Emma sips her coffee quietly on Cora's front porch, drowning in her thoughts once again. She can't sleep and she didn't want to bother Regina. The brunette only has one day left there before her insanely busy life back in New York, so she knows she needs all the sleep she can get at the moment.
"Good morning, Emma," Cora's voice startles her from her own depressing thoughts, provoking her to whip around abruptly.
"Cora," she breathes, clenching her coffee mug even tighter to keep it from spilling over the rim. "What are you doing up?"
"I'm always up this early, dear," she casually responds, claiming the wooden rocking chair beside her. "The real question is why are you up and not clinging to my daughter before she leaves?" Emma sighs, her eyes falling closed as she tries so very hard not to cry. The older woman leans over and gently removes her full cup of coffee from her death grip. "You can't have this, dear."
"I-what?" She stammers, dumbly observing as this woman steals her coffee and sets it down beside her slippered feet.
"You can have this," Cora states and places another cup in her hand while Emma gazes at her perplexed by the action. Emma raises one eyebrow in questioning and watches as the woman picks up the rejected coffee and sips the steaming beverage. "When are you going to tell my daughter?"
Her big brown eyes are the spitting image of Regina's, just wiser, containing tired little bags below. They are scanning her body, assessing and slowly, Cora nods in her direction, with her eyes locked onto her stomach.
"H-how...did..." the words die on her tongue and she swallows down the emotions bubbling to the surface while a wave of nausea ripples through her stomach.
"I can see it, dear, in your face," she calmly replies as though the word is written clear as day across her forehead and not on some little screen that now sits in a garbage can. "When are you going to tell Regina?"
"I'm not," she mutters and leans down to sniff the cup that was offered, inhaling the scent of apple cinnamon. Her nose scrunches in confusion while her eyes flick back to the older woman's.
"Decaffeinated tea. No more caffeine for you and what do you mean you aren't going to tell my daughter?" Cora interrogates with her tone growing colder and bitter with each word that passes her thin lips.
Emma sighs heavily, feeling the weight of the world come crashing down on her chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe. "I can't do that to her. You know Regina, she's not going to leave here if she finds out I'm pregnant and she needs to finish her residency. I'm not going to be the reason she doesn't finish her schooling and become a doctor. And you know damn well that I am right," she strictly declares.
Yet, her body deflates at the horrible thought of not being able to share this with Regina, but she knows she can't. She sinks down into the chair and slowly sips her tea, grimacing at the awful taste.
Ugh she hates tea.
"Well, will you tell her when you go back home?" Cora questions sternly, but her voice is much softer than the last time she spoke.
"I-" Emma's eyes fall closed again and her face pinches painfully tight as she hopelessly fights away her tears.
"Emma," Cora calls out to catch her attention and regain her focus, but the tears are building far too quickly. The soft gentle touch of a mother's hand covers Emma's, persuading her to release a harsh sob. "Emma dear, look at me," she softly coos, her hand gently gripping Emma's chin while the tears spill through the cracks of her closed eyes and she begs for them to stop. Then she feels both of Cora's soft hands cupping her face delicately. "What's wrong Emma, tell me," she whispers encouragingly while her thumbs sweep away the cold tears.
"I don't want to go home. I don't want to face my dad. He'll be so disappointed. Cora, I...I don't even know who the father is," another harsh sob escapes her throat as a fresh new wave of tears tumble down her cheeks.
"Sssshhhh, it's okay, my dear," she gently whispers and continues to wipe away each tear that falls, just like a mother does. "The father isn't Neal?"
She vigorously shakes her head from left to right as her eyes finally open. "No," she chokes out and sniffles her leaky nose. "I slept with Neal the night before I left, and I slept with a strange guy named, Killian one week later. I swear, I'm not a slut," she pleads, inspiring a small chuckle to break through Cora's mouth.
"And I assume you haven't seen a doctor here, yet?"
"No, I just found out last night. When Regina was complaining about her period, it hit me. I have been so busy here, I didn't even realize I skipped mine. When I went to buy her ice cream, I took a pregnancy test," she explains while the older woman continues to hold onto her face to settle the anxious nerves.
"Well, maybe when you go to the doctor, they can narrow down a date and you can have a better idea who the father is," Cora suggests, but Emma's head is already shaking.
