Regina was awake bright and early the next morning, and she did not mind it at all. A certain little man had roused her from her sleep by cooing softly from his stroller. What a sweet sound to wake up to. Regina did not feel one bit sleepy as she got out of bed and went over to the stroller. She scooped up the little boy and cuddled him into her chest. He responded with more cooing. Someone was in a good mood this morning. And someone was requiring a diaper change as well. That was alright. Regina didn't mind that either. With one arm around the still sleepy baby, she grabbed the diaper bag from underneath Neal's stroller. Slinging the bag over her shoulder wasn't that easy, but she managed, and as quiet as a mouse, she left the bedroom with the baby and bag. There was no reason to wake Emma. She had looked so peaceful and beautiful with all that blonde hair spread out on the pillow. Had she cared for Neal during the night? She must have had. Regina had not heard the baby at all.
In the bathroom, Regina removed the dirty diaper and threw it away. She carefully cleaned and powdered the little boy. They really couldn't have that he ended up with a rash. Neal, who seemed to wake up a little more, followed her with his big blue eyes, and Regina smiled at him. Worried a bit. She already adored this little man entirely too much. And that was no good. He was leaving them today, she reminded herself. Later, he would go home with David, and that would be the end of her short stint at being Neal's caregiver. Which was fine. Neal wasn't hers to care for. He was David's son. And she knew that. So she might as well stop wishing that he could stay a little longer. She clicked her tongue in disdain as she replaced the dirty diaper with a new one. What on earth had gotten into her? Since when was she all about babies? She wasn't. Nor did she have some kind of void within her that could only be filled by motherhood. She already had Henry. Wishing for more was ridiculous. And wishing for Neal was out of the question. She couldn't get so attached to him. Neal Blanchard was simply a little guest who had required a place to sleep tonight. That was all. But she could of course hope that he would visit them again soon. He was Emma's brother, after all. If Emma and David became a part of each other's lives, so would Neal. Or so Regina hoped. She would so love to welcome the little boy again.
Finishing changing his diaper, Regina decided that it would be best to change his clothes. Just because she could.
In the diaper bag, she found the sweetest little sleeper made of blue velvet and with little anchors printed all over the fabric. Yes, that one would suffice.
Neal was not too difficult to dress. Although he did wiggle a bit as he laid on the bathroom desk. Regina carefully guided little arms and feet into the sleeves and legs of the sleeper. For a moment, she foolishly wished that they'd had a changing table, but then she remembered that Neal wasn't staying, nor was small children a part of any kind of plan she and Emma had made for the future. Getting a changing table would quite frankly be ridiculous. And she knew that.
She zipped the sleeper up over Neal's little round belly and smiled at the finished result. He looked as cute as a button, and she lifted the little boy up and held him close. He cooed softly at her. To her? Regina wasn't sure. But Neal Blanchard certainly was a very vocal baby. She didn't recall Henry having been this vocal when he was that age. He had been more of the quiet type. The type who would watch her every move. It had been quite entertaining. Regina adjusted the baby in her arms and carried him back to the bedroom. As quietly as she could, she climbed into bed with the baby in her arms. She figured she would sit there for a moment and wake up properly before giving Neal his bottle. He did not seem overly hungry. At least not right now.
She was still sitting there when Emma gently stirred. Regina had been entirely too busy playing with Neal's little fingers to notice that her girlfriend was starting to wake up.
"Look at you two," Emma said, voice rough with sleep and eyes still a bit sleepy as she raised herself up on one elbow. "I'm not saying that I could get used to seeing this, but... I could totally get used to seeing this."
Regina chuckled and cleared her throat. Emma wasn't the only one suffering from morning hoarseness.
Emma stretched, questioned: "do you know what time it is?"
Regina lifted eight fingers.
"Mmm, that's early for a Saturday," Emma answered, stretching again and reminding Regina of a cat in the sun. "But on the other hand it means that we have a bit of time together before you're going to your voice lesson thing."
Regina nodded and silently wished thar she didn't have a voice lesson today. She would much rather have preferred to stay at home with the baby. Not an option, though. Definitely not an option.
"And Henry has therapy today," Emma continued. "But I'm driving him, so you don't have to stress about it."
Regina smiled to show how much she appreciated that.
"So, how long have you and lil' dude been awake?" Emma inquired, bottom lip jutting out in a mock pout. "For several hours? Without me?"
Regina shook her head and noted that her next chuckle sounded far less hoarse. Good.
"Okay. Good to know that I didn't miss much." Emma sat up in bed. Her golden hair tumbled in all directions. She always looked so stunning in the morning. Despite the baby's unexpected arrival, Regina had not forgotten that this was their first morning as 'roomies', and she was beyond thrilled at the privilege that had been granted to her. She got to see how beautiful Emma looked in the morning.
Emma reached out and touched Neal's chubby little cheek. Neal wiggled a bit in Regina's arms, but not in a bad way. Then he kicked a little foot up and made a sound that could have been a giggle if he had been a little older.
"You've totally changed his diaper, haven't you?"
Guilty as charged. Regina nodded in confirmation.
Neal wanted to be a part of the conversation too and cooed. Regina chuckled. She couldn't quite get enough of that sound.
"Aww," Emma said, almost copying Neal's cooing. "He's adorable, isn't he?"
Oh, for sure. Regina nodded again. Neal was so, so adorable.
"And you are completely besotted with him, aren't you?" the soft accusation was followed by a warm snicker.
