Okay, here goes! I promised an early update on this one, and here you have it. This chapter is twice as long as the first one, and it will be the last. I could split this into two, but I see no point in keeping you waiting when I have everything. I'd like to thank everyone who have already faved, followed and reviewed this story. It really means more to me than words can express, and I'm so grateful that people are actually interested in more. It makes me want to keep going, so please, keep being amazing people! I hope you'll enjoy the end to this little thing - I had a lot of fun writing it, and still managed to make it all emotional towards the end. Tell me what you think! Much love, XO.
Emma jumped off the couch, all of a sudden a little nervous.
"That must be Regina back from her office."
She heard Hayley take a deep breath behind her as she headed for the entrée. She wanted to catch Regina and fill her in before she caught sight of the girl on her couch. As she turned around the doorway, Regina was taking off her high-heeled boots with as much elegance as possible.
"Hey," Emma said breathlessly. Regina's dark eyes met hers and something unknown crept over her skin. The brunette smiled warmly at Emma.
"Hey," she said, as she hung up her jacket next to Emma's. She raised a brow at the blonde.
"Is that my shirt?"
Emma looked down at herself, remembering what she was wearing.
"Um, yeah. I spilled coffee on mine. Thought you wouldn't mind."
"If I would mind you walking into my room, going through my personal stuff? No that's quite alright, dear. Your choice is what amuses me."
Emma felt a blush creep over her face as she looked into Regina's smiling eyes.
"Yeah. The good old times," she said, a hint of irony in her voice.
They both chuckled before silence fell upon them. Emma decided she had to get the whole Hayley situation out in the open right away.
"So… there's this thing…" Emma started off, but Regina quickly interrupted her.
"Miss Swan, how many times have I told you to stay out of my kitchen when I'm not here?"
"Hey! I only made cocoa," Emma spoke up in defense. She shook her head in frustration.
"That's not even what I'm talking about. Regina, something happened."
Emma proceeded explaining Regina how the young girl had appeared out of nowhere in a puff of smoke, and how so far, all she knew was that she was seemingly from "the future" and that everyone in her family had magic. When she was finished, Regina simply stared at her with a quirked eyebrow and crossed arms. She sighed, annoyed.
"I really don't have time for your childish stories, Emma. I have an author to find."
"I'm telling the truth!" Emma exclaimed and threw up her hands.
Before she could defend her case any further though, Hayley stepped out from the study.
"Hi. I'm Hayley. The girl Emma almost killed."
Both Emma and Regina jumped on the spot. Regina observed the girl with narrowed eyes. The first thing that caught her attention was the girl's eyes. She frowned. Were those eyes the ones of her own physiques, or was she fooling herself? She stepped a little closer and kneeled in front of the young girl. The little girl flashed her a beaming smile. Regina couldn't help but smile back. She was quite adorable. And yes – those eyes definitely looked like her own. But her hair…
Emma. Regina's eyes widened slightly. She looked from the girl, to Emma, and back to the girl. Yes, that was definitely the same golden blonde hair as Emma's. And if Regina wasn't mistaking, she had Emma's jawline. And my lips. She shivered. Of course she was reading too much into things, but it seemed quite odd that a girl with these specific features would find her way to the two of them.
Regina stood up again, holding out one of her perfectly manicured hands.
"Hello Hayley. I'm Regina. Pleased to meet you."
Hayley took Regina's hand with a slight giggle. Regina quirked an eyebrow again.
"So, Emma tells me you're from the future? Are you sure that's the entire truth?"
Hayley's smile faded.
"You don't believe me either?"
"You have to admit, dear, that's a lot to expect from someone whom you just met."
Hayley nodded at that.
"Yes, yes I'm aware. But there's really nothing more to it – I'm from Storybrooke in the future."
Regina looked at Emma, who looked just as annoyed as she did herself.
"Can you prove yourself?"
Hayley looked confused at both of the older women.
"Um… what do you mean?"
"Well, you haven't seen anything of Storybrooke other that Mifflin Street, right? Emma says that's where you appeared. So, if you indeed were from the future, you'd know something about our town. Can you tell me something that would proof your reliability?"
Hayley gnawed on her bottom lip for some time. Emma watched Regina. Her hair had grown so long lately, falling gently on her shoulders. The brunette sensed Emma's gaze and turned her head slightly to lock gazes with her. They shared a silent smile.
