Morning came with a gentle start as the sun gradually peeked over the horizon and fluffy clouds spread out beyond the skyscrapers. When Regina awoke to the rays of light that streamed through her window, she found herself basking in the warmth of the sun for the first time in a long time. Pigeons chirped on the ledge and Regina gazed at the shadows of their silhouettes, their sharp, but graceful movements as they tottered to-and-fro.
Stretching her arms and legs across her mattress, Regina let out a well-rested yawn before tossing the covers aside and rolling out of bed. As the rest of her senses slowly reactivated, Regina followed the hushed sound of the television.
"Well, you two sure are up early," Regina said as she stifled another yawn, unaware that Henry was still asleep.
Craning her neck until the brunette was in her line of view, Emma held a finger up to her lips. "He's still out," she whispered as she turned the television on mute.
Gazing down upon their son, Regina noted how serene Henry looked. In a softer tone, she asked, "What time is it?"
Emma held out her watch, though Regina couldn't see the small hands ticking away. "10 o'clock."
"10?" Regina repeated in disbelief. "How long have you been up?"
With a casual shrug, Emma said, "'Bout an hour. I didn't want to wake him. Or you."
As she shuffled towards his bedside, Regina watched how Henry's chest rose and fell evenly. She thought about the night before when she checked on him, how he seemed just as peaceful now as he did before. And then she thought about Emma and how grateful she was to the blonde for staying with them, though Regina knew Emma wouldn't have been anywhere else.
"When he does get up, he'll be hungry," Regina mused.
As if on cue, a low growl came from Emma's stomach and she blushed slightly. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.
Regina chuckled and shook her head at the familiarity of it all. "We have just one problem. We're out of fresh produce."
"Oh, I can go," Emma offered.
"No, it's all right."
"Really, I don't mind."
A faint smile spread across Regina's lips as she looked over at Emma. "I know," Regina said quietly. "You should stay. Henry's comfortable. Anyway, it won't take long. I'll be back soon."
"You sure?" Emma said. When Regina nodded silently, the blonde promised, "I'll text you as soon as he's up."
"Thank you." Slowly, so as not to alarm the woman, Regina put a hand on Emma's knee. And, to both of their surprise, Emma didn't cringe away. A moment passed between them as they locked eyes with one another. "Right," Regina said suddenly, but quietly, "I'll just… get ready to go then." Just as she had the night before, she kissed the top of Henry's head on her way out of the room.
As Regina walked away, Emma turned the volume back up and let the rerun of Friends play on. But, although she stared at the episode unfold before her, she wasn't really watching it. She was too distracted. Her mind was stuck on the moment that she and Regina had just shared; the way Regina's touch sent a shiver down her spine, and not the way that it used to. It wasn't a shiver rooted in alarm, but a shiver born from affection. And until just now, Emma had never known there was a difference.
"Henry, dear, slow down. You'll make yourself sick," Regina warned.
Henry hadn't realized just how much he missed Regina's cooking until the scent of his favorite breakfast filled the apartment. The sloshing of apple cider as it was poured into his glass, the sizzling of the eggs scrambling in the pan, and the plop of the pancakes as they were flipped over all joined together in beautiful harmony to Henry.
"Can I have some more?" Henry asked after shoveling the last bits in his mouth.
"Why don't you let that settle for a minute, hm? Just to be safe?"
Henry sighed and reluctantly followed Regina's advice. "Fine. But then can I have more?"
Laughing gently, Regina nodded. "If what you just ate doesn't make a reappearance, then yes you can have more."
As Henry fell back against his chair, sure that he was still hungry, Emma wiped her face with her napkin and cleared her throat. "So, Kid, the day is yours— whatever you wanna do, wherever you wanna go, you name it."
"Within reason, of course," Regina added.
Henry's lips puckered as he considered Emma's offer. He'd been in the hospital for so long, he'd almost forgotten what the rest of the world was like. He missed feeling the sun on his skin and the wind blowing through his hair. He missed the sound of birds singing and squirrels gnawing at nuts. He missed the way the air smelled, even when it didn't smell that great. He even missed listening to strangers bicker on the street.
