Chapter36

Regina turned off the light in her father's office. It was well after eight and she told Emma she would be headed home over thirty minutes ago. However, she didn't realize all of the paperwork that was left when she told Millie and the others they could leave.

Her cell phone rang as she was flipping off the hallway light, "Hello?"

"Should I be worried," Emma's voice asked over the line?

"I'm sorry. I let Millie leave early and forgot about all of the paperwork that needed to be filed before tomorrow. I would never hear the end of it from dad if I didn't," Regina answered, digging through her purse for her keys.

"I'll forgive you this time," She could picture the smile on the blonde's face and she grinned.

"I'm leaving now. I'll be there as soon as I can," Regina assured her.

"Be safe, I love you," Emma said.

"I will and I love you," She answered before hanging up. Her stomach fluttered at the words.

Her keys were not in her purse. She slipped her phone back into the bag and turned back to the office. She must have left them on the desk. She opened the door and flipped the light back on. Yep, right there on the desk.

The sound of something metal falling caused her to jump. It had come from the front near the waiting room and nurse's station. She swiped the keys off the desk and turned for the door. A scream erupted from her throat as she saw Robin standing in the doorway.

"JESUS," she shouted, clutching the material over her chest!

She took a step backward, "What are you doing here?"

"Why did you let him do it," Robin's voice cracked and there were tears in his eyes?

Regina swallowed, not sure what to do. She wasn't even sure what he was talking about. The strong scent of liquor wafted her direction, "Are you drunk?"

The man stumbled forward and Regina took two more steps backward until she bumped into the desk.

"A boy needs a father," he said using the door handle to stabilize himself.

"Robin, you need to go home and sleep this off," Regina's eyes darted from the man to the hallway.

Her phone was in her purse which was over her shoulder. She wondered if she would be able to get it out before he reached her. She wasn't sure she would have enough time to actually dial a number to get help though.

"Did you hear what I said," He staggered taking another step closer?

Regina was angry now. Yes, she was still frightened of him, she would never let him know that, but she was angry because he was scaring her. She was angry because he was here talking about being a father.

"You should have thought of that before you treated our son like a piece of property instead of your child," she hissed.

With a final step, his chest was pressed against her, "This is your fault," he snapped, swaying slightly.

His breath reeked of some sort of whiskey and it made her eyes burn, "Robin, get away from me."

"That dyke E-M-M-A.," He over-annunciated the letters in her name, spitting as he did. "You must really like fucking her because..."

He was cut off by a sharp piercing slap across his face. Regina's was breathing heavy. She knew he would retaliate, but there was no way in hell she would sit here and listen to his filth.

Robin raised his hand to the cheek she had slapped and rubbed it lightly. To her surprise, he took a couple of steps backward, "Is this really what he wants?"

Regina swallowed again, "It is. This was his decision, Robin. You wanted a strictly business life and now you have it."

"But he's my son," his voice cracked again. "I'm not that bad of a dad, am I."

Regina let out a shaky breath, still surprised he hadn't hit her, "Well, yeah. You're a horrible one to be more accurate." She didn't know why, but a small, very small piece of her felt sorry for him.

He nodded his head up and down slowly, "I know I was a terrible husband."

Regina snorted, "You think?"

"So, Emma, huh," he asked?

Regina wasn't sure where he was going with that, so she didn't respond.

"Henry really likes her doesn't he," he asked glancing up into Regina's face?

"Yes, he does," she said as confidently as she could.

He nodded his head again, and then chuckled, "Who would have thought, Emma Nolan would make a better father than me."

Regina didn't answer. She didn't like Emma being placed in 'The man's' role by people like him or David Nolan. It wasn't like that. For the first time in her life, she actually felt equal to her partner. No more, no less. There were no titles and no roles. It was just Emma and Regina.

She knew it wasn't safe to poke the bear, but she couldn't help it, "You did this to yourself. You've had ample opportunities to be the father Henry deserves and you chose not to be. Robin, you haven't been a father from day one."

