"Snow cones! Ice cream!" Henry squealed, taking Owen's hand and dragging him along as he ran towards the frosty cream truck. Emma and Regina chuckled as they walked leisurely behind them, taking in the scenery of the hot sunny day.
"This was a good idea," Emma said, smiling at the woman next to her. "Owen loves coming here. Feeding the ducks, playing on the playground, riding his bike. It's good to get some fresh air. Sometimes Mary Margaret and I even teach class out here," Regina said.
Emma glanced over at the woman, noticing how she was practically glowing in the sunlight. The light breeze rippled through her hair, lightly pulling apart the strands she had sprayed to keep in place. Her eyes were lit up and her cheeks glowed. She looked absolutely stunning.
Emma wondered how it would be to walk alongside her, hand in hand. She imagined how it would feel to lay her head on the woman's shoulder, feeling her chuckle as the blonde would say something to make her laugh.
Realizing Regina noticed her staring, Emma quickly shook off the daydream and continued walking. "So, what should I know about you?" The brunette asked. "What do you want to know?" Emma answered with a question of her own. A mischievous smile broke across the older woman's face as she jogged ahead of them.
The blonde stared in confusion until Regina returned with two sweet treats in her hand. "Dreamsicle? Or fudge bar?"
Emma giggled and reached for the fudge bar. The brunette pulled back and playfully took a bite before handing it to her. "Hey!" Emma laughed, jumping out of the way to protect her food. "Okay, okay. I'll ask a real question." Regina surrendered. "What is pregnancy like?"
Emma almost stopped walking, as the question took her by surprise. Regina noticed the look on her face and opened her mouth to apologize. "No, no. It's okay." Emma reassured her, letting her hand ghost over the older woman's arm.
"It's… incredible. And messy and terrible and painful and wonderful all at once. Having a little being that you created with a person you love- "Emma cut off, then forced herself to go on. She wasn't going to let Neal continue to hurt her and taint her bond with Henry.
"Having someone that loves you unconditionally and needs you is one of the thoughts that kept me going. When the pain got to be too much or when my hormones would mess with my emotions, I would think it was just 4 more months, 3 more months until I could finally meet him. I would be happy again, we would be a family."
Regina smiled and absent-mindedly rubbed her flat tummy. "I always wondered what that would be like."
Emma glanced at her curiously but didn't comment. "Mom! Emma!" Can we go feed the ducks?" Owen asked. "Sure." Regina answered. Emma was surprised when the boy grabbed her hand and tugged her forward. Henry held onto her free hand and pulled her forward towards the duck pond.
Regina sat on a bench and watched Emma with the boys. The blonde laughed as Owen climbed on her back, holding on tight. Her blonde curls swayed in the light breeze, her radiant smile lighting up her whole face in the sunlight.
Owen's face was lit up in delight. It was nice seeing her son be so open with someone. It had been so long since he let an adult other than his mother become close to him. The brunette thought back to the day she had received the terrible news of Kurt's death.
"I drew a picture for Daddy!" Little Owen ran up to Regina, grinning ear to ear as he showed her the piece of paper scribbled with crayon. "That's lovely, dear. You'll have to show it to Daddy when he gets home." The woman answered, hanging it up on the fridge.
She suddenly noticed there were three people in the picture. "Who is this?" She asked, pointing to the woman on the right. It was labeled 'Mommy 'Gina'. "That's you." Owen answered. "And that's me and Daddy. And that's our puppy!"
Regina smiled, touched at the picture. "Can me and Scooby have some apple pie?" The boy asked, referring to his imaginary dog. Kurt had been thinking about getting Owen a puppy to teach him some responsibility. Regina had encouraged the idea, even volunteering to take care of the animal.
The woman had just gotten Owen settled with some dessert when her phone rang. "Miss Mills?" A voice said on the line. "This is she. Who am I speaking with?" Regina asked. "This is Sheriff Graham. I'm afraid there's been an accident with Kurt."
Soon, Regina was loading Owen up and taking him to stay with Ruby while she headed to the hospital. "How is he?" She asked the doctor. Whale led her back to the man's hospital room, a grim look on his face. "Kurt fell of the roof at Marco's house. It appears he suffered a heart attack. We were able to revive him, but he has severe internal bleeding and head trauma. He most likely won't make it through the night."
Tears filled Regina's eyes as she sat next to the man's bedside. Kurt had complained about having some chest pains this morning and seemed a little out of breath, but Regina hadn't known it would turn into this. She was worried and encouraged the man to take the day off, but Kurt had dismissed her concerns, joking about getting old.
