Noise seemed to erupt from within the diner the moment the door swung closed behind Regina and Robin, harsh chatter of those who, Emma suspected, knew less of the royal family's past than they pretended to. Her parents were with Leopold, Snow fawning over her father whilst Charming remained a little quieter as he studied the man. She believed that was something she inherited from her father, the ability to step back from a situation and take a little time to think about all sides of it no matter the subject. Her mother was a little more excitable and certainly in this instance though Emma couldn't blame the woman, not when her long dead father was suddenly alive once more.
She'd only caught a glimpse of young Regina when she and Killian had been in the other world, looking upon moments already passed and the scene she'd stumbled across had given her pause even in the midst of chaos. The brunette had been in the courtyard, bathed in the colours of the night sky and dress in pale ivory. She'd been talking with another, Sidney, holding herself together with hands grasping at her biceps, arms crossed over her chest.
She'd looked so very different from the Mayor that Emma knew, the fiercely protective mother and the once Evil Queen she'd heard tell of over the last year or so. She looked so young and so vulnerable in her pain. There had been a party, the orchestral music had filtered out from the open door from which Emma had guessed that Regina had left through and she wondered why she'd not been a part of it. Surely the King would have wanted his wife beside him, supporting him, enjoying the night with him but no guard had looked for her during all the time that Emma and Hook had watched.
There had been no deception in shining dark eyes and, though she couldn't hear what the woman was saying, Emma had remembered reading about the run up to the King's death and Regina's part in it in Henry's book on one of the rare occasions that she'd indulged in what had once been just an elaborate fantasy to her yet she now knew to be fact. Seeing it before her, the aching desperation that painted the young Queen's features, it had the blonde's perception on this particular era in the life of those she knew changing just so, shifting. She'd still saved the King though, had only thought of the conversations she'd had with Snow in which she'd spoken of the way she missed her father and just wished to see him again. She hadn't thought of the consequences bringing him back with her would have.
Henry had been livid with her when he'd found out and though she didn't know how the boy knew - perhaps Regina had told him some form of her past when he'd been growing up, leaving out the magical elements and perhaps editing her words to keep the truth of the curse from him - his anger told her there was far more to the returned King and his marriage to Regina than she'd first thought. It had been easy to believe that Regina had murdered her Grandfather in cold blood with what she'd already known of the woman but having seen the young Queen and bearing witness to the brunette's reaction to hearing his voice again, her opinion on the whole situation had been turned on its head.
"Oh Emma," Snow turned to her, tears streaming down her face as she looked back to her father to whom she'd passed Neal over to placate him, watching as he bounced his Grandson in his arms, the man still glancing over to the door through which his wife (was she still his wife?) and Robin had disappeared. "Thank you so much for bringing him back to me," she grabbed at her daughter's hands, squeezing and shaking them within her own as she laughed wetly, "thank you."
She nodded with a small smile, feeling nausea settle over her when she turned to catch Henry glaring at her still, a startling anger on his young face that she'd never truly seen before. He began backing away from her the instant she moved towards him with her hand stretched out. "Henry, I-"
"Don't, okay?" he turned on her, pulling his arm from her grasp and levelling her with a look that had tears stinging at her eyes, absolute helplessness almost choking her because he'd always trusted her, even when he barely knew her and now she'd ruined that by unthinkingly and unintentionally hurting his other mother, shaking his head in warning. "Just don't, you've done enough."
She was speechless and fighting back tears as she watched him back away from her with barely another glance before he was moving towards the door, only stopping when Roland appeared once more, tugging on Henry's sleeve to pull him down to his level and whispering something in his ear that had the older boy nodding and directing him over to where Granny had returned to behind the counter with their hands held between them. Despite his anger and his concern for his mother, he was still gentle with the young boy, one who he'd barely known yet accepted without question. Her son's heart was so good that it only made the sting of his words worse. She had a lot to answer for.
She startled a little at Hook's hand on her elbow, turning to find him studying her with understanding as he told her "it's not your fault, love," and when she began to shake her head, her eyes dropping to the ground, he lifted it once more with a finger bent beneath her chin. "You did what you felt was right at the time."
