Four days after the yucky illness finally had left her body, Emma sat her parents down for the Big Talk. Honestly, she still felt a bit weak. Bit shaky after having been laying in bed for three days straight. And her stomach was a bit fragile too after having lived off of soup and crackers. Regina had acted like a picture-perfect concerned girlfriend. She had called Emma every day to check up on her and make sure that she was eating and getting plenty of fluid. On the second day where the fever had been particularly nasty and Emma was sure she was going to die, Regina had sent her a stream of funny meme's, and when Emma still was feeling miserable after having looked at them all, Regina had pulled out 'the big shots'. She had sent a picture of herself. But not any old picture, oh no. In the picture she was wearing a bikini top. But that wasn't all. She had in fact drawn a big smiley face on her rapidly rounding belly. Emma had laughed so hard she had ended up coughing. That picture had quickly become her favorite one of Regina so far. In the caption, Regina had written: 'Blueberry is hoping for a speedy recovery!'. Emma had been highly, highly amused, and even more so when she called Regina later, and Regina revealed that she hadn't been able to wash the smiley face away yet. She had been busy at work, and the idea of Regina walking around and serving customers with a smiley face drawn on her belly, had made Emma laugh and cough even harder.
Regina had been so cute. She had acted all concerned. For once, she was the one asking a number of health questions. Not Emma. Pretty ironic. Emma had tried to ask about Blueberry, but Regina had brushed it off with the words: no, querida, we're talking about you. No belly-questions.'
So Emma had refrained from any 'belly-questions'. And she had actually enjoyed Regina's sweet concern. Where Neal had tended to be a bit dismissive and only ever offered a chaste kiss on the forehead and a 'feel better' when Emma was sick, Regina was completely opposite. She texted Emma regularly. Sometimes late at night too, and that was typically when Emma scolded her and reminded that Regina needed her rest. Regina claimed that she didn't, and so their friendly banter had taken Emma's mind off her pathetic state. Because she had been feeling miserable. The fever had been raging in her body and left her first freezing and then sweating like a pig. There had been a point where Emma was certain she was gonna die, that's how miserable she felt, but obviously she survived. And the first thing she did when feeling better, was asking Regina a million and one 'belly-questions'. One of the first questions being whether Regina had felt any movement yet. Regina hadn't. Not yet. But she was still struggling with interesting 'dreams and thoughts'. Emma had tried to feel bad for Regina, but really, she was more interested in hearing exactly what Regina's dreams consisted of. Regina had pointed out that Emma clearly felt better, and then she had mumbled something in Spanish. Something Emma had identified as being cheeky without knowing exactly what it meant.
"Emma?"
"Huh?" Emma looked up.
"This is your meeting, sweetie," her mom said gently.
"Oh. Right." Emma had been completely lost in her own thoughts about Regina. Now she came back to reality. And reality was that her parents were sitting and looking at her in expectation. Emma was reminded that she had a family-meeting to 'conduct'.
"Right," she said again and cleared her throat. "Well, the thing is," she began and tried to sound confident and sure of herself.
That was when Mary Margaret interrupted her. "Is everything okay, sweetie? Is it something with Regina?"
Emma quelled a smile as she shook her head and said no. For once, it wasn't something about Regina.
"Did something happen at work?" Mary Margaret probed.
"No, mom. Work is fine." just not enough anymore.
"Did you have a run in with Neal? Or Milah? Do I need to-"
"Mom, no," Emma interrupted and shook her head. "It has nothing to do with Neal or Milah."
"Mary Margaret, maybe we should let the kid talk," David chuckled.
"Right. Of course. I'm sorry," Mary Margaret said, shifting slightly in her seat. "It's just that it isn't usually Emma who calls for a family meeting."
Emma chuckled. That was true. Usually, Mary Margaret was the one who arranged the family meetings. Family meetings had been a thing even when Emma was a kid, and now that she was an adult and currently living at home, she willingly participated in said family meetings. They hadn't really been about anything that could potentially serious, though. Until now.
"Emma?" David gently prompted. "Go ahead, kiddo."
"Okay," Emma took a deep breath (what a luxury for someone who had been sounding like a sea lion a few days ago!). "First, I'd like to start out by telling you guys that there's absolutely nothing wrong, alright?"
"Alright," Mary Margaret said, immediately looking a bit calmer.
"But the thing is..." Emma licked her lips and told herself not to stall. God, why was this so hard? She wished that Regina had been with her. Emma could have needed a bit of moral support. She took another deep breath. This shouldn't be difficult. She was twenty eight years old. She had moved out once before. She could do it again. She had to pull herself together and just say it already. If she did that, it would be over in a flash. Quick and easy. Like ripping of a band aid. "The thing is, I think it's time for me to... move on," she said before the courage could desert her again.
