Read~Enjoy~Review
Chapter 3
Emma wasn't sure if she was relieved or upset that Killian didn't answer, but she decided to leave him a voice mail. "We really need to talk. Please call me as soon as you get this." The blonde then called Zelena to see if there had been any progress, but also got voice mail there. "It's Emma. Just checking to see if you've been able to figure anything out with that potion. Thanks." When her phone rang, she smiled when she saw the voice mail. "Hey kid, miss me already?"
Henry chuckled. "I mean, sure?" He joked. "How's it going with baby mom?"
"Baby mom?" Emma laughed. "Well, we didn't get much sleep last night, but other than that, it's okay. She's honestly a sweet little thing." She said, watching Regina play with the blocks on the blanket Emma had put on the floor. "I'm sorry I didn't call and tell you myself; I've been pretty busy."
"It's okay, ma. Do you need me to come home?"
"And do what? Henry, I appreciate the offer, but really, there's nothing for you to do here. She's not in danger, so I really don't see a reason for you to come back unless you wanted to."
"Do you think she'll see it the same when she's back to herself?"
"Yes." Though Emma wasn't exactly sure. "But if she doesn't, I'll tell her I forbade you to come home."
"What do you think she was doing? She's good with potions and it seems odd she'd mess something up so badly."
"I have no idea. I'm hoping Zelena can help figure that out because I really do not relish the idea of going to Blue or Gold about this."
"Belle may be able to help, but I think Zelena is probably the best option. Just keep me up to date, okay?"
"I will, but I want you to enjoy yourself. Where are you guys?"
"Almost to New York. We're going to check out the city for a bit but not spend too much time here. We want to see more of the west since New York is so close to home and we can always come back."
"Good idea." Emma smiled as Regina crawled to her and held her arms up. She picked her up and tickled her tummy, making her giggle.
"Is that mom?" Henry asked.
"Yes. She's ticklish, which of course I'm going to use to my advantage when she's herself again. Yes I am. I'm gonna tickle you so much." Emma said in a mock baby voice causing Regina to giggle more.
"Mom is gong to kill you. How did Killian take the news?" He asked, though he figured he already knew.
"Not great, but he was drunk. I'm hoping to talk to him once he's sober."
Henry sighed, though he had never really told Emma how he felt about the man. "Just don't let him walk all over you with his bullshit, mom. I'm sorry, I know that's not respectful, but I can't keep it in anymore. You went to Hell for him and he needs to treat you better."
Emma was a but surprised by that. "It's crazy how I'm hearing from two people today that they're not big fans of his. Why didn't you say something before?"
"Because you seemed happy." He sighed. "I want you happy; you deserve to be happy; I just don't want you to let him walk all over you, Ma."
"Thanks, Henry. Don't worry, I think I'm finally seeing him with open eyes."
"Even if I'm on this trip, I'm always here for you. Call me any time."
"I will, Henry. Thanks. Now, go have fun." She hung up the phone and smiled at Regina. "Wanna take some pictures?" She then spent about ten minutes taking pictures of herself and Regina and some of toddler Regina by herself. The little one was adorable and smiled lovingly at Emma in many pictures. The fact that she called Emma 'Mama' had her wondering if she had any memories of her real mother back when she was two or if she was a blank slate. When she saw Zelena calling her, she made a mental note to ask. "Hey Zelena."
"Hey, sorry I didn't answer before; I was still asleep. I was up all night trying to figure out what the hell she was doing."
"It's fine, I'm sorry it was so early. Gina had me up at dawn. Did you figure anything out?"
"Well, kind of. Can I maybe come over later today and we can talk? I just want to check a few more things before I say anything for certain."
"Sure, no problem. Just call first because…well just call first. Oh and I don't know if you know, but I was curious if she would have any memories that two year old Regina would actually have. It's just, she's insisting on calling me Mama and it makes me wonder if she remembers Cora or not."
"That's hard to say for certain. The thing is, mom wasn't exactly the kind of mom most kids had you know? I don't know all the details, but from what I know, Regina was raised by handmaidens until she was old enough to be in a room with mother and be quiet and still. If she has her 2-year-old memories, she honestly probably has no idea who her actual mama is."
