I don't own these characters; ABC/Disney does. I don't own the Avengers; Marvel/Disney does. Has anyone checked to see what Disney doesn't own?
8: Conversing
"So, I finally talked to Mary Margaret and David," Emma said, sipping a thermos of coffee straight for Regina's kitchen. It helped keep her awake through the morning walk and she silently admitted that it was better than what she bought at Granny's. Lady yelped and pawed at Emma's foot.
"Well, apparently the dog is proud of you and something is keeping your deputy from hunting us down this morning," Regina remarked, smiling slightly since they had not been bothered during their walk.
Emma rolled her eyes. "As long as people call in, and they still do, he's tracking us. They think you're planning something." She shrugged.
"While walking Lady and cooking you dinner to keep you from strangling them? If only I had the energy," the former mayor commented.
"What do you think you will do when you get the energy?" That should have been the scary thing, that she might turn back into the old Regina or the Evil Queen, but the lines under her eyes and the fire still gone whispered that those people were gone with the wind. They were memories, scribbles on pages, and monsters in nightmares, but no longer real. There was just Regina Mills, melancholic woman mourning and trying to rebuild something that resembled a normal life.
Regina hummed as she thought about it. "I don't think I will. I think this state that you have helped me to is it. All I desire to do is take care of my small circle."
She sounded so certain that she had already reached the end of what had to be a much longer journey, but still Emma smiled. She knew the "small circle" was made up of her, Henry, and Lady. Maybe that was all Regina actually needed and she never had a chance to find that out. She considered maybe they were both finding out what they needed and having a chance to indulge. Hopefully, neither of us ruin it.
"So, when are you going to let Henry walk Lady by himself?" Emma asked, even though she knew the answer to that.
"When Lady is comfortable with him. I don't want her to be traumatized further," Regina explained.
"Of course." Lady would not even walk behind Henry when they went out, showing that she viewed him as a lesser member of their "pack" and she still refused to play with him unless Emma was involved first. She did stop growling at him, though. The progress was slow, but they would get there eventually.
"What do you want for dinner tonight?" Regina asked.
The blonde held in a chuckle. Regina had made her dinner every night that week and did not seem to be in the mood to stop. She did not mind. It was a touch of normalcy inside crazy fairy tale nuthouse that Regina probably needed as much as she did. She was starting to look forward to evenings with dinner, watching Henry play with Lady, and just being inside a little bubble that seemed immune to magic, even if she was in close proximity to a witch.
"Ever made pizza?" Emma asked with a grin.
"Once or twice when Henry was younger. I'll see what I can do, as long as Lady doesn't somehow end up with a slice," Regina replied. Lady glanced up at the sound of her name.
Emma gasped. "I would never. Pizza is totally people food."
Lady snorted as if to disagree and seemed to frown at the sheriff. Emma only laughed. Regina shook her head to the whole exchange.
"It may have to wait until tomorrow. I'm not sure I have the ingredients for it," the ex-mayor said.
"We could go to the store. We pass it like twice since Lady needs the exercise of a triathlete," the blonde remarked.
"I just …" Regina hesitated and Emma frowned.
"What? What's wrong with going to the store?"
Brown eyes searched the sky for a moment, clearly trying to find a suitable answer. "It doesn't allow dogs."
"So? I could wait outside with Lady," Emma offered. She could understand Regina not wanting to leave Lady tied up outside. A spoiled pup like Lady would probably think she had been abandoned or some hotheaded idiot might realize "hey, that's the Evil Queen's dog" and hurt Lady because it was always easier to kick the stronger guy's dog than confront the stronger person.
"I would rather you didn't," Regina said in a clipped tone. She almost sounded like her old self, but Emma knew this was because of deep-rooted fear and Regina's own trauma from when Lady had been missing.
"What? You think I'm going to run off with her?" Emma inquired.
Regina only frowned. Emma guessed that Regina just was worried about losing Lady again because she definitely could not believe Emma of all people would run off with the puppy. Even if she did, Lady would force her to return the dog with the all of the whining that she was bound to do.
