Title: Where You Belonged
Author: AoN
Word Count: 6,100
Genre: Family, Hurt/Comfort
Rating: T
Summary: [Crossover/AU] With a future she never imagined having with Regina and Henry, Emma tries not to think about her past very much. A trip to the West Coast for Henry's sake, however, forces Emma to come to terms with the one time she nearly allowed happiness to get the better of her: her short stay with the Fosters family.
Notes: Once Upon a Time/The Fosters crossover. In regard to both series, this fic takes place two years after their respective first seasons, as if The Fosters began at the same time as Once Upon a Time. Furthermore, in regard to Once Upon a Time, the curse was not real. Also, thanks to tumblr users witchpieceoftoast and alwaysatrombonist for being wonderful betas and for entertaining this idea with me.
Chapter Two
Considering that she would take care of the rest of their forthcoming trip to the West Coast, Regina placed Emma in charge of purchasing their tickets for the convention itself; Emma did not initially protest the matter – after all, how difficult could buying a set of tickets actually be? Oh, Emma really could not have been more wrong.
It was not as simple as going to the website and clicking some 'buy now' link, as Emma previously thought. The week prior to the official tickets sale date, soon after Henry first brought up wanting to attend the event and soon after both his mothers agreed to the family trip, Henry came to Emma, saying something or other about an online registration process in order to buy tickets for the International San Diego Comic Con. It truly was not as easy of a procedure as Emma wrongly believed. From that moment forward, Emma knew that things would only continue to become more and more complicated. In that regard, she had been quite right.
Emma wailed when Henry told her that tickets went on sale at nine in the morning on a Sunday, of all days; Emma always looked forward to sleeping in, even just a bit – at least, what she considered to be a bit – on the weekends, especially when she was off duty and allowed to kick back and relax. Regina, disrupted from the work she had been doing in her home office, checked in on the two of them in the den, wondering what on earth had been going on. For a short moment, Regina was certain that one of their beloved fictional characters had died. Emma's wailing was reduced to a slight pout when Henry clarified that it was nine in the morning, Pacific Standard Time and not their own Eastern Standard Time, which meant noon for them. Henry insisted that she be up by eleven, maybe half past the hour at the very latest. The idea earned a small amount of discontent from Emma, who enjoyed lounging around on her Sunday mornings off, curled up next to Regina.
With a faint smirk that hid the notion that they did so much more than lounging, Regina advocated that it would be a lovely way for them to bond together and, most importantly, to have fun while securing their tickets that made this entire trip possible.
That February Sunday morning, Henry snuck into his mothers' room in order to wake up the still slumbering Emma. Disgruntled, Emma sat up in bed and promised him that she would meet him in his room in a minute. After Henry left, Emma glanced over her shoulder, down at Regina, who was grinning back up at Emma. With a smirk of her own, Emma rolled herself on top of her, knees pinned against Regina's sides. Regina arched her back forward, propping herself up slightly and Emma leaned down, her lips hovering over Regina's, teasingly.
"I have tickets to buy," Emma reminded, sitting back up. She climbed off her partner and left without another word, knowing full right that she had unquestionably earned herself one of those classic Regina glares, but it was worth it.
Coffee-less, which was an amazing feat in its own right, Emma then spent the next hour, as both she and Henry were waiting for the ticket sale to begin, wondering how Henry could have so much energy in the morning, especially considering that the kid had barely gotten any sleep during the night, without a doubt. Emma, who would sleep in past noon everyday if she had ever been given the chance, did not consider herself to be a morning person in the slightest; the same, however, could not be said about Regina – perhaps Henry had learned it from her. He was excited, though, anxious even, about these tickets. He rambled to Emma, who was struggling to pay attention, about the potential scheduling and which panels they should definitely go to, but she didn't need to remember all of them now – Henry would later make an itinerary for all three of them to follow over the course of the four days at the convention (Emma nearly forgot her copy at home on their way to the airport, which made her realize that Henry and Regina had the same glare). Emma, on the other hand, barely slept at all because she was afraid of failing him, but she was not about to reveal that piece of information to the kid (she would later learn that Regina had not slept well either).
