Double Trouble 31

Chapter 31 'Sweet dreams'

Mary Margaret's heart melted at what she and her husband saw when they got home from the meeting. She whipped out her phone to take a quick photo before the kids noticed.

Em and Ri were sitting on the couch wearing pyjamas and both still had damp hair from earlier showers. Henry was squished between them and all three kids had their feet resting on the coffee table where the laptop and a pile of DVD boxes sat. They must have had a movie marathon and stayed up all night. It was late now and there was more than one pair of droopy eyelids fighting to stay awake until the end credits.

"Hi, you three," Mary Margaret whispered. "We're home."

"Did you figure it out yet?" Henry asked sleepily, referring to the agenda of the Council meeting. His movement bumped Em, who had her head on his shoulder.

"Not yet." Mary Margaret pulled the sleepy boy to his feet. "Go brush your teeth quickly before bed."

"Where's Regina and Emma?" said Em, rubbing her fist into her eye underneath her glasses.

"It's getting a little crowded here, so they're staying at Regina's house tonight," said David. He started clearing the kids' pizza boxes and plates away.

"Ha! Yeah right, crowded. They just wanted some alone time." Em made air-quotes with a huge grin. "I oughta go over there and bust things up as payback."

Ri sat up and yawned. "What are you going on about, Em?"

The blonde teen clapped one hand against the other in the air. "I can't give Emma a high-five so I'll just give myself one. Go me!"

Mary Margaret and David stifled laughs.

"Oh!" Ri blushed. "You mean they're having sex?"

"I'll tell you when you're older, Ri," Em laughed and hid her reddened face in the back of the couch.

"Stop teasing her, you," said David, jostling his daughter's shoulder playfully.

"Ri, come into the bathroom for a minute," said Mary Margaret. She grabbed a paper bag from her handbag and led the pyjama-clad brunette away.

"Finished!" Henry jumped up from nowhere and dove over Em's lap.

"Oof! Watch it, kid. You're heavy." Em complained.

David pulled out the blankets and pillow and ordered the kids to get off the couch so he could make it up into a bed for Henry. When he was done, he tucked Henry in and the boy fell asleep almost immediately.

"Em?" whispered David, taking her elbow. "Regina's not here to conjure the beds so you're sleeping with Ri in Emma's bedroom. But," he raised his eyebrows sternly. "No funny business ok? You are to sleep. Be careful of her injury."

"Yep." Em nodded readily, fully aware yet surprised that she was actually being trusted for the first time ever. "I'll take care of her. Always. Um thanks. Dad."

"Let's have a look at your stitches, honey."

Mary Margaret sat Ri on the edge of the bath and tilted her head back into better light. "It's looking good. Do you feel ok?"

"It's sore now," said Ri, frowning. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's just the local anaesthetic wearing off."

Mary Margaret opened the pack of pills she'd brought from the pharmacy and filled a glass of water from the sink. "Here, take this. It'll stop it hurting for a little while and let you sleep better."

"What's that green liquid." Ri eyed the bottle the older woman held.

"Swish your mouth with this, it'll keep the wound clean so you don't get sick. Don't swallow it."

When Ri finished at the sink, she raised her eyes to search her reflection in the mirror on the wall above.

"You're very kind to me," said Ri. "I love her, but I don't know that my mother would coddle me like this. Em is lucky."

Mary Margaret squeezed the teen's shoulders gently. "Well, as long as you're here I'll take care of you."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you always kind to me when I tried to kill you several times." Ri's eyes in the mirror were serious and dark.

"Everyone deserves kindness, especially those who are in pain. Regina has reason to feel more of it than most."

"Please forgive her," Ri begged softly. "If she truly wanted you dead, you would be."

Mary Margaret pressed a kiss to Ri's forehead. "I know, honey. I call you that because you're so sweet."

Ri ran her hand down a pale cheek. "I always wanted to meet you, Princess Snow White. You are what they say."

"Our history will be complicated, Ri, both in the past and in the future. You may not remember, but I hope you know that I'm always on your side. Others may give up on you, but I never will."