"I can't go home like this. I-"
Cora's hands slip away from her flushed cheeks and fall to her lap. She rests her palms against Emma's trembling thighs and peers deep into those green eyes with nothing but concern and affection.
"Emma, what are you going to do? Stay here and never go back home? I believe your father would be very upset if he missed out on his grandchild," she tries to reason, but Emma's mind is running too fast to honestly listen to the heartfelt words.
"I want to stay here. I want to raise my baby here. I don't want my child in a busy city when he or she could be running around on a farm. I don't want my child to be so ignorant to the world. I want them to thrive and know more than just English. I don't want to go home," she explains painfully through another sob because her heart has never hurt more.
"Emma, do you not want to go home because your mother is not there to help you? And this will somehow be harder with all her memories surrounding you?" Cora's voice is so sweet and so delicate, and it makes Emma's heart ache for her mother.
"Maybe that has a little to do with it. I just... she is going to miss out on my baby by a year? That's so unfair," she cries hysterically, quickly setting down her tea to bury her face in her hands.
Cora places one hand on her back and soothingly rubs up and down to settle the harsh cries that she's so hopelessly trying to keep quiet, so Regina doesn't hear.
"Emma, if you truly believe in your heart that this is where you want to raise your baby then that's up to you."
"I don't know...I just...I can't go home right now. I can't go home and tell Neal that I'm not sure who the father is, and I can't face my dad. He's going to be so disappointed in me," she cries out all while Cora holds her close, just like any mother would. "Please Cora, you have to promise me you won't tell Regina. You know your daughter. She'll never leave."
"It's not my place to tell Regina, but sooner or later she will find out and I know my daughter will be hurt. I also know, you are correct, she will never finish school if she knows you're with child. Whatever you want to do, I am here for you, dear," Cora vows and places a loving kiss to the top of her head, reminding her so much of her mother.
That fateful day before Regina left for New York still haunts her dreams.
XXXXXX
The heartwarming sound of the gravel crunching beneath the old truck tires fills the air around her. Her head connects with the cloth seat and falls to her left to gaze upon the older man. She smiles from ear to ear and thanks her lucky stars for him and his wife.
The truck rolls to a complete stop before he roughly shifts the vehicle into park. His bald head turns to offer his attention while he sports the giddiest grin. Her head falls forward once again as her eyes wander to her round bump, the reason for his smile, and her hands protectively splay across her stomach.
"Ready?" He asks as his hand blindly reaches behind him to pop open his door.
"Yup," she confirms and follows his lead to open her door as well.
She awkwardly waddles from the car and follows the older man through the grass to his front porch. Her feet climb the wooden steps, avoiding the addition to her right that's calling her name, taunting her with beautiful memories that she can't seem to shake.
"It's three steps, Emma," Henry playfully mocks as he holds the screen door open for her. "Are you winded already?"
Her freckled nose crinkles as her tongue pokes out like a little girl. "I'm carrying around a lot of extra weight here," she complains, motioning toward her ever-growing, baby bump, inspiring a deep belly laugh to erupt from the older man.
"Come along, dear," he softly encourages as she shuffles passed him and enters the cabin.
The heat from the roaring fire off in the corner, tingles her chilly cheeks and sends a warm rush rippling through her blood. Winter here in Sicily is nothing like the frigid temperatures back in Boston, but after the long summer and warmer weather, fifty degrees seems much colder than she remembers.
The alluring aroma of baked apple pie swarms through the air and instantly she inhales deeply so she can practically taste the dessert upon her tongue. Her eyes flutter closed and all she sees is her mother around the holiday season, baking in a contest with no one but herself.
"Emma, dear," Cora cheerfully greets her, wiping her messy hands clean upon her apron. The older woman rushes to her side and engulfs her into one of her overbearing mom hugs. The delicious scent of Christmas is seeping from her pores and Emma can't help but hug the woman back. "How did everything go? How's our precious little boy?" She gushes, placing both of her hands firmly against her bump.
Her son kicks directly where Cora is waiting, producing the most genuine, heartfelt smile to break across her lips.
"He's really great. The doctor said he's right on track as I enter my third trimester," she happily explains as the older woman takes her hand and leads her into the kitchen.
So many wonderful memories haunt her mind of her and Regina. Cooking breakfast together, washing dishes after dinner together, playing monopoly and so many more. Her heart screams for the brunette, but she just plops down in her seat and ignores the desperate cries from her heart.
