"What if I-"
"No, querida, you are not going to stay home," Regina said patiently.
"But-"
"No." Regina laughed now. "You like photographing at weddings, remember?"
Emma nodded reluctantly. It was true, she did like that, but… "I like this even better."
"Sure you do," Regina drawled. "But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't go to work." She concluded her not-very-convincing argument with a bite of the apple, she currently was in the middle of consuming.
Emma knew that she had to go. Knew that she couldn't bail on the wedding now. But god, how she wished she didn't have to go.
"I'm still pregnant when you come home," Regina said wittily.
"You better be," Emma snarled. Then she loosened up and assured: "I won't be home late. Nine o'clock at most." Seriously, bless the bride and groom for having hired two photographers. One for taking pictures in the church and at the ceremony, and one for snapping the late night shots. That way, Emma wouldn't be gone until the early hours, and that definitely was a good thing these days.
"I know, you've said so about a million times." Regina gave her a fond smile. "I'll be fine. In the very best of hands."
"Yeah. What time is your dad coming over?"
"After dinner. With pancakes from Granny's Diner."
"But no Granny?" Emma grinned.
"No Granny. I wonder how long he's intending on keeping it a secret. It is almost offensive at this point. And quite funny too."
Emma had to agree with that. The way Henry thought he was so super sly in hiding his blossoming feelings for Eugenia Lucas when he actually was being completely obvious about it, was hilarious. Especially because Regina had turned it into a game of sorts. She was currently experimenting with how many times she could bring up Eugenia in a conversation without Henry fessing up and admitting what was going on.
So far, he hadn't said anything, but he sure was blushing and mumbling under his breath whenever Regina would bring up the woman he seemingly had fallen head over heels for. It was quite funny. And ridiculously adorable. Regina was thrilled about her father falling in love again.
"I can't wake for those pancakes," Regina interrupted her train of thoughts.
Neither could Emma now. "I want that," she said yearningly.
"I'll save you some," Regina said sweetly. "Then we can eat some together. A late night snack."
"That sounds nice," Emma smiled. She wanted that so badly. Could it please be later already?
"It does. I'm looking forward to it. Now go. Ace that wedding, querida."
"Okay, okay." Emma pretended to surrender and let out a dramatic huff. "I'll go."
Regina laughed sweetly at her.
Emma leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Try and get some rest, okay? A nice, long nap." Regina needed it. She had been a bit anxious earlier. Had experienced some pelvic pain while laying down, and that hadn't exactly been promising for tomorrow's plan about getting out of bed. Emma had done her best to lift Regina's spirit. And had tried to assure her that it wouldn't be the worst thing in the entire world if Regina needed to stay in bed for a little longer. Even if it wasn't the plan, it was something they could handle. Together. But she knew that Regina feared that she would have to stay in bed until the birth. That was a very real concern for her. Emma felt for her. Acknowledged how frustrating it had to be to be stuck in bed and feel like you were missing out on everything. Regina had dutifully stayed in bed for a week, and she had grown increasingly more frustrated and annoyed.
"Off you go," Regina said and playfully nuzzled Emma's nose with her own.
Emma mock grumbled. Reluctantly stood from Regina's bedside. "I love you."
"Love you too," Regina said and looked like she was trying to suffocate a yawn. "Lots and lots."
Emma chuckled. "Get some sleep, babe."
"You've never called me that before."
"Haven't I?"
"No."
"Well. It's about time then, babe. Night-night," Emma joked. "Dream of me."
"Siempre hago."
"Oh?" Emma interest was immediately piqued. "Always, huh? And what exactly do you dream of?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Regina teased.
As a matter fact, Emma actually would. Very much so.
But Regina provided her with no answers. Just a slow, teasing smile and a: "off you go, querida. And hurry back to me."
"Siempre hago," Emma softly teased as she blew Regina a kiss and left the bedroom. Not very willingly, but there was no way around it. She had to get her ass in gear if she didn't want to be late. And obviously, she did not.
In the hallway, she quickly opened her camera bag to check if everything was there. It was. She hadn't forgotten anything. Good. And bad. Because now she didn't have any excuse to pop back to the bedroom and say one more goodbye to Regina.
Downstairs in the kitchen, she found her mother standing in front of the shove. She was slowly stirring something in a pot with a big spoon.
"What's for dinner?" Emma teased. She'd eaten an early dinner about half an hour ago because she obviously wouldn't be home for dinner.
"Spaghetti with meatballs."
"Yum. Regina's gonna love that!"
"I know." Her mom smiled. "That's why I'm making it."
Emma chuckled. "Make sure she doesn't get out of bed, yeah?"
"I'll do my best. But its hard to fight the nesting syndrome."
"Nesting syndrome?" Emma was sure she had stumbled over that at some point, but right now she couldn't remember what it meant.
"The desire to get organized and clean before the baby arrives," her mom explained. "Some say its an old wives' tale, but I personally think that there's some truth to it."