Busted. Regina nodded her head again, but felt a little sheepish at the same time. She was getting far too 'besotted' with a baby that didn't belong to her.
"It's fine," Emma said, chuckling as though she could read Regina's mind. "He's adorable. Why wouldn't you be besotted with him?"
Regina carefully adjusted the baby, so she was laying with his cheek against her chest. Now she had her hands free, and she wiggled her fingers in the air, explaining: 'He doesn't exactly belong to me.'
"Maybe not," Emma agreed.
'Which means that I shouldn't get so attached to him.' She really, really shouldn't. It would be a stupid thing to do. Getting attached to Neal, would only mean that she got upset when he had to leave again, and that would be a shame.
"It's pretty hard not to." Emma touched the baby's cheek again.
Regina nodded and pursed her lips. Noted that Emma already was getting more comfortable around her baby brother. Maybe it was because David wasn't here. Perhaps it had been his nervous energy that had rubbed off on her. And Neal. It certainly would explain why he had been so fussy last night.
"I could totally see it happen at some point, you know."
See what, exactly? Regina turned her head and lifted an eyebrow in confusion as she looked at Emma.
"You, me, Henry. And a baby." Emma explained and sounded casual.
What?! Regina felt far from casual as she stared at Emma. Emma could imagine them having a baby?!
"I mean someday," Emma continued with an easy chuckle. "Adoption is a beautiful thing." Something dark settled behind her beautiful green eyes for a moment. "Well, at least it should be. I like the idea of giving a kid a second chance."
Was it possible that she was spreading her sudden baby fever to Emma, or what? Was Emma's imagination running away with her because they were sharing a sweet moment with Neal? Or was this actually something that Emma wanted in the future?
"I mean it," Emma assured, letting out this sleepy half-laugh. "I don't think there would be anything wrong with adding to the family someday."
Did she want to have a child? Regina's heart thudded fast in her chest. If that door had just been pushed ajar, she certainly wouldn't argue against it. Heavens knew that she would have wanted more children. When she was younger, she had wished for a large family. She hadn't wanted her child to be an only child like she had. Not that her childhood hadn't been good, it had. Her father had adored her, and she had never doubted her mother's love either, although Cora had shown affection in a different way. But Regina had sometimes been lonely. A loneliness that could have been avoided if Cora had told them about Zelena. They could have grown up like the sisters they had become the moment Zelena opened her door for eighteen year old Regina and hugged her tightly.
Neal gave a little coo. Perhaps he had heard the sound of footsteps coming closer to the bedroom. There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Emma said.
The door was pushed open, and in came Henry. He looked half asleep with ruffled hair, pillow marks on his right cheek and a slightly crumpled pajamas. All of it told the tale of how well he had slept in his new bed. His new home.
"Morning, Kid," Emma briskly greeted him.
"Good morning, Ma. Do we have any-" Henry stopped talking abruptly and his eyes widened as his gaze settled on Neal in Regina's arms.
Regina smiled softly at her son and hoped that this wouldn't be too big of a shock for him so early in the morning. She hadn't wanted to wake Henry last night to put him up to speed, but perhaps she should have. Had she done that, he wouldn't have been so unprepared right now.
"Uhh... that's a baby," Henry squeaked.
"Yep, it sure is. You think pretty fast in the morning," Emma said wittily and snickered.
Regina rolled her eyes and couldn't blame Henry for going: "hardy har, har," as he trotted closer to the bed. "Where did he come from?"
"He's actually my baby brother," Emma revealed. She clearly tried to sound casual, but there still was the slightest of snags in her voice when she said, 'baby brother'. "David stopped by last night after you went to bed."
"He did?" Henry was clearly not impressed. Definitely her son as his eyes narrowed. "And what did he want?"
"Why don't you come up here?" Emma patted the empty space on the bed.
Henry climbed up and made himself comfortable between Regina and Emma.
"Okay, so here's the thing, Kid," Emma began. "You remember that Mary Margaret was having a really big surgery to fix her heart, don't you?"
"Yup," Henry confirmed, gaze flickering to the happy baby in Regina's arms.
"She didn't make it." Emma reached out and touched Henry's shoulder. "Her heart was just too weak."
Regina was endlessly impressed. Even now, even when talking about Mary Margaret Blanchard who had given her absolutely nothing, Emma was still addressing it in a respectful manner and with gentleness to assure that Henry didn't get scared.
"She's... she's dead?" Henry asked in a small voice.
"She is."
"Oh." Henry shuffled closer to Emma so there shoulders were touching. "Are you very upset, Ma?"
"I don't think so, kid," Emma said thoughtfully and rubbed her chin. "Of course, I'm not happy about it either, that wouldn't be right. But I don't really feel like it's a big change. She wasn't very nice to me, and apart from when I saw her in the hospital, I haven't talked to her in a very, very long time. It feels like she's been gone for longer. Do you understand that?"
"I think so," Henry said, nodding his head slowly as he took Emma's words in. His gaze flickered to the baby again. "So David came here to tell you that and then he just left the baby?"
"Not exactly." Emma ruffled Henry's hair softly. "David was actually here for a while. We had a cup of coffee all three of us. And a chat."
"About what?" Henry's posture went rigid again and his chin jutted out as his tone grew more aggressive again. "He doesn't even have any right to be here! Not after what he did to you!"
"You're such a good kid," Emma said warmly. "Do you know that?"