"And what if I don't think it is anymore?" she asked quietly, her eyes moving between his own as she sought answers and comfort from him in equal measure, "what if I don't think it was the right thing anymore?"
He stroked his hand across her cheek before tucking a long curled lock of hair behind her ear and smiled sadly, "then you'll find a way to make it right," his eyes moved from her to the door behind her, indicating the two outside before looking back to her pointedly "have faith in yourself Swan." She was glad he wasn't coddling her, wasn't excusing her regret, wasn't disregarding the mixed feelings of those involved with Leopold's return. He was comforting her and accepting that maybe it was wrong to bring the King back with them - "you can't mess with the past, Emma" he'd told her and now, as she looked around her, she wasn't quite so sure he was wrong anymore.
She nodded, still somewhat unconvinced but glad that she had some sort of support behind her, support that she'd finally stopped pushing away after their impromptu trip and so, with a deep breath and a rather tentative kiss to his cheek (she felt the way he smiled at the gesture and quelled the need to remain in his embrace, inhaling his comforting scent) before making her way through the throng of people still gathered and still gossiping about things they knew nothing of. She ignored them though, glancing over to find Granny helping Henry and Roland to a glass of water she assumed was for Regina before making her way into the cold air outside.
Robin and Regina were sitting at one of the patio tables, huddled together and it looked as though he'd managed to calm the brunette down somewhat and for that Emma was grateful. She wasn't quite sure what the pair were to one another, had heard tell that there was possibly something going on between them and had seen the smile Regina had been sporting only this morning during their meeting on what to do about the Zelena situation, had picked up on Snow's teasing about her being 'smitten', he'd also stood steadfast at her side when they'd argued about Henry returning with Emma to New York, not interrupting nor smothering Regina with his presence but instead comforting her, supporting her silently.
The way there were sat now also suggested that they were something of an item with the way Robin held both of Regina's hands between his own, their foreheads pressed together with Regina's eyes closed as she listened to the words it appeared he was whispering to her, she was nodding gently, her knuckles white with the strength of her grip and she worked on steadying her breathing. Robin was watching her, barely blinking as he spoke and Emma could see the devotion there already.
She was brought out of her thoughts when the bell from the diner rang out signalling Henry and Roland's exit. Both passed by her without a comment nor a look, Roland practically spilling half of the contents of the plastic cup he was carrying to Regina and Henry in no mood to say anything more to her so she held her tongue, feeling a strong urge to cry again but she fought it as she watched as Robin turned from Regina with a smile to greet the boys once more, rubbing his hands up and down the leather covering the brunette's arms as she too looked to them both, her own smile of greeting small but warm nonetheless.
Emma watched as she took the cup from Roland gratefully, pressing a gloved hand to his cheek in thanks before taking a small sip. She nodded at something that Henry said to her, reaching to take one of his hands before looking to Robin when he seemed to say something next. She nodded again and Emma watched as both Henry and Roland instantly moved to grasp her by the arms and help her into a standing position before Robin was taking their place and looping an arm around her waist. The tiny tot moved to stand on her left in order to take her free hand what with her other laid palm flat on Robin's back, her water forgotten, and Henry moved to Robin's right, the archer's free arm moving to slip around the young boy's shoulders before pulling him closer and nodding to Regina.
The brunette seemed to take a deep breath, pulling all of them closer to her before closing her eyes and summoning the strength to transport them all back to the mansion, or at least that was where Emma assumed they'd go.
She remained outside until the very last tendrils of purple smoke had blown away upon the cold night breeze, loathe to return inside to the merriment of townsfolk who would surely take the side of their favourite Princess and her sainted father, who would rejoice upon his return and build him up to be far more than what Emma was beginning to think he deserved. She wouldn't ruin this for her mother, wouldn't taint the return of her Grandfather nor would she diminish Regina's painful past for a relative she wasn't so sure she wanted to know.
No, she would return to her family, would smile in all of the right places and politely excuse herself when the opportunity arose but she would not celebrate with them and she would not make any more conversation that necessary with the newly returned King. Tomorrow though, tomorrow she was going to pay a visit to Regina and listen to her side of the story, the side she believed would be far truer than that anyone else knew of.