"So, in other words, don't feel special?" Emma asked with a chuckle, though her heart went out to the toddler now playing with a book. "Poor kid."
"Hey, feel special Emma." Zelena said and sighed. "I know. I mean, I had it rough after my adopted mom died, but until then, I at least had her to love me. I don't think Henry was allowed to cuddle or hold Regina at all."
"Well, thank you for that information. I have more questions, but I'll wait until later and if you can't answer them, it's totally fine."
"Okay, see you later."
Emma hung up and sighed, noticing Regina was getting a bit fussy. "Are you bored, baby girl? Should we go do something fun?" Before she could pick up Regina, the door opened.
"Good you're here. We need to talk." Killian said and came in, stepping over the gate.
Regina looked fearful and looked at Emma, her lip wobbling. Emma picked her up. "It's okay, baby girl." She soothed and rubbed her back. "Killian, we do need to talk but I was hoping you'd call first."
"I need to call my own fiancée before I come see her? I don't think so, Swan. Look, I left last night, but you're not going to be throwing me out of our home."
Emma sighed as the girl in her arms shook because of Killian's raised voice. "Killian! Quiet down please. You're scaring her. Look, sit down and I'll get her some milk and we can talk."
"Stop telling me what to do!" Killian roared. "I know this world is different, but you are still the woman and I am the man and you need to learn your place. We are talking now, and you can get the brat milk later."
"What the hell Killian? You've never talked or acted like this before. What is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong is I've played the courter for long enough. We may not be married yet, but you're mine and it's time you start acting like it." Regina started crying and Emma held her, trying to soothe her. "Shut that bitch up."
"Get out." Emma said, angry tears in her eyes. "Get the fuck out. We are over, Killian. If I wasn't sure before, I'm a thousand percent sure now."
"You can't kick me out. This is my house too, even if you did get it when you were the Dark One. I was also Dark, so this house is also mine."
"You know for someone who accuses me of 'playing the victim card', you sure do like to play the victim yourself. I'm supposed to forget all your wrongdoings in your past, but you're holding me to something that I've apologized for over and over. How the hell is this supposed to work if we can't move on?"
"You forgot all Regina's wrongdoings! You constantly tell her she's not evil and not bad and that the past is the past. Why is it okay for her but not me?"
"Because she doesn't keep bringing it up! She has gotten better, she has changed and she doesn't bring up one fucking mistake I made." Emma felt terrible as Regina started crying harder. "This isn't good for her. Let me calm her and lay her down and we can talk."
"We're talking now. Damn it! I thought once the boy was gone, I'd finally have you to myself. I bet she did this on purpose, so she'd have her hooks in you, though she already does. She calls and you go running to her day or night. We got rid of the first little shit and now we have a second."
"How dare you! How dare you talk about my son like that?! He may not be the perfect kid; no kid is, but he's mine. You know what, this is it; this is the final draw." Regina's scream pierced the air and Emma knew she had to get out of this situation.
Killian came over and tried to grab Regina out of her arms, causing the girl to scream from fear and because of his hook. "Shut the fuck up!"
Without thinking, Emma flung magic at him, throwing him across the room. "Don't you dare touch her!" She then glared at him. "Fine, if you won't leave, we will. We're done! Stay the fuck away from us!" She then disappeared in a puff of smoke, appearing at Regina's house. "I'm so sorry, baby girl." She said, the girl still crying. She used magic to heal the scratch and then just held her, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry. I've got you baby and he will never touch you again."
It took about an hour for Regina to calm down and once she did, she fell asleep. Emma laid her on a blanket on the floor before going upstairs to figure out what rooms to use. She was still upset and felt her magic coursing through her. She felt wrong about using Regina's room for herself, so she used her magic to transfer her clothes into the closet and dresser in the guest room. She then brought her bathroom things over and filled the bed with other personal things. She was not going back to the house and she was not going to let him do anything to her stuff. She then went into Regina's room and magicked over the baby things, setting them up around the room the best she could.
