I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.

9: Contribute to Self-Esteem

The weather was getting nicer. Spring was seriously in the air, not just in name, but it was regularly fifteen to twenty degrees over the temperature when Emma first came to Regina's house for saving. So, Emma decided to approach a subject that always got shot down because of the weather.

"Think I could go out and start working on the Bug?" Emma asked as Regina eased breakfast in front of her. Cinnamon pancakes, a favorite, even though Regina used them to make fun of her, shaping the pancakes like little kitten heads. There was bacon, a couple of hash browns, and a cup of banana slices, as Regina always insisted she had fruit or vegetables with a meal. And, there was orange juice.

"It's barely spring. The weather's not even in the 50s yet on a daily basis. You'll get frostbite," Regina replied as she moved to grab her own breakfast. A short stack of regular pancakes, yogurt, and her usual coffee. She used the syrup before leaving it to Emma. Regina did not use the syrup right. She did not use enough.

Emma scoffed as she drowned everything in syrup, even the bananas. "I'll be fine. I have gloves. I'll work for a little while and then come in to warm up and then work a little more and then come in." Emma had to have this plan worked out where it did not seem like she would freeze to death or she would have to do it behind Regina's back, which she did not want to do. If at any point Regina busted her working on the car in weather she deemed "too cold," she would think she was being an irresponsible pet owner and might even cast Emma away.

Regina rolled her eyes, which was somehow very hot with her black, pinstripe suit. "I've seen your gloves and your hat. Hell, even that thing you think is a jacket."

Emma shoved a huge bite of her pancakes into her mouth, needing time to think of a counter to that. "But, you got me some very warm hoodies. I can wear one under the jacket you hate and my hats are fine. They've kept me warm on days a lot colder than this."

Regina frowned. "Can you wait until noon to start?"

"No, Regina, you don't have to buy me stuff!" She had already taken so much from Regina, including the delicious food she was currently shoving into her mouth. She would never be able to pay Regina back for all of this stuff.

"Duckling, I am your owner," Regina said. The word seemed hard, but Emma did not mind it, which made her question her sanity. "Just like someone would not let their tiny dog go out in such weather without a sweater, I can't let you go out without proper gloves and a hat."

Emma pursed her lips. "So, I'm a small dog? Should I be more obnoxious? How small? I think the smaller they are, the more annoying they are, right?"

Regina sucked her teeth, stood up, and mushed Emma's head. "Eat and give me until noon to get you properly covered."

Emma pouted, but could not disobey that because the pancakes were too good. This was not over, though. "You know I think you need to see me as a feral cat and not a small dog."

"Oh?" Regina arched an eyebrow as she eased back into her seat. "Feral cats tend to go outside more. You're more like a house cat."

Emma took offense to that. "Excuse me? I am very much feral." I probably shouldn't be bragging about that, but it is true. She could take care of herself outside, even without all of Regina's precautions. She had never had a proper set of anything in her life, yet here she was.

Regina shook her head. "I'm not sure that's something to brag about. And, you should wait for me until you go out."

"Okay, but I am feral and I know what I'm doing." Emma put her chin in the air.

"I'm sure you do." Regina stood up and kissed the top of her head. For once it felt patronizing.

Emma frowned as she shoved more pancakes into her mouth. Not the best way to punctuate and argument, but at least it gave her some satisfaction. Regina left on that note. Emma would show her, after she finished this amazing breakfast. It was so good! Something had to be wrong with her because the food made her forget she was upset until she was done.

"I'll show her," Emma said to nothing and hopped up with determination fueling her even more so than that delicious breakfast.

She went to grab her own cold weather gear, purposely avoiding anything Regina gave her. She could do this on her own. She stepped outside and the chill nipped at her nose and cheeks immediately. Probably should have grabbed a scarf. She did not have a scarf, though. She ignored the cold and turned to her car, sitting quite still in the driveway. Time to see what the hell was wrong with this thing in full detail.

"I am totally feral." Emma squared her shoulders. She could take care of herself.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina entered the house to the sound of hissed swear words and the sound of running water. Why did I really expect her to listen to me? With a sigh, she deposited her bags on the couch and made her way to the downstairs bathroom. All Duckling needed to do was listen. Why was that so hard?

