Here were are, another SwanQueen fic and I am thrilled.
Set after the series but with the characters who I liked still alive. I got the idea when I was watching AJ and the Queen... Only no road trip and no children blackmailing adults.
Summary: Regina's daughter was kidnapped. Everything was done to try and find her but there was no success. Until years later when Emma's wallet is stolen from her window by a tiny thief. And just like that, everything changes for everyone involved. Includes implied child abuse. SwanQueen. Rated T
Chapter Rating: T
Work.
Homework with her daughters Hope and Faith. Killian and custody arrangements which were going quite well for a divorced couple with two kids.
That was what nights looked like for Emma.
Hope was sixteen and Faith was twelve.
It was hard to believe that she had a grown son, living on his own and two teenage daughters. It was hard to compute but maybe it was because she didn't look old enough for any of that.
She, much like Regina and Killian and a lot of the people in the town didn't look like they were any older than when Emma had arrived, so that made it harder to believe that their kids were so grown up. Then there was Henry.
But because of their magic, they didn't age at the same rate normal people did, if they did at all.
But still, that was her day. Every day. Every. Single. Day.
Things were more exciting when there were threats constantly. Or when Henry was in school.
Emma worked part-time at a group home during the day and came home in time to help her daughters with homework and call Henry.
When the girls were with their father, she played video games.
She would call her parents and read.
Sometimes, she still had trouble believing she was divorced but she had just lost the spark with Killian and it became less about trying to get the unattainable and more about 'why was I convinced I was in love with him?'
She lived in a three-bedroom apartment in Storybrooke where she raised her daughters.
Setting her wallet beside the open window, she sat down at the table… and stood up quickly as a hand reached into the window and snatched her wallet.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Emma cried, running up the fire escape, chasing after the thief who was running up the steps towards the top floor; the abandoned apartment.
She crawled in the window, just in time to see a shape fall into the shadows.
"Give me my wallet, you thief."
No answer. She fiddled with her phone to get the flashlight up on her phone. Only the sounds of feet shuffling and little sniffles.
"I'm the Sheriff. You… you're a kid?"
When the light fell on the trembling child, Emma felt her heart clench because it was like looking at herself when she was a kid. The fear, worry and unknown. This child didn't know who Emma was, if she was safe or what Emma was going to do to her.
In front of her was a kid, covered in dirt, wearing ripped clothes, messy dark hair and a look of fear in her eyes.
"Who are you?"
"A kid."
"Your name."
"It doesn't matter. I'm just… I'm just… My name doesn't matter. You're just going to make me go back."
"I…"
Emma was about to say something when she heard a loud sound come from the little girl's stomach. It made Emma wonder when the last time she ate was.
She looked around the apartment and she saw a blanket on the floor, a ratty teddy bear and… the blanket she had put on her balcony a couple of days ago but had 'blown away'.
It was clear the child had been here for a few days and there was evidence of any type of adult presence.
"Why don't you come with me? We'll get you cleaned up and fed and we'll decide what to do with you."
The child shrank back and stared at Emma defiantly and nervously. Terrified. As though Emma just told her she was going to throw her in prison, not feed her.
"No! You'll make me go back."
Ah, a runaway. That didn't change the fact that she was too young to be on her own. She looked like she was… five maybe.
"I'll do what I think is right."
"You don't know where I came from. You won't believe me. No one ever believes a foster kid."
"I'm different, kid."
"Oh, how?"
"I was a foster kid. I know what it's like and I will believe you. Keep hold of my wallet. If I'm lying, I'll let you go and you can take it with you," Emma promised, unsure why she was doing this but she was.
Why would I say that? There are a hundred dollars in there! Stupid, Swan, Stupid.
"You can shower, these are my daughter's old pyjamas. She's outgrown them, so you can keep them. I'll heat some chicken soup for you," Emma said, pointing to the stove which held a pot of soup from that morning.
"Okay."