Regina patted their son's cheek in agreement. She was so proud of their boy for being so protective towards Emma. She felt Henry's cheek getting warm. He clearly hadn't been prepared for that amount of praise so early in the morning.
"It's true, David might not have done much to help me when I was a kid," Emma picked up the conversation. "But Mary Margaret was the worst. You know that, right?
"Yeah."
"And it turns out that she wasn't very nice to David either," Emma continued. "She was actually very... mean to him."
"She… She was?" Henry tilted his head a bit now.
"Yeah," Emma replied. "He told me that last night. He told me many things he hadn't been able to tell me because of Mary Margaret."
"How mean?" Henry looked at Regina. "Mean like…?"
Emma looked at her. Regina calmly returned her girlfriend's look. They both knew what Henry was thinking about, and Regina saw no reason to lie about it. They didn't do that. Not anymore. Of course no graphic details was required, she wasn't interested in scaring their son either, but lying to him after he had been carrying that grim secret for so long? No way. Never. She nodded once at Emma, silently giving her permission to tell Henry the truth.
"Yes," Emma said slowly to Henry. "A bit differently, but yes."
"Different how?"
"Well..." Emma shifted and moved closer to Regina, so their shoulders were touching too. Regina appreciated the gesture. For both of their sakes. It was impossible not to think at least a little bit about what she had been through. And Emma was most likely thinking about her childhood right now.
"Mary Margaret used her words instead of..." Emma trailed off for a moment.
Regina swallowed something. Her right cheek burned in phantom pain. But she looked down and focused on the baby in her arms. She was fine. She was right here. Nor had her cheek just been slapped.
"She psychologically manipulated and threatened David into staying with her. Every time he tried to leave, she would threaten him that he would never get to see me again if he tried."
Henry's brow scrunched. "That's a very bad thing to do."
"It is," Emma agreed. "And David didn't feel like he could tell anyone about it because he was scared."
"That's awful, Ma."
"It sure is, kiddo."
It truly was. But what wasn't awful was the fact that Henry did not second guess David Blanchard's story. He wasn't expressing any doubt about the validity or pointing out that David was a man. He knew better than that. He didn't question that men could be victims of domestic abuse too. Regina was proud of him for not doubting. Proud of him for knowing that things weren't black and white.
"But I still don't understand why the baby is here?" Henry looked at Neal again.
"Well. David hasn't slept all that well recently," Emma explained to him. "He's not in a very good place right now, and having Neal means that he can't get the sleep he needs, so your mom and I offered to take Neal for the night so David could sleep."
"That was nice of him." Henry actually smiled a bit as he looked at Neal who was being extremely snugly in Regina's arms. "And when's Neal going back to David?"
"Neal's going back to David this morning."
"Oh." Disappointment colored his voice. "That's a shame. He's really cute."
"Yeah, he is."
Ridiculously cute. Regina's arms were getting tired, but she did not care. She was prepared to squeeze every last little bit out of the moments she had left with sweet little Neal. She wanted to take full advantage of him being here. Apparently, her baby fever was only getting worse by the second. Her maternal instincts were in full bloom, and she was overcome with the urge to protect this fragile, beautiful little baby in her arms.
"About the funeral..."
Of course, that made Regina snap out of it. She lifted her head just as Henry asked: "What funeral?"
"Mary Margaret's," Emma said quickly and told Regina: "I'm not going."
And why should she? Regina nodded and motioned with her hands for Emma to go on.
"I just..." She shook her head. "I can't imagine sitting there amongst the grieving people who thought that Mary Margaret was a wonderful mother. I don't want to be a part of that twisted shi- stuff. That illusion shattered many years ago, and I can't sit and pretend. Not even because it's her funeral. It just... It wouldn't be good for me."
Well done. After having ensured that Neal was comfortable and couldn't accidentally slide off of her, Regina signed: 'I'm proud of you for knowing what's good for you and what isn't.'. Emma was in a good place right now. She was happy. Why should she jeopardize that?
"So you don't think it would be good for me to go either?"
'The decision is yours, Emma.' it was important that Emma understood that and didn't let herself become influenced by other's opinions'I will support you no matter what. And if you wanted to go to the funeral, I would have come with you.'
"Seriously? You would?"
Well, obviously. Regina nodded. And was a bit sad that she couldn't say 'well, duh' like Emma always did when something was painfully obvious.
"I would definitely have loved having you there with me," Emma said softly. "But I'm not going to the funeral. It wouldn't feel right."
Regina found Emma's hand and gave it a squeeze. Henry snuggled into Emma's other side. It was a very nice little moment between them. Very sweet. Their first official morning under the same roof. There would be no going home today. Perhaps they all had different errands to run, but there was something comfortable about knowing that they all would be returning to the same place.
Well, except for one of them.
Regina looked down. Little Neal would be going home with his father. She had to remember that.
"Anyway," Emma said, voice effectively slicing through their little moment. "I think we should all get out of bed and have some breakfast," she turned to Regina. "You can't go to your voice session on an empty stomach, now can you?"
Indeed not. She chuckled and shook her head. Not eating wasn't good. That would only make her unwilling to work hard. And working hard was exactly what Regina was planning on doing.
Henry was the first one to roll out of bed. He was going to the bathroom to grab a shower before breakfast. Regina and Emma followed suit. Not to go to the bathroom, but to grab some clothes so they were ready for when it became their turn. There was only one shower in the house. But Regina didn't mind that. She was used to it.
