THANK YOU, EVERYONE WHO READ/REVIEWED! YOUR SUPPORT MEANS SO MUCH. AS PROMISED, HERE'S THE BABY SHOWER. JUST SO YOU KNOW, THIS IS KIND OF A LONG CHAPTER, BUT I PROMISED YOU A BABY SHOWER, SO THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL GET. IT WILL BE AT LEAST A TWO-PARTER.
DON'T OWN ONCE UPON A TIME OR ITS CHARACTERS.
"I have to say, you don't look too bad yourself." Emma said as she clutched onto Graham's arm for dear life as they descended the stairs. "Looking sharp in your… brown tux." A smile formed on her lips, remembering how he had wanted to wear a brown one for their wedding.
"It's not a tuxedo, Emma." He laughed. "It's a brown overcoat with brown khakis."
"With a pink tie." Henry teased from the bottom, staring at his mother in wonder.
"Well, of course! We're having a girl." Graham said.
"That makes sense. Hey, Mom…"
"Yeah, Kid?"
"You look just like a princess. I mean, you did at the wedding, but the pregnant glow is radiating and you look… you look really happy." Henry stammered.
"I was happy since you found me, Henry." With a blush, Emma sidestepped the compliment. She was about to ruffle his hair when Snow swatted her hand away.
"No messing up hair." The brunette chastised.
"God, what is your problem with hair?" Emma rolled her eyes.
"That would be because of me." In a swirl of purple smoke, Regina appeared, holding a box wrapped in pink paper. "My mother was particularly touchy about hair, so I guess it was passed down. After all, hair the most revealing part of a woman's personality… or it could be a hideous red leather jacket."
"Good to see you, too, Regina." Emma said with a hint of snark. Both of their comments, or more Regina's last one, were said in jest. James gave the former evil queen a nod of acknowledgement while Henry flung himself at her.
"Hi, Mom." If anything, adding five years had only made Henry more mature –and able to deal with both women as his mothers.
"Hello, Henry." Even though she had her son back, in a manner of speaking, Regina still relished every single time he wrapped his arms around her and called her 'Mom', and she closed her eyes at the feeling. She looked back up at Emma and smiled.
"So…" The blonde started, trying to break the silence, "Why did you cut your hair during the curse and, you know, nearly chop my mom's all the way off, too?"
"It wasn't leant to doing paperwork all day. It kept getting in my face."
"Really? That's it? No evil intentions?" Emma asked.
"Really." Regina nodded in the affirmative. "As for your mother's, well, that's a different story. I cut hers just to be mean."
"Of course you did." Snow sighed, picking the box up off the floor, where Regina had put it to hug Henry.
"And Ms. Swan's…" Regina's lips tugged upwards, "her hair was very telling."
"I don't like where this is going." Emma snatched the box from her mother. "Uh, thanks for this. I'll open it later. And the wedding present. I just opened them yesterday, so… yeah." She scurried into the other room, taking her sweet time finding a proper place for it. She was disappointed to find Regina still smirking when she came back in. "I guess I'm just gonna have to listen to this, aren't I?"
"Might as well take a seat." Regina's smirk grew even more, then turned to a genuine smile once James ushered for her to sit as well. Her gaze flickered to Emma's hands, which were resting on her stomach, before speaking. "Your hair was quite fascinating."
"So now it isn't?" Emma said dryly.
"Don't take everything so personally, Dear. As I was saying, your hair was –and is– interesting. You come rolling into town in that horrid yellow bug in that get up of yours. You act all tough and badass and cold–"
"Not an act." The blonde interjects. Regina ignores her, continuing,
"And your hair just doesn't match it. It was very –and I felt weird thinking this– princessy. That's when I first realized who you were. And then when you told me it was your birthday, well, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were the Savior."
"Hey, Mom?" Henry asks quietly. When both Regina and Emma swivel their heads toward him, he clarifies, "Emma."
"Yeah?"
"Why did you burn the pages of the book that had you wrapped in your blanket being put into the wardrobe if you didn't believe?"
"Henry, I–"
"Don't deny that you didn't believe. I'm fifteen, I can take it." Realizing he got his eloquent wording from his birth mother, he smiled to show them that he didn't mean it in a bad way. "It's an honest question."
"You're right." The blonde sighed. "I didn't believe. I burned them because that was the strongest evidence that could make me believe, and I didn't want to. The whole time, when I said that there just wasn't any evidence… I made it so there couldn't be. You have to understand, that was just too much for me to handle, I… I had just been found by the son I had given up for adoption ten years earlier and all I could handle was trying to make sure you were okay, and then I'd have to leave again, and…" She broke off to breathe and stem the onset of tears. Apparently she was still having hormonal days.
