Hello Lovelies!
I actually had the bulk of this chapter written for most of the week, but the editing process to a bit longer than usual because I decided to write a lot of it at an ungodly hour and I happened to fall asleep while still writing, so none of that section made any sense and I had to re-write it, but it's here now!
All mistakes are my own.
Enjoy :)
geborgenheit:
(n.) to feel completely safe, like nothing could ever harm you: security, comfort, trust, satisfaction, acceptance, and love from others
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She pushes the door open and the muffled noise becomes much louder. She blinks to clear away the sudden onslaught of sunshine. The dining hall windows were uncovered, allowing sunshine to stream in and across the floor. Her grip tightens around Regina's free hand as she steps in the room, pulling her wife with her. She instinctually tucks a still-sleeping Charlotte closer to her body and notices that Regina does the same with Evelyn.
Zelena and Robin are right behind them, cling to the other's hand while studying the room they step into.
Emma slowly looks around and notices the room is full of people. She doesn't allow her gaze to linger on the adults and instead turns to the children chasing each other in the far corner. Which ones are my siblings? Whoa, this is so weird. I don't even know my own siblings. Oh god, Henry is older than he aunts/uncles. Tommy could be older than his aunts/uncles. Oh my god. WEIRD! I wonder who all these other kids are. They're not all my siblings are they? Oh no, there's no way my parents could have this many kids, could they? No, Emma. You're being ridiculous now, there's no way someone could pop that many kids out in such a short amount of time. That's just ridic-
"REGINA?!" Emma glances in the general direction that the scream came from and sees another blonde running towards them. She looks over and sees her wife just as startled by the outburst and quickly bounces side to side to calm a suddenly screaming Evelyn. "Oh my gosh! REGINA! You're back!" Kathryn squeals as she stops directly in front of Regina. She reaches out to wrap Regina in a hug but immediately stops when she notices the screaming infant in her arms, "and you have a baby?" Kathryn asks in a much more subdued tone, her eyes light up at her brunette friend who is quietly cooing to the fussing baby in her arms. Kathryn takes a minute to actually study her friend and notices her free hand is still securely in Emma's grasp; the same Emma that is holding a baby and rocking in a similar fashion to Regina. Neither notices that their hands are still connected, but they are rocking and bouncing their babies in sync so as to keep their connection. "Twins?" Kathryn squeaks out.
Regina lifts her eyes to look at her blonde friend. She nods and smiles warmly. Kathryn squeals again and is practically bouncing up and down with excitement, causing Regina to chuckle and roll her eyes and her friends enthusiasm.
"I haven't seen you in years and suddenly you show up and babies?!" Kathryn draws out the "s" and motions with her hands between Emma and Regina. "Don't judge me dear, I'm excited! And now I'm going to hug you, okay? I'm not taking no for an answer."
Regina just laughs again and removes her hand from Emma's to hug her friend back.
Kathryn immediately pulls back when she feels an infant squirming between them. She smiles down at the baby and says, "That was surprisingly easy, considering how your mom usually is with affection" she coos and runs a finger along Evy's cheek.
Regina rolls her eyes again and says, "Har Har," she says dryly, "It's good to see you again Kathryn. I take it you've been well?" She picks up her bounce/rock pattern to keep Evelyn content.
"Oh Regina!" Kathryn exclaims, "We have so much to catch up on!" She enunciates this with a nod toward the smiling baby in her arms.
"Of course dear," Regina says with a smile.
"But first, breakfast," Emma jumps in with a small nudge to her wife.
Regina affectionately rolls her eyes, "Oh of course darling, wouldn't want to forget that. Come along then, let's get you some food."
Emma smiles and leans in to kiss Regina's cheek, "You visit. I'll handle the monsters."
Regina pauses and looks at her wife, "Are you sure?"
Before Emma can answer, Zelena steps forward and holds her arms out for Evelyn, "Oh for the love of everything, you two are absolutely disgusting with you sweetness, give me my darling niece and go visit." She looks over to Kathryn and gives a nod of acknowledgement, "Kathryn."
Kathryn looks startled for a moment but quickly recovers and says, "Hello Zelena."
Emma laughs at the shocked blonde before she covers again and says, "I'll catch ya later Kat," as she walks away.
"You better, Em." Kathryn says with a laugh and sends a wink to her brunette friend. She chuckles at Regina's expression and says, "Come along dear, I believe that was our cue to catch up."
