"Maybe we should take this party elsewhere?" Emma suggested. Really, they weren't supposed to linger in the garden. They were supposed to head over to Granny's for the rest of the celebration. "I don't want you to get cold."
"I'm fine," Regina chuckled. "But you actually do have a point, my love. I don't believe the celebration is supposed to take place here."
"No, it definitely is not, but-" Emma didn't finish her sentence and chuckled instead when Regina's attention was claimed by Kitty Prim. Regina turned around, and Emma was blessed with a peek of the back of Regina's wedding dress through the delicate veil. The back of Regina's wedding dress was made of sheer lace that left her olive skin on display, and furthermore lined with these tiny, delicate buttons all the way down the back. It was truly a stunning dress, but right now the only thing Emma could think about, was how badly she wanted to slowly undo all those tiny little buttons. One by one.
And ever so slowly, exactly like Regina liked it...
"Hrm-hrm!"
Emma's head snapped up and she smiled sheepishly at Zelena who just so happened to stand right next to her. "Zee. Hey."
"I do realize that she's your wife," Zelena said and rolled her eyes. "But she also happens to be my baby sister, so could you maybe... I don't know, gawk at her while I'm not here or something?"
Emma chuckled. "Sorry, Zee. I'm stopping. Right now."
Zelena laughed and gave Emma another tight hug. "Thank you," she whispered quietly. "I'm not sure what would have happened to my sister if you hadn't shown up."
"Hey, hey, hey," Emma soothed. "No thinking about that, okay? Today is a happy day, remember."
Zelena laughed wetly. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"Is everything alright over here?" Regina had come over to them.
"Yup, everything is perfect," Emma assured as she gently freed herself from Zelena's embrace. "But perhaps we should get these good people over to Eugenia's Inn instead of standing here? It's snowing and you're not wearing a coat. Or a cloak."
"But you do," Regina said softly, eyes shining as she looked at Emma. "And you look so beautiful, my darling."
"So do you." Seriously, Regina had never looked more stunning. Her dress, her veil, her hair, everything looked so goddamn amazing...
"Yes, yes, you can gush over one another once we're inside," Zelena interrupted Emma's train of thoughts and clapped her hands once. Everyone immediately turned their attention to her. "Everyone! It's time to take this party to the inn!" she loudly announced. "So if you all could move it, the brides would be so very grateful."
Everyone laughed, and Malena who had just emerged from the crowd shook her head a little. "Your sister should have opted for a position in the military," she said to Regina.
"I know," Regina chuckled and shook her head. "She would have fitted right in there."
Emma suffocated her amusement and wrapped an arm around Regina. "What do you say, wifey? Shall we take the party elsewhere?"
It was only when Malena cackled and raised an eyebrow, Emma realized that what she had just said could be taken quite differently.
Regina had noticed too, and she let out a soft little laughter. Her dark eyes were sparkling with joy, and Emma felt as though it was dangerous to look into her eyes for too long. One could so easily drown.
"Alright, off we go," Zelena directed and interrupted their moment. "You too, newly-weds. Off you pop."
"Right then," Emma chuckled and took Regina's hand in hers. "Ready to party, beautiful?"
"You bet," Regina said with a grin that matched Emma's. "Come on." to Emma's delight, she took charge and lightly tugged her towards the Mercedes. Driving the short distance to Eugenia's Inn was a bit
ridiculous, but walking down the street in their wedding dresses was out of the question. So driving it was. Emma chuckled again when she saw the Mercedes. It had neatly been decorated with flowers.
"That Zelena's doing?" she asked.
"And Chad's," Regina nodded. "They insisted that I should arrive in style."
"And how right they were."
Regina smiled and then they climbed inside the car to drive the short distance...
The building extension added to Eugenia's Inn was truly beautiful. One wall was solely made of glass so they could look out at the falling snow while being inside in the cozy warm. There was a huge stone fireplace where a fire flickered merrily to ensure that none of the guests would get cold. The floors were hardwood and old fashioned, and on the floor was a long dining table and little chairs standing. A table big enough for all their guests to sit by. A red table cloth was covering the long table. Fake snow and tinsel had been sprinkled all over, and there were beautiful decorations with red and white candles, pinecones and holly scattered all over the table. Fairy lights were hanging 'magically' from the ceiling. Emma wasn't quite sure how Ruby and Eugenia had managed to make that happen, but it looked fantastic. The fairy lights added to the romantic, Christmas-y atmosphere Emma and Regina had created in the backyard.
And then of course there was the 'main attraction'. The thing that made Neal squeal in excitement and the guests going 'ohh' and 'ahh' upon seeing it. Emma grinned too upon laying eyes on the enormous Christmas tree standing in the corner of the room. The tree was enormous. The star placed at the top brushed against the ceiling, and it had been lavishly decorated with beautiful ornaments, even more tinsel and of course fairy lights. The tree was an explosion of red and golden, and Emma had never seen anything quite so beautiful. Well expect for Regina, obviously. She was definitely the most beautiful thing in this room. The centerpiece. The highlight. The thing everyone should be looking at if they had just the littlest bit of common sense.