She could hear the kid singing in the shower and dancing around. By the time the soup was on the table, a small, clearly underweight child made her way to Emma's side and looked up at her as though reading her to see if she was about to yell, judge or hit her.
But instead, she felt shock flow through her as she stared at a face that brought back memories of seven years ago.
This child looked exactly like Regina Mills.
"It's Maria! She's gone! The baby! She's gone!"
Regina's words were frantic, terrified, completely and totally distraught. All words that Emma never thought she would have used to describe Regina Mills.
Emma could hear sobs coming from the other side of the room and things hitting the ground and being thrown around as Regina tore apart the room, calling her daughter's name, despite the child being too young to even know what her name was… let alone respond to it.
But if anything, the noise would have caused the baby to cry out.
"Gone? She's a day old?" Emma sat up in bed and held the phone closer to her ear with her shoulder as she began pulling her clothes on, manoeuvring her way out of bed without waking her daughters who were sleeping in her bed after a movie marathon. She'd wake Killian up on her way out, he was asleep on the couch… As usual.
"It's an empty crib. I know an Empty crib, Miss Swan. I'm also aware of her age, I have the stitches to remind me," Regina blurted out, as a crash came through the line. "She's not under her crib… I sound crazy, don't I?"
"No. You sound scared. I'll be right there. I'll start an investigation."
"Good. I want my daughter back. I want my baby girl back! I want my baby!"
"What's your name, kid?"
The child looked up from her bowl of soup and tilted her head as though debating whether or not she was going to answer.
Several seconds passed before the child decided she trust Emma enough to answer the question honestly.
"Regan. I'm Regan Sherman."
Well, someone had a twisted sense of humour, Emma thought to herself as she eyed the child before her, taking in her uncanny and undeniable resemblance to Regina. She had the woman's eyes, only in a green tint, her hair, her nose; her cheekbones were a bit different but that was all the difference Emma could pick up.
"Okay, Regan, eat up and I'll tuck you in, okay?"
"I'm sleeping here?" Regan said, her voice shocked and filled with hope. It broke Emma's heart to hear how much the idea of staying her cheered her up.
"Yes, I'll tuck you in and we'll figure out what we're going to do in the morning."
Emma didn't want to tell the child what she was going to do. She didn't want to get her hopes up.
It was bad enough she was about to get Regina's hopes up but she was certain.
"This soup is good."
Regan didn't look up for thanks, she simply continued to shove the soup in as though it was going to be the last hot meal she'd have for a while.
The second the kid fell asleep, the texted Regina to come over immediately.
Come over. E
"You know I don't leave the house today. It's…" The anniversary of her daughter's disappearance. Regina didn't have to say it. It was the same every year.
How fortunate we might have found her today of all days.
Regina stayed in the house, no one went in and she closed her blinds and stared at her sonograms and evidence that she had been pregnant and cried. The only reason Emma knew this was because she always called Emma around midnight sobbing, begging her to convince her that her baby was still alive.
"You're going to want to."
"Why? Why should I?"
"I think I found your daughter."
The line went dead. There was silence for several minutes. Emma thought Regina was mad… Until.
With a poof, Regina appeared in Emma's kitchen holding a couple of vials.
Her eyes were red and her hair was a mess but she had hope in her expression.
Hope she had never lost.
"Show me," Regina sobbed out, her legs visibly trembling.
Emma didn't stall to guide Regina to the guest room where there was a small form, snoring softly in Emma's youngest daughter's pyjamas. Her black hair spilt out around her and she was holding on tightly to Faith's old stuffed bunny and a ratty old teddy bear.
Her thumb was in her mouth but she looked so peaceful and content.
Regina looked ready to fall to the ground and sob as she worked with her trembling fingers to open each phial.
When she mixed them together, she used a knife from her pocket to put a small cut on her finger. A single drop of blood was added to the mix, shaken and then poured onto the little girl's exposed hand.
