***Author's Note: Time is going to continue to move quickly in this fic. We will have some stand stills but this is a BEST FRIEND romance so it may take these best friends a little while to admit their actual feelings for each other (not too long though cause this fic is going to be on the shorter side. Thanks for all the positive feedback so far. I love when you review it keeps me motivated :) Enjoy this next chapter!***
Emma held a swaddled Joshua in her arms. Both mothers just stared at him.
"He has your chin," Emma said not looking away from her son.
"And your eyes."
They looked at each other now, "Hey doll, thank you. You were great in all this. Very supportive and I just… thanks."
"My pleasure."
They were silent for a while, "Hopefully he has my sense of humor."
"What?"
"Nothing."
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The baby monitor on Regina's nightstand came to life with the cries of her son. She got up, threw on her robe and headed to the kitchen. She shuffled through her kitchen to the back door. The brunette cut across the yard and opened Emma's back door. She went right for the fridge and located a bottle of Emma's breast milk which she began heating. She heard footsteps and turned to see the blonde coming into the kitchen, "Go back to sleep. I've got it."
"You have GOT to get his nursery finished at your house because the whole point of trading off is so we both can get some sleep and now I'm awake when it is your turn," the blonde wasn't really mad. She smirked at her friend.
"I will this weekend. I was just unprepared to have him in our lives so soon." Regina tested the milk on her wrist and when she was satisfied, wiped her arm and the bottle and headed upstairs to Josh's room. Emma watched Regina rock him while she fed him and hum a soft tune as she did. It was peaceful. She didn't realize she'd dozed off standing up until she felt a soft shake.
"Emma dear, our son is asleep and I am going home," they kissed each other's cheek and said goodnight.
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The next three months were about the same save for the fact that Joshua now had a nursery at Regina's. They traded off everyday except Sunday which was a family day. They usually spent it all together unless an emergency came up with Regina or Emma's jobs which only happened a couple times and it really only cut into part of the day. The Sundays they did spend all together were fun. They would eat, play games, watch movies, or go to the park. Joshua was still too little for most of the activities but it made them look forward to the day he could enjoy them too.
One Tuesday evening, Emma was home alone watching TV when she got a text from Regina.
Can you come over?
Sure. Be right there.
Emma went through the backyard and walked into Regina's house via the backdoor. She could hear quite a commotion going on in the living room. Josh was crying.
"Hey is everything alright?"
"Oh thank god you're here," Regina was emotionally wrung out, Emma could tell, "I've tried everything. I tried changing him, feeding him, burping him, rocking him, swaddling him, but he's been crying like this for two hours and," now she was crying too, "I think he hates me," she sobbed.
"No! He doesn't hate you. He's too young to hate you. He doesn't even have a big enough attention span right now. Seriously his brain is like this big." Emma put her thumb and index finger up about a centimeter apart in front of her face and smiled a little.
"Stop it. Don't say that in front of him," Regina sobbed as Emma took the swaddling wrap that Regina had him in and pulling it off of her.
"Here let my try. You're not a hater are you Josh? You don't hate your mommy," Emma bounced him for a minute making a shooshing sound. The crying got quieter and quieter.
"How did you do that?"
"It's simple. He loves me and he hates you," Emma smirked as Regina smacked her upper bicep with an "Oh," and more tear shed.
Emma hugged Regina with Joshua in between there bodies rocking and shooshing both of them now.
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Regina was over at Emma's changing Josh, cooing gently to him when Emma came around the corner wearing only her bath robe.
"I need your honest opinion." Regina patted the tabs of his diaper into place and redressed the youngest Mills.
Regina baby talked more to Josh than Emma, "What is it mommy?" Her eyes never leaving her son.
"When do you think it will be okay to get naked with someone again?" Emma opened up the robe flashing her son and his mother although Josh simply bounced in Regina's arms as Regina stared slack-jawed at Emma's naked form.
"Ummm. I think we're a couple weeks out, a month at most."
Emma finally closed her robe, "I'm so incredibly horny its not funny. I haven't had sex in over a year."
