AN: Really shouldn't be writing fan fic at the moment, but it helps ignore the stress from my final assignment and I'm really excited about 9worlds this weekend, managed to get a ticket for the Saturday (yes, another distraction from the assignment) so hopefully will attend a couple of the fan-fic tracks or the writing ones, or might just wander around and look at something different - I haven't been before but it sounds like fun and only a two-hour journey each way (probably a good time to write). Has anyone else been? Maybe next year I'll plan ahead and go for the whole weekend, the sword fighting thing sounded interesting but it sold out before I brought my tickets and I haven't seen Game of Thrones (just read the first chapter of the first book). Okay, I'm babbling, need sleep... two more sleeps 'til 9worlds - kinda feels like xmas, hopefully it'll be fun.
:) Enjoy!
At six months old, Ellie was beginning to recognise familiar faces. She knew reaching out her arms to Henry and Emma would get her picked up and cuddled and she knew if to cry if she wanted Regina's attention. Whenever one of those three people talked to her, she would speak her own little nonsense sounds back at them, which made them smile. There were trips around town, to the beach, picnics in the park and back garden at the mansion. Ellie's life was far removed from the original Zelena's childhood.
In anticipation of her learning to crawl, Regina went up into her attic to find the stair gates and other baby-proof items she would need. Emma had offered to help her set them up, so she watched Ellie while Regina waded through the box-filled attic and began bringing everything down. Marco had set them up originally and taken them down for her when Henry was old enough to be trusted on the stairs alone.
Things were certainly changing between the two women. Emma found Regina to be a little quieter around her, though she couldn't understand why. They spent so much time together she hadn't noticed right away but now, as she tried to make conversation while checking through David's toolbox for the right type of screwdriver, she realised Regina wouldn't meet her eyes as they spoke.
"I promised Henry I'd take him swimming next weekend. The Storybrooke pool is a little small, and it only has that one slide so I thought we'd make a road trip of it and head out of town. You and Ellie could come too."
"Sure," Regina looked over the different parts of the stair gates Emma had laid out on the carpet, hoping that if anything was missing Marco might have the spare parts. "Would you like me to make some packed lunches just in case?"
"We could grab something after swimming."
"I guess," this time Regina turned to check on Ellie.
Emma stood up, gingerly stepping over the maze of metal and plastic safety objects toward her, "is something wrong?"
Regina took a step back when she realised how close Emma was standing, "everything is fine."
"Are you sure? You've been really quiet lately. Is it me? Have I done something wrong? Am I intruding too much?"
"No!"
"I know I spend a lot of time here, but I like hanging out with you."
"I enjoy your company as well," Regina's eyes slid away as she spoke, leaving Emma wondering if she was telling the truth.
"Please, Regina, talk to me," Emma reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.
Regina looked down at Emma's hand, "Emma…"
Biting her bottom lip when she realised what she had done, and ignoring how nice the contact felt, Emma took her hand away. She knew how much Regina liked her own space, how she shied away any time someone other than Henry (and now Ellie) would try to hug her.
"I'll get back to work, then."
As Emma sat back down amongst the pieces of the stair gates, Regina swooped Ellie up into her arms using the excuse of a diaper change to make her exit.
"I know your adult self would find all of this highly amusing," Regina whispered to Ellie as she laid out the changing mat. "At least, the adult you used to be. I really hope Emma is right, that all of this will help you."
Ellie just smiled up at her and waved her arms. Once she was finished, Regina took her downstairs, avoiding seeing Emma again. It was cowardly, and she knew it wasn't nice especially when Emma was helping her.
"Why don't we bake some apple and raisin cookies for Henry?" Regina suggested, "Emma might like them too."
She forgot the baby monitor tucked into the back of Ellie's chair. After she realised that Henry and Emma would pick Ellie up to take her into another room and forget to take them along, she placed one in each room. The kitchen one stayed by Ellie's chair, to keep it out of the way while she was cooking.
As she began to mix the ingredients, Regina spoke to Ellie. It was easier to talk with part of her mind on that task.
Emma didn't mean to listen, but she was in the middle of putting together the difficult, fiddly parts of a stair gate and getting up to find and switch off the baby monitor meant spending more time finishing the work. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but when she heard Regina mention her name, her hands paused and she began to eavesdrop.
"Hey mom, I'm home," Henry announced, running straight to the kitchen as he followed his nose towards the familiar cookie-scent.
Regina had just pulled the tray from the oven and was arranging the cookies so they would cool when he arrived. Watching the way he leaned over the counter to get a closer look, she smiled.
"You'll have to wait," she warned him.
"Just one before dinner, please?"
"Fine, but not yet, they're too hot."
"Is mom still here?"
"Yes, though she's had enough time to put a dozen gates together by now. I should run up and check on her, make sure she hasn't hurt herself. Do you mind watching Ellie for moment?"
"'Course not. Can I take her into the other room?"
Regina nodded and passed the baby, chair and all, to Henry, "just go slowly."
"I will," he grinned at her.
Regina made her way up the stairs quickly, suddenly realising that Emma had been very quiet while she was baking and feeling a little concerned. As Emma's work area came into view she stopped, and stared.
"Help?" Emma's weak voice called in response to hearing Regina say she was on her way.
"Miss Swan what have you done?!"
Regina surveyed the damage of what could only be Emma's out-of-control brand of magic. Thousands of tiny daisies covered the carpet in a six-foot circle around the blonde, which wouldn't have been a problem except that Emma's body was covered in slightly larger ones, trapping her from being able to move.
"Help?" Emma called again, her view blocked by the flowers.
Regina tried using her magic to wave them away, but they didn't even quiver. She created a fireball in the palm of her hand, but realised Emma might be in danger and snuffed it out. Using magic, she created a plank of wood that would be immune to the flowers (the last thing she wanted was them crawling over her) and lay it on the ground. After waiting to check that the daisies remained immobile, she placed one foot on the wood. Watching the flowers, she cautiously moved towards Emma.
"My magic can't get rid of them, so you'll have to do it," she informed her, creating a pair of gloves to repel the daisies. "Give me your hand and I'll try to pull you free."
Somehow she managed to make contact with Emma's hands and tugged a hard as she could. Emma managed to move a little, the daisies on her upper body starting to break and fall away. Regina took a step back and tried again.
Eventually, Emma was free and standing on the wooden plank in front of Regina. She looked down at the result of her magic in silence.
"I don't want to ask why this happened, I just want you to fix it," Regina began, "but unless you explain I can't tell you how to do that."
"It was an accident, I don't know..."
"Think, Emma."
Regina was surprised when the blonde took a step towards her.
"You. It was you."
"I beg your pardon? I was downstairs with Ellie and I can assure you that I am not responsible for any of this."
"No, I mean it was the baby monitor. I could hear your voice on the one up here."
"You…" Regina's voice trailed off as she remembered what she'd said. "I was only speaking to distract Ellie."
"I don't believe you. In fact, it explains so much, like why you've been acting differently."
"You're the one who keeps asking to spend more time with me, with us."
A soft smile flitted across Emma's face and was gone before Regina could be certain it was ever there, "and look what happened when I heard you talking about me."
Regina looked down at the daisies, "what are you trying to say?"
"I think you know," Emma stepped closer and took Regina's hands into hers.
Regina opened her mouth, then closed it again as she failed to reply. She didn't pull away from Emma's touch, only looked at the blonde waiting for her to break the silence.
"So, can I kiss you now?" Emma finally asked.
Pulling her hands from the blonde, Regina raised one up to cup Emma's cheek and kissed her. She felt Emma's hands slide over her hips and around her back, pulling her closer.