"Regina did mention something about wanting to tidy in the bedroom," Emma recalled. And she recalled how frustrated Regina had looked upon remembering that she wasn't allowed to get out of bed.
"There you have it," her mom nodded. "Nesting syndrome. But I can imagine that it's quite frustrating for Regina, seeing that she doesn't have an actual home to organize."
"Yet," Emma said. They had facetimed with Henry's friend who had sold them the beach house. He was currently in the process of getting everything ready for their arrival. He was absolutely spectacular about everything.
Emma was a little impatient about moving, and she and Regina were currently compiling a list of the things they wanted to bring to California. The crib and pram and other baby stuff of course being essential items. But apart from that, it was actually quite the short list. Emma had a desk but that was pretty much it. Regina wasn't particularly keen on bringing too many of her things to California.
"I think it would be better to get a fresh start," she'd said, and Emma had thought that sounded very sensible.
Speaking of fresh starts, Regina had also started looking at the opportunity to go college. Not now, obviously. When the baby was older, and they had established some kind of routine. She wanted to go back to school and get an education, she had said. She wasn't entirely sure what she wanted to do yet, but she still had time to consider.
Emma supported her. And she was going to support her no matter what Regina decided to do in the future. She was actually quite excited about it. Couldn't wait to see what Regina would come up. No matter what, Emma knew it would be glorious.
Emma bid her mother goodbye and see you later, and then she left the house with her camera bag swinging from one shoulder.
She whistled cheerfully to herself as she entered her car. As she pulled out of the driveway and drove down the road, she spotted Neal by his car. The trunk was open, and he was stuffing boxes in there. He was clearly moving. Emma didn't know where, nor did she care. But she did grow slightly surprised when she spotted the woman sitting in the car. That was definitely Tamara. Emma was sure of it. Huh. That did come as a little bit of a surprise to her. She had no idea that Neal had started seeing their old wedding planner again.
But she was not upset about it. She wasn't overjoyed either. She couldn't imagine herself doing the whole 'I wish you both all the best'-thing. That wasn't her style. She just didn't care about either of them. She was…. indifferent. Yeah. Indifferent. Neal could live in Storybrooke. He could live on a different planet. He could date Tamara or someone else. It didn't make a difference to Emma. Neal was a finished chapter in her story. She had other things on her mind.
Emma drove off and whistled to herself as she tried to make herself comfortable in the driver's seat. Which was a little bit of a struggle today. She was wearing a black, knee length dress that was belted at the waist and had long sleeves. Very professional and classy when photographing. But a fucking nuisance when sitting down. The dress was constantly creeping up her legs. Emma had seen far too much of her legs. And she honestly wasn't sure she liked it.
"God damnit," she muttered as she with one hand attempted to yank the dress down. "Should have worn black stockings." But deep down she knew that black stockings wouldn't have looked good. Sheer stockings always worked better with a black dress. Regina had looked positively delighted when Emma had gotten dressed earlier. She had shamelessly flirted with Emma in Spanish. And Emma had almost given in. Until she remembered that Regina wasn't supposed to do anything strenuous for the time being. And that unfortunately included sex.
Emma switched on the radio and loudly sang along to Tracey Chapman's Fast Car. Right now, Emma surely wished that she'd had a fast car. Her old Bug's speed wasn't what it used to be. Sometimes it felt like the engine was giving up. Perhaps it was time to think about the possibility of getting a new car.
Emma bit her lip and didn't like that idea at all. The Bug had served her well since she was eighteen years old, and she would be sad to part with it. But she knew that she had to be sensible. She was about to become a mother. There wouldn't be room for a car seat in the Bug. It was time to consider getting a family sized car. With the way her pictures were selling in the gallery in New York, she could afford that.
Now she just had to get over her fear of parting with the yellow Bug. In the grand scheme of things, it was just a car. It was old and worn out and it probably was best if she decided to retire it.
She made it to the location in fine style. It was a mansion. Very fashionable. Not unlike the place she and Neal were supposed to get married in. Today, Emma couldn't really picture herself getting married in such a place. It was too much. Too imposing. Obviously, it was also beautiful and impressive and all that, and if today's bride and groom loved this place, then good for them. But it wasn't Emma's style anymore. She was too laid back and would probably feel awkward and out of place here. Now she was more the type of person to get married on a beach. In a flowy dress. With a bikini under her dress so she easily could go for a swim whenever she wanted to. The ceremony as well as the party could take place on the beach. Under a canopy. And later, they could light a bonfire on the beach. Dance under the stars and soak their feet.
Emma briefly wondered how Regina would feel about a beach wedding. Then she realized that she had just planned an entire wedding in her head and now was thinking far too much about what Regina would think of it. Woops. No wedding-thoughts. Now was not the time nor place for that.
Emma hurried inside the mansion and reminded herself that she and Regina weren't there yet. They were about to have a baby. Thinking wedding-thoughts was definitely ill timed. And Regina was still so young. She was looking at opportunities to go to college in the future. Not getting married.