Before Kathryn can take Regina over to the table, she sees a small blonde boy latches onto her leg. "Mommy! I goed explorin'!"
"You did?!" Regina asks excitedly as she lifts Tommy up on to her hip. "And what did you find when you went exploring?"
"A knight in a suit. Henny says it wike Momma."
"Really? That sounds like you had fun."
Tommy nods his head enthusiastically, "Henny says we go agained afta we eat."
"Well then, I think you should go over by Momma and get some breakfast."
"You no come?" Tommy tilted his head.
"No, Querido. I'm going to go visit with my friend Kathryn here." She motions toward Kathryn who waves at the little boy.
He kicks his feet and wiggles around, a sign that he wants to be put down. Regina smiles and sets him down. He immediately faces Kathryn and puts out his hand, "I'm Tommy."
Kathryn raises her eyebrows and gives a smile, "Well hello Tommy. I'm Kathryn." She shakes his small and her smile grows when he lets out a giggle.
"Mommy doesn't like it when Momma calls me Tommy," he giggles again and motions for the blonde to move closer. Kathryn raises an eyebrow again, but obliges and bends over so her head is at a height that Tommy can reach. He grabs her cheeks and pulls her closer to "whisper" in her ear, "So you shou' say Thomas when Mommy heya."
Kathryn laughs and pulls away to look at the little boy. She pokes his belly and says, "You certainly act just like your Momma. But I'll be sure to call you Thomas when your Mommy is with me," she adds with a wink.
"Good," he nods and turns to Regina who quickly covers her laughter with a mock stern look. Tommy smiles innocently and motions for her to come closer. She laughs at her son's antics but accommodates and bends over only for Tommy to wrap his arms tightly around her neck. She grunts but wraps her arms around him and lifts him in the arm. "I wuv you Mommy," he whispers into her hair.
"I love you too, Querido." She kisses his temple and sets him down saying, "Now go get some breakfast so you can go exploring again." She doesn't get a response as her son is already running to his blonde mother and the rest of their family at the table.
"Regina!" Kathryn squeals, causing Regina to snap her head towards her blonde friend. Kathryn quickly loops her arm through Regina's and pulls her in the other directions, "He is adorable! My goodness, oh! How is Henry? Where is Henry? And I want to hear all about those beautiful babies you were holding earlier. And Zelena, when you did you two become all buddy-buddy? And how's Robin? And Roland? Is that little girl theirs too?"
"Breathe, Kathryn," Regina says with a chuckle as she pulls her friend closer to her, effectively stopping her from leaving the dining hall. "Henry is great, he's over standing next to Emma right now."
Kathryn's jaw drops as she looks over to Emma, "that's Henry?" Regina chuckles and nods, "Oh gosh! He got so big!"
Regina nods again, "Yes, unfortunately my children have this idea in their heads that it is alright for them to grow up," she huffs with a smile.
"Regina! Did you just try to make a joke? My, my, my, things certainly have changed! But we'll talk about that and a certain blonde I know is the reason for this change, but first, tell me about your babies!"
Kathryn is squealing again. Regina rolls her eyes but indulges her since they haven't seen each other in years. "Alright, alright, settle down. Henry is doing wonderfully. He enjoys the other world so much. He's excelling at school, obviously," she adds with a smirk, causing Kathryn to laugh out loud. "He's officially a teenager and is always ready to remind Emma and I of this fact when he believes we are hovering." She laughs and moves on to her next "baby". "Thomas is three and the sweetest and most caring soul I have ever met. He definitely takes after Emma in how considerate he is of other's emotions and he's quick to smile and give out hugs. And he loves to "save people"." She uses finger quotes and laughs at Kathryn's expression. "He pretends he is Batman or he will dress up like a police officer and rescue things around the house."
"He's precious Regina."
Regina smiles and nods as she continues, "And you wanted to know about my little babies?" she asks with a smirk as Kathryn nods enthusiastically. "Well, their names are Evelyn and Charlotte and they are three months old."
"Gosh Regina! I can't handle all of this! I can't believe you were away for four years! And look at all you've accomplished! You kids are perfect!"
Regina smiles at her friend, "I'm very lucky," she says with nod, "and honestly I cannot believe we were away for four years either. I assumed that we would have been brought back within days, if not hours, of our departure."