"Oh my god," Regina said and shook her head a little as she looked around. "Eugenia, this is amazing," she beamed as she gave the elderly woman a tight hug.
"Nonsense. It was nothing," Eugenia insisted, but Emma could see how much Regina's praise truly meant. "You chose to have your wedding reception here. The least Ruby and I could do was to make sure that everything looks perfect."
"And it does!" Emma said firmly, smiling widely at Ruby who made a 'ta-dah' gesture. "It's stunning!"
"It truly is," Regina said softly. "It's everything I have ever dreamed of."
If she hadn't been wearing a fancy dress, Emma could have done cartwheels right then and there. This was everything Regina had dreamed of. That meant the whole world. Emma had so wanted to make this day perfect for Regina. She had already been planning one wedding, and that dream had been shattered in the most vile way possible. To Emma, it had been crucial that this 'real' wedding would be everything Regina ever had envisioned. And it was. It fucking was!
Emma did nothing to prevent herself from smiling like an idiot as she carefully unfastened the cloak and draped it over the back of her chair. She wasn't supposed to wear the cloak for the reception. That would look a bit silly indoors. She carefully fixed her hair and brushed a hand over her snow-white dress.
"Oh, darling," Regina breathed as she looked at Emma. "You look so beautiful."
"So do you," Emma said softly, wrapping her arms around her wife's waist. "Stunning in every way." she pecked Regina's lips.
Regina pecked back and chuckled a little. "I suppose I should take off my veil."
"You don't have to," Emma said quickly. "You can wear it for as long as you want, lovely."
Regina chuckled again. "I'll definitely take it off before our first dance."
"Right, I suppose that actually makes sense," Emma nodded. "It would be pretty unfortunate if I tripped on it."
"You won't," Regina scoffed. "You're not that clumsy."
"Need I remind you that I once managed to spill cocoa all over the staircase?" Emma grinned and cringed at the same time upon remembering the mess she had made.
"And the howl you let out almost had me believing that something terrible had happened to you," Regina nodded, now scowling slightly at Emma. "You nearly frightened the life out of me."
"Sorry?" Emma said sweetly. "I promise I'll never do it again?" she leaned in and kissed Regina once more. Softly and sweetly and thoroughly ignoring the cheering from their audience. Today she was gonna kiss Regina for as much as she wanted. There was no way of stopping her from kissing her wife. She felt Regina chuckle into the kiss. Her hands were laying softly against Emma's cheeks, and
Emma wasn't sure how she was supposed to stop kissing her gorgeous wife. The word alone send shivers down her spine. Wife. WIFE. She and Regina were actually married. Legally married. There was a golden wedding band sitting on her finger. From now on, whenever they met someone new, Emma could say: 'this is my wife, Regina'. And if that wasn't the most beautiful thing ever, Emma wasn't sure what was.
Eventually, they had to stop kissing, though. It was time to sit down at the long table. Thanks to the seating plan, their guests mingled beautifully. David ended up sitting next to Malena. Henry next to August, and it didn't take long before Emma's former co-worker made the twelve year old boy laugh heartedly. Ella were sitting next to Kitty Prim. Eugenia next to Ursula.
Emma thought to herself that all of their guests mingled so well. Watching them talk to each other without it being awkward was an absolute joy to watch. And watching Regina beaming as she interacted with her friends and family was an even bigger joy. Her cheeks were tinted pink with happiness, and her smile never stopped. Good. Regina should definitely smile today. All the time. When she laughed, Emma automatically laughed along with her.
The reception was just as wonderful as the ceremony. Everyone was talking and laughing, and the food was absolutely delicious. There were toasts and speeches. Malena was the first one to tap on her glass and claim everybody's attention. She started out by saying that she 'by no means were good at speeches', but as the speech progressed, Emma had to silently scoff to herself and disagree with Mal. Because she was holding a beautiful speech about a young girl with starlight in her eyes. She talked about how the young girl who had been so vibrant and full of life as a teenager, but later, the starlight in her eyes had gradually gone out. First by the death of her mother. Then by the loss of her father.
"But as it just so happened," Malena continued. "A new little life was welcomed into the world. A son, bearing the same name as his grandfather..."
Regina sniffled audibly at that and reached to squeeze Henry's hand.
"I believe this new little bundle of life softened the loss just a little," Malena said. "The starlight returned to the girl's eyes again, and she found joy in being the best mother for her son. She still does."
Emma had to swallow thickly. By no means good at speeches, my ass! Malena was epic at speeches, and Emma really had to fight back tears as Regina's oldest and best friend went on to talk about how evil forces yet again had tried to extinguish the starlight in Regina's eyes.
