As the weeks went by it did in fact get colder outside, more snow began to fall and the roads were icy making it difficult to drive. A bright side to the snow was that it seemed to slow the biters down even more. The team started going on less runs and started hunting more on foot out in the woods near the prison.
After finding Ava and Nic, the two kids got situated in the prison almost as fast as Emma and August did. Nic had serious 2nd Degree burns going up his arms and on his chest. Victor informed Nic that the ointments his father used could have possibly caused an infection but they hadn't broken the blisters that started to form on his arms so that was a really good thing.
Nic's blisters had not bursted but they still applied dressings to help with irritation and the cold weather. When Victor came to him in their assigned room in the Medical Wing, he had to have daily cleanings to remove his dead skin and apply the right antibiotic ointment and anti inflammatory gels, and Victor recommended two dressing changes because of how severe his burns were, to not waist anything they went about washing the bandages by hand. Nic was in constant pain and the cleanings were even painful so to help, Doc prescribed the analgesic pain reliever, Acetaminophen to Nicholas for his pain.
Out of everything they managed to get from the pharmacy, due to Nic's age and the side effects of other analgesics, this was the best one for the boy to take Doc told them. Once he healed more and the blisters went away, they would switch to more simple ibuprofen.
Word got around about Regina and Emma very quickly, irritatingly quickly in fact. Emma felt like every one was starring at her whenever she walked around the prison with Henry now.
It had been four weeks since they brought Ava and Nic back. It was early December now, the cold and snow meant people were inside more now than ever, so to stay active they took to walking around the prison halls. The average high temperature outside was only ever less than 30 degrees.
Emma still managed to go out into the greenhouse though bundled up real good, but never alone, Regina was always with her since she had more time on her hands. Everyone one around them noticed the looks and smiles they gave each other, how they sat closer and were always together. Regina had gotten to the point where she didn't care who was around, kissing Emma on the lips or cheek, wrapping her arm around her waist.
Emma had even started spending the night with her some nights, leaving Henry with August. Or he would just come along with her, all three of them cuddled together on some mattresses they'd pushed together on the floor of the cell.
When Graham found out about them from Ruby he literally cornered them in the hall one afternoon, and gasped so loudly it was like he was coming up for air from under the sea.
"Um? Hi?" Emma looked at him amused, holding Henry in her arms.
Graham was looking at Regina and shaking his head.
"You could have told me." Graham scuffed.
"I would have told you eventually. I told you it was just still early I didn't want to jinx anything." Regina reasoned and shrugged.
Graham tsked and rolled his eyes, but joined them on their walk around the halls.
"How are you, Graham?" Emma asked him.
"I am better." He nodded his head, "Nightmares have stopped so that's a good sign." he shrugged.
"Are you still talking to Archie?" Regina arched her brow.
"Yes Mother." Graham exaggerated. "But I don't want to talk about me! You two!...are the talk of the prison." Graham chuckled.
Emma groaned and ran her fingers through Henry's new haircut he received that morning.
"Emma you're basically First Lady of the Prison." Graham teased.
Emma scrunched her nose up and rolled her eyes. "People should just find something else to talk about."
She noticed how different everyone acted towards her now, the people who didn't even really know who she was, knew who she was now.
Emma noticed that Mulan started to act differently towards her as well in the last four weeks. They would sit and chat sometimes over books or just getting to know each other better before everyone knew about her and Regina, but now Mulan was basically avoiding her and she knew it. She knew she didn't deserve the cold shoulder so it had her emotions all over the place when she thought about the woman.
"What's the matter with you?" August tickled her foot and asked her one afternoon as they were sitting in their cell on top of his bed.
Henry was on the the ground with his toy cars and stacking some blocks and the little wagon case they came in, Emma found for him before they came to the prison. Emma was at one end of the bed sitting with her legs under August's, who was sitting at the other end. Regina was out on a hunt with a few other hunters.
"Nothing. Why do you ask?" Emma shook her head.
"Because you have not turned a page in 20 minutes, you're just sitting there reading over the same lines. I can tell." August tutted. "What is the matter?"
