Chapter Warnings: small mention of abortions. Some minor self-harm occuring, I say minor simply because it is not prolonged, but to be clear, cutting isn't minor. And we start to glimpse some depression here in this chapter.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Fuck I really liked that carpet," Regina moaned. Henry just stared wide eyed.
"Ewww," Roland commented. He had been back for a second competition and a goodbye party mostly for him and Caleb and the girls in their ballet class. Plus another boy so Emma could gloat a little longer. He was leaving that night to his distress, since he had missed them when Robin took him back to New York anyway nearly two weeks earlier. Mary Margaret had planned a nice family dinner at which she cooked to everyone's surprise for Emma, but had ended up giving birth on Regina's carpet as she refused to go to a hospital she had refused to go before her midwife got down to Miami, and they had thought she had a few hours on her.
"Wow that only took two hours," Emma muttered as she handed over her new brother. Regina had steadfastly refused to look at Mary Margaret's crotch and denied knowing anything about child birth. Emma knew the most she had told her next to her own mom.
"How did it get out?" Henry asked in horror. "I thought all babies were cut out anyway in the hospital."
"No, no honey, they come out of a hole the size of a quarter," Regina told him. "And now I'm really not interested in having a baby."
"You're having a baby?" David asked, but he was looking at Emma. "No, no I'm not there yet."
"We're not pregnant," Emma told him. "What part of this looks like I wanna even have a baby right now. This is so disgusting." She was covered in blood, for some reason she had managed to get some that squirted in her face and from holding the baby. Regina handed them clean towels. The afterbirth slid out onto the floor and Emma's knees got soaked.
"Nothing like the afterbirth to ruin your baby fever," Regina sighed happily. Since they had stayed a little longer getting to know Emma there had been a lot of baby talk that Regina tried to avoid whenever possible and got a little uncomfortable inside. She had even cried about it once as that old fear that if she did try and get pregnant again she would lose it. It was easier to pretend she was barren with a small hope, without really knowing how her coat hanger abortion had truly affected her. She just couldn't bring that hope back of being excited for a child that would never exist.
"What are we going to name him?" David asked.
"I think we should let Emma name him," Mary Margaret told him after a minute. "She earned it, she delivered him." Emma looked surprised.
"I don't know, what do you think Regina?" Emma asked her.
"Emmett," Regina told her immediately. She remembered that's what Mary Margaret had been calling her own child before they both fell down the stairs.
"What do you think mom?" Emma asked. Mary Margaret nodded.
"I think Emmett is perfect." Regina was finally allowed to call the ambulance, and soon they were gone agreeing to keep Neil." They sat down to dinner, since there was nothing else to do.
"Oh my God," Regina coughed. The others reacted poorly as well.
"Oh my God, she can never know how bad this is," Emma told her. "And you have to lie and tell her my favorite is actually spicy chicken with the mango avocado sauce so that you have to help her make it."
"Oh deal if I have to eat it too, I'm ordering pizza. Soon they had pizza and told her they ate it all it was so good."
"Don't be a stranger in New York," Mary Margaret told her seriously as she genuinely hugged Emma a few days later, they wanted to get the baby home. Emma beamed happily as they saw them off.
"We need a baby, the getting here part is messy, but it's better once the stains are off the floor," Henry told them.
"Seriously?" Regina asked him. She shook her head and sighed at him.
"What?" Henry asked. "Come on, don't you want a little Regina around?"
"No, not really, the world does not need another me in it," Regina told him seriously.
"Oh mom come on don't be so hard on yourself, you're smart, beautiful, a great cook, and loving, why shouldn't there be more of that?"
"There is in you," Regina told him as they got in her car. Henry smiled at that.
"Thank you, but I still want that in a sister."
"Henry as much as a baby sounds nice in theory you couldn't even handle it when Roland was here and taking up too much of our time as you said," Emma pointed out.
"Yeah, but that's because he wasn't ours to keep," Henry told them. "I couldn't get too attached. I just don't see why we can't have a baby."
"Because Emma and I haven't discussed it add to that I don't know if we're at a place where we can make a conscious choice to raise a life from start to finish. Right now Emma just has to accept how you are, but that would change with a baby. We also have two completely different ways of approaching parenting, which is kind of okay for you because you've worked out that my old standards still apply. Whereas a baby would get confused and not grow in the direction that either of us are hoping for. And if that's not enough we're still in family counselling not even about death, but about life. Because we don't have a physical home and that bothers all of us. Where is the baby going to sleep?" Regina asked as Emma drove.
"Roland's old room," Henry told her seriously.
"Says you who won't even make his room permanent we can barely buy anything that makes the place feel like we live there or you get upset. I just don't think that's kind to bring a child into a temporary home. The house looks like a family doesn't even live there," Regina told him. Henry frowned. Regina sighed as she rubbed her head. She was being unnecessarily cruel.
"Henry let's just drop the baby thing, Regina doesn't want too," Emma told him seeing her look. Henry argued with her the entire way home about dropping it and how she said she was on his side. Once home Regina practically slammed the car door and locked herself in the bathroom. She ran herself a bath as she undressed. She looked in the mirror and ran her hands over three straight lines on her abdomen. They had almost disappeared now. She rubbed the spot as pain rippled through her body. It was the first place she had felt her first child kick and the place where three of her children's head's had rested against her and she had put her hand there. She particularly remembered her last two pregnancies as they had gone on the longest. Regina pulled the razor out of her shaver and cut them open, she never wanted them to disappear. It was all she had left. Regina let her tears fall as she finished the last cut and then disposed of the razor so Emma would never see. She got in the bath as she turned the water off and hugged her knees to her chest and watched her blood dissolve in the water.