As the clock on the computer screen turned to 11.59, Henry insisted that they refresh their current page, just in case his clock was off by a minute or two. The minute between 11.59 and 12 felt as though it was the longest minute, perhaps not of her life, but one that she had not experience in a while. When the clock finally read 12.00, Emma felt her heart leap into her throat. With Henry shouting refresh, Emma clicked on the web browser furiously. In the small amount of commotion they were causing, Regina entered their son's bedroom and lingered over the two of them, looking over Emma's shoulder and trying to bite back a smile caused by the fact that the two of them were sharing the same chair.
What came next was truly frustrating. Emma had always considered herself to be a bit more tech savvy than most. Her previous jobs called for it: being able to track down a person electronically, hack into various accounts. As the browser timed out over and over again, Emma found herself feeling a bit helpless. What could she have done against a blank webpage? At one point, she was ready to check out their order, only to be met with a blank page; she found it difficult to resist the urge to hurl the mouse at the computer monitor.
The second time around at the check out page proved to be more successful. With the confirmation in Emma's inbox, all three jumped in the air, although Regina denied doing such a thing. Later on in the afternoon, Henry informed them that they were among the more fortunate ones – something about a waiting room, or chat room, and trivia questions. Oh, and tickets were sold out after ninety-six minutes.
But most importantly: they had their tickets.
The trip began to feel very real and, as a result, Emma was beginning to realize that she was not as comfortable as she had let on.
Emma tried to keep it in the back of her head, but the task proved itself to be nearly impossible. It would creep up on her, usually when she allowed her mind to wander. Why was she allowing herself to go back there? Was it going to be worth the risk? Was there even a risk or was Emma just being ridiculous about the whole thing?
The following month, Regina, true to her word, took care of everything else – the airfare, the car rental, and the hotel. Although the convention itself only lasted four days, they would be staying for a total of six, claiming that it would be nice to see more than just the convention center itself. After all, how often would they find themselves out there in San Diego?
By this point, the thought of the trip had become a tad overwhelming for Emma. Just the thought of it brought rapid heart rates, shortness of breath, and a crushing feeling of dread, all of which Emma tried to keep mostly to herself. Every now and again, Regina saw that Emma was caught up in her thoughts, bothered by them. Every time, Regina asked if she was okay, if taking this trip would be okay. Every time, Emma reassured her that everything would be fine.
It was a mantra that Emma repeated wordlessly to herself over and over again the morning of their flight. It wasn't just her own nerves that placed herself on edge, but also Henry's. The kid never flown before; he jumped at every little noise, mostly during take off and landing, and turbulence, as little as they experienced, had been a bitch. It took both Emma and Regina to reassure him that this was all normal, that they would have a safe flight, and before Emma could say that they were not going to crash land, Regina shot her a warning glare. That was certainly something he did not need to hear.
They barely had time to settle down in their hotel room when Henry suggested they go to the beach and check out the Pacific Ocean.
After rolling up her jeans and kicking off her shoes, Emma sat down next to Regina on the towel she had laid out only moments before. The sand was still warm from the day's sun when Emma dug in her feet.
They weren't too far from the beach Emma had frequently visited when she was younger – a relatively unknown spot, well, at least it was all those years ago. Whenever they went, there had hardly ever been people around and it often felt as though they had their own private beach, their own little secret getaway. The spot that Emma had taken them now wasn't bad either; there were a few other souls walking along the water, a couple sitting in the sand just as she and Regina were. Emma wished she could have taken them there – to that specific spot, where she had seen the ocean for the first time ever.
Emma remembered being so mesmerized: how could something be so big? So never-ending? The water had gone on for as far as Emma could see, until it met the sky at the horizon. Sometimes, it had even looked like the blues of both the water and sky had blended into each other, making it difficult to tell when one ended and the other began.
