Chapter 25
"Looks like Michael and Jeffy are already here with Daisy and Beast," Regina pointed to the two guys coming from around the side of the house holding an eager lab by a leash. A giant mastiff followed, walking up the steps to slump down for a nap on the porch.
"Yeah, I text Michael when we crossed the town line. Wait here just a sec, girls," Emma jumped out of the jeep as soon as Regina parked.
"Careful with your arm, love." Regina warned her wife.
They watched as Emma crouched on the floor and the boy with the leash released it. The chocolate colored dog went flying at Emma, knocking her to the ground.
"Oh my gosh! Is that your dog?" Hope practically squealed.
"That is our dog." Regina punctuated, "and her name is Daisy. Beast there on the porch, is Jeffy's dog."
Hope grabbed the arm of her sister's shirt and shook it excitedly as she jumped in her seat. "We have a dog!"
"Can we go say hi?" Kat asked eagerly.
"Of course," Regina had barely finished when both girls were jumping from the car.
She watched as Daisy noticed the girls and came running to greet them, instantly flopping onto her back for them to rub her belly. Which they did with laughter as Daisy wagged her tail like crazy.
Daisy's head snapped toward Regina when she got down from the Jeep and instantly ran to her side. Regina lifted a hand and Daisy sat obediently at her feet, whining to be petted by her master.
Regina hugged the pup's head to her thigh and scratched behind her ear, "That's my good girl. Did you miss us?"
Daisy whined again, licking Regina's hand and rubbing against it.
"Wow, she's really trained," Hope walked up to continue petting Daisy at Regina's side.
"She can be a bit of a brat, but she's a good girl. Especially when her buddy, Beast, is around to watch her." Regina pointed at the massive dog as he yawned loudly, making the girls laugh. "We keep a bin of toys right over there by the front steps, if you girl want to play with her for a bit."
Regina laughed as both girls ran for the bin with Daisy, finding a Frisbee to throw for her. Beast watched them but did not budge.
"Hey Regina. Have fun in Boston?" Michael asked as he and Jeffy walked up with Emma.
"Hello Gentlemen. We absolutely loved Boston, but it is definitely nice to be back home. Thank you again for looking after Daisy." Regina smiled knowingly at Michael. "I was happy to see you made it up to the tournament too, Michael. How was your visit with Miss Bell?"
Michael blushed, "It was fun. I wish I could have stayed a bit longer, but she's going to be visiting here in a couple of weeks anyway."
"I know. She's coming for our girls' first home visit." Regina signaled the girls to come back over. "Michael, Jeffy, I'd like you to be the first to meet Hope and Kat."
The two girls waved and smiled kindly, Daisy already sitting on Hope's feet and leaning into her. Jeffy waved shyly, taking a step behind his brother.
"Hey Jeffy, why don't you show the girls some of Daisy's hand commands," Emma encouraged him as he looked nervous at meeting new people. She held up her injured arm, "I would show them, but I'm still a little sore. Plus, you're the master when it comes to dogs. I'm not kidding, girls. He puts the dog whisperer to shame."
That seem to give Jeffy the boost he needed and he nodded excitedly with a thumbs up. He began showing off with Daisy, making the pup sit, bark, and lay down, all without saying a word.
"Wow!" Hope exclaimed. "Can you teach me?"
He seemed to shy again, so Emma added, "Jeffy, did I mention that Hope and Kat are going to be Henry's new sisters? Girls, Jeffy is Henry's best friend and he also helped train Daisy."
Jeffy's eyes went wide as he looked between Emma and the girls. All shyness dissipated and he pointed at himself, nodding his head excitedly.
"That's pretty impressive," Kat gave him an encouraging nod.
Michael and Regina looked on as Emma talked between Jeffy and the girls about Daisy and Beast.
"New sisters?" Michael asked with lifted brows.
"Yes. Emma and I started looking into adopting before she even proposed." Regina smiled proudly, "Then while we were in Boston, we worked with the most incredible children from St. Joseph's Orphanage. That's where we met Kat, and her sister Hope."
"Couldn't take one without the other, right?" He grinned knowingly.