"Regina?" Emma called knocking on the door. Regina didn't answer as she wiped her tears that silently ran down her face. She heard Emma leave after a few minutes. Eventually Henry complained that Emma was actually cooking, but she didn't answer him either before he left the room. She managed to reign her emotions back inside as hard as it was. It wasn't often that the baby stuff came up and hit her hard like it had in the past when she was finally alone. She actually washed herself and got out of the bath. She exited the bathroom finally and threw her clothes in the hamper. Once she was dressed she composed herself a little more and practiced her smile for a minute until it looked like nothing was wrong. She went downstairs.
"Henry I fucked it up, I guess you can have ice cream for dinner." She heard Henry make a noise between excitement and disappointment.
"I always wondered how you got yourself into terrible situations with him. Why do you go straight for the junk food full of sugar instead of ordering out?" Regina asked coming into the kitchen where Henry and Emma were a mess. Emma shrugged.
"Don't wanna look like a shit mom, so I revert to cool mom I think," Emma admitted sheepishly. Regina shook her head as she went back into the living room and ordered Chinese, she wasn't cooking tonight not with her kitchen a mess and it would be too late by the time they got done. She wasn't even surprised they were already cleaning when she came back. She helped them, but she was not pleased to see they had to throw out her cast iron.
"How did you melt it?" Regina asked dumbfounded. Emma just blushed not having an answer. "It's a cast iron how…."
"Movie?" Henry asked hopeful as they all served themselves from the wide selection of Chinese food. They all liked a little something different.
"Sure," They both agreed.
"Great because I wanna watch ocean's eleven, you said I could watch it when I was twelve." Regina nodded. He cheered and hurried to turn on Netflix.
"Seriously he had to wait until now for that particular movie?" Emma asked. Regina shrugged.
"I didn't want him getting any ideas when he still had a lot to learn," Regina told her. She turned to head for the living room, but Emma stopped her.
"Are you okay?" Emma asked.
"Never better," Regina lied before leaving the dining room. Emma frowned she didn't believe Regina for a second. They watched Ocean's Eleven.
"Have you ever robbed a casino?" Henry asked. Regina shook her head.
"No, I am the casino, I have to launder a lot of money and what better way than a casino?" Regina asked them seriously.
"I thought you laundered money at your hotel," Emma commented.
"Our hotel, and only a small amount, but a good chunk through casinos especially now without our tourism division."
"Still it might be fun to knock over a casino, I missed two birthdays right, well one present still holding out for a baby, but the other one I say we knock over a casino as a family."
"Henry, Emma isn't a criminal and part of her being a part of our lives is we don't force her to directly commit a criminal act or bail us out of trouble by flashing a badge, yeah?"
"I'm flashing a badge for Henry no ifs ands or buts. In any case our faces have been seen too much. They'll make us as soon as we're on the casino floor if their security system is anything like that," Emma pointed out.
"It's not just stealing Emma, it's a con, the best thieves in the world blend in they don't stand out. They have normal every day jobs and families. These aren't smash and grab thieves; those people are nothing. It's about a dance really of the mind and body."
"Really stealing like dancing." Regina nodded.
"For instance we wanted your phone, so first I separated you from your phone. Had your mother not blown it, she would have taken your pants, Henry would have hacked your phone, and she would have slipped it back into your pants before we were done. However, we were done too quickly, and so I had to slip it back into your pants pocket. You wouldn't have even noticed if it hadn't been in the back pocket. You suspected nothing."
"Yeah, but I wouldn't call that a dance. I snatched Henry's phone in France, you didn't even notice."
"I noticed after you left because I was going to smash it. And taking a phone off the bedside table while a kid is sleeping isn't exactly a hard pull," Regina countered. Emma made a face.
"All right well tell me about one time I don't know about that you took something off me." Regina held up Emma's phone and wallet which had still been in her pocket. "How did you?" Emma looked completely surprised.
"That being said Henry you don't have that kind of skill so I don't recommend you trying to knock over a casino. Plus, you're twelve and wouldn't be allowed on the casino floor."
"Normally, but you said we're selling ourselves during a con, I could be a very short business man," Regina looked sceptical.
"You have to rob me, Emma, your Aunts, Graham, Killian, Pan, Mulan, Merida, and Ariel with no electronics," Regina told him. "And then maybe you're ready for a con."
"Challenge accepted."
"Regina don't encourage him."
"It's good skills to have. You never know, it's all about moving without being seen or felt," Regina told her.
"This is ridiculous it can't be done, you cannot knock over a casino, I've seen these movies, these schemes are super elaborate and you never know to what lengths they had to go until the end."
"Good thing we have real life cash to go through such elaborate lengths." The home phone rang and Emma answered it. She gasped.
"We'll be there immediately!" She slammed the phone down as Regina and Henry looked at her confused. "Shadow's waking up!" They gasped and moved immediately. Regina went upstairs and put a bra and real pants on before they all left. They arrived at the hospital quickly and headed up to the ICU, but Shadow was quiet. A nurse came in.
"We got a call that said she was waking up," Regina told her.
"Oh she was but she's asleep now. The doctor will be in, have a seat." They all sat down. Regina stroked Shadow's head and kissed it. She gasped when Shadow moved her head, but didn't wake up completely.
