NOTE: Again I do not own OUAT or its characters. Also this chapter is part of one day, the next part will be in the next chapter. I mention this to stave off the comments I am sure I will get for where I stopped in this one.
Marriage day 365
Regina was signing a couple of purchase orders when her secretary knocked on the door and came in carrying a vase of flowers. They were lilies which were Regina's favorites.
"They are beautiful," her secretary said.
"They are," Regina said admiring them. She plucked the card off of them even though she knew they were from Emma seeing as it was their anniversary. When she read it though, she was immediately confused. She flipped the card over and saw there was the letter F on the back of it.
The card itself was of good paper stock, very firm. The lettering was embossed. The letter F was a bright red.
"There is a car waiting for you outside."
"What?" Regina asked, looking up.
"A car. It's waiting for you outside. My understanding is that you will be taking the rest of the day off," her secretary said.
Regina looked down at the card again. "I guess I do have some place to be."
She grabbed her purse and coat and went outside to find Emma wearing a chauffeur outfit standing next to a black sedan, holding the back passenger side door open for her. Regina smiled at her as she approached.
"My adventure awaits," Regina said holding up the card from the flowers. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"I am just the driver ma'am," Emma responded all straight faced and serious.
"Ma'am? What's going on Emma?"
"Maybe you would like to get in the car and then you can tell me where I am supposed to take you. I was hired out for the day to take around a Mrs. Swan-Mills, that is you right?"
"Yes, as you well know seeing as you are my wife," Regina said.
"I am just the driver ma'am," Emma repeated.
Regina considered a moment before deciding the only way to know what was going on was to play along. She stepped closer to the door. "I am getting in the car now," she said. "But you call me ma'am again and you will be sleeping alone for a long time to come."
Emma gave a small wink and a smile and Regina slid into the back seat where another card was sitting. She barely noticed Emma closing the door as she picked up the card and read it.
"Happy anniversary my love. Go to the place where my parents first learned of our nuptials."
She studied the card a moment more before saying, "Take me to Granny's."
Like the other card there was a letter on the back of this one as well. It said R and it was green.
It didn't take them long to get to Granny's and Emma got out of the car and ran around it to open the door for her. Regina took her offered hand to exit the vehicle.
"Are you coming in with me?" she asked.
"I think I should stay with the car," Emma responded.
She realized her wife was playing some sort of game with her, but she wasn't sure what it was all about. Again she knew she had to play along to find out.
She walked into the Granny's and looked around, not seeing anything unusual. Ruby came up to her, "do you need a seat?"
"I am not sure," Regina responded.
"There is a free booth over there if you want it." Ruby pointed to a booth that Regina recognized as the one that they had all sat at when they had returned from getting married. It was here that the Charmings learned she and Emma had gotten married.
"Thank you," Regina said heading that way. So Ruby at least and probably Granny were in on this little game. Regina took a seat but again didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Ruby came over and gave her a menu. Regina wasn't hungry and told Ruby as much.
"Now Regina you have to eat for that little one in there," Ruby said.
"Fine, but I don't need a menu."
"Trust me, you do," Ruby said sliding in on the table in front of her.
Regina picked it up and another card fell out. It landed so its back side was facing up with the letter E stamped on it in blue. She wasted no time flipping it over.
"When we finally worked together I began to see you would be mine."
Another clue.
So her wife had set up some sort of scavenger hunt for her.
She read the clue again and considered it. Getting up, she went to the bathroom as she needed to pee. Even as she went in she hoped that despite how many stops there might be on this scavenger hunt there better be some bathroom breaks. She was fairly sure that baby must have shifted inside of her sometime in the last week because she swore it was putting more pressure on her bladder.
Ruby was standing at the counter as Regina got up. Her phone buzzed and she saw a text from Emma. "What's taking so long?"
"I am not sure she got your clue, but I am sure your lady needs to pee."
Emma sent back a smilely face and "yeah, that's been happening more lately."
Regina exited the restroom and went straight for the door and the car where Emma was dutifully waiting. Once she was in and Emma was in, Emma asked, "Where to now?"
"We're going to a mine," Regina said, giving her directions of where to go exactly.
Regina sat back and thought about that day when the failsafe had been activated. She had used her magic to keep it at bay but she knew she wasn't strong enough. Then there was Emma stepping forward to use her magic on it as well and together they prevented it from destroying everything. She wondered if it was true that Emma was thinking as far back as then that they could be together. She wanted to ask but she knew while she was in character, Emma wouldn't be answering any questions.
That day with the failsafe, she had felt Emma's magic merge with hers and it was like feeling a power surge go through her. She hadn't had time to think about the encounter that day as they rushed to save Henry but as they were in Neverland she had more time alone with her thoughts. Emma had stayed with her in the mine, saved her in fact when she could have walked away. Regina didn't have words to express what that meant to her so she remained quiet.
