Chapter 14
"Do you think that she'll be okay alone?" Emma asked Regina.
"She'll be fine. We can't coddle her. We have to treat her how you want Snow and Charming to treat you, Dear. She is an adult. She is fighting years of anger with reasoning that she never got to see. She'll be fine. We have to trust that, or we've already failed her," Regina told her.
"I'm worried about her," Emma stated.
"As you should be, you are her mother."
"I know that, but that isn't it. I know that she has grown up fine and strong. I know that she might be a hot head when it comes to running into danger and dealing with magic, but that isn't it. Something happened between her and Will. I can feel it and she is hurting because of it. I want to make the pain stop. I can't stand to see it in her eyes," Emma told her.
"I know the feeling well, Emma, but we can't protect her from everything. We just can't. We want to but unfortunately as a parent we have to watch our children be in pain. Do you think that I like it? I want to hunt Will down and figure out what the hell is wrong with her that she would leave my daughter alone. I know that she is your friend and that is one of the reasons that I haven't tried to locate her on my own," Regina replied.
"And the other?" Emma asked.
"The fact that our daughter saw fit to befriend her or more. I know that in itself should be enough for me, but as you know, I will never believe that anyone will be worthy of our children. That, my Dear, is a mother's prerogative."
Emma laughed slightly and pulled Regina to her. She held her in her arms, still amazed that it had only been a day or more since they had finally confessed their feelings for each other. It had been because of their daughter from the future, but it had been a long time coming. She stared into Regina's mocha colored eyes.
"How did we get so lucky?" Emma asked her.
"I don't believe in luck, you should know that," Regina mock scolded her.
"You know what I mean. I just hope that she won't run tonight. You don't think that she will, do you?" Emma questioned.
"No, Dear, I don't. She has questions and we have answers. She was here to learn about you from people who knew you outside of the Fairy Tale World. That can only make me wonder what she knows of us. She hid from us both and chose to be Belle's younger sister. It makes me wonder if we didn't show her enough love or if she is really frightened of what is to come."
"Like changing our past will change her future and not for the better?" Emma inquired.
"That is a big possibility. I am afraid that we can't know what will change and she might not either. You only knew what changed because you had the book. Your memories didn't change."
"You're scaring me with this 'Butterfly Effect' shit. What can we do? Nothing?"
"I don't understand the reference. And, no, Emma, we will do something. I am not going to let our family perish. We have worked so hard to get where we are. I am not going to let it designate because of some evil. I am not going to let her suffer through not having us again, or if she has to, at least she will know that we did everything that we could to try to stop it."
"She will, Regina. We aren't going to let her not know. We are going to do everything in our power to make sure that she knows that. Do you think that the journals will change? Do you think that is why she is so worried?" Emma asked.
"I don't know, Dear."
"I mean, I was only in the Enchanted Forest for a week the last time. I did enough damage in one day that it took days to fix it and Rumple wasn't exactly accommodating. I can only imagine what her being here for six months before we…you figured it out will do to her future."
"Not much, I am sure. It would have only been in the last few days that would have affected anything I am sure. That was when we figured out that she was from the future and our daughter, before that we had no reason to question her. She had all the time in the world to study and learn how to stop this Blackness that she is so worried about. The only person, who really knew who she was, was Blue and I highly doubt that Blue would tell me anything unless it would help your family. She kept her confidence. So, even Blue could see the potential of changing the future too much, but she was willing to teach her anyway. I guess that is because she is also your blood. She was drawn to help her."
"What do you mean by that?" Emma asked.
"Blue has always been drawn to your family. That is why she was trying to help Ava, but she couldn't stop her poisoning by my mother. She couldn't help her because she didn't know it was poison. She protected your mother. She protects you and Henry. She was drawn to Coraline even though she couldn't explain it. She didn't look like your family that much, not until that day we were at the convent. I think she realized that you were her other mother as soon as I did. By then, she knew that she would help her not because of her lineage but because she was trying to protect the entire town and by default your baby brother."