"Holy shit she moved," Emma said. They were all so happy as they cried a little. The doctor came in.
"I see you saw she was responsive to external stimuli." They nodded.
"How?" Regina asked. He shook his head.
"We don't know what changed, the nurse came in to play the tape you all made for her and her brain activity spiked so we did a hearing test, and she responded to it. We checked her pain response and that woke her up a little more, but then her body fell into a natural sleep while you on your way. With your permission we'd like to start the blood tests and get her an MRI.
"Yes, please, but please have nurses take extra care about any illnesses still. I don't know what's going on with her immune system." He nodded. They stayed with her all night and through all the tests which came back normal, but they'd all come back normal before. It was morning when she even opened her eyes. She was very groggy and very scared. She was less afraid when they stopped examining her for the moment and took out her IV and Urinary Catheters. She had pulled at them almost immediately. She wouldn't let anyone hold her but she listened to them talking to her.
"I'm gonna go home and defrost the Chile Verde and there's still rice I think," Emma told her. "Maybe the food will help her be more comfortable." Henry and Regina nodded.
"That's a good idea right Shadow, Mommy's going to go bring back real food for you not the hospital crap." Shadow just watched them. Emma kissed her forehead before she left. Henry played a game with Shadow on his phone and she smiled a little at the popping bubbles. Regina smiled and took a picture of them. Soon Emma was back just in time for lunch time and the Doctor said it was okay for her to have as long as it wasn't hot. They gave her a little but she didn't try and eat on her own like she did before.
"Maybe she forgot," Henry said. "Look Shadow." She looked at him and watched him demonstrate but she tried to grab at the spoon and ended up pushing it away from herself. Regina helped her and tried to let her hold the spoon but she dropped it and pushed it away. Next Emma tried to simply feed her and she scream and pushed it away again.
"The spoon freaks her out," Henry told them. Regina picked up some meat and rice with her hand and offered it to Shadow. She opened her mouth and accepted the food. Regina spoke in Mandarin to her encouraging her to eat more. She was surprised when Shadow reached out for her and sat in her lap and let her feed her more and even got her to drink from a cup with a straw. Mandarin seemed to make her respond a little more readily to Henry as well. Emma not so much because she didn't know Mandarin.
"Well she still hates me," Emma commented later as they were watching her get a physical assessment by a doctor who spoke Mandarin and was actually Chinese, which seemed to endear her to Shadow more than even Regina.
"Her loyalties aren't set yet, look at her, as if I don't exist," Regina commented back. "You still have time to win her over, with any luck, she doesn't remember the bath incident, so just don't bring it up yeah." Emma nodded.
"Oh I'm not even uttering that word around her," Emma told her. Henry came out of the elevator with a water bottle and was still texting on his phone. He had gone to the car to charge his phone since they had left their chargers.
"Aunty Male and Red said they would be by to visit when you got the okay to take her home. They don't want to overwhelm her, and Graham said as soon as your able mom you should get into work. He's also really sorry to have to involve you, but things are getting code red." Regina sighed.
"Text him and tell him I'll be in tonight." Henry nodded. The doctor came out a physical therapist nurse continued with Shadow's leg exercises.
"What do you think?" Emma asked.
"Well we're only twelve hours post coma, and it's been six hours since she actually woke up. Her leg muscles are weak, she's going to be building back up her strength in her legs, but given all our tests I'm fairly confident that she will learn to walk again. We'll teach you some new exercises for helping her learn to grip things again particularly eating utensils. And given her spotty history, you have no idea what the extent of her vocabulary was that she could say, but she does seem to respond more readily to Mandarin, now if that's because she can't understand you or not we won't be able to determine, but she's likely to pick it up quickly and hopefully begin to vocalize as time passes. You get a clean slate almost with language because of her age. I'm still going to recommend speech therapy."
"She understood English before after the first week for sure," Emma told her as she watched Shadow. "But maybe the coma wiped most of her memories of us who knows."
"Or all of them and she only knows Mandarin and Korean, although speaking Korean is out, she associates it with fear that much I remember. Before I spoke Mandarin to her she put up with it, but as soon as I spoke Mandarin, she screamed if I used Korean words."
"Poor kid, there's a lot of talk about what happened at that camp, I can't believe they were lucky enough to make it your island. I'm glad she's out of there, I've seen her records, she would have died."
"We're certainly grateful," Regina told her. They went inside and learned the exercises they would be doing at home. Shadow took a nap, so they went home and took showers and rested themselves. Well Regina made chicken and shrimp papusas with black beans and rice.
"I'll meet you later at the hospital, I'm gonna pop in and see what's going on at work with Graham," Regina told her coming out of the shower and heading into the closet.
"Oh really, I was hoping you could put me to sleep," Emma commented lightly. "It's been a few weeks with my parents here since we really did it." Regina came out dressed and kissed Emma lovingly.
"I would love too, but he wouldn't have bothered me today after hearing about Shadow if it wasn't important. Besides I'll be back all stressed out and I'm going to need you to make me feel better," Regina told her. Emma pulled her close though still and Regina couldn't resist giving in. Regina was just pleasuring Emma very well when Henry burst in scared as hell.
"Ahh!" Henry and Emma screamed. Regina sighed as she released Emma's breast from her mouth.
"This is why you knock," Regina told him. "Turn around already." Henry turned quickly and covered his eyes. They got dressed.
"You can turn around now," Emma told him sounding embarrassed.
"No, I'm good like this," Henry told them.
