Hello everyone! I know I haven't been updating anything for a long time but school is just a complete chaos that I'm trying to deal with. This isn't a SQ story per se, it's a little ficlet of Mommy!Regina and Little!Emma that I couldn't get out of my head. It's just fluff with just a tad of angst, because why not? I hope you like it.
On with the show.
The doorbell rang right at ten in the morning. Regina had been up as early as six in the morning not being able to catch any more sleep. Her whole body was full with anticipation and excitement. Today, today she was becoming a mother and she couldn't be any happier.
For two years, she had been waiting to get cleared as a foster mom and when two years later the social worker told her of an eight-year-old girl that needed a home, she was more than happy to comply. The social worker always so cautious, gave her the file and if she thought there was a chance she was going to say no, seeing the picture of little Emma had taken any doubt out of her system.
Besides, she was not going to become one more disappointment in this girl's life. The file was full with documents saying how Emma had been bouncing from home to home from the very age of three.
So when she was approaching the door, the smile on her face could lit the whole world. She opened the door and was met with the social worker who was holding with one hand all the files and with the other, a tiny pale hand that belonged to a little girl with her head bowed, golden locks covering her face, with a little backpack on her back.
"Miss Mills? Here's your foster daughter, Emma Swan. Emma, can you say hi to Miss Mills?" The social worker asked.
"Hello, Miss Mills." Emma whispered, but she put her head up, she had learnt that if you didn't look right in the eyes of the other person, you were going to be punished. "You have a very nice home." She also learnt that it was imperative to compliment every house you got to, there would be a better chance that they kept you.
Regina kneeled in front of the girl. "Thank you very much Emma, and you can call me Regina, is that alright with you?" Regina asked, while she put a golden lock behind on of her ears.
"Yes Miss Mills, I'm sorry, yes Regina." Emma answered, and a deep blush covered her face because she had just committed her first mistake.
Regina looked at her daughter and thought what had the girl gone through to make her correct herself, even when no one was telling her that she had done something wrong.
"Would you like to see your room?" Regina asked, in an attempt to make the girl more comfortable.
"I get my own room?" Emma asked with surprise in her voice. She had always had to share her room with other foster brothers and sisters.
"Yes Emma, you get your own room. Why don't you go to the living room and wait for me while I finish signing up all the paperwork?" Regina said with a soft smile on her face.
Emma nodded and walked to where Regina had signaled that there was the living room.
"Miss Mills, I just need you to sign this and then we're done." The social worker said, handing her a paper and she signed whatever the paper said; she had already read them and she had no objections with what they said.
"Are you sure she is eight years old?" Regina couldn't help but ask. She had seen other eight-year-old kids and they looked taller than Emma was right now.
The social worker looked at her with an apologetic look. "Yes, she is eight-years-old. Some homes, well, let's just say that they weren't the best. Good luck Miss Mills." The social worker said goodbye and walked away. Regina frowned at that and closed the door, why would she need luck? Emma seemed like a very sweet girl and very proper for her age.
She went back to where Emma was waiting. "Emma?" Regina said and that made the girl's head snap to where the sound was coming from, Emma was sitting on the couch with her back as straight as only a member of the royal family knew.
Emma immediately got up. "I'm sorry, I should have asked if I could sit on the couch." Emma looks down, as if ashamed of what she had done.
Regina kneeled once again in front of the girl. "Emma, you are now living here, you can sit wherever you want." Regina said with a reassuring smile on her face. "Why don't we go up to check out your room." Emma looked up at the question and nodded. She gave Regina small but genuine smile. So far, this was the best foster home ever and she was determined not to ruin her chance of getting adopted.
They went up the stairs and check out the last bedroom on the right side of the corridor. Regina opened the door and let Emma in first. Then she remembered, the social worker hadn't given her Emma's possessions, she would have to call her. "Oh Emma, I forgot to ask your social worker for your belongings, get settle in while I call her." Regina was about to leave the room when Emma spoke up.
"They're in my backpack." Emma said. Regina looked at her with confusion written in her face. "What do you mean you have it all in your backpack? All your clothes, all your toys?"
"I don't have any toys, and all my clothes were borrowed. I only have a few shirts and one pants. But I can do with them." Emma answered, she didn't want to be a burden for Regina, she seemed really nice; and besides, she knew how to do laundry and she could do with the few clothes she had.
"Of course not Emma, tell you what. After breakfast, we'll go downtown and buy you some new clothes." Regina said. She had discovered more about Emma than what she read in her file. Every story has two sides and Emma's side had been seriously overlooked.
"Really?" Emma couldn't help but ask.
"Yes Emma. Now, what do you want for breakfast?"
"Can we have pancakes? I mean, it's okay if you want another thing." Emma cautiously said.
"Pancakes are a very good idea. Now, come on." Regina said, while holding her hand so Emma could grab it. Emma did and they went downstairs; they had breakfast while Regina asked for what Emma liked, what was her favorite subject at school and so on. Regina couldn't help but frown when Emma would answer but would always say something that made it look as it didn't matter, as she didn't matter.
They finished breakfast and went shopping, Emma always being concerned that Regina wasn't spending too much but Regina said that if she was going to be her foster mom, she would buy her all she needed.
