"Look at how fast they're going! What the fuck are these people thinking?" Emma's eyes were on the back of a forest green SUV, bracing herself in her seat as Graham sped the squad car close behind, sirens blaring.
"They're wanted, of course they're going to speed."
All officers were told to keep a lookout for the specific make and model of the vehicle as part of an ongoing case. Of course, Emma never thought they would be fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to actually spot the familiar digits of an old Jimmy's plates.
She felt her eyes falling to her friend's face and the excitement that he tried to keep at bay, but she knew there was too much to be contained because she felt the same bubbling within her. It was rare that they broke from their boring agenda to have something this exciting happen, though she could honestly say this wasn't her first car chase, but, Gods, it always pumped her full of adrenaline.
"Why are they so stupid?" The question fell from her lips as she set her walkie back down after phoning the chase in, knowing full well that they would need the backup. Who knew how dangerous they were, or how many there might be. All she knew is that they might be dealing.
"Desperate men do desperate things. They're definitely hiding." Graham smirked.
"Like that one dude with that big ass bag of weed in his glove box?"
"Oh, yeah!" He was quiet for a moment as he reminisced. "That was impressive."
"Can't say the same for his driving, though. He got, what, a block away before hitting a light pole?" That was the first chase she was in and it had only happened about a month after she was on the road with Graham. It was terrifying and she would be lying if she said she didn't wet herself a little, but it was exhilarating as hell and the outcome was worth every drop. The poor man couldn't tell his elbow from his asshole when they pulled him out that he was so inebriated.
Graham's fading laughter brushed the remaining memories away and brought her to the current situation. She saw the vehicle turn and before she could say anything, Graham was right on it, turning with them onto the side of the road. They were either really smart, or really stupid.
"Did you alert the station?"
"Yeah." She pressed her lips together.
"Alright, why don't you update them and ask for a dispatch?" he suggested as he started to unbuckle. "I'm not trusting these guys."
"I want to get this one." Emma, now filled with her post-chase adrenaline, felt the need and the courage to take on the perpetrator. She already had her door open before Graham could respond and was out the car when he muttered something about completing his suggested task.
Taking her stride in confidence, she sauntered toward the driver's door and took a look at the man inside. He was thin and scruffy and there was a certain coldness in his eye that shook Emma to the core, but she didn't let it falter her for she cleared her throat, noticing the window to be broken.
"I hope you know why we pulled you over today."
"S'pose you want my license and registration?"
"Actually, I'm gonna need for you to step out of your vehicle, sir. This car is wanted." She took a step back, her head buzzing. Was she even going about this correctly? What was she supposed to say?
"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, filling Emma with relief. If he was going to be this compliant, it shouldn't be so bad. Within moments he was out of the vehicle and that's when she saw the passengers in the back as silhouettes.
Her eyes flicked to Graham for a moment who was exiting the squad car and making his way over. But, within that moment, his expression shifted, alerting her to one of the passengers who had decided to bolt while she was distracted.
"I'll get this one!" Emma didn't know if she said those words or just thought them, but her blood was racing as her legs carried her after the escapee who traversed across neatly cut grass. "Freeze!" she shouted futilely.
The distance was closing, she was definitely more agile than the bulky man she chased, and would easily tackle him within a few feet. That's all that was on her mind. Keep pushing. You're almost there.
But then a deafening bang filled her senses and her entire body almost fell over in her shaken state. It wasn't until she heard a few more fires and saw the earth come closer did she realize she had been shot from behind.
"Oh, Gods, Emma!" She heard Graham's voice in the distance, but Gods, she couldn't concentrate on that. Her entire right side felt as if a thousand needles were being pressed into her flesh from her shoulder to her leg; and when she opened her mouth to answer Graham's desperate questions, she found that she could barely speak at all.
But she managed to find her voice enough to grunt out, "go after him, dumbass. Don't let him get away." The man quickly disappeared after leaving Emma on her own. Deciding against being a lump on the ground, she shifted to pick herself up, only to find that she couldn't when she was met with a sharp jab in the arm she pushed her weight on.
"Gods, what the hell?" she grunted softly and tried again with the opposite arm, but every movement thereafter inflicted her with more knives in her shoulder and a stickiness that clung to her shirt. Emma was left one the pavement, her head dizzy and her breathing becoming labored as she felt over herself in search of what had hindered her. It was then that she had quickly discovered the offending wound in her shoulder, something that stung when she touched it and made her pale when she noticed how damp her shirt was.
Gods, it was bad and, even as she attempted to add what little pressure she could to it, the blood would not stop coming. With each heartbeat, she felt her brain swimming in the murky depths of unconsciousness.
Was this it? Was this where her story ends? It must be if she was speaking to these Gods that never once held true meaning to her before.
She attempted to focus on her surroundings and wanted to laugh, something bitter and disdainful, because the last thing she would ever see would be this cold and wet alleyway stuck within a peaceful neighborhood. Gods, she wished she could have had Regina with her, and Henry, and to see their smiles and hear their laughter. This demise was dark and cold, and the wind that howled between the buildings sounded like a cruel, mocking laughter.
She closed her eyes briefly and felt a tug behind them, something that pulled her into the darkness, but she urged the feeling away and attempted to gain some peace in imagining her wife and her son's faces.
She opened them again when she heard a shuffle and found herself beholding a shadow that loomed over her and for a moment she imagined it to be death to take her hand, but a voice rumbled like thunder, something concerned and urgent and suddenly her own cracked as she blurted out her fears to the figure. 6
"I don't want to die…" she croaked, her unfinished thoughts breaking through. "I-I can't leave them. I-I-I ca-can't leave Gina and I can't leave Henry! I-I want to see him grow up and…" A new warmth trickled down her cheeks.
"Emma…. Emma, you won't die. An ambulance is here for you." That thunderous voice spoke again and she recognized it as Graham. Gods, she wished that thunder was Regina because she could stand to tell her how much she loved that woman.
