Welcome back, readers!
This chapter is heavy with music. Seriously, music heavy. It's a bit crackish, but I meant it to be a bit of fun in the midst of all the angst.
Music will be as follows:
"So Sick" by Neyo
"We Belong Together" by Mariah Carey
"Breakdown" by Mariah Carey feat. Bone Thugs N Harmony
Enjoy :)
Emma plugs her phone into her parents' stereo set and sets her current favorite playlist at top volume: The Soundtrack to My Sadness. It's a playlist she'd put together during her first big fight with Regina. It'd gotten her through many sad, angry, and just plain emo nights. In fact, she'd come to think of it less as a playlist and more as a trusted friend.
The blonde raids her parents' refrigerator next and comes up what looks like the last - or only - beer in the fridge. She pops the cap and crosses back into the living room area. The first song on her playlist is "So Sick" byNeyoand she turns it on repeat and hits play.
"Do do do do do do do dooo mmm yeah," she begins singing - or wailing - along.
The sheriff snaps her fingers and bobs her head to the beat.
"Gotta change my answering machine, now that I'm alone. Cuz right now it says that we can't come to the phone..."
Red and Henry are here. They silently at the breakfast bar watching the sad display. They track her behavior as if they're studying some animal as it reacts to unfamiliar circumstances.
Totally oblivious to anything else going on around her, Emma doesn't hear when David, Snow and baby Neal come home. The duo and their baby walk softly to Red and Henry with questioning eyes.
"Why are you all here? It's four in the afternoon," Snow asks.
"And I'm so sick of love songs, so tired of tears!" Emma's voice echos through the apartment, causing the others to wince at the sudden spike in volume.
Henry speaks first. "After school, I text Ma. She said she was here."
"And I'm off today," Red offers. "Pretty sure Em took the day off. Or at least re-routed all the station calls to her cell."
"How long has she been doing this?" David looks a bit perturbed that his last beer is being spilled all over the living room as his daughter attempts to use it as a microphone.
Red knows the answer to this question better than anyone else, "Well, I got here around twelve. And it's been going on since then. So..."
"Okay, but what's the meaning of all this? Is it because the adoption was delayed? I know everyone had their hopes up, but is that why she's broken out the infamous playlist?"
Henry offers up a possible explanation. "Can you guys keep a secret?"
They all nod.
"Like seriously, Gram, you cannot tell anyone..."
"I can keep a secret!"
"Really? Because past experience says you really can't."
"Do not sass your grandma!" the school teacher hisses. "And I swear, I will not tell a soul."
"I think something big happened between my moms. But they're not telling anyone. And they lied and said the adoption was delayed because of paperwork but really something happened and they don't know how to deal with it yet."
David leans in closer so Emma won't hear; but she's in her own little world so that won't be an issue. "How did you come up with that theory?"
"I saw Ma coming out of the guest room early this morning. If the adoption just got delayed for some reason, they would have been too disappointed and sad to sleep separately. Something else is up."
"What should we do?" Snow instantly goes into crisis mode.
"No!" the boy almost jumps out of his seat. "Nothing! Do nothing. They don't know we know yet. If we start talking to them like something is wrong we'll freak them out. Maybe we should wait and see if they solve it themselves."
"Yeah, I think he's right. You know these two - if you spook them too soon, they'll run like hell," the wolf observes.
"Okay, so Operation: Play Along and See What Happens has officially commenced."
Red curls lip in disgust at the name Henry chooses. "Kid, you're such a nerd."
Another round of "So Sick"starts up again. And again, Emma begins singing along. "Do do do do do do do dooo, mm yeah..."
"Oh my fucking God!" Red gets up and stomps toward the stereo, poised to unplug the offending device re-playing the damn song.
"No!" the blonde shouts.
"At least play a different song!" she commandeers the device, turning off the 'repeat' feature and selects another song on the list. "Here," Red begins, "the Reigning Queen of Heartache."
She plays "We Belong Together" by Mariah Careyas the rest of the family joins Emma in the living room. The young woman grabs the television remote as her "microphone."
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmmmmmmm," she directs the others into a rhythmic side-stepping motion - sliding left foot out and tapping right foot against it, and vice versa. The snap to the beat.
Knowing the song well enough thanks to their daughter's constant re-playing, Snow and Charming take the background vocals. Henry dances between them. Red does her thing as lead vocalist and fully gets herself in character.