"What's wrong, why did you burst in here?" Regina asked shaking her head at both Henry and Emma. Neither of them could even look in the other's direction. They were so alike sometimes it was cute. But she couldn't say that she could look Henry in the eye right now.
"I got hacked by the FBI," Henry told them.
"What?!" They cried. Emma turned around now, no longer embarrassed.
"How, why?" Emma asked. "What were you doing?"
"I just wanted to see if I could hack a real bank and not the simulations that mom builds for me. And I didn't know what a chenkov was, but it broke every code and followed it back to me."
"A fucking chenkov!" Regina yelled. Regina broke both her and Emma's phones. "Smash your computer now!" Regina got out their emergency packs and cells. She called everyone and screamed at them to dump everything and to most especially take care of the computer room in New York. Regina set the alarm to burn everything if anyone who wasn't supposed to entered the house. It would destroy anything organic. Regina changed the plates on cars and they left. They picked up Zelena and Lena.
"Regina, there's a cop following me," Emma told her on the blue tooth as she sat with Zelena and Lena in her car.
"Fuck," Regina said shaking her head. A call came in. "Hold on Emma." She answered the phone.
"Yeah, we need a pick up, police are already on us. Yeah got it." She hung up and switched back over to Emma. "Follow me carefully." Regina turned right and Emma followed her. They drove carefully, before the police car turned on it's lights and Regina saw them setting up a road block.
"I hate your car, it's too obvious," Regina told her as they sped up and easily went back the way they came and Regina just kept going through a roadblock before they had spikes down, with Emma on her tail.
"I should probably mention, I stole this car to begin with," Emma told her.
"Ditch it, we'll get it back later," Regina told her seriously. "I can't believe you didn't mention that earlier!"
"Where, we can't just stop, there are police after us."
"Two seconds." Regina pulled into a driveway which thankfully blocked Emma's car as well with bushes. Emma and Zelena got out with Lena, and got in Regina's car. Henry jumped out and wiped the car down and took Emma's dream catcher charm off the mirror before hoping back into the front seat while Regina changed the plates again, since they were pretty much pop on and off to make switches fast. She drove normally until the police realized it was them again.
"You know for a Mercedes this handles very well," Zelena commented as Regina drifted a little around a corner.
"Thank you," Regina told her. "Oh fuck me, this is not going to look good on tv. We're supposed to stay under the radar."
"What about Shadow?" Henry asked. Regina clicked a number on her screen.
"Hey Regina what's up, are you finally calling because you broke up with Emma?" The voice sounded hopeful. Emma looked at Regina like what the fuck.
"Well I'm calling because I have a bit of a problem, need to get out of town quick, and I need you to get Shadow out of the hospital and bring her down to the car, we'll have five seconds max to get her in the car."
"Oooh is that you who's on breaking news," She replied excited. Emma rolled her eyes.
"It is, so you think you could do that for me, and bring her down."
"I don't know, what's in it for me?"
"Whatever you want sweetheart," Regina told her. Emma hit her in the arm, but Regina told her to hold on.
"Great, I was hoping you'd say that, I expect to be called as soon as you're safely out of town and plane ticket waiting for me at the airport to wherever you are."
"Done," Regina told her. "Be there in ten minutes." Regina hung up.
"Like seriously, anything you want," Emma mimicked.
"I was just leading her on to get our kid, all right, I'm leaving with you aren't I?" Regina asked.
"Guys now is not the time for a lover's spat," Zelena told them. "Besides I'm like enemy number one with the FBI and in France, you know they're still trying to negotiate for me. I'm on the terrorist watch list for crying out loud."
"I got you Zelena just open the door for Shadow." Regina replied.
"No, how long have you been flirting with her?" Emma asked.
"I didn't flirt with her, she's just one of those slutty girls who likes what she sees and likes to tempt you. I swear I only said hi and she offered normal comfort as a nurse's assistant on Shadow's station. That's all." Regina saw the hospital and pulled up at the back entrance. It was later in the day so less people coming and going. She pulled up and the girl took Shadow out of the laundry basket along with a bag.
"Hospital diapers in the bag," She said before hurrying back in and ignoring Emma's glare. Zelena barely had time to close the door as Henry took Shadow and she slammed the door closed. Shadow was absolutely screaming now in fear.
"How can you be so calm?" Emma asked her as her heart was pounding in her chest.
"This is nothing compared to trying to drive through Brazilian streets especially Rio," Regina told her as she got on a bridge and passed two busses. The second bus immediately moved behind them before she got in front of the first bus and lined up with a new car.
"All right switch cars." She managed to hook up onto something on the bus just as the second car did. She drove steady as a friend stood on both cars and put both Lena and Shadow through. Then they helped Henry and Zelena. Emma was the last person before they got in and managed to get everyone's bags by pulling the seat forward. And they changed the plates again. Regina and the girl switched places.
"I owe you one Cici," Regina told her.
"You sure do, it wasn't easy getting the busses on short notice, I'm glad you could drive around for a bit." Regina grinned. She switched and got in the car and managed to switch places with the other driver who had to climb over who told Zelena to call him some time making her grin. They detatched from each other. Regina and the second bus drove ahead after Cici drove off separating from them at a normal speed. The helicopter continued after Cici on the bridge but left them and the buses alone.
"What the fuck, that was straight out of fast and furious I swear," Emma told her.
"Yeah, those films really grew this subculture and it was a great place for crime, I made friends with Cici a bit before we met up with you," Regina told her as they drove to the airport and entered the private hangar with their jet. The others were already there.