The words didn't quite register, though. What he said felt like a distant memory and all she felt was this sadness burrowed in her heart and the coldness that beckoned her to join the darkness. Gods, she had so much to say and she tried to will herself to say it, those words that couldn't leave her tongue, but the world was fading away and she felt herself being pulled, falling into that void she never used to fear.
She saw her that morning; smiling beautifully with her golden hair and jade eyes, looking like an angel in the morning sun. The coffee's steam surrounded her like an aura and Regina was mesmerized, or perhaps it was the way she looked at her through bleary eyes and sleep still on her brain like a fading drug.
But, even now, as she sat behind her desk, eyes distant and staring blankly at the bowed heads before her, she felt her heart flutter inside her chest. She should be doing work, grading those papers that she was days behind on, but she couldn't seem to keep her mind from wandering today. Perhaps it was the sleepless night and Henry's cries that kept her up, but despite the irritation that she tried so hard to shove away, she wanted to return home; to curl into her wife and to cuddle that little boy they loved so very much.
Sighing away her desires, she snapped herself back to reality to realize just how quiet it was in the room. Blinking her eyes to clear her daydreams, she was able to see the confused looks on the students' faces and immediately guided her attention to her desktop where a recording was supposed to be playing.
She always loved it when they studied a book in class. It was one of the easiest ways to block everything out and get work done. With a resigned sigh, she attempted to remedy the situation only to find that she couldn't.
"What the hell?" She muttered to herself, noticing the files for the next parts of that chapter were missing. Glaring at the offending screen and its abhorrent trustworthiness, she stood and addressed the class.
"The recording seems to be lacking the will to keep playing today. Now, don't go smiling and believing that there will be no more work for today because I have plenty for you. I would like for you to finish chapter seven up on your own while I attempt to get this situation figured out." Regina linked her fingers together as she surveyed the class once again, eyes falling to the back row where two students were chatting softly to one another. Pressing her lips together, she turned toward her desk and collected a stack of papers. "And, as standard procedure, I have an assignment to go with it. Are there any questions? Or, would you like to chat more while I am speaking?"
One of the students in the back rose their hand and she nodded, granting them permission to speak. "Can we start on the eighth chapter when we're done?"
"You are more than welcome to, Deandra," she answered, moving to the first row, a pleased quirk on her lips. "As a matter of fact, everyone can get a head start on the next chapter and-" She was cut short when a rapid buzzing sounded in the room. "Whose cellphone is that?" The brunette's eyes immediately narrowed as she scoped out the class for a guilty face but it hadn't taken her long to realize the disturbance was coming from behind her and when she turned, she saw that it was her own phone that was the culprit.
Guilt bloomed on her face like a pink gale as she quickly muted the call and proceeded with handing out the assignments. "I apologize for that," she mended, crimson lips pressed together. "Now, as I was saying, I would like for you to get a start on the next chapter and fill in the questions. I have them-" Regina was only on the third row when she heard a soft buzz sounding from her desk again, but this time, she ignored it and continued to speak.
"I have both chapter seven and eight's questions on this paper. You do not have to have it completed by the time you come into class tomorrow, but I would like you to at least start it. Do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions. As I have stated before, I expect you to read the chapter in class. If I find that you are not, I will not hesitate to-" Regina pressed her lips together when her land-line had started to ring and mentally gave in as she made her way back to her desk. "Go ahead and start your assignments. I expect you to work quietly. Just because there is no recording doesn't mean that you get to slack off."
The brunette descended into her chair, depositing the papers onto her desk as she picked up the receiver. "Hello?" She greeted.
"Hello, Mrs. Mills. I have a Graham on the line for you. Is it okay if I put him through?"
Regina furrowed her brows slightly, her heart suddenly beating frantically in her chest. Immediately, her hands went to her cellphone to check on the missed calls; all from Emma.
"Is that alright?"
"I… Yes, of course," she answered, nearly having forgotten to speak at all. The woman made a noise of confirmation before the line was transferred and Graham's voice sounded.
"Regina?"
"Yes? Why are you calling me here?" The anticipation clung to her, filling her with a sense of dread as silence stayed on the line. She could hear the hesitation in his voice as he next spoke and it didn't help ease the pinching of her stomach.
"I-I don't know how to… It's… It's Emma." She felt herself seize at his words, keeping her stiff and motionless in her spot as if the world had stopped moving.
Not her.
Never her.
Gods, please, don't take her away from me.
"I-I'm sorry. I couldn't get ahold of you any other way. I tried calling your cell, but you weren't answering and I looked and she had your work number so I tried that because I thought you might have class and-"
"Graham. Graham, calm down, honey. What happened?"
The line was quiet for a moment. "She was shot. They took her in the ambulance."
Those words drained the blood from Regina's face and left her feeling dizzy; the information that Graham was rambling off after not really computing as her heart thundered in her ears. She could feel her throat tighten and when she spoke, her voice thick and weak. "Is… Is she alright?"
"At this point, I don't even know if she's alive."
"Wha…" The air was stolen right from her lungs and she knew Graham immediately regretted his wording because he was quickly spouting apologies in her ear, but she couldn't hear him.
Emma could possibly be dead? The thought could drive her insane. She hadn't even known that she was crying until she felt the wetness pooling between her hand and cheek, and that voice on the other end of the receiver still trying to mend his mistake, this time with added desperation as if he knew.
"I'm sure she's fine, Regina! The ambulance was quick. Th-they said they could save her. She didn't lose too much blood…. I don't… I don't think…"
"But you said she could be dead!" The English teacher found her voice again, anger and terror rising within her.
"I said I didn't know if she was alive, but I'm pretty sure she is. I'm sorry, Regina. I shouldn't… I shouldn't have said that. I… I'm at the hospital right now and they just took her into surgery." Regina closed her eyes and attempted to breathe, but every breath seemed wrong, for her wife was currently fighting for her life while she was perfectly unmarred. Gods, this was why she didn't want Emma to go onto the police force. She knew something like this was bound to happen. Every moment spent away from the blonde left her apprehensive because she never knew if this call was going to come. "Maybe I should let you go? I'll call you again when she's out."
