Chapter 3
"Are you sure you'll be okay, Audrey?" Emma was nervous about leaving for Storybrooke and hated to leave her friend.
"I'm fine, Em, thanks to you. Ever since I took your bite, I've regained most of my original function back. It's incredible! I can't thank you enough." Audrey flexed her biceps for Emma to make her point.
Emma looked down, "Don't get me wrong, Aud, I'm so happy that I could help you, but I hate the way I had to do it. I'm so bitter over my attack while I was pregnant. Now my child relies on blood. If I ever find that son of a bitch, I'll kill him."
Walking up to the blonde and grabbing her arms, Audrey then used her thumb and index finger to lift Emma's chin towards her, "I know, Sweetie, but remember what I always taught you; things always happen for a reason."
Emma gave a small smile, "I know, I know. I just didn't get a choice in this, but like I said, I'm so glad that it benefited you. I would've been lost without you." Emma then looked at her sleeping daughter, "I'm still worried about Killian. If he finds out what she is, I wouldn't put it past him to destroy her, thinking she was a monster."
Audrey walked up to her, "Would you like me to come with you? Two badass vamps are better than one.", Audrey winked which caused the blonde to laugh out loud.
"You can't leave the Music Hall, can you?"
Audrey scoffed, "Don't be silly. Thanks to you, the Hall is a well-oiled machine. Sean can manage things while I'm gone. I'll just tell him that I'm taking a much-deserved vacation."
Emma barreled into Audrey and buried her face in the crook of Audrey's neck, "Oh my God, I'd love it if you'd come. I need all the support I can get. I really don't want to go back." Audrey felt her collar getting wet from Emma's tears so she rubbed Emma's back and held her tighter.
"I know, Hon. We'll take care of our little girl." She kissed Emma's head, "Now go finish packing. I'll go call Sean." Audrey left the room while Emma went to pack Tristan's clothes.
Three hours later, Emma was loading up her white Jeep Grand Cherokee. She had finally traded in the bug when she had Tristan so that she'd have a safe family car. Emma, being Emma, tricked it out with the custom rims, beige Italian leather, and premium sound system with DVD player. "I think we're ready to go."
"You've got all of Tristan's games and movies? We don't need to hear 'are we there yet'.", Audrey snickered.
Emma chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, we're set. I'll bet you $20 we don't hear those words at all."
Audrey shook Emma's hand, "You're on, Swan." Audrey then walked over to Tristan where she was playing on her glider bike, "Time to go, Tris."
"We're going to see Henry now?"
"Yes, baby girl. Let's put your bike in the car so we can take it with us."
Once everyone was loaded up, they were off to Maine. Emma packed a 'goodie bag' for the road trip so when Tristan began to get bored, she'd drag out a new game and some treats to tide her over.
Four and half hours later, Emma was pulling into the driveway of her old house. "Well, here we are!" She looked in the back seat to find Tristan fast asleep.
"What an adorable house, Em!" Audrey got out of the car looked around and took in the surroundings, "It seems someone has been taking care of the place in your absence." She noticed the yard was well kept and when they entered the home, there was very little dust.
Emma looked around confused, "Yeah. Weird." Then Emma had a horrible thought and froze, "You don't think Killian has been here, do you?"
Audrey pat Emma's shoulder and looked at her sympathetically, "No, Sweetie. I imagine your family has been caring for the place. We can check around just to make sure nothing is out of place though.
After looking around and getting settled in, Emma was more comfortable. "Why don't we go get something to eat? I'll call Henry to meet us there."
"Yay! Henry!" Tristan was excited to see her big brother.
"Em, aren't you going to call your parents?", Audrey asked. She knew Emma was putting it off.
"Um, yeah, okay. I'll call them and then we can go." Emma grabbed her cell and then walked out onto the back porch and sat in the porch swing. With a heavy sigh, she dialed their number, "Hey, Mom. Yeah, I heard from Henry. Actually, I just arrived in Storybrooke." Emma pulled the phone from her ear because Snow was screaming in excitement. After the screaming stopped, Emma got back on the phone, "Calm down, Mom. NO! Don't come over. I'll come by tomorrow. Yes, I promise. I just want to get a bite to eat and then come home and relax. It's been a long day. Yeah. Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." Emma clicked the End button and stared at her phone. 'They wouldn't come to Granny's would they?' "Argh!"