But maybe, Emma thought to herself as she discreetly walked up to the chair in the front. Maybe someday. In a few years. She sat down in the chair reserved for the wedding photographer and held her camera ready. Once we've gotten settled properly. Because there was no doubt in her mind that she one day wanted to marry Regina. and she was confident enough to believe that Regina one day wanted to marry her as well. They were solid. They loved each other. Was going to spend the rest of their lives with one another, there was no doubt in Emma's mind about that either.
She smiled as a woman who only could be the mother of the bride came walking down the aisle. She was wearing a big, feathery hat and looked very regal. Emma made sure to snap some pictures of her. She was not only there to take pictures of the bride and groom. She was there to capture the entirety of the wedding. And that included the bride's mother. And the other guests of course.
She took pictures and captured the bride's mother glowing with pride and joy. Weddings were always so atmospheric. It automatically put her in a good mood, and when the orchestra started playing Wagner's traditional wedding march, Emma stood from her seat along with every one else. A moment later, the bride came gliding down the aisle arm in arm with her father. The bride looked exquisite, and the father was glowing with pride. This was going to be an easy task.
Her prediction turned out to be entirely correct. The bride, Stephanie and the groom, Gavin, were both lovely and highly agreeable people. They were incredibly kind to her, grateful and polite and not entitled at all. Emma had encountered her fair share of entitled couples. She had in fact left a wedding untimely once. The couple had just been so awful. The bride had been ridiculously rude, and the groom had openly flirted with her and more than hinted at wanting to 'pay' her in a way that had very little to do with money. So yeah, of course Emma had left. And she had made sure to reach out to other photographers and warn them about the couple. She was pretty sure that the couple had been blacklisted.
But that definitely wouldn't be the case here. Stephanie and Gavin treated her as an old friend. A guest rather than someone they had hired to work for them. And even though the wedding was taking place in a huge mansion, there was nothing posh about the couple. They were completely normal people, and Emma silently scolded herself for her prejudice.
She smiled as she took pictures of the bride and groom kissing each other. They couldn't stop doing that, and every time the bride looked away, the groom would smile and then shake his head the littlest bit. As though he still couldn't believe that he had married her. Aww. Emma had luckily gotten so many snapshots of that expression. She had taken pictures of the couple's first kiss as husband and wife, and she had taken pictures of the groom spontaneously picking up his new wife and spinning her around in the air in a joyful gesture. The bride had squealed in delight whilst clinging on to her husband's neck. Her veil had danced in the air, glittering and a tad mysteriously. It had been a beautiful moment. And it had been an amazing photo opportunity. Emma was so, so pleased she had captured that moment.
"Are you sure you don't want a bite to eat, Emma?" the bride offered. "And a moment to sit down and relax?"
"No, that's okay," Emma smiled. "I already ate and I'm okay with being on my feet." She was wearing high heels, but not the killer ones, so she was fairing pretty well.
"Alright. But please, don't hesitate to take a break if you need one. And there's plenty of food, so if you get hungry, it won't be a problem at all." The bride smiled and reached back. She frowned softly. "I think my veil is coming loose. Would you mind giving me a hand?"
"Not at all."
The bride turned around and Emma carefully fastened the veil just below the bride's complicated hairdo. "There we go."
"Thank you," Stephanie said gratefully. Then laughed. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why I'm still wearing it. At this point, it's more of a nuisance than anything else."
Emma chuckled with her.
"Are you married?" the bride asked curiously.
"Nope, but my girlfriend and I have a baby on the way," Emma said proudly. Seriously, she used any occasion to bring that up!
"Oh, that's wonderful. How far along is she?"
"Thirty seven weeks today," Emma said dreamily.
"Goodness me," Stephanie said and lifted an eyebrow. "I bet it's difficult to leave her, isn't it?"
"It is, yeah. But my mom is taking care of her, so it's not too bad. It would have been worse if she was on her own. Like she used to be when she lived in Spain, and- oh my god." Emma chuckled and blushed when she realized something. "I'm just ranting on, aren't I? I'm so sorry about that."
"No, don't apologize," the bride said firmly and smiled. "You are excited. And that is never something to apologize for. I think it's lovely."
Emma smiled goofily. Like she always did when it was about Regina or the baby.
"Can you keep a secret?" The bride whispered.
"Of course," Emma assured, liking how much Stephanie treated her like a friend.
Stephanie leaned in and whispered: "I'm pregnant. Gavin is the only one who knows it. We're planning on announcing it tonight."
"Aww," Emma cooed. "That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you. I can't wait to see the look on my mom and dad's face." Stephanie beamed and discreetly put a hand on her stomach. "I'm only eleven weeks along, but I'm starting to feel nauseous. I don't know if it's in my head or not. Maybe I'm just looking for symptoms."
"I don't think so," Emma said. "I mean, my partner was feeling fairly nauseous already."