The beach had been one of the first few places her last foster family had taken her. They had felt strongly about taking her, especially when they discovered that she had never been; her previous foster family had never thought about taking her. They hadn't taken her much of anywhere. That fact did not sit well with her last family – maybe that was why they had been so keen on taking her? It had been an attempt to make her feel as though she had been part of the family.
It had worked.
It had also set her up for heartbreak.
She vividly remembered, as she watched the magnificent waves, her hand being tugged on by a little boy who had constantly craved for Emma's attention since the day she had been placed into his home with his mothers. The kid, if memory served her correctly, could not have been older than three at the time. Or maybe he had been four? Or pretty close to his fourth birthday? Regardless, he had always wanted to play.
Being at the beach did not change the matter, not in the slightest.
Brandon – that was his name, Emma was absolutely certain about that – he had tugged at her hand, asking her if she wanted to build a sandcastle with him. Emma would not have been able to turn him down, even if she had wanted to. He had been so smitten with her; Emma had never experienced that before and she had not wanted that to change. For a little while, she had been nearly certain that it wouldn't.
When Emma had confessed that she had never built a sandcastle before, his eyes had grown wide. He had turned to his mothers and shouted the revelation, shouted how he just had to teach Emma. As fast as his little legs could carry him, Brandon had gone to fetch his bucket and his shovel, shouting things about castle walls, seashells, moats, and drawbridges.
There had been a lot of smiles that day, as well as a sense of belonging that had felt so foreign. Emma had tried to push it away, ignore it. How could they have made her felt like that in such a short period of time? She had been part of families that did not even notice that she was there half the time. Her last family, that family, they had been so different from all the others. As the time pasted, Emma had really wanted them to be different.
That kid… he'd be around seventeen now.
Emma felt Regina's arm wrap around her waist, an action that caused her to pull away from her thoughts and distant memories. A meek smile tugged on Emma's lips as she watched Henry taking his few first steps into the water. So maybe it wasn't his first time seeing the ocean – he'd grown up in a coastal town, after all, but it was his first time seeing the Pacific Ocean and that counted for something, right? The camera that hung around his neck was clenched tightly in his hands, for his fear that he would drop it into the ocean. He was peeking through the viewfinder and clicking away. It had been a matter of hours, and already neither of his moms could fathom the amount of pictures they would be skimming through when they returned to Storybrooke.
And, well, speaking of returning to Storybrooke…
"Is there even a remote chance that you guys have had your fill of this place already?" Emma asked, half jokingly, eyes never leaving Henry, who was out of hearing range.
"I can't imagine what you've gone through, Emma," Regina replied, softly. "But I imagine – I see – that it has taken a lot of courage for you to come back here after all this time. I'm proud of you, dear."
"Please," Emma murmured, resting her head against Regina's shoulder. "I think you'd be so far from proud if you knew exactly how I was feeling right now."
Henry turned around, his back now to the ocean, and aimed his camera at his mothers. Regina tilted her head toward Emma's and they both forced a smile for him. After a few clicks, Henry turned his attention back to the ocean, to the setting sun.
"It's only natural to feel nervous, afraid even, Emma," Regina pointed out. "And I would still remain proud, regardless of the matter. Not many people would have returned."
"Natural to feel afraid?" Emma repeated, followed by a snort. "This coming from the person who's probably never felt such a thing."
"There have plenty of times where even I have been afraid, dear," Regina insisted.
"Really?"
"Certainly, have you already forgotten setting the microwave on fire?" Regina reminded. "I was afraid you'd burn down the entire house."
"That was an accident," Emma grumbled under her breath.
"Doesn't mean I was any less afraid," Regina said. "There have also been a handful of times, with Henry. He was a very adventurous little boy. And then, of course," her voice trailed off slightly. "There were times with my mother."
"Your mother?" Emma asked. Regina pulled her arm away as Emma sat up a bit straighter and turned towards her, eyebrows furrowing at the revelation. "You've never really talked about her before." Frankly, Emma had always assumed that both of Regina's parents had passed.
"All for good reason, dear. Perhaps even the same as those that keep you from revealing your own," Regina responded. "We all have our pasts, Emma; we all have things we're afraid of and things that we wish we could forget. It's our experience that ultimately shapes who we are as individuals and it is the relationships that we hold close that continue to do so."