So they settle on to a routine, Emma being each day more comfortable at Regina's house and at calling her Regina. Almost six months had passed and Emma knew that Regina would be able to fill a request of adoption soon, and because of that she was determined to not ruin her chance of having a family.
But also, with those almost six months the colder months arrived and Emma had the flu. But she didn't want to tell Regina because that would mean going to the doctor, buying medicines and in general being a burden. So she kept quiet, she had been able to since she hadn't had any fever for the first two days but on the third day she woke up feeling extremely hot.
She went down to have breakfast. "Good morning mo- Regina." Emma greeted her, giving her a peek on the cheek. She had recovered quickly, but she had been very close to call Regina "mom".
"Good morning Emma." Regina said, while trying to not let the tears fall. Emma was just about to call her mom and she couldn't be happier; the six-month deadline between being a foster mom and becoming the adoptive one was almost up and she would like to talk to Emma about how she would feel to being adopted.
Regina looked at the blonde girl and noticed that she was paler than usual. "Emma, are you feeling alright?" Regina asked, concern laced in her voice.
"Yes, I'm fine." Emma lied. Just then, Emma look at the clock and realized she had only minutes left so that she could catch the bus to school. "I have to go to the bus stop. I'll see you later mo-Regina." Emma winced, that was the second time in one morning.
"Okay honey, but remember if you're not feeling right tell a teacher and I'll be there to pick you up." Regina said.
"Yes, bye. See you later." Emma said and she was out of the door, wincing from the embarrassment of almost calling Regina mom and the fever.
During school, Emma had been slowly feeling worse but wouldn't tell anyone, even after all the friends she had made and the teachers asked her. However, it was during gym class when the teacher made them run that she just fell as the world was spinning and then, nothing.
Regina was in the Mayor's office, doing all the paperwork that involved when being the mayor but she couldn't seem to focus worrying about Emma. Something didn't feel right. That's when her phone rang.
"Mayor Mills." Regina answered, not even bothering to look at who was calling.
"Miss Mills? I'm calling about Emma." The person on the other side of the line said.
"What? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Regina was already gathering her things so she could go out of the office any moment.
"Emma lost consciousness today during gym class, we took her to the nurse but she told us that she had a 104ยบ fever and we took her to the hospital. She's right there but-" Regina didn't let the teacher finish, she had already hung up and rushed to the hospital.
Emma woke up and she didn't recognize where she was. Then she looked around and saw that she was in some sort of room that resembled a hospital; then she felt a weight on her right side and saw Regina with her head bowed and heard her sniffling.
"Regina?" Emma asked in a raspy voice. At that, Regina looked up and saw Emma awake and couldn't help the tears forming in her eyes.
"Oh Emma, I was so scared. Why didn't you tell me anything?" Regina said while engulfing Emma in a hug.
Emma shrugged, she didn't know how she could explain everything to Regina. Not without blowing up her chance of getting adopted.
"Emma, I want to talk to you about something." Regina said, seeing Emma lying here made her feel every bit of a mom, and she needed everyone to know that Emma was he daughter, not just her foster mom.
Emma's eyes widened, Regina was going to send her back. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Please don't send me back, please don't, this has been the best home I've ever had. I'll pay you for whatever you're paying with me being here but please don't send me back to the system." Emma pleaded between sobs.
"Emma, Emma calm down. Who said anything about you being sent back? What are you talking about?" Regina asked, maybe she would know why Emma held herself back every time she did something, even if that something was anything but wrong. She was rubbing gentle and what she hoped would be soothing circles on the girl's arms.
"I'm being a burden, and I don't want to be one. If I'm one, then you'll send me back and you won't adopt me. I love you, this has been the best home ever and I wanted you to adopt me but now you won't, I can still be your foster daughter if you don't want to adopt me but please don't send me back." Emma sobbed.
Regina cried along with Emma, this poor girl had gone through a lot but she hoped with what she was about to say, Emma would be finally be herself. In the six months she had had her she had seen glimpses of the real Emma. The Emma that said silly jokes just to make Regina laugh, the Emma that believed in fairytales and happy endings, the Emma that hated math but loved history, and now, the Emma that wanted to be her daughter.
"Emma, do you know what I was going to say?" Emma shacked her head, though she was pretty sure what Regina was going to say. "What I was going to say, was to ask you how you felt about me adopting you?" Regina said with a soft smile between her tears.
"Are you serious?" Emma asked, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Emma, I want to be your mother, not your foster mom, but your mom. That's if, you want me as a mother too." Regina slowly said. At Emma's silence for a moment she thought that the girl didn't want her to adopt her but that wouldn't make much sense would it?
"So, can I call you 'mom' now?" Emma said just barely above a whisper. This had to be a dream, any moment now Regina would say something and shatter everything.
"Yes Emma, you can call me mom." Regina said, with tears running down but with a smile on her face.
"'Mom'" Emma paused for a moment. "I like the sound of that." Emma said with a giggle.
Regina chuckled. "Yeah Emma, me too." Regina said and gave Emma the best hug the girl had ever received.
"I love you, mom." Emma whispered into Regina's hair.
"I love you too, my princess." Regina answered.
So, there you go. Tell me what you think and don't hesistate in sending my a prompt if you have one :)
