Hello there beautiful and amazing people :') Not much to say for this chapter, except the usual thanks of course. I know it sounds horribly repetitive, but I am so genuinely thankful for all the views, favs, follows, and reviews, that I cannot just ignore them and not thank you all over and over. Any kind of support and criticism is so greatly appreciated, so thanks guys! As always hope you enjoy it, and let me know what you think :D
Regina and Emma remained knelt on the floor, side by side, holding Henry close to them, who had an arm around each of his parents. The blonde's hand on Henry's back slightly grazed against the brunette's, whilst the adults' other hand was on one another's body. The Saviour's hand was on Regina's lower back, whilst the Queen's hand lingered on Emma's golden hair. The trio embraced one another, not wanting to let go, but after a while, they unhurriedly broke away slowly. However Regina was not quite done yet, for she gently grabbed Henry's face, cradling it into her palms. She gazed into his eyes with so much love, making him smile. Meanwhile Emma stood up, putting her arms in her jacket pocket, snapping herself back to reality. She made a diminutive attempt to walk away, but Regina anticipated the blonde's movement.
"Where you going?" she interrupted Emma from leaving.
The Sheriff froze for a moment, then mumbled, "I'll … I'm just gonna go let my parents know you're okay. They'll um they'll be worried."
The Major looked anxiously at Emma with her puppy dog eyes, prompting Emma to kneel back down facing Regina.
"I'll be right back okay? Promise!" she said softly.
Once Regina nodded, Emma got back up, kissed Henry on the back of his head, and existed.
"Mom…" Henry broke the silence, causing his mother to finally stop clutching his face.
"I'm okay honey" Regina cut in, whipping away his worries and uncertainty.
"I was so afraid that I was going to lose you today" he murmured, holding back his tears.
"Hey … Henry … You're not going to lose me …" his mother smiled at him. "My my, how you've grown. It seems like yesterday you were still a baby, crying in my arms. Now you're here worrying about me, when all I've wanted to do was protect you."
"No matter how old I get, I'll always be your son, and I'll always need you. Mother I'm so sorry!" he chocked, his breath stuck in his throat, as tears forced themselves down his face.
"Henry!" she whispered trying to hold back her own tears. "Sorry for what?"
"For being an asshole" he croaked, causing his mother to vocalize his name once again, giving him a stern look.
"I see someone has been spending too much time with his other mother" she joked, bringing about a slight smile on her son's face, which was now covered with watery crystals and streams. She adjusted her look, amending it to more compassionate and concerned gaze. "Henry, why would you say that?" she pouted, as she gently wiped away his tears with her hand.
"Because I secretly never forgave myself for all the terrible things I said about you. I was so convinced you were a horrible person: murderous, dangerous, uncaring and unloving. I was so sure you didn't love me. I was sure you were the Evil Queen." Henry mumbled, his hands shaking as he played with his fingers, struggling to get the words out because of his laboured breathing."
"I was…" his mother spoke, "Henry you were right. I was all of that!"
"But I should have been more grateful. I should have treated you better. I should have respected you. I should have been a better son." he cried, shattering his mother's heart. "I stood outside that door, with so much regret, so many things left unsaid. Mom I'm so sorry!" he mumbled, and when he finally finished, he crashed himself into Regina's arms. "I love you!"
Regina was taken aback by Henry's revelations. Hearing him and seeing him in such a dismantled state broke her heart. However she was moved by her son's words. She could not express in any way how she felt. All she managed to do was hold her boy close to her, as tightly as she could, as tearful beads trickled down. After a moment of heavy breathing, she managed to vocalize in a low audible voice, "Oh Henry … I love you too!"
"I know" he spoke, completely hoarse now. "Although … I really can't breathe" he smiled, causing his mother to laugh with him, releasing him, only to a slight extent, from the compact embrace.
Meanwhile, Emma had steadily made her way over to the street, towards Ruby and Mary Margaret, to find they were also accompanied by David and Killian.
"Is she alright?" her mother's voice high with concern, but Emma was clearly storming towards Hook, causing her to unintentionally ignore her mother.
"Where is it?" she yelled at him, getting all up in his face. Hook pulled back unaware of what she meant.
"Emma?" both her parents intervened, now concerned about a different matter.
"Yeah she's alright" she stated, still glaring at Hook, who remained still and quiet.
"Well … can we see her?" Snow questioned, eyeing her daughter and her pirate, confused about what is happening.
Emma ultimately pulled away from the man dressed in black, and turned her gaze towards her parents. "Yes of course." However her mother and father were motionless, gaping at her daughter out of concern. So Emma raised an eyebrow, and looked over to the house and back at them, requesting them to go. Consequently they began their stride over to the mansion.
Ruby excused herself too, announcing that she needed to get back to Granny's, because she could hear and smell Granny raging and fuming from there. Emma thanked her for all her help, and for alerting them of the situation, and with a smile Red was off. In the meantime the Charmings had made it to the door, and once Emma saw them vanishing inside the house, she turned to Hook.
