I do realize that it has been quite a while since I have uploaded anything, and I sincerely apologize for that. These past couple of weeks I reread 'Biting Hope' and it was brought to my attention that I haven't continued that story in particular for quite some time, but I solemnly swear I will have an update to you withing the next week or so. Whilst you wait for that to occur, I would like to present to you my new story that I began whilst I was on vacation in New Zealand. I hope you enjoy it. Once again, I apologize.
"No," Emma said simply, flopping onto the sofa with an oomph. Much to Mary Margaret's disapproval, she hadn't gotten home until the early hours of the morning and she craved some much needed rest.
"Please Em, it'll be fun!" the pixie cut brunette insisted.
Emma sat up on her elbows and eyed the sleeping two month old in her roommate's arms. "As much as I love my godson, I'm really not interested in attending a 'Mommy and Me' class."
With a roll of her eyes, Mary Margaret sighed and patted the baby's back as he stirred in her arms. "Please? Just this once?"
"Isn't the whole purpose of a 'Mommy and Me' class being about that? The mother and their child?" she stated as a matter of fact.
"Emma," the former school teacher said firmly.
"Fine," the blonde groaned, "but you owe me."
"Kathryn, hello. How are you?"
As Mary Margaret made small talk with the other mothers in the room, Emma took a fussy Neal with her into the back corner to escape the uncomfortable small talk.
"You don't really like attending these, do you?" she cooed, chuckling as he fussed about in her arms.
His mouth turned up into a gummy smile, and he lifted his fist to his mouth, sucking on the soft skin indicating his hunger.
"I'm sorry little man, but you'll have to wait, okay?" she placed a gentle kiss to the crown of his head and swayed side to side.
"You know, there is a room off to the left hand side of the corridor you walked through when you first entered the building if you'd liked to feed him."
Emma looked up in the direction of the husky voice that had supplied her with information, and swallowed thickly at the sight of the brunette woman. She was beautiful, eloquent, stunning. She didn't even realize she had been analyzing the woman's physique, until her gazed focused in on caramel brown orbs.
"Or if you'd prefer, I have a blanket you could borrow so you can nurse him in here."
"O-oh," she stuttered and looked down embarrassed as her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. "No thank you, that's okay."
"You're new here, aren't you?" she flashed an awkward smile as the brunette chuckled at her.
"I am," she nodded her confirmation.
"I'm Regina," she looked down at the hand the brunette had outstretched in her direction.
She smiled and cleared her throat, "Swan. Emma Swan," she shook the woman's hand, but quickly retreated it, afraid the woman would notice her sudden attraction to her through her sticky palms.
"Well Miss Swan, that is a beautiful offspring you have produced."
Emma swallowed thickly and looked back between the older woman and her little godson in her arms.
"What's his name?"
"His name is Neal," she paused and cleared her throat, "but he's not mine." She chuckled uncomfortably.
"Oh…" a wave of pure embarrassment washed over the brunette, tainting her cheeks a cherry red. "I am terribly sorry for jumping to conclusions like that, I should never have assumed. I never intended to offend yo-"
"Hey," Emma cut her off, "it's fine. You didn't know."
"I do hope you accept my apology."
"I do," she smiled at her. "He's my godson. His mother," she nodded at the pixie cut brunette approaching her, "is Mary Margaret. It's their first time here, and I was asked to come along so she didn't feel out of place."
"I understand," Regina nodded.
As Emma carefully passed Neal to his mom, Regina watched the exchange with a smile. She couldn't believe that she made such an offensive observation, one that was truly incorrect.
"So, Regina is it?"
Regina was pulled from her thoughts suddenly when her ears picked up on the mention of her name. She nodded her response.
"Cool. What brings you here?" Emma stuffed her hands into her back pockets.
"Ever since my son was born, I've come here with him. I don't like to admit it for the sake of my ego, but I really don't have any idea what to do, besides the basic things I learnt at a prenatal class."
"Isn't there someone who can, I don't know, help you? Your mother," she looked down at the brunette's hand and caught a glimpse of the ring proudly displayed on her finger, "a husband, perhaps?"
Regina chuckled and shook her head, "we make quite the team, you and I Miss Swan."
Emma's brow furrowed in confusion.
"We've both made incorrect observations today."
"A wife then?" Emma tried to quickly make amends to her assumption.
"No," Regina shook her head and sighed. "I'm widowed and technically an orphan, but as a grown woman I don't tend to classify myself as that."
Emma nodded, silently urging the other woman to continue.