"But, if Blue is my family's personal fairy, does that make Tink yours?"
"I guess so. She was also worried about Coraline. She has two fairies looking after her. I am not sure that many people can say that. She truly is gifted in more ways than we thought."
"Okay, so our daughter has both of our traits, good and bad. She has powerful magic, like ours, and two fairies on her side. She has a family that is willing to die for her. She like me is also seemingly a product of True Love. Is there anything that I missed?" Emma asked.
"Not that I can think of right now, Emma."
"I want to make sure that she is okay," Emma stated.
"I know that you do, Dear. But, she is an adult. She has to make her own decisions. As do you, especially concerning your parents. We need to sit down with Henry when we get back."
"You're right. We do. He needs to know."
"About us," Regina added with a certain finality.
"Do you think that we should tell him so soon?"
"I am sure that if we don't, your parents will," Regina stated.
"You're right. Should we call him tonight? Or, should we wait until we get back?"
"I think we should wait until we get back. I am sure that you mother's mouth has been kept quiet by Ruby. Most importantly because Ruby knows how insufferable your mother can be. Plus she doesn't want me to have to kill your mother when we get back," Regina told her.
Emma laughed and held her tighter. She could see the mischievousness in Regina's mocha eyes. She leaned into her and kissed her.
"Emma…"
"Yeah?"
"I thought you were worried about Coraline," Regina said.
"I am."
"But, you are kissing me?"
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because I want to?" Emma replied in question.
"Do you always do things when you want to?"
"Not all the time," Emma stated.
"And, when haven't you done what you wanted?" Regina asked her, arching a sculpted eyebrow.
"The first time I realized that I cared for you more than as a friend I didn't tell you."
"Well, it seems we both agreed on that point."
"Don't worry, Regina. I'm tired. I just want to go to bed and hold you. Is that okay?"
"Sounds delightful, Dear, perfectly delightful."
Coraline sat in her room. It was next door to Regina and Emma's and it was just as large. It was a suite and she didn't know what she should do first. She wasn't tired. She was wired. There was so much on her mind at that moment that she couldn't make it stop. She couldn't decide what emotion she should be feeling.
Her mothers had found each other and had admitted that they loved each other. Her future was secure in that aspect and that made her happy. She was worried about what Snow and Belle would say to her when she got back to Storybrooke. That made her worried. She was hopeful about how Henry would react to having his adult younger sister with him now. She was grateful for Emma, Regina and Blue accepting her for who and what she was and wanting to help her stop the horrific future. She would be sad to see Neal and Charming because she knew of the heartache to come. Ruby would frustrate her, but she was also her best ally, even if Red didn't know it yet. Then, there were the feelings that she had developed quickly for Will. She wondered what she should feel for Will.
Being angry was easy. She knew that, but there was more to it than that. She actually cared for Will. There was something about her that was familiar and soothing. It was one of the reasons that she couldn't understand why she ran away from the diner. She knew that the case Will claimed that she was going on was a farce. She just didn't understand it. She thought that Will was different. She didn't think that she would lie to her.
She grabbed her cell phone and sat on the edge of the bed. In one hand she had the cell and in the other the remote to the TV, but she was at loss. She wanted to call Will and find out what was really going on. She wanted to tell her the truth, but she was afraid of what she would think at the same time. Then again, she wanted the mindlessness that TV could give her and the droning that would lull her to sleep. It was a paradox that she wasn't sure that she could answer.
She stared at the blank TV. She wished that her mind could be so easily blank. She then stared at that screen on her cell phone. Will's number was still on it along with the voicemails that she'd left hours earlier. She could only wonder what they said, but she still didn't have the strength to listen to them.
She walked across the suite to the adjoining door and knocked. She hadn't realized that she had been sitting on the edge of the bed for over an hour. She didn't pay attention to the clock on her cell phone. All she knew was that she needed her mother.