When Graham's voice broke through her thoughts, did she realize that she hadn't spoken a word. But she did now, muttering softly, "which hospital is she at? I'll try to get the rest of the day off, or at least extend my lunch hour. I… I want to be there for her."
"I'll send you the details. The nurses are asking me to fill out some papers for her."
"Alright…" Regina held onto the receiver, knuckles turning white.
"Will you be alright?"
"I-I'll manage," she replied, though slowly, she doubted her own words; she was already falling apart at the seams and it felt as if at any moment she would break.
"Alright. I'll call you if I get any updates."
"Thank you." The brunette hung up and leaned against her desk with her head in her hands, trying to breathe once again, urging the welling emotion that bubbled within her like a dark storm. Henry's first birthday was coming up and the only thought that rang through her mind now was the hope that Emma would be there to see their son turn one, because if she wasn't there smiling and laughing and taking cute pictures of a cake-covered baby, Regina would lose it. It would be her ultimate break, no doubt, because she had a hard enough time containing her emotions when things took a rough turn.
Exhaling, she wiped her cheeks with the palms of her hands before standing, attempting to ignore the curious gazes cast her way as she made her way toward the door. She needed air, she knew that much, because if she were trapped any longer inside that room, she would break.
And she still felt as if she would even as she entered the hospital, her adrenaline on the fritz as she quickly located Graham who sat in the waiting area, a clipboard on his lap and his gaze on the chairs across from him.
"Graham?" She approached the younger man and took the open seat next to him, fingers curling into her lap. "Have you heard anything yet?"
"Uh, no. Not yet," he answered, handing Regina the clipboard, his brows furrowed. "I tried filling it out the best I could, but I thought you'd know more. I was going to message you-"
"It's okay, Graham." The brunette offered him a tight smile before looking at the pages attached to the board. "Have you heard anything about Emma?" she queried, starting to fill out the missing information.
Shaking his head, the brunet leaned back against the hard, plastic chair, his eyes moving toward a set of doors down a brightly lit hallway. "Nothing. I tried asking the nurse, but she didn't know anything, either."
Regina nodded and let silence fill the air for a moment as she scribbled on the paper, brows furrowing slightly. But that moment hadn't lasted long until her curiosity grew and she set the clipboard aside, turning her body to face Graham. "What happened?"
"Huh?" The young officer looked up from his hands, blinking, before recognition lit in his eyes. "We were on our usual patrol until we saw a wanted vehicle. We pulled them over, but as I was getting out, Emma wanted to take it over." He snorted to himself. "Anyways, she got out and went up to the car and asked him to get out. As I was joining her, the passenger decided to make a break for it… She, uh, she started to chase him so I took over the other guy…" He was quiet for a moment. "I heard someone else moving around in the car, I assume to get out…"
His gaze went to the pristine white tile, his voice growing thick toward the end. Regina squeezed his knee, urging him to continue. "It happened so fast – and I know that's the thing to say – but…" The man shook his head. "I heard a gunshot and next thing I know Emma's on the ground and there was this woman with a gun some ways from her. I went to Emma but she just told me to go after her and I did. The bitch who shot her was already gone, gun abandoned."
The brunette teacher leaned against the cool plastic, but she didn't seem bothered by it. She could only imagine the terror that Emma had felt when she saw that gun pointed at her. The blonde had confided in Regina long ago that she was still scared of them ever since Cora had threatened her because she knew it could take her life away in the blink of an eye. Her heart tightened at the thought.
"Gods… Did you speak to her after or was she…?"
"N… No, I was able to. I had the first guy in the car so I could check on her and backup caught the other two. She was… Gods, I will never forget the look in her eye…" When his gaze met with Regina's, she could see the glisten of tears. "There was a look of genuine terror and she was… desperate, scared when she spoke. She said she didn't want to die, that she didn't want to leave you and Henry and…" He swallowed thickly. "She passed out not long after, but… there was a lot of blood."
"I thought you said that she didn't lose a lot." The brunette wiped her own tears off her cheeks and sniffled, her head feeling as if someone were squeezing it.
"I-I didn't think so… It… There was a lot on both of us, trying to keep it in, you know? She was still breathing, I know that much. At least they didn't cover her in tarp when they took her."
Regina drew her gaze to her lap where her fingers played with the seam of her skirt. That same seam that she had fumbled with long after the doctor had met with them and led them to Emma's room. Her eyes, though, were directed on the blonde who looked small and fragile in the hospital bed; dark circles under her eyes and her arm now fixed in a sling.
Graham had returned to work an hour prior after receiving a phone call. He still needed to fill out a report of the incident and Regina promised him she would contact him when Emma woke up. She, herself, was lucky enough to get the rest of the day off. She hadn't meant to break down, but the further she attempted to explain, the more she seemed to have broken.
She felt safe, currently, knowing that Emma was alive and doing well, or at least that's what the doctor had said. Being next to her wife had already calmed her down, allowing her mind a slice of peace. The steady rise and fall of the blonde's chest was what had kept her going, that was, until she twitched, causing the calmed Regina's heart to skip a beat.
"E-Emma?" She quietly queried, leaning forward, her hand immediately slipping into Emma's. The younger woman's eyelids fluttered slightly as a soft groan emanated from her, reviving butterflies within the brunette's chest. "My swan?"
"Gina?" Her voice was hoarse, squeezing Regina's heart as her thumb gently caressed pale skin.
"Yes. I'm here, sweetheart. I'm here…" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she saw those beautiful emerald eyes open and fixate on her and she broke again.
"D-don't cry." Her lover's voice was even softer now - a mere whisper. A gentle hand found its way on the brunette's damp cheek and she felt the electricity run throughout her body from that spot, filling her with absolute serenity.
