A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I finally have an update for you. I am genuinely sorry this took so long. I want to send a huge thank you to everyone who is still sticking with me after that pretty long hiatus this fic was on. You're the best! I also want to thank everyone who has messaged me and reviewed and asked me to continue this; it really means a lot to me that you've enjoyed this fic so much.
I was going to make this a long final update, but it felt like it was dragging on so I'm splitting it into two. I also really wanted to post an update since I'm sure we could all use some fluff right now. That said: this chapter is mostly Emma and Regina with some Henry/Moms moments in it too. The next chapter will be all Emma and Regina and their alone time (finally! Haha) And then, I'm still debating about whether or not I want to show Regina's belated birthday breakfast the next day, so we'll see. But those are my plans for wrapping up this fic. The next update will be up soon.
Thanks again for reading and waiting for this update and I really hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 11
Emma glanced up into the Bug's rearview mirror, catching the shadowy reflection of Henry snuggled against Regina in the backseat. A warm smile broke out across her face and the sight filled her heart with a flutter of warmth, as her eyes remained focused on Regina hugging their sleeping son close, while she rested her head upon his.
The two women had just said goodnight to Belle and Mr. Gold, after Emma had driven all of them from the edge of the forest, back to the main street of the town and over to the pawn shop. Henry had mumbled his barely coherent goodbye, as well, before nestling further into Regina and falling right back to sleep. Apparently, if there was one thing that completely exhausted an eleven year old boy, it was doing everything he could to make his mother's surprise party perfect. No amount of cake or other sugar he'd had that night was any match for how tired he was from the busy week of planning, organizing, and helping out with everything.
Emma's content smile widened, as she watched Regina's hand lightly stroking Henry's hair, soothing them both, while they cuddled. Her girlfriend's brown eyes were closed, but Emma could sense that Regina wasn't actually tired, and was only relishing and cherishing having Henry so close to her. Moments like these were going to become rarer and rarer, now that Henry was almost a teenager, and she knew Regina was just trying to experience them while she still could. Regina had never taken the hugs, cuddles, and snuggles for granted, and even less so now, after having him push her away during those months when he saw her mostly as the Evil Queen. Emma had been told as much, and she could only be happy that the mother and son were working on their relationship, as they rediscovered and rebuilt the special, unique connection neither had truly wanted to let go of.
"You're staring," Regina stated without opening her eyes to meet the green ones she could feel lingering on her.
A light blush heated Emma's cheeks but she cast a defensive look at the mirror, even though the other woman wasn't looking up at it. "Not my fault you two look adorable sitting like that."
"I'm not adorable," Regina mumbled half-heartedly, too caught up in how happy and at peace she felt with her family, to really want to put up a front and argue.
Emma shook her head with a laugh. "The mirror and I disagree."
"Clearly, you're both delusional. Or biased."
"Ok, maybe I'm biased," Emma admitted drolly. "But there's no way the mirror is. Mirrors don't lie."
"Which is why they are infuriating," Regina grumbled with a tone of resentment that began to darken the easy banter. "But they always show you only what you're looking to see, and never the whole truth. And then, you're left to deal with that small part of the whole picture, whether you like it or not. "
"Wow. That was deep. Guess I should be happy none of mine have ever actually talked," Emma tried to joke, catching the way Regina's mouth began to curve into a smirk that faded quickly. Her brown eyes continued to remain closed, as the blonde studied her, but Emma noticed the almost imperceptible way Regina's hand tightened more around where it sat on Henry's arm.
"Look at me."
Emma's gentle command went unacknowledged for a few long moments, although, they both knew Regina had heard it. When Emma's eyes continued to bore into the other woman, Regina let out an exasperated sigh and reluctantly opened her own eyes, so they could stare up at the rearview mirror.
"Not at the mirror," Emma shifted in her seat and reached out to the backseat of the car, clasping her hand over one of Regina's, as she continued to hold their son. The brown eyes instantly lowered with Emma's touch to meet hers. "At me."
Regina's brows met in confusion and her eyes questioned Emma through the mix of vulnerability and defensiveness that filled them. "I'm looking at you because…" Regina prompted with a hint of impatience when Emma didn't say anything more.
"What do you see?"
"Someone who seems to value having a staring contest more than taking her girlfriend home to bed."
