"Does… anyone have any questions?" Regina asked and looked at the twenty people in the room.
None of them had anything to add. A few of them shook their heads. All of them smiled.
"Alright, then let…that be….enough for….today. I hope to see….you all… next Friday."
They applauded. Regina had not expected them to do so, and she was both happy and surprised as she smiled at them.
Everyone started packing up their things and leaving the room. Regina had just shrugged on her coat when someone behind her said: "miss Mills?"
"Yes?" she turned around and was met by William Jacobson (Willy) the delightful elderly gentleman who was learning Sign Language so he could communicate with his wife who was going deaf.
"I just wanted to thank you for a very good lesson," he said to her. "I really feel like I've learned a lot today, and hearing your story… It was very inspiring. You're a very brave woman."
"Thank you," Regina beamed. "That is… so nice…. Of you to say."
"I'll definitely be back next Friday, and I think it's safe to say that the rest of the group will too," William said. "All of us loved Miss Prim's lessons, and we're relieved that you could take over, so we don't forget what we've learned."
"I am… looking forward to… more lessons," Regina smiled.
"Likewise," William said and returned the smile. "Goodbye, miss Mills. See you on Friday. And please give my regards to miss Swan."
"I'll do…. That. Thank you…. William," Regina said, utterly delighted when the elderly man shook her hand once. Then he left as the last one, and Regina shrugged on her coat. She was very happy. Cleary, she hadn't needed to be so anxious about this. She had 'aced' this. Just like Emma had said that she would. Now she couldn't wait to go home and tell her loved ones everything about it. What were they up to, she wondered. Emma and Henry. They were probably playing games. And entertaining Neal. Regina was a little jealous. She loved spending time with the baby. But of course she also had loved this. Being in a room full of people, speaking to them, teaching them and seeing them pay attention to what she was saying, was a completely new feeling. It reminded her of her days as a professor at the university. And now she could feel how much she actually missed it. Being home all day and being able to spend time with Henry and Neal was of course wonderful, but Regina had loved her job. She had loved standing in a room full of people and teaching them.
Maybe… Maybe she would be able to do that again. Some day.
She left the room full of optimism about the future, and excited about today's success. Now she had just one more errand to run before she could go home.
Her errand just so happened to be at Diane's Lingerie, a very expensive place, but also her favorite place. She was in the mood to pamper herself. Buy herself something pretty. And preferably, something sexy too.
While she was driving to the lingerie store, her phone rang. Regina pulled over so she could answer: "hello?"
"Hello, sister, dear!" Came Zelena's greeting in the other end. "How's it going? I feel like it's been ages since we talked!"
That was definitely not true. It couldn't be more than a few days ago. Obviously, Regina loved her sister and all that, but right now, she honestly just wanted to look at pretty lingerie.
So she lied a tiny bit to her sister. "I am… driving right now, Zelena…. Can I call…You….back later?"
"Oh, that's right, you taught Sign Language today! I almost forgot. Did it go well?"
"Yes. I….Finished a few….minutes ago."
"I want to hear all about it later! Call me when you get home, okay?"
"I'll… do that," Regina promised a tad impatiently. She just wanted to buy expensive lingerie, damnit!
"Perfect. Let's talk later, then. Drive safely, little sis."
"I'll do… that. Bye."
"Toodle pip!"
With that she was gone, and Regina chuckled as she put her phone away. Sometimes Zelena was too British for her own good.
She drove onwards, and it didn't take long before she reached her destination. Diane's Lingerie. She did not waste time and immediately headed over to the store. She had already seen something she fancied. One of the dummy's on display in the large storefront window was wearing a very fancy, sheer nightgown. Regina was definitely going to buy that. It was made for her.
She walked inside and quickly secured the nightgown. Gave in to temptation and browsed around. Just to check if there was anything else she needed. A woman could always need some nice new underwear, right? And it had been a while since she last bought herself something pretty.
"I deserve…this," she said lowly.
"Oh, absolutely, miss," one of the sale clerks piped up.
Regina chuckled. Felt flattered at being called 'miss'. Normally, she was always addressed as 'ma'am'. If the girl behind the counter was trying to make a sale, her method was definitely working….
Regina parked the Mercedes outside the house and quickly exited it. Opening the door to the backseat, she grabbed the bag containing the items she had bought on the way home. She had been in the mood to spoil herself with some nice new underwear that was quite sexy and full of lace. She hadn't been able to resist temptation when she spotted it. It was expensive, but it was worth it. It was very pretty. And she had a feeling that Emma would like it too. Win-win.
She entered the house and immediately heard voices from the living room. Emma and Henry. And the baby. Eager to join them, Regina took off her coat and toed off her shoes. She left the fancy bag in the hallway and then headed into the living room where she indeed found Emma and Henry and Neal. Neal was in his bouncer. Henry was sitting on the couch with Emma. A picture of relaxation.
Regina smiled at her girlfriend and son. "Hello, you two...it looks like...you're having...a good...time."
"We are." Emma stood from the couch and walked over to her. Slipped an arm around her waist. "Hey, you."
Before Regina could answer, Emma kissed her. A soft little kiss that had Regina feeling all warm and cozy inside. She immediately returned the kiss.
Henry moaned in protest from the couch. "Ma, you saw her two hours ago!"
Emma stopped kissing her, laughed and told Henry: "yeah, and I've missed her like crazy!" then she kissed her one more time. A very subtle kiss.
"I've...missed you too," Regina half-laughed when Emma pulled back.
"So?" Henry asked eagerly. "How was it? We wanna know all about it!"
"In Sign Language... or words. Your choice," Emma added.
Regina chuckled lightly as she walked over to the couch and sat down next to Henry. "It was...a bit daunting at first, but I think...it went pretty...well."
"I'm pretty sure it went better than that." Emma was hot on her heels, and it didn't take long before she too was sitting on the couch. "Were you nervous?"
"Very," Regina said truthfully. "It's been...quite a while...since I've...spoken in...public."
"I get it."
"But I...did it." she smiled and tugged a lock of hair behind her ear. She was so proud of herself. So satisfied with her own doing. Taking over the Sign Language lessons after Kitty Prim had seemed incredibly daunting, and she had been tempted to say no. But she had decided to challenge herself. To get out of her comfort zone. And now she was so, so happy about that decision. She had made the right decision.
"So... are you going to keep teaching Sign Language?" Emma asked her.