Using magic had helped Emma calm down since it took her energy. She then went back downstairs and checked the fridge, seeing if she needed to add shopping to her list. The essentials were there, and she magicked over the baby things she had bought along with some of her guilty pleasures. Feeling good about everything, she carefully moved Regina from the floor to the pack and play now set up in her room. Once she was done with that, she went to the guest room, laid in the bed, and let herself cry. She wasn't crying because of her breakup but because she stayed with him for so long and ignored everything she had seen.
There were so many red flags that she ignored because what? Guilt? Sure, part of her felt guilty because he gave his ship up for her. She felt guilty because he came to Neverland and helped find Henry because of her. She also saw how happy being with him made her parents and she didn't want to disappoint them. She had put her happiness after everyone else's and now she was paying for it. She just really hoped that adult Regina wouldn't remember that Emma let baby Gina get hurt. Just that thought made her cry even more. Just as she was about to fall asleep, her phone rang. Seeing it was Zelena, she wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. "Hello?"
"Hey Swan, I'm outside your house now and remembered you said to call first."
"Sorry, I'm not there actually. I'm…I'm at Regina's house." She said, emotion coming out in her voice.
"Say no more, I'm on my way."
Emma went to the bathroom and washed her face before checking on the still sleeping Regina. She then went downstairs and opened the door when Zelena and Robin got there. "Regina's sleeping right now. We had a rough morning."
Zelena placed Robin's car seat down and wrapped her arms around Emma, hugging her tight. "I know I'm not Regina, but I'm here for you if you want to talk."
Emma hugged her back, not knowing how much she actually needed the comfort. "Thanks, but maybe later. I was thinking of calling my mom to come over and maybe even drinking. First, can we talk about what you've found?"
"Yes, of course. Let me just get baby girl settled." They went into the living room and Emma made sure the monitor was on, so she'd hear Regina if she woke up. Zelena got Robin set with toys in her playpen and then came and sat on the sofa. "Do you want anything to drink now? Even just water or something?"
"I'm good and I should be asking you that. I'm sorry, I'm a terrible host."
Zelena waved her hand. "It's fine." She took out the vial, some books, and a notebook. "Okay, so this is what I've found. This potion was meant to take present day Regina back in time."
"But I thought time travel was near impossible and needed like a baby and stuff; like when you did it."
"You're right, but the difference here is she's staying in the same realm and she's not wanting to turn back time but go back in time. I don't know why and I'm not sure it matters, but the problem is she was impatient. While that doesn't surprise me, I am surprised that for something like this, she didn't just wait. The potion had all the right ingredients, she just didn't let it rest for the thirty days she was supposed to which made it react the way it did."
"What was she trying to do?" Emma asked, though she knew it was rhetorical.
"This is just a guess, but for some reason she's two years old, so I was thinking she wanted to maybe change something that happened two years ago."
Emma thought for a bit. "That was when Elsa came." She said and then knit her brows. "It's also when Killian and I started dating."
Zelena looked up from her notebook. "Maybe that's it."
"What? Why?"
Zelena sighed. "I…I don't know, but it could be. Maybe she wanted to stop you from dating him or something."
"If that's the case, she could have just talked to me now. I think it's a coincidence."
"Maybe." Zelena said, shrugging, though in her mind, she figured that's exactly what it was. "Maybe there's clues in her office."
"I don't feel right going through her things. I mean, unless we need to know in order to fix it."
"No we don't. In order to fix it, we only need time. I'm halfway through the antidote but once it's done, it needs to rest for at least sixty days and then it can't be given to her until the full moon."
Emma pulled up the calendar on her phone. "Okay, so today is June 8th, so sixty days, if you get it done today, would be August 7th and the next full moon from there is the 12th. So I get two months of baby Gina time." She smiled a bit. "I'm okay with that." She then looked at Zelena. "Wait…will she stay a baby?"
"Yes. This isn't a potion that will re-age her unnaturally. Will you be okay with this, Emma? With taking care of her and then "loosing" her?"
Emma smiled a bit. "I get what you're saying, but I'll be okay. I can't take care of her and not grow close, but knowing there's an end date will help me keep reality, you know?"
"I get it."
"Is there something I can help with for the potion?"
"No, I've got it. I just had to let what I had done rest for a bit and I can finish it later. Have you and Gina had lunch yet?"
