Chapter 20

"Hi baby." Ruby yawned as she walked through the door then situated herself beside her girlfriend on the couch. "Did you finish the school thingy?" she asked uninterested and received a smile along with an eyeroll.

"Yes baby, so now I'm all yours!" Belle smiled.

"Thank god! I had the worst day at work.." Ruby groaned.

"Oh? What have you done this time?" Belle teased.

"Nothing…" Ruby sighed. "I just have been watching Elsa flirt like crazy with my sister, and I don't like it one bit.."

"Rubes, don't overthink it. Okay? I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks."

"Yeah, I hope not.." the redhead shrugged. "So, I talked to Granny about your old house, by the way."

"Oh yeah," Belle stiffened her posture, as if to prepare for rejection or disappointment. "and what did she say?"

"You want to buy a house?! Ruby, you know I always support you as much as I can, but I don't know if that's the best thing to do as a 17 year old girl." Granny said calmly. "It's just not a good idea."

"It's not A house, it's THE house." Ruby grinned easily and got a curious look from her grandmother "It's Belle's childhood home." she spoke dreamily

"Oh Ruby, Honey, I don't have that amount of money in the bank.." Granny said in a sad tone. "I remember how much they sold it for..."

"Like I said, hear me out. It's abandoned, so I don't think it's that expensive this time around." Ruby shrugged.

"Let me guess, you two had this idea when you went to pick Belle up the other day?" Ruby smirked

"Maybe…but it still looks to be in good standing condition. We would have to clean it up, but to see Belle that happy again! All the time! Oh Granny, she would just love it!" the girl answered with a bright smile, and Granny rolled her eyes, but met Ruby with a gentle smile.

"I know I might regret this, but okay, let me have a talk with the bank then we can contact Mr Nolan, alright?" the girl's eyes lit up with pure joy. "Remember, this is just a loan okay?"

"Yes! Obviously! You're awesome!" Ruby grinned.

"Calm down Ruby, I haven't said yes yet you know." Granny chuckled and embraced her granddaughter in a tight hug.

"Well, I know, but I know that if it had been a No, you would have said it right away and given me a piece of your mind!"

"You know me too well, my dear."

"And besides that, the house is big enough for you too! You can let me take over the diner when you're too old, and when me and Belle have kids you can just enjoy your spare time and just...be the best grandmother in the world!" Ruby said and Granny felt the tears of happiness sting in her eyes.

"You… you want to have kids?" Granny asked.

"Of course!" Ruby replied and received another strong hug.

"Wow! We're gonna buy a house!" Belle squealed. "We're gonna buy a house!"

"Yep!" Ruby grinned and looked at Belle. She saw her future in Belle's eyes. Their future.

"Is this kinda crazy though?" Belle thought out loud as Ruby chuckled and Belle's smile widened.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have it any other way baby!"

"Me either!" Belle said and snuggled close to her girlfriend. "I like crazy!"

Regina lead her horse back into the pasture. Rocinante was so pleased about the ride that he laid down and rolled around in the grass.

Regina was just watching him celebrate with a pensive look on her face. Emma laid her arm carefully on Regina's shoulder, making her flinch. The reaction to Emma's touch broke the blonde's heart. She knew the reaction all too well. Besides that, Regina's arms and shoulders were full of bruises.

"Sorry." Regina shrugged gently. Almost ashamed of the movement.

"I'm here now baby, and I'm not gonna leave, okay?" Emma tried to reassure, and Regina gave her a careful smile.

It was one thing to hear those words, but would Emma really stick by them? Regina didn't blame her if she just ran away from all this, because she didn't deserve Emma. No, not after how she had been ignoring her and behaving for the last couple of weeks.

"Why do you still care about me Miss Swan?" Regina asked anxiously and the blonde frowned, before she cupped her girlfriend's face in her hands, gently.

"Regina... I love you okay? I mean sure, I was starting to see our relationship as over, because it felt like you pushed me away when you didn't reply to my texts or answer my calls." Regina had an apologetic look on her eyes as she took both of Emma's hands in her own. Emma just took a deep breath and continued. "I even went on a date with someone, but that kinda turned out badly. She's very sweet and smart…...but god! She talked so much, and she seemed very clingy." Emma shrugged

"I think I just lied when I told myself that I was over you. I'm not ever gonna be over you. I love you so fucking much Regina, and I'm always gonna do that. You're the person I want to grow old with, and go to sleep with every night." Emma paused to collect her thoughts.

