Hey guys, I'm sooo sorry for the delay! I feel awful. Though this is a relatively short chapter, I will be updating much more frequently. I love this story. I'm thinking after either this chapter or the next I'll have a time jump.
Chapter 11
Later that night, Emma was reading one of her books while Regina prepared dinner. Emma had provided her with one of the books in her room with the recipe for what was known as "lasagna". She was just finishing her current chapter when they heard a knock on the door.
"I'll get it!" Emma threw her book down and went towards the door. When she opened it, it revealed Ruby or Red, her godmother. She had to admit, she missed her godmother deeply so she jumped into the wolf's arms, eliciting a squeal. "Hi god mommy!" After claiming the wolf's face in kisses, she allowed Red to step inside the house and wasn't too surprised to see her walk in with Graham, the sheriff of the town.
Regina put the final finishing touches on her lasagna and went to see who Emma had let in. "Emma make sure you ask who it is first, alright darling?" When the girl nodded, the Queen turned her attention to the two and invited them into her living room.
After having taken their coats and settling down, Regina breaks the silence. "What brings you two here?"
Ruby, being the one who usually did the talking speaks first. "We're here because we have some information to relay to you about this blessing of yours," She paused when she saw the surprised look on Regina's face, "Yes, we all know. Everyone in the town knows except Snow and Charming. We all have new names, and we've been all been granted our happy endings." She took Graham's hand in her own and looked at him lovingly.
"So who's to say Snow and Charming won't find out about what really happened to them?" Emma asked. Regina beamed at the young girl for asking such a good question that she herself would have asked had the blonde not brought it up.
Ruby nodded, taking the girl's question into consideration. "Well, the blessing physically restrains us from mentioning it or even hinting at it to Mary Margaret and David. I can talk about it with whom ever I want, just not those two. It really is a blessing, everyone got their happy endings- even them, but they're oblivious as to how or why."
Regina took a moment to compose herself before asking, "How is it that you know all of this?" Surely, it wasn't included that there would be a person in the blessing that would have all the facts. The only way Red would know would be from Rumpelstiltskin.
As if reading the queen's mind Red nodded, "Rumpelstiltskin supplied us with all the information we'd need. If you could give us a moment Emma, there's something we need to discuss."
Emma pouted, but when she saw the firm look Regina gave her she went up to her room to finish her book.
"We know that Emma is your true love. No one else in town knows, but we know. Because of this, it'd be weird for you to raise your true love. I'm not Emma's parent, but I was designed to be her mother figure should she need someone to fill that role. After all, I am her godmother."
Regina could feel a pang of jealousy, but a quick thought of what was truly best for Emma entered her mind and she completely erased the thought. "You're right, Red. If you could be here for just a few hours a day that would be a big help. I don't want Emma to view me as a mother figure, that would be confusing to her."
Red was happy that Regina hadn't been selfish about this. She could see the wheels turning in the queen's head. "I'm happy you agree with me, Regina. I truly do wish you and Emma the best, I just want Emma to have a normal childhood."
Nodding, Regina got out of her seat and smoothed the imaginary wrinkles on her skirt. "Now, who's ready for some lasagna?" She wasn't particularly found of the two due to their proximity to Snow White, but she could tell Red cared a great deal about Emma and her well-being and she knew Emma needed a bigger support system than she currently had.
Dinner was a blast, by the end everyone was giggling like crazy. They all heard the big clock chime, signaling that it was 9:00. Red looked at Regina as if silently asking a question to which Regina nodded.
"Alright Emma, time for bed!"
Normally, Emma would have protested but seeing as her room was equipped with multiple flashlights and hundreds of books, she knew she wasn't going to actually go to sleep. Either way though, she padded her way over to Regina and gave the brunette the sloppiest kiss on the cheek that she could muster.
"Emma, gross!" Regina tried to seem angry but as soon as the little blonde burst into giggles she too could not hide her amusement. She pulled the little girl in, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Ginaaaaa, you put lipstick on me!" Emma whined, completely serious. She always told Regina she looked a million times prettier without any makeup. The brunette always blushed and shrugged her shoulders when she said that.
Red held out her hand waiting for Emma to accept it. After giving Regina one last kiss, Emma obliged, accepting the hand held out for her.
~SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ~
That next morning, Regina woke up early before Emma was awake to make a visit to the imp who was basically responsible for all of this.
She knocked on his door and was pleasantly surprised to see the very woman she had been planning to use against him as collateral damage. "Hello, dear."
Not sure whether to be afraid of the queen or welcome her inside, she merely shrugged in indifference. "H-hello Regina," she stuttered. She opened the door wider to let the queen inside, and called for her true love.
Rumpelstiltskin entered the open room clearly not surprised to see the woman. "Hello, dearie. What brings you here?" He knew exactly what the queen desired, but it was fun to make her explain herself and toy with her.