Regina was not surprised to find Duckling in the downstairs bathroom, which was really a half-bath, trying to put bandages on her fingers. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Those look like the hands of a pet who doesn't listen," Regina said.

Duckling yelped and turned to her. "Regina!"

"Yes, the woman who said she'd be here at this time to make sure you had the proper equipment to be out in the cold. Now, what happened?" Regina stepped into the small bathroom and took Duckling's hands into her own. Her hands were quite mangled, scraped and scratched in so many places.

Duckling winced. "It's not what it looks like!"

Regina could not hold in her scoff. "I'm sure. You got these opening a pack of cookies."

Duckling nodded. "It was a dangerous pack. So many sharp corners. I don't know how I didn't slit my wrists opening the thing."

Regina sucked her teeth and got to work. Duckling's hands were still freezing from outside and little cuts went across the tops as well as on her fingers. It was a good thing part of her pet care included keeping Duckling's skin moisturized or this probably would have been much worse. Regina cleaned each wound and re-bandaged them all more care and caution than Duckling could muster. Duckling winced and flinched each time. Regina ignored her until the work was done.

"Well, are you happy now? You definitely can't work on your car with your hands mutilated like that," Regina said.

"They're far from mutilated. It's just a few scratches," Duckling replied, holding up her hands to show Regina, as if Regina had not just spent the better part of a half-hour performing a miracle on them.

"A few avoidable scratches. Why didn't you just listen?" Regina put everything back into the first aid kit and then stored it back under the sink.

Duckling shrugged and stared down at the floor. "It's stupid."

Regina was about to agree with her, but then understood this was deeper than Duckling just doing something silly out of her usual spiteful pet-ness. "I'm sure it's not. Tell me why you didn't listen."

A long sigh escaped Duckling and she refused to meet Regina's eyes. "Because sometimes it feels like you don't think I can take care of myself. Yeah, I'm your pet and, yeah, you do pretty much everything for me, but I can do stuff. I'm not helpless."

"Oh." Regina had not expected that. She thought Duckling enjoyed being waited on hand and foot and only did silly things for attention. This was beyond her usual silliness because she hurt herself, but she never expected it to be so much more. "I know you can do things. After all, you broke into my home for weeks almost completely undetected. I just want you to take better care of yourself since you're here. You don't have to struggle or be in a rush or harm yourself to get things going. You can take it slow. You can take your time and do things to the best of your ability."

Duckling's mouth dropped open and she finally looked at Regina, a blush coloring her cheeks. "I guess I never thought of it like that. I thought you figured I was some kind of idiot baby."

"Oh, I do think you're an idiot. I mean, look at your hands." Regina pointed to her. "But, you're an idiot who managed to live in her car until a snow storm forced her out. You're an idiot who didn't realize breaking into someone's home repeatedly might cause them mental anguish, but you managed to do it while a so-called security expert tried to assure me there was no way that was possible."

Duckling rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he's an idiot."

"I'm not disputing that. It's just you're an idiot, too. But, that doesn't mean you can't handle yourself or take care of yourself. Now, how about you return to being a pet while I'm here and go see what I got you?" Regina motioned out the door.

Duckling did not put up a fight. She went to the living room and flopped down on the sofa, grabbing one of the bags close to her. Regina stood by the end of the couch as Duckling dug into the bag. She yanked out her new gloves.

"Oh, wow. Mittens." Duckling flicked the gloves back and forth. They were black and stylish, but warm and snug.

"Try them on," Regina said. She doubted Duckling's hands were much bigger than hers and she had tried them on, but it was best to be sure.

Duckling wasted no time putting the gloves on. "Oh, wait! They're gloves and mittens."

"Yes, I assume when working on a car, every now and then you probably need to feel something with your fingers, so instead of taking the gloves completely off, you have that."

Duckling nodded. "You're right. This will make looking at the Bug a lot easier."

"I assumed so. Continue." Regina pointed to the bag.

"Okay, I definitely didn't need a new hat." Duckling pulled out the beige beanie.

"Oh, trust me, you did. Every single one you have is one wash away from falling apart."