At first, nothing happened and then, the powder disappeared with a burst of green smoke, leaving a piece of parchment in its place.
The phials hit the ground, forgotten as the woman shakily grabbed for the parchment and second letter, she clutched her heart and fell to her knees at the child's bedside.
"... my baby. My little girl. You… how? Where?"
Emma took Regina gently by the arm.
"Let's go talk in the hall, okay?" Emma said thoughtfully as she pulled Regina out into the hall, feeling the brunette follow but hesitantly because she clearly wanted nothing more than to embrace her daughter and never let her go.
"Where was she?"
"She was squatting in the apartment above mine," Emma explained. "I'm not sure for how long. I found her when she stole my wallet from the window sill. I chased her, unaware it was a kid. I couldn't tell who she was at first, she was too dirty and scared. I figured it out once she came from the tub. I fed her and tucked her in and called you immediately."
"That was your wallet she was sleeping with?"
"She didn't trust me. I told her to hold onto it and if I didn't go through with my word, I promised her to let her keep my wallet."
"Even your credit cards? Bank cards? ID? What if she took it to someone and they stole your identity?"
"I wasn't thinking about that? It was a scared child who needed to be bathed and fed; that's all I was thinking about," Emma defended, feeling stupid that she hadn't thought about those things.
"What's she like?"
"I've only known her for a couple of hours but she's… smart. A fighter. Determined. Independent. She lived on her own in an empty apartment. But she's nervous, scared and untrusting."
"I can't believe Maria is back."
"She doesn't answer to the name Maria though. Someone changed her name, very unoriginally might I add."
"To what? Oh god! Tell me it's not Emma?"
"What's wrong with Emma?"
"Nothing… What is it?"
"Regan."
"Seriously? Why not just outright call her Regina?" Regina deadpanned at the lack of originality behind her daughter's name.
"What do we do?"
"Let her sleep. We introduce you in the morning when she wakes up. Do you want to stay here? My daughters are out, so you can sleep in Hope's bed," Emma offered. "That way you can meet her when she wakes up?"
"I wish I could just take her home with me now."
"I don't think it'll be that easy. I just barely got her to come downstairs with me. It took a lot of negotiating and she still looked like she was debating kicking me in the shins."
Regina sat down on the couch and put her face into her hands. This was turning out to be very overwhelming but something about Emma's
"What is it?"
"She's in foster care. She ran away," Emma explained quietly.
Regina refrained from cursing, yelling and called the person who did this every single name in the dictionary.
"What do we do?"
"We contact the judge here and reclaim your parental rights. Her missing person report went federal, so it'll probably involve a simple DNA test and they'll grant that custody to you. I'm not sure if they'll want to do a legal adoption or not. I don't know what would be involved with that."
"Okay. So… what next?"
Regan woke up in a pink room, in a big comfortable bed in a soft pair of pyjamas.
The room was filled with pictures and trophies and a lot of things that made the room look cool.
Regan got up, missing the feeling of the soft bed and went to the bathroom. She washed her face and hands, wishing she could see more than the top of her head in the mirror but she was going to trust that she rinsed the toothpaste off her mouth.
She remembered that Emma had told her to come and wake her up when she got out of bed but there was a line of doors and she didn't remember which one was Emma's.
So, she went to the first one and found the room she had stayed in.
"Okay, door number two."
This time, she found an adult-sized lump under the blankets.
"Bingo!"
Regan made her way to the bedside and began shaking the bundle of blankets. There was a feeling in her brain that this was the person she was looking for and she knew to trust that feeling because it was never wrong.
This felt like the person she needed. And that feeling was stronger than ever.
"Mmm?"
Regan continued to shake the lump and soon, a head poked out from under the blankets, black hair tumbling across a tan face and barely focused brown eyes landed on her but quickly widened with so many unrecognisable emotions.
Regan felt herself step back as she realised this wasn't Emma, despite the surge of familiarity. She knew this woman. But she didn't know where she knew her.
