A/N: Happy Wednesday peeps!
The rest of the week disappeared and before Regina knew it she was sat on her couch on Sunday evening, Henry curled into her side as they read a book together. It was a Roald Dahl; The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me. One of the things she loved about being a mother was the chance to relive her own childhood through Henry's.
"One more page," he pleaded as they reached a good place to pause and Regina slid his Batman bookmark into place.
"Tomorrow," she said, kissing the crown of his head. "Right now, you need to go to bed. You've got school in the morning."
Henry pouted but didn't argue. Instead, he sat up and stretched, his little body having been twisted into an unnatural position in an attempt to snuggle as close as possible to his mother. Regina gave the best snuggles.
"When do I have to go back to see Archie?" Henry asked quite suddenly.
He hadn't mentioned his meeting with the psychologist much since the previous Thursday. Regina had referenced it a few times but the conversations which followed had been short. She didn't want to push him and she wasn't sure what there was to say anyway. Nothing had changed when it came to his eating habits. She had, as Doctor Hopper had suggested, bought some early season strawberries when she had gone to the farmer's market that Saturday. Rather than making a big deal out of it, she had rinsed the fruit and left them in a bowl on the coffee table. She wasn't sure but she thought one or two might have been snaffled when she was out of the room. She hoped, at least.
"We're going to go back on Thursday," Regina said, hauling herself off the couch and guiding her son towards the bathroom so he could brush his teeth.
"Can I play with his toys again?"
"I'm sure you can if you ask nicely," Regina nodded, handing over the little red toothbrush with the dollop of paste on the bristles.
Henry smiled happily up at her before starting to brush. Regina reached for a hairbrush and decided to try and tackle the mop which was developing on top of his head. She didn't get very far before he ducked out of reach. She gave up; a handful of conditioner when he had his bath the following evening would see to the tangles.
Once his teeth were brushed, the little boy took off out of the bathroom and thundered down the hallway to his bedroom. By the time Regina entered, Henry was sliding underneath his duvet, pulling it right up to his chin.
"What are you hiding?" she asked. Her son was not subtle.
"Nothing," he said, eyes blown wide; the picture of innocence. Regina tugged his duvet down to reveal his new comic book, half hidden beneath him. "Five minutes?" he asked.
"Five minutes," Regina agreed, switching on his bedside lamp so he could read without the main light on. "And then I'm coming to say a final good night."
"Thanks Mom," Henry smiled, pulling the hidden comic out in plain view and starting to read.
Regina spent the five minutes clearing up their dinner plates and the small pile of pans she had used to cook. It had been nothing fancy. She wasn't the best in the kitchen anyway and with Henry's eating, any effort she put in was usually wasted. She tried, whenever possible, to make the tomato sauce they had on their pasta from scratch. The capsicum she had added that evening had been eaten without a word. Next time, she was considering added a small amount of onion.
By the time she returned to Henry's room, he was already falling asleep. She gently removed the comic book from his limp grip and placed it on the bedside table so he could read it the following morning if he woke early.
"Goodnight my little prince," she said, leaning down to kiss his forehead.
"Goodnight, Mom," Henry mumbled back, sleep already creeping into his subconscious.
Returning to the living room, Regina reached for her discarded cell phone. She hadn't checked her emails all weekend but she couldn't resist now. However, before she could do so, she was distracted by a text from Emma which had been delivered in her absence. A smile spread over her face when she remembered she had a date with the blonde the following evening.
Do you like Italian food? E
She replied at once in the affirmative and then set about checking her emails while she waited for Emma's response.
What's your address? Is it ok if I come and pick you up? E
Regina hesitated before she replied. Was Emma planning to pick her up on her motorbike? Regina didn't want to sound like a wimp but she really didn't think she wanted to be climbing on the back of what looked to her like a death trap. But she couldn't tell Emma that, could she? The woman clearly loved to ride and Regina didn't want to put her off.
Of course you can. My address is 108 Mifflin Street, Portland. What time should I expect you? R
Before Regina had even had a chance to start prioritising her tasks for the following work day, Emma had replied.
7:30. I'll see you tomorrow. I can't wait. E x
Loathe as Emma was to involve her best friend in her dating life, she had come to the conclusion that she had no other options. In an attempt to keep Ruby distracted, however, Emma found herself balancing the laden breakfast tray in one hand and knocking on her roommate's door with the other late on Monday morning.
"Come in," called the sleepy reply.
Fumbling the door handle down, Emma made her way into the dark room.
"Morning," she said brightly, placing the tray on Ruby's cluttered desk and pulling the curtains open.
"Ouch," Ruby groaned, shielding her face from the bright sunlight which had been thrown across her bed. "What did you do that for?"
"It's after eleven," Emma said, turning around to grin at the brunette. "Oh, Belle, I didn't realise you stayed over," she added as she realised there was more than one person occupying Ruby's bed.
