A/N: Sorry for the shorter update but I know it's been a while. Thank you to those of you who left comments on the last chapter! Your support keeps me motivated. I hope you are doing well, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! xx
~ Chapter 107 ~
"Regina!" Emma exclaimed as she burst into the apartment.
Regina and Henry, who had been seated on the couch talking, both jumped a little and turned towards the door.
Regina stood up, her eyes were wide. "Emma, what is it? Are you alright?"
"I'm more than alright!" The blonde was beaming as she rushed forward and pulled Regina into a giant hug.
Regina was smiling now too, but after reciprocating the hug she pulled back to look into Emma's eyes. There was pleasant confusion written all over the brunette's face. "Emma what's going on?"
"Mary Margaret and David are coming!" Emma replied. "They just called me. They told me they have everything figured out and that they're going to head down here tomorrow! Can you believe it? Tomorrow!"
Regina's heart warmed at the thought of seeing the couple again, but before she could respond, Henry jumped out of his seat. "Grandma and Grandpa are coming?! I knew it! I knew they would be able to visit us!"
"Emma that's wonderful." Regina agreed. "But, what do you mean they have everything figured out?"
Emma released a breath she seemed to be holding and sat down on the edge of the couch, still glowing with excitement. "Do you remember how we were talking about the fairies? That we thought they might be able to help with the memory problem caused by crossing the town line?"
"Yes." Regina responded uncertainly, sitting back down which placed her between Emma and Henry on the couch.
"Well Mary Margaret asked them about it, and they were able to track down a book that had a spell for preserving memories! Isn't this great?!"
"That means Grams and Gramps can both get tested to see if they are a match for Mom!" Henry was practically bouncing in his seat, he had a huge smile on his face too.
"What kind of spell is it?" Regina asked, not showing nearly as much excitement as her son was.
"I actually think it's some sort of talisman." Emma replied. "They have to keep an object with them from the Enchanted Forest, something that meant a lot to them way back when. Mary Margaret has the ring that David proposed to her with, and David found his wedding ring in Gold's shop. He said he left everything else in the shop the way it was, so hopefully Gold won't be too mad when he gets back."
"I thought Mr. Gold put a spell around his store to stop people from going in?" Henry asked.
"I thought that too but David says they had no trouble entering. Gold probably just meant he'll know if anyone goes in. So… I guess Gold must already know that David's been in there, but he hasn't said anything about it. Honestly I think whatever he's doing in New York must have him pretty occupied."
"Still it was a bit risky." Regina looked concerned. She shook her head, trying to suppress the nervous feeling she had at the thought of Mary Margaret and David crossing Rumplestiltskin on her behalf.
"I know, but David left some cash in exchange for the ring, even though he shouldn't have to pay for something that's already his. But hopefully that'll keep Gold's wrath at bay."
"Did your parents say anything about how these talismans are supposed to work?"
"Yeah." Emma nodded. "The fairies brewed up some sort of potion and put both of the rings into it. They recommended keeping the rings on at all times, just in case the curse around the town line goes back up without warning. So as long as they keep wearing the rings outside of Storybrooke, they'll be able to remember who they are."
Regina nodded, but she was frowning. "That's good," she responded, forcing a smile.
"Wait, what's wrong?" Emma asked, her smile began to fall as she reached for the other woman's hand. "You look worried."
Regina pressed her lips together for a moment, thinking. "This potion certainly sounds effective, but there's just one problem. If either Snow or David does turn out to be a match for me, they are likely going to have to take off any jewellery in order to have the surgery. What if by then the spell is back up around the town's boundary? They won't be able to have the operation anyway."
Emma frowned. "I didn't even consider that." She said, seeming to deflate a bit. "I don't know, we'll figure that out later I guess. Worst case, we find out one of them is a match but can't do the surgery… Which, honestly that would be really shitty. But for right now, isn't this great news?"
Regina gave a soft smile, nodding. "Yes. I'm really looking forward to seeing them both again." She sighed, a gleam of happiness shining in her eyes. "I supposed we should prepare a place for them to stay. It's lucky we happen to have a spare bedroom."
"My room?" Emma smirked, raising an eyebrow.
Regina patted Emma's cheek. "Now it's the guest room dear. If… Of course if that's what you want it to be." She added a little shyly. "I know it's still early days for us."
"Of course that's what I want." Emma gently took both of the brunette's hands. "But about that… my parents still don't know about us."
Regina breathed a small sigh, nodding. "I know." Her eyes narrowed in worry.
"Do you think it's better to wait until they get here? Or should we give them you know… time to process?"
"I honestly don't know what would be best. But…" Regina glanced towards Henry and gave him a soft smile. "I know that if it were Henry – when he's about fifty years older of course –" Regina winked at him teasingly, "I would want him to tell me in person that he's found someone he loves."
