A/N:Thanks so much for all of the lovely comments on the last chapter! Also please ignore any and all mistakes, I will be going back and fixing everything whenever the story is complete :)
Without so much as a second thought, Regina placed her hand over Emma's trembling one and proudly announced. "Emma and I are adopting a child together."
"What she said." The blonde added before stealing Regina's drink, and the two sat in anticipation as the room went silent.
"Together? As in…" The two women held their breath as Snow contemplated their news. The Mayor was starting to understand the worry that had plagued Emma for the past few days, as she watched how her former nemesis's face went from anger to confusion in a matter of seconds.
"We're getting married tomorrow," Emma blurted out, as she allowed Regina's fingers to interlock with her own.
"Married?" David questioned, his face blank as he nervously drummed his fingers against the table.
To her left, Regina could feel the blonde practically vibrating with anxiousness, her slender fingers shaking within Regina's grip.
"In order for us to adopt we needed to be married," Regina spoke up, conjuring up her usual air of grace as she spoke, knowing that she needed to be the strong one. "It's the most practical situation."
Snow and David nodded, taking in every word that left Regina's mouth. The pair watched as the short-haired brunette opened and closed her mouth numerous times, waiting for something - anything - to come out.
"Are you guys for real?" Henry finally spoke up, as the worrisome attention shifted away from Emma's parents and to their wide-eyed son.
"Yeah...is that alright, Kid?" Emma reached out her hand to the young man, but it was quickly ignored as Henry sprung to his feet and moved to embrace both of his mom's.
"Alright? We're gonna be a family, like an actual proper family!" He cheered as a kiss was planted on each side of his face. Emma could feel a small weight being lifted from her chest, as she held their son and caught a glimpse of Regina's smiling eyes through his messy hair.
"Here, here." Zelena followed in suit, as she gently hugged the pair, from behind. "Congratulations, both of you!" She clapped excitedly.
Then once again, the room fell silent as Emma's attention turned back to her parents. "Mom?" She mumbled with the vulnerability of a small child and got no response. "Dad?" She tried again, as Regina reclaimed her grasp on Emma's hand, and soothingly started to rub small circles into it.
"This is a lot to take in…" David coughed, his eyes glued to their joint hands.
"We didn't even know that you were interested in being a mother again." Snow spoke up, her usual sweet and cheery voice, now hard and lacking in any kind of emotion.
"I didn't know either, but this…" Emma smiled contently at the two brunette Mills. "I want this more than anything. I mean, we did alright with the first one."
"So, you and Regina are…" David raised a cautious eyebrow as his eyes shifted between his wife and daughter.
"We're co-parents. Married on paper," Regina nodded, giving Emma's hand a supportive squeeze as she spoke.
"Is Ma moving in?"
"We haven't discussed living arrangements yet, but I'm sure when the time comes we'll all be together as a family, right?" The Mayor's eyes quivered slightly with worry as she met Emma's gaze.
"Of course, we will. We're going to be a proper family, kid." She happily reassured the pair, her heart full as she watched the smile on Henry's face triple in size.
"What happens if you meet someone? Are you going to move him in with your wife?" The air grew thick as Snow's words sunk in. Regina could feel her fingers tingle with rage, sparks of fire begging to be set alight. But she couldn't let herself get angry. Not when the guilt of the entire situation fell upon her. She knew that she was asking a lot of the blonde, but she hadn't thought about everything that she was asking Emma to give up. Emma wasn't attracted to women, she'd made that clear and Regina accepted that. But it didn't stop her mind from racing, and hoping that maybe, given the time to mull things over, that maybe Emma might come to find her attractive. But in reality, in the real world that she had created, the idea of a love story between her and the savior was a thing of fairy tales, and this wasn't the Enchanted Forest.
From the look on Emma's face as the tight grip on her hand, Regina could tell that the blonde was equally as pissed off with the former princess. "Can I talk to you in the other room for a second?" The blonde stood, regrettable letting go of Regina's. "I got this." She mumbled as the brunette made a move to stand, but was stopped by Emma's shaking hand on her shoulder.
The pair were silent as Snow followed Emma into Regina's office and shut the door with a heavy thud. Emma stayed with her back facing the pacing brunette, her knuckles white as her grip on the door handles tighten. "I tell you that you're going to be a grandma again, and all you can think of is my love life?" She hissed, trying so hard to fight back the onset of emotions that were coursing through her body.