With one last hug for both of them, Kurt had left in a good mood. He had been determined to help Marco finish patching his roof, as a storm was coming in.
"I'm here, Kurt. I'm right here." Regina stroked the man's hand, trying to stay strong. "You're going to be okay. Owen needs you… I need you. Just please stay with us."
The only answer to that was the steady beeping of the heart monitor. The machines behind him whirred, causing his chest to rise and fall. The man couldn't even breathe on his own. Regina had called Ruby and updated her, asking her to not tell Owen about how bad his father was.
Kathryn came to the hospital, bringing Regina an overnight bag. "Hey. How's everything going?" Her friend asked, embracing her. "No change." The brunette answered, wiping at her eyes. "Well you call me if you need anything. Owen is taken care of, Ruby said she would stay with him."
Regina stayed beside Kurt all night, talking to him and even showing him the picture Owen had drawn earlier that day. Suddenly, she woke to the alarms dinging loudly. Regina looked up at the screen to see Kurt's heart rate was plummeting.
"You need to go. Now." Whale had ordered, forcing her out into the hallway. The woman slid down the wall, clutching Owen's picture tightly in her hand. She prayed that Kurt would pull through. Over and over she whispered until finally the doctor re-emerged.
The look on his face said it all. Regina numbly entered the room, her eyes glued to the lifeless form on the bed. A sob erupted from her throat, and she covered her mouth to muffle the sound. How was she supposed to tell Owen? That in a matter of not even a year he had lost both parents, and now he was alone?
He was still waiting at home for his dad to return, probably excitedly telling Ruby about the puppy he dreamed of owning. Regina filled out the paperwork that was necessary before driving back to her house.
She circled the block about five times before finally pulling into the driveway. It was still very early in the morning, and the sun had yet to rise. "Regina!" Owen greeted her with a big hug as she entered the house. The woman noticed he was dressed in his pajamas but hadn't yet gone to sleep, judging by the dark circles in under his eyes.
Ruby immediately knew what had happened. "Ruby said you were at the hospital with Daddy. Is he okay?" The little boy asked. Regina knelt in front of him, trying to find the words to tell him what happened. "Your Daddy was very hurt when he fell off the roof." She began.
"Daddy hurts himself all the time. One time he fell down the stairs and broke his arm." Owen said, not fazed by his father's condition. It was a regular occurrence. "This isn't like that, dear." Regina said, smiling sadly.
Owen's smile faded, and he became worried. "Is he okay?" He asked again. Regina shook her head, tears in her eyes. "No. No sweetie, he's not. He passed away not too long ago." She spoke. Owen's breathing hitched, and his bottom lip began to quiver.
"He's dead? Like Mommy?" He asked. Regina looked up at the ceiling, tears falling down her face. "Yes." She answered. Owen hugged her tightly, breaking down in tears. "I'm so sorry, baby." Regina held him, kissing his cheek.
Long after Ruby had left, Regina held Owen in her arms. The boy had cried himself to sleep, finally passing out of exhaustion around 6 in the morning. Regina slowly went through the contents of Kurt's wallet, taking out credit cards and old receipts.
There were pictures of Owen as a baby to the age he was now. Another picture showed a very pregnant woman embracing Kurt, both of them smiling widely at the camera. The picture was labeled 'Annie & Kurt: baby boy coming soon.'
Regina assumed the woman to be Owen's mother. He looked very much like her. They had the same eyes, the same dimples. But what really brought tears to her eyes is how much he looked like his father.
Regina picked up another picture of Owen and Kurt. Kurt was holding Owen on his shoulders and Owen was laughing. Regina smiled sadly at their identical smiles, their matching beanies. It wasn't fair that this little boy had lost the only family he had known.
Tears rolled down her face as she came across a picture of she and Kurt with Owen. The adults were holding his hands and swinging him over a small puddle. Owen smiled up at Regina, who was smiling back at him. Kurt was staring at her with a smile on his face, love in his eyes.
"I love you, Owen." Regina whispered to the sleeping boy nestled in her arms. "I will always take care of you. And I will be sure you know of your father. How much he loved you. You're mine now."
"I love you, Mommy." A sleepy voice answered. The brunette kissed the boy's forehead before tucking the picture she had found underneath the pillow and falling asleep.
"Mommy!" Regina snapped out of her haze to see her little boy in front of her, his blue eyes twinkling. "Emma thought of a great idea!"