"Yes, I...believe so," Regina confirmed with a smile. Her confidence had grown as the lesson progressed, and William Jacobson's kind words had been the cherry on top.
"How many students do you have, mom?"
"They're not... my students, honey," Regina chucklingly corrected and ruffled her son's hair.
"You're teaching them, right?"
"Yes."
"Then they're you're students," Henry said simply.
Emma chuckled. "You're one smart kid."
Smart, yes. Cheeky, also yes. Regina scowled the littlest bit at her dear son, but she was blatantly ignored "How many students do you have?"
"Ten." Perhaps it didn't sound like a lot, but it was ten more than Regina had expected to show up.
"That's awesome, babe!" Emma squeezed her shoulder. "I really wish I could have come with you."
"I'm glad you...weren't there," Regina chuckled. "That would only...have made me nervous." And she also happened to know that A Tap on The Shoulder had required Emma's attention. And that was completely fine. Emma's stories were so, so important. The more she wrote, the happier Regina was.
"You nervous?" Emma quipped. "Never!"
Regina chuckled at the joke and stood from the couch. Headed over to the bouncer where Neal (who had been dressed as a tiger today) was happily cooing. Regina picked him up and earned herself a happy: "hoo!"
"Hello," she cooed. "Did...you miss me, little one?"
"He did," Emma confirmed. "He kept squirming and barely wanted to drink his milk."
"Dear me." She laughed softly and bounced the baby up and down in her arms. "Were you...not a...good boy...for Emma?"
"Definitely not," Emma teased.
Regina chuckled once more and stroked Neal's cheek. She would sure miss this little tiger if she went back to working away from home.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"Hm?"
"You looked like you were miles away," Emma explained.
"Oh." She lifted Neal so he was perched over her shoulder. He liked being able to look around. "I was...just thinking...if the Sign Language classes...continues to go so well...and my voice gets stronger...maybe I could...go back to...work."
"Oh."
Regina immediately back pedaled. She had been exposed to too many negatives 'oh's' in her life, and sometimes she struggled to remember that not all 'oh's' were bad. "I mean...maybe," she said quickly. "It was...just a thought."
"It was a good thought," Emma smiled. "A very good thought. I just have one concern."
"Yes?" There was that niggling concern again. She couldn't help it. Even though she knew that Emma never would attempt to clip her wings.
Emma wasn't like that.
"You were a professor at the McGill University in Montreal," Emma was quick to clarify. "That's...pretty far away from here."
"Oh!" Regina exclaimed, feeling both relived and a bit silly for having been worried in the first place. She laughed happily. "Obviously, I would...apply for a position...in Vancouver...my love." No way was she going to Montreal. What a silly thought!
"That sounds like a good idea. Professor Mills."
Regina had a 'thing' about that. Being called 'Professor Mills' did certain things to her. She was pretty sure that her cheeks heated up, and she was quick to clear her throat. And not think about the last time Emma had called her 'Professor Mills'. Which had been in a very different context.
"But we'll...see," she said, forcing herself to stick to the topic as she walked back to the couch and sat down with Neal still perched over her shoulder. Like a koala bear. Or a very tiny lurker.
"I think it's a really good idea, honey." Emma put a hand on her arm. "You loved being a professor. You loved teaching. There's no reason why you shouldn't get back to that."
"My voice...isn't strong enough...yet," she gently reminded her girlfriend.
"No, but it will be," Henry said and flashed her a grin. "It's already so much stronger. Right, Ma?"
"Right," Emma agreed with their son. "You're acing those voice therapy sessions!"
That word again. Regina chuckled. "Being able to... hear the progress is a...very good...motivator."
"I can imagine so. Coffee?"
"That sounds...very nice, darling." She could use some coffee after having talked for so long.
"Coming right up then." Emma briskly walked into the kitchen, and Regina heard her roam around in the kitchen. A cupboard was opened. Then closed. A soft clicking sound as the coffee machine was switched on.
Regina nuzzled her nose against Neal's soft baby cheek and halfway expected Emma to come into the living room and go 'aww' like she so often did, but it didn't happen today. Emma wasn't coming back.
At first, Regina thought nothing of it, but as Emma's absence grew longer and longer, Regina grew more and more curious. What was Emma doing in there? Surely, it couldn't take that long to make the coffee, could it? Or was Emma having issues with the coffee machine again? Was she silently struggling with it and didn't want to ask for help because she felt silly?
Regina decided to 'rescue' her. Her coffee machine was advanced, and there was absolutely nothing silly about struggling to get it to work.
So she left Neal in Henry's capable hands and headed into the kitchen.
No Emma.
But the coffee was brewing steadily.
Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice said.
A slight rustling sound reached Regina's ears and it was quite easy to follow the sound. Into the hallway she went. Where she found Emma. With one hand in the bag Regina had stuffed her items from Diane's Lingerie in.
Regina lifted an eyebrow. Those items were not meant for Emma's eyes. At least not yet. She quietly walked up behind Emma and calmly waited until Emma's hand was good and truly inside the bag, before asking: "Emma, what are...you doing?"
Emma yelped and yanked her hand out of the bag. She scrambled and rose to her full height. Then turned around. Her cheeks were flushed. She looked incredibly guilty. "I was just..." she licked her lips slightly. "You've...You've been shopping."
Regina didn't confirm nor deny that. Just kept the charade going and clicked her tongue. Shook her head in feigned sadness. "This is...the second time...you ruin my...attempt at surprising you."
"I didn't see anything," Emma said quickly. "I honestly didn't. I just...felt a lot of soft...things."
"You've ruined...the surprise," Regina drawled. Teasing Emma was too tempting. "I was hoping...we could put the things...I bought...to good use tomorrow night...but now you've ruined it."
"I haven't," Emma squeaked. "I seriously have no idea what's in that bag, Regina. I really, really don't!"
Indeed? She lifted an eyebrow in polite skepticism.
"Pinky promise!"
The extremely endearing expression nearly made her smile, but she urged herself to keep the charade going as she snatched the bag. Regina looked like she was about to smile as she said: "I better...take that bag...upstairs. Too...many prying eyes...down here." she grabbed the bag and went up the stairs.
"Not mine!" Emma called after her. "I didn't see nothing!"
Regina wasn't sure she believed Emma, bur she laughed softly to herself as she brought the bag upstairs like she said she would.