"You're not Emma."
"No. She's in the room next door."
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Are you okay? Do you need anything? You're not sick are you?"
"No. I had trouble combing my hair and I'm hungry but I'm fine," Regan said.
"Do you want me to brush your hair?" the woman said, sitting up in bed, wearing a button-up blouse and a pair of pyjama bottoms.
"Okay," Regan said, knowing she had no clue where a brush was in this place but the woman stood up and grabbed a brush and pulled the chair for her.
"This is my goddaughter's room." the lady explained as Regan sat down, she began gently running the brush through her soft curls.
"Emma let me use her conditioner! That's why my hair is so soft," Regan explained to the woman who started braiding her hair.
"My name is Regan, did Emma tell you that?"
"She did. I'm Regina."
"Our names are close," Regan said as her mind began making connections.
"All done," Regina said and Regan turned to face the mirror. Her long hair was braided down her shoulder and it looked neat. None of her foster parents had been able to get it that flat or neat. Her hair swirled in so many ways that they just gave up and Regina had figured it out in seconds.
"How did you get it so neat?"
Usually, they let her hair hang by her shoulders or into a ponytail.
"My hair is the same way. It figured out how to tame it really young," Regina explained with a smile.
It was only a few minutes later that the smell of pancakes and bacon travelled down the hall. Regan's stomach let out a loud and angry howl.
"Let's go eat," Regina said, guiding Regan to the kitchen.
"Hey, Gina, Regan."
"Gina? Since when do you call me Gina, Miss Swan?"
Regina looked taken back by the name. Unsure of how to react.
"It made sense," Emma said with a shrug. "Doesn't the name Gina suit her, Regan?"
"Um…" Regan looked at Regina and back to Emma, not sure what to say so she simply shrugged and turned her focus back to the food which was sitting there, calling her name. And her stomach was ready to crawl out her mouth and eat it without her. "Can I decide after we eat?"
"Sure, let's eat," Emma said happily as she shot Regina a knowing look. The woman's eyes were glowing with joy. She could see Regina's eyes, though tired because she probably hadn't slept much the night before Emma called her, she was still glowing with joy to have her daughter back.
Regan tucked into her food and watched as Regina walked around and prepared fruit for herself. There was something really familiar about her and she reminded her of the woman from her dreams who was singing to her. She sang to her every night in her dreams.
But why would she dream about someone she didn't know?
A few times Regina saw her looking, she smiled before she sat down next to Regan and began eating her fruit salad.
"You're eating fruit?"
"I believe in eating a healthy breakfast," Regina said and she seemed to automatically put some onto Regan's plate. "Try some. I put fruit syrup onto it."
She took a bit of all the fruit and the only one she didn't like was the kiwi.
"I don't have a toothbrush."
She said this to Regina because Emma was busy with the dishes.
"Oh, I'll get you one. I know where the spares are," Regina said with a smile. "I stay here sometimes when Emma's working back shift at the station."
Regan followed Regina down to the bathroom and took the toothbrush she was given and brushed her teeth as she was taught in the last home she stayed in."
"Thank you. Do you know what's going to happen to me?"
"I don't know. Emma and I are going to talk. Do you have any homework in the meantime?"
"Regina, it's July."
The woman laughed at herself and shook her head.
"I should have known that. Why don't you go watch Disney on Emma's smart TV? Just ask Alexa to play whatever you want," Regina said, ushering the girl towards the living room, feeling like an idiot.
Regina went to the kitchen and with a flick of her wrist, made the dirt on all the dishes disappear.
"I don't know why you don't do that, Miss Swan."
"Because, I don't enjoy blowing up my dishes," Emma explained. "What do you plan to do?"
"I don't know."
"I texted David last night. He said they'll want to do a DNA test but that should be enough for your maternal rights to be reclaimed. I think you should tell her, Regina. What happened?"
"Why?"
