Sorry for such a long wait. Most people have free time during this shelter in place situation however, I work at a UPS Store and no locations are allowed to be closed because Amazon returns are apparently life or death emergencies so we must be there for the people who refuse to stay at home as advised. That was my rant. Moving on.
I don't have as much free time as I'd like but hopefully a little Maddox will brighten your day anyway.
No one could really recall what happened. Especially, not Emma. But Maddox was possibly traumatized. Emma was talking and then a frightening sound left her lips a moment later, interrupting Maddox's snack. Regina had immediately hung up on Belle at the sight of blood.
"Gina." Maddox looked at them worriedly, offering up a dish towel in her reach. Regina accepted it from her and pushed it up to Emma's nose, freeing Emma's bloodied fingers. "Gina…"
"It's okay, baby. Emma's fine," Regina said.
Emma mumbled something but it was muted and garbled under her will not to cry from the pain of moving her face in any way. Regina took her hand and placed it over the ruined towel and turned her toward the exit of the room.
"To the bathroom," Regina said, guiding Emma to the left.
Maddox moved on her stool. "Gina," she said in a soft tone.
"Keep going. All the way in there," Regina called after Emma. "Concussion and bloody nose in the same week," Regina muttered.
She walked around the island to Maddox and lifted her out of the chair. "Emma is going to be fine, honey," she said.
"But-" Maddox weakly pointed in the direction Emma had disappeared.
"I know, my love. She hit her nose really hard and now we have fix it. I promise she'll be fine. When we're done you can watch her for me? You can watch movies together. How does that sound?"
Regina hated that Maddox looked so torn between worrying about Emma now and spending the rest of the day with her later.
"Okay." Maddox searched her eyes before nodding and Regina pressed several kisses to her face to reassure her.
"Okay. Grab your water," Regina said, leaning towards the counter to pick up the bowl of apple slices and grapes. She moved Maddox into one of the soft armchairs and kissed her forehead a final time before tuning the tv to something Maddox liked.
Maddox watched her leave for the bathroom. She had her doubts about everything she'd just seen. It was news to her young mind someone's nose was so easy to injure. The thought danced around her mind fleetingly as she watched the cartoon on the tv.
Sure enough Regina and Emma returned when her concerns for Emma faded to the background of her mind - twenty minutes later. Emma was cleaned of red stains, though her nose was very pink. She lightly raked her fingers through Maddox's hair as she made her way to the couch, plopping down heavily, staring at the ceiling.
She looked fine but Maddox was curious.
However, as soon as she pushed out of the armchair, Regina called her into the kitchen. She was handed a small bag that Regina usually put her sandwiches in. It was full of ice. "Okay, so you're going to gently help Emma put this on her nose. Very carefully, okay, mija?"
Maddox nodded vigorously.
"And if she says it's too cold," Regina said, handing her a fresh dish towel. "Then you put this over the bag so it's not so cold on her face."
"Okay," Maddox said, quickly and carefully, rushing over to Emma on the couch.
"Emma, how do you feel?" Regina asked, bracing herself against the counter. She just needed a moment of not having to worry about Emma breaking another part of her face for the rest of the day.
The woman held up her thumb in a positive gesture but Regina could still hear her sniffling as Maddox made her way over.
"Be careful, darling," Regina said. She watched Emma's trembling hand help Maddox guide the ice down to her nose.
"Ah." Emma flinched from the cold. But it was immediately a relief and she attempted to pat Maddox on the shoulder but missed. "That's good. Thank you, Dr. Mills."
Maddox let go of the ice, happy for the praise. She reached out and put both her hands on Emma's cheeks like she was inspecting her. Then she moved the back of her right hand to Emma's forehead for a moment before looking at the small bruise on her temple. Emma let her do whatever as long as she didn't touch her nose or make her get up from the couch.
"Are you okay now?" Maddox asked as Emma's fingers grazed her cheek.
"I feel much better now. Thank you, Sunflower."
Maddox leaned down and kissed her forehead before she ran off.
"Where are you going, Maddox?" Regina asked.
"Be back," the girl said just as she disappeared.
