One Charming Day


Henry had fallen asleep already and David and Mary were sitting in the far back couch drinking some tea to soothe their nerves, while they waited for the Queen and her White Knight to come back from their witch-hunt.

They had ran to the tower after Regina was sent flying in the air, and made it to the top level when Emma was getting her wound healed by the green fairy. They couldn't hear what they were talking, as both Emma and Tink had kept a low voice, but they noticed when the fairy put something in her hand and left a few moments after.

Mother and father were talking about what could Tinker Bell have told Emma that made her act so strangely afterwards, when a hand in hand mayor and bail bond appeared in the middle of their apartment. Emma and Regina didn't notice the now quiet couple, since they had their backs turned to them, and gave each other a quick peck on the lips thinking no one was watching.

- "Ahem." David coughed and Regina jumped from the sensation of getting caught with her forbidden love; a feeling that wasn't unfamiliar to her.
- "You... saw that." Emma said as she closed her eyes and bit her lip nervously, turning around slowly to face her parents like a guilty teenager.
- "You're grounded. Both of you." Mary Margaret said with an angry tone.
- "I would say it is a little late to be grounding us, Mary. We already have a son." Regina said with her usual sass.
- "Now that the cat is out of the bag... Will you tell us what took you so long?" David asked them.
- "Or maybe not! It could be something I don't want to hear." Snow said and brought her palms to her cheeks thinking something inappropriate.
- "Seriously?" Emma asked in surprise. Her mother was so... Mary Margaret.
- "I'll go home, Emma. You can deal with your mother on your own." Regina quickly decided, as she really had no patience for all things "Snow".
- "Hey! I thought we were partners. Show me some support here, Soulmate." Emma whined.

Regina turned around, as she had already started her way toward the door, and grumbled something about how Emma would owe her for this one. She followed Emma to sit at the table and Mary joined them while David put some more tea to give to the new couple.

Regina started telling them about the heart they gave to Zelena and all what happened in the forest and both parents were having a difficult time getting used to the idea of their daughter being their former enemy's true love and soul mate. It wasn't something they were eager to embrace but they couldn't deny they had suspected it since Emma's return, as she had been showing too much interest in Regina and kept following her around town just like Zelena pointed out; like a puppy.

David thought a skillful sorceress was still a better option for their daughter than a one-handed pirate and opened up to the idea. All he wanted was for his family to finally live a happily ever after and if Regina was Emma's happy ending, he had no choice but to honor their bond. But Mary just couldn't to let go of her prejudice and she took a deep breath and pretended she was fine with it. She looked at Emma and Regina again and told them they had her blessing, but still warned Regina about getting her baby hurt.

- "Speaking of which, I finally perfected the protection spell." Regina commented after Mary.

She had gotten hold of a special ingredient that only the highest rank of fairies had access to and thanks to Tinker Bell she did now too. Regina had added a drop of the mysterious liquid to the potion she gave the pregnant woman. It was inside a small translucent bottle with an amber glowing liquid she directed her to drink a drop every day until the due date.

- "And thanks to me, Zelena won't be able to put her hands on that baby." The sorceress said proudly.
- "Thank you so much, Regina." David smiled at her with honesty.
- "I kind of meant my other baby and your hands." Mary stared at Regina and Emma felt embarrassed.
- "Then you'll have to excuse me in advance, dear, as such a promise will be impossible for me to keep." Regina said and placed a hand on Emma's thigh, giving it a light squeeze and sneering at the upset pixie haired lady.
- "Point taken." David commented and finished his tea to hide his blush behind the big mug.

After a couple of minutes of uncomfortable silence, Regina got up from her seat and wished them a good night, as it was late and it would be better she made her way home to get some well deserved rest. Mary and David nodded and agreed it was time for everyone to get some sleep and moved to their bed to leave the love doves alone for a moment, but Mary was still glancing now and then at them and Emma decided to step outside the apartment to kiss her girlfriend good night.

Regina disappeared in a mist of purple and Emma went back inside the small apartment. She then leaned against the closed door for a couple of minutes, gaze lost in space contemplatively.

- "I think the door can keep shut on its own." Her mother yelled from her bed across the loft.
- "Geez... Good night." Emma grumbled.

