Regina couldn't believe that all of Henry's things had actually fit into Emma's car when they had left Storybrooke two weeks ago. Here they were now in front of Emma's building with all of Henry's things and it was clear that it was not all going into the bug. The three of them plus Stewart were trying to shift and reorganize things so it would all fit but every time they did, there were still a few extra boxes left on the sidewalk. It might have all fit if there weren't also three passengers who needed somewhere to sit.
After a fourth attempt Emma sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at the pile in frustration.
"Are we going to have to come back?" Henry asked.
"No." Emma bit her lip. "No that would be ridiculous. We're here now, we can get this all back in one trip I know we can."
"But Emma there is absolutely no way we can get all of this into the car." Regina gestured at the boxes beside them.
Emma looked to the security guard. "Hey Stewart do you think maybe you could–?"
"Call the moving truck rental company for a trailer?" Stewart guessed.
"Would you?" Emma smiled her thanks.
"I'll go call them right now." He laughed, heading back into the building.
"Will they even be open?" Regina checked her watch. "It is a Saturday night after all."
"They'll be open." Emma answered. "And if not, I swear Stewart can make anything happen."
"So... what do we do in the meantime?" Henry asked.
Emma shrugged. "Lock up what fits in the car and I guess take the rest back upstairs. We can't leave it here and I doubt we're gonna want to wait outside until the trailer gets here."
"How soon will that be?" Regina asked.
"I don't know. Maybe an hour." Emma noticed something in the other woman's expression. "Don't worry Regina, we can still get back to Storybrooke tonight."
Regina folded her arms uncomfortably, hating that she was so easy to read. However, she relaxed as Henry stepped forward to hug her.
She patted his head as her own arms wrapped around him affectionately.
"Don't worry mom. We'll be home soon."
She felt herself smile despite the fact that she was still getting used to the different way Emma and Henry had been treating her lately. Before her trip to the hospital, they had both seemed not to care about her at all. Henry used to ignore her most of the time, and when he wasn't doing that, his attitude towards her seemed hateful. Emma's actions had told her that she couldn't care less about what happened to Regina either. A few times over the past week, the mayor had wondered whether the change was all an act on their part. They knew she was still fragile, maybe they were afraid to push her too far again, and were waiting until she was less vulnerable and it was safer to retreat. But when Regina caught herself thinking this way, she would remind herself that Henry was moving back in with her. It was one thing to say he would come back and that he still cared for her, but the fact that he was actually going through with it had to mean something. If he didn't truly mean all that he'd said in the past few days, he wouldn't have gone as far as to move back in with her. Right?
Emma noticed the way Regina was holding on to Henry, almost as if for dear life. It was like she was afraid that if she let go she would never see him again.
"Hey are you alright?"
Regina opened her eyes and realized there were a few tears threatening to fall from her lashes. She looked down at Henry who was eyeing her in concern too.
"I'm fine." She let go of Henry a little reluctantly and blinked back the tears, giving the others a small smile as she tried to regain her composure. "Come on, let's load these boxes back onto the trolley."
"Maybe after we put this stuff back in the apartment we can grab a coffee or something." Emma said, grabbing a box from the sidewalk. "That cafe across the street is pretty good."
"Sure," Regina smiled as she lifted another box onto the cart.
They ended up leaving the trolley behind the desk in the lobby under the watchful eye of Stewart when they went across the street.
Regina treated them all to drinks at the coffee shop. She purchased an herbal tea for herself, and Emma got a coffee while Henry decided to be adventurous with a white hot chocolate.
They took the drinks back to the apartment, where they were engaged in a not so awkward silence as they sipped at their drinks. Henry was seated on a stool at the kitchen counter, munching on a chocolate chip cookie from the coffee shop, Emma was leaning with her elbows against the counter facing him while Regina had returned to her earlier position by the window. The sky had grown much darker now and the city lights were shining brightly.
"What do you think?" Emma asked Regina.
Henry turned his head to look at his mother as she continued to stare out the window. She seemed not to have heard Emma's question.
"Regina?"