"I'm inquiring about the nature of this blessing. It is the complete opposite of the curse, I'm not sure what my vocation is or what Emma is supposed to be doing." She truly wasn't sure of what to do with this blessing. She had a lack of information and as the Evil Queen, she hated being misinformed.
He seemed to ponder this for a second before asking, "Would you like the good or the bad news first, dearie?" He chuckled when she scowled at him for dragging out his answer. "Very well, then. You are the mayor of this town. There is a town hall with several offices. Everyone that works for you is already there, doing their work. Inside the town hall is a very large office...fit for a queen if you will. On the desk, there is a potion that will give you all the knowledge you need to lead the town. Do not abuse your power because should you disgruntle the people, they may not re-elect you."
Regina could feel her head spinning at how complicated this blessing seemed to be. The curse had been far more simple in her opinion, a lot less of her having to fill in so many blanks. Before she could ask her next question, the imp interrupted- "Oh and dearie, your Emma shall attend the elementary school not too far from your house. Her teacher is Snow White." The man relished in the scowl that consumed the Queen's face. He chortled as he watched the ill-tempered woman storm out of his shop. Oh how the Evil Queen amused him.
To say that Regina was mad would be an understatement. She couldn't hide her jealousy at the fact that Emma would be spending the majority of her days with Snow White. She wondered if Emma would end up regretting that she left Snow White and Charming and want to break the blessing. She hoped not.
She climbed in her black Mercedes Benz and made her way back to her princess.
When Regina got inside the house, she smelled something delicious in the kitchen. She took of her shoes and coat and put her keys in the dish next to the coat rack. "Emma?" She asked.
"In here!" Was all the Queen heard. She could feel her face breaking into a smile even though she had no idea what Emma was cooking for her. When she stepped into the kitchen, she saw Emma covered in what she assumed was flour making pancakes from scratch. She had no idea where Emma got her cooking skills from, but she already knew the food was going to taste delicious.
"Hello, Emma. Im sorry I left you for so long, I didn't know my errand was going to take so long. Thank you for cooking, you certainly didn't have to, I hope you're being careful." Despite agreeing with Red that she would take the backseat in raising Emma, she still couldn't help but express her concern over the little girl cooking.
Emma giggled at how protective the Queen was. "I'm being careful Gina, I promise. I wanted to do something special for you so I made apple pancakes. I hope that's okay?"
Regina could feel the tears threatening to spill over her eyelids. Her little swan was so
thoughtful. "Thank you Emma, you know apple pancakes are my favorite. I appreciate this more than you know little one."
Emma couldn't help the blush that creeped upon her features, clearly happy she's pleased Regina. Once the pancakes were ready and served, she watched as the brunette lifted the fork to her mouth, tasting the delicious concoction. "Mmmm, Emma these are delicious! They're better than my papa's."
Speaking of Henry, Regina made a mental note to check up on his whereabouts, though she had a pretty good idea of just where he was.
"Emma, would you like to go pay a visit to my father once we've finished?"
The little girl eagerly nodded. Besides Regina, Henry was her favorite person in the whole universe. "Why doesn't he live here with us? It'd be much easier for me to tell him about all my personal library if he lived with me."
Regina agreed, but something told her he had a library of his own.
~SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ~
Henry Sr. was in the library putting books onto the shelves when he heard the bell ring. Him and Belle owned the place, but he mostly managed it because apparently her and Rumpelstiltskin were trying to start a family.
He turned just in time to see the little blonde that had captured his affections run into his arms. He opened his arms wide to pull the little girl in for a bear hug. Kissing the girl's cheek, he beamed, "Emma! How are you?"
The girl smiled at the older man, "I'm well papa."
At the use of the name, Regina's eyes flashed up to Henry's, but he simply smiled and reassured Regina that it was okay that she call him that. "I missed you, how have you been coping?"
Emma knew just what he was asking. "I've been doing alright... sometimes I miss my mommy and daddy just because I was used to being with them but Gina always makes me forget and remember what's important." She looked back at the Queen, love shining through her eyes.
Henry noted how close the two seemed to have gotten with the blessing and couldn't help worry for Emma. He knew how pure the girl was compared to his daughter and he truly prayed that his daughter would cause no harm to her, neither purposely or accidentally.
"Daddy are you alright?" Regina asked. The man nodded. "I just came by to see where you were. Where are you staying?"
Henry took great joy in telling her, "I'm staying here. There is an apartment attached to this library that I stay in, the room is filled with even more books!" He seemed so excited at the thought of having so many books to read.
"Papa I have a library too, right in my room! There's hundreds of books." Emma nearly squealed.
Regina listened as Emma and her father bonded over the books they'd been blessed with. She couldn't help but wonder why Emma called her father papa. She reminded herself to ask her later on why she referred to him as that. Not that she minded, it was just stranger. Her and Emma were not relatives and she did not want Emma thinking such.
Watching them, she couldn't help the tug she felt at her heart. She couldn't help but tear up at the sight of the two people she loved most deep in conversation. She loved her life. Most of all though, she loved Emma.