In Another Life

By LockedSoulsAM

A/n: I'm out of a laptop for quite some time so hopefully I can edit this well enough on my phone. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 4

Regina didn't know what drew her from her dreams. One minute she was sound asleep and the next she was awake staring at a wall. The darkness that surrounded her indicated the time of night. There was no bother with looking over at the alarm clock when she knew it was late. Only a couple of hours after they came to rest. She willed herself to fall back into her fitful dreams but remained awake despite her best efforts. With a quiet huff, she looked over to Emma. She was not fazed by Regina's current predicament. Blonde hair fanned her pillow as she slept peacefully.

Sharing a bed hadn't been as uncomfortable as she thought. They were best friends and have known each other for almost ten years. Regina flipped to her back and ran a hand over her face. Being sent to another world she could handle. Fighting with magic she could do. Curses? Been there, done that. Sharing a life together is what she feared. The very thought of being married to the blonde beside her made her heart jump. She'd never confessed her feelings to Emma. Well, not out loud at least. She had fantasized plenty of times about these very moments with her best friend. Putting their children to sleep, having dinner together every night, it was like a page from her very own fairy tale. From the moment Emma stepped into her life she had changed everything for her.

It was only during their time in Neverland that Regina realized her feelings for Emma. Her innocent crush had grown into a heart breaking love. Her crush on the infuriating sheriff was a nuisance at best. The flutters in her stomach would come and go. Whenever Emma looked her way she could disguise the puppy dog eyes. Said crush had not gone away like she wanted it to. Instead, it had grown into a painful ache in her heart at loving someone she could never have. It had turned into something Regina was not ready for. Fear of rejection kept her from confessing her feelings. She would watch as Emma began a relationship with Captain Hook of all people. She watched Emma get hurt by this man time and time again.

Regina would forever regret letting her go. Emma being unavailable had made matters worse. So, she buried her feelings and focused on Henry. After saving their son and stopping Peter Pan, Regina had not had time to express her feelings before new chaos came to town. Many opportunities passed leaving Regina heartbroken. Hook had entered the picture and she knew she lost. Nobody ever chose her first.

Swallowing deeply, Regina shifted. She heard a loud cry from the hallway and glanced back to Emma. The blonde remained dead to the outside world. Another cry met Regina's ears and she left the bed. Grabbing her robe, she swiftly wrapped it around herself, tying it at the waist. She followed the cries just across the hall to Maria's nursery. Peeking her head inside, she could make out Maria's tiny form standing in her crib.

"Mama." Maria whimpered at the sight of her mother. Regina bit her lip and for a second she thought about waking Emma. One more cry of impatience from Maria and she made up her mind.

With a few strides, she was across the room and in front of her daughter. The night light next to Maria's bed offered no more than a glimpse of the girl's face. As Maria reached for her, Regina could tell she had been crying. Her whimpers turning into full-blown wails. She raised Maria out of the crib and held her close. Maria immediately laid her head to Regina's chest and sobbed; Loudly. Not wanting to chance waking up the other children, Regina carried the baby to the first floor. Bare feet slapped against cool tiles as she walked to the kitchen. Knowing just what she wanted, Regina set about warming her bottle. If she was lucky she could get Maria back to sleep and go back to sleep herself.

Regina rocked Maria and held her close to her. The soft hum of the microwave creating background noise. Maria attempted to slide her hands into Regina's tank top.

"No, no." Regina gently redirected chubby fingers away from her chest. Maria frowned and attempted to reach inside her shirt again. At almost eleven months old she was not used to being told no. If Regina knew herself, she would still be breastfeeding under the guise of weaning. A process that her other self-hadn't put into motion just yet. Maria lifted her head as Regina moved to make sure the milk wasn't too warm. She watched with great interest only slapping her hands against Regina's chest in anticipation. Once the bottle was warm enough for her liking, Regina lifted it to Maria's lips. She grasped the bottle and sucked harshly. She was starving!

Regina carried her back upstairs to sit in the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery. It was one she recognized as Henry's. When he was a baby she would sit in this very chair and sing to him. He would look up at her with the most innocent eyes full of love and adoration. Much like Maria at this very moment.

"You're such a sweet girl," Regina whispered more to herself. "I know you miss your mothers." Regina shook her head. For all, they knew neither child could tell the difference. "Emma has been doing her best to take care of you, while I haven't been a very good mommy."

Maria responded by lifting her foot for Regina to kiss. Regina complied and received a grin in return. Her heart soared at the toothless smile. She had been so afraid earlier. Becoming attached to the little girl in her arms was going to happen whether she liked it or not. She could not believe how happy she felt in this moment. Holding a child, she had given birth to. Maria Elisabeth Swan-Mills. Their healthy baby girl.