"What was I supposed to do? I get the hot virgin to sleep with me and I knock her up. Do you know how disappointed my father was in me," he laughed. He took a step to the side and turned to sit on the edge of the desk similar to the way Regina was positioned? "He rode my ass so hard. He threatened to cut me out of his Will and nearly fired me from the firm."

Regina's uneasiness remained as she listened to the man she was finding she knew little about. He had only told her things when they were first dating, but not like this. He told her of high-end clients he wrangled in for the firm or how much a case was worth. It was always business with him. He never asked about her day, or his son's for that matter.

"I did love you, you know," he said quietly.

This time Regina snorted, "You sure had a morbid way of showing it."

"If I was so horrible, then why did you stay so long," he asked?

Regina swallowed a lump that formed in her throat and crossed her arms over her chest, "I don't know. I guess, at first it was because I fooled myself into believing I was in love with you. I convinced myself it was for Henry's sake, but then, I honestly believed I deserved everything you said and did to me."

He ran a hand down his stubbled chin, "Apologizing doesn't change anything."

Regina stayed silent. She watched her ex-husband push himself away from the desk and stumble for the door. She was far from certain as to why he had come in the first place. Even when she had seen him drunk throughout their years together, he had never revealed as much as he had in these few minutes.

"Robin," She called?

He stopped just as he started to turn down the hallway.

"You need to promise me one thing no matter what happens in the future," she said.

He laughed, "Why would I do that?"

"Because you owe me," her meaning was unspoken but very clear. She had spent over 10 years of her life with a man who had never once shown her the respect she deserved. 10 years of breaking her son's heart.

The man turned his head to look at her face. His eyes were fighting to focus, but he nodded.

"If one day, Henry happens to show up on your doorstep? Promise me you won't turn him away," It came out more as a plea rather than a request.

Robin adjusted his bottom jaw. He looked as though he were about to argue, but instead, he nodded his head again and staggered away. The true question was would he remember the conversation when he sobered? She ran a shaky hand through her hair and let out a breath as she heard the front door close.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

"When is mom getting here? It's not like her to be this late," Henry said as the credits rolled on the TV screen.

Emma looked down at her phone display. It was taking longer for the brunette to get home than she thought it would. They were only about 20 minutes from the clinic unless traffic was a nightmare, but even then an hour tops. They would be a whole lot further from there once they moved into the new house. She wanted to text her, but if she was driving, a distraction wasn't something the older woman needed.

Just as Emma started to speak, headlight flashed through the window, "Speak of the devil."

Henry ran for the door, while Emma went into the kitchen. Kathryn had made dinner and set a plate aside for Regina. Emma figured the brunette would be starved after a long day and put the plate in the microwave.

As she heated the food, she heard Henry greet his mother, "What took you so long, we were worried about you."

"Sorry Honey, just been a really long day," Emma could hear the exhaustion in her lover's voice.

"Okay, Henry, kiss your mom goodnight and go get ready for bed," Emma called.

"Okay," he called back. "Goodnight mom."

"Goodnight Sweetheart. I'll come to tuck you in shortly," Regina told him.

Regina appeared in the kitchen. Emma pulled the heated food from the microwave and grabbed a fork from the drawer. She placed them down on the island and smiled up at her girlfriend. Her smile fell when she saw the darkened circles around Regina's eyes and the faint scent of alcohol.

"Everything okay," Emma asked watching the other woman slowly sit down on the stool?

"I'm just tired," She said flatly causing Emma to raise an eyebrow.

She walked around the island and stepped close to her lover. "I missed you," Emma said pulling the woman's chin up so she could kiss her lips.

Regina managed a smile and kissed her back before pulling away, "I missed you too."

The alcohol scent was not on the woman's breath, but yet she could smell it. It wasn't jealousy that waved a red flag. It was something else. It was the look in the brown eyes that didn't meet her green ones and the tremble in her lip.

"What happened," Emma asked gently, forcing the woman to look at her?

Regina's eyes watered and she sighed, "Robin showed up when I got off the phone with you."

"WHAT," Emma shrieked!

"Shhhhh," Regina hissed. "I don't want Henry to know."

