A/N: Thank you so much for being so supportive and excited with only the 1st chapter of this new story of mine. To show you my gratitude, here is the 2nd chapter, that I hope you all enjoy just as much. :) There will be a lot of cute interactions between Emma and Regina. Keep in mind, Emma is a grown adult, not a child. Thank you guys, so much! I await your reviews.
Regina's eyes felt heavy, puffy and worn out. She still couldn't understand why her father had to die, nor did she even imagine he had been sick. But that was her reality now. Now, it was just her and her mother. Tears streamed down her cheeks again. Her father was gone. She would never see him anymore, never hear his voice, never see his smile, nor enjoy her conversations with him.
Why must life be so cruel sometimes?
"Regina?" Her mother's voice was heard behind the door, followed by a gentle knock. Cora allowed herself in, her smile sad as she entered her daughter's bedroom. "Breakfast is ready, darling."
"I'm not hungry." Regina's gaze fell, her lower lip pouted as tears streamed down her eyes.
"Oh, sweetheart," Cora enveloped her daughter in a motherly embrace. Her own eyes stung with unshed tears. She needed to be strong now- for Regina's sake. "I miss him, too, darling, but we have to be strong now," she smiled down, locking eyes with her daughter, her thumb wiping away a fallen tear on Regina's cheek. "It's just us now and I need you to be there for me, just like I will be for you."
"But who will tell me stories before bed?"
Cora was never good at storytelling. That was Henry's area. "I can tell you stories. Any story you want."
"But daddy did voices." Regina pouted, "And who will sing to me?"
Cora didn't sing.
"Daddy was my best friend."
Cora fought back tears. Her smile sad, "Well… we'll figure it out, darling. For now, why don't you start by getting ready and coming downstairs, hm? You don't have to eat if you don't want to, just- come and keep me company. I don't want you up here all day. Your father wouldn't want that."
Regina watched her mother leave the room, shutting the door behind her. She knew her mother would never do the things her father did for her. So who would? Her mother, as much as she loved her, she was more reserved. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could figure out a story to make up and tell her, but singing to her, making shaped pancakes with her every morning was a no-go.
The little girl made her way out of bed, willing herself to pick out some clothes for herself. Her head turned toward her drawing, which was still on her bedside table. The last drawing she ever shared with her father. She grabbed it, giving it a once over, her little brow furrowed at the realization that everything on that drawing was intact… except… for Emma. She was no longer there.
In the picture, her and Emma had been holding hands. And now, Regina's hand was up in the air, holding onto no one. What was going on? Has this ever happened with any of her other drawings?
She looked around her room, as if Emma would somewhere in the corner of this space, hiding. Or maybe she ran away? Her eyes fell on her drawing again, the evidence of Emma's absence even more clearer. This was her drawing. She was sure of it. Her bedroom wasn't a big one, so there really was nowhere Emma could hide. Was there?
For now, she placed the drawing against her desk- for now. She gathered a shirt from one of her drawers, and moved onto her closet next. She slid both doors open, parting them, going through one outfit after another. Pants… Shorts… Another pair of pants… Emma… Pants… sliding them aside, one by one, she finally made her choice, settling on a pair of blue overalls that would go well with her purple shirt.
She turned, giving her back to her closet door, suddenly freezing in place. Emma? Her head cocked to one side, her eyes wide. Regina moved back toward her closet, slowly, her hands, still holding onto her clothes of choice, parted two pairs of pants away- slowly… And behind them, hiding and staring right back at her were two pairs of green eyes, kind but equally frightened, belonging to a grown woman with blonde hair, dressed in a pair of jeans, a light gray shirt and a red leather jacket.
Regina gasped in surprise at the sight of her, her lips parting open.
"Hi," Emma smiled, waving shyly and carefully. The last thing she wanted to do was scare a kid.
The clothes of choice dropped to the floor, Regina's chest suddenly puffed up, her feet stepping back two paces.
Oh, no. No, no, no- "No, no, no-shh. Please, don't scream." Emma whispered, touching her index finger to her lips.
Only it was too late. Regina let out a high pitched scream, higher than Emma or even Cora had ever heard before. Her little hands shut her closet doors quickly as a reflex. Her little feet threw themselves backward so quickly, one of them caught against her piece of carpet that was placed against the hardwood floor, causing her to fall back, landing hard against her buttocks.
"Regina?!" Cora instantly rushed into her daughter's bedroom, finding the little girl still on the floor, her clothes dropped right before her. "What on earth-?"