"Hi Emma," the shorter woman yawned, pulling the duvet up so it was definitely covering her naked body. "Yeah, I came over some time after midnight. Finally finished my paper and wanted to see this one."
Ruby giggled and squirmed as Belle looked at her. Emma decided she didn't want to know what their hands were doing underneath the sheets.
"Well, I'll leave you guys to it. Rubes, I made breakfast for you. Don't worry, there's more than enough that you can share with Belle. I'll just go and get you another coffee mug."
"You made me breakfast? You cooked on your day off?" Ruby frowned, pushing herself up into a sitting position and only just catching the duvet before it fell and flashed her bare breasts to her flatmate. "Why?"
"I have a favour to ask," Emma admitted.
"What?"
"Can I borrow your car?"
Ruby's forehead furrowed harder. "My car? Why? What's wrong with your bike?"
"It's … inconvenient," Emma finished at last.
"Inconvenient for what?" Belle asked.
"More than one person."
The blush which rose up Emma's cheeks gave her away in an instant and it took the brunette no time at all to work out which second person Emma was going to be travelling with.
"Do you have another date with Regina?" Ruby gasped.
"Another date? When was the first one?" Belle asked. She had been so wrapped up in her college assignment that, it transpired, she had fallen woefully out of the gossip loop.
"Yeah, I'm seeing her tonight and I said I'd pick her up. So, can I borrow it?"
"I have conditions," Ruby said.
"I made you breakfast," Emma protested. "Isn't that enough?"
"No," Ruby said, shaking her head. "I need you to tell me every single detail about your date. That's condition number one."
"And condition number two?"
"Is that you admit Belle and I were right about Regina being gay."
Emma scowled at the triumphant look on her flatmate's face. Smugness was not a pleasant characteristic. From the look on Belle's face, however, it was one both women in the couple shared.
"That's it?"
"Oh and you're not allowed to have sex in my car," Ruby added. "I just had it detailed."
Emma wrinkled her nose. "I'm not going to have sex in your car, Ruby. That's gross and I think Regina is a little more refined than that."
"Are you saying Regina is more refined than us?" Ruby asked, mock offended.
"Are you saying you and Belle have sex in the back of your car?"
Belle blushed but Ruby just nodded in the affirmative, completely unabashed. "So do we have a deal?"
"Sure," Emma said. "I'll tell you the basics of our date, I promise you Regina and I won't be having sex on the back seat."
"And?" Ruby prompted.
"And you were right."
The mumble was barely audible. Emma hated being wrong but she couldn't deny that when it came to Regina's sexuality, she had woefully misread the situation.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Ruby said, leaning forwards and cupping her hand around her ear. Beside her, Belle was grinning too.
"You were right," Emma huffed. "About Regina being gay, you two were right, ok? Is that good enough for you?"
"Sure is. Thanks, mate," Ruby said. "Can you pass me the tray? Is that bacon I can smell?"
Best friends were very useful when it came to babysitting duties, Regina acknowledged. But the free service was probably not worth it when it came to Kathryn. The woman's incessant questions were testing Regina's patience, her nerves already strained after a long day at the office.
"Where is she taking you?" Kathryn asked, practically bouncing up and down on the edge of Regina's bed.
"I don't know. An Italian restaurant, I think," Regina said, not turning around from where she was gazing at her closet. Despite the racks groaning under the weight of her clothes, she had nothing suitable, Regina decided. She glanced at her watch. Emma would be there to pick her up in ten minutes. "Henry, have you washed your hair yet?" she called out of the open bedroom door. Her son was supposed to be old enough to take care of his own bath time but he generally needed a little assistance when it came to actually getting clean.
"Yes Mom," came the yelled response.
"Ooh, I bet she knows all the best places, what with being a chef," Kathryn said, more to herself than Regina, oblivious to the familial exchange which had taken place. "Where did she train?"
"I don't know," Regina said, reaching for a grey dress with a plunging neckline.
"You don't know much about this woman, do you? And not that one. Grey is not a date colour. You need something brighter," Kathryn said as Regina turned around holding her selected outfit.
"Well, it is only our second date," Regina reasoned, returning to her closet to find another option. "We're going on this date to get to know one another."
"Does she know about she who must not be named?" Kathryn had refused to say Mal's name ever since the woman had walked out and left her friend broken-hearted. Regina wasn't sure whether the taboo was a good thing or not. Not talking about the breakdown of her marriage was second nature to her now but she was starting to think that ignoring what had happened was not the healthiest way to deal with the divorce.
"She knows I was married before," Regina replied, reaching this time for a red dress which she knew made her ass look amazing.
Kathryn nodded her approval at the selection and leaned back on her hands, observing her friend who was now fishing for underwear which wouldn't show through the clingy material.