"But they did not succeed, did they, my dear?" Mal softly continued and smiled warmly at Regina. "Today you sit here stronger and happier than ever. Side by side with your new wife who has proved countless of times that she's willing to walk through fire for you."
"Absolutely," Emma piped up and earned herself a chuckle from the guests and a warm smile from Regina.
"And that is exactly how it should be," Malena proceeded. "What the two of you have created together is by far stronger than anything I have read in any book. Emma, you are the reason Regina is sitting here with starlight in her eyes yet again. As her oldest friend, I'm asking you to make sure that starlight never goes out."
"I promise," Emma said wetly.
"Good. That's all I'm asking. Now I believe it's time for a toast. Here's to the brides and a lifetime of happiness."
Everyone rose from their seats and toasted to the newly-weds, and Regina gave Malena a hug. She returned the gesture by pressing a light kiss to Regina's cheek, and after having hugged Emma too, Mal was given a sweet kiss and a warm smile by Ursula who looked immensely proud of her girlfriend. Emma took a sip of her champagne and tried swallowing the massive lump in her throat. She had already cried so much during the ceremony. Surely, she could get through the dinner without crying, right?
She could not.
Because the next person to tap his glass and claim everyone's attention turned out to be Henry. It came as a massive surprise to both Emma and Regina. None of them had known that he was planning on making a speech for them. And even before he had said anything, the first tears dripped onto Emma's cheeks.
"Mom, Ma," he started without an ounce of anxiety or nervousness in his voice. "First of all, I wanna say congratulations. You guys finally did it. It feels like you've been planning this day for ages. I've nearly grown out of my suit!"
Everyone chuckled a bit.
"Mom," Henry continued and turned to Regina. "I've seen you feel really bad and go through some pretty terrible stuff."
Emma instinctively squeezed Regina's hand.
"I've been upset and angry and worried about you," the twelve year old said seriously. "I've been wondering how things could ever go back to normal again. That was all I wanted. It didn't matter that you couldn't talk, I just wanted it to be you and me again like it had always been..."
Next to Emma, Regina blinked rapidly.
"Ma," Henry turned to Emma now. "You ran away from home. You went out to look for something you didn't even know what was..." he smiled widely. "And then you found mom. And she found you. You guys could so easily have passed each other like two ships, but you didn't. Because you, Ma, you ended up on mom's seat. And you don't know this, but mom actually changed her train ticket at the very last minute. To a window seat. Because I told her that would make the trip way more fun."
Emma stared stunned at her new wife who smiled. What Henry was saying was true.
"If I hadn't told mom to change her ticket to a window seat," Henry grinned. "You guys would never have met each other. I guess that makes me the reason you met, huh?"
Everyone laughed again.
"A year ago when you guys were on your way to Toronto so mom could get her surgery," Henry said, growing serious once more. "I sent my school paper along with you. In that paper I told you how I wanted nothing more than for us to be a family. Today that has come true. You guys got married. Ma has adopted me, and I have gotten a little-brother." He tugged at his bowtie. "Back when mom was ill and sad all the time, I thought that her meeting someone new would be the worst thing ever. I didn't want her to meet someone else. I just wanted it to be the two of us like it had been. But today I know how freaking stupid that was. Of course mom should be with Ma. You guys belong together. You're the new normal." He looked at Emma.
Emma blinked rapidly and flashed her big son a warm, proud smile.
"Ma, maybe you weren't here for the first ten years of my life, but that doesn't matter. You'll be here for the next ten. And the next." Henry grinned briefly but then grew solemn once more. "And the next. And I wanna say thank you for being the best Ma ever. Thank you for all the bear claws and pop tarts you sneak in when mom isn't looking-" a new round of laughter. "Thank you for letting me beat you at Mario Kart." He grew serious again. "And thank you for being so good and taking such good care of mom. Thank you for always making her smile. Thank you for being here when things are tough."
He looked to Regina again. "Mom, thank you for letting Emma love you. Thank you for being so brave and letting her become a part of our family. She's supposed to be here with us. When she hopped on that train to Vancouver, she wasn't running away. She was coming home. Thank you for finding her, mom. Ma, thank you for coming home. I love you both. Congratulations!"
Of course there wasn't a dry eye in the room once Henry had finished his speech, and Emma and Regina were nearly tripping over each other in their eagerness to get to their son. Both of them fell over their big boy and attacked him with hugs and kisses and affection.
"Mom, Ma!" he protested. "Stop it! I'm gonna get lipstick all over me!"
"Suck it up, kid," Emma laughed as she kissed his cheek one more time for good measurement.
"Henry, that was beautiful," Regina gushed. "I can't believe you held such a beautiful speech!"
"Someone had to," he joked and snickered.
"You're a little trickster," Emma chuckled and reminded herself not to ruffle his hair even though she wanted to. But he would probably not be very happy if she messed up his neatly styled hair.
"Mom, you're crying," Henry pointed out and lifted an eyebrow at Regina.
