A/N: I'm anticipating this fic to have about five more chapters … ish. Just so you know and can begin to prepare yourselves.
The weekend couldn't come quickly enough for Emma and Regina. After everything that had happened since they returned from their vacation, both were in desperate need of some time alone together. With Henry, of course.
Regina's outburst at Lily hadn't been mentioned by Mal and Emma assumed her ex girlfriend had not confided in her mother how the beautiful brunette had given her a rather severe tongue lashing. Emma wasn't surprised. Lily didn't like to lose face, so admitting how Regina had, justifiably, laid into her wasn't something Lily would have wanted to advertise. Emma completed her first week of full time work without incident and was rewarded with an expensive bottle of wine from Ursula, Belle and Mal on Friday evening. Maybe, Emma thought as she walked to the subway after her shift had finished, maybe this was all going to work out.
The wine had been drunk in accompaniment with a delicious three course meal Regina had cooked for Emma. It was the first time they had eaten together that week and Emma reached past a grand congratulatory bouquet of flowers and across the table before they began and told Regina how much she loved her. Just in case the brunette didn't know. Regina had assured her that she did. Henry was asleep by the time Emma returned but she had popped into his room and kissed his forehead, as she did every night after work. Yes, Emma thought as she closed her eyes that night, Regina's arms wrapped around her and their bodies tired and satiated. Life was good.
"But it's nearly September," Henry whined, his little lips pouting and his eyes wide.
"Three more days," Regina said. "It's important to be patient, remember?"
Henry scowled and scooped up some cereal with too much force so the milk splashed onto the table. Regina said nothing and instead leaned over and wiped up the mess just as Emma entered the room.
"Emma, I can talk about my birthday, can't I?"
"What?" the blonde said, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
Regina smiled at her sleepy girlfriend before she explained. "Henry's not allowed to talk about his birthday until the first day of September. Otherwise our entire lives get taken over by parties, don't they mister."
Henry ignored her and instead turned his well-practiced pleading face to Emma. The blonde's own green eyes widened comically. She had far less experience of resisting the adorableness that was Henry Mills.
"Henry, why don't you go and get dressed and then we can get going."
The little boy frowned further at his mother's ability to foil his plan. He had thought he would have been able to get past Emma. She was far more malleable but it seemed he would have to come up with a different approach. He slid out of his chair and headed down to his room, arms folded to make sure his mother knew he was annoyed.
"Where are you going?" Emma asked, pouring herself a mug of coffee and taking a seat next to Regina.
"To see my mother," Regina replied.
Emma almost choked. "What? Why?"
There had been no mention of Regina's mother all week. In fact, Cora Mills rarely came up in conversation any more. Emma wasn't exactly sad about that but she did think it was a shame that her girlfriend's relationship with her remaining parent had been damaged.
"It's the anniversary of my father's death."
"Oh God! Regina, I'm so sorry, I didn't know."
"It's quite alright," Regina soothed the blonde. "I never told you. How would you know? But it's a tradition for us to meet up with my mother and go up to the cemetery together. You may come if you like?"
"I don't think that would be a good idea," Emma said. "I mean, this is a family thing. I don't think your mom would want me there."
In fact Emma knew Cora would most certainly not want the blonde there. She had hadn't seen her since the trial and had no desire to meet her again. She had had enough of people looking at her as if she wasn't worthy of Regina. If Emma was going to start believing her own self-worth, she needed to stay far away from people like Cora.
"But Henry and I would like for you to come," Regina said. "I don't want you to join if you'd feel uncomfortable but please don't think you're not invited. I'm sorry I didn't mention it but what with everything which has happened this week, the date almost crept up on me. Mother came into my office yesterday morning to remind me. Funny, actually, since it's usually me reminding her."
Cora Mills hadn't exactly been devastated by her husband's untimely death. Their marriage had been more of a business arrangement between their two families than one borne of love. Regina had been their common ground. Until she came our as gay, whereby her mother had become more distant. Her plans to make Regina a lawyer in her firm continued but they lost any closeness they had enjoyed.
"How many years has it been since he died?" Emma asked, suddenly realising she knew very little about how Henry Senior had passed away, aside from the fact that he been killed in a traffic collision.
"Seven," Regina replied.
"Did … did Dani ever go with you to the cemetery?" Emma asked
"Every year," Regina nodded.
Emma considered her girlfriend. For someone who had suffered such loss in the space of just a few short years, she didn't look too upset by the mention of her deceased wife. Emma was glad. She hadn't wanted to make Regina feel sad but she also wanted to be sure going to the cemetery with the little family was a good idea. Emma knew Regina incredibly well by now and knew that although the brunette was putting on a brave face, she was going to find the day difficult. Emma hoped her presence might make things just a bit easier.