Duckling could not argue that one, as they both knew it to be true. "Fine. And there's a scarf." She yanked out the black scarf. "I'm shocked it didn't match the hat."

"No, like the gloves, I can see you'll dirty those up pretty quickly, so I thought black would better suit you."

"You really have no faith in me."

"Gee, I wonder why." Regina rolled her eyes.

Duckling scowled. "Sarcasm is not attractive on you."

Regina folded her arms across her chest. "That would explain a lot. Now, carry on."

Duckling nodded and pulled out the last item in that bag — black leggings. "Keep me warm while I'm outside for a long time?"

"Exactly. I'm not sure how you were going outside without those."

"I was always on the move. Even when I was out for Miner's Day stuff, I was moving much of the time, so my body sort of stayed warm enough. Working on the car, yeah, I'm moving and all, but it's not the same somehow."

Regina nodded, even though she did not quite understand it. It was not like she ever worked on a car in her life. "Now, the other bag."

Duckling went for it and made a face, probably surprised by how heavy it was. She gasped as she pulled out the sheep-skin coat with sherpa lining. She looked up at Regina with watery hazel eyes.

"I realize it's probably a bit much since it's spring now, but the weather is still quite cold," Regina said. Not cold enough for that coat, but one day Duckling would leave and she would have to survive another bad winter. Hopefully, that coat would be of some help.

"No, this is too much! God, a coat like this—" Duckling just shook her head.

"You need a coat." Regina folded her arms across her chest. The only reason she had not purchased a coat before was because she knew Duckling would be uncomfortable with accepting such a gift. Well, and she really did not think Duckling went outside. I might have to find out more about that, especially since she went out during Miner's Day.

Duckling sighed. "I'm never going to be able to pay you back for all of this stuff."

"Who says you have to? What pet pays back their owner?" Regina arched an eyebrow, even though her heart pounded against her ribs and her throat became a little tight. Maybe Duckling was growing weary of this pampered life and wanted to leave. Maybe that was why she read too much into Regina's pet care. She was trying to fix her car, after all. She would probably go back to living in the car once the weather warmed up. No one ever wanted to stay with Regina.

"Right…" Duckling rubbed the back of her neck and her eyes drifted to the floor for a long moment. "You really don't want me to pay you back?"

"Are you really my pet?"

"Duh."

Regina's heart calmed down. "Then, you don't have to pay me back. I'm supposed to take care of you."

Duckling nodded and then put her chin in the air, pride back in her eyes. "Then respect the fact that I'm a feral cat."

Regina laughed. "Okay, Duckling."

It would have been easier to take Duckling seriously if she were not puffing her cheeks out like a child. Regina chuckled and kissed the top of Duckling's head, but this entire interaction stayed on her mind. She tried to distract herself by having lunch with Duckling, but it just made her think about one day Duckling would be gone. She would have no reason to come home in the middle of the day, no excuse to buy cute clothes she would never wear, and no one's head to kiss. Well, yes, there was Roland, but he was not hers. Duckling was hers.

"Hey, you okay?" Duckling asked as she shoved the last piece of her turkey sandwich in her mouth.

Regina blinked. "I'm fine. Got lost in a mental to-do list."

Duckling squinted, studying her closely. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I should get back to the office. You be careful working on your car."

"Yes, ma'am." Duckling gave a mock salute.

Regina laughed and kissed the top of Duckling's head as a farewell. She inhaled the scent of Duckling's shampoo, vanilla and honey, an upgrade Regina made from the cheap fruity shampoo Duckling had with her when she first arrived. Yes, her Duckling was definitely a feral cat and one day, despite the fact that Regina took care of her, she would wander off. Regina would be alone again and each time she had that thought, it hurt a little more.

"Hey," Duckling's voice got her out of her head.

Regina shook her head. "Sorry, miles away again."

Duckling studied her with concern in her eyes. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Regina forced out a smile. "Fine. Be careful with your car. I'll be back late."

"I know. I also know dinner is in the fridge. Have fun with Mal and your cafe. I'll have a good movie waiting for us when you get home." And she grinned, beautiful and confident, like she could not wait for Regina to come home for such a basic activity.