Regina opened her mouth to say something but just let her go. She walked over to Emma and sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Miss Swan," she said, "You've already procured a concussion from playing golf and now… I don't even know what happened."
"I left the cabinet open, I think," Emma said with a frown. "I, uh…my face hurts."
"I'm sure it does."
"And just my luck, I've already reached my limit for pain medication for the day."
"I'll call the number on your prescription. But I did hang up on Belle…"
"It's okay. I'm alright if I don't have to get up."
Regina nudged Emma's arm, removing the ice and pressed a feather light kiss to her lips. Just when Regina left, Maddox came back with both her arms full of a blanket. She dropped it on the floor and shook it out, stuff falling from inside of it onto the hardwood. She pushed the blanket onto Emma, taking her time to make sure every inch of her was covered by the Winnie the Pooh throw.
Emma didn't question it. "Thank you, Sweets." Maddox reached down to the floor and came back up with four stuffed animals. She tucked them around Emma and then picked up Mr. Waffles, tucking him under her arm. "Hey, Mr. Waffles is your special bear. You keep him," Emma said.
"No. I'm the doctor," Maddox said. Emma raised her eyebrow but nodded at the determined expression on her face.
Regina returned after her phone call to Belle and then the pharmacy.
Good news was that Emma could have some aspirin.
Bad news was that Storybrooke Beer Fest needed to be postponed.
She came back into the room to find Emma and Maddox settled together with the tv playing Doc McStuffins. Maddox was doing her homework at the table and Emma was trapped under a blanket and some stuffed animals with band-aids all over her face.
"Are you okay?" Regina asked with a chuckle.
"Yeah. Maddox taped me back together."
"Is that so?" Regina dropped her hand to Maddox's hair smiled down at her. Maddox returned it. "Good job, Dr. Mills."
Regina put up the last of the items into the refrigerator and grabbed the plate and bottle from the counter.
"What do you want to watch?" Emma asked, adjusting the ice pack on her forehead as she changed the tv.
"I'm not very picky today." Regina sat the plate and root beer down on the coffee table in front of her. She put her hand on Emma's wrist. "Let me see? Does it hurt?"
Emma pulled the ice pack away for her head. "Not anymore. I think it was a headache…unrelated to my brain and face trauma," she said and Regina nodded – not really believing her but not arguing. "I'm okay, Regina."
"I'm worried about you."
"I told you I'm fine. It's not that serious."
"Grade II concussions are very serious, Emma," Regina said, sitting down beside her. She plucked the remote from Emma's hand and started going through their options herself. "And you still don't have a very good explanation for running into the cabinet."
Emma rolled her eyes, offering a loaded spoonful of her lunch. Regina took it humming in approval – she'd forgotten to taste it, but she'd made it a hundred times before.
"What am I eating anyway?" Emma questioned.
"Greek pasta salad."
"Salad, hm…" Emma looked down at it, trying to find a way out of admitting she liked it. There was nothing she could come up with, so she just shrugged. "It's alright."
Regina pursed her lips, clicking on a show that hadn't made the rounds since Maddox came into their lives. She hadn't entertained the idea of watching tv in Maddox's absence but for a few days she could indulge. Emma was required to be on leave to avoid injuring herself chasing down a tagger or getting attacked by magic, and it was only fair Regina got to be her caretaker.
"So, how did it go with Maddox's teacher this morning? You didn't say anything earlier." She held out the spoon again for Regina.
After she swallowed, Regina said, "Mr. Edmond believes Maddox may be too advanced for Kindergarten."
"Really? That's great." Emma gestured toward Maddox's finished Rubik's cube. "I mean we shouldn't be surprised. She seems too smart to be five anyway."
"That is true." Regina traced a circle against Emma's thigh. "You think she really likes it here? With us?"
"Of course. She loves it with us. That's a weird question." Emma snorted, grimacing when Regina took her root beer from her hand to get sip of it for herself.
"Do you think she thinks of me as her mother?"
"I do." Emma pushed the plate onto the table and slipped an arm behind Regina. "Regina, you're not like your mother. I thought you'd-"
"Gotten over it? No." Regina shook her head. "I think about it every night. I think about how the day went and I wonder if I did something wrong...wonder if I made Maddox happy."
