AN:: There was a particularly rude comment left on this story not to long ago, I've already sent something back as to voice my frustrations but for everyone else, I would just like to lay some concerns to rest.
This is an SQ story and I will get there. I like slow burn and I want things to play out like I imagined it when I picked the story back up and got this giant rush of inspiration, and I'm going to try my hardest to stick to it and make it interesting. Also, I think it's more realistic for both of them to be stubborn and hard headed when it comes to their feelings more than anything else. My motivation is sound and I do my best to illustrate that through the story. I appreciate everyone who supports that and gives me positive feedback and constructive criticism. I'd also like to remind everyone that I myself and I'm sure many other authors of fan fiction work really hard on what we put into the world, and are fairly sensitive about it. Sending out opinions that are neither constructive nor serve any sort of actual point is hurtful and rude, and could very well make someone walk away from a story for fear of embarrassment.
I'm continuing for those who are interested in where this is going and for myself, because I really want to complete something I think is good.
Many many thanks again to Sammichbatch who helped me make sense of myself even though that's quite a task. I trust my writing more when it goes through her.
Remember you are loved. I mean it. Someone loves you so much and wants you to be happy because you deserve happiness - everyone does.
The photographer got to the hospital just after 2pm, and was only there for about forty five minutes.
Turned out, the namesake did nothing as far as influencing Emmet's personality so far. He sat through the whole thing peacefully, mostly with his eyes closed. Emma moved him from one place to another as pictures were snapped of the infant in a basket, delicately placed on top of the blankets inside, and on his mother's chest, though Regina was only featured as far her lips on his forehead, or his face tucked into her neck.
The few images the blonde peeked at were all simple and beautiful.
When the photographer left, it was just the four of them again- Regina looking wistfully at Henry holding his new brother, and Emma hovering over them, making sure there were pillows under Henry's arm and that he was holding the baby well enough.
The hours after his birth were relieving and far less stressful than they would have imagined. Emmet lost the purple tinge to his lips before he was an hour old, and there was no bruising on his neck, thank god. Whale said it probably had to do with turning him while Regina was still trying to deliver naturally, so it hadn't been that long. Regina wasn't as high as she expected to be from the pain medication, and he wasn't having any trouble feeding. In fact he'd already eaten three times.
"He's so tiny." Henry whispered, looking over at his mother.
She just smiled.
"Kid's almost ten pounds, so… that's actually considered pretty big for a baby." Emma shrugged.
"Yeah, but he's… it's weird. And awesome. Like.. he's like this but he's going to get big like us one day." His eyes lit up as he explained.
Emmet made small grunts, but didn't look agitated.
Henry looked at him and smiled. "I think he's talking back to me."
"I think he might be." Regina yawned.
He looked at Emma. "How big was I when I was born?"
Regina saw the 'oh shit' look pass over Emma's face and cleared her throat. "You were exactly nine pounds at your first doctor's appointment after I brought you home."
"Really?"
She nodded.
Emma looked back at her with a tight smile, and Regina gave her a tired wink in return.
Henry turned back to the baby and spoke softly. "I guess you are bigger than I was then, brother."
The blonde kept an eye on them but sat down on the side of Regina's bed. "He's going to be great with him."
"You're surprised?"
"I thought he might be a little jealous."
Regina shrugged. "There'll be plenty of time for that."
They both stared at Henry petting the wispy dark hair on the top of Emmet's head gently for a moment before Emma looked at her quickly. "You never answered my question!"
"Which question?"
"Why we didn't get to party on your birthday – when is it?"
Regina shook her head.
"Nah, tell me. You got to scare the shit out of me on my birthday." She grinned.
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you."
Emma snorted. "I'd like to see you try."
Regina bit her lip and looked back at her sons. "I don't like celebrating my birthday."
"Because you're old?"
"You're awful, you know that?"
Emma nodded. "Of course."
Regina laughed again, then raised an eyebrow. "You really want to know?"
"Yeah."
She took a long moment before sighing. "You can't laugh at me."
"Regina. When. Is. Your. Birthday."
"February fourteenth."