"Oh," Mary Margaret said.
"And it's not because something is wrong," Emma said hastily. "It isn't because I haven't enjoyed living with you guys, it's been really good, but-"
"Emma," David chuckled. "You don't have to explain anything. Of course we understand why it's time for you to move out. It was good when you needed to catch your breath after everything that went down with-" his eyes narrowed, and he couldn't even say Neal's name. "The bastard. But now that you've found your feet again, you need to find your own place, of course you do."
"A place where you and Regina can have some privacy," Mary Margaret interjected.
"Right," Emma said and hoped her flushing cheeks would be chalked up to being the last remains of fever. The way her mom said it, made Emma suspect that she might have heard she and Regina giggle. Woops. Pretty embarrassing, but still, it could have been worse. Had her parents come home five minutes earlier- no. Emma did NOT want to think about what they potentially could have overheard then. The thought alone was too mortifying.
"Have you found an apartment then?" Mary Margaret asked briskly and interrupted Emma's train of thoughts.
"No, not yet," Emma said.
"Well, I can ask around if you want," David offered. "Which part of Storybrooke do you want to live in? Are you thinking near the forest or closer to the square?"
"Uhm, that's the other thing," Emma said and licked her lips. "I'm... I'm not gonna live in Storybrooke."
Now David and Mary Margaret actually looked shocked. David was frowning, and Mary Margaret's mouth had fallen open with a soft pop. "You're... You're not?" she asked quietly.
"No," Emma confirmed, reaching across the table and gently taking her mom's hand. "I know it's a lot, mom, and I'm sorry."
"No-no," Mary Margaret said automatically. "You've got nothing to apologize for, sweetie. I could sense that something was going on, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was."
Emma smiled a little. Of course her perceptive mom had had an inkling.
"Where will go?" David asked. "Boston?"
It made sense that that was the city he first landed on. Emma had lived in Boston once before during her college time. But Boston wasn't at the top of her list. "No," she said, shaking her head. "I was actually thinking more about California."
"California?!" David exclaimed.
"David," Mary Margaret said gently. And slightly scolding too.
"I'm sorry," David amended. "It's just... so far away from Storybrooke."
"I know," Emma said and chuckled slightly. "Scares the shit out of me too, but it's the place I wanna go. I'm not sure why, it just popped into my head. Beach. Sunshine. Palm trees. New horizons."
Mary Margaret nodded, but Emma could still see an ounce of doubt in her eyes, and it didn't take long before she squeezed Emma's hand and gently said: "Emma, honey, I have to ask... Does this have anything to do with Neal? To do with the fact that he's living here in Storybrooke?"
"No," Emma said and smiled. She completely understood why her mom had felt compelled to ask, and she wasn't one bit upset about it. "Neal might be a bastard, but he doesn't have the power to run me out of town. I've wanted to move for a while. Even when he and I was still together. But I knew that it wasn't what he wanted, so I sort of... forgot about it in a way, I guess. Storybrooke is great, it really is. I'm going to miss it like crazy when I leave, but I want more. I want more than just being a wedding photographer. I want the chance to photograph new horizons. Maybe open my own studio eventually." She took a breath. "I love Storybrooke. I love the square and Granny's Diner and everything. I like being a wedding photographer. It's a pretty solid job that pays good money, but it's becoming a habit for me. I wanna... I wanna be challenged a bit. In every way. And I'm afraid I might miss out on some opportunities if I stay here."
Mary Margaret looked at Emma for a moment. Then she chuckled. "What a speech, honey. You must have rehearsed that a few times."
"I might have," Emma admitted with a slight grin.
Now David and Mary Margaret looked at one another. David smiled at his wife and then looked back at Emma. "We understand."
"You do?" the surprise was obvious in Emma's voice.
"Emma, of course we do," Mary Margaret said and smiled at her. "It's gonna be hard not having you around all the time, but of course we understand that you need to do something else with your life. You're a wonderful photographer, and I don't like the idea of you wasting your abilities here if there's something bigger waiting for you in California."
"Yeah, Regina said something similar," Emma chuckled.
Mary Margaret tilted her head. "Regina knows?"
Oops. "She does," Emma admitted. "It sort of just... came up. As it did when I was with Belle and Ruby. Basically, I told everyone else before telling you guys. I'm sorry."