Emma answered the door and saw the look on her face. She placed a single finger to Coraline's lips and pointed back into her room. She crossed the room and got a robe, before following her back into the other room. Emma watched her sit down on the edge of the bed.
"I can't sleep."
"I can see that, Kiddo. What is it? What is bothering you so much that you would come to us for help in the middle of the night?" Emma asked her.
"You wanted to speak to me earlier about what happened with Will," Coraline started.
"Whoa, Kiddo. I figured that something happened between the two of you, but I don't want any details. There are some things that a mother doesn't ever need to know and that is one of them. I was just wondering how you were doing. I know that she kept you and found you for me, but she became particularly fond of you quickly," Emma stated.
"You sound like, Mom."
"Well, I've been around her enough to pick up some of her language, I'm sure. But, that still doesn't answer the question. Why was Will so quick with you? Why did she run from us?"
"I might have warned her against Mom," Coraline answered.
"You mean your mother's wrath and anger."
"Yes."
"And, what did she say about that?"
"She laughed at me. She thought that I was kidding when I spoke of fireballs. She doesn't know that we are truly fantastic. There is no way that she could know that. Is there?"
"Not that I can think of, Kiddo. At least, I hope that she doesn't, because if she did then she might have known that I was to be the Savior. And, that would truly be a bitter pill for me to swallow. I would hate to have to lose her as a friend because she already knew what my destiny was to be before I did. I highly doubt it. She was a good friend to me and doubt that she would have been able to keep that a secret. She was probably laughing because she thought you were exaggerating a bit. I doubt that anyone outside of Storybrooke would have taken you seriously in that statement," Emma told her.
"Oh, I know that. I visited outside the city a few times before I came to Boston. I find that I miss the forests though. I quit leaving town when I realized that I would find most of my answers in town from the people there than from the outside world. This realm doesn't understand our ways and magic. They don't think that it is real," Coraline stated.
"No, we don't. We don't believe in magic until we see for it for ourselves. It is a crime here to believe in such things. Those that do are often taken away and hidden from the rest."
"But why?"
"Because they are considered dangerous."
"But, why?"
"Because they see things that others do not and they cause hope where some believe there should be none. Your brother is one of these men. He causes hope wherever he goes."
"That is because he had the heart of the Truest Believer," Coraline answered.
"And, you are the Swan Princess, Coraline, sworn protector of the Crown and daughter of two Queens of the realm. You, with the help of your aunts Red and Belle, have managed to keep the kingdom alive and safe for years. You will take up the mantel that I wear, Coraline. I am afraid that it is the burden of being a product of True Love. You will be the new Savior of the realm."
"But that is a burden that I never wanted," Coraline murmured.
"Nor did I, Coraline, nor did I. But, I found that with time I understood it. I learned to rely on it. I was made the Savior to save everyone and give them back their happy endings, even the Evil Queen herself. The ironic twist in that it seems that I am her happy ending and your are our proof. In her finding happiness with me, I will my find my own. It is a blessing and a curse for us both. But, you…you will be the one to restore the throne and restore the entire realm, not just the Kingdoms of the Winterlands and Summerlands. Do you understand that?"
"I do," Coraline replied, hanging her head. "It is still a heavy burden and one that must bear alone. I will have no family to share it with, just allies who knew my family better than me."
"I know, Coraline. I know that. Your mother and I will do everything that we can to stop that from happening, but if it is truly fate than we will do what can to ensure that you have the best chance that you can and all the protections that we can afford. You must know that we will do everything in our power to protect you," Emma explained.
"I know that, Ma. I do. I really do, but that doesn't make it any easier for me. I am here, now, with you only to know that my younger self will not have you past my fifth year. How am I supposed to go into this with that knowledge? How am I supposed to prepare you to leave me?"
"That is just it, Coraline. You aren't. You are here to prepare us to stay with you. You will learn from us and we from you. This alliance will help us maintain the happy endings that we all want. That everyone in Storybrooke deserves, even your Uncle Neal."