"Went that well?", Audrey joked as she walked out with Tristan.
"I called and told them I'd see them tomorrow. Hopefully they stick to that.", Emma looked at her daughter, "Ready to eat, Tris?"
The little girl yawned, she was fading after the long car ride, "Yes, Mommy."
"Ok, I've texted your brother to meet us there. Let's go!"
When the diner bell dinged, everyone to turned to look and see who walked in, "Emma! Oh my God!" Ruby ran up to her friend and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck. "I've missed you so much!"
Emma held her friend, "I've missed you too, Rubes."
Ruby pulled back and saw the little girl holding Emma's hand, "And who is this beautiful, princess?", Ruby used her finger to tap the little girl's nose and Tristan just giggled before hiding her face in her mother's jeans.
Emma swallowed hard, knowing that gossip was about to be spread, "This is my daughter, Tristan.", Emma's voice shook and Audrey walked up and placed her hand on Emma's shoulder for support.
"Get out! Your daughter? Emma! How did I not know this? I'm gonna kill Snow."
"Ruby, Snow didn't know.", Emma looked away in shame.
Ruby was speechless. She then noticed the woman behind Emma who walked up and held out her hand, "Hi, I'm Audrey. It's nice to meet you." Ruby shook her hand still dumbstruck. She then looked at the little girl again and took in her dark chocolate locks, emerald green eyes, and olive toned skin.
"Holy shit! Emma! She's Regina's?"
"WHAT?! NO! Why would you say that?"
Ruby's jaw was slack, "Seriously, Em? She's Regina's mini-me! The only thing that's 'you' is her green eyes!"
Emma looked down at her daughter and then picked her up and hugged her tighter, "Regina and I were never together, Rubes. Besides, two women can't make a child last I checked.", Emma snapped.
Ruby cringed. She knew Regina was a sore subject for Emma. Any idiot could see how Emma looked at her when she lived here and any idiot could see that Emma still harbored feeling for the brunette.
"I'm sorry, Em. I didn't mean to upset you. Why don't we get your family seated?"
Emma nodded and then added, "Henry will also be joining us."
"Oh perfect! Right this way then, Ladies." Ruby showed them to the booth in the back to give them some privacy.
A few minutes later, the bell dinged and Henry stood at the entrance where he hollered, "Doodlebug!"
That got Tristan's attention and she flew out of the booth and towards Henry, "Henry!".
Henry caught his little sister and spun her around while they laughed and then he pulled her in for a giant hug while still holding her. "I've missed you so much! Look how big you are!"
"Mommy says I'll be as big as her soon!"
"Wow, really? Do you think you'll be bigger than me?", Henry grinned as he asked.
"Yes!", she giggled at her big brother. "I'll be able to reach that bell!", Tristan pointed to the bell above the door.
"Wow! That's really big! How about we go sit down with Mom?" Henry lowered his sister and she ran back over to Emma. The patrons eating took all this information in and Leroy who had remained silent in the corner, snuck out through the back to tattle to Snow.
Henry walked over and hugged his mother's neck, "Hey, Ma. Thanks for coming. I'm so glad that you're here." He then noticed Audrey, "Hey, Audrey! I didn't expect to see you here!" He looked at his mom wondering what she was thinking bringing a stranger to this town.
Emma rolled her eyes, "It's alright, Henry, she knows everything."
Henry studied his mother in shock and then turned to Audrey, "You believe Ma?"
Audrey just smiled, "I do. A lot happened in Boston which convinced me.", and she left it at that.
Henry scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion and turned to his blonde mom who looked away, refusing to explain her comment. 'I'll find out what you're hiding, Ma. I always do.'
The group had a nice meal and Tristan was treated to her first Granny's cheeseburger and hot chocolate. "This is yummy, Mommy!" The sound of glass shattering could be heard behind the group. Emma whirled around to see Snow standing there with Charming and their five-year-old son, Neal. Snow had grabbed a glass of water when she walked in before walking over to Emma.
"Mom! What are you doing here?", Emma stood up and slowly approached Snow.
After gathering herself, Snow's expression grew angry, "I came here to see my daughter who hasn't visited in four years." The diner was silent except for the sound of the bell from customers entering and exiting. "I came because I was told I had a granddaughter that I didn't know about." Emma winced at that. "I came because I refused to believe that my own daughter would keep something that important from me." Snow's voice slowly grew louder.
