This chapter is just full of fluff :)
I lied! lol this story is nowhere near finished so it's not going to be a short story! Thank you for reading and reviewing and I'll update soon!
Chapter 14 He Saw Her As Regina
It was a cool morning as Henry stood on the stool and brushed Black Heart's black shiny pelt. Since Regina wasn't able to take care of her horse, Henry decided to do it for her. He was as fond of Black Heart as Regina was and he could tell that the horse was missing her.
"Don't worry Black Heart. She'll be better in no time and she'll come see you," he said hopefully just as Jason approached the young boy. He was still checking in on the pregnant mare every morning and had just happened to see Henry in the stall before he could leave.
"Hey kid, speaking of your mom. How is she?"
"She still has sick cooties so Emma doesn't let me hang around her for too long just in case I'll get sick too." Jason laughed at his choice of words as he stroked Black Heart's nose and gave him a sugar cube that he had left over from feeding the pregnant mare.
"It's been two days," he said worriedly.
"Yeah, she hasn't gotten sick in a really long time so it's hitting her hard. That's what gran… I mean Mary Margaret says," he said, instantly correcting his words. He could only hope Jason wouldn't think too much of it. Luckily for Henry, he didn't.
"She's ok though, right?"
"Yeah she's just sleeping a lot." It was quiet for a few second and all they could hear was the sound of horses eating, neighing, and their hooves hitting the wooden floor. Jason decided to be the first to speak, deciding to get this talk off his chest. He needed the boy to know he cared about his mother and would never take her away from him.
"Henry, can I talk to you for a second."
"Yeah, sure," he said, wondering what this was about.
"Your mom told me what happened and well I just want you to know that I would never do anything to take her from you. I don't know what happened in the past or what had come between you but I do know that she loves you and she is trying her best to make up for whatever happened. I would never take her from you Henry."
"I know that… well now I do," Henry said, sounding remorseful for his behavior that night. It was then he looked up at Jason with a kind of protectiveness in eyes that only a son could possess for his mother.
"Do you love my mom?" he suddenly asked, catching Jason off guard. He liked her, but love? He wasn't sure neither of them we're ready for that. He was saved from answering when Henry spoke up once more.
"Mom says it's too soon but when you do don't hurt her." His voice was stern and Jason knew the kid meant business.
Regina woke up to a soft hand on her forehead and then moving to her cheek. She didn't feel hot or feverish anymore and she opened her eyes to see Snow sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.
"Good morning. Looks like your fever broke. How are you feeling?"
"Like I haven't showered in two days," she replied, her voice raspy but not as painful as… was it last night that she was throwing up in the bathroom? She couldn't remember. That night when Snow held her seemed so long ago and everything was just one big blur. "How long has it been since you found me in the bathroom?"
"Two days. You were in a fever induced sleep and the few times you did wake up you seemed to be unaware of your surroundings."
"I don't remember waking up at all," she said as she moved to get up but it was too soon and the room started to spin. Seeing this, Snow laid her back down.
"Not too fast, you're still weak from the fever."
"But I want to shower," she whined making Snow laugh. "What?" she frowned.
"I didn't think it was possible to make whining look so regal."
"Snow!" she protested, not being able to keep the humor from her eyes.
"Alright, alright," Snow laughed as she helped Regina sit up. "But after you need to call Jason. He's worried sick over you."
"Really?" Regina asked softly as if she couldn't quite believe someone other than her family would be worried about her.
"Yes, of course he is," Snow said softly, placing her hand on her stepmother's cheek. "He cares about you so much. He would have come over if I let him." Regina seemed to be genuinely touched by this news and Snow could see the love for Jason shining in her eyes as she thought about him and the times they spent with each other. She suddenly wanted to be with him, to be in his arms, to kiss him, and to hear his voice.
"Can I call him now?" she asked, trying not to sound too eager.
"I thought you wanted to shower," Snow said, confused at her sudden change in mood.
"I do but I want to talk to him now."
"Alright, I'll bring you the phone but call me when you're done. I don't want you going down the stairs yourself right now, not until you're a little more steady on your feet."
"I'm not an invalid," Regina protested, trying to sound annoyed but failing hopelessly at it.
"If you want another reason to end up in the hospital with another concussion then be my guest," Snow said with a small laugh in her voice as she left the room, leaving Regina to pout.