The love-struck lady then slowly made it upstairs and kissed a sleeping Henry on the forehead. She grabbed her cellphone and looked at her favorite contact in contemplation.

- "To call, or not to call, that is the question…" Emma mumbled.

She laid on bed, phone in hand, thinking about the brunette and her succulent red lips; what made the yearning even worse and she hated feeling this way. She really didn't like being away from each other, especially now that she was free to show the world how she felt about Regina. All she wanted was to be with her and sleep was never going to come her way for as long as she continued craving her partner.


At Regina's

Regina was taking a hot bath to relax, as she had found it impossible to fall asleep, but she was only partially enjoying the foamy tub because she felt really lonely in that big house of hers. It was one of those nights again when the pain of solitude haunted her.

But she had someone now; she had no reason to grieve. Still, she was yearning for that person sleeping too far away from her. "Maybe I should call her." She mumbled. "But what if she's already asleep?" She asked herself and decided to just enjoy the bath and force herself to sleep.

Regina got out of the tub and wrapped herself in a plush towel, feeling ready for bed as her muscles had finally relaxed with the soothing effects of hot water and the perfumed sea salts that worked wonders. They didn't have these in the enchanted forest and she really loved the magic of some things from this world.

She was walking to her bed, where a silk grey pajama laid for her, when a blue smoke appeared and revealed blonde curls from a very familiar head.

- "Emma! What are you doing here?" Regina was surprised in a happy way, eyes shinning with joy.
- "I... uh... couldn't sleep." It took a little time for Emma to answer.

Jade eyes were indulging in the view; looking hungrily from bottom to top at the wet body wrapped in a mere towel before her.

- "Sorry! I didn't mean to stare." Emma quickly turned around to give Regina time to change.
- "Of course you did." Regina chuckled and moved closer.

She pressed her body against the back of Emma and the blonde could feel her clothes moisten with warm dampness from Regina's humid towel and body.

- "Emma... you can turn around." She whispered behind her ear.

Emma slowly turned, thinking Regina must have dressed up with magic, but she then saw she was still wearing her towel and couldn't avoid blushing lightly. Regina wrapped her hands in Emma's neck as she leaned forward and the blonde closed the gap between their lips with a longing kiss, hands naturally finding their way to Regina's waist possessively.

Their kiss began deepening as lips parted, allowing their tongues to mingle, hands explored each other's body and with all their movement they didn't notice the moment Regina's towel dropped to her feet. All they knew was it was pure bliss kissing and touching like this and their bodies instinctively brought them to the luxurious bed, where they became one under the subtle light of a candle Regina had lit earlier to infuse her bedroom with the sweet scent of apples.


The sun rose with new shine that morning and Regina opened the curtains to allow the light to illuminate her bedroom. A sleepy face started twitching when the glow reached her and Emma pulled the covers over her head to protect herself from the filtering light.

- "Time to wake up, Emma." Regina sat beside her and tugged on the covers.
- "Just five minutes..." The blonde moaned and pulled back on the blanket.
- "You have to go back before they notice." Regina leaned down and kissed blonde curls.
- "Really? I'm the same age my parents are, not a twelve year old sneaking out." The lady peeked her head from under the blanket to complain.
- "Speaking of twelve year olds. Henry doesn't know yet and he will be upset if you're not there." Regina told her and got up from bed.
- "Fine. Let me just..." Emma looked under the covers. "...get my clothes." She blushed and moved her eyes around the room searching for them.
- "I put them in the bathroom. You can change there." Regina grinned mischievously, waiting for her naked partner to step out of bed.
- "You are sooooo bad, Regina Mills." Emma glared and wrapped herself in the bed sheets to make it over to the bathroom without embarrassing herself, what displeased the mayor quite a bit because she wanted to see peachy skin.

Emma's cellphone started vibrating over the nightstand and Regina picked it to see who was calling. The ID revealed it was Mary Margaret and the naughty Mayor decided to answer the call for her lover.

- "Emma, where are you? Are you okay?" Her mother asked worriedly.
- "She's fine. She's taking a shower. I'll tell her you called." Regina answered and then hang-up grinning proudly.