"What's that?" The woman asked, grinning as Owen climbed on her lap. She loved when he became cuddly and affectionate towards her. "A movie night!" Henry piped up, wriggling as Emma attempted to clean his sticky hands. "That is a great idea. How about we go rent some movies and pick up a pizza?" Regina suggested.
The boys cheered and jumped up and down in excitement. "Can we play just a little longer? Please?" Owen asked. "Have at it." Emma chuckled and sat down next to Regina. "Our boys sure are amazing." Emma spoke.
Regina looked at her in surprise, noticing how the younger woman had worded the sentence. She and Henry had only been with them a few short months, but it felt like they had been there for years. It was so comfortable having them both in their family.
Emma blushed as she saw the look on Regina's face. "That came out wrong. I meant- "
Regina put her hand over the woman's, her heart racing. "They sure are." She said. Emma smiled at her, bravely intertwining their hands. Regina scooted closer while keeping a close eye on the boys. This was exactly how she imagined it to be.
"So, I've heard a little rumor around town that you are thinking about trying to become the town mayor." Emma said. Regina sighed and slowly nodded. Mary Margaret and that mouth of hers. "I was thinking about it. I love teaching the children but Ruby has been really wanting to join in the classroom. It was just a thought."
"Well, do you really want to do it?" Emma questioned. "I think so. My mother was a mayor and as a child I would help her a bit. I think I could really improve the quality of the town." Regina answered. "If you really want to, then I think you should." Emma said.
On the way home from the movie store and pizza place, Emma and Regina held hands with the boys, Owen next to Emma and Henry next to Regina. The boys were chattering about seeing the new movie Zootopia and laughing at their own inside jokes. They had become the best of friends.
"Well look at this adorable little family!" Mary Margaret squealed, holding hands with her recent boyfriend, David. Regina fought the urge to roll her eyes. "What are you guys up to?" The teacher asked.
"We're gonna have a movie night with pizza! Me and my brother Owen!" Henry said happily. Emma and Regina glanced at each other in surprise but didn't comment. "That sounds fun. We're gonna have a movie night too. With tacos." David said.
Mary Margaret blushed at that. Regina studied her friend closely. She had a feeling they weren't eating Mexican. "Alright, boys. We better get going." Emma said. "Bye!" Both boys hugged Mary Margaret tightly. Regina hugged her friend. "I'll text you later." The woman whispered in her ear before they pulled apart.
Back at the house, Emma and Regina helped the boys build a pillow fort in the den before turning on the movie. The boys fell asleep rather quickly, curled up amidst the mountain of blankets and pillows. Emma and Regina sat together on the couch and finished the rest of the movie.
"Cute movie." Emma commented as the credits started to roll. Regina playfully danced along to the catchy music, making the blonde giggle. "I suppose I should get to bed." Emma said, yawning. She had picked up some shifts at the diner to help out while she heard back from Graham about the deputy position at the station.
"Me too. Unless you wanted to stay down here. Keep an eye on the boys." Regina said. "There's only one couch." Emma commented. "It pulls out." Regina said. Both of them glanced at each other, then burst out laughing at the dirty thought that crossed their minds.
The two of them got the couch pulled out into the double size bed before tucking themselves in. "Night, Regina." Emma said, closing her eyes. "Night, Emma." Regina said, doing the same. After a few minutes, both of them turned to face each other.
The unused mattress squeaked underneath them, making them both giggle quietly. Regina suddenly found herself staring into the blonde's eyes, barely able to see the green in the darkness of the room. The string lights illuminated the young woman's hair and face just so, making Regina's heart skip a beat.
Regina slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips against Emma's. Her lips were soft, and the brunette melted as the woman deepened the kiss. Slowly, Regina pulled back. She didn't want to overwhelm her or give her flashbacks with Neal. "Are you sure?" She whispered.
Emma nodded, leaning in to kiss her once more. Regina nibbled at the blonde's bottom lip, reaching her hand up to cup her face. Emma's tongue swiped across her bottom lip, causing her to shiver. The brunette opened her mouth to allow her access, her own tongue exploring the other woman's mouth.
This went on for a few minutes, and Regina never wanted the feeling to end. Finally, she pulled back, kissing the blonde's nose and making her smile. "Good night, Emma."
"Good night, Regina." Emma said, pulling the brunette close as they drifted off to sleep. They both woke in the night to Henry and Owen nestled between them, dreaming peacefully. They smiled at each other before falling asleep once again.