Chapter Fifty-Eight: Confessions
The room was dark when Emma woke up, except for the faint light of the moon picking through the window. Regina was sleeping next to her, making those adorable little snoring sounds that Emma loved to the core. She had a lock of hair draped on her eyes, and Emma gently tucked it in behind her ear. Regina didn't even stir and Emma took a moment to watch her sleep. God, she was absolutely beautiful. And she loved her so much that it hurts.
Emma pushed the sheets away and walked to the big window in Regina's bedroom. She couldn't bring herself to go back to sleep anymore, and she was afraid to wake Regina if she kept running her fingers on her face. She sat down on top of the window sill and looked out the street outside. Everything was calm and silent outside and that brought her some sort of peace. She knew she should regret what she did the day before, but she couldn't bring herself to it. She should have hit him more, he deserved it. But she did regret hurting Regina in the process. She regretted the way she spoke with her, the position she put her in. Emma knew Regina loved her as much as she loved Regina, but sometimes she couldn't help wonder what would be the thing she did that would finally be enough for her. She looked at Regina in bed and smiled. Regina was right, she's an idiot. She loved her. They loved each other. Regina had been by her side for every storm, not even once letting go of her hand. It was selfish of her to have thoughts like that popping into her mind. It wasn't fair to put Regina in that position. Regina would never leave her for something she did in her past. She would never judge her for it. She loved Emma, her past didn't matter.
- What are you doing there? – Regina asked pulling Emma out of her thoughts.
- Hey – Emma said – Did I wake you?
- In a way, I supposed – Regina said – I turned to hug you and your side of the bed was cold.
- I'm sorry! – Emma said sheepishly.
- Come here!
Emma rose from the window sill and walked back to bed nesting her body with Regina's who gently ran her fingers down Emma's hair. They stayed like that for a while, just feeling each other's body, relishing the gentles touches. It was Regina who broke the silence.
- How are you feeling?
- My hand hurts a little – Emma said – The lip is better than it looks.
- And mentally? – Regina asked.
- I'm ashamed!
- You shouldn't – Regina said firmly – It's not your fault, Emma.
- How did he get that? – Emma asked looking up at Regina – I was nineteen, It was ten years ago.
- I don't know – Regina said – But we should be prepared for something else.
- Like what?
- He might press charges against you – Regina said – You did assault him.
- Oh, great!
- It will be okay.
- Thank you – Emma said – I don't deserve you, Regina.
- You do! – Regina said – You deserve everything good in the world, Emma. Don't ever doubt that.
- I…
Emma started to say but she was interrupted by the sound of Regina's alarm clock. Regina stretched her whole body in bed until her hand reached the phone. She tapped on it to stop the noise.
- I have to get up – Regina said.
- No, you don't.
- I would love to stay in bed with you – Regina said – But I need to get ready and then get Henry ready and drive him to school…
- I can do that – Emma said – I can drive him to school and pick him up later.
- You don't have to do that!
- I want to – Emma said – It's not like I have other things to do anyway.
- It's only temporary.
- I know! – Emma said – What are we going to tell him about my face?
- I don't know – Regina answered her – You could tell him you got hurt in school. It's not a total lie.
- He is going to ask how – Emma smirked – That kid likes a good gossip.
- He didn't get that for me – Regina said and smile – Say your face collided with something sharp. Again, it's not exactly a lie.
- I like the way you think, Mills.
- I am still a lawyer you know – Regina said – Just because I rarely practice nowadays it doesn't mean I don't have the mojo anymore.
- Do you ever think about coming back? – Emma asked – Being a lawyer?
- I don't think so, no – Regina said – I like teaching. I know I could do both, but, I'm comfortable, money-wise. I prefer having free time for Henry…and you.
- Yeah? – Emma said grinning – And what do you like to do in your free time with me?
- Mmmmm… Perhaps I'll show you later.
- I can't wait.