"…I wouldn't be the person I am today without you guys," Emma admitted in a mutter, placing her hand over Regina's. Their fingers laced and interlocked together. "I'm really glad Henry had the guts to go to Boston," she added with a light chuckle, staring down at their joined hands.
"Ah, yes, another fine example of being frightened to wit's end," Regina commented.
"I think that's the only other time I've seen you scared," Emma commented.
"What you saw, dear, was relief," Regina corrected. "And I'm glad that you drove him back yourself instead of putting him on a bus straight back to Storybrooke. Please remember that I'm here for you this week, Emma. I'm always here for you."
"I'll remember," Emma promised. "And I you."
"Moms!"
Both Regina and Emma looked up. Henry dragged his feet through the sand, over to the two of them, a wide grin plastered on his face as though a part of him still couldn't believe that they were actually here. Emma could not help but smile in return. It was rather infectious.
Henry forced his way between the both of them, sitting down. After taking his camera off his neck, he held it out at arm's length, pointing the lens back at the three of them. They scrunched in, close together, and Henry took what was probably the first of many family photographs.
"You ready to head back to the hotel, kid?" Emma asked.
"Can we get dinner somewhere first?" Henry responded.
"Is there even a shred of hope that you two would be willing to try the fresh, local seafood?" Regina suggested, but nearly in unison, Emma and Henry wrinkled their noses at the thought, cuing Regina to roll her eyes. "Or perhaps we can order a pizza instead."
xxxx
In retrospect, now that a more relaxed Emma could look back on it with a clearer head, the first day of the convention was not as terrible, nor as completely dreadful as she had hyped it up to be. She wished she could have had that particular revelation sooner – maybe she could have had a restful night's sleep instead of tossing and turning into the early morning hours to Regina's dismay.
From the second they arrived to the convention center Thursday morning until nearly the end of the of panels that first day, Emma was continuously looking over her shoulder, jumping slightly at the sound of a voice that seemed too familiar, or if she thought she heard her name coming from someone other than Regina or Henry. Emma tried, she really did, to not seem as distracted as she was. She tried to focus on the panels that Henry brought them to: Breaking into Comics the Marvel Way, and the House of Ideas, among others. It seemed like the general theme of their day, at least, was Marvel.
The Marvel professionals in front of the room (7AB, to be exact – Emma noticed that they had spent quite a bit of time in that room the first day) spent their time discussing every possible corner of the comic book business, being on the cutting edge of technology while continuing to give the readers what they love, and sharing their own insider tips, advice, as well as their firsthand experience of what it actually takes to start a career. Instead of paying attention, Emma's mind was wondering, playing different scenarios of events she did not want to occur, and jumping to conclusions that she hoped would never be.
It would not be until they decided to grab an early dinner after they had wandered the sales floor for a bit that Emma finally relaxed and allowed herself to let her guard down a little, thanks to a little coaxing and reassurance from Regina. They were attending an event that included an audience of 150 thousand guests in a city of 1.3 million inhabitants. They blended into a sea of faces belonging to no one but strangers and they would continue to do so during the remaining three days of the convention and the rest of the time they would be in town.
Emma was going to be okay, Regina stressed.
She was going to be okay, Emma told herself for the umpteenth time. And, more importantly, Henry was enjoying everything.
Emma went to their last panel of the day, back in good ol' room 7AB, with a slightly clearer state of mind: The Most Dangerous Women at Comic Con: Dual Identities. It was not on their initial itinerary, but Regina insisted that they go upon finding it on the official Comic Con schedule herself. No one had any objections against the matter and it was kind of cool to hear from an array of actresses, stuntwomen, and comic book creators, as well as others.
The morning of the second day, Emma woke up feeling calmer. She felt more like herself, even managed to crack a joke to Henry's horror: he sincerely hoped that his mothers did not pack a Supergirl and Wonder Woman costume. They couldn't dress up, he protested – at least, not today! Any other day, but today!