Regina shook her head, correcting him with all sincerity. "Wouldn't."
Michael and Jeffy helped them unpack some of the heavier gear into the barn, while the rest unpacked the Jeep into the house. Emma was sure to tuck Rose's hat box safely under their bed. When the boys left, Regina and Emma gave the girls a tour of the first floor of their new home, ending with lady's master bedroom at the back of the house.
Regina led them all upstairs to the room that would become the girl's bedroom with their own adjoined bathroom, "Obviously, we weren't prepared for two so your bedroom only has one bed right now. We'll fix that first thing tomorrow."
"And there are child locks on everything Regina's goona have to take off cause I still can't figure them out," Emma joked said as she dropped the girl's bags on the small twin bed. She headed back out saying, "I'll go pull our camping cot from the barn for tonight."
Regina and Daisy watched from the doorway as the girls took in the room. Opening the closets, looking in the bathroom, and checking the view out of their box window seat. Regina was taken aback when the girls came back to hug her sides. All she could do was hold them closer.
"It's alright, my dears." Regina moved them to sit on the bed. Kat released her, but Hope stayed pinned to her side. "Do you think you'll be happy here with us? I know we could never replace your parents, but-."
"It's not about that Regina," Kat interrupted her, wiping her eyes. "You and Emma have already done so much for us and the other kids. This? Taking us both in? It's more than either of us could have ever wished for."
"Thank you so much, Regina." Hope's voice muffled from her spot against Regina's side. She began giggling loudly when Daisy jumped up on the bed behind her and began licking her cheek.
Emma walked in and leaned against the doorway, taking in 'her girls.' Smiling warmly at them when they spotted her. "You girls going to be okay sharing a room?"
They both turned to her with happy smiles and nodded.
"Alright, cool. What do you guys think about bunk beds? It'll give you more room to decorate in here," Emma looked around the room as she set up the cot.
"Dibs on the top bunk!" Kat raised her hand.
"Man," Hope sulked.
Regina asked, "Are you two getting hungry? It's a little late, but we haven't eaten since our early lunch. Well, other than the junk food Emma bought you."
Emma grinned from her spot on the cot, "Hey, Cheetos are fuel."
The girls nodded in agreement, causing Regina to roll her eyes, "I'm going to have my hands full with you three. I just know it. Alright, well there's nothing here at the house since we've been away for so long so I'm thinking Gran's?"
"Sounds like a plan," Emma looked at the girls, "You guys get to meet Gran and Maddie. They're the ones I told you are sort of Henry's surrogate grandmothers, and run our local diner. Maddie also makes the world's best chocolate shakes."
"Do they have onion rings?" Hope asked wide-eyed.
Kat shivered, "Ugh! Hope likes dipping them into the shake. It's gross."
"Salty sweet?" Emma watched Hope nod with a knowing childish smile. She tugged Hope onto the cot and hugged her to her chest, "My spirit animal."
Hope giggled louder when Emma tickled her side. "You do it too, Emma?"
"Unfortunately so," Regina shook her head with Kat, watching Emma and Hope whispering conspiratorially. She wrapped her arm around Kat, "Will you two be okay going into town tonight? Chances are we'll run into a lot of people."
Kat dropped her gaze, "If you want, you can say we're your nieces visiting or something."
Emma squeezed her shoulders, "No way. You're our girls and that's that. Now let's go eat!"
"Yeah," Hope cheered and followed Emma out of their room. "Can Daisy come with us?"
"Sure. You call her," Emma let Hope whistle for Daisy and the pup immediately followed. "Good job, kiddo. I gotta show you some of Daisy's tricks. There's one that starts like a football hike…"
Regina was going to call after Emma to not show Hope that trick, when she realized Kat stood to follow, but had not taken a step.
She walked back to wrap a supportive arm around her, reiterating, "You're not visiting, Kat. This isn't temporary. This is your home. You and Hope are home."
Kat turned and pulled Regina into a teary hug. They held each other tightly, Kat taking a deep breath to stop herself from crying. When she pulled away, Regina wiped her face and motioned for them to get going, her arm still around her.