Emma smiled and lay her head down again between Regina's breast. The gentle touch of her fingers upon Emma's scalp nearly made her fall asleep again. She probably would if it wasn't for the sound of her own alarm clock coming from her phone now. Regina kissed the top of her head before leaving the bed, going to the bathroom. Emma, for her part, put on pajama pants, to cover her bare legs and went straight to Henry's bedroom. It nearly broke her heart, having to wake him up. He looked so peaceful in his sleep.
- Hey, kid – Emma said gently shaking his shoulder – It's time to wake up, kiddo.
- I'm not going today, thank you – Henry mumbled.
- I don't think you have a choice – Emma laughed – Come on.
- Nooo! - Henry whined a little bit more before turning around in bed to face Emma – Oh my God. What happened to your face?
- I had a little accident at school – Emma said – Come on, kid. Get up!
- What kind of accident? – He asked eying her face.
- I crashed against something sharp – Emma said remembering Regina's words – Now, get ready! I'm driving you to school today.
- Okay!
Emma messed his hair before leaving his bedroom. She walked downstairs to the kitchen and started making breakfast. The first thing she did, was Regina's coffee. Then, she moved on to make the eggs and bacon. By the time Regina and Henry entered the kitchen, breakfast was ready. She drove Henry to school that morning, the boy kept asking questions about how exactly she had hurt her hand and face and Emma kept on giving him evasive answers. By the time she arrived at the kid's school, she was relieved to let him go. After she made sure Henry was inside, Emma drove back to the mansion. She started out to clean the kitchen, deciding to wash the dishes by hand instead of putting them inside the dish wash. She had just finished cleaning everything up when she heard the doorbell rang and she could honestly say she was surprised by the person she saw when she opened the door.
- Mrs. Mills!
- Hello, dear.
- Regina is not home!
- I know dear. I came here to talk to you.
- Oh – Emma said surprised and slightly suspicious – Come on in.
Cora entered the house and walked ahead of Emma in the direction of Regina's office as if she owned the place. Emma closed the door behind her and followed the woman. When she entered the office, Cora was sat on the armchair and so, Emma sat down on the sofa in front of the older woman.
- Can I offer you anything to drink? – Emma asked politely.
- No, dear. I'm fine.
- Look, I know what you came here to say – Emma said – And you were right. You said I would ruin Regina's life and…
- I didn't come here to say that – Cora said cutting Emma off.
- Then what did you come for?
- I know about what happened to you at the University yesterday.
- You do? – Emma asked – How? Did Regina tell you?
- No, she did not – Cora said – But I believe what happened to you is partially my fault.
- How was that your fault?
- I will tell you that but first, I need to tell you a story.
- What story? – Emma asked.
- Mine!
- O-okay!
Emma said sounding just as confused as she was feeling inside at that moment. She shifted more comfortably on the couch and patiently waited for the older woman to start talking again.
- I met Regina's father when I was sixteen years old. You see, I'm from the countryside, Miss Swan. My father owned a small piece of land where we could barely produce enough food for us to eat. And still, we had to sell part of everything we produce in a farmer's market on the side of the road.
- You were poor? – Emma asked surprised.
- Very much so, dear – Cora said – I was with my father on our stand the day I met Henry. He was with a few friends and they all came to my stand. Henry was very kind to me, but the girl he was with, Ava, I will never forget that name, she was…excuse my language, but she was a bitch.
- Oh – Emma laughed and then she saw the look on Cora's face – I'm sorry.
- She humiliated me in front of her friends, just for fun, I suppose. I will never forget what she told me.
- What did she tell you?
- That's irrelevant – Cora said harshly – But she and her friends were less than kind to me except for Henry. He apologized for his friend's behavior and then the five of them walked away. Later that day, I was in the car with my father, he had this old truck that for the life of me I do not know how that thing worked, but it always did and, on our way, home we saw a car parked on the side of the road. My father stopped the truck and that's when I saw it was Henry and his friends. Their car had broken down. My father offered to drive them home and I made Ava and her friends go on the back of the truck that was loaded with manure.
- That does sound like you! – Emma said laughing imagining the scene.