"I-I'm sorry, Emma. I just… Gods, I was so terrified…" Regina sniffed her nose and attempted to regain herself, feeling silly that she was losing herself once again. "I'm so relieved that you're alright. I-"
"Hey, baby, it's… okay." Emma offered a sheepish smile and tugged on the brunette teacher's hand, leaving Regina to unknowingly comply to her demand as she leaned closer to her. "Well, you know, as okay as it'll be. I'm alive, at least. Uh…. could I get some water? My throat's all…. Eh."
The brunette chuckled softly and nodded, sniffing again as she pulled away from her blonde wife to retrieve the pink pitcher and the cup that accompanied it. Quickly she poured the liquid into the plastic cup and helped Emma along with taking a sip.
"Gods, that's good," she murmured, licking her smiling lips. A silent moment passed before took Regina's hand again and tugged, "'mere, I wanna kiss you."
Regina blinked at the spoken demand but willingly complied, closing the distance between them. Warmth spread throughout her body once their lips connected, but she quickly pulled away when she heard the younger woman make a soft noise below. Brows knitted together, she frowned and quietly spoke, "I hurt you, didn't I?"
"I…" The blonde shook her head and it wasn't until the brunette actually looked did she notice the shimmer in those striking forest orbs. "A-At one point I thought I'd never get to kiss you again." Her hand, the one that never left Regina's cheek, moved slightly to accommodate the thumb that traced the brunette's lower lip.
"Emma…" The brunette touched the hand on her cheek and laced her fingers between pale ones, letting them fall onto the clean, white sheets. "This is what I was afraid of."
"I know… I know, baby."
"And…" Regina swallowed and lowered her gaze to their hands. "And that's why I think we should move back to Storybrooke sooner."
Emma was quiet for a long moment. "How… How much sooner, Gina?" She asked, her voice quiet, almost as if in disbelief.
"This summer," she answered without hesitation. It was something she was able to think long and hard about as she waited for her wife to awaken.
"This summer?" There was no doubt the disbelief was evident in her voice this time and the way Emma tried to shift and sit up told her she didn't like the sound of the idea. Regina knew that much was true. Emma had grown fond of her job at the station here and loved being partnered up with Graham, but the two had also discussed moving back at some point, knowing the money they made wouldn't keep them long in the apartment in which they lived; the rent was raised the last time they renewed their lease and was becoming a little much to bear.
And that's what Regina had to remind Emma in that moment, no matter how much her petulant wife had detested it. "And our lease is up at the end of June. I know we wanted to wait until there was a position at the school, but I can't…." A lump formed in the older woman's throat but she managed to swallow it down. "I can't sit on glass, anymore, Emma. Not after what happened. This… This is exactly what I feared the most; getting a phone call telling me that you're hurt…. or worse. And…"
"Baby," Emma's voice was softer this time and the squeeze that her hand had received told her that lump had returned and won.
"And I thought it would be… safer in Storybrooke." Regina continued anyways, her voice growing thicker. "And you could work with your father."
Their eyes met for a brief moment as the blonde quietly soaked in the words, contemplating what they had meant for her and their future. Slowly, she nodded and gave her wife's hand a reassuring caress, soft laughter erupting from her. "Graham's going to be pissed at me."
"What?" Regina looked at her, baffled by the sudden comment, and quickly noticed the familiar spark of humor in her lover's eye. She purred softly, glad to see the woman was in good spirits once again.
"Unless I can get him to follow us, but I don't know. He likes it here." She shrugged slightly, only to wince and hiss, remembering her injury. "So, what's the damage? I mean… At least as far as you can see, if they didn't tell you or anything."
"I see this is your way of getting off the subject. We'll be discussing this later." Regina snorted softly. "Well, as you can see, your shoulder is in a lovely little sling and will be until it heals. The bullet shattered your bone and tore through your entire shoulder." The brunette frowned slightly as she reiterated what the doctor had told her about her wife's injuries.
"Shit…" Emma muttered in the meantime, eyes moving to her covered skin. "I kinda remember that… Remember it happening. I didn't know what the hell at first and then I just bit the cement."
The brunette furrowed her brow, an anger welling deep inside her. If it were legal and if she didn't have the right mind not to do so, she would hunt the one down who did this to her wife and personally remove their rear end out of their mouth. Alas, she couldn't, so she resigned to letting her blood simmer and shifted to pull the thin hospital blanket away from the blonde's body to point out her bandaged knee.
"The fu-?" But as soon as her eyes saw the thick dressings, they widened and her already pale face seemed to have lost its remaining supply of blood. "Is it going to put me out of business?"
Regina slowly shook her head and caught the chuckle when she saw how relieved the police officer looked. "The doctor said another couple centimeters closer and it would have shattered your knee. Instead, it only tore through flesh and nothing more. It should heal fine."
"Thank Gods because I do not want to be stuck behind some desk. That's not what I took this job for." Emma sunk into the bed and bit her lip, exhaling deeply.
"I know, my love." The brunette murmured softly, fingers digging into the white fabric of the blanket. "Would you like the blanket back on?" The younger woman shook her head. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I've been shot and ran over by a bus. But you're here and that… It makes things a bit more tolerable." She tried to offer her a smile but Regina could see the way it wavered. She noticed the dullness that grew in her eyes as the time had passed and the beads of sweat that collected on her forehead.
"Are you sure, honey?" A gentle hand found its way onto the blonde's good thigh and squeezed, her seemingly permanent frown ever-growing.
"Maybe it hurts a little."
"A little?"
"Okay, a lot." A weak smile was shot her way. "I don't miss this feeling. It feels like my body is on fire."
The back of Regina's hand quickly found its way onto her wife's forehead. "You're burning up. Do you want me to grab the doctor? Or a nurse to tell the doctor?"
"Please?"