"We have to lower the water consumption," Emma said innocently. "Showering together saves water."
Oh, very clever. She chuckled as she gently laid Neal down in the stroller. The baby immediately noticed his feet and grabbed after them, cooing loudly while doing so.
"Aww man, he really is adorable," Emma said a bit muffled from inside the closet. After a moment, she emerged with her hands full of clothes. "Seems almost a shame that he can't stay for a bit longer."
It wasn't just almost a shame. It was a huge shame. Regina feared that her nod in response had been just a tad too thoughtful, so she made up for it by jokingly pushing Emma away from the closet.
"Well excuse you, Mills!"
The way she huffed caused Regina to chuckle as it became her turn to search the closet. She ended up grabbing her favorite red silk blouse. A black camisole to wear under it. Sheer stockings. Black pencil skirt just because she could. Matching black bra and panties. And the black garter belt. It made her feel pretty and it held up her stockings. Win-win.
"Oh, sweet Jesus," she heard behind her. Apparently, miss Emma Swan had watched her find the clothes. "Seriously, why is there still a day left of the whole "no sex"-thing?"
Regina quickly turned around and glanced at Neal in the stroller. Then she looked at her partner and raised an eyebrow. She wasn't so sure that kind of talk was appropriate in front of a baby.
Emma chuckled, though. "He's a baby, beautiful. He doesn't understand what I'm saying."
Regina scowled. Perhaps not, but nonetheless…
"I just really miss it," Emma said longingly. "That's all."
Oooh… Regina couldn't resist temptation. Not when Emma sounded so dreamy. 'I miss that too,' she signed and smiled in a way she knew wasn't all that innocent.
"Aww, man!" Emma was almost groaning now. "Babe, you can't give me that look. It's not fair."
That so? Regina responded by raising an eyebrow. Completely innocently, of course.
"Nor is that."
Shame. And it was also a shame that their lovely little chat was interrupted when Henry from the hallway announced that he was done showering.
Regina and Emma helped each other carry the stroller down the stairs. Emma protested a bit as they did so. Muttered that Regina wasn't supposed to lift heavy stuff.
Regina chose to ignore that. She failed to see what her upper arm strength had to do with the wound on her throat.
Obviously, they made it downstairs in fine style. Regina served oatmeal for their son, and he was asked to look after little Neal while she and Emma took a shower. Henry said that he could do that. Whilst looking very proud. And a bit apprehensive too.
"I'm not changing his diaper, though," he said quickly.
Regina chuckled as Emma assured: "you don't have to, buddy. Just holler if he starts fussing, okay?"
"Okay."
With Henry officially enlisted as 'the babysitter', and Neal comfortable in his stroller, Regina and Emma could head back upstairs to take that shower. A co-shower, yes, but one entirely without funny business. They barely brushed one another as they showered, and that was probably a good thing. Had they touched, Regina wasn't sure she would have been able to control herself. Now she settled for looking. Looking was allowed. And she was definitely going to take advantage of that!
"We should totally take a bath together soon," Emma said half-loudly over the sound of running water.
Entirely without intending to do so, Regina ended up making a 'mmm' sound. Oh. An 'mmm'-sound. Interesting. Very interesting. And quite unexpected too.
Emma nearly slipped as she turned around, and Regina automatically reached out to catch her, should it happen, but luckily, it didn't. Instead Emma smiled widely at her, said: "I heard that. A new sound. Did you do it on purpose?"
Regina shook her head. No, that definitely had not been on purpose. It had been an accident. A happy little accident. She had no idea that she could even make that sound.
"Even better," Emma grinned. "A totally spontaneous and new sound. You're really getting somewhere, babe. I'm really proud of you."
Regina too was quite proud. Felt like she was standing a little taller. This was another step in the right direction. The path to speaking.
"I'd kiss you, but I still have morning breath."
Regina jokingly grimaced. Then she laughed heartedly. The sound of her laughter blended in with the sound of water pouring down on them. She thought to herself that she probably wouldn't even have cared about Emma's morning breath.
"God, I love your laugh," Emma said softly yet clearly through the sound of water. "You should laugh all the time."
Signing in the shower where there was water and steam wasn't ideal, but Regina wanted to answer, so she still gave it a shot anyways. 'It feels really good to laugh again.' She signed and squinted to make sure she had Emma's attention. She had.'And a bit unfamiliar. It's a good way to get me used to hearing my voice before I fully become able to talk again.'
"You still don't feel up for giving it a shot while I'm there?"
'I stutter.' Regina wasn't quite sure why it was necessary for her to remind Emma of this. Emma already knew that. They had discussed it before.
"I don't care about that. You know that."
She shouldn't feel provoked by that. Not when Emma was speaking so softly.
But she did. Regina hated being reminded that she still wasn't able to speak, and the annoyance was coming through in her short answer. 'I care.' With that, she turned around and snatched the bottle of conditioner.
"I'm sorry." Arms draped around her waist and soft lips touched her shoulder. "I know how you feel about it, and I know how important it is to you. I shouldn't have pressured you. I'm really sorry, Regina."
The apology immediately had Regina snapping out of it. She shouldn't have taken her annoyance out on Emma. She had only asked a question. It certainly wasn't her fault that Regina still didn't master the gentle art of speaking. She let go of the bottle of conditioner and turned around in Emma's arms. Patted her cheek and flashed her a little smile.
"Are you upset?" Emma asked gently.