Emma nodded, pulling Henry across the couch into a one armed hug, while still holding onto Regina with her other hand. "Then tomorrow it is." She agreed.
"How do you think they'll take it?" Regina asked softly, gazing lovingly into Emma's eyes. "You and… me?"
"They'll be cool with it." Emma shrugged nonchalantly.
"How can you be so sure?" Regina's eyes grew nervous.
"I can't be. But they will. Because this – us – is one of the best three things that's ever happened to me."
Regina's eyes sparkled at that. She leaned in to share a kiss with Emma.
"But don't worry Regina, they'll be fine with it. No matter what happened between you all in the past, it's over now. Besides, if they didn't like you they wouldn't have agreed to come get tested for a transplant that would save your life."
"I suppose you have a point…" Regina agreed. "But liking me and accepting me as your…" She trailed off, not entirely sure how to finish.
"Lover? Sweetheart? One true love?" Emma suggested teasingly.
Regina breathed a laugh. "Well… yes. Accepting me into the family is something else entirely."
"Regina they've already accepted you into the family. Everything will be fine. I promise."
"Wait…" Henry cut in, "am I one of the other two best things?" He asked Emma.
Emma and Regina both laughed at that, breaking apart from each other to pull him completely into their arms. "Of course you are kid." Emma said, kissing the top of his head.
"What's the other one?" He asked, looking up at her.
"Finding my parents!" Emma answered in surprise, thinking he would have gotten that.
"But there's two of them." Henry's brow furrowed in confusion.
"True, but they come as a packaged deal." Emma said, looking up at Regina again.
Regina nodded at her softly, still smiling, and Emma knew they silently agreed that the term referred to them as well.
The Following Afternoon:
"Regina?! Henry?! Guess who's here!" Emma's voice called from the front door to the apartment.
Henry raced from his bedroom and Regina emerged from the spare room where she had been dusting the already clean surfaces. As Regina turned the corner and her gaze fell on Mary Margaret and David, she was surprised when she felt tears spring to her eyes.
In his excitement, Henry reached the front door first. He was already giving David a crushing hug, and so Regina went to greet Snow while Emma dragged her parents' suitcases out of the way.
"Mary Margaret," Regina smiled. "Welcome to Boston."
"Thank you!" The two women shared a long, comforting hug. "Oh it's so good to see you all. How are you doing?" Snow asked, pulling back from the embrace.
"Better than the last time we saw each other," Regina responded a little tensely, but her eyes were full of affection. "Snow, thank you so much for coming. You don't know what this means to me." She said softly.
"Of course, we're happy to help in any way we can. We also didn't want to miss the chance to come visit you guys. I know it's only been a couple of weeks but it feels like so much longer."
Regina's lips pressed together in a smile and she gave a small nod of agreement. "It does." She whispered.
Snow's eyes grew emotional. "Regina are you crying?" She practically whispered, so the others wouldn't hear.
Embarrassed, Regina breathed a laugh in spite of herself. She shook her head a little, and took a steadying breath before placing her palms gently on either side of Snow's face. "I suppose… I just wasn't sure if I would ever see you and David again." She explained quietly.
"Oh Regina," Snow replied, touched. Her eyes were shining with a few tears now as well. She pulled Regina into another brief hug. "We've missed you too."
"Grandma!" Henry appeared at their side, and Snow pulled the ten-year-old into a tight embrace.
"And I missed you Henry." Snow gushed, closing her eyes.
Regina went to their other guest.
"It's good to see you Regina," David greeted her as the two of them also shared a hug.
"You too," she murmured. It wasn't lost on Regina that the last and only time she had hugged him had been the day he had helped her and Henry safely get to the town line. The memory made Regina's heart hurt a little; Emma's parents had already risked so much for her that Regina felt guilty letting them risk anything else.
"This is a great place you guys have here," David commented as he and Regina pulled back from the hug.
"Thank you. It's really all Emma's doing." Regina glanced over to the blonde, who looked happier than any of them. Regina touched David's jacket absentmindedly. Her expression turned a little distant. It was the coat he had put on her the day they rescued her from Whale and Sidney.
"I've had it cleaned. It's good as new." David assured her. "I'm sorry if it's a bad reminder, I wasn't really thinking when I put it on this morning."
"No, please don't be sorry." Regina shook her head a little. "Honestly don't worry about it. And besides, what else were you to wear while I still have your other one? We have it in the closet here. I'm afraid I haven't cleaned it yet but I promise I will. I really should invest in my own so you don't always have to sacrifice yours for me." She joked quietly.