Offering a small smile, Regina stood from her spot and grunted softly, feeling her stiff limbs protesting the sudden movement. "I'll go see if I can find one." She leaned down and pressed a kiss to Emma's forehead before slipping out of the room to do just that.
It hadn't taken her long to locate a wandering nurse to gather Emma's doctor and a coffee machine in a little seating area down the hall. By the time Regina made her way back into her wife's room after grabbing a cup of that tempting liquid, the doctor had arrived with a smile, glad to see that his patient was awake and doing well.
After going through everything with Emma that he already had with Regina, he gave the blonde a low dose of pain killers and the "go" to leave in a couple hours after a few things had been sorted out and an official "go" would be given.
"What time is it, even?" Emma asked, now sitting up in her bed with a cup of water in her left hand.
Regina chuckled softly. "It's almost five, I believe."
"Shit, really? Why aren't you at work?"
"Do you really think I would be at work while you're in here?" Emma shook her head with a gentle chuckle. "Exactly. Though, I suppose it is about time to pick up Henry…"
"Oh, man, so you're going to leave me, huh?"
"Only for a little bit, sweetheart." The brunette purred and set the empty paper cup down. "And, besides, I'll have to grab you a fresh set of clothes to wear out of the hospital."
"I take it my uniform was destroyed, huh?" Regina slowly nodded. "Oh well… They'll probably give me a new one."
"That is, if you're back before we move." The brunette quirked one of her brows when the blonde grunted softly, eyes falling to the wall in front of her. "I know you don't want to, Emma, but…"
"It's fine, Gina. I agreed to it when we talked about it last year. I was just hoping it wouldn't be so soon."
Pressing her lips together, the brunette stood and moved her chair against the white-painted wall. "I feel like I'm forcing you, Emma… I don't want to make you move. I… We can stay for a while longer… if you want…"
Emma remained quiet as she lay there and pondered the new option while Regina moved to collect her purse, a rock weighing heavily in her chest. "Look, honey, I'm just scared of you getting hurt like this again." The brunette turned to her wife whose eyes were still glued to the wall before her, expression blank. "I know this is your dream; that this is what you've always wanted, but… Imagine if those bullets hit you somewhere else, somewhere that would end your career, where you couldn't get back and do what you love. I don't want to see your future crushed, ruined. I don't want to see you…" She shook her head, those words dissolving on her tongue.
She sighed when the blonde merely sat, silent and stone. "I've got to pick up Henry, alright? I'll be back as soon as I can." Without hearing a response from her wife, she turned to leave, but a voice stopped her in her tracks like a brick wall.
"I-I know, Gina… I-I was terrified." Emma's voice was quiet, weak, and she could detect a hint of fear in them. "I was fucking terrified when I realized how serious it was and how I could…. How my life could have ended." The blonde's words grew thicker as she continued. "A-and…. Gods, I couldn't imagine leaving you or Henry. I wasn't even worried about what would happen about my job…. I didn't care. All I cared about was you and if I would ever get to see your beautiful smile again or hear your voice… And…"
The young police officer was reduced to tears and, despite the pain it might have caused, her body shuddered as she accepted the warm arms around her, holding her tight and filling her senses. "I thought I was dying and I thought I did. It was… it was just darkness, but then I was surrounded by these bright white lights-" Regina's breath hitched at this new information and her own throat tightened as the tears in her eyes broke free. "And I thought 'Shit, I'm dead.' But there were voices - urgent, panicked ones- and that was when I realized where I was and the smell of sterility, then I was out again. Gods, I thought you were an angel when I woke up again."
The brunette couldn't help but to let out a strangled chuckle, her fingers squeezing the blonde's hand. "Far from it." But Emma merely shook her head, this time a full smile spreading across her pale lips.
"You're my angel, babe, and am I ever glad that I could have you with me and I'm…" She released a deep breath and nodded her head. "I want to move. I can… I can work with David and it'll be… alright. I don't want to make you worry sick every single day that I'm out there and today just proved what could happen - or at least a taste of it. I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry…"
"Don't you apologize to me, Emma Mills. You have nothing to apologize for." A sternness entered the brunette's chestnut orbs. "We can discuss moving later, alright? We have plenty of time later, but I must pick our son up and get you your change of clothes, alright?"
"Alright, alright." There was a subtle smirk on Emma's face, but Regina could easily detect it. She grinned inwardly and stood, a warmth spreading throughout her chest. "I love you."
"I love you, too!" The younger woman chirped and watched as her brunette wife parted from the bed. "Be safe."
"Uh-huh." Regina clucked and narrowed her eyes when she turned to look back at her. "I will." And, with that and one last smile from that sweet little blonde, she left the room.
"Holy shit, I can't believe it's been a year!" Ruby's voice broke Emma from her current activity of struggling to pull the plastic lid off the birthday cake with one hand.
"Neither can I. Time's just flying by." The blonde chuckled softly and paused her work to search out the birthday boy who was currently being toted by his brunette mother to the high chair. "It feels like just yesterday that Gina was breaking my hand as she was pushing him out."
The lanky brunette snorted, leaning against the counter on her elbows. "Yeah, now your shoulder's all broke instead."
"You know, it'd be real nice if you maybe helped me out with getting this damn thing off." She was just about ready to chuck the cake along with its pestilent container across the room.
"All you had to do was ask, Em." Ruby rolled her eyes before easily snapping the lid off. "Gods, you're always so bitchy. Don't you get laid anymore?"
Her eyes narrowed into the smallest and most bitchiest way that she could muster. "Shut the fuck up. I'd like to see you be the one-armed wonder."
"Oh, boo. You still have two arms. Just one's… uh… hindered."
"Don't make me use my good arm to smack you across the face, Rubes."
"Will you two quit fighting? It's Henry's birthday!" Mary Margaret came up beside the two, Neal attached to her hip and David by her side. There was humor in her eye despite the serious look and tone she attempted to use.
"Well, she's making fun of me." Emma playfully jutted out her lower lip and turned to collect a knife from the block. She could hear her mother's laughter behind her.
