Disclaimer: I do not own any of the once upon characters...
A/n In this story the curse did happen but Emma ended up being fostered by Mary Margret at age 3. I know in the show the curse makes the day start over.. but I figured since Emma is actually growing they should go through the seasons, the curse is that no one but Emma has birthdays,so they never grow and they dont think to question it. The story is a bit unrealistic...but just go with it.
4 years old. Regina's Pov
The first time it happened, she was 4 years old. I had just walked into the diner after a day of hell, it was long and full of meetings; plus Gold came to see me that day and that alone was enough to ruin my day. Of course to make my day worse Mary Margret and that child (I still hadn't figured out how she got here)were there. The little blonde girl was babbling on to her mother (Although only I was aware that she was in fact her mother). As soon as she heard the door open and the bell ring,she got up and ran to the door; despite her mothers protests.
"Gina!" she yelled, while hugging my knees. I wanted to ignore her, I wanted to hate this little girl and pretend she didn't exist. Instead I found myself crouching down to her level.
"Hello miss swan"
She giggled and replied "My name isn't miss swan, it's Emma, silly!"
I smiled at her despite myself, but the question that she asked me next,all happy and proudly, not only shocked me, but also shocked everyone else in the dinner.
"Gina, will you marry me?"
I heard a gasp behind her and looked up, Mary Margret looked ...well looked like her daughter had proposed to the evil queen.
"Emma." She said in a very strict tone.
Emma spun around to face her mother "You said when two people find each other pretty or handsome and love each other they get married. Well I think Gina is very pretty and I love her. So I'm going to marry her. " The she spun back to me and repeated.
"So, will you marry me?"
"Well miss swan, you are not old enough to get married yet, but I think you are very pretty too."
"Will you marry me when i'm older?"
I smirked up at Mary Margret before replying "Well dear, I will certainly consider it."
She smiled up at me and before either of us could say another word, her mother has scooped her up and taken her back to their booth.
7 years old
The next time it happened, was at the town's annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony. I had just finished my speech when Emma ran up to me and hugged me "Merry Christmas Gina!"
"Merry Christmas Emma, would you like to help me plug in the big tree"
Her smile over took her whole face "Really? I can really do that?!"
"Yes really, dear" I smiled back, this little girl really was hard not to like.
After it was done Mary Margret ran up to Emma, "Emma, you need to stop running off, especially with out telling me where you are going. you could have been hurt or.."
That where Emma chose to cut her off "Mommy! I saw Gina and had to go talk to her! She even let me help her with the big tree!"
"She always does seem to 'find me', dear" I almost wish that Snow had her memories just so she would get that remark, but she simply blinked with a frown.
"Come on Em, we need to get home"
"Wait! I don't want to! I have something to give to Gina!" She reached into her pocket and grabbed something and placed it in my hand. It was a plastic ring, like the ones you get in a candy machine.
"Will you marry me now? I bought that with my own money and everything! It cost a whooooole quarter Gina!" She looked so proud of her ring, and it made me a little sad to have to once again, tell her
"Emma dear, you are still much to young to get married to anyone. "
She frowned, "Well you can keep the ring anyway, as a Christmas gift. You deserve it." The she took her mothers hand and skipped off.
I looked down at the little ring and smiled, it was the very first Christmas gift I had ever received.
10 years old
On Emma's tenth birthday, her mother through a her a big part at the diner, inviting everyone in town, even me. I'm not one that really likes parties so I had hoped to swing by, drop off Emma's gift, grab a coffee and leave unnoticed. I didn't want Emma to think I didn't care about her, because as much as I didn't want to to, I did really like the little girl. She had done nothing to deserve anything but kindness. But as luck would have it, Emma did notice and she followed me out of the diner.
"Wait! Regina!"
I turned around slowly "Yes, Miss swan?"
"You're not staying?" You hear the sadness in her voice, and she looked like someone had just given her mother a poisonous apple.
"I'm afraid not, I'm required to work today; running the town is a lot of work. But I still wanted to stop by and bring you a gift, it's on the table with all the other presents."
"Oh" for a brief second the sadness over took her face even more, but then she perked up. "You know, I'm ten today"
"Yes, I'm aware of that,dear"
"Well I'm older now, so will you pllleeasse marry me? Please Gina!"
I smiled at her adorable big green eyes and patted her arm "Ten years old is still to young for a person to get married." Again her face sunk.
"Maybe when I'm older?"
"Maybe."
I of course, had no intent to ever say yes but I was not about to ruin this little girls birthday.
13 years old
This time I was sitting on the bridge in the forest, with my feet dangling over, I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice her approaching.
"What cha doin?"
She slightly startled me, but I learned not ever show fear, so I simply replied "Just enjoying the peace and quiet of nature, it remind me of the place I was born."
"Will it bother you if I join you?"
"No dear" Truth be told Emma's presence has never bothered Regina, and she's not sure it ever would.
"Where were you born?"
"A place far away from here"
"The enchanted Forrest?"
I couldn't believe what she had just said, surely she didn't know. "What, dear?"
"The enchanted Forrest. Like in my book, you're in it and so am I."
"Oh? and who am I, in this book?"
"Well, you used to be the Evil queen, but you're not anymore. It's just a title given to you, by someone really mean. " I smirked at this. If only she knew that her mother has given me that title...
"But don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I like the way thing are ... and I don't want to make them mad at you for taking away their happy endings."
I couldn't believe my ears, this little girl knew exactly who I was and not only liked me but also wanted to protect me. I smiled up at her.
