Chapter 20
Emma paced around Regina's office, staring at the clock on the wall as she pulled at the suddenly strangling collar of her work uniform. Regina held her breath as she watched the minutes tick away, trying to calm not only her racing heart, but Emma's as well. It was Tuesday afternoon and they were waiting for a very important call from Belle French.
What felt like an eternity later, Regina's office phone started ringing, startling both women.
"Here we go," Regina whispered as Emma took a seat next to her. Regina hit the speakerphone button answering the much anticipated call. "Regina Swan-Mills speaking," she answered, on the off-chance it wasn't Belle French calling.
"Good afternoon, Regina, it's Belle French. How are you today?" Belle asked on the other end of the line.
"I'm doing well. Emma is here with me also," Regina said, announcing her wife's presence.
"Nice to hear from you as well, Emma. Now, what can I do for you? Is everything alright with Alice?"
"Yes, everything is fine. Alice is doing well. We even had a bit of a huge development in her life this past weekend. She met her Soulmate," Regina informed, a huge smile on both their faces.
"That's incredible. Please extend my congratulations to her," Belle said. They could tell she was smiling as well.
"We certainly will. The reason for the call is this," Regina said, wasting no more time with pleasantries. "We would like to inquire about the possibility of officially and legally adopting Alice."
"Wow. This is a little unexpected, to be honest. Children Alice's age rarely get adopted, since they legally age out of the system in a few years. My plan for Alice was to have her placed with you until she turned eighteen when she could go off on her own, to be completely honest," Belle explained.
"What happens after the child turns eighteen? They are just tossed out on their own?" Regina asked, already knowing the answer. Emma nodded in response, having already experienced just that.
"To be honest, most choose to leave their foster homes as soon as they can," Belle explained, receiving another confirming nod from Emma.
"That's unacceptable," Regina exclaimed, anger beginning to build within her. "Raising a child doesn't stop when the child turns eighteen. Raising a child continues the rest of your life. And that is exactly why we wish to adopt Alice, regardless of her age. Now, what is the first step in making this a reality?" she asked, in her professional lawyer voice.
"Well, the first step would be to speak with Alice herself, to make sure this is something she would like to happen as well. After that, I would need to contact Alice's birthparents and have them officially sign away their parental rights," Belle explained.
"Fantastic. Should we schedule a time for you to come speak with Alice?" Regina asked.
"Yes, we can set up a meeting now. But first, are you both absolutely certain this is the direction you wish to take?" Belle asked.
"We have never been more certain of anything else in our lives," Emma said, speaking for the first time the entire conversation.
"Wonderful. I just needed to ask and confirm once more. I can come by tomorrow evening and speak with her in private. It won't take long at all," Belle said, typing something in the background.
"Wonderful. We will all see you tomorrow," Regina said before ending the call, tears of happiness filling both their eyes.
"Alice, Miss French is here to see you. She just needs to ask you a couple questions, if that's alright," Regina asked the following evening as Alice was sitting at her desk working diligently on her nightly homework.
"Oh, yeah. Of course," Alice said, twisting in her chair to look at Regina standing in the doorway. Regina stepped away, allowing Belle to enter the room, closing the door behind her.
"Hi, Alice. Do you mind if I sit on your bed?" Belle asked, pointing to the spot at the foot of the bed.
"Sure," she said, her voice already sounding nervous.
"I just have a few questions. There's nothing wrong, so don't worry," Belle explained, trying to calm the scared teenager's nerves.
"Okay…" Alice said, not sounding any less nervous.
"Regina and Emma tell me you met your Soulmate this past weekend. That must have been really exciting. What's her name?" Belle said, with a bright smile on her face.
"Yeah, it was. Her name is Robin," Alice said, smiling at the mention of Robin.
"That's wonderful." Belle smiled. "Now, I have something important to discuss with you. Regina and Emma called me yesterday and expressed their desire to officially adopt you and make you a part of their family legally. How do you feel about that?" Belle asked, diving right into the hard question.
"They want to adopt me?" Alice asked, shock falling across her face, replacing the nervous emotion in her voice.
"They do. And the first step is to speak with you, to make sure this is something you want as well. Since you are sixteen, you do have a say in what happens to you going forward. And we all understand if this isn't something you wish to continue with going forward, especially since it's only been a little over six months since you were living with your birth family."