"So I am," Regina acknowledged and did absolutely nothing to wipe her cheeks.
"I don't know whether I should feel proud or not..." Henry said a bit hesitantly.
"You definitely should, sweetheart," Regina assured. "It was a beautiful speech."
"Thank you," he said almost shyly and smiled as he looked at his two moms. "You guys look really nice."
"Thanks, kid," Emma said and did a little spin that almost had her tripping over her train. "Oops."
"Careful," Regina admonished with a soft chuckle.
"We can't all be as graceful as you, Mills," Emma teased.
"Swan-Mills, darling."
"Right." Emma grinned. "Swan-Mills."
"Don't you forget it," Regina mock-warned and wagged her finger in Emma's face. Emma kinda really wanted to kiss that finger. But Henry probably would not appreciate that. And she would get plenty of opportunity to kiss Regina's finger later. And other parts of her...
Regina tilted her head curiously, and Emma was quick to wipe the smirk off her face. Not quick enough. Regina raised an eyebrow. Of course. She recognized the look on Emma's face. Had seen it a million times before. And she knew exactly what that look meant too. Her cheeks flushed and it looked like she was trying to hold back a smirk of her own. Perhaps she was having a few honeymoon thoughts too.
Emma definitely did. She was currently imagining all the lovely, wicked things she was gonna do to Regina later, in a dimmed train cabin...
"Guys?"
Emma's thoughts were shattered by Henry's voice. She quickly looked at her son.
"Why are we still standing here?" he asked and chuckled.
"Good question," Regina said, easily saving the situation and grabbing Emma by the elbow. "Come, my love. Let's go and sit down."
"Right, yeah," Emma said. A bit more half-heartedly. Seriously, she had been getting really immersed in all the lovely things she and Regina would do later on the train. But for now, she happily allowed her wife to escort her back to her seat. They both sat down, and Regina laughed heartedly, quietly told Emma: "you are bad."
"I know," Emma acknowledged with a chuckle. "I got a little carried away. Sorry."
"Don't apologize for that. Never apologize for that," Regina scolded and grabbed her glass of champagne. "Cheers, my love."
"Cheers," Emma smiled, grabbing her own glass and clinking it with Regina's. The champagne was sweet and bubbly and crispy. The room was nice and toasty warm, and the food was absolutely delicious.
This day couldn't have been more perfect.
Regina leaned in, clearly opting for planting a kiss on Emma's cheek, but Emma, being the cheeky woman she was, swiftly turned her head so the kiss landed on her lips instead.
Regina did definitely not mind that. She merely chuckled before adjusting and kissing Emma a little more properly.
Emma's hand came up to rest on Regina's cheek as they kissed. The guests whooped and cheered, but Emma didn't really hear them. She was only focusing on her wife. Her gorgeous, smart, sexy wife who kept kissing and kissing her lips with her hand on her cheek.
Emma easily could have spent the rest of the party like this...
The next one to hold a speech was Zelena. She sobbed her way through the first half of it, but she managed to hold a beautiful and very touching speech that described how she and Regina hadn't been allowed to be sisters until they were nearly adult.
"One of the best things happening to me was undoubtedly opening the door and finding Regina on the doorstep," Zelena said a bit shakily. "I got a sister that day. My birth mother had unfortunately passed away at the time, but I was immediately accepted by Regina's father, Henry. Even though he hadn't known of my existence until very recently, he was never being hesitant towards me in any way. I came all the way from England, full of nerves and anxiety, and this kindhearted, good man simply took me in and treated me exactly like he treated Regina. As his daughter."
Next to Emma, Regina swallowed thickly, and tears spilled onto her cheeks. Emma reached out and gently touched her wife's hand. She knew how much Regina to this day still missed her father.
"Regina, unfortunately your father is not here with us today," Zelena said gently, making more tears fall onto Regina's cheeks. "But if he was, he would surely say what we're all thinking. That you've found your harbor. Your soulmate. I refuse to believe that he is not watching us from somewhere and smiling over seeing his little girl this happy."
Now Regina was not the only one to cry. Several of the guests reached for tissues.
Zelena discreetly dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief Chad just had handed her. Then she turned to Emma. "Emma, your membership of this family started a long, long time ago. You've proven countless of times that you truly are Regina's other half, but today makes your membership of this family 'official', and normally, there would be a joke where I warned you to never hurt my sister or I would be coming for you or something like that, but I'm not gonna do that today. Because I know it's simply not required. I know that you'll be nothing but kind and loving towards my baby sister. That's just the type of person you are. Warm, loving and with the biggest heart." She dabbed her eyes again. "You will continue to love my sister with all your heart, and I cannot wait to watch Regina smile dopily at you again and again. I don't think I have to tell you what you've meant for all of us. I've literally watched my sister grow into this confident, strong woman- obviously, my sister has always been strong, I don't need to tell that either-"
Emma smiled through her tears and nodded. Regina was indeed the strongest woman she knew.