"She won't disappear if you leave her sight for a few minutes," the sheriff pointed out.
"You're not the most responsible person ever," Regina said.
"Oh, please. You think I'll lose her? Watch this." Emma snatched the leash from Regina before the petite woman could react. She then dropped it.
"No!" Regina gasped as if the worst thing ever just happened, reaching for the leash like a life preserver.
But, the thing was, nothing happened. The leash was on the ground and Lady was standing next to them. When they stopped, she stopped. Emma actually moved forward and Lady looked at her, but stayed next to the distressed ex-mayor. Lady nudged Regina's leg, sensing her panic. Emma picked the leash back up and handed it to Regina.
"See, nothing happened," Emma said with a smile and then she noticed Regina was trembling. That wiped away the smile in an instant. She put her arm around the smaller woman's shoulders and pulled Regina to her. "Hey, nothing happened," she practically cooed, hoping to soothe the frightened woman.
"Never do that again!" Regina bellowed, almost hysterically. "Oh, my god, never do that again," she repeated in a whisper that sounded like a sob. She was not crying, though. She bent down and kissed the top of Lady's head. The puppy licked her face a few times.
"Regina, I'm sorry. I just wanted you to see that she's done running away. She knows where she belongs. She's going to stay with you," Emma pointed out, giving Regina's shoulder a squeeze.
Regina seemed to be in a daze and all she could do was nod. The only reason that Emma knew the other woman was not totally pissed at her and possibly plotting her demise was that they stopped in front of the supermarket. Apparently, Regina would be making pizza tonight and needed to buy the ingredients.
"I'll watch Lady," Emma promised as she saw the "no dogs allowed" sign. And then, she realized how ridiculous this was. Regina was actually not going to go in or take Lady in because of a simple sign. This woman could blow up the damn supermarket and she's actually just following a sign!
Regina took a deep breath. "What do you want on your pizza?" she asked, her voice low and her eyes locked on the front of the store.
Okay, this is something more than just leaving Lady out here. Looking inside, Emma thought she saw the problem. People were watching Regina, staring at her. The constant eyeing bothered Regina, even if she tried to act like everything was all right.
"Hey, how about we both go in? I'll hold Lady while you push the cart," Emma suggested. She would also be able to step in if someone tried something against Regina and she would show Regina that she was there to support her as the former mayor tried to get her life together.
"But—" Regina tried to object.
"But, what? Archie has Pongo in there right now," Emma argued and pointed as the therapist walked by with the tall dog. "Pongo is like the equivalent of three of Lady. If he can go in, Lady should be able to, too."
Before Regina could respond, Emma picked Lady up and marched inside. Regina had no choice but to follow. She grabbed a shopping basket and followed Emma. Staring did not begin to cover what they were getting, but Regina held her head up high and proceeded to shop. It was amazing that she was able to ignore not just the stares, but the mumbles and muttered insults. Emma silently admitted that she was impressed with how mature Regina seemed now in regards to her attitude of the so-called peasants. Regina quickly went through the aisles, gathering what they needed without reacting to everything going on around her.
"Hello, Regina," Archie greeted her as they ended up in the same aisle.
"Doctor," Regina replied and reached out to pet Pongo.
Lady, being the mama's girl she was, growled at Regina daring to give another dog attention. Regina laughed and turned to Lady, giving her a kiss on the head. Lady licked Regina's cheek and then seemed to glare at Pongo. The larger canine actually whimpered and took a step back. Emma rolled her eyes. Of course Regina's dog would strike terror into the hearts of other dogs.
Archie, to his credit, did not look as if the whole thing was totally weird like other people would do. There was no real small talk. He greeted Emma, who waved back as best she could with her arm full of upset cocker spaniel. He then went about his shopping and they made their way to the cue where the register kid had the nerve to act like he was closed.
"You just rang up the people before us," Emma pointed out.
"I'm on break now," he replied snidely, sneering at them.
"Really? I'm guessing your other two partners are on break, too?" Emma asked, even though the other two cashiers were ringing people up as she spoke.