In the bedroom, she stored the bag away in the very back of the closet. Until she needed it. She had of course been exaggerating. Emma hadn't ruined anything by roaming around in the bag. Even if she had gotten a sneak peek, it couldn't ruin seeing Regina wearing all the items.
Regina smirked to herself. She had gone all out and bought quite a lot of stuff at Diane's Lingerie. Advanced nightgowns that had made her feel incredibly sexy when she tried them on. Some sheer, some lace. Bras with lots of straps that lifted her breasts and were sure to make sweet Emma's eyes bulge. Thongs so thin they were barely there.
Yes, Regina was satisfied. She could not wait to wear all the items for Emma. Knowing Emma, she would probably request that Regina 'modeled' for her and wore all the items. Regina certainly had no problem with doing that.
With that bag safely stored away in the closet, Regina turned around and walked back downstairs.
Just in time to hear Henry say a sentence that ended in "fire!"
"What is...on fire?" Regina asked, immediately alarmed as she sniffed into the air. "I don't smell...any smoke."
"Ma managed to set the coffee machine on fire," Henry giggled.
"Hardy har, har." Emma rolled her eyes at their 'witty' son. Then turned her head and "There's no fire, babe. Don't worry."
"But I...do smell freshly made...coffee, though," Regina observed and chuckled as she sniffed into the air again.
"I think it's almost done."
"Can I give Neal the rest of his bottle while you guys have your coffee?" Henry asked excitedly.
Regina beamed at that question, and Emma nodded. "Yeah, of course you can. You know to-"
"Support his head. Yup. Got it."
"Alright, smarty pants." Emma placed the baby in his arms along with the bottle. "Remember to hold the bottle steady when he's drinking. Don't tip it until there's only milk left on the bottom of the bottle, okay?"
"Got it, Ma. I already know that. You don't have to tell me," Henry groaned. "I know how to feed Nealy!"
That seemed to do the trick. Emma accompanied her into kitchen where the freshly brewed coffee was waiting for them.
Emma peeked into the living room and smiled. "Our kid is adorable."
"He sure...is," Regina agreed with a smile as she found two cups in the cupboard. Henry was behaving like…. Like an older brother. She quelled a little sigh. It wouldn't just be tough for them when Neal went away.
"Soooo….."
"Yes?" Regina asked as she poured the coffee into two cups. She was only happy that Emma was taking her attention away from Neal's departure. Whenever that was.
"Did you put your stuff away?"
"Oh." Regina gave a throaty laugh. So Emma was still thinking about that. "Yes, I... did."
Emma groaned quietly. But not too quietly. Regina heard her and laughed once more. She glanced into the living room and saw that Henry was still busy giving Neal his bottle. He wouldn't notice if they dawdled a bit. Regina was in the mood to flirt a bit. She came closer to Emma and brushed her thumbs over her cheeks. "Perhaps I can...give you a preview...tonight when the...children are...asleep." she didn't want to keep the underwear a secret for too long. There was no reason to do that when she could be wearing it for Emma instead.
"Seriously?" Emma's voice had become all low, and her skin was getting warm under Regina's touch.
"Mmmm," Regina hummed. "Would you...like that, Emma?"
"Uhmm... let's see... hell fucking yes!" Emma quietly hissed. Then she tipped her head up and kissed her.
"Mmm," Regina murmured into the kiss and felt herself sway a bit. Emma was quite eager. Regina cupped her girlfriend's cheeks a bit more properly and thought to herself that this was a proper welcome home. The kind of welcome home that jokingly had her considering to leave the house more. If this was the way Emma greeted her when she came home, well…
"Ugh, seriously? You guys are not drinking coffee! You're lip locking!"
Naturally, Henry's little outburst put a stop to their kiss. Regina flashed Emma a mischievous little smile as she pushed a lock of hair behind Emma's ear and promised: "later."
"Definitely later," Emma whispered back and looked like a cat who had just been served a large bowl of cream.
"Neal's done eating! I think he needs to burp!"
Well then. Regina bit back a groan as she brought her up of coffee with her into the living room so she could help Henry. She loved Henry and Neal, she really did.
But sometimes she just wanted to be alone with Emma. Hard to achieve when you had kids. But she was hoping that they could carve out some sneaky alone time tonight.
In the living room, she sat her cup of coffee down on the coffee table and took the dish towel from Henry. She unfolded it and draped it over her shoulder so her maroon dress wouldn't get soiled in case Neal spit up. Then she gently took Neal from Henry and placed him over her shoulder. His little head was resting on the top of her shoulder, and Regina rubbed his back in broad circles and spoke softly to him as she always did when encouraging him to burp.
Neal gurgled and cooed and most likely drippled all over the dish towel.
"Come on," Regina gently coaxed the little boy. "Come now….little….man. Be a…. good boy."
Neal squirmed against her shoulder for a moment. Then he burped. Loudly.
"That was awesome," Henry giggled. "Good job, Nealy!"
"That's my…. Boy," Regina cooed, rubbing Neal's back again. But now to praise him. "What a…. good little….boy….you are!" She laughed with Henry.
"How can a tiny baby like him sound so much like a big guy?" Henry questioned, still laughing. "That sounded like a man burping!"
"It sure…. Did," Regina agreed with him. "That was… a really…. Big one."
"It was," Henry snickered.
she heard an almighty belching sound from the living room, and Henry and Regina's following amusement.
"Who was what?" Emma asked as she came into the living room with her cup of coffee in hand. She grinned teasingly at Henry. "Was that you burping, kid?"
"No!" Henry huffed and pretended to be offended. "That was Neal."
"Wow. That was an epic burp, kid."
Neal cooed against Regina's shoulder. It was a happy little sound. One that had Regina laughing as she gently peeled him off her shoulder and kissed his cheek.
"Tell us more about the Sign Language lesson," Emma said.
Regina chuckled softly as she reached for her cup of coffee. "What more...do you want...to know, my...love?"
"Anything. Tell me about your students." The suggestion was followed by a grin.
"They are…. Still not… my students," she pointed out. But students or not, she was still more than happy to tell her family more about today's success. And her family was the perfect audience. Even Neal who didn't understand anything. But he did make a point of cooing in agreement every time she said something…
"I don't feel...like cooking tonight," she announced later. They were still sitting on the couch and not doing much. None of them had had the urge, really. "How about we... head over to Eugenia's and...have dinner...instead?"