"You know, Ruby, she went through something pretty traumatizing to get that. It's not nice to make fun of her handicap." The blonde pressed her lips together to keep from laughing as she moved toward the cake, only to be stopped by an olive hand and a gentle hum.
"Why don't you let me get that, sweetheart?" Emma looked up to meet Regina's soft smile and opened her mouth to respond only to get it covered by the brunette's own. "No arguing."
"I wasn't going to," she murmured breathlessly and grinned herself. "But that was nice." That earned a soft chuckle from the older woman as she took Emma's place by the cake and cut a piece out with careful precision. "Are we using fire?"
"Pardon?" The teacher blinked, knife slowly sliding out of the cake as she eyed the younger woman.
"For, like… Uh, candles. I meant candles. I mean, I don't know how the hell Henry's going to react and…. What if he burns himself?" The blonde blinked when she received a kiss on the tip of her nose instead of a response and quirked a brow in question.
"You're so adorable when you're in mommy mode. I thought we discussed that we shall wait on the candles until he's a little older. He'll see the cake and try to dig in like you do every time you see cake in front of your face."
"Hey, I take offense to that!"
"Do you really, Emma?"
"Shut the fuck up, Ruby."
"Bitch."
"Watch your language around the babies!" Mary Margaret chastised, the amused look on her face was gone and replaced by annoyance.
"Yes, Emma. How many times have I had to tell you to watch your tongue around Henry?" Regina chimed in, knife gripped tight in her hand. Emma's emerald orbs immediately fell to it and her good hand went in the air, eyes widening comically.
"Well, shi- I, uh, mean crap, don't stab me over it!" Regina's nostrils flared for a moment in bewilderment before that knife was set down and Emma thought it safe enough to sidle up to her, a smirk on her face as she whispered directly into her ear. "Though you like my 'dirty' tongue when we're alone."
Her face bloomed a pretty shade of pink, leaving the blonde satisfied with her work before pulling away and directing her words to the others waiting patiently by them, curious gazes shooting their way. "Let us proceed."
Clearing her throat, Regina quickly plated the piece of cake and started toward Henry's high chair, the group following after her. David had acquired his son as his wife pulled out a digital camera and a wide smile. Ruby had her phone pulled out, muttering something about her Granny, and Belle, who was unable to attend after gaining a nasty cough and not wanting to infect the baby, wanting to see pictures .
"Here's your cake, sweetheart," Regina spoke softly as she set the plate of soon-to-be demolished cake on Henry's tray with adoration in her eyes and a gentle smile on her face as she pointed to the square. "Cake. It's very yummy. I know you like cake."
"Cake!" Henry cheered, his gaze falling to his blonde mother before his shrill voice shouted again. "Mama!"
"I see! You have cake!" Emma chuckled softly at his abundant joy.
"Cake!" And then his hands went into the sticky frosting as he grabbed a fistful of it to shove into his little mouth, giggling happily.
"And the only reason why he knows that word is because Emma feels the need to-"
"Shh! They don't need to know my business." The younger woman slunk back so her parents and Ruby could get a clear view of her very sticky son and her wife did the same, a fond smile on her lips.
"Cake slut. Oink!" Ruby had to speak, but Regina blocked her from lunging.
"So help me, Gods, Ruby, you better be glad it's Henry's birthday or else I'd be wiping the floor with your face." Instead of giving a response, the tall brunette scrunched her nose up before going back to her phone to document the birthday boy who, now giving up on eating the rest of the cake, was rubbing it all over the tray and chucking small pieces onto the floor.
"Man, this is going to be fun to clean," Emma muttered.
"I know, sweetheart, but it's his first birthday. Let him enjoy it." Regina wore a smile, though she could see the way it wavered because she didn't want to clean the kitchen, either, but was resigned to her fate.
A loud squeal ripped Emma from her unpleasant thoughts, encouraging a jump from her as she watched the paper plate fly off the tray along with the remains of the smashed cake and just stared at it. Of course it had to land upside down.
"Now, Henry, don't throw your plate on the floor." Regina was reprimanding in a stern manner, moving over to the giggling baby. The dark-haired boy looked up at her with a pleased smile and chirped in what Emma would call the cutest way he could.
"Mommy!"
The blonde smirked to herself knowing full well that their son was smart and knew how to melt his brunette mother's heart. And that's exactly what it did as Regina quickly found a wet rag to gently dab his cheeks with, her eyes going wide and misty as they usually did.
It reminded Emma of the first time Henry ever called Regina "mommy." The poor brunette was in tears by the time the police officer had arrived home, Henry in hand. She nearly had a heart attack thinking something was wrong until the English teacher sobbed, "he called me mommy!"
Her wife and her son; they were two of the most adorable people in the world, especially together.
She may have laughed a little at her wife's reaction, but when it became time, a few months later, that Henry called her by "mama," she cried like a baby, too. And as she watched Regina clean their son's sticky hands and face up with the remnants of cake and frosting still clinging to his clothes and the tray, she teared up a little, wondering how she ever got to this point in her life.
She was a mother and she was going to do it right.
"My swan, could you grab a fresh outfit for Henry, please? It seems he's going to need a bath." Regina's voice sounded, soft and sweet, and Emma nodded, swiftly moving out of the kitchen.
By the time she had returned, Regina was holding Henry very carefully away from her with Mary Margaret by her side, discussing something with laughter in her eyes. As the blonde approached, she caught onto the conversation, her left hand raising to show her wife the gathered clothing.
"-was just full of cake. Remember? I found frosting here and there for days."
"I do and that made me terrified of giving Henry cake, but… you know. I'm not going to deny him. He is your daughter's son after all." Regina purred and moved over to Emma, and as she had, Henry saw the blonde and shifted, arms opening toward her.
