Chapter 18

Regina stood fidgeting with the strap of her purse as she waited in the hallway. The talent show ended a little while ago and she wanted to congratulate her son on his magnificent performance. Well, he and Emma. She was still in shock at how good her son was and for the fact, Emma Nolan really could play. It wasn't that she thought she was lying, it was just hard for her to imagine.

Henry was the first to appear from around the corner. He wore a grin from ear to ear, "We did it!"

Regina couldn't contain her own smile, "Yes you did. You were wonderful!"

"Emma is the true hero." He said when Emma walked up.

"No kid, I just got you to play, the rest was all you." Emma looked pleased with her student.

The brunette looked at the blonde for a moment, almost as if she were lost in thought. This woman has made her son come to life. She found it difficult to tear her brown eyes from the green ones that were now locked with hers. Her cheeks reddened, and she cleared her throat looking away, "You play beautifully, Miss Nolan."

Regina didn't miss the drop of the other woman's eyes when she said her name, "Thanks."

"Yes my dear, you and Henry were wonderful." Dr. Mills said. For a moment, Regina had forgotten he was standing beside her.

"Thank you, sir. Henry worked very hard for tonight." Emma rustled the boy's hair affectionately.

Regina found the overwhelming urge to kiss the other woman. She let out a silent breath and took a step back. The more she learned about Emma Nolan the more she found her attractive, especially when it came to the things she did for her son. She glanced around, feeling the temperature in the hallway had risen several degrees.

"We should go out and celebrate with ice cream." Dr. Mills said with a smile.

"YAY!" Henry exclaimed. "Emma, are you coming?"

The blonde looked down at her watch, "Sorry kid, not tonight. I have to get back to the club."

Regina watched as her son's shoulders fell, but then Emma added, "But I'll see you again soon, okay?"

He nodded his head and his lip slightly curled at the corners, "Okay, but the zoo on Saturday." It sounded like a demand, but his face expressed the opposite.

Emma winked at him, "It's a date."

Regina had never seen her son interact with another person so freely. Sure, he had a great relationship with Dr. Mills, Kathryn and herself, but this was different. He looked at this woman like she was his best friend and held her in the highest respect. It was the same look she gave her father every time she glanced his way. It was breathtaking, almost too much and she had to fight the sting she felt in her eyes.

"Come on Henry, let's go get some ice cream." Dr. Mills said, Henry, following him down the hallway.

Regina watched the two walk away. She turned to the blonde who was looking at her with curiosity, "Thank you, Miss Nolan, for tonight." She paused and then added, "It means the world to him, and he means the world to me. I'm just thankful that…" She stopped as her voice cracked and looked away.

The blonde stepped closer, "Hey, like I've said before, he's a great kid. It was my pleasure, and please, call me Emma."

Regina's eye locked onto the emerald green ones and she forgot to breathe for a moment. How was it possible for this woman to hold such power over her? She licked her lips and let out a shaky laugh, "Okay, well, Emma, Thank you. I have to get back the hospital. I don't want Kathryn thinking I left her."

"I'll see you on Saturday, right," Emma asked?

"Saturday?" Regina was having enough trouble making sense of her own thoughts, let alone remembering previous conversations.

"Yeah, I'm taking Henry to the zoo. You're coming too, right?" There was almost a pleading in the woman's tone.

"Ummm. I guess it will depend on how Kathryn is doing." Regina said. She did want to make sure everything was alright with her best friend.

"Right. Of course, well, I guess I'll either see you Saturday or not." Emma said smiling shyly.

The brunette pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, "Kathryn's doctor said that they may admit her into the mental health center in the morning, if that happens then I may be able to join you."

Emma nodded while one corner of her lip pulled up, "Then I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow."

Regina didn't reply, she just turned and walked down the hallway towards the exit. Her heart was beating wildly and she found it impossible to wipe the smile she was wearing away. She felt a slight pang of guilt as she hoped her friend was going to be admitted. Although it was not so she could go with Henry to the zoo, but because she knew her friend is also at the point where she needed professional help and supervision.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Emma let out an exaggerated yawn. This meeting was stupid. It had already dragged out for more than two hours. She just wanted to get to the part where her father signed the club over to her and let her be on her way.

"I'm sorry, are we boring you," her father's voice asked from the end of the table?

"No, not at all." She deadpanned rolling her eyes. "I don't see what any of this has to do with me. Today is day 30, father. I just want you to hold up your end of the deal and sign the damned deed already."

Zelena squeezed her knee under the table in an attempt to keep her quiet. Emma could only smirk at it. Her face could still feel the sting of her father's hand and to say she disliked the man was the understatement of the century. Annoying him was one of her rare treats whenever she was stuck in his presence.