"Just like the rest of us, when you smile her way, she's happy. Every 'good morning' and 'good night' and 'I love you'…every hug and kiss. It makes her happy."
"And how do you know that?" Regina sniffed, swiping at her misty left eye.
"Because you would've been happy if your mother had done all that for you," Emma said just above a whisper, worried maybe she shouldn't have said it. Especially, when a rogue tear slipped down Regina's cheek.
"You're terrible," Regina said with a small chuckle as she wiped away the tear.
"I could've been a therapist."
"No, you couldn't have." Regina kissed her temple, lingering for a long moment.
"We're good parents, Regina." Emma nodded lightly under Regina's touch. "It's just hard to believe sometimes."
Regina and Maddox poured into the house, bundles of coats and scarves to stave off the sudden snow flurries from mid-morning. Regina sat her purse and Maddox's backpack down to the side as she closed the front door behind them.
Routinely, Maddox shed her layers of clothing until she was down to her shirt, pants, and socks again. She handed her outer layers over to Regina before roaming the house.
"Emma?" Maddox questioned, walking around through the kitchen to the den to the living room.
"Hey, Sunflower," Emma said pushing up from her sprawled position on the couch. Maddox climbed onto the cushion and draped her arms over Emma's shoulders in a tired hug. Emma accepted the hug and kissed her temple. "How was school?"
"Dreary," Maddox said, slumping further in Emma's embrace.
Emma frowned at the word. "You're a little young for dreary, aren't you? Dreary sounds like one of Gina's words." Emma glanced at Regina as she walked through the kitchen and earned an unimpressed look from the woman. Maddox shrugged against her before she slipped out of her lap.
"Do you know what dreary means, darling?" Regina asked.
"Can I have a snack, please?" Maddox questioned instead, flashing pretty, brown eyes up at the woman.
"Maybe if you answer my question first," Regina said with a chuckle.
"Boring."
"And where did you hear this word?"
"On the tv."
"Ah."
Emma stood up from the couch and started to leave for the bathroom but not before saying. "I think that deserves cookies as a snack," she said, briefly running light fingers over Maddox's hair as she passed.
Maddox gasped and looked back up at Regina. "Can I have cookies?"
"Just two cookies." Regina relented, tossing a harmlessly scathing look at Emma's retreating form.
"And milk?" Maddox questioned.
"Promise to brush your teeth?" Maddox nodded. "Then, yes."
And Maddox did stick to her promise and brush her teeth. However, even pulling out her homework was a trying endeavor for Regina. It was beyond Emma why a kindergarten even had homework in the first place, and it wasn't coloring pages.
By the time evening started to roll around Emma offered to handle dinner because Belle had called about mayor business and Regina had already been on the phone for an hour. And things just really felt very domestic when Emma stopped to think for a moment.
The few things she was sure she could set on fire in the kitchen, she was just waiting on, and she turned around to Henry and Maddox sitting at the dining table doing homework. She leaned against the counter and watched them. Henry was typing up a history paper while helping Maddox figure out her teacher's experimental assignment – six 1st grade math problems.
Regina was pacing back and forth in Maddox's claimed playroom, somehow recalling an impressive amount of town legislature from memory as she collected teddy bears from their scattered places on the floor.
Other than the addition of Maddox, this is what they'd been doing for ages. Had she technically been married with a kid for a year already – without her knowledge? Did Regina really not notice it either?
"Mom?" Henry called. "Stop conjuring existential crises. Can you check over Maddox's math homework? I have to finish this paragraph."
"Yeah, sure." Emma glanced back at the food to make sure nothing would catch fire in her absence and walked over to the dining table. She sat down beside Maddox and slipped the paper away from her. "Okay, what do we got, Bean?"
"Multiplication…? What?" Emma frowned at the problems. "Why are you doing multiplication? You're in kindergarten."
"Mom said it's a test to see what level she's on. She was talking about it for like ten minutes earlier and Maddox was rolling her eyes about it," Henry said, still typing rapidly to finish his paper. "You weren't paying attention?"