"But you've only added to her strength," Zelena continued. "Through your love, my sister started blossoming anew. You showed up when she needed you the most. As my dear nephew put it, you came home to her. And for that I will forever be grateful. I wish you a lifetime of happiness." She took a moment and sniffled. Dabbed her eyes. Then she smiled. "After every storm comes a rainbow. Right here is where that rainbow starts. Here's to the love birds!"
Of course there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Regina's waterproof mascara passed the test, fortunately enough, but her cheeks were damp with tears as she rose from her seat and gave her sister a hug.
Emma too gave Zelena a tight hug, and the redhead grinned and triumphed: "I made you both blubber. My job here is basically done."
Regina laughed heartedly at that.
Next in line for a speech was Ella. But unlike Zelena, she made the whole room laugh. Her speech was amusing. Emma couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so hard, and she was actually relieved that Ella had chosen the funny angle. This was exactly what they needed after the more somber speeches, and Emma was still hiccupping with laughter as she rose from her seat and gave her oldest friend a tight hug.
"That was hella hilarious," she told her friend.
"Well, I am goddamn hilarious," Ella said triumphantly.
"And so goddamn modest too," Emma joked. "Thank you, Ella. That was an epic speech."
"You deserved an epic speech on this epic day, Swan." Ella's voice was soft now. "Sometimes I can still see that seventeen year old girl trying to sleep on a bus bench. You're miles away from being her today."
"Maybe I am, but I'll never forget her though," Emma said softly. Her hard upbringing was a part of her. She glanced at her wife over Ella's shoulder. All the terrible things Regina had dealt with was a part of her as well. They couldn't erase their pasts, but they could learn to live with it in a way that made it less hard. Accept that it was there and then continue forward. The past belonged in the past. That didn't mean that they should just pretend that it had never happened, but it did mean that there was nothing they could do about it now. And one could choose to look at it this way: if Regina hadn't been on her way home from Toronto after her stay in the hospital, she and Emma would never have met one another. And that was something, Emma did not want to think about at all. Sometimes it terrified her, thinking about how much of a chance encounter their first meeting was. A once in a lifetime opportunity, and had she done only the tiniest little thing differently, that might never have happened.
There had definitely been stronger powers at play that day. Some kind of higher being that had made it so Emma and Regina met one another. Emma refused to believe anything else. Their meeting was so much more than a simple chance encounter. That day, Emma had been coming home. Exactly like Henry had said in his speech. He was a very smart boy. And that had been a very beautiful speech. Once again, Emma marveled at how much of a clever boy he was.
The festivities commenced. Actually, it was almost time to cut the cake, but they seemed to ran into a little bit of a problem...
"This young man is refusing to sleep," Kathryn said as she did her best to hold on to the wiggling, fussy Neal in her arms. He had been changed into his owl pajamas and was supposed to have gone down for his nap thirty five minutes ago in one of the hotel rooms upstairs, but it would appear he had a different idea.
"Yeah, I can see that," Emma chuckled. She could tell that Neal was tired. His eyelids were drooping, and his head kept tilting to the left. Emma recognized all the signs of being a tired little owl. But maybe the festivities had gone to the two year old's head.
"I've tried everything," Kathryn said apologetically. "Eugenia even came up there as well and attempted to get him to sleep, but..." the rest of the sentence was lost when Neal started fussing again.
"It's alright," Emma said and chuckled softly once again. "He can be real stubborn sometimes, can't you Neal?"
Neal made a whimpering sound that reminded Emma of the many sounds he made when he was a lot younger and couldn't talk yet. She recognized this sound too. It was a classic 'I'm so tired, but I can't sleep'-sound.
"Here, let me take him," Emma said and extended her arms out. "Who knows, maybe I can do something magical to make him sleep or something."
But once again, Neal had other plans. He squirmed away from Emma's waiting arms. Lifted a pudgy finger and pointed to the far left corner of the room. "Want mama!"
"Ah," Emma now understood what the problem was. Neal wanted Regina. But Regina just so happened to be engaged in a conversation Jennie and a few of her colleagues from the women's shelter. She was happily chitchatting and laughing.
"Mama is talking to her friends right now, kiddo," Emma gently explained and wondered when the heck it had ever proved beneficial to reason with a two year old. "But don't worry, mommy's right here, and I promise you, my singing is as good as mama's. Or... almost, anyway. Come here, little owl!"
"Noooo!" Neal said, voice and demand rising. "Want mama! Mama!"
"Crap," Emma half-chuckled when Regina's head snapped up and turned in the direction of Neal's distress signal. It didn't matter where she was in a room, her 'mama'-radar never failed, and Emma adored her for it.
It didn't take long before Regina found her way over to them. "What seems to be the problem here?" she asked and tilted her head at Neal. "Why are you yelling, young man?"