Kathryn throws her head back and lets out a laugh. "It's not like we didn't want you here dear. I know Snow tried to bring you all back the minute you stepped through that door, but David kept her distracted with fixing up the castle and with the babies."
Regina nods, "Well, either way, once our memories were back we knew we couldn't stay away. We had to come back and make sure everyone was alright." She pauses to see if Kathryn was going to explain why they were "summoned" but all she received was silence. She sighs and moves on, "So, we started searching for the entrance and once it was found we came."
Kathryn nods and then asks, "So, you really lost your memories?"
Regina nods, "We had no memory of any of this."
"Really? What did you know then?"
"Well, that's a lot," Regina says dryly. "We knew that we were in love, so we immediately got married-"
"You're married?" Kathryn squeals. She immediately reaches out and grabs Regina's left hand to look at her ring, "It's beautiful," she whispers.
Regina chuckles at her friend and says, "Yes, Emma did a wonderful job. So, we got married and started fertility treatments and had Thomas."
"You can call him Tommy," Kathryn interrupts.
"Pardon?" Regina asks.
"I know you want to call him Tommy. I promise not to tell your wife," she adds with a smirk.
Regina rolls her eyes but concedes, "Very well. We had Tommy. We already had our lives set up by then. Emma works with on the police force and I work as a human rights lawyer."
Kathryn whistles, "Fancy lady," she drawls with a wink.
Regina can't help but shake her head at her friend's antics. "And you Kathryn? How have you been?"
"Well, my life has not been quite as interesting as yours but I, too, expanded my family." She motions to the cluster of children that has moved to the table for breakfast.
"There's Daniel right there," she motions to a small brunette boy trying to swipe a roll from an older brunette.
When the curse was initially broken Kathryn and Frederick were reunited and quickly remembered they had just found out they were expecting before the Dark Curse washed over the land. Kathryn could not believe at how much had changed in those 28 years. She had never been particularly close to Regina in the old world. Granted nobody was, but the only problem she had with her was that she was constantly attacking Snow White, who became her friend by default through David. However, she and Regina had become friends during the Dark Curse. Regina liked Kathryn. She had always thought of Abigail as nothing but an airhead in the Enchanted Forest, but Kathryn was the one person that broke down the Mayor's walls and became a close confidant. As soon as they were back in the Enchanted Forest, Kathryn sought out Regina to inform her that she was not upset and that she wanted to continue their friendship. Regina was initially shocked because she had thought honestly, who wants to be friends with the Evil Queen? But Kathryn had none of it. They even spent their evenings talking about everything from their old lives as well as their cursed lives. One night, after a few too many drinks, Regina revealed the story of Daniel and Kathryn immediately knew if she were to have a son, she would want to name him after such an important man. When she broached the idea to Regina when her son was born, Regina was so overwhelmed she actually initiated a hug-this was the first time that had ever happened.
Regina gasps and turns to Kathryn, "He's so much bigger than when I last saw him."
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"Regina?" Kathryn calls out as her head lolls back against the pillow, exhaustion lacing her voice.
"Hello Kathryn. I was told you were calling for me?"
"Yes, I wanted you to meet someone," Kathryn says with a smile. She looks down at the baby swaddled in her arms and her smile grows. "Come over here?" She phrases it as a question because she knows how much Regina hates feeling forced to do something.
Regina smiles at the sight of mother and son and takes a few steps into the room, stopping next to Kathryn's bed.
"Would you like to hold him?" Kathryn asks.
"Oh, I don't know, Kathryn," Regina starts but is cut off by Kathryn.
"Please?"
Regina pauses and then nods at her blonde friend. Kathryn smiles weakly and hands over her beautiful baby. Regina carefully wraps him in her arms and smiles down at him, immediately in love. "Hello, Little One," she coos.
Kathryn smiles and Frederick moves to her other side, kissing her forehead. "Regina?" Kathryn whispers.
Regina looks up from the baby, her finger still tightly in his grasp, "Yes?"
"I have something to ask you."
Regina waits for her to continue but when Kathryn merely looks at her, she raises an eyebrow and says, "Are you going to ask or do I have to guess?"
Kathryn smiles and says, "I want to ask you about a name."
This causes both of Regina's eyebrows to lift, "Before a naming ceremony?" Kathryn nods and Regina asks, "You want my opinion?" in clear disbelief.
