So, I have to say, that this story is coming to a quick close. I think a small part of my ridiculous writer's block, has been due to realizing I have gotten through the parts of this story I wanted to tell. So there will be one more chapter after this, as an epilogue, ending it right at 30 chapters. I'm glad to have gotten this chapter written and I hope you enjoy.
Quick Recap of the end of last chapter...
She knew Henry saw her and she could tell he likely yelled for Emma to stop, because the car braked aggressively just by her mailbox and parked. She continued marching towards the vehicle and when she made it past the sidewalk, Emma stepped cautiously from the car, glancing down at Regina's foot and back up, clearly confused and concerned, though she initially stayed silent.
Regina saw the pain still in her eyes, but there was something else. Something that combined the confusion with trepidation with a small spark of hope. The trepidation seemed to overpower slightly though as Regina marched right up until they stood only a foot away from one another.
"Regina?" She spoke so quietly, even directly in front of her, Regina nearly didn't hear her. No matter, Regina was going to make sure Emma heard her then.
Looking straight into her eyes and closing the distance to a mere few inches, the words began pouring from Regina.
"I will be damned if we do not learn from our mistakes. You said your biggest regret was not coming after me that night, well I've lived with plenty of pain over the years and I refuse to add that on top."
Emma blinked a few times, looking slightly stunned, but her eyes stayed on Regina. Neither noticed Henry standing outside of the car or Luca as he joined his brother. They stayed focused on one another alone and for that moment, everything else just faded away.
"You were right. I made a decision for everyone two years ago and whether or not it was the best or only option, I left you and made it so we couldn't be together. Now you have the same choice and I am asking you, Emma…" She paused and took in a long breath, surprising Emma when she reached out and gently took her hand. "We have so much to get through, but you and I...we are not done. So I am asking you...I am asking you not to let history repeat itself. I am asking you...to stay."
Suit 501
"How bad does it hurt?" Emma asked as she saw Regina wince.
"It's fine. I'll take some ibuprofen when we go back inside." She gave a small shrug of her shoulder and allowed a smile, but it was obvious by the look on her face, that Emma wasn't buying it.
"You remember my super power, right?" She started and Regina rolled her eyes. "Let's go back in now and I'll grab you some." She shifted to stand from the curb where they'd planted themselves, but Regina placed a hand on her thigh before she got far and the move effectively halted Emma completely.
"Stay, please." She kept her hand in place as she watched the corner of Emma's mouth lift slightly.
"I told you I would." Her tone was soft and so were Regina's features as she held Emma's eyes.
"You know what I mean. We agreed to stay out here until we had a plan and we're following through. We're not ignoring this anymore."
Emma let out an overdramatic sigh that had Regina's eyes rolling again, but she wasn't really irritated. A comfort had settled around them from the moment Emma had said yes and they'd decided to stay right where they were and have a real discussion about their future. Even though all they'd done was sit next to each other and stare across the street for ten minutes straight.
"You know we could try counseling." Emma suggested timidly and Regina's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"You would willingly go talk to a counselor...about your feelings?" She just stared at Emma, who looked away as she spoke again.
"I kinda think at this point, I've proven I'll pretty much do anything." She grinned then, still looking forward, and the playful expression forced a smile on Regina's face. "Besides, if I could sit in Archie's office every week for months while thinking everything was completely hopeless, I believe I could certainly spend some time in a room with you."
"You talked to Archie, too?"
"Yeah well, I got a deal on the family plan." She shrugged and gave a small wink.
Regina just shook her head and faced forward again. Part of her thought things were even more confusing now that she wasn't trying to push Emma away, but then she also wasn't jumping into bed with her either. It felt slightly more unclear now where they stood, but somehow, there was still that comfort that settled around them. Despite the obvious obstacles, she felt more okay in that moment, in regards to Emma, than she had in years.
"But like honestly, we could try? As long as we leave out some of the more...supernatural details."