Regina snorted having finally recovered, "It's been equally long for me."
"Really? Since Robin? I would have thought by now that everyone would be attempting to woo you. You're gorgeous and you weren't pregnant so…"
"I guess its never really been at the forefront of my mind. In my Evil Queen days there was never a shortage of lovers but here I guess it was never a priority."
"Hmmm. Hey, when I think I'm ready, you want to go on a double date? I'm sure we could find someone willing to date us and if not then we will go out drinking and just find someone willing to sleep with us."
Regina joined in Emma's laughter.
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"Alright so you know our numbers and do not hesitate to call for any reason," Regina gave Henry her most stern and motherly look.
"Yes I understand Mom but we will be fine. I've been taking care of Josh a lot lately. He's my baby brother. I'd never put him in any danger."
"I know love. I just mean if you get in over your head at any point please," she emphasized her please by pulling him tight into a hug, "call us."
"I will."
"Bye kid," Emma kissed his forehead. The two mothers then moved to their eight month old son sitting on the floor looking at the tv with rapt attention.
"Bye Joshua Mommies love you," Regina picked him up and kissed his chubby little cheek. When Emma reached her son she lifted his little shirt and blew a raspberry onto his stomach which cause him to giggle tremendously and squirm in Regina's arms.
"Bye little man. Be good for your brother."
They both headed towards the front door. Regina kissed Henry's cheek on the way passed and they headed for Regina's Mercedes that was parked in front of the house.
"They will be fine Regina. We really need to let loose every once in a while and it's been a very long time." Emma opened up the drivers door and got in as Regina did the same on the passengers side.
"I still can't believe that neither of us has been asked out on one single date. Are single mother's that unattractive?" Emma pulled onto Mifflin St and headed towards their desired destination for the night, The Rabbit Hole.
"That can't be it though cause we had guys asking us out before we had Josh. I don't know but the only guys willing to date us are creeps anyways."
"I know. I did get asked out once. Did I tell you Whale asked me on a date?"
Regina laughed, "And what did you say?"
"Obviously I said no and I pointed out to him that he had been kind of a jerk to me in the past as well as to you, my best friend and mother of my children AND oh yeah! He slept with my mother!"
Regina was laughing so much she could barely breathe, "What is wrong with us that these are the kind of people that ask us out?"
"Nothing. It's this stupid town," she sighed and looked at Regina, "I'm getting good and drunk tonight." Emma pulled up in front of the bar and saw both Snow and Ruby's cars, "Looks like the gang is already here."
"Well if you hadn't been so reluctant to leave," Regina threw a smirk at Emma.
"Me?! It was you who was practically crying about leaving Josh for a couple hours."
"I miss him already."
"Jeez. Were you this way with Henry?"
"Pretty much."
"Well tonight you need to forget that you have two children and get a little lady love cause it never hurts to sweep out the cobwebs."
"Thank you for that eloquent advise."
"From your vagina," Emma very seriously enunciated.
"Yes! I understand!"
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Regina and Emma came up the front walk after their girl's night only a little tipsy and laughing hysterically at how drunk Emma's mother had been. David had come to drag her out of the bar and she had flashed half the town of Storybrooke on her way out the door.
"This was so much fun. Too bad we didn't get lucky," Emma gave Regina a raised eyebrow.
"Who needs a man when I have you?" Regina blurted and when she realized how her slip up could be interpreted she added, "I mean hoes before bros right?"
Emma was cracking up and being a little tipsy made her unsteady on her feet. She doubled over reaching toward the top step and roughly sat down on Regina's front stoop, "Chicks before dicks. Besties before testies. Uteruses before duderuses."
Regina sat down next to Emma. Emma rested her head on Regina's shoulder, "We're so good together Regina. Why can't relationships be like this?"
Regina held her breath not knowing exactly where Emma was going with this.
Emma sighed, "Well, we also have an advantage because we're not sleeping together, and we're not attracted to each other, so there's none of that sex stuff to get in the way. Ya know?"
All Regina could do was nod.