"What the fucking hell is wrong with you?" she expressed in an angry manner, to which Hook only raised an eyebrow, fuming the blonde even more. "Where is it?" she yelled again.
"I don't know what you're talking about Swan" he cringed.
"My phone, Killian!" she shot at him furiously.
"I don't know what you're talking…" he tried but the Sheriff cut him off.
"I know you have it Killian. It was in my jacket, then we went to Mary Margaret's place, I placed it on the counter when we sat down. Then it magically disappeared!"
"Maybe you … accidentally did use magic!" he croaked.
"Hook!" she shouted, waving her hands about for dramatic effect to bring his attention and alert him that she was not playing around. "I know, I know I put it there. Then I don't know, it wasn't. I didn't notice at the time, but now that I can't find it, I know that's the last place I saw it. And Ruby called … and Regina! And not a fucking sound! Where the hell is it?"
Emma had had enough. She was incensed. Her blood seething. Her face going red. Her teeth grinding.
"What makes you think I have it?" he questioned heavily.
"The guilt on your face!"
With that Hook slowly, hesitantly, put his hand in his leather jacket, pulling out Emma's phone. The blonde snatched her cell phone from his hand, shaking her head with a grimace on her face. She attempted to walk away, but he stopped her, grabbing her arm.
"Swan …"
"Don't" she interrupted him. "I don't even know what to say to you right now!"
"Then let me" he begged, lowering his eyes in shame. "Look I know I … I shouldn't have done that, I just … I just wanted to spend some time with you. We never get to spend time together. You're either with your Mom, or your Dad, or Henry, or taking care of Neal …. Or Regina, and there's never time for me. Then when you are with me you're worrying about Henry or Regina or whatever, whoever."
"I thought you were going to apologize! Because you know what, you're doing a pretty terrible job right now!" she shot at him forcefully.
"I'm just justifying what I did! I wanted you around, with me, Swan!"
"Well I'm sorry … I'm sorry that my family gets in your way. I'm sorry that I spent my entire life without a place to call home, without my parents. I'm sorry that now that I found them and we're in a good place, I'm sorry that I want to spend time with them. I'm sorry that I abandoned my son. I'm sorry that now I'm trying my best to fix that, and be there for him, and protect him, and be a responsible, loving parent. I'm sorry that I have a brother to take care of. I'm so fucking sorry that I have a family I can finally call mine. That I have a home to go to every night, and feel welcome and safe. Don't you get it? I've been without them my entire life, and I don't want to be apart from them ever again. I need them!"
"Don't you need me?"
"I … I want you … you make me happy, but …" the blonde mumbled, "… but I didn't stay in Storybrooke for romance … I stayed here for my family. Yeah I'm glad you're here, and that you're in my life. But my family will always come first. And you knew this going in Killian. I have a family I am responsible for, gladly! Sure yeah, I want to go travel the world, or realms … or whatever. I want adventure, and fun, and excitement and danger. But I need Henry. I need my Mom and my Dad and R-… and my son's mother. I need my family. They're all I dreamed about my whole life. So I'm sorry, not sorry, that I'm not ready to drop them, to go be all lovely dovey!"
"The Evil Queen is family? She's not even his mother Swan!" he proclaimed.
"What?" the blonde looked at him buggy-eyed in disbelief. "And don't call her that!" she cringed at him. "I …I gave up my son, to give him a better chance. Regina was his better chance. She gave him a home, a comfortable bed, food, clothes. She gave him a good life. Something I was unable of giving him at the time. She loves him, and cares for him, and would risk her life to protect him. Regina is every bit his mother, as I am!"
Emma was furious, and started pacing to and fro, trying to call herself down. "You know what … fuck this!"
"Swan…"
"No … because I don't have time for this bullshit!" she said sharply.
"You have time for everyone but me!" he raised his hands and dropped them in frustration.
"See, this is exactly our problem. All you care about is you. And how it affects you. Well I'm sorry the world doesn't revolve around you. Let me bring you a bottle of get the fuck over it."
"Swan I've always tried to be a better man for you, and I've always tried to put you first."
"No! Fuck! I don't want you to be a better man for me! I want you to do it for your own self. I don't want someone to put me first. I want someone who puts the people I cherish most in this world first. I want someone that respects me enough to let me make my own decisions and … and not take my goddamn phone!"
Emma was appalled, outraged, nauseated, and overworked. She was visibly breathing heavily, her chest rising up and down, as deep breaths escaped and entered her mouth. She was trying to compose herself and eventually let out a sigh.
"Just …" she broke her silence, but was unable to finish her sentence, not knowing what else to say, so instead she made her way to the Mills' House.
"Swan…" Hook pleaded after her.
"Don't please" she begged him, facing him once again. "Just … I'll call you … when I can okay? Don't call … let me cool off and get to a place when I'm not thinking about strangling you!"
"I'm sorry Emma …" he apologized sincerely, however the damage had already been done in Emma's eyes.