"Mommy!" Regina was quick to run straight for her mother, her arms circling around the woman's waist. "She's in my closet!" Her little finger was quick to point to the twin set of closed doors.
"What?" Cora's brow furrowed, "Who, darling? Who's in your closet?" She rushed toward her daughter's closet, parting the doors open along with her clothes hanging on their hangers.
Empty.
Where was she? Was Regina going crazy? She could have sworn she saw her!
"But… she was there."
"Darling, you probably saw a spider and it frightened you."
Regina glared. "A giant spider?"
"Well, whatever you saw- it's gone now." Cora pulled apart another section of her clothes. "Look for yourself. There's nothing or anyone in here. I can't even fit in your closet, dear."
"But, mom, she was there! A girl was in my closet!"
"That's enough now," Cora bent down to pick up her daughter's clothes, handing them over to her. "I want you to change and come downstairs."
"But, but, mom-"
"Not another word, Regina, now please, do as I say. Change and come downstairs. Please."
Regina was left alone, standing in the middle of her bedroom, clothes in hand. She saw her. She was real. Emma had come to life and was real. She knew it. Regina placed her clothes on her bed and walked over- with caution- toward her closet again. Why wasn't she there before when her mother rushed up here to check? Where had she gone?
Her hands reached for the doorknobs, she paused, drawing in a few quicken breathes. She yanked open the twin doors, parting her clothes one section at a time. No Emma. Her little brow furrowed as she looked up and down toward the floor. Regina then moved over to her bed, kneeling on the floor and checking under her bed. Maybe she was hiding under there?
"You know, if you ever need me, all you have to do is just call out my name."
Regina's head lifted up from under her bed, her head whipped around, spotting Emma sitting casually on the chair by her desk. Her eyes grew, her lips parted in utter shock. She was real!
"Please- don't scream!" Emma held out her hands before the girl. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier, that was dumb of me."
"You are real!" Regina exclaimed.
"To you, I am." Emma kneeled before the girl, stretching her hand toward Regina. "I'm Emma."
Regina's eyes fell on the woman's hand, with caution she shook it. Her brown eyes locked on Emma's green ones. "I'm Regina." She paused. "Where did you come from?"
"I came from you. Well, you created me."
"Did you really come out of my drawing?"
Emma nodded.
"So, my daddy was right! My wish came true! You're my girlfriend!"
Her brow raised. "Girlfriend?" She smirked. "Um, kid- I'm afraid that's…" Emma could see the sadness in Regina's eyes. That was the girl's wish, surely she didn't have to be an actual girlfriend. She didn't have it in her to break a little girl's heart either. "Yeah, I guess I am." She smiled. "I mean, I am a girl and your friend."
"So, you're here to stay?" Regina smiled.
"As long as you need me, kid." Emma grunted, feeling the little girl throw herself against her chest. She couldn't help but smile at the feel of Regina's little arms wrapped around her, she couldn't help herself from hugging her back. She liked this little girl.
Regina's eyes closed, her little nose buried itself against Emma's chest, breathing in her scent of leather jacket. She couldn't understand how her wish came true, or even why, but she wasn't complaining. She loved the idea of having Emma around to be with her forever.
"Hey, I smell pancakes," Emma pulled away, her eyes looking into Regina's. "What do you say we head on downstairs?"
"Yeah! You can meet my mom!" Regina took Emma by the hand, ready and willing to take her downstairs.
"Whoa, hold it, kid," Emma grasped onto Regina's tiny hand, preventing her from rushing out of her room. "Listen, you have to know… you're the only one who can see me."
"Why?" Her brow furrowed.
Emma shrugged, "I don't know why. It's just the way it is."
"But, you're real!"
Emma smiled. "I am, to you. But to everyone else, I'm like… a ghost. They can't see me, only you can."
"Okay." Regina could understand that concept. She didn't like it very much, because she wanted to show Emma off. "Will you still sit with me at breakfast?"
"You bet! I would never miss a good breakfast. Especially not pancakes." She grinned, and boy did Regina love that grin. It made the little girl grin right back. She couldn't help it.
Regina made her way down the stairs, Emma right behind her, she entered the kitchen, smiling sweetly at her mother who was setting her plate of pancakes on the table.
"There you are," Cora's brow furrowed to her daughter's smile, when just a minute ago she was screaming for dear life. "Breakfast time, darling."
