A/N: Happy Wednesday peeps
The car was silent. Regina thought it felt longer than all previous trips. Her father was looking at his phone, presumably checking his work emails which were always never-ending. Her mother was gazing out of the window, watching the streets of an unfamiliar neighbourhood glide by. Regina was just looking forwards, waiting for a glimpse of the familiar entrance.
"We'll be finished by two, right?" her father asked suddenly, looking up from his cell.
"Um, yeah, I guess, why?" Regina replied.
"My four o'clock wants to reschedule," Henry said, eyes already glued back on the screen as he confirmed the change in appointment with his assistant.
Regina couldn't help but feel resentful at the man's impatience. Her parents had been the ones to request the meeting with Emma, so the least they could do was give her time to speak with them and open up an honest dialogue about those events. Now, however, it seemed as if her father was eager to get back to the office as soon as possible.
"Henry, we need to commit to this," Cora said after a moment's pause. It was evident her thoughts had gone to the same place as her daughter's. "We're supposed to be entering this meeting with an open mind and offering Emma the chance to tell her side, right? If you're already thinking about getting back to discussing business, you're not going to be listening. This is for us as much as it is for Emma, and Regina," she added as an afterthought.
The man hesitated for a moment before locking his phone and sliding it into his pocket. "Sorry," he offered. "I didn't mean to lose focus. It's just that this investor is -"
"Henry," Cora interrupted. "No more business talk, ok? Let's just focus on this meeting."
"We're here," Regina said as the gates which led to Storybrooke Juvenile Centre came into view.
The car's occupants fell silent as the driver pulled the Rolls Royce forwards and parked in the nearest available space. Fitzgerald hopped out and rushed to open the door for Henry and Cora but Regina, impatient as always, climbed out without waiting into the frozen January air. It had been over a month since she had last been to visit Emma and they had decided their next RJP appointment would be with the brunette's parents rather than just the two of them. Already Regina was desperate to hug Emma but knew she had to refrain. Her parents knew she had feelings for the incarcerated teen but they weren't aware that there was an sort of physical relationship between them.
"Ready?" she asked after her mother had finished buttoning up her thick coat and wrapping the cashmere scarf carefully around her slender neck.
"Let's go," Cora smiled, nodding at her daughter to lead the way into the complex.
"Nervous?" Ruby asked.
"Huh?" Emma said, eyes still fixed on the closed door of the meeting room.
"Are you nervous?" the counsellor repeated. "I mean, from what I can tell, you're usually excited about seeing Regina."
"Yeah, well, of course I want to see Regina again," Emma said, fingers running backwards and forwards over the thin silver band which encircled her wrist. "But it's not just Regina who's going to walk through those doors. I mean, even if I wasn't trying to date their daughter, these people are entitled to hate me, right? What are they going to say? What are they going to ask?"
Ruby didn't answer. She knew Emma didn't expect her to. The point of the Restorative Justice Program was to offer an environment in which both sides of a criminal event could talk. And, of course, it was impossible for either side to speculate as to what the other was going to say. Family meetings were also different to more traditional meetings between victim and offender because the impact of the event on the family as a whole could be discussed. All she could do was be there for Emma and provide support and assistance if required.
"Are they here yet?" Emma asked.
"I don't know," Ruby replied. "But it's almost the time of the meeting. I doubt someone like Henry Mills is often late."
"Yeah, true," Emma nodded, gaze unwavering from the door of the meeting room.
And then, quite suddenly, it opened. Emma shot to her feet, the chair she had been sat on clattering onto the floor behind her. Cora Mills' eyebrows rose. Emma blushed bright red and stooped to pick up the fallen object.
"Sorry," she muttered, righting the chair. "Um, hi Mrs Mills, Mr Mills."
"Hello, Emma," Cora said, moving further into the room, followed closely by Henry then August. Bringing up the rear was Regina.
At the sight of the brunette, every fibre in Emma's body screamed at her to run towards the teen. She wanted desperately to hold Regina in her arms again, kiss those slightly smiling lips, feel the woman pressed against her. But instead of Regina moving towards Emma, as she usually did, the older girl followed her parents to the far side of the table where August was pulling out chairs for Mr and Mrs Mills. Emma remained standing, waiting until they were all comfortable before sinking back down to her own seat.
