February 11th 2017
"Kid, come on, let's go!" The request garnered no movement, and all she heard was a thump, like something heavy dropping to the floor. "Henry I swear to all that is good and holy, if you don't hurry that ass up I will leave you here. I want to get on the road so we can get there before your mom gets home from work and surprise her!" She stood at the door of the apartment, arms folded, glaring at the box room where Henry was collecting his belongings, waiting for a response. She looked over to the sofa to check he'd grabbed anything, before turning back to glare some more just as Henry popped his head out around the doorway.
"I'm coming ma, jeez." He rolled his eyes at his blonde mother, stepping out with a hold all over his shoulder. "You need to calm down. What makes you think she'll even be working today?" Emma only grinned as she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, picking up her keys from the table.
"You are the centre of your mother's world, kid. When you're not there, she has nothing to do, aside from work." Henry smirked, dropping his holdall, much to the confusion of Emma.
"Bathroom. 1 minute." Emma shook her head as she pulled out her phone, checking she had no messages or calls from Regina. She found herself hoping she would still be around for the other woman when Henry was grown and moved out.
"Henry! NOW!" She heard a chuckle coming from the direction of the bathroom, before the door squeaked open.
"Why are you suddenly so desperate to see her ma? You in love with her or something?" Emma gaped at her son for a second before she pulled herself together and turned to the door.
"Enough of your cheek. Get in the car. Now." Henry just grinned as he passed her as they both made their way to the car, flinging their bags in the back seat at the same time, in a manner that would have made Regina huff if she was there. Within minutes, the pair were on the road and singing along to the radio.
Emma had planned the journey to make it as fast as possible. She'd checked routes and traffic news to see if there were any major incidents in there way and was even willing to pay the necessary charges to get them to Storybrooke sooner. She seemed to have forgotten in her planning, that she would have a hormonal teenager with her, and with him; her carefully laid plans went out the window. They had been in the car for only an hour when Henry began complaining. He complained he was hungry, and Emma handed him a cereal bar. He complained he was achy, and she handed him some paracetamol. He complained he was bored and she told him to play on his console. By the time he was complaining he was tired but couldn't sleep, and that he needed the bathroom she told him to shut up. By the time he was switching the air on and off, complaining of being too hot then too cold, did Emma snap. She was stopped in traffic and so grabbed the stuffed animal that was sat against the edge of the windscreen and threw it at his head.
"Ma, what the hell?" Henry stared at her, eyes wide as Emma continued to glare at the road, traffic moving on as she put her foot down. Traffic had so far been good to them and Emma had been planning to stop after another hour, as they'd be closer to Storybrooke than Boston at that point but was unsure if Henry really needed a break before then. She glanced across at him, ready to ask him what he wanted to do, when she saw him turning the teddy over in his hands curiously. The car was silent, and Emma was unsure if she had upset him. She glanced at him again to see him with a soft smile as he looked between his mother and the stuffed teddy. "How come I've never seen this before? It looks like it's been well loved… where did you get it?" He was almost cradling the teddy as if he could see how special it was to his mother.
"Where did you get this ma? How come I've never seen it before?" Emma thought back to the time that she first time she had made this journey with her son in her car, to take him back to his other mother. She didn't know him then and she was far too distracted and unsure to tell him anything about her life at that time.
"I got that for my first birthday from the first people I called family. I've kept it for thirty years." She paused as her throat caught, not through sadness, but at the idea she had finally found a family that wouldn't get rid of her. "It's the only thing that I kept of what they gave me." Not wanting to get into an emotional conversation when she was feeling self-conscious, she took note of the services that were coming up, indicating to get into the right lane to be able to enter them. She needed time to compose herself, and thought she could do it best with some coffee and sugary treats. Henry could sense her reticence and decided not to question it any further, instead placing the teddy back where it had sat, just on the opposite pillar. When they pulled into a space and got out the car, Emma was surprised when Henry wrapped his arms around her as they headed towards Starbucks. She quickly picked some snacks and a cheap coffee up before making her way back to the car, knowing Henry would be a few minutes using the bathroom and waiting in line for proper coffee. She pulled the stuffed teddy from where it was sat and held it for a second, closing her eyes at the memories that rushed through her and without a second thought, she opened the glove compartment and placed it inside. She was not dwelling on the past, but instead focusing on the future with the people she loved.