"Mama," Neal said, of course his voice was all sweetness now. He was adorable when he outstretched his little arms towards Regina.
"Apparently, little owl has decided that he refuses to take a nap today," Emma explained.
"Want mama to do it," Neal said, still holding his arms out towards Regina. "Mama sing, pwease?"
"Honey, mama is talking to her friends," Kathryn said. For some reason, they were still trying to reason with a two year old. "And mama has to do something really important in a moment."
"Something that involves cutting the c-a-k-e," Emma quietly mumbled. Everyone knew that the word 'cake' would send Neal into a frenzy.
Regina chuckled lightly. "But mama is never too busy for a song."
At that, Neal started to flail his little arms about. "Up, up!" he demanded.
And Regina laughed as she lifted Neal out of Kathryn's arms and cradled him against her chest. Neal immediately wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist like he was some kind of little monkey and not a tired little boy.
"There we go," Regina said, holding on to the little tyke with one hand on his bottom and sweeping her fingers through his blonde curls. "Don't worry, mama will fix this in a heartbeat."
"Are you sure?" Emma asked. "I can totally do it instead if you-"
"As I said, I'm never too busy for a song," Regina chucklingly interrupted. "Don't worry, I'll be back in time for c-a-k-e. And our dance."
Emma smiled widely at that but still tried to be gallant: "do you want me to go with you or something?"
"Oh no," Regina laughed and raised an eyebrow in that particular way. "What do you think the guests would say if both brides were to disappear all the sudden? They'd suspect foul play, I'm sure."
Emma laughed a tad strangled. "Yeah, you... might have a point there actually."
"I always have a point, love," Regina claimed and kissed the top of Neal's head. "I'll be back soon." With that she walked off with Neal in her arms. The two year old happily waved: "'go'night'" and "'Bu-bye!'" to everyone as Regina carried him away. Many of the guests waved back to him, and Malena blew him a kiss which he quickly pretend-caught in his little fist.
Kathryn laughed, but Emma was too distracted. She had in the meantime started to think about disappearing with Regina and doing 'foul play' with her. God, she loved the wedding and ceremony and everything, but man, she was looking forward to whisking Regina away on their honeymoon. Just the two of them in a quiet train cabin. Three days of no Wi-Fi, no distractions. Three days where they would have to come up with different ways to entertain themselves.
Emma could easily think of at least five different ways to entertain Regina...
Ten minutes later, Emma of course couldn't stand being separated from her lovely wife any longer. So she smiled at her guests before excusing herself and saying that she would head upstairs to see if Regina needed any help with getting Neal to sleep.
Emma gathered her skirt with one hand as she went up the stairs to the rooms. It was funny to think about that she actually used to live in the room where Neal was now sleeping. She had liked that room. Been grateful for living there. Of course there was the whole business with Liam and the brick, but Emma did not want to think about that. Today was a time for thinking about good things only.
Once the staircase had been braved (with no tripping or accidents), Emma continued down the hallway towards the right room. It was so quiet up here when thinking about the party sounds from downstairs. Emma could only hear faint laughing from the guests, and she thought to herself that she was grateful to be surrounded by so many happy people on this special day. Having everyone gathered was perfect. Zelena had been right about that. She was the one who had insisted upon inviting guests when Emma and Regina had considered having a small ceremony with only Henry, Zelena and Chad as their witnesses. Maybe Zelena had been a 'bride-sister-zilla', but this she had been right about. So very right. Being together with all their friends and family was most certainly better than just Henry, Zelena and Chad.
When Emma reached the right room number, she stopped for a second and listened. She could hear Regina's voice coming from in there. She was singing their son to sleep in the sweetest, most beautiful manner.
'Children sleeping, snow is softly falling.
Dreams are calling, like bells in the distance.
We were dreamers not so long ago,
But one by, one we all had to grow up.
When it seems the magic slipped away,
We find it all again on Christmas day...'
"Don't mind me, I'll just be right out here, listening to that forever," Emma quietly mumbled to herself. Regina singing was one of her biggest weaknesses. Her voice was soft and smooth like velvet and honey sweet. Hearing Regina sing was a beautiful experience every single time, and her voice was a treasure. A beautiful, irreplaceable treasure. Sometimes Emma still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Regina's voice once had been locked in. It seemed so impossible and horrible.
'Believe in what your heart is saying, hear the melody that's playing,
There's no time to waste, there's so much to celebrate.
Believe in what you feel inside, and give your dreams the wings to fly,
You have everything you need, if you just believe...
Trains move quickly to their journeys end,
Destinations, are where we begin again.
Ships go sailing, far across the sea,
Trust in starlight to get where they need to be.
When it seems that we have lost our way,
We find ourselves again on Christmas day...'
As Regina kept singing, Emma for the millionth time felt her eyes well up. All of the speeches had been beautiful. So very beautiful. But this... This was just a little more beautiful.