Regina shook her head. She wasn't upset.
"Are you mad at me?" Emma asked in a small voice. She looked so worried.
Regina was eager to soothe her fears and rolled her eyes. Wiggled her fingers in the air. 'Of course I'm not. I couldn't be mad at you even if I tried.' Perhaps she could get cross with Emma eventually, but she never would be able to get mad at her.
Her response caused Emma to chuckle a bit. "But you're totally allowed to, though. Especially when I'm pressuring you."
That was the thing. Emma hadn't been pressuring her. Regina had just let her annoyance get in the way. 'You are not pressuring me,' she signed. 'I just don't want to stutter the first time I tell you I love you. You understand that, don't you?'
"Absolutely," Emma said. "And I know you don't like when I apologize, but I'm still sorry."
Rather than accepting the unnecessary apology, Regin simply rolled her eyes and patted Emma's cheek again. Everything was fine. No apology's required. She elegantly freed herself from Emma's embrace and grabbed the bottle of conditioner again. With the bottle in one hand, she motioned for Emma to turn around.
"You wanna put that in my hair?" Emma guessed.
Entirely correct. Regina nodded.
"Well…" Emma drawled as she turned around. "Okay then. But don't maybe me get any ideas that could prolong our shower, Mills. I know how clever those hands of yours can be…"
Regina had every intention of heeding the warning. She didn't have any funny business in mind. She just wanted to put conditioner in Emma's hair. That was all. But that didn't mean that she couldn't imagine doing other things as she ran her fingers through Emma's wet hair. She imagined plenty. So many glorious scenarios…
Once they had concluded their shower, they dried off and then headed into the bedroom to get dressed. But Emma seemed more interested in watching her getting dressed rather than putting her own clothes on. It was very distracting. And very difficult to resist the temptation of giving Emma a show. Still, Regina followed normal procedure and did nothing that could be considered sexy as she put on her panties and garter belt. Rolled on her stockings and attached them to the microscopic, little hook in the garter belt.
"Have I mentioned lately that you are ridiculously sexy?" Emma asked completely rhetorically as she clasped her bra.
Oh, please. Enough with the flattery already. Regina snorted as she shimmied into her pencil skirt. Put on the camisole and then the red blouse. Buttoning it took a bit of concentration, but none of the little buttons escaped her fingers. When the blouse was fully buttoned, Regina lightly poked at the plaster covering her throat. Should she put on a scarf? She turned her head and glanced in the direction of the open closet and many, many scarves she had accumulated over the months. Did she feel like wearing one of those?
No. She shook her head and reached for the hairbrush instead. No scarf again today. She didn't need it anymore. She looked fine. So what if she caught someone staring at her throat? It didn't matter. People were just curious.
She sat down at the vanity and started to apply her makeup. She liked doing her makeup. She liked seeing the finished result and feel even more confident.
Emma was quicker than her. Quicker when it came to putting on her clothes and doing her hair. And definitely quicker at applying her makeup, which consisted of a bit of concealer, some mascara, and a pale pink lipstick. She looked so put together. Regina was only a little bit envious. If she tried to wear that little makeup, she would probably look half asleep.
"I'm going downstairs to see how Henry and the little dude is getting on," Emma announced.
Regina, busy with deciding which color lipstick she wanted to wear today, held up five fingers to indicate that she would be down in five minutes. It occurred to her that Emma was laughing a little bit at her as she left the bedroom, but she was entirely too busy. She ended up choosing red and frowned in sheer concentration as she applied it. Next came dark eyeshadow, but this time there was no frowning. That would ruin everything. Finally, mascara. Two coats of it.
A few minutes later, Regina felt like a brand-new woman and smiled at her reflection before setting her makeup aside. She was going to head downstairs, but at first she had to take care of the message she had heard coming in on her phone a little earlier. She trotted over to the bed and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. One new text message from Zelena. 'Good morning, little sis. How is the first morning in your new home going?'
So far, it was going well. But obviously, there was a few more details to give. 'It is going well, though we did have some unexpected visitors last night. David Blanchard showed up and told a rather shocking story which lead to Emma's infant brother spending the night here.' She sent the text, and although it had been more than fifteen minutes since Zelena had sent the first text, the response came almost immediately.
'I have so many questions right now!'
'Yes, I can imagine, but let's talk more about it later. I am about to have breakfast.' Regina sent that text off as well but added as an afterthought: 'the baby is very sweet, though. I fear that I am more taken with him than I ought to be. I took one look at him, and my maternal instincts went crazy. Typical.'
Reminding herself that Neal wasn't her child to care for, Regina took her phone with her and went downstairs.
The kitchen smelled of toast. Toast that was close to being ruined. Regina was fast as lightening as she snatched the two pieces of toast sticking up from the toaster. They were hot, and she had to nearly to throw them onto the plate standing readily on the table.
"Careful. Don't burn yourself," Emma half-warned.
Regina wasn't planning on doing so. She shrugged lightly, sat down and smiled at her. Wiggled her fingers and asked if was ready for therapy.
"Yeah, I'm ready to go to therapy," Henry confirmed. "Are you ready for your voice therapy thing?"
'Not really,' Regina admitted. 'I would have preferred to stay home.'
"Oh." Henry chuckled a bit.
"What's funny?" After having been focusing on her food, Emma clearly had decided to join them again.
"Mom would rather stay home," Henry revealed.
"Oh. I... don't think you can do that, beautiful."
