Chapter Thirty Seven

"You're planning on taking this couch with you to my sister's, correct?" Zelena said offhandedly as she tossed her suitcase onto the couch in question.

"Um, I'm actually not planning on taking any of my furniture," Emma replied. "It's all new, you know. And most people like having places to sit in their homes. Considering that the furniture in the cottage likely belongs to whoever owns it, I thought you'd appreciate the gesture."

Zelena shrugged. "I suppose I can have it reupholstered when I have the walls repainted. Is this the original hardwood?"

Emma rolled her eyes. Why on earth Regina had picked the exact day her sister would be moving in as the day she just had to go out for coffee with Mal, Emma would never know. No, scratch that, as Emma watched Zelena run her finger over a mantle and then sneer in distaste at the dust she found there, Emma realized she knew exactly why Regina didn't want to be there.

"You know, you're kind of picky for someone who's getting a house given to them for free," Emma pointed out.

"Oh please, don't act like money and real estate mean anything in this town. You're probably just happy you don't have to worry about maintaining the property when you move out."

Emma supposed Zelena did have a point, even if it was an annoying one.

"Do you have any more bags coming?"

Zelena glanced at her lone suitcase and shook her head. "I haven't managed to accrue many worldly belongings since arriving here. Just my clothes."

"Right, well, Regina and I moved all of Ryleigh's things here last night, so you won't need to worry about any of that. All her clothes, diapers, toys, her crib and bedding, everything you'll need is here. And, obviously, Regina and I are only going to be a few blocks over if you need anything else."

Zelena nodded absently, her attention suddenly focused on a large framed picture hanging over the mantle. It was of Henry holding Ryleigh and Hope. It wasn't a professional shot, just one last picture of all the kids in the house before they moved, but Henry was grinning and Ryleigh was laughing and Hope had actually smiled for the camera for the for the first time, and they'd decided they needed to have it blown up and framed.

"Are you taking that?" Zelena asked, nodding toward the picture.

"We had two copies made, actually," Emma replied. "We thought we'd leave this one here, for you. A sort of housewarming gift."

For the first time since walking in the door, Zelena smiled. "I'd like that," she said, before turning to face Emma. "Emma… In case it doesn't go without saying, I appreciate all that you've done for me. And I don't just mean letting me move into your house."

"What else have I done?"

Zelena smiled and shook her head. "Do you really think my sister would have allowed me back into my daughter's life if it weren't for you?"

Emma shrugged. "It was her idea, really. I didn't push her into it."

"You didn't have to. You're good for her. You make her better. Robin was… well, I suppose I don't have a leg to stand on talking badly about Robin, do I?"

"I won't tell anyone."

Zelena let out a small laugh. "Right. Well, he wasn't good for her, and, between you and me, he wasn't nearly good enough for her. Tell her I said that, and I'll kill you."

"Duly noted," Emma said, with a laugh.

"Previously, I haven't exactly been a good addition to Regina's life myself, but I really, truly am intent on changing that."

"I know you are. And she does, too."

For a split second, Emma thought Zelena might try to hug her. As far as Zelena had come, Emma was still relieved when Ryleigh started crying from her crib in the nursery, saving her from that awkward contact.

"Well, I guess that's my cue," Zelena said, with a genuine smile.

"Alright, I'll be down here. Regina should be back soon."

With a final nod, Zelena turned in the direction of the stairs. "It's alright darling, Mommy's coming!" Zelena called cheerfully up the stairs.

Emma watched until she was out of sight, and moments later the crying stopped. She smiled to herself as she turned and surveyed the room again. Moving out of the first house she'd truly called home was a bit of a bittersweet, surreal feeling, but still, she couldn't stop smiling, knowing that in a few short hours, she'd be walking through the front door of what she hoped would be the last new home she'd ever move into.

Regina sat watching Mal intently as she sipped her coffee in their booth at Granny's. With one hand, she tapped on the handle of her own mug nervously, and with the other, she rocked the car seat sitting next to her on the bench, where Hope slept soundly. This was the first time she'd ever taken Hope out of the house without Emma, and while that was a tremendous feat in itself and a credit to how far Emma had come in her therapy, Regina was more focused on Mal at this moment.

For her part, Mal looked amused. So Zelena tells me the secret's out, she had drawled over the phone when Regina had called to meet up. At the time, Regina had thought perhaps she meant it to be teasing, but now she saw something different in her friend's face. Something lighter, something… happier.

"Are you going to stare at me all afternoon, or do you have something you'd like to say?" Mal asked, a playful twinkle in her eye.

Regina sighed. She supposed she had called her for a reason, though she wasn't quite sure how to say what she wanted to say. "You… and Zelena?"

"I think that much has been established, hasn't it?" Mal asked, unable to hide her smile.