Kathryn smiles, "Regina. We are friends-best friends-when are you going to get it through that thick skull of yours?" Regina chuckles, causing Kathryn's smile to soften as she adds, "but that's not what I want to ask. I want your permission."
"Permission for what?" Regina asks, clearly confused.
So dense, Kathryn thinks, guess I'll have to spell this out for her. "I want your permission before I name him."
"Him?" She asks as she looks down at the baby in her arms, a smile upon her face.
"Yes," Kathryn says as she looks at her best friend holding her baby, her husband by her side. She thinks her heart has never felt so full. Her smile widens at the feeling but then her heart sinks with the fear that Regina will reject her idea. "We want to name him Daniel," she whispers quickly and quietly.
Regina freezes and quickly looks up from the baby to her best friend's blue eyes. "What?" she whispers in disbelief. Clearly she had heard wrong, Kathryn certainly wouldn't want to name him after her lost love, right?
Kathryn nods and gives a soft smile, "He was very important to you, and that makes him important to me. Without him, none of this would have happened. And I believe that that deserves recognition, yes?" Kathryn ends in a question because now she doubts her initial thoughts. Maybe this was a bad idea. She looks up to see Regina with tears in her eyes, a very bad idea.
But Regina is smiling and looks down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "I think Daniel would be honored."
Kathryn smiles with happiness and relief, she and Frederick hadn't thought of any other names if Regina had said no. "Are you okay with it?" Kathryn asks tentatively.
Regina looks up at her friend and gives her a genuine smile, "Yes dear, I think it's a wonderful idea. No one has ever done something so wonderful and thoughtful for me. Thank you."
"Of course, Regina! You're the most important friend I have and that's why we want you to be Daniel's Godmother."
Again, Regina is caught off guard and snaps her head up to look at her friend, "Pardon?"
"We decided to keep that tradition from the other world, it's important to us, and who better to trust our child with than my best friend, who just happens to previously be one of the most feared women in history." Kathryn smirks at her own joke.
Regina rolls her eyes. There are not many people she would allow to say something like that, but Kathryn makes that very short list, so she simply smirks and says, "Ah, so I will become more of a personal bodyguard for your child."
"Essentially," Kathryn quips back.
Regina laughs and looks down at the baby in her arms, Daniel. She can't help the smile that makes it way to her face. She's so happy. She's happy for her friend-her best friend-who's starting her family and who wants her to be a part of her baby's life but also wants to name her son after her first love. "Thank you," she whispers, glancing up at Kathryn with tears in her eyes.
Kathryn opens her arms and Regina hands her Daniel.
Before she leaves she wraps her arms around Kathryn, shocking her. Regina was never one to initiate contact with others, unless it was Henry, but she wrapped Kathryn in tight hug and whispered, "Thank you," again into her hair. She pulls back and adjusts her outfit and brushes her hair away, a coping mechanism to fight her emotions and keep them locked away, she gives a final smile and says, "Let me know if you need anything else."
"Come back and visit us soon," Kathryn calls with a smile as her friend leaves the room.
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"Yes, you're children aren't the only ones insisting on growing up," Kathryn says with a chuckle. "And he has definitely been missing his Godmother lately."
Regina rolls her eyes, "I highly doubt he even remembers me dear. He was only an infant when I left."
"You may have lost your memories, but we all remembered you, and we tell Daniel all about his Fairy Godmother," she adds with a smirk.
Regina glares at Kathryn, "You didn't." She shudders to think she is in any way similar to the blue moth.
"Oh, but I did." Kathryn smirks again and then turns back to the table. "And there's Abigail and Ashley, causing trouble as usual."
Regina looks to see two blondes crawling under the table, tickling legs. She smiles and asks, "both yours?"
Kathryn shakes her head, "Abigail is, but Ashley belongs to Ella and Thomas."
"I see," Regina muses.
"Yes, I prefer to go by my name given to me in the curse, but decided that Abigail was an important name, so I gave it to my daughter. And Ella chose to go back to her official name and thought that Alexandra would need a strong partner in crime and so she named her daughter Ashley." Regina smiles softly but doesn't say anything. Kathryn continues, "We were pregnant at the same time and we knew that our daughters would become fast friends. And boy did they ever! They're constantly causing trouble."