"OH!"
Hayley exclaimed, catching both of them off guard. Suddenly they felt like they'd been caught doing something they weren't supposed to, and two sets of cheeks turned a slight pink.
"The library. With the big clock tower on top of it. No one ever went there, besides the librarian, so they turned it into a small movie theater. They don't show any good movies though," Hayley said and sighed.
Emma and Regina shared a knowing look. Okay. That seemed like enough proof. Regina was about to say something, but then a thought occurred to Emma and she spoke up.
"Ah! The librarian – what was her name?"
"Well Belle of course," Hayley said and smiled proudly.
Regina and Emma locked gazes again. A few collective thoughts were mirrored in their expressions, and it was as if they had their very own mute conversation.
"You guys always do this…" Hayley muttered under her breath.
Regina's head jerked to the young girl's. She couldn't shake this feeling that the girl was connected to her. Or maybe to Emma. She had to talk to Emma about this.
"Hayley, who is your mother in the future?" Regina asked, trying to maintain a soft tone to her voice.
The young girl didn't say anything, but her eyes flickered nervously to Emma, before resting on the ground as she started fiddling with that bracelet of hers. That worried Regina.
"Miss Swan, a word."
She gestured for Emma to follow her into the kitchen, and the blonde willingly did. Once they were hopefully out of hearing range, Regina spoke up.
"I don't like this."
Emma nodded.
"Neither do I. Something smells odd. Can you send her back?"
"I can. But I'd like to find out who her parents are before I do so."
Emma felt like there was some deeper meaning to Regina's words, like the brunette was hiding her thoughts. She eyed Regina skeptically.
"Is there something you're not telling me, Regina?"
Regina was surprised by Emma's question. The blonde had come to know her quite well. Better than anyone else did, if she was honest with herself. And she wasn't sure what to make of that.
"Don't you think it's odd?"
"I think this whole situation is crazy as fuck," she noticed how Regina scrunched her nose at her choice of words, "But exactly what are you referring to?"
Regina swallowed thickly.
"Her. Haven't you noticed anything about her? How she looks, for instance?"
Emma thought to herself for a moment. She gnawed on her bottom lip. Her eyes had looked familiar when she'd first caught sight of them, and there was something about her face that seemed like she'd met her before. Not to mention how her personality could be clearly mirrored in Regina's. But could this really mean something?
"I'm not sure…"
The two of them continued to talk for some time. In the study, Hayley was sitting on the couch, her legs crossed. In one hand she held one of Regina's candles, while the other was waving slowly in the air above the candle. She tried to think of what her mother had told her. "Focus. Concentrate. Reach into your gut. It's inside you, Hayley." As much as that all made perfect sense, trying to grab at something you didn't know what was or how worked was quite difficult. She liked to imagine that there was this little ball of light inside of her, like a glowing core of her magic. It helped when trying to "reach into her gut." As she narrowed her eyes at the candle, waving her hand again, she heard footsteps in the hallway. A young boy was watching her from the doorway. She jumped in her seat. Is that…?
"Hi. Who are you?"
"Henry…?"
"Do I know you?" Henry looked at her, confused.
"Um…"
"Is my mom teaching you magic?"
Hayley's eyes widened as she was caught completely off guard by his sudden question.
"What?"
Before she could say anything further, Henry spoke up again.
"Mom!"
Hayley quickly rose from the couch and was about to explain herself, but before she got the chance, both Emma and Regina appeared in the doorway.
"What is it Henry?" Regina said.
"Mom, are you teaching this girl magic?"
Regina was taken aback by his question.
"What Henry, of course not. I've only been teaching Emma."
Henry pointed at Hayley, being a bit ruder than what was his usual self.
"Well she does the exact same thing you do with your hand!"
Henry proceeded making the signature hand movement he knew so well, having watched Regina do magic plenty of times. Regina opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She was lost in her own slightly panicking thoughts. No. It can't be…
"Okay kid, that's enough. Explain yourself! Who are you and who is your family?" Emma's words came quite angrily behind Regina, and the brunette turned around to put a calming hand on her shoulder. That is, until Hayley answered the question.
"You're my family."
Her voice was almost inaudible, and the small smile on her lips quite sad. Three pair of eyes gawked at her in an almost comical manner, and for a moment she wondered if all six of them would end up rolling around on the floor. She simply smiled at them, waiting for what she'd said to sink in. Their reactions were very different.