"Don't tell your mother," Emma said. Her eyes search over the page, eyebrows slowly rising as she looked at each math problem. "Well…Maddox." She sighed. "Looks like we need to transfer you to Harvard."
"What's that?" Maddox asked leaning back against her chair.
"You're in elementary school and then when you get a little older, you'll be in middle school. Then after that you'll go to high school like Henry," Emma explained. She scanned the other side of the worksheet.
"And then after that. College. That's what Harvard is."
Maddox's brow slowly began to scrunch up, coming to the realization that the idea of skipping to college sounded terrible. This new homework was already boring and time consuming…
"But I don't want more homework," she said and looked up at Emma with pleading eyes.
"I'm just joking, Carebear." Emma chuckled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "But I do have good news for you."
"What?"
"You've finished your homework perfectly."
"I wanna go play now," Maddox said, shoving away her pens and markers.
"Ah, you're not going anywhere." Maddox looked outraged. "Not until you put all your stuff back in your bag."
"Okay."
She was quick to gather her stuff but kept it neat as Regina had instructed her. Emma stood up from the table and went back to the kitchen just in time as dinner was about to be ready any moment now. She knew the look Maddox would give her if she told her she'd only have maybe ten minutes of playtime before Henry abruptly plucked her from her playroom just as she got started.
There was so much relief – and pride – when Emma pulled the chicken from the oven and it wasn't burnt to a crisp. It was a level accomplishment worthy of Regina's praise and she hadn't needed the fire extinguisher.
She felt owed a gold star that Maddox always came home with.
"I'm sorry. The town is in chaos," Regina said as she reappeared into the kitchen. She paused just before the refrigerator at the food Emma was finishing up, wondering how long she'd been on the phone rattling off town policies and documents. "I…fixed it…"
"Of course, you did. You're an underappreciated genius," Emma said, pulling down plates from the cabinet. She moved slow to lightly kiss on Regina's cheek as small reward for her efforts.
"You cooked?" Regina questioned. She lifted lids on pots only to have a hand stop her from being curious.
"I did Don't be nosy." Emma held up the plates with the forks settle on the center of the top plate. "I'm fully domesticated now. Set the table?"
"Um, okay." Regina glanced back at Henry who packing up his homework and laptop. "She cooked?"
"Yep," Henry said as he passed by her on his way out to drop his backpack in his room. He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Helped Maddox with her homework, too. Maybe you should marry her."
Regina looked at Emma, the woman not batting an eyelash at the idea. But she did look over her shoulder. And smiled. Then she gestured toward the table for Regina to set the plates out. The woman knew better than to question.
At this point in her life, being with the person she was with now…as far as she was concerned, this was it for her.
Emma was it. Her last first date. Her last girlfriend. Her last love.
"This is becoming a recurring thing, I see," Mal said as Emma stepped into her office. "You've found my place of work."
"Lucky guess?" Emma shrugged, looking over the sharp edges and glass walls of the office.
"I never told Regina where I worked." Mal pulled off her glasses and closed her laptop. "Well, no denying your occupation."
"I mean…I have contacts."
"You had someone search for me?"
"Not technically. Job description and physical description got it done. Plus, your name isn't very common in this practice."
"I don't see why Regina refers to you as an idiot."
"It's an endearing trait."
"You are quite lovely, aren't you?" Mal grinned slightly and Emma couldn't help but blush under her stare. It was an off putting compliment considering her secretary couldn't help but stare at the Scooby-Doo Band-Aid on her nose - Maddox had insisted.
Well, everyone had been staring at the Scooby-Doo Band-Aid on her journey there.
"So, how can assist you in your adventures in courtship?" Mal asked gesturing to the couch as she stood up from behind her desk.
Emma sat down and Mal took a seat on the other side of the couch, shifting to face her. Emma sighed, brow furrowing as she pulled her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry. That is the only thing I've ever talk to you about without Regina around," she said, "That's not cool."
"I don't mind. Regina is important to me. If making sure everything goes right for your endeavors makes her happy, by all means."
"Are you sure?" Emma asked.
"About her happiness? Of course."
"No, I mean about us together."
"Yes. You're an aesthetically, spiritually compatible couple."
