A/N: I'm back! My apologies for neglecting this fic, but there haven't been any good holidays/events that sparked anything creative for me recently. But with Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I figured a little ditty would be in order. It's not long, because there's not a ton set to happen just yet (these are "snapshots" after all), but I think we need to check in with Emma and Regina in this verse and see what they're up to. Enjoy! (And Happy [early] Mother's Day to any mothers who may be reading this!)

Sunday, May 13, 7:35am.

Regina sits at the round bistro table in their breakfast nook, toying with the cell phone in her left hand and the pen in her right as she pretends to read the crossword clues in the morning newspaper. Her coffee mug is sitting on the placemat half-empty, the liquid inside now cool to the touch as it sits forgotten in front of her.

"You're up early," Emma comments as she comes into the room, dressed only in her favorite plaid pajama shorts and a black spandex bralette. She pours the remaining coffee from the French press into her favorite mug and pops it into the microwave after taking a sip and realizing it needs to be reheated.

"Couldn't sleep," Regina answers halfheartedly, blankly staring at the puzzle in front of her.

"Everything okay?" Emma asks as she walks over to the table to stand behind Regina, noticing the crossword only has one word filled in.

The brunette sighs, dropping the pen onto the table as she leans back into her chair. "Today is Mother's Day."

"Oh, right," Emma says, silently kicking herself for forgetting that little detail. She quickly grabs her coffee from the beeping microwave and then takes her seat next to Regina.

"I know it's stupid. I went a dozen years without even speaking to my mother, so this day should be meaningless, just as it always had been. But things had sort of gotten better last year, and now that we're back to not speaking, it's harder than I thought it would be."

Emma reaches over and places her hand on top of Regina's on the table. "It's not stupid to feel that way. She's your mom. I get it."

"I just really thought that she would have called by now, you know?" Regina sighs. The last time she had heard from the matriarch was the evening she and Emma had returned home from Christmas in Storybrooke after they announced that not only were they in a relationship, but that they had eloped. Cora had left Regina a voicemail stating that she wasn't sure if she could get used to the idea of Regina and Emma being a couple, but that she would "try to try" to understand it. She had said that she needed time, and if and when she could accept it, she would call. But so far, there's been nothing but radio silence from the older woman.

"Yeah," Emma smiles sadly. "Are you thinking about calling her?"

"Maybe?…I don't know. She made it pretty clear she doesn't want to hear from me, and there hasn't been any indication that she's changed her mind about accepting us."

Emma nods in understanding. The blonde speaks to her father every week on Wednesday nights, but they always stay clear of the topic of Cora, which suggests to Emma that her relationship with Regina is still a topic of contention with her stepmother. Leopold, however, has been nothing but warm and accepting, occasionally speaking to Regina himself when she is available during the phone call, but at a minimum always asking his daughter about her wife. And despite the awkwardness of his unannounced trip to visit over Valentine's Day weekend where he and Emma had caught Regina in a compromising position, they had all had a lovely dinner together that evening before he returned to Maine.

"But Zelena's baby shower is later this month," Regina continues, "and I don't want to push my mother too hard now, you know? It might make things even worse and more uncomfortable when we see her, and I'm not missing my sister's baby shower just because Mother can't get over her prejudices. Nor do I want to cause a scene at what should be a joyous occasion."

The blonde purses her lips as she thinks about what to say. She really doesn't have any words of wisdom, since Leopold has always been supportive of her. She doesn't know what it's like to have a parent whose love and support seems to be conditional, predicated on the gender of her partner. Despite her hard start to her life, she's grateful for the care Leopold and Eva provided her after adopting her.

Emma decides to just speak honestly: "Regina, I don't know what to tell you to do here. You know your mother better than I do, and I don't want to give you bad advice. Maybe you should call Zelena? She talks to Cora regularly, right? Maybe she'll have some suggestions as to whether your mom will be open to a phone call from you today."

"Yeah, maybe," Regina smiles sadly and then shakes her head. "Can we just forget about this for a while, though? It's stressing me out, and it's my only day completely off this week. I don't want my mother to ruin my day when she's not even here."

"Of course," Emma replies.

*.*.*

The women had spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring DuPont Circle, shopping a bit before heading to Jefferson's house for a late lunch with him and his husband. They had purposely avoided trying to go to any of their usual dining spots while they were out, as the Mother's Day brunch crowd would have surely made finding a table impossible. Emma had quickly fired off a text to their eccentric friend, which had resulted in an immediate lunch invitation. The nice weather had allowed them to dine on Jefferson's recently renovated back patio, and after three sangrias they had decided to call it a day.

