I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.
19: Men do not
"How did we come full circle?" Regina asked as she strode into the mayor's office with Emma by her side. It did not make any sense. Why in the hell did these people suddenly trust her? Was this a trick?
Emma shrugged and put her arm around Regina's waist. "Apparently, you save the town with no one asking, they start thinking you care. Crazy, right?"
"Well, I don't." Regina folded her arms across her chest and frowned. Well, she felt like it was a frown, but from the way Emma was looking at her, with barely concealed glee, Regina knew she was pouting. Damn it, she makes me pout instead a scowl when I'm upset. She needed to save this conversation before Emma said something about her pout. "At least they didn't change my decor." Thank the gods for small favors.
"Yeah, they were too busy wrecking the town. Too bad they didn't let me scoop you up as a deputy," Emma said and she, of course, scooped Regina up literally.
Regina squealed and she was so thankful the door was closed. No one would ever respect or fear her again if they heard that noise. But, Emma pressed her close and Regina could not care less if anyone heard or saw now. This was paradise.
"If you want to boss me around me, you only have to wait for us to go home," Regina said.
Emma made a low, rumbling noise from deep in her chest. She kissed Regina's cheek and Regina smiled. Then, there was a look in her eye, sternness that made Regina's insides quiver. Regina practically melted as Emma kissed her lips, commanded her mouth to open and let her tongue in. Regina moaned and clutched Emma around the shoulders. When Emma pulled away, Regina knew she was pouting again from the way Emma grinned at her.
"You sure you're up for this, Madam Mayor? I know you're not interested in being in charge again," Emma said.
"Not at the moment, no. You keep kissing me like that and we're going home," Regina replied.
Emma chuckled. "No, I can't do that to everybody. But, in all seriousness, are you okay with this?"
Regina put her hand on Emma's cheek. "Thank you for asking, but I'm willing to try. Mostly because I don't plan to run things with an iron fist this time and I'm not sure if I trust anyone else to do this properly with the way the nobles acted. And maybe, just maybe, this time around, I care a little bit. But, only a little bit. I mean, we do need it to be safe for Henry to go to school and walk Main Street without needing one of us there."
Emma laughed once again and grinned, like she was about to call Regina on that statement. "We do need safety for the kid, no doubt about it. We can start worrying about normal things with him this time around."
Regina nodded. "Speaking of time, you should go to work, so we get home at a decent time."
Emma's grin grew for some reason. "Aw, you are ready to be the boss again."
"Only here." The idea of Emma ordering her around at home would probably never lose its appeal.
Emma gave her another kiss, one a little less steamy and put Regina back on the ground. But, she held onto Regina's hand. They got lost in each other's eyes for a long moment.
"I'm going to miss you during the day," Emma said.
Regina's heart fluttered, but she pushed Emma a little. "You left me everyday for work. Today is no different. Stop trying to be romantic."
Emma wagged her eyebrows. "It's working. Now, gimme a kiss and say bye."
Regina tried so hard to glare at Emma, but it had no effect. Emma puckered her lips and, of course, Regina kissed her and bid her farewell with what she was certain was hearts in her eyes. Emma left with that giant grin. Regina had to taper down a giddy feeling.
"You're too old to be acting like this." That did not stop her from feeling the way she did, so she decided to try to distract herself until the emotion passed.
Regina turned her attention to the mayoral office and took a moment to re-familiarize herself with the space. She had been elected back to the office after a special election not even a week ago. She had not run, but stopping the chernabog with Emma left an impression. It probably helped that she rebuilt much of the downtown area with her magic.
There was also a sense that most people wanted the town to go back to the way it used to be, normal and stable. Yes, they understood before they had been mind-controlled, but still a sense of normalcy would probably help until they could really decide on how much of the Enchanted Forest could be brought to Storybrooke without turning the place upside down. Regina loved that idea, more for Henry than herself. Children deserved a safe environment to grow in. So, Regina accepted a position she did not ask for, and did not really desire.