"That's nice dear, but it really is just a book, i'm not really in it."
"if you say so... you're to pretty to be an evil queen anyway"
"You think I'm pretty?"
"Yeah! You're the prettiest woman i've ever seen, don't you remember when I told you that in the diner...right before I asked you to marry me? Because when you love someone and think they are pretty, then you ask them to marry you, and if they love you back and think you are pretty too, then they will say yes. You already told me i'm pretty, so do you love me?"
I opened my mouth and closed it several times before replying "I like you very much, dear"
She smiled "Close enough, how old do you have to be to get married?"
"Well with a parents permission 16 and with out a parents permission 18."
"Oh...ok. Then I won't propose today. But as soon as I am old enough. I will."
16 years old
The moment Emma turned sixteen, she showed up at my door out of breath from running and simply said
"Marry me"
"Pardon?" I raised one eye brow
"I'm 16, you said that I could get married at 16, marry me."
"No dear, I said with your parents permission you could get married. Do you really think miss Blanchard would sign off on that, dear?" I really had thought she would have grown out of this by now.
"Well I hadn't thought of that..."
"She wouldn't and besides that I am a lot older then 16, I could possibly marry someone so young."
"I kind of expected that, but I still wanted you to know that I haven't given up on you."
"Noted, Miss Swan"
With that she turned around and walked back down my drive way.
18 years old
I expected Emma to turn up at my door, the day she turned 18, but it didn't happen. By September she was getting ready to go to school out of the state but before she did, she stopped into the diner, sat in the seat across from me and said,
"You know, after 15 years of knowing you, you are still the prettiest woman I have ever known, and over the years what started as a little crush, has only grown. The day I turned 18, I wanted to come ask you to marry me, but I was too afraid you would say no; and if you did, I knew I could never ask again. So I'm not asking you to marry me today but after i graduate college and make something of myself, I will come back and I will make you fall so in love with me, that you will say yes when I propose." With that she got up and left the diner, leaving me completely speechless.
28 years old
I didn't hear from or see Emma for ten years. I heard about her every so often, until finally one day, she finally came home. She had lost her think rimmed glasses and started curling her golden hair and she had a hideous red leather jacket on, which I kind of liked seeing on her. She also has a little boy with brown hair and her smile with her. I could not help but smile the day I walked into the diner and she was there.
When I walked in, she stopped and stared then muttered out "Gina."
I knew I couldn't leave with out at least saying hello, so I approached the young woman. "Hello miss Swan"
"Hello Regina. "
"and who is this" I said motioning to the little boy "This is Henry, my son. Henry this is Regina"
The little boy studied me then said "The evil queen" almost as if asking his mother if thats who I was, Emma quickly replied by saying "Henry take that back, she is not evil. and you can just say thing like that...I'm sorry, he's been reading my fairy tail book" I knew exactly which book she was talking about.
"No worries. well I must be going, have a good day, dear"
Two weeks later Emma asked me a question, not the question I was expecting but still a question. She asked me to dinner, and I agreed. During the dinner she told me all about what she had been doing that last ten years, I learned she had been in prison for 8 months, just before Henry was born because his father had made her take the fall for his doing, I learned that Henry, was not quite ten years old and that she had moved a lot in the last few years. It was a wonderful evening, and at the end of the night, she asked for a second date and I agreed.
Two weeks later was the first time that she kissed me, and it did cause my curse to break, but it didn't bother me because Emma has known all along and had forgiven me for it when she was 13. The towns people were not as forgiving, but they came around when Emma, Henry and I helped them find their loved ones and I publicly apologized.
6 months later Emma got down on one knee and asked me the same question she had asked me several times.
"When I was for years old, I asked my mom where babies come from and she told me that when two people love each other and think each other are pretty or handsome, they get married and then they have babies. Immediately I knew I had to marry you, because I knew I would never find anyone in the world as pretty as you and my 4 years old self loved you dearly." She stopped and looked into my eyes which were already tearing up before continuing.
When I was 7 years old, I knew I had to marry you because you were still really pretty and you brought me such joy and I never wanted to be with out you, this ring is a little bit nicer then one I gave you then." She showed me the ring and it truly was beautiful, she always did have good taste.
"At ten years old, when I blew out my candles, I wished that you would come to my party. You did, only for a minute but still you cared enough to bring me a present. At 13 I realized who you really were, and instead of being mad at you for making my parents say or upset that i didn't have my dad, I wanted to protect you. I wanted to show you how much I really do love you. " By this time I was fully crying but still she continued.
"When I was 16, I didn't think about the fact that I could legally drive, instead I was excited that I was legally allowed to get married...with a parents signature. and at 18. I so badly wanted to ask you but knew it wasn't the right time. The last ten years of my life have been the hardest, and all I wanted was to come home to you every night, curl up in your arms and get lost in you eyes.
When I was a child if I ever went missing, my mother always knew that wherever you were, i'd be with you; I never needed to 'find you' because you were always directly in front of me, and you never left first. It was always me, but never again. I have loved you for 25 years, what started off as an innocent crush had developed into so much more. I cant imagine, a single day with out you in my life. I can't imagine ever loving anyone else the way I love you. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever set my eyes on, and there is nothing better in this world, or any other world. You challenge me, annoy me and completely bring me joy in all the best ways. Regina mills, I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you have made me all my life.
Gina,will you marry me?"
I finally got to give her the answer she always wanted. "yes, of course I will marry you, miss swan."