"Not yet. She was so upset and when I calmed her down, she fell asleep." Emma bit at her lip. "Will she remember this time when she's back to herself?"
"I'm not sure, but I don't think so. Why?"
Emma felt tears in her eyes as she looked down. "I…I let her get hurt today. She's okay now; I healed the scratch, but I didn't protect her. I didn't see him coming."
"He attacked her?" Zelena asked, anger coursing inside her.
"I'm sorry." Emma said, noticing how upset Zelena was. "I am so sorry. He was yelling, I was yelling, but I didn't think he'd come and try to get her out of my arms."
"Emma, I'm not mad at you." Zelena said, coming over and once again wrapping her arms around Emma. "I'm mad at him. I get that this situation isn't normal and isn't anything he asked for, but to go after an innocent child?"
"I know. That's why I left…well the final reason I left." Emma sighed and then told her the full story. "I've been so stupid, Zelena, and I'm only just seeing it now."
Maybe Regina fulfilled what she wanted to after all, though in a different way. Zelena thought but didn't say. "Emma, I will not sit here and listen to you call yourself stupid. You thought you were in love, Savior, and you let your heart take over. It happens; do not let it get you down. Look, if she does remember, she'll remember everything that happened, and she will not at all blame you." She could see how Emma was emotionally drained and took pity on her. "Hun go take a nap. I'll get lunch ready for the girls and take care of Regina for a bit. You've been through a lot today and need to rest."
Emma suddenly realized how drained she felt. "I think I will. Thank you." She then went upstairs and peeked in on Regina before going to the guest room and quickly falling asleep. When she awoke, she noticed it was getting dark outside and was surprised to see how long she had been asleep. She went to the bathroom and then came downstairs to find Regina, Neal, and Robin playing in the living room and Snow, Ruby and Zelena setting up the table with pizza, wings, alcohol, and breadsticks. "What's going on?"
Zelena turned. "I didn't give details, but I told them you needed some support from the women in your life. We ordered out and we're going to pig out."
Snow came over and hugged her daughter. "And, if you want to vent, we have the freezer full of ice cream."
Though this meant a lot to Emma, she couldn't help but think how she wished adult Regina was here. "Thanks guys. Did Zelena fill you in on the Regina situation?"
"Yes. You'll be okay for the next two months?" Snow asked.
"I'll be fine." Emma said, grabbing a plate and filling it with pizza. "Did the kids eat?"
"They did. Regina kept looking for you. It was adorable really." Zelena stated. "She kept putting her hands up and asking 'Where Mama?'"
Emma smiled softly. "Maybe I should go see her before I eat."
"Oh, we're eating in the living room." Ruby said. "Regina is too little to yell at us."
"I magicked up some T.V. trays for us." Zelena added. "Whatchya drinking, Swan?"
"How about some cider?"
"Ice?"
"Yes, please." Emma then took her food and drink into the living room and smiled when Regina saw her.
"Mama Emma!" She crawled over and held her arms up and Emma couldn't resist.
"Hey baby girl." She said, picking the brunette up and placing kisses all over her face. "Did you miss me?"
Little Regina babbled as if she was having a conversation and Emma just ate it all up. "And were you a good girl for your big sister?"
"Zee-Zee." Regina said with a grin looking over at the redhead.
"That's right! Zee-Zee." Emma said with a grin. "And there's Ruby. Can you say Ruby?"
Regina's lips moved a bit before she tried. "Woob."
Emma chuckled. "That's a good try."
Ruby sat down. "How about Red? Can you say Red?"
"Wed." Regina said proudly. "Wed, Zee-Zee, Mama." She said, pointing at them.
"Good girl." Emma said proudly. "And this is Snow." She said as her mom came out.
"Sow."
Snow smiled. "Smart girl." She praised her.
Regina got down and went back to play with Robin and Neal and Emma started eating. After they finished eating, Snow, Zelena, and Emma got the babies in their pajamas and Neal and Robin were laid in the playpen in Regina's office while Emma took Regina up to hers. The little one fell right to sleep, and Emma smiled watching her a few moments before going downstairs. She came downstairs and sighed as she sat on the sofa.