"How can you promise me something that you haven't already delivered to me?" Coraline asked.
"Because we will find a way to deliver it to you," Emma told her, holding her hands.
"You cannot promise something that I know has not been delivered."
"In your timeline of knowledge, no, it isn't something that you have. But, let me tell you of the time that I screwed up the timeline that I knew of, but things turned out because I had to rectify the changes that I made. If I hadn't, then I wouldn't be here. You aren't trying to ensure the fact that you are born. We know that. You are trying to keep your family alive. Anything that you do here affects the future, Coraline. You have even warned us against that. What would you have us do? Nothing and let everything runs its course?" Emma asked.
"No, Ma, I would not."
"Then, what do you want us to do, Coraline?"
"Teach me about a love so great that you would both die for it," she told her through tears she didn't know that she had been holding back.
Emma reached across and gathered her daughter into her arms. She held because she didn't know what else to do. She kissed the top of her head and wept with her.
"How do you teach someone to love? How do you teach them that are things worth dying for when you were never taught those things? How can you explain that which you haven't learned yourself? How do you love so completely when you were never loved? How do you know what the true meaning of family is when you never really had one?" Emma asked her.
"I don't know," Coraline answered.
"The answer is simple, my darling daughter," Emma replied.
"And, what is it, Ma?"
"You find someone who can understand you and your pain. You find a way to let them inside the walls that you have built to protect you from things that have hurt you and things that you don't understand. And, in a moment of clarity and epiphany, you realize that you love them with everything that you have, every fiber of your being and every desire in your heart."
"And what does that teach you?" Coraline asked.
"It teaches you that you can be loved regardless of your pain and faults. It gives you something to strive for and the desire to protect that love at all costs, including your own life. Because to die for someone you love…it is a sacrifice made out of the purity of love. When you know that feeling and you've embraced it, then you will know what real love is. Then and only then will you understand the sacrifices that those around you have made for you, to keep you safe, well, and healthy. To know a love that great is to understand True Love. And, while it is true that not everyone gets their True Love. Your grandparents got it. Your mothers got it. So, be the rules of fate, Coraline, you will get it as well and when you do, fight for it," Emma told her.
"Is that what you did with Mom?"
"After a fashion, yes, it is."
Regina woke up to an empty bed. She saw the adjoining door open. She walked across the suite to hear Emma and Coraline talking. She smiled, because she knew that Coraline was having a harder time getting closer to Emma than she was to herself. She was about to turn away when she heard Emma's voice talking about love. She leaned against the doorway, sure that they couldn't see her from where she was standing.
"Is that what you did with Mom?" Coraline had asked her.
"After a fashion, yes, it is," Emma had replied.
Regina smiled bigger. Emma was trying to help their daughter and she was discussing their love. She could only smile as Emma told her more.
"How?" Coraline asked.
"I realized early that I cared for your mother because she cared for Henry. It was endearing to me. She was this powerful woman who only wanted one thing."
"What was that?"
"A child…more importantly someone to love. I didn't find out until later the fate of her first love. I helped ruin her second, but that is another story all together."
"I know about Robin Hood, Ma. The stories can be quiet scandalous depending on who is telling them. But, you both fought over Henry as well. Mom would say that the Charming genes were out to destroy her. But, I don't think that is true. I think it is more of the White genes."
"You laugh about it, but it is true."
"How?"
"Well, I guess the feud actually started with your Great-grandmother Ava and your Grandmother Cora. Unfortunately for you both your Grams and Mom, the feud continued through the workings of your Grandmother Cora. That woman really didn't know how to let go."
"Neither did, Mom," Coraline stated.
"No, she did. She realized that she didn't want to become her mother and that she was very close to doing it. Your mother was very brave. She turned away from the darkness. She's saved not only me, but your Grams countless times. She doesn't regret what she's done because it gave us a family, but don't mistake that she isn't sorry for it. She is."