"Probably as soon as they're done with those people," he answered with a smirk as he put his chin in the air. "Maybe when the crowd gets better things will change."
Emma was incredulous. Apparently, former Evil Queen trumped her Savior status because usually people were all about trying to help out Snow White and Prince Charming's kid … even when she did not want them to. But, it was even more fun to stick it to the Evil Queen and tempt fate.
"We don't have time for this," Regina said, taking out her cell phone.
"Who you calling?" Emma asked curiously.
"No one." Regina remained on her phone, only occasionally looking at the items in her basket. In the end, she pulled out her wallet and put money down. She then waved her hand and they were suddenly outside with grocery bags in hand.
"What the hell was that?" Emma inquired, checking to make sure that she still had everything attached.
"That is why I do my shopping at night," Regina replied, taking Lady from the blonde and starting down the street.
Emma stared with wide eyes for a moment before it occurred to her to follow the pair. "What do you mean do your shopping at night?"
"I mean, I do what you just saw me do. I use magic to get into the store, calculate the cost of my items using my phone, and then leave the money on the counter," Regina explained. "It's easier that way."
"It would be easier to throw a fireball at his face, too, not that I'm saying you should do that," Emma commented. It was just that she could have done that and the stupid kid taunted her anyway.
Regina only gave her a tired glance. There was no energy for that. Right, the fight is gone. All the fight, apparently, since she didn't even argue with that guy. That kid is lucky all the fight is gone, though.
They retreated back to the mansion where Regina put away the groceries and started making the homemade pizza. Emma played with Lady, who had discovered a new favorite toy in a sock monkey. They played tug of war with Lady winning a bunch of times after Emma got bored with pulling. Lady strutted away each time as if she was the greatest doggy warrior to ever live. Dinner was served before Emma got a complex over Lady lording the sock monkey over her.
"Whoa, this looks really good," Emma said as she sat down at the table, eyeing the pepperoni, three-cheese pizza. "Is it cool if I take a couple of slices for Henry? He's at the library for some school project."
"Some school project?" Regina echoed, arching an eyebrow. "You mean his research project on famous poets?"
Emma made a face. "You know I meant that one." Regina paid closer attention to the details of the school assignments, but Emma liked teasing her by pretending she had no idea what Henry was doing.
"He could have come here."
"He met a couple of friends at the library to work together. David's gonna pick him up. He'll be by tomorrow, though."
Regina nodded and accepted that. Emma practically inhaled three slices of pizzas. Regina was barely through her first by the time Emma was having a fourth.
"Careful, there might not be any left for Henry," Regina remarked.
Emma chuckled. "I think I'm done. I shouldn't have eaten that much, but that was awesome. I'll take two for Henry. Don't throw that last slice away. I'll have it for breakfast in the morning."
"Cold pizza for breakfast?" From her incredulous tone, Emma knew that it had never crossed Regina's mind to eat pizza for breakfast. Now, Emma wondered if Regina had ever had midnight breakfast.
"Yeah! It's good. So, don't throw it out. Cold pizza with hot coffee and walking in the cold with you and Lady. Great morning," Emma commented with a smile. I'll have to see if I can get her to make pancakes for dinner one day, just to see how she reacts.
Regina gave her a disapproving frown, but she did not say anything. There was no snarky remark or condescending glare. If Regina is right and this is it, I think I like this Regina, but she still has to deal with stuff.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina cleaned up after Emma left the house. The sheriff had surprised her by offering to help, but Regina would not allow it. Not while Emma was a guest in her house and not while she was certain that Emma was using her as a way to avoid her parents still. Emma might have spoken to her parents, but it would take more than one discussion to make everything better. She knew that as a fact.
Regina was distracted from thinking about Emma as Lady trotted into the kitchen as she put away the dishes. Lady had her sock monkey in her mouth and dropped it by Regina's feet. Regina bent down and sighed, scratching the pup's ear.
"Lady, you know I'm not the one that usually does this," Regina pointed out.