His reasoning?
Today was the day they were scheduled to meet Stan Lee – Stan Lee – and they absolutely could not be dressed as characters from the DC universe. Out of all the four days of the convention, he was most excited for today and for this very reason: because Stan Lee was going to be there!
It did not matter how loudly Henry said his name, Emma had no idea who the man was. She just nodded along, perplexed. Regina would later quietly explain that he was the current chairman and president of Marvel comics and, although he had done quiet a bit of work in the DC universe, they should probably respect Henry's wishes.
To which Emma replied, "Wait – there actually are costumes?"
And could they actually use them… elsewhere?
The only response that came from Regina was a crooked smirk.
After Stan Lee's World of Heroes, Henry thought it best that they split up for the following two events. They probably should get in line for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel, but Henry also wanted to go to the Ultimate Universe panel that took place beforehand. The Ultimate series was among his favorites – Regina's too, not that she would actually admit it. In a single exchanged glance, Emma and Regina managed to exchange an entire conversation: Regina would go with Henry to the next panel and Emma would be the one who'd hold a spot in line for the three of them.
Emma expected a long line, but what she encountered did not exactly consist of such. To say that the line was long was probably the biggest understatement of the year and it was still only July. The line was enormous and by the time she found her spot in it after all the twists and turns, her hope of getting the rest of her family inside dwindled.
With a heavy sigh, Emma fetched her cellphone from her jeans' pocket: between spider-man and half the x-men. doesnt look good. She sent off the text to Regina and looked up from the small screen, hoping that the people would have had scattered miraculously. No one had budged, as expected.
The phone vibrated in her hand. That's not entirely helpful, considering where we are, dear, Regina wrote back. The corner of Emma's lips tugged into a faint smirk.
i think supermans behind em
Hilarious. We will find you in a little over an hour. Perhaps we can still get in, Regina replied.
Emma shrugged slightly at the phone before responding once more, keepin fingers crossed – u two have fun. After a moment, she added: miss u, but after shaking her head at herself, she quickly deleted it and sent the message as it was. It was silly; she felt silly, even if it was, at the very least, a tiny bit true. Emma wasn't fond of being out in the open, here of all places, by herself. And, you know, Regina did say that she'd be here for Emma, but she was off at a different panel. She was not with Emma. She was not—
"You're gonna be okay," Emma murmured to herself.
As Spiderman sat down in front of her, Emma followed suit. Spidey had the right idea, after all. If they were going to be waiting around for another while longer, they might as well sit down and relax, right?
Absent-mindedly, Emma stared at the screen of her phone, eavesdropping in on the conversations taking place around her. It seemed as though everyone shared a similar concern: would they be able to get in? Maybe? The panel was taking place in one of the bigger rooms, so surely they'd be able to get in. There was chattering about previous events, findings on the salesroom floor, and something or other about fairytales – Emma only caught the end of that conversation. Something along the lines of a new animated horror series.
Soon enough, she found herself tuning out to the conversations. They all became just a buzzing background noise as she played one of the few flash games on her phone, mindful of the battery per Regina's request, even though it was still pretty charged.
As she cleared level after level, Emma lost track of time and awareness to what was occurring around her. She jumped, phone nearly flying out of her hands, when someone tapped her shoulder. Heart racing, Emma looked up to see Regina and Henry standing over her. She sighed loudly in relief.
"Seriously?" she murmured under her breath, hoisting herself up from the ground.
"It wasn't difficult to find you, surprisingly enough," Regina commented.
"So, how was the panel?" Emma asked.
Henry responded with an immediate frown. "Fine," he mumbled, looking forward, over Spidey's shoulder, at the line which had just started to move. "We're pretty far back," he complained. "What if we don't get in?"
"We'll get in, dear. Don't worry," Regina reassured, but Henry was less than hopeful about the entire situation, as Emma gathered from the look on his face: the frown did not disappear.
