[Chapter 3]
Regina was starting to worry. It's been three weeks already since she left her lovely La Isla del Encanto and she has heard no word from her father. He should have been here by now. He promised. So she paid a little visit to Mr. Gold to see if he'd heard anything.
"What can I do for you, dearie?" He greeted when Regina walked into his shop.
"Why has my father not been brought here, yet?" Regina demanded. "He promised he would be with me."
"It seems the situation in your country is more dire than originally thought. The fact that your plane was able to take off without any problems was a miracle. The rebels have gotten hold of much more powerful weapons and are keeping any aircraft from leaving the island." he answered.
"And what of my father? Is he in danger?" Regina asked. "I cannot lose him. I have lost too many already. He is the only family I have left."
"They're looking for a safe way to get your father out. Until then, there's nothing we can do but wait." Regina looked heartbroken. She hated feeling so helpless.
"Fine, but tell me the instant you hear word of them." Regina commanded before leaving the shop. She walked down Main Street, hoping to distract her mind from producing every worst-case senario that could possibly be happening to her father back home. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see where she was going and plowed right into Emma.
"I am so sorry, Miss Swan. I should have been paying attention." Regina apologized.
"It's okay." Emma insisted. "I wasn't paying attention either. Um, are you okay? You seem... worried."
"I am fine. I was just thinking of someone whom I miss dearly." Regina answered. "How are you?" Emma's belly had grown these past weeks. She'd skipped out on actually buying the pregnancy pants and instead wore dresses, sweat pants, and leggings.
"Good." Emma answered. "I got my second ultrasound." Emma held up a manila envelope.
"May I see?" Regina asked. Emma shrugged and handed it to her. Regina pulled out the black and white picture of a tiny baby. "IT'S A BOY!" was typed at the top.
"You are having a boy! Congratulations, Miss Swan." Regina handed back the picture with a smile.
"Thanks, I guess." Emma said softly as she stuffed the picture back in the envelope.
"Is something wrong? Usually mothers are happy to see their baby growing." Regina said.
"You'll have to get me lunch if you want answers." Emma grumbled. "I'm in the mood for Chinese."
"Very well, Miss Swan." Regina said. Cooking for Emma and her growing son would be the perfect distraction. Once in Regina's apartment, Emma made herself at home while Regina got started on a vegetable stir fry. The two of them had gotten quite close since Regina's arrival in the sleepy little town. They would go out to lunch at least twice a week and Emma had dinner from Regina a good majority of the week. Emma was currently digging through Regina's refrigerator, looking for who knows what. Her bottom stuck out past the fridge door, perfectly encased in her black leggings. Regina turned back to her cooking and blushed at the thought. Emma was a friend. It wasn't polite to think of her that way.
"You got any more jalapeños?" Emma asked.
"I just bought some yesterday." Regina said.
"Well, you're out now." Regina looked at her, shocked.
"You ate all my jalapeños?!" Emma gave her a shy smile. She liked the sound of Regina's voice when she yelled. A slight accent snuck its way in that gave Emma the chills.
"I was hungry. And the kid demanded something spicy." Emma said before finishing off the last jalapeño. "So, when's dinner ready?"
"In twenty minutes. Go do something else before you empty my fridge completely." Emma smiled and went to sit on the couch and watch TV. Well, she tried. Even seeing things blow up onscreen barely held Emma's attention. She kept finding herself drawn to the woman in the kitchen. There was no doubt Regina was beautiful. You'd have to be blind not to see that. She was the kind of beautiful that gave you butterflies in your stomach and made you realize just how plain you are. At least, that's how Emma felt around her. She was so beautiful Emma wanted to cry. Or maybe that was just the pregnancy hormones? Just then, Regina looked over at Emma and smiled. Emma smiled back, but as soon as Regina's focus was back on the food, Emma internally groaned and stared at the ceiling. She had it bad.
"Enjoy." Regina placed a big bowl full of stir fry in front of Emma and sat next to her on the couch. There was a few minutes of silence before Regina spoke up again.
"I have a few questions. Was the pregnancy... was it forced?"