Regina laughed. She laughed low and almost mockingly, shaking her head. Emma simply choked out a "What?", while Henry, her Henry, was the only one with the reaction she'd hoped for. The smile on his face was beaming, and for a second she thought he was going to hug her. Then Regina spoke up.
"This is ridiculous. Get out of my house."
It wasn't because Regina didn't believe it. She'd noticed it from the moment she'd laid eyes on Hayley. She didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be. So instead, she denied it.
"Regina, don't you think that's a lit - "
"No," Regina interrupted Emma, "I want no more of this. She needs to leave."
Emma felt bad for Hayley. The hurt on her small face was evident, and it looked like she was holding back tears. Okay, what she'd said made no sense and it scared the crap out of Emma, but still. She was just a little girl.
"Why don't we just let her - "
"I said no!"
Regina turned to leave, but Hayley's little voice spoke up with as much strength as she could.
"I can prove it!"
All three of them turned to her again. Regina rolled her eyes.
"You can prove no such thing."
"Yes I can. Just hear me out, please."
Regina was about to walk away again, but Emma stopped her by grabbing her hand, making her jump.
"Regina. Let's listen to her."
Something in Emma's voice and the way she looked at her made Regina stay. The touch of the blonde's hand against her own made her shiver oddly. She agreed with a nod of her head. They all looked at Hayley again, who immediately started talking.
"M -… Emma. Your favorite filled chocolates. Sea-salt-sea-shells."
Emma lifted an eyebrow, but Regina was the one to speak.
"That proves nothing. Even I know those are her favorite. She brings them here all the time."
That earned her a warm smile from Emma. Something Regina couldn't quite determine what was was glistening in those emerald eyes.
"I know," Hayley continued, "But I know where she hides them from you so you don't eat them."
Regina stiffened, her head turning slowly to Hayley. Both her and Emma gulped loudly.
"Where?" Emma asked, a hint of her fear noticeable in her voice.
Hayley said nothing, but walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a big book with a blue cover, the words on it letting the reader know that this was "The Official Star Wars Dictionary." Behind it, three packs of sea-salt-sea-shells were revealed. Henry gasped in excitement, while Emma simply continued to gawk at her, her mouth uncomfortably dry.
"You hide it behind this book. It was a book Regina got when Henry was going through his Star Wars phase, and she felt like she needed to keep up to date to have something to talk to him about. She never uses it anymore, since he's moved on. So it's a safe haven for hiding chocolate," Hayley said, nonchalantly popping out a sea-shell and stuffing it in her mouth. Then she put everything back.
Regina's breathing was quick and shallow. All she could think was that it couldn't be true. She wouldn't let it be true. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. She looked at Emma out of the corner of her eye. The blonde was panting just as nervously as herself. For some reason, Regina felt like grabbing Emma's hand. Maybe not so much for Emma's sake than for her own. She was scared.
"Okay…" Emma spoke up, "So, that was… well…"
"I'm not done yet," Hayley spoke up, her voice confident. She turned to Henry, who still had the most idiotic grin on his face.
"Henry – middle drawer of your dresser, under the polo shirts you never wear even if Regina tries to make you. That's where you hide your – "
"STOP! I believe you," Henry yelled and jumped to put a hand over Hayley's mouth. Sweat immediately sprang from his forehead and he looked nervously between his mothers. Emma completely lost it, snorting and clapping her thighs as tears came streaming down her face.
"Kid!" she sucked in a shaking breath, "Oh god. That was amazing."
Regina looked between the blonde and her son, her expression utter confusion.
"What? Why is that so funny? I don't get it."
That only made Emma laugh harder, throwing back her head and clutching her stomach. Hayley was giggling, too, and even Henry chuckled slightly, despite his embarrassment.
"Emma! Don't you dare laugh at me," Regina squealed and smacked the blonde's shoulder.
Emma tried sucking in a couple of breaths, calming herself. She dried her eyes and turned to Regina, still biting down her laughter.
"I'll explain it later, okay?"
Regina mumbled something under her breath and crossed her arms. Her pissed off expression almost had Emma laughing again, but she managed to stay calm and serious. Kind of.