"Were you afraid to tell us?" David asked. He shook his head and laughed heartedly. "Emma, kiddo, we support you. No matter what. Well, almost. Unless it involves murder or breaking the law in some way, the answer's no, but otherwise..." he reached out and patted her hand. "You have our support. Always. Even if it involves moving away from Storybrooke."
"Thanks, guys," Emma smiled. Now she felt a bit silly. She should have just come clean about this weeks ago. Would have been so much easier.
"What does Regina think of it?" Mary Margaret asked.
"She supports me too. And she's more than up for visiting me in Cali." And potentially moving in someday, but Emma didn't say that out loud. There was no reason to mention it when it wasn't even a thing yet.
"Of course," Mary Margaret said in a tone that more than suggested that she hadn't expected anything else from Regina.
Emma felt very light. Not that she had been afraid of telling her parents or anything, of course not, but she had feared that this could end in tears. At least on her mom's part. But clearly, that was not how things would go down. "Right," Emma said and took a breath. "I'm really glad you guys are taking it so well."
"Well, we can't exactly lock you in a tower, can we?" David joked.
"You could. But I'd probably come up with a creative way to escape," Emma laughed.
"Or perhaps Regina would come and free you," David said wittily and added an extra layer to the joke.
"Oh my god!" now Emma was really laughing. Mainly because she could actually see that happen. And the idea of a pregnant Regina valiantly climbing the tower to save her was just a little too funny.
"She'd do it," David predicted with a chuckle.
"You know what, I think she would," Emma agreed.
"Both of you are silly!" Mary Margaret scolded. "Nobody is climbing any towers. And certainly not a pregnant woman!"
Both Emma and David laughed, and Emma immediately wanted to call Regina and tell her the good news. And she was grateful that Regina had pushed her a bit. Emma had been kind of a chicken when it came to telling her parents about her moving plans. But now everything was out in the open, and Emma couldn't be happier about it.
"Have you decided on what part of California you want to move to then?" David asked and pulled Emma out of her thoughts.
"I was thinking Laguna Beach, actually," Emma replied. "But that might just be a pipe dream..."
"That's ridiculous," Mary Margaret interrupted. "You need to have a little faith, Emma."
"Noted," Emma joked.
"We should go out and celebrate it," David said.
"Celebrate that I'm leaving you guys?" Emma teased.
"Of course not. Celebrate that you told us," he scowled. "Celebrate the next chapter that's waiting for you in California!"
"Let's not oversell-"
"That's a wonderful idea!" Mary Margaret chirped. "I'll book us a table at Granny's immediately!" she stood from her chair and glanced around after her cellphone.
"Mom, you're the mayor. You don't need to book a table," Emma pointed out.
"It would be impolite not to," her mother brushed her aside. "Ah, there's my phone." Without further ado, she turned her back on them and began dialing the number to Granny's Diner.
"Right then," Emma muttered and suffocated a grin. The conversation was clearly over now. But that was okay. Emma had pretty much said all she needed to say. She felt all light and happy. And with an intense urge to call Regina. She hadn't even done that today. Only texted earlier this morning where she had told Regina about her plans to break the news to her parents today. And Regina, that wonderful creature had of course said all the right things. Had assured Emma that everything would go just fine. And she had been right. Of course she was. Regina was seldom not right, Emma had started to realize.
She flashed her father a smile as she rose from the chair and then excused herself to go upstairs. She really needed to talk to Regina. She was eager to tell Regina about it, and she was even more eager to hear about Regina's shopping trip. Because that was what Regina was doing today. Shopping for new clothes. Jeans, to be specific. She had grown out of her old jeans, and she claimed that she couldn't wear dresses in Storybrooke. The weather wasn't warm enough. And she was probably right about that.
There was a certain bounce in Emma's steps as she walked up the stairs, and she was pleased to discover something. That twinge of panic and 'oh my god, oh my god, oh my god', she had been feeling every time she thought about California was gone. It was real now, but in a very good way. The best kind of way. She actually just wanted to run upstairs and start googling beach houses, but she wasn't gonna do that. First, there was her birthday and then there was the trip to New York to show that gallery owner her pictures. First things first. She reminded herself to hold her horses. At least that was what her mom always said. Emma chuckled slightly to herself and shook her head.
Once upstairs, Emma found her phone and dialed Regina's number. Waited not-so-patiently until...
"Hola, querida!"
"Hola, beautiful girl," Emma smiled. "How are you doing?"
"I'm good, how are you?" Regina asked, and Emma immediately noticed how upbeat and bubbly she sounded. That was awesome!
"I'm doing good too," Emma assured. "How's the shopping coming along?"
"It's... coming. Buying jeans is a lot harder than I expected," Regina huffed. "Finding a size that fits me is tricky."