Tristan became scared and grabbed onto Henry who was standing by the booth so Henry lifted her up and walked over.
"How could you, Emma? Do you hate us that much?"
"NO! I had my reasons which I don't feel like discussing in a public setting. I was going to tell you tomorrow when I came over. This isn't the time or place, Snow. I'm exhausted and so is my daughter. We just want to have a peaceful meal and then rest."
Snow looked behind Emma to see Tristan in Henry's arms so she walked past Emma to meet her granddaughter. After seeing Snow yell at her mother, Tristan had no desire to meet the short brunette woman.
"Hey, Sweetheart. I'm Snow. I'm your grandma." Snow started to reach out to touch Tristan, but the girl screamed and turned away in Henry's arms.
"NO! Don't touch me! Gams! Gams!"
Audrey shuffled out of the booth and ran over to take Tristan into her arms where the little girl buried her face. "It's alright, Tris. I've got ya." She rubbed Tristan's back and kissed the top of her head as she rocked side to side on her feet. "Tris, it's okay. She didn't mean to yell at Mommy. She'd really like to meet you, Hon. Why don't you show her your pretty little eyes for me?", Audrey gently encouraged.
Tristan kept her head lying on Audrey's shoulder, but turned her face towards Snow and when they made eye contact, Snow gasped, "She's Regina's?"
"What? No! Not again. I'll tell you the same thing I told Ruby. She's not Regina's. We were never together. She chose Forest Boy, remember? And again, I'll remind you that two women can't make a baby!", Emma was trying to keep her voice down while angry whispering, but the volume kept rising with her frustration.
Snow kept staring at the little girl, "She's beautiful, Emma. She has your eyes."
Charming and Neal walked up to stand with Snow, "What's your name, Princess?", Charming asked the little girl.
Tristan just stared at the trio and kept silent so Audrey answered for her, "This is Tristan. Tristan Grace Swan."
Snow's eyes filled with tears, "That's a beautiful name, Tristan. This is Neal. He's your…uncle." Neal waved, but Tristan remained silent.
"Hi, Tristan. You wanna play?", Neal asked while smiling.
Tristan just stared at Neal and kept her vice-like grip on Audrey while Audrey just stared at the Charmings. 'I can't believe I'm meeting these storybook characters.'
Emma pulled Snow and Charming away from her daughter to speak with them, "This was what I was trying to avoid. I was going to introduce you to her tomorrow and explain everything. Now, instead, you've upset my daughter!", Emma snapped.
"I'm sorry, Emma, but when Leroy told me you were in the diner with your daughter and that she was Regina's, I had to come."
"I beg your pardon." A smoky voice said from behind the group. Emma knew that voice.
She turned around to come face to face with Regina and Robin. "Regina!...and Robin. Hey."
"Eloquent as ever, Ms. Swan."
Ruby had been standing behind the counter, leaned over on her elbows, where she turned to Granny, "This is better than television." Granny stayed silent and nodded while eating some fries. Occasionally, Granny would put her nose in the air to smell. She had sensed something different with Emma, Tristan and Audrey. They didn't smell right. They smelled like predators. They smelled like something Granny didn't want anywhere near her. She turned back to her granddaughter to see if Ruby had picked up on it, but Ruby was so excited just to have her friend back. Granny just made sure her crossbow was within reach behind the counter.
Regina turned to Snow, "I don't appreciate you spreading lies about me. You'd do well to keep your mouth shut. We all remember what happened the last time you failed to do so.", an evil grin spread on Regina's face which made Snow swallow hard. Ever the royal, Snow still maintained her posture.
Audrey studied the regal brunette, 'So this is the Queen. I can see why Emma fell hard.'
Henry tried to break the two up, "Hey, Mom. Come here. I want to introduce you to my little sister."
Regina drew one eyebrow up and then looked at Emma for a comment, but received none. Emma continued to look at the floor and away from Regina, seeming put out. 'I just can't catch a break in this town.'
Regina walked over to Audrey and extended a hand, "Hello. I'm Regina Mills, and you are?"
Audrey shook her hand with the one arm she had free, "I'm Audrey, Emma's friend from Boston." Regina put on her mayoral fake smile, but looked at her son concerned about a stranger in her town.
"It's alright, Mom. She knows everything about us."
This surprised Regina. 'How could Emma be so irresponsible as to tell someone about them?'