Hayley was watching them in silence, smiling proudly at herself. Maybe now, they'd actually believe her. But Regina was not pleased. Her concern had only grown with everything Hayley said, and by now she was willing to deny this till the day she was no longer a living soul on this earth. It could simply not be true. Of all the things she had ever imagined, this was not one she'd thought she'd ever have to face. She looked to Hayley, her expression cold.
"Now that you're done with your stories, you can leave."
Emma looked at the brunette in shock.
"But Regina, we can't deny what she's told us."
"I can if I want to. We're done here."
Regina turned to leave. Hayley panicked, multiple ideas roaming around inside her head. She just had to make her believe. She knew it was possible. There had to be something. Ah! In a way to loud voice, Hayley screamed after Regina.
"YOUR FAVORITE SPELL!"
Regina came to a quick halt.
"What?" she whispered with a hint of hostility.
"I know your favorite spell."
Regina chuckled mockingly.
"Do you now?"
Hayley nodded.
"Yes. I do."
Regina turned around to face her, her arms crossed and chin raised.
"Well in that case, do tell."
She was convinced the girl would blabber on about fireballs or sleeping curses, simply because those were the stories of her ancient reputation that she couldn't seem to shake, no matter how hard she tried. But that was not what Hayley was about to say. Not at all.
"You open your hand like this," Hayley held out one hand close to her mouth, and as she continued talking, something starting glistening like tiny diamonds floating over her hand, "Then out of nowhere, you create this little horse running in your hand, made from stardust. It's like a little constellation running in your hand," she blew at what was apparently shimmering stardust, making it swirl, "I know this because when I was four, I was upset over something, and you showed me this and told me that whenever you were scared or upset, this would help you," the stardust started taking form in her hand, and already the outline of a horse was visible, "The horse was the first life Rumple made you take, but somehow, you managed to keep this horse alive. Inside of you." Hayley blew at it again, harder this time, and the horse lifted its head and started running in circles around her hand.
Everyone in the room was quiet as Hayley withheld eye contact with Regina, the horse still running gently. Regina felt cold, like every drop of blood had left her body. She was sure she looked pale, because Emma was looking at her with concern written all over her face, while Henry was more focused on the shimmering horse. Regina wasn't breathing, and she hadn't been, ever since Hayley started explaining. Her lungs were burning and she was dizzy, but it seemed like taking a single breath was too much for her mind to focus on. Emma took a tentative step towards her, one hand outstretched, and Regina made the first movement in minutes as she took a step backwards.
"No," she croaked out, her voice hoarse.
"Regina, just relax, please."
"No!" Regina continued, a little harder this time. She kept shaking her head. It can't be true. No. How can it be true? Had she been lying to herself all this time? Denying what was right in front of her?
Suddenly, she felt Emma's hand on her shoulder and she stumbled backwards into the wall.
"NO!" she screamed and ran out of the study.
She didn't know where to run to, as they were all inside her house. And wherever she poofed to, Emma would be able to follow. I've taught her too well, she thought to herself. She decided to go where she felt calmer than anywhere else. Turning right down the long hallway, she quickly found herself in the room at the end. She didn't have an actual word for what it was. Memories? It didn't consist of much. But it always made her relax. As soon as she stepped in, she took a deep breath and reveled in the safety of these four walls. The room was bright, as the windows were placed so that the sun would shine in here most of the day. On the walls, dozens of pictures hung. Pictures of her. And Rocinante. Pictures of her riding him, jumping, of him running wild around beautiful meadows, of her simply holding him. These were pictures all taken while she was still happy. Before everything had turned horrible and… dark. She felt herself warm up inside, all her panic slowly disappearing. It didn't last for long though, as the rest of the people in her house all came stumbling inside the door. Emma was the first one to speak up.
"Whoa," her surprise was obvious. She looked around the room, at all the beautiful pictures. All she saw was Regina. Smiling Regina. Happy Regina. It tucked on her heart in a way she couldn't explain.
"Regina… you look."
"Beautiful," Hayley finished.
Emma nodded, her mouth half open as she locked eyes with the brunette standing before her. She might not be smiling with the same love in her eyes, but she was still the same person, deep down. And Emma cared about her. And she wanted to understand why Regina was freaking out like this.
"Regina, please talk to me. What's going on?"
Regina laughed.
"You're kidding me, right?"
Emma just continued to look at her, confused.
"Don't you see what's going on here? Who she is?"