"Okay, Emma. Dish on what happened today." Ruby said, handing her another glass of ice and cider. "Did you finally give the one-handed jerk the boot?"
Emma looked at her and then at her mother and Zelena. "Did you all feel like this about him the whole time I was with him? Why did no one talk to me about how you felt?"
"Because we thought you were happy." Snow said softly. "Personally, I was scared that if I told you how I felt, I'd lose you. You're an adult and I didn't want you thinking I was trying to control you."
"And the rest of us also didn't want to upset you. We thought maybe you knew something about him that we didn't." Ruby stated. "But, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't honest with you."
"Me too." Snow said. "Dad is too." She put her hand on Emma's. "What happened?"
Emma told them and bit back her emotion as she did so. "To be honest, it wasn't just this." Emma said, playing with her fingers. "This was just the last draw, the final wake up call."
"That bastard." Ruby said, clenching her teeth. "Can he kick you out like that?"
"Technically he didn't; I left. Regina was hurt and screaming, and I knew that if I didn't leave, I'd have really hurt him."
"He'd deserve it." Zelena stated. "But really, is it partly his house? Legally, I mean, on paper."
Emma shook her head. "No, it's all mine. However, if he wants the damn house, he can have it. The loft is still empty since you guys moved out, so I could rent that." Emma said, looking at her mom. "It's perfect for just me."
Snow couldn't stop herself as she had a bit to drink. "I bet you'll never leave here."
Zelena and Ruby snickered a bit, but Emma was confused. "Why? When Regina is back to herself, she won't want me here."
"Emma, are you really that dense?" Ruby asked, not able to stop herself. "I mean really?"
"What? Why are you insulting me?" Emma asked, giving a dramatic pout.
"Regina likes you, you idiot." Zelena said, rolling her eyes. "Why the hell do you think she's a baby right now?"
"Because of a mistake on a potion. She doesn't like me…not more than a friend."
"She so does." Ruby said. "She has had it bad for you for years. I also think you have it bad for her."
"I don't. I mean…I did, I admit that, but once I finally realized I'd never be in her league, I made myself move on."
"When was that?" Snow asked.
"When I came back from New York ready to tell her how I felt, and I saw her with Robin. She was finally happy, and I couldn't take that from her, but I couldn't just watch it either. I had to make myself move on. That's…honestly that's part of why I tried so hard with Hook. He distracted me and I think I just let myself believe I liked him."
"Let me tell you something about Regina and Robin." Zelena said, crossing her legs. "She was obsessed with the damn soul mate bullshit that Tink fed her. Yes, she wanted to be happy and no, I don't blame her for that, but Robin wasn't her happy ending. Even if he'd have lived, they wouldn't have made it. She thought she had to be with him because of what the fairy dust guided her to back in the Enchanted forest. She didn't consider that she was in a new realm and a new time or the fact that a soul mate doesn't have to mean romantic. A best friend could be a soul mate, a sister, a mother, even a child."
"She's right. Very rarely is a soul mate also a True Love." Snow added.
"Right, and the minute you came back, things with Regina and Robin went from okay to not okay. There was a lot going on behind closed doors and Regina quickly realized he was not the one."
"Then why the hell did we go to New York to get him back when you were posing as Marian?" Emma asked, shocked by this news.
"Because much like you, she needed someone." Zelena stated. "How you said you went with Hook to distract you, she used Robin to distract her."
"How do you know all this?"
"She told me." Zelena shrugged. "I shouldn't be telling you, but obviously you're not going to figure this out on your own. I love ya, Emma, but you are…an idiot sometimes."
"She really liked me?"
"Likes you." Snow corrected. "The night you announced your engagement, and she left, I went out to make sure she was okay, and she cried in my arms, Emma. She still has strong feelings for you."
"She cried?" Emma asked, frowning. "I feel terrible now. Why didn't she just talk to me?"
"The same reason you didn't talk to her when she was with Robin." Snow explained. "She said you deserved to be happy and she wouldn't take that from you."
Emma sighed as she sat back. "You guys keep calling me dense and an idiot, and maybe you're right, but I think she and I both are stupid." She bit her lip. "Is it too late?"
Snow smiled softly. "It's never too late."