"Wow…they…they really want to adopt me? Like officially adopt me, not just have me live with them until I'm old enough to live on my own?" Alice asked, still shocked at what she was learning.
"Yes." Belle smiled. "They want to make you a part of their family."
"I don't know what to say," Alice said, tears forming in her light blue eyes.
"You can take some time to think it over. There's no rush."
"YES! Yes! Yes I want them to adopt me. Yes!" Alice exclaimed after only a moment's thought.
"Are you positive about this? You don't have to accept it if you don't want to," Belle explained.
"Yes! Yes I am 100 percent positive this is what I want!" Alice said, even louder than her first statement.
"Excellent. I know they'll be very happy to hear this as well. Why don't we go out there and tell them together?" Belle suggested, standing from her seat on the bed, Alice rushing after her.
Emma and Regina were nervously sitting on the couch, their hands clutching each other as they awaited the fate of their adoption request. If Alice didn't want them to adopt her, that would be the end of it and there wouldn't be anything they could do to change it. Belle entered the room followed by Alice, both wearing bright smiles on their faces.
"Take a breath, ladies." Belle smiled as Emma and Regina jumped off the couch and rushed over to the older woman. "Alice and I have just been talking, and she told me that she is fully on board with the adoption request. In fact, she is very excited at the idea," she said, causing a huge sigh of relief from the couple. "We've already discussed the next step in the process. Once you give me the word, I can proceed."
"Start the process," Emma said, barely letting the woman finish her sentence.
"I'll start in the morning. I'll be in touch when I have more information. Have a good night," Belle said, pulling on her coat and letting herself out.
"You…you guys really want to adopt me?" Alice asked, tears of happiness filling her eyes.
"We absolutely do," Regina said, pulling the young blonde in for a tight hug. Regina led the way toward the couch, urging them all to sit down and talk about things.
"Why? Why would you want to adopt me? I'm not a tiny baby. I'm sixteen. Why would you want to adopt me when you can adopt a younger baby?" Alice asked.
"Because your life doesn't stop at eighteen. We want to be your parents for the rest of our lives, not just until you age out of the system," Emma explained.
"Really?" Alice asked in disbelief.
"Definitely," Emma answered.
"But why all of a sudden? I've only been here a few months."
"We don't want to lie to you, our urgency has to do with you and Robin," Regina explained, causing Alice's face to scrunch in confusion. "We wanted to make sure the same thing that happened to us doesn't happen to you and Robin. We are confident that Zelena won't keep Robin from you, so we're not worried about that."
"However, we're worried that maybe your parents will try to take you away, like Regina's mother had me sent away. And we can't allow you and Robin to be separated like we were," Emma finished.
"You guys are willing to adopt me, to make sure Robin and I stay together?" Alice asked.
"Well yeah, of course. I mean, it's not the only reason we want to adopt you. We want you to be a part of our family regardless. You and Robin have just expedited the process." Emma chuckled.
"I don't know how to thank you guys. You've done so much for me already, and you just keep giving, Alice said, her eyes filling with tears.
"There's no need to thank us. You being here with us is thanks enough," Regina said, trying to hold back her own tears.
"Thank you," Alice whispered as her tears of happiness escaped her eyes.
"You're welcome. Now, why don't you go finish your homework and we'll make dinner. What do you want?" Regina asked.
"Pizza." Alice smiled.
"Pizza it is." Emma smiled, pulling out her phone to call in their usual pizza order.
Alice paced the small space in front of her as she checked her cell phone every few minutes, ignoring the crowds of people that came and went around them. It had been over six weeks since she had met Robin and six weeks with no news from Belle French regarding the adoption. They all needed something exciting to distract them from the radio silence, and that came in the form of Robin Kelly. Emma and Regina had been talking with Zelena for a few weeks, and Zelena had agreed to allow Robin to spend the weekend with them, the first time since they had all met that Robin would be spending the night with them as well. Emma and Regina had promised Zelena that the girls would not be sharing a bed while Robin was there. Even though they were Soulmates, they were still a little too young to be sleeping in the same bed. The young couple agreed, excited that they would be spending the entire weekend together, regardless of where they were sleeping. So that was where they found themselves, standing in front of the large clock in the center of Grand Central Terminal Main Concourse, waiting for Robin's train from Scarsdale to arrive.