Her father's eyebrow rose, but there was no amusement in his features, "Very well." He looked over at Robin and nodded his head.

Robin slid a folder across the marble conference table to Zelena. She opened it peering over its contents. After several long seconds, she pushed the folder to the blonde. She looked at the first page. The contract is null and void. She looked up at her father, "What is this?"

"That is what it looks like when you break your contract." Robin sneered.

"That's bullshit! I didn't break the contract. I have done everything you asked of me," she said stiffening in her chair.

"You were told to stay away from Locksley's wife." Her father stated.

"Oh no, you don't. You told me to stay away from her after I signed the contract." She let out a humorless laugh. "I have abided by everything in that contract."

"Are you trying to tell me that you haven't put your hands on Robin's wife?" David asked glancing over at his lawyer.

Emma mouth fell open slightly at her father's choice of words, "No, I haven't 'put my hands on her'." This was a joke right? It had to be. She glanced down at the redhead beside her, "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Zelena looked nervous, "Emma don't…"

"Seriously? You're my lawyer. They can't do this." She said, interrupting the other woman. Her brother was absent which only made her curious as to where he was and why he wasn't here to defend her.

"Look, it's not that simple…" The redhead tried again.

Emma shook her head in disbelief, "You've got be shitting me. I should have never trusted you." The blonde was dumbstruck. This couldn't be happening, not today. She glanced back to her father, "What now?"

"You have a choice, you can remain as the manager of the club or you can find a new job." He said leaning back in his chair clasping his hand together and pressing them to his chin.

Emma laughed, "That was your plan all along, wasn't it?" She let her eyes travel around the room until they ended back to her father, "I mean I've heard of some sick shit in my day, but boy, does this top it. You get me to give up everything with the promise something would be mine just to snatch it away when it was within grasp."

"You did this to yourself," Robin said with his same snide smirk.

"Fuck off." She said flatly. "I did everything I was asked to do, but like always David Nolan gets what David Nolan wants."

She didn't wait for a reply. She pushed her chair back with enough force that it fell over and stormed out of the room. This was absolutely the most fucked up thing her father had ever done to her.

"Emma, wait!" Zelena's voice called out.

She stopped and glared at the redhead outside in the waiting room, "You just sat there."

"Damn it Emma, listen to me. I didn't say anything because I can't. Legally, you're right, he can't do this. The club is yours, this is the problem." She handed a folder to the blonde.

Emma flipped it open moving a few pages aside. There was a photo of Regina outside the warehouse. She closed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat, "How much do they know?"

"I'm not completely sure. They haven't said anything to me, but they know something. If we push the club contract in court it won't be pretty for your Mrs. Locksley." Zelena said with a frown. "We need to go somewhere and try and work this through, especially the part you failed to mention where Regina Locksley was at the warehouse."

Emma looked down at her watch, "Not right now. I have somewhere to be." She said, "We can talk about it later."

"Where do you have to be that is more important than this?" The redhead threw her hands up dramatically.

"The zoo." The blonde stated.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Regina made her way to the main entrance of the zoo, Henry next to her.

"EMMA!" Henry shouted.

Regina was a little surprised that the blonde beat them there. She thought for sure she would be late. Today was the 30th day of Emma's contract and figured she would be ready to get her father off her back.

"Hey, kid." Emma smiled, but Regina could see something was missing. The blonde kept speaking, "I called ahead, so all we need to do is show our passes to the woman behind the window and go inside." She looked around, "I'm sure Steven will be along soon."

"This is going to be so awesome," Henry said with a grin. The boy had done nothing but talk about the zoo since he woke up this morning.

The pair followed Emma into the park after showing their passes to the woman, "What if we get something to drink while we wait? Or food if anyone's hungry?"

Regina could feel her son's excitement vibrate off of him, "Hold it right there, mister." The brunette knew her son would go straight for the sugary snacks and he had yet to eat lunch, "No sweets before lunch."

The boy dropped his smile for a moment, but it was short lived when he looked at the blonde. She shrugged and winked at him, "We'll start with water."

Regina shook her head, but couldn't help the curl of her own lips. She had been nervous to come today. She didn't understand why she couldn't get a grip on herself when it came to Emma Nolan. So much had changed since their first meeting. She found herself daydreaming more. Her daydreams used to consist of her and her son living peacefully without her soon-to-be ex-husband. Now, the brunette's problem was that Henry wasn't in her daydreams that were currently distracting her. It was Emma wearing nothing but the boy shorts from the morning in the motel.