"Yes, I'm just still having a little trouble wrapping my head around it, to be honest."

"Why? Regina… you're not jealous, are you?"

"What? No, of course not. You and I… we're ancient history. There's no residual feelings left, I promise."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "Good. Because you've never really been good at sharing."

"I'm learning," Regina said, flatly. "But Mal… Zelena? Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean she's… she's…"

"She's what, Regina? She's done some terrible things in her life? So have I. So have you. She's struggling? We both have, too. She's really not that different from you and I, is she?"

"I suppose not," Regina admitted. "She says you're already talking about moving in together. Isn't that fast?"

Mal shrugged. "Lily said the same thing, but… when you know, you know."

"And what if you're wrong?"

"That's all part of life, isn't it? But let me ask you this, Regina: what if someone told you you were moving too fast with Emma? Would you slow down?"

"Probably not," Regina admitted, with a small smile.

"Mm-hmm. And what if they asked you how do you know she's the right person for you."

Regina looked pensive for a moment, and then sighed. "Because… as scared as I once was to even be with her, now it's the thought of ever being without her that terrifies me. I was afraid to love her, and now I don't think I could survive without her."

"You would," Mal pointed out. "We always do. Survive, I mean. But that feeling - love like that - it's rare. And I'm not going to miss my chance this time. Not like I did with Briar Rose. Maybe we're moving fast, but I'm grabbing on with both hands."

"You never felt like that with me."

Mal smiled, and reached out to take Regina's hand. "Maybe, if we'd met at any other point in either of our lives, we could have had the greatest love in the entire realm. But we were both too hellbent on our own revenge then, weren't we?"

Regina nodded. "It all seems like such a waste now. Revenge."

"It is. But we've both lost and learned and grown and now we can love and be loved and that's all that matters."

"So you really love my sister?" Regina asked, squeezing Mal's hand.

"I am falling in love with her, yes. I haven't felt like this in a very long time. She makes me happy."

Regina smiled. "Then I'm happy for you. I suppose I should know by now to trust your judgment on these things, anyway."

"That you should. And speaking of… have you told Emma yet?"

"Told her what?"

"That you love her?"

Regina sighed. "No. I just… I thought she was about to say it one night, weeks ago, but she stopped herself.

"If you feel it, you should say it, Regina. Life is short."

"Life is anything but short," Regina retorted.

"Fine. But you've been miserable for most of yours so far. Wouldn't you like to spend the rest of it happy?"

"That's all I want."

"Anybody home?" Regina called out as she walked through the living room at Emma's.

"Dining room!" Emma yelled back.

Regina headed in that direction, hands full of take-out bags from Granny's, and Mal following behind, carrying Hope in her car seat. She smiled when she found that the table was already set in anticipation of their return, and Lily was already there. She could tell by the way that Lily was keeping a cautious eye on Zelena, that for once she wouldn't be the target of her snark, at least for this family dinner.

Ryleigh was already set up in her highchair, and Emma took Hope from Mal as Regina began unbagging the food. Take out was never her first choice, but considering that she and Emma would be heading off to the mansion with Henry and Hope shortly after dinner, she supposed Emma was right when she'd suggested that cooking might be a bit much tonight.

Regina watched out of the corner of her eye as Mal draped an arm around Zelena and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Zelena smiled and Regina marvelled at how smitten they seemed with each other. Maybe she really did have nothing to worry about as far as they were concerned.

Dinner was a little hectic; the noise of five adults and one teenager chattering away, while Ryleigh banged her plastic plate and cutlery against the tray of her highchair and Hope squawked from time to time, just to make sure no one forgot she was still in the room as well. It was loud and busy and yet Regina couldn't help but grin as she took it all in. It was never what she'd expected her life to shape into, but now, she found she couldn't imagine it any other way.

She locked eyes with Emma across the table, and Emma was smiling, too. When she looked at her, everything else around her seemed to fade into the background. And she knew Mal was right: she had to tell Emma that she loved her. Tonight.

A/N: so there are going to be three more chapters to this fic, and then it will be complete, however I am planning on writing some one-shots set in the same verse. I've had people asking about Emma's next pregnancy, and that's not something that I'm planning on writing in this story, since this story was always meant to be about baby Hope and how she brought her mothers together, but I love this story as much as you all do, and I'm not ready to let it go just yet… so there will be some fluffy one-shot follow ups coming… they will be compiled in a story called "On and On (Reckless Abandon)" and they'll follow their lives, Hope growing up, any future children, etc...

I'm not sure if I will write an actual sequel, but I am thinking about writing a short companion story, about Mal and Zelena, if people would be interested in reading that.

Also, I have an upcoming fic that I've started, that was a prompt for one of the winners of the Outburst Commentathon back in June, and it's magic pregnancy/magic baby fluff, so get ready ;) It's called "It Takes Two".