"Hmm?" Regina jumped slightly, as if she had forgotten there were other people in the room.
"What do you think of the view?" Emma smiled.
"Oh. It's beautiful. Storybrooke is lovely, but it definitely doesn't have anything like this."
Emma picked up her coffee and moved to stand beside Regina at the window.
"Will you miss it?" The brunette asked.
"Boston? Yeah, I will. I love Storybrooke but the city is great too. There's just always so much going on. But I guess Storybrooke can be like that too huh?"
"Yes it can." Regina smiled. "It's amazing how so much can go on in a town so small."
"I'm gonna miss this place but I'm also really looking forward to moving back to Storybrooke. That little town grew on me. At first I thought it was just this boring, quiet little pocket of nothing special, but once I started to get to know everyone in it and saw how much it had to offer, I just fell in love with it."
"Me too." Regina said, staring off into the distance again.
Henry hopped off of his stool and took a seat in an armchair closer to the tall windows and his two mothers.
"How long have you lived there?" Emma asked.
Regina felt her breath catch at the question. "Since a few years before I adopted Henry." She turned and stared affectionately down at her son.
"Nice. So you've been there a pretty long time then." Emma smiled, not realizing how nervous the mayor had gotten at the question.
Regina nodded. "Once I was there I could never see myself ever wanting to move anywhere else."
"It must be nice to have somewhere that really feels like home." Emma said, a slightly faraway look in her eyes. "I've never really had that. Storybrooke is the closest I've ever felt to home actually. It's the first place where I've made real friends, where I feel like I actually might belong. It's the first place where I've had family."
Regina's eyes widened briefly until she realized the former-but-soon-to-be-reinstated-sheriff meant Henry.
"I know what you mean." Regina said, so quietly that Emma had barely heard her. "Honestly, Storybrooke is the first place I've ever felt like I truly belong."
"Really?" Emma asked, always surprised when she discovered new things she had in common with the woman she had once thought so cold hearted.
Regina held Emma's gaze for a few moments, before turning away from her and Henry. Unexpectedly she broke out in quiet sobs, her hand raised to cover her mouth in attempt to hide it but it was futile.
Henry stood up at the abrupt change in his mother's emotions. He placed a hand on her back. "Mom? Are you alright?"
"Henry," she whispered. She gathered him gently into her arms, but not before he had seen the tears beginning to fall from her eyes.
"Mom what's wrong?"
Emma's face fell, worried she had accidentally upset Regina.
"Oh nothing it's just... for the longest time I never thought I would feel at home anywhere. And I always thought love was something I would never have. For a while I didn't think I would ever have children, but then came Storybrooke and you and... I started to believe that I could truly be happy after all."
"But Mom... I haven't been very–"
"Shh Henry don't say it. You have been more than I ever could have wished for." She held his shoulders gently, smiling down at him through tear filled eyes. Regina looked up at his birth mother, who looked quite stunned at the sudden change of atmosphere. "And you, I know we've had our differences, but without you I don't know if I ever would have had the chance to become a mother. You gave me this perfect, smart, beautiful little boy." She stepped back from Henry and the tears kept coming despite the way she gazed fondly at her little boy.
Emma's chin lowered, she looked up at Regina almost as if afraid of what was coming next. She had absolutely no idea where this was headed, but she did know that this side of Regina was not one she was accustomed to yet.
Regina wanted to thank Emma for giving Henry to her but she couldn't bring herself to say the words. The brunette's smile faltered and they both knew she was thinking of how Emma was also the woman who almost took her son from her, but neither brought the subject up.
"I don't know how I would have been able to go on if I'd never adopted you Henry." Regina whispered before pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "You've truly been the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Henry wrapped his arms around her again. "I'm really glad you adopted me mom."
She smiled as she rubbed his back comfortingly. "That means a lot to me sweetheart."
He looked up at his birthmother. "And Emma, I'm really glad you came back. I really like having you both here."
Emma patted his shoulder. "Well good 'cause neither of us are going anywhere. We're both here for you kid."
A/N: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Please review, I'd seriously love to hear from you!