Emma grinned in a wide, ridiculous way. "You're a valentine's day baby?"
"Precisely why I don't celebrate it."
"Did people tease you about it?"
"Every year."
"We're going to celebrate this year."
Regina rolled her eyes.
It was a few moments later, and she refused to make eye contact, but Regina definitely muttered, "Sure."
Emmet Nathaniel Mills, Nov 7th
9lbs 11oz
19 in.
Graham flipped the picture over of the baby swaddled with a sleepy frown on his face as he lay in the generic hospital basinet.
His hand swept over his face and he stared at the image for a long time. Regina's voice played in his head, and he listened to it. He was going to be loved, and taken care of, and that's all that should matter.
The picture made it's home in one of the pockets of Graham's travel bag, hidden away, but always close by.
The whimpering beside her and the pain starting to rear its ugly head from her incision woke Regina up.
She reached over and grabbed her friend's arm gently. "Emma…"
Immediately, her head popped up and looked around her – Regina, the baby lying in the bed between them between them, Henry on the couch pushed against the wall of the study, then the clock.
"I need-"
"Got it." She said in a gruff voice.
Emma sat up and helped Regina prop herself up the tiniest bit and put another pillow under her arm so she didn't have to ware her arm out holding Emmet up while she fed him. Then she handed the baby over to her.
It would be another week or two before Regina could be up and move around on her own without the pain, so Emma did what she'd done for nearly a year, and helped. It only made sense for her to be in the same bed – be the other book end so Regina wouldn't worry about Emmet falling off and to be second in command for whatever came up, or that's what they told themselves. Henry moved himself in with his blanket and comics so he could 'help' too.
"And could you-"
Emma yawned before getting out of bed and pointing to Regina's bed side table. "I already set the alarm on your phone." She reached down and pulled her pain meds out of the top drawer. Two pills at 6am and two more at 6pm. "You've got a couple minutes… I'll go get you some water."
Before Emma could go, Regina grabbed her hand. "I appreciate you."
Emma smirked. "Good."
She touched Regina's nose with the tip of her finger and Regina batted it away, sticking out her tongue.
Of course Regina refused to listen to anyone on her own recovery. Six days after delivery she was already up and walking around – not quite back to normal, but refusing to let a schedule dictate how quickly she was able to take care of herself. She allowed Emma to stay and take paid time off to help her only because she knew that taking care of Emmet meant having an extra pair of hands that weren't so tired.
Emma went back home and back to work a week later, and by the end of November, Regina started working from home again. The only thing that changed really was that Emma now slept at her own apartment, she still came over every morning to get Henry to school before winter break, went over to the mansion for dinner and to help put the kids to bed before having a glass of wine with the Mayor, and leaving to start it all over again.
Until that fateful night only a week into December, Emma got a call at two in the morning from Regina's cell phone.
Emma rubbed her eyes but stayed laying down as she pulled her phone off the charger. "Hello?"
Regina sniffled over Emmet's screaming in the background. "Can you come over?"
"Regina… what-" She looked at the time and rolled out of bed, slipping her house shoes on. "What's going on?"
"The baby won't stop crying! I've tried- I can't-"
"It's okay. I'm on my way."
"Thank you."
"Hang tight."
Four minutes later, Emma unlocked the front door and found Regina pacing with Emmet strapped to her front in his carrier, both crying.
Regina shook her head and kept bouncing as she walked. "I've tried everything. He's been like this for two hours- two and a half, Emma-"
"You did the…" She made a circle in the air with her hand.
Regina nodded. "I put him under the mobile – I fed him, and changed him and I tried to see if a bath would calm him down but I think he hates me."
"He can't hate you, Regina. He's a month old, he doesn't know how to hate yet, his brain is like this big." She made a circle with her index finger.
Regina hit her arm as Emma lifted him into her arms. "Don't say that!"
"He doesn't care! It's true. He doesn't have the capacity for hate right now." She laughed as she nestled his face just above her shoulder, making 'sh'ing noises and patting his butt.
"You're going to give him a complex or som…." The brunette just stared as he started to quiet down, whimpering softly instead of the wailing he'd been carrying on with just moments ago. "How did you do that?"