'-Give your dreams the wings to fly,
You have everything you need,
If you just believe, if you just believe.
If you just believe, just believe,
Just believe...'
The song turned into soft humming, and after a moment, Regina softly said: "there we are. Goodnight, my little owl. Sweet dreams."
That was when Emma couldn't resist temptation any longer. She carefully and quietly cracked the door open and peeked inside the room.
Regina was sitting on the edge of the bed. Tucked under the covers, Neal was fast asleep. His blonde, curly head was resting on the pillow, thumb tucked in his mouth, and sitting on either side of him where the big owl plushie Regina and Emma had bestowed upon him for his first birthday, and the oversize dragon with the friendly eyes Malena had gifted him for Christmas. It looked like the stuffed animals were watching over him as he slept, and Emma chuckled softly to herself.
Regina's head snapped up at that, and when she spotted Emma, she put a finger on her lips, signalizing that Emma should be quiet.
Emma made a point of pretending to lock her lips and throw the key away. That earned her an eyeroll from Regina as she rose from the bed, brushed a hand over her wedding dress and adjusted her veil slightly. She switched the baby monitors on. Left one of them in the room with Neal and took the other one with her.
Emma extended her hand out towards Regina when she came closer, and Regina willingly took the offered hand. Together they quietly left the room and left the door half open.
"That was really beautiful, babe," Emma said softly once they were far enough away from Neal's room.
"Were you listening in?" Regina asked and shook her head a little.
"Uhm, yeah. Of course I was," Emma openly admitted and grinned unabashedly.
Regina shook her head again. "What did I tell you about both of us sneaking away from the party? People will gossip, I'm sure."
"So let them," Emma said and stopped Regina by putting a gentle hand on her elbow. Regina came to a halt and quirked an eyebrow questioningly at Emma.
Emma answered Regina's unsaid question by leaning in and kissing her. Right here, in the hallway. Just because she could. Just because Regina was her wife, and because Emma almost couldn't believe it.
That they truly were married now. That this stunningly beautiful, kind hearted, compassionate and brilliantly clever woman was her wife now. That this right here, was their once upon a time.
Regina returned the kiss. Her warm, gentle hands cupped Emma's cheeks lovingly, and Emma shivered a little bit. Not that this was a particularly searing, desperate kiss or anything. She was simply full of emotions today.
After a moment, Regina gently broke the kiss, but kept her hands on Emma's cheeks. She smiled. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"
"No, I don't think you've told me at all today," Emma joked.
"Well, then allow me to make up for that," Regina chuckled, leaned in, and whispered in Emma's ear. "I love you so very much."
"I love you too. Wife."
"Wife," Regina echoed and chuckled again. "Does the title suit me?"
"Best fucking title ever."
"Swear jar."
"Henry's not here."
"No, but I am," Regina joked. "And you know how much I dislike foul language."
"On certain occasions you don't," Emma reminded her, grinning at her wife upon dwelling on the memories of the occasions where Regina definitely not minded a bit of crass language.
Regina flushed. Once again, she was the blushing bride. "I don't think that kind of conversation is appropriate when our son is asleep just down the hall. And our guests are downstairs."
"Fair enough. But later, I will definitely talk about it," Emma vowed and grinned.
Regina looked as though she did not mind that at all. She merely lifted an eyebrow in that playful manner, and then they continued down the stairs.
Once back downstairs, it was time to cut the wedding cake. The cake was more a piece of art than a cake, really. Perhaps a tad over the top for their not-that-big gathering, but Zelena had used her sisterly influence when she 'helped' the brides choosing a cake, and Emma had to admit that the cake was stunning.
The cake was white and shaped as a book that had been splayed open. Written on the 'page' were the words 'And They Lived Happily Ever After', in beautiful, old-fashioned font. The other 'page' had been adorned with little swans beautifully shaped in marzipan and so very realistically looking. And crowns sprayed with 'gold'. Crowns fitting for a queen. Very cleverly thought of and of course inspired by Regina's name.
Emma was incredibly satisfied with the design of the cake. It looked stunning. Very fitting for two book loving people. And neither she nor Regina had never been particularly impressed by the traditional wedding cake design with figurines adorning the top. This was much more... Them.
Of course everyone went 'ooh' and 'ahh', and the cameras were flashing as Emma and Regina cut the cake together. Exactly like the tradition bade them. After that, they fed each other cake. Emma blushed idiotically as Regina elegantly opened her mouth and took the piece of cake offered to her. Somewhere, Zelena was grinning cheekily, but Regina merely winked at her wife and swallowed the piece of cake.
The cake tasted excellent too. Chocolate-y and sweet and wonderful. Emma was glad they had gone with chocolate as their main choice of flavor.
"Mmm," Regina said appreciatingly as she swallowed the second piece of cake Emma offered to her.
"I refuse to do the whole 'cake in your face'-thing," Emma said firmly before opening her mouth and taking in the piece of cake Regina was waving in her face.