"I'm used to that." Regina commented lightly before turning her head back to face Emma. "You're serious about this? You want the two of us to start seeing a therapist or psychologist or something?" Regina saw the sureness in Emma's expression and felt her confidence even before getting her answer.
"Yes. I can look someone up or you can or whatever, I don't care. I just want to move forward and...just try, you know?" She asked and Regina gave a small nod of her head.
"Yes. I do." She sucked in a long breath and took several seconds to release it before nodding her head, confidently. "Okay. Let's do it. I can probably find someone easily through Becky; I know she'll have some contacts to use. I'll let you know as soon as someone is available."
"Great. So...we have a plan?" Emma smiled and tilted her head.
"Yes, we can go back inside now." As soon as she finished Emma was moving to stand. Though the moment Regina started to move, Emma was directly in front of her and offering both hands to support the ascension.
"Please, be careful." She said softly and Regina let her take both hands in her own.
Emma's strength proved to still be one of her assets as she supported most of Regina's weight. As soon as they stood up together, she slid herself easily under Regina's arm and wrapped her own around Regina's waist.
As they paused for just a few seconds as they gained their footing, and brown eyes sought out green. There was a light in there Regina hadn't seen since coming face to face with Emma again and she realized in that moment how much she missed that life and that fire that made Emma the woman Regina had always been drawn to. Something was shifting then and for the first time, both women were completely ready for it.
"I don't know if I'm ready for this."
Emma sighed at Regina, before offering a reassuring smile.
"Yes you are, it'll be fine. Come on, this is it, Suit 501."
They stood, side by side, in front of a large oak door with a placard, reading Dr. Barbara Parsons, PHD. Both women were still, but it was only Regina's expression that showed trepidation for the oncoming hour. Emma was ready and it became even more clear when it was she, who finally shifted forward and twisted the knob leading into the therapist's office.
Regina still stayed put, up until Emma's hand found it's way to her back and a very soft urging, had the brunette finally moving into the room. Inside, sat a small and excited looking young man, neatly dressed and smiling kindly. His own placard read Clark Smith. He stood as the pair walked in, clipboard and pen in hand.
"Ms. Mills and Ms. Swan?" He asked and stepped around the desk.
"That's us." Emma spoke for them and responded as Clark offered the materials to the pair.
"Fantastic, if you two could just sign in and fill out the front and back, the doctor will be out shortly." His enthusiastic grin never faltered and Emma couldn't help smiling back at the contagious energy. She wondered if that was why he was hired. Maybe to ease the nerves of oncoming patients.
"Maybe he should switch to decaf." Regina muttered and Emma laughed internally. Perhaps not all patients.
They worked quietly, filling out the patient history forms and insurance information together. Neither even noticed when the door behind the receptionist desk opened and a couple stepped out. It wasn't until the pair, walking hand in hand, moved right by them, that the women noticed they were no longer alone.
"Regina and Emma?"
They looked up then, and focused on the older woman standing inside the doorway behind Clark's desk. She too, had a kind expression, though her energy was far calmer. As the pair stood and faced her, the doctor stood to the side and used her arm to beckon them in.
"Welcome. Please, have a seat inside."
"Thank you." Regina spoke up now and led them into the office and towards the large couch.
The space reminded her a little of Archie's office, set up wise, at least. There was an obvious place for the Doctor to sit in a comfortable looking chair and a couch big enough for a couple to sit side by side, or not so close, if the session wasn't going particularly well. There was another seat farther away as well, if things were truly taking a turn for the worse.
In their case though, neither Emma or Regina thought twice before sitting side by side on the couch, leaving only centimeters between them. They weren't holding hands, but they left such little space between them and the doctor's eyes seemed to zone in on the area briefly.
"Alright ladies, shall we begin?"
Emma held her breath for a few seconds. Her eyes were locked with the doctor's and she could feel Regina's stare and her grip as well. The silence stretched on, uncomfortably until Barbara finally let out a slow breath and shook her head once.