"Welcome," Ruby smiled. "I'm Ruby, Emma's counsellor here at Storybrooke. It's a pleasure to meet you both."
"Likewise," Cora smiled.
"Thank you for coming here today," Ruby continued. "This is an important part of Emma's ongoing rehabilitation progress and personal development. Having the opportunity to talk with people who have been affected by her actions is key to Emma recognising the damage and taking steps to make sure she doesn't make the same mistakes in the future. In addition to speaking with individuals like Regina who are directly affected, the RJP allows Emma the chance to speak with the wider community and understand the far-reaching consequences of that day."
"We understand," Henry said, a little tersely.
Ruby hesitated before forcing a smile. "Great, ok, well I'm sure you've had some meetings with August about this already. Typically we invite the family to begin. Emma will listen and then you'll have the opportunity to ask questions and open up a dialogue. Does that sound ok?"
"Yes," Cora nodded. "Um, do we begin now?" She glanced sideways at August who nodded his encouragement. "Ok, well, I suppose there are two main things we want to talk about. One is the fact that Henry and I were there that day. We were outside the bank, at the airfield. This isn't just something that happened to our daughter, we also experienced the trauma of watching everything unfold. And then we'd also like to speak a bit about how that day has affected Regina."
At that, Regina, whose deep brown eyes had been focused solely on Emma until that moment, snapped to her mother. "What?"
"We'll get to it, dear," Cora placated. "Henry, would you like to tell Emma what happened when you found out about Regina?"
There was a pause before the man nodded. Clearing his throat, the man clasped his hands on the table in front of him before he began.
"I was in my office when I found out. My friend called me and told me something had happened to Regina. She's my only daughter, you know. It's every father's worst nightmare for anything bad to happen to their little girl. My mind jumped to the worst case scenario and I assumed she had been killed. If I hadn't been sat down at the time, I'm sure I would have fainted. But she wasn't dead; she was in danger. She was being held hostage. I made my way to the bank as fast as possible but those minutes have never felt slower.
"It was the lack of information which was the hardest though. Even when we were there, stood outside, we had no idea of what was happening. Of course my instinct was to do everything in my power to protect Regina but I knew I couldn't do any more than the police were already doing. We just stood there, waiting. Hearing bits come through over the radio but really we were in the dark. So while I was immensely grateful that the Regina was still alive, we were in a sort of suspended state, knowing that at any moment, that might change and there was nothing we could do about it. As a father, that powerlessness was … unimaginably painful."
Regina reached over and placed her palm over her father's hands, a silent reminder that she was ok, that she had survived. Beneath her skin, she could feel the man trembling slightly. After a moment's silence, Cora continued.
"For me, it was even worse when we could see Regina with you in the alley. We were watching from the top of a police truck. We watched as our daughter walked backwards and forwards four times from the bank to the car with a gun held to her head."
"Mine wasn't loaded," Emma burst out, unable to stop herself.
Henry's eyes narrowed. "I don't care," he seethed. "You still used my daughter as a human shield to protect yourself against a team of the finest snipers in the world. What if one of them had taken a shot and missed?"
Emma hung her head. It was a scenario she had considered many times herself and the consequences didn't bear thinking about. She knew there was no defence for what she had done that day and the way in which she had used Regina. Only she and the brunette now biting her lip, clearly trying to stop herself saying something, knew the truth of what had happened before, during and after that ordeal.
"Like Henry said," Cora continued, "watching our daughter in a dangerous situation without being able to do anything was horrific. But at least we knew she was alive. And then you all drove off and we were left behind. We insisted on following you to the airfield. Whatever happened, we knew we had to be there, to be as close to our only daughter as possible. That's a sensation which has been hard to shake. Not being with Regina, allowing her go about her day to day life once more has been a challenge for me. I know I can't wrap her in cotton wool but I certainly feel like I want to."
"We hired bodyguards," Henry replied. "So that this can't happen again."
"You have bodyguards?" Emma asked Regina. That hadn't come up in any of their meetings.
"Yes," Regina nodded shortly.
"Oh," Emma said. She and Regina hadn't yet got to the point where they talked about what had happened after the bank. Clearly, there were a number of changes in the brunette's life which could be attributed to that day.