- On the next day, Henry showed up at the stand. We talked for a while and he thanked me and my father for the lift. And then he kept showing up every day until one day he asked me out on a date. You know what, dear? I think I'm going to need that water now!
- Oh, yeah, sure – Emma said – I'll be right back!
Emma rose from the couch and walked quickly to the kitchen. She was curious to hear the rest of Cora's story and even more curious to know what did it got to do with what happened between her and Killian. Emma took a bottle of water from the fridge and then opened a cabinet to take a glass before walking back to the office. She placed both items in front of Cora and said:
- I don't know where Regina keeps the trays.
- It's alright, dear – Cora said and opened the water bottle poring half the content onto the glass, taking a sip – So, where was I?
- Henry asked you out on a date!
- Right! – Cora said – I said yes, of course and everything was wonderful until the day I met his mother. Let's just say that what I did to you it was a ride in the park compared to what she did to me. She humiliated me in front of a lot of people at a dinner party. Including Ava, who couldn't stop laughing.
- What did she do? – Emma asked.
- Again, irrelevant.
- Okay…
- But Henry was stubborn. I tried to push him away but he didn't give up. He kept on saying that he didn't care where I came from. Regina has much of her father, I supposed – Cora said and Emma smiled – We decided to get merry, in secret, he was twenty and I had just turned seventeen. His family was furious. They deserted him and we both came to live on my father's farm. The work was hard there, but Henry never complaint. He always told me he was as happy as he could be because he had me.
- That's very sweet – Emma said.
- Yes. But it wasn't always like that, as you can imagine – Cora said – My father died a year after that, and I inherit his property. I didn't want that life for me anymore so we sold the farm and moved into the city. We bought an old house with the money and repaired everything ourselves. Then we opened our first inn.
- Wow, that is… - Emma started to say.
- Stop interrupting me, dear!
- Sorry! – Emma said embarrassed again.
- The inn was successful, but not enough for us to make a real profit. And then when I got pregnant with Zelena, things were complicated for a while.
Cora stopped talking and took another sip of the water. Emma wanted to tell her to keep talking, but she didn't want to risk Cora stopping altogether, so, she waited, tapping her fingers on the couch nervously.
- When Zelena was three, Henry's mother dies and he inherited all of her fortunes. Everything went to him and suddenly we were rich. Henry didn't want the money at first but I convinced him otherwise. I told him to think about our daughters and that's how he found out I was pregnant with Regina. We used the money and bought a bigger property and opened our first Hotel. I told him to use his family name to attract more clients but he refused to do so. He said his family name was mine. You see, Mills isn't Henry's last name. It's mine. And we build an empire under my name.
- That's…That's incredible Mrs. Mills, but I…I still don't understand what does that got to do with me.
- You see, dear, power has a way to get inside your heart and consumed you – Cora said – We were successful in our business, and the more money I made the more I wanted to make. I wanted everything around me to be perfect, and so, I drove everything around me hard, including my daughters. I never wanted them to experience what I did, I wouldn't accept anything but perfection coming from my girls. What I realize now is that by pushing them so hard I have become the one person I hated the most in the world. Henry's mother!
- Well, at least you don't do it in public – Emma tried to joke.
- Yes, dear. I despise making a scene.
- Why did you tell me all of that?
- I'm not sure, to be honest – Cora said – I supposed it's because I feel guilty for what that despicable excuse of a man did to you. As I said, I despise a scene.
- What did you do, Cora? – Emma asked softly.
- I hire a person to erase every trace of your past – Cora said – If you and my daughter were to continue with this insanity, I couldn't have your past coming at us. The man I hired, his name was Brennan Jones. Killian's father!
- What? – Emma asked eyes widened.
- Obviously, Miss Swan, I had no idea about your involvement with the boy – Cora said – I would never have hired him if I knew.
- That's how he got the picture – Emma said – Shit!
- I do apologize for my mistake – Cora said.
- How did you find out about it?