Emma narrowed her eyes, "Did he hurt you?"

Regina shook her head, "No." She chuckled lightly, "I slapped him though."

"Did you call the cops," the blonde asked?

"No, I didn't," Regina started but Emma cut her off.

"Why in the hell not? He's not supposed to be anywhere around you. Wait till I get my hands on that piece of shit," Emma ranted.

Regina reached out and grabbed her arm. Pulling it closer to her so she could lace her fingers with the blonde's, "He didn't hurt me. He just wanted to talk."

"Alone, in an abandoned clinic, after hours? Yeah, that doesn't sound ominous at all," Emma huffed.

Regina licked her lips and squeezed the blonde's hand, "Hey." Once Emma was looking at her she whispered, "He didn't hurt me."

Emma swallowed and sighed, "Alright." She took a deep breath to calm herself, "What did he want?"

"To talk about Henry. He's just realizing what the paper was that he signed. Apparently, it isn't sitting well with him." She said.

"So, what? Now he's going to try and fight Henry over this," the blonde asked?

Regina picked up her fork and took a bite of pasta, "No, I don't think so. I think he has a better understanding of why Henry doesn't want him as a father." She let out a humorless laugh, "He believes you'll make a better one."

Emma quirked an eyebrow, "He does?"

Regina nodded her head with a smile, "I made him make me a promise."

"What sort of promise," Emma asked?

"That if Henry every came to him, that he wouldn't turn him away," She said taking another bite of her food.

Emma nodded her understanding. To be honest, she hoped they would be done with Robin Locksley for good. She did feel that Henry deserved to be loved by everyone, but she didn't want Robin in his life. Yes, he was the kid's father, but he didn't deserve Henry. She frowned. Emma knew part of her was just being jealous. She wanted Henry and Regina all to herself. They were her family now and she didn't want someone like Locksley interfering with that. He had his chance. She would protect them with her dying breath.

"Emma, that doesn't mean Henry will go to Robin. Henry has made himself very clear where he stands. I only want to protect him. If at some point in the future, he is ever curious about Robin," Regina explained as if she could read Emma's mind. "Henry thinks more of you than he does Robin. He always will."

Emma gave a small smile as Regina pulled her closer and pressed their lips together, "I love you."

The blonde rested her forehead against the brunette's, "I love you too." Emma pulled back and looked at the other woman's face, "Wait, at what point did you slap him?"

Regina laughed, "When he was being vulgar about our relationship. I honestly thought he'd hit me back, but instead, he stood there holding his face."

"Man, I wish I could've seen that," Emma smirked. She didn't like Regina gambling with someone like Locksley, but she'd be lying if she said she wasn't proud of her lover. Not to mention the dumb ass deserved far worse. She hated that the man even had the nerve to go to her job after everything. Emma guessed she should just thank her lucky stars that he didn't have worse motives.

Emma walked back around the island and sat down. She watched Regina eat a food in silence. Her girlfriend looked tired and she was sure that was an understatement. Emma chewed on the inside of her cheek. She hoped she hadn't overstepped with the buying the house. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, it may all be too much for the gorgeous brunette.

"You are okay with the house, right," She asked sheepishly?

Regina raised an eyebrow, swallowing her food, "Of course I am. Why?"

Emma shrugged, "I don't know. I just know I get impulsive sometimes and I do things on a whim."

The brunette chuckled, "Oh, I know. And if I'm being honest, buying a house as quickly as you did is nuts." Emma's face fell, but Regina smiled, "But it's perfect and I've never been so nervous and excited at the same time." She reached across the island and took Emma's hands, "My son has never been happier and that's because of you. We will have to work harder on controlling your impulses, though."

Emma managed a small smile, but it didn't hide the way she grimaced.

"What's that look for? What did you do," Regina asked laying her fork down?

"Well, I knew it will be a little tougher on you without financial support from Robin so I may have paid some things off," Emma flinched, waiting for the backlash.

Regina stared at her lover with a perplexed expression, "Some things? Some things like what?"

