Boston
-3 years later-
"More, mommy, more..." The three year old said and waited for her mother to push the swing again.
"Lily, we have to go." Regina said, she loved being a mother again, it felt nice to have her child into her arms.
"One more?" Lily looked up at her mother with pleading eyes.
"No, don't look at me like that. Auntie is going to be mad if we are late." Regina said avoiding to look at the pout her daughter was making.
"But we won't be late much..." The three year old tried again. "Mommy, please." She drew out the word, making a sad face.
"Fine." Regina said. "But only for five more minutes and then we go." Lily had her wrapped around her finger and Regina knew that, one look at her daughter's face and she was sold.
After 15 minutes later they were finally entering the apartment. Regina took of her shoes and then helped Lily take off hers. The girl ran to the dining room where she knew she'd find Zelena.
"Auntie Zelena!" The little girl called out as a warning before she ran into her arms.
"And how's my little princess doing?" Zelena asked the girl playfully, lifting her into air and spinning her slowly.
Regina soon joined them "Is there anything to eat?"
"There's made lasagna, only needs to be put in the oven." Zelena said, not taking her eyes off of Lily.
"I'll get the lasagna and you go change her, okay?" She asked.
"Regina, what's wrong?" Zelena asked, worried about her.
"Just... I don't know... Probably one of those days."
"It'll get better." Zelena said with a smile and carried Lily to her room to change her.
"I hope." Regina said, since she woke up she had a feeling something was going to happen.
Soon, Lily was all changed and lasagna was ready, they ate with Lily asking all the questions a three year old could come up with. The lunch was over and Zelena had to go back to the hospital, Regina told her that she didn't have to keep working, that she had enough money, but Zelena loved her work, after going wicked she forgot just how much she actually loved it.
"So, little one, it's just you and me. What do you want to do?" Regina asked, taking Lily into her arms.
"Draw! Mommy, do you wanna draw with me?" She asked Regina looking up hopefully at her.
"Of course." Regina said and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go get papers, markers and crayons, you stay here, okay?" Lily nodded and waited for her mother's return.
Regina was back and the joy at Lily's face was evident when Regina lied down everything in front of her. "I love you, Mommy."
"I love you too, darling." Regina said and hugged her, running her hand over Lily's dark curls. Lily focused back on drawing, she had a very determined look on her face that made Regina chuckle. After half an hour of them, well, Lily drawing and Regina looking the door bell rung.
"I'm going to get the door. You stay here."
"But I wanna come too!" Lily said and Regina picked her up, holding her on her hip. She opened the door and almost dropped Lily from the surprise, the shock. In front of her stood Emma Swan, her blond curls were as long as the time Regina meet her.
"Regina." Emma said. "... and Regina's kid." She said as she eyed the little girl Regina was holding, she looked so much like Regina... except the eyes, Regina's were brown and the little girl's were blue.
"Are you going to invite me in?" Emma asked, still very shocked Regina.
Regina opened the door wider and moved her out of the way so that Emma could enter. Regina lead her to the living room and pointed for Emma to sit.
"Hey, honey, I'm just going to talk to Emma here, you go back to your drawings, okay?" She said as she put down Lily, Lily merely nodded focused on her drawings once again.
"How did you find me?" Regina asked and sat in next to the couch, her voice was cold and protective.
"Woah, I'm not here to hurt you or whatever you think I'm going to do. We need you, back in Storybrooke." Emma answered.
"How did you found me?" Regina repeated the question.
"Rumple told me... Belle isn't... Your her only hope."
"What happened?" Regina asked intrigued. "I was talking to them about 5 days ago, they said they're handling the Elsa situation."
"Yeah, Elsa and Rumpelstiltskin had this big fight yesterday, he had to sacrifice his magic in order to defeat her. Belle got wounded, badly... She was admitted to the hospital, Whale said that... that there wasn't anything they could do for her and basically they are just waiting for her to die, but Rumpelstiltskin told me the address and told me to get you even if I had to kidnap you there." Emma said.
"Oh my God, Belle." Regina said and covered her mouth with her hand.
"Is the girl Robin's?" Emma asked, her curiosity taking over.
"No, I slept with the first guy I could find, of course she's his and her name is Lily. When do we have to go back?" Regina asked.
"Well, if we're planing on our arriving until tonight then now."
"I... I need to make a phone call." She said and dialed Zelena's number. "Hey. So, Emma is here... Apparently Gold told her... Mhmmm, yeah, I know... Listen, I'm going to take Lily and we're going to go back... I won't... She won't... He won't! I won't let him take her away and plus I could call you and then you and I could kick his ass." The person on the other side probably said something funny because Regina chuckled. "There's lasagna left in the fridge and you have number of take outs in the top drawer in the kitchen... We'll stop by the hospital so that you could say goodbye... I'll see you later, bye."
"Who was that?" Emma asked, she only heard Regina's end of the conversation.
"Excuse me?" Regina glared at her, and Emma shut up. "I need to get the little one ready, do you need something?" Regina asked Emma.
"No, thank you." Emma said, when Regina and Lily left, Emma couldn't help but look around, she first went into the kitchen and noticed colorful drawings covering the fridge. She looked and noticed that there was only one picture there of Lily, Belle and Rumple it seemed to be Lily's birthday. Rumple was holding Lily on her lap while Belle was sitting next to them laughing but still holding Lily's tiny hand.
"It was her second birthday." Regina's voice startled her from behind.
"I didn't mean to..." Emma started but Regina stopped her.
"I... I understand, I'd be curious about her too, but next time ask me, okay?" She asked and watched as Emma nodded.
"We need to stop on the hospital. How did you got here? Please, don't say you came with your bug." Regina said.