Regina gives a sly smile and says, "I see the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
Kathryn gasps and throws a hand over her heart, "I'm appalled at that insinuation."
Regina laughs and says, "Oh please, Kathryn, I may not have known you personally here in the Enchanted Forest but I certainly heard stories about Midas' daughter."
"All lies."
"Mhmm," Regina mutters, unconvinced.
Kathryn grabs Regina's hand, making sure she has her undivided attention before she says, "I hope you know that no one here blames you. Not anymore." Regina raises both of her eyebrows in shock but Kathryn just chuckles, "Oh please, your face is easier to read than a book, Regina." Regina doesn't say anything, so Kathryn squeezes her hand and says, "I truly am happy you found happiness, but I missed you, my friend."
"As soon as I had my memories back I knew I missed you. I had hoped you would be here so we could catch up. You always knew what to say, I didn't know what I was missing until my memories were back."
Kathryn smiles at the compliment. "How was that?" she asks, "The whole "not remembering thing"? Was it rough?"
"Well, not remembering was not hard, but getting our memories back and realizing what we were missing? That was hard. Is hard."
"Do you have friends there?" Kathryn asks innocently.
Regina sees through the act and says, "None like you Kathryn." She smirks and shakes her head fondly.
Kathryn laughs and says, "I wasn't fishing for compliments Regina, I was honestly curious."
"I have acquaintances there, yes. I am close with parents in Tommy's Parent-And-Me class, but truly, none quite like you dear. Honestly, I have never been much of a people person."
Kathryn throws a hand over her face dramatically and pretends to swoon, "Gosh, Regina, you sure know how to make a girl feel special."
Regina lightly shoves her and says, "Oh stop it."
"Are you two behaving over here?" A voice calls from behind them.
"Absolutely not," Kathryn says with a smirk.
"Hello Frederick," Regina says with a smile.
She jumps when Kathryn's husband wraps her in a hug. "Hello Regina. Welcome back."
Regina gives a small smile and says "Th-thank you."
"I see you're scaring my wife, Fred," Emma says as she stops next to Regina and wraps an arm around her waist.
Frederick smiles at Emma and says, "I don't think it's fear, just shock, Em."
Emma just smiles and turns her head to the side to look at her wife, "Breakfast? I think you should eat something before we decide on our next step."
Regina nods and starts to move when Kathryn touches her arm, "Talk later?"
"Of course. We have much more to catch up on," Regina says with a smile.
"I'll hold you to that," Kathryn says with a smile as she and Frederick turn away and make their way to where the children have congregated after breakfast.
Regina smiles as Emma turns her toward the table.
Once seated with a plate in front of her, she looks across the table and Zelena and Robin both holding one of her daughters. She smiles and Zelena asks, "When are we saving the day?" She laughs and adds, "Who would have thought the Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch would be the ones saving the day?"
Regina laughs with her sister, but before she can answer she hears a voice call, "Emma?"
Emma lifts her head and sees her father standing in the doorway. She stands up and is immediately wrapped up in her father's arms. She tenses for less than a second before she relaxes into his arms. Her heart warms when she feels him rest his hand on the back of her head. She takes a deep breath, and realizes just how much she had missed this. Her dad always made her feel safe when she was in his arms, always protected. She goes to pull back but it stuck in place, David squeezing her tighter. "Dad," she mumbles as she pats his back, trying to signal that their hug is over.
"I hope you're not trying to suffocate my wife, Charming." Regina drawls as she stands from the table.
David reluctantly lets Emma go and steps back to look at her. Before Regina has time to respond, she finds herself wrapped up in one of David's famous bear hugs. It does not go on as long as Emma's did, but when he releases her, Regina is frozen in shock.
Emma laughs and goes to put an arm around her wife's waist, "I think you broke her Dad," she says with a chuckle.
"That was not my intention, Em. I'm just so glad you're both back, and safe. I saw Henry this morning and met Tommy, but I'd like to meet my granddaughters now."
Emma smiles and motions over to where Zelena and Robin are holding the babies. "Zelena's holding Lottie and Robin's got Evy."
Introductions are made and Snow and David meet their grandchildren when Emma gets to meet her little siblings.
Regina can tell that Emma is nervous. After her initial shock over David's greeting, she's focused on making sure her children are safe, her sister is not causing too many problems, and her wife does not lose her mind. "Emma, are you alright?"