Lady whined and nipped at her fingers. The simple action was enough for Regina to pick up the sock monkey and lightly fling it across the room. Lady chased after it and returned it, her tail wagging as she waited for it to be thrown again. Regina did not disappoint. This went on for almost an hour with Regina having to sit down eventually.
Lady tired out and curled up next to Regina on the sofa while Regina relaxed with a book. She thought about the day and the days before it. The stares that she had to put up with and the cocky, ostentatious manner that mere boy had refused her service in front of Emma and Lady. She should be furious, but she had felt a shadow of that emotion. She had been angry, but not enough to kill, not enough to maim, not even enough to threaten. His opinion did not matter, so it was enough to get a charge out of her. He was not worth the effort or energy.
"Lady, I believe I am this now and I do not mind it. Henry enjoys being around me. You enjoy being around me and I believe I have a friend in Miss Swan, a friend who needs to learn better breakfast habits, but a friend. It has been a very long time since I have had one. Yes, I have many things I need to work through, but I never imagined I could feel like this," she whispered, leaning down to kiss Lady's head.
Lady yapped and nuzzled Regina. The contact itself was simple, but delightful. She could not recall the last time she felt contented. When I held Henry to me, she realized. She remembered how he would clutch at her shirt, holding her as she rocked him gently and cooed soft words to him, silently vowing to be better than her mother. She had been content with her son, close to her, his arms around her, holding her and being held.
"One day, I will hold him again and he will hold me," she promised herself. She would work toward that. "But, I will also let him go."
She wondered if her mother would have felt the same, if she had her heart when she had Regina. She liked to imagine her mother would have been contented with her, but it was hard to believe after her childhood. Having a final ten seconds with her mother's newly returned heart and her mother smiling jubilantly that she would have been enough, she was not sure how much weight that held. That moment could have been like a first high, intense and overwhelming, lying to them both about what would have been enough.
"Something must have happened to have Mother remove her heart in the first place and believe love to be weakness. Could simply holding me cure her of such an ailment?" Nothing in their history told her that was true and now she would never know.
She felt no fury over it, but her heart did clinch with sorrow. Sorrow over what would never be, what could have been, and what should have been. Of course, even with her heart, things could have been the same. She did not know her mother before her birth, obviously, did not know what type of woman she was, did not know when she had taken her heart out or why. She did know her mother had some sort of relationship with Rumplestiltskin and made the Dark One himself nervous.
"What type of woman could make the Dark One troubled and what type of mother would she have been even with her heart?" she wondered aloud, even though she knew it would not do her any good. But, it was musing such as these that let her know how much more work she had ahead of her and that she could not do it alone, not that she was trying to do it alone.
Lady drew her from her thoughts, turning in her lap, wanting attention. She smiled and indulged the pup, rubbing her belly and earning happy pants from Lady. The pair retired for the night a few hours after that.
"We do have things to do tomorrow, so we should be well rested," Regina said, wrapping Lady up in the scarf as she settled on her pillow. "Appointments to keep and all that. I do hope you are on your best behavior. No growling."
Lady snorted and Regina would not help smiling. She gave Lady one last kiss to the head before turning out the light. They went to sleep rather easily.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma was on her way to bed after another fairly normal day, which involved getting up early to walk Lady with Regina (who had breakfast prepared as well as coffee!), going to work, checking on Regina at around noon during what was supposed to be her lunch hour (Regina provided the lunch), going shopping with Regina and watching as someone finally figured out that working the register did not matter and actually rang their items up, going back to work, going to Regina's house to find Henry struggling with Lady, who now liked to tease the kid, having dinner, and taking Lady on a final walk with all of them.
She had to go back out to work after all of that because of a few calls about possible prowlers that did not seem to exist and now she just wanted to fall into bed, but her mother stood in her way. It was getting easier to think of Mary Margaret and David as her parents now that they were not in her face every moment of the day and treating her like an adult most of the time. Of course, the main reason for that was that she only slept in the apartment. She went to work and then hung out at Regina's house for most of the day, sometimes driving Henry home and then going right back to Regina.