Emma opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She closed it again, gnawing on her bottom lip.
"Well she obviously knows us…"
"Knows us!" Regina exclaimed, throwing up her hands, "Emma, look at her!"
Hayley shrunk a little when Regina pointed a stiff finger towards her. Emma turned to look at her, smiling slightly to try and make her feel better. Hayley's smile back was sad.
"She's a pretty girl, Regina. I don't know what else to say."
Regina stomped in the ground exactly the same way Emma remembered Hayley doing earlier.
"You're a bigger idiot than I thought."
She took two big steps forward so she was facing Emma. She looked her dead in the eye, seeing herself reflected in emerald.
"Emma – she's our daughter."
Emma's breath caught uncomfortably in her throat and she dropped her jaw. Regina saw how her pupils dilated as panic took over her emotions.
"W-what?" she stuttered in a whisper.
"Look at her again," Regina said, softer this time, although not without sighing.
As Emma seemed frozen on the spot, Regina rolled her eyes and placed to fingers on the blonde's chin, turning her head.
"Look at her. Don't you see it? She has your golden hair. My dark eyes. The outlines of her face are clearly you, and those are my lips. And I'm pretty certain that's also my nose."
Regina watched Emma carefully as she tried to process this information. Her chest wasn't rising, and Regina was sure she even saw her shiver. Not that she blamed her.
Inside Emma's head, everything was exploding. Nothing made any sense. Their daughter? How was that even possible? If not because of their current relationship, then because of… well, biology. But then again, from the very moment she saw Hayley, she'd looked familiar. Especially her eyes. Looking at her now, it was as if she really saw her for the first time. Those were Regina's eyes, no doubt. She couldn't believe she hadn't seen it earlier. And she did look a lot like herself.
Then another realization hit her – if she was their daughter. That meant that Regina and herself. That they. That somewhere along the line, in the future, they'd fall in love. Something crawled down her spine and pooled in her stomach. What if we already are? She closed her eyes and shook her head. Oh god this is way too much information at the same time. When she opened her eyes again, she found Regina staring at her. Her eyes seemed too big for her face as she was clearly panicking, and her chest rose too quickly. Emma studied her face. Could I really love her? Something rushed through her veins and she gasped, holding a hand to her mouth.
Emma slowly took a step closer to Regina, who stiffened. Don't be scared, Emma thought to herself. She looked into smoldering brown eyes and felt how her stomach flipped. She looked at plum lips, soft cheeks and angled eyebrows. She looked at her now so long, dark hair. She looked at how the dress she wore hugged every curve of her body. She looked at her small feet. As her gaze trailed up Regina's body, it was as if her heart jumpstarted, pounding against her ribcage as if to prove itself. When she locked gazes with the brunette again, she felt how warm tears filled her eyes and washed down her cheeks.
I already do.
"Emma…?" Regina whispered. Her voice was shaking, even if she tried to hide it.
Emma smiled broadly in hearing her name coming from those lips.
"It all makes sense now," she answered.
Regina looked at her and raised and eyebrow.
"I don't think things have ever made less sense."
Emma laughed at Regina's sassy comment.
"Listen to me." Emma took another step towards Regina. She felt the warmth radiate off of the brunette's body.
"Don't you see? This is why we haven't found the author yet. We didn't need to. Because your happy ending was right in front of you, all this time. And so was mine."
Emma smiled as fresh tears slowly dripped from her eyes.
"Emma…" Regina whispered, shaking her head, "Emma, that's crazy."
"No, listen to me", Emma continued, "This is why our magic combined is stronger than anything. This is why we were able to create an eclipse. This is why we were able to destroy the indestructible diamond. This is why, when I touched you all that time ago, the magic hat worked. It was love, Regina. True love. The most powerful magic of all. We might not have been aware of it ourselves, but it was always there, creeping around under the surface. And now that I look at you, now that I really look at you, I think I might subconsciously have known it all along."
While Emma talked, Regina felt something inside her shiver. Like something was shaking loose, waking up. Her breathing was uncomfortably fast, and her hands were sweaty. But it wasn't what she was physically feeling. It was what was going on inside her chest. Her heart fluttered with every word Emma said. It was as if her voice alone brought it to life. She could almost feel how darkness was replaced with pure light. She couldn't explain it. Because she didn't understand it. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. "Happy endings aren't always what we think they'll be." The sentence rang inside her head louder than ever. But this isn't what I want it to be.