"I didn't mean it when I said I didn't love you so. I should have held on tight, I never should have let you go. I didn't know nothing, I was stupid, I was foolish. I was lying to myself!"
Emma joins her parents and Henry, side-stepping and spinning on every sixth beat.
"I could not fathom that I would ever be without your love. Never imagined I'd be sitting here beside myself. Cuz I didn't know you, cuz I didn't know me but I thought I knew everything. I never feeeeelt..."
Red and Emma spin around each other, swapping places, giving Emma the lead.
As she sways her hips back and forth, mouthing the words to the song, going all diva on their asses, tears begin to fall. But she doesn't stop. They don't stop. She needs this - this catharsis. She needs her family here having her back and singing break up songs with her.
Right now her dad is swaying to a Mariah Carey song and singing the words surprisingly accurately just for her. Normal family be damned - Emma wouldn't trade this family for any other in the world... or worlds.
David jumps in to take the "mic."
"I can't sleep at night when you are on my mind. Bobby Womack's on the radio saying to me 'If you think you're lonely now,'... wait a minute, this is too deep -"
Henry, "Too deep -"
"I gotta change the station," he continues the verse. The pseudo prince shows off some of his less-than-spectacular foot work as his wife encourages him.
Emma picks up the next section. "I'm feeling all out of my element, throwing things, crying, trying to figure out where the hell I went wrong. The pain reflected in this song ain't even half of what I'm feeling inside. I need you need you back in my life, baby!"
Snow rubs the broken woman's back as she has a slight breakdown. They retire to the back of the group, singing out the background vocals as if Emma's sanity depends on it.
Red finishes up the next-to-final chorus and when the key changes, Henry jumps out front, grabbing the remote mic from the waitress. He's super dramatic; seriously being a total attention whore right now. The kid's on his knees, waving his free arm "diva style" and hitting all the high notes. The rest of the gang simply watch in amusement.
"Who am I gonna lean on when times get rough? Who's gone talk to me til the sun comes up? WHO'S gone take your place, there ain't nobody better. Oh baby baby, we belong togetheeeeeeeeer!"
Hamming it up, the boy spreads his arms wide, closes his eyes and holds out that last note til his last breath.
About two hours later, Emma sits on the sofa, cradling Neal. They're watching The Goonies. The blonde is explaining to her brother the social implications of the classic film and diligently trying to get him to say the words, 'Goonies never say die.'
Her efforts, of course, are futile.
Over in the kitchen, Henry is washing their snack-time dishes as his grandma dries.
Red gets a phone call. She answers quietly, trying not to alert Emma to the caller's identity.
"Regina?"
There's no answer. But she can hear someone on the other end breathing - no, sniffling.
"G, are you okay?" she speaks quietly into the phone.
"Are you busy?" the voice is small and choked.
"No. Why? What's up?"
"Is she with you?"
Knowig exactly who 'she' is, Red decides that if she answers 'yes,' Regina will most likely cower and hang up. "No. What do you need?"
"Can you come over?"
"Yeah, sure. Know what? I just ran into Henry on his way home. I bet I could catch up with him and we'll walk together. Would that be okay?"
"Okay," comes the muffled voice.
"We'll be there in a few."
The line goes dead.
"Hey, Snow..." the wolf whispers. "Maybe you should ask Em if she wants to stay over? I'm headed over to G's now. She sounds pretty bad. I don't think she'd want Emma to see her like that. And vice versa..." she motions toward Emma, who's laughing at the screen going, 'Oh, that Chunk - he's the best.'
"Sure," Snow begins. "Are you taking Henry with you?"
"Yeah. I think she wants to see him. He's kind of like her comfort blanket."
"Okay. If you can, stay with her, please? And if Henry feels like he's had too much, call us and David will go pick him up. Granted, the boy's been through a lot in his short years, but I don't want him to start feeling like he has to babysit his parents. He's mature, but he's still just a kid. I just hope eventually they're get it together."
"Yeah..."
With that, Red gets up and gathers her and Henry's things and the two exit. They decide not to bother Emma. They'll check in on her later.
It's close to 7pm when Henry and red enter the mansion.
Red calls out, "G, where you at?"