"Mom?" Henry's voice pulled the older woman from her thoughts and she glanced over at him only to find both her son and the blonde looking at her with interest.

"Did you want water too," the boy asked pointing at Emma who was waiting for her reply?

Heat flooded her cheeks, but she managed to smile, "No, thank you." What is wrong with her? This is definitely not the time or place for her mind to go 'there'.

A man in khaki shorts and matching short sleeve shirt walked up. His name tag read Steven, "Emma?"

Emma spun around, "Yep."

"I'm Steven and I will be your guide for today." He turned and looked at Henry, "You must be Henry."

The boy had yet to lose his grin, "Yes sir."

The man held a bag and passed it to Henry, "This is your uniform and since you will be helping me, that makes you an official zookeeper."

"Really?" Henry asked, his mouth falling open. Regina fought the tears that were threatening to spill. She had never seen her son so elated.

The boy didn't waste any time, he pulled the shirt from the bag and slipped it over his t-shirt. The shirt was a match to the one Steven had on, but this one had 'Henry' embroidered over the left breast pocket. The zookeeper held out his hand and Henry took it. Regina and Emma walked close behind as they made their way through the zoo.

Regina was dying to know about the meeting, "So, how does it feel being the owner of your own club?"

The smile the younger woman wore previously fell, "I wouldn't know. My dad reneged."

"What? Why?" She asked, her feeling on David Nolan rushing back to the surface.

Emma shrugged trying to fake a small laugh, "He said I didn't hold up my end of the deal. I found out there were additional stipulations. I shouldn't be that upset about it. I mean this is what he does."

Regina could hear the disappointment in the younger woman's voice and her heart clench, "What? You signed a contract, he can't do that."

Coming up to the monkey enclosure, Henry followed the zoo keep inside, "Aren't you guys coming?" The boy asked.

"We'll join in on the next one bud." Emma shot the boy a closed mouth smile. It didn't seem to faze him. He went in and listened to Steven explaining how to feed the animals.

The blonde leaned against the railing watching the boy, "He gave me the option of continuing to work as the manager of the club or find my own job."

Regina wrapped her arms around her middle as a cool wind rushed by, "What are you going to do?"

The blonde smiled at Henry giggling as one of the smaller monkeys jumped from a makeshift limb down onto his shoulder to eat the piece of fruit he had offered, "I don't know. If I take the manager job, Killian loses his. It kind of defeats the purpose of why I took the stupid deal in the first place."

"So, what was the reason he reneged?" The brunette asked, hoping it wasn't because the other woman had slept with someone.

Emma seemed as though she were considering the question before she answered, "Apparently I was supposed to stay away from Robin Locksley's wife." She laughed, "For the record that was not in the contract."

Regina was surprised to see tears welling up in the younger woman's eyes. Without thinking she stepped closer and took Emma's hand, "I'm so sorry, Emma. I know how much Henry adores you, but maybe going on outings together isn't a good idea."

The blonde paused looking down at their connected hands and then glanced up to meet Regina's gaze, "It's not yours or Henry's fault. I don't care what either of those jackasses thinks. As much as my father would like to think he does, he doesn't own me."

The older woman chewed her lip. Nothing in life was ever going to be easy. She wanted to argue with the other woman. Make her see that if she continued to see her and her son, then bad things would happen, but she couldn't. She found herself wanting to see Emma more and more each day. Just thinking of how heartbroken her son would be if he had to lose his friend was more than she could bear.

The soft hand she was holding squeezed back prompting her to look up into emerald green orbs, "Hey, let's not worry about it right now. We are supposed to be having fun, not stressing over ass hats." She pointed towards Henry, "He seems to have the right idea."

Regina felt the loss of the blonde's hand immediately when she released it. She smiled when she saw how much fun her son was having. It had been a long time since she had seen him grin this much in one day, let alone his entire nine years of life.

Static hissed through the walkie-talkie that hung from the zookeeper's belt. A woman's voice blared out, "Hey Steven, I thought you might want to bring the guest of honor over to the elephant enclosure, Baylor and Tupelo are having their baths."

"Thanks, Mary," Steven replied. He looked over at Henry, "So what do you say, you want to see the baby elephants?"

"Sure do." Henry's excitement was infectious. Regina was certain her son's cheeks hurt after all of the smiling he was doing.

The brunette was caught up in her own thoughts as she watched her son and the zoo keep exit the monkey enclosure. Of course, David Nolan and Robin Locksley would have something to do with the happiness of her son. Hasn't it always been that way? And just when she was actually starting to like a Nolan.

"You okay?" Emma asked pulling her back.

"Uh yeah." She replied, flashing a fake smile.

"Come on." The blonde smiled holding her hand out for the older woman to take.