She did not want Regina to get lonely. The former mayor had confessed to thinking about her mother more often and Emma did not want it to lead her down a dark road, even though Regina tried to assure her that she was far from that path. Regina claimed to be dealing with it and Emma, honestly, could not see evidence of anything else, but she wanted to be sure. Or that was what she told herself. You have to admit, it's nice being over there, too. You have someone to talk to, a dog to play with, good food, and Regina isn't half-bad company. Hell, when the kid is over there, it's almost like being home.
"Something up?" the blonde asked her mother as she tried to sidestep her. Mary Margaret moved in the way.
"Are you dating Regina?" Mary Margaret hissed, keeping her voice low to avoid waking Henry and David.
Emma balked. "Am I what?"
"Dating Regina," she dared to repeat.
"What the hell? No! Why would you even say that?" Emma asked with a grimace. She doubted Regina was in the right headspace to consider dating, even if she was getting better. Hell, Emma doubted she was in the right headspace for dating, even though she was also getting better. They were friends, helping each other get better, and spending time with their son. That was all. Certainly not dating or anything like that.
"Every morning you leave early to walk that dog with her and you're over her house everyday, practically all day. You go shopping with her and sometimes you visit her house at night. You spend more time with her than you spend with anyone else and people talk."
Green eyes rolled. "Of course, because this is the smallest town on Earth. We're not dating. We walk a dog and I hang out with her and Henry. It's nothing more than that." Well, it's plenty more than that, but I don't wanna add fuel to the fire.
"You go over there without Henry, at night," Mary Margaret pointed out, moving around, close to panicking. "You're not walking your dog then."
"Hey, calm down," Emma entreated, reaching out to hold her by the shoulders. She looked in deep, pleading brown eyes. "Here's the thing, we're friends. We're helping each other, chilling out every now and then. We do normal stuff. We're just friends."
"Friends with the Evil Queen?"
Mary Margaret narrowed her gaze, but Emma made her escape before any other crazy accusations could come her way. Next thing she knew, she would be hearing how she was under a spell and Regina was plotting something. She did not want to hear crazy stuff when her life was kind of normal now, especially when she was beginning to deal with some of her issues, like accepting that she had parents that she would not run away from and would not send her away. She made it to that just from understanding that being stable was actually nice and she could trust the core people around her. She was not going to let her mother have her rethink that stuff by bugging her about Regina.
-8-8-8-8-
Emma and Regina were taking Lady for her morning walk. Emma was sipping her coffee as usual after having a decent breakfast, both provided by Regina. People were watching them, but they did not clear the streets like before. They had learned to stop flooding the police station with calls as well and David had long stopped following them in his cruiser. Everything was peaceful until Emma put her foot in her mouth.
"People think we're dating because we're always walking Lady together in the morning. They think she's our dog," Emma commented with a chuckle, but did not get a laugh out of the former mayor. In fact, a familiar fire sparked in chocolate eyes.
"Lady is my dog!" Regina practically roared. Lady whimpered from the sound and stopped walking to stare at her mistress. "It's okay, Lady, that wasn't directed at you," she cooed softly. Lady relaxed, so Regina turned to continue glaring at Emma. It was not as bad as it was initially, but it was still a serious glare and Emma was not used to that anymore.
The sheriff held her hands up in surrender. "I know she's your dog. Believe me, I know. I'm just telling you what other people are saying, according to my mother anyway. I'm not trying to take Lady, Regina."
As the words reached her ears, the fire in Regina's eyes simmered down until it was gone. Regina seemed to realize what happened and began trembling. Her eyes drifted downward and she ran her hand through her hair.
"Emma, I am so sorry…" Regina whispered in a shaky voice.
"Hey," Emma said and she put her arm around Regina's shoulders, pulling the shorter woman to her. She held Regina close, rubbing her shoulder. "It's all right. I know you don't want to lose someone else important to you, but you need to know that you have others in your life beyond Lady. Me and Henry are here."
"I know…" Regina replied in a low tone, reaching up and holding onto the sheriff, practically clutching Emma's bicep.