For her first day back, she wanted to get important positions restaffed and make sure municipal departments were up in running. Despite what the Royal Council had thought, garbage collection was important, as was having a fully staffed and functioning fire department and sheriff's station. Postal workers were needed and she wanted schools back in order as soon as humanly possible. Before she realized, Emma was back, standing before her with lunch from Granny's.
"Is it already noon?" Regina asked.
Emma chuckled as she sat down at the desk. "It's almost two. I messaged you a few times and you didn't answer. You must be working hard."
Regina shrugged, but reached for her phone. She definitely got sucked into her work as she missed almost a dozen texts from Emma and a few from other people, concerned about the town. She would respond later. Her stomach rumbled as Emma slid lunch in front of her and then gave her a root beer soda. She frowned, but Emma grinned, so she accepted it.
"How is your day going?" Emma asked as she gathered her burger in her hands. It was going to be a mess, but Regina did not bother mentioning that.
Regina mixed her grilled chicken and spanish rice. "Quickly apparently. I didn't realize it was so late. I approved your new budget. You should hire more deputies immediately."
Emma nodded through a massive bite of her burger and then processed to show her lack of table manners. "On it. Me and Ruby already know who we want. We just couldn't hire them before because they were bad guys or whatever."
"Yes, well, it seems most people just want to live life here, especially if they never make it back to the Enchanted Forest," Regina replied. "And stop talking with your mouthful. It's disgusting."
Emma scowled, but swallowed the rest of her bite before continuing. "I don't get what's so great about the place. I, for one, will be happy to never get attacked by an ogre again."
Regina gave her a soft smile before enjoying some of her lunch. Her stomach practically purred as she ate. She had exhausted herself on paperwork and official phone calls. Who knew that was a thing. "It's home. It's why regardless of how annoying you find this place, you'll never leave."
Emma's face twisted up and she bit into her burger again, as if to have an excuse not to talk about that for a long moment. "So, you want to go back there?"
Regina could not help making a disgusted noise. "No. I'm quite happy here. I, like others, have many things I appreciate here." Nothing good had come to her in the Enchanted Forest, but here she got her family. She got a son, a girlfriend, and a chance at happiness. She would be buried here.
Emma smiled. "Aw, you appreciate me."
Regina rolled her eyes and snorted. "I meant Henry."
Emma's smile did not go away. "Sure you did." She ate a little bit more of her burger and some of her fries. "That's why you said you didn't want to be my villain anymore. You love me."
Regina did not hesitate. "I do." She stole a fry from Emma's plate.
The smile on Emma's face was beyond bright and her eyes went wide. Regina smirked over the expression. Emma pouted and slumped in the chair a bit.
"That is a romance foul. You can't tell me you love me while I'm teasing you," Emma said.
"I can tell you I love you whenever because I love you." Regina stole another fry.
A blush flared up on Emma's face. "That's not fair."
"Oh, darling, you know I'm not fair." She hit Emma with the best set of bedroom eyes she could muster.
Emma groaned. "No, and it might be one of the things I love about you." She smirked, winked, and then ate more of her food.
Regina scowled. "You like when I'm mean to you."
"Sometimes, yes. It's hot. But, it's like you like me getting in your face and getting on your nerves."
Regina wished she could deny that, but it would be a lie. Emma's personality put her under Regina's skin. She could not sooner peel that layer away then she could peel away her own nerves. Emma was part of her and always would be. She did not mind. She hoped it was the same for Emma.
"I do love you, Emma, on so many different levels," Regina said.
Emma's grin was enough to make Regina feel like she could float off into space without the aid of magic. "I love you on a bunch of levels, too. You hit every box for me, babe."
Regina's brow furrowed. "I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds good." She turned her attention back to her food.
Emma snickered and nodded. "It's a good thing. You kinda complete me."
Regina sat up a little straighter. She would never get used to feeling good about herself through pleasing Emma, but she liked it. She also liked having lunch with Emma. They ate a little in silence.
"Can we make this a habit?" Regina asked.