Regina turned to Emma, who smiled down at her and nodded. The little girl took her seat, her eyes falling on her two served pancakes and two strips of bacon. "Mom, may I have two more pancakes and more bacon, please?"
Cora's eyes grew wide, because Regina had never asked her for more food than she was served. "I'm sorry, dear- did you say you want more?"
Regina nods, staring at her mother.
"Of- of course," Cora stood from the table, walking over to the stove where another batch of pancakes just finished cooking.
Emma watched the woman carefully, taking a seat beside Regina. "Ask for extra syrup on mine." She whispered over to the girl.
"Extra syrup, please!" Regina grinned.
Cora's brow arched upward as she paused with the served plate in hand. Slowly, she reached over for the bottle of syrup and placed it on the table.
Regina watched her mother open the bottle of syrup and how the liquid began to slowly pour out onto the pancakes. "More?" She whispered over to Emma, catching her mother's eyes staring at her.
"What?" Cora asked.
"A little more," Emma whispered, her mouth already watering.
"A little more, please," Regina told her mother, watching the syrup coat the entire pancake.
"Aaaaaand… perfect!"
"That's good." Regina told Cora, watching the woman take her seat, setting the bottle of syrup on the table before them.
Cora watched her daughter as she kept giving her attention to the empty chair on her left, but she was eating her breakfast, and she would randomly giggle. At least that's what Cora saw. But Regina, she would see Emma using a strip of bacon as a mustache, placing it above her upper lip. Emma was funny.
"Darling…" Cora called out, her fork gently hitting against her plate. "Are you alright?"
Regina nodded, eating another slice of her own bacon. "Emma's just being silly."
"Emma?" Cora's head cocked to one side. "Who is she?"
"Yes, darling, who is she?" Emma asked, doing her best impersonation of Cora.
"She's the girl I saw in my closet."
The woman's brow furrowed. "Darling, you know there was nothing in your closet."
"Emma was. She was just scared because I screamed, but we're okay now." Regina turned to look at Emma, who winked at her.
She's coping. She just lost her father, who was her bestest friend in the world, and she's trying to cope with that fact. That's what Cora repeated to herself in her head. "And… how do you know her name is Emma?"
"She told me." Replied Regina.
"And this Emma… she's here?"
Regina nodded, taking a sip of her orange juice.
"Right now?"
Emma nodded, matching Regina's nod.
"Well, what's she like, dear? Tell me."
"She's pretty." Regina smiled directly at Emma, and the blonde couldn't help but smile right back.
Cora's cell phone rang, starting the woman in a hurry to answer. "Yes- hello? Now? Alright… alright… I'll be there. Thank you." She sighs, hanging up the call. "Darling, do you mind coming to work with me for a while? I promise you, afterwards we can stop by the park."
Regina looked at Emma before turning back at her mother. "Can Emma come?"
"Yeah, mom- can I come, too?" Emma asked, knowing perfectly well Cora could not hear her.
Cora chuckled, "Of course, sweetheart. Finish your breakfast and we'll go. I'm going to change." She stood up from the table and headed up the stairs, leaving her daughter alone.
"Hey!" Regina glared at Emma, who reached over to steal a piece of bacon off of her plate.
"What?" Emma shrugged innocently, chewing on the bacon, the corners of her lips twisted upward into a tiny smirk.
Regina walked up to the building where her mother worked, hand in hand with her. Emma right behind her.
"Angelique." Cora nodded to a woman that walked past them.
"Cora." The woman nodded back. Look positively elegant in her gray pencil skirt, and white blouse.
Emma's brow raised, her head following Angelique as she was heading toward her car, as well as her feet, leaving Regina's side.
Regina did not approve of that. "Emma!" She shouted, looking behind her and causing her mother to halt and stare at her in awe. While Emma quickly ran back to be at Regina's side, giving the girl an apologetic look.
Once inside, Regina was seated by her mother's desk, coloring a picture, her free hand placed over her drawing, while she used the rest of her body, hunched over to cover it from Emma's view.
"Come on, Gina, I said I was sorry." Emma wheeled over to Regina's other side on her chair.
"It's not fair, Emma!" Regina hissed under her breath, her hand slamming down the marker.
The little girl had some sass in her, it made Emma's eyes grow wide. "What?"
"You're supposed to be like me!"
"I do like you."
"You're supposed to be my girlfriend!"