"My husband, he died in a car accident during my final trimester of pregnancy. He's never met our little boy," she looked down at the floor as tears began to prick at her eyes. "My mother and father…well," she scoffed and chuckled sadly, "let's just say I wasn't raised in the happiest family. But they both passed away a couple of years back. I have a sister, Zelena, but she's been touring around Europe for the past two years and we never spoke often. It's just me and my little prince."
"Oh…" Emma wasn't sure why she shared part of her story, something she'd consider extremely private, with a complete stranger.
"But it's nothing to be concerned about. I'm not one to dwell on the past. What's done is done, and to be completely honest with you, having a newborn in the house don't really give you a lot of time to think about these issues."
"I'm sorry…"
"For what, dear?"
"For assuming."
Regina chuckled, "it's a mistake the both of us have made today, but not to worry."
Kathryn called everyone down to the circled mat, indicating the class was about to begin.
"I suppose I should go and get my son up and ready for the class. I'll speak to you again soon, Miss Swan.
Emma nodded and smiled, watching as the brunette retreated back to the stroller she had deserted in the corner. There was something about that woman she couldn't figure out, that just intrigued her. Shaking her head, she walked over to Mary Margaret, and together they sat on the floor among the other new mothers.
"Are you ready to go, Em?"
"Yeah, hold on, I've just got to say goodbye to someone," she said shyly.
"Would this someone be Regina?" the brunette replied with a smirk.
"Yeah…" she swallowed anxiously.D"do you know where she may be?"
"If she hasn't left yet, I'd suggest you have a look in the room we first passed when we came in."
"Okay," she smiled as recalled Regina's instructions from their conversation earlier.
As she came to stand outside the door, she softly knocked on the polished wooden surface.
"Come in," came a familiar voice.
Emma gently pushed the door open and smiled as she saw Regina quietly nursing her son on the vintage sofa. "Is it alright for me to come in?"
Regina smiled at the sight of the blonde and made a move to cover herself with the blanket she had wrapped around her son. "Of course it is, dear."
"I wasn't too sure where you had gone, but I just wanted to say goodbye before I left."
"That's very kind of you, dear. I was going to come and speak with you just after the class had ended, but someone started crying hungrily and I had no choice but to feed him."
"That's okay," Emma sat on the chair opposite the sofa. "A mommy's got to do what a mommy's got to do."
"Indeed," Regina looked over at Emma. She was a kind and fair woman. She had a beautiful complexion and a beautiful personality.
"Can I ask you something?"
Regina nodded.
"How old is Henry?"
"He's six weeks old, however he was born prematurely. The stress from his father's passing caused me to go into an early labor. I'm still meant to be carrying him."
"For how much longer?" Emma questioned, intrigued.
"Another two weeks."
"Wait," Emma said, her eyes widening, "shouldn't you still be in hospital?"
"Yes and no," Regina chuckled at all the woman's curiosity. "He was a little fighter. He was perfect as soon as he came out," she looked down at her son with admiration in her eyes. "Most premature babies have deformities from not having enough time in the womb to develop, Henry however, was born perfect. I was told that if we remained in hospital for the first two weeks of his life and no complications occurred, we'd be discharged."
"So nothing bad happened?"
"To Henry, no."
"But to you?"
"I hemorrhaged repeatedly," she looked up at Emma whose eyes had widened in concern and showed her a small smile. "But it's nothing to worry about now though. I'm fine," she reassured. She smiled at Emma once more, smiling her curiosity. She truly was a curious one. As she was about to ask her to talk about herself, she felt Henry unlatch. She pulled back the blanket and smiled at the sleeping baby cuddled into her.
Emma watched the interaction between mother and son, and tried her hardest no to get distracted by Regina's breast that was on display as she lifted her son to her opposite shoulder and started tapping his back lightly.
Regina caught Emma's eyes fluctuating between her, her son and her breast and chuckled, retrieving the blanket from her lap and lifting it to cover herself. Henry let out some of the wind that he had greedily swallowed whilst feeding, causing a mass amount of giggles to arise from the blonde.
"So, what are you and your little prince getting up to this afternoon?"
Regina listened to the blonde as she laid her son in his stroller and fixed her shirt. "I was planning on going to lunch with Kathryn today, but she has to go home and look after her other son who was sent home from school sick. Perhaps you'd like to join me instead?"
"Oh…" Emma swallowed thickly. She knew she was getting along with the brunette, but she never knew they were getting along quite this well.
"I understand if you can't join, after all I did spring it on you suddenly."
"On no, it's alright. I can come," she smiled through clenched teeth. Was she really doing this?
"Okay. Would you like to drive with me down?"
Emma nodded, "I'll just have to say goodbye to Mary Margaret and Neal first."
"I'm sure we'll see them on our way out."