"Oh, man. I wish I was there to help you."
"Sí, I wish that too. But I'll manage," Regina said briskly. "Now tell me... How did the talk with your parents go?"
"Awesome," Emma said relieved and truthfully. "They could understand why I wanted to leave Storybrooke. No tears, no drama."
"Really? That's fantastic, querida," Regina said. "Hold on!"
"Okay," Emma half-chuckled and wondered what Regina was doing. She could hear some shuffling in the other end. And music. Loud music. And Regina saying something in Spanish. Emma chuckled again. What was going on?
"Sorry about that," Regina said after a second. "The place's a bit crowded today."
"Where are you?" Emma curiously inquired.
"I'm in the mall. Which I now regret. It's full of people," Regina complained and groaned. "And the changing rooms are too hot."
"You're in a changing room right now?"
"Sí."
"Does that mean you found a pair of jeans?"
"Sí. Or, I'm trying," Regina sighed. "I normally like jeans, but that elastic waistband thing..."
"You'll make elastic waistband look hella sexy," Emma said confidently and tried not to get carried away at the idea of Regina wearing jeans. Emma had a certain weakness for Regina in jeans. She had been wearing jeans a handful of times when she was in Storybrooke, and Emma was still getting palpitations just from thinking about it.
"I don't know about that. But I do know that I've deserved a milkshake after this."
"Milkshake?" Emma echoed and chuckled. "Is that a thing now?"
"Sí, I think it might be."
"And..." Emma lowered her voice as she continued: "how is it going with the-thing-we-don't-talk-about?" meaning Regina's sex drive. Even the word 'sex' could make Regina feel all 'hot and bothered' she had said, so Emma made a silly point of never saying the word. That always amused Regina, and thus also today. She chuckled.
"It's... going," Regina said, and Emma heard more shuffling. "I might have had... another late night last night."
"Good," Emma said simply. "You just do whatever you need to do to stay comfortable, babe."
"I'd rather have you do it."
Emma chuckled at the bold words. "Me, too. Definitely. But until then..."
"I'll have to settle," Regina said, clearly only partially joking, and Emma heard the sound of something falling onto the floor. "Mierda," Regina said quietly.
Emma chuckled again. "Exactly what are you doing right now?"
"I'm trying on those jeans," Regina huffed, strained.
"So... does that mean you're in your knickers right now?" Emma teased.
"Yes, querida, that's what it means. And stop teasing me. I've used the word 'knickers' one time."
"And it was adorable."
"Cállate," Regina grumbled.
"Rude, much," Emma laughed. "If you were here, I'd totally do something about your attitude..."
"Oh yeah? ¿Me vas a azotar?" Regina said sultrily and lowly.
Emma groaned. "That's not fair. You know I've no idea what that means!"
Now Regina was the one who was laughing. "Let's just say, it means something I normally wouldn't say in a changing room..."
"Okay, now I REALLY wanna know!"
"Not telling," Regina teased and then groaned slightly once more. "!Dios! Okay, there we are. I did it!"
"Did what?"
"Zipped the jeans," Regina said triumphantly. "And they're actually not that bad."
"I'm sure they're not. You look like a million bucks in them."
"Querida, you can't possibly know that," Regina laughed. "You haven't seen me in them!"
"No, but I'm going to, aren't I?" Emma pointed out.
"That's true. I think I actually might buy these," Regina said. "They're quite comfortable. And the stretchy waistband is something I have to live with. As long as Blueberry's comfortable, right?"
"Mmm," Emma said fondly and felt her insides melt just a little. "How's Blue doing, by the way?"
"Still no kicking," Regina said, ever so patiently. She of course already knew that was what Emma was asking her.
"Okay, okay," Emma grinned. "Had to ask."
Regina laughed with her. "I'll let you know as soon as anything happens, querida, you know that."
"Yeah. You're going to work tonight, aren't you?"
"Sí," Regina confirmed. "I am. Late shift. But that's okay."
"You're sure?" Emma didn't particularly like the idea of her pregnant girlfriend being on her feet all night.
"Of course," Regina assured with another soft chuckle, and Emma heard some more shuffling. Was Regina in the middle of taking off her jeans? Dear god...
"And what plans do you have for tonight, mi amor?" Regina asked briskly and interrupted Emma's stream of less-than-PG thoughts.
"My mom suggested dinner at Granny's," Emma replied. "To celebrate my 'new chapter in California.'"
"That sounds really nice," Regina said yearningly. "I'm sorry I can't be there with you."