"Maria." Regina mused aloud. "I had a wonderful chambermaid named Maria growing up. She was very nice to me. When Mother wasn't watching she would sneak me chocolates from town. I imagine there was a Maria in this world too." Maria stopped drinking from her bottle to listen to Regina. The sound of her mother's voice lulling her to sleep. Regina pressed the tip of her toes against the floor to give them just enough motion.

The weight of her daughter in her arms was heavenly. The way Maria clung to her melted Regina. She felt selfish for putting her own fears before her daughter. Whether she wanted to become attached or not, Maria needed both of her mothers. She tried to convince herself that becoming attached would not be terrible. Annie and Henry were no less her children than Maria and she could interact with them just fine. She could suck it up and take care of her daughter.

The immense love she felt for her daughter in that moment was unbearable. She would not think of being taken back to their world where neither Annie nor Maria existed. For now, she would enjoy her time here and help take care of their children. Regina held Maria for a little longer before setting her down in her crib. Slipping back into bed she was able to fall back into a deep sleep. Her thoughts settling with her decision.

A couple of hours later Emma awoke to birds chirping just outside of the window. The sunlight across her face annoyed her. She let out a soft groan. Going to slam the curtains shut, she was stopped by a strong thigh between her legs and the weight of an arm around her waist. Looking down to inspect just whose arm it was, Emma's memory slowly came back to her.

"Right another world." She rolled her eyes. What was the plan today? Find Destiny and strangle her to death. After she sent them back home, of course. Regina pulling her closer to her distracted Emma from her many ways to kill Destiny. Her back to Regina's chest and her butt against Regina's pelvis had Emma questioning just why she should leave the safety of their spooning. She would never take Regina for the big spoon. The cuddling she also did not expect but she would rather not make this more awkward than it was. Just as she raised Regina's arm from her waist, Regina unconsciously moved her thigh higher hitting her right in her center.

The involuntary grinding of her hips and hiss from Emma startled Regina and she immediately pulled back. Emma in hopes to get further away from her friend backed away only to fall face first to the floor.

"Emma?" Regina questioned. She looked over to the side of the bed where Emma lay.

"Yeah?" Emma's voice was muffled. She tried desperately to get her breathing back to normal. All her blood had rushed south.

"Why are you on the floor?"

"I kind of fell down after you—" Emma flipped her hair back.

"Momma, time for school." Annie knocked on the door twice and entered their room.

"Saved by the Annie." Emma thanked her daughter for the impeccable timing. Emma sat on the back of her legs to watch the interaction between mother and daughter. The way Regina instantly switched into alert mother mode was fascinating.

"Well, have you made up your bed?" Regina asked. At Annie's incessant nod, she tapped her nose in approval. "Let us get dressed and we will be down to help you. Can you do that for me?"

"Kay Mommies." Annie grinned. "Mama, you're still taking us to school, right?" In that moment her hopeful green eyes were set on Emma.

"Of course," Emma answered. Her heart felt full in that moment. The kid was cute and speaking more.

Annie grinned excitedly and slid from the bed. She wrapped her arms tightly around Emma. Emma didn't know how to respond and left her arms hanging at her side.

"I'm so happy you're home, Mama," Annie whispered into her ear. The four-year-old was not very good at whispering as Regina heard every word she said.

"I am too," Emma replied. She slapped Annie's butt playfully and the girl squealed with joy. "Now do what your mommy told you."

Regina waited until Annie was out of the room before speaking to Emma. She was curious about what they had been talking about.

"She's happy you're home?" Regina raised a brow.

"She's afraid of me being a cop or something." She said nonchalantly. With a long yawn and a stretch, she was fully awake. With her shirt riding up several inches, she didn't notice the hungry look in Regina's eyes.

"We should find Destiny today," Regina said. She looked around their room. She didn't think she would ever get used to seeing so much of Emma's things around.

"I don't think she will be too hard to find." Emma slipped on a pair of jeans and a floral top. Regina always pointed out that since being with Killian she had begun to dress differently. She never realized it until now. It wasn't a big deal but it was different. Putting the floral top away, she chose a white polo instead. It was more comfortable.

"Let's hope she can fix this mess." Emma headed to the , Regina stood to fix the bed, grumbling about how Emma Swan would be the death of her.

Getting the children prepared for school wasn't much of a hassle. Henry packed their lunch bags just as he did every morning. Regina prepared breakfast as Emma double checked homework. Maria was attached to Regina's hip for most of the morning. Emma didn't mention the new development but she certainly appreciated it. She knew they worked well as a team but this was a new level of cool.

As they sat down for breakfast, Emma began to shame herself for how much she enjoyed being here. Sure it was only their second day but there was something about this place that made it feel like home. She shouldn't be happy about being married to Regina when she was married to Killian. He was the love of her life. Yet her thoughts of him had been fleeting for the past day.

"What are we going to do about work?" Emma asked. "I mean, do we even know what our work is? I think I'm still sheriff, but I went to college. You went to college. Did they even have college in the Enchanted Forests."