"Oh." Stephanie perked up as though nausea was the best thing ever. "Then I'm not just making things up in my head. Thank you! You've just made my day!" To Emma's surprise and delight, the bride gave her a quick hug before picking up the skirt of her dress and hurrying back to her new husband.
Emma chuckled to herself. What a cute, happy couple. If only every wedding she attended was like this. And if only every couple she met was like Stephanie and Gavin. It would make things so much easier.
She kept a close eye on the bride and groom who at this moment weren't crowded by guests. They were having a private little moment, and Emma saw the groom tenderly put a hand on his wife's belly. It was a perfect moment, and Emma took picture after picture. She knew that the bride and groom would love looking back at this moment later…
She was almost a little sad when it was time for her to leave. The second photographer of the night had just arrived, and Emma knew that it was her cue. If it hadn't been for Regina at home, she probably would have stuck around and snapped some more pictures. Waited for the cake.
But she didn't want to loose too much time with Regina, so Emma bid the bride and groom farewell and told them that the pictures would be ready in a couple of days. They thanked her. And Stephanie hugged her. Emma left with a smile on her lips.
Her faithful little Bug was of course waiting for her, but before getting in, Emma reached within the depths of her coat pocket and found her phone. She dialed Regina's number and brought the phone up to her ear.
"Hola, querida," Regina softly greeted in the other end. Her voice sounded very warm. It reminded Emma of home. "Is the wedding over already?"
"Yep, the wedding is over," Emma answered. "I'm driving home now. How are you feeling?"
"Sleepy. I took a nap. And then I walked from the bed and over to the rocking chair. I tried sitting there for a moment, but it only made my pelvis hurt again, so I went back to bed."
"Oh." Emma frowned. "And how are you feeling now?"
"A little better. I might try the whole walking thing again."
"Okay. But please be careful. I don't want any accidents."
Regina chuckled softly into the phone. "Don't worry. My dad is here. Well, he's not here-here, he's downstairs with your parents, but you get the picture."
"Have you guys been having fun?"
"Sí, we played a boardgame."
"Without me?" Emma feigned hurt, but she was actually a bit mournful. If there was something she loved, it was boardgames.
"Si, querida. Without you," Regina teased. "But if you hurry home, perhaps we can play something else?"
"I can't decide whether that was flirting or a genuine boardgame invitation…"
Regina laughed throatily. Seductively. "Well, why don't you come home and find out?"
"I'm on my way. See you very soon."
"See you. Oh!"
"What?" Emma asked, immediately curious. "What's 'oh'?"
"Could you maybe pick up some chips on the way home?"
"Sure." Emma grinned. "I can absolutely do that." the chips were of a particular type that couldn't be found in Storybrooke. She had bought them on a whim the last time she had been on her way home from a photo-job, and to her delight, Regina had absolutely loved the chips. She had eaten half a bag in about five minutes.
"In fact, consider it done," Emma continued, already making it a mission to buy those chips. "Love you!"
"Love you too, querida. Drive safely."
"I will," Emma assured. She grinned at the little 'mwah!' sound Regina made into the phone, and then she ended the call. Her phone made a little 'blip' sound, but Emma ignored it. She highly satisfied. Regina sounded like she was fairing pretty well, and she was pleased about that. Regina was in the very best of hands. Surrounded by Emma's doting parents and her own father. And she was warm and snuggly in bed. It couldn't get much better than that, really.
Emma opened the car door and gathered her coat around her. She was so ready to hit the store and get those chips for Regina.
"Emma? Emma Swan?"
"Yeah?" Emma said automatically, standing up and nearly hitting her head.
A woman with brown hair swept up in a ponytail came towards her. She was wearing a deep green colored and a plum colored scarf.
"Hi!" she said enthusiastically, smiling at Emma once she got close enough.
"Hi?" Emma's voice was hesitant. Who exactly was this woman?
"You don't recognize me, do you?" The woman chuckled and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"I don't," Emma admitted, already wracking her brain to match a name to the face, but she was coming up empty. "Sorry."
"Don't be, it's been ages. It's Molly. Molly Thomas from Boston? We were in the same college. Not in the same room, but we sure partied a lot during the weekends."
"Molly Thomas!" Emma exclaimed. Now she remembered her. Molly Thomas from college. That was ages ago, but Emma immediately recalled that Molly's hair had been pink, and her clothes mostly had been black.
"Oh my god, hi!" Emma smiled at her old college friend. "God, I can't believe it! It's been what, ten years, and here you are!"
"I know! Oh, you haven't changed one bit!"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Emma laughed. She sure would have liked to look as young as she did ten years ago.
"Do you have a moment to catch up?" Molly asked. "It's been so long, and I really was sad that we fell out of touch after I went to Portugal."
Emma actually didn't have a moment. But she was deeply curious to know what had happened with Molly. It had been quite the scandal when Molly suddenly had run away to Portugal with a guy from college. Emma had forgotten his name now. Rumor had it that he and Molly had gotten married, but Emma had never believed that rumor to be true. She had tried to get a hold of Molly many times, but alas, no result.