David chuckled. "Regina, you can borrow them anytime you need to. And don't worry about the other jacket, I'm sure it didn't get dirty on the drive to Boston."
Regina gave a soft smile. "Even so, I accidentally fell asleep on the forest floor while wearing it. I would feel better returning it cleaned."
David gave an appreciatory nod, knowing it would be useless arguing with her about it.
"This place is beautiful!" Snow's voice said, tearing their attention towards her.
"Thanks," Emma beamed. "I love it too. We actually only just got this apartment… you shoulda seen the closet I had before this."
Regina breathed a soft laugh, "well I wouldn't have exactly called it a closet, but yes we would have been a little cramped."
"Trust me," Emma said, "if the five of us had to live there together, it would've felt like a closet."
Regina pressed her lips together in a smile.
The floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room caught Snow's eye and she went over to see what the view was like. "I never imagined the city could be so beautiful." She commented. "I know I've seen it on tv before but… it's not quite the same as the real deal is it?"
Emma nudged Regina, smirking. Regina's own words from several days previously had been almost exactly the same, apart from the television bit.
"Well depending on how long you're able to stay, we'd be happy to show you around a bit." Emma responded. "I've already been showing Regina some parts of the city, maybe you could all see it together."
"I would love that." Snow agreed, turning away from the window.
"How was the drive up?" Regina asked.
"It was kind of fun actually!" Snow responded. "I've never been on a road trip before. At least not one that didn't include a horse."
"It felt like the good old days." David agreed, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Except with music and coffee."
"And places to stop that had indoor plumbing." Snow added.
"Yeah don't take this the wrong way," Emma began, "but the Enchanted Forest doesn't really sound like the place for me. I don't think I could go without plumbing or electricity." She reached out an arm to wrap it around Regina, but then at the last second she tried to hide her action by morphing it into a stretch.
Regina cleared her throat. She felt a little awkward but she didn't think Snow or David really noticed what Emma had almost done. When they weren't looking she gave Emma a knowing look, who shrugged apologetically.
"So," Emma said to her parents. "Want to see your room?" She indicated a short hallway and led them towards it. They both went to get their suitcases and then followed their daughter, with Regina and Henry bringing up the rear.
Snow and David entered the comfortable looking room and took in their surroundings.
"Oh Emma it's perfect." Snow commented.
"Yes, thank you for letting us stay in here." David added. "So… who did we kick out of their room?" He joked, standing his suitcase up beside the bed. "I'm sorry to whoever has been booted to the couch."
"Actually…" Emma began. She caught Regina's eye who suddenly looked uneasy when she realized what Emma wanted to say. "Well, this did used to be my room. For like maybe a week and a half…"
Snow laughed a bit. "What do you mean 'used to be'?" She asked, smiling, but confused.
"Regina and I… we've been wanting to tell you something but we wanted to wait until we saw you in person first." Emma began. "Now seems as good a time as any. But keep in mind, this really only just officially happened a few days ago. So we haven't been hiding it from you. Well, not for long anyway."
Regina shifted uncomfortably, dropping her gaze away from them.
Emma's parents looked even more confused, Snow's smile fell a little bit but it was mostly because she didn't understand.
"I'm not explaining this well." Emma muttered to herself, turning her head to look at Regina, who raised her eyes a little hesitantly to meet Emma's. Emma reached for Regina's hand, and then looked up at her parents, feeling very much as though she were a teenager bringing her girlfriend home for the first time.
"I'm in love with Regina." Emma blurted out. "And…" she glanced at Regina, feeling her face burn a little.
Regina gave a small, affectionate smile, finally meeting Snow and David's eyes. "And I love her too. I have for quite some time now." She said softly.
"It turned out that we've both felt the same for a while now, only both of us were too afraid to admit it to the other in case it ruined our relationship." Emma continued. "But… yeah. Basically, we're together now. So this room isn't really mine anymore because… well, we share a room now. A different room that's not this one."
Regina was surprised when she felt Henry's arms wrap around her in a hug. She must have looked more nervous than she realized. She wrapped an arm around him appreciatively, feeling comforted when he leaned his head against her.
There was silence as Snow and David just stared at them both for a few seconds. They looked surprised, but not necessarily in a bad way. Soon Snow had a soft smile on her face, and then David broke into a grin too, nudging Snow before crossing his arms.
Emma felt Regina hold onto her hand more tightly, but she herself was confused. Were they laughing at her and Regina?
"Did you… hear me?" Emma asked, uncertain about their reaction. She shared a look with Regina who shook her head, unsure of what was happening.
Snow laughed now too, but it was a relieved kind of sound. She looked overjoyed. "Emma…" she finally said, her eyes were shining with happiness. "Emma that's wonderful news." She clasped her hands together over her heart, looking back and forth from Emma and Regina.