"Yeah, me too, but you'll be here soon enough," Emma said firmly. Really, if she squinted and adopted her mom's over positive way of thinking, she could force herself into believing that it wouldn't be that long before she and Regina would be together again. Long distance was freaking hard.
"For your birthday," Regina said softly. "Tell me, have you changed your mind about that, by the way?"
"Not a chance," Emma grinned. "I still just want to have a nice, quiet day in with you."
"But it's your birthday, querida!" Regina protested. "We have to do SOMETHING special!"
"You being here will be plenty specia-"
"At least let me take you out for dinner," Regina interrupted. "Like you did with me."
"Will you buy me a cupcake too?" Emma said goofily. "And sing 'happy birthday' for me?"
"I'll even do it in Spanish if you want."
"Deal," Emma chuckled and lowered her voice to a whisper as she continued: "and what about the... after-celebration? Is that something that can happen too? I have the fondest memories of how we wrapped up YOUR birthday, beautiful girl..."
"Sí, I remember that too," Regina said, now definitely longingly. "That was a good night. The best birthday I've ever had."
"Was it the food, the desert or the... you-know-what?" Emma asked and grinned mischievously.
"All of it," Regina said firmly. "But the 'after-celebration' was definitely..."
"Yeah," Emma said simply. It most definitely was. She and Regina had had a lot of very (very!) good sex, but the sex they'd had on Regina's birthday had been particularly mind blowing.
"You're going to eat a burger for me tonight, right?" Regina said, and Emma had to grin at the way she not so subtly was changing the subject.
"Of course," Emma vowed.
"And think of me while I work hard," Regina continued, now jokingly.
"Oh, I'll definitely do that. And then I'll wish that I could be there to rub your feet when you come home."
"Oooh," Regina cooed. "I'll definitely ask you to do that when I see you again."
"Done," Emma chuckled. "How did those jeans come along, by the way?"
"I'll buy them," Regina replied. "They're comfortable, and I can see myself walk around in them. I'll just have to live with the waistband."
"I can't wait to see you in those jeans," Emma smiled. She had a feeling that Regina looked incredible in them. "What are you gonna do now?"
"For starters, I'm gonna pay for the jeans," Regina quipped. "And then I'm getting out of this mall as fast as possible."
"And buy a milkshake?" Emma teased in the sweetest way possible.
"Sí," Regina said mock-seriously. "Don't you think I've deserved it, querida?"
"Absolutely. You've been working hard."
Regina's sweet laughter filled Emma's ears, and she felt incredibly tempted to buy a plane ticket to Madrid right then and there. She brushed a lock of hair away from her face and smiled. Even with an ocean between them, Regina could easily melt her heart.
"I've literally done zero work today, mi amor," Regina pointed out.
"Sure you have," Emma said. "You are... growing something. Every single day. That's pretty hard work, babe."
"Quit making cry!" Regina scolded. "I'm a pregnant woman. My body is full of hormones!"
"Sorry," Emma said quickly. "Just... ignore me." shit, she had to get better at this! Regina was enormously sensitive now, and it didn't take much to make her cry. A sweet comment or a cat commercial. Yesterday she had cried about a tub of ice cream. Simply because she was happy to find it in her fridge. Emma had tried really not to laugh about that. At least until Regina herself had started laughing. Then it had been really hard not to...
That evening, Emma and her parents went to Granny's to have dinner. Mary Margaret insisted upon ordering wine for all of them, and then they toasted to 'Emma's California dream'. At least that was what David had called it, and Emma laughed heartedly and didn't disagree with him, but...
"Guys, I have to wait and see how everything will go in New York," she reminded her parents.
"And why wouldn't it go well?" her mom scoffed. "You're a wonderful photographer, sweetie. Otherwise the owner of the gallery wouldn't have contacted you, would she?"
"No, I suppose not," Emma said, suffocating a smile. That was exactly what Regina had said too. She and Mary Margaret were pretty alike. Both of them so optimistic. That was one of the reasons why Emma loved Regina. Her adorable optimism. And her impressive ability to bounce back when things were tough. She had sounded so happy when they had spoke on the phone today. And she had looked so happy too. When Regina had left the mall, they had facetimed, and Emma had enviously watched as Regina sipped her strawberry milkshake on a little pavement café. Regina had been wearing a white sundress. Her hair had been gathered in a soft bun on top of her head, and her cheeks had almost been glowing in the sunlight. Emma had said many goofy things about wanting to reach through the screen and touch Regina. Regina had laughed so beautifully. Emma's heart had been aching, and it still was. Spain was so very far away. Regina was so very far away. Regina and Blueberry. They had been talking a lot about Blueberry too, and Regina had consistently referred to 'Blue' as 'he'. She was definitely growing more and more comfortable in her pregnancy, and she rocked it! The first weeks of morning sickness had been replaced by sparkling eyes and glowing cheeks. Regina was quite literally blossoming before Emma's very eyes. She had never looked happier. Or healthier.