The suggestion was met by a "Yes!" and a whoop from Henry.
"I guess we're going to Eugenia's," Emma laughed. "Good suggestion, beautiful. It's been a while since we've been there."
"Too long!" Henry agreed.
With that settled, they decided to get ready to leave as soon as possible. Regina was getting hungry. But there was something very important that needed to be done first. Neal needed a fresh diaper. Regina brought him upstairs to the bathroom. Emma accompanied her. Offered to help her. And this time, Regina happily accepted the help.
"You know, maybe I should buy gasmasks for us," Emma joked as she threw the dirty diaper in the bin. Which Emma turned into a big joke by saying that she would have to buy gasmasks for both of them.
"Very...funny." Regina lifted an eyebrow and pretended to be really haughty.
"Aw come on, I'm hilarious!"
"That's what... you think, dear." She wasn't doing a very good job at pretending to be a haughty, evil queen. Regina suspected that it was the 'aw' that got her.
"You find me to be absolutely hilarious and beautiful and unbelievably sexy. "Isn't that right?"
Well… "You've... got me," Regina happily admitted. "That... I do."
"Happy to hear that. Professor Mills."
"Emma," Regina lightly chided. This was neither the time nor place for this. "The...baby is...here."
"Mmm, and he's much too young to understand what I'm saying." Emma snapped the buttons on Neal's little tiger suit shut. "He has no idea that I'm hitting on you. Professor Mills."
Regina licked her lips and forced herself to ignore the slight tingling sensation in her stomach. There really should be some sort of law forbidding Emma to call her 'Professor Mills' when they weren't in bed. She scolded herself for thinking about things she shouldn't be thinking about right now, and smoothened a hand over Neal's little round stomach. "I think he's...done and ready to go."
"I think you're right."
Regina cleared her throat as she lifted Neal off the changing table. Stop thinking about it, she silently scolded herself. There's a time and a place. And now was definitely not the time. Nor the place.
Soon they could leave the house. Driving was out of the question on a beautiful night like this.
Neal had been placed in his stroller, and he did not mind that at all. He liked being pushed in his stroller. And Henry proudly pushed said stroller. Regina had a feeling that that too made him feel like an older brother.
It didn't take long before they ran into Isabelle Gold, the librarian, and it didn't take long before she wanted to see Neal either. Everyone wanted to see Neal.
"Ooooh," Isabelle hummed as she peeked into the stroller. "Hello there, little one! Don't you look cute tonight! Like a little tiger."
"Hoooh," was Neal's sweet response, and it caused his admirers to chuckle.
"He's actually an owl in disguise," Henry revealed to Isabelle.
Isabelle laughed. "He's so adorable!"
"He totally is," Emma agreed with her.
"The library is all out of copies of your book, Emma," Isabelle said and smiled at Emma. "The waiting list is up to six weeks now."
"Seriously? That's amazing!
"Do we get a sequel?"
"Isabelle..." If Emma was trying to scold, she was failing spectacularly. "You know I can't tell you that. It's top secret."
"And yet you've told Regina, haven't you?"
"Obviously."
Regina laughed heartedly at that. She did indeed know that there would be a sequel. Emma had already given her a rough layout of what would happen in the next book, and she could not wait. Just the title made her eager to read more. The Queen's Revenge. It sounded so intriguing. Regina literally could not wait.
They said goodbye to Isabelle and continued towards Eugenia's Inn. Henry walked ahead of them. Quickly. Almost power walking. Regina did not scold him for it. As long as he did not race with the stroller, she did not care.
She took the opportunity to slip an arm around her partner's waist.
"Why, hello there," Emma chuckled. "Are you getting a little affectionate with me, Mills?"
"I am certainly...trying," Regina said warmly. "Am I...doing a good job?"
"Always," Emma assured. "You always give the best cuddles."
Oh? Regina squeezed her waist.
"Do it again," Emma pleaded.
Naturally, Regina had no problem with repeating the gesture. She squeezed Emma's waist again, and was about to say something teasing when Emma stopped quite abruptly and turned. Then she kissed her. Regina made a noise of surprise and returned the peck. Then chucklingly observed: "there seems to...be quite a lot of...kissing today."
"Yeah I know," Emma snickered. "Isn't it awesome?"
"Very...awesome," Regina agreed with a smile.
"You guys are so slow!" Henry complained.
"We are…. Not," Regina denied and was secretly pleased that Henry had not seem them kiss.
"We totally are," Emma murmured lowly.
Regina nudged her.
They hurried after their impatient child and at last made their way inside the diner. "Let's sit… near the….window," Regina said.
"Can't we sit closer to the jukebox?" Henry asked.
"No," Regina replied and shook her head. "We have to…. Sit where…there is…room for the… stroller." It was only partially true. She didn't particularly want to sit close to the jukebox and expose her ears to loud music while eating.
"Okay," Henry said, accepting that without complaining.
They had barely sat down before Henry was distracted by something that wasn't the jukebox, but still could be extremely loud when wanting to.
"Zelena!" He exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Zelena," Regina repeated, feeling thoroughly surprised at this unexpected development. What are...you doing...here?"
"Hello to you too, little sis." Zelena voice was all teasing drawling, and she was clearly amused as she rose from her seat and came over to them. "Nice to see you."
"Nice to... see... you too," Regina automatically greeted, but pleasantries didn't exactly solve the mystery of why Zelena was here. "I didn't...know you were...in Steveston...tonight."
"I haven't seen you in a while," Zelena said lightly.
Regina lifted an eyebrow. "That is...not true. We saw each other...at the...dinner."
"That was two weeks ago, sister dear. And I've barely heard from you since."
"We talked...when I was on my...way home from...the Sign Language...lesson," she reminded her sister.
"Mmm, for two minutes."
"Because I was...driving," Regina pointed out. Surely, Zelena hadn't come to Steveston to tell her off for not being able to talk when she was driving, right?
"Mmm, and then you promised to call me back. Which you never did."
"Oh." Right. I did actually promise that. Woops. She had been distracted by the lingerie store. And then she had come home and started talking to Emma and Henry. There hadn't really been time for talking to Zelena. "So you...decided to...drive to Steveston to...check on...me?"
"Not to check on you. To spend time with you," Zelena corrected. With all of you. Chad is away on business in Boston, so I was sort of hoping..." her words turned into low muttering as her gaze drifted towards the bag she had stuffed away under a chair.
