Chapter Twenty Eight
As Emma got older, Regina couldn't help but notice how much quicker time seemed to be passing. It was hard enough to hold onto moments when she aged so much quicker than a regular child, but as she got older and more independant, it felt to Regina like someone had turned up the clock.
By the afternoon of Ruby and Belle's engagement party, Emma was already twelve, and she'd grown so much. She was nearly as tall as Regina, and an odd dichotomy of mature well beyond her years, mixed with an innocent - though slightly mischievous - child. Regina supposed maybe it really wasn't that odd, considering Emma really was a product of two very different childhoods at this point, though there was still that nagging worry in the back of her mind about how exactly this second chance was going to affect her. How long would Emma be able to keep up that brave front, and keep the good memories separate from the bad?
Regina wished more than anything that she'd taken the time to get to know Emma before all of this happened - really know her. Sure, they'd gotten closer than she'd ever expected, but more and more Regina was realizing she didn't know anything about Emma's childhood, her teenage years, or even her adult life before Henry had brought her home. Childhood traumas were easy enough to talk Emma through, but what else had happened along the way? What were they supposed to do in a few short months when Emma would be seventeen, remembering going off to prison and being pregnant with Henry.
At this point, Emma didn't even know she was Henry's biological mother, and Regina and Snow were at a loss as to how, and more importantly when, to tell her. It was going to rock her whole world, but Regina really did feel it was important to give her a warning of what was coming, because it wasn't going to be easy.
Regina was broken out of her train of worrying thought as her front door swung open, and Emma came bounding inside. She'd insisted she needed to stop here before the party, as there was something she "just needed to get", though she wouldn't tell anyone what that was.
Regina got up and smiled as she watched Emma drop her overnight bag in the hallway and kick off her shoes, before taking off up the stairs, a hand decorated cardboard box in her arms. She was in too much of a hurry to say hello, apparently, but Regina was just glad she'd remembered she was supposed to sleep over tonight.
"I'm fighting a losing battle," Snow commented, stepping into the hallway Emma had just vacated, and picking up her bag.
"I gave up on telling her to put her shoes away weeks ago," Regina agreed. "We've all seen her as an adult. I think her sloppiness is innate."
Before the two women could actually get into any sort of conversation, Emma was back.
"You get what you needed?" Snow asked.
Emma nodded, slightly breathless, her face flushed from running up and down the stairs. She held the box tightly in one arm, and her other rest across her abdomen. She now donned a bulky red hoodie she'd grabbed from her closet upstairs.
"Are you feeling alright?" Regina asked, moving to test Emma's temperature with a wrist to her forehead.
Emma ducked quickly. "Yep. Feel fine. I was just cold."
"It's not cold in here," Regina insisted, noting how Emma shifted oddly, still holding her abdomen.
"I'm just cold. Sometimes I get cold, okay? Can we go now? I don't wanna be late for the party!"
Regina and Snow exchanged glances, but decided to take Emma at her word, even if she was acting a little strange. Regina watched as Emma and Snow headed back out to the truck, then then called for Henry to come down so they could head over to Ruby and Belle's as well.
Emma shifted uncomfortably in her seat as they pulled up in front of Ruby and Belle's new house. Hiding a fidgety orange kitten in her hoodie had been hard enough the entire car ride over, and she didn't know how she was going to keep it under wraps for the entire party.
But, she'd made up her mind that she was giving the other two to Ruby and Belle as a gift, and she didn't want the third sitting at home wondering where her siblings went. She at least had had the foresight to tell them to keep quiet, and somehow with her magic, they listened, so there'd be no mewing giving her away at least.
Emma plastered on a smile as she headed in the door behind her parents. There were several people here she'd seen before, but it was still overwhelming when everyone knew her and she didn't really know any of them. She'd heard so many people say over the last few weeks "what a shame Emma's going to miss Ruby's engagement", and she knew what everyone meant was the adult version of her was missing out on something she'd have been excited for, so she tried to look as excited as she could, even if she didn't feel it.
After carefully placing her gift on the table with the others, Emma peered around the room trying to find a place to hide out until this was all over. Regina was there now, and had already struck up a conversation with someone Emma recognized but couldn't put a name to, and Henry and her parents were already nowhere to be seen amongst the groups of people.
For a moment, Emma considered just going and standing quietly beside Regina until she stopped talking, but that was more awkward now that she was older and taller and people expected her to contribute to conversations now more than she did as a smaller child. She bit her lip and wondered what to do, until she heard someone calling her name.
Spinning around, Emma spotted Maleficent and Lily across the room, and gratefully made her way over to them. Lily was beaming as Emma approached, and Emma couldn't help but notice her belly had grown considerably since she'd seen her last.
"God, Emma, you look exactly like…" Lily said, shaking her head as her voice trailed off.
"Exactly like what?"
"Like you did when we first met. It's unreal."