Emma slipped her phone from her pocket and sat it down beside her on the couch. She was getting random notifications all morning and none of them actually relevant to her life at the moment. "Well, thank you…I think."
Mal smirked.
"So, I'd like to ask a favor."
"Sure."
"Could you maybe bring the kids with you to Storybrooke Friday night? I want to make Regina dinner." Emma bit her lip. She was so used to Regina being the gorgeous woman across from her with sharp eyebrows and fitting dresses. Mal was absolutely unreadable. Like Regina and completely opposite at the same time. "You'd just be driving them there. My parents will be having them over for the night."
"How did you know I was going to Storybrooke?" Mal questioned.
"Uh…Regina mentioned your conversation once or twice. She thought you were being weird…" Emma blew out a breath. She'd kill Ruby if this went sideways. "You're seeing someone. Dating someone in Storybrooke."
There was a long pause that made Emma sweat before Mal bowed her head.
"Well, done, Emma." Mal chuckled. Emma exhaled in relief. "You're very clever. But I'd be really impressed if you could guess who that was, hm?"
Emma shrugged.
"Ah, well. I have at least one secret to hold onto," Mal said, settling into the couch. "Of course. I'd be happy to kidnap your offspring for the night."
"Cool. That's great. Just don't mention kidnapping please. I'd like to think of myself as a good mom."
"I'm sure you are, my dear." Mal chuckled again but her words were as genuine as they came.
Henry flipped a page in the manual, finding it was getting more and more complicated. However, his partner didn't find that a challenge – as long as he explained.
"I think you put that there," Henry said, waving his finger in a general area. Maddox rolled her eyes at him and pulled the manual a little closer. She could see the pictures just find at least.
"You're not good at this," Maddox said, placing the blocks in their assigned places.
"What! I've been doing Legos longer than you've been alive," Henry said.
Maddox looked at him for a long moment and then threw a Lego chair at him. In return he picked up one of the men meant to be part of the display.
And that's what Emma walked in on – a projectile Lego fight.
"You're both cleaning up this room," she said. Her voice stopped Maddox from throwing a little car at Henry as he took cover behind the couch with an armful of blocks. "If you don't have a problem with that, by all means, continue."
Maddox looked at Henry, who peered over the couch to look at her. They both shrugged and prepared to throw more things at each other.
"Ah, I mean before dinner." Emma pulled her phone from her back pocket and checked the time. "Which is in like 30 minutes."
Henry swiftly lowered his arm, considering the mess they'd already made.
"I thought so," Emma said. She moved over to the couch and swept Maddox up in her arms as she sat down. Henry plopped down next to her making faces at Maddox. "Okay listen up, kiddos. You're spending a fun Friday night with your grandparents."
"Why?" Henry questioned, swiping his hair out of his face.
"Because I've been giving you mom a heart attack everyday this week and I think we should have a nice dinner. Preferably, an injury free one."
"You mean a kid free dinner," Henry said. He pulled a face. "It's another date and we're not invited."
"But I want dinner too," Maddox said.
"You'll have dinner…" Emma scoffed. "At grandpa's house."
Maddox always like the idea of the Charmings, still choosing not to point out that all these adults in her life looked the same age. But she still pouted regardless.
"Hey no pouting." Emma tugged at her folded arms. "Don't give me any puppy eyes either."
"We take bribes in the form of cash," Henry said.
Emma rolled her eyes the moment Maddox seemed to forget about pouting and perked up at the mention of money. "You two are unsuspecting vultures," she muttered and pulled out what she had in her pockets. She held out some bills to Henry, "Fifty for you," and the Maddox, "Twenty for you. Satisfied?"
"Yeah we're good," Henry said stuffing the money into his shirt pocket.
"You better be," Emma said. She pushed his shoulder and tickled Maddox's sides. She squirmed off her lap, successfully escaping with her earnings. "Take your blood money and clean up this room. For free."
Emma stood up from the couch and made her way out. Henry called after her, "Love you, Ma."
"Yeah, yeah." Emma grinned and Maddox hugged her legs with a toothy grin. "Love you, too, you little monsters."