"You were hoping to crash in our guestroom," Emma deduced.
"Yes." Zelena gave them a hopeful smile. "You don't mind that, do you? Chad was being fussy before he left. Some nonsense about how he didn't like that I was on my own when I'm pregnant. Of course that's bloody nonsense, but I ended up promising him that I would stay with you two until he came back."
"Sure," Emma said lightly
"We'll...move the crib into the...bedroom," Regina added and saw all the wonderful plans she had made for tonight go down the drain. So much for hoping for a bit of romance in between having two kids.
"Perfect!" Zelena fondly ruffled Henry's hair. "Now... who wants dinner? I'm absolutely famished. And I'll pay. So chose whatever you want, dear nephew!"
"Chocolate pie!"
"Not...that." Regina rolled her eyes at her son's quite ridiculous suggestion. "Try...something...different, young man."
"Spaghetti Carbonara?"
"That's...better," she praised. "That...you can have."
"Excellent. Now that that's settled, why don't you two sit down?" Zelena said briskly. "Family dinners usually works better if everyone are seated."
"Hardy, har, har," Emma said.
They sat down in a booth. Emma slipped an arm around her shoulder. Regina absentmindedly played with Emma's fingers and spoke to Zelena at the same time.
"How is...little green bean...doing?"
"Wonderfully. Chad seems to think it'll be a girl," Zelena said. "And I'm actually leaning towards that myself."
Regina smiled. She would love to get a little niece. A little girl she could spoil rotten.
"And suddenly, Chad has somehow decided that Effie is a brilliant name for her," Zelena huffed and rolled her green eyes dramatically.
"And you don't?" Emma guessed. "I think it's sounds really cute, actually."
"Me, too," Regina agreed. Effie was quite a sweet name. Effie West. It had a nice ring to it.
"Well, then you're sharing the insanity that hit him," Zelena said sternly. "I refuse to name my daughter Effie."
"Effie West?" Henry said and tilted his head. "I agree with mom and Ma. It sounds cute."
"Firstly, no it doesn't. And secondly, she's going to have Chad's surname as well as mine."
"So Effie West-Abrahams."
"Not Effie."
Henry chuckled. "so when you marry Chad, you're going to be Zelena West-Abrahams?"
"Yes." Zelena chuckled along with him. "But we're not getting married, Hen. At least not right now."
Henry nodded and seemed to be a bit thoughtful all the sudden. Then he looked at Regina and Emma. "What would you guys be?"
"Huh?"
"If you guys got married," Henry casually clarified. "What would you be?"
"Uhh..." Apparently, Emma had lost her ability to speak. Regina thought she looked a bit flustered too.
"Would you be Swan-Mills or Mills-Swan?"
"Swan-Mills...sounds...better," Regina said, coming to Emma's rescue. And perhaps not entirely thinking about it.
Crick. Emma turned her head and a look of pain flashed across her face as she brought a hand up to her neck. But apart from that, she didn't seem bothered by it. She had suddenly found her voice again. "You've given that some thought."
Oh. Wasn't it pretty hot in here? Her cheeks suddenly felt too warm. "I...haven't."
Zelena cackled. Regina gnashed her teeth.
"I think you have, though," Emma said softly. "And that's okay. The sky won't drop if you do."
Regina muttered lowly under her breath. It was unintelligible, but that was fine. She wasn't interested in pursuing this subject. At least not when Zelena was here. She was relieved when Ruby came over and greeted them.
"Spaghetti Carbonara!" Henry said immediately with sparkling eyes.
Regina was silently amused. Someone was hungry.
"That's right," Zelena confirmed. "Spaghetti Carbonara for master Mills. And hamburgers for the rest of us."
Hamburgers? Regina lifted an eyebrow. She wasn't so sure she wanted a hamburger for dinner. She had pictured a nice Caesar salad or something. With feta.
"You can survive one day without your precious salad, little sis," Zelena brushed her off and read her mind completely.
"Hamburgers for all the grownups?" Ruby asked and looked amused at their little exchange.
"Hamburgers...for the grownups," Regina surrendered. "Though I'm not...sure my...sister...categorizes as a...grownup."
"How dare you, I'm two years older than you!" Zelena huffed.
"And extremely...immature," Regina teased, enjoying having the upper hand for once.
Zelena glared at her.
"Now, now, children," Emma drawled. "Play nice. Or I'll have to ground both of you."
Henry snickered, and Neal cooed in his stroller. Regina unclipped his little 'seatbelt' and lifted him out. There was absolutely no reason why he shouldn't be apart of their impromptu family gathering.
"Hello, little man," Zelena thrilled at him. "Don't you look absolutely scrumptious today!"
"He's not a little man, aunt Z. He's a little tiger. Can't you see that?"
"So he is," Zelena nodded. "Did you guys buy that outfit for him?"
"We did. Or, Regina did," Emma said.
"Aha." Zelena looked at Regina. "You're coming with me to shop for the baby next Saturday."
"I...am?"
"Yes. You are. You clearly know where to find all the cute stuff, and we can have some sister time. It's been ages since we've had that."
"Okay, then," Regina nodded. Arguing was no good. Not even if she had imagined to spend next Saturday with Emma and Henry and Neal. She knew Zelena. Her shopping always tended to drag out.
"Brilliant," Zelena smiled. "Now... I wish they would hurry up. I'm absolutely famished. I am worse than you were when you were expecting Henry. And you ate twenty four seven."
"I...did not," Regina first protested, but then laughed.
"You totally did, sis."
"I did," Regina agreed with a chuckle. My, how she had eaten. Food had been the first thing on her mind when waking up, and the last thing she thought about before going to bed. It had been quite crazy.
"I would have loved to see that," Emma snickered.
"It was… quite the…. Sight," Regina revealed to her partner.
"I'm sure you looked beautiful while stuffing your face."
Ever gallant Emma, Regina thought to herself.
After a moment, Ruby arrived their food. Zelena was very eager when it came to eating her burger.
"Oh my god, this is so good!" She nearly moaned. "Seriously, this is the best burger I've ever had in my life! And I am absolutely famished!"
Evidently. Regina chuckled.
"My spaghetti is really good too!"
"I am…happy to hear that…. my little prince."