"Yeah, sure this whole thing with Daniel and Cora is super fucked up, but I'm not leaving this time! I don't care what Daniel does to me. He can beat me up if he wants, I don't care. It's not like the first time I've been beaten, you know?" Emma finished and Regina kissed Emma's knuckles.

She knew the blonde tried to lighten the mood by trying to joke about her past, but Regina didn't know what to say. She knew the words she had just heard were coming from Emma's heart, but Regina was still scared. Would Emma really want to stay with her if she knew about her pregnancy? The impossible pregnancy. Regina thought she would never be able to conceive due to her irregular menstrual cycle.

"I don't deserve you, Miss swan." Regina just shrugged sadly and turned away. It was too hard to even look at Emma right now. Instead, she looked out over the fields and watched her horse. She looked at her father's apple tree and wished he was still here. She looked at the house that she now actually despised with her whole heart.

"Regina, look at me." Emma said carefully and Regina sighed, but turned around and meet the blonde's gentle eyes. "Why wouldn't you deserve me? It more like I don't deserve you. Fuck that! We belong together and that's the only thing that matters, okay? You and me. All the way." the last part caused Regina to relax her posture and chuckle.

"How did you become this slightly more level headed person?" Regina teased.

"I guess that's what happens when you're alone with your thoughts or something." Emma shrugged with a smile and leaned in to give her girlfriend a kiss. Regina was blown away by how careful the blonde was. Emma please don't leave. I need you! I need you to understand.

Emma brought Regina home, to Granny's. Daniel had called earlier and told Regina that he was gonna be away until the next day, so Emma took the opportunity to keep her away from the house. Her temporary prison it seemed. When they opened the door to Granny's apartment the old woman couldn't believe her eyes.

"Regina? My dear girl!" Granny smiled as she walked up to them. She gave Emma a smile and looked back at the brunette questioningly.

She noticed that Regina had lost weight over the past few weeks, and her usual smile was not there. Her eyes looked tired and lacked their usual shine, that spark of life that had always been there. Granny reached out to carefully touch the black-eye. That son of a bitch!

"Hello Granny." Regina greeted. As she took off her jacket the old woman gritted her teeth. She saw all the bruises and even a few deep cuts on Regina's body. It broke her heart. How in the hell could Cora 'approve' of this? How could she think Daniel was better for her daughter than Emma? At least Emma would never hurt Regina like this. Granny just shook her head sadly.

"I knew that Daniel was an asshole." Granny groaned and Regina shrugged. Emma took her girlfriend's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. That small move made Granny smile, she smiled more when she saw all of the happiness and love Emma had in her eyes for Regina.

This was love, and Granny was gonna fight for them. By their side. She would crush Cora if needed. Granny would even bring out her shotgun if she had to.

"He's never gonna be able to touch her again though." Emma said with a serious tone and caught Granny's attention.

"That's true Emma, and believe us Regina, we're not gonna let anything more happen to you, okay?" Granny said and the brunette just nodded. She didn't know what to say. She was so blown away that they still cared so much about her. It was almost unreal.

Regina was so ashamed of her body. It looked terrible and she felt like an actual punching bag. Emma recognizes that look and placed a careful kiss on her girlfriend's temple, making Regina meet her eyes.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"I'm so afraid Emma.. I'm so fucking scared." the choice of words took Emma totally by surprise. She had never heard Regina curse before.

"I know baby, but it's gonna be okay, I promise. It's gotta be!" Emma smiled and Regina nodded, even though her mind was racing. She knew it wasn't that easy. Daniel was a monster and her mother, well, Cora was probably even worse.

She hoped for the best and fell asleep in Emma's arms after just a few minutes of relaxing against the blonde.

Regina fell asleep quite quickly, snuggled close in Emma's arms. Emma on the other hand, couldn't sleep. She had tried but it was impossible. Her whole body screamed with anxiety, and one part of her wanted to do as she had always done. To run away, but the other part of her, the bigger part, didn't want to leave.

She groaned and wondered what she should do. Regina was worth fighting for, but what did she have to protect herself against Cora? She could destroy her without trouble. She could even hurt Ruby, Belle and Granny! In other words, she could destroy everything she loved. This would be the equivalent of yanking her beating heart out of her chest and crushing it, right in front of her face. Emma is no one without her family!