Emma twisted her mouth up and must have noticed she had a spot of ketchup on the side of her mouth. She tried to get it with her tongue, but Regina leaned across her desk and wiped it away with a napkin. "Make what a habit?" Emma asked.
Regina motioned to their now empty containers. "Lunch."
Emma nodded. "Oh, sure. I'd love to. In fact, I'd like you to leave it all to me. You always handle breakfast and dinner. Lemme get lunch, okay?"
"All right, but if you want to try your hand at other meals every now and then, let me know."
"Sure. I don't have as much knowledge as you in cooking, but I'll do my best. It's nice to treat you every now and then. So, yeah, I can definitely handle lunch for us. But, now, I gotta get back to work. My boss can be a real hard ass about these things." Emma winked at her again.
Regina rolled her eyes, but Emma laughed. Emma went around the desk and kissed Regina farewell. Regina was happy she did not have any meetings because she could not stop smiling. Love is a strange thing.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma walked across the street back to the sheriff's station, shoulders thrown back with confidence. The sound of Ruby laughing greeted her as soon as she stepped through the door. Emma glared at Ruby's desk, but Ruby was not there. Instead, she was at Emma's desk; the one outside of her private office.
"You should see your smile. That had to be a good lunch," Ruby said.
"Get your mind out of the gutter. We just had lunch, and she approved our budget," Emma replied. But, maybe one day, lunch would involve something a little more. After all, Regina could be naughty when she wanted to be. But, that was something to do when the town was normal.
Ruby scoffed. "Really? You sure you didn't add a little extra to lunch to get that budget approved?" She wiggled her eyebrows.
Emma snorted. "Regina's just trying to get the town back to normal." She glanced over at their empty cells. Their prisoners were before a judge right now. Emma did not have the stomach to go and Ruby stuck around for moral support. David had been the one to take the prisoners to court and he even came when she was not around, so she did not have to deal with seeing him and having an awkward interaction. It was like he was learning.
Ruby folded her hands in front of her. "What is normal?" It seemed like a serious question, not in with her teasing.
Emma dropped into a nearby chair and shrugged. "Hell if I know. I just know we finally get more help around here. I'm so tired." She would take a few days off the moment she felt her deputies were good enough to handle things on their own. As soon as she got some deputies anyway.
Ruby laughed, shoulders shaking with mirth. "Tell that to the smile on your face."
"Excuse me for loving the mother of my kid." Emma threw her hands up.
Ruby laughed more. "Hey, let's start calling back candidates!"
Emma was fine with that and they spent the rest of the day preparing to hire at least two deputies tomorrow. There are people who agreed to come in for interviews. It should not have felt like a miracle, but it did. She and Ruby high-fived every single time something went their way.
"I gotta help Granny do this with waitresses when I get home. She's got more applications than she knows what to do with now," Ruby said.
"It's good that people are open to waitressing now," Emma said.
Ruby nodded. "I'm more enthused that people are open to taking sanitation work. You don't want to know what life is like for me when there's garbage stacked to the sky."
Emma winced. "I can only imagine. With luck, this is the start of something good." Ruby nodded in agreement with that.
-8-8-8-8-
David came in toward the end of the day, one prisoner light. He had done them a favor and walked their prisoners to court earlier since a few judges, lawyers, and other court personnel had returned to their jobs. Emma felt like she would have beaten Neal to death without the cell bars between them, especially considering how he kept acting like what happened was not his fault and how he was trying to be the hero there.
Emma almost fell out of her chair while Ruby opened the cell. David returned the man they had. Where the hell was Neal, though?
"What happened to Neal?" Emma asked, trying her best not to make it a demand or sound like she was accusing David of anything.
David sighed and shook his head. "Neal sang a sad song and the judge thought he was remorseful, so he let him go."
"Let him go?" Emma repeated the words as if they did not make sense because they did not! Neal's actions got people killed! Nine people were dead. "People died!" Her eyes burned, like she was about to cry.
David held up his hands. "I know, I know. The judge felt Neal didn't know that was going to happen. He basically let him go for being ignorant of his actions."