"Your ex boyfriend...wasn't really dead, you mean?" She asked and Emma let out a fake laugh.
"Right, right. Yeah, he didn't come back from the dead, I had just been lead to believe he was gone and then, as I said, he showed up out of nowhere." She stopped the rambling and let out another laugh before stopping when she felt Regina's tightening grip on her thigh.
The doctor had wanted to know the whole story and insisted no details be spared. Emma was doing an impressive job at giving an abridged and completely realistic version of events, as she and Regina had prepared ahead of time. They'd gone over giving up Henry, how they'd met, how they'd felt about one another and how it changed and Henry's reactions and finding Luca. The doctor had asked questions the whole while, trying to paint a clear picture of the two women and how their lives were back then. Unfortunately though, Emma had gotten a little lost in the retelling and when it came to Neal appearing out of the well, she'd blurted out his reincarnation without thought.
Now, Regina had a vice grip on her leg that thankfully went unnoticed by the therapist while the older woman attempted to catch up on the couple's life events and picture the new scene Emma had described.
"Alright, so now, in the midsts of your lives finally finding some kind of balance, this man appears and I'm assuming, shakes things up quite a bit." The doctor didn't miss the snort from the former mayor. "Well ladies, I am sorry to say that our hour is up, because I am honestly, very interested in talking about what happened next." She laughed and the tension was effectively relieved.
"Wow, we managed to waste an entire session without even getting to the real stuff." Emma looked away as she stood and missed the therapist shaking her head.
"Believe me, Ms Swan, not a moment of this session was wasted and everything in your lives, is, as you'd say, the "real stuff"." She stepped towards them now and smiled kindly once more. "I like to know my patients and their lives before we dive right into the problems happening now. Today has shown me so much about you two and I feel very good about the next session. See Clark on your way out to schedule your next appointment."
As the pair made it back to the car, Emma was surprised to feel Regina's hand wrap around her bicep. She turned quickly, assuming something wrong with her broken foot, but instead, was met with a steady stance and a calm smile.
"I'm glad we did this." She said confidently and Emma showed her surprise.
"Even though we barely even got started?" She said with a laugh and Regina shrugged.
"For the last few years, I have kept moving, constantly. I mean Luca and I, we traveled all the way across this country, even parts of the world, and it wasn't until a matter of months ago, that we finally settled. And even then, I have busied myself in work and with the kids and it feels like I have not stopped moving since I left Storybrooke."
Emma faced her a little more fully then and Regina let her hand brush over the fabric of Emma's jacket. She kept her eyes on her own movements and Emma tilted her head as she studied Regina. It was such a serene moment, she almost couldn't bring herself to risk ending it.
"So...what does that have to do with our first therapy session?" She asked and Regina's hand slipped down until is grasped Emma's own, a move the younger woman accepted happily.
"In over two years of non stop moving in every possible direction, this is the first time I feel like I'm finally moving forward." She squeezed Emma's hand and the move was returned. "We have a long way to go, but, I know we can get there."
Emma smiled and the move lit up her whole face. She felt her confidence rising and took a small step forward, taking Regina's other hand in the process. Lowering her tone, she spoke sincerely.
"I'm really glad I found you."
"I'm glad you stayed." Regina replied just as softly and both women stepped even closer.
"Do you think our first hour earns me a kiss?" There was a cheeky grin taking over Emma's face now and Regina couldn't help the small laugh that escaped. Instead of voicing an answer, she leaned in just slightly until their lips touched.
It was brief. Simple. A soft kiss similar to that of their first, years ago when everything was new and the possibilities were endless. But then that was basically the case once again. This was their new beginning in a new life and anything was possible now.
Regina pulled back and grinned at the pout on Emma's face. She readjusted her crutches and continued moving to the car. Once at her door, she turned and glanced back at Emma.
"That was one hour. Imagine where we'll be a year from now." She winked and moved into her seat. Emma shook her head, but she was still smiling ear to ear as she hopped into the driver's seat and headed back home to their family.