Prompt: There is a misunderstanding when Emma goes to find Regina after she recovers her memories, only to find her with Hood. - Anon
A/N: I have recently written a few shorter one-shots (okay well, short for me, maybe not short to other people) based on some tumblr prompts I received. Always open to those, by the way, over at RizzoliOnIsles. I got bored and decided to share these with you here. It's also a nice backup in case anything ever happens to my blog/files. Enjoy! I would love to know what you think. This won't interfere with Not With Haste, as I wrote these all in one day over the past weekend.
AU: They actually do remember the past year and have just cursed themselves on purpose to get back to Storybrooke.
As it was so late, and Henry was sound asleep, Emma had decided it was best to stay at her parents' for the night before doing anything else. She was exhausted, not sure when she had last slept anymore. Time was kind of sketchy in her mind, a side-effect of having ten years of memories suddenly doubled.
Emma slept that night, finally content to be back in the home of her family. She could almost forget about all that was happening around her and all the things she needed to take care of in the morning. Almost, because the thought of seeing Regina was still fresh on her mind and wouldn't go away.
She remembered vividly now just how deeply the urge to kiss Regina had run all those months ago at the town line. All the feeling she desperately wanted to express hadn't seemed as important before, when Emma actually had time. In that final moment, though, it was like all her moments needed to be condensed into one, and her desire to express everything was so strong.
Emma had considered kissing Regina, if only so her heart would know what something so real could feel like even when her memories were gone, but she didn't. It wasn't fair for her to do that to the other woman. While they had never discussed their feelings, Emma was pretty sure Regina felt the same. Making her remember what she couldn't by herself would have just been cruel.
In the morning, however, Emma was up and getting dressed with the sun. She barely waited for Henry to wake up so she could explain to him where they were—Hook had helped her carry him in when he didn't easily wake up the night before—before she was kissing her parents goodbye and all but running out the door.
Every stop sign Emma was forced to pause at in her trip to 108 Mifflin Street felt like an agonizing barrier.
Now she was back. Now she could kiss Regina and they would both actually remember it without worries of hurting each other in the same way as before.
Emma knew she was speeding and should slow down, but she was feeling too reckless to care. Seeing as they had only just gotten back to Storybrooke, she highly doubted anyone else was sheriff, meaning the only one who could really do anything to her was herself.
Her fingers were tapping nervously against the steering wheel until finally Emma made the final turn into Regina's driveway. She had hardly been watching where she was going in her attempt to get there as fast as possible, so Emma never noticed the people a few yards over in the front yard until she was already climbing out of her bug and turning to run up the walkway.
First her eyes set sight on Regina, who seemed equally as shocked by her sudden presence. Emma froze, unable to move forward the way she wanted to because she needed to take in everything about the way Regina looked in this moment. Her hair was longer, giving her an overall gentler and lighter appearance. Gone was the rigid mayor she had first met on this very path years before.
Emma's eyes then drifted to the child in her arms—a cute little boy with dark brunette hair and dimples that would knock even the most stoic of people off their feet. He was too old to be Regina's, but he certainly looked as if he could be, and the way he clung to her side so comfortably made her heart stop.
Finally Emma noticed the man who had previously remained lost in the chaos a few feet away from Regina and the child. He was tall and muscular with blonde hair and stubble—everything that screamed man at her in a blaring way.
It took a moment for Emma to understand why the sight of them standing around in Regina's yard, smiles on their faces, made her feel like her heart was ripping through her flesh to sink to the bottom of her stomach. Once it clicked that the feeling spurred from the way they all looked like a family, Emma felt like bolting.
Regina was supposed to be her family now. Her and Henry. But a year later and now she had a new one, including an adorable son and a tall handsome guy.
"Emma?" Regina finally broke the silence, disbelief in her voice.
"Hi… I-I should go," Emma stuttered. She turned, temporarily forgetting herself and looking for a way out. She'd leave Regina to her new family; Emma couldn't mess that up for her, and clearly the other woman had moved on without her.
"Emma, wait!" A hand on her shoulder made Emma jump just as she was about to reach for the handle of her bug—the one reliable thing in her life.
"What?" Emma snapped, spinning fast to face Regina with a sudden rage. The brunette had apparently set the little boy down and moved closer, and the hurt look on her face immediately made Emma feel bad for snapping.
"I'm sorry, I just… I should go," Emma repeated, more calmly this time.
"No, please don't. How are you here? How do you remember? Where's Henry?" Regina's eyes were filled with unshed tears, but her hand only reached up to wipe some away from Emma's own cheek. She hadn't even realized she was crying.
"Henry's back with my parents. He doesn't remember." Emma paused to take in the way Regina's smile fell at the admission. "As for me, it doesn't matter. I shouldn't have come. I'll leave you to your new family."
This time Regina's hand on her shoulder planted firmly and didn't move when Emma tried to turn away.
"New family? What the hell are you talking about?"
Emma nodded her head to the man and the little boy standing on the lawn just watching in silence.
"Hood? You think that, that I…? With him?" Emma wasn't expecting Regina's hand to release her shoulder, only to slap her upper arm, but she really shouldn't have been surprised when it did. "You idiot. Do you honestly think that I would forget about you and Henry just like that?"
Emma looked down at her feet sheepishly. "I don't know. You guys just looked so happy out here and I…"
"And you jumped to conclusions, as usual. When will you ever learn not to doubt me? Just because you were too big of a coward to kiss me before you left doesn't mean that I couldn't tell how much you wanted to. I mean, really, Emma. I spent almost 40 years trying to get my first love back, and you think I'd just give up on you and Henry in a year?" Regina sounded exasperated, making Emma feel horrible for jumping to conclusions like that.
"I don't know. I guess when you put it that way, I don't. I just thought maybe all you felt for me was in my head or something."
Instead of responding, Regina closed the distance and pressed her lips slowly into Emma's in a kiss. It made her head spin, all the fear from only minutes ago slowly floating away. Regina was kissing her because Regina truly did want her.
Regina pulled back, slightly breathless, and rolled her eyes at Emma with a beaming smile. She cleared her throat and straightened up, awkwardly stepping back and looking to Hood and the boy.
"Emma, this is Robin and his son Roland. Robin was leaving Roland here for me to babysit while he goes out on a date. Robin and Roland, this is Emma, my idiot," she introduced like a proper hostess.
"Hey!" Emma whined.
"I'm sorry, I meant to say, my very lovable idiot who apparently has a streak of jealousy. Was that better, dear?"
"Much," Emma said with a smile as she pulled Regina back in for another kiss.
She was finally home.