"Oh, kid, I don't know if I can hold you." She chuckled softly, but it had earned a pouty little Henry when she hadn't made a move to accept his demand. When her eyes lifted to meet Regina's, the brunette offered her a cute little frown, nearly mimicking their son's own facial expression.
"Aw, look at that face, Emma. How can you say no? Isn't that right, Henry?" She nuzzled the little boy's sticky cheek and chuckled softly when it had earned a shrill giggle from him.
"You know, you're not supposed to take his side, baby." The blonde shifted, regardless, and extended her good hand all the while maintaining a disapproving look as her wife helped shift the one-year-old into her arm.
Shaking her head, the brunette stepped away from the two and smirked. "You can give him a bath and I'll clean up this mess. How about that?"
"With one arm?" Her question was a disbelieving squeak which had the little brown-haired boy squealing with laughter and panicking the hell out of his blonde mother as she attempted to keep a good grip on him. Regina looked at her with twitching lips.
"Perhaps you can ask for some assistance?" The brunette was already moving away from her to gather cleaning supplies, leaving Emma to glare at the nearest person next to her who so happened to be Ruby and she smirked.
"What are you-" Then the brunette waitress' eyes narrowed on her. "Oh, hell no! Come on! Can't you get your mother to do it?"
"Well, then you can help Gina if you don't want to help me." Emma grinned, eyes sliding over to Mary Margaret who was receiving a rag from Regina. "So, it's your choice. Clean the baby, or clean the baby's mess."
"Oh, fine." Rolling her eyes, Ruby marched off toward the bathroom leaving a laughing Emma to follow. "But if he gets me wet, so help me, I will dunk you in the bath."
…
"I can't believe how fast they passed out." Mary Margaret stared on in astonishment at the two babies curled up next to each other on his mothers' bed. After Henry's bath and his less-than-eventful gift-opening session, the little boy yawned and first fell asleep in Regina's arms.
"Yeah, with how sweet that damn cake was." Ruby muttered as the group retired back to the living room.
Emma only shrugged, though, as she settled onto the couch next to her wife. "Most of it made it to the floor or attached to him, don't forget."
"And he had quite the long and exciting day with everyone being here and playing with Neal and opening his gifts." Regina added, a twinkle in her chestnut orbs.
The blonde snorted before anyone else could make a comment. "His gifts that he played with for two seconds before throwing them onto the floor and sleeping on you."
"Well, you know. There's quite a few people here to distract him." The English teacher offered, leaning into the laughing Emma as she wrapped her arm around her.
"I know. I'm just kidding. He's cute. I love him to death."
"You know, you're lucky," Mary Margaret began, leaning against the couch. "Neal is generally a good baby, but it can take hours to put him to bed. He normally never falls asleep this fast but he must have had just about as much excitement as Henry in order to be worn out like this."
"A lot of people tell us that we're lucky," Emma mumbled mostly to herself, but her mother picked the sentence up, nudging her leg.
"That's because you are! The few times we've babysat Henry, he was quiet. If he even started to cry all I had to do was pick him up." She shook her head slightly before looking to David who muttered an agreement.
"That's because he adores you, honey."
"Yeah, but he's a bit of a chatterbox. He doesn't cry a lot except for the first few nights." The blonde's gaze fell to Regina who started to shift with a slight frown claiming her lips. "I know I told you about this a bit, Mary Margaret, but… Wow. He wouldn't stop crying and anything and everything we did never helped. I think at one point Gina called me up at work and told me Henry hated her."
"I swear Henry hates me…" Ruby mumbled from her spot on the chair.
Emma quirked a brow at the waitress before grinning. "Oh, he just doesn't know you that well. You're not around a lot. But he seemed to like you when you were giving him a bath."
"I guess. I mean, what do I care? He's just a baby, anyways." Ruby shrugged, but Emma knew deep down she really did care because she could see that smile on her face when Henry was giggling and handing her his bath toys, despite adding a few drops of water to her clothes.
"But didn't he eventual quiet down?" Mary Margaret asked, bringing them back to the prior topic. "It's tense having your first baby. I can happily say that I've finally been able to experience it myself."
"And it's a good thing you have a couple months of experience on us to help us out a bit." Emma smirked, her hand sliding down to rub her wife's arm who mumbled something incoherently. "What was that?"
"It is nice, but we ought to make our experiences our own. We can't rely on your mother all the time, sweetheart. She has her own little one to take care of." There was a polite smile on her face that she shot Mary Margaret's way.
"I know, baby," she mumbled and straightened out her sore leg, carefully setting it on the coffee table.
"So, what the hell do we do now?" Ruby piped up, not letting a chance for silence fill the air. "I mean, I feel like a fifth wheel over here."
"Well, you didn't have to come." Emma teased, cashing in a dirty look from the waitress. "But, seriously. I just want to sleep, right now. These meds are kicking in and making me tired."
"Are they helping you, my swan?" Regina's warm voice rumbled beside her. When she nodded in response, a tender kiss was pressed to her neck. "I'm glad. I saw the pain in your eyes throughout the party. I could have given you some earlier."
"Yeah, but then I'd be sleeping on my feet. At least I can sleep on you right now." Emma offered a cheeky smile.
"You can't fall asleep!" Ruby complained from her spot. "Or else we get to steal your kidney and put your body in an ice bath." The blonde narrowed her eyes, slightly confused.
"What."
"Oh, don't listen to her." The next thing Emma knew was that her entire left side was devoid of the warmth it once received when Regina pulled away and when she was about to complain about the lack of wife next to her, she was pulled into those loving arms.
Grunting softly, she nuzzled into the soft material of her silken shirt. "We can watch a movie. You know, that's how we always end these things and one of us fall asleep."
"Last time it was Regina," Ruby muttered and from somewhere beside Emma, David laughed.
"The last time we were up here, she did the same."
"And extra snorey-fied?"
The blonde looked to her father who started to nod, but a rumble underneath her told her that Regina was getting irritated that she was the subject of this conversation.