Moving along with the line, Emma shuffled her feet, Henry and Regina at her side as they continued to move forward. As they drew closer and closer to the entrance of the conference room, Emma's heart began to pound harder, louder in her ears. As they walked passed the security guards, Emma felt it leap into her throat, half expecting for them to be held back, to be told that the room had reached its capacity, and that they could not go in.
But they didn't get stopped; they got in.
With matching looks of relief, they followed the line and the ushers to their seats, which they took near the back. Emma was just glad that they managed to get in, and she was sure Henry felt the same at some level, but as she glanced over to him, she saw his nose scrunch slightly. She knew that nose scrunch. Regina was also guilty of that nose scrunch. Emma left the box of cereal on the counter? Oh, no, that's fine, nose scrunch. Dirty clothes on the bathroom floor? No, it's okay, really, nose scrunch.
"What's up?" Emma asked.
Herny sat up a bit straighter to get a better look at the stage and then turned to Emma. "We're kinda far back," he needlessly pointed out.
Emma shrugged her shoulders slightly, "Yeah, well-"
"I'm gonna go see if there's a spot up front!"
Before Emma could protest, Henry had already taken off from his seat and down the aisle. Emma quickly turned to Regina, flabbergasted as to what she should do.
"I've got my eye on him and he has his phone," Regina assured. "It's highly unlikely he'll find a spot, dear. He'll be back soon."
With a frown, Emma slowly sank back down into her own seat, arms folded over her chest. "So, that was a close call, huh?"
"Indeed," Regina agreed. "I believe there may be some revisions to the itinerary tonight to account for the longer lines for the more popular attractions."
"I don't think I would have been able to handle that disappointment. And honestly, at some point yesterday, I lost my copy of the itinerary. I've just been following you guys around," Emma confessed. "I mean, I didn't lose it intentionally! I put it in my back pocket and it slipped out, but I bet you anything it's in room 7AB. Anything."
"I printed an extra copy for such an occasion," Regina replied. "Remind me to give it to be this evening at the hotel room."
"You planned for me to-"
Emma found herself grinning as Regina glanced at her from the corner of her eye. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, fine," Emma murmured. "Thanks then."
"Perhaps you'd prefer a digital copy?"
"You know, that would be easier – hey!" Emma felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. "Did you-?"
"I assure you that's not me, dear."
Emma fetched her phone and read Henry's text message aloud: "'Found seat front row.' Huh, kid's luckier than we gave him credit for. He'll be alright on his own, right?"
Regina nodded. "Tell him we'll be waiting here, at our original seats, for him after the panel is over," she instructed. "And tell him to enjoy. If I recall correctly, out of everything here, this is the one he's been looking forward to the most."
Emma typed away at the screen pad, her head bobbling alone as Regina spoke. "You know," Emma spoke up after she sent the message. "This is the first time in the entire trip that we've been alone," she pointed out.
"You're right," Regina confirmed.
"It'll probably the only time we're alone," Emma observed, leaning closer to Regina. "So, I gotta ask: those costumes. Are they real?"
Although she smiled, Regina had to fight back a laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know, Sheriff," she replied slyly.
"Here's the thing, Madam Mayor: I'm conducting an investigating and it is absolutely crucial that I know the whereabouts of these costumes – if they even exist," Emma explained.
"I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of these costumes, Sheriff," Regina stated. "But I must ask you a simple question: are you aware that Wonder Woman has a whip?"
Emma's eyebrows rose. "Seriously?"
"Answer your phone, dear."
"Hmm?" Emma had not been aware that it had gone off again, but sure enough, there was a reply from Henry waiting for her. thnx! just met this kid named julia. shes pretty cool. c u guys after. "Henry's made a friend," Emma informed, showing Regina her phone.
"That's excellent," Regina smiled.
Before Emma could get back on track and continue to interrogate about the costumes, the lights dimmed, causing the audience to explode with a thunderous amount of applauding, cheering, and even yelling – it was something they have yet to experience at the convention. Emma turned her attention back to the stage and listened to the announcer. The crowd calmed slightly, but not for too long. They cheered at each guest star revelation, at the end of each special sneak peek and clip, and especially when an actor hinted at potential spoilers that they could not reveal. This portion took up most of the scheduled time. As the fan questions came to an end, so did the panel itself, cuing a rush for the exit, for people to get to their next scheduled events.