"No, we did have higher learning for scholars and nomads. Unfortunately, I would have been unable to attend college due to my marriage." Regina answered. She avoided eye contact with Emma for a moment. Emma knew that any talk of Leopold was a sore spot for Regina. The details of her first marriage were still very private but Emma knew a lot. There was much that she didn't know but would rather hear from Regina.

"Mommy works at the stables." Henry supplied. "Aunt Lena makes fun of her all the time because she smells like horses sometimes."

"I gave up my job as Mayor to work in the stables ?" Regina questions aloud. Sure, she loved horses but what would possess her to do such a thing? Regina figured asking Henry more pressing questions would confuse him. These are things they should already know about themselves.

"Does this mean you have to drive my bug to work?" Emma suddenly grinned. Even though Regina let her keep it, there was no way the former mayor would drive it.

"Over my dead body." Regina grimaced. "We can simply drop the children off together." she compromised. "I don't see why we should waste gas."

"Both mommies dropping us off?" Henry gulped down the rest of his milk. "I'm going to get my backpack." He slammed his cup back onto the table and rushed upstairs to his room.

"Those manners you taught the kid...when do they show up?" Emma caught the cup before it tipped over.

"'I imagine you would have had something to do with this." Regina stood. She started to clear the table. Emma watched her quietly before rising to help. There was so much she wanted to know about the life she shared with Regina. She had always known she liked women. There had been a few flings back in high school, before Storybrooke, none that were long term. She didn't know that Regina liked women. The topic had never come up and now she almost regretted not asking her best friend. Maybe they needed to talk after all. She put it on the checklist of things to talk with Regina about when they were back home. For now, she would finish clearing the table and take their children to school.

Dropping the children off at school that morning took longer than necessary. Regina had been reluctant about leaving Maria with the local daycare. Especially after finding out that it was run by Blue and her nuns. Next was Henry and he'd simply waved and ran to his friends. Regina was happy he had friends in this world. Last was Annie. She was very happy to bring both of her parents to her classroom.

"Mrs. Swan- Mills," Annie's teacher Ms. Lorne greeted Regina. Upon seeing Emma beside them, she smiled widely, "The other Mrs. Swan-Mills, it's been so long since you've made an appearance. How are you feeling?"

"I-m fine?"Emma questioned.

"It's great that you're both here." Ms. Lorne leads them into Annie's classroom. Annie was sitting at the table with a little girl they could assume was her friend. "I've been meaning to call you about her progress." Ms. Lorne grabbed a folder from a rack and lead the parents to a corner of the room. She sifted through the folder before she found what she was looking for.

"How is she doing?" Regina glanced back over at their daughter.

"Annie is fine for the most part." Ms. Lorne presented them a specific picture. In the top right corner, in messy letters, Analise S. was written across the top. It was a long name for a four-year-old to write so they worked around it. Their eyes scanned the paper collectively while Ms. Lorne read. "This specific drawing is supposed to be a picture of our families. Here is what Annie drew." Emma could just make out the stick figures. There were figures that she knew were obviously Henry, Maria, Annie and then Regina. Way on the side of the picture was Emma. Regina's stick figure seemed to be sporting a sad face.

"Why am I not with the rest of the family?" Emma asked.

"Annie explained to me that when you're deployed she was sad." Ms. Lorne began. Emma's brow furrowed at the word deployed. Regina's face donned much of the same expression. There had been no evidence of Emma being in the military around their home. No pictures, no metals, no uniforms. "When you got hurt a while back it really took a toll on all of your family, Annie especially. She witnessed a lot of changes around the home. In this picture, Emma is deployed while Regina is home with the children. in the past months, as you know, Annie has shut down and developed a form of anxiety. She rarely ate, did her work or played with the other children. I can tell you both that having her in therapy has helped her immensely in the classroom. She was afraid to take this picture home that I assured her you would see it."

Neither woman knew how to take the information. This perfect life they thought existed in this world was anything but. Their hearts broke for their daughter. She was obviously in pain and her artwork was a means of expression. Emma looked over to where Annie was now coloring.

"She is fine though right?"She couldn't help but ask. "With her classwork now?"

"Oh yes, Annie still has her moments but I believe she's going to be okay." Ms. Lorne assured both parents. "I just wanted to make you both aware of her progress."

"Thank you, Ms. Lorne." Regina gave a politician's smile. With this new information, they knew just a little more about their lives in this world. Regina felt her heartache for the family while Emma felt guilty. Even though she physically had not changed anything all she felt was guilt.

She didn't think things would end well for them in this world. How could she go back to Storybrooke when there was so much to be done?

A/n: I decided to stop here because we have so much more to see with this day for the family. Expect Charming Family dinner, both women dealing with their routines and Destiny will make an appearance.

Hope you enjoyed

-LSAM