In Another Life

By Lockedsoulsam

A/n: I'm going to attempt to update you this story once a week on Saturdays. I'm a junior in college so we know how busy that gets. I'm glad you all still enjoy it even after my long hiatus.

Enjoy =)

Chapter 7

When Emma arrived at her parent's house to pick up the children the next morning she was hoping for a quick stop. A few hellos and maybe a hug and a kiss. Of course when it came to her parents that wasn't going to happen. She was already here longer than she wanted. There was only so much time before she could say anything suspicious. She was sat upon their couch with a bewildered look on her face after being pulled into the loft. The furniture all looked exactly the same as the other world. It was nice to know some things weren't that different from both sets of Charmings. It all looked the same. From the lumpy old couch down to the blankets laid across the chairs. The pictures of Emma's family and the kids were the only things to startle her.

"Emma, I can't believe you didn't know that was code for Regina's birthday." Mary Margaret shook her head. Setting a mug down in front of Emma she waited to hear an explanation. At Emma's blank stare she continued. Clearly, her daughter didn't know what she was referring to. "The question about the party for the police station? That was code for Regina's birthday party. It's always been our code. Even Regina knows that. Which is why I'm surprised you didn't catch on."

Emma's understanding of the situation was little to none. She was desperately trying to keep up. Nodding her head, she attempted to save face. "Yeah, I was just hoping to really surprise her with something this year. Try something new."

"Oh, so you already have something in mind?" Mary Margaret lit up. She was always so excited to plan parties and events. Regina's birthday was always something she had the privilege of helping Emma with. It was their thing. Emma was usually bad at coming up with solid plans.

"She lacked creativity." As she would say. Really it was just another code for wanting someone to talk about it with. Mary Margaret never pointed it out. She enjoyed spending time with Emma. No matter how old she was there was always a need for her parents.

"Not exactly," Emma's attempt fell flat. "I have a few ideas but I don't really want to share them this time. Just something for the two of us maybe." Mary Margaret nodded seeming none the wiser.

"Are you two okay?"She asked. "You both seemed so distant last night. Uncoordinated even. I didn't want to ask during dinner. Your father noticed too." Mary Margaret pulled Emma's hands into her own. The comforting gesture wasn't lost on her. "I know things have been a little rocky between the two of you since your discharge. You mentioned before that the both of you had been fighting a lot lately. Is that still going on?"

"Oh," Emma found that fact to be interesting. Pulling her hands back to her side, she stalled for a little longer. Mary Margaret's concern was endearing. Emma stopped herself from revealing the truth for two reasons. One, Mary Margaret would probably think she was crazy and diverting from whatever the topic was at hand and two, Emma didn't know if she really believed any of this herself. Everything of their alter selves' lives seemed perfect from the moment they appeared in this world. Perfect marriage, perfect kids, and perfect jobs. What problems could they have? "Regina and I are fine. It's been rough lately but we've talked and come to a mutual understanding."

"That's good to hear," Mary Margaret opened her mouth to ask something else but was interrupted by both Annie and Henry racing down the stairs.

"Saved by the kids." Emma thought. Seriously, her kids had impeccable timing. It's one of the things she loved about them.

"No fair, you're taller," Annie whined. She was just a few feet behind her brother when he reached the couch. With a pout, she folded her arms and followed after him.

"Hi, Mama." Henry crashed into the side of the couch.

"Hi, Mama." Annie echoed.

"Hi, to you both," She smiled. She would never get used to hearing them call her Mama. "Are you ready? Do you have everything?" Emma was relieved to say they were, in fact, ready to go. Having to answer Mary Margaret's questions so early in the morning was rough as it was. "Mom, can we talk some other time? I'll call you." She suggested.

"Of course." Mary Margaret pulled her into a hug. One of those hugs that made her feel safe. She didn't know she needed one until now. "I love you, Emma."