"Ok," Emma nodded. "I'll come with you. Just give me twenty minutes to shower and get dressed."
Cora Mills was leaning against the stone wall of the church. She was scrolling through the emails on her cellphone and didn't hear the car approaching until the door slammed shut. Glancing up, she sighed deeply when she saw who her daughter had brought along. Emma Swan. Brilliant. She returned her attention to her emails until her grandson ran up and tugged on the hem of her skirt, wanting her attention.
"Hi Grandma," Henry said. "Look what Emma bought me to give to Grandpa."
He held up a little model of a horse. Cora looked up at her daughter and Emma who had just joined them. Regina was wearing a black dress and Emma too seemed to have made an effort to look smart and respectful. Despite the expensive pant suit she was wearing, Cora could still see a woman who didn't belong with her daughter.
"Good morning," she said stiffly.
"Good morning, Mother," Regina said. "You remember Emma, right?"
Cora simply pursed her lips and said nothing.
"It's lovely to see you again, Mrs Mills," Emma said, offering her free hand to the older woman. Her other had was clutching a wreath Regina had ordered from a florist.
"Come on, I've got lunch plans," Cora said, turning away from Emma's extended hand without taking it, picking up a bouquet of white tulips she had put on a nearby bench, and making her way down the narrow gravel pathway which weaved through the headstones.
Regina glanced sideways at Emma and shook her head. There was no use calling her mother out on her rudeness. Instead, she laced their fingers together and, with Henry trotting ahead of them, they strolled off after the retreating form of Cora.
The graveyard was quiet, a few visitors standing silently at gravesides, laying flowers or tidying the first autumn leaves from the ground where their deceased beloveds lay. Regina said nothing as she walked. She kept her eyes forward, refusing to allow her gaze to drift over to the other side of the cemetery. She was relieved when they stepped onto the grass and turned away from the church, heading towards her father's grave and away from Dani's. Emma walked beside her, oblivious to her girlfriend's thoughts.
The little group stopped in front of an ornate crypt. Emma's mouth dropped open as she read the inscription above the door. Cora fished in her pocket for a key and slipped it into the heavy padlock. Seconds later the door swung open and she stepped inside.
"You have a family mausoleum?" Emma whispered.
Regina nodded tersely, released Emma's hand and walked inside, Henry following close behind her. The air in the dark room was cold and smelt faintly of damp. Cora was fiddling in a box at the back and seconds later the electric lamps flickered to light. Emma's eyes widened as she saw the grand stone casket laid out in front of her. She shivered.
"Mama?" Henry's voice sounded smaller than usual and his mother bent to pick him up at once, cuddling him close to her as she looked down at her father's coffin.
Cora was standing at the top of the room, her hand resting on a stone corner of the lid, her fingers rubbing backwards and forwards. She wasn't looking at Regina, or Henry. And she certainly wasn't looking at Emma.
Regina stepped closer. Her fingers traced over the letters carved into the lid of the casket. She felt tears well in her eyes and held her son closer to her body. It had been months since she had come to her father's tomb. The last time had been the week after she had found out about Emma and Killian. She had come and talked for hours, needing somewhere, someone, to whom she could just say everything she was thinking . Her father had always been that person for her. She missed him terribly.
"Henry."
"What?" Regina asked, turning to her son.
"There," he said, pointing to the word her mother's finger was still touching. "It says Henry."
Regina smiled. "Yes, it does. That was Grandpa's name, remember? You were named after him."
Henry nodded and laid his head against Regina's shoulder.
"I wish you could have met him, Henry," Regina murmured seconds later. "You'd have loved him."
"Did he like monkeys too?" Henry asked.
"He loved monkeys," Regina nodded. "Not as much as you do but I'm sure he could have told you all sorts of monkey facts. And horse facts."
"Because horses were his favourite animal?" Henry asked, holding up the small model he had shown his disinterested grandmother earlier.
"They were," Regina nodded. "Do you want to put that down for him? It can keep him company when we're not here."
Henry nodded and reached over to lay the little toy on the cool stone. Regina smiled as she watched and then turned to Emma who was stood awkwardly by the door, the wreath still dangling from her hand. Regina beckoned her forward and Emma joined them, holding out the flowers for Regina to take. When the wreath too was laid on the coffin, Cora put her own flowers in a vase at the top of the huge stone and the four of them fell silent once more, each lost in their own thoughts.
