It was almost noon and they had managed to get a good amount of the van unloaded. When she went off to college, Emma could fit just whatever belongings she had into one car alone. But after years of collecting books and recording equipment and two kids later, they managed to fill up one whole moving van.
Henry carried whatever boxes he could lift and even Harleigh carried a few tiny things into the home. Shouting how she wanted to help. All that was left was the bed frames, some seats and a few desks, but they would wait for her brother to come to do that heavy lifting. The sky looked like it was starting to look clearer but in this town you never know what the weather might do.
"Mom, can Harleigh and I go play out in the backyard?!" Henry came bursting into the room where Emma was putting together her bed frames. David was in the room setting up Henry's bed for her.
Wiping her brow and exhaling deep, Emma looked at him like he had two heads. "You aren't tired from all that heavy lifting, kid?" Emma exasperated.
"No, I'm good, maybe a little hungry, but other than that I'm great actually!" Henry beamed.
"It is almost lunch time." Emma looked over to her task and took a deep sigh, "Alright, you and your sister can go out back and once I'm done here I'll make us some lunch. How's that sound?" Emma asked going back to screwing in a bolt and looking up at him.
"Great! Ooh! Can we have those chicken wraps?" Henry beamed.
Emma smiled knowing how much they liked those. "You got it bud." She smirked.
Henry fisted pumped the air before running off to grab Harleigh. "Come on Harls, let's go outside."
Together they raced out back with a ball, a jump rope and a hula hoop. Henry looked out at the spacious yard and beamed. So far all they had lived in was apartments where he had to share a room with Harleigh. Now at this home, he has his own room again, and a big yard to play in. Maybe he could convince mom to get them a trampoline for Christmas, they could put it right out here.
Henry went about playing with Harleigh, chasing her around the backyard and letting her chase him as far as her little legs could carry her. Harleigh got distracted by the hula hoop so Henry started tossing his ball into the air and catching it.
One toss was a bit too hard because before he knew it, it was flying over the gate into their neighbors yard.
"Dang It!" Henry stomped and looked around. The gate was too high for him to see over so he looked and spotted the grill not too far away.
He just casually wheeled the grill on over to the side of the gate. Making sure it didn't move and roll from under him, he placed a brick he found in front of the wheel. He maybe 10 but he wasn't dumb, naturally he could've just gone next door and asked the neighbor if he could retrieve his ball. But he thought of this first, so you know take it or leave it.
Climbing up onto the grill, Henry held onto the gate and managed to peek over.
On the other side of the gate, Regina had in her headphones as she was down on her hands and knees planting the roses she had just had delivered. The weather was beginning to look better so maybe there wouldn't be rain today after all.
Patting the soil down, Regina went to reach for her Apple shaped watering can when she saw a bright red colored ball sitting win the middle of her yard. Furrowing her eyebrows she took out her headphones.
"What the hell?" she rose from her kneeling position and started to look around. As she did she noticed, a mop of brown hair and hazel green eyes peeping over her gate. The eyes peeping over got big and the child quickly ducked as if Regina hadn't seen him. Oh great a child, Regina didn't really like children, hopefully there was only one. Any child that wasn't her niece Robyn she found to be extremely annoying and pestering.
"I can see you, you know." Regina called out raising her perfectly shaped eyebrow at the childish antic. Scoffing she picked up the red ball and walked towards the gate. That was the Swan's home, they sold it to someone already?
Closer to the garden fence gate, Regina saw fingers peaking through the boards.
"Would you like this back? Or should I just toss it out?" She teases and ultimately got a reaction she had hoped for.
"No!" Henry gasped and popped, standing tall on the grill again. "That's my new ball, please don't throw it away! I'm sorry I didn't mean to throw it over into your yard." that was a mouthful to get out.
Studying him closely, Regina took in what she assumed to be her new neighbor's son.
"It's a nice ball, it'd be a shame to loose in such good condition." She pursed her lips and handed the ball over.
"Thank You!" Henry tightened his grip on the gate and reached for the ball taking it back.
Giving a slight "Hmph" Regina turner and started making her way back.
"Hey! What's your name?" Until that stopped her. Henry tossed his ball over his shoulder and placed both hands back on the gate.
Looking over her shoulder Regina, studied his face again.
"Why do you need to know?" She pressed.
"Well...you gave me back my ball...and I want to thank you properly I can't do that if I don't know your name...plus! We're neighbors now!" Henry's cute dimpled smile shot at her and she almost caved but she scoffed and started to walk away again. She really didn't like kids.
"My name's Henry, Henry Swan!" His name made her pause and she turned again to look at him. Looking confused Henry continued.
"It's Um...nice to meet you?" He had a perplexing look on his face, oh no maybe she isn't nice, he thought, but mom said everybody in this town was nice.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to talk to strangers, Henry?" Regina stalked back over to the gate.
"Um well...yeah but we're not strangers, we're neighbors!" Henry gave a footy smile, "I mean you've already given me back my ball and you know my name." He reasoned "If you tell me yours then we won't be strangers." He reached his hand over the gate and steady himself on the grill. "See? I'm Henry!" He pushed it out for her to shake.
Looking at it for a little too long she started to see how he slowly realized maybe he shouldn't be the talking to her.
