A/N: You'd think with I'd have gotten time to write a lot more, you'd be wrong. However, I bring to you all another chapter. This chapter had a mind of its own. I hope you like it, I just let the creative juices flow with this one.
"Convincing David and Mary that I needed to stay at Regina's for the foreseeable future wasn't easy, but David, well, he surprised me, I knew it wasn't going to be easy, at least, I thought I knew."
"Y…You want to stay at the Mills cabin?" Mary asked Emma over dinner a few nights later, Emma sighed, she knew this was going to be an uncomfortable conversation, especially if what she was about to say was going to be taken to heart,
"I…I just, I feel like I need a break" Emma said, setting the napkin down on her plate, "I…I can never thank you both enough for everything you've done for me, but..but I just..I need some time" Emma said, it wasn't totally a lie, she had told herself in her room, she was just stretching the truth a little, the truth was, she was really enjoying living with the Nolan's but guilt was creeping in and making her feel guilty for it, she was betraying her parents memory.
"Are you…are you not happy here?" David asked, shock evident on his face, he didn't know what to say, he thought they were making progress, Emma sighed,
"No…I am, it's just..I..I need some time" Emma said again, 'God damn it Swan pull yourself together' Emma mentally coached herself, but she couldn't for whatever reason, form what she wanted to say into a sentence, she had to get away from them before she said something she didn't mean and would come to regret, "I…can I go upstairs?" Emma asked, she wanted to get away from them, David looked at his daughter and saw the panic in her face, he wanted so badly to say no, they will sit here and talk about this, there was no way he was going to let his 16 year old live in a cabin on her girlfriends property, but then he was reminded of the fact that Emma may be his daughter biologically, but for the past 16 years, she was someone else's, he swallowed thickly and nodded his Emma, Emma looked relieved but before she got up, she reached over and gripped Mary's hand, who turned and gripped Emma's even tighter, "I'm sorry, I just, I need some time" Emma said again, nodding to David as she stood, David watched as Emma ran from the dining area and shot up the stairs into her room, taking them two at a time, he sighed, ran his hand through his blonde hair and sat back in his chair, his fingers stroking the goatee that was newly acquired on his face, Mary looked heartbroken, he sighed and stood, walking over to his wife, and wrapping his arms around her,
"What have we been doing wrong David? I..I thought things were going well?" Mary asked, sniffing, David kissed her head gently and rested his chin on top,
"I think everything is really starting to hit Emma now my love, I don't think she means it to be hurtful, I think, I think she needs to leave for a while" David said, he winced when Mary moved so quickly his jaw knocked off her head painfully,
"So you think it ok for our teenage daughter to just move in with her girlfriend?! Jesus David" Mary said, running her hand through her own hair and placing both on her hips, "what would the neighbours think, us letting her go live with them" anger is what was coming out of Mary now,
"Sweetie, I don't like it either, but I think, as her parents, we have to look at this as a whole, and taking out the whole moving in with her girlfriend for a second" David lifted his hand to stop his wife's oncoming rant, "what happens if we don't let her do this? She will close up completely, will probably never talk to us again and do it anyway. This way, maybe she will agree to us coming to visit her, or her coming over here for dinner?" David said, he hoped that he was right, and that his daughter wasn't running from them, but just from her feelings, and he was also hoping, that Regina and the rest of the Mills family, could help with something she didn't want them to.
"I just…I don't want to let her go now that I have her back" Mary said sadly, falling into her husband's arms, David sighed and kissed Mary's head, whatever Emma was doing, he hoped that she would eventually talk to him.
"I..I'll set up a meeting with Henry after the budget debrief tomorrow, I want to make sure that they really are aware what Emma is planning on doing" David said, Mary just nodded into his chest as David wrapped his arms tighter around his wife, neither noticing Emma sitting on the top step, her eyes watering with unshed tears, wow, this hurt more than she thought it would.
"Wait...they agreed?" August asked with a hint of surprise over lunch the next day at school, the Mills siblings and Emma, sat at their usually table, at the back of the canteen, they were huddled closely together so no one would eavesdrop, not that anyone would really dare, considering who the people they would be doing it too were.