As they walk the few short blocks between Jefferson's home and their own, their hands clasped in one another's, Regina turns her head just as they pass a small florist. "Wait," she says, stopping briefly and looking into the window.

"What is it?"

The brunette looks down at her watch and shakes her head. "Nothing. Nevermind. Let's go home. My feet are killing me."

"Of course they are," Emma rolls her eyes. "Only you would still wear three inch heels when you know we're going to be traipsing around the city all day."

"Yeah, but they make my ass look fantastic," she replies, dropping Emma's hand and walking quickly to pass her wife, smirking as she feels the blonde's eyes on her.

Upon entering their townhouse, Regina kicks off her heels and pulls out her cell phone, quickly tapping away at the screen. "Please pick up," she says under her breath as she walks toward her study, leaving Emma to follow slowly behind her, her curiosity piqued and yet feeling very confused at Regina's change in demeanor. She wants to know what's going on, but she also wants to give her wife some privacy.

When Regina enters the study but doesn't close the door behind her, Emma takes that as an invitation to linger in the doorway. She assumes Regina suddenly found the nerve to call Cora, so she wants to be close enough to lend support in case it goes poorly.

"Maurice, hi," Regina says into the phone.

Okay, so not Cora, Emma thinks to herself. Who the hell is Maurice?

"It's Regina Mills," she continues. "Yes, the mayor's daughter," she rolls her eyes. "I'm glad I caught you. Your website said you're open until four o'clock on Sundays, but I wasn't sure if that would apply on a holiday….yes, well, perfect. I need to place a last-minute order, and I need it delivered today….yes, I realize that," she huffs. "I'm willing to pay a surcharge, and need I remind you that my mother is the mayor? I'm sure she'll be appreciative of your customer-centered service."

Emma watches as Regina grins into the phone. She can only hear one side of the exchange, but she's getting the gist.

"I thought so," Regina smirks. "I'd like to order a small bouquet to be delivered to her today…I'm not picky about the type of flowers. You've always done good work so I trust you to use your best judgement…around $75. Nothing over the top extravagant, but nothing too ordinary — you know how my mother is…Yes, that sounds perfect," Regina says, digging into her purse for her wallet and taking out her credit card. "Oh, the card? Just a perfectly impersonal 'Happy Mother's Day' and sign it 'Regina and Emma'…yes, I did get married recently…Thank you, Maurice, that's very kind of you."

"Regina," Emma speaks up for the first time, interrupting the conversation.

"Oh, Maurice, would you hold for one moment? Thanks," she says, turning to her wife. "What is it?"

"Do you think it's a good idea to put my name on the card?"

"Why wouldn't I? You're my wife."

"I know, and I appreciate the thought. But if she still hates the idea of 'us', that might make things worse. It's your call, but maybe this should just be from you. I won't be offended."

Regina bites her lip as she thinks it over, considering her wife's words. "No, Emma, she has to get used to it. I'm not leaving you off of the card just because it might upset her. I'm not going to treat our marriage like it's a topic that requires a trigger warning every time I talk to her," she replies, grabbing the phone and putting it back to her ear. "Sorry about that, Maurice. Yes, I have my credit card ready."

Emma can't help but smile as she watches Regina finalize the order, hearing her wife thank the florist before she hangs up. "So, flowers, huh?"

"Yeah. That way I don't have to feel guilty about not doing anything and she knows I at least thought of her today, strained relationship and all. But it also means that I don't have to physically speak to her, which is a huge relief because I wasn't looking forward to it. I'm not ready to be the one to initiate a conversation. The ball is entirely in her court now," she says, plugging her phone into the charger and tossing it on her desk. She then turns to walk out of the study, pausing to quickly peck Emma's lips before walking toward the living room at the back of the rowhouse to carry on with her afternoon.

Emma follows after her, silently praying that Cora has finally come to her senses and will accept the peace offering being delivered to her that evening. Only time will tell.

A/N: And now, we have some more events on the horizon, so this fic will pick up quite a bit this summer (the next update won't be nearly as long of a wait as this one was). The baby shower will be the next thing to happen, which will be a full family affair so that can only lead to interesting moments. And we'll see how Cora reacts to being in their presence again. Thanks for reading!