"You really were intent on leaving." Regina said softly.
"Yeah, and if you hadn't turned all Evil Queen on me, then I would have."
"I screwed it up." The brunette stated glumly. Snow turned on the defensive:
"You can't say that you're not happier now. Henry doesn't hate you anymore and you have Daniel back."
"No, I didn't mean it like that!" The flash of pain in Regina's eyes was enough to calm Snow down. "I just… I meant that while that one has blonde hair, she played it smarter without even realizing it. I always thought I was a great chess player."
"Rumplestiltskin's better, Regina." James stated, bringing her a glass of orange juice. "I uh, hope orange is okay. We don't keep apple in the house." Emma scoffed.
"Right, cause this isn't a castle."
"Orange is fine, thank you."
"Look, Regina, Gold had this all planned from the beginning. He wanted me to break the curse, and nothing you or I could have done would have stopped it. Besides, this is everyone's happy ending, right?"
"Right." Regina smiled. The front door flew open and Red bounded in.
"Hey, guys– oh." Her grin faded when she caught sight of Regina.
"Relax." Snow smiled, running as fast as her heels would allow her to to embrace her friend. "God, running in heels is hard. How are you?" Her voice was muffled by Red's dress.
"I'm grate. So Regina's really… she's actually mellowed?"
"I can hear you."
"I know!" Red called back, then skipped over to Emma. She opened her arms, signaling that the other woman was not getting around a hug.
"Hi." Emma smiled as she pushed herself out of the couch and allowed herself to be enveloped in a quick squeeze.
"You weren't even showing last time I saw you!"
"Yeah." She laughed. "Amazing what four months does."
"Oh, congratulations." Red hugged her again. The door opened, revealing a breathless Archie.
"You couldn't help me, Red?" He said.
"Aaron." Emma smiled, walking across the room to take the baby from his arms. "You got so big." She cooed, ticking his stomach. Snow smiled at the sight, and when the blonde turned her attention back to the room, she had a deer-in-the-headlights look.
"See, it's coming naturally to you." Snow said.
"Shut up." Emma handed the baby back to Red. "Seriously, he grew a lot."
"He did." Red agreed, toying with her son's light brown hair, which was starting to grow in. He had Archie's nose and the rest of his facial structure was like Red's.
"May I hold him?" Regina asked tentatively. After sharing a look with Archie, Red nodded and handed Aaron over. "He's adorable. He looks just like you. Did I hear his name's Aaron?"
"Yes." Archie answered, dropping the diaper bag against the wall and placing a protective hand on Red's shoulder.
"You can calm down, Archie." Emma said. "You're the psychologist here; you know she's different."
"He got his PhD from a curse." Regina said sarcastically as an attempt at a joke. Though it wasn't funny to anyone except Emma (she understood the whole sarcasm/comedy thing), the rest of the room laughed in support of the former queen's change. Aaron gurgled happily, raising one of his tiny arms up to poke Regina in the nose. Without her conscience mind's consent, her gaze went from the baby in her arms to Henry. She took in his appearance. His face had matured, and he was taller –nearly up to her neck, as she remembered the earlier hug. With stinging eyes, she gave Aaron back to Red and excused herself. Concern etched on her face, Emma followed. She found her former enemy in the bathroom, arms braced against the sink and breathing deeply. As the door creaked open, the brunette muttered, "Shit."
"I didn't think you swore." Emma mused.
"Not now, Ms. Swan." Regina snapped, and the princess didn't take offense. She knew from experience that when vulnerable, it's easier to lash out than to admit it.
"Well, too bad, cause I'm not going anywhere." With a sigh, Regina nodded.
"Henry used to do that to me. He'd poke me everywhere, and play with my hair –that's another reason I cut it. He was a strong baby." Tears spilled down her face, and Emma rushed over to embrace her. After a few moments, Emma let her go. "He's so big now, and all I can think of is my little baby boy. My precious baby boy is all grown up. I feel so stupid for thinking this, because I knew he would grow up, but it doesn't make it hurt any less. My mother would be having a laughing fit right now, seeing me like this." She leaned her head against the wall.
"Hey, your mom, from what I've heard, was a total wackjob, okay? She should not have been a mother. You gave me some advice a while back, do you remember what you said? You told me that I would be happier if I let my walls down, and you were right. I am. So how about you allow yourself to be a human being for once in your freaking life and just cry. I mean, if it makes you feel better, I cry every two months or so because he's getting older, and when he went to ask this girl out, after he walked out the door I started sobbing. I guess my point is that sometimes, it's okay to drop the act." Emma smiled, referring to the other woman's statement from earlier. Regina smiled back in acknowledgement. It was her turn to hug the blonde.