Emma nods distractedly, looking at all of the kids playing at the other end of the room.
Regina steps into her line of sight and says, "I need you to breathe, darling. Everything is going to be fine, take a deep breath."
Emma nods, this time keeping her eyes on Regina's, allowing them to ground her. She smiles and whispers, "Thanks."
Regina winks and says, "Anytime," causing Emma to chuckle.
"Emma?" Snow calls.
Emma turns around to face her mother, quickly reaching out to grab Regina's hand. When it's safely enclosed in her own, she moves toward her mother.
"Emma. This is Ruth and Leopold," she says as she puts her hands on the kids' shoulders, "and this here is Eva," she points to a dark haired toddler running towards David.
Emma smiles tentatively at her siblings and notices Regina go rigid. She turns to quickly glance at her and sees her eyes have become glassy. "Regina?" Emma whispers as she tugs on her hand.
Regina snaps out of her trance and immediately looks up to Emma, putting on a tense smile. "Sorry dear, I believe Charlotte and Evelyn will be hungry soon. I'm going to go change them and then feed them. You stay here with the others. I won't be too long." And with that, she was gone.
Emma was shocked, why did Regina run out of here so fast? Maybe she really felt the need to nurse? No. Maybe she just needed to get away from everyone for a while? I don't blame her. Now let's look at my siblings. Oh shit. My siblings. Weird…they're the same age as my kids. What were their names again? Ruth, Leopold, and Eva? Weren't those their parents' names? Leopold and Eva were my Mom's parents' and Ruth was my Dad's mom. Fuck! LEOPOLD? No wonder Regina freaked. That's the man who forced her into a marriage and then hurt her, repeatedly. FUCK! "I gotta go," she mumbles as she moves to the door Regina just walked through with their daughters.
"Emma?"
"I have to go check on Regina."
"I'm sure she's fine," Snow says and she grabs onto Emma's arm, "She told you to stay down here and visit."
"If Dad had asked you to stay when he took off, would you? I didn't think so," she says as she says starts to leave.
"Emma?" Snow calls.
"No, she needs me. I think hearing that name triggered something."
"What name?" Snow asks clearly confused.
Emma quickly glances at Leopold and back up at Snow, but Snow doesn't catch on. Emma sighs and says, "It probably has something to do with the fact that you used the name for someone who hurt her very deeply."
"Regina didn't even know my mother! Why would that affect her?"
Emma sighs again and says, "It's not your mother."
Snow looks at her and then her eyes light up with the answer but then confusion sets in once more, "But she's the one that took him from me. That's why she did it, she wanted to hurt me."
Emma shakes her head, before Snow can continue, "No, she did that so she didn't have to hurt anymore. And no, I'm not going to say anymore, it's not my story to tell."
Emma turns toward the door once more and is gone. She runs up the stairs back to their chambers to find Regina sitting against the headboard, in the middle of the bed with a baby on each side of her.
"Gina?" she whispers, trying not to scare her wife.
Regina lifts her head, tears on her cheeks and sighs, "you were supposed to stay downstairs."
Emma shrugs and says, "I didn't listen." She moves to sit on the bed next to her wife, moves Evy to the other side next to Lottie and wraps Regina in her arms, "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault dear, I'm sorry I overreacted."
Before they can continue their conversation a small voice enters the room, "You're Emma?"
Emma turns toward the door to see Leopold in the doorway. Her brother.
Oh great, she thinks as she stands up, this is exactly what I need. A nosy brother who reminds my wife of her abusive ex-husband. Fantastic. "Yeah kid?" she asks as she stops in front of him.
"My Emma?" he questions again, this time with a tilted head, giving off a thoughtful expression.
Emma gives him a quizzical look. "I'm not sure what that means, but if you're referring to me being your sister, the answer is yes."
"Mom and Dad talk about you a lot. You're in all the bed time stories." The young boy gives a small smile and peeks around her to see her wife, "Regina?" he whispers quietly, waiting for the former queen to lift her head.
When she finally does, he moves forward slowly.
"I'm sorry if I upset you in any way. I did not mean to. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" he asks with a gentle smile, genuinely concerned. Emma cannot believe how articulate he is for such a young boy. Must be the princely lessons, she thinks with an internal smirk. My little brother's quite the charmer. Look at his little smile; it's just like mine. Oh he's totally going to make Regina melt-she's a sucker for those puppy eyes. Well done little bro, well done. Emma smiles with pride at the little brother she just met.