"Wait if you're here whose in the car?" Mulan asked.
"What are you doing down here?" Regina asked as they got settled.
"I came down because of the threat," Mulan told her. "Merida and Ariel were still in New York, but they retreated to Maine I think. The control room there wasn't compromised more than the location and hotel staff already denied them entry to the elevator until the shaft shifted to a premium hotel suite, they found nothing. We're just worried about rebooting the system if the chenkov is still inside the computer." Regina nodded. Thankfully only the New York computer was compromised, but the one in Maine is hooked up to the master computer something similar to the chenkov and it blocked it on multiple accounts." Regina nodded. The plane took off.
"And that's a friend in the car, right now they're following." Cici got pulled over as if everything was normal and she didn't have fifteen police cars behind. They arrested her and her male friend as they yelled about being pulled over for nothing.
"Should we be worried?" Emma asked.
"Noooo, Cici will be fine, I already have a lawyer on it for her and she'll pick up your car from the impound lot Emma. Regina took Shadow and held her. She finally settled down and cuddled into Regina who called the hospital and gave them a large donation to forget Shadow was ever there and send her medical records back to Maine. Regina listened to the director lying to the police that he had called them for nothing and they should have looked at the tape more closely earlier. Shadow was with her mother. Once they were gone she wired him the donation. She wired money to the nurse's assistant's account, she would be very happy about that.
"Where we headed?" Henry asked.
"Henry you're on time out, I don't wanna hear your voice until I have questions," Regina told him upset. He looked down, but sat quietly. Regina called the school and said she was taking Henry out of school again to home school him in the wake of his sister recovering and they all needed to just relax as a family.
"I think that's everyone," Regina commented. Jacob was already up in Maine, and Max was in New York with Caleb, they had paid them enough that they could afford the move. Roland was absolutely ecstatic. And Regina didn't have any deals exactly going on in Miami. Regina used Graham's computer to hack the FBI database.
"Thanks Henry, I'm taking the fall for this now, they think it was me, you're very lucky not to have hacker on your record."
"I'm sorry Mom," Henry replied. "You were right I'm not ready to rob a casino."
"You wanted to rob a casino, why?" Maleficent asked.
"You watched Ocean's eleven, didn't you," Red told him. He nodded.
"I love that movie, mom said I would have to rob all of you to prove I was ready, but then I got to thinking about the security system and I thought it would be okay in a regular bank but I wasn't ready for one with a chenkov, I didn't think it through." They groaned.
"How many times have told you the best part to any great crime is a well thought out plan?" Maleficent asked him sternly. "It's also the same with any kill no matter how small or easy."
"Yes ma'am," Henry replied.
" You know, we're going to have to report this to your teacher, your grade is going to tank in criminology."
"What no," Henry cried. They nodded.
"They're right, and you're still on time out," Regina told him as she changed the photo and changed the name to one of her alias she didn't use much anymore. She changed Emma as well as her known associate. She erased any mention of Shadow or Henry.
"We good?" Emma asked.
"For now," Regina told her as she squeezed her hands open and shut. "Now Henry get over here and learn how to crack a chenkov. God, you know you nearly tanked my reputation?" Henry came over as Emma looked at her in disbelief.
"I'm timing you," Maleficent called over as Regina explained how he had to scramble his location again and hide his identity.
"Never hack with your web camera not covered too." Regina told him. "All right start now Male." Regina hacked the chenkov in twenty minutes.
"How much was there?" Red asked.
"Thirty million dollars, right now atms in poor sections of Florida are dumping money all over the place until they're empty and the rest is for us." They grinned. Regina closed her computer and put it away after making sure she couldn't be traced to her directly.
"Can I ask where we're headed now?" Henry asked later on as they were discussing the ongoing crisis for them in Asia."
"Japan," Emma answered. Ariel said she had to hide Merida and the boys. FBI have been watching her and Mulan. Mulan only didn't get grabbed on the way to Florida because of our private jet." Shadow started crying. Regina went over to her and asked her what was wrong. She checked her diaper but she wasn't wet and she shouldn't have been cold under the blanket. She looked at her watch, they had only been flying about an hour, but they'd had to avoid the police for three and a half hours.
"Were you able to stock up while we waited?" Regina asked the stewardess.
"Just the gas ma'am, the food delivery wasn't here yet," She told her. Regina frowned.
"Find out from the pilot where we're flying over and if we can set down somewhere safe and restock up." She nodded and went to the front.
"Oh I grabbed the food from the kitchen," Henry told her finally feeling like he did something right.
"Great, you can feed Lena too," Zelena told them plopping Lena down next to Shadow. Maleficent let baby Emma join them.
"Now they're all back together," Maleficent grinned. She took a photo as Henry brought over food. Regina gave them all a papusas, but she had to hold Shadow's for her. She ate hungrily though and held onto her hand. The stewardess came back.
"The Captain says we'll be touching down in Jamaica ma'am to fully refuel and restock." Regina nodded. The adults shared the beans and Rice between them after Regina gave Henry some. Soon they were landing in Jamaica. They refuelled and stocked the plane. Regina sent Emma out to get clothes and real diapers for Shadow in her opinion.
"Of course, diarrhea is back full on with real food in her belly," Regina groaned. "I should have started her light." Maleficent helped her rinse Shadow in the hangar bathroom. Once they were done, they went back to the plane and everyone was back. Regina got Shadow dressed in better clothing and soon they were off again.