"I know that, Ma. And, so is Grams. They are both sorry for what they did to each other."
"I know. I can see it in the way they interact. Don't get me wrong, Kiddo. Your Grams isn't going to take lightly the fact that your Mom and me are dating. She is going to be opposed to the idea, but we don't care. And, do you know why?" Emma asked her.
"No, why?"
"Because you are proof that we get our happy ending together and for us that is all that matters. We have both suffered in childhood, in loves lost, and in painful misgivings of things around us because we have become too blind to see the truth. Our upbringings scarred us, Coraline and that is something that we never wanted for you or Henry. Which is why we are so willing to fight for you and your future, why we are willing to die for you that you might have a better life, and why we are willing to change everything for your happiness," Emma told her.
"I just want you."
"I think that you want more, but you are afraid to tell me," Emma stated.
"I do."
"Then, call her."
"But…"
"Forgive her."
"But Ma…"
"No, Coraline, no buts. Call Will and see what is really going on. If she is of Lockley like your Grams, suspects, but I highly doubt, ask her to come back to Storybrooke. She might surprise us all and come. I'll talk to her if she does. We will need some ground rules of course," Emma told her, pulling her back on the bed with her until they reached the headboard.
"But, what about Mom?"
"What about her?"
"She'll want to kill her," Coraline stated.
"Let me deal with your mother. You deal with your heart and with Will. But, together, somehow, some way, we will save this family. All of it, including Will, if we must," Emma said as she kissed her head goodnight. "Now, sleep, my little Swan. We're going home tomorrow."
Regina waited at the door for Emma. And she wasn't surprised a few moments later like Emma was when she ran into Regina. Emma turned around to face her and was immediately brought into a fierce kiss.
"Well, hello to you, too," Emma stated when Regina broke the kiss.
"You are amazing with her."
"That is because she is me."
It was the statement that got to Regina the most. The look on Emma's face was a close second. Emma still thought of herself as a Lost Girl and that she wasn't worthy. She understood Coraline on levels that Regina couldn't, but she didn't doubt that Emma loved her as much as she did. They both loved fiercely and completely when they let someone in. Now, all Regina had to do was make Emma that she was worthy every day and Regina wouldn't have a problem with that as long as Emma loved them all.
They were all connected because of Emma and she wasn't going to let that connection break. Regina would do everything in her power and everything not in her power to keep her family safe. She wasn't scared to die for them. In fact, she was proud of the fact that she would face death to protect them in the future. It did hurt that it meant Coraline wouldn't have her, but she would fight to protect her daughter. Family was everything, blood or not, and Regina was going to make sure that it survived whatever this Blackness was that was coming.
"Don't worry, Regina. We'll figure this out. We always do," Emma told her, pulling her back to bed, climbing inside and cuddling her.
"I am not worried about that, Emma."
"Then what are you worried about?"
"I am worried about Coraline."
"Why are you worried about Coraline?" Emma asked her.
"I am worried that she will never know how much we truly love her, but I will spend every day that we have with her trying to show her. I don't want her to ever wonder if we loved, love her. We both dealt with that as children. I don't want that for her," Regina explained.
"And, she won't. She doesn't. And, do you know why I know that?"
"No, I don't," Regina replied.
"Because she can see it now."
"But, that doesn't help the fact that we were there for her as a child, Emma," Regina said.
"Nope, it doesn't, but we are going to find a way to make sure that it doesn't happen."
Ruby sat at the counter working the Sudoku in the Daily Mirror. She was working the late shift for Granny and hoping that Leroy didn't do anything stupid tonight. She didn't mind being in charge while Regina and Emma were gone, but Snow and Leroy were really starting to irk her.
"Ruby?" Snow asked, sitting down at the counter beside her/
Ruby turned and saw that she had Neal on her hip. She wanted to shake her head and not talk to her friend, but she didn't. She grabbed her paper and pointed towards the booth in the back. At least there they would be comfortable and she could watch over the diner. Ruby took the seat against the wall.