"That doesn't excuse the fact that people died!"
David moved before Emma even realized. He grabbed her into a hug and held her tight. It was everything she imagined a hug from a father should be. Where had this come from? It was so much more powerful than any other time he hugged her. It was finally like he understood.
"Are you okay with the judge letting him go?" David asked, but it felt deeper than that and simpler than that at the same time. It was "are you okay?" in general, in life, and with this fucked up situation.
Emma sucked in a breath and returned the hug, held onto David like he was the only thing that made sense in life right now. It should not feel so good to have her father ask her a simple question, but it was like he finally acknowledged her emotions. David saw her as a person.
"I can't believe he's getting away with this. People died," Emma said again.
David caressed the back of her head. "I know, but you have the man who was responsible."
"The man that armed him is just as responsible and he managed to con the judge into thinking otherwise."
David nodded. "Yeah. He really played up the whole 'I didn't know it would go after everybody' thing."
Emma pulled back to look at David. "You don't think this was the right thing?"
"No. Like you said, people died. And, maybe I don't like Regina, but I've let her live enough because Snow loves her to be a little disgusted that Henry's own father would write her off to kill Rumple."
Emma took a deep breath. "That sucks."
David nodded. "It does. Don't take it personally, though. You did the right thing. You stopped him. You put him in jail. You did what you were supposed to do."
Emma's eyes stung as she took a deep breath to maintain control over herself. "Thank you for saying so. And thanks for being here."
David gave her a smile. "I want to be here for you, Emma. I'm learning how to be here for you. You're my daughter and I love you."
Emma only smiled. She did not have the guts to say something like that to her parents yet, not sure if they would somehow mess up and abandon her yet again. But, still, those three words felt like the beginning of stitches on a gaping wound.
-8-8-8-8-
After work, Emma went to pick Regina up, finding her focused on documents on her desk, scribbling on a close notepad. The people of Storybrooke were not stupid for forcing Regina back into the position of mayor. Regina was already taking the job super-serious. It was admirable considering how people treated her while she was a slave. Hell, for having the nerve to make her a slave in the first place. And they have the nerve to think she's the villain.
"Babe, you can't fix everything in one day," Emma said as she leaned on the desk. There were papers, folders, and books everywhere. I wonder if she knows about Neal.
Regina shook her head and motioned to her pile of work with her free hand as her other jotted down something on her notepad. "This is beyond a mess. Beyond all of the paperwork, I've gotten calls all throughout the day from departments with skeleton crews. And don't even get me started about the damn judge with Baelfire."
Emma winced. "You heard about that, huh?"
"I spoke with her at length about the decision. After all, nine citizens died as a result of his actions. She took it as Neal handing Reginald a gun, not knowing it was loaded and not knowing he'd use it to kill people."
Emma scowled. "She believed his con, basically."
Regina sighed. "It certainly sounds that way. She reviewed your notes and interviews with Neal and pointed out that he maintained he didn't know what the chernabog was capable of. Are you all right with it?"
Emma's shoulders dropped. "You know what, you're okay. We're okay. I'll worry about his dumb-ass later. We should get going. It's already a little late. What are you still working on?" She motioned to all of the paper surrounding Regina.
Regina shook her head as she turned her attention back to her paperwork. "I don't think the Royal Council did a bit of administration work."
Emma had no doubt about that. "Sounds both boring and important, so they probably didn't. But, again, you can't fix it all in one day."
Regina's eyes had lines under them already. This had way too much potential to become a situation. "But, I can make it so I have a little less tomorrow."
It was time to get serious, so Regina did not burn herself too soon. "Babe, we're leaving."
Regina's eyes shot up to Emma's and there was nothing but heat and smoke. Emma smirked while her heart pounded in her chest. It felt good and dangerous to have that effect on Regina. What would Regina do if she simply said it in the right tone? She put her hand out and Regina climbed to her feet, work forgotten. Regina took her hand and she smiled.
"I'm going to take good care of ya," Emma promised.
Regina smiled back and her eyes actually sparkled. "I know."