Emma rolled her eyes even as her heart skipped a beat and she mentally stumbled over how to answer. The unexpected nervousness she'd been feeling at the thought of what would occur between them once they were finally alone, hadn't completely stopped swirling within her since they had walked back to the car, and it only became more extreme with Regina's choice of words. She took in a gulp of air and swallowed hard in an effort to calm her jitters, as well as, the excited anticipation that rushed through her.
The blonde let out a quick huff in annoyance, "I'm being serious here."
"As am I."
Emma glared at Regina, before she let her face and eyes soften again, and her thumb glided slowly over the back of the hand she held. "What do you see?" She asked again, with even more tenderness in her voice.
The tone Emma used had Regina's expression softening as well, and even though a small huff of frustration left her mouth, it wasn't long before she was reading through the emotions in the green eyes. What she found there had now become familiar and comforting, but it also didn't stop the inevitable bit of fear from creeping up the back of her throat and making it tight.
She loved Emma and trusted her, but that didn't mean the way the other woman looked at her wouldn't always be overwhelming and a little bit scary. No one had ever looked at her in the exact way Emma did, and as much as it gave Regina hope, strength, and the reminder that someone truly loved and accepted every part of her, it still felt so unbelievable that she was letting someone in and allowing them to love her as much she loved them.
Silence continued to hover between them for a minute, as Regina tried to find the right words. Finally she replied in a voice that was soft and vaguely husky. "I see everything I'll always hold on to. Everything I hope you see and believe in when you look into my eyes."
Emma's smile grew into one that reached her eyes where a few unshed tears sparkled in the glow of the streetlights when the blonde tilted her head. Her hand left Regina's to cup the other woman's face, her thumb stroking Regina's cheek. "I do. And it's what I'm always going to hold on to, too."
Regina turned her head slowly, kissing the inside of Emma's palm, and then, she pressed her lips to Emma's fingers. "Good. Because you know too much," she muttered into Emma's hand and kissed it once more.
The blonde felt the way Regina's mouth curved into a small smile against her skin, before she turned her head to completely face Emma again.
The coy smile dancing on the other woman's face had the corner of Emma's mouth quirking up and her eyebrow soon followed, causing the blonde to wear her own playful expression. "Oh, so that's the only reason I'm still here? You need to keep me close now that I've learned so many of your secrets?"
"The party and all of those incomparable surprises haven't hurt either," Regina teased with an underlying gratefulness.
"Uh huh," Emma's thumb moved to sweep adoringly over Regina's cheek again, before it moved down to brush over Regina's lips and the smug smile they sat in.
"And because I love you," Regina mumbled sincerely against Emma's finger, pressing her lips to the pad of Emma's thumb in a kiss.
"I like that reason," Emma whispered through her smile. She then leveled her eyes to stare seriously at Regina. "And just so you know, and in case I haven't convinced you, you are adorable…especially, when you're holding our son. And beautiful. And strong. And amazing. And I love you, too."
The green eyes held hers for a few more moments, making Regina feel the words Emma had just said. Then, Emma pulled her hand away from Regina and turned back toward the steering wheel, glancing up to the mirror once more. She met Regina's eyes in the glass. "Now, let's get our son home, so he can sleep somewhere that's more comfortable than the backseat of my car. And you, Your Majesty, still have a card to read, another charm to add to your bracelet, and a few more surprises that I'd like to bestow upon you."
Regina nodded with a smile, leaning her head back on Henry's. The car started with a low rumble, and soon, Emma was turning the steering wheel and pulling away from the curb.
The car ride to Regina's house was silent with both women caught up in their own thoughts, while also, not wanting to disturb Henry any more than they probably had.
When they were a few houses away, Regina began to gently rouse the boy from his sleep. "We're almost home, sweetheart," She announced quietly into Henry's hair, rubbing her hand over his back to help nudge him awake.
He grumbled into the blue hoodie she was still wearing and clung tighter to her, until he began blinking and rubbing at his eyes.
As Henry stifled a yawn, Regina glanced up and noticed how Emma was about to park in front of the house. That suddenly seemed silly, since they were now in a relationship and Emma was going to stay the night. "Pull in the driveway," She instructed and Emma's eyes found hers in the mirror again with shock and a bunch of questions flashing in them.