It didn't take long for Henry to start to wriggle slightly and when he did so, Regina turned and walked from the crypt. Emma followed quickly, not wanting to be left alone with Cora. The sunshine outside seemed overly bright and Emma blinked several times as she followed Regina down the steps and towards the path. When they reached it, they turned and realised Cora wasn't behind them.
"We'll wait at the car," Regina said. "Come on."
She put Henry down and the three of them walked back to the entrance to the churchyard. Regina's eyes darted to the far corner again.
"Is she here too?"
Regina whipped her head around at Emma's question. She was met with a sad, understanding smile. Hesitantly, she nodded.
"Do you want to go and visit?"
"No, it's fine," Regina said quickly. "I'll come another day. I … well, I come about once a month after work, to be honest. Sorry."
"Why are you apologising?" Emma said. "Regina, you don't need to say sorry to me for coming to pay your respects to Dani. I wouldn't want you to apologise if you came here every day. She was your wife and you loved her. You still love her. I'm never going to ask you to apologise for that."
The tears finally fell from Regina's eyes and Emma stopped walking at once, pulling Regina into her arms. The brunette hugged her back, grateful beyond words for her understanding, compassionate girlfriend.
"Regina, can we meet at nine o'clock on Monday morning, please?"
The couple broke apart as Cora joined them on the path. Wiping her face, Regina glanced around to check Henry wasn't far away before answering.
"Yes, that's fine. Why?"
"It doesn't matter," Cora said. "If you can come up to my office, I think that would be best. I've got a very busy day."
"Of course," Regina nodded. "And thank you for coming today. I know it's difficult for you too."
"Yes, well, it's tradition," she said stiffly. "Anyway, I must be off. I have a lunch at midday. Bye, Regina, Emma. Goodbye Henry."
"Bye Grandma," Henry called from the car where Graham had lifted him up so he was sat on the roof, swinging his legs.
Cora looked like she was about to comment on his behaviour but seemed to decide against it. Regina was glad. She really didn't need parenting advice from her mother. So with a curt nod, Cora walked away and got into a sleek black car, driving out of the parking lot and out into the steady stream of traffic.
"She's just delightful, isn't she," Emma said, hoping to lighten the mood.
It worked. Regina gave a chuckle and shook her head. "She's not exactly the most emotive person in the world. Come on, let's go and feed those ducks."
"Don't you want to -," Emma trailed off, jerking her head in the direction she presumed Dani's grave was.
"No," Regina said. "I'll come another time. And I don't want Henry to be blindsided. I usually tell him in advance when we're coming to see his other mom. I know he doesn't remember her but I think it's difficult for him to get his head around sometimes and I like to give him some notice."
"Ok," Emma said. "Then I guess the ducks won't have to wait much longer to eat stale, soggy bread."
The park was busy. Although the air held the beginnings of an autumnal chill, the sun was high in the sky and the day promised to be one of the last warm ones of the year. Henry scurried ahead of the two women, half a loaf of bread clutched in his hand as they approached the large lake. Regina and Emma found a vacant bench and sat down where they could watch Henry throw chunks of food into the water. The ducks swarmed at once and a pair of swans glided towards him from a clump of reeds nearby.
"Has your mother always been so … distant?" Emma asked after a while.
She had been thinking about the way Cora Mills had acted that morning and couldn't help but wonder whether the aloof attitude had something to do with her presence. She didn't want Regina's already tumultuous relationship with her mother to worsen because of her. No matter how flawed Cora was, she was still Regina's mother and Emma knew how important that familial bond was.
"For as long as I can remember, yes," Regina nodded. "I suppose it got worse when I came out but she was never a cuddly mother. She had grand plans for me and put a lot of time and money into making sure I got the best education possible. Me being gay only marginally affected those aims. Her attempt to marry me off to a male partner at another law firm as part of a merger, for example."
"Gross," Emma said, wrinkling her nose.
Regina chuckled. "Yes, it wasn't exactly the most romantic proposal of my life."
"You mean some guy actually asked you?"
Regina turned to the blonde with raised eyebrows. Emma Swan had sounded distinctly jealous at the idea of someone else asking her girlfriend to marry them.
"I turned him down," Regina assured the blonde. "It was only a few months after Dani died actually. Insensitive prick." Emma snorted at that. "But my mother still tries to set the two of us up periodically. That is, until you came along."
Emma smiled proudly at that and laid her arm around Regina's shoulder. They watched as Henry threw ripped sections of bread into the lake in silence for a while. Eventually the food ran out and Henry wandered back to them, crossing the busy stream of people strolling through the park. He climbed up onto the bench and then crawled until he was sitting on Emma's lap. She dropped a kiss to the top of his head and pulled him close to her.
