Author's note: I was meant to get this up yesterday, I just couldn't get it to my liking after several drafts but I am just going to leave it now. All I can say is this chapter is angsty, but you got to have a little bit of angst, right? Oh and thank you all for the reviews, favs and followers, it is more than appreciated. I am motivated by the readers so much thanks. Please review once you have read. :D
A night alone in one of the guest rooms was what Regina gave Emma. The previous night events were still raw in the air between the women as the family sat down to breakfast.
Regina shoved Emma off of her chest to the blonde's side of the bed and grabbed the sheets to wrap around herself. The sheets used as a barrier. "You promised!"
A pale hand moved over to comfort Regina but retracted when the brunette glared at the gesture. A lump of guilt grew inside Emma's throat when she saw the woman she loved tremble with hurt, anger, betrayal, "I know. I'm sorry babe. Please just…"
"Do not. Call. Me. That. Miss Swan." Tears streamed down Regina's face but she managed to keep her voice in control. "You promised me that you would not leave me alone here with the children. You promised. Was it just an empty promise, was that it? Is this how it is going to be during our marriage? You say one thing and do another because I did not sign up for that Emma."
"Regina, I'm sorry. I didn't think…" Emma tried to explain.
"That's right Miss Swan, you did not think." The brunette wiped her tears away profusely. "Get out!"
Breakfast was quiet. However hard the couple tried to act normal on front of the children, they noticed. "Mommy, whys you and Emmas gwumpy pumpies?" Nina had leaned over to Regina and whispered loudly, not realising the whole point of whispering.
"Sweetheart everyone is fine." The little girl was happy with the response when she saw both women give her a wide smile and continued with her cereal.
Meanwhile Emma was becoming agitated with Regina as she kept ignoring her through breakfast and Danni was not helping her plea with her usual digs at Regina. "Mom, why do I have to eat this muesli crap when I was fine with Lucky Charms in our old house?"
"Just eat it Danni, it is better for you." Emma sighed.
"I don't care if it is better for me. We used to always eat Lucky Charms not this rubbish." Danni pushed her mother further whilst playing with her food and sticking out her tongue in disgust making Nina laugh.
"Danni, give it a rest." Emma groaned beginning to lose her patience.
Once Regina finished she cleared up her dishes and then Nina's after the girl shoved her empty bowl on top of her teddy bear's head and insisted it was a hat until milk dribbled down the bear's plastic nose. Regina dealt with the situation, putting the bear in the wash so Nina would have it back for night time. During this time the brunette tried to not listen to the conversation at the table between the twelve year old and her wife.
Emma had lost her nerve with the continuous clattering Danni was making with the spoon and grabbed the bowl from her sulking daughter and poured the contents in the garbage disposal. "Daniela Ann, if you are just going to play with it, you can just starve."
Regina immediately excused both children from the table as she saw her wife's own moods were having an effect on the children, specifically Danni.
When the couple were left in the kitchen alone, the brunette put some bread in the toaster before speaking, "You shouldn't take your guilt out on her."
"She's my daughter I'll do what I like." Emma snapped before she remembered who she was talking to. She lifted her head up off the table and looked apologetically at a hurt Regina, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that Regina."
"You haven't been meaning a lot of things lately." Regina retorted looking around the kitchen before focussing her dark eyes back at green ones. "She may not be my daughter by blood, but she is by marriage as is Nina is yours."
Emma closed her eyes for a few moments knowing her mistake, "I know, I know. I just forgot for a split second Regina… I'm still getting used to this; 'the Danni having another parent again' thing, you know?"
Pleading eyes opened again to be met with her wife's back, who was busy spreading butter and strawberry jam onto the toast slices. "Take this to her. You can't afford upsetting her when you are about to leave her and go off to war."
Those words were like a stab in Emma's gut. Whilst being wrapped up in her own feelings, she had forgotten about Danni. The girl would be devastated. The family were still adjusting and Danni was the least willing to accept the new family out of all of them.
Emma nodded gratefully at her wife and quietly accepted the plate offered and took it to her daughter.
Later on that morning, Emma's mind kept running on what to tell Danni. "Can we talk?" Emma asked as Regina was busy tending to her apple tree in the back yard.
Regina sighed knowing the conversation was unavoidable and took a deep breath before turning to her wife waiting for her to get on with it. "I leave in three days. I got word from David yesterday, they need my help to hold up the defences of the castle. The majority of their men are out on the field so I have no choice."
"You did have a choice, but you picked your parents over your own family." Regina gritted her teeth cautious of keeping the noise levels down to stop the children from becoming alarmed.
"I need to protect my parents. I'm not going to let them die Regina!" Emma reasoned.
"It was their choice to go back to the Enchanted Forest and start a war. Not yours. You shouldn't be going to fight a fight that has already been won by the ogres because the two idiots haven't even trained their men."
"I'll train them. And once the men have my skill, this war will be over before you know it" Emma said putting a little of her charm into her plea to lighten up the brunette.
Regina broke eye contact with Emma as she felt her anger beginning to sink at the irresistible charming smile. She stared off to the clock tower and gathered back her strength. This conversation was serious and Regina was not going to let the blonde wriggle her way out with charm. "That won't work, so stop it."
She put down the basket of apples and pondered on how to say what had been on her mind since last night. "What about Danni? You know you're not being really fair on her as well." Regina saw Emma shoulders shrink in guilt but decided to continue knowing this had to be said. "We are just married. Our children are still getting used to the change. The relationship between Danni and I is not a very good one for me to suddenly take sole parenting of her Emma. She wouldn't listen to me."
Emma took her hands and smiled reassuringly, "I'll talk to her before I leave. I'll make sure she understands that you are in charge Regina. I will." She lifted a hand to her cheek. "You're a good mom Regina. I know you will be just fine on your own for a couple of months. I believe in you. I trust you."