After the initial surprise passed, however, Emma realized how much more sense it made for her to do as Regina said and she nodded, before doing as she was told. It wasn't like their relationship was a secret anymore and she doubted anyone would be stunned or unnecessarily concerned by the sight of her car sitting in Regina's driveway in the morning. But still, there was something about it that made Emma feel like something was fluttering around inside of her. The more she focused on what was causing the odd feeling though, the more she realized it had nothing to do with whether it would seem random or unusual to the townspeople.
Honestly, she could care less about any gossip or scandal a neighbor might contrive, now that her family and friends knew she and Regina were together. The feelings of the people who were important to her, were really the only ones that she had been concerned about, but they were all more receptive and accepting than she had expected them to be.
That told Emma that the nervous feeling that had sprung up because of parking in the mansion's driveway wasn't caused by any apprehensions or worries. And that's when it became clear that the feeling wasn't really a negative, fearful one, but one that was caused by exhilaration. They were good butterflies, even if her stomach wasn't too happy about them.
Regina had never offered to let her park in the driveway before, not even when Emma had come over for dinner last weekend. That made this feel significant; like their relationship had somehow become even more real and Emma officially belonged in the Mills' house, as someone who was more than a dinner guest or Henry's other mother. She was truly wanted there and accepted by both Henry and Regina. Of course it made sense, since they were now dating, but it reinforced for Emma that she was finally a part of the family she had always wanted.
"This is new," Emma commented, putting the car in park and switching off the lights. After a beat she turned the key, so that the car became still and silent. "If only I'd known weeks ago that I could get driveway parking privileges by making us official and throwing you a party."
"That isn't necessarily true," Regina chuckled, as Emma opened her door and got out of the car. Henry reluctantly let go of his mom and sleepily sat up, so she could climb out of the backseat, taking the hand Emma offered her. "It's more that I realized how much I love the person this contraption belongs to, and therefore, it should be given a spot in my driveway."
"Well, I'm glad you realized and have accepted that the Bug and I come as a pair," Emma pecked Regina's lips and then leaned past her to help a groggy Henry out of the car.
Brown eyes lingered on the yellow Bug, surveying it. "I've come to find it tolerable. Just don't expect me to ever fall in love with it," Regina told her definitively, not hiding her disapproval of the vehicle in the slightly exaggerated look of disgust she cast at it.
"Never. The very idea of Regina Mills ever loving the car she's detested for so long…now that's just crazy," Emma winked over her shoulder at Regina, who was reaching into her purse for her house keys.
"Almost as crazy as her falling in love with you," Henry yawned from where he stood beside Emma, her arm draped around his shoulders. "And look at what happened with that."
Emma laughed and gave Henry an encouraging squeeze in thanks for helping her tease his other mother.
"Just a reminder that technically it is still my birthday until I fall asleep," Regina narrowed her eyes at them, as she walked by and stepped onto the portico. "And there is a great difference between Emma and that hideous, old car," she defended, unlocking the door.
Henry just shrugged, leaving Emma and walking past Regina and the door she had pushed open. "Well, yeah, Emma's a person. But you didn't like her too much at first either."
"He's right," Emma smirked and locked the door behind her, following the other two up the stairs and into the house. "Not to bring up bad memories, but you did try to put me under a sleeping curse, and I'm guessing at that point it wasn't because you wanted an excuse to kiss me awake."
"It's still different," Regina maintained, ignoring Emma's teasing.
"Whatever you say," The blonde bumped Regina's shoulder with her own. "But don't expect us to let it go when you're looking for reasons to ride in my car in a month or two, right Henry?"
"Right," Henry yawned again, his tired eyes wandering from his moms and automatically landing on the staircase that led up to his room.
"Go put your pajamas on, sweetheart," Regina reached out to affectionately stroke her son's hair without acknowledging the way he had joined his other mom in continuing to tease her. "We'll be up in a minute to say goodnight."
Henry leaned into Regina, as she placed a kiss on his head. Then, he nodded and made his way up to his room.
When Emma heard Henry's door click shut, she stepped closer to Regina. "So, care to enlighten me about the great differences between me and my car?" Her lips twisted up into a mischievous smile. "I mean aside from the fact that I'm a person and, obviously, you don't find me hideous."
The playful smile and the glimmer that accompanied it in Emma's eyes caused Regina to stare back at her humorously. "And here I thought you'd be clever enough to come up with the reasons on your own."
"Well," Emma breathed, finding Regina's hips with her hands and turning her so they fully faced one another, their bodies almost pressing against each other. "I think I can come up with a couple."