Regina was well aware of that and nodded.
"Can we go to Eugenia's for dinner tonight?"
"Not tonight, kid," Emma said. "Tonight we'll be eating at home."
"Ooookay."
Little Neal reacted to the sound by cooing quietly in his stroller. That maternal instinct Regina definitely shouldn't be feeling towards him, awakened again. She reached out and touched his little foot. Took a sip of the coffee Emma so kindly had provided her with, and then stood from her chair and roamed around in the bag under the stroller.
"You think he's hungry again?" Henry asked.
Regina nodded to show that she suspected that was the case. There had been a hint of dissatisfaction in Neal's cooing. It was high time he had his breakfast. She found the bottle and formula and headed over to the sink to boil water.
"You're going to miss him, aren't you?"
She chose not to answer that question. Because she didn't want Emma to feel pity or worry about her. And because she was hyper focused on Neal who now was fussing.
"Yep, definitely hungry again." was Emma's conclusion.
The water in the kettle boiled, and Regina poured the water into the bottle. Then the formula. She screwed the ring and cap back on and made sure to shake the bottle. Then ran it under the cold tap for a moment to make sure it wasn't too hot for Neal to drink. Lastly, she checked the temperature on the inside of her wrist. Perfect. She was rather good at preparing bottles.
"Was I that hungry?" Henry asked the moment she turned around.
Regina flashed him a cheeky grin and briefly sat the bottle down to sign: 'You were worse.'
"No, I wasn't!" Henry immediately denied as Emma laughed into her coffee.
Oh, but he was. He had been a right little vampire. With sharp teeth. Constantly hungry. Eating until he fell asleep and made her unable to move for a long, long time because she was afraid of disturbing her little prince's slumber.
Regina picked up Neal and sat down by the kitchen table so she could feed him his bottle. The hungry little boy immediately opened his mouth and latched onto the rubber nipple. He drank eagerly, and Regina couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"It's a pity he can't stay a bit longer," Henry said spontaneously.
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
"Mmm," said Emma, and Regina wondered what she was thinking.
It didn't take Neal long to empty that bottle, and entirely too soon, Regina had to leave for her voice therapy session. She had to tear her gaze away from Neal's adorable, milk-drunken grimace as she put him down in the stroller. Then she grabbed a post-it note from one of the stacks Emma had all over the house. She still sometimes used the post-it method. But only for longer messages. Like this one. She had just realized that there was a slight practicality issue.
'Would you be okay with driving my car today? I don't think there's room for Neal's stroller in the Bug.' She pushed the note across the table for Emma to read.
"Yes, it would be an enormous problem for me to drive your sleek, sleek Mercedes," Emma drawled. "But what are you going to drive in then?"
Shrugging lightly, Regina wrote: 'the Bug?'
For some reason, that seemed to amuse Emma. "I don't know why, but I really love the idea of you driving my car."
Clearly. For a solid second, Regina feared that Emma was going to burst into 'Baby, You Can Drive My Car', or something like that. Fortunately enough, that didn't happen. The only thing happening, was Henry sniggering.
"I'm more than up for switching cars for once. You hereby have my blessing to drive the Bug. But take good care of her."
Now Regina was the one to roll her eyes. Of course she would take good care of… her. No. The car. Bug. She shook her head and decided that it was time to change the subject. 'I think I'll be doing some shopping on my way home. How do you guys feel about post roast for dinner?' she wrote on a new note and pushed it towards Emma.
Henry leaned across the table so he too could read, and once he had, he eagerly said: "Yum!"
"Pot roast sounds great," Emma said. "But I'll be making it."
Beg your pardon? Regina lifted an eyebrow.
"You cooked last night."
So? She couldn't resist getting a bit sassy in her next message. 'And now I'm making dinner tonight as well. What are you gonna do about it?'
"I just don't want you to be the one standing in the kitchen every single night!" Emma said fiercely. "I want things to be even."
Dear, sweet Emma. Regina smiled as she reached out and patted Emma's hand lightly. Things were even. It wasn't about that. She just really loved cooking, that was all.
"Okay," Emma agreed, perhaps convinced by the easy smile on Regina's face. "You get tonight. But I'm definitely going to cook tomorrow night, okay?"
Deal. Regina nodded to confirm their agreement and drank the rest of her coffee. She made a point of kissing everyone before she left the house. First Emma. Right on the forehead. Then Henry and Neal. Same place. She also tickled Neal's chubby little cheek. That was the only kind of goodbye she was going to do, she had decided. Just that. Otherwise she would only get upset, and she didn't want that. There was no reason to get upset. She would see Neal again. Someday. Hopefully. It wasn't like he was going away forever or something. At least Regina didn't hope so. Perhaps the little boy still could be a part of their lives. If she was really lucky.
"Text me when you're done," Emma called as she headed into the hallway.
Regina tapped the wall twice to indicate that she had heard Emma. Then she put on her shoes and coat.
"See you later," Emma called from the kitchen. "Love you!"
Why, oh why, couldn't she answer verbally? Regina let out a little huff in pure frustration. She had to settle for tapping the wall twice again. Then she left house.
Emma's little yellow Bug stood in the driveway and waited for her. Regina eyed the car before hopping in behind the wheel. She could handle driving the yellow Bug. And she would take care of it. Like it was her own. Which it kind of was. She and Emma shared everything, right?