Snow didn't even ask why and sat down across from her. Thankfully she had brought the baby carrier with her. She placed Prince Neal in the carrier. Once he was settled, she watched as Ruby made a gesture to one of the other waitresses in the diner. A few moments later, two steaming cups of hot cocoa with cinnamon were placed in front of them both.
"What's up, Snow?" Ruby asked after taking a sip.
"Regina and Emma have a daughter," Snow started.
"I know that."
"No, I mean they make a daughter."
"Which we have all met, but I fail to see your point."
"It is a little ironic, don't you think?" Snow asked.
"It is poetically ironic, but it is also beautiful. They understand each other. They share a son. They have gotten closer as they have saved us all time and time again. Yes, there is a history of animosity between them, but even you and Charming had your moments before falling in love."
"I know that."
"Then, what are you trying to say?" Ruby questioned.
"I have a granddaughter that is also my step-sister," Snow quipped.
"Well, yes, but that would also make Henry your adopted brother," Ruby added.
"Our family has some serious issues."
"What family doesn't?"
"I don't know how to deal with this," Snow admitted.
"Deal with what exactly?"
"How can I condone their …"
"By being the mother that Emma never had and being the mother that you are, love her."
"I do."
"Then, you have nothing to worry about," Ruby told her.
"But, she is with Regina," Snow stated.
"And, Regina is madly, absolutely, head-over-heels in love with Emma. She has been for a while, but she has been afraid to tell her. Coraline has brought them together. I don't know if Coraline came back to ensure her own birth but I doubt it. She is more worried about stopping the Blackness that is coming than making sure she is born. It is like she knows that she'll be born regardless of what she does. She is worried about Emma and Regina and not herself. Do you know that tells me about her?" Ruby asked her.
"No, I don't."
"That she loves just as deeply as Regina and Emma do. She is worried about her family and not herself. She is selfless and magical. That tells me that Emma and Regina did right by her. She has become the new Savior and from what I've seen of Emma's trials that is a hard mantel to wear. But, like Regina and Emma, she carries that title with some trepidation and honor."
"But, that is because you and Belle raised her," Snow added.
"But, even you can see that she is a blend of them both."
"I can."
"Snow, I don't think that it is because it's Regina. There is more to your misgivings than that. What is really bothering you about this?"
"The fact that we all die. I know that we go into battle to protect our family. I know that you are by my side, but you raise my granddaughter. You do. Not my daughter. Not Regina. You do. Whatever attacked us was so great that they couldn't defeat it together and Regina sent Coraline away with my best friend and her most unlikely ally. What does that say about what is coming?"
"That we have to learn to defend ourselves better. We need to let do their research. This time it can be different. We've been given the warning by the survivor. Maybe that is her title."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you titled Charming Charming. You are the Princess. I am the Wolf. Emma is the Savior. Regina is the Queen. Belle is the Bookworm. Rumple is the Dark One. She is a survivor, just like her Grams, and her mothers."
"But she is the Swan Princess," Snow replied.
"That she is, but she is also a Charming, a White, and a Mills. She is your granddaughter which puts her in line for your thrown. She obviously doesn't want that job too much."
"That is Emma's way of thinking," Snow stated snickering.
"Because she loves her family, she's risk her own existence to come stop everyone from dying. I think that it is a noble cause. I will support them and Regina."
"By why have you suddenly become so supportive of Regina, Ruby? She's never done anything to help you. What aren't you telling me?"
"Ruby Elizabeth Lucas, this isn't break time," Granny shouted from the kitchen.
"It's a long and complicated story, but let's just say this: we've got more in common than we thought possible. I need to talk to her anyway. Let me go see what Granny needs. Wait here. I'll be back in a minute," Ruby told her getting up from the table.
"What aren't you telling me, Ruby?" Snow asked staring at the diner's wall.