So yeah, she was definitely curious. And she could squeeze in ten minutes of catching up, right?
"Sure, alright," she said and smiled at Molly. "Know any good places?"
"Yes, there's a bar just around the corner." Molly gestured lightly, and Emma willingly went with her.
The 'bar around the corner' turned out to be quite the posh place, and Emma definitely wouldn't have gone in there if she had been on her own. But Molly insisted that it was her treat, so Emma accepted and went with her.
They found a little place in the corner. Molly ordered a drink for herself whilst Emma settled with a cup of coffee. She was driving, after all. Alcohol was out of the question.
"So?" Emma said and folded her hands around the coffee cup. "Ten years. What have you been up to? Apart from no longer having pink hair, obviously…"
Molly chuckled. "Oh god, the pink hair. That was absolutely terrible. And all that black clothes. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Probably that you were edgy as hell, or something," Emma joked.
"You know what, I'll drink to that!" Molly raised her glass. "Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Emma toasted with her and took a small sip of the coffee. It was good and strong and just what she needed.
"No, the pink hair didn't stick," Molly said and rolled her eyes. "And neither did Andy."
"Ah yes, Andy. That was his name." Emma remembered that now. And she remembered him. He had been a sleek, quick-witted guy with slicked back hair and an assumed 'brooding' attitude. In other words, a classic douchebag. But a douchebag who knew exactly what to say and how to say it. Molly definitely hadn't been the only girl taken by his charm. Hell, Emma probably could have fallen for him if she hadn't been with Neal at the time.
"Andy and I spend exactly two blissful weeks together in Portugal," Molly said. "Then we had a spectacular argument and he left me. In Portugal."
"Whaaat, are you serious?!" Emma huffed. "The moron left you in Portugal?"
"Yes, I had to call my dad and have him arrange my flight back." Molly shook her head and chuckled. "He was of course furious, and I was much too ashamed to go back to the college and face everyone. Not that I could anyways. My father made it quite clear that he wasn't going to pay for my college tuition in Boston anymore, only a local college, so there was little else to do. I moved back home and re-started the year. Graduated a year later than everyone else."
"Ooof. That sounds rough."
"It was, but today I'm grateful. My dad made sure to keep me on the straight and narrow. It's because of him I'm not… I don't know, in a ditch somewhere."
"Yeah, you look like you've been doing well." It was easy to see that Molly's coat and scarf was expensive. And that the jewelry she was wearing wasn't something she had bought in some random store.
"What do you do for a living?" Emma asked and took a sip of her coffee.
"I'm a realtor."
"Oh, nice. Good for you. And do you live nearby? I guess you do since you knew about this place."
"Yes, Tim and I- Tim is my husband- live just down the street."
"Great!" That wasn't bad at all. "And do you have kids, or…?" oh. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that. Sometimes that kind of question could be a trigger, and Emma immediately felt a little bad for having been unintentionally insensitive.
"Yes, twins. One of each. Jackson and Sahara. They're a handful, but I wouldn't have it any other ways."
"Twins. Wow." That had to be a lot. On some days, Emma was still struggling to wrap her head around soon becoming the mother of one.
"Yes, that was quite the surprise for both of us since twins isn't really a thing in either family." Molly took a sip of her drink. "And what about you? I assume that you didn't run away to Portugal with someone?"
Emma laughed heartedly. "You assume correctly. I graduated. Moved back to Storybrooke with Neal. Started working as a photographer."
"So you did pursue that," Molly smiled. "Good for you! You always took pictures of everything, I remember that. I'm so glad you made that your career. Judging by the camera bag, I assume you're still in the business?"
"Oh yeah, I've just done some shots at a wedding."
"That's excellent. And where do you live?"
"For the time, Storybrooke, but we're gearing up to move to California very soon."
"'We'," Molly repeated. "Is that you and Neal, or…?"
"Oh, god no!" Emma laughed into her coffee. "No, he's history. I'm with someone else now. Her name is Regina, and we're about to have a baby. She's thirty seven weeks along today."
"Thirty seven weeks! Goodness me, Emma, she could literally give birth at any point!"
"Yeah, it's a bit nerve wracking," Emma admitted and took a sip of her coffee. "But obviously, very, very exciting. We're both thrilled."
"How wonderful. Sounds like you're in a very good place."
"Oh, I am. For sure. But it did take me a while to get there. Neal and I were actually supposed to get married," she revealed. It was wonderful to talk to Molly again. It wasn't often Emma had thought of her old college friend, but now she could feel how close they once had been.
"Really? What went wrong?"
"Neal cheated on me."
Molly gasped. "No!"
"With our wedding planner."
"Noooo! Are you joking me?!"
"Which he confessed to doing the day before our wedding."
Molly stared with wide eyes. "My god! I cannot imagine how devastating that was for you!"
"Oh, I was devastated, alright. So devastated I went on our honeymoon to Madrid alone. And met my partner."