Oh no what if she's like a weirdo who likes kids, the ones Mom was warning me about, what was it called an offender, I'll have to ask her later, he thought.
"Henry was my fathers name..." Regina explains and grabbed the hand that was extended to her and shook it with a raised brow. "Regina Mills." She relented.
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ms. Mills." the boy beamed.
"You speak well for a child your age, what are you 8?" Regina teased he looked older than eight, well only slightly.
"What?! No!" Henry looked appalled, she tried to hide her small smile. "I just turned 10 a few weeks ago, and I also read a lot, my mom has a whole bookcase filled with books she's really smart." Henry pulled his cheek up and nodded his head as he spoke like it was the most natural thing.
"And who is your mother?" Regina asked looking at the back door to their house.
"Her name is Emma, Emma Swan." He smiled proud mentioning her name. "We just moved into this house, the two of us and my little sister Harleigh. She's 2. It used to belong to my grandma and grandpa but they got a new home so we get to live in this one. Do you know my grandparents? I mean my mom told me that they lived here even before she was born, so they must've been your neighbors for a while." Henry went on and on and as he spoke Regina listened in one ear but it went out the other.
Emma Swan has kids? Emma Swan? The same Emma who would pester her over this very same gate when she was little. The same Emma that only got more and more beautiful as she got older but never really looked Regina's way? And Regina never looked her way, with the way her mother raised her day to day she barley had time for the two friends she managed to snag in high school and still have to this day. There was no question she was beautiful though.
"Ms. Mills?... ?!" She remembered Henry was speaking to her.
"I do know your grandparents yes, I grew up in this home, so I guess you can say I've know them my whole life." Regina blinked and stepped away from the gate again.
"Cool! So do you know my mom? What about my Uncle Adam?" He questioned.
Why the last time Regina even saw Emma, had to be in passing as she left Granny's. That Emma Swan has been 16 and every time Regina was in town during college, Emma managed not to be. They had never really spoken and if they did Regina just brushed her off.
She'd heard how Emma had gone off to college in Florida, while Regina had gone to California for law school. So she guesses she could say the last time she even spoke to Emma was at her graduation party held right here in this backyard.
It was a small affair, Emma's parents brought over some treats her mother had made, and some gifts to add to Regina's graduation trunk. Emma and her brother were just standing off behind them. Emma gave her a small "hey, congratulations." and Regina thanked her. That had to be the last time she saw Emma up close anyway. That was 12 years ago, man does time fly.
"Yes, I do know your mother and your uncle as well." Regina sighed.
"Great then she won't have an issue with me talking to you then." Henry grinned and put his chin on the gate.
Well that was debatable, Regina was never really nice to Emma growing up. She wasn't a bully towards the younger woman, she just wasn't the nicest she could have possibly been.
Above them, thunder clapped and Henry jumped a bit caught off guard. Looks like the weather wasn't looking up after all. Henry wobbled a bit on top of the grill.
"Whoa! Oh No!" Before he could crash there was a hand wrapped around his wrist pulling him towards the gate. Looking up he saw Regina and got a closer look at her face.
She was a very pretty woman that was a sure fact. And she had these deep brown eyes that looked like they could install fear in you and make you fell safe all at the same time.
"What are you even standing on?" Regina asked holding the boys wrist a little tighter.
"Um a grill, it was the only thing tall enough." Henry explained getting his footing back.
"Well you should get down, the last thing needed is for you to get hurt out here. It's about to rain anyhow, you should go back inside." Regina explained sternly.
"Yeah...I guess you're right." Henry looked down and examined his options of getting down safely.
"Can you get down?" She asked
"Umm yeah! I think I got it." Henry looked down again before looking back up, another clap of thunder boomed up above. "Thank you again, Ms. Mills, for you know giving me my ball back." He smiled at her with that charming dimpled smile of his. "It was nice talking to you."
"Yes dear, you too. Now go. Go on get into your new home, no need in getting drenched by the rain." Regina let go of his wrist and watched as he descended.
"Have a nice night!" Henry shouted as he grabbed his ball and ran towards the house.
Looking at the gate for a moment, Regina recalled every thing that had just happened. Emma Swan has a son, a son named after her father. And a daughter as well, and here she was moving into her childhood home with her two children.
Regina grabbed all her things, before making her way back into the house just as the rain began in a slightly heavy drizzle. It was raining however the sun was still shining through the clouds. She always enjoyed the rain, when she was a child her father would help slip on her rain boots and coat and she would have a blast splashing around in the puddles. Her father...she missed her father and all the love he had to give. He passed away during her Fall semester of her third year in Law School. He was her biggest fan and always encouraged her in the route she decided to take. She could only hope that he was proud of her and what she had become.
She was an Immigration lawyer, and for the last 5 years or so, she had been working case after case, until she had worked herself into a crazed state. Her job with USCIS is great, it had great pay and she couldn't ask for a better one. The simple fact was that sometimes, she's come to realize, is that she deserved a break.
She keeps debating back and forth if she should start a private practice or not, but that would only mean more stress. So here she was in her childhood home, restoring and rebuilding her fathers home. Trying to salvage his gardens that her mother had been so neglecting towards.
This whole home improvement project was supposed to be a way for her to de-stress. Now with the confirmed two young kids and a certain blonde living next door, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was about to be the exact opposite of that.