"They raided Storybrooke today, the FBI wants to take control of the island. Ariel took care of them until they started sprouting that there are nuclear weapons on the island. Ariel's had them all set sail again, moved everyone in storybrooke onto the islands. Sanitation system is barely in effect," Regina murmured as they unpacked their new clothes.
"When do we go back?" Henry asked.
"After we take care of business here, the heat isn't exactly off, we destroyed everything so they're having a hard time making a case against us or following the money from the chenkov thing. The money is still traveling, showing up in random people's accounts and randomly decreasing by bursting out of atms around the United States, so things should be calm enough we can travel there again eventually."
"What's the president saying he's supposed to be our allies," Emma commented as she folded.
"Not a damn thing which is disappointing to say the least," Regina told her. "Red's going to pay him a little visit soon, but at the moment, he can't speak."
"I'm sorry Mom, I really fucked us up," Henry told her.
"No, honey it's quite all right when they released our photos and stuff to the Media they had inaccurate photos, so the FBI has lost the trust of the public for hunting down not only us but Underworld Citizens. Regina's phone beeped and she looked at it. "And the President now just spoke out against the institute for trying to destroy our entire country like the French. And that he will speak personally to our governing body about bringing Mulan to justice. Scotland is really breathing down America's next now. Queen of Monaco and the Princess of Saudi Arabia aren't happily and are openly calling shame against the FBI.
"We need to do something to show the world we're good," Emma commented.
"Like what?" Henry asked. Emma shrugged.
"Anything to keep public opinion on our side and to make America's justice system look like they're trying to find crimes again. You know their prison system is based on money. They would stand to make so much off catching all of us, you know," Emma told them.
"I will leave that to you to figure out, set up, and organize, I have to focus on the illegitimate side and our hold on our network," Regina told her as she stood up and looked around the home. There was nothing inside of it, and completely empty. Graham had thought it was better if they didn't alert anyone to their arrival.
"Do people know what you look like here?" Emma asked.
"Nope, but they're about too," Regina told her as she ran a hand over the counter of the ledge that looked into the kitchen. It was fairly large two-bedroom condo, but it was dusty. Regina had decided a house wasn't necessary, anyone with money would notice them fairly quickly especially criminals. They would be looking out for a foreigner.
"I'm starving," Henry commented as Regina checked out the rooms and told Henry which one was his. She laid the bags out in the closet and stacked their clothes on top. She had a lot of cleaning to do.
"Come on let's go to a Ramen shop, and then Henry you can maybe walk around get to know the neighbourhood while Emma and I get some furniture." He nodded eager to explore. They left and Shadow was all tears until she had food in her mouth.
"How am I supposed to get the liquid?" Emma whispered to Regina and Henry. Regina lifted her mouth and took a drink from it. "No seriously."
"I am being serious look around you," Regina told her as Henry drank for his and finished his Ramen. "You want some more." He shook his head. Emma drank from it waiting for Regina to laugh at her but she didn't.
"Sometimes I never know if you're teasing me, there's so much stuff I don't know. And now I have to learn Japanese."
"Good, you can finally learn a second language and set an example for the children," Regina pointed out. Emma stuck her tongue out at her. After breakfast they gave Henry the sling and put Shadow in it.
"Stay alert," Emma told him. He nodded and waved to them. "You have your cell right?"
"Yes mom," Henry called back. Regina and Emma took the bus to a nearby furniture shop.
"How come you haven't gotten lost yet?" Emma asked. Regina held up her phone.
"App, I built to use google maps, the city's public transportation system more effectively," Regina told her. "It follows your phone and therefore you, more than the actual bus and it's route." They got off at their stop and Regina followed the map to the store. Regina found a store clerk and Emma felt awkward as they ended up bowing.
"Ohayo gazimasu," Regina greeted. The greeting was returned as she asked in terrible Japanese if the man spoke English, Portuguese, Spanish, or Mandarin by chance. He shook his head.
"I get Mao, English very good," He told them. He bowed and apologized for his lack of knowledge though they didn't understand as they bowed back.
"He was just apologizing right?" Regina asked. Emma shrugged. Mao soon returned and greeted them.
"Ohayo gazimasu," They greeted each other. She spoke English well enough to help them get the needed furniture and a washer and dryer all in one.
"Oh I live one floor down," She told them pointing to their address.
"Oh how cool." She shook her head and leaned in close.
"Replace tatami mats bugs, lots," She told them. They made a face and gasped. She wrote something down. "Give to tatami mat seller across the street." They nodded. "He will come today."
"Arigato," They told her bowing. She bowed back. They went across the street and he gave them a time slot for after twelve. Regina sighed as Graham arrived with their car before Zelena drove him away. They were still staying in a hotel, because Regina had dictated two adults perfect three kids. Zelena was enjoying being pampered. They loaded the car with their beds at least. The other stuff would arrive the next day.
"I'll drop you off at the house to wait for the new mats and I'll go to the store?" Regina asked. Emma shook her head.
"No, no way, just call Henry, and tell him," Emma told her. Regina looked at Emma.
"He's not the adult, you are or would you rather go to the store alone." Emma made a face but got dropped off at home. They both agreed to keep the bedding in the car. Regina tried to do a rather big shopping trip instead of a small one after she got the largest coffee she could from a starbucks. She found kitchenware in another nearby shop thankfully.
"Ooh what's this," Regina murmured. She was happy when she found English descriptions on a pot used to cook dishes on the table. She looked up some recipes while she waited in line and ended up getting back out of line for a few items before she found her way to fish seller.