Ri's smile was knowing and mature, and for a flicker of a second she looked exactly like her older self. "She loved you once. If you were ever in her heart you're still there."

Mary Margaret smiled and then shooed her out the door. "For now I get to be the boss so it's off to bed with you. Goodnight."

Ri crept into the bedroom carefully since the lights were already off. In the dim light she could see that Em was in bed so she lifted the covers and slipped in next to her quietly in case she was already asleep.

"Mmm Ri s'at you?" Em slurred.

Ri whispered back. "It's me. Sorry I woke you."

"S'ok. Not asleep yet. Waiting for you to say g'night."

Em rolled over so that the two girls were facing each other when Ri laid down and settled under the blankets.

Ri said softly. "Hi."

"Hi yourself."

"Go to sleep."

"No. You first. Why don't you go to sleep," Em whispered playfully.

Ri giggled and they lay silent for a few minutes until she reached out for Em's hand to hold. "This is nice isn't it."

"Yeah. I love being close to you."

"Me too. How do you think they're going?"

Em let out a laugh and then shushed herself in case the sound carried in the small apartment. "I'm sure it's fine, Ri. They know what they're doing."

"Em, can you tell me? What is it like to have sex?"

Em sighed. "Oh no, don't ask me that. It's not a great story. I know you're a romantic little sap and you've got your heart set on first love but it's not always like that in the real world. I don't want to tell you and put you off it. Life's not like a fairytale."

"I can take the truth. But only if you don't mind telling."

"Alright um..." The covers rustled as Em fidgeted. "I slept with a guy from my school last year, Dean Chase. He was a few years older and I knew him cos he was friends with my foster brother. We weren't boyfriend and girlfriend or anything but I liked him. We hung out a few times. It just kinda happened. I don't know what I expected but I was a bit disappointed by the whole thing. He was cool about it though."

"Oh." Ri was a little confused. "I thought you liked girls."

"I do. I know for sure now. At first I thought it wasn't good with Dean cos I didn't like him enough or cos I wasn't very good at it, but it wasn't that. It didn't feel right."

"Have you had sex with a girl too? Is it better?"

"I dunno. I haven't gone that far with a girl."

Ri tried to sound casual but she didn't quite succeed in keeping the hurt out of her voice. "Was there someone else before me?"

"No, not like you," said Em softly. "But there was a girl who went to the same church as us. This was the second last foster home I was in. I had a crush on her. My foster brother walked in on us one day and he told his parents. They were super religious so I got kicked out and put back into the system. That's how I ended up living with the Hendersons, the meth-heads who used to use me as an ashtray before I ran away for the last time. I was just a meal ticket to them anyway. So glad I'm done with all that crap, now I can just be me and take care of myself."

"I'm glad you are too. I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone."

"Nah I'm alright. Tougher than I look."

"So I've heard. You're a 'karate in blackbelt'." Ri giggled, remembering the first thing Em had ever said to her.

Em laughed at herself. "Yeah. Something like that."

"Now seriously, Em. I know you're really strong and independent but you don't have to be so stoic with me. Let me take care of you sometimes. You can trust me with anything. What happened with the other girl?"

Em nodded and bit her lips together before deciding to go on. "I really liked her. After we got caught, her parents wouldn't let me see her. My foster parents went off their heads at me when they found out. They called me disgusting and said I was going to hell and all this other bullshit. I heard that Melanie was sent away to some Catholic boarding school interstate so they could 'fix her'. I don't see how it's a sin to love somebody. How can it be wrong what we feel for each other, Ri?"

"I don't think it's wrong, do you? I don't understand this world sometimes."

"Me either." Em laid onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "My foster dad lectured me for hours. He said there was something wrong with me and that's why nobody wanted me and it was obvious why my parents gave me away. He said it was no wonder that I turned out bad. I was afraid that it was true. I know I get into trouble a lot and I'm not a great kid. But I don't think my real parents mind. I thought they would try to keep us apart but it seems like they're ok with it now."