"They just updated the train information," Alice said, looking at the train schedule. "It's supposed to be arriving on track forty-two. Can I go meet her on the platform?"
"Of course. We'll wait right here," Regina said, overjoyed that Alice felt comfortable enough with the New York City transit system to go to the platform alone, a stark contrast from the immense fear she had the first time she stepped foot into a subway station when she first arrived in the city. Alice rushed off toward platform forty-two, an excited smile on her face while Emma and Regina waited in front of the clock. They stood there, hand in hand, until Regina's phone rang in her pocket. She looked at the screen with a sudden excited expression.
"This is Regina Swan-Mills," she answered, already knowing who was on the other line. Emma watched as Regina's face changed from excited to concerned suddenly. "Umm…yeah I think that should be alright…" She glanced at her watch, listening to the person on the other end of the phone. "Sounds good. We'll talk to you in a few hours." She hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
"Is everything alright?" Emma asked.
"That was Belle French. She wants to have a video meeting with us at nine o'clock tonight," Regina said.
"Did she tell you what it's about?" Emma asked, matching Regina's concern.
"No. Just that she needed to have the meeting via video at nine tonight," Regina said.
"Did she sound worried? Do you think she's going to drop some bad news on us? It has been a while since we started the adoption process. Oh god. Do you think Alice's parents changed their minds and they want her back?" Emma asked, panicking.
"I don't know, my love. We just have to wait and see," she said as two very excited blondes ran up to them, hand-in-hand, Alice carrying Robin's duffle bag. Regina smiled at Alice's chivalry, something she has already instilled into her as an Alpha.
"Hey, is everything alright? Your faces look weird," Alice said as they approached.
"Oh, yes, everything is just fine. Miss French called and asked for a video meeting tonight is all. Nothing for anyone to be concerned about," Regina said, trying to conceal her fear.
"So, what should we do for dinner tonight? Take-out maybe?" Emma said, guiding her family out of the train station toward their home.
Two hours later, Emma and Regina sat at the table in front of Regina's computer, in Zoom limbo as they waited for Belle to start their meeting. They had gone through every worst-case scenario in their head over the last few hours, feeling mentally prepared for whatever bad news the social worker was going to tell them. Their screen sprang to life as the social worker began the meeting, the familiar woman's face flashing on the screen. Alice and Robin sat together in Alice's reading nook, just out of sight of the computer's camera, yet still close enough to overhear the entire conversation.
"Good evening, ladies. Thank you for agreeing to this meeting at such short notice," Belle said. Her voice didn't sound sad, so they all secretly hoped for good news.
"It's good to hear from you," Regina said, reaching for Emma's hand under the table.
"I'll get right down to it. I have news regarding the status of Alice's adoption process. As you know, the next step was the relinquishment of parental rights from Alice's birth parents. I reached out to them after we spoke a few weeks ago, and Alice's father immediately signed the papers and gave up his parental rights without a second thought. However, Alice's mother took longer to make the decision, which is why there has been such a delay in the process. She has agreed to sign the papers and give up her rights, but she wishes to speak with both of you before she does so. It is highly unconventional, and unheard of, but she seems to be holding the signature hostage until she can speak with you. I told her it was up to you both, and she and I both understand if you wish to decline," Belle explained.
"Well, if this is the only way to ensure she signs away her rights, it's a small price to pay to ensure we get our daughter," Regina said.
"Emma?" Belle asked.
"I agree. We need her to sign the forms so we can adopt our daughter. I'll do anything to ensure that happens, even if I need to face the person who tossed her out. I can't guarantee I won't say something nasty to her though," Emma said, causing all three women to chuckle. They could hear a small chuckle coming from the girls behind them as well.
"Great. I'm going to invite her into the meeting. I'll stay online as well to mediate. If things start to get out of hand, on either end…" Belle said, looking right at Emma as Regina smacked her knee to warn her wife as well. "…I will end the call immediately, so please behave." They all laughed, knowing it would be tough for Emma to bite her tongue if things became intense.
"I promise to try and be on my best behavior." Emma nodded.