"Emma is not going to be happy," Regina chuckled as she watched them wrapping up cod and salmon. When she got home, she was grateful they had just finished. She left the two baskets in the kitchen. They were rolling baskets she had bought in case one of them needed to walk to the store. Henry brought up a vacuum cleaner.
"You owe me sixty-four thousand yen because it came with the steam cleaning feature," Henry told Emma.
"I'll give it back to you tomorrow," Emma told him. "Thank you, now can you help us unpack the car?" Henry nodded.
"Just take the little stuff since you have Shadow, that way Emma and I can get the big stuff." Henry nodded. Soon they had everything in the house and Emma took the car to their parking spot.
"Here you go sweetie," Regina settled Shadow down on the now clean floors with a toy she had bought her. Regina found her cleaning supplies and set everyone to work as Henry talked about the neighbourhood and how so far everyone seemed rather friendly. He hadn't spotted anything out of the ordinary it was just a normal working class neighbourhood.
"Make your bed, I don't really care if you leave it rolled out as long as it's made and looks neat," Regina told Henry. He nodded. She set up her bed with Emma and a little futon next to their own for Shadow. She cleaned out the refrigerator thoroughly and the rest of the kitchen before she stocked it.
"I don't even know what some of this stuff is," Emma complained.
"I thought we could all and by all I mean mainly you try something new," Regina told her as Emma helped her put the dishes away. "Plus I got a little excited in the store and I want to try some new ways of cooking.
"Did I hear experiment day is coming?" Henry asked appearing with a gasp. Emma just looked confused.
"Experiment Day?" She asked weary.
"It's this wonderful day where Mom cooks things she's never cooked before all day and all day I get to eat and eat and eat until I can't possibly have more before I eat and eat dessert. And I get to choose what mom likes to cook at home, though she does have her favourites that I'm not necessarily fond of."
"Great, so I can veto everything." Henry frowned.
"What no, obviously Shadow and I will like everything and out vote you in this dictatorship I call Experiment Day, and we shall pick our favourites not the other way around," Henry told her. Regina laughed at the look on Emma's face as Henry took a page out of her book and simply walked away, and started excitedly telling Shadow about experiment day.
"Regina, don't laugh," Emma cried. Regina turned back to her work as their doorbell rang. Emma let in Red and Maleficent. Shadow was eager to see baby Emma. They had become fast friends again on the plane.
"We have your furniture downstairs and met your downstairs neighbour, she's nice."
"Yes, she is," Emma answered.
"We paid some school boys to bring it up for us, they'll do our house tomorrow same time."
"You didn't have to put us first, or even get our stuff for us, it would have been delivered tomorrow." Red waved her off.
"We were there and we'd rented the truck so it was not trouble really. We'll be over for dinner every night anyway as soon as Regina's got the hang of this cooking thing," Maleficent told her. "By the way took care of your phone and internet as well." Regina nodded.
"Thank you, I was not looking forward to trying to sort through several people for an English speaker."
"No, buddy I wouldn't let you do that, just as you wouldn't let me fail baby Emma in her education."
"I knew there was a catch besides good food," Regina told her. Red and Maleficent laughed.
"You're just so good though at schools. Look what you did in Maine, I mean by the end of the week you had several choices for all the kids."
"She's one though," Emma pointed out.
"Doesn't matter now is the time to start," Regina told her. "Age is irrelevant right now their brains are soaking in things at a rate we can't even imagine."
"And she's almost two, and thanks to France she's not even nearly where she should be, but that will change in Japan while we're here," Maleficent told her. Henry took the girls into the back while they set up the living room with a couch that was on the floor and great for taking a nap and a kotatsu to go with it. It was fairly large, room enough for ten people to sit comfortably since Regina had decided against a dining room table in favour of saving space. Henry found he could go under and took baby Emma with him. Shadow didn't want to be left behind and dragged herself towards them. She kept looking back at her legs trying to get them to work. Emma peaked out and crawled over to Shadow who watched her for a moment before she looked more determined and managed a weak but effective half crawl, half dragging movement. Emma led her back under.
"Oh she's starting to crawl," Emma said happily. "In a weird way we get to redo her firsts."
"You should make a baby book," Red told them as she opened the door for the last thing and paid the boys and gave them their address for tomorrow. Once they were gone Regina set up the television and their new laptops. She blocked Henry from doing any hacking on his.
"What's for dinner?"
"Rice and raw squid," Regina told them seriously as she closed the laptops. Emma looked sick. "I'm sorry Emma, but I just can't cook tonight, I'm tired, you didn't stay up with Shadow on the plane because she didn't sleep.
"Let's just go out, there's a sushi restaurant I heard some people talking about, and it sounded family friendly," Maleficent told them.
"Sushi, that's still rice and raw squid," Emma pouted.
"There's other stuff there," Regina told her with a yawn. "Don't worry."
"It's already five, we should eat and hopefully settle down for the night, Graham's all over the place helping us get set up so we can meet tomorrow for what I hope is experiment day," Maleficent told them. Everyone looked at Regina including Henry who popped his head out from under the table followed by baby Emma and Shadow.
"Yeah sure why not let's eat and plan bad things for people," Regina told them. They all cheered except Emma who didn't know if she liked the idea of tomorrow. They all got up and went to the front door where they got their shoes and jackets on.
"Oh it just got really cold out here," Emma told them shivering.