Emma sighed and ran her teeth over the side of her lip before answering. "...Mulan has...been avoiding me. At first I thought I was being crazy, but she definitely is...we used to sit in the library like this but we don't do that anymore. Or anything anymore, she sees me and then...I don't know, the look she gives me...it's cold."
"I did notice she doesn't really eat with us anymore...she's been choosing to sit with Shang I believe." August thought it over. "Well what did you do to her?"
"Nothing! Literally nothing!" Emma huffed and crossed her arms, the book in her lap.
This was the emotional roller coaster ride she was on. One second she was sad about Mulan avoiding her, or anxiety took over because she didn't know what she did and she tried to think over everything that had ever happened between them, or she got angry with Mulan because she didn't trust many people or have many friends growing up and now that she was making them...one of them just up and decided she wasn't worth her time.
"Have you tried speaking to her about it?" August asked.
"I wanted to bring it up but then I realized she was actually avoiding me...I shouldn't have to seek her out."
"Did you mention this to Regina?"
"No. There's nothing Regina can do. I get into this funk I know but I'm fine when I'm with Regina so I don't think she has noticed...I mean I don't know if I made Mulan mad or something, but we live together for crying out loud. I get so anxious now walking into rooms or in the halls."
August tsked and rubbed her ankle, he knew from experience his little sister did not do well with situations like this, with rejection or abandonment. But he agreed his sister shouldn't have to go seek the woman out if she hadn't done anything wrong.
So he indirectly but directly did it for her.
On the fifth week of winter, walking the halls with Henry on one of his daily strolls one morning. Emma had gone out to the greenhouse to look at the plants and vegetables because it was snowing too much the previous day.
There were a few people outside walking on the snow, shoveling paths through it. August and Henry were walking around the corner when they saw Mulan, Henry smiled and ran over to her before August could stop him.
"Good morning, Henry!" Mulan smiled and bent down to his level.
"Good Mor-wing!" Henry giggled.
Henry was going to give her a hug but August stopped him. "Hal buddy. Come on let's go."
Henry looked over his shoulder and dropped his arms, smiling running back over to August. "We read da Moon!" Henry wrapped his arms around his legs. "Fish! Buff-lo! Tiger!" Henry did a little roar.
Mulan rose back up, trying not to think too much on the fact that August stopped him from hugging her. She noticed August's confusion as Henry talked. "He's talking about a book we read together. It's called "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon"." She explained.
August looked up at her but quickly looked away back to Henry, like he was annoyed with her already or something. He was going to get to the bottom of this.
"We can't stay and talk to Mulan bud we gotta keep walking." August said, hoping to get the reaction he wanted from her.
"He can't talk to me?" Mulan furrowed her brow.
Bingo.
"No he can't. Why do you want to?" August challenged.
"Why? What do you mean why do I want to?" Mulan looked a little hurt.
"I mean you've pretty much turned your back on my sister. Why do you want to talk to her son?" August huffed.
"I didn't turn my back on her."
"From what I understand that is exactly what you've done. To Emma...and to Henry."
"No! I-...I see now how it seems that way but...I wasn't trying to do that."
August's face clearly showed he wasn't convinced.
"Emma's been upset for days now, trying to figure out what she had done to make you avoid her. She's trusted you, befriended you, and you just threw her away."
"No! I didn't throw her away. She hasn't done anything, I-"
"Well she doesn't know that. All she knows is that you don't want to be around her anymore. That you don't sit with us at dinner anymore. Or look at her the same. Or speak to her. Therefore I really don't think you need to be talking to her son." August went to walk away with Henry.
"It's not like that August." Mulan had a guilty look on her face, she stepped in front of him.
"Then what is like? Mulan." August sneered.
"She's with Regina!" Mulan urged.
August didn't say anything, Henry playing with his pants leg. Mulan sighed and tsked, rubbing the back of her neck.
"I just needed...to distance myself from all of it."
August still looked at her unconvinced, until he turned his head to side.