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Snow heard a banging on her front door at 7am. She rushed to answer it and was very surprised to see the Mayor on her front stoop. It was very early in the morning for one. Secondly, she was unaccompanied by either her daughter or grandson which was a very rare thing.
"We need to talk. I don't really have anyone else I can talk to about this."
"Uh, yeah. Sure. Come on in." It must be serious. Emma and Regina were best friends and anything Regina ever wanted or needed to talk about she shared with Emma. It was a surprising yet not unwelcome development.
Regina looked a little lost like she didn't know where in the house she should be headed exactly. She turned back to Snow, "Is David home?"
"Oh… No. He already headed to work. He's dropping Neal at preschool on his way so he left early. Let's go sit in the kitchen. I'll pour us some tea."
Snow headed that way and Regina followed close behind. Snow noticed how jittery she seemed since she arrived. She gestured for Regina to take a seat at the island and she moved about the kitchen pouring Regina some tea. She sat the cup in front of Regina and looked expectedly at her. Regina didn't say anything.
"Regina what is going on, you are starting to scare me?"
"Everyone is fine but something has happened."
"Still not helping!"
"I think… I think I'm in love with… someone."
"Oh thank god!" The pixie hair brunette put a hand over her heart, "And you can drop the anonymity I know it's Emma," Mary Margret gave her a look that said 'oh please'.
Regina didn't put up a fight, "Alright fine it is. I'm so scared. I keep thinking that all that can come of this is pain. I don't want to hurt my children. I don't want to hurt Emma."
"Hurt your children? Regina. The two of you are so utterly clueless it actually is becoming painful for me to watch. Do you love Emma?"
"Yes."
"Does Emma love you?"
"I don't know. She's said so a couple times but loving someone and being in love with them are different. Maybe she will always see me as her best friend. I don't want to get hurt but this hurts so much too. I want to approach her but this could blow up in my face."
"Why don't you let me talk to her? I'll be real subtle."
"You are about as subtle as a gunshot dear."
"Well fine then just tell her."
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It had almost been a year. Emma could not believe it. Josh was already turning one. Regina and her mother had been planning a birthday party for Josh non-stop for two weeks while Emma, Henry, and of course Josh sat on the sidelines observing. It was on a particularly beautiful Saturday afternoon that Emma and Henry had been sick of the arguing and decided to go for a walk. Emma pushed Josh in his stroller. A spring, Maine breeze cooled Emma and her sons as they walked along the Storybrooke trail systems that Emma and Regina had collaborated on to establish two years earlier.
"What's going on with you and Mom lately?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well neither of you have been on a date in like a year and I don't know. Are you even trying to find someone to be with romantically?" Emma could barely believe her ears. Her son was giving her a lecture about dating, "I mean you aren't getting any younger."
"Thanks Henry! Great talk!" Emma walked ahead of him at a brisk pace but he easily jogged to catch up with her.
"Are you in love with Mom?"
"What Henry? Where is this all coming from?"
"You're deflecting."
"God you sound just like your mother."
"And that makes you feel…?"
"I don't know."
"Why haven't you at least tried to make something else work with her? I mean especially after Robin was out of the picture, you were right there. Killian was gone… and instead of trying to build a serious relationship, you guys decide to have a baby."
"I don't know. There was too much familiarity. We were too comfortable with each other. It's like… it's like she's one of my limbs or a part of my body."
"And thats bad because…?" Henry paused for a second, "I gotta tell you I've seen the way you two are with each other. Are you attracted to her?"
"Henry! That's not really an appropriate thing to ask your mother."
"A simple yes or no would suffice."
"Of course I am! Who wouldn't be?"
"Well then I don't see an issue."
Emma and Henry walked for a ways more before Emma practically whispered, "What if she doesn't love me back?"
"Look Ma, she's never said one thing to me that let's me know definitively but she'd have to be crazy not to love you and you'd have to be blind not to see it in the way she looks at you."
Emma just nodded and they finished their walk.
***A happy ending may be just on the horizon ;) Please review. I love all you loyal readers.***