"Simple," Emma leaned her head back against the couch and shrugged. "He loves me and he hates you."
Regina hit her again. "Shut up!"
Emma smiled and closed her eyes.
She let out a sigh and stared at them for a minute, then stood up and rolled her shoulders out. "Would you like coffee?"
"Yeah, I'll make it in a minute – go get some sleep."
"I'll make it." She dismissed and headed into the kitchen.
The coffee was made, but the cups cooled on the coffee table as all three of them dozed off on the couch together, Regina's head falling on Emma's free shoulder sometime before four in the morning.
People kept filing into the kitchen as Emma lit the candles on Henry's cake. Regina had already started scooping ice cream into small bowls while Cora held Emmet, his face squished against her collar bone, but his eyes had become wide awake in the past week, taking in the world around him.
Henry corralled his friends, all dressed as their favorite super hero, into the dining room. As they waited, Sean and Katherine's husband David entertained them with a cinematic fight, full of fake crashing noises every time one of them landed a punch in slow motion. Ashley had made her now fiancé dress up as Magnito from the X-Men, while her and Alex just wore t-shirts with Rogue and Storm on them. Not that it was a requirement – the party was superhero themed, but most of the kids just came with accessories, not whole outfits.
Katherine hovered over Emma and Regina after they insisted they didn't need any help, and Ashley had to sit her down on one of the bar stools so she'd stop trailing them and begging.
"Don't mess up the groove – They're like perfectly in sync, watch." The young blonde nodded over and set Alexandra down so she could clumsily plod after her father.
"We are not! We're just hurrying." Regina smiled.
Ruby came by on her way to the living room with presents in tow – peeking her head in. "Is this the last of them?"
"Did she get the ones, on top.." Regina motioned with her hands above her head.
Emma looked to Ruby with raised eye brows. "In the laundry room in the cupboards?"
The waitress grinned and nodded.
"Yeah, thank you." They both said at the same time.
Ashley laughed. "I told you. It's like they share a brain. It's weird."
Emma gave her a glare. "Which is still one more than you have."
"They even talk the same, now." Katherine's mouth dropped a little in feigned shock.
Sean stood at the entry way to the dining room with Alex on his hip and panting the smallest bit. "Almost ready? I don't think I can keep this up much longer."
"Yeah- yeah, two seconds." Emma took the scooper and the ice cream from Regina's hands and put the camera in them instead, nodding in the direction of the children yelling for another battle. "Come on, they'll end up drinking the ice cream anyway."
"No, dear." Cora shook her head and got in between them, handing the baby off to her daughter and taking the camera away. "I'll play photographer, go enjoy your son." She said all too calmly.
Without any other affirmation from her daughter or the sheriff, Cora went into the dining room and started the bellowing Happy Birthday song.
There wasn't much room for anything other than carrying the cake out, only sending the curious look over to Regina, who only had a shrug to respond with.
By the ending 'Happy Birthday to yoouuuuu' line was finished, Henry smiled to himself before squeezing his eyes shut and blowing out the candles.
It wasn't even a question that Emma would wake up with the Mills family on Christmas morning. She and Henry made a fort in the living room, just so the adults could make sure he was sleeping before moving the Christmas Presents in.
Of course Emma had to wait until Regina was busy in the kitchen before she brought the one's she'd bought in from the car.
Just like last year they took turns going around and opening presents while Henry's new copy of the Grinch on Blu-ray played in the background. The few things under the tree for Emmet were just to let Henry help his baby brother – socks, onesies with funny things written on them, and shoes Emmet would never wear as anything more than decoration.
It was quiet, and simple.
Regina was expecting something sweet from Henry and Emma like the year before, but when boxes of varying sizes were pushed her way, she frowned.
"What are these?"
Emma smiled from behind her coffee. "The point is to open them, I'm pretty sure."
The baby kicked wildly from across the room in his bouncer, making the little huffing noises that were attributed to him being amused in some way.