Regina gives a small smile and shakes her head, "You have done nothing wrong dear, I was merely a little preoccupied."
Leopold nods and moves closer to Regina. He looks her straight in the eye and rests a hand on her knee to say, "You can call me Leo if it helps," and then he was walking out the door, stopping only to wrap his arms around Emma's waist, "Hi Emma. I'm going to go back by Mom and Dad, but you should take care of Regina. I like her and she's practically my sister," he adds with a cheeky grin.
Emma chuckles as she rests her hand on her brother's head. "Got it, kid. I'll take good care of her," she whispers with a fond smile. He takes off out the door, Emma still smiling, only to look up and see Regina staring oddly, "What?" she asks.
"That was strange," Regina starts, "but I think that might help. Leo," she says as she tries the name out, seeing how it sounds as it rolls off her tongue. She had never called Snow's father anything but Your Majesty, My King, or Sir; so maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to distance herself from the name and focus on creating/fixing her own family. She smiles up at Emma and says, "I'm sorry I left."
"It's okay," Emma shrugs, "I know how hard it is for you to be back here."
Regina smirks and says, "Well there are some perks." She waves her hand and both her daughters' diapers were changed.
"Giiiiiiiiinnnnaaaa," Emma whines, "you've been holding out on me! You have got to show me how to do that."
Regina laughs at her wife and shakes her head fondly, "You should begin practicing your magic again, darling. Whoever we are fighting certainly won't take pity on you because you're a novice."
"Consider me you're magical battery, babe. Let me recharge you," she adds with a wink.
"Emma," Regina sighs, "you need to be able to control your own magic."
Emma dramatically flops onto the bed at Regina's feet and looks up to see her wife adjusting herself against the headboard to start nursing. "I know, babe, but it seems easier for you to just control it for me. Like in Neverland!"
Regina shakes her head, "Emma. I did not control your magic in Neverland, you did. I may have helped guide it to move the moon, but you were in control of your magic the entire time. It was you."
Emma stares at Regina in confusing. She shakes her head to bring her back out of her memories of that hellhole and says, "Then you can guide my magic. Whatever way you phrase it, that's what I want you to do."
Regina shakes her head, "I don't remember you ever being this lazy, dear."
Emma sits up on her left elbow to look at Regina and throws a hand over her heart saying, "I am appalled babe, I am not lazy, I'm merely saying that you are a much better magic wielder than a mere novice like myself. So, in the interest of safety for our family and friends, you should take the lead."
"Flattery will only get you so far, Emma."
Emma raises an eyebrow in challenge, "and how far did it get me this time?"
Regina smiles and says, "Far enough for you to start you lessons after I feed our daughters. I suppose I can teach you instead of pawning you off to Zelena."
Emma shudders, "I don't think I want Z teaching me magic. She'd probably have some crazy techniques to bring forth my potential," Emma mocks in a terrible accent.
A smirk forms on Regina's face, "Yes, I'm sure my thoughts on how to jumpstart your magic are much more pleasurable than my sister's."
Emma groans and falls to her back, staring at the ceiling, "How do you do that? That was so hot."
Regina smirks and says, "I'm glad you approve."
"Most definitely babe, one hundred percent. When do we start?"
A chuckle leaves Regina's mouth at her wife's sudden eagerness to learn magic. She looks down at her daughters attached to her breasts, "As soon as they're done feeding dear."
Emma groans again, "How am I supposed to wait when I know something amazing is going to happen?"
"Good things come to those who wait, Em-ma," Regina says enunciating Emma's name in a way that has the blonde practically panting.
"God Gina. You keep talking like that and I won't be able to wait."
"Are you two talking sex?" Zelena asks walking into the room.
Emma groans and covers her eyes, "Not anymore Z." She turns to look at Regina and declares, "It's no longer just our children that are hell-bent on cockblocking us, now it's your crazy sister too."
"Play nice, you two," Regina chides.
Zelena rolls her eyes and scoffs, "Are you sure I can't have just a little fun, Gi?" She flicks her wrist and watches green sparks fly out of her fingertips.
"Positive." Regina looks over to see Emma staring at her hands, "Emma?"