"There you are. Thought we lost you somewhere in there. No, I rented the car so we're going with yours." Emma stopped. "You've changed, Regina."
"Yeah, well, you get pregnant and you have this beautiful little human depending on you and you change." Regina explained and they heard Lily yell "Mommy, hurry!" "And that little human does not like to be kept waiting. Shall we?" Regina said and lead the way, on the way to the road she picked up a big bag and at the ridiculous look Emma gave her Regina just said "A three year old, Miss Swan." They got settled in the car, Lily was sitting in her seat at the back, Emma sat as a passenger and Regina drove to the hospital.
"You stay here." Regina warned Emma, she went out and opened the door to Lily's side, she unbuckled her from her seat and took her in her arms. They went inside and found Zelena pacing the hall at the entrance, when she saw them she almost ran to them.
"You can't go." Zelena said as she took Lily.
"I have to, I have to save Belle." Regina explained as Zelena played with Lily.
"Why doesn't Rumple save her?"
"He had to sacrifice his magic to defeat Elsa. I thought you liked Belle." Regina had finally told them about Zelena when they came to visit after the birth, there was tension between Zelena and Rumple but they were civil and also Zelena communicated with Belle sometimes with Regina and sometimes she'd call her and they'd talk about Lily or Robin, they thought Regina didn't know but she could hear them sometimes.
"I do like her, but if you go back you're only setting yourself for more heartache". Zelena said.
"I told you before he won't know I'm there."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I can't... But I'm not letting Belle die over it."
"There isn't anything I can say that can persuade you, is there?" Regina only shook her head no. "Okay, Lily, listen to me, you're going away with mommy and I'm not able to come."
"You aren't coming?" She asked her blue eyes meeting Zelena's.
"No, darling. I just want you to know I'm going to miss you so much and I will be really happy when you go back." Tears were falling down Zelena's face, but she didn't care, she loved Lily and they were never apart for over few hours.
"I'll miss you too, auntie Zelena." The little girl said and hugged her. "It's time for you to go." She said and handed Lily back to her mother. "Regina, be careful and be home soon." Zelena said and Regina also hugged her "We'll be fine and I'll call you as soon as we get there." Regina reassured her and her and Lily were outside again. Regina put Lily back into her car seat. This time, Regina sat on the passenger seat and Emma was driving.
"Come on, ask away, Miss Swan." Regina said annoyed.
"Ask what? and I though we were back on Emma."
"Okay, we've been in this car for over two hours if you want to ask something, ask away." She said but not to loudly to wake up the sleeping little girl in the back.
"Why did you go? You could have stayed in Storybrooke, you could have been happy."
"I couldn't."
"That's bullshit and you know it, if you had stayed he'd choose you."
"That's exactly why I left. I couldn't make him choose, and I wouldn't be able to watch his family fall apart." After a few moments of silence Regina asked "How's Henry?"
"He's... okay. He misses you very much, he wanted to come with me but I told him to stay, he's probably in Belle's room pacing and worrying."
"Does he know why I left? Is he mad at me?" Regina asked fearfully.
"He knows and he understands. He's not mad at you, he still reads that letter you left him."
They once again fell into comfortable silence and as they neared Storybrooke Lily started to wake up.
"When will we be there?" She asked sleepily
"Soon." Regina said and looked at her daughter, her long curls were all messy and she still wasn't fully awake because there was still some confusion in her eyes.
"We'll be there in 5 minutes." Regina said and Lily merely nodded. They crossed the town line and Regina felt rush of magic go through her, she gasped at the surprise and relief, relief that it was still there.
"Are you okay?" Emma asked when she heard Regina gasp.
"Yes... Just magic."
"Mommy, I'm hungry." Lily said from the back.
"We can stop at Granny's." Regina said and five minutes later they were there. Regina left the car and took Lily into her arms. Emma followed them in the diner. All the people stared at the queen and a child with fear and hint of curiosity in their eyes. Lily hid her face into Regina's neck.
"Stop staring, people, nothing to see." Granny said and Regina went to her.
"Good evening, Granny."
"Hello, Regina, and hi there little one, you must be Lily, I've heard so much about you." Granny said to a girl who now stopped hiding in Regina's neck.
"Who told you?" Lily asked.
"Belle and Rumpelstiltskin." Granny said to a little girl. Lily eyed her warily then put her arms towards her wanting the older woman to pick her up, Granny took her from Regina carefully. "Do you have something to give me to eat?" Lily whispered into Granny's ear, Granny just laughed but nodded.
"I'm sorry, we've just been traveling, we'll sit there and you can give us whatever you have at this hour." Regina apologized to Granny in Lily's name.
"It's alright. Don't worry, Lily, Granny's going to get you something to eat." Granny said and gave Lily back to her mother.
Regina turned around and the heard glass shatter and a gasp.
"Regina?" His voice felt like melody to her ears, she didn't hear that voice for so long and she missed it more than she would like to admit.
"Robin." She said and then saw him, he looked worse then the last time she saw him, bags under his eyes like he hasn't been sleeping for days and his eyes missing it usual glow, the one he always had when he'd make her smile. "Gods, I've missed you." She whispered silently, hoping he wouldn't hear her.
The awkward moment was cut short when Lily said "pie!" and then Regina put her down and Lily went straight to Granny. Robin looked at the little girl, really looked, she looked like Regina but those eyes. "Regina, is she... Is she mine?"
And there you go, don't say I never do anything for you. 2 chapters in 3 days... well at least now I can go and enjoy my vacation(I'm so happy about that) I won't be long 7-10 days and then I'll be back with a whole new chapter for you... Review or PM what you think.