Regina made a silly face at him, and started on the biggest one, but it was in a generic cardboard box, so she had to get inside of it to see the car-seat she'd been eyeing for when Emmet outgrew the infant one they had that clicked into the base. "Emma…"
"Open the tiny one last."
Her eyes stayed on the blonde for a moment. She knew it was expensive, so the fact that she'd only gotten Emma another cook book and a new leather jacket that was just a bit more sleek made a knot form in her stomach.
"Come on, my clothes are going out of style." Emma grinned.
Reluctantly Regina opened the next one. This one was still in its original packaging – a back brace that the model was shown wearing under her clothes with only a minor additional bulk to her frame. Regina turned her head. "…Because Emmet's carrier-"
She shrugged. "You said it hurt your back, so… yeah."
"Thank you."
"Oh, don't thank me yet." The Sheriff pointed to the last little box. "One more."
Regina's mind jumped straight to jewelry. Maybe something to match her bracelet from the year before, but the sly look Emma threw at Henry made her suspicious.
And inside the box was a smaller box, and Henry laughed, making the same face Emma would make right before Regina walked into the kitchen to find dinner already made and ready to serve.
With one eyebrow raised to her son, and then to Emma she opened the box, but when she looked down the smile slid from her face.
"What?"
Emma bit her lips.
Regina picked up the keys and frowned at the other woman.
"Press the button."
"Emma."
"Do it."
Regina pressed the lock button and sure enough, a loud beeping sound came from the front of the house.
"You didn't."
Emma was already up and grabbing the baby before she ushered Regina up and off the couch. "Go look."
Sure enough, Regina looked out the window and a large black SUV sat in front of the gate.
"You got me a car?"
Emma grinned.
"Where's my car?"
"In the garage, where you left it. Come on - You can't haul the kids around in the Benz… there aren't enough seats, and this one is family friendly and all that crap."
"Emma, you bought me a car?!" Regina's brows were knitted together and her mouth still hanging open. She shook her head and started to hand the keys over. "I can't- you shouldn't have-"
Emma closed her free hand over Regina's and pushed them back. "You would never get one for yourself… and you need it."
"No, no your car can carry-"
"You hate my car, Regina – just take it."
"It's too much."
Emma rolled her eyes. "It's fine."
Regina frowned and rolled her head to the side.
"Do you like it?"
All Regina could do was huff, but nod her head softly before hugging Emma around her shoulders, carefully avoiding Emmet who was tangling his fingers into the yellow hair by his head. "Please switch the payments over into my name." She whispered.
"It's already paid for. I still have a ton in savings from bonding." She shrugged.
Regina pulled back with wide eyes again. "Let me pay you back."
"Sure - in lasagna and sugar cookies." She shrugged.
Emma cut her off as soon as she opened her mouth again, before she could start harping on her. "You can say thank you now." She grinned obnoxiously while walking back to the couch and plopping down to put Emmet on her thighs and try to get him to copy her faces.
Sean and Ashley raced around their tiny house, getting everyone outside just before midnight with the Television blaring inside so everyone would be able to hear the count down.
Emmet was asleep on Regina's chest in his sling, Henry right beside her, looking toward the sky and waiting for the fireworks. Her hands were expertly placed over her children's ears, one covering Emmet's ear and making sure he was warm and pressed into her chest, and the other making sure Henry was still properly holding his closed.
"It's not too late." Ruby bumped Emma's shoulder from where they sat on the porch.
But Emma just shook her head. "Ruby…"
"Just go kiss her on the cheek. If she takes it wrong, then you can explain it away… just say you felt sorry for her or something and laugh it off."
"Ten! Nine! Eight!"
Ruby pushed her again. "Go!"
"Not tonight."
"Coward."
"Shouldn't surprise you." Emma sighed.
"Three! Two! One! HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone yelled in unison.
They watched as Regina bent down and kissed Henry's head. He hugged his mom back and Regina's face dipped down to kiss her baby as well.
A familiar lump made its way to Emma's throat as she turned her eyes to the sky and took in the lights.
The waitress groaned, and leaned over. She kissed Emma's cheek sloppily and leaned her head on the blonde's shoulder. "Happy New Year, Em."