This was all very nice. Regina was all for domestic moments and family dinners, but by all the gods, she would have loved to steal a few romantic moments with her girlfriend. Zelena's surprise appearance had put an effective stop to it. Because of her plan to 'crash' their home for the night, Neal's crib would have to be moved into their bedroom so Zelena could get her sleep in the guest bedroom where he normally slept. Regina would never dream of turn her sister away. Of course not. Naturally, she shouldn't be on her own while Chad was away. Not when she could stay at their place.
But still… Regina had had so many plans for tonight. So much alluring lingerie and sexy nightgowns she was going to model for Emma. She had looked forward to that. She flashed her girlfriend a yearning look. I was so looking forward to model for you.
Emma patted her hand, and even though she wasn't saying anything, Regina understood what she was communicating. Raincheck.
Yes, Regina thought to herself. Definitely raincheck. Her stomach curled pleasantly at the thought.
"How would you two feel about if I took my nephew with me when I leave tomorrow?" Zelena asked briskly and interrupted their silent conversation. "Chad was dumb enough to promise me we would go to McDonalds when he comes back. And I know that my darling nephew doesn't often get the chance to go to McDonalds because his dear mother seems to think it's bad for him."
"It IS...bad for...him," Regina said flatly. "The food...is basically...poison." Utter garbage.
"But I can go, right?" Henry looked at her with wide brown eyes. He reminded Regina of a puppy. And of course she couldn't say no to that face. "Yes, you can...go," she said and smiled at him.
"Awesome! Thanks, mom!" he looked so excited at the idea.
Regina smiled at him and shot Emma a look. Well, well, well. Perhaps they could enjoy some romantic moments tomorrow morning instead. Neal would be put down for a long nap at some point, and then…
Emma grinned right back at her. Regina suspected that she knew what she was thinking…
"Urgh, I am so tired!" Emma announced later. They were getting ready to go to bed after a night full of laughter.
Regina quirked an eyebrow at her apparently-tired girlfriend. Perhaps Emma was tired. But not too tired to look towards the closet where Regina had stored the lingerie bag away. Regina chuckled quietly not to wake Neal who was asleep in the crib.
"Tomorrow, my...love," she said softly and looked up from the book in her lap.
"Huh?" Emma blinked. Then hastily looked away from the closet. "Right. Yeah. Tomorrow."
"I am...impatient too." She didn't quite succeed in holding back a groan, and she could understand why Emma smirked at her.
Damn shame Zelena had crashed what was supposed to be a romantic evening.
She gave up pretending to read her book and looked up. "Are you...coming to bed?"
"Sure." After having checked on Neal, Emma climbed into bed with her and kissed her shoulder. "Whachu reading tonight, Mills?"
"T-the Price of Salt," Regina replied and knew that Emma undoubtedly would have something to say about that.
"Again?" Emma chuckled. "Am I getting some competition from Carol?"
Regina laughed because her assumption had been right. And because it was a bad joke. Not even Carol Aird could compete with Emma Swan. "I h-have to do something w-with my thoughts until tomorrow," she admitted. She was thinking far too much about the possibility for romance she had spotted tomorrow when Henry was away and Neal asleep. If they were really lucky, he would be down for at least three hours. And a lot of things could happen in three hours. A great many things..
"You could share those thoughts with me instead of reading," Emma murmured into her shoulder. Then she kissed it again.
"Stop...that," Regina scolded and grabbed the duvet so she could cover her shoulder. "You are...distracting me."
"Seems pretty easy tonight," Emma was grinning at her now.
"You've...turned me into...a horny teenager," Regina said matter of factly. The filter that normally ensured she didn't say silly stuff, clearly wasn't working at all tonight. Emma's jaw dropped. Then she sputtered.
"Q-quiet," Regina immediately scolded and refused to get embarrassed about what she had just said. "You'll wake...the baby."
"Sorry. Emma was definitely not sorry. She was still snickering. "But you just said 'horny'."
Why yes, I did. "Don't you...like my...dirty talk?" Regina teased.
Emma made another slightly choked sound. "Forgotten the baby is here, Mills?"
Regina glanced at Neal in his crib. Oh. For a split second, well…. She had actually sort of forgotten that he was here. Oops.
Emma let out an amused sound and kissed her cheek.
"That's...enough. You are...making my head fuzzy." If she doesn't stop kissing me, I'll definitely end up doing something I shouldn't be doing with a baby present.
"Yeah? Just you wait and see how "fuzzy" I'm going to make your head tomorrow, Mills."
"Emma. The baby." She was really trying to be stern. Emma was just making it ever so difficult.
"Is asleep and has no idea what we're talking about. Now put that book aside and gimme a goodnight kiss!"
Very well. She willingly put the book on the nightstand and turned her head. Gave Emma a modest kiss on the lips. "Goodnight...miss Swan."
Emma stuck out her bottom lip and pouted adorably. Regina so wanted to kiss that bottom lip. Maybe even bite it a little. It was a good thing Emma turned her head and looked at Neal before Regina could turn thoughts into action.
"We love you, kiddo, but right now you're destroying our private life," Emma said quietly and chuckled
"Technically, Zelena...is the one...who is...destroying our...private life," Regina corrected with a slight grin.
"Yeah, but we couldn't very well turn a pregnant woman away, could we?" Emma's laughter was soft in the quiet bedroom, and the fingers playing with Regina's hair were just as soft.
"No, we couldn't...and now you really...must stop playing...with my hair... you are not...helping my already...frustrated state," Regina huffed and blew out a breath.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop," Emma laughed. "But you're cute when you're frustrated."
"Emma." this was not helping at all.
"Okay," Emma surrendered. "Goodnight, beautiful."
"Goodnight." Regina switched off the lamp on the bedside table. The bedroom was cloaked in darkness. She heard Neal's gentle, slow breathing. The sound was usually very soothing. But tonight she couldn't find rest. Not when her head was full of thoughts about what hopefully would happen tomorrow. It didn't matter that she scolded herself and tried to stop thinking about it. She couldn't help it. And soon enough, her body was reacting to what was going on in her head. Her nipples hardened. Good god.
"Oh," Emma almost squeaked and squirmed. She had clearly felt it through the thin nightgown Regina was wearing tonight.
"I told you...my head is...fuzzy tonight," Regina defended and sighed. This was incredibly frustrating on so many levels.
"You are so sexy," Emma told her in a firm voice. "And if it hadn't been for the baby, I would have done something about that fuzzy head of yours. I don't even care that Zelena is here."