Emma watched as Regina's eyes fell from her own to observe the space that was barely present between them. Her hands met Emma's on her hips, and then, she looked back up at her with a devious grin. "Oh, really?" She hummed, tipping her head toward Emma's. "And what are they?"
Heat rippled through Emma's body at the provocative question and the way Regina leaned into her. Her gaze traveled down to the tantalizing lips that had curled up into a coy smile. After taking a steady breath she forced her eyes back up to Regina's, immediately seeing the desire and need that mixed with the slightly taunting look that still teased her. Instead of giving in and capturing Regina's lips like she wanted to, Emma lowered her voice suggestively. "Things I wouldn't want to risk our son overhearing."
"I see," Regina sent her a knowing smile, not letting on to the way her heart had quickened at the implication of Emma's words.
"But…" Emma continued, brushing her cheek against Regina's, until her lips hovered near the brunette's ear. She felt Regina shiver when a warm breath escaped her parted lips. "I can show you a couple."
Emma pressed her lips to the ear she'd been whispering into, lingering for a moment, before they moved down to Regina's earlobe and Emma tugged it into her mouth, then, sucked lightly on it. A moan, followed by a breathy sigh left Regina, reverberating softly through Emma's own body. Her mouth moved to travel down to Regina's neck, pressing and sliding against it in a trail of wet kisses that the other woman accepted, tilting her neck to encourage Emma's ministrations.
After placing a kiss to Regina's cheek and a few along her jaw, Emma pulled back a little to meet Regina's eyes, which had slowly opened in response to the loss of the other woman's lips on her skin. "Unfortunately, my car can't do that," she grinned and dipped her head toward Regina's again, in the same moment her hands pulled the other woman into her, bringing them flush against each other. She rested their foreheads together, allowing them time to breathe each other in, before she moved to slowly press her lips to Regina's.
Regina savored the perfect feel of Emma's lips on hers and responded, her lips parting, as both women sweetly claimed each other's mouths. She moaned lightly at the sensations Emma sent throughout her entire body with the way she moved her lips and her tongue against Regina's. The intoxicating sound that rippled from Regina's throat to tremble into Emma's only had the blonde deepening the kiss even more. The hungry, passionate way they moved together, had Regina reaching up to curl her fingers into the waves of Emma's hair and she used her body to guide them to the nearest wall.
For a few seconds the support of the wall just allowed them to become more lost in each other, but when Emma spun them, so that Regina's back came into contact with the hard surface and the brunette's hands disentangled themselves from Emma's hair and traveled down to slip under Emma's red sweatshirt, their fervent kisses gradually faded into ones that weren't so burning and eager. They had both become conscious of how things had escalated and remembered through the fogginess that clouded their brains, how Henry was waiting for them to come upstairs. He could poke his head out of his room at any moment.
"Henry," Emma breathed out with a small chuckle, as Regina stubbornly brought her lips to the other woman's one more time, after the blonde had pulled away.
She wasn't sure if it was a whine or a groan that came from Regina, but soon, Emma felt their mouths separate again and their eyes met.
"We need to go tuck him in," Emma kissed Regina's forehead, as the other woman continued to lean back against the wall.
"I enjoy you much more than your car," Regina husked out between erratic breaths, her head still close to Emma's.
"I can tell," She gave Regina's lips a soft peck, once her hand had settled over the heart that was thundering beneath the hoodie Regina was wearing.
"Emma…" Her name was caught between a whimper and a whisper as it left Regina.
"You are making it so much harder to find the self-control to say goodnight to our son," Emma chuckled breathily.
"You started it."
"You didn't stop me," Emma tossed back softly.
"I want you."
"Soon," Emma promised. "Ten more minutes."
Regina rolled her eyes but nodded her acceptance, trying her best to ignore the weakness in her legs and the delicious, yet almost painful pulsing between them, as she stepped away from the wall. "At least these will be filled with Henry and not piñatas or conversations with your mother."
"Hey, you know you enjoyed that piñata. And talking to my mother wasn't that painful."
"No, it wasn't," Regina found herself admitting and realizing that the truth didn't surprise her, even though it probably should have. It definitely would have in the past. Perhaps, it would have even a week ago. Yet now, she was just happy and relieved that she and Snow had miraculously come to the point where she wasn't trying to make the other woman's life miserable and Snow was willing to come to terms and work on fully accepting Emma's relationship with her former enemy. Strangely enough, it was beginning to seem that the possibility of them actually becoming a dysfunctional but supportive family wasn't so farfetched.