"We'll always worry," Cora said. "We always did. Every parent does. But now, we will be jumping to the worst case scenario when Regina is even a few minutes late home."
"Mom, I'm an adult," Regina sighed.
"Yes, but after what happened, we're always going to be wondering whether it has happened again."
"Lightning doesn't strike twice," Regina shot back.
"Anyway," August jumped in, "perhaps this is a conversation for you as a family. Cora, Henry, is there anything more you want to tell Emma about how you felt that day when you were at the bank or the airfield?"
"The airfield was worse for me," Henry said. "By the time we arrived, the shots had already been fired. We had no idea of exactly what had happened, who was hurt but we had been told Regina was safe. But we couldn't see her where. Everything in me wanted to run to our jet but Sidney wouldn't let me. I had to wait, it wasn't safe, he said. But in that moment, the last thing I cared about was my own safety."
"May I speak?" Emma said quietly. "It's related to that."
Cora and Henry both turned to look at August who made a shrug as if to say 'it's your call.'
"Ok," Henry nodded, returning his critical gaze to Emma.
"I felt the same way," the blonde admitted. "When Neal was killed, I was in the car alone. As soon as I heard the gunshots, I jumped out and ran up into the plane. I didn't care what I was about to find. I didn't care that it was obvious someone was shooting. All I could think was that I had to make sure Regina was ok. Even once I was arrested, I didn't care because I had seen Regina, I knew she was alive. As far as I was concerned, nothing else mattered. I had stopped caring what happened to me probably months before that day. But by the time we got to that airfield, the only thing I wanted was to make sure Regina was safe."
The Mills listened closely to Emma but both looked sceptical. More than that, Henry looked angry.
"Regina says she cares about you," Cora said after a moment.
"I care about her too," Emma replied, unable to stop herself flashing a smile in the direction of the brunette. Regina was positively beaming at her. "Regina is very special."
"Yes, she is," Henry bit out. "And she deserves the world."
"I know," Emma said soberly. "I'm sure you never imagined someone like me would fall in love with your daughter, Mr and Mrs Mills. It's not like I had planned it. And it's scary, to be honest. You want your daughter to be with someone who can give her the world and that's not me. But I can promise to try my hardest to never ever hurt her and to keep her safe and to make her happy."
"You … you love her?" Cora asked. She had had an inkling of the strength of her daughter's feelings for Emma but had no idea the teens had discussed it. Judging by the look on Regina's face, however, the words spoken by Emma were not a new revelation.
"I do," Emma nodded.
"And I love Emma," Regina piped up. "We know it's not going to be easy but we're working hard to try and make a go of what's between us."
"Working? Is this what you guys talk about in your meetings?" Henry asked, eyes now snapped to August. "Are you facilitating this?"
"No, Sir," August said at once. "But Ruby and I are aware of the girls' relationship. We're not encouraging it, nor are we leaving them alone together. However, when they talk during these meetings, elements of that day do come up in the context of their feelings and Ruby and I have decided to allow them to talk honestly. After all, that is what the meetings are designed to do."
"Matchmake?" Henry asked in mild disbelief.
"No, Sir," Ruby said. "And I do believe that Regina and Emma had already realised how they felt before these meetings began."
"We realised that day, Daddy," Regina said quietly. "I didn't put a label on it then but what I feel for Emma started that day, for sure."
"Me too," Emma said. "And I am eternally grateful for that. If I hadn't met Regina, I don't think I would have walked out of that bank alive."
"Do you think you deserve to?"
Tears sprang quite suddenly to Emma's eyes as the words cut deep; deeper than she anticipated. It wasn't as if she hadn't questioned her own self-worth over the past months but to hear it from Henry's lips hurt.
"Daddy," Regina gasped. "Don't say that. You shouldn't say that about anyone let alone the woman I love."
"Henry," Cora continued. "That was uncalled for."
With reluctance, Henry nodded. "You're right. I apologise, Emma. I don't mean that. But it is hard for me to come to terms with everything you and Regina have just said."
"Daddy, you must have known. Haven't you noticed how happy I am after each meeting I have with Emma?"