"You like this girl, don't you?"
"I do," Regina nodded. "Now, if you wouldn't mind." She gestured towards the door.
Kathryn grudgingly took her leave. Regina never used to be prudish about changing in front of her. The two of them had attended boarding school together and seen one another naked more times than she could count. Ever since she had given birth to Henry, however, Regina had insisted on privacy.
"I'll go and check on the kid," Kathryn offered.
"Thanks," Regina said, waiting until Kathryn closed the door before she stripped off.
No one but Henry had seen her without clothes on in over two years. And in the final weeks of her marriage to Mal, the two of them hadn't been intimate. Regina had thought nothing of it at the time but perhaps the spark had gone out between them. She knew that the stretch marks marring her stomach were there as a result of her pregnancy. She knew that her breasts hung a little lower than they used to because she had breastfed her son. She knew that she had successfully lost the weight she gained while she was pregnant in the months after he had been born. Mal had never made her feel any less beautiful after the birth. But there was still a part of Regina that felt self-conscious. She tried not to think about what it might mean if she continued to date Emma. The blonde's body was flawless, she could tell.
By the time she emerged from her room, the dress in place, hair brushed through and make up applied, giggles were emanating from the bathroom. Kathryn might not have kids of her own but she was great with Henry. Regina left her evening purse on the hall table before making her way through to the bathroom.
"Henry, your hair isn't even wet," Regina sighed. "You haven't washed it."
"Yes I have. It dried fast," he insisted. "Why are you dressed like that. You look pretty."
"Thank you, and I have a meeting. That's why Aunty Kat is looking after you tonight. And it looks like Aunty Kat is also going to have to help you wash your hair," she said pointedly, hands on hips. "No arguments. No messing around please. Shampoo and conditioner. We need to get those knots out."
Henry pouted but handed over the shower head to Kathryn who took it and began to fiddle with the taps, the jet of water carefully pointed away from the small boy until she got the right temperature.
"Thanks, Kat," Regina said, patting her friend's shoulder. "I shouldn't be too late."
"Oh take your time," Kathryn said, shooting her friend a wink. "Henry and I will be just fine."
Regina smiled at the blonde and then leaned over the bath to kiss her son goodnight. She tried not to think about the defined rib cage jutting out from beneath his olive skin. He wasn't sick; not yet. And he was going to get better before his health was affected.
"In bed by eight please, young man," Regina said.
"Story?"
"If you ask Aunty Kat nicely, I'm sure she'll read something to you," Regina nodded. "Lights out by eight fifteen," she added, more to her friend than to her son.
"Yes Ma'am," Kathryn said before directing her attention at getting Henry's hair wet.
"Goodnight Henry. Bye Kat. I'll see you later. And if you dare come out of this room before we've left, I'll kill you."
"Duly noted," Kathryn called after her retreating friend, just as the doorbell rang.
Regina felt a flutter of excitement and nerves in her stomach as she made her way down the corridor. Right on time, she noted as she slid her cell phone into her purse. Checking her hair and make up in the hallway mirror one last time, Regina opened the door.
"Hi," Emma smiled, peering over a large bouquet of red roses.
"Wow, hi," Regina said as she took in the romantic gift.
"These are for you," Emma said, handing over the flowers with a shy smile.
Regina took them, unable to resist burying her nose in the closest flower and breathing in the sweet scent. "Thank you, they're beautiful," she said, looking up and taking in her date for the first time. Emma was wearing a cream dress with beautiful detailing along the plunging neckline. "Oh Emma, you look beautiful," she said before a frown crossed her face.
"What?" Emma asked, alarmed at the reaction. She loved this dress and it had never made someone look like that before.
"How do you ride your bike in a dress?" she asked.
Emma laughed. "I borrowed Ruby's car. I didn't think you were the sort of woman to climb onto the back of a motorbike."
"Good deduction," Regina smiled. "Um, come on in for a moment and I'll just put these in some water." She waggled the flowers slightly.
"What about Henry?" Emma didn't want to overstep and she respected Regina's decision to keep her dating life separate from her young son.
"He's in the bath," Regina said. "Kat is washing his hair. She's babysitting tonight while we go out."
Emma nodded and followed the woman who had stepped back to allow her into the house. Leaving the blonde hovering by the door, Regina disappeared into the kitchen. There were a few clatters and bangs as the woman sorted through her cupboards and then the sound of running water. Moments later, Regina returned with a beautiful crystal vase, now proudly sporting the red blooms.
"Perfect," she declared, setting the flowers down on the hallway table. "They even match my dress."
"You look stunning by the way," Emma said, realising she hadn't yet complimented her date.
"Thank you. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes," Emma said, unlatching the front door and leading the way out into the cool evening air.
A/N: The date will be in the next chapter.