They suss out the place and find her back in the den, sitting on the floor with a pair un-Mayorlike pink sweat pants and a video game controller in her hands. She's got a serious ass-kicking face on and they both know why: Tomb Raider. Not many people know this, but Tomb Raider is like Regina's "happy pill." However, the red-rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks don't go unnoticed by her friend and son.
"Hey there," Red perches on the edge of the coffee table. The boy joins his mom on the floor.
"I can't remember how I got through this level last time. Henry, can you go on YouTube and find me a walk-through?"
Without question, he does as he's asked and they watch as the Lara Croft slaughters her enemies and makes it through to the next level. But bored of tomb-raiding, Regina's given up on the game. The three of them basically sit staring at the screen and at each other.
"You know what we need?"
"What?" the mayor looks up at her bestie.
"A song." She switches the television from HDMI to Component, which is the surround sound system.
Red eyes Regina's iPod on its dock and searches through a familiar playlist: The Soundtrack to My Sadness. 'Hmmm,' she thinks, 'they even share playlists.'
She selects a song she knows will get the former queen out of her false "composed" state and opening up a little.
"The Reigning Queen of Heartache," Red smirks.
Henry, knowing just what's about to happen, takes it upon himself to move the coffee table off to the side.
"What are you doing?" his mom questions.
"You'll see," he offers her a knowing grin in response.
"Just go with it, G."
Red hits play on "Breakdown," another MC track.
Henry begins with the background vocals and Red starts off the lead, as usual.
Regina eyes them both, bewilderment in her gaze.
"You called yesterday to basically saaaay that you care for me but that you're just not in loooove..."
Henry makes up his own dance moves and slowly gets his mom to follow his lead. Her laugh is full of relief and a bit of sadness, but mostly warmth. These to important people in her life have no idea how much this means to her right now.
She sings along with the bridge.
"In your midst I'm trying to be nonchalant about it, and I'm going to extremes to prove I'm fine without ya. But in reality I'm slowly losing my mind underneath the guise of a smile, gradually I'm dying inside..."
The older woman just decides to let go completely and allows herself to be in this moment without worrying about keeping up appearances or being judged.
This is a safe space. She takes the lead next.
"So what do you do when somebody you're so devoted to suddenly just stops loving you and it seems they haven't got a cluuuue of the pain that rejection is putting you through?"
Then Henry, "Do you cling to your pride, and sing 'I will survive?' Do you lash out and say, 'How dare you leave this waaaaaaaay-aaaaaeeeaaaay?' Do you hold on in vain as they just slip awaaaaaay?"
When they notice Regina's no longer moving, but holding her arms around her own waist, Red and Henry rush to the woman's side and cling to her as she tries desperately not to cry. She holds back so hard, she's shaking. It's a bit agonizing to watch, but likely that much more agonizing to actually go through.
"Just sing, mom." She nods her head hastily in agreement. "Just sing and it'll feel better," he encourages.
Hesitantly, Regina dives back into the repetitive dance sequence Henry made up.
Red preps for her favorite part: the Bone Thugs rap. She gets her head in the game.
"It'll break you dooown, only if you let it. Every day different situation working my mind trying to break me down but I won't let it forget it -"
Regina can't let her hog all the good parts. "I been feeling like you're breakin me down, kickin me around, stressin me out. I think I betta go and get out and let me release some stress."
Henry, "Don't ever wanna feel no pain, pain. Hoping for the sun but it looks like rain, rain, rain, rain. Lord, I just wanna maintain."
Red, "Yeah, when you feel the pressure's on but nevertheless GINA won't fall, it's over. It's ending here!"
They crack up laughing at the ridiculousness that is this evening. They laugh until Regina has genuine tears streaming from her eyes - and not the been-laughing-hard kind, either.
Her best wolfie wraps strong arms around her allowing her to safely break.
Henry, not wanting to overwhelm his mom with too much affection, reprises his "diva" antics, which earn him a low chuckle from his mother. He really can't stop being an attention whore. Ever since he discovered he was a good dancer, it's been a never-ending 'Look at me, Mom!'
The ladies gladly let him have the spotlight.
Earlier That Morning...
It's around 8am. Emma had left the house pretty early. She'd left a bit before seven. Usually Regina and the kid wouldn't have been up and about until then, so she'd done her due diligence to avoid them.