"Come on," Emma tugged Regina's hand and led her toward the stairs. "Let's go tuck Henry in."
They walked up to the landing together and Emma stopped them at the top to make sure that their hair and clothes were neat enough to keep from indicating that they had been steamily making out against a wall a few minutes ago. There was no need for either of them or Henry to have to suffer any embarrassment or uncomfortableness, especially when they had all come to the understanding and agreement that PDAs should be kept to a minimum-and as G-rated as possible-around him. She straightened and tugged at her red hoodie and then ran her hands through her messy hair, before she silently asked Regina if she had fixed her disheveled appearance. She received a nod in reply. Then, she helped to tame Regina's hair and wiped away a hint of lipstick that had been smudged onto her face.
Once they were both confident that they appeared calm and composed, they continued to Henry's room and Emma knocked on the door, before pushing it open. Henry was already lying under his blanket with his head resting against his pillow. His eyes were open, however, and he was staring at something clutched in his hand that he ended up quickly tucking under his pillow as surreptitiously as he could, before (Emma observed) Regina could notice.
"Hey kid, sorry we took so long," Emma greeted with a look of curiosity that earned her a guilty smile at being caught hiding whatever it was and a finger over Henry's lips telling her to keep his secret, as Regina followed her into the room.
Emma continued to eye him suspiciously but gave him a quick nod that she wouldn't say anything. His chest rose and fell beneath the blanket with a noticeable exhale of relief, which he tried to hide from his other mother by shrugging his shoulders and smiling at the two of them, making it clear waiting for them hadn't been a big deal. "It wasn't that long."
"Did you brush your teeth?" Regina walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.
"Before I put my pajamas on," Henry confirmed, but soon a small blush grew darker on his cheeks and he hurried to add, "I ran across the hall. I didn't stop to see or hear anything going on downstairs."
Emma bit back a laugh, especially after seeing the adamant, yet slightly grossed out expression on the boy's face. She was even gladder she had had the sense to think of fixing their clothes and hair before coming in to see Henry.
"How do you know there was anything to see or hear, then?" Emma raised an eyebrow at him.
The way his eyes narrowed at her was purely a look he had picked up from Regina. "I'm eleven and pretty observant. Remember how I figured out the whole curse thing? And you two getting together? Plus, you weren't the only one who learned the hard way to cough really loud and count to five, before coming downstairs when Gram and Gramps were living with us at the loft."
Emma cringed. "Okay, okay. I was just teasing. Sometimes you really are your mother's son."
Regina shot an offended glare over her shoulder at Emma, from where she still sat beside Henry on his bed.
"A-and that's a good thing. Usually," Emma stammered, trying to appease Regina but it only had the brown eyes giving her more of a warning look.
"You know, I could have you go home or sleep downstairs on the couch, or better yet, the floor," Regina threatened, but with a lighter tone than Emma expected, telling her she wasn't really in that much trouble.
"I think you'll feel bad making me sleep somewhere else, once you've read the birthday card I gave you."
"And I think I'll leave you in suspense and let you hope that's the case," Regina told her cheekily, as her attention was pulled away from Emma by the feather-light touch of her son's fingers brushing along the top of her wrist. She turned to see that he was playing with the charms on the bracelet everyone had given her for her birthday. Every so often his small fingers would briefly stop their movements, as he took time to carefully look at each small, silver piece. When they finally landed on the heart he had given her, he brought her wrist closer to him, resting it on the blanket that covered his chest, while his fingers never let go of the charm.
He studied the silver heart that held his picture and the I love you he'd written on a tiny piece of paper, inside of it. Then, he began gently playing with the little charm as he had with the others. As she watched him, it reminded Regina of when he was much younger and would take comfort in absent-mindedly playing with her jewelry. When he had been a baby and a toddler, she guessed it was mostly because the shine and sparkle of different bracelets, rings, and necklaces mesmerized him, but as he had gotten older it became more of a habit he would console himself with, distracting himself from the reason he was crying or the thoughts of the nightmare that had woken him up. Honestly, the calming action had always soothed her as much as it had soothed him; filling Regina's heart with warmth and making her smile with the comfortable, loving bond between them. However, it had been at least two or three years since the last time Henry had reached out to his mother for this particular way of connecting with her. At first, she had believed it was only because he was growing up and didn't want anyone to think of him as a baby, but soon, he had clearly started pulling away.
