside the car, the boys were talking about how the first day at school was, making the two mothers beam with pride. Colin was telling how he made friends with the girl he liked since last year and Ezra about maths and how much he loved that subject. When Regina asked him about any new friends he started talking about all the kids in his class and that he became friends with most of them. At that point, Regina's eyes had filled with tears.
"So who's in for a dinner at Granny's?" Emma offered.
"Yes!" The boys yelled in unison, causing Emma and Regina to chuckle.
"Granny it is then!"