As planned, the sheriff had driven over to the church to meet with Blue. Before their meeting however, she'd requested to visit with Michelle. Her intention was to assure the child that she hadn't been forgotten by them but conditions just weren't right yet. Realistically, she'd known the young child wasn't really going to comprehend anything she had to say about anything. Hell, at that age, a child's biggest worries were eating, sleeping, pooping, Elmo.
But still, some sort of explanation was owed. Of course, at the time she'd arrived at the orphanage, Michelle was still asleep. So Emma gathered the child into her arms, held her for a few minutes and simply whispered, 'We want you. Please hold on, just a while longer.' She made the girl a promise that she would not get left behind.
Now 8am, Emma sits in the blue fairy's office, struggling to get her words out right.
"We can't... there's a lot going on and right now it wouldn't be fair to bring her into that," she spits out through choked tears, feeling every bit like a failure at life in this moment.
"Emma, it's going to be okay." The fairy smiles sweetly and confidently.
The blonde eyes her suspiciously, "How do you know?"
"I have an inkling that all will work out as it should."
"I wish I had your faith."
"As you know, I've had that girl in my care for quite some time. And in that time, I've come to realize something about her - something I think you will understand quite well: she, much like yourself, sees the truth in people. Emma, all your life you haven't had much choice in what's happened to you. But when you came here, to Storybrooke with Henry, you chose to be his mother. You chose to be in his life. You chose to be with Regina and you chose to love her. You chose to make that family work and now this little one has chosen you.
"She saw something in that family that was genuine and safe. She saw love - true love. And she chose that. Now, I must admit, I didn't ever believe much in Regina or in the possibility that your relationship could work. But I truly do believe that Michelle sees truth and love in it. I trust her instincts. And I know somehow - some way - you will not let her down."
Emma's only response is a simple nod as she lets those words sink in.
The Next Morning...
The master bed sports a sloppily sleeping teenage boy, a wild-haired wolf girl, and a Regina-shaped dent in the middle.
Violent retching sounds startle Red out of her deep slumber. She listens for the source of the sound and when she hears it again, hops off the bed and into the en suite bathroom.
Regina is on the floor hovering over the toilet, body wracked with after tremors.
"Oh, Regina," the younger woman pulls sweat-slicked hair from her face. "What's going on with you?"
The pale woman manages to sit up and lean back against the wall. "I don't know... I -"
"Do you have the flu or -"
"I'm late..."
Red doesn't quite know what her next words should be.
Out in the bedroom, Henry calculates his next move. Remember how he'd told everyone the best plan of action would be to wait and let his moms fix it on their own? Well, he lied. Of course, he's already got a plan in the works. It's in his nature. He's not the type to just let go and let life. His brunette mom certainly didn't raise him that way. And his other mom certainly wasn't the sit-around-and-wait-for-the-fish-to-come-to-you type. So, yeah, of course he's got a plan - or rather an operation.
He hadn't planned on executing it so soon, but now just might be the right time. In his non-sensical teenaged brain, he reasons with himself that if what he'd just heard from the bathroom was true - that his mom was 'late' - could that have been the reason for their recent snafu?
He jumps off the bed and exits the room. He's got a lot of prep work to do in a short amount of time.
"Late? As in -"
"Yes."
"Who? Whose is it?"
"I don't know! I mean, I -" she takes a breath to collect herself. "Please don't tell anyone... Emma already knows. That's why -"
"Who?"
"She found out last night that Robin and I... but we never did anything. I swear, Red, nothing happened. We talked. He kissed me. And that was bad enough. But as I told Emma, we did not have sex."
"Then how?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm just sick. Maybe - whatever I'm ill with has somehow altered my cycle -"
"Do you think the pre-curse years are catching up with you and maybe you're menopausal?"
"..."
"It's a valid thought! I mean, either it's menopause, or you're ill, or it's immaculate conception."
"Then you believe me? That I didn't..."
"I believe you."
The morning-sick woman gives her a smile of gratitude.
"Only one way to find out though. You need a pregnancy test."
About forty five minutes later, Red re-enters the bedroom. She's got like six home pregnancy kits with her.
"I didn't know which one would be more accurate, so I just bought them all."
"And what the hell is that?" she points to an icky, green shake Red's carrying.