Emma smiled to herself and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Happy New Year."
They didn't see the shock in Regina's face as her eyes landed on them, scanning for Emma in the small crowd. But she looked away almost as soon as she'd found them. The mayor gulped down the realization her mind made for her, and held her children just a little tighter.
The snow from Christmas was starting to melt away when the kids went back to school. Regina went into the office two days a week, taking Emmet with her, and worked from home the rest of the time. It had worked out that whenever she needed to be in a meeting, Emma or her mother could watch the baby, but other than that, they were never separated.
Kids took their time descending the steps of after the final bell rang, ice starting to set in rather than the crisp white that marked the holiday.
Mary Margaret watched from the window as Henry hugged Emma and then hopped in the back of the SUV. She watched even more closely as Emma closed the door after him and climbed in the passenger seat, grinning all the way. As they drove away a hot ache set itself in her chest.
It felt a lot like loneliness or regret, most likely somewhere in between – wondering if things would be the same had she been able to make different choices in her life. She wondered if she was crazy or if the world would be crazy enough to bring a baby she never got the chance to know back to her. She wondered if this Emma was the same Emma, and if not then why all the heartache all over again? Why would she have eyes and that bright, honest smile she recognized and dismissed a hundred times?
Her walk home sent her right past her house and six streets over, to a house she remembered sneaking into in the early hours of the morning after spending hours in the back of a pickup truck by the lake. Images of a childhood cut short filtered into her mind.
Knocking on the door wasn't half as difficult as seeing the face behind it. He didn't look nearly as old as she felt, but the sad frown on his face was more than enough hello for the both of them.
"Hi." He said anyway.
"Hello David." She smiled in the shy way she always had. "Is Katherine home?"
"No. She had a conference in Seattle just after the New Year."
Their eyes held for a moment.
"Do you… would you like to come in?"
She shook her head.
He walked out and closed the door, crossing his arms. "It's cold out here."
"It's…" She saw her breath in the air. "Sobering."
He nodded.
"How are you?"
David shrugged. "Cold?" He laughed.
Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"How've you been?"
Her eyes went to the window and the little knickknacks that filled the shelf behind the glass. Mementos from a life he'd lived with his wife. That tinge of jealousy and hurt grabbed at her shoulders and heated her fingertips. "Do you remember… that year before you went to college?"
He sighed and kicked a few bits of frost from the welcome mat, but nodded.
"Do you know why I went away?"
It seemed like he couldn't look at her – instead his eyes stayed trained on the little frozen windmill in his front yard. "I… I guessed."
"Do you ever think about it?"
"I…"
She stared as his nostrils flared and the corners of his eyes became red.
"David."
He cleared his throat. "Mary Margaret, that was.. thirty years-"
"Twenty nine." She corrected. "She would have been twenty nine in October."
He balled his hand into a fist and held it over his mouth.
They stood there for a long time, David unable to look at her in the eye and Mary Margret him in the face.
"I'm sorry."
The school teacher's frown deepened as she realized that would be it. There wasn't anything left that was helpful. She'd opened the floodgates, and now she had to wait for courage, or pieces to fall into place… or a miracle.
Regina tip toed down the hall, just outside the door to the nursery.
The little gurgled laughter could be heard from half way down the stairs, and she didn't want to interrupt just yet. Emmet could just barely keep his head up, but he tried his hardest to keep his eyes on everything he could.
There they lay – Emma on her belly across from the infant, making funny faces at him and wiggling her fingers just above his eye line, trying to get him to use the muscles developing in his neck.
"Watch 'em, bug!" The blonde said in a high pitched voice. "You got this."
Emmet cooed back at her, his arms and legs going all at once, trying to get momentum enough to peek at her. But his fun quickly turned into frustration – a lip quivering as his giggles changed to tiny grunts and whimpers.
Regina watched silently as Emma waited a few moments, then got a squeaky toy and tried all over again, gaining his attention and getting him to follow as she lifted it, and Emmet getting frustrated all over again.
When he broke out into a real cry, Emma finally sat up and scooped Emmet into her arms, laying his head on her shoulder. "Okay, kiddo. You're okay." She rubbed his back. "Good try."