"I've never had a friend before." She said. "And it feels great, so thank you… Emma."
"See, saying my name isn't so bad." The blonde's lips quirked up in a smile.
"In Storybrooke… you rarely addressed me as Madam Mayor or any other formal saying unless you were being sarcastic. You obviously didn't like me, and I didn't like you, yet I didn't address you by your name. Why?"
"I don't know." Emma shrugged. "I've never been one for formalities, as is everybody else here. I swear to God, you fairytale people have not heard of knocking. I guess it was just, as you said, my way of mocking you. And it was also my way of rebelling. I like to do that."
"I imagine you were a problem child?" Regina asked casually.
"You have no idea." Emma smirked. "While we're playing Twenty Questions, I have one…" She paused for a moment, running through the pros and cons of voicing her thought, "what was Henry like as a baby?" Regina was a little taken aback by the question, but she answered with a smile,
"He was the mellowest baby, Emma. He obviously gets that from his father. Speaking of which… who is his father?" At this, the blonde paled. While she and Regina had formed a friendship of sorts (oh, who was Emma kidding, they were friends), she had no interest in telling the other woman about Henry's father for a couple of reasons. One reason was that she was raped, and did not want that information disclosed or anyone to think any differently of her. The second is that she didn't want Regina to look at Henry differently. Lastly, finding out that Gold (or Rumplestiltskin, as Regina would call him), was Henry's grandfather wouldn't sit well with Regina. So, Emma settled with,
"I don't know."
"It really was a one night stand?" Regina honestly wasn't expecting that.
"I didn't say that. Look, we can talk about this some other day, but today is about my daughter, okay? Please?"
"You're right, I'm sorry." The brunette looked a little embarrassed before checking her face in the mirror, scowling at the smudged mascara. "You can go, I'll be out in a minute."
"Okay." Emma smiled, her way of saying 'no hard feelings'. As she turned the knob, Regina said with a grin,
"What act, Ms. Swan?"
"We were just about to send an army after you two to make sure she didn't kill you or something." James joked, but the fire in his eyes told everyone in the room that he wasn't completely joking about his protectiveness toward his daughter.
"I have magic, guys, and I can take care of myself." Emma plopped back down onto the couch next to Red. "I love her jacket, by the way. Very creative."
"Thanks." Red beamed. "I meant what I said, that she's gonna be a total badass. You're her mom, Snow's her grandmother, and she's gonna have the prettiest blue eyes."
"Blue?" Emma raised an eyebrow. "I have green and Graham's brown."
"Yeah, but your dad's eyes are gorgeous." Red threw the king a playful wink, causing Snow to snort. "Somebody in your family has to inherit them or I'm going to pout."
"I'm sure my siblings will." Emma said so nonchalantly, yet everyone else in the room choked on their water. "It's gonna happen, you'll all see." Red threw her best friend a glare, saying 'fess up'.
"Okay, yes, Charming and I have discussed the possibility of having another child. Then we talked to the rest of our family, and came to the conclusion that everyone would be okay with our decision –either way." Snow said pointedly. Emma looked down to hide a smile; sometimes she couldn't believe that her mother was awesome. A loud knock resonated through the castle, followed by Cinderella letting herself in.
"Sorry we're late, Lexi didn't want to put on her dress." She smiled at her six year old daughter.
"Uncle James!" The girl shouted, barreling towards the man. Thomas came inside behind Ella.
"I told you to knock." He whispered.
"It's okay." Emma shrugged. "No one else does, anyway." She gestured to the newly returned Regina, "She just appeared in a purple smoke cloud. Ruby –uh, Red, kinda almost broke the door of its hinges."
"Aunty Emma!" Alexandra squealed, and detached herself from James to sit on the blonde's lap.
"That sounded a lot like 'The Wizard of Oz', and I am not that old. The Aunty Em on their was late fifties. Thank you for that image."
"Mama, what's 'The Wizard of Oz'?" Alexandra turned to her mother.
"It's a movie." Ella answered.
"I'll show it to you sometime." Emma offered. "I kinda have a movie collection, and some of them are Disney things. Not that 'The Wizard of Oz' is Disney, but…" She trailed off with a shrug.
"Is everyone here?" James asked, returning from the kitchen with a few trays of food.
"No, we're just waiting for Granny." Red sighed. "She's bringing over lasagna, but the cheese still needed to brown."
"I can next time." Regina offered the group a small smile. When everyone except for the Charmings grunted their acknowledgements, Emma took it upon herself to say this:
"If you all don't start treating Regina like a human being and start being nice to her, you're gonna have to deal with me." Saving everyone from the Savior, Granny appeared in the doorway with a smirk declaring:
"The party don't start till I walk in!"