"Ha!" Molly let out that big, booming laughter Emma remembered her for. The laughter was so unexpected coming from such a small person, but it was very charming.
"If that isn't the biggest slap in the face to him, I don't know what is," Molly laughed.
"And more than that." Emma took another sip of her coffee. "I went to Madrid completely devastated and angry, feeling that my life was ruined, but then I ended up finding everything I have ever searched for."
Molly's laughter dwindled and her smile grew softer. "I'm so happy for you, Emma. That baby is going to change everything, believe me."
"He- or she- already has."
"I'm so glad I ran into you tonight. It would have been a shame if another ten years had gone by."
"It would. Cheers, Molly."
"Cheers, Emma."
They sipped their beverage and chitchatted about everything and nothing. It was great. Emma realized how much fun she and Molly once had. It was wonderful to catch up.
"Do you remember that time Luke Mason was dared to climb up on the roof and Mrs. Kellgren climbed after him whilst screaming and shouting at him to get down?"
"Oh my god, yes!" Emma nearly inhaled her coffee through her nose as she laughed. "That was hilarious! I still can't believe that she actually did that!"
"I still can't believe that Luke didn't fall off the roof in terror. Mrs. Kellgren was terrifying!"….
The fun stories were never ending, and Emma was having so much fun laughing with her old friend. There were many shared memories between them. So many occasions where they had laughed and laughed.
"…And all those stupid cigarettes I smoked," Molly laughed and delicately wiped underneath her eyes were her mascara was starting to clump. "I thought I looked so cool."
"Well, to be honest, nobody could smoke a cigarette like you," Emma chuckled and held up a hand. She pinched a pretend-cigarette between two fingers and gave the impression that she was inhaling deeply.
Molly busted out laughing again. "Oh my god, tell me I did not look like that!"
"Well…." Emma took an exaggerated drag of the fake cigarette again. "Kinda…"
They laughed together again. Emma's coffee cup was long empty, and Molly was on her second drink of the night.
"Oh god!" Molly hiccupped softly and blinked tears of laughter away. "Would you like to see where I live? I promise it's not far from here."
"That sounds nice, but I better get home," Emma smiled. "I have a little bit of a drive ahead of me, and I don't want to be home too late." She wiggled her phone out of her pocket and tapped at the screen. The screen remained dark, and Emma frowned. Then mentally slapped herself when she realized that the blip she had heard earlier, probably had indicated that her phone had run out of battery.
"Ah, shit, my phone's dead," she complained. "Do you happen to know what time it is?"
"One second…" Molly thrusted a hand inside her purse and brought out quite the big phone. "It is…" her eyes widened. "Goodness me. Ten forty five already. Time really does fly!"
"Ten forty five?!" Emma squeaked and leapt from her chair. "Oh my god, I have to get home! I'm so sorry, Molly, but I really need to go!"
"That's totally understandable," Molly said, standing from her chair as well. "Time got away from me too."
"This was really fun and everything, and we should totally do it again, you can always find my number online, Swan Photography," Emma rambled as she hastily put on her coat. "Bye, Molly, see you!"
"See you, Emma!"
It would have been polite to give Molly a hug, but there simply wasn't time. Emma was so fucking late! She cussed under her breath as she left the bar as quickly as possible. She had literally told Regina that she was on her way home. One hour ago. And her phone was dead. This was bad. Regina had to be beside herself with worry right now. Emma knew that she would be.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" she cussed as she practically dove inside the car, threw on her seatbelt and put the car in reverse. The tires squealed and the engine coughed as she stepped on the accelerator.
She was driving entirely too fast, and if her dad, the police officer, had been sitting next to her, he surely would have given her a stern talk to, but right now, Emma didn't particularly care about that. She had to get home to Regina asap. Oh, fuck, this was so bad. She had messed up, and she knew it. Had this been the other way around and Regina had been the one to tell Emma that she was on her way home only to not have showed up an hour later, Emma would probably have called the police at this point.
Emma winced. How could she have lost track of time like this? And why hadn't she reacted to the 'blip' sound her phone had made? Urrgh. Sometimes she wanted to slap some sense into herself.
"Move!" she hissed and impatiently honked at the car in front of her. She was pretty sure she saw a middle finger being pointed at her, but Emma couldn't care less. The light was green. Meaning that it was time to fucking drive!
Thankfully, the car got a move on, and a moment later, Emma overtook it. She was met with honking, but she didn't care about that either. She was in a goddamn hurry, and she couldn't let anything or anyone slow her down.
In her mind, she was already preparing a little speech. No, scratch that, she was preparing a big fat apology. Because that was exactly what she owed Regina right now. An unconditional apology. No attempts at glossing things over. Because she had messed up. Completely and utterly. No excuses. Keeping track of the time had been her responsibility. Making sure that her phone was charged had been her responsibility.
Emma cringed as she thought of how infuriated Regina would be. Few things were worse than Regina being angry. Her anger was positively frightening. Especially when her voice did that thing were it became all low. It was chill-inducing.