Regina sighed again knowing that the Emma's innate desire to help everyone was winning the argument. "It's just for a couple of months?"
"Yes. They said they didn't need me any longer than that." Emma pulled the brunette into her body, needing to feel her wife close to her.
"We will need to tell the children." Regina muffled against Emma's shirt. She pulled herself away enough to see her wife groan.
"Why are you leaving me here with her?" Danni screamed, pointing at Regina who sat next to Emma holding her hand; supporting her.
"Watch your mouth Danni. We are a family now and Regina is your stepmom as well as Nina being your stepsister. Whilst I am gone I expect you to behave and do what Regina tells you, okay kid?" Emma was going to have a longer conversation with Danni later about her attitude, but she wanted Regina to be there so Danni understands that she backs up Regina in her forthcoming parenting of the girl.
Anger radiated from the twelve year old as she grappled onto what was said. Her emotions were running high. She did not know if she wanted to lash out or break down in tears but the latter won out. "I hate you!"
Both women watched the girl run off and collapse against a tree quite a distance from where the rest of the family chose to set up the picnic near the play park. The brunette felt Emma's body tremble slightly and gave her a few reassuring words which the blonde was grateful for as she knew this was hardly a walk in the park for her wife.
Lying on the picnic blanket was Nina who was playfully kicking her feet in the air, "Emma are yous going to bwing back pwesants from your holiday?" The little girl asked with glee and innocence sparkling in her face.
The couple noticed the child's misinterpretation of the blonde's deployment but decided to let it slide since there was already too much upset at that time.
Nina giggled when she was picked up under the arms and pulled into the blonde's lap for a hug. "Of course I will sweetie. I can't forget to bring back presents for everyone can I?"
Twenty minutes passed, Emma and Regina were playing with Nina in the park whilst Danni was still sitting against the same tree. The couple knew the girl needed her own space so they had left her to her thoughts. Regina however had kept looking over to see her stepdaughter sitting with her head on her knees and decided to try and speak to her after mentioning to Emma.
"Hello Danni, can I sit?" The brunette asked but was given no reply but a small shrug from hunched shoulders so she just sat down next to the pre-teen.
They sat in silence for a few minutes basking in the sun, Regina watching the rest of her family play in the park whilst Danni pulled at blades of grass. "You do know that your mom loves you very much don't you? She doesn't want you to hate her on her last few days before she leaves."
Regina looked to her left to see the girl still pulling at the grass but a bit more aggressively. "I understand that you are angry and upset because she is leaving you with me and Nina. We haven't really gotten to know each other very well have we? But I would like us to take this opportunity to get know each other better."
Danni was still not showing that she was going to speak to Regina, but Regina took the small victory that at least the girl listened and she smiled to herself.
"MOMMY! MOMMY! I WANTS MY MOMMY!" Regina heard the screams of Nina. She jerked her head away from Danni who also looked up to see Nina wriggling away from Emma. The blonde was trying to comfort the girl but she kept on kicking.
When Regina got there with Danni following shortly behind, they saw a small scratch on Nina's knee. It was really nothing to be crying over but it was big to the four year old girl. Nina stretched her arms out to Regina from Emma's arms and Regina took her to then stand her down on the ground, "Nina, calm down. There is no need for all this fuss. It is just a scratch."
"Itties sore Mommy. I wants it magickeyed away right now!" Nina demanded whilst wiping away a few crocodile tears and thrusting her leg onto Regina's knee who was bent down at her level.
Emma chuckled at the young girl seeing the resemblance between her and her mother but that earned her a glare from Regina. That was when the blonde gestured Danni to come and help her pack away the picnic and try and have a talk with her.
"Right young lady, you do not demand things from me, you have to ask for them politely." Regina heard a huff but ignored it for now knowing the girl was likely tired. "All you need is a plaster Nina. Mommy can't be here all the time to make your bumps and bruises go away."
The brunette got the first aid kit when the family returned to the Benz and let Nina choose the band aid which she did; a huge plaster with a pink elephant on it just for her tiny scratch. It cheered the four year old up though and that is all that mattered to the couple.
The family settled down to watch a movie that night since they couldn't the night before. Nina had fallen asleep on the couch half an hour into the film whilst the other three lasted till the end but went straight to their beds since it was a week day the next day.
"What a day this has been." Emma exclaimed as she drowned into the softness of the bed.
"Eh… What makes you think you are getting to sleep in here tonight?" Regina had her serious face on and lifted one eyebrow up in question.
Emma looked over to the brunette opening and closing her mouth trying to get words out, she felt her face burning up. She had just assumed, "Erm… I thought… I thought we…"
"Do tell me what you thought dear?" Regina sarcastically said putting her hands on her silk cladded hips.
"We talked, at lunch and dinner you…" Emma stuttered looking like a scolded puppy to Regina. She felt like she was in the spotlight and she hated it; having all the heat on her. Emma did the one thing she knew best in these situations and stuck up her own defences and retaliated. "Jesus Regina, I'll…"
"Regina will do just fine dear." The brunette had her face fixed into her well known smirk before she laughed at her wife's facial expression knowing her wife was in full defensive mood, "Emma you can stay alright. Take that as payback for last night."
Emma repeated her goldfish impression before her mind caught up with her ears; her body let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and she relaxed back into the pillows. "I deserved that."
Regina climbed into her side of the bed and looked over to the blonde, "Yes, you did dear and so much more…" Emma felt shame settle inside her again and Regina saw this and decided to spare her feelings "but that will do." Brown eyes searched for green ones, "We'll be okay."
Moving over to the blonde, she settled herself into her wife's side and let herself fall asleep whilst Emma stayed awake embracing the warm body next to her – her mind racing.