Emma was happy too. So, so happy. Regina deserved stability, and that was what she had now. A plan for the future. And her father's support. Emma was sure that was what made Regina feel so good. That Henry hadn't turned her away because she was pregnant. That he was nothing like Cora at all.
Cora. Just thinking about her, made Emma pissed, so she took a sip of her wine, a bite of her burger and smiled at her parents.
David returned the smile. "When you find that beach house, make sure it's one with three bedrooms. Your mom and I still want to come and bother you."
"David!" Mary Margaret scolded.
But Emma laughed. "Sure, I'll remember that, dad. Don't worry. And I WANT you and mom to come and bother me. All the time."
"All the time, kiddo," her dad confirmed and patted her hand. "I'm proud of you."
"For what?" Emma asked and tilted her head. "I haven't done anything, dad."
"You're taking a huge leap by moving," her dad said. "You've gone from expecting yourself to live a white picket fence life in the town you grew up in to moving to California-"
"I haven't moved anywhere yet."
"-You taking a step into the unknown," David finished his sentence, non plussed by Emma's interruption. "That's brave, and so, I'm proud of you."
"Thanks, dad. Let's see how long I'll last in Cali," Emma joked.
"Emma," Mary Margaret scoffed and rolled her green eyes. "What did I tell you abut being so hard on yourself?"
"I was just kidding, mom," Emma chuckled. "Relax."
"I will not," Mary Margaret brushed her off. "I will not listen to you bringing yourself down, not even as a joke..."
Emma zoned out when the door to the diner opened and Neal stepped in. She wasn't particularly bothered by it. Actually not at all. Neal could come to the diner if he wanted to. Emma harbored no feelings for her ex-fiancé. Not even hatred. She just... didn't care. Which was pretty amazing, really. To think that she no longer cared about the man she was supposed to marry, the man she once loved, the man who hurt her so gruesomely. She should be wanting to bash his head in. But she didn't. Not anymore. Neal was a part of her past. And Emma was not going that way. She was going onwards. With Regina.
But still, Emma observed her ex-fiancé as he found a boot in the corner of the diner. To be brutally honest, he looked like shit. His hair had grown into a long, unkempt mess. His cheeks were stubbly. It had probably been weeks since he last shaved. Even his clothes looked terrible. Baggy sweatpants and hoodie. He looked terrible. Emma checked herself. Did she feel maliciously happy because of it? No. But she didn't feel concerned either. She felt... nothing. Absolutely nothing for the man who had been a part of her life for so long. Strange. A few weeks ago, she gladly would have ripped his head off. Now he wasn't worthy of her anger.
"Are you okay?" Mary Margaret asked as she leaned in. She had clearly noticed Emma's lingering gaze on Neal.
"Yes," Emma said and smiled. And she was. She took a bite of her burger. Neal's presence did not bother her in the slightest. She had nothing more to say to him. Nothing whatsoever. He was slowly but steadily turning into a stranger. And that was exactly how Emma wanted things to be.
"Then I think we should toast again," David said with a smile. "To Emma's upcoming plans!"
"To California," Mary Margaret agreed and raised her glass.
"California!" Emma smiled, lifting her own glass and clinking it with her parents'. This was something close to the perfect night. The only thing missing was Regina, but Emma had received a selfie from her earlier. One that her made her laugh loudly. Regina had changed into 'work clothes' for the occasion. She had been wearing a goofy smile and a t-shirt saying 'loading, please wait'. Of course Emma had understood the meaning right away, and she had been thoroughly amused by it. And happy. The t-shirt had been a clear sign of Regina growing more and more comfortable in her pregnancy.
"Laguna Beach, was it?" David asked and interrupted Emma's train of thoughts. He was sitting with his phone.
"Yup," Emma confirmed, grinning because she knew that her dad was planning on googling Laguna Beach. He wanted to see pictures. He always did.
"Alright, let's see..." he tapped on his phone for a moment and then he whistled quietly. "Wow, that looks really nice, Emma!"
"It does," Emma laughed. "Let's keep our fingers crossed that I'll actually end up there."
"When you do, we'll come and visit you," Mary Margaret said firmly, leaning in to look over her husband's shoulder. "Just look at that ocean!"
"Maybe your mother wants to move with you," David joked.