Emma did her best to take care of Regina, who she felt took the best care of her. That was evident when Regina started dinner almost the moment they got home. Emma managed to talk her into changing clothes first, but nothing beyond that. She looked cute in her leggings, which were a gift from a boutique Emma had never heard of, but Emma did not say anything. Regina went to the kitchen while Emma checked on Henry.
"Homework done, bud?" Emma asked from his bedroom doorway.
Henry was at his desk, writing something. Regina worried about him being home for a few hours without them, but he looked okay. Emma was not sure when it was appropriate to leave kids home alone, but Henry had not burned the house down, so that was a plus. Besides, she was sure Regina would worry about the kid well into adulthood. He could be fifty and Regina would still wonder if he had clean socks, lunch, or things like that, which was fine. Emma was happy Henry had that in his life, even though it might eventually get on his nerves,
Henry looked up at her and smiled. "Homework's been done. I'm trying to plot a campaign so you and Gramps will stop fighting everything with your swords or whatever." He scratched his head. They had introduced his grandparents to D&D about a week and a half ago and they played almost every day for a little while. Emma was not having as much fun with them as Henry was, but she tolerated them for him.
"Dude, that's the best part! My paladin has so much Strength!" She grinned and held up her bicep. Her character was as strong as she was. Well, as strong as she was when she used magic to give herself super-strength.
He frowned at her, so that was obviously not the right answer. "But, you guys never really move. It's all 'let's fight monsters,' which you know gets on Mom's nerves because she actually wants to make it through the campaign."
With a shrug, Emma gave him a sorry smile as best she could. "Also why my paladin has so much Strength. You know telling me something annoys your mom is only going to make me do it more."
He nodded and he looked away, eyes focused on his desk. "Any news about Neal?"
She had wondered how long it would take him to ask. She sighed and stepped into the room. She leaned on his desk and put her hand on his shoulder. "The judge decided to let him go since he wasn't the one to unleash the chernabog and he seemed genuinely sorry." He probably put on the best performance of his life to get out of that.
Henry looked away for several seconds. "Do you think he really is?"
She shrugged. "It's hard to tell with him." She doubted he was sorry. He was too far gone to ever be really sorry for anything beyond getting caught. But, Henry did not need to hear that from her.
Henry rubbed his forehead and his face scrunched up for a long moment. "You okay with him being out?"
Emma's eyes stung. She was in danger of crying, but the question hit her hard, harder than finding out Neal got away. Maybe even a little harder than when David asked it. "I'm not happy he felt Regina and others were fine as collateral damage, but I can't see him doing that again, especially after nine people died because of his carelessness." Neal was many things, but she did not get the feeling he was okay with having blood on his hands, not the blood of innocents anyway. So, maybe he was at least sorry about that.
He took a deep breath. "Yeah, very not cool."
"Wanna talk about it, kid?" Emma wanted him to know she would be there for him, no matter what. She wanted him to know he could talk to her about anything, even Neal.
Henry gnawed his bottom lip and then nodded. "I don't know if I want to see him again and I don't get why."
"He tried to hurt your mom." That should not fly with anyone.
His face scrunched up as he thought on it. "Grams and Gramps put Mom in a collar and made her your slave and I'm okay with dinners and game nights with them."
Emma nodded. She understood the weirdness. She would never forgive Neal, but she forgave Regina for all sorts of things in their history. She was not sure why and she did not dwell on it most of the time.
Emma took a moment to consider why Henry might be all right with his grandparents and their treatment of his mom. "Maybe it's because their thing goes way back, before you even existed, but Neal has no reason to do this, no reason to think it's okay to hurt your mom."
"Exactly!" Henry threw his hands up. "He doesn't even know Mom and he felt like it was okay to maybe kill my mom if necessary to kill his dad. How was this the final straw for me, though? We've been through so much."
Emma went and sat on the bed. Henry moved to sit by her. She put her arm around him. He leaned against her and she pulled him close. She wished she could take his pain away. This is why I didn't want this fuck-head Neal around him.