Emma parked the car and ran ahead of the group to go talk to Maddie and Gran. They didn't want to make Hope and Kate nervous by being thrown into the spotlight. Add to the fact that Maddie could be overbearing at the best of times, so she felt fair warning was warranted.
When Emma returned to the car, she looked nervous, "So apparently our timing's horribly perfect. The whole town is there."
Regina frowned, "What?"
"Apparently the town saw you kick Lily's butt on the online broadcast of the tournament. David and Mary Margret organized a congratulations slash welcome home party for us." Emma said proudly at her wife. "They assumed correctly that we'd head here for dinner once we got home."
Regina thought for a moment before turning to the girls, "First, let me be perfectly clear once again. We are fine announcing you two to the whole town. Emma and I are proud to have you with us, understood?"
The girls nodded.
"But if the whole town is indeed in there, are you two ready for this?" Regina gaged their response, both girls nodding with big smiles. "Alright then. Let's go my girls."
The four of them rounded the corner to the walkway leading up to the diner. The front patio was filled with people waiting to cheer for them, and a giant banner over the entryway read 'Congratulations Emma and Regina.'
David spotted them first, "Here they are! Hip, Hip!"
"Hooray!" everyone yelled.
"Hip, Hip!"
"Hooray!"
"Way to go Regina!" Mary Margret yelled from where she reclined comfortably from a lounge chair.
"You kicked that girl's butt, Regina!" Someone yelled from the back.
"Way to make the town proud you two!"
Emma stepped forward patting her hands in the air for them to quiet just as the brothers all came out from inside the diner. She shouted over the crowd. "Thank you guys so much for this welcome wagon. You really know how to make us feel special. Regina and I can't thank you enough."
Another round of applause sounded, and Emma reached a hand out for Regina to join her, pulling on Hope and Kat's hands to stand between them.
Regina called out, "Winning the tournament, and Henry winning the speed bag competition was truly a feat. I want to say, that although our family's success in Boston was amazing, the absolute best thing we walked away with is expanding our family with two new members."
"And she's not talking about our trophies," Emma joked.
Regina looked at the girls and took a deep breath with a large smile, "Dearest friends and family, we'd like to take this moment to introduce you all our girls, Kat and Hope."
Kat and Hope smiled brightly and waved at the crowd, showing only a faint sign of nervousness. David and Mary Margret wedged themselves through the crowd to the front with surprised faces.
"Mouse, big bro. Meet your new nieces," Emma beamed.
"What?" David's eyes widened.
"We adopted Kat and Hope," Emma clarified.
Mary Margret pulled the two girls as close as her pregnant belly would allow, tears already falling. She took turns kissing each one of them on their foreheads.
"Mouse, the girls need air," Emma said calmly, gently urging her to release them. David punched her in her good arm, "Ow! Okay everyone needs to stop punching my arms from now on."
"Why the hell didn't you say anything?!" he snapped.
"Surprise?" She answered lamely. She turned to the girls when they began laughing at her, "Laugh it up. To your Uncle David, any kin to him is fair game. Just ask Henry."
That stopped their laughter immediately, and David crossed his arms stepping in front of them like a sergeant sent for inspection.
"Who's who?" he asked firmly.
"I'm Kat, she's Hope," Kat remembered Emma saying she was close to her brother. "You're Emma's foster brother, right?"
His frown turned into a big smile, "Yup. Thank God I don't share genes with her. I don't think I could pull off being that short."
Emma and Mouse slapped David's shoulders, making everyone laugh. David took turns hugging Kat and Hope.
"Welcome to our crazy family girls," David wrapped his arms around each of them. He gave a loud whistle as Suzy exited the diner with Maddie. She looked up at her daddy's call and spotted her Godmothers. Leaping from Maddie's side, she ran to them.
"Ninas!"
Regina scoped her up with a big hug. "Hello my darling. I missed you so much."
"It's good to have you two back," Maddie smiled, looking a bit more exhausted than usual.
"It's good to be back, Maddie." Emma gave her a quick hug, "Jackie inside?"