"Yeah, but I promised them that they could come round for dinner and I could go back every now and then" Emma said, putting a mouthful of lasagne into her mouth, moaning at the burst of flavour and looked at Regina, "G'd I lub 'ou" Emma said through a mouthful of food, looking directly at Regina, who rolled her eyes dramatically as everyone else chuckled,
"Please finish your food before you decide to speak" Regina said, throwing a napkin at Emma who caught it with ease and used it to wipe her mouth, the entire school now knew that Emma and Regina were an item, they knew because if one more person on the football team or a cheerleader for that matter, asked Emma out, Regina would have ripped their throat out, so to save Cora having to explain why decapitated students were scattered across the school, Emma decided to just tell them straight that she was in fact dating Regina Mills, that of course, spread like wildfire and the whole school knew by the last bell, Neal of course, still wasn't impressed but the warning from his Grandmother seemed to have done the trick as he didn't bother anyone anymore, at least, not whenever there was more than one of them. Emma smirked around her second forkful of lasagne and leaned over to place a kiss on Regina's cheek, leaving a sauce stain in it's wake, Killian chuckled as Regina just glared at Emma, if she could blush, she would be sure her entire body would be red.
"Back to the original question" Emma said, swallowing her mouthful and taking a drink from her carton of milk, "they agreed, but I think Henry may have helped my case a little" Emma said, knowing that it took more reassurance from the Mills father that Emma was in fact very much welcome, but she would be staying in the small cabin just off the lake, and not actually in the house, however the part he did leave out, more so for the Nolan's piece of mind, was that Regina would be moving in with her, well, technically all of his children, but he really did have to put his foot down after they had organised a 24 hour watch on the cabin.
"You can't all stay in the cabin Killian, it's not big enough for the seven of you to begin with" Henry said looking at his eldest son who was leaning against the doorframe of the living room,, not that there really was much of a doorframe anyway, Killian squared his shoulders and pushed himself off the wall, stepping into the room farther, Henry's look of slight disapproval followed him,
"I know that Da" Killian said, his Irish accent still as thick as it was the day they met, "but it's August you need to tell it too" Killian said with a small smile, August had pretty much done out a schedule on who would be taking watch on the cabin and when, it was funny, seeing as August wasn't Emma's biggest fan to begin with, now however, he had become her greatest protector, giving the rest of them a run for their money. "But I agree with him" Killian added, he would protect Emma with his life, "we all do, Emma, she…she's the first human in a long time that isn't afraid of us, who actually accepts us, hell she loves us" Killian said, his amber eyes shinning with the light of the fire, "she cares for all of us, you, Ma, even Auggie" Killian said, causing Henry to laugh at the nickname,
"Be that as it may Killian, I gave David my word that only Emma would be in that cabin" Henry said, he turned to look into the fire, "and I lied to him" Henry said with a sigh, Killian smiled,
"You're a politician, it's you-"
"Don't even think about finishing that sentence" Henry said as he spun so quickly it would have made anyone else's head spin,, a twinkle in his own amber eyes, Killian smiled, "I don't want them arriving unannounced and to find all of my children in the same room as their daughter" Henry said, Killian sighed, he knew that no one would be leaving Emma alone, even with Regina temporally moved into the cabin with the blonde, Killian smiled suddenly causing Henry to frown, "why are you smiling?" Henry asked curiously,
"We can hear and smell them coming before they even start down the drive, we can be back inside here in a matter of seconds you know that" Killian said, Henry paused and looked at his eldest son once more, he wouldn't have believed anyone who told him when he was first turned that he would have his family, and then some, still with him, his wife and daughters were the love of his life, and with them, came Killian and Belle, August was just an added bonus, and Emma, well, Emma, truly was a blessing upon the Mills family, Henry knew, he knew from the moment he met the young blonde, that she would be the greatest gift they could be given, someone who loved them all for who they were, not the monsters everyone thinks they are.