"I love you too, Mom," Emma said back. With the end of their hug, she jumped to her feet and headed to the door. "Come on kiddos, I know a baby that really misses her big brother and sister"

"Maria?"Henry asked. "How can she miss us? All she does is eat and cry?"

"At one point you did the same thing." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but I was cooler." Henry reasoned.

"Henry, be nice." Mary Margaret warned her grandson. Handing him his coat, she zipped it and pulled his hat down on his head a bit more.

"I love Maria." Henry smiled sweetly.

"That's more like it." Emma bopped him playfully across the head. "Let's go and see what your Mommy has for lunch for us." She took a hold of his hand and Annie's and lead them out of the door and to the car.

"Mama, can we listen to that song?" Henry asked. "From Stranger Things?"

"Stranger Things huh?" Emma questioned once she was buckled into a seat. "Who allowed you to watch that?" She felt like a true mother at that moment. Questioning her children about something they weren't supposed to be exposed to.

"I probably watched it with Neal once or twice."Henry shrugged from behind her. He didn't think it was a big deal "I like the song. Can we listen?"

"Let's see if I can find it." With a few clicks through her Spotify app, Emma found the song Henry was asking to play. She connected to the Bluetooth set up on her speaker. The first notes of The Clash began to play through the speakers.

"Darling you got to let me know

Should I stay or should I go?"

Putting the car into drive, she pulled out of her parking spot and onto the empty street. Checking her rearview mirror, she could see both of her children bopping happily along to the music. At least they had taste.

She wasn't sick. She refused to even let the idea enter her mind. Regina Mills did not get sick. It was physically impossible. So that morning when she woke up with a swollen throat and a splitting headache she continued to the shower like she normally would. She scrubbed slowly and took her time reveling in each warm droplet that hit her skin. It felt like heaven on earth. Her sinuses were clear for the first time that morning. She closed her eyes. What felt like seconds turned into minutes. She let the hot water hit just the right places, releasing tension from her body, she could fall asleep here. With a jolt, she turned the knobs and the best part of her day so far was over.

Releasing a heavy sigh, she knew the rest of her day needed to be started.

There was lunch to be made. The kids would be home soon and no doubt hungry. Letting her hair air dry, without the energy to even tackle this length today, she threw on a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. They could enjoy a nice Saturday at home.

Checking to make sure that Maria was still sleeping, she headed for the first floor. Each step seemed to take a little more energy out of her. Making herself some tea, she got to work making sandwiches and cookies. Neither of those foods took long. With her mug in one hand, she decided to take a seat on the couch in the den. She could wait for Emma and the kids to get home and then they could watch a movie. Wrapping herself under the covers, Regina sipped from her tea. The searing liquid hit her throat and soothed it just right. She could drink this entire cup in seconds if she could. The silence around the house was unsettling. In their little time here she'd become used to hearing the sound of crying or little feet running around the house.

She stretched her feet along the couch and burrowed further under the covers. She would just relax her eyes for a few minutes. All she needed was a few minutes.

"Regina, Regina," Emma shook her awake. What was supposed to be a few minutes had apparently turned into more than a half hour. "Hey, Regina, wake up."

With a slight yawn, Regina stretched under the covers and opened her eyes.

"Emma, what's wrong?"

"Maria," Emma leaned back a little so that Regina could see a visibly upset toddler in her arms. "She was crying. Loudly." Maria used that moment to whimper. Unshed tears and her stained cheeks showed just how much she was crying. "Didn't you hear her?"

"No, actually, I didn't." Regina sat up. Pushing her hair out her faces, she could feel that tightness in her throat again. "I-I'm sorry, sweet girl. I must have fallen asleep. " Regina reached over to wipe Maria's cheeks.

"Regina, are you okay?" Emma sat Maria on the floor where she crawled away to find something to play with. She sat beside Regina and raised a hand to feel her forehead. "You feel warm as hell, Regina, are you sick?"

"No," A cough wracked her entire body answering for her. She felt as though she was coughing up a lung.