It still amazed her that she and Emma had managed to be civil to each other, much less get married. Yet here they were a year after taking those vows still married and expecting a child.
Emma kept glancing in the rear view mirror at her wife. Regina had gone silent and there was an introspective look on her face. There was also a faint smile on those lips and when she saw Regina's hand land on her belly Emma wanted nothing more than to stop the car, slip into the back and kiss her.
They arrived at the mine and driver Emma insisted that the accompany Regina inside, telling her that she would feel better if the pregnant Mrs. Swan-Mills wasn't walking alone inside. They got to the part where they had destroyed the fail safe and sitting on the ground was another card which Emma bent down and retrieved for her.
The clue read, "We didn't cross paths here but when love pulls you together there is no rehearsal for it."
On the back was another E, this one in yellow.
FREE, Regina thought, free what. And the clue itself was not anything immediately obvious to her.
They walked back to the car and Regina sat in the back considering the words on the card.
Emma watched as Regina was in deep concentration. This was one of the harder clues because the place didn't hold any special meaning to them – not exactly at least. There were two words in it that pointed to the location.
Minutes wore on and Emma was beginning to think she made it a little too hard.
"Would you like me to drive around a bit?" Emma asked her.
"No," Regina said her eyes never leaving the card.
She was stumped, but she didn't want to admit that to Emma. The last two clues were places that were significant to them in some way, but this clue suggested a place that wasn't significant. She was also distracted by the letters from the back of the cards. FREE. What was that supposed to mean? If this was some sort of elaborate plan to spell out a coupon for free sex with her wife she was going to be disappointed.
More minutes passed and Regina was considering asking for help not that she expected Emma to give it, but maybe that offer to drive around was a hint that she would drive near the location.
"We didn't cross paths here," Regina said out loud to herself. She looked at the second part of the sentence. Rehearsal –odd choice of wording she thought, which might be the reason it was significant. Cross paths, rehearsal, she kept repeating in her mind.
"Driver, I am ready to go now."
"Where to?"
"We're going to church."
And she got it, Emma thought as she put the car in gear. The day they were getting married in front of friends and family Emma thought (rightfully so) that it was taking place in the church they had picked out. Even without the rehearsal dinner and the fact Regina had obviously been plotting some secret for their wedding; Emma never could have imagined that her wife would surprise her with a magical castle to get married in.
Everything about that day had been magical to her.
Those few seconds before she began to walk down the aisle she had taken in the whole view of the place, but it was the woman at the end of the aisle that captivated her vision. Standing there in front of friends and family, reciting their vows, Emma had felt for certain her heart wouldn't be able to contain all the love she had in that moment.
Arriving at the church, Regina was allowed to go in on her own this time. She had to admit the clue was clever on Emma's part and maybe a little bit of payback for Regina switching the location of their wedding.
She walked into the chapel, her eyes on the look out for another card. She ended up walking slowly down the aisle glancing from side to side, hoping she didn't overlook it. As she neared the altar she caught site of it propped up on it.
She looked at the backside first where the letter O was. FREEO, or FREE O – she almost rolled her eyes as she was prepared to harm her wife if this ended up spelling out free orgasm.
It was their anniversary after all, the orgasm was expected and she certainly wasn't going to turn in a coupon to get one.
Flipping it back over she read the clue. "We break curses together."
Not much to work with there was Regina's initial thought. Curses, a reference to more than one curse. There was the original curse she had cast, which Emma had broken. There was also the second curse where they had all lost their memories which Regina had broken. But they hadn't broken those together.
"Henry," she said out loud walking back toward the exit. Both of them had broken the curses because of their love of Henry.
They drove to Henry's school and Regina had to wait outside of the room he was in for class to end. She took the time to visit the restroom so she could pee again.
The bell rang and Henry saw her immediately.
"Hey mom."
"Hi Henry."
"What are you doing here?"
"I was wondering if your mother left something with you that you are supposed to give me."
"Nope."
"Are you sure? It would be a card in the shape of a square."
"I think I would remember if she asked me to give you something," he said as they got to his locker.
"Oh. Maybe I read the clue wrong."
"What clue?"
"Emma sat up this little scavenger hunt thing for our anniversary and so far I've figured out all the clues until now."
"A scavenger hunt, that's cool. Are you having fun?"
She thought a moment, "Yes. It's actually very romantic because each of the clues has some sort of connection to her and I and our marriage. This last clue was 'we break curses together,' which I thought was a reference to you because you and her broke the first kiss and then you and I broke the second. I thought it was a reference to our family."
"It was," Henry said smiling and holding up a card he pulled from his book bag. "I was just messing with you."
Regina snatched the card from his hand. "I swear there are days I don't know which one of you is more juvenile, you or Emma."
"I am a kid; I am supposed to be this way. She doesn't have an excuse."