"You said that this...thing...between you and Regina is on paper, a practical decision. So by all accounts, you'd still be single? It's only natural for me to want you to be in a happy normal relationship." The smaller woman threw back, taking no measures to hide the displeasure in her voice.
"Normal?" Emma's voice cracked as she spun around to face her mother, her eyes burning with fury.
"I didn't mean...I'm just looking out of you, Emma." Snow stopped pacing, her eyes softly locked with Emma's as she stepped towards the blonde. "Do you really want to give up your happiness so that you can play house with Regina?" She asked, her tone soft and caring as if she actually thought that she was making a valid point and not following in the footsteps of every parental figure Emma's had in her life.
"I'm not giving up anything! Regina is giving me a family! The thing that I've wanted my entire life!" The Sheriff pulled away from her mother, "Do you actually think for one second that I would be going through with this if I didn't want it?" She shouted, forgetting for a moment that her words could be heard echoing throughout the silent mansion.
"You aren't gay, Emma! And bringing a child into an environment like this, it's not right!" Snow's pitch matched her daughter's.
"I would have given anything to be raised by someone like Regina, whether she has another woman by her side or not!" The tears that rolled down Emma's face burned into her hot skin, her eyes now focused on the small picture of Henry on Regina's desk. "You never seemed to have an issue when it came to how we raised Henry."
"That was entirely different. You were forced into raising a child that woman!" She spat, obvious to all of the people her loud and harsh words were hurting.
"That woman? She's the woman who raised my son!" Emma yelled, louder than she had ever done before. She had never felt anger like this, towards anyone, especially not her mom. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, that the woman who had welcomed her into her life with open and loving arms, was causing her so much pain, just for wanting a family.
Back in the dining room, Regina couldn't take it any longer, her numerous attempts to intervene had been stopped by a worrisome David insisting that she 'just give them a minute to cool off,' but not anymore. This was her house. Emma was going to be her wife. Her family. And she wasn't going to sit back and let anyone talk to her family like that.
Storming into her office, she quickly surveyed the damage. None in terms of physical distribution, but she could see the toll the argument was having on Emma. "I think it's best that you leave." She said calmly as she turned her attention towards the furious brunette.
"Excuse me?" She gritted, as a small audience appeared in the entrance of the office, three sets of disappointed eyes shifting around the room.
"I appreciate you coming, but I won't let you speak to her like that!" Regina defended the blonde, as she brushed past her former nemesis to reach the blonde. "Are you alright?" She asked sweetly, cautiously hovering her hand near Emma's, unsure if she would appreciate her physical comfort at this moment. Emma nodded weakly, taking Regina's hand in her own without a second thought.
Snow's eyes widened at the scene in front of her, "She's done this; she's filled your mind with this nonsense." She shouted, cutting through the tender moment playing out in front of her.
Looking past Regina, Emma let out a heavy sigh. Gingerly, she stood, their hands still tangled together as she stood by Regina's side. "Leave, Mom." She mumbled, the weight of the evening crushing her spirit.
"We're going." She said with a huff, before turning on her heels and storming past the trio of angry and ashamed glances.
Stepping into the office, David opened his arms for his daughter, who gladly accepted the embrace, but made sure to keep her hand attached to Regina's. "She'll come around, love." He whispered as he placed a small kiss on her head.
"David!" A sharp scream filtered into the office, prompting an annoyed eye roll from both father and daughter.
"I'd like to be there tomorrow if you'll have me," David promised, his offer and his acceptance all that Emma wanted in the world.
"Thanks, dad. I'll text you." She nodded as he reluctantly walked away, giving Henry's hair a quick ruffle as he passed.
Emma fought back the tears as Regina's grip on her hand tightened and the brunette pulled the blonde into her personal space, just enough to know that she was there for whatever she needed, be it a hug or a shoulder to cry on.
"What's Grandma's problem?" Henry tutted as he entered the office, his eyes full of trapped tears.
"Henry, it's...she's…" Emma tried, but couldn't find the words to excuse her behavior to her son, because she didn't think there were any excuses for what had just happened.
"Same-sex relationships weren't as common in the Enchanted Forest as they are here." Regina stepped in, her voice laced with sadness. "She's just reacting off of instinct." She mumbled, too ashamed to look at the blonde attached to her hand.
"I'll clear up," Zelena spoke up, sparing the small family a soft smile and offering up some privacy.
"Thank you, Zelena."