"You had to distance yourself from Emma. Because of Regina. She started dating Regina...so you like Regina?"
"Oh No!"
"Then what?! You...like Emma?" August concluded and then his eyebrows shot up. "You like Emma...huh...I hadn't even thought of that."
Mulan sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "I wasn't trying to...hurt Emma. I thought she and I were maybe feeling the same things for each other...or that I could get her to...I don't know. I thought I had a shot...but I was looking into it too much and I caught feelings..."
"And you were hurt..." August finished and Mulan nodded. "...Dude look my sister didn't...intentionally friend-zone you. She was basically saying you were one of her best friends now, that she looked forward to the time you spent together and now...she doesn't know what to think..."
"I understand how bad this looks...I was frustrated...and sad...I just wasn't thinking."
"Listen. You distancing yourself like this is only allowing Emma to get used to not having you around anymore. And I don't think you want that, because you might have caught some feelings for her but you also became her friend in the time we've been here...she was beginning to open up to you. My sister is a great person and an amazing friend to have, she didn't have many friends before the world went to shit so she wanted one in you...You shouldn't just let that go..."
Mulan looked guilty and sad, about it all.
"Where is she now?"
"The Greenhouse."
Down in the greenhouse, Emma was watering the new seeds she had sowed into a corner early in the week. It was freezing outside but the sun was still out. And on that last big run, the team brought back tons of sweaters and jackets, so she just had on a few layers under her long black parka. She was honestly sweating a bit in all of it, the only thing that was really cold was her face, her nose a bright red.
Emma heard the door to the greenhouse open but didn't move to turn around right away. Bending over Emma went to pull some of the onions and turnips from bed she had in the ground. They had more onions now than they knew what to do with.
"Emma."
Emma froze with her hand on an onion...that was Mulan's voice. Furrowed brows and a red nose, Emma turned around to see Mulan indeed standing there dressed in a black parka too.
"Hey...can I talk to you?" Mulan asked with a small smile on her lips.
"Hey?...So you want to talk to me now?" Emma sassed. "Five weeks and you want to talk to me, now." she sneered
There was a bite to her tone, and Mulan tried not to but she slightly winced.
"Emma I know I've been an ass. I realized that! I just want to explain why. If you give me the chance to just explain-"
"No. No. No. I was trying to get you to speak to me for days. Weeks!" Emma scuffed and stood up straight. "But I apparently wasn't worth the time! I don't want to hear anything you have to say right now."
"Emma-"
"I don't care anymore! For whatever reasons you have, I really don't. You don't want to be around me, fine! I will gladly stay away from you. You make sure you stay away from me and my son."
"Emma that isn't what I want at all!"
"Seems like it the way we've been living the last five weeks." Emma scoffed and turned around and picked up the sack of onions and turnips.
"Just let me explain-"
"I don't want to hear shit you have to-"
"I HAD FEELINGS FOR YOU EMMA!"
Emma stopped then and turned back around. "...What?"
Mulan let of a heavy breath and closed her eyes. "I just...I had for a few weeks since you came to the prison...I saw you and Regina kissing when we came back from the Supercenter run. And then word got around that you two are actually together and it just...was hard to be around you because I thought we'd had a...connection. And feeling the way I was, I couldn't see you with her and to help get over you so that I could at least try...I just, I needed to distance myself."
Emma was quiet for a while and then sighed looking down. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything...you said how you believed we were all brought into each other's lives for a reason and you are so right about that...I realized that in trying to keep my feelings from getting hurt, I was putting a strain on our friendship that we had just built. I just needed time but I shouldn't have ignored you and avoided you. I want you in my life even as just a friend and I want to see you happy Emma."
"You're right. You shouldn't have or you could at least told me you needed space." Emma sighed, "Look having...a connection with someone doesn't always mean you have to date them...I looked forward to seeing you around and spending time and bonding with you when we could...I just thought that we could be really good friends. I really valued our friendship." Emma was trying to piece her thoughts together.