"You are...bad." Thank god that she was getting sleepy. Otherwise she definitely would have taken Emma up on her offer. Now she settled for giving her a little squeeze and then closing her eyes. Emma snuggled into her side. Neal made a little sound from his crib, and Regina smiled as she fell asleep. If she was really lucky, she would dream lovely dreams that included all her nice new lingerie. And Emma slowly peeling it off her body…
Regina's morning started out with a baby on her belly. Quite literally. She opened her eyes to see a very happy baby laying on her belly and gurgling adorably at her. Regina purred in pure delight and scooped Neal up so she could give him a morning cuddle. "G-good m-morning, little...l-love. You a-are...so w-warm this morning."
"Hooh," said Neal. Ever the bright and early little morning owl.
"Oooh, we should dress him like an owl today!" Emma cooed and chuckled. "Couldn't that be adorable?"
Neal squirmed in her arms and made a sound that almost sounded like growling.
"P-perhaps w-we should d-d-dress him like a l-l-lion instead," Regina joked and coughed in an attempt to clear her dry 'morning-throat'.
"And we better get some coffee in you," Emma said softly. Then she sniffed. "Wait a second, do you also smell..."
"B-bacon." Regina sniffed and felt like a bloodhound. Yes, that was definitely bacon. Interesting.
"Huh." Emma's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Any chance Henry turned into Gordon Ramsay overnight?"
"I d-d-don't think so," Regina chuckled dryly. "Perhaps... we should...h-h-head downstairs and see what's...going on."
"Good plan," Emma said and took the little warm baby away from her.
Regina got out of bed and slipped a robe over her nightgown.
They headed towards the stairs. Quietly. Henry was still asleep, and he could remain asleep for a little while later. It was Saturday after all.
"Do you...want m-me to t-t-t-take him?" Regina offered when they reached the stairs. Neal was currently balancing in Emma's arms, and honestly, it looked a bit precarious.
"Nah, it's okay. I got him."
"P-please...don't t-t-trip, my love," Regina warned.
"Never," Emma assured her. "You know what, maybe we should buy one of those baby slings so we could have our hands free."
"Good...idea." Or was it? Was it really? Again she reminded herself that Neal was not here to stay. He wasn't theirs. When David felt better, he would want his son back, and they would end up with a lot of baby stuff they had no use for.
But of course they could always give it to Zelena. Her baby would be needing it.
Downstairs, the mystery about the smell of bacon was solved when they discovered Zelena in front of the stove. She had 'stolen' one of Regina's aprons and was in the process of making bacon.
"Good morning, lovebirds!" she greeted them with an exaggerated wave with the spatula.
Regina tried not to think of the bacon grease dripping everywhere.
"Uhh... good morning," Emma said, sounding both amused and a bit confused. "Is it our birthday?"
Zelena chuckled briskly. "No. But I thought I would say thank you for letting me stay the night."
"You don't have to make bacon because of that. Or say thank you," Emma pointed out and chuckled.
"Really?" Zelena shot them a teasing glance over her shoulder. "Because I have reason to believe that my sudden appearance may have put a stop to... certain plans you had made." With that she winked shamelessly.
Regina refused to get embarrassed, however. She was not responsible for Zelena listening to a private conversation. "M-m-maybe you...should t-t-t-try sleeping...at n-n-night instead of...l-l-listening through...t-t-the...w-w-w-wall," she said dryly. "A-a-a-and now...I'm g-g-going to...m-m-m-make some...coffee. I n-need to...d-d-d-d-do something...about my...morning...v-v-voice."
"Neither Emma nor myself are too tired to decipher a bit of Sign Language, hun," Zelena said softly and flipped the bacon again.
Regina quickly decided to do just that. Switch to Sign Language. Her voice was tired, and she needed to rest it. At least until she had some coffee. She was in charge of making that this morning. Emma fed Neal his bottle, and Zelena sat the table.
All of them sat down to have breakfast.
"Chad's just texted me," Zelena said. "It won't be long before he's at the airport, so Henry better get his little butt in gear if he wants to come with us to McDonald's."
Regina nodded, signed: 'I will wake him once I've had some coffee.' Seriously, she craved coffee right now. Or rather, her voice did.
"Perfect," Zelena said and took a sip of her tea in that incredibly British fashion. "Should I take the littlest man with me as well?" she drawled and smiled obnoxiously at Regina. "He might not be old enough to enjoy McDonalds, but you two could get the house to yourself..."
Regina glared at her sister. Had it not been for Emma's phone ringing and distracting her, she probably could have signed something very rude to Zelena. Now she settled for glaring. And following Emma with her eyes as she rose from the chair and disappeared into the living room. Apparently, she had left her phone in there. Regina sipped her coffee and expected Emma to greet Kathryn Midas like she always did. But Emma didn't do that.
Instead Regina heard a squeaky "D-David?" from the living room, and she immediately leaned back on her chair so she could peer into the living room.
Emma spotted her and walked back to the kitchen. Regina was grateful for that. It was David in the other end. He was finally well enough to speak to Emma! That was wonderful!
Absolutely wonderful and nothing else. Regina did not want to wonder too much about David's reasons for calling Emma.
Especially not if those reasons had something to do with him wanting his son back.
"Hi!" Emma chirped into the phone. "Oh my god, hi! How are you doing, David? Are you okay? I-" her voice dwindled, and Regina saw the unbridled relief in her partners eyes.
She strained her ears to be able to hear both sides of the conversation. David was speaking very softly, but it sounded like he was feeling better. And he felt ready to talk to Emma.
"I'm really, really happy to hear from you!" Emma said sincerely, and Regina almost reached out and squeezed her free hand. She could easily imagine how relieved Emma had to be right now. She recognized the look in Emma's eyes. It was the same look she had seen in Zelena's eyes when Regina was the one coming out of her shell. When she had started smiling again.
David spoke again. Regina didn't even pretend to drink her coffee. Instead she listened as David apologized. For everything.
"David, stop," Emma interrupted him. "You have nothing to apologize for. You did what you could."
It didn't appear to stop David, though. Regina heard him apologize again. This time for his actions. There had been no light, he said.
"And is there now?" Emma asked softly.
There was. Regina heard David confirm this. And she smiled as he spoke about how he slowly was getting better. In a month, he would be getting out of the hospital.