Letting go of Regina's hand, Emma opened up her arms to the emotional teenager, "C'mere, kid." She hugged him tight, silently promising him that she would never, ever, make him feel the way that Snow had made her feel. "No matter what anyone says, we love you and we're going to love this newest little monster so much." She whispered as she combed her fingers through his messy hair.
"I know, Ma." He mumbled, his tears now falling onto Emma's - Regina's - shirt. "I love you too, both of you." He spared the brunette a small smile, beckoning her to join the embrace, a request she gladly accepted as she gently placed her arms around them both.
Catching Emma's eye, she mouthed a quick, 'You alright?' Receiving a simple nod in response, both women choosing to enjoy this moment with their son and not think about the pain of the night.
Zelena and Robin didn't stay around too long after Snow left, instead opted for extra portions of dessert to share on their own sofa. Regina was thankful for this, as neither she nor Emma was in any state to entertain guests anymore.
It didn't take long for Henry to compose himself and act as if nothing had happened. He hung around downstairs for a while, picking at his dessert, before asking to be excused and giving both his moms a goodnight kiss on the cheek as he made his way upstairs.
Emma had been putting on a brave face for the Mills', but Regina could tell that tonight had really upset her. And when she offered to clean the dessert dishes, Regina had reluctantly agreed and waited agitatedly in the living room for as long as she could muster.
"Hey, you." Regina entered the kitchen after giving Emma a few moments alone with the dishes.
"That went…" Emma trailed off before soft sobs filled the kitchen and the plate Emma was cleaning was dropped into the sink with a splash.
Within a few seconds, Regina had rounded the counter with her arms open for the blonde, "Come here." Whispered as she turned the blonde away from the sink and gently wrapped her in a tight embrace.
"I feel ridiculous, crying in your kitchen." The Sheriff muttered through her sobs, as she allowed herself to be gently rocked by the brunette.
"I've cried enough times in this kitchen, that'd I'd be labeled a hypocrite if I were to judge you," Regina admitted softly, as Emma's bloodshot eyes peered up at her. "Not that I ever would." She smiled lovingly.
"I didn't think she'd react, that bad." The blonde voiced, flashbacks of Snow's face, and the disgust in her voice as she shouted plaguing her mind. "The things she said about you and Henry...there was nothing but hatred in her voice."
"I won't try to make excuses for her...but I do understand." Emma pulled back, pushing herself almost fully out of the embrace, the only thing keeping them connected being Regina's hands softly placed on her hips.
"What's there to understand?!" Emma argued.
"Remember that woman I told you about, Lucy was her name." She nodded. "I watched our village turn their backs on her, watched her parents condemn her to death." The brunette whispered the last few words, choking on the emotions rising in her throat.
Pulling away fully, Emma reached down to lace their fingers together before leading Regina to the breakfast bar, where they sat with their hands still joined. "Regina, I didn't…what happened to her?"
"She tried to run away. But they found her and made sure that she paid for her 'sins'. The whole village came out to watch her death...Mother spat at her feet, while Father did his best to shield my eyes from the fire." She recalled for the first time in years, the memories of that day something she wished she could forget. "They burnt her at the stake. Like the people of this world once did with witches." A few stray tears tried to escape, but the brunette brushed them away before they had a chance.
"I'm so sorry, Regina."
"It was a lifetime ago." She waved her hand, shaking the thoughts of that night from her mind. Her eyes falling on their joined hands on the counter and noting how perfect they seemed to fit together. And how natural it felt to be able to reach out for the blonde.
"About tomorrow, are you sure?" She asked after a few moments of silence.
"I want this. I want our family." The blonde shrugged as she glanced around the kitchen, before meeting Regina's gaze.
"Even if there's a chance that she'll never come around?"
Emma sighed sadly, before lifting their joined hands to her lips and placing a small gentle kiss on the back of Regina's hand. "If she can't accept our family, then it's her loss." The air around the pair grew thick once again, but neither would dare mention it or make a move that could cause the other to run away. "I should probably get…" Emma mumbled, regrettably letting their hands fall apart as she stood.
"You're more than welcome to stay the night...I've set up the guest bedroom." Regina jumped to her feet, holding her breath as she waited for Emma's response, not quite ready to say goodbye to the blonde woman just yet.
"I'd like that," She complied with a simple smile, Emma not ready to leave the safe and loving home Regina had provided her.
A/N: So, Snow's not happy. Will she come around in time for the wedding? We'll see. :)