"Okay, if everyone is ready, I'm going to invite her to the call." Regina and Emma both nodded, agreeing on the addition to their conversation. A few moments later, a third square appeared and a second later a woman with strawberry-blonde hair appeared within the square. "Eloise, welcome. I'd like to introduce you to Regina and Emma Swan-Mills. Alice has been living with them since she left your home," Belle explained, introducing them to Alice's mother.
"And you're the ones who want to adopt her as well?" Eloise asked.
"That is correct," Regina answered.
"How long have you been married?" Eloise asked, clearly interrogating the couple.
"We've been married for two years now. We found each other in high school," Emma answered.
"Do you have children of your own?" Eloise asked.
"We have no biological children. However, we've considered Alice our daughter from the moment she entered our life," Regina answered.
"Why don't you have children? Are you planning on having them?" Eloise asked.
"I think that's a little too personal." Belle said, mediating the conversation.
"It's fine. To answer your question, we are unable to have biological children," Regina answered, making her answer as vague as possible.
"Why not? Aren't you an Alpha and Omega couple like Alice?" Eloise asked.
"Yes, we are. Regina is an Alpha, just like Alice, and I am her Omega. Circumstances have dictated that conceiving biological children is out of the question," Emma answered, becoming a little irritated at this stranger's personal questions.
"I'm sorry. I just…I just want to make sure that you don't change your mind, or regret your decision to adopt Alice down the line if you have your own child," Eloise explained. "She's my baby girl, you understand."
"We completely understand. I was in that situation when I was a child. I was to be adopted by my first foster family, until they found out they had conceived their own child and they sent me back. I can promise you, that will not happen with Alice," Emma explained. "Alice is our daughter, no matter what DNA states."
"How is she doing?" Eloise asked, her demeanor changing.
"She is doing amazing. She's really getting the hang of living in New York, and is thriving in school…" Regina started to say. They both turned their head quickly, looking over to the girls off screen, asking for her permission to divulge the biggest news.
"She met her Soulmate a few weeks ago as well," Emma added after receiving the go-ahead from the girls.
"That's great. I'm happy for her," Eloise said, biting her lip slightly. "Is she there with you right now?"
"Yes, she's here," Regina answered.
"May I speak with her? Would that be alright? To say goodbye?" Eloise asked.
"I think it'll be alright, as long as Regina and Emma agree to it," Belle said. They looked at each other for a second, silently discussing this.
"The decision should come from Alice. If she wishes to speak to you, we're alright with it," Regina answered.
"Sure," Alice said from her nook, taking a tentative step toward the computer, with Robin right beside her. Regina started to stand, but Alice pressed her shoulder to tell her to stay seated. She didn't plan on talking long.
"There she is. Hello, little rabbit," Eloise said as Alice leaned into the camera's vision.
"Yeah, no. You lost the right to call me that when you threw me away," Alice said, slight anger in her voice.
"Alice, I'm so sorry. We never meant to hurt you. You have to believe that."
"I don't. You threw me away because of something no one has any control over. The things you said to me…the names you called me…those are unforgivable."
"I know things didn't turn out the way we all hoped, but know that no matter what, I will always be your mother, and you will always be my daughter," Eloise said, ignoring Alice's previous statement.
"Actually, no. You were my mother, for sixteen years. But you lost that right when you threw me away. These women…" Alice said, resting her hands on Regina and Emma's shoulders. "…these women are my mothers. They took me in when my parents threw me away. They welcomed me into their home and into their lives. They are my mothers, not you." Alice's voice was firm.
"Alice. You don't mean that…" Eloise said, her voice sounding hurt, even though the computer.
"Yes, I do. Sign the papers, Eloise. Sign the papers so we can finally be a family." Everyone was silent for a few moments as Eloise looked down at the table in front of her. They thought she was attempting to compose herself, until her head snapped up a few minutes later.
"I signed them…" she said, holding up the document, showing her signature at the bottom. "…she's all yours," Eloise said, holding back her tears.
"Thank you," Regina said, trying to contain her excitement in front of the distraught mother.
"Yes, thank you so much," Emma said, tears welling in her eyes.
"Good. Robin and I are going to watch a movie in my room, if that's okay?" Alice said, looking to Regina and Emma for permission to be alone with her Soulmate.
"Yes, of course. Have fun," Regina said.
"Hey, the door stays open though." Emma smirked, poking both blondes in the shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world, causing them to giggle.
