NOTE: Brief mention of the pirate, nothing major. Thanks for reading!
Emma Swan considered herself an intelligent woman, which is why she had agreed to meet the Mills women in the first place. After being contacted by Senator Gold and his people, she had made it a point to lay low. Emma wanted no part of the obvious drama, and while she thought of her son often throughout the years, Emma always held out the hope that the boy was happy and had found a good home. The kind of home she had once dreamed of having for herself. Gold's assistant, Killian Jones, had come off as smarmy and cheesy, and his attempts at flirting were met with Emma's stone-faced refusal to speak to them or give statements regarding the woman who adopted her son. Realizing that her birth son was now a Governor's son, living in a mansion, and maybe even soon to be the President's son, made Emma confident she had done the right thing in giving the boy up for adoption. And now here she was, in Maine, meeting the family he had gone to, and wondering why they had contacted her. Emma suspected there would be a shakedown before the night was over, maybe even a deal offered, but Emma knew that there was nothing they could offer her that would make her change her mind. She had already decided she didn't want to blow her anonymity. Emma rather liked the quiet life, even if it was a lonely life- it was all hers. She owed no one anything, and she liked it that way.
Emma came into to the formal dining room, brought by a butler where Cora met her. Emma was instantly intimidated by the older woman, with her dark shark-like eyes and a smile that did not quite reach the rest of her face. Cora explained that Regina would be joining them shortly, as she was in the powder room.
"How was the drive here from the airport?"
"Just great, Mrs. Mills. Thank you for sending a driver. And as for the ticket, I can take care of that…"
"Nonsense, Emma. It was something we wanted to do, and please, call me Cora."
"Well, thank you. Will your grandson be joining us?" Emma nervously asked.
"Henry is not here."
"Henry. That's a good name, a strong name," Emma said as she nodded and took the seat at the table Cora directed her to.
"It was my father's name," a voice sounded from behind Emma, and she quickly stood again as Regina entered the room, "Henry shares a name with his grandfather."
Emma knew her birth son was named Henry, but now that she knew why it made her happy that he was a part of this family, he was loved.
Having seen the woman many times on television, Emma thought she was ready for the sight of the candidate, but honestly, television didn't do Regina justice at all. She was smaller than Emma imagined, although Emma read once that people on television often appeared taller and weightier than they were. Regina had a presence that made her seem so compelling during interviews and campaign speeches. Emma had watched anything she could find on YouTube, and she had been impressed by Regina's ideas and sincerity. That power Emma had seen on the screen was still part of her persona, and the woman was gorgeous in a way that made Emma's mouth dry. Her hair was cut short in layers, in a flattering way that framed her face perfectly. Her eyebrows were perfectly sculpted and her make-up, though heavy, didn't come across as garish or overdone. Her brown eyes appeared almost black as they reflected little light from the chandelier in the room, and her red lips, marked by a scar on the top of her mouth, cracked in an easy smile. Pointed heels made Regina inches taller than Emma, giving her a slight height advantage over the blonde. Emma was certain she had never seen a more beautiful woman in her life.
"Miss Swan, it is lovely to meet you. I'm Regina Mills."
Emma took the extended delicate hand in hers and shook it lightly. Cora noted the way Emma looked at her daughter and decided to file that information away for a later time.
The three women quietly sat again, and a bowl of soup placed in front of Emma by a nameless server who was in and out of her space before she could take notice or offer thanks.
"Lobster bisque," Cora said, noting that Emma seemed both nervous and wary.
"Thank you. You have a lovely home, Mrs.- I mean, Cora."
"Thank you, Emma. It's been in the Mills family for four generations. I hope to pass it to my daughter someday, and then, I imagine, it will go to Henry after."
Emma smiled, "He's a lucky boy."
"No Emma, I'd say I am the lucky one," Regina said, carefully dabbing at her red lips with her cloth napkin.
"Why am I here?" Emma suddenly asked, no longer willing to suffer through pleasantries and ready to come off as brash if need be.
"To the point, I respect that, Emma," Cora began. "We understand Senator Gold, and his people, have contacted you. Henry's was a closed adoption, yet somehow, your identity has been discovered, along with your background, which includes your issues with the law. Regina is running in an election fraught with dirty tactics thrown at her on a near daily basis. She thinks it's because she's a woman, but as I have said, I believe that this is just the nature of the business these days. Politics are dirty. We can't have something like this derail our progress, or derail her nomination. We intend to get to D.C. in November, Emma."
"I can't have my son hurt by this, Miss Swan. He is my world," Regina spoke, her tone and demeanor all business.
"I don't want him to be hurt, either. I hope you believe that. I was offered money by them, but I turned it down. I don't want or need it."
"Everyone needs money, Miss Swan," Cora interrupted.
"All I need is a roof over my head; the rest is unimportant."
"What can we do to help you, Emma?" Regina asked.
"I don't need anything from you, from either of you," Emma shook her head, looking down and fidgeting with the napkin in her lap.
"Everyone has a price," Regina said, even though saying the words made her feel dirty. She met Emma's defiant verdant stare, and almost looked away. Emma's eyes were intense, they made Regina nervous, and it had been years since anyone made her feel that way.