"Because foster kids all want to know why they were given up and it took me a while to trust that Snow and David weren't going anywhere. I always feared they would give up on me. It might do her good to hear that you didn't give her up, you wanted her all along and that you never stopped looking for her," Emma explained. "It might be a shock to her but it could make all the difference in the world."
"Okay. Let's go," Regina said, pulling Emma into the living room before she could change her mind. Emma paused the movie just in time to reveal Evie from Descendants dancing to whatever song she was singing.
"Oh, the irony," Emma whispered to Regina who swatted her but Emma could see she was chuckling as her daughter who was watching the movie but now trying to figure out why the movie had stopped.
"Regan, I was hoping we could talk about something?" Emma started because Regina, who was standing beside Emma, had fallen uncharacteristically quiet and the nerves in eyes were visible as she was fearing how Regan was going to react.
"You met Regina this morning, how do you feel about her?"
"I don't know. She seems cool. She did my hair really nice and she gave me some of her fruit," Regan said with a grin and a shrug as she twiddled her thumbs.
"I'm going to tell you a story. She had a baby about eight years ago. She took her home and the next day when Regina went to feed her, she was gone. Someone took her. Regina did everything she could to try and find her baby but no matter what she did, it didn't work. She went to the authorities and spend day and night chasing leads and I've been helping her through it all. There was nothing until recently."
Regan looked at Regina with a tilted head and Emma could see the wheels turning in her head.
"Did you find her?"
Regina smiled happily at Regan.
"We think so but we need to go to the doctor to get a test done to find out," Regina explained with such an uncharacteristic smile on her face that if this wasn't such an intimate moment between the mother and daughter, Emma would have taken a picture to capture the look on the woman's face.
"Why aren't you with her?"
"I am, Regan," Regina said honestly, walking over and taking one of Regan's hands. "I am right now."
Regan looked at Regina before she shook her head.
"That's impossible. I was left at the fire station where they leave all the other abandoned kids," Regan said with a broken voice.
"I know it's hard to believe but… I've been looking for you for so long," Regina said, her voice breaking and Emma could see she was getting emotional.
"You don't want me. I'm stupid. Nobody wants me. They all make me go away."
"I want you," Regina said, holding her voice as strong as she could.
"I… don't know what I believe. I just don't know. I want to trust you. I really do. It's just… too good to be true! You've got the wrong kid," Regan sighed, wanting to lie to her and say she was the girl she was looking for but she looked so happy.
"Why don't you get the test done and when it shows the results, we'll go from there?" Emma asked, keeping things diplomatic.
"Is there a needle?"
"No. A mouth swab. Both of you will get your mouth swabbed and in twenty-four hours, they'll have the results," Emma explained. "I booked the appointment this morning."
"You need to pay in advance, Miss Swan," Regina said, raising a brow and crossing her arms.
"I called in a favour. It's in three hours," Emma informed Regina whose eyes widened.
"Thanks for the notice. I don't have time to prepare," Regina muttered.
"Prepare for what? All you need is spit," Emma said with a chuckle.
"I need to change my clothes, apply my makeup, wash and dry my hair," Regina listed off.
"It's DNA testing, not the prom."
"I have a reputation to uphold. I can't be seen in no makeup and clothes from yesterday," Regina responded.
"He's coming here. With David and Ruby to pose as witnesses to the test," Emma explained.
"Fine, what's the arrangement for tonight? I don't want to force her to come home with me if she doesn't believe me and… her room. Oh my gosh, her room! It's not ready. I took down the playground equipment. I need to get that back. And kids medicine. What if she gets sick? Clothes, do you need clothes? Toys. I need to…"
"Calm down, Regina, breathe. How about this; the results will be in tomorrow, why doesn't Regan stay here, you can get her room ready and when the results come back, you can take her back with you then?"
"I… I guess so," Regina said.
"Regan."
"I get a say?"
"Yes."