They arrived back in Storybrooke a little later than Emma had wished, having spent some time in the services and then enjoying the drive in the uncharacteristic sunny weather. Emma had driven the back streets, not wanting anyone to see the bug and inform Regina she was back, and had parked at the back of some new houses, that had been built when the people from the Land of Untold Stories had arrived. Though it was sunny, the wind from the sea meant it wasn't exactly warm, and the weather in Boston had been chilly and so the duo donned Boston University hoodies that Emma had purchased for the expected cold weather as they moved from the car to the mansion. They had decided to park around the back to avoid being noticed by Regina if she were to return early, a measure that Emma didn't expect, but planned for anyway.
Emma knew that Regina had expected them to spend Saturday in Boston and drive back Sunday to join her for dinner, and so, knowing the other woman would likely be having a salad and wine for dinner, she decided to cook something more plentiful to make sure she ate a real meal. She hoped to surprise the other woman when she arrived home from work, but as they had not picked up any groceries and could not risk going to the store, they had to make do with ingredients that were already there; deciding on a simple paella.
Henry, not wanting his Ma to get all the credit for the meal if it was indeed edible, decided to help her and the pair together had all the ingredients prepped and the seafood cooked as they danced along to the popular song that was playing on the radio. Emma had been digging around in the refrigerator for ingredients to make a dessert when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she heard the front door close with a click. She was surprised she heard the noise over the radio, but she knew it was Regina at the door from the tingling in her chest, and assumed that she was just attuned to the other woman's presence. She was surprised that the woman had taken such care to close the door quietly when the next thing she heard was the booming voice of the mayor.
"WHO'S THERE?" Emma turned to see Henry drop the tongs he was holding, eyes wide as he stared up at his mother. "You may as well come out, the sheriff is on his way!" Emma stepped to the window to switch the radio off as Henry stood rooted to the spot as she went to greet the angry woman in the foyer. She walked out of the kitchen slowly, not wanting to surprise the woman while she was angry, walking right into the barrel of a gun.
"What the fuck Regina? Jesus Christ!" Emma jumped back, hand flying to her chest, feeling the speedy beating of her heart at the rush of adrenaline. It was not the first time she had been face to face with a weapon like that, but it was the first time it had happened in a place that she felt was home, by the people she thought was family. Regina dropped the gun quickly, it clattering to the wooden floor with a noise as loud as a gunshot and Emma jumped back once again, the noise bringing flashbacks from her bail bondsperson days. She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing, as Regina stepped forward to close the gap, concerned at the panic Emma was displaying. She wanted nothing more than to fling herself at the other woman and hold her tightly, but from Emma's stance, she knew it would not be appropriate. Instead she held her hands up and spoke her name softly. The blonde finally opened her eyes, glancing warily at the older woman. Regina spoke again, wanting to take hold of the woman, but not wanting to stress her further.
"Emma, I'm so sorry. My neighbour said she saw hooded people breaking into the house, and I just didn't know what to do. Normally I'd call you but I thought you were still in Boston and…" She paused, waiting for Emma to acknowledge what she was saying and she saw the tension melt from her shoulders. She waited still, until Emma was the one who initiated contact. The embrace was strong and lasted for some moments before they separated. Regina was blushing at the embarrassment she was feeling and Emma was feeling slightly embarrassed at her own reaction. She could see that Regina was avoiding her gaze and she tilted her chin up before pressing their lips together. The pair had been in the foyer for less than two minutes, but the noise had startled Henry who'd left the kitchen to stand in the doorway watching his two mothers. He was shocked when he saw them kissing dropping the mug of coffee he had made for his mother in his surprise, the smashing noise of the ceramic making the adults jump apart. Regina's eyes widened at her son having witnessed their shared kiss and without stopping to talk, turned on her heel and ran up the stairs to her room, the door slamming behind her.