Regina twisted the key in the engine. The car came alive with a bit of a sputtering sound. Not exactly like her Mercedes. But that was fine. She decided then and there that it was a charming sound. She easily maneuvered the Bug out of the driveway, and soon she was on her way. She flicked on the radio and did her best to ignore the fact that Neal would be gone when she came back. It made her sadder than she cared to admit. In less than twenty four hours, that little boy had completely stolen her heart. She… well, she already loved him. She could at least admit that to herself. Her maternal heart had grown two sizes. It felt like Neal had looked at her in a particular way.
Regina scoffed. Nonsense. Silly nonsense. She would have to try and stop thinking about little Neal. He wasn't her child. And today he was going home with his father. End of story.
She sighed the littlest bit….
She ended up arriving way too early for her voice lesson, and rather than going inside and dosing herself up on cheap coffee, Regina decided to wait in the car. And text Zelena while doing so. They had already talked about Neal. Regina did not give a reason for David Blanchard's visit to their house. Nor would she before she had talked to Emma and made sure that it was alright that she told Zelena.
Instead she shared this mornings little victory with her sister: 'I actually said 'mmm' earlier this morning. With sound and everything. It's not exactly talking, but I still think it's pretty good.'
'Regina, that's amazing! Was Emma with you when it happened?'
'She was. She was proud.'
'So am I! You are getting closer and closer!'
'Let's hope so.'
'Where are you right now?'
'I'm in the parking lot. I arrived too early for my lesson.'
'Oh. Will Emma's baby brother still be there when you come home?'
Regina's mouth twisted a little. 'No, I expect that he will be gone by then.'
'And that bothers you.'
Well…. 'I admit that I am going to miss him. I was reminded of the time where Henry was that age. It was a good time.'
'Yes, it was. But I'm sure you'll see the baby again soon.'
'That would be nice. He really was very sweet.'
'What did Emma think of him? And Henry?'
'I believe they've both taken a shine to him. And honestly, why shouldn't they?'
'You adore him, don't you?'
'I found him to be sweet. He had so many little sounds. I wished that I had recorded it.' Or perhaps just taken a couple of pictures of the baby. As a memory. Just in case it would be a while until she saw him again.
'Who knows, maybe I'll be able to meet him someday.'
'Maybe.'
With that, Regina put her phone away and exited the car to go to her voice therapy lesson..
She received an almost obscenely amount of praise for the teeny tiny 'mmm' she had uttered earlier today. Her speech therapist smiled widely and made a whole point of telling her how much of a step forward that was.
"You are well on your way to speaking again, Regina," her speech therapist, Lolly Fleetwood had said.
When she left, Regina had thought a great deal about that scenario. It still seemed far away and almost impossible. She had imagined it so many times, and she was working so hard to talk again. Her throat felt achy now, and she felt a bit uncomfortable. Even though Lolly Fleetwood had made it her livelihood to help people speaking, Regina still didn't like speaking in front of her. Every time she was confronted with that weak, stuttering little voice she had, she felt like cringing. Like keeping her mouth entirely shut.
But keeping her mouth shut would get her absolutely nowhere.
And eventually, she would be able to talk again.
She had to remember that.
Remember that she could laugh now.
And say 'mmm'. With actual sound.
Small things for everyone else, but a victory to her.
Regina chose to focus on the positive aspects as she drove to the nearest grocery store to shop for their dinner tonight. Pot roast with mashed potatoes and carrots. A hearty meal. Both Emma and Henry loved her pot roast.
She was in full swing with finding the correct groceries and putting them in the shopping cart when she became aware that a small child was looking at her. More specifically, at her throat. Months ago, that would have thrown her off. It probably would have been enough to make her leave the grocery store without buying anything. But today, Regina was capable of flashing the child an easy smile. And completely ignore it when the child loudly asked her mom why 'that lady has a plaster on her neck'. The mom of course immediately shushed the child, but Regina was sure she saw her look at her neck too.
So what? Regina couldn't be bothered. She was busy shopping. Her speech therapy had dragged out, and if she wanted to complete her shopping before picking up Henry from therapy, she had to hurry. She didn't have time to worry about people staring at her.
Regina impulsively grabbed a box of cookies from one of the shelves. They could have some for dessert. Milk and cookies. That could be nice, couldn't it? A sweet little surprise for her cookie loving son. And girlfriend. There was actually a fair chance that Emma would get more excited about the cookies than Henry.
Regina chuckled to herself as she headed up to the counter to pay for everything.
"Hey, mom," Henry greeted as he climbed inside the car a little later.
'How was therapy today?' Regina signed.
"It was fine. Doctor Maria is still awesome."
Regina smiled. He said the same thing every time.
"Can we hurry home, please?"
'Is everything alright?' she asked him in Sign Language. Henry didn't normally request to be taken home quickly. She hoped that he wasn't getting sick or anything.
"Everything's fine. I just wanna go home to Ma. I miss her."
Oh. Of course. Regina could easily sympathize with that. She started the car and steered it out of the parking lot.
Henry busied himself with looking through the bag of groceries. Of course it didn't take him long to spot the box of cookies, and he expressed his delight in a loud manner. But was rejected immediately when he asked if he could have one now. He couldn't. Not before lunch. That would only spoil his appetite.
But oddly enough, he didn't even protest that much. And he also seemed to be shooting glances at her. While grinning. Like the Cheshire cat.