Emma rested her cheek in his hair. "I don't know how to explain your emotions, but it could be because Neal already let you down. I don't think anybody, save maybe me, has disappointed you in such a way."
He pulled away to look at her with big, wet eyes. "You didn't let me down."
She offered him a small smile and mussed his hair. "Kid, I let you down in a similar way to how my parents let me down. You didn't like being adopted. You felt abandoned. It's valid, kid. It's okay." She kissed his head.
He sighed, deflating quite a bit. "I want to like him and forgive him, but I can't. At least with you, I can rationalize this had to happen this way for you to get here and break the Curse. Hell, I even get you did this because you didn't think you could raise a kid on your own, but after this, I don't want to rationalize anything, not with him. Mom never did anything to him, but he tries to kill her? Knowing she's my mom. Does he not care?"
Emma wished there were words to make this better, but no words existed. "I think Neal's pretty messed up. He saw Gold do horrible things and he thought he was doing the right thing. He's from the Enchanted Forest, from a really long time ago. His morality is different from us." Or so Regina told her when she wondered aloud how Neal could do something to get nine people killed not too long after it happened.
Henry sighed. "That sucks."
"It does. I hate to tell you, sometimes, life sucks."
"I know."
"I really wish you didn't." Emma only wanted for Henry to have the best life ever and he was robbed of that. It hurt. She felt like she failed, but she had always felt like that. Before she even gave birth to him, just carrying him while she was in prison was her failing him.
Henry gave her a hug around her middle. "For the record, I forgave you for letting me go, giving me up for adoption. I worked out a lot of stuff on my own. You love me and you wanted what was best for me. You didn't have faith in yourself to do that. I had some anger and resentment when I was hung up on Mom being the Evil Queen, but I'm working through it. I love Mom and I know she loves me. I love you and I know you love me."
Tears stung her eyes and she hugged Henry extra-tight. "I love you with all my heart, kid."
"I know. And I know you'd never hurt any of my family, especially my mom. Mom needs care and you do, too. I want to care for you."
Emma smiled. "Thanks. I want to care for you, too. I also want you to get a chance to be a kid and not carry burdens and stuff. So, if you ever need to talk about this stuff with Neal, you got me. If you ever need to talk about anything, you got me."
"I know." He curled into her for a long moment. She held him tight and he felt so young now. Neal had made that happen. She hoped they never saw him again.
When he pulled away, Emma suspected he was ready to face the world. "Wanna go watch a movie until dinner's ready?"
Henry nodded and they made their way to the living room. They found a movie and sat there until they heard the front door open. That was Snow and David. It was family time, as it was almost every evening at about this time. So far, it was nice. Her parents were not the assholes she thought they were, just two people drowning like her, like Regina, like the town. Had she forgiven them? No. But, she hurt a little less with them each time she saw them, which she suspected was Regina's plan all along.
"You ready for this?" Emma asked with mock determination in her eyes.
Henry smiled and held up a fist. "Always. Besides, they brought a game, so we can finish the movie later."
Emma laughed and they climbed to their feet, wanting to greet Snow and David. Snow was faster than they were, though, and was already by the kitchen by the time they made it anywhere. Snow grilled Regina about her first day back to work. Regina blew out a breath. Snow was not giving her a chance to answer.
"Mom, you can't interview a person and never let the person answer," Emma said.
Snow blushed for a quick second and stopped talking. She turned and pulled Emma into a hug. She then hugged Henry. David was next up and his hug was a little more under control.
"I'm sorry again," David whispered to Emma about Neal.
Emma gave him an extra squeeze. "It's okay. Nothing he did was your fault." Still, he held her a little longer than necessary. She appreciated it.
"So, Regina, tell us about what you did today, first day back to being mayor. I mean, being on the Royal Council was terrible," Snow said.
Regina scoffed. "Yet, you didn't pass up a chance to be in the Town Assembly." The Town Assembly was a new part of the town government to give some of the royals the power they craved and also a way to check Regina's power. But, the Town Assembly had been elected by the people in their neighborhoods, so every royal did not get a chance to serve. The Assembly could put a stop to Regina's decisions with a three-fourths majority vote as well as bring up the needs and wants of the districts they represented. Time would tell if it worked out.