"If you're my mom, I think I'm okay with it," Regan said carefully. "But I don't know you. What if you decide you don't want me?"
"That could never happen. What're your favourite colours?"
Regan thought for a minute and answered without much hesitation. Emma could see what Regina was thinking and she was unsure if Regan had figured it out yet or not.
"Blue and green and brown. You?"
"I like purple and blue. What do you like to do for fun?"
"Um, I like skating, hockey and I love camping! I love reading and writing. I like skiing too but I only ever went once, so I'm not very good," Regan rambled on with a small smile.
"Okay, what's your favourite book?" Regina asked.
"Harry Potter. I like the Prisoner of Azkaban because Harry gets to meet his godfather and Buckbeak is awsome. I love the chamber of secrets because Dobby is funny and the Goblet of Fire has DRAGONS! Hogwarts is so cool! I'd love to go there one day if it was real!"
Regina and Regan launched into a discussion about Harry Potter until it was time for lunch. They were halfway through lunch when the doctor, David and Ruby arrived to do the test. It was a simple swab of Regina's mouth and David explained that if it was a match, Regina would have her legal rights back because Regan was taken.
They did have to put in a report with the system so Regan wouldn't be considered a runaway anymore.
Ruby had squealed excitedly causing Regan to jump and cast Regina a look of mock betrayal when the werewolf was kicked under the table.
The day went by quick, Regan watched movies but whenever Regina entered the room, Regan would watch her carefully, trying to figure the woman out. After a while, Regina sat down and watched some movies with her and they spent the afternoon talking.
It was around suppertime that Regina went home and Regan almost didn't want her to go. She could tell by the look in the woman's eyes that had she asked her to stay she would have.
This woman really thought she was her daughter.
And when she found out the truth, she was going to be mad.
Let her go home, you bothered her enough.
Regan sighed and followed Emma to the kitchen where she ate her supper
Emma seemed to get it.
"Hey, kid, why don't you shower now and I'll read you a story?"
"Read me a story?"
"If you're 'too old' for that, I can tell you one," Emma said slowly with a laugh.
"No one has read to me before," Regan said carefully. "Besides the teacher at school."
"Do you want me to?"
"Can we read Harry Potter?"
"Absolutely!"
"Do you think Regina is my mother?" Regan asked Emma in a small but hopeful voice.
"I do."
"If I'm not will she be upset?"
"No. Not at you. But I'm certain you are," Emma said softly. "And if you're not, I'm still going to do everything in my power to keep you out of that group home."
"What's Regina like?"
"Strong. Smart. She's a survivor. She's the strongest person I've ever met and she will do anything to keep her family safe. She's been looking for you for such a long time. It's been so long since I saw her this happy," Ema said with a smile.
"She's too perfect to be my mom."
"You deserve perfect. It might not feel like it growing up in the system but you deserve nothing than the very best life and Regina will do everything in her power to give you that and then some. I know you are her daughter. You look like her, you have her eyes, you crinkle your nose and mutter as you sleep as she does," Emma informed her. "You are strong and independent just like her. I believe in my heart that she's your mother."
"I hope so. I've always wanted a forever home."
"And you will have one. One way or another. I promise you that," Emma said firmly.
When she fell asleep, Emma texted Regina to inform her and Regina messaged back quickly and told Emma she had used magic to complete the room and had bought her a laptop, switch, tv, computer and books.
"Regina, I think she only cares about having a place to call home. You don't have to work so hard to try and impress her. She seems impressed without going to such lengths," Emma said, sitting into the chair. "I see how she looks at you and she told me she thinks you're 'too perfect' to be her mom. I corrected her but I know she won't believe me right away."
"Why wouldn't she?"
"She's a foster kid, Regina. She doesn't hear compliments. She sees people who didn't want her and made her feel like she's not good enough. There were probably bad homes that made her feel like shit and good homes that gave her back and made her feel inferior. That's the system."