Regina cleared her throat and both of them looked at her with their eyebrows raised at the same moment.
"Tummy time going well?"
"He's trying really hard." Emma grinned.
Regina looked at the two of them for a moment before folding her arms. "Dinner's ready whenever you two are."
"We're not waiting for Henry?"
A smile grew on the brunette's face. "Henry just called and asked if he could stay at the twin's house for dinner."
"Really?" Emma got up and readjusted the baby. "You're joking?"
"No. I'm supposed to pick him up at eight."
"He's making friends."
Regina stepped aside as they made their way downstairs. "Looks like you're not such a horrible influence after all."
Ashley covered her mouth so fast, it made Emma and Ruby roll their eyes at the same time.
"No!" She spoke through her hand. "Really?"
"You didn't know?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.
The older blonde just scooted a little lower in the couch and stared into her beer bottle.
"I just thought you guys were really good friends! I didn't.. I mean it didn't really cross my mind."
"Oh, whatever. Emma's gayer than a three dollar bill."
Ashley laughed, and picked up her slice of pizza again. "Does… do you think Regina knows?"
"I don't think so?" Emma shrugged.
"Jesus, if she hasn't caught on by now she's just dumb." Ruby nudged her friend with her foot.
"She's not dumb."
"So why don't you just tell her?" Ashley shrugged. "It feels like she should already have an idea."
Ruby cackled. "No, no no – Em bought her a car, takes care of her kids, and took her and the brats to Boston for her freaking birthday weekend." The brunette rattled off the evidence on her fingers. "And you were in the delivery room with her! You guys are already married, just date her already!"
Emma sighed and let her head fall back on the armrest. "Can we talk about something else?"
"No!" They both answered at the same time.
"I need to get friends my own age."
"You're lucky you even have us… this crush bullshit, man, you're basically a fifth grader with a driver's license." Ruby cracked her knuckles and sat up. "But seriously, Em. Just rip the Band-Aid off and ask her out. Or just… kiss her out of the blue one night before you go home – pull some crappy romance novel stuff on her, she'll love it."
All Emma did was laugh and rub her eyes.
"You two would be cute." Ashley giggled.
"You know, you guys are probably right, okay?" Emma shrugged. "I feel like… Maybe I'm super obvious, whatever, but that's not doing wonders for making me more confident on asking her out or anything. If she knows, she hasn't done anything or she's avoiding it." She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "And if she doesn't know, I'm not prepared to have an awkward wedge between us, and then not get to see the kids as much or-"
"So she's just going to sit there drooling for the rest of her life." Ruby huffed.
"If the right time rolls around, then I'll… figure something out. But it's-"
Ruby made a noise and gave another eye roll.
"Fuck off."
Ashley frowned in a sad sort of way at Emma and that was the last straw.
She got up and grabbed at her hair right next to her scalp. "You don't get it! I came here, and she was dating Graham. They broke up, but she was pregnant. And now things are okay, but she has a new baby, and Henry's growing up and she's so happy with the way things are, I don't want to mess that up for her by being like, 'Oh hey, you're doing great and let me just decide for you that you need to date' and me! Me of all people, who doesn't even know how to spell the word 'college'? Really?"
"There's always going to be an excuse not to do anything, but-"
Ashley cut her off. "Emma… You're not a negative."
"What?"
"Regina has been so much happier since you've been around. And Henry's doing great, why would you think that you would take away from her life? You've already added so much to it."
Ruby nodded in agreement.
Emma's shoulders slumped and she leaned on the back of the couch looking up at the ceiling. "I've added to it as a friend, guys." She shook her head. "If she hasn't put the pieces together I don't want to force feed her and make her think that's all I'm here for or that I didn't care about Henry or something, and if she has… if she knows then she hasn't shown any interest back, so I'm happy to at least have what I have."
They both looked at her carefully.
"Being a part of their life is good enough."
"Easy, kid." Emma had to jump to catch the ball.