"Yeah, she's giving that Grand-niece of ours a talking to." Maddie sighed, "I tell ya, be happy you only have one kid, and a good egg at that. This girl's about to drive me to drink."
"About that, Maddie." Emma hugged Suzy and Regina together. "Hey Suzy Q, guess what we brought you this time? I want you to meet your new cousins."
"What?" Maddie jumped, looking at the sisters Emma was motioning toward. "Oh, my lord. I have to go get Gran for this," She said and ran back into the diner.
"I have more cousins!" The little girl squealed as Emma motioned to the girls.
Hope waved up at her, "Hi Suzy. I'm Hope, and that's my sister, Kat."
Kat offered her hands to take Suzy and the little girl instantly jumped into her arms to give her a hug. Kat crouched on one knee so that they were eye level with Hope and the little girl began asking them all sorts of questions, laughing with them.
David saw his wife beginning to cry again and led her to sit down on a nearby bench, "Easy honey."
"I'm just so happy." Mary Margret blew her nose.
"Why you crying again Momma?" Suzy looked worriedly at her.
"No reason, sweetheart. Henry's new sisters just took me by surprise." She leaned back and rubbed her belly.
The little girl turned to Kat and Hope in innocent amazement, "Enree is your brother?"
Kat and Hope exchanged looks with Emma and Regina, all four of them nodding in affirmation.
"I'm gonna have a brother too!" She exclaimed pointing at her mother.
David smirked at Emma and Regina's excited expressions, "Surprise?"
The family congratulated each other again, with happy tears and hugs all around. Maddie came back out of the diner with Gran and a tall young girl in tow behind them. The girl was about sixteen, walking with her arms crossed and very angry from the looks of her. A red streak ran down the front of her long dark hair, and she wore holey cut-offs with a tank top.
"What's this I hear?" Gran shouted, smacking Emma's arm as soon as she was within reach, "And don't you sass me, Emma Swan-Mills."
"Ow. I'm injured Jackie, easy." Emma rubbed her arm.
"Ah, toughen up," Gran looked to Regina for answers.
Regina went to hug Gran's side and faced the others, "Maddie, Gran. This is Kat and Hope. Girls, meet Maddie and Gran, and?"
"Ruby, come forward child." Maddie snapped at the girl, pulling her forward to greet the family.
Kat had just handed Suzy to Regina and went to greet the older women she knew to be close family friends. Only she turned around just as Ruby was pulled forward, and the two girls bumped right into each other. They both froze when the saw each other, and Ruby's icy demeanor was replaced with a shy blush that was mirrored by Kat.
"Hi," Kat said with a nervous smile. "I'm Kat."
"Ruby." The other girl grinned, "Hi."
"Hey," Kat released a nervous chuckle, not tearing her eyes away.
Hope, who had been standing by Emma, just shook her head, "Oh, boy."
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Emma shared a knowing look with Regina. They were going to have their hands full. "So Maddie, can we get something to eat, I haven't fed this family since we left Boston."
The girl stepped up to Maddie and Gran with a toothless smile, "I heard you have really good onion rings."
"That we do, young lady. That we do," Gran crouched down to meet her eyes. "The question is are you going to want a chocolate shake to go with it like your Ma and I like to eat them?"
Hope nodded excitedly, grinning up at Emma who came up behind her with hands on each shoulder.
"That'a girl!" Gran patted the girl's arm gently. "Come on, let's start with real food, then we'll talk."
"Onion rings are real food," Emma and Hope said together making everyone laughed as they followed Gran into the diner.
"Lord, are we in trouble, Regina." Maddie chuckled at Emma and Hope's retreating forms. She turned to see Regina's eyes glued to Ruby and Kat talking softly and smiling at each other. "In more ways than one."
"Kat, are you coming to eat, dear?" Regina tried to get her attention. "Kat?"
Ruby motioned behind Kat, "I think you're being called."
Kat turned back to Regina and Maddie, "Yeah. I gotta go."
"I'll come with. My aunts will probably put me back to work anyway." Ruby gave her a wolfish grin, "Walk ya in?"
"Sure," Kat nodded, and the two followed Regina and Maddie back into the Diner.