A/N: so much Ruby hate! Well, she was a bit of a bitch in that last chapter. Let's see if you love her again by the end of this chapter. I hope you love me a little bit more too since we start exactly where I left you on Wednesday.
It took Emma a moment to realise what was happening but as soon as she did, her arms wrapped automatically around the smaller woman's frame, pulling their bodies flush together. This time it was Regina's turn to moan as she felt Emma press against her. Emma's mouth, too, was beginning to get involved. Her lips moved slowly, testing the waters. Regina tilted her head a little, acquiescing to Emma's silent request to dominate as their mouths tentatively opened. The tip of Emma's tongue traced Regina's lip before pressing inside, tasting the older woman for the first time.
She didn't think she had ever felt so much from a first kiss. Emma's whole being had been reduced only to the woman in her arms. She forgot about her argument with Ruby. She forgot about the fact that her boss was coming back into town that weekend. She forgot about everything else in her life except the brunette whose tongue was now dancing against her own.
It was too much and not enough all at once. It was overwhelming and scary and wonderful and too fast and everything Emma had ever dreamed of.
"Regina," she gasped, pulling away, heart hammering.
Wide brown eyes looked up, alarmed. "Sorry," the brunette said, making to step out of Emma's embrace but finding her progress stopped by the strong arms still encircling her.
"No, don't be sorry," Emma said, encouraging the woman back against her. Regina came willingly closer. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Never apologise for kissing me."
"The way you said my name," Regina frowned. "It sounded … strange."
"I'm just a little overwhelmed," Emma said. "I mean, that kiss, it was amazing and it made me feel -" She stopped. It was too soon to tell Regina what that kiss had done to her.
"Me too," Regina said softly, understanding without the need for words what Emma was feeling. Because she had felt it too.
Emma smiled down at the woman still held in her arms. Unable to stop herself, she bent her neck and placed a gentle kiss on the upturned lips, a sense of relief washing over her at the realisation that she could now show Regina how she felt, confident that the brunette shared her emotions.
It was only a short kiss, ending all too soon when Emma pulled back and unwrapped her arms. "So, where are you taking me?"
"What?" Regina frowned, mind still fogged by the breathtaking kiss.
"The date," Emma prompted. "I know we kinda did this backwards, kissing at the start of the evening and all, but don't think you're getting away with not feeding me."
Regina laughed and nodded, reaching out to open the passenger door and standing back to allow Emma to sink into her car. Once her date was safely sat down, she closed the door and hurried around to her own. Seconds later, the two of them were driving off down the street.
It was after eleven when Emma finally let herself into her apartment later that evening. In fact, she and Regina had arrived at the building over half an hour earlier but the two of them had been unable to tear themselves away. Emma's lips felt a little swollen but it had been worth any tenderness. Regina was an unbelievable kisser. Making out over the central console of the Mercedes hadn't been the most romantic of settings but once their lips met, their surroundings melted away and nothing else mattered.
She had expected the living room to be in darkness when she got home and wasn't entirely happy when she saw Ruby sat on the couch, Belle beside her. She didn't want to have another argument. It would put a dampener on what had otherwise been a perfect evening.
"Hey," Emma said, tossing her keys into the bowl by the door and toeing off her heels.
"Hi," Belle smiled. "Did you have a good evening?"
"Yeah, thanks," Emma said, making her way into the room and towards the living room.
"Emma, wait," Belle called after her. Sighing, the blonde swivelled on the spot and forced a neutral look onto her face at the woman now peering over the back of the couch. "Ruby has something she wants to say to you."
A frown appeared on Emma's forehead. "She does, does she?"
"Yeah, I do," Ruby said, now turning to look at her flatmate. "I'm sorry, ok?"
Emma's arms crossed over her chest. "You are? Because that didn't sound very sincere."
This time it was Ruby's turn to sigh. "I know. But I am. Really. I hate it when we fight."
"Me too. Especially when there is no reason for you to be mad at me."
"I felt left out, ok?" Ruby said, a little exasperated.
"Left out? What are you, ten?"