"Still looking like February?" Cora asks, preparing a cup of decaf tea for her while Henry claims the seat across from her.
"Yes," she softly responds, her eyes automatically wandering back down to her stomach. She slowly caresses her baby bump and tries so hard not to think about her, but...
"February baby, just like Regina," Henry proudly announces while she physically shrinks in her seat from the admission.
"Yup," she chirps, hoping to sound impassive, but she knows they are both watching her warily. "So, what are we having for dinner? I'm starving," she quickly changes the subject as Cora places a steaming mug in front of her.
"Raviolis," the older woman quickly replies before she takes a seat next to her husband. She intertwines their fingers to form a united front and Emma's heart unexpectedly skips a beat. "Dear, we need to discuss some things."
"Okay," she drags out the word for as long as humanly possible while she shifts awkwardly in her seat.
"One," Cora firmly vocalizes as those dark eyes meet her gaze and Emma feels like a teenager about to learn the importance of responsibility with a car all over again. "...it was always the plan that Regina would come here for Christmas. I reopened this discussion with her, but it seems she was busy with some personal matters to answer my question," she remarks in an agitated tone, provoking Emma's back to straighten against the chair from the unnerving sensation clawing up her spine.
"Cora," Henry warns in a deep tone Emma has only ever heard him use with his daughter.
"Anyways," Cora gestures hazardously with her hand and continues, "she's not sure if she will be coming or not, but I wanted to fair warn you because we do expect you to attend the holidays here with us."
"Uhhhh..."
"Two," she completely cuts off Emma's incoherent stuttering and continues with the conversation. "Now that you are entering the third trimester, I think we need to be more available to you. I think for your last month you should come back here to stay. That way when the baby comes, Henry and I can be there for you," she kindly suggests, her tone flipping from annoyed to sincere and heartfelt, pulling at Emma's heartstrings that are full of love for this older couple.
"I would love to, but that addition is so small, especially for a pregnant me," she laughs lightly, trying to control her hormones from making her burst into tears from the concern radiating off the couple.
"Just think about it, dear," Cora stretches across the table and lightly taps her hand, expressing her moral support and Emma could not be more grateful if she tried.
"Thank you so much," she sincerely declares while holding both their loving gazes. "Now, can we talk about Regina? Don't you think it's a bad idea for her to find out about the baby?"
"I think you should have told her from the beginning, but nobody ever listens to me," Henry grumbles to himself while Cora shoots him a nasty look.
"You shush," she hushes him quiet and turns her attention back to Emma. "She will find out sooner or later. You've already made the decision for her the first time, why don't you give her a chance to decide what's best for her this time."
"I thought we have been through this? You want your daughter to finish up her residency just as much as I do." She pointedly glares at the older woman as she assesses Cora's demeanor, that has quickly flipped to uncomfortable. "What has changed? What aren't you telling me?" Emma interrogates as panic rises to the surface.
Green eyes shift frantically between the older couple, their hands still united, but both hold a pain of guilt upon their faces. Her mouth waters from the anxious nerves clawing at the back of her throat because she knows something is wrong.
"Nothing has changed," Cora confirms. "We still agree, Regina should stay in New York, but maybe you two can figure something else out." Her face softens as a small pout takes over Emma's thin lips. "This clearly isn't working for either of you."
"You said she's fine. You promised me, she is fine," she harshly reminds Cora while her posture straightens and she leans as close into the table as she can with her giant bump. "You swore she was working hard and keeping up with her hours."
"She is...and she is doing fine."
"But," she drawls, coaxing the older woman to elaborate on her definition of fine.
"But, is fine all that you truly want for her? Or do you want her to be thriving?" There's a sorrow filling the older woman's eyes, screaming to Emma that something is wrong, but she can't find the words to say it.
Henry taps his wife's hand and slowly shakes his head like he's being discreet, but she sees it. She sees it all. She sees the way Cora pouts in response and the way Henry's face has guilty written across his forehead in big block letters. She sees the way Cora sighs as the secret is eating away at her. She sees the way Henry squeezes her hand for moral support, but neither one finds the courage to double cross their daughter.
"Emma, just know she may be arriving the day before Christmas Eve, if she decides to come, you two will be expected to see one another," Henry firmly delegates before he rises from his chair and busies himself to end the topic.