"Hey, wait. Is that your Soulmate? Can I…can I meet her before you leave?" Eloise asked, trying to desperately cling to the last moments with her daughter. Robin stepped into frame for a split second before Alice pulled her away.
"My mothers know her. They are the only ones that matter," Alice said, popping into frame one more time. "Goodbye Eloise." She disappeared from the screen, just the sight of her reaching for a young girl's hand could be seen behind the women as she led her Soulmate to her room.
"Promise me you'll always take care of her and keep her safe," Eloise said, tears rushing down her face.
"Of course. We will always care for her, as if she came from our own bodies," Regina said, holding back her own tears of happiness.
"Until the day we die," Emma added, squeezing Regina's hand with excitement.
"That is all I ask," Eloise said, taking a deep breath. "I'll mail the papers in the morning. They are signed and ready to go."
"Thank you," Regina said softly.
"Can I just ask one question before you go?" Emma asked. Eloise stiffened on the other end of the computer.
"Sure," she said.
"Why? Why did you do what you did?"
"Because she's an Alpha."
"Yes, we know that. But why does that matter?"
"Alphas can not be female," Eloise answered.
"Well, that's not true," Regina chimed in, irritation in her voice.
"Yes, well, I know you think you're an Alpha. But you're not, not really," Eloise explained. "You're an abomination, just like my… your daughter. I'm sure that's the reason you can not have children, to avoid passing your genes to an innocent child."
"Well, I think that's enough for tonight. Eloise, I will watch for the paperwork from you. Thank you for joining us. I will be ending your connection," Belle said. A moment later, Eloise was gone, leaving just the two of them with Belle. "Well, ladies. Everything looks good. Once I receive the paperwork from Eloise, we can move forward to the final step in the adoption process. I'll call you once everything is in place."
"Thank you, Belle," Regina said.
"It's my pleasure. Have a good night. I'll be in touch soon," she said before ending the call.
"She's almost ours," Regina said, releasing the tears she was holding back for the longest time.
"She was always ours." Emma smiled, wiping the tears from Regina's face and wrapping her arms around her wife. "She's almost legally ours though."
"We should probably go talk to her. Make sure she's okay after what her mother said."
"Her former mother." Emma smiled. They closed the computer and made their way to Alice's room, finding the young couple cuddled together, their eyes trained on the TV mounted to the wall in front of them.
"Hey, are you okay? That was a pretty tough call," Emma asked. Alice paused the movie, allowing them both to focus on the adults.
"Yeah. I think I am," Alice answered.
"Are you sure? You can tell us if you're not," Regina said, standing behind Emma in the doorway.
"Yeah. I think I really am. She said some horrible things to me when I left, and I know she said some horrible things to you after we left," Alice started to say.
"We were eavesdropping," Robin admitted, a guilty look on her face.
"Yeah…" Regina agreed.
"But you know what? I said my peace. I told her how I really felt, and I meant every word of it. You guys are my parents, not the people who gave birth to me. And I can never thank you enough," Alice said.
"You never have to thank us," Emma said, holding back tears.
"We'll leave you alone. If you need us, you know where to find us," Regina said, turning to leave.
"Remember, you're on the couch tonight, Alice. Don't stay up too late," Emma said, winking at the young couple before following her wife.
A few hours later, Emma poked her head back into their room on her way to bed, to find the teens curled up together, their arms wrapped around each other, sound asleep under the covers. She smiled when she thought back to being that age, and how every cell in her body ached for Regina. She slowly closed the bedroom door, letting the girls sleep instead of busting Alice for sharing a bed with Robin.
"The girls are curled up together and sound asleep in Alice's bed. I decided to let them sleep instead of making Alice move," Emma said as she climbed in bed with Regina.
"I don't care what Alice says, that was a tough conversation. We just won't tell Zelena they shared a bed tonight," Regina said, curling up next to Emma, pulling her into her arms.
"Hey, are you okay too? She said some horrible things about you too," Emma asked.
"Believe me, Emma. I've heard worse things about myself, most coming from my own mother. It takes a whole lot more than what she said to put me over the edge," Regina said, kissing Emma sweetly.
"Ladies? They are ready for you." There was a collective deep breath as the women squeezed into the small office, closing the door behind them.
"Well, this is quite the turn out we have here," the older man behind the desk said, looking up at the small group of people standing before him.