Finally, after carefully weighing all of his options, a lightbulb when off in Henry's mind and his eyes lit up. "Got it!"
Henry was five years old the first time that he went to the zoo. Accompanied by Regina and Emma, the young boy wore the most wondrous expression as he skipped from one animal to the next. He'd been enchanted by the lions' flowing mane, hypnotized by the intricate lines of the tigers' fur, and gleefully terrified of the bear's razor sharp teeth. The magnificent feathers of peacocks' tails and cringe-worthy screeching from excited chimpanzees proved to be absolutely mystifying for Henry. Emma carried him on her shoulders for the second round about the park, both her and Regina having given into his polite request to go again. Unlike many of the other children around them, Henry never whined or threw a tantrum. Instead, he wandered about confidently, his head held high and his chest puffed out.
By the time they had returned to the car, Henry had fallen asleep in the comfort of Emma's arms, his mouth green and red and blue from rainbow lollipop that Emma had bought for him. Still, he managed to cling to stuffed gorilla that Regina had purchased in a moment of weakness. Once in a while, Henry would remember soaring through the air as both women swung him off the ground between them. It was the earliest recollection that Henry had of all three of them. In some ways, it was his favorite.
Now, at 11 years-old, Henry Mills strolled down the crowded path that smelled of hay and cotton candy. Stuck safely between Regina and Emma, ready to catch him should he stumble, Henry gazed upon the mighty elephants and lazy chimpanzees with the same wonder in his eyes. Fueled with determination to see every animal, the pre-teen lead Emma and Regina through the zoo, slowly but steadily.
With every step that Henry took, Regina watched as he carried himself with a confidence she wished she'd had at his age. He moved with a gentle swagger, as if he hadn't just been unconscious a mere few days ago. His legs still a bit frail, Henry paused every now and then to catch his breath, but he always kept going.
By mid-afternoon, the sun had hit its peak. Emma had gone through three bottles of water and Regina had finally, and reluctantly, pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. Henry, however, was still going strong. As he flitted from cage to cage, Emma made jokes about the various animals and Regina commented on the lackluster janitorial efforts, all the while sharing a bag of roasted almonds.
"Guys! Look at this!" Henry exclaimed excitedly as they came upon the polar bear exhibit.
Emma and Regina followed the boy to the window that looked into the tank, both relieved to be out of the heat. As Henry pressed his hands and face against the glass, Emma noted Regina's tense posture beside her. "You OK?" she asked.
"Fine," Regina replied quickly. Almost too quickly.
"You sure?"
Folding her arms over her chest, Regina blinked slowly and clenched her jaw. "He's so happy right now."
Emma peered over Regina watched as Henry stared up at a polar bear floating in front of him. The corners of Henry's mouth spread from ear to ear, and although he looked tired, he did in fact look happy. "I missed his smile," Emma admitted. "I almost forgot what it looked like."
"We have to take him back tomorrow," Regina murmured, as if she'd just realized it.
As Regina sniffled slightly beside her, Emma felt a strange pulling in her gut; a bizarre tug that caused her to take a step closer to Regina. Before she knew it, Emma had wrapped an arm around the brunette and Regina had buried her face in Emma's shoulder. "Hey," Emma whispered. "It's gonna be OK."
"I'm just… so tired," Regina mumbled.
"I know," Emma said in a soothing tone. Although it had been years since she'd let anyone so close to her, something inside of her had clicked; suddenly, she just knew what to do.
"Mom! Look! He's smiling at me!" Henry cheered, completely unaware of his mother's near-meltdown. He offered the animal a friendly wave and to his surprise, the bear held up a paw. "Mom!"
Quickly, Regina broke out of Emma's comforting embrace and dabbed at her eyes. Thankful for the low-quality lighting, she forced a smile and turned to the boy. "That is quite amazing," she confessed.
Unfortunately Henry was smarter than Regina gave him credit for. He could tell immediately that she was upset. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
"Nothing!" Regina fibbed with a wave of her hand. "Just a bit stuffy in here." Before Henry could push any further, Regina piped, "Well, I don't know about you two, but I would love to see the butterfly exhibit. I hear they've just added three new species."