Ruby shot her girlfriend a sideways look and received a glare which clearly said 'you promised to do this.' In Emma's absence, Ruby had relived the argument the two of the had had and Belle had told her flat out that she needed to apologise. If Emma wasn't ready to talk about something in her past, that was her prerogative and even as the best friend, Ruby had no right to push Emma into talking about something she wasn't ready to share.
"I felt left out of some part of your past," Ruby said. "I thought I knew everything about you. I thought we shared everything. It was a shock to find out you were keeping something from me and then I guess I got a little jealous that there was some big secret that you were willing to share with Regina but not me."
Emma's arms slowly unfolded and she made her way back towards the couch, sinking into the vacant armchair.
"I'm not deliberately keeping something from you, Rubes," Emma said softly. "This thing, it's not something I talk about. Ever. It's not a good memory. It's a part of my past I don't want to think about or remember. And if I tell people, if I talk about it, those memories come back. I haven't talked about it with anyone for years. As far as I'm concerned, it's in the past and it's over. It doesn't affect me on a day to day basis which is why it's never come up with you or with Elsa or anyone else I'm close to."
"But it's come up with Regina?"
"Not yet, but it will," Emma said. "Or it should. Look, it's hard to explain without you knowing the full picture and if you really want to know then I'll tell you but -"
"No," Ruby interrupted. "No, you don't need to tell me."
"I don't?"
"No," Ruby repeated. "That's what I was trying to say. I'm sorry about what I said on Monday. I overreacted and I shouldn't have put pressure on you to tell me something which is none of my business, especially after you told me you didn't want to share whatever it is. So it's fine. We're fine. I mean … we are if you forgive me."
"Of course I forgive you, Rubes," Emma said, crossing to the couch and hugging her friend in a sort of bundle against the cushions. "You're my best friend. I love you to bits."
"I love you too, Ems," Ruby said, her own arms wrapped tightly around Emma's back.
Belle smiled at the sight, glad her scolding words to her girlfriend had done the trick. When Ruby had told her about the argument she and Emma had had, the student had been shocked. She couldn't understand Ruby's reaction and had admonished her for prying into something Emma so clearly didn't want to talk about. Evidently her words had done the trick and the two best friends had made up.
"So," Ruby said, "are you going to tell me about this date? Please tell me she didn't kiss you on the cheek again."
"Um, no, she didn't," Emma said, a smug grin blooming across her face as she settled back into the armchair.
"Tell us everything," Ruby said, she and Belle both leaning forwards in identical poses at the realisation that the blonde had gossip to share.
The drive to Doctor Hopper's office that Thursday afternoon was quiet. Regina wasn't sure if Henry was feeling apprehensive about the upcoming appointment or if he was just tired. He had gone to bed late the night before. Although he had stopped crying soon after Regina left for her date with Emma, he had somehow managed to talk Zelena into allowing him to stay up and watch a movie. By the time Regina arrived home, the boy had only been asleep for an hour. Under normal circumstances, the redhead would have been scolded for falling for such a classic trick but Regina was still on a high after her date and just hugged her sister goodbye and said thank you.
Greeting the receptionist, Gretel, Regina and Henry took their seats in the small waiting room. Henry selected a book from the small pile on the coffee table and the two of them read quietly together while they waited for Doctor Hopper's previous appointment to finish. The same mother and daughter from the week before emerged less than ten minutes after they had arrived. The woman offered Regina a smile of recognition just as the psychologist emerged to get his next patient.
"Good afternoon Henry," he said, smiling when he saw the small boy. "How are you today?"
"I'm good, thank you, Archie," Henry said. "Can we play with your toys again?"
Sliding off Regina's lap before an answer was even given, he trotted over towards the man and entered the room. Regina followed, relieved that at least Henry wasn't resisting these meetings.
"We can play later but first I wanted to talk to you a little bit," Archie said. "Is that ok?"
"Sure," Henry said, climbing up into the chair which he had sat in last week. "What are we talking about?"
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you and your mom about why you're coming to see me. You're a big boy, Henry, and I think it's important you know what I am here to do and how I can help you."
"Mom said you were going to talk to me about food," Henry said, remembering the conversation he had had over a week before.