The thought of how trying and troubled their relationship had been from then on and how long it had been since he had willingly shown or really accepted any affection from her, until only a few months ago, had Regina's throat tightening with every relaxed, tender graze and tickle of his fingers that she felt. She would always be grateful that she hadn't lost him; that they could recover and strengthen their relationship.
"Don't forget," His quiet voice filled the silent, intimate moment between them, and his hand closed around the dangling heart. A smile spread across his face, as he lifted his head to look up at her.
"I won't," She met his smile with her own and reached up to stroke his cheek. "And always remember I love you too."
After a minute of both of them taking in the comfortable and loving moment they shared, Regina leaned forward and placed a kiss to his forehead. "Get some sleep. You've had a busy week. And at least one of us needs to be awake enough to make sure Emma doesn't burn down the kitchen when we teach her how to make breakfast tomorrow."
Henry laughed, and Regina peered over her shoulder with a smirk directed at the woman standing a few feet behind her. It fell away, though, when she saw the way Emma was staring at them with more love and understanding than Regina was sure she'd ever seen from someone before. The special moment that Henry and Regina had shared meant just as much to Emma as it had to them, and that was obvious to Regina, who held out her hand for the blonde to take.
Emma stepped around the bed and allowed Regina to link their fingers together, while she stood next to her. Regina smiled up at her girlfriend, acknowledging that she could see what the other woman was feeling, and squeezed her hand. "Here, I'll leave you two sneaky party planners to say goodnight."
As Regina moved to stand up, Henry tugged on her hand, "Wait."
Regina sat back down on the bed and watched him take something out from under his pillow.
"I know the apple trees were supposed to be my last surprise for you, but I wanted to give you this," He explained, sitting up and scooting towards her. Regina glanced over to Emma to see if she knew about this other surprise, but she shook her head.
"This is all Henry. I have no clue what's going on," She raised the hand Regina wasn't holding to help convince the brunette that she hadn't been involved.
Turning her head back to Henry, Regina caught sight of two silver charms sitting in his hand. There was a proud grin on his face, as his eyes traveled from one mom to the other, pausing on Emma, as they squinted slyly at her. "And you didn't think I'd even be able to keep the party a secret."
"Well, you are my son and your mom can read both of us like a book," Emma offered in defense. "If she'd caught on that you were up to something, one ice cream or pizza bribe and that would have been it."
"Not to mention the fact that your grandmother couldn't keep a secret when she was your age," Regina couldn't help but mutter.
"So, what's this big secret you didn't think you should let me in on," Emma crossed her arms over her chest and pouted childishly, steering them away from Regina's jab at Snow.
Henry rolled his eyes at the way Emma tried to guilt-trip him. But then, he motioned for her to sit next to him, so that the three of them made a triangle on the bed with Henry sitting in the middle of it, as his two moms sat on the edge almost facing each other. "I couldn't have told you when it's a surprise for you, too," Henry explained to Emma like his reason for not letting her in on the secret was the most obvious thing in the world. "After we came up with the charm bracelet idea, I got an idea for another charm, but I thought it was perfect for both of you and not just Mom. So, I asked the jeweler if I could order two."
Emma frowned at that. "But Snow and I were the ones who went to order the bracelet…"
"I may have told Grams I wanted to order two more and she helped me out. We went back the next day," Henry confessed somewhat sheepishly.
"You...oh..." Emma trailed off.
Regina cleared her throat. She had been watching the interaction between Emma and Henry with amusement, seeing how her girlfriend's pride had been slightly hurt at not being let in on Henry's secret mission and at not having been perceptive enough to have picked up on his little scheme to surprise them both with something. But Regina was also becoming more and more curious as to what kind of charm Henry had gotten for them. "I'm sure Henry will be happy to regale you with the tale of how he managed to fly under your radar and coax your mother into conspiring with him, tomorrow, but I'd really like to see what our son was thoughtful enough to get us before we all fall asleep."
"Right. Sorry," Emma mumbled her apology, but was unable to keep the smile from her lips at Regina's (adorable) chastising and the thought that her son had gotten them both a gift. "And I really do appreciate you thinking of me, too," She reached out to ruffle Henry's hair.
"I know," Henry gave her a lopsided smile. "And don't worry, you'll always be the first person I let in on all of my future secret operations."