"I did too." Mulan whispered, "No! I mean I do too. I still do, Emma! I realize you feel as though I threw you away or-or turned my back on you. It was never my intention to do that! I still want to be your friend, someone you can trust. I just...don't want to put either of us in any more awkward enough situations."
Emma sighed. "I...appreciate you telling me. I get it must've been hard to do."
"I'm okay now...my little crush is...going away. I just want us to spend time together again, for you to keep trusting me. Allowing me to be in your life and Henry's life"
"I get that you needed space but...I need time now too...to get over how you treated me and you still need time to...sort out your feelings I guess."
"Yes but we can't just avoid each other forever."
"So we won't."
After that conversation in the greenhouse, things between the two of them were awkward for a few days. Emma suggested that they resume the reading sessions they'd have in the library with Henry and that seemed to wash a lot of the tension away. They were back to debating on plots of the books they read, and Mulan telling Emma more about her life in China and sharing her culture.
On the eight week of winter, after a busy trying to clear out more sections of the prison to find more blankets, Regina was laying on their makeshift bed. Her chest pressed into Emma's, spooning her, with Henry molded to Emma's chest as they laid under three blankets together.
"You look like you had a good day." Regina asked and kissed the back of her shoulder.
"It was very calm on my end, I can't say the same for you." Emma chuckled.
"Ugh I just want to forget. It's like being trapped in there only made them more aggressive." Regina groaned thinking about how one of the prison inmate biters managed to get a hold of her hair.
"Are you really going to cut your hair now?"Emma pouted cause loved Regina's hair.
"I don't know we'll see...tell me about your day."
Emma went about telling her about the part of her day when she didn't see Regina. Where she was hanging out with Mulan in her cell with Henry learning how about Chinese calligraphy. The library was too crowded that day for some reason and some one had taken their usual spots.
"I'm glad you too are spending time together again." Regina nodded.
Emma told her eventually on the fourth week, about how Mulan was avoiding her and they didn't spend time together anymore but not really why. But Regina knew why so she didn't ask and she didn't question it.
"Really?" Emma turned her her to look over her shoulder and looked at her face.
"Yes really."
"It's just that... Mulan told me she was distancing herself from me because of our relationship...she said you knew she liked me but I guess you didn't say anything."
"There was nothing for me to say." Regina shrugged.
"She said she half expected you to tell her to stay away from me."
"Never. She did that on her own...I know that you two are friends and that was all it would ever be." Regina shrugged again, "You have me." she smirked.
"You're cocky." Emma giggled.
"If she was truly so hung up over you, she would have fought. I would have very well put up a fight for you. A fight she would not win."
"You sound so sure of yourself." Emma teased. She slowly slid out of Henry's grasp and laid him on his pillow before turning around to face Regina.
"Well of course I'm sure." Regina smirked, "It's obvious I have won you over. If you they way you kiss me or blush whenever you see me, is anything to go by."
Emma huffed and poked her stomach over and over.
"Aye!" Regina laughed and pulled her hand away, intertwining their fingers.
Regina pulled her closer and kissed her nose, before Emma tilted her head back to kiss her lips. Emma deepened the kiss and sighed against her lips, slowly letting go of Regina's hand and wrapped it around to clutch her back.
It had been a few days since they'd had sex and it was starting to annoy Emma because they hadn't gone this long without having it before. Everyone was everywhere inside sections of the prison they were in, and August started leaving the prison to go help chop fire wood to put into the prisons heater so at nights he was tired. And Regina never wanted to have sex if Henry was in the room with them on top of it all.
Emma whined against the kiss and gripped Regina's shirt in a tight hold. She could feel the woman's cock getting hard against her pelvis, Emma lifted her leg over the woman's hip and pushed her center down on Regina's hard on. Regina gripped her and pushed her hips back when Emma started grinding down harder.
"Emma, fu-...We can find time tomorrow." Regina sighed heavily, finding her restraint. "When August takes Henry on his walk, I won't go do my rounds. I'll stay here. Ok?"
Emma huffed but she relented and relaxed, still wrapped up in her hold.
"You better."