"This is a very exciting day," Zelena said from the back of the room.
"Well then, let's get this started so you can go celebrate," the judge said, shifting in his seat, looking down at the paperwork in front of him. "So, we're here today to finalize the adoption of Miss Alice Jones by Regina and Emma Swan-Mills. Are all parties present today?"
"We're right here," Alice said, stepping forward, followed by Emma and Regina, flanking her on both sides.
"Well, ladies, I've reviewed your file, and it appears all the paperwork is in perfect order. That's the boring part of the whole process, isn't it?" the judge asked Alice.
"Yeah. And it takes a long time."
"I certainly does. It took forever for your foster parents to fill out and submit all their paperwork, didn't it?"
"Yeah," Alice agreed.
"I just have to ask a few more questions, and this entire process will be over. My first question is for Alice." Alice took a deep breath. Belle had gone over the entire process with all of them, so they knew what to expect when the time came. "Alice, you're sixteen now, almost seventeen actually. Which means, since you have the choice, do you still wish to be adopted by the Swan-Mills?" the judge asked.
"Yes. I definitely still want to be a part of their family." Alice had been practicing her response ever since they were granted a court date to finalize the adoption.
"That's wonderful news," the judge said, turning his attention to Regina. "Regina, do you promise to protect and care for Alice, even after she has turned eighteen?"
"Without a shadow of a doubt," Regina answered.
"Perfect. Emma, same question."
"With my life," Emma answered.
"Wonderful. That was easy." The judge pulled out one more form. "I just have one final form before I can officially declare this adoption approved. I just need your new parents to sign this." He placed the form on the front edge of his desk. Regina and Emma rushed forward to sign their names, handing it back to the judge, who added his own signature and seal below. "By the power vested in me by the state of New York. I officially grant this adoption. Congratulations to all of you!" Excitement erupted in the small room as everyone took turns hugging each other. Alice and Robin kissed sweetly, not caring that their parents were watching.
"Before you leave, there is actually one more petition on the docket involving this beautiful family," the judge said, swapping folders. The adults looked around at each other in confusion. "I have here a petition for a name change for Alice Jones. You wish to change your name, is that correct?"
"Yes, Your Honor."
"And what name have you chosen?"
"Alice Swan-Mills," Alice said, with confidence.
"It's not necessary for you to change your name and take on your adoptive parents' name when you're over that age of ten. Are you positive you want to do this?"
"I'm positive. My parents threw me away the moment I presented as an Alpha. They threw me away because I was different. But Regina and Emma took me in. They made me a part of their family from the moment I met them. They treated me like I had always been their child from the very first moment. I want to honor the people who saved me, not the people who threw me away," Alice explained.
"Well, I can't argue with that." The judge chuckled. A few more signatures and a stamp later, he turned his attention back to the young girl. "Well, it's official. You are now Alice Swan-Mills," the judge announced, stamping the page one final time.
"Woah!" Robin yelped from the back of the room, shaking her arm as her face changed to concern.
"Are you okay?" Zelena asked, turning her attention to her distressed daughter.
"My arm feels weird," she said, pulling up her sleeve to inspect her limb. "Woah!" Her eyes fell on her Soulmate tattoo, which now looked a little different. "I guess it really is official." Everyone looked at the dark red letters "A.S-M." on the inside of her left arm.
"Well, that is certainly a first," the judge said. "Congratulations, ladies. Now go, celebrate your new family."
"Thank you." Alice beamed, lacing her fingers with Robin as she followed her family out of the office.
They were floating on cloud nine as the five of them made their way home, wide smiles plastered on all of their faces. This was the day they had all been working toward for what felt like an eternity, and now it's official. Alice was their daughter.
"Man, I'm starving. Someone is cooking something good," Alice said, as they walked down the hallway toward their apartment.
"I have half a mind to knock on their door and ask for a plate." Zelena laughed as she followed them down the long hallway. The smell only got stronger as they got closer to home, the delicious smell infiltrating their senses as soon as Regina unlocked the front door.
"Daddy? What are you doing here?" she asked when she returned home to find her father cooking in their kitchen, discovering the source of the wonderful smell.
"You didn't think I would miss this, did you?" he said, turning around to face the group. "My granddaughter only gets adopted once in her life, and I intend on celebrating with her." He rushed over to Alice, squeezing her tightly. "Welcome to the family." he whispered into her ear.