Emma shushes her, which earns her a raised eyebrow from her wife and a chuckle from her sister-in-law; both of which she misses because she is staring so hard at her hands. Finally, she lets out a sigh and throws her hands out to the sides on the bed.
Regina reaches out and grasps the hand that landed on her lap, careful not to jostle her nursing daughters too much. "Try again," she encourages. Zelena opens her mouth to say something but a quick glare from Regina silences her and she merely watches as Emma brings her free hand back in front of her face. "Focus your emotions dear. Think about what you want to happen and allow your magic to do the rest."
Emma closes her eyes and feels her magic in the center of her chest. She takes a deep breath and calls it forth just like she learned when they were in Neverland. She exhales and imagines in moving toward her hands. She sees the magic running down her arm almost like a golden string being pulled out of her. She imagines it flowing into her fingertips and creating a rainbow of sparks. She hears a gasp but she's concentrating too hard to figure out what it meant.
A whispered, "Emma," from her wife brings her out of her stupor.
Emma opens her eyes and looks at her hand, which had a miniature show of golden fireworks leaving her fingertips. Emma's grin is contagious as she looks from her hand to Regina. Regina smiles back and Emma whispers, "I did it." Her smile grows as Regina motions to the ceiling. Emma looks up to see the ceiling covered in what looked like stars. "I did that?" she questions.
Regina chuckles and nods her head.
Zelena scoffs, drawing attention to herself. She shrugs at the pointed look from Regina but looks to Emma and says, "So much potential. Wasted," and she storms out of the room.
"Ignore her," Regina says with an eye roll. "She's just upset that you figured it out so quickly. She wanted to tease you some more."
Emma smiles and crawls up next to Regina. "I'm sure she'll have plenty more opportunities." She looks up at the ceiling and repeats, "I did that?"
"You did," Regina praises.
"You helped," Emma assumes.
Regina shakes her head and says, "You did that all by yourself. I did not guide your magic in anyway."
"Hmmmm," Emma muses as she lays her head on the pillow next to Regina's hip. "This is so cool!" she squeals.
Regina laughs and moves her right hand to caress Emma's hair, "You're a child, dear."
Emma leans up on her elbow to look at Regina and says, "I am not," which was enunciated by her sticking her tongue out.
"Obviously," Regina snarks with a raised eyebrow.
"Obviously," Emma agrees. She falls back on her back and stares at the ceiling again. "Will it stay like that? Or will it go away?"
Regina smiles and hands Lottie to Emma. Emma immediately shifts to a sitting position, shoulder to shoulder with Regina, and lifts Lottie to her shoulder. Once Emma is situated, Regina leans her head against her shoulder and says, "It will probably stay for a while, but it will fade without a constant stream of magic."
Emma rests her cheek on Regina's head as she muses about this information. "What else do I have to work on?"
"Everything," Regina deadpans.
Emma silently laughs and says, "Very helpful, Your Majesty, as always." Emma glances down to see Regina smirking.
Regina sits up and lays Evy on her lap to adjust her shirt. When that's taken care of, she gets off the bed and says, "Come along dear, let's go find your family and save the day."
"What about my jumpstart you promised me?" Emma pouts.
Regina smiles and asks, "Didn't I already do that?" She points to the ceiling and says, "Looks like it worked."
"What?! THAT was my reward?" Emma is practically whining.
Regina laughs and walks to the other side of the bed and bends over so her mouth is next to Emma's ear. "I believe I can arrange for a better reward after we defeat whatever evil is currently plaguing this realm and we are back in our own home."
Emma groans as Regina stands up straight again. "I don't know babe, I think I might want to try some magic sex before we leave."
Regina throws her head back and lets out a throaty chuckle. She lowers her head again to look at Emma still on the bed, "You couldn't handle it darling," and she turns and walks out the door.
Emma throws her head back, knocking it against the headboard and growls. She looks down at Charlotte who is staring up at the stars on the ceiling. "What am I going to do Lottie? You're Mommy will be the death of me."
"Don't dawdle darling," Regina calls from the hallway.
Emma groans and drags herself off the bed and walks to the door with Charlotte cradled in her arms.
I'm hoping we can meet our villain next chapter but these characters do not usually follow my same thought process ;) anyway, there probably aren't too many chapters left in this story. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey and have a happy rest of your day!
Much love,
-IrishBella