"I'm glad to hear you're alive," Jason said with a teasing tone making Regina smile. Snow had brought her the phone and left to give her some privacy.
"It wasn't that bad," Regina stated.
"Uh huh, you were practically out of it for two days the way Mary Margaret described it." Those words made her laugh.
"Ok, fine it was bad."
"What did you learn from all this?" he asked, not being able to contain the humor in his voice as he tried to remain serious.
"Never to eat anything you bring me ever again?" she said, stating it as a question.
"Ha ha very funny Gina," he laughed.
"Fine, not to half drown myself in a storm ever again. Between you and Mary Margaret I'll never live this down." The atmosphere suddenly grew serious and she could hear him taking a shaky breath over the phone.
"You scared us Gina," Jason said, his voice soft with concern.
"I know, I'm sorry," she said softly.
"I guess you're just going to have to make it up to me," he said and she suddenly want to kiss him for the way his voice sounded… soft and tender and full of love.
"And how's that?" she asked, her voice just as tender.
"Let me see you. I promise I won't make fun of your sick cooties."
"Sick cooties?"
"That's what Henry said you had," he laughed.
"I can't decide who's the child in this case, you or Henry," she said with a laugh in her voice.
"So can I see you?"
"Well… I don't know," she replied as if she were contemplating it, humoring him for the moment. She was going to say yes despite her previous fears. She suddenly didn't care of looking like this in front of him. All she wanted at this point was to be in his arms. She needed him.
"You love messing with me don't you?" he asked, surprising her that he had caught on to her little game.
"Think of it as payback for the soup."
"How was I to know you were going to throw it all up?"
"Fine, if you don't mind me being contagious then I'll see you in an hour?" she asked, hoping he would able to make it then if he wasn't too busy at work. She knew being the town's only vet wasn't easy.
"Sounds perfect," he smiled. "I'll see you then." Regina couldn't help but smile at those words even after they said their goodbyes and hanged up.
"Snow!" she called, her voice full of happiness. Snow rushed in, noticing the sound of her voice and a small knowing smiled graced her lips when she saw the stormy look of love and joy in her eyes.
"I take it you had a good talk," she said.
"Yes and he's going to come see me so I need to shower. Please help me," she said and Snow rushed over as Regina started to get up on her own. When she was finally showered and situated on the couch with a blanket, Snow sat next to her and watched a movie with her to keep her company. They talked about nothing important and just simply enjoyed each other's company until Jason knocked on the door. Wanting to give them some privacy, Snow announced she suddenly had some dishes to wash and left them to finish the movie.
"You look better," Jason said as he sat next to her and pulled her close. She leaned into the sweet kiss he placed on her cheek.
"I feel better and I managed to keep my breakfast down this time." They were quiet for a while until Jason realized what they were watching.
"Are we watching The Notebook?" he asked, shocked that a girl as tough as Regina was even watching this in the first place. Regina tried not to let her blush show.
"Mary Margaret insisted," she said, leaving out the part where she didn't even try to stop her stepdaughter from putting it on. Secretly, it had always been a favorite of hers.
"I've never actually seen it," he said.
"What? I mean… It's ok. You haven't missed much," she said, quickly covering up her shock but Jason immediately caught on.
"You're such a romantic."
"No dear I'm not," she dead panned in annoyance but barely even finished speaking when he lifted her chin with his fingers and passionately kissed her. God, he missed her and by her reaction he can tell she missed him too.
"Aren't you worried about getting sick?" she asked when they finally pulled away, their faces only inches apart. Her voice had only come out as a whisper through her labored breathing.
"If that's what it takes to kiss you then so be it," he said, his voice so soft and tender she had to hold back from letting her tears fall. Even with the love Snow and Henry openly shown her, this kind of love was still going to take some getting used to and it scared her to death. The only thing that kept her grounded was the way he looked at her. He didn't see her as the Evil Queen… the powerful dark sorceress that cursed an entire land and ripped away everyone's happy endings all in an attempt to make Snow White suffer. No, he saw her as Regina… as the person she had always wanted to be and was meant to be if darkness hadn't consumed her heart so many years ago.
They were trapped in each other's gaze, unable to pull away and oblivious to the world around them. They didn't even notice Snow who had noticed them from the kitchen, sneaking over and snapping a picture with her IPhone. The love in their eyes shown so brightly that she couldn't help but capture the moment.