There's no more room for discussion.
XXXXX
After dinner, Emma found her feet shuffling toward the small addition that she has been actively avoiding for three months now. Just walking through the Mills farm, to the tiny home, kick started her heart in a way that she had begged herself to forget about. Too many memories of walking hand in hand after a lovely evening spent with just the four of them, flood her mind.
Her hand begins to quake as she reaches for the door handle and she consumes one last deep breath as she slowly turns the knob. Right away her senses inhale a floral scent and she knows Cora has been in there every week to clean just as she always did before. Her favorite aroma of Regina's lavender scent mixed with sex and sunscreen is now gone. The bed is made, the comforter and sheets pulled impossibly tight, nothing like when she used to enter to find Regina tucked away or the sheets kicked to the floor from their activities. The room is spick and span, no evidence remains of the summer romance her and Regina shared together.
She presses her lips firmly together to stop the quivering from the hormonal cry that's quickly building. She closes her eyes and pleads with the tears to just go away, but they never do. She stumbles toward the bed and plops down on the edge. She can just hear Regina's soft tongue teasing that she's elegant as always, in Italian. Her hand absentmindedly reaches behind her for the pillow that was once Regina's and pulls it against her chest.
How could she miss someone so much after only knowing them for two months?
They have been apart now, longer than the time they spent together and she's still not over her. At this point, she's certain she'll never be over the sultry brunette with the fluent foreign tongue. Her tears trickle down her cheeks and soak the pillow tucked beneath her chin. In the safety and privacy of the small addition, she cries her heart out for the woman she loves and dreads the day she will ever have to face her again.
She knows she broke Regina's heart and the whopper of a lie she told will most likely never be forgiven, but she did it all for her. She couldn't allow Regina to sabotage her future for the incompetent mistake she made. She knows in her heart that Regina loved her enough to stay, but Emma loved her enough to let her go.
As the tears proceed to run wildly down her cheeks, she crawls up the bed and kicks off her shoes, so she can slip beneath the sheets. She should go home, but she can't find the strength to pull herself away from the distant memories. So instead, she tucks herself in and tugs the comforter over her shoulders, snuggling into the bed they once shared.
Shortly after Regina left, Emma had called her father and explained the truth. As much as it killed her to be honest and tell him that she was pregnant and unsure of the father, she had to. He was rambling off question after question on why she wasn't coming home. At one point, he assumed she was being held hostage and her captors were forcing her to tell him she wouldn't be returning home. So, against everything, she told him the truth of her unexpected pregnancy.
Her father enlightened her that Neal was in a new relationship with some girl named, Tamara. David vowed to keep her secret and agreed there wasn't any point in stirring up unnecessary drama if she wasn't certain if the baby was Neal's or not.
Her father was hurt that she wasn't coming home, so he could take care of her, but she just knew in her heart that this is where she needed to be. She couldn't explain the feeling to anyone, but she knew what she felt and what was meant to be. She's not sure what will happen after the baby is born, she may even go back home, but for now this is where they belong.
She found herself a decent job working in a rather large hotel, her English coming in handy for the tourists. She found a small one-bedroom apartment that doesn't cost too much, because she couldn't stand to be in this addition without Regina.
"Emma?" The soft voice whispers through the wooden door, tearing her away from her depressing thoughts. Cora's knuckles timidly tap against the door as though she knows she's interrupting a private moment.
"Yeah," Emma croaks out while she hastily wipes at her face to clear the unwanted tears.
Cora slowly opens the door and frowns when she sees the state Emma's in, tucked under the comforter like a helpless small child, crying from her nightmares.
"Henry is ready to take you home, unless you would like to stay," she quickly offers as her feet scurry toward the bed. She carefully sits down beside her and runs her fingers through Emma's hair because they both know she has been crying.
"I should go," she mumbles, slowly rising from her protective cocoon, but Cora is quick to stop her by a soft but firm touch to her shoulder.
"Why don't you stay, dear? You can stay in here if you'd like or I can set up the living room for you by the fire," she kindly offers and just by her sincerity alone, Emma finds herself nodding along.
The older woman begins to rise from the bed, but Emma is quick to curl her fingers around her elbow and still her actions. Cora's loving brown eyes meet her gaze and she smiles in return.