"No," Regina croaked.
Emma's eyes widened.
"What?" she whispered.
"I said – no." Regina's heart protested in a painful twist. Stop it. This can't be right. I can't love her. I can't.
"Regina, please…" Emma grabbed Regina's arm, but she yanked it away.
"I said NO, Miss Swan."
Emma's eyes set on fire as anger boiled up inside of her.
"What's wrong with you? Why do you have to deny it? You know I'm right!"
"It can't be like this", Regina said and looked at the ground.
"WHY?" Emma almost screamed, "Give me one good reason."
Regina's eyes remained on the floor as she spoke.
"The Savior and The Evil Queen? You're fooling yourself if you can't see how wrong that is."
"I don't care about right and wrong, Regina!" Emma cried, "Look at me. Damn it Regina, look at me."
Regina raised her head slowly, only to find Emma's face mere inches from her own. She gasped.
"This is real. You feel it, too. I can see it in your eyes no matter how hard you try to deny it. Your eyes speak volumes Regina, and they always have. I'm just seeing them for the first time, right now, right this moment," Emma paused, taking a deep breath.
"You love me," she whispered, her breath warm on Regina's face.
Regina felt her heart skip a beat and she fought back the tears that threatened to spill. She scrunched her face in defense.
"Well you love me too!" she squealed.
Emma simply nodded and stepped closer, their noses brushing.
"I do."
Regina stopped breathing. Her eyes darted down to Emma's pale lip, and back to lock with shimmering emerald. Her eyes are so beautiful, she thought, against her own will. Emma smiled at her warmly, her emotions written all over her face. Regina forced herself to look at the floor, no matter how mesmerized she felt by Emma's entire presence.
"Oh for crying out loud," Emma burst out and suddenly, Regina felt both the blonde's hands around her waist.
Emma crashed her lips against Regina's. If this was what it took for the brunette to let down her walls, then so be it. She begged for entrance with her tongue, and surprisingly, it was granted to her. As Emma felt Regina's tongue entangled with her own, the tension in her stomach exploded. Warmth spread throughout her entire body, licking her skin and bobbling in her veins. But it wasn't any kind of warmth. It was love. She knew now more than ever that she loved Regina.
Regina stiffened at the contact at first, but soon she leaned into it, the feeling of Emma's lips against hers making her knees buckle. She felt how light radiated off of her heart, crackling through her bones, engulfing her in what she tried so hard to deny. But as air no longer seemed to be the number one thing she yearned for, as her skin tingled and everything turned warm and liquid, she knew she had to realize what was so evident and right in front of her. She loved Emma Swan. The Savior, the product of true love. She loved her with everything that she was. And she had done so, ever since the day Emma had disappeared into that hat, seemingly gone forever. She hadn't known what it was she had been feeling, but she had been devastated.
And now, she was pressed against the savior in the most vulnerable position she'd been in in ages. As Emma's hands found their way into her brown locks, Regina moaned low in her throat.
That's when she remembered that they weren't alone.
With one quick movement, Regina released herself from Emma's grip, only to receive a highly confused and hurt look from Emma.
"But I thought – "
Regina interrupted her by holding up a hand.
"You thought right," she said, smiling sheepishly as she felt a blush creep over her face, "But we've got company." She pointed to the two kids who were gawking at them from only a few feet away.
Emma turned around as her face turned bright red.
"Oh crap," she murmured.
Hayley giggled and clapped her hands as she jumped up and down, just like she'd done when she'd first met Emma. Henry threw a fist in the air.
"I knew it!" he screamed with glee, and out of nowhere, he wrapped his long arms around little Hayley, "Thank you. Thank you so much."
Hayley nestled into him and continued giggling.
"They just needed a little push."
Emma and Regina looked at one another and both burst out laughing. It seemed like everyone but themselves had known all along. Emma grabbed Regina's hand an entangled their fingers. The smile she got from Regina was enough to make her whole life worth living.
"I love you," Emma whispered and kissed the brunette's cheek with so much force that they both stumbled sideways. Regina chuckled low in her throat.
"And I love you, you idiot," Regina whispered back.
The next morning, they were all in the kitchen, getting breakfast ready. Hayley had slept in Henry's room and she would have to continue to do so, until they found a way to send her back.