"I am!" Emma chuckled, finding Regina's little tantrum adorable. "Hey, I'm here with you, aren't I?"
Regina pouted, nodding.
"Chin up, kid," Emma raised the little girl's chin up, using her index finger, giving her the most adoring look and beautiful smile Regina had ever seen. "I apologize for my behavior earlier. It won't happen again."
"You promise?" asked Regina.
"Cross my heart." Emma used her index finger to trace and X right over her heart as she said this. "Can I see what you're drawing now?" She pleaded.
Regina moved her drawing toward Emma, "I'm drawing you a car."
"Wow," Emma glanced down at the drawing, seeing herself in the picture, along with a tiny yellow car. "Yellow, huh?"
"Do you like it?"
"Like it? I love it! It's beautiful." She smiled. "That's exactly the type of car I would want."
"Will you push me on the swing when we go to the park?"
"Of course I will." Emma looked over to the girl's drawing, "Who are you drawing now?"
"My daddy." Regina frowned. "He died."
Emma frowned, hating the idea of Regina being sad. It was like a punch directly at her stomach. "I know he did. I'm sorry." Her hand caressed the girl's back in a soothing manner.
"You can't… talk to him… can you?" The little girl sounded hopeful.
"Oh… no, kid. I can't." She placed her hand right on her shoulder. "But, if I could, I know he would tell me to take very good care of you, and to love you just as much as he did."
"Why do people die, Emma?"
Why, indeed? It was an unanswered question.
"That's…" Emma paused, trying to choose her choice of words carefully that Regina could understand. "That's just the way life is. But, you know what? I know he's with you, all the time. Watching over you."
"Like an angel?"
"Exactly." Emma smiled. "Hey. I saw a vending machine just outside. What do you say we go get a snack?"
"You're still hungry?"
"I'm always hungry." Emma chuckled. "Come on."
Regina placed down her marker, leaving from her chair and following Emma right out into the hallway. She walked past a few people, people who knew her mother, no doubt, who looked down and smiled at her as she walked by.
"Aw!" Emma kicked the vending machine, reading the sign that was taped right on the plastic glass: Out of Order. "Hang on, let me try something." Emma kneeled in front of the vending machine, she stuck her arm up through the flap and tried reaching for a bag of cheese flavored Cheetos. She let out a grunt with every failed attempt.
"Do you need help?" Regina asked, seeing her struggle more and more.
"Nope. I got it." Emma attempted to reach up a little farther. The bag of Cheetos seeming so close, yet so far. "Aaaaalmost… got it…" She tried one last time, the tips of her fingers being the only thing touching the corner of the bag. "Ah, shit!" Emma stood up, pulling her arm out of the machine.
Regina gasped, her hand covering her mouth. She giggled as Emma looked right at her, "You said sh-"
"Shh!" Emma placed her hand over the little girl's mouth. "Alright, how about… you never use that word. Okay?" She grinned apologetically, releasing Regina's mouth as soon as she nodded in agreement. "Now, we'll just have to figure out how to get this bag out of here."
Emma stood in front of the vending machine, determined to get her bag of Cheetos, hands placed on her hips.
"I can help! Let me help!" Regina pleaded, looking up at the blonde.
She chuckled, "Alright, little baby genius. Impress me."
Regina's teeth bit on her bottom lip, obviously coming up with a scheme to get Emma's Cheetos out of the machine. Her eyes landed on a security guard walking by. She walked up to the man, putting her best pouty face.
"Hey, what's wrong, kiddo?" The man kneeled before the girl. "Are you lost? Where's your mommy?"
"I'm waiting for her to finish, I wanted a snack to help me wait until lunch time, but the machine is broken." She pouted.
Emma stood by, watching in awe.
"Is it now? What were you wanting to get?" He asked her.
"A bag of Cheetos."
"Wait here a moment." He walked off, leaving Regina alone for a few minutes.
Regina grinned over to Emma, who stood by shaking her head. She put on her best surprise face once the man returned with a small bag of Cheetos to give her.
"Now, don't go telling anyone. It'll be our secret." He smiled.
"Thank you!" Regina hugged him, running quickly back to be at Emma's side.
The man's brow furrowed, as he noticed Regina hold up the bag of Cheetos before walking away.
Emma smiled, reaching for a cheeto and popping into her mouth before walking back to Cora's office space with Regina. "You are something else, kid. Thank you."
Regina smiled up at Emma, reaching for the blonde's free hand as they walked side by side.