"Yes," Archie said, shooting a sideways look at Regina who nodded. The man had phoned her earlier in the day to discuss his plans to talk to Henry openly about the aim of the meetings. Both had agreed that a direct approach would be more beneficial as it was important Henry began to acknowledge his eating habits as something which needed to be changed. "I am going to talk to you about food and do you know why?"
"No," Henry said, quite simply.
"Well, have you ever noticed anything different about what your friends eat and what you eat at school?" Archie asked.
"Mom makes me lunch for school," Henry said. "I don't like the food they cook there."
"What does your mom make for you for lunch?"
"Sandwiches with strawberry jam," Henry replied. "They're my favourite."
"What else do you have for lunch?"
"I have an apple or a pear," Henry said. "And a yoghurt. Mom has a special pack which keeps it cold because yoghurt is yucky when it gets warm. I drink some apple juice too."
"And your friends, do they eat lunch at school or do their parents make them lunch?"
"Some of them eat the food at school. But some of my friends bring lunch too. Roland's dad makes him lunch every Friday as a treat."
"And what does Roland's dad make for him?"
Henry paused for a moment, as if trying to remember. "Last week he had a sausage roll," he said. "And the week before I think he had a sandwich with chicken, like the ones Mom eats."
"So Roland has different things for lunch every week?"
Henry shrugged. "I guess."
"Do you ever have different food in your lunch?"
"Some days I have an apple. But then some days I have a pear. I get grapes as well sometimes."
"What about in your sandwich. Do you ever have anything different from strawberry jam?"
"No, I don't like other food."
The answer was simple, definite, unquestioned. And yet the whole point of the sessions was to get Henry to question, or at least re-evaluate, that statement.
"When was the last time you tried something different?" Archie asked.
Henry tilted his head to one side, thinking hard. "I ate some cappitum when we went to the big dinner with Mom's friends from work."
"Cappitum?" Archie frowned.
"Capsicum," Regina supplied. "Yes, Henry, you're right. You tried some capsicum when we went to that restaurant and now we have it in our tomato sauce, don't we?"
"That's great," Archie smiled. "It's lots of fun to try new food."
"No it isn't. New food tastes bad."
"Hey Henry, I have a fun fact for you. Did you know our tongues are covered in teeny tiny taste buds which help us taste the flavour our food?" Henry's little head shook. "And did you know that as we get older, our taste buds change and we start to like different food?"
"What food?" Henry asked.
"It depends," Archie said. "When I was little, I didn't like olives but now, I love them. Regina, is there a food you didn't like when you were a child that you like now?"
"Oh yes," Regina nodded. "I didn't used to like mushrooms but they're one of my favourite things to eat now. I always get mushrooms on my pizza."
"So when I grow up, you think I will like olives and mushrooms?" Henry asked, pulling a sceptical face. In his mind, that was never going to happen. Grown ups were clearly insane.
"Maybe," Archie said. "But the important thing is that our tongues are learning to like different tastes. So it's always important and fun to try new food even if you didn't like it before because your taste buds might have changed."
"Mine don't change," Henry said. "I don't like new food."
"What about the capsicum?" Archie offered. "You didn't use to eat that but now you do. Capsicum is nice, right? It's a healthy vegetable but it's sweet too. Does it make the tomato sauce yummy?"
"I guess," Henry said slowly.
"Well, I reckon there are lots of other types of food which are out there that you haven't tried yet but when you do, you'll find out they're yummy too."
"But I don't want to try them," Henry said. "I don't like them."
"Do you know why we eat, Henry?" Archie asked, switching tact as he felt the small boy begin to get defensive. The whole point of speaking with Henry about food was to educate him, not to make him resistant to change.
A little frown appeared on the boy's forehead. "So we don't get hungry?"
"Yes but also to give us energy, to make us grow and to keep us strong," Archie replied. "Our bodies need food. Our tummies tell us when it's time to eat because we all need to put good energy into our body. Things like candy and chocolate won't make us grow big and strong but other food like vegetables and meat and bread and pasta will. It's important we eat a lot of healthy food when we're children too because that's when our bodies are growing the most."
"Is that why I'm small?"