The crowd moved by slowly; Regina and Emma stayed in their seats and only rose when Henry had texted Emma: almost there.
"There they are! Moms!" Henry called out.
Emma smiled, spotting Henry in the line of people coming up towards them. "Hey kid," she called back, looking behind him to spot this new friend of his. "How'd you-" She paused in mid-sentence, felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of her. Emma took a small side step, running into Regina. Her eyes had grown wide, but she tried her damnest to not look shocked, horrified even.
Because at an event attended by 130 thousand people in a city of 1.3 million people, it would be Emma's luck to run into one of the two people she really did not want to run into. Walking up behind Henry was Stef. Stef Foster. She had been one of Emma's last foster parents, her and her partner Lena.
In every scenario that Emma had thought up, she had always envisioned a plan of escape. She never imagined being trapped in a row of seats, Regina blocking her and then being descended up. If she truly wanted, Emma still could hop over the row and disappear into the crowd. She could still do it-
"Emma! Mom!" Henry said breathlessly, grinning. "This is Julia! She's even painted her nails like the TARDIS – blue's her favorite color," he introduced as the girl came around from behind Stef. "And her brother, Jesus," Henry continued, gesturing towards the older teenager that still stood behind Stef. "And their mom, one of their moms, Stef."
Henry then turned to his newly acquainted friends. "Guys, this is-"
"Emma," Stef finished for him, with a slight nod. "Yeah, we've, uh, we've definitely met before. It's good to see you again, Emma. It's been a long time."
"Um, y-yeah," Emma stuttered, practically leaning against Regina. Her knees were shaking uncontrollably; her hands formed into fists at her sides, with her nails digging painfully into her palms. It was a wondering how she was still standing at all. "Uh, you too and, um, this is my-" Emma found herself pausing as she glanced over her shoulder at Regina. Emma bit down on her lip slightly and then turned back to Stef. Was that really a genuine smile? Why was Stef smiling? Why wasn't she upset? Emma'd be upset. "This is Regina," she finally introduced.
"Nice to meet you," Stef said, reaching out to shake Regina's hand.
"Pleasure," Regina replied with a force smile.
"How do you guys know each other?" Jesus spoke up, shifting his gaze from Stef to Emma.
"It's uh, well," Emma's voice trailed off.
"Emma stayed with us, for a little while," Stef replied. "Many years ago – Brandon was still very little. Man, I really wish Lena could see you now."
"Maybe she can," said Julia. "What if they come over for dinner?"
"Yeah!" Henry exclaimed, excitedly. "Can we?"
"Can they?" Julia asked, looking up at Stef.
"Uh, sure," Stef answered with a small shrug. "I mean, if you guys are free-"
"We have another panel to go to," Emma quickly interjected. "We really don't want to miss it-"
"Tomorrow?" Henry interrupted. "We actually don't have anything on our itinerary for tomorrow evening. None of the panels really stuck out," he admitted. "We were just planning on chilling out at the hotel all night."
"Oh, really?" Stef turned to Emma. "Well, if you guys do want to come, you're more than welcome. It'd be nice to catch up, don't you think?"
Emma's stomach had turned over, making her feel incredibly sick. Emma was drawing a blank, unable to come up with any excuse to give Stef. She shot a tiny glance over her shoulder towards Regina, expecting for her to say something, anything, that would somehow get them out of this, but Regina only stayed silent.
"We'd, uh," Emma murmured before clearing her throat and forcing a small smile. She felt as though she was slowly dying on the inside. "Yeah, sure, we'd like to go. I mean, if you're not busy or anything. If you're busy, then it's all right. Then, forget it."
"Oh, no," Stef shook her head. "I'm sure we've got an open schedule, too. Then we'll see you tomorrow?"
Emma's mouth dried suddenly, making it difficult to speak. "Yeah, tomorrow."
To be continued