"No, no it wasn't anything like that." Emma said. "It's just... me and my boyfriend... we were kinda on our own. I met him while trying to steal a car. But turns out he'd already stolen it. I stuck with him after he saved me from being arrested by the cops. We were pretty happy, until he told me of these watches he'd stolen a while back. He asked me to get them and we'd sell them and use the money to move to Tallahassee, to start a real life there. But the watches were still hot and I got busted. It wasn't until I got to jail that I found out I was pregnant. I was desperate, so I called his dad. I knew he had money and a lot of influence in a lot of places, so I looked him up and told him I was pregnant and in jail. He bailed me out and let me stay in Storybrooke, but I have to give him custody of the kid when he's born."
"And this boyfriend... Does he know?" Regina asked. Emma huffed.
"No. I haven't seen him since he convinced me to get the watches. He bailed on me, and I say good riddance." Emma stuffed her mouth with more food.
"Are you okay with giving up the child?" Regina asked.
"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm only nineteen, Regina. I'm not ready to have a kid. You saw my apartment. I can barely afford rent. How am I going to raise a child? He's better off with someone who can afford to keep him." Regina looked at Emma and really took her in. She didn't have the frightened innocence Regina had at the same age, but she knew the feeling of being so young and having such a big responsibility thrown upon her shoulders. She'd been married off at eighteen to a man that once was almost her father, and became a wife, mother, and Queen of a small country all at once.
Emma sighed and brushed her hair from her face.
"It's my turn. Tell me, you look like you have everything put together, your clothing looks so fancy and expensive. Why are you living in this dinky old apartment? You look like you should be living in a mansion." Emma looked to Regina for an answer, but Regina just bit her lip.
"I ruined this, didn't I?" Emma asked. "Is it because I'm nineteen? I get I look a little older, but-"
"It... It is not because of your age, Emma. In fact, I am not much older than you. I just cannot tell you why I am here, for your safety and mine." Regina looked to Emma for a reaction.
"What, are you hiding from an abusive ex or something?" Emma asked.
"I am so sorry, Emma. I really appreciate your friendship and I hope you can still trust me, but I cannot tell you." Emma looked into Regina's eyes. She looked sad and a bit worried.
"Okay." Emma answered.
"Thank you."
"Where is she?!" A dark man pounded his fist on the sturdy desk.
"We don't know, sir." An assisstant said. "Her plane had no number, we couldn't track it." The man in charge paced across his office.
"Sir," another assistant spoke up. "She's gone. You have the entire country under your thumb. What does it matter if she's dead?"
"Because," the man said. "She could come back! And with an army! Who knows how many foreign dignitaries the little bitch is sleeping with to get them to fight for her? I will never be at peace until she's found and shot!"
"Señor Santiago!" A soldier walked in an saluted the man. "Your packages have arrived, sir!" Santiago nodded and followed the soldier, but not before turning to his two assistants and ordering,
"Find her or else!"
Regina wiped away the tears from her face. She'd never laughed so much in her life, but with Emma, it appeared this would be a common occurrance. Emma was wheezing and trying to finish her story.
"And... and then..." Emma broke out laughing again. "Then he tried to grab my butt, but I'd already left and..." Another laugh. "...he grabbed Granny instead!" The two women started laughing again. "And she just smacked him upside the head! Like POW! He couldn't look her in the eye for a month!"
"Well, I hope he learned his lesson." Regina said.
"Hardly." Emma answered. "Now he just stares at our ass. Especially Ruby's. She's got legs for days." The two women took a moment to catch their breath. Emma's face was flushed and she wiped away tear tracks from her cheeks. Regina was sure she looked much the same.
"Ruby... She's the cheerful one with the tiny shorts, correct?" Regina asked.
"Yeah. She's actually a really good friend." Emma said.
"Because she feeds you?" Regina teased.
"See? Food does make friendships!" Emma said. That got Regina laughing again.
"Surely, your world doesn't solely revolve around food?" Regina said.
"No. I like running. Like, jogging running. And reading. And I guess I'm good at finding people."
"Finding people?" Regina inquired.
"Yeah. Back before I got arrested, I helped this bail bonds guy find a few clients when they skipped out on paying. He said I'd be good at the job, but I chose my stupid boyfriend over the job."
"How did you do it? Find them, I mean." Regina asked.
"I could think like them. I knew where they would hide, I knew how to read people, and I know when someone is lying. Looking back, I probably should have taken the job."
"Then who would I have met when I moved here?" Regina asked with a smile.
"Prabably some creeper. Maybe it is good I'm here." Emma smiled back.