Disclaimer: nothing's mine.
Emma opens the door to the pawn shop so that everyone can walk through. She smiles at everyone as they pass. Just happy to see familiar faces. Henry stands next to her and she can't help but pull him to her side. She never wants to let him go again. He wraps his arms around her waist as they wait. How many people were in there? She wonders. She is dying to get her hands on a burger and fries. Fairytale land most definitely did not have those. Finally the last persons out when she realizes someone's missing.
Regina.
No matter how many times she wants to blame that woman for everything that's gone wrong in her life, she can't help but also feel grateful to her. If not for her she would have died coming out of that well. If not for her, Henry wouldn't have turned out as good as he did. No matter what the kid says, Regina took care of him. Put a roof over his head, food on the table, held him when he was scared and took care of him when he was sick. She can't just look past that. No matter how much she has ruined her life. She still did something that she couldn't. She took care of Henry.
So Emma squares her shoulders and heads back into the pawn shop. She can make out Gold's voice and what he says to Regina strikes a chord in her. She can feel anger and surprisingly protectiveness for the former mayor. She sticks her head into the door surprising them both.
"You coming, Regina?" She meets the brunette's gaze head on. Regina looks absolutely, completely stunned. So much so that she doesn't say anything. Her mouth opens and closes and she looks confused. Emma has to grin. Who knew all you had to do to shut up the mayor was by being nice. The brunette truly did not expect it.
"I mean you did save my life and all. If not for you this guy would have fried me." She nods her head in Rumpelstiltskin's direction. She's still looking at Regina. "I at least owe you a drink." Regina finally comes out of her confusion and gives Emma the first genuine smile that she has ever seen that wasn't directed at Henry.
"Well, if it'll make you feel better dear." Emma has to roll her eyes because she knows how hard it is for the mayor to show how much she appreciates this. How much it means to her to be included. Especially when old Rumple there throwing it in her face that she wasn't invited. She has to put it out there like she's doing emma a favor, but emma allows it and moves out-of-the-way so the mayor can walk past her. She turns around to look at Gold and sees a contemplative look on his face. And since she's feeling so generous and is just glad to be home.
"All right Rumple, you can come too." She says exasperated and can't help the satisfaction she feels of not only rendering Regina speechless but Rumpelstiltskin as well. She's on a roll today. "I'm sure Belle will be around to keep you company so you don't get bored."
That jolts him out of his stupor and he immediately makes his way to the door. And there's the soft side she's been hearing about. Emma shakes her head as she follows behind him. As she exits the pawn shop she sees Henry standing next to Regina waiting for her. Henry's holding her hand and she can tell how that little gesture means the world to the former evil queen. She walks up and takes Henry's other hand and tugs them along.
"I don't know about you two but I'm starving. They definitely don't make burgers in fairytale land. Something your book left out by the way." She looks down at Henry as he laughs and is surprised to hear the mayor laugh as well. Another first for her. She looks over and smiles at Regina who doesn't notice because she's too busy enjoying the moment.
Before she knows it her attention is grabbed by Henry who is telling her everything that has gone on while she's been gone. She gives him her undivided attention because she realizes she missed just hearing the sound of his voice. She knows it now. She's finally home.
The diner was loud, full of laughter and smelled amazing. Emma's mouth was watering right when she stepped in. She practically dragged Henry to a booth and in turn he dragged Regina. It was the most undignified emma had ever seen her. She huffed when she finally came to sit across from her and Henry.
"Miss Swan, you can't be that hungry. You nearly ripped Henry's arm out of his socket." Regina scowled but her words didn't have the same bite that they usually had.
"Hey you try living off of rabbits and squirrels and whatever else they fed me. After a while I stopped asking." She shivered at the thought. Regina's smile seemed to grow with this knowledge. It was definitely a smirk now.
"What was it like there Emma?" Henry piped in before the two women could really start arguing. He hadn't seen his mom like this in a while. She seemed lighter somehow. She had this light in her eye that he hadn't seen in a while. He took a deep breath in and couldn't help the feeling of contentment that rushed through him at having both of his moms so close. Just the smell of Emma's leather jacket made him feel safe again. And now that his mom seemed like a real mom he couldn't help his goofy grin.