"You went through that? Why would someone do that? Take in a kid they don't want?" Regina muttered, brokenly.
"For the check. Or a kid to do chores. Or some are just ill-equipped to take in a child emotionally. Its a sad truth," Emma explained thinking back to some of her own foster homes. "Especially the challenges that come with a foster kid."
"What do I do?"
"Take your time, be patient. Don't expect her to open her arms and call you mummy right away. Because if and when she does, it'll be because she trusts you implicitly."
Emma explained carefully.
"She's back. That's a start," Emma told her. "Come spend the night when you're done there. Be here when she wakes up. I need to go take the girls to school anyway, so you can get her up and ready."
"Killian can't take them."
"He can but he never gets them there on time and Hope hates being late," Emma told her, knowing Hope would complain loudly if she didn't go drive them from Killian's. The only problem with that was actually being near Killian.
"Okay, the room is done. My fridge is stocked with foods I hope she'll like and the stores are closed, I can't get clothes for her… Shit. I need clothes!"
"Regina, take some of Faith's old clothes until you can get new ones. You bought a lot of them for her, you know they're quality," Emma said gently.
"Be there in two seconds," Regina said, hanging up before Emma could say anything.
She appeared into Emma's room with a poof of purple smoke and Emma found herself smiling at the anxious look of joy in the Mayor's brown eyes.
"You're excited."
"I am."
"Go, get some sleep. Kids her age are balls of energy and she might be a little more comfortable to push some boundaries tomorrow," Emma explained.
Regan woke up once again in a cosy room in comfortable pyjamas to the smell of bacon wafting in the air, making her stomach growl loudly and hungrily.
She stood up and walked to the bathroom, she took care of business, washed her face and ran towards the kitchen.
"Don't run."
"Regina!"
Regan smiled at the older, the gaps in the front of her mouth showing as she beamed widely at the woman.
Regina was making breakfast, wearing a sharp business suit that made her look really powerful and like the type of woman who ran a company. So it was weird to see her cooking. It made her feel stupid for being in pyjamas but she didn't know what else to wear.
"Good morning, did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, the bed here is so comfy and these pyjamas are fluffy!" Regan said, grinning hesitantly. "Emma said I can keep them."
"That's nice of her. She gave me a bunch of clothes for you to wear," Regina explained as she set a plate of berry pancakes in front of Regan and sat down with her own plate. "She went to take her daughters to school this morning."
"Okay, what are we going to do? Are there any books here?"
"Well…"
A loud knock on the door caught their attention but Regina stood up and answered the door.
The doctor, David and Ruby stood there with wide grins on their faces that made Regina's heart soar.
She knew the results but now her daughter would know them too.
"Do you want her here when we read the results," the doctor asked with a wide grin. "We have the paperwork for custody, set up but with these results, it'll be granted automatically. Signing them is for her, so she'll know you're here to stay."
In the kitchen, Regan was eating… Until she saw the doctor and her face went pale.
Regina could practically see the fear in Regan's eyes, so she knelt beside her and took her hands into her own.
"Well, Charming."
"Congratulations. It's a girl," David said happily. "Regan, this lady is your mom."
"She is? How do you know?"
"DNA. Its something you get from your parents. You get half from both parents and you have half of Regina's DNA."
The doctor explained happily as Regan threw herself into Regina's arms, testing her reflexes because she nearly staggered to the ground from the sudden impact.
"I have a mom! Do you really want me?" Regan asked as she felt arms wrap around her.
"I told you, I've been looking for you since you disappeared, I will never send you away," Regina told her, hugging her as close as she could without risking her breathing.
Regan breathed in her mother's scent and just let herself be held, still in shock about having a mother of her own to hold. A mother who wanted her. Her mother.
It felt too good to be true but her heart told her it was.
That's how Emma found them. Ruby and her father watched as Regina embraced her daughter on the kitchen floor in a way that she found hard to imagine. The doctor was gone but she could see that he had been there because one of his folders was there.