Her heart skipped a beat at that thought. She could lose everything. just because she loves Regina. Why? Why couldn't Cora just support them? Like Granny did, both them and Ruby and Belle? What was so wrong with loving someone of the same sex? Love is love, right? Right? She groaned again and closed her eyes. It took a while, but sleep finally came to her.

When granny came up to Emma's room with some sandwiches for the girls. She stopped in the doorway when she saw the two girls snuggled close on Emma's bed fast asleep. It wasn't necessarily early for bed, but she didn't think either girl would sleep at all tonight. She supposed the two drew safety and comfort from each other.

The scene and that last thought made Granny smile slightly. They were so young, but already so experienced for their age. It made her proud that the two survived so much heartache.

She closed the door carefully behind her and saw the old picture of Henry hanging in the hall. The older man, his horse Titan, Regina and Ruby outside the diner.

"Oh Henry, this would have never happened if you were still alive." she sighed at the picture. "I promised to look out for your daughter, and I may have fallen behind in that regard, but I'm not gonna break that promise. I'm too stubborn for that." Granny chuckled to herself. "Regina is such a wonderful human being. She's just like you. Although, Cora is trying to break her. What happened to Cora? She wasn't always like this. She wants Regina to be this protege of a 50s housewife, but that's not Regina, and it never was Cora. She's a free spirit. Just like you Henry. I miss you my friend, I really do!"

"Excuse me, where's Henry Mills' room?" Eugenia asked the nurse behind the desk. She didn't even give her a proper answer, just pointed to the right. Granny rolled her eyes and had to fight every nerve in her body not to yell at the ignorant girl.

She didn't have time for that. She had got a call from Regina about Henry, and when Eugenia heard he was at the hospital, she closed the diner in a matter of seconds. Literally throwing out the few guests that were still dining.

When she found Henry's room, she saw Regina sleeping on the armchair next to her Daddy's bed.

"Eugenia" Henry smiled. "Good to have someone to talk to. Regina has been sleeping for a while. I told her to go home but she refused. She's as stubborn as a mule, my daughter."

"And Cora? Why isn't your wife here?" the older woman asked agitated, as she sat down on Henry's other side in a small chair.

"Oh, you know my dear wife, she's at work. Distracting herself." Henry shrugged understandably. "She has actually called a couple of times, asking if I'm doing well and so on. That's quite big for her. She isn't taking this….well."

"I guess." Eugenia said and bit her lip. "So, have the doctors said what's wrong with you? It wasn't that long ago since your last doctor visit..."

"They took all the tests they could yesterday, and today when some of the results came back, well, let's say it's not the answer anyone wanted to hear." Henry signed and took off his glasses then dried his eyes slowly.

"What did they say…?" Eugenia asked quietly. She didn't even want to hear it, but she knew she had to.

"Eugenia, I have cancer.." Henry replied and the old woman didn't want to believe her ears. "It's the type of stomach cancer that eats you up from the inside." he sighed and tried to convey to the woman with his eyes that everything would be ok "It's not treatable." he choked out

"Oh god. Henry, I'm... I'm so sorry." the woman barely held back a gasp as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I try to think that everything happens for a reason, but I can't really understand this. It's hard to accept," Henry said with a sad tone as he reached for the old woman's hand. "but I can only truly accept this, if you just can promise me one thing."

"Anything Henry, just name it."

"Keep an eye on Regina for me, Hm? Just make sure she's happy for me? She'll resist sometimes because she's so stubborn, but I know you have experience with that type of person" he gave her a wide smile as he began to get sleepy. He yawned then met Eugenia's eyes as she spoke honestly

"I promise Henry. Even if it kills me." she gave him a genuine smile. "You have my word."

Emma woke up, and almost panicked before she remembered who was lying next to her. A smile spread on the blonde's face as she embraced Regina carefully. She buried her face in her long hair, then realised how much she had missed her. Even her smell.

Emma kissed her girlfriend's head, and told herself she wasn't gonna let Regina go back to Daniel. Emma Swan was Regina's saviour, and Regina Mills was Emma Swan's queen. It was nothing else but destiny. Emma decided, right then, that she would die to protect and defend her destiny! Their destiny!