"Your parents must love you a lot, Em, if they're willing to put aside the past and give their support to Emma and Regina after everything she's done. You're happy you've found them aren't you?"

"Yeah." Em smiled in the dark. "When I was little I used to dream that my parents were looking for me and that one day they'd find me. I used to make up stories about them, that they hadn't really wanted to give me away, that they'd been forced to or that they'd lost me by accident. As I got older I realised it probably wasn't true. I told myself they must've been druggies or criminals or nutjobs and I was so angry at them for not being good enough to keep me. But since I came here I found out that the truth is even better than my dreams. I have a Mom and Dad and they wanted me. They love me."

"Of course they do, sweetheart. How could they not?" Ri had tears in her eyes at Em's words. She laid her head on Em's shoulder and hugged her close.

"What about you?" asked Em. "What would your parents think about you being with me?"

"I don't think they would like it. You know where I'm from and what happened to the poor stable boy in the book," said Ri sadly. "Daddy might be fine with it as long as I was happy but Mother definitely wouldn't approve and he never gainsays her. She has very strict ideas about what I'm supposed to do with my life. All she ever talks to me about is my getting married and making a good political match for the family. Sometimes I think she only lets me ride because it's proper for a lady to know how, but she doesn't like it when I practice jumps or race Rocinante. She says I should ride sidesaddle like a proper lady, but it's so awkward and it can be injurious to the animal. I'd never want to hurt Rocinante. But she doesn't care! So I try to ride when she's busy or away. I've never been able to stand up to her. She cares too much about reputation and image. Who knows what the people there would've said about us? I guess we'll never know."

They lay together quiet for a while and Em had almost drifted off to sleep when Ri whispered something to her.

"I think you're my True Love, Em."

Em mumbled back sleepily. "I want to be. But you said that in the book the stable boy was your True Love. How can it be both?"

"I don't know. Regina may have loved the stable boy but I've never even met him. All I know is I feel complete with you and I can't imagine being without you. I've waited my whole life to feel like this. It is you, I know it. I used to read stories when I was little and imagine that my True Love would come for me and we'd be together forever. Of course back then I was imagining more of a knight in shining armor riding up on a golden horse to take me away."

"Yeah sorry about that. No armor, no horse," said Em. "I suck at riding but I can drive stick. Does that impress you?"

"I think it's like you said before - reality turned out to be even better than I dreamed. We're two princesses who fell in love with each other instead of who they said we should. I wonder how our story ends?"

Em snorted. "With lots of happy endings I hope."

Ri giggled. "Don't think I don't know what you're talking about! I hope Emma and Regina are getting there. We did it, we saved them. They're going to be a family. Oh Em, we're going to have a son together. Isn't it amazing?"

"I dunno if it's amazing," Em teased her girlfriend for gushing over the romance of it all. "I suppose he came into the world just like every other person who ever lived. Crying and goopy."

"Very funny." Ri poked her in the ribs. "I don't care what you say, my baby boy is special."

"He's a nerd. Bit of a brat too."

"He can sometimes be a little naughty. Must take after you."

"He's too smart for his own good. Like you."

Ri yawned widely. "Be quiet, Em. You're keeping me up."

"You started this whole conversation. Go to sleep."

"Shhh."

"Shush you."

"You first."

"No, you."

The two girls burst into giggles and the argument descended into a tickle fight that ended only when neither of them could keep their eyes open any longer.

When the apartment was dead quiet and still, Henry rolled out from under the blankets that made up his makeshift bed on the couch. He hadn't been asleep at all. He crept over to Emma's bedroom and pushed open the door as silently as possible. The teenage versions of his mothers were finally asleep and it was odd to see them so peaceful.

The boy reached into the pocket of his pyjamas and pulled out what he'd stashed there earlier. Henry looked at the small pile of dust which glittered like diamonds in his palm even in the dark of night.

With a deep breath he blew the diamond dust over the girls and then ran back to his bed in case they woke up.

"I wish..."