Emma chuckled and shook her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Neal clench his fist. The diner wasn't particularly loud tonight, so maybe there was a chance he had heard what they were talking about. Emma didn't care. So what if he heard about her plans about moving to California? Pretty soon everybody would find out.
Ruby emerged from behind the counter and greeted the Swan family on her way over to Neal's table. Her tone was clipped, bordering on chilly when she asked him what she could do for him tonight. Emma suffocated her amusement. Good old Ruby. She would never treat Neal like the rest of her customers. Her anger ran far too deep for that. She had threatened to spit in Neal's drink several times already, but Emma had laughingly begged her not to. She didn't want Ruby to get in trouble at work, but still, it amused her that Ruby could even think of it.
Emma glanced at Neal. No doubt it was an uphill battle when your ex-fiancés best friend just so happened to work at the town diner. That had amused Regina too, and she had applauded Ruby's suggestion about spitting in Neal's drink. In return, Emma had called Regina a 'wicked girl', and Regina had first smirked but then blushed profusely.
Emma smiled at Ruby as she passed their table again. Disappeared behind the counter to return with a mug of beer for Neal. Emma shot a glance at her former fiancé. His gaze was a little unfocused. Emma suspected that he was already tipsy. Had he always been so fond of beer?
The answer was yes. Emma just hadn't been able to see it before because she was still wearing rose tinted glasses when it came to him. But now that those glasses had come off, she had no problem with acknowledging that Neal actually had been VERY fond of beer during the time they had known each other. Fond of beer and fond of the Rabbit Hole. Many a night, Emma had called him only to discover that he was 'at the bar with the guys'. Emma thoughtfully took a small sip of her wine. It had been a while since she last had seen Neal's 'guys'. She wondered what had happened there. Had he ditched them? Had they ditched him? Emma didn't know, but she did know that she was witnessing Neal's downfall. He looked like shit. Emma didn't feel sorry for him. She felt nothing. Not for him, nor Tamara. She hadn't thought about her former wedding planner for a long, long time. But one thing was certain... She did not feel guilty for getting Tamara sacked. Even though Emma had been pissed and perhaps not completely in her right mind when she made that phone call to Tamara's boss, she still felt like she had done the right thing. You couldn't exactly call yourself a wedding planner when you were one of the reasons the wedding fell apart, could you? And who said that Tamara wouldn't do this again? Maybe this kind of thing was a sport for her. Maybe she was getting a kick out of seducing the husbands-to-be. Maybe she enjoyed seeing how far she could take things.
"How was Regina doing today?" Mary Margaret asked and interrupted Emma's musings about Tamara.
"Oh, she was doing great," Emma gushed, always happy to talk about the woman who always was on her mind. The woman who was a bit too far away for her liking right now. "Which reminds me..." she fumbled for a second and then found her phone. She was grinning from ear to ear as she showed her mom the picture of Regina in the 'loading, please wait' t-shirt. Mary Margaret chuckled softly. "She looks wonderful. I must say that pregnancy really suits her."
"I know, right!" Emma said, gushing once more. She couldn't help it. Regina looked so darn sweet with the little bump.
"Is everything still okay?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Yeah, it is," Emma confirmed. She knew what her mother meant. The Robin-Marian-Cora-situation. Regina hadn't seen either of them for a long time, and Emma felt as relieved as Mary Margaret looked. And then the blonde grinned. She loved how much her mom worried about her 'daughter-in-law'. It was positively adorable.
"We're looking forward to seeing her again," David smiled.
"Me, too!" Emma grinned. This was somewhat close to the perfect night. Emma felt as light as a feather as she took a sip of her wine...
A few hours later, one very happy and a bit tired Emma Swan was getting ready to go to bed. She felt a bit woozy like she always did after she'd had wine, but that was okay. Tonight had been a very good night. It felt awesome, having finally told her parents about her big plans. And it was even more awesome knowing that they supported her a hundred percent. Emma was going to miss them when she moved away from Storybrooke, but they would facetime all the time. She would come home as often as she could, and her parents could visit her in California too. Emma hoped they would. God knows her mom sometimes needed a vacation from mayoring. She took her position very seriously, and she was a damn good mayor, but sometimes she pushed herself a little too much because she wanted to please everybody. Emma and her dad had often talked about that. Emma hoped that her move to California would be an excuse for her mom to take the vacation she so desperately needed.