"But, it's hard to trust fully again, isn't it?" Emma knew that all too well and she had been trying to work through it. Hell, Regina had been helping her work through it, knowingly and unknowingly, and she had hoped that she was doing the same with Regina.
Regina sighed and nodded. "Some days … it feels impossible," she whispered, her thumb circling Emma's arm. Emma doubted Regina realize what she was doing, but the motion actually comforted the blonde and warmth spread through her from the simple movement.
"I know the feeling well. It gets better." Emma gave the smaller woman a reassuring squeeze.
"So, I am learning."
"And just so you know, that outburst was kind of … the old you," Emma pointed out. For a moment, there was that burning that existed in Regina before Henry had walked away from her.
Regina shook her head. "It fades quickly. The old me would have ranted and raved and schemed the second I had an inkling that you would try to take Lady. I can't sustain that. Just thinking about it…" She sighed and her shoulders slumped as if a weight was bearing down on her.
"It's all right. You're all right," Emma declared with a smile.
Emma squeezed Regina's shoulder once more, wanting the older woman to know that she was there. Regina actually leaned into her so clearly she was doing something for Regina. They stood there for a moment, her arm around the ex-mayor and Regina's thumb still drawing circles on her arm. When the moment passed, they continued walking, but Emma did not let Regina go and Regina did not object.
The rest of the walk was quiet, which worked for them. When they got back to the mansion, Regina went inside with Lady while Emma went to work.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina and Lady marched into Doctor Hopper's office. Pongo greeted them as soon as they were inside, first going to Regina and then to Lady. The canine pair had already made each other's acquaintance in the office and Lady seemed quite comfortable with the larger dog after making it clear that Regina was hers and she only allowed Pongo to cuddle Regina when they were in the office. Archie was probably glad he would not have to treat the dogs as well. They both took their places next to Regina, but Lady sat across her lap while Pongo sat at her side.
"Hello, Regina. Good to see you, as always," Archie said politely. He had been seeing much of her recently.
Regina offered him a small smile. "I suppose. I think I would prefer seeing you on the street as oppose to having to come to your office, but as you know, I can't overcome my limitations alone."
"Nor should you have to and you're not alone, but I am glad that you're coming back. I'll do my best to help you through everything and you shouldn't refer to them as limitations. You will get over them, so you are not limited. Anything you want to talk about today?"
Regina had learned from her first visit since coming back to Doctor Hopper that she made the most progress when she just jumped right into topics. She truly did want to work through everything because she believed she could feel much better now. After everything that happened, she actually felt lighter and these were things that she needed to sort out. She acknowledged, at least to herself, that he did help and she could tell that he did not judge her.
"I snapped at Emma today after she suggested that Lady was our dog. I felt a sting of fear, like she would take Lady from me. It was only for a moment, but I was terrified," Regina admitted.
Archie nodded. "Do you think your fear is valid?"
"No, not really. I mean, Emma has been the only person to care for me in a very long time and she has helped me more than anyone has ever done."
"But, you're still having some trouble trusting her."
"Emma tells me it will come in time."
Archie nodded. "This is true. You've had years to learn to mistrust, so you have to give yourself time to learn otherwise. Do you think you need more from her to learn to trust her completely?"
Regina thought on it. "No, I think it will just take time. She has done way more for than she should have to and I see that now."
"You've definitely been able to see a lot more recently, right?"
"Honestly, that is the strangest thing about all of this. I should feel utterly horrible. My anger should be boiling over. I should be erupting. Instead, I feel almost at peace. There is a tiredness and a lack of energy, but beyond that, no matter how much someone might trouble me, I feel at ease with walking away. Is this how I should feel?"
He frowned. "You know there is no should as far as feeling goes. Are you fine and comfortable with the way you feel?"
"I wouldn't say comfortable, which is one of the reasons why I am back in your office. It troubles me somewhat that I feel no need to avenge my mother. A good daughter would want revenge, right? After all, wasn't that part of why Snow White gave me a poisoned heart to place in my mother in the first place? And I wonder a great deal about her and I worry I might go mad thinking about it. I wonder if I can survive like this, caring for two people, one of whom runs when things get rough – and they are rough for her – and another who has walked away from me more times than I can count. I am content and I fear that will change drastically."