"I don't remember that," Emma said, frowning. She desperately wanted to remember a connection with someone in her old life that she knew now. Someone to link both halves of herself together.
"You will soon," Lily assured her. "We were thirteen when we met."
Emma smiled, relieved that she'd likely get that memory back in a few weeks, at least.
"But hey, Emma, we ended on a bad note back then. Just… try to remember we got passed it, years later, but we did. Okay?"
Emma sighed and nodded. Her whole old life seemed to be a series of things ending badly, so she wasn't exactly surprised.
Either way, this wasn't a conversation she really felt like having just now, so she turned her attention to Maleficent, who was eyeing her suspiciously.
"What?" Emma asked, looking at her in confusion, but holding the kitten closer to her nonetheless.
"What do you have there?" Mal asked, looking down at Emma's arm holding tightly to the pocket of her hoodie.
"Nothing."
"Yes, you do. Emma, you know I'm a dragon right? You have an animal, I can smell it."
Emma gasped and stepped back.
"Oh, Emma, I wasn't going to hurt it," Mal insisted, realizing how she must have sounded to a child who was fascinated by her but still a little wary of her. "I just meant, the dragon in me, she heightens my senses."
"Don't tell anyone," Emma said, seriously, glancing quickly around the room to make sure no one was paying attention to her little trio in the corner before moving her hand and letting the kitten pop her head out of her pocket and take a look around.
Emma wasn't sure exactly what she expected from Maleficent, but the idea that she was a dragon and a villain in no way prepared her for the sound of pure delight that she let out. "Oh, she's precious!" Mal gushed. "Regina had mentioned you had kittens at her house."
Emma nodded. "This is the best one," she said, proudly, scanning the room again to make sure no one had noticed. Everyone was caught up in their own conversations, or too distracted by the array of food that was being placed on the table on the other side of the room to notice her now.
"I used to have a cat," Mal said, as she leaned forward to give a little pet to the one in Emma's pocket. "In my palace, years ago. She kept me company and I miss her."
A thought struck Emma then, and before she could fully process what she was saying, she blurted out, "do you want this one?"
"What? Oh, honey, this is your cat."
Emma shook her head, though she was inwardly kicking herself in case she might regret this later on. "I still have a cat at Regina's, and she wants me to find homes for the kittens. She's not going to let them all stay forever. She doesn't know, but I put two in a box for Ruby and Belle."
"Aren't you worried you're going to miss them?"
Emma shrugged. "Yeah, I guess, but I'm used to losing things. I'll be okay."
"Oh, sweetheart," Mal sighed, before surprising Emma with a tight hug. "How about this? We'll make a deal that you can come over and see her whenever you want. That way, you won't be losing her."
Emma nodded as she pulled herself out of Maleficent's arms, and reached into her pocket to pull the kitten out, to hand her to Maleficent. "Wanna know something?" She said as she passed the kitten into Maleficent's arms. "A fews months ago, when I was like, nine, I thought maybe I could be a kitten social worker, like I had social workers. My job could be making sure they found good forever homes. I even made an adoption application. I ran out of time though."
Maleficent smiled as she snuggled the kitten close to her shoulder, not at all worried about someone seeing. She laid her other hand on Emma's shoulder. "Emma Swan, I think you would be an excellent kitten social worker. You have a big heart, everyone can see that. Don't lose that, okay?"
Emma nodded. "I won't. I promise."
"Emma Swan!" Regina's voice sounded suddenly behind her, and Emma bit her lip. "Did you sneak one of your kittens in here?"
Emma spun around quickly, her eyes wide as Regina made her way over. "That's Mal's cat."
Regina raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because it looks an awful lot like yours, and it would explain the sudden need for the heavy sweatshirt and your odd behaviour earlier."
Emma sighed. "Okay, I did bring the kitten, but she is Mal's now. I found her a good home, just like you wanted, so you can't be mad!"
Regina looked at Mal for a moment, then back at Emma. "I'm not mad. But you can't just sneak animals into people's houses, because-"
Regina was cut off by the distinct cry of "KITTENS!" from across the room. Emma peaked around her to see that, unbeknownst to her, Ruby and Belle had started opening gifts, and hers had been one of the first.
"Oh, Emma, we love them!" Ruby insisted, and Emma smiled at the sight of Ruby and Belle each snuggling and kitten close.
Emma looked back at Regina, and she could tell by the look on her face she was off the hook. Maybe Regina didn't like that she'd snuck three cats into this party, but she knew she'd definitely like the reduced cat population in her own home.
"You're sure about this Emma?"
Emma smiled and nodded. "Look how happy everyone is."
Her smile didn't fade as she said goodbye to Lily and Mal and her favourite kitten and followed Regina across the room to get some food. It really did feel good to see how happy the kittens were making everyone and to now she'd put that all in motion. Even if she would miss them, she liked this feeling.