"Oh, I figured if there is a mini-Gina in there, you're gonna have to start consuming all the proper vitamins and minerals. It's a wheat grass and bean sprout smoothie."
"Whatever. Let's just get this over with."
"Um, unfortunately I can't stay. Someone called out at the diner and Granny's off for the next week. I gotta go. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Thank you. So much."
"Call me as soon as you know anything. I'll come by later okay?"
Regina nods and accepts the hug her friend offers. Red leaves the green smoothie and takes her leave.
About thirty minutes later, the brunette's finally consumed enough water to pee on all six sticks. She now waits for the results.
She chances a sip at the green monstrosity, and yeah, it's terrible. And chunky. Seriously, what the fuck? Too chunky for the sink, she begins pouring it down the toilet slowly, so as to avoid splash-ups.
Henry opens the door to an out-of-breath Emma.
"She's upstairs. She's really sick and throwing up and I don't know -"
"Kid, it's okay. I got it," she runs up the stairs.
"Regina?" You okay? Henry called me. Regina?"
The blonde opens the door to the bedroom and hears a steady stream of chunky liquid hitting the surface of the toilet water. 'God, that sounds awful.'
The second Regina notices the doorknob twisting, she waves a hand over the incomplete pregnancy tests, rendering them invisible.
"Emma," she gasps.
"What the hell's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"Henry called and said you were 'violently ill' and throwing up all over the place. Then I came here and heard -" she susses out the vile green liquid in Regina's hand. "What the hell is that?"
"A cup of the worst smoothie I've ever tasted. I was sick. This morning. I'm fine now."
"Oh. What was it?"
"I don't know." That is the truth. She hadn't actually gotten to see the test results. For all she knows, she's just having a bad reaction to something she ate last night.
"Oh, well, I guess I'll just go then. I'm still on shift."
A bit disappointed to see her girlfriend go, she'd much rather her stay and be with her as she awaits the results. But honestly, how would she even begin to explain that?
"Right. Duty calls. Be safe, okay?"
Emma nods and turns on her heels and heads towards the bedroom door.
"What the hell?!"
"Emma?" Regina walks out into the bedroom.
"The freaking door won't open. Like someone's pulling it shut. Henry!" she bangs on the door. "Henry Mills!"
The brunette pushes her aside to try her hand. Indeed, someone - or something - is pulling the door shut from the other side.
A rope is knotted at one end around the master bedroom doorknob. The other end has been tied around the doorknob of the room directly across the hall, effectively closing the occupants of the first room in.
"Can you magic it?"
The older woman tries, but her magic fails. "It won't work."
"Fucking hell! Your son's a little evil genius."
"How do you even know this is his doing?"
"Oh, come on! I know our kid. This screams Operation: Whatever Random Bullshit Henry Thought Up This Week."
In the hallway, Henry and Kiara tote a bunch of materials up the stairs - wood planks, screws, a drill.
"Have you ever seen this old movie, House Arrest?" the boy asks.
"No. What's it about?"
"The kid's parents are getting a divorce. So he locks them in the basement and gives them therapy until they decide they still love each other and call off their lawyers."
He starts positioning planks over the doorway as Kiara operates the drill, sealing the only viable entrance/exit to the room.
Henry yells through the doors, "Moms, I know you're gonna be pissed. But this is for your own good. You guys fight way too much. And this time, you're going to work all your shit out!"
"Language, Henry!" comes a booming voice from the other side of the door.
"Ms. Regina, Ms. Emma, it's Kiara. I just want to let you know that I'm not doing by choice. Henry blackmailed me into being an accessory. I tried to tell him that this is kidnapping and false imprisonment but he wouldn't listen."
"And Moms, don't even try using magic. You'll just tire yourselves out. I magic-proofed all the exits. I mean, you can still use magic, just not for the purpose of escape. You can thanks Grandpa Rumpie for that."
"I am going to fucking kill him!" Emma grumbles, still banging on the door as if it's actually going to give way.
"Not before I do..."
When the boards are all in place, Kiara and Henry stand back, admiring their work.
"Operation: Grover Beindorf has commenced."
To Be Continued...
Side note: In the first scene, Emma's not drunk. I think I accidentally made her seem like she's getting drunk. She's not. She's only had the one beer and even that is mostly spilled on the floor. So all her weird behavior is just her being in a bad place emotionally.