That had tears forming in Emma's eyes and Regina saw her bite her lip, before she wrapped an arm around Henry. Regina could feel the tears in her own eyes, as she watched their quick embrace.
"So," Henry began again, once Emma had released him. "I know you weren't together yet when I ordered these, but I guess that means they mean even more now. They were to always remind both of you that you're my family and that the three of us are a family..."
Henry trailed off and placed one of the charms in Emma's hand and the other in Regina's. Emma's smile became mixed with the tears that she couldn't stop from slipping down her cheeks, while Regina let out a soft gasp. The identical charms were three small people—looking very stick figure-like—standing together. They had tiny round heads and somewhat rectangular bodies with little arms and legs. The two that stood on each side of the shorter one in the middle, were obviously supposed to be Emma and Regina, while the one between those two was supposed to be Henry. Emma's and Regina's each had one of their silver arms behind the one that was Henry, linking them close together.
"Turn them over," He suggested and both women followed the instruction.
Sure enough, on that side, which was supposed to be the front of the charm, a single letter was carved into each figure. The first figure had an E, the smaller one had an H, and the third one had an R. A thin banner was also engraved across the three of them, with each figure holding part of it, and the word family was etched across it in flowing letters.
"Henry," Emma found her voice after a while of just staring at the charm in her hand. "I love it."
She pulled him to her, hugging him tightly and kissing the top of his head. "Thanks, kid," She smiled brightly, as she released him, wiping the tears that were still flowing down her cheeks with her sleeve. "This—this is perfect."
He smiled at her, before turning to Regina who still hadn't said anything. Instead of breaking her silence, she just reached for him and held him for a long time. Her lips met his hair with a few tender kisses, but her arms never loosened their embrace.
When she finally did let go, she and Henry stared at each other with a deep understanding. "All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy, Henry," Regina told him sincerely. "And for you to feel loved and know you have a family. I promise you'll always have that."
"You definitely will," Emma rubbed his back, as she echoed Regina. "Like I said before, things may change, but the fact that we're a family won't."
"I love you both," Henry said opening his arms to hug them at the same time.
"Love you too," Regina and Emma replied together, falling into the joint hug.
"Now, you really should go to sleep," Regina brushed his hair off of his forehead when they pulled back from each other, and Emma helped Regina with tucking Henry in.
"Goodnight, my little prince," Regina kissed his cheek. "And thank you again for everything."
"I'm happy it made you happy," Henry smiled sleepily and snuggled contentedly against his pillow. But almost as soon as his eyes closed, they opened again and he was waving for Regina to bow her head closer to his. "Emma's card and charm will make you happy, too. Don't make her sleep on the floor," He finished his whisper half-jokingly.
"You read the card?' Regina's voice questioned almost inaudibly.
"Nah, but she was writing in it for hours. It's gotta be good."
Regina ran a hand lovingly over his hair one more time before she stood up and stepped aside, so Emma could say goodnight.
"See you in the morning," Emma kissed the top of Henry's head. "And this charm is going right on my necklace."
Henry smiled up at her, his eyes lighting up with more joy than she'd ever seen in them. "Glad you like it. Help Mom put hers on the bracelet."
"Sure," Emma gave him another small smile. "Night."
"Ma," He stopped Emma when she was about to walk away.
"Yeah, Henry?"
"I vote we change Mom's belated birthday breakfast to birthday brunch."
Both of his moms chuckled, as Henry rolled onto his side, nuzzling deeper into his pillow and getting more comfortable under his blanket.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Emma agreed, walking over to where Regina was standing in the doorway.
Just as Regina flicked the light off Henry called quietly to them from across the room, "Moms?"
"Hm?" They both answered in unison, briefly searching each other's eyes and finding the same wonder as to what he was going to say.
"I'm happy that Ma is staying over. It feels…right," He finished with a sleepy sigh, beginning to drift back off to the pleasantness of sleep.
The two women remained in the doorway, forgetting everything else for a minute, while they took in the happiness, along with the completely pleased and relaxed smile, that radiated from their son. Eventually, Regina's arms slid around Emma's middle and she rested her chin on the blonde's shoulder. "He's right. I'm happy you're staying over, too."
She kissed Emma's covered shoulder, and then, lifted her lips to, also, kiss her cheek.
Emma sighed and melted further into Regina's arms. "I'm happy I'm staying over, too."