"Listen, lady, maybe this is how things work in your world, but not in mine. I came here because I certainly expected something like this to go down, but I wanted to ask about him. About what he likes, what his favorite cartoons are, what games he enjoys. Not a day has gone by without me wondering about his life."
"He is a beautiful boy, Emma. You'd be very proud," Cora said, knowing that Emma was deeply insulted and hoping not to make things worse.
"I have raised him to be a respectable young man, Emma. He is very mature, and he has excellent manners. I don't allow him to watch much television. I would rather he spend his time reading or being outdoors."
"Does he have friends?"
"What kind of silly question is that?" How dare this stranger question me!
"What is the name of one of his friends?" Emma was now operating on a hunch, but her hunches were usually right. Surely with campaigns and working her job, Regina did not spend as much time with Henry as she wanted Emma to believe.
Regina scoffed, "I didn't come here to be grilled by the likes of you."
"That's what I thought," Emma stood. "Thanks for the invite, will the driver return me to the airport, Cora?"
"If that's what you want Emma, but I wish you would stay and finish the meal with us," the older Mills implored.
"You don't have to worry about me talking to anyone, Cora. If I were going to do that, I would have done it already. I only have one question for you, Regina."
Regina looked up into Emma's green eyes, the look on the blonde woman's face so earnest and open; it reminded her instantly of Henry. "What is it?"
"Do you love him?"
Without hesitation, Regina responded, "More than my life."
"That's all I needed to know. Good evening, ladies."
Regina immediately tossed her linen napkin on the table then got up and followed Emma out to the front of the house.
"Miss Swan, wait."
"Regina, let it go. I am not here to take your son from you. I gave him up because I wanted him to have a fighting chance, and he obviously got all that and more. I only wanted to be sure he was okay. That is all I have ever wanted," Emma said as she stepped out onto the circular driveway.
"Would you like to meet him?"
"Are you serious?" Emma turned to face Regina, looking into her eyes and finding no malice or deceit there.
"Against my better judgment, yes, I am very serious. Henry knows he is adopted. If our sources are right, news about you will hit the press within the next week. I would rather he hear the specifics from me before anyone else, and if you're here, he can ask questions. Trust me; he will have them."
"What is the expectation, Regina? What do you see happening," Emma asked, folding her arms across her chest.
"This is going to open a door I am not sure I want open, but I don't see how I can avoid it," Regina sighed and held a hand splayed across her stomach, looking exhausted and defeated. It made Emma immediately want to comfort her. Perhaps she had misjudged the candidate. Regina seemed to have Henry's best interests in mind, and Emma appreciated that she was at least trying with her.
"I am not looking to take him from you or to replace you in any way. I hope you understand that. I never thought this day would even come, where the opportunity to meet him would even be an option. I thought maybe after he was eighteen there was the possibility he would find me, but it was going to be a small shot. I wasn't expecting anything to come of this, but I would like the chance to explain things to him, but only if you're okay with that, of course."
"I think that would be a good thing, for you both," Regina surprised herself with the statement, thinking that maybe it was the politician in her, looking for any weakness in her opponent. Deep down Regina already knew Emma was not a threat and she decided she didn't want to fight with Henry's birth mother. She had a bigger fight on her hands with Gold and the election, and her son and his feelings needed to come first in this matter.
"Thank you, Regina. Thank you," Emma repeated, noting that Regina was shivering, she directed them both back inside, placing her hand on Regina's lower back as she guided her through the front door, neither woman noticing that Cora had been watching the whole scene play out with interest from a window on the second floor.
After deciding that Emma would stay at the Mills estate while Regina spoke with and prepared Henry, Cora showed Emma to a guest room that had been set up for her. The room itself was bigger than Emma's studio apartment, and she attempted to play off that she wasn't as impressed as she was. The bed itself was large and ornate, and the mattress nothing like the thin one she slept on in Boston. She fell asleep easily, and for the first time in years, she slept peacefully through the night.
"So, you found my birth mom, and you want me to meet her?"
"Yes, Henry, I did."
"You did?" Henry raised an eyebrow, and Regina knew she was not fooling him.
"Well, maybe not me, but she's been found. I don't want to pressure you, but I am giving you the option. You're almost eleven years old. Old enough to make the decision to meet her, I believe."
"They were going to use this against you, weren't they?" Henry looked up at his mother and pursed his lips. He disliked the dirty part of his mother's job, and while she had always done what she could to protect him from knowing some of the things she had to deal with, he read enough newspapers to know Senator Gold was not a nice man.
"Really Henry, you're too darn smart," Regina teased, ruffling her son's hair.
"Mom, I want you to know this doesn't change our relationship. I am curious about her, but I won't let her overshadow you."
"Of course you won't, Henry, I cannot say I am overly concerned. You let us worry about creating those boundaries, okay?"
"No fighting? Promise?"
"Now, that promise I can't make. You're important to me, and if I have to-"
"Yes, yes, I know, you won't hesitate to drop her, I know you, mom. You must control yourself a little more if you want to be president. They're going to give you nuclear codes, ya know?"
"Yes, I do know. Thank you for being sensible, even when your mother isn't. If I win, I'm making you my chief of staff."
"You mean when you win, mom, when. I'll only take the job if I get an office and a cute secretary."
"Go get dressed, little man," Regina tossed a pillow from her bed at her laughing son as he ran down the hallway back to his bedroom.
TBC