Geeze he was getting big. Henry had officially hit a growth spurt, just short of eye level with both of his mothers. His hair was getting shaggy and his limbs were too stringy for his body. Still, the charm and that glint in his eye were more than enough to make up for the gangly look he had going on.
The pre-teen made a face. "Sorry."
"You're kinda getting an arm, there." The blonde lobbed the ball back to him easily.
"Yeah.. I was thinking of asking mom if I could do baseball this year."
Emma threw a look to Regina with wide eyes, but she was too busy trying to turn over the patties and the hot dog for Emmet on the grill.
Speaking of, he was growing like a weed, too. He'd added 'Mama' (and "Ah-ma" when addressing Emma, or so she insisted was the case) to his very slim vocabulary consisting of mostly 'oh' sounds, but the seven-month-old was already trying to pull himself up on the furniture and get into whatever was left around him.
Regina had given up trying to cook and hold him at the same time about half an hour ago and got out the bungie cord bouncer and hung it from the kitchen door instead.
"Do you think she'd let me?"
Emma nodded and wound up for another throw. "For sure – your grades are going to be good at the end of this year, right?"
"Well, yeah - I mean.." He caught it and shrugged. "You don't think she'll be too worried I'll get hurt?"
"Nah. If you asked about football she might cry, but I think she'll be fine with it."
Henry grinned to himself. "Cool."
"Lunch is ready!" Regina yelled. Her sun hat wobbled as she twisted around to get the paper plates and utensils for the condiments. "Go wash up."
Henry jogged back in the house, patting his brother on the head on his way in.
"Did you hear any of that?"
Regina looked at her friend. "Any of what?"
Emma pointed toward the house. "He said he wanted to try out for baseball this year."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I was surprised too."
The brunette plated the food and closed the grill. "I think it starts next week, actually. I'll call the school." She covered her mouth before the closest thing to a giggle Emma had ever heard came out of the Mayor's mouth. "That's exciting!"
Emma smiled so hard it hurt.
Then a moment of déjà vu happened. Her mind sending her back to the first few times she came here and not being able to shake this insane crush and wishing for barbecues in the back yard and a family. Looking around herself she had to admit – she had what she asked for. The only thing that was missing was the option of sweeping Regina up and kissing her shoulders. And as much as she still wanted to do that, she wouldn't give up these little moments – the ones where baby giggles were constantly playing, and Henry was always telling them some kind of fact he read, or seeing Regina's eyes light up at either one.
"I think we're doing a pretty good job, here." Regina sighed, leaning back against the house.
"With the kids?"
She nodded. "And with.. everything?" Her eyes scanned the garden instead of looking at Emma herself. "I still don't know how to thank you for everything. For helping with the kids, of course – but for everything else. Being my friend, and stepping in as Sheriff when I didn't have one and then actually knowing how to do your job." She grinned and turned her eyes to her shoes. "I don't remember a time in my life I've ever been so happy, and… and you play a large role in that, I think."
"You guys make me happy." Emma flashed a smile of her own.
When Regina looked up, Emma was staring right at her. There was an honesty there that they wished they could read in one another. But they were always just a page and a half away from one another, hanging on to some reservation that didn't let them push forward.
Regina bumped Emma with her shoulder, breaking the momentary awkwardness. "We're happy to have you, dear."
Emma laughed and rolled her eyes. "Will you stop calling me that? You sound like your mom."
"Oh!" Regina turned around just short of picking up the baby. "I almost forgot – my mother can't watch the kids this coming weekend, and I-"
"What? Where are you going?"
Regina scooped Emmet up and secured him on her hip. "I have my conference. I'm sure I told you last month for my-"
"Right.. yeah, your law stuff." Emma waved away her forgetfulness.
"I'm simply staying up to date on my degrees. It's the reason I'm qualified for my title, after all." Regina laughed after using her authoritative voice.
"I'll watch them."
Regina passed her a plate. "Thank you."
((Don't want to forget, I sampled some dialogue from a movie called "Friends With Kids" in one scene up top, where Regina calls Emma over in the middle of the night. There was no other way to word it, and I needed it in there. But, credit where credit is due, because that wasn't mine. Thank you again for reading!))