"Thank you," Alice said back, trying to hold back tears.
"Now come, come. Lunch is ready. You all must be starving," Henry said as he pulled away from his granddaughter.
They ate together as Henry attempted to get to know the newest members of his family, which now included Robin and Zelena, not just Alice. After lunch, he presented the family with a large box filled with cupcakes, each piled high with sprinkles.
"Before we get wrapped up with the coffee and cupcakes, there's something I want to give you," Henry said, turning toward Alice who was busy filling cups of coffee. "When Regina was younger, I gave her a necklace with the letter 'R' on it. And when she married Emma, I gifted Emma a necklace with the letter 'E' on it, since she was now a part of my family." Henry pulled a small box out of his coat pocket. "And today, you are officially a part of my family, even though we never needed a piece of paper to prove you were. And like your mothers, I would like to give you this." Henry handed Alice a small box. Alice's hands shook slightly as she opened the box, revealing a small necklace with the letter "A" on the pendant.
"Thank you so much," Alice whispered. Regina was by her side in an instant, taking the necklace from the box and securing it around her daughter's neck. Alice felt nothing but love as she looked around the room at her new family, one that accepted her and loved her unconditionally from the very beginning.
Alice started waving wildly when she saw Robin standing on the platform, the train slowing as it arrived at the Scarsdale train station. As soon as the doors opened, she shot out like a bat out of hell, rushing toward her Omega, their young bodies slamming into each other as they hugged the other so tightly they knocked Robin's glasses clean off her face. Luckily, Zelena was right behind them and she rescued the spectacles from the ground before anyone could step on them. Emma and Regina joined them a moment later, laughing at the young girls' displays of affection.
"Thanks for doing this, Zelena. This is all Alice has been able to talk about all week. She's so excited," Regina said, hugging her sister.
"It's my pleasure. It's not everyday that my little sister adopts a teenager, who also happens to be my daughter's Soulmate." Zelena laughed at their complicated family tree. The girls were already at the car when the adults caught up with them, bouncing up and down with anticipation.
"Come on, slow pokes! If we don't get there early, there's going to be a huge crowd."
"Yes, ma'am." Zelena laughed as she unlocked the car from afar. They filed into the car, with Emma trapped in the backseat with the young love birds. The ride from the train station was only twenty minutes, which wouldn't have been bad, except the girls were making out the entire time, no longer hiding their displays of affection from their parents. Zelena quickly parked the car and Emma jumped out in an attempt to get away from the horney teenagers.
"My mom used to take me here all the time when I was a kid," Robin explained as she led the group toward the entrance. "You're going to love it here," she added, as they passed under the giant arch displaying the word "Playland". They paid the admissions fee and were all fitted with their own wristband before entering the amusement park, letting Robin lead the way through the park as she pointed out all her favorite rides.
They spent the entire day riding every ride, Regina and Zelena hanging back while Emma went with the girls on the roller coasters, relieved they didn't have to endure the thrill rides.
"Can I ask you something?" Zelena asked as they waited while Emma took the girls on the dragon coaster for the third time that day.
"What's up?"
"Now, please don't be angry with me. I was asking Alice about you guys, trying to learn more about you. And she told me you guys had been through quite a lot since you met in high school. Would it be too forward of me to ask what happened?" Zelena asked. Regina's eyes stayed trained on her wife as she waited in line with the girls, the three of them laughing hysterically.
"We did. And everything that happened was my fault," Regina said, pulling herself away from the display in front of her.
"How was it your fault?" Zelena asked.
"When we were in high school, right after my eighteenth birthday, my mot…Cora had her sent away. She called social services and told them we were involved in an inappropriate relationship and she demanded Emma be taken out of town. When the social worker came to take her away, I confessed that we were Soulmates, and as an Alpha they couldn't take my Omega away. But since Emma was still seventeen, and we were unmarked, there was nothing we could do. Cora even blocked us from finding out where Emma was sent. We were separated for five years, and by the time I found her, the damage was already done."
"What damage?" Zelena asked.
"She was homeless. She was so skinny when I found her. She was starving to death," Regina said, her eyes filling with tears as she remembered that horrible time in their lives.
"Clearly, she got better," Zelena said, following the story.