Henry looked at his daughter, trying to recall. It was true, he realised. His daughter had indeed appeared to be upbeat and enthusiastic whenever she discussed her meetings with Emma. But love? She was only eighteen. The two of them had hardly spent any time together. What did she know about love?
"Princess, you're just a child. I don't think you know what you feel. And I'm not going to let you throw your life away for this girl," Henry said, reaching for his daughter's hand.
"Throw my life away?" Regina spat. "Daddy, Emma isn't making me throw my life away. Just because I love her, doesn't mean I'm not going to achieve our dreams. I haven't changed my plans when it comes to college or anything like that. I'll still go to Yale, I'll still work for you. All that's happened is that I've found someone whom I'm crazy about. And yes, we know we're young and we're not stupid; it's not exactly a normal way to start a relationship. But we are also old enough and smart enough to know how we feel. I don't know what the future holds for us and I know it isn't going to be easy but right now, Emma makes me happy and I make her happy. Can you accept that?"
There was a pause, during which Cora reached out under the table and rested her palm of Henry's thigh. The woman herself was smiling reassuringly over her husband's shoulder at her daughter.
"You know the only thing I want in the world is for you to be happy, Princess," Henry said eventually.
"I know, Daddy. And right now, Emma makes me happy."
Regina turned to smile at Emma who had been watching the interaction apprehensively. She knew that no matter what Regina said, her father's approval was important to her and, fundamentally, would affect the future of their relationship. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, therefore, when Henry spoke next.
"Ok, I'll try to accept … the two of you."
Regina reached up and threw her arms around her father's neck, whispering "thank you," into his ear as she hugged him tightly. Henry held her close, wondering as he did so when his little girl had grown into a young woman.
"Ok, well, I think we're close to running out of time today," August said when father and daughter broke apart. "Does anyone else have anything they want to say?"
"Yes, I would," Cora said. August nodded at her for her to continue. "The only thing I would like to add is that since that day, I think Henry and I expected a bigger change in Regina. Or perhaps a more negative change. But as far as I can see, the only part of her which has changed is her heart and how she feels about you. Emma, I think I knew before Regina how she felt although I won't say I was particularly thrilled. Henry and I may not understand it yet because we don't know you but we trust Regina and her judgement. That day was traumatic for all of us. The bodyguards are our way of trying to keep Regina safe but we'll always continue to worry. And I know Regina is still processing what she went through but I have to say that I think we must be grateful for you because at least something positive has emerged."
Emma was stunned for a moment at the kindness and acceptance she had been shown. "Um, thank you," she stuttered after a moment. "I regret everything that happened that day but I'm pleased to hear that Regina is happy."
"I am," Regina piped up. "Because of you."
"I think that's the perfect spot to leave this meeting," Ruby said, smiling at the look of happiness on both teens' faces. "Does anyone else have anything they want to add?"
All three Mills shook their head, as did Emma. Ruby and August between them concluded the meeting and then the scraping of chairs announced everyone getting to their feet.
"Regina," Emma said as the teen's parents shrugged on their coats. "I've got something for you."
With a glance at her parents, Regina made her way to Emma's side of the table. The urge to throw herself into the blonde's arms was overwhelming but she resisted. Instead, she took the envelope which Emma held out to her.
"What's this?" Regina asked.
"A belated Christmas present," Emma said. "Thank you for mine, by the way." She held up her wrist so Regina could see the charm bracelet there, a swan dangling from it and glinting in the light.
"Did you like it?" Regina asked, reaching out and touching the tiny bird. The fact that her fingers grazed over the patch of skin exactly where Emma had first touched her did not go unnoticed by either woman.
"It's beautiful, thank you," Emma nodded with a soft smile. "I'm sorry, I kinda had to make yours."
Regina raised her eyebrows and went to open the envelope but Emma's fingers stopped her.
"Wait until you get home," Emma said quietly.
The brunette nodded her understanding and then, with a final look into Emma's bright green eyes, she turned and walked to her parents who were standing by the door.
"Goodbye Emma," Cora said. "I hope the last few months in here go well and I suspect we'll see you again come autumn."
"Thank you, Mrs Mills," Emma said. "Thank you both," she added, "for coming today. It means a lot to me."
"Take care, Emma," Henry said before opening the door and ushering his family out.