"I'll tell you all about it after we get our food. Hey Ruby! Can we get our usual?" Emma yelled over the noise. Ruby turned to them with a smile. She was a little surprised to see Regina with them, but kept her mouth shut.
"Anything for the savior!" She hollered back. There was a cheer through the crowd at the word and Emma felt a light blush creep up her neck. She immediately stamped that down. She hated being called the 'savior'. It just didn't suit her at all. Looking across from her she noticed the mayor didn't like it either. Well, at least that made two of them.
"So, kid you're learning how to sword fight and ride a horse? Hope you're not skipping out on your homework or else Snow's gonna be upset." She winked at him.
"Of course I'm doing my homework." He rolled his eyes at her and any awkwardness she was feeling was gone. Henry had that effect on her and it helped Regina too.
"I knew you'd do you're homework whether I was here or not to correct it." Snow chimed in as she came to their booth with Charming. He still had his arm around her and it looked like he wasn't going to let her go anytime soon. Henry grinned up at her.
"Thanks, grandma!" Snow beamed down at him with a chuckle. James grabbed two chairs and they joined them at their table. Regina stiffened but didn't say anything. Emma couldn't imagine how uncomfortable she must be feeling at this moment. Luckily, Ruby came at that moment with their food.
"Mmmmm" emma stifled a moan at the food placed in front of her. She rubbed her hands together before she grabbed it and took an enormous bite of her burger. Everyone laughed at her and even Regina had an amused expression on her face.
"What?" She asked and Regina passed a napkin to her and she smiled sheepishly as she wiped her mouth.
"Hey kid, you should tell grandma what you've been up to since we've been gone." It was so easy to change the focus to Henry. He relished the attention and went into great detail telling Snow everything he could think of. It gave her time to eat her food in somewhat peace and listen to her kid at the same time. It was a win-win situation.
Emma had her arm over Henry's shoulder as they sat in the booth. Everyone was done eating and they were just enjoying being back together. She was surprised Regina was still sitting across from them. She hadn't said anything, which was probably why everyone was still in a good mood. It had been a little tense at first, but then when everyone realized she wasn't going to antagonize anyone it settled everyone's nerves. Emma and Snow were still a little cautious, but Henry and even James seemed to not mind her presence.
Snow and Charming decided it was time to go and talk to some of the other people who had come to celebrate their return. It seemed more people had come once they had heard. The diner was packed. Some people, namely Leroy or Grumpy as he goes by now, were having a really good time and if she still had her sheriff job then she would probably have to lock him up later.
She watched as Snow went over to him and took his drink as she chided him. He sobered up pretty quickly after that and Emma smiled to herself at the exchange. Snow had told her how close her and Grumpy were. She chuckled as she watched them and could see they were indeed close. It wasn't long before a couple of kids came and dragged a reluctant Henry away. He didn't seem to want to leave Emma's side and to be honest she didn't want him to leave either. But she had nodded and said it was ok. He had friends now. She was happy with that. They had plenty of time to catch up later. She didn't even realize it was just her and Regina at the table until the brunette cleared her throat. Emma turned her gaze to her. They studied each other for a moment until Emma broke the silence.
"I still don't like you." Her comment made the former mayors lip twitch, trying to hide a smile it seemed.
"Good because I don't like you either." Emma nodded. Glad that was cleared up. She let out a sigh.
"I don't want to fight anymore. I've had my fair share of it for a while now and I'm tired of it." Regina nodded in understanding. She found herself curious about what the blonde actually went through while she was in the Enchanted Forest. It must have been hard.
"From what Henry and Charming said you've been trying to redeem yourself. I find that hard to believe," she saw the brunette about to interrupt her but she kept on going, "but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt because I trust Henry's judgment. I won't make the mistake of not believing him again." Regina watched the pain in Emma's eyes as she looked at Henry on the other side of the diner. He was enthusiastically re-telling the story of her return.