One month. Thirty days. Regina's gaze drifted to the sweet, sweet baby happily gurgling in his bouncer. She was aching to pick him up. To hold him close. She already missed him.
"That's great," Emma said warmly. "You're getting out of hospital soon. That's amazing. Do you... Do you know what's gonna happen from there?"
David's answer was too soft for Regina to be able to hear it, but Emma filled out the blanks when she said: "moving?"
Regina's gut twisted. Not only would Neal be leaving them, but he would also move farther away from them.
David spoke again. Regina paid attention to every word he said.
"Yes. The house in Toronto is too big for one person, and I would... I'd like to move to Vancouver. Be closer to my family if possible."
"I think that's a great idea!" Emma smiled. "I'd like that too. Very much!"
So did Regina. Not having Neal in the house would feel a little less painful if he was in Vancouver. They would still be able to visit him.
"How are you all doing? I read your book. And it was fantastic, Emma."
"Thanks, David. We're doing great. Regina's actually considering to go back to work."
The new information had Zelena looking at her and ask: "Really?"
'Maybe.', Regina signed and shrugged lightly. She hadn't really decided anything yet. This wasn't exactly something she could rush into. Nor did she want to. She would consider it carefully first.
"That's fantastic. And Henry? How is he doing?"
"Growing taller every day," Emma joked, but her eyebrows knitted together as she answered David's questions about the book signing event they had been at in Indigo Books last weekend. Regina had been proud to stand by Emma's side, and Henry had been with them too. It had been such a good evening. Regina let her thoughts drift back to that night as Emma talked to David. Emma had worn a tight black dress, and her hair had been pulled back in a braided bun. She had looked fantastic. Regina had told her that a million times. And later, when they came home and Neal was asleep in his crib in the guest room, Regina had taken it upon herself to free Emma's hair from the braided bun. What a night they'd had. What a celebration it had been.
"I think moving to Vancouver is the best idea ever!" Emma declared and ruthlessly interrupted her train of thoughts. "We could start a fresh. Just like you said."
"I'd like that very much."
"You know... there are plenty of houses here in Steveston," Emma said with a chuckle.
"You would be okay with that? If I lived in the same town as you?"
"Yeah, of course. As I said, I would love to have you closer, da- David."
She almost called him 'dad', Regina thought to herself and smiled softly. Even though Emma had corrected herself, this was still an important moment. It wasn't too late for her and David to get a relationship. To be a family.
"There's something to consider..."
"Yeah." Emma sounded just the littlest bit awkward now. Regina was tempted to tell her that it was alright to almost call David 'dad'. It was alright to be vulnerable.
And it was also alright to not be ready yet.
"I'll definitely think more about that."
"Yeah, but don't...stress over it or anything," Emma said quickly and began pacing around in the kitchen like she so often did when she was on the phone. "I mean, just focus on getting better, yeah?"
"You almost sound like Kathryn now." The observation was followed by a soft laughter.
Emma laughed too. "She's really awesome. Must be the nicest nurse I've talked to."
Wrong. The nicest nurse was Emma Swan. No discussion.
"She's been excellent. She has been sitting by my bedside almost every night. She has read to me when I wasn't able to concentrate on the words. And she has talked to me when I felt like I couldn't… go on. She has even made me go outside when I became strong enough. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her."
Regina swallowed something and thought about Doctor Kristine. Another of her saviors. The woman who had sat next to her in an elevator because Regina was too scared to move.
She owed Doctor Kristine a lot. It was because of her, Regina wasn't a shell of a human being today.
"We've really appreciated her calling us and giving us updates every day," Emma said, interrupting her train of thoughts again. She adjusted the phone by her ear slightly "But maybe we'll be hearing those updates from you now?"
"That's what I'm hoping," David replied. "I really want us to be able to talk again, Emma."
"I want that too."
A slight pause. Even Regina could hear the shuffling in the other end. Then her breath caught in her chest when David at last asked: "and how is...how is Neal doing?"
"He's doing wonderfully," Emma replied and smiled in that way she always did when talking about Neal.. "He's growing quickly. And damn nearly talking. Seriously, he keeps making this owl-ish sound. Scared the crap out of me one night. It was hilarious!"
"It must have been." There was hesitance in David's voice. Regina could hear it. Even through the phone. "So you and Regina...like having him there?"
"Are you kidding me, we adore him!" Emma turned her head suddenly and made eye contact with her.
Regina smiled in confirmation to show just how much they truly adored the little boy. "I mean, obviously, it was a bit of an adjustment at first, of course it was, but now I think things are going pretty smoothly," Emma continued, tugging a lock of hair behind her ear and glancing in Neal's direction.
"He has a routine?" David asked.
"Yeah. He does," Emma confirmed.
"And he's...happy?"
"Yeah," Emma looked confused now. "He is. I mean, when he's not grumpy because he needs a changing or a bottle, then yeah, he's a pretty happy baby."
"Good. That was what I was hoping to hear," David said softly in the other end. "I've been thinking a lot about that lately..."
What was going on? Why did David sound so…. Determined? It did not make sense. At least not to Regina. And a quick glance at Emma who went 'of course you have' told her that Emma didn't understand either. She looked as confused as Regina felt.
"And I was wondering if he could stay longer with you and Regina?"
Regina nodded her head so quickly she became a bit dizzy when Emma looked at her. She probably looked ridiculous, but she did not care. She was fine with looking ridiculous as long as she got her point across. And her point was to show how much Neal could stay with them!
"Of course," Emma said warmly into the phone. "For as long as you need, David."
Another slight pause. Then….. "Permanently?"
Permanently? What's that supposed to mean? Regina felt Zelena shift in her chair, but she couldn't turn her head to see what the shift meant. Her gaze was glued to Emma. She couldn't not interfere with the conversation. "What?" she asked and lifted an eyebrow.
Emma did not answer her. Instead she said into the phone: "do you mind if I put you on speaker for a second, David?"
"No, of course not. I don't mind that at all."
Emma was quick to move the phone away from her ear. She tapped on the screen. "What do you mean, "permanently", David?"
Yes, what indeed? Regina frowned as her confusion deepened.
"I mean that maybe...." David's voice was crystal clear in the other end. As was the breath he drew in right before continuing: "maybe it would be better if you and Regina adopted Neal."
Thunk. Regina sat the cup of coffee down hard so she could cup a hand over her mouth. Could this truly be happening?!
To Be Continued...