Mary's face distorted in shock. Her jaw dropped and her eyes opened wide making her look terrified, as if she had just heard the worst news of her life.

- "What's wrong, Snow? Did something happen to Emma?" David asked worriedly.
- "Regina..." She said slowly.
- "Is Regina the one in problems?" He asked confusedly.
- "She slept with Regina." The shorthaired woman told him and he embraced her showing emotional support.
- "We'll get used to it, okay?" David assured and kissed her forehead gently.

At Regina's bedroom, a dressed up Emma came out of the bathroom after hearing the mayor speak.

- "Who was that?" Emma asked the brunette.
- "Your mother." Regina answered pointedly.
- "She called you?" Emma blinked eyes in surprise; she never thought they talked to each other over the phone.
- "No... She called you, but I answered because it could have been an emergency with Henry." The brunette answered defensively.
- "Regina..." Emma sauntered closer and glared.
- "I just told her you were fine." Regina rolled her eyes.
- "Of course you did." Emma muttered.

They looked at each other accusingly for a moment and then Emma started chuckling. The blonde pulled the brunette into her arms and gave her a deep long kiss before disappearing in a blue mist, leaving Regina yearning for more, much more.

Emma's cellphone beeped a minute later and the blonde couldn't avoid laughing when she read the received message.

"Don't kiss me like that if you're going to leave me like this." Regina texted.
"I will make it up to you, soulmate."
Emma answered her.

Henry was looking closely at his mother giggling like an idiot with the phone in her hand. He asked her who that was and Emma just told him it was a silly ad. The teenager decided he had had enough of everyone treating him like a baby and keeping things from him ever since they returned. So he snatched the phone from his mother's hand and read what Emma found so funny.

- "Hey! What the hell, kid?"
- "Gross! You kissed mom!" Henry pretended to gag.
- "You weren't supposed to read that." Emma muttered and took her phone back.
- "Took you long enough, Emma." Henry rolled his eyes.
- "What's that supposed to mean?" His mother was perplexed.
- "It was SO obvious you were hot for each other." The teen exaggerated his mannerisms.
- "Hey! Watch it. Look what New York's done to your behavior." The woman scolded.
- "Sorry, mom." He frowned. "I'm glad you can finally accept what you feel." The little man said honestly.
- "Are you okay with this? With what I feel for Regina?" Emma looked into his eyes with hope.
- "Yes, ma. I even told you before I recovered my memories. Remember?" He reminded her that night of videogames and burgers.
- "Thank you, Henry." The blonde smiled with humid eyes and kissed brown curls feeling moved by his genuine acceptance.

Emma and Henry went downstairs to greet Mary Margaret and David drinking coffee at the table. They were rather quiet and, if Emma had experienced it in her youth, she would be nervous because she would know the ambient was hostile for her. She thought in her head "this must be what it looks like when your parents give you 'the talk' when you reach puberty." and internally laughed at the silly scenario.

Henry jumped on the sofa and turned on the TV to see if there was anything entertaining. Even though he knew he wouldn't find anything more interesting than the idea of watching his birthmother get lectured by her parents. It was amusing and he only kept the TV on to pretend he was watching the show, instead of the sure to come preaching.

- "Emma. Where were you last night?" Her mother asked inquisitively.
- "Huh? You already know. Why are you asking?" Emma's brow furrowed.
- "We were worried because Henry woke up in the middle of the night and came asking if you had come back at all from the witch-hunt." David was softer.
- "I'm sorry. He was dead asleep and I didn't have the heart to wake him up." The thirty year old (aka thirteen in her parents' eyes) replied with both guilt and annoyance.
- "Next time you sneak out with your... friend let us know, so we can know what to tell your son. We have rules in this house, young lady." Snow scolded.
- "Okay... Won't happen again, I promise." Emma shrugged and looked down to the floor.
- "Good." Her mother answered sharply and took another sip from her coffee.
- "Breakfast at Granny's?" David decided to step in and went to give his little princess a kiss on the forehead.
- "I guess..." Emma mumbled.
- "Come on, Henry." David called his grandson.
- "Why don't you guys go first? I'll join you in a minute." The shorthaired lady told them.
- "Is something wrong?" Her husband asked worriedly.
- "No. Just, pregnancy and coffee don't mix well. I gotta pee." Mary told him and they chuckled.
- "Okay. We'll wait for you outside." David came closer and kissed her before stepping out.