"She could have died Hook" she spoke softly and calmly now. "How was I supposed to explain to my son, that his other mother is dead? How was I…" she gulped, "how was I supposed to live with that guilt … and…" she lowered her head, hiding her tears that were slowly forming. "How was I supposed to live without her?" she croaked.
Emma was incapable of lifting her head up to look at the man before her, so she merely just turned and walked away, towards the front door of Regina's house, and Killian let her.
She stepped inside the mansion to find Regina still sitting on the floor, with Henry knelt in front of her, whilst Snow held the Queen's hand, and Charming had a hand on each of the women's shoulder. The blonde found all four pairs of eyes staring at her. Emma scrunched her face and tilted her head, in question. "What?"
"Nothing!" The four of them responded simultaneously, making Emma raise a brow at them. Her eyes working from her son, to her mother, then father, and lastly found their way to Regina's. She lingered her eyes on the brunette, observing a slight smirk at the corner of her mouth, causing her to return a smile. Just like that, the blonde had forgotten all about her suspicions and simply walked towards them. She dropped down to her knees, beside Henry, in front of Regina, prompting Snow to get up, as Charming assisted his wife. Their daughter gazed at them, interrogating them with her querying look.
"Regina needs rest" Snow vocalized sympathetically, to which Emma nodded in agreement, whilst Charming beamed. "Come on Henry" she encouraged.
"You're going too?" Emma asked him.
"Yeah I … me and Mom agreed it's best for now for me to stay at grannies."
"Er I'm not that old to be called a granny!" Snow jokingly scolded him.
"Well technically you are" Regina husked, "If it weren't for my curse, your hair would have been turning white by now!" the former Evil Queen poked fun at her erstwhile nemesis, whilst Snow touched her hair in horror. "And you" she continued, turning towards Charming, "half your hair would have fallen off and you'd have a bald patch!" she teased him, making his eyes open wide, almost bulging, in trepidation. "I think the Evil Queen should be thanked in fact!" she sassily proclaimed, generating laughs from Henry and Emma, as well as from the two victims of her pranks, who let out giggles and shook their head.
After all the hugs, smiles, affections, thanks, concerns, and reassurances were exchanged, Emma and Regina found themselves alone with one another. They looked fixedly at each other, still and noiseless, somewhat peacefully. When Regina was about to speak, Emma turned around and looked up at the severely damaged roof of the house.
"Damn, that's some wicked magic you got there Regina!" the blonde teased.
"Wicked? I don't see a green, incensed, sister from Oz." the brunette mocked in return, causing Emma to twist her head around to roll her eyes at her.
Emma raised her hands and as she twirled them round in the air, the magic that shot out of her hands slowly but surely started to repair the ceiling, making it whole as it once was. When she completed the task, she strolled her way back to Regina.
"I prefer …" the brunette carried on, whilst Emma knelt in front of the Queen, their face resting just inches apart. Regina's breath hitched, her darkened eyes fixed on the blonde's emerald eyes, her lips drying up whilst her mouth watered, causing her to lick her lips. "… wild…" she husked, her mouth quivering to a certain extent. It caused Emma to drop her eyes to Regina's upper and lower edges of her mouth. She lingered her eyes on the brunette's kisser. Then she pulled her eyes away, in order not to get lost any further, attempting to compose herself. The stare into one another's eyes resumed. Emma watched how dilated Regina's dark eyes were, filled with … was that lust she questioned to herself. Affection? Desire? Emma gulped.
"You're insane Madam Major" the Sheriff husked, beaming at Regina letting her know she was still poking fun at her.
"Oh I enjoy every minute of it Sheriff Swan" she husked right back.
Emma scoffed jokingly, shaking her head. After a moment Regina's smile disappeared and she lowered her head, as a stern look washed over her face. "Listen Emma…" she started, attempting to apologize for what transpired between them that early morning.
"No …" Emma stopped her, causing Regina's gaze to find hers once again. "We'll talk about it later … Let's get you off the floor, and cleaned up, and into bed and … and then we'll talk if you want okay?" she spoke softly and compassionately, wanting to take care of the brunette before her.
Regina remained quiet, and simply just smiled and nodded her head in agreement. As a result, Emma pulled herself up and offered her hand to Regina, who politely accepted. Regina stood but her knees buckled, her body still sore and fatigued, and she fell forward, onto to Emma, who reacted speedily to hold onto to her. Regina groaned at the pain, her lips so close to Emma's that the blonde could feel the brunette's breath on her, making her gasp. They remained immobile, lingering, their lips nearly touching, both their eyes on each other's tantalizing lips. They were both breathing so heavily, and visibly too, their chests rising. With every rise of their chests their bodies would touch, slightly, momentarily, but it was enough contact to utterly mystify them both. It was an intoxicating moment that seemed to last hours, when in fact it was just for a short period of time.
"Come on …" Emma whispered, making Regina look up to Emma's eyes, bewildered by what she meant.
Emma found Regina's hand and intertwined their fingers, and pulled her towards the staircase. The blonde climbed the stairs leisurely, gently tugging Regina after her, as they made their way upstairs.