Across town Belle was serving dinner to Rumple. He looked happy and Belle was afraid of what he would do when she told him the truth, but she promised him that they wouldn't lie to each other anymore. It had cost them too much time already. They agreed to be honest and she did have her reservations about telling him the truth about Coraline.
"What's wrong, Dearie?" Rumple asked her.
"I have something that I need to tell you, and it isn't going to be easy to hear," Belle told him.
"Belle, sit down and tell me. It can't be that bad. There is nothing that you can tell me that would be bad. You aren't the Dark One, so I serious doubt that it is that serious," he said.
She sat down and looked at him. She took a drink of water and sat the glass back on the table. She watched as he served his plate and waited for her to tell him. When she didn't say anything, he gestured for her to tell him.
"It concerns Coraline," Belle started.
"Your baby sister?" he questioned.
"Yeah."
"What about her, Dearie?"
"She isn't my sister."
"What do you mean by that? Of course she is Belle. She looks like your mother. She sounds just like you. She acts like you. Your brothers have threatened every male that looks at her. Your father has even come to me about making sure that she doesn't end up with anyone magical. I didn't help him by the way," Rumple explained as he started to eat.
"No, Rumple, she isn't my blood."
His fork and knife dropped to the plate. He picked up his glass and took a healthy drink. He sat the glass back down and pushed back in his chair. He folded his arms on the table and waited for her to continue. The look in his eyes frightened her, but she had to tell him.
"She is Regina's daughter."
"And, why do you think that, dearie?"
"Because she told me that she was."
"That proves nothing. She is younger and alone. She just wants attention, nothing more."
"She can read Regina's diaries," she added.
"So, I can read them too. So can anyone who gets their hands on them. We all know how to read and write. You can read mine if you want, but they do get rather nasty in places. I should clean the pages, but I find that the gore actually punctuates the tales better."
"Rumple!"
"I am merely stating the truth, Dear."
"She can read them because of blood magic. She is Regina's daughter. But, that isn't the only thing that she has told us."
"Us?" he asked, trying to hide his evident anger.
"She's also Emma's daughter."
"Now, I know that you are wrong. Regina wants nothing to do with our precious Savior except share time with Henry. He is her main concern. I don't know what story Coraline had concocted but it sounds like a good one. I wouldn't worry too much about, Belle. She is just lonely now that we are married. She misses you. There is nothing more to it," Rumple told her.
"Yes, there is," Belle said quietly and hoped that Rumple wouldn't do anything drastic to her.
Snow was just putting Prince Neal down for the evening when her phone rang. She hoped that it wasn't David telling her that something had happened. Then, she hoped that it was Emma calling to tell her that she'd be home soon. She was surprised when it was actually Regina.
"Regina?"
"Hello, Snow," she said.
"Wha-? Why are you calling? Did something happen to Emma? Coraline?"
"No, you daughter is fine, as is your granddaughter. I need to talk to you. It is important."
"You need to talk to me?"
"Yes, I do."
"About?"
"Emma and Coraline," Regina stated.
"What about them?"
"I want to do this in person."
"I see. Well, I'm free most nights. When are you all coming home?" Snow asked her.
"Tomorrow morning, hopefully will be home around lunch time."
"Do you want to meet in the early afternoon then?"
"That's fine, dear. I would give you a time, but I don't know what is going to actually happen when we get back. I know that Emma is going to call you and ask you to arrange a family dinner, which we can have at my house. Before you object, I can handle more people."
"A family dinner?"
"Yes, a family dinner."
"Well, I'll await your call, then," Snow told her.
"Goodnight, Snow."
"Goodnight, Regina."
The line went dead and she stared at her phone. Her senses were tinkling and she didn't like it. She looked over at Neal and smiled. She thought about Emma and smiled. She thought about David and Henry and smiled. Then, she thought about Coraline and Regina and she smiled. Then she thought about Regina, alone, and she got worried. What was going on in Storybrooke?