"I would silence myself if I were you. Need I remind you that you are in my house and I have the right to kick either one of you out at any given time?" Emma couldn't help but to let the bubbling laughter in her escape.
"Oh, shut up, Emma."
"You're the one making fun of my wife. Maybe I'll be the one to kick your butt out." A brow quirked, but the next words out of her best friend's mouth had them furrowing.
"With, what, your one arm?"
"I will super glue your lips together."
"Why don't we play a game?" Mary Margaret suggested, ending the next quip out of the youngest brunette's mouth.
"What kind of game would you like to play, Mary Margaret?" Regina asked, her tone lighter now. "We have a few board games or there are video games, as well, in which I am quite sure Emma would enjoy." But the blonde in subject only gave a long, halfhearted groan. "What?"
"You guys can play a game if you want, I'll sit it out. There's only four controllers, anyways." She looked up at her wife. "Oh, I know. What's wrong with me? I can't really concentrate. I can watch. Besides, no one likes to play video games with me because-"
"She can get fucking scary." Ruby concluded. "She throws controllers and shit."
"I don't believe I've seen this side of her." Regina commented, those dark orbs falling to guilty green ones. "But, then again, we do not play many competitive games together."
The brunette waitress smirked. "I'll volunteer to sit this one out if Emma plays one round of Mario Party with you."
Emma quirked when she heard the proposition, her body shifting to lean up a little. "Don't subject my wife to me."
"She's already subjected to you. She married you."
"Then if she does, you must play."
"There are only four controllers." Ruby snidely reminded.
"How about I sit this one out?" David volunteered himself, a devious twinkle in his eye.
This seemed to please Ruby as she sat up a bit taller in her seat and laughed coldly. "Oh, yes! Your father just wants to watch the world burn."
"Oh, get the stupid system set up." Emma grumbled.
It wasn't long until they were in the groove of the game, Emma ahead by one star and about to acquire her fourth. Things were looking good for her. She had the advantage of winning most of the mini games; Ruby being a little too wary of winning them herself and her mother and wife being new to the game and a little less competitive.
This left her with nearly triple the amount of coins as everyone else, as well, and she was sitting pretty with a smile on her face because she just collected her fourth star, cementing her place in first. This was a guaranteed win and she decided that joining in on the festivities was a good idea. That was, until Regina had rolled for her turn and landed on the dreaded space of the game; Chance Time.
Attentively, Emma watched the screen as Regina hit the block to select the first unfortunate victim: Koopa Kid. Her heart skipped a beat until she remembered she let Regina pick him and chose a different character for herself.
"Oh, look! That's my character!" Regina noted, clueless, as she read the text on the screen.
Relief was like a tidal wave because there was a one in three chance of her being the next victim. But suspense greeted her when she saw the character heads spinning for the second block; Waluigi, Daisy, and Yoshi; Ruby, Mary Margaret, and herself. The block was hit and it was…
"Oh, that's your character, honey!"
"Oh shit…" Emma muttered to herself because the picture froze on Yoshi. The fate of what would happen was with the next hit and it didn't take long for Regina to continue, her ever innocent wife. Maybe it would just be a coin giveaway. Losing a few coins wouldn't be so bad. Just so long as her lead wouldn't be tarnished.
But, she was dead wrong.
"Oh, fuck no!"
"Ow," Regina's haughty glare was turned on the blonde who didn't quite seem to notice what she had unconsciously done in her anger.
"This thing is bullshit. Bullshit." Then finally did that controller get thrown because Regina kept pressing A and allowed the proceedings to happen. All her stars and coins were swapped with her wife's and if that didn't make her blood boil, she didn't know what else would.
"Hey, I'm in first place!" Regina exclaimed but Emma merely shot her a death glare. "What?"
"Fuck you. Now I'm in fourth and have nothing."
"You have a few coins." That glare never cooled.
"I had over a hundred! Now all I have is your bullshit ten. It's not even enough for a fucking star!"
One of the brunette teacher's brows quirked. "It's just a game, Emma."
"It's, like, her life, Regina." Ruby snorted, her eyes tearing up and her face red; she was holding in her laughter no doubt.
Mary Margaret was chirping at Emma about throwing her controller, but she couldn't hear her. This was the very reason why she hated this damn game.
"Fuck this game!" Emma continued, crossing her good arm over her other. Unfortunately, her latest shout had earned a soft cry from the back bedroom and a glare from the brunette next to her.
"Emma…" Regina set her controller down and stood, leaving the warm blonde cold as she disappeared into their bedroom.
"How could you have not played this game with her?" Ruby asked, their game now paused on the mini-game instruction screen after the waitress completed her turn. "I mean, obviously you own it."
"Because," Emma muttered, moving to pick her controller up with a soft grunt. Whatever drowsiness she had earlier was gone and replaced by her racing blood because she wanted to get revenge. "Usually I just play it by myself. She's played it once and wasn't that great at it, so she didn't really see my rage because I put the computers on easy. Or else we just play other stuff."
Mary Margaret just shook her head. "You take these games too seriously, Emma."
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't."
"Oh, girl, you do. Belle better be glad she's not here to get bruised again." The waitress snorted. "I'll have to tell her that Regina took the brunt of it this time."
"Well, the babies are back asleep," Regina announced as she returned and descended into her spot next to Emma. "Next time you throw a tantrum over losing, please refrain from making it too loud." Another glare.
This time Emma smiled sheepishly and shifted to inspect her lover's arm, earning a wince from the woman. "Sorry," she quickly muttered before gazing up. "I am sorry. I mean… for hitting you with my controller."
"Mmmhm." Regina quirked a brow. "What happened was out of my control. You know that, correct?"
"I know. I hate chance bullshit." The blonde nuzzled closer to her wife. "I promise I won't be a sore loser."
"Do you really, honey?" Emma nodded and, as if to prove some sort of point, she leaned up and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "Okay. Now, shall we?"
"Let the mini-game begin!"