Regina looked at it for a second but then took it. The brunette had a moment of worry pass through her as she wondered what everyone would think of her walking hand in hand with another woman. The thought left as soon as her hand was nestled securely into the soft warm one of Emma Nolan. Suddenly, it felt almost natural somehow.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

Henry sat across the table eating his hamburger. His eyes watched his mother and Emma with fascination. His day had been amazing. He got to feed the monkeys, play with baby elephants and he even got to go inside the snake enclosure. He, of course, was not allowed to feed or get too close to any of the reptiles, but he did get to observe the snake handler feeding them.

As fun and as exciting as his animal-filled day had been, it was nothing compared to what he was witnessing happening between his mom and Emma. He hadn't seen his mother smile so much in his life. He saw his mother holding the blonde's hand, but he pretended not to notice.

Even now, his mother's face lit up as she listened to Emma talk about something she had done when she was a little girl. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought he had seen his mother blush when Emma would look at her. It was actually kind of awkward for him, but his want to see his mother happy outweighed it.

He had been watching their interactions so closely that he hadn't really heard anything they said. Emma excused herself to go to the restroom and he couldn't help but watch how his mother's eyes were glued to the other woman's back until she disappeared through the crowded restaurant.

His mother glanced over at him, her cheeks gaining a reddish hue, "What?"

He gave a sideways grin and shrugged, "Oh nothing, I'm just glad to see you happy."

She raised an eyebrow, but her lips curled slightly at the corners, "I'm happy because you're happy."

He tried to school his features and look serious, "So, you and Emma?"

Regina was taking a sip from her water glass and choked slightly at his words, "Me and Emma what?"

Henry could see her mother's uneasiness. Her posture straightened and a neutral mask fell on her face. The boy wasn't sure what he had said to change her mood, "It's okay."

He watched his mother swallow and averted her eyes, "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

His mother's uncanny ability to play dumb was nerve-wracking all on its own. He hated the way she would pretend to not know what he was talking about whenever she was uncomfortable with their conversation topic. He sighed, "It's okay if you like her, mom."

Regina licked her lips, "If I didn't like her I wouldn't be here, dear."

He flashed his teeth again, "That's not what I mean and you know it. Emma likes you too."

Henry's eyes moved to the blonde returning to the table. His mother had grown quiet now, chewing her lip.

"What'd I miss?" Emma asked sitting down.

His mother gave a tight-lipped smile but didn't meet either of their eyes. He almost regretted saying anything, but he could see she clearly liked the woman. It was obvious, even for a 9-year old.

"Emma, this has been a wonderful day. Thank you." The brunette said looking anywhere but at either of her companions.

Henry could feel the blonde's curious eyes, but she managed a smile, "It was my pleasure."

"Well, hello Miss Nolan. Fancy meeting you here." A familiar Scottish accent brought everyone's attention up to meet the small, but intimidating man who stood only a few feet away from Emma.

The boy could hear the tension in his blonde friend's voice, "Mr. Gold."

Henry found the man oddly fascinating. He had heard the man's voice at least a dozen times. Almost all of those times had been through the big double doors of Mr. Nolan's office. His father seemed to suck up to the man every time he came around and Henry knew the man was someone of great importance.

The man's eyes moved around the table. He looked at the boy's mother for a few moments, and then to him. The man smiled and stepped forward putting his hand out, "It is nice to see you again Mr. Locksley."

Henry took the man's hand but his eyes caught a reflection of light from the floor and he looked down. The buckle on his shoes gleamed and the boy was sure he had seen those same loafers somewhere before.

The man dropped his hand and returned his attention to the blonde, "I've been trying to get in touch with you, Miss Nolan. I think we have a lot to discuss."

Henry could tell by the look on Emma's face that she wasn't impressed. Those shoes, where had he seen them? He furrowed his brow as he tried to remember.

"I heard about the change in ownership of the club. It's a shame Robin Locksley will be the new proprietor." The man said with a smile, but there was something eerie in his tone.

"WHAT?" Emma shrieked.

The man leaned forward slightly on the cane in his hand, "Oh, I apologize. I assumed you knew, dear."

The blonde rubbed a hand down her face, her irritation was evident, "That son of a bitch." Her tone was quieter, but the tension in the air remained.

Henry observed Mr. Gold as he studied the blonde carefully, "Well, I'll let you ladies," He glanced over at Henry, "And gentleman, finish your meals in peace." Before he walked away he shot back, "And Emma, I would really like to have that talk soon."

Henry's eyes were glued to the man's shoes as he left the restaurant. He chewed lightly on his bottom lip. Those shoes...