"…and Zelena takes the last shift" August said with a smile as he looked up from the piece of paper and around the table that contained his family, Emma was looking at him wide eyed a mix of shock and appreciation, while everyone else with a mixture of pride and smugness, mostly on Killian's part, but pride was there, under it all. Emma moved quicker than anyone expected her too and threw her arms around August, August froze, yes he cared about Emma but this was new, and it was in public, his eyes grew wider when Emma squeezed his neck harder making him reach up on instinct and place his arms around he, he sighed and relaxed into what was literally the first hug he had received from anyone, well bar Cora. Regina, Ruby and Zelena all looked at each other and smiled widely, Emma had changed all of them, Killian placed his hand on Emma's back also, adding some extra support, Regina looked at the three of the most important people in her life and felt something stir in her stomach, whatever it was, it seems to warm her up, which she knew was impossible, but the sensation of it washed over her, for the first time, Regina felt like she truly belonged and she was genuinely happy.
"Are you sure you don't want me to help you?" Regina asked as she pulled up outside the Nolan's apartment after school, Emma had decided that she needed at least a change of clothes if she was going to be moving into the Mills' cabin, Regina had scoffed and told her that between all of them, Killian and August included, there was plenty of choices, Killian and August both had plenty of checked shirts for even Emma's liking. Emma rolled her eyes at the question, for the third time since leaving school ten minutes previous,
"Yes Regina, I'll be quick, I just need to grab a few things" Emma said leaning over and kissing Regina, Regina thread her fingers through the blonde mane of her girlfriend and pulled her closer, Emma's hand landed on Regina's thigh and she moaned when it started to inch higher, they had yet to go further than making out and the occasional grasp of a breast, or the brush of a crotch. Regina still couldn't believe that Emma had accepted her without much questioning, yet somehow it didn't surprise her, from the moment she laid eyes on the blonde, Regina knew there was something special about her. Before their make out session could go any further however, Emma pulled back with a wet pop causing Regina to growl lightly and bite Emma's bottom lip, Emma stuck her nails into Regina's leg causing her to flinch, not expecting the move, "behave Gina" Emma said with a twinkle in her eye, she leaned over and pecked Regina quickly, not giving her any time to deepen the kiss, "I'll be ten minutes tops" Emma said turning and opening the door, Regina watched as Emma ran to the door of the apartment block and punched in the code, she chuckled when Emma waved to her with a wide smile before walking in.
"What the hell is taking her so long" Regina said, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her skinny jeans, ten minutes was now turning into twenty going by the clock on her iPhone, she sighed and opened it, hitting Emma's number in her contact list, it went to voicemail, "Damn it Swan, you said ten minutes" Regina said, turning off her Mercedes and getting out, she shut the door with a little more force than necessary, Emma had worked her up before leaving and it wasn't helping that all she could think about was the both of them cuddled up together in the bed that had been newly assembled by Henry and the boys the night before. It wouldn't be the first time they had cuddled, but it would be the first time that they would be alone without parents or siblings, well Regina hoped the second part would be the case, at least for tonight. Regina punched in the code to the building much like Emma had done and opened the door, she stopped suddenly when a scent hit her straight away, "No" Regina gasped, she was at the Nolan's door in seconds and pushed it open, she saw the table had been overturned, what sat on it was scattered all over the floor. Emma's jacket as well as the bag of clothes she had come to get lay at the bottom of the stairs, the bag upside down, dread filled the brunette, she pulled her phone out and hit the second number,
"Did you two get lost?" Zelena's teasing voice sounded through the phone,
"EMMA'S GONE!"
A/N: Please don't kill me! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I really just let my mind write this one so hopefully it worked! Let me know what you think will happen next! Any and all suggestions are more than welcome for this story, if you wanna see something in particular happen let me know and I'll see what I can do, and as always, thank you all so so much for the reviews/favourites/follows, it really does mean a lot! ! I also hope you all have been keeping safe and well, Ireland hasn't been hit too badly by this, but the second wave is really kicking our asses.