Henry continued, "And this beautiful little girl is my sister, Tristan. Tristan? This is my other Mommy, Regina." When Tristan unburied her face and looked at Regina, a small gasp left Regina's mouth. Robin's jaw dropped to the floor.
"Hi, Gina.", the little girl whispered out.
Regina's lips spread from ear to ear at the little girl's response, "Hello, Little Princess. It's very nice to meet you, Darling." Regina lifted her arm and placed a hand on the little girl's cheek, wiping leftover tears with her thumb. Regina studied the girl's features. She was amazed at how beautiful she was. Her eyes and skin tone were so much brighter than the other people in the room. Come to think of it, Emma's coloring was much brighter looking. There was almost a sparkle in their eyes. Something was different, but Regina couldn't put her finger on it.
Having met Regina now, Audrey looked back and forth between the brunette and the little girl in her arms and was shocked at the resemblance. She looked to Emma who continued to look away from wherever Regina stood.
Snow stood next to Emma and fumed. Her granddaughter accepted Regina.
Robin watched the interaction between his girlfriend and Tristan and was furious. Anger was building up, his face growing redder as he held it in. Regina was so taken with the little girl that she failed to notice it.
Emma had had enough drama for a lifetime. She walked over and took Tristan into her arms, "It's getting late and Tristan still needs her bath and then its bedtime." She turned to Audrey to make sure there wouldn't be any argument. Emma then turned to Ruby, "Can I start a tab again while I'm here?"
"Of course, Ems! I've got you. Go get some rest and we'll catch up later." Ruby walked over and hugged Emma and Tristan as Tristan giggled at the silly group hug.
"Say goodbye to your brother, Tris.", Emma patted her back.
Tristan turned around and fell into Henry's hold, "Love you, Henry.", and then she kissed his cheek.
"I love you more, Doodlebug.", he kissed her back.
"I love you most, Henry." She then kissed him again and he laughed.
"I love you… to infinity and beyond!", Henry then raised his fist in glory to which Tristan giggled.
"You're silly, Henry."
Regina watched the interaction and melted at the love between the two siblings. She turned to Emma who had tears in her eyes as she looked from them to Regina. They stared for a few seconds, Regina noticing the pain and hurt in Emma's eyes, Emma noticing the loneliness and uncertainty in Regina's.
Finally, Emma broke the stalemate and collected her daughter from Henry, "I love ya, Kid. I'll text ya tomorrow." She kissed Henry's temple and gave him a hug and then turned to Audrey to silently tell her it's time. Audrey nodded in response and they proceeded towards the diner entrance.
"Emma, wait!", Snow called out
Emma held up a hand to stop Snow from talking, "Save it, Snow. You've done enough. I will call you in the morning when we're all up and ready for our day, no sooner than that. Don't bother coming over for a visit. I will let you know when we're ready. Are we clear?"
The Charmings just nodded and stayed silent as they watched the three ladies leave.
Later that evening, after Robin had put Roland to bed, he came downstairs and found Regina in her study with a tumbler of her cider in hand.
"Why didn't you tell me, Regina?"
Regina turned around at the voice, "Tell you what?", she was confused and had no idea what he was asking about.
"That you and Emma had a child together. You cheated!"
Regina put her hand on her chest, "I did nothing of the sort! I was never with Emma."
"I don't buy it. How do you explain the resemblance between you and that kid?"
Rolling her eyes, Regina took another swig, "There are many people with dark hair, Robin. Hook had dark hair. Based on the child's age, she's probably his which would explain why Emma kept her a secret.
Robin thought about her explanation which made a lot of sense, but…"It's not just the dark hair. Her skin tone, her plump lips, her pudgy cheeks, it's…everything! She's you!"
Regina knew he was right in that they shared a strong resemblance, but she also knew she was never with Emma so it was impossible. The child had to be Killian's. 'Poor Emma.'
"I won't have this conversation again, Robin. Either you believe me or you don't. I never slept with Emma."
Robin just slammed his fist on the wall, "It would take magic, Regina! I know two women can't make a child, but two magical women? I wouldn't be surprised."
Regina walked up and stood so close that Robin felt her breath on his face. She glared menacingly into his eyes, "I was never intimate with Emma nor did we share magic." Regina had been squeezing her tumbler so hard that it shattered in her hand causing shards of glass to get embedded in her skin. She didn't even flinch as she walked by Robin and walked upstairs to go to bed.