"I look forward to it." Not a lie. Duckling allowed her to stop and enjoy the small things. She liked the small things, had always liked the small things. The small things would leave with Duckling, just as they left with Daniel. "Well, see you later tonight." Duckling nodded and Regina was gone, in more ways than one. It was by luck she made it back to the office okay.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma was back outside with the Bug, feeling more confident. First off, today was warmer than yesterday and her new gloves were amazing. A lot of her work was diagnosing the problem, so she did not spend a lot of time moving, so the chill got to her more than she was used to, but the gloves kept her hands toasty and ready for whenever she needed to work with them. She did not put on her new coat, not wanting to risk messing it up, but she planned to wear it soon. She needed to show it off just once before it got too hot for it.

But, her usual hoodie and jacket combination was more than enough for the current temperature. In fact, had she just waited for today, Regina probably would not have run out and brought her cool gear yesterday. Man, I still can't believe she doesn't want me to pay her back for anything. It made sense, but it also did not make sense.

She was distracted from her thoughts as she heard the patter of feet rushing her. She turned her attention from the Bug's engine to behind to see a small child charging up the walkway. He stopped before her and blinked, confusion buried in adorable, dark brown eyes. He was so tiny and cute and he had on a baseball bomber jacket that was just a little too big and dark hair hanging in his face. Okay, calm down. He's a kid, not a puppy.

"Uh…" He looked at the house behind her, as if needing to check that he was in the right place. "You're not Regina."

She chuckled. "Well, you passed the first eye exam. Wanna do the next one?" She grinned and he grinned right back. Oh, he even had dimples! Someone must have made him in a factory for him to be so cute.

"Roland!" A familiar voice bellowed right before Robin appeared at the foot of the walkway. "What have I told you about running off?" He focused on the boy — Roland.

"Sorry, Papa. I just really wanted to see Regina," Roland answered, still grinning from ear to ear.

Robin turned his attention to Emma. "I see you found her cousin instead." He sort of sneered the word "cousin." Why did he not believe she was Regina's cousin?

Emma smiled at Roland. "I'm Emma." She held out a hand, which Roland shook with great enthusiasm. He had to pull up the sleeves on his jacket to do it, but they fell right back down during the handshake, covering his little hands.

"Are you really Regina's cousin? You don't look like her," he said with childish innocence.

Emma laughed, but Robin stepped in. "Don't be rude, Roland." It was nice to not have to lie to the kid.

Roland glanced at his father and then at Emma. He shrugged. "Sorry."

Emma smiled. "It's okay. I mean, you're not wrong. You're here for Regina? She's not going to be home for a few hours."

"You're mistaken," Robin said and then he started for the front door.

Emma shrugged. He would learn otherwise if he wanted to be an ass about things. She turned her attention back to the car. Roland stood by her while Robin pounded on the front door as if trying to break it down. Hopefully, he did not get any of the neighbors attention. She was already self-conscious about being out here in full view of the neighborhood; well, full view if folks could see over the fence and bushes. She did not want people to start asking questions about why she was staying with Regina, especially if those people then spoke to Robin.

"Is this your car?" Roland asked, tilting his head toward the Bug.

"Yup."

"Is it broken?"

She could not help her laugh. "Very much yup."

"And you're fixing it?" He sounded in awe.

"Doing my best." Emma smiled at the kid and then noticed Robin was gone. Had he entered the house without permission? Maybe he and Regina were like that. Emma doubted it, but did not know for sure. She had only been there a couple of months, after all. She turned back to Roland. "Wanna help me fix the car?"

Roland gasped. "Can I?" His eyes sparkled.

"Sure. Let's get to work."

Roland nodded eagerly, but they hardly got started before Robin called Roland into the house, even though Regina was not there. Roland waved bye to her and trotted off, eager to see Regina. He was in for some disappointment.

Why doesn't Robin know her schedule? It was not Emma's business, but it bothered her. He should know about Regina. I mean, I know about Regina because I'm her pet and I kinda look out for her every day, like a puppy, but come on.

Emma stayed outside until Regina pulled up. Robin never came back out, nor did Roland. Emma checked her watch. Regina was over an hour early. What the hell?

"Where is he? Is he inside the house?" Regina's eyes were ablaze.