Emma cleared her throat, "Like your car."

"Emma," Regina started.

The blonde put up her finger, "There may have been a couple of other things."

"Emma," Regina warned.

"Your mortgage is paid off and Henry is good for another year at school," Emma said.

Regina let out a loud sigh, "Emma, you can't go around paying everything off for me. I told you I didn't want you for your money."

Emma shrugged, "In my defense, I only had to pay a quarter of Henry's tuition since I'm a teacher. And as for the money, you told me to do whatever I wanted with it."

Regina looked as though she were about to argue again, but then raised an eyebrow, "How did they let you pay without talking to me first?"

The blonde shrugged, "I guess because your dad, Henry, Peter, and Felix all backed me up saying I was Henry's step-mom. Besides, I think as long as they get their money, they don't really care where it comes from."

Regina stared thoughtfully at the blonde but didn't say anything. Emma wasn't sure if she was angry with her or just speechless. She added, "With your mortgage getting paid off, you can now sell this house or rent it out. I know things are still a bit new with the two of us and all so if nothing else, you'll still have your house if you ever feel-"

Regina interrupted, "Okay, let's not jinx anything." She laughed, and then sighed, "Emma, I do appreciate everything, but that's not why I'm with you."

"I know that. It's just that before, money didn't mean anything to me. I mean I've had many opportunities to buy a house or cars or something beneficial, but I never cared about my life or its direction. Now I have a reason to care," Emma explained.

Regina smiled at her. There was a look in her eye that Emma had seen from her before, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. She smiled back, "What?"

"You just continue to amaze me," the brunette said picking up her fork to finish eating.

"One more thing," Emma said.

Regina cut her eyes up at her lover, "Really?"

Emma grinned, "I was thinking that we could have the sleepover tomorrow night after school. I talked to Peter and Felix's mom to see if they could come and she said it sounded like a wonderful idea."

Regina eyed her suspiciously, "Okay." Emma could tell she was waiting for her to name something else she spent money on.

The blonde shrugged, "Anyways, I thought it would be fun."

"I agree, it sounds like fun," she narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend half-heartedly and Emma laughed, but said nothing else on the subject.

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Emma and Henry pulled up outside the ranch-style house. He couldn't believe how different it looked. The house had been pained a grey with natural wood shutters. The landscape was all new. There was new sod. There were flowerbeds with bright vibrant flowers lining the walkway and around the porch. The front door had been replaced with a door that had elaborate decorative glass. Off to the side was a solid cedar porch swing hanging from the rafters.

"Wow," he said as they made their way up to the front door.

"You like it," Emma asked from behind him?

He nodded his head, "Yeah, it looks awesome."

Emma moved around him and unlocked the door, "Hopefully your mom will think so too."

Henry had no doubts about that. His mom would love this place. He knew the porch swing was just for his mother. He heard Robin say one time that his mom only wanted the house they live in now because of the porch swing alone.

Emma held the door open and gestured for him to go in. The entryway had been painted, but other than the new hardwood floors, not much had changed in this space. He continued forward until it emptied into the large living room slash dining room area. He almost gasped. Henry could now see the kitchen since they removed the wall that divided the area. The hardwoods ran throughout, and there was a fireplace in the far corner of the living room. He hadn't remembered there being a fireplace when he came the first time.

There was a new grand piano sitting off by itself on the other side of the living room area. Even though there wasn't any furniture added, the area was large enough for the piano and a couple of couches.

"Wow," Henry yelled! "A full-sized piano, it had to cost a fortune," he ran across the room and sat down on the bench.

"Don't you want to see the rest of the house first," Emma asked with a chuckle?

He grinned, but got up, "Yeah. I just got excited."

Henry hurried down the hallway towards his room and opened the door, "HOLY CRAP!"

Inside, his walls had been painted a dark blue. The floors were still hardwood, but he had a dark grey area rug. A triple-decker bunk bed was built along the back corner of the room. A custom built dresser with built-in shelving stood along another wall while a desk stood on the other. He walked inside and looked around. His current room was awesome, but this one was could be from a magazine.