"Highly appreciate that."
Emma had her mouth so full of cake she couldn't even laugh, but once she had chewed and swallowed, she said conspiratorially: "this is pretty tacky, though, isn't it?"
"Wonderfully tacky," Regina agreed with a grin. "But I do believe our guests are fawning."
"Oh yeah, definitely," Emma laughed as she looked around. All of their guests were wearing matching gooey smiles.
"But then again, we are pretty cute," Regina observed.
"YOU are pretty cute, Mills- oops, pardon me, Swan-Mills."
"Don't forget it," Regina lightly scolded with a twinkle in her dark eyes. "That is my name now, darling."
"It is. And you rock it!"
For the cake, the guests were served mulled wine or hot chocolate. Mulled wine for the adults and hot chocolate for the kids. There were quite a few of them attending the wedding, and Henry looked particularly satisfied with his mothers choice of beverage as he passed them.
"You having a good time, kid?" Emma asked with a grin.
"Yup," he nodded. "Do I have to ask if you guys are?"
"No," Regina smiled. "This truly is a lovely day."
"Definitely," Emma nodded, agreeing with her wife and slipping an arm around her waist.
Henry returned the smile, but then his eyes sort of started to flicker slightly. Perhaps he thought that he was being really subtle, but it didn't take long before Emma followed his wandering gaze and
landed on Violet Morgan. Daughter of Hank Morgan, the administrator at the women's shelter where Regina worked.
"I'll see you guys later," Henry said, squaring his shoulders as he sped walked away from them. Emma could have sworn he was puffing out his chest just a little. She snickered to herself. Violet was
wearing a purple dress and looked very pretty.
"Uh-oh," Emma grinned as she watched her nearly teenage son interact with young Violet. "I do believe we have a case of... first crush."
"No," Regina blankly dismissed. "Impossible. I won't allow it. I gave birth to him yesterday."
Emma chuckled. Regina was clearly suffering from 'overprotective mommy'-syndrome.
"Eighteen hours of labors, was it?" Malena commented as she casually strolled by.
"Yes, indeed," Regina confirmed and grimaced a little. "Painful, but every bit worth it."
Emma's heart started thrumming a little faster. Every bit worth it.
"What's in your cup?" Malena asked and peeked in the mug Regina was holding. "Hot chocolate, really, darling? It's your wedding day. If you shouldn't have some mulled wine, I don't know who should."
"I don't want to get drunk," Regina explained.
"Dear, one glass of mulled wine won't make you drunk," Malena sighed and clicked her tongue. "Don't worry, you won't be asleep on the wedding night..."
"Hey," Emma protested but laughed at the same time. God, Malena was so wonderfully straight forward all the time. It was hilarious.
"And I also have to drive to the station later," Regina added. "Otherwise there will be no honeymoon."
Malena's smile grew a bit more mysterious. "Just have a glass of mulled wine, dear. Trust the old dragon." with that she swanned over to Ursula and left Emma and Regina to themselves.
"What do you suppose that was about?" Regina asked and lifted an eyebrow in her oldest friend's direction.
"I've no idea," Emma replied and shook her head a little. "You never really know when it comes to Malena, do you?"
"Indeed you don't," Regina agreed and turned her attention to Henry in the corner. Now he was toasting in cocoa with Violet. Both of them were smiling a lot. "And what do you suppose THAT'S about
then?"
"Our son growing up," Emma said warmly. "Developing a little crush and all that."
"But he's still just a little boy," Regina complained and frowned. "Isn't he?"
"Honestly? No, I don't think he is, baby," Emma said as gently as possible. "He's almost thirteen."
Regina groaned. "I suppose you're right about that. Fine. He can have a little crush on Violet."
Emma chuckled. "He probably doesn't even know that he has a crush on her yet, love. Give it a few weeks."
Regina sighed and helped herself to another slice of cake.
"Better than pie?" Emma joked.
"Absolutely," Regina nodded. "And if you'll excuse me for a moment, I think I'll follow Mal's advice and have some mulled wine. Shall I bring you some?"
"That would be nice, yeah. Thanks."
"You're most welcome," Regina chuckled and then swanned off.
Emma watched as her wife gracefully glided across the floor. The wedding dress swished around her with each step she took, and Emma smiled upon seeing several of the guests hugging Regina as she
passed by. The same woman who once had been fearful of touches and touching others, was now giving out hugs so freely. It truly was unbelievable, seeing how far Regina had come since they first
started seeing each other. The horrifying experiences would always be with her, there was nothing to be done about that, but the way she used those experiences to grow stronger was incredible. Emma would always be in awe over that. She knew that it wasn't everyone who would have been able to do that. But Regina was like a phoenix. From the ashes she rose, stronger and more beautiful than ever.
Emma sighed. Shook her head a little. She might as well accept that she never would stop gushing over her wife...
To Be Continued