"Thank you." Regina didn't know what else to say. She knew that Emma could make her life hell.
"Don't thank me. Thank Henry. As much as I wish it wasn't true you're still his mother. He still loves you and I won't come between that." Regina let out a ragged breath. She didn't realize how much that would mean to her. Emma just confirmed that Henry still cared about her. Still loved her. That's all she really wanted now.
"If you don't mind though I was hoping he could spend the night tonight. I just need to be with him for a while. Just to make sure he's safe. That he's real. That I'm really here."
"Didn't he tell you he was staying with Charming?" Regina looked confused.
"You allowed that?" Now Emma was shocked.
"I wasn't going to lock him up in his room. Not that I didn't try. But I couldn't do that to him. So I let him go." Regina looked away not wanting Emma to see how much that had cost her. It had almost killed her letting Henry go off with Charming.
"Maybe you have changed." Emma said more to herself than Regina. "Well then I'll ask Henry what he wants to do. Then we'll see if we can come up with some sort of arrangement." Regina knew this was the best that she would probably get so just acquiesced to Emma. She didn't want to get on her bad side. She could take Henry away from her. The table grew silent again after that.
"What happened to my mother?" Regina couldn't help but ask. She had wondered since Emma and Snow came up through the well. She didn't think it was possible for anyone to beat Cora.
"To be honest I'm not too sure." Emma rubbed her chest absent-mindedly as she thought about what happened. Regina's eyes widened at the action.
"What happened?" She asked almost desperately.
"She...she tried to take my heart." Emma's movements stopped as she heard Regina gasp. Her green eyes met brown as she finally looked at Regina.
"And you're still here? How?"
"She was about to take Snow's heart. She said she was going to give you what you had wanted the most. Snow White's heart. I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't. So I pushed Snow out of the way and her hand was in my chest. I could feel her squeeze my heart and I couldn't move..." Emma was lost in her recollection and Regina listened riveted by the story. She could tell this was hard for the blonde and was surprised she was even telling her this at all.
"She called me foolish. Told me love was-"
"Weakness. Yeah I've heard that before." Regina finished for her. Emma's gaze zeroed in on Regina again. Emma understood a bit more of Regina now. She was raised by Cora. That had to take some strength to make it out of that situation alive and still be able to care for a child so lovingly. She knew Regina had never hurt Henry, at least not on purpose, and she wondered more about Regina's life. How she became who she was. Her thoughts were drifting until Regina cleared her throat to bring her back to the story.
"How did she not take you're heart?"
"She tried. She tried a few times. But when she went to pull it out it met some sort of barrier. She couldn't pull it out of my chest and then I told her love was strength not weakness and this sort of shockwave just came out of me and pushed her to who knows where." Emma shrugged, "she was gone. I don't know what happened to her."
Regina couldn't say anything. She was shocked. Someone actually beat her mother. It was unheard of. Even Regina couldn't kill her when her powers were at her best, but maybe that had to do more with her being her mother. She could never bring herself to truly hurt her. That's why she had Hook do it. She knew Emma had magic. She felt it when she grabbed her arm and it started the portal, but Emma must be extremely powerful for her to do that with no training at all.
"I don't really care what happened to her. Your mom's pretty much a bitch, and not like you, you're just a bitch. But your mom is like one crazy, psycho, evil bitch that you do not want to have ever met." Regina couldn't help it. She laughed. In a round about way Emma Swan had told her she wasn't like her mother. Of all the people to put her fears at rest it could only be Emma Swan.
Emma was surprised at the laughing at first but then realized what she had said and couldn't help joining in too. Some people stared at the two. It was strange. The Evil Queen and the Savior laughing together. No one could have predicted that.
Charming opened the door to their apartment and Emma let out a sigh of relief. She was actually home. Home. She had never thought of any place as home before. But this apartment with Mary Margaret, or Snow as she called her now, was home. She could feel it. That place you went to when you needed to feel safe and comfortable.
She took a look around the place and noticed that it wasn't as nice and neat as it usually was. You could tell that someone else had stayed there in their absence. It seemed those people were James and Henry. They looked comfortable here too and catching Snow's eye she could tell that Snow felt the same way as her.