"Thank you," Emma whispers, prompting the older woman's head to tilt to the side in confusion. "Thank you for everything. You took a chance on me when I was nothing more than a stranger and from what Regina told me, that was uncharacteristic for you. You took me into your home and offered me your love and support. I could never repay you or thank you enough. Especially now, while I'm pregnant, you are taking care of me and being so supportive. You just...I don't have a mother anymore...I just..."
"I know, my dear," Cora softly whispers and brushes Emma's wavy locks to the side. Her fingers curl a chunk of hair behind her ear and trail down to her jawline where she lightly caresses her porcelain skin. "You're like my second daughter and that little boy will forever be a grandchild in my eyes." Green eyes fill with a new wave of hot tears as she stares deeply into loving brown eyes. "No matter what happens between you and Regina, you will always be a part of this family."
Her hormones take the lead on her emotions and she finds herself lunging forward to hug this beautiful soul before her. She wraps her arms around Cora's neck and hugs the tiny woman as if she were her own mother. She misses her mother and of course, she could never be replaced, but Cora has stepped in to fill that void as best as she can.
And she's doing one hell of a job.
XXXXX
"Assaggia il frutto," Regina whispers into her ear, her voice oozing raw, sexual demeanor.
Her body shivers deliciously in response to the velvety tongue, convincing her mouth to pop open like she was instructed to. Regina still refuses to remove the blindfold, so she has to wait anxiously for the next command. However, no words follow her request to 'taste the fruit', instead the sweet juices slowly paint across her lips.
Regina's hand firmly cups her chin and she can smell the sweet aroma of strawberries filling the air as she trails the tangy nectar across her lips as though it's her favorite shade of lipstick. The tip of the fruit dips into her mouth and wedges between her front teeth. Her teeth sink into the juicy strawberry, squirting out more of that succulent taste.
"Prendi un morso," Regina husks and even though she doesn't understand, she bites off the tip of the strawberry and quickly sucks the juices before it dribbles down her chin.
Regina removes the rest of the strawberry and takes Emma by surprise when her warm, soft tongue grazes against her lips, licking away the sticky sweetness that's clinging to her flesh. Emma's mouth instantly parts as though Regina's mouth just demanded her to. Regina reacts immediately, pressing her body further into Emma's as her mouth devours hers.
A deep, guttural moan erupts from Emma's mouth, but Regina swallows the needy sound and rocks her hips slowly against her lower abdomen. Emma's fingers clasp onto her thick thighs and press firmly into her flesh as they trail all the way up to her hips. She squeezes the sharp hip bones and sweeps her thumbs over the silky smooth area, winning herself the sexiest little whimper.
Regina's hands drag flat against her chest until she is roughly claiming both of her breasts. Her hips rock forward once again, her thick arousal spreading across Emma's flesh as she attempts to calm the urge consuming her every thought. Emma's fingernails dig deep into her skin and guide her hips to rock harder and faster against her.
"Remove my blindfold, I want to see," Emma pants into her girlfriend's mouth. Even though her hands are free, Regina already threatened to withhold orgasms if she removed the blindfold herself.
"No," she breathlessly murmurs as her hips continue to thrust. "I want you to feel, not see," she confesses.
A cold sensation presses against her left nipple and she can only assume Regina brought back the strawberry. By the uneven texture, she has an inkling that it's the same fruit she bit into moments ago. Regina forces the strawberry roughly against her erect nipple, spilling the juices from the fruit down her naked breast.
The strawberry disappears right before she feels Regina's warm tongue licking the dribbling red liquid. The flat of her tongue follows the path up her heavy mound before the tip of her tongue swirls around her sticky nipple.
Emma's grip tightens on Regina's hips like a vise, definitely bruising the tanned flesh below.
"Ti scoperò ora," Regina moans against the valley up her breasts while her big brown eyes gaze up at Emma.
Emma doesn't know how, but she just knows Regina confessed she is going to fuck her now.
Her body jolts awake, drenched in sweat from the erotic dream about Regina. That specific memory was from the last week they spent together, and she swears it haunts her at least once a week since Regina left.
She curls into the fetal position on her side and pulls Regina's pillow into her embrace. She takes long, steady breaths to control her breathing and erratic heart beat while she holds onto the pillow like a life raft. The dream was more vivid now than ever and she can only assume it's because she's in the same bed that sexy scene occurred in.
She doesn't know how she will last staying with the Mills again...