"It's three degrees Celsius," Red commented wrapping her coat around herself a little tighter with one hand as she thumbed through her phone. "Huh that looks like a snow symbol, I thought it didn't snow in Tokyo." Red looked at Maleficent.
"It doesn't normally, let me see that," Maleficent commented.
"Shadow, I know you want to get down, but you can't walk," Emma told Shadow was struggling to get out of her sling. Henry was running up ahead chasing Emma around and Shadow wanted to have fun too.
"Oh she's going to be running before we know it," Regina told Emma happily as Henry ran back over and took Shadow. Emma couldn't help but smile at her, it was nice to see Shadow grow after she had been unconscious for so long.
"Wow they're expecting snow in Tokyo this winter, hopefully it's not too bad, so we might need thicker jackets."
"We already need thicker jackets," Emma told her as a gust of wind made her shiver again. They made it to the train station which baby Emma and Shadow were really excited about. Soon they were at the restaurant.
"How do we get it," Emma said missing the sushi roll Red asked for.
"Just grab the plate it should open," Maleficent told her. Regina grabbed the next plate successfully and passed it to Red.
"Ooh is that Salmon, I'll try that," Henry told her. Regina grabbed Salmon and another that was Eel for Maleficent. She grabbed one with shrimp and passed it to Emma before she grabbed a second with shrimp as well.
"Emma wants the yellowtail," Maleficent told her.
"What…no I don't," Emma told her wondering why she was forcing food on her. Regina chuckled as she grabbed the yellowtail but gave it to Maleficent who was holding baby Emma.
"The baby, Emma, she meant the baby," Regina laughed. Emma looked relieved.
"Isn't there like cooked shrimp?" Emma asked picking it up with her hands.
"Emma, no, bad use your chopsticks I'm trying to teach Emma the table manners of different cultures," Maleficent scolded. Emma frowned and put her sushi back down.
"But I don't know how to eat with chopsticks," Emma told her. Maleficent ignored her as she instructed baby Emma. Until Emma sent a chopstick flying at her making the others chuckle.
"Here," Regina stopped her picking up her sushi and feeding Emma just like she did Shadow with her chopsticks.
"I don't like it raw." Regina finished it between her and Shadow. She pulled off more plates for everyone.
"Why is the fish yellow?" Emma whispered. Regina laughed.
"It's egg," Regina told her. Emma looked relieved as Regina broke it in half and fed Emma a piece and Shadow the other.
"Oh I like that one." Emma told her.
"Mom can I have some tea?" Henry asked politely. Regina passed him the green powder and Emma pushed the hot water for the tea. Soon everyone had a little green tea, but Regina just waited and took over Emma's when she didn't like it.
"Ooh they have squid," Regina grinned as she ordered from the screen. She ordered a few with roast beef and another with chicken for Emma who was grabbing more egg and rice.
"Oh Aunty Maleficent is that Scallop?" Henry asked. She looked up at the touch screen and nodded. Regina clicked on it and got one plate for everyone. She ordered some vegetable ones as well and one with a mix of pickled vegetables for herself and Maleficent mostly.
"Oh look five plates and you get a chance to win a toy." Henry put five plates into the slot and it spun and a toy came down. They were quite excited. He gave it to Shadow, and baby Emma was not happy about that especially as he put the next five plates in and didn't win.
"There will be more plates and we'll try again," Maleficent told her as their ordered food arrived. Emma was so happy when she saw Regina had ordered beef and chicken for her she gave her chopsticks another try and this time they hit a kid at another table. Maleficent apologized profusely and Emma did as well following her lead.
"How did you manage to fling it across the room?" Red asked laughing with Henry once the attention was off them. Emma was so red in the face.
"I don't know," Emma whispered. "I'm so stupid."
"You're not stupid, I poked myself in the eye once and when Henry graduated to adult chopsticks not the training ones Maleficent carries around for Emma. He somehow managed to get a chopstick up his nose," Regina told her. "I thought he was going to pull out his brain it was so far up." They all laughed.
"I think I remember that, there was a picture, somewhere," Maleficent laughed as she searched through her bag and pulled out a second pair of training chopsticks. "These were for Shadow in case she expressed interest in trying, but I see she's happier being fed by Regina. Embarrassed Emma took them. Her fingers were too big for the loops but she managed to make it work. She got even redder when some people laughed at her as they walked by.
"Just ignore them, you will learn," Regina told her patting her arm from across the table. "Eat up, I'm not cooking until tomorrow." Emma ate and managed to figure out how to keep the beef or chicken selections coming with Regina putting boiled shrimp in her mouth and some vegetables. She sulked because she already felt like a kid, but then she saw Henry and Red weren't exempt from this behaviour from Regina or Maleficent when it came to the vegetables in particular.
"Stop it I can feed myself, you do that at every meal," Red pouted to Maleficent.
"Well maybe you should eat your vegetables then," Maleficent told her amused. "But I'm sorry I care about you, and I feed you to show you that I do."
"Where did you pick that notion up at?" Emma asked. "It was kind of sexy in the beginning but sometimes when we're out it's weird."
"Sorry, I'll stop caring then," Regina told her hurt.
"We spent some time in Ethiopia, we got injured and we picked up some things that we really liked. But it's fine we won't care about you anymore." Emma made a face.
"I don't mind," Henry told them. "Can I try the Eel mom?" Regina drizzled some soy sauce on top before she fed him. Henry set five more plates down and managed to lose every time to baby Emma's hatred. Once everyone was satisfied they went to pay and headed home.
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