It had the names Regina Mills and Regan (Mills?) written on the cover.
"How's everything going?" Emma asked, knowing already but seeing happy tears steaming down Regina's face and Regan's wide smile was enough to confirm it.
"I've got her back! I've got my baby back, Emma!"
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to take my baby girl home and start giving her the life she should have always had. You and the girls should come over for dinner," Regina said, feeling like celebrating but wanting nothing more than to show her daughter her room. "Are you ready to go home?"
Regan wrapped her arms tighter around Regina but squealed out in surprise when her mother picked her up. She automatically wrapped her legs around the woman and clung tightly as though terrified she was going to be dropped.
"Home?"
"Yes, I was up all night getting your room ready," Regina told her, her body flooding with joy as she felt her daughter hug her close.
"My room? I have a room?" Regan asked, clearly shocked to have a space dedicated to her.
"Let's go home," Regina said, carrying her daughter out the door with a wide smile on her face. "Come by anytime, Emma."
Driving home, Regina frequently peaked into the rearview mirror as though to verify in her mind that Regan was still there and sure enough, there she was, staring out the window in awe as they passed place after place.
She seemed fascinated by the pool, the toy store and the park.
She was super quiet though. She stared out the window quietly until Regina pulled into her driveway, finally home to raise her child after all these years. It was as though she could feel the rest of her life starting again with her daughter home in her care.
"You live here?"
Regan sounded amazed by the site of the house and Regina couldn't help but smile at being able to provide her children with the very best of the best. It made her realise that Regan never got any memories of this place. She was only a day old when she was taken and her only memories were shitty foster homes.
"We live here."
"This looks like the White House. You could be president? Are there guards? Secret service?"
The last part was whispered as the child looked at the house with a dropped jaw.
"I'm fine being mayor," Regina said as she held out her hand for her daughter to take, wondering if holding her mother's hand was too 'babyish' for the child. "I don't have secret service workers or a team of bodyguards; I'm just the mayor."
But she took it.
"Do you have a pool?"
"In the basement but you may only use it with supervision!"
"Okay. Do you have a helicopter? An aeroplane?" Regan asked as Regina guided her into the house with a proud look on her face. She loved the idea of being able to provide her daughter with a beautiful home after knowing she had gone through hell and back.
The child wasn't even aware she had a stitch of clothing to her name.
Regina was going to fix that. She was going to make sure Regan had clothes she loved, toys to play with and a place she felt secure enough to call home.
A safe place.
A place she knew was hers and no one could take that from her. Ever. It would always be hers. No matter what she did or said. Or so it seemed.
Would Regina like her once she got to know her? Would she be too much work? Too loud? Expensive? Annoying? Immature?
She didn't want to think about the possibility of this woman sending her away.
Regina pulled out her keys and opened the door to the huge and very tidy looking home.
White floors, black, grey and blue furniture.
There were several pictures of the woman and a small child who seemed to be growing into a man with every picture and the pictures featured Emma. The more recent pictures had two girls in them and they grew with each picture. Regina and Emma, however, stayed the same.
This house is so big and I haven't even seen outside this big museum room," Regan said as she looked around the room which had paintings and chairs.
"This is the sitting room."
"Oh, the living room!" Regan said with a smile.
"No, the sitting room. Its where you can sit when you come into the house. Its good for if you have company for a few minutes," Regina explained. "The living room is the door to the right. My home office is on the left and the room next to my office is the library."
"Wow! Is there a maid? Butler? Oooh, a limo! Do you have a limo? I always wanted to ride in one and stick my head out the roof like in the movie!" Regan began chattering away as she thought about everything she could think about doing.
"No, I don't need any of that. I have a lady who comes in twice a week to dust and tend to the rooms that aren't used but that's it. I can cook and clean after myself and I don't want to wait around for some man in a top hat to drive me around whenever I want to go out."
"Okay."
"Do you want to go see your room?"