Mary Margaret took a couple of minutes but then joined her little family outside. She gave the truck a quick glance and wondered if it had always had that bump with scratched paint on the side but paid it no mind.

The un-charmings did their best to fit inside the passenger cabin, since David insisted on going together to the small diner and his truck was the chosen vehicle. It was something he had wanted to do since Emma's return, sharing a meal together as a family, and he forbid his eldest from bringing the yellow bug this day with her.

It was really cramped inside the truck and Emma insisted on going in her bug. She said she might need to go out in case Zelena decided to make a move and she depended on her car, but David was firm and reminded her he was the new sheriff and they had an official automobile in the station right around the corner of the diner. He wanted to feel like a real father, even if just for a day, and gramps wouldn't take no for an answer. Besides, she could just teleport with her new magic powers; her father cleverly reminded.


At Granny's.

When they got to the diner, Regina was already sitting in one of the booths. Emma's pupils immediately narrowed, as if she had looked directly into the sun, and her smile couldn't have been brighter. And just as happy as his birthmother was, Henry felt too. He ran toward his adopted mother to hug her and she kissed him on both cheeks and the forehead; what made the teenager blush in embarrassment, because it was a little too much for someone his age.

- "I took the liberty to order orange juice for you, I hope that's alright." Regina told the gathering party.

The table had been arranged for five people and each spot had its small glass of fresh orange juice to greet them.

- "You're having breakfast with us?" Emma was happily impressed and went to sit beside her.
- "Yes, dear. Your mother invited me." Regina smiled and looked at Mary with soft eyes for a first time.
- "It was a family breakfast, it was the right thing to do." The pixie-haired said with normality and it actually felt good.
- "Now that the Charmings are complete, let's order." David smiled warmly and chuckled after seeing Regina frown with his comment.
- "Thank you, mom... dad." Emma said it for the second time in their lives and this time they weren't between life and death, what made the pregnant woman shed a pair of tears and smile widely.

They enjoyed their meal like a normal family, even though they were anything but normal at all. The curse and the witch remained, but Zelena hadn't made any visible moves or appearance after getting Regina's fake heart. It seemed like an ordinary day in Storybrooke from those they used to have before even knowing they were cursed during the first time.

After two hours of eating and talking, the Charmings & Swan-Mills were finally ready to leave the diner. It had been a pleasant start to their day but it had to continue and there was work to get done in the office of the Mayor. She still had a town to run and there were some papers to be revised and signed by her hand.

Ruby was smiling fondly as she waved her hand at the royal family, but more specifically; Regina and Emma. David and Mary were the first to make it outside and Regina followed behind them, but she waited by the door after Emma said she needed to visit the restroom. Henry watched as both of his mothers got distracted and used the opportunity to sneak out and join Ruby by the counter.

- "You owe me $20 bucks." The little man said and extended his hand.
- "Does that mean?" The brunette looked at Regina as she stood by the door waiting for Henry and Emma.
- "When?" The wolfy girl was very excited but managed to keep a low volume.
- "Last night." The teen grinned proudly.
- "Sorry but I need proof." Ruby told him and put a cookie in his open palm instead of money and smiled at Regina; who was starting to suspect something more was going on.
- "Hey! That wasn't part of the deal. How am I supposed to get proof?" He panted.

"What deal?" Emma appeared from behind her son after getting out of the restroom. Henry looked at Ruby and they both shrugged and kept their mouths shut, like two guilty children getting caught cheating on a test.

- "Spit it out." Emma looked closely at Henry's and Ruby's features, and Regina decided to join too.
- "I may have made a bet with your kid." The frightened werewolf confessed, evading their eyes.
- "What kind of bet, Ms. Lucas?" Regina frowned and came dangerously close to her.

The diner fell silent quickly, seeing how both the Savior and Evil Queen cornered the helpless waitress, and some even left money over their tables to run for their lives while they still could. Granny came to see what all the fuzz was about and glared at the Mayor to let her know she wouldn't be taking her shit in her own territory.