Emma had a grim feeling she would be faced with just that. Regina's frightening and hundred percent deserved anger. Ooof. Just… oof.
"I'm such an idiot," she groaned. "Such a fucking idiot."
She not-so-elegantly overtook a second car and ignored the angry honking. She didn't give a shit about the driver being angry about it.
"Sorry, dad," she muttered. She did feel guilty towards him. Being the daughter of a policeman, she always made a point of sticking by the rules. But today was an emergency. Today she had to bend the rules a little. Surely her dad would understand that.
Or not.
The gravel in her parents driveway crunched as she parked the car. Completely crookedly, but she didn't care about that either.
She jumped out of the car and sprinted towards the door with the camera bag swinging from her neck. It nearly hit her in the face, and she nearly fell over the threshold as she yanked the door open and tumbled inside. The hallway was dark, but there was light in the kitchen.
Emma crept in there and found…. Her mom. She was sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop in front of her. But she looked up when the creak revealed Emma's presence.
"Hi," Emma squeaked.
"I'll text your father that you're home," Emma's mother said. "He started worrying half an hour ago. And so did i. I'm glad to see you home safe and sound."
Emma swallowed. "How much trouble am I in?" she didn't mean with her parents.
"I would probably apologize for a long, long time if I were you," said her mother. She of course knew that Emma hadn't been referring to her and her dad.
"She's pissed off, isn't she?" Emma guessed.
Her mother didn't answer. Just narrowed her eyes.
Emma took that as a bad sign. "Fuck."
"Language, Emma."
"Fuck," Emma childishly repeated.
Her mom raised an eyebrow. "Go on, then. Go up to her. She's awake. And was on the verge of calling the police ten minutes ago."
"Will you come to my funeral?" Emma mumbled.
That earned her a little smile from her mom. She gave Emma's shoulder a slight squeeze. "Off you pop. Apologize. Smoothen things out." She gave Emma the tiniest of shoves.
"Right. Yeah. I can do this. Totally." Emma swallowed something and felt very, very small as she slowly crept up the stairs. Ready for judgement day. Ready to get roasted. Oh god. Hell hath no fury like an angry pregnant woman.
She was in so much trouble.
Well, she would just have to apologize. First thing. Beg for mercy if necessary. But she was totally okay with that. She was good at begging.
The hallway was eerily quiet. Emma listened intensely, but there was absolutely no sound. Had Regina perhaps fallen asleep? Emma kinda hoped so. She had some vague idea that Regina maybe would be less angry after a nap.
The floorboards creaked as Emma went down the hallway. The door to her bedroom was closed, but Emma could hear movements coming from in there. Shuffling. What was Regina doing?
Emma had no suggestions, but she couldn't postpone this a second longer. That was just torture. Unfair to Regina.
So she gently knocked on the door. "Regina? Can I come in?" she found it safer to ask before barging in.
"I'm in labor!"
"W-what?!" Emma yanked the door open and stumbled over the threshold. She barely avoided falling face first and looked frantically at Regina. "A-are you really?!" her mind was racing. She needed to grab the hospital bag, phone Doctor Whale, alert Regina's father, and-
"No," Regina said flatly. "But I could have been. And you wouldn't have been any the wiser. Because I haven't been able to get a hold of you for one hour!"
Emma recoiled. She had definitely deserved that one.
"¡¿Dónde demonios has estado?! ¡¿Por qué no has contestado ninguna de mis llamadas?!"
Yikes. Double yikes. Regina being mad at her was one thing. Regina being mad at her in Spanish was in an entirely different league. Regina could sound positively lethal when she was speaking in her mother tongue.
"I'm sorry," Emma said meekly. "I ran into an old friend from college, and I lost track of time while catching up with her, and when I realized how late it was, I also noticed that my phone had run out of battery and…" she swallowed. "I'm really sorry, Regina!"
Regina let out a long, long breath and her shoulders started to hang in that particular way they always did when she was upset. "An old friend from college. Emma, ¡Pensé que habías estado involucrado en un accidente automovilístico!
"No car crashes," Emma said hastily and regretted it immediately. It sounded like a witty remark, and now was definitely not the time to be witty, god damnit!
"Well, what the fuck was I supposed to think?!" Regina spat, now squeezing the bedding between her fingers. "You told me you were on your way and then you just go completely silent for an hour! One hour, Emma! Of course I freaked out! Wouldn't you have?!"
"Yes!" Emma went over and sat down next to Regina. "You're right, I absolutely would have. I would have been beside myself if it had been you, and I am so incredibly sorry that I scared you. I'm sorry that I caused you unnecessary stress, that is literally so shitty of me, but it won't happen again, I promise!"
"Pensé que iba a ser madre soltera..." Regina said wetly and sniffled.
"You're not going to be a single mom. Never." Emma slipped an arm around Regina's shoulder and was relieved that Regina allowed it. "I'm sorry. Forgive me. Please? I can't stand when you're mad at me."