It didn't take Emma long to catch onto Regina's distraction. "Only three?" she asked teasingly.
Brushing his bangs out of Henry's eyes, Regina asked, "Do you need to rest before we head over?"
Henry simply shook his head. "I'm good."
"Are you sure? We don't mind."
"Mom, I'm good," Henry repeated. "Let's go see the butterflies."
After a hearty dinner at their favorite Chinese restaurant, Henry fell asleep on the cab ride home. Emma carried him up the stairs and to his room, just as she had all those nights in the past. Together, she and Regina tucked Henry into bed; they each kissed him on the forehead and told him how that they loved him before leaving him to sleep in peace.
Emma was just making up the couch when Regina appeared at the end of the hall, already dressed in her night clothes. As she watched Emma casually toss the blankets over the sofa, she couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's habitual ways. "Nice job," she complimented as she emerged from beneath the shadows.
"You like it?" Emma smirked. "I wasn't sure if I should go with the 'messy' look or the 'I'm-too-tired-to-care' look."
"Is there really a difference?"
"Nah, not really."
As Emma put a new sheet over her pillow, Regina leaned against one arm of the couch. "Emma, about today—"
"It was great wasn't it? Henry had so much fun. God, those penguins can really go at it."
Looking down at her hands in her lap, the brunette licked her lips and spoke slowly. "I meant earlier at the zoo, when I… I just wanted to thank you."
"For what?" Emma asked, genuinely curious.
"For being there, for understanding."
"Oh, don't need to thank me for that, Gina." Shoving her hands in her back pockets, Emma shrugged. "It's what we do for each other."
Her heart beating erratically, Regina finally looked up and met Emma's eyes. "Yeah, I guess it is." An awkward beat passed before she felt brave enough to speak again. "Do you need anything else before bed? Glass of water or…?"
With a friendly smile, Emma shook her head. "I'm good. Thanks."
"Alright, well," Regina sighed as she stood up. "Goodnight, then."
"'Night."
As Regina began walking to her room, she felt an odd tingling at the back of her neck. It was the first time she'd noticed the sensation— or rather, the first time she'd experienced it in quite a few years. The closer she got to her door, the colder she felt.
Glancing over her shoulder, Regina noted the light in the living room was still on and she could hear Emma rustling about. Before she knew it, Regina was walking back to the couch; with every step she took, the coldness seemed to fade.
"Emma?" Regina called out in a hushed tone.
Almost immediately, blonde curls popped into view as Emma sat up straight. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Regina replied swiftly. "I was just, well… I was thinking. That couch is a bit old and I'm sure it's not very comfortable. If you wanted to, you could sleep in my room."
"You're afraid I'll break something in here, aren't you?" Emma teased.
"Really, my bed is big enough for at least three people. I'm sure the two of us can manage just fine."
Emma's smile drooped as she listened to Regina's proposition. "You mean, both of us? In your bed?"
Regina nodded evenly. "Don't look so surprised," she chided. "We used to share a bed all the time as kids."
"Yeah, but, Regina, we were kids."
Chuckling softly, Regina nodded. "Yes, I suppose that was a bit different. Well, in that case, I'll see you in the morning." Turning around, Regina rolled her eyes and mentally and cursed under her breath for making such a fool of herself. The swearing continued as she returned to her room and slipped beneath the covers, her hand clamped around fistfuls of comforter. But, before she could get to the really good swear words, Regina heard a gentle tapping. "Yes?"
Even through the darkness, she knew who it was. Tall and slender, Emma shuffled into the room and shut the door behind her. "Maybe just for tonight," she piped.
"Of course," Regina agreed. "Just for tonight." Laying on her side, facing the window, Regina closed her eyes. She felt the mattress jostle ever-so-slightly as Emma took up the other side, her back towards Regina. "Goodnight, Emma," she said once again.
Staring at the nightstand beside her, Emma let out a quiet, "'Night, Regina."
A/N - Hey there! I know a packed a bit into this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it! Sorry for the wait. I can't promise anything, but I'm hoping to update again soon! Thanks for all the lovely reviews!