"I had the decorator bring in some things, but I made sure you had plenty of room for all your stuff," Emma said.

His eyes were wide as he glanced at everything, "No, it's amazing."

"HELLO," he heard his mother's voice call from the entryway!

"BACK HERE," Emma shouted back!

He couldn't believe this. He thought he would have a normal room, but the beds alone were incredible. Henry stopped and turned to Emma with a raised eyebrow, "Why are there three beds?"

Regina appeared behind the blonde, "Oh my God, this is..."

"Awesome," Henry said for her.

His mother nodded her head and Emma said, "I figured you would want extra room for friends."

Henry grinned up at her. He never thought he'd have friends, but thanks to Emma he finally did. And now he had the coolest bedroom known to man. He walked up to the blonde and threw his arms around her waist, "This is the best thing ever."

Emma laughed and cleared her throat, "I'm glad you like it. The tours not over just yet, we're just waiting for a couple of people."

Henry narrowed his eyebrows, "Who?"

As if on cue, the doorbell chimed, "That's probably them now."

Henry ran for the front door. Swinging it open he gasped, "Peter? Felix? What are you doing here?"

Felix held up the sleeping bag that was in his arms, "Coming for a sleepover."

Henry whipped his head around to where his mother and Emma were standing, "We're having a sleepover?"

Emma smiled at him, "Surprise."

He could only grin at her. Robin would never have done anything like this for him. Even if Henry had had friends in the past, he wouldn't have let them come over. He didn't like other kids. He didn't even like his own.

Henry let his friends pass him as he shut the door, "Wait till you guys see my room."

"Hold that thought," Emma said. You two put your stuff down there. I have something I want to show you first."

Henry shrugged to his friends, but his grin remained. Nothing could top the bedroom or the smile on his mom's face. His cheeks were starting to hurt but, he couldn't help it. He and the two boys followed Emma and his mom out the back door.

A pool was still under construction, but the hole had been dug and concrete poured. It just hadn't been stained nor was there any water actually in it. The patio was amazing, to say the least. A built-in grill and cook station was standing to the left. A large patio table, complete with chairs was to the right. The intricate brick that made up the floor of the patio was incredible. This was the type of backyard that was in homes and gardens magazine.

Next to the pool was a giant rock. It sat right at the edge and looked like it had fallen from a huge cliff somewhere. It was an easy 10 feet tall by about 6 or so feet in circumference, "What's with the rock?"

Emma grinned, "It a diving rock."

"Cool," Peter said with a smile.

"That's totally awesome," Felix added.

Henry nodded his agreement, "Yeah it is. Do want to see my room now?"

"Hold it," Emma said. "This isn't what I wanted to show you."

Henry looked at her questionably. She pointed across the backyard. As soon as Henry's eyes fell to the area the blonde was pointing, his mouth fell open and he was in shock.

"No way, "Peter said.

Emma stared at Henry for a moment and then encouraged him, "Go check it out."

Henry couldn't speak or move. There, across the yard, sitting in a small grove of trees was the biggest treehouse he had ever seen. He swallowed as he let his eyes move around the massive construction.

"Come on Henry," Felix called.

Henry turned to Emma. His smile was gone and there was a lump in his throat, "Why did you do all this?"

He didn't miss the confused look on the blonde's face, "I thought you'd like it."

Henry looked back towards the tree house, "I love it." His words were barely above a whisper and he didn't dare say it louder for fear he would cry.

"Henry, honey? Are you okay," His mom asked walking closer to him.

He nodded. He remained quiet so his words wouldn't fail him. He felt a hand on his shoulder,

"Henry, I did this because you deserve it. Your mom deserves it. I did it because I love you guys," Emma explained.

Henry smiled lightly, "Thank you."

He couldn't think of anything else to say at that moment. Emma must have understood and she broke the silence, "Your buddies are waiting on you, go."

He nodded his head. He had to find a way to show Emma how much he appreciated everything. She deserved to know how much he loved her too. He let his thoughts go for the time being and took off in the direction of his friends and his new treehouse.