Emma nodded. "With Roland." She hoped that news helped Regina calm down. Being a kid around a screaming adult was very uncomfortable and no kid deserved that.

Regina's lip curled and she stormed into the house. Emma was tempted to follow, but it was not her business. It was not until she heard raised voices that she went inside, if only to check on Regina and Roland. Stepping into the foyer, she scanned the rooms she could see for Roland, but he was nowhere in sight. Regina and Robin had moved to the back of the house. Well, at least they seemed to consider Roland a little bit, but they still sounded upset.

"Maybe you would prefer it if I left," Robin said. He was frowning for whatever reason.

"That's what you planned to do anyway. You think I'm some on-call babysitter." Regina scowled at him as if looks could kill and she wanted him dead.

"That's not why I called you."

"Oh, isn't it? Or were you just checking on where I was because you forgot it's my late day? You seemed quite close to accusing me of something when you called."

"I don't have time to argue." He then marched out to the foyer, paused to give Emma an icy glare, and then left, slamming the door behind him. The nerve! Wait, more than the nerve. He just left alone.

"Um… he forgot his kid," Emma said.

"No, he didn't." Regina's scowl was deadly.

Emma resisted the urge to go hide in her nest. Instead, she took a breath and stepped closer to Regina. "Is everything okay?"

Regina also took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Just a change in dinner plans."

-8-8-8-8-

Regina cooked to work her way through her annoyance with Robin. If she focused on the meal, she would not think about how she wanted to punch his teeth out. The bastard! First, he ignored that this was one of many late days as she and Mal got their cafe in order, even though she made it a point to tell him her late days several times. Next, to enter her house, even though she was not there and stay! And, calling her to find out why she was not home and implying she was fooling around on him. Then, to leave, essentially dumping Roland on her because he and his friends had plans. Now, she did not mind Roland, but this was so many layers of rudeness.

Adding insult to injury, he had the nerve to want to know why Duckling was still there, as if her presence was any of his business. She saw red and banged a pot on the stove. Why do I even bother? And then the sound of giggling broke through her fury and she calmed down. Duckling and Roland were playing in the living room. Regina finished dinner to the sound of their laughter.

"All right, time for cheeseburger pasta," Regina announced as she carried out two bowls, one much bigger than the other, with the buttered bread basket tucked against her elbow.

"That's my favorite!" Roland beamed as he charged toward the dining room.

"Hold on, Roland. We're going to eat in the living room," Regina said as she put everything down on the coffee table. She had place mats there at this point. Duckling ate most of her meals at the coffee table, so she wanted to make sure Duckling did not mess up her rather expensive table.

He gasped. "We are? We never eat there."

Duckling glanced at her. "Never?"

"Papa always says it's bad manners, but I do it with Mama and Mulan a lot. We watch movies and eat dinner together," Roland replied.

"That's what I do with Duckling," Regina said.

Roland's face scrunched up. "Duckling?"

Emma smiled. "That's her pet name for me. Shows I'm special to her." She pressed her hand to her chest, as if to display she was proud of the name.

Roland nodded. "That's cool. Mulan calls me her little warrior sometimes and I like it. Oh!" He turned to Regina. "Mulan's moving in with us. That's why I haven't seen you in so long. I was helping her get settled in. It's nice. Mama likes her a lot."

Regina smiled at him. Well, that explained Robin's mood. His darling wife dated a woman and it seemed like things were serious now. Way more serious than Regina and Robin. "You are so helpful. Do you think you could help Duckling?"

Roland gave another eager nod. "What does she need help with?" He looked over at Duckling and then back at Regina.

"She needs to find a great movie for all of us to watch together while we eat dinner. Can you help her?"

"I know a bunch of great movies!" He clapped his hands.

Regina chuckled and left Roland with Duckling to go get her own food. Her pasta had a lot less cheese. They all settled in for the night, watching a movie, eating dinner, and fruit punch for drinks in fancy glasses that left Duckling and Roland in awe. They pretended to be drinking wine until their glasses were empty. Duckling and Roland raved about the cheeseburger pasta and Duckling ate about half of the garlic bread herself. Roland fell asleep right after cake and hot chocolate for dessert.