Snow and David were impatient because their little family wasn't joining them outside, so they got back in the diner and just stared at the weird scenario.

- "So we made a bet about how long it would take you two to kiss." Henry stepped in between his mom and the waitress.
- "Ruby, why on earth would you make such a ridiculous bet?" Emma reprimanded.
- "It was his idea!" Ruby defended herself the only way she could… like a whiny kid.
- "And now she owes me $20 but says she needs proof." Henry whined, too.
- "Seriously?" Both Regina and Emma muttered.
- "You're on your own on this one, Ruby." Granny said and went back into the kitchen.
- "Let's solve this like adults, shall we?" Regina said after taking a deep breath.

The brown-eyed brunette then turned to the side; she looked at Emma and smirked with a hint of malice. She sauntered closer to the blonde, looking at her mouth with hunger, and claimed rosy lips in a firm kiss that left no one doubting the new terms of their relationship.

- "Is that enough proof for you Ms. Lucas?" Regina sneered after breaking the kiss and left everyone, Emma included, stupefied.

The young woman's jaw dropped in disbelief and a hand found its way to her apron, to pull out some bills and give them to Henry. He took them happily and made it to the door almost jumping in pride of his achievement.

- "Aren't we going?" The little man asked and pushed the door open.

Emma was no longer the Sheriff and decided to join the Mayor in the office, while Henry and David went on patrol around the barren streets of Storybrooke. Regina and Emma discussed it was necessary to keep Mary watched because of the baby, and decided it was best to take her to Belle so they could keep each other in company.

Belle was lonelier than ever, having sealed Rumple away in Pandora's box, so it was a good idea bringing Mary Margaret to help her cope with her solitude and inner battle. She was after-all part of the family now and it was time to start bonding. They got to Regina's Mercedes and the Mayor drove to the pawnbroker's shop to deliver the pregnant lady.


In the Office.

Regina was going through paperwork and she blinked her eyes when she read a request for funds to repair some damaged mailboxes and a small fence in the other side of the small town. The paper had David's signature and a picture of the truck that made the damage on the road.

- "Sheriff, could you please explain to me the nature of this "Road Repair" file?" Regina yelled over the phone.

Emma had been sitting by the hearth just watching Regina as she worked, until her ears perked up with the angry tone and hearing the sheriff title in the interrogation.

- "You WHAT?" Regina shouted furiously.
- "That was a terrible mistake and completely immature behavior from your part, Sheriff. Why am I not even surprised?" Regina growled.
- "Okay, fine. Just… don't ever do that again without consulting me and Emma first." She finished and hung-up.

Emma had walked from the sofa to the desk now after hearing the infuriated woman yell at her father and pulled one of the chairs to sit before the Mayor.

- "What happened?" The blonde asked with worry.
- "Your father decided to teach our son how to drive and now I have to spend money on road repair." Regina answered upset.
- "But no one was hurt, right?" Emma was partially amused but avoided chuckling because the one getting hurt could be her instead.
- "It was only road damage, thankfully. What is wrong with your parents? They really lack a better judgment when it comes to raising children. I wonder how this new child will wind up." Regina complained.
- "Please don't make it worse than it actually is, Regina. I'm sure they were just trying to have fun." Emma said calmly.
- "Of course you would be on their side." Regina muttered.
- "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Emma asked feeling offended.
- "You're a… Charming. Why do I bother?" Regina grumbled.
- "If it didn't come from you, I would consider that a compliment." The blonde chuckled.
- "Trust me, it isn't." Regina frowned.
- "When did it happen, anyway?" Emma asked since she didn't remember her father mentioning anything.
- "While I was teaching you magic. Turns out your father doesn't approve of Hook babysitting our son, something I can actually agree on, so he went to pick up Henry and the rest you already know." Regina told her.
- "Okay. At least you have one thing in common now." Emma grinned and Regina felt disgusted about having anything in common with that un-charming shepherd.

(Some hours later)

Emma was bored and started playing with an ornament over Regina's desk. It was a newton's cradle that had those small metal spheres hanging from a string and Emma made the little ball go and smack against another, causing the one from the far end to bounce back and continue coming and going with an irritating clicking that became unbearable for the Mayor working.