"Who was that lady at your work, Emma?" he asked.
Both women's eyebrows raised. There had been no further discussion of what Henry had witnessed on Wednesday night. He hadn't mentioned anything about it the following day and Regina decided not to bring it up. It seemed, however, that the little boy had simply been mulling over what he had heard, trying to make sense of it.
"Um," Emma said with a glance at Regina. "That was Lily. She used to be my friend."
"But you're not friends now?"
"No," Emma replied.
"Is that why Mama shouted at her?"
Regina blushed. "Yes," she said quickly before Emma could reply. "But it was wrong of me to shout and I only did it because I was worried about Emma. It's not nice to shout at people though."
"Why was she asking about me?"
Both women looked at each other. Neither had realised Henry was paying the slightest bit of attention at the moment when Lily mistook Henry for Emma's own son.
"She was just wondering who you were," Emma said.
"I'm Henry," the boy said simply.
"Ok, she was wondering whose you were."
"Whose?"
"She was wondering who you mom was," Emma simplified.
"But I had two moms," Henry replied. "And now I have three."
"Three?" asked Regina and Emma in unison.
"You," he said, pointing to the brunette, "and my mommy who died. And Emma. She's my mommy too."
Regina's eyes were shining with tears as she enveloped Emma and Henry in her arms. She felt Emma's own face, damp against her neck and knew the blonde was trying not to cry too hard. Henry was squashed in the middle of them, not quite understanding what was happening but knowing he was more than content to be in between his two favourite women in the world.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
It was Saturday evening and Regina had just finished tidying up the kitchen. Emma was watching the television but turned it off as soon as the brunette walked in. She didn't need to ask what her girlfriend was referring to.
"Do we need to talk about it?"
Regina sat down besides Emma and lay her legs across the blonde's lap. Emma wrapped her arms easily around them, stroking the bare skin of her smooth calves.
"We need to talk about the fact that Henry can't get hurt," Regina said. "I know I've already mentioned this but now he's really seeing you as a permanent fixture in our lives."
"Aren't I?" Emma said, slightly alarmed.
"Of course you are," Regina assured her, reaching out and cupping Emma's cheek. "Of course you are, my love. But we both need to be aware of the fact that there are three of us in this relationship now. If there's anything on your mind, any doubts, anything at all, we need to talk about it now."
"There's nothing," Emma said quickly. "I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life."
"Good," Regina smiled, sitting upright and kissing Emma quickly. "Because neither have I."
Emma beamed and tapped Regina's legs, gesturing for her to move so Emma could get up. She walked over to the side table and picked up Regina's laptop. As promised, she had invented two Marlo stories for Henry that night. The one about the magical banana had been a particularly good one and she was eager to record them both. Settling herself back on the couch, she opened the lid and typed in the password.
"Regina, what have you done?"
"Hmmm?" came the distracted answer from the brunette who was now reading the newspaper.
"The computer's all weird."
"It's tidy," Regina said, without looking up.
"Tidy?" Emma frowned.
She knew her girlfriend was a neat freak but she didn't know it extended to laptop desktops. Ok the background photograph of the three of them had been all but eclipsed by the many documents which Emma had created for her Marlo stories. But really?
"Where are they?" she asked, scanning the desktop and only seeing three small icons: 'Regina's work', 'Household', 'Family'.
"I put them all in a folder," Regina said. "Just search 'Henry' and you'll find them."
Emma pulled up the search bar and typed it in. After a second, a huge list of documents emerged and she scanned through them. Finding the one she wanted she clicked on the folder icon. The screen exploded.
"Damn it," Emma cursed under her breath.
"What?" came the vaguely interested question from behind the New York Times.
"Nothing," Emma grumbled as she began to close the many, many windows which had filled her screen. She hadn't realised she had been leaning on the command key and selected all of the files and documents on the entire computer which contained the word 'Henry'. Slowly, the number of open windows reduced. Emma had almost finished when she froze, her gaze locked on the top half of a PDF.
"Um, Regina?"
"Hmmm?"
Slowly, Emma turned the screen around to face her girlfriend. Regina glanced at it and then up at Emma, her face blank.
"What?" she asked.
Emma didn't say anything. She didn't think she could speak even if she had known what to say. Registering the look of complete shock and disbelief on Emma's face, Regina looked back at the laptop and frowned.
"These are Henry's adoption papers," she said. "What's wrong?"