"You're waiting for the other shoe to drop. Your entire life has been one misery after the other, especially when you think you're happy. We'll work through it, Regina, and I'm confident that you'll be fine."
His words and the sincerity in his eyes helped put her at ease, as it often did. For a man that got his degree from a curse, he was quite effective. She promised herself that she would continue seeing him to ensure that she did not ruin the slight life she was building for herself. It was strange and definitely out of her norm, but she would get through it. I am content and I would like to hold onto this feeling.
-8-8-8-8-
The day dragged on and by time Emma was done, she knew that dinner was waiting. She returned to Regina's house. The door was locked, so she had to knock. Lady barked while Henry opened the door.
"Hey, Henry," she greeted him, ruffling his hair while he was still short enough for her to do so.
"Great, you're here! Tell Mom that peanut butter and celery sticks are not a snack," Henry begged with Lady at his feet, as if supporting him.
"Seriously, Regina? That's the snack you gave the kid after school?" Emma asked disbelief, even though she knew that all Regina served were healthy snacks when it was just her and Henry around.
"Yes, that's the snack I gave him after school. He needs to have fruits and vegetables and while you might not believe it, but fruit roll-ups don't count," Regina remarked as she stepped out of the kitchen.
Emma smiled because it was nice to see shades of the old Regina. So far, this snarky, sarcastic mood was really all that remained of her arch foe, and, honestly, even that was more playful than anything else. The rest was just Regina the mom, the pet owner, and the woman recovering from a lot of messed up stuff she did or messed up things that happened to her. She still had a long way to go on that last one. The Evil Queen and even the plotting mayor seemed to be in the past, though.
"He's a kid. He should get cavities while the teeth aren't permanent," Emma argued to be a pain. She winked at Henry, who grinned. Lady barked. "Lady wants cavities, too."
"No one is getting cavities. And … you liked them when you were younger," Regina reminded the boy.
Henry appeared guilty for a moment. "Yeah, but that's when I was little. I'm growing up. I'm different now," he declared, holding his head high.
His mothers could not help laughing because he said that as if he were an adult already. Emma was happy that Regina did not take any offense to his words. He seemed happy about it, too, smiling.
"I'll make a note of that. Now, dinner will be served in ten minutes. Hands need to be washed," Regina ordered and her eyes narrowed on Emma. "Thoroughly washed, Sheriff."
Emma made a face. A few days ago, Regina had witnessed how she washed her hands, which was to just stick her hands under running water for a few seconds and then move on with her life. Regina had damn near had kittens and scolded her into using the liquid anti-bacterial soap, being sure to lather, and rising thoroughly. And heaven help her if she wiped her hands on anything that was not a hanging hand towel.
"After dinner, may I play with Lady in the backyard again?" Henry asked, eyes on Emma, the mom he obviously thought would cave.
"At night?" Emma pointed out. It seemed weird to play in the backyard at night, but what she did she know about semi-normal childhood things? It was not like she had a stable home like Henry. Maybe regular kids played at night with dogs outside. Still, it seemed weird.
"He played with Lady in the backyard after he walked her when the sun was out," Regina supplied. She made it seem like it was weird, too, so Emma guessed she was not out of her mind for thinking so.
Emma scoffed. "Well then, nope, sorry, kid. You can play with Lady inside where there's artificial lighting and heat." When Regina did not say anything, she felt like she answered correctly. I'm getting this parenting thing little by little.
It was Henry's turn to make a face, but went off to wash up without saying anything. Emma did the same thing, making sure to go to a bathroom to do it. She had made the mistake of trying to use the kitchen once and utterly scandalized the entire Mills household, including Lady. So, now, she knew to do all washing up in the bathroom unless she wanted to be reproached by Regina and Regina Jr., also known as Henry.
The trio sat down for dinner at the dining room table. Henry requested that they watch a movie afterwards. It would not be the first time that they sat down altogether. They usually just watched television. For some reason, the movie seemed different.