- "Henry! I've told you not to do that a million times." Regina said loudly without turning her gaze away from papers.
- "It's the first time you tell me." Emma said with a childish voice.
- "Emma, right. I thought you were Henry. He used to do that anytime I had to bring him with me to the office, sorry." Regina told her and a smile appeared on her face from remembering the little child.
- "It's almost five. Do you still have a lot to do, Regina?" Emma commented after watching the hour.
- "No… I will just sign this paper and call it a day. I don't see the purpose on running a town that is getting wiped away again." The Mayor sighed deeply.
- "Have you heard anything from Zelena?" Emma looked closely.

Regina put the signed paper on the stack to her left side and then got up from her chair. She went over to the small bar and prepared a drink for her and another for Emma. She beckoned the blonde to join her in the gray couch that faced the hearth and told her she heard a couple of things an hour ago.

Regina had heard Zelena ask one of her servant monkeys if there were news about the unborn child, and then she heard glass breaking. It must have been Zelena angry because Mary hadn't yet gone into labor and the witch needed the baby for the curse to work, but she wasn't sure how exactly. At least she hadn't yet noticed the heart was a fake and Regina was tranquil.

They made it to the Charmings' apartment and Mary was already there with David and Henry. Her husband had picked her up just an hour earlier and they were now having dinner. They asked Regina and Emma to join them and they shared yet another meal as family.

This was by far the best day in Regina's life and she couldn't be more grateful. Her memories were full of lonely days where her only company for dinner was her spells book, or the agenda in Storybrooke. It wasn't too different for Emma either, magic aside, as her usual company were books with novels where people found their happy endings after overcoming the hardships of life and it gave her strength to carry on.

They insisted on helping with the cleaning, as David and Mary had done the cooking and Henry was free to play some videogames before leaving. Emma told her parents she wanted for Henry and her to spend the night at Regina's, because they didn't really know how much time they had left to enjoy each other's company. If Zelena decided to summon her by the use of the fake heart, Regina would have to pretend she was submitting and follow her orders.

Regina waited by the door, glancing at the Charming family with sadness in her eyes, while they hugged and kissed each other good night. Regina had no mother and no father to embrace and sometimes she felt the impact of being an orphan. Regina was sorry for herself and for Emma, because she indirectly made her grow up without her parents.

- "Don't be a stranger." Mary raised her voice looking at the pensive woman by the door.
- "Excuse me?" Regina broke out of reverie and was confused.

Mary walked in her direction and placed her hands over Regina's shoulders gently. "Don't be a stranger. We are your family now, Regina. Get used to it." She told her and pulled her into a warm embrace. Regina was caught off-guard and felt very surprised, but as much as she wanted to hate on Snow that moment, she couldn't. And it became even worse as her eyes betrayed her and painful tears started coming from them, a gesture that was soon mimicked by the woman hugging her.

They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment and no words were needed to express what they were feeling. They had a long history together and they both had inflicted pain on one another, but there were also moments of love and friendship, and even of admiration.

- "Thank you." Regina said with a broken voice. They were just two words, so simple, yet so meaningful between them.
- "Take good care of my baby." Snow said to her and called Emma to join them.
- "I couldn't be prouder of you." The young mother cupped her face and kissed her forehead.
- "Mom?" Emma was bewildered but touched and joined them in their silent tears.
- "Go. If tomorrow never comes, I want to know I did the right thing by letting you have your happy ending. If even for a moment." She said convinced.
- "We will win this fight." David stepped in and kissed his daughter as well.

He then went to hug Regina and the brunette had no other choice but to let him, and forgot for a moment why she found it so fascinating to ridicule him about his humble roots or lack of self-restrain. He was one of the fairest persons she had met and very strong willed, just like her beloved Emma. She would be a hypocrite if she denied loving those qualities in her soulmate. Like father, like daughter.

"Don't leave me out!" Henry charged at them and they had a group hug that lasted a good couple of minutes, until the boy complained it was enough and they burst in laughter.

"So can I drive?" Henry asked as they made it to the Mercedes and both his mothers shouted a straight "NO" to the teenager. "You're no fun!" He whined. "And I thought gramps was boring…" The young man mumbled as he shut the door closed and Regina drove them home.