At nine o'clock, Emma rolled onto her side and slammed an open hand onto her extraordinarily loud alarm clock. But, the moment the device silences, Emma was already asleep once again, her hand still on top of the clock.
Regina flipped over in their bed and threw her arm over Emma's torso. "'Mma," she grumbled, heavy exhaustion laced her words. There was a sudden crashing sound from somewhere downstairs and the parents knew exactly what it was. "Kids are awake," Regina mumbled into Emma's shoulder.
"I don't care," Emma said in a tired whimper.
"Yes you do." With a heavy sigh, Regina kicked the covers off of her body and tossed her legs over the side of their bed. Multi-colored spots flew in front of Regina's closed eyes as she got up too fast. The barely-conscious mayor had to sit back down to catch her bearings. "Emma, I'll be back in five." The fatigued sheriff could hear the faint scuffle of Regina's feet on the carpet floors as she walked out.
Regina descended the stairs with the grace of a fallen feather, but once she entered the kitchen, her anger ruined the moment. Dani, the twins, and Faith all stopped what they'd been doing and froze as if they'd been caught in an act of crime. Dani's hand was still on the box of pancake mix she had tried so desperately to reach on the top shelf.
"Sorry, Mom!" Dani whispered as she climbed off of the kitchen counter. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she stood with her siblings.
Regina folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, her voice dropped ten octaves. "What did I say about letting your mother sleep in? It's her birthday."
All four of the Swan-Mills hung their heads in shame. "Is she awake?" Dani asked meekly.
"No, not yet, and we're going to leave her alone, right?" Regina questioned, though it was more of a statement. She tapped her foot on the floor and it made a quiet thumping sound.
"Yes, ma'am," the children answered in unison.
"Good. Now, I'm going to get dressed. You four munchkins, can you get started without me? Without noise?" Regina peered down at her short kids and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes ma'am," Dani reiterated. Regina nodded crisply and spun on her heel. As she walked out, Dani elbowed each of the twins. "I told you to wait," she grunted.
Emma didn't wake up completely until eleven. And, when she did, she realized Regina was missing. "Gina?" she slurred through half-closed eyes. "Gina?" As Emma slowly came to consciousness, she could smell the tantalizing aroma of freshly cooked pancakes wafting through the house. The blonde extracted herself from her warm bed and threw on her favorite University of Maine sweater- that thing had gone to hell and back and survived through the years.
"Shh, she's coming," Emma heard her youngest daughter announce. The closer she got to the kitchen, the better the food smelled. Emma took two steps into the family room, when her children rushed at her and threw their arms around her.
"Happy birthday!" they all cheered, including Regina. The brunette leaned against the counter with a content smile.
Emma's eyes shot open and a surge of adrenaline swam through her veins. She tried to keep rom blinking too much as the sun streamed through the transparent curtains. After she caught her breath, and the kids let go, Emma grinned down at the four little ones. "Thanks, Kids. But, you know you didn't have to do this," she said as she motioned to the large breakfast feast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, whole wheat toast, oatmeal, and pancakes sat on the table in a perfectly arranged circle.
"We know we didn't have to, but we wanted to!" Dani laughed. She pulled her mother behind her and sat her down at the head of the table. "We made your favorite; chocolate chip hot cakes."
Emma fought the urge to blush, "I see that. This... this is great, you guys. Thanks."
"Mommmm," Faith whined. "Can we eat now?"
Regina glided over and kissed her youngest daughter's head, "After your mother." She glanced over at the woman she'd been with for 17 years and gave her a loving smile. "Happy birthday, dear."
Emma sat at the vanity in their room and stared at her reflection. While Regina took her shower, the Savior digested all that she saw in herself. "I'm 48," she muttered; slight disbelief snuck into her voice. She held her hands in front of her face and followed the blue veins with her eyes, tracing them as if they were a map. She noticed the prominent worry lines in her forehead; the way they curved on the bottom by the top of her nose. The scar she'd received 14 and a half years before clung to the side of her face, an off-white color different than her skin. Light hints of crows feet appeared in the corner of her eyes, but that didn't bother her as much as she would have thought. Gray hairs started popping up through clumps of blonde, but those too seemed minuscule. "I'm 48," Emma repeated to herself.
"But you're a an elegant 48," Regina complimented from the doorway, her purple bathrobe hugged her slender body.
Emma rounded in her chair and nodded for Regina to join her. When the brunette neared the blonde, Emma tugged Regina onto her lap. "When did I get so old?" she chuckled.
"Darling, I know 48 seems old, but remember, you're the youngest adult in town. Most of us are over a centuary in age." Regina stroked her wife's hair absentmindedly, dazzled by its shine.
"If that's your idea of a pep talk, babe, you might wanna practice," Emma teased. She tilted her head back enough to reach Regina's lips and pressed her own against them. "So," Emma said after breaking away, "what should my mid-life crisis be? Thrill seeking? New hairstyle? New tattoo? Ohhh, I could go back to school. But I guess since I never went in the first place, it wouldn't be 'back.'"
Regina lifted Emma's chin with a finger, "I think we've had enough crises to last us a lifetime."
"Hmmmm." Emma rubbed small circles on Regina's back. "I guess you've got a point."
"Besides, thrill seeking seems to come naturally to you. Your hairstyle is perfect the way it is. A new tattoo, I'd love to see you try. And, back to school? You're smarter than a lot of people I've ever known," Regina comforted.
"Gina, you realize I'm almost 50?" Emma asked mournfully.
"First comes 49, then 50."
"No, seriously. 50 years-old. Half of a 100. You know what the crazy part is? I still feel 28."
"Well," Regina sighed, "you know the saying: 'You're only as old as you feel.'"
"So I'm really 28?" Emma asked hopefully.
"Emma, what's wrong? Are you really so terrified of aging?" Regina saw the worry in Emma's green eyes, and knew there was something she wasn't telling her. "It's a natural part of life. We grow older, we learn."
"We die," Emma said blandly.
"Yes, but not for a very, very long time." Regina cupped Emma's face and held her forehead against her wife's. "We're going to live a long life together. Do you understand me? Just like we've always talked about."
Emma nodded solemnly. "Of course we are, Gina. You know I'd never leave you alone."