"Yes, but there was a deeper cost. She was an unmarked Omega, living on the streets in Florida. She had to spend all her money on suppressors, for her own safety," Regina explained, turning her gaze back to her wife, still waiting in line.
"Emma is sterile," Zelena whispered, finally understanding their motivation for adopting Alice.
"Yes…" Regina said, quickly wiping a stray tear that fell from her eye.
"How is that your fault, Regina? If anything I blame Cora," Zelena asked.
"Because I was too afraid to take that next step. If we had mated…if I had marked her…there wouldn't have been able to take her away from me. I could have saved her from five years of struggling and pain and near-death experiences."
"Regina, you were a child. You couldn't have known," Zelena said.
"I should have looked for her more. I should have tried harder. Instead, I went to college and took a year off before law school. I gave up on us."
"You didn't. You were securing your future."
"That's not all. Once I found her and brought her home, we both went to school. I started law school and she went to school to become a paramedic. But we struggled. We barely saw each other, and when we did, we fought. It finally ended when I graduated and was offered my dream job. We got married the weekend after I found out I passed the bar," Regina explained.
"That's wonderful."
"It was. We went back to Storybrooke and were married under the very same apple tree we shared our first kiss under during our first date. My father officiated the ceremony. But…" Regina said, taking a moment to steel herself to finish the story. "When we got back we were…we were attacked. They made me watch as they did unspeakable things to her and…and they cut my marks off her body. They cut me off her as I was forced to watch, before they nearly beat me to death." More tears fell from her eyes. Zelena was filled with anger but made none of it visible as she waited for her sister to continue her story. "We struggled for months. But we got through it. That's when we found out we were unable to have children."
"That wasn't your fault, Regina."
"Yes, it was. We were attacked because of my biology. We were attacked and I couldn't protect her. I vowed to always protect her, and I failed her," Regina said, a steady flow of tears falling down her face, staining her shirt.
"Regina…none of that was your fault. And I know this is going to sound insensitive but…everything worked out for you both in the end, did they not? You are both happy and healthy, with successful careers and now you have Alice. If things were different, Alice would have ended up somewhere else. Everything happens for a reason, even the horrible things." Regina took a deep breath, pulling her attention away from her family as their rollercoaster car disappeared along the tracks.
"Yes. I suppose you're right," Regina said, wiping the tears off her face.
"You have to stop beating yourself up. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Zelena laughed, lifting the sad mood from them both.
"Thank you," Regina whispered as she hugged her sister. "Can I ask you something as well?"
"Of course," Zelena answered.
"Where is your Soulmate? You've only mentioned him once, and Robin speaks of him as though she doesn't know him," Regina asked, deciding this wasn't an inappropriate question, given their previous conversation.
"I wasn't as lucky as everyone else. He passed shortly after I found out I was pregnant with Robin," Zelena answered, lifting her sleeve to reveal the name "Robin Locksley" in dark black letters.
"Oh Zelena, I'm so sorry," Regina said, her problems seeming insignificant now. Regardless of what happened to them over the years, she still had Emma.
"It's alright. We knew it was coming. We were doomed from the beginning," Zelena said, pausing for a moment as the roller coaster continued to run in front of them, screams of excitement heard from each car. "We met while he was in the hospital. I was working as a nurse at the hospital he was in. We knew we didn't have much time, so we did our best to make the most of what time we did have. I found out I was pregnant only a few days before he passed. He died knowing he would be a father." Silent tears rushed down her face.
"And that's why you moved here," Regina said, understanding her sister's motives.
"Yes. Everything there reminded me of him, even though he had never left the hospital. I needed to run away from the pain and have a fresh start. I named her Robin after him, so his memory would always continue."
"I'm so sorry, Zelena. I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel to lose your Soulmate. I don't know what I would do if I lost her," Regina said, watching as the three blondes exited the coaster and made their way toward them, Emma looking a little more green after each coaster the girls dragged her onto.
"Hey, are you okay?" Emma asked when she saw the slightest remnants of Regina's tears.
"Yes. Zelena and I were talking, telling her some sad stories. But I'm okay now."
"Good. Because I think I may need you to take over coaster duty. I might actually throw up on our daughter if they make me go on another one."
"Don't worry, my love. I got your back," Regina said, kissing Emma sweetly.