Emma smoothened the flannel pajama bottoms over her legs and slipped into bed. Ahh. Finally. It felt wonderful to lie down. Her head was a little... spinny after the wine she'd had earlier. She couldn't hold her liquor anymore. She was getting old. Emma chuckled to herself. If Regina was here, she probably would have scolded Emma for calling herself old. Regina. As Emma closed her eyes, she imagined what Regina was doing right now. All curled up in bed wearing a stolen tanktop and one hand cradling her growing belly like it so often did. Or maybe- Emma grinned mischievously to herself now- Regina's sleep was a bit more fitful tonight. Maybe she was having another one of her dreams. If that was the case, Emma would hear about it tomorrow, and she couldn't wait. Couldn't wait to hear Regina's voice go low and loaded with double meaning. If they facetimed, Regina would a hundred percent tug her hair behind her ear. She always did that when they were talking about 'certain things' as she called it. Emma missed talking to her about 'certain things' face to face. The weeks before she and Regina would be together again seemed to stretch out like a long and difficult road full of bumps in front of Emma. She missed her girlfriend terribly. So terribly she was almost on the verge of texting Regina right now, but she knew she couldn't do that. Regina was pregnant and needed her rest. She'd had a long day with shopping and working at the bar. And plus, they had already said goodnight. Regina always send a silly selfie from her apartment when she got home. Just to let Emma know that she had come home safe and sound. Emma appreciated it. As she appreciated tonight's selfie. Regina had been wearing the 'stolen' tanktop. Her hair had been down, and she had been wearing no makeup. The newest selfie of Regina was officially Emma's new favorite picture of her. One amongst many. Deep down, Emma knew that she never could pick just one picture of Regina and claim it to be her favorite. That would be ridiculous.
Emma stretched in bed and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She should have put it up before going to bed, but she had been entirely too lazy. If Regina had been here, she would have played with Emma's hair. She had a thing for Emma's hair. Emma liked to tease Regina and say that she had a thing for blonde hair in particular, but so far, Regina had never confirmed nor denied it.
A deep, content sigh escaped Emma as she rolled onto her back. The wine had made her feel all fuzzy and happy. But it wasn't just the wine. It was because everything was going so well. She had told her parents what was going on. She had actively made the first, tiny step towards California. There would be many, many more steps before she would find herself at the beach, she dreamed of being in, but this made for a good beginning. But she wasn't just feeling warm and fuzzy because everything was working out for her. She was feeling warm and fuzzy because everything was working out for Regina too. Regina was thriving. Physically and mentally. She wasn't feeling nauseous or tired anymore. Nor was she concerned about the future. Not anymore. She had a plan. Emma was so, so happy for her girlfriend. If there was something Regina deserved, it was stability. Lots of it.
Rustle-rustle-rustle.
Emma opened one eye. What was that? It definitely seemed to come from outside. But it couldn't have been the wind. It wasn't windy at all tonight. Had they maybe forgotten to close the gate when they walked back from Granny's? Emma quickly checked her memory. No, they had definitely closed the gate. Her mom always made a point of closing the gate every time they had been out. One of her biggest pet peeves was when the gate was clack-clack-clacking during windy nights.
Rustle-rustle-rustle.
There was that sound again. It seemed to be getting louder, but Emma had to admit that it didn't sound like the gate. Maybe it was an animal then? A fox or that big-ass cat sometimes came to visit them late at night? 'Monster', as Emma had christened the cat always went through their thrash, and Emma groaned because she probably was the only one awake right now, and if it really was the cat, it meant that she had to get out of bed, go outside and prevent him from going through their thrash and scattering it all over the lawn.
Rustle-rustle-rustle.
"Fuck!" Emma cussed. "Damn cat!" now she definitely had no choice but to leave her warm 'nest' and go check out what that fucking noise was about. She didn't want her parents to wake up to thrash covering the lawn just because she had been too much of a lazy ass to go and take care of it.
Rustle-rustle-rustle!
"Alright, alright! I'm comin'!" Emma complained as she reluctantly sat up in bed and brushed her hair away from her face. Then she groaningly came to a standing position and forced herself to pad across the soft carpet and over to the window.
The motion light sensor was on in the front yard. Even through the curtains Emma could see that. So something was definitely out there.
"Damn cat!" Emma exclaimed and immediately grinned meekly to herself because she sounded like a grumpy old lady. Had Regina been here, she would have been amused at that too.
With a groan that definitely sounded like an old lady's, Emma yanked the curtains aside, fully expecting to see that smug asshole of a cat roaming through their thrash. Oh yes, there was definitely something out there. But what she found in their front yard, half laying in one of her mother's bushes was not that big, red cat. It wasn't even a nosy fox.
It was Neal.
To Be Continued...
Spanish translations:
Cállate= Shut up.
¿Me vas a azotar?= Are you going to spank me?