- I called the Dean to talk about a donation to the law department and casually asked about the meeting with my daughter – Cora said – And he told me she canceled the meeting and about the…hooker problem he was having. His words, not mine.
- Asshole!
- I agree.
- Thank you – Emma said – For telling me that. All of it.
- I'm not done, dear!
- No?
- No! – Cora said – I want you to know that I will crush them like a cockroach. You are in my daughter's life now, and it would seem you are not going to go away any time soon, so I guess that makes us family now.
- Did you….did you just call me family?
- And pay attention, Miss Swan – Cora said – I will do much worse to you if you ever break my daughter's heart.
- Oh, I believe you.
- Very well – Cora said – It's time for me to go now.
- I'll walk you to the door.
They both rose from their seats and walked silently to the door. Emma ran a little ahead of Cora to hold the door open for the older woman.
- Thank you – Emma said – For telling me…well, everything.
- I'm sorry, Miss Swan – Cora said – I misjudged you from the beginning. I have become the person I despised the most. To you, yes, but especially my daughters.
- They are both amazing, Mrs. Mills – Emma said – You raised them well.
- I'm afraid that's all Henry's doing, dear – Cora said - Not mine.
- True, but, they have big hearts – Emma said – Big enough to forgive.
- Let's hope so – Cora said – Goodbye, Miss Swan.
- You know, you can call me Emma, right?
- Miss Swan will do just fine, dear.
Emma laughed and close the door after Cora drove away. She walked back to Regina's study and poured herself a glass of the apple cider Regina was so fond of. She crashed down on the couch thinking about what had just happened. Did that really happened or was she still sleeping? Emma pinched her arm and regretted it immediately when the pain hit her. But at least now she knew she was actually awake and that indeed, Cora Mills was not only civil to her but she also had called her family. Emma wanted to grab her phone and call Regina to tell her about what had happened, but, she didn't want to disturb her at work. Emma distracted herself by making lunch. When it was time, she went to Henry's school to pick him up. The boy, fortunately, had given up asking questions about what had happened to her face. Regina arrived later that day. It was past five when she walked through the door. The first thing she did, after removing her shoes and heavy coat, was to care for Emma's face because apparently, Emma wasn't doing a very good job at it. Emma thought it was adorable, even though Regina scolded her for not putting any more ice to help with the swelling. She waited until Henry was asleep to tell Regina about Cora's visit. They were in bed together and it was curious to watch the changes on Regina's face, furious first at the thought of Cora insulting her and gradually softening as Emma told her what had happened. By the end of Emma's tale, Regina had an expression that Emma was pretty sure mirrored her own earlier.
- Did she really call you family? – Regina asked.
- Yep! – Emma said – What do you think she meant by crushing them like a cockroach?
- I don't know – Regina said – But whatever it is, they deserve it. And if she asks for my help destroying them, I'll be right by her side.
- You kinda sounded like your mom now.
- Good! – Regina said – I'm done letting people hurting you. When I walked in that day, I had no idea what was happening. I just saw you swinging punches and all I could think about was that I needed to take you out of there. And then when I saw Killian…I wanted to take your place and continue what you had started it. I almost did when he called you a bitch.
- I thought you were going to be so angry at me – Emma said - I thought you were going to break up with me.
- I was angry – Regina said – But not at you. I wanted to murder him.
- You were pretty upset when you got home.
- It was more about the situation – Regina said – I'm sorry for making you think I was angry at you. I wasn't. It broke my heart to see your beautiful face like this. It still does – Regina said and gently ran her hand on Emma's lip.
- It will heal – Emma said and leaned in to kiss Regina's lips. The movement bought a pang of pain to her lips – Ouch!
- No kissing – Regina scolded her.
- I'm going to fucking murder that asshole – Emma said and lay down on top of Regina.
- I'm right there with you!
Regina ran her fingers up and down Emma's hair, every now and then asking her to tell this thing or that thing about her conversation with Cora. Emma promptly answered her every single time until the only sounds she heard were the light noises of Regina's breath.