"I don't particularly like being mad at you either," Regina had shielded her face with her hands again and her voice was muffled because of it. "But I really was worried, Emma. I thought that something terrible had happened. And I could have needed you earlier. I had a mini crisis."
"What kind of crisis?" Emma asked and squeezed Regina into her side.
"S-spotting," Regina whispered. "I was bleeding. Only a little bit, but it really freaked me out. Your mom called Doctor Whale for me, and he came and examined me. Spotting is apparently completely normal, but it really spooked me, and I couldn't get a hold of you, and…" she sniffled again.
"Oh, sweetie!" Emma pressed her lips to Regina's temple in a kiss and whispered: "I'm such an idiot, Regina! I'm so, so incredibly sorry!" And guilty as fuck. Regina had needed her, and she hadn't been there. Regina had been frightened and Emma hadn't been there to comfort her. Also why had Regina started bleeding? Had it been purely physical, or had in fact been induced by the stress she had experienced?
Oh god. Emma felt like the worst girlfriend ever.
"Just… Remember to charge your phone the next time," Regina croaked. "And maybe… Call or text me if you decide to change your plans. Por favor. I don't mind you going out. Not at all. I don't expect you to answer to my every summon, but-"
"Expect it," Emma gently interrupted.
"¿Qué?"
"Expect it," Emma repeated. "Seriously, expect me to be here for you all the time. Whatever thing you need, big or small, expect me to do it. If you're scared, expect me to calm your fears. If I'm out and something doesn't feel quite right, call me and expect me to drop everything for you. You're the mother of my child, Regina. You always come first with me. No matter what. You and the baby are two single most important things in my life, and I am so fucking sorry I messed up tonight. It won't ever happen again." She wrapped both arms around Regina in a very gentle hug. "I know I'm a dork, but do you think you can forgive me, beautiful girl? If not tonight, then maybe, possibly, probably tomorrow? Pretty please?"
Regina gave a small, bubbly laugh. "I think I can forgive you tonight. If I try really hard."
"Thank you." Emma pressed another gentle kiss to Regina's temple. "I really appreciate that."
"I appreciate you being home safe and sound and in one piece." Regina lifted her head and gave a wobbly smile. "What do you say we share my chips and make up?"
"Your chips?" Emma repeated and looked around. "I don't see any-" oh, fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!
"Chips," she said vaguely. "Chips. Oh, shit."
"You forgot my chips, didn't you?"
"Please don't hate me," Emma squeaked.
Regina said absolutely nothing. She only let out a deep, deep sigh. And to her utter horror, Emma saw her girlfriend's bottom lip starting to wobble.
"I was really looking forward to those chips," Regina whispered and blinked rapidly. Tears splashed onto her cheeks, and Emma felt like an absolute monster. She had just made her pregnant girlfriend cry.
"Sorry, sorry," Regina rasped and wiped her cheeks almost angrily. "Ignore me. It's just h-hormones." She sniffled again.
"I really am making a complete ass of myself tonight, aren't I," Emma sighed as she rubbed Regina's back in what she hoped was soothing circles. With her luck tonight, she would probably end up giving Regina a backache.
"I could get us some chicken nuggets?" she suggested. "Or maybe some onion rings? From Granny's Diner? You love the onion rings, don't you?"
"C-can I maybe have a burger too?" Regina whispered. "And some fries? With extra k-ketchup?"
"You…" Emma kissed her forehead. "Can have whatever you damn well want. And I-" she stood from the bed in one fluid motion. "Will be right back. With the food. Onion rings. A burger. And fries with extra ketchup. I'll remember all of it. Including my mom's phone. If there's anything else you need while I'm there, you just call me immediately, okay? I'll answer."
"You better."
"Scout's honor! Stay put. Don't move. I'll be right back!"
Emma dashed out of the bedroom and ran down the stairs. In the kitchen, she nearly collided with her mother.
"Emma? What is going on?" she asked confused.
"Onion rings, a burger, fries and extra ketchup!" Emma barked as she grabbed her car keys. "That's what's going on! I made Regina cry, mom! She cried because of me! And why didn't you tell me that she was bleeding earlier?!"
"Because she asked me not to," her mother said calmly. "It was up to Regina to tell you that. I'm glad she did."
"Me, too. But I'm furious at myself for fucking up like this," Emma growled.
"I'm sure Regina will forgive you, honey. Food is a good place to start."
"Yep. Can I borrow your phone? The battery is dead, and I want Regina to able to actually reach me!"
Without uttering a word, her mom handed Emma her phone.
"Thanks, mom."
"Now go. And hurry back to Regina."
And that was exactly what Emma did. She arrived home exactly fifteen minutes later with the still hot food. And when Regina started munching on the fries and told her how good they were, Emma dared hoping that there maybe-possibly-probably was a teeny tiny chance that Regina would forgive her for the major blunder….
To Be Continued….