Emma met Regina's eyes again and the brunette looked just as bewildered as she felt.
"Really?" Emma asked, starting to feel her nervousness ebb away as she looked to David.
He nodded. "Your mother mentioned to me a few weeks ago that she thought you might have feelings for Regina."
"Wait really? A few weeks ago? How did you know?" Emma responded, astonished.
"Emma how could I not know?" Snow responded kindly. "It was because of the way you two are around each other. The way you worry about each other and the way you always wanted to be together. I wasn't sure at first if it was just a strong bond of friendship or if it was something beyond that. And Emma, I've never seen someone so protective of a friend the way you are of Regina. I thought there might be some deeper feelings hidden there."
Snow met Regina's eyes, and Regina was surprised to see a few tears in Snow's again.
"I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong." Snow explained. "And is it strange to think of you two together? I'll admit it is. A little bit. But I see how you two care about each other and that's enough for me. I think you both deserve to be loved."
"Wow..." Emma responded, hardly daring to believe it. "Thank you."
Regina gave a low laugh, shaking her head. She pulled Henry closer to her, wrapping both of her arms around him. "It would seem that everyone knew about me and Emma, except for me and Emma." She said.
Regina looked up at Emma again, and the blonde, who still looked a little baffled, suddenly started laughing.
"What do you mean?" David asked.
"I guessed that they were in love before they even told me." Henry announced proudly.
"He did more than that." Emma smirked, folding her arms. "He tried setting me and Regina up on a date so that we would realize we were in love with each other."
"What?!" Snow and David asked in unison.
"I didn't know they were going to tell me later that day." Henry explained. "But I thought they liked each other… and just didn't know that they both felt the same."
"What kind of date was it?" Snow asked in awe that Henry could have planned something for his mothers.
"Well it was basically just a day out." Emma responded, but catching Regina's eye she added: "a really special day out. But honestly neither of us knew it was a date until after it was over and Henry told us it was."
"It was sweet of him." Regina said softly.
Emma stepped forward and took Regina away from Henry, placing a hand on either side of her waist. "I guess we've both just been so blind." She murmured to the brunette.
Regina hummed in agreement as she leaned in to press a soft kiss to Emma's lips. Suddenly she was blushing, having forgotten that Snow and Charming were still there, and she broke quickly away from Emma. Despite her embarrassment she had a brilliant smile on her face, which she tried and failed to cover with her hand.
"Wait so, you're actually totally cool with Regina and I being together?" Emma asked her parents for confirmation. "I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of expecting you guys to freak out a bit."
"Oh Emma, of course we're okay with it." Snow responded.
Regina fidgeted with her hands a little. "It's just that, despite us being on better terms these days, we still do have quite the history. I would understand if you had any hesitations about me being with your daughter."
"Regina," Snow shook her head. "All we want is for Emma to be happy. If you are what makes her happy, then who would we be to stand in the way of that?"
Regina's eyes brightened at that. When she turned to look at Emma again, she found the blonde gazing back at her.
When Regina's eyes met hers, Emma's smile grew wider, but Regina's gaze dropped again, embarrassed. She was still expecting Snow and David to condemn the idea, but somehow, they didn't seem to want to. They didn't want to because Emma was happy. Regina felt a painful throb in her heart all of a sudden. She had allowed herself to think about Cora, and she knew how her own mother would have reacted to this announcement. Cora would have poured poison between her and Emma, figuratively speaking, and perhaps also not figuratively speaking. Based on past experiences, if Cora had been here and she learned that it was Emma who made Regina happy, Cora would likely have killed Emma.
The thought made Regina sick. She assumed it must have shown on her face because suddenly there were four concerned people around her, wanting to make sure she was okay. The attention just made her even more emotional, which caused the tears to start flowing.
"I'm so sorry," Snow said, placing a gentle hand on Regina's back. "Was it something I said?"
"No," Regina's voice was trembling slightly. "It wasn't. Thank you both." She whispered, taking them by surprise. "Thank you for supporting us, and for putting Emma's happiness first. A lot of people would be lucky to have parents like you."
"Oh my god," Emma mumbled affectionately as she drew Regina into a comforting hug. "I can't watch you cry. Now I'm crying. But I agree with Regina." She looked over to her parents. "Growing up I always hoped I would find you guys someday. And somehow, I knew in a matter of time I would. But thanks for turning out to be even more awesome than little-kid-me could ever have dreamed of."
Regina felt a little more at ease after Snow, David and Henry had joined into the hug. This wasn't at all how she expected the arrival of Snow and David to go, but at least now everything was out in the open.
...
A/N: Thank you so much for reading, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Take care xx