Regina whipped her head around to stare at her son. "What do you mean?" she asked, interrupting Archie who had also started to speak. She had no idea that Henry had acknowledged his diminutive stature in comparison to others his age.
Henry turned to look at his mother. "I'm small, aren't I?" he said. "Roland is bigger than me. And Tilly. Tilly's a girl and she's bigger than me. Is that because they eat vegetables but I don't?"
"It's important that everyone eats good meals," Archie replied. "If you don't eat enough or you eat bad food or food without the right energy, your body will not be as healthy."
"So I'm not healthy?" Henry asked.
"You're eating some good food," Archie said at once, not wanting to worry or trouble the child. "You like tomatoes, right? Tomatoes are healthy. And pasta is healthy too. You drink milk and apple juice, they're great for growing children. In fact, none of the food that you like is unhealthy. The problem is, you're not eating lots of different foods. If we eat the same food over and over again, our bodies might start to need different energies."
"Like what?"
"Well, meat like chicken and fish are very good for you. Do you like chicken or fish?"
Henry shook his head furiously. "No, I don't like them. They taste yuck."
"When did you last try to eat chicken?"
The small boy turned to his mother, unable to answer the question for himself.
"I cooked us some chicken for Christmas but I don't think you ate any of it," Regina offered. She tried not to think about that day. Christmas was supposed to be a happy occasion but the festivities had dissolved into a tantrum when she had presented Henry with the full roast she had prepared. After an hour, she had given up and cooked him some pasta, too tired and upset to try and coax him into trying anything on his plate.
"Because I don't like it," Henry replied.
"But maybe your taste buds have changed since you last tried chicken," Archie said. "Do you think maybe it would be a good idea to try it again and see if you like it now? You're six, right? You're growing up. Maybe you like food now that you didn't like when you were five?"
"Really?" Henry asked, confused as to how a person's taste could change so quickly.
"Maybe," Archie nodded. "Do you think you might want to try?"
Henry looked up at his mother who was smiling nervously. He didn't pick up on the nerves, of course, but he could see that the woman wanted him to say yes. "Ok, I'll try some chicken," he said at last. "But just one tiny piece. If I eat the chicken, will it make me bigger than Roland?"
"Not one piece on its own, but if you keep eating different healthy food, then I think you'll grow up strong and healthy and happy."
"Can we play games now?" Henry asked, his legs swinging back and forth from the chair, tired of sitting and talking.
"Sure," Archie said. "But while we play, I want you to tell me all about your friend Roland. He sounds like fun."
"He is fun," Henry enthused. "Today, in school, we painted a picture together."
"Yeah?" Archie asked, getting up from his chair and beckoning Henry to follow him over to the toys. "What was the picture of?"
"We had to paint a picture of our best friend. He painted me and I painted him. I had to sit in a blue chair when he painted me. Then we swapped and he sat in the chair so I could do the painting. He did me funny with big eyes and my hair all crazy."
Archie laughed. "That sounds funny. How did you paint him?"
"I painted him with big long legs cos he's so tall. And I painted him with Monkey."
"Who's Monkey?" Archie asked.
"His toy monkey," Henry said. "Roland got it when he was a baby. It's his favourite. He brings Monkey to school and keeps him in his bag all day. When he gets sad or hurt, he hugs Monkey and it makes him feel better."
Regina smiled over at her son and his psychologist, both now sat cross-legged on the floor beside a large box of toys. Satisfied that Henry was happy, she reached into her bag and pulled out her cell. She had promised Emma she would let her know how the session went. Plus, it had been over an hour since she had contacted the blonde and that was a long time for them. Ever since their first date, the two women had been in near constant contact.
Henry has agreed to try some chicken. Got any simple recipe ideas? R x
Oh the perks of dating a chef, Regina mused to herself as she slid her cell phone back into her bag and turned her attention to her son who was now telling Archie all about his own favourite toy; a stuffed Spiderman that Zelena had given him on his third birthday.
A/N: I know this is short but my best friend left town today and I've spent most of the weekend crying. I typed through puffy eyes and the hangover from hell. Drowning my sorrows was a good idea at the time but didn't translate into good writing, sorry!