It was in that moment that it stuck Emma how oddly and completely normal and domestic this was and her eyes went wide. She almost dropped her fork, but managed to keep a tight hold of it while making sure to fix her face. Swallowing her food and hoping to God that she did not choke on it, she turned her attention to Regina, waiting to see what her answer was to Henry's request. She was also thankful for the fact that neither of them seemed to notice her reaction.
"We can watch a movie if you're both going to remain here," Regina replied.
Emma nodded. She and Henry tended to stay a little longer everyday until it got to the point where they arrived home with enough time to prepare for bed and then go to sleep. Henry grinned.
"Cool. I know just watch we should watch," Henry declared. No one was surprised when he popped in The Avengers after dinner.
Henry sat on the floor with Lady, who rolled around in his lap. He scratched her ear and gave her a treat. Such little things helped her like him and they seemed to be on their way to being buddies. He could even walk her by himself now, but she still walked ahead of him at all times. It seemed that she would always think of him as a lesser member of their pack.
Emma and Regina took the sofa, sitting on the far ends. Regina curled her legs up on the couch, which made Emma smile. Regina was relaxing. She had to admire Regina's ability to pick herself up … without homicidal tendencies this time.
"What are you smiling about, Miss Swan?" Regina inquired in a low tone.
Emma balked and the smile vanished. "Nothing. Just enjoying the movie for the hundredth time."
Regina chuckled a bit and accepted that. They watched one more movie and noticed that Henry was knocked out on the floor. Emma shook her head.
"Guess I should stop slipping him tequila shots when you're not looking," Emma joked.
Regina gave her a scathing look, which might have been scary if only she was not also smiling. "You're not nearly as funny as you think you are."
"Only to you. Everyone else thinks I'm hilarious," Emma declared. Of course, everyone else also thought that she was crazy because she spent all of her free time with Regina. "I guess I should get the Incredible Sleeping Hulk home."
A sorrowful look settled on Regina's face, even though she nodded. Emma felt bad, but they did not live with Regina and she was not entirely comfortable with leaving Henry there yet. Regina was better, but that did not mean she was ready for caring for Henry on her own. They were good at playing house, but Regina still had a journey. Henry did, too, and she did not want to take the chance that he might regress when no one else was around.
"We'll see you tomorrow," Emma said.
Regina nodded again and Emma woke Henry up. She held him up and he rubbed his eyes. He yawned and gave Regina a hug. Regina went stiff for a moment before returning the embrace with a smile. Emma patted Regina on the arm as her farewell and gave her a soft smile, hoping to ease the pain that she knew Regina was in. Regina smiled at them both before Henry and Emma marched out to the bug. Regina and Lady stood on the porch and watched them go.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina sighed as she closed the door behind the departing Emma and Henry. She made sure to lock the door, mostly because Emma bothered her about it and Archie stressed that she do normal things to keep from falling back into her despair. Thinking about that and Doctor Hopper, she made a mental note to mention her thoughts of suicide to him. While she had not thought about it recently, as Emma had suspected, it was not the first time she had entertained such thoughts.
"Maybe I am not ready to have Henry over alone, Lady," Regina conceded. "Emma does have cause to worry. After all, she's the only person that saw the state that I was in. I should focus on trying to get better and soon I should be able to at least be trusted with Henry."
Of course, Lady had no advice to offer. She did nudge Regina's leg and whined to be picked up. She cuddled into Regina immediately, showing that someone trusted her completely and unconditionally. Well, maybe more than that. She believes I can get better, after all. I hope she has the same faith in herself.
Emma was not as much of a talker as Regina was, but she could tell the sheriff was doing better. In their time together, she noticed another thing that Emma and Henry had in common was that circumstances and the atmosphere healed them more than talking did. Their minds were eased and their trouble swept away by simply surrounding themselves with calmness and routines. She was not sure if it was because of Emma's underlying immaturity or Henry's determination to be mature. Either way, she would try to keep up the normalcy for them.
"I want us all to heal together in whatever way we can," Regina told Lady, who nuzzled her as if in agreement.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: family trip to the vet.