"You know," Hayley spook up, watching as her mothers cooked breakfast just like she was used to, "That room with all the pictures of you and Rocinante? That'll be my room in the future."
Regina looked at her, shocked.
"Really? I can't believe I'd do that…"
"You must really love me," Hayley said and winked.
Regina snorted and got back to the bacon, although not without looking up, winking at her daughter.
Hayley flashed a beaming smile and looked down at her bracelet. Henry caught her gaze.
"What is that thing anyway?" he said, and pointed at her wrist.
"This?" she said, and held up her hand.
Emma looked up.
"Yeah, I've been wondering about that too. You're always playing with it."
Hayley's cheeks turned a light pink.
"You gave it to me. Both of you. On my first birthday. It's a charm bracelet."
They all looked closer as she pointed to the different charms.
"It has all of our family. A crown, for mom. A swan, for ma. The storybook, for Henry. And this is me, the star. It even has a snowflake and a sword for grandma and grandpa."
Emma frowned and was about to say something, before Regina interrupted her.
"Your parents, dear." Regina smirked as Emma stuck out her tongue at her.
"It's beautiful," Emma said, "We've got good taste." She nudged Regina's side, and the brunette smiled warmly.
"I bet it was my idea", Regina muttered under her breath.
"Hey!"
Hayley and Henry both fell into a fit of giggles as their mothers bickered playfully. Although this was all Hayley knew, it was all very new to Henry. He couldn't remember ever having seen either one of them this happy. He wondered how long it would have been until they would have figured this out on their own, had Hayley not paid them all a visit. Then another thought entered his mind… Hayley. His cheeks turned red as he realized what he was about to ask his parents.
"Moms… I have a question."
Both Emma and Regina looked up, smiling at the new term.
"Shoot, kid."
Henry tried to keep eye contact with them, but failed miserably. Instead he just looked down at his hands.
"Since both of you are women. How did you… I mean how did Hayley… It's just that in school they said that…. Um…"
Emma had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from laughing. This was a precious sight she'd never forget. Although, she had wondered this herself, so she looked to Regina in question. He was right. It took a man and a woman to make a child, as everyone knew, so how in the hell did Hayley look like both of them? Regina rolled her eyes, looking at all the confused children staring at her.
"Well my dears. When two people both with magical abilities are in love," her eyes flickered quickly to Emma, only to see emerald eyes melt as she said the word out loud, "When they have true love, it's possible for them to conceive a child. Through the magic of true love."
Both Emma and Henry gaped at her, while Hayley simply nodded. She would know, of course.
"You're shitting me, right?" Emma said.
"Language, Emma," Regina said and gave her a look, "And no, I'm very serious. It's not common, but it does happen. And seeming as our magic is quite powerful, as you said so yourself, I'm not surprised. I'm just wondering who will carry her."
Hayley opened her mouth to answer, but Emma pointed a stiff finger at her.
"Don't even think about it!"
Hayley shut her mouth and looked awfully hurt for a moment. Emma sighed.
"I'd like to leave some things a surprise, okay?"
Hayley lit up then.
"Okay!" she said, laughing.
Regina turned off the knobs on the stove.
"That being said, I think breakfast is pretty much ready. Henry, would you mind getting the plates and setting them at the counter?"
Henry was about to do as he was asked when Hayley spoke up again.
"Oh, we're eating at the counter?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't we?" Emma said.
Hayley's eyes widened and her mouth formed a quiet "oh".
"Right. That didn't happen yet," she said, blushing.
"What are you talking about, darling?" Regina asked with a quirked eyebrow.
Hayley simply ran a finger over her mouth, mirroring the movement of a zipper shutting. Emma and Regina both laughed.
"Suit yourself," Emma said.
As the two women turned to grab the food on the stove, they caught Henry's voice in a low whisper.
"They did it on the counter, didn't they?"
"Yeah…"
Regina and Emma stiffened, their gazes locking as their eyes widened. Both of them had to bite down their laughter, pretending like they hadn't heard. Emma was the first one to speak up, her voice barely audible to Regina.
"Seems like we've got quite a future ahead of us." She smiled warmly at her new lover. She still couldn't believe all of this was happening. Regina smiled back at her, her dark eyes melting as a film of happy tears glistened in them.
"Let's make it count. Starting tonight?" Regina whispered in a husky voice.
Emma gulped.
"Hell yes."