Regina wondered why that was. Had he and Doctor Maria been trading jokes again? She knew that they often spend the last five minutes on doing that. Had she been of the rigid sort, she could have found things wrong with that, but she was not rigid. At least not that rigid. She saw absolutely nothing wrong with Doctor Maria and Henry telling each other jokes before ending the therapy session. It was a nice little way to lighten the mood after discussing most likely heavy stuff. Regina never asked for details about Henry's therapy sessions. It wasn't her business. Not unless Henry made it her business. She respected her son's privacy. And she respected the confidentiality of his therapy sessions with Doctor Maria.
"Do you think Emma has been busy while we were gone?" Henry asked.
Regina did a little shrug behind the wheel. She hoped that Emma had been busy writing and absolutely nothing else. Writing was what she should focus on. Regina feared that Emma hadn't been able to focus properly on that for the past week when all the moving stuff was going on. Hopefully now, when things had calmed down, she would be able to focus again. Willa and Helena's story needed to be finished. The world needed to read it. Like Twisted Endings, which would become available so very soon. Regina couldn't wait for that either.
She adjusted the mirror slightly and caught a glimpse of her son in it. Did her eyes deceive her, or was he grinning at her again? It certainly seemed so. Well. Hopefully, he would tell her the joke later. It had to have been an incredibly funny joke if it could cause him to be amused for this long. But Henry also seemed to look sneaky, and that was something Regina couldn't get to make sense…
"The groceries are heavy, mom!" Henry complained when they made their way into the hallway.
Regina was aware of that. She was carrying most of them.
Henry helped her carry the groceries into the living room, but after having dumped the (seemingly) heavy bag on the table, he went straight into the living room. Regina heard him greet Emma with a: "hey, Ma."
"Hey kiddo," Emma said, and Regina noted that her voice sounded a bit croaky. Had she perhaps ended up taking a little nap. That was sweet?
"Was therapy okay today?" Emma asked Henry.
"Yeah, it was okay. Mom?" he called quietly. "Could you please come in here? Ma has something she wants to show you."
Oh? Regina automatically sped up the putting-the-groceries-away process. Was she about to find out the real reason why Henry had been grinning in the car? Was this about more than a joke? She stuffed the last item, the bag of carrots away in the fridge and then went into the living room so she could see what was going on.
She first spotted Emma who was sitting on the couch and looked delightfully rumpled. She had definitely been asleep. Regina automatically smiled at her in greeting. But not for long. A teeny tiny sound had her gaze flicking to something on the floor. A carrier. A carrier with baby Neal in it. But that… That couldn't be right. Could it? No. Emma had brought Neal back to David earlier. Regina would have thought that he and the baby was on their way back to Toronto by now.
Yet here Neal was. In their living room.
"Surprise," Emma said and grinned shamelessly at her.
Her grin did absolutely nothing to lessen Regina's confusion. 'I don't understand', she signed as she walked the rest of the way over to the couch.
"David wasn't really in a position to take care of Neal," Emma explained quickly. "He was... well, he wasn't doing too well to be honest, he was stressed about the funeral, and since I'm not going to the funeral, I kind of... offered that we would look after Neal until after the funeral. To be honest, the idea of sending Neal home with him worried me. I hope you don't mind that I made a decision on your behalf. I would have texted you, but David was about to call a taxi, and-"
Regina interrupted the explanation-turned-ramble by putting a hand on Emma's cheek. Right now, it didn't actually matter to her why Neal was here. The point was, that he was. She didn't have to say goodbye to him just yet.
"You don't mind, do you." It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement. Emma put her hand over hers.
It didn't require an answer, but Regina still gave one. She eagerly shook her head and absolutely couldn't stop herself from looking at the baby. Of course she did not mind. This was a decision she was thrilled that Emma had made on her behalf.
"Mom already loves him, don't you, mom?" Henry grinned.
She did not answer that. Instead she sat down between Emma and Henry on the couch and wrapped an arm each of them. She was so very happy.
"First we move in together and then we get a new kid," Emma murmured as she snuggled closer. "We're doing things the fast way, aren't we?"
Was that an innuendo? Regina chose to take it as one and smirked as she nodded. Then she was nudged softly. And when she turned her head, Emma mouthed 'tomorrow' to her.
Regina felt heat creep into her cheeks and was relieved when Neal cooed and reminded them that he was present.
"I'm hungry," Henry said between them. Fortunately enough, he hadn't caught wind of their mature half-conversation.
"Right." Emma gave her another soft nudge and then stood from the couch. "How about you and I head into the kitchen and make us some lunch?"
Henry agreed with that, but Regina lifted an eyebrow because she wondered what her role would be in that. She knew which role she wanted to have, but…
"You're cool with being on baby watch, right?" Emma asked casually and looked smug. As though she knew the correct answer.
She did. Regina nodded eagerly and did what she had wanted to do since finding out Neal was still here. She gently lifted the baby out of the carrier and cuddled him into her chest. Kissed the top of his little head.
Neal cooed up at her. Raised one little foot. Regina caught it and tickled it. Smiled like an idiot as she sat down on the couch with the baby in her arms. He fitted perfectly. She ran her fingers through his thin, soft baby hair. Of course she was sad to hear that David was struggling. She couldn't even begin to imagine the turmoil of emotions he was going through right now. All she knew was that Neal could stay here for as long as David needed. She and Emma would be more than willing to take care of him.
Regina shook her head softly and silently admitted defeat as she looked down at the adorable little baby in her arms. Henry was right. She did already love Neal.
To Be Continued….