"Okay, as much as you want to be perfect Stepford wife right now, I know you're sick." Emma pushed her back so that she was lying down. "So I'm gonna make you some soup, feed the kids, and maybe find some medicine around for you to take."

"Emma, I don't need medicine." Regina fought against her hold. "I've taken care of Henry plenty of times while sick. I just needed a moment."

Emma understood now whenever Regina was fighting her colds. Whenever she would show up to the office clearly not feeling her best. She always fought through it. Before the first curse had been broken, there was never anyone there to take care of her. Today that was going to change.

"No, Regina, lie back down." She instructed in her best motherly tone. "You need to relax or you're never going to get over it. I know we both do not want the kids to get sick so the best thing for you to do right now is sleep. Rest. I will take care of everything."

"Emma, it's really not a problem," Regina said. Though her actions showed otherwise as she furrowed under the covers even further. Closing her eyes, she returned to dreamland.

Emma turned back to Maria. She was the look of pure innocence as she stuffed the foot of Annie's teddy bear into her mouth. With the many places that thing has been, that could not be sanitary. Emma gently pulled the bear from Maria's grip and tossed it aside. She could wash it later. With a flail of her arms, Maria shrieked. She was not happy about this.

"Shh, we have to let your Mommy sleep." She found herself referring to Regina. Even though Maria, could not talk just yet Emma found it second nature to refer to her that way. "Let's go and feed your siblings."

"Mama, is Mommy sick?" Henry asked as they bit into their sandwiches. They were all seated in the dining room. Regina hadn't joined them and they found it odd.

"Mommy is feeling a little under the weather," Emma explained. "She's not feeling really well so we have to be extra quiet today. We have to take care of her. Do you think we could do that?"

"I do," Henry answered and Annie agrees with a nod of her head.

"Maria, what do you think about that?" Emma asked. This meal wasn't as messy and she was finally eating happily. Maria shook her head in response which made all of them laugh. "I guess you're not too fond of being quiet." Maria shook her head again and grabbed a hold of the entire cookie from Emma's hand. Stuffing it into her mouth, she attempted to talk with her mouth full much to the amusement of her older siblings. She knew how to make them laugh.

"Mama, can we make Mommy some pictures?" Annie asked. "I think she would like them very much."

"I think that's a great idea." She said. "Maybe we can do it after lunch." This sent the children into a race of who could finish their food first. With warnings to slow down, they both finished and emptied their plates. Emma grabbed crayons and markers and left them to their own devices. It was about time for Regina to get another dose of medicine.

The sight in front of her was the cutest she'd ever seen. Regina was tangled in the covers with half of her top not covering her belly. Her sweats were twisted and bunched against her legs. Her hair was a mess of matted curls against her forehead. With a snicker, she grabbed her phone from her back pocket and snapped a few pictures.

Setting it aside, she leaned against the couch to wake Regina up once again. Sliding a thermometer into her mouth, Emma measured how much medicine she should be giving the other woman.

"It tastes like ass," Regina complained as she downed it. "The worst thing I've ever tasted in all of my years of living." She coughed.

"I don't think I've ever heard of such a statement come from you before." Emma grinned. "Your temperature is still a bit high. I think you should rest a bit more. The kids are planning a surprise for you."

"Hmm, that's sweet of them." Regina cuddled back into her pillows. They were going to have to spray down the entire couch with disinfectant.

"Okay, get some more sleep and then we'll show you." Emma pulled the covers over her body once more. Emma felt a pull at her heart that she hadn't felt before. A huge tug at her heart that she just boiled down to feeling appreciated. She could see the pain and misery in Regina's eyes. There was no way she could survive this sickness on her own.

"Mama, look at my picture," Henry demanded her attention as soon as she stepped into the kitchen. It was filled with dinosaurs and everything that little boys liked. Annie, on the other hand, had taken to drawing her usual stick figures. She couldn't tell who was who but it was still a pretty cute picture.