"I suppose," she said. "I will pick you up tomorrow at your grandparents."
"Take your time," he said. "There is a reason I made arrangements not to be at home tonight."
"You are growing up too quick, you know that right."
"Probably."
"Well stop it," she said giving him a kiss on the forehead.
"Mom," he whined as there were other kids around.
She let him get to class and she started to examine the card as she walked out of the school. There was a letter R on the back. FREE OR, she thought shaking her head. If this was as she feared she had four more cards to find in order to spell orgasm.
She turned her attention to the clue. "Soon these four walls will be for the four of us."
Home, she thought.
"We're going home," she said to Emma as she held the door open for her. Instead of getting in, Regina grabbed her and kissed her.
"Mrs., I don't think your wife would appreciate you kissing random strangers," Emma said once Regina was finished.
"I think she might forgive me this transgression," Regina said. "Sometimes I just can't contain my love for her."
"I am sure she feels the same way," Emma said. "So let's get you home."
They drove home and Emma parked the car and then opened the door for her. "You might want to take your cards with you," Emma said. "My contract for the day was only until I got you home."
"Is that so?"
"It is."
"It's been fun Mrs. Swan-Mills. Maybe we will run into each other again soon."
"I hope so," Regina said.
Despite what Emma said Regina was still surprised when Emma got in the car and pulled away. Regina walked to the door and unlocked it. The house was quiet and there was nothing to indicate what she should be doing. She looked around the bottom floor for another card but found none.
As she walked up the stairs she immediately saw a ribbon on the door to the nursery. Another card hung from it. She plucked it from where it hung. It said simply, "I love you, always."
She smiled and ran her fingers along the writing. This must be the end of the hunt, she thought. Flipping the card over, it had the letter V on it. FREE ORV. She had no idea what that was supposed to mean so maybe the hunt was not over yet.
She opened the door to the nursery and stepped forward slowly. Against the side wall was a crib. She approached it cautiously as if she was afraid it would move if she got to it too quickly.
As she stood in front of it, she let her hand slide along the wood.
It was quite simply perfect.
Her hand went down to her stomach. "Do you see what your mommy got you?" she said to the child inside of her. "This is where you are going to sleep when you come out here to join our family."
She wanted to share this moment with Emma and she turned to go get her phone to call her and tell her to get back there. She didn't care about any other surprises or plans Emma may have; she just wanted her wife to be here with her. As she turned though she stopped, seeing on the wall next to the door a wooden frame of sorts. She got closer to it. There were what appeared to be square wooden frames of assorted bright colors attached together. In some of the frames there were pictures of Emma and Regina, or of Henry and even a picture from one of their ultrasounds. Those frames were all set around other frames that were also square in shape but side by side. In the top set of these frames there were white embossed cards spelling out the word FAMILY so that it gave the look of a child's alphabet blocks to match the room's theme.
There were seven frames set side by side under the word family.
She looked at the cards in her hand – studying the letters on the back of each one. Slowly she took each card and slid them into the frames and then took a step back to see the results.
FAMILY FOREVER.
"This all started because we wanted Henry to see us as a family, to see we could get along and work out a custody agreement," Emma said as she appeared in the doorway. She was no longer wearing the chauffeur outfit, just a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. "But I fell in love with you Regina and while it wasn't my intention that we get married a year ago, it did happen. This past year … I don't even know how to describe it except to say that you and Henry have taught me what being a part of a family really means and I don't want our new kid to ever not know just how important we are all to each other. I know this day is supposed to be about you and me, but there is no you and me if we both hadn't decided that we wanted to be a part of something more, part of a family. A year ago we stood in a family court and we pledged to love each other and be committed to each other. Six months later we stood in front of friends and family and we promised each other an eternity of this love. I just want you to know that is what I will always give you."
She moved closer and pulled a small box out and handed it to Regina, who paused before opening it. Inside was a silver bracelet with the infinity symbol.
"It's beautiful." Regina said.
"Here let me help you."
Emma took the bracelet and put it on her wrist. Regina admired it before launching herself into Emma's arm, giving her a tight hug.
It took Emma a second to realize Regina was also crying. She pulled back, seeing the tears come down her face. She cupped Regina's face in her hands. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Regina said. "I am so in love with you. Like crazy in love with you. I love you Emma Swan-Mills."
"I love you too," Emma said kissing her. "Are you sure you are ok?"
"Yes," Regina said. "I am so happy. I am happy to be your wife, happy to be carrying your child and really happy that those cards didn't end up spelling out free orgasm."
"What? You thought they were going to spell out free orgasm?"
"I thought maybe it was some silly coupon kind of thing, you know redeem for one free orgasm. The order I picked them up did start off as FREE OR."
Emma laughed. "I actually didn't realize that. Besides it's our anniversary, the free orgasm is kind of implied."
"I knew I loved you," Regina said pulling her in for another kiss.
To be continued...