"I don't know about you but a nice shower and a bed sounds amazing right about now." Snow let out a small laugh.
"You read my mind." She agreed and they both made their way towards their rooms. "And Charming you're cleaning this place up. Don't think I didn't notice the mess you two have made. Have you not heard of a laundry basket?" Emma laughed as she made her way up the stairs. She could hear them starting to banter back and forth as she went into her room to grab some fresh clothes. She could get used to this. She had never had it before but it felt an awful lot like family.
Her shower felt like heaven and she had to have spent at least an hour in their getting all the dirt and grime out of her hair. By the time she was ready for bed she was dead on her feet. She was exhausted. It had been a long day.
"Hey, kid!" She yelled as she threw herself onto her bed. The house was already quiet but she didn't care if she woke anyone else up. She heard the pitter-patter of little feet make their way up the stairs.
"Yeah, mom?" Henry peeked his head into the door.
"Come here." He made his way over to the side of the bed. She quickly grabbed his wrist and yanked him into the bed with her. He gave an undignified yelp that made Emma laugh and soon Henry joined in as well. He snuggled into her side as she wrapped her arms around him. Luckily, he was already in his pajamas.
She heard her door open and saw James peek in. She gave him a smile, which he returned. He opened the door wider and she could see Snow there as well. She was clean and looked refreshed.
"Well, we're off to bed. Just wanted to wish you both goodnight."
"Night." Emma mumbled awkwardly. She had never really been wished goodnight before and didn't know what to do. Snow seemed to pick up on this as she normally did and quickly came into the room. She pulled the blankets up around her and Henry.
"Goodnight." She leaned in and gave Henry a kiss on the forehead. Emma really wasn't expecting it and she saw Snow hesitate for a second before she leaned over and gave her a kiss too. She couldn't help the light blush that tinted her cheeks at the gesture. She knew she was a grown woman but the small gesture warmed her inside and out.
Snow stepped back and James surprised her by doing the same just more quickly. She could tell he was trying to make it less awkward for her by being fast and this warmed her also. So this is what it felt like to be tucked into bed by your parents.
"You need anything you let us know. Ok?" He told her and she gave him a smile as she nodded.
"All right. Good night you two. And no staying up late talking. You've both had a long day and need your rest." Emma rolled her eyes at Snow as her parents made their way out of the room.
"Yeah, yeah, got it, mom." she said it as a joke but once it left her lips she realized how true it was. Snow beamed at her and Emma didn't think her smile could get any bigger. That was the first time she had referred to Snow as her mother. James put an arm around Snow guiding her the rest of the way out because she was in a little stupor.
"Night you two." James closed the door behind them. Emma let out a breath and pulled Henry closer.
"You better not kick me or steal the blankets. Got it, kid?" She teased him to diffuse the emotions that seemed to be running rampant inside of her from being tucked in by her parents. She had parents now. The thought was still strange to her.
"Yeah, yeah, got it, mom." He used her own words against her except he knew what he was doing. She laughed and tugged on his hair affectionately.
"Hey, don't get smart with me or I'll steal all the blankets."
"Ah, mom. Come on." She chuckled at his whining and they settled back down. Their exhaustion finally taking them down. Emma was almost asleep when she heard his soft voice whisper.
"I really missed you."
"I missed you too. More than you can imagine, kid." He laid his head on her shoulder and she felt him tighten his grip around her. "I will always protect you Henry. I'll always be here for you. Even if something separates us I'll always find you."
She could feel the wetness on her shoulder and knew he was crying. She wondered how long he had held that in. If he had cried at all while she was gone or if he was trying to stay strong like she usually did. She stroked his hair soothingly and kissed the crown of his head.
"I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too, mom." She didn't think she would ever tire of hearing those words.
"Now go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." She felt his grip loosen a tiny bit and knew that he was allowing himself to relax completely at her statement. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep as she noted his even breathing and heavy breaths.
She stayed awake a little while longer just watching him sleep peacefully until sleep overtook her as well.