With a new found determination, Emma grabbed her own pen and paper. There was a birthday party she was supposed to be planning for. As she began to write she realized she had absolutely no clue what to plan for. Sure, she knew that for past birthdays they would bring Regina a cake or cupcakes to celebrate at home with her but that was always after they had urged her to. Now it would be up to Emma to think of an idea all on her own.

Making a list, she started out with things she knew Regina liked. Horses, cooking, and kids. She'd reached a bump in the road. Making sure Maria was engaged with her own blocks at her feet, Emma shifted and tried to think really hard. There had to be more than that. They were best friends for goodness sake. So she wrote more. Things Regina had mentioned in passing. Things only the two of them had discussed before. With a vow, she promised to make this the best birthday Regina ever had.

"Oh, I love them." Regina's voice was hoarse and much huskier from her many hours of sleep. She was still curled under the covers on the couch but this time she seemed a little better. Maybe the medicine was working. She was inspecting the children's artwork as they sat on the other side of the room. This was as close as she would allow them. Emma was right they didn't need to catch whatever sickness she had. "You both did such a good job."

"Mama, can we watch a movie?" Henry asked. "I think Coco is on Netflix. Can we watch that?"

"Yeah, Coco!" Annie cheered.

"As long as you both are quiet."Emma reminded them. She looked to Regina for assurance and she received a nod in return. Grabbing the remote, Emma opened the Netflix app on their smart tv and played Coco. Realizing that both kids were taking over the couch, Emma examined where she could sit. Regina patted the seat next to her and lifted the covers so that Emma could sit. Not worrying about potentially getting sick she curled under the covers too.

They were only ten minutes into the movie when she felt a hand take a hold of hers. She happily accepted and squeezed it. She was just checking Regina's temperature. That's what she told herself. She was taking care of her best friend. That's what best friends did.

"Are you feeling any better?" Emma asked her. The kids were too enraptured in their movie to hear them.

"I'm fine." Regina shivered. She was a little cold but she would never admit that to Emma. Pulling the covers over her shoulders she tried to concentrate on the movie. She felt like shit and her head was still pounding. Emma had been taking care of her all day. She could handle herself.

"Come here." Emma decided after a pause. She pulled Regina further into her arms so that she was practically lying on top of her. With Regina lying between her legs and her head lying on her chest, neither one of them would address the intimate position they were in. Emma was simply taking care of her.

"You can breathe you know," Regina muttered against her chest.

"Hmm?" Emma answered back.

"If I'm crushing you, I can move." Regina lifted her head. She didn't expect green eyes to be looking back at her. She tried to hide the shaky gasp that escaped her.

"No, you're fine," Emma pulled her back down. She didn't want to let go of her warmth just yet. "Please just rest and when I put the kids to sleep, I'll help you up to bed."

"If you insist." Regina snuggled closer to Emma and closed her eyes. There was no place she'd rather be than in Emma's arms. These were moments that she had only dreamed of. Being here, with Emma, like this. The kids were an added bonus. She let their laughter and the music of Coco lull her back into dreamland. She felt safe in Emma's arms. The only person she'd felt like this with was Daniel. It was so long ago. Now that she had a taste of it she didn't want to let it go.

A few hours later, the movie was over and the kids were in bed. Giving them baths was a trying task. Henry had thrown a tantrum over which pajamas he could wear while Annie had been upset about going to bed. Maria was an angel like always and went down without a fight. Emma was more exhausted than she'd ever been by the time she reached the bedroom. Regina was sleeping again. Emma didn't know how long she had been standing there. It was easy to get lost looking at Regina sleeping so peacefully. She traced every tiny detail about Regina with her eyes. From the curls framing her face down to the scar on her lip.

Sitting at the edge of the bed, she sighed. She didn't want to say it. She couldn't say it. What she couldn't ignore were the butterflies in her stomach and the fluttering in her heart. This was getting harder.