Snow had the nerve to shrug. "I was elected. It's what people wanted." She smiled, and showed she had a way to go in accepting it was not a competition between her and Regina.
"I'll meet with the Town Assembly at the end of the week as it was agreed upon for updates on the town. If you're just curious, I worked on budgets mostly and rounding up city employees, or people willing to become city employees. I'm sure everyone wants their garbage picked up in the morning."
Emma wanted to clap. "You mean I don't have to drive our garbage to the landfill anymore?" So annoying. It turned out that the entire sanitation department was made up of nobles who felt they were too good for the job. Well, that was passed. "How did you find sanitation workers?"
"Well, it's not a full department, but a few commoners welcomed the work and some of the older Lost Boys were pleased to get well paying jobs. The commoners were unhappy with what the Curse dealt them and just wanted to have a choice. Also good, mail will start to be delivered again. Again, not a full department, but enough for some basic functions. Next, I have to figure out school bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, and things of that nature."
Snow sighed. "Those things never made it into the Royal Council's debates."
Regina opened her mouth to say something, but a look from Emma silenced her. They all knew the Council was in it for the control, for the status, not to help the town. It did not need to be said. Regina rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to dinner.
"So, what games did you guys bring?" Henry asked, taking the conversation away from business talk. They all took the bait.
-8-8-8-8-
The night wound down. Henry was off to bed while Snow and David packed up the game they brought. Regina hated to admit, even to herself, but she liked watching Emma and Henry enjoy a game from the Enchanted Forest.
"So, I wanted to wait to tell you both this, but I got a text an hour ago from some people who saw Neal leaving town," David said from his spot on the couch.
Emma blew out a breath and ran her hand through her hair. "Of course he takes the super easy way out." She leaned against Regina, who sat next to her on the floor. They would have to figure out what to tell Henry. Beyond that, Regina would have to support Emma through this. She was not sure Emma completely processed this yet.
David sighed. "I just figured you'd want to know so you can figure out what to say to Henry."
"Thank you," Regina said while Emma nodded.
"Wish I could do more." He sounded like he meant that.
They ushered Snow and David out of the house and cleaned up. Once that was done, they sat on the couch. Emma held Regina close. Regina rested her head against Emma's shoulder.
"What are we going to tell Henry?" Regina asked.
Emma inhaled through her nose and gave Regina a squeeze. "It'll be fine. He's pretty good at working through his emotions and Neal isn't his favorite person at the moment. I'm sure he'll appreciate not having to see Neal as he processes, though."
"And how do you feel about it?"
Emma blew out a breath. "Part of me is glad he's gone, but of course I'm super pissed, too. He got Henry's hopes up and then does this bullshit. What a prick. How many lives does he want to ruin before he does us all a favor and gets lost forever?"
Regina tilted her head a little. "Did he ruin your life?" While, yes, Neal certainly had done horrible things, but it got them to this point. Emma had to see her life was not ruined by him. Paused, maybe, but not ruined.
Emma blinked and it was like a lightbulb came on in her head. "No, not really. Got Henry, you, a best friend who isn't an asshole, my parents who might not be assholes, and a good job. I'm doing good."
Regina looked her dead in the eye, needing Emma to feel this response. "In spite of him."
Emma nodded. "I guess. Things worked out."
"They certainly did. For all of us."
"Yeah." Her voice was strong.
"Are you all right?" Regina just wanted to check in again to be sure.
"Better than I've been in years. I've got family and home. What more could I want?"
Regina smiled. "I feel the same way."
Emma kissed the top of her head. "You know what, then let's go to bed. We'll figure out what to tell Henry tomorrow."
Regina was fine with that. They should confirm Neal was gone before saying anything to Henry anyway. Regardless of what Neal did, Regina and Emma would make sure Henry, and the town, would be all right.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: a gratuitous epilogue.