"Is he staying here?" Duckling asked in a whisper as Roland cuddled into Regina.

"Robin will probably be back late tonight, when we're both asleep, so yes. I can carry him to the guest room. It's not his first time," Regina replied. She did not mind most of the time, except Robin had a way of making it feel like her obligation rather than a favor. It was also troubling since this drop off was more than likely done because Marian's girlfriend moved in with her. Robin did not come to her for emotional support. He went to his friends while she was just the babysitter.

"I can carry him for you," Duckling said, interrupting her thoughts.

Regina waved that off, but offered Duckling a small smile as thanks. "He's not heavy and I know the routine."

"True."

"Back in a moment."

"I'll be here, eating the rest of the cake." Duckling shoved a bit of chocolate cake into her mouth.

"You are going to have a hard time being thirty one day."

Duckling only shrugged. She probably never imagined life at thirty. Regina wasted no time gathering Roland into her arms and carrying him upstairs. He was heavier than the last time she did this, but she expected nothing less of a growing boy. She got him to the guest room and tucked him in. Sometimes, she would read him a story, but he was deep in his sleep now. He barely made a sound as he settled into the pillow. She brushed his hair out of his face and then returned to the sofa, where Duckling was finishing another slice of cake.

"This was nice. Is it normal for you?" Duckling asked.

Regina shook her head. "It's an occasional thing and we never eat at the coffee table. It's uncivilized, but I knew he would enjoy it."

"So, it's normally just you and him?"

"No, Robin will be here, too. I'm assuming his feelings are hurt over Roland's mother moving her girlfriend into the apartment. Funny he should have a problem with it."

"History there that I probably don't need to know."

"No, not really. And, next time, feel free to lock him out. He has a bad habit of snooping when it's just him in the house."

Duckling's eyes went wide. "Wow, really?"

"Yes." She could only imagine what he got into while he was here by himself, but if he found anything he believed to be untoward, she would hear about it soon enough. He never seemed to realize he was telling on himself with those things, like how he called her today, demanding to know where she was because he was at her house.

"I was working on my car when he showed up. I didn't know he would just go in."

Regina nodded. "I understand, but now you know you don't have to let him in. He doesn't live here and this isn't his house, even if he likes to act otherwise."

Duckling nodded. "Okay. Got it. I just… I didn't know how you two operate."

"We operate where if I'm not here, he's not allowed in. If he makes a fuss about it, tell him to call me and I will shut it down."

Duckling nodded like a bobblehead doll. "I don't want to cause you any problems, you know?"

Regina cupped Duckling's face. "Oh, dear, you know I know that. You're not the one causing problems. As you can see, it's Robin who has made this mess. After all, that's not your little boy sleeping upstairs while you're out drinking with friends because you still have a thing for your wife."

Duckling's face scrunched up. "Are they still married?"

"Yes. They claim it's because they can't agree on custody. Robin seemed to think there was still hope. Finding out Mulan lived with Marian had to be the worst thing he could ever hear."

"But…" Duckling squinted. "But, he has you. Marian can't be that great."

"Oh, Duckling." Regina gave her a kiss on her cheek. If only she was as great as Duckling believed her to be.

"You don't have to settle, Regina. You're amazing and you deserve someone amazing."

Regina lost that chance many years ago. "Thank you for saying so, but that's far from true. Now, I have to call Maleficent and apologize for leaving her early. I'll be back and we can watch whatever you originally wanted to watch."

Duckling nodded. Regina went to her bedroom, wanting to shower and get into pajamas before she had to deal with Maleficent. Maleficent would curse her out for leaving early as well as leaving because of Robin. But, what was she supposed to do? Leave Duckling with Robin? What if he dared to leave Roland there with Duckling as he went off to get drunk with his posse?

The phone call with Maleficent was the headache she expected it to be. She collapsed on the couch and Duckling wasted no time lying her head in Regina's lap. Duckling took her hand and placed it in soft golden locks. Regina stroked Duckling's hair automatically. The world fell away and she was calm. She was not sure what she would do once Duckling went away, but for now, she would enjoy peace.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Emma hangs out with her friends and Regina falls a little deeper.