A/N: thank you so much for recognising the value in the last chapter. I promise to make it up to you with SwanQueen fluff and that long awaited smut in the next chapter … On that note, this will be the final M/E rated chapter.
Everything somehow felt lighter the moment Regina and Henry stepped out of Archie Hopper's office that Thursday afternoon. They still had a long way to go but they were on the right path. Henry's awareness and his realisation with regards to his eating habits had been a breakthrough in terms of the way in which the duo could approach food and meals. Regina, on the other hand, knew it was important for her to better communicate with her son when it came to anything which might affect him.
Which was why, on Friday evening, Regina asked if Henry would be happy for Emma to join the two of them in the park the following afternoon.
"Can we still play football?" Henry asked. Because it was important to recognise your priorities in every situation.
"Of course," Regina nodded. "In fact, I think Emma would like to play football with you. She's probably better than me."
"Probably," Henry agreed. His mother's ball skills were pretty appalling. It wouldn't be difficult to be better than her.
"So, is it ok for Emma to join us?" Regina asked.
"Will Emma eat lunch with us too?"
"No," Regina said. "She has to work at lunch time. She'll come to meet us in the afternoon after she's finished. We will already have eaten our lunch."
Henry paused for a moment and then nodded. "Ok."
Regina beamed. She knew she had wanted to keep her love life hidden from her son but she understood now that it was important to be transparent with Henry. He already knew of Emma's existence and it seemed pointless to hide their relationship. Plus, the amount of time she got to spend with the blonde was so limited, Regina didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see her girlfriend. Emma had messaged her earlier in the day to see what the Mills' had planned for their weekend and had been keen to join them in the park when the invitation was extended. If Henry was happy for her to do so.
"What would you like for dinner, Henry?" Regina asked as soon as she had finished texting Emma to let her know she was welcome to meet them the following day.
"Beans on toast," Henry replied, already resuming his interrupted game with a wooden train set.
"Ok," Regina agreed. "But do you remember when Archie said it was important for you to try to eat different kinds of food?"
"Like what?" Henry asked, not looking up.
"How about some cheese?" Regina suggested. "People in the UK where they eat lots of beans on toast sometimes put grated cheese on the top. Then it melts because the beans are hot and it's delicious."
"Cheese," Henry repeated. "That comes from cows, right?"
"Yes. Cheese is made from milk."
"It doesn't look like milk," Henry frowned. "Does it taste like milk?"
"No but it tastes nice. Would you like to try some on your dinner?"
Despite Henry not having the widest palate, the fridge in the Mills' house was still well stocked. Regina had always enjoyed good quality food and there was a small stock of different cheeses which she would sometimes eat in the evening after Henry had gone to bed or when Kathryn or Zelena came over.
"Can you put the cheese on a different plate?" Henry asked. "Then I can try it first so if I don't like it, I can still eat my food."
"Good idea," Regina nodded. "And well done, thank you for agreeing to try something new."
"Can we watch Finding Dory tonight?" Henry moved on, ignoring the praise.
"Again?" Regina sighed. "Henry, I love that movie but we watched it a few weeks ago."
"It's my favourite," Henry pouted, eyes blown wide in the way he knew his mother couldn't resist.
Regina didn't want to raise a bratty child. Henry's control issues when it came to food dictated their lives enough and she was wary of handing him too much power. But she also wanted to make him understand that his decision to try something new for dinner was a big step forwards.
"Ok," she nodded. "Because you've agreed to try some cheese, and if you do actually try some when we eat, yes we can watch Finding Dory again after dinner."
Henry beamed up at his mother and nodded enthusiastically at the deal. "Can we have dinner now? I'm hungry."
Lunch service had never dragged so much as it did that Saturday. A combination of anticipation, excitement and the fact that the restaurant had been uncharacteristically quiet meant that by the time the final order came through, Emma was itching to be out the door. August teased her as she shouted instructions for clean-up over her shoulder before racing out of the kitchen and into her office to change.
"You know, if you break your neck riding like a loon to get there, that would be ironic," Ruby said, leaning on the door frame and watching Emma hop on one leg as she wrestled her foot into her leather pants.
"I think the word you're looking for is tragic, not ironic," she said, shooting her best friend a smirk.
"Whatever," Ruby waved off. "Just drive safe, ok? No woman is worth becoming road kill for."
"Charming," Emma said, straightening up and shrugging on her leather jacket. "But I get your point. I will drive sensibly to the park, Ruby, thank you for your concern."
"Just looking out for you, babe," Ruby replied before taking an appraising look at the woman before her who was now applying some mascara in a compact mirror, her pale lip trapped between her teeth. Ruby knew what that meant. "I've not seen you like this before."
"Like what?"
"Flustered. Nervous. Unsure of yourself. You're usually so confident when it comes to women."
Emma closed the mirror and slid it into her bag before standing and getting ready to leave. "Yeah, well, it's not about Regina today. It's about Henry."
"Ah, the kid," Ruby nodded. "You need to win him over to get into the mother's pants."
"Shut up," Emma said, punching her friend lightly on the arm as she exited her office. Ruby followed her down the corridor towards the parking lot so the conversation could continue. "Regina isn't like that. But I'm not going to pretend that it isn't important that Henry likes me. I'm dating his mom. Of course he needs to be ok with me."
"Kids love you, Emma," Ruby reminded her friend, realising that the woman needed reassuring, not teasing. "Don't worry, you got this."
"I hope so," Emma said. "Thanks. I'll see you for this evening's service."
"Enjoy your date," Ruby called after her friend as she left the restaurant's back entrance and headed towards her motorbike.
"Mom, you're extra bad today!" Henry exclaimed as the ball Regina had been attempting to throw at him landed metres away and bounced off.
"Sorry, Henry," Regina called after the boy who was now running to collect the runaway toy.
In truth, she hadn't really been concentrating and that had only exacerbated her already mediocre skills. Emma had already texted her to say she was on her way and Regina was keeping her eyes peeled for the blonde, not wanting her to miss them in the busy park.
"Next time," Henry shouted, the ball now back in his hands, "hold it like me and throw it better like me."
The ball sailed towards Regina who reached half-heartedly towards it but knew she was never going to catch it. While Henry was scathing of her own ball skills, he wasn't exactly Tom Brady and the ball soared over her, at least two metres higher than she could ever reach. She turned to fetch the missed ball only to have her breath caught in her throat as she saw who was stood behind her, wayward ball in her hands.
"Hi," she said after a moment. Two letters and one syllable was all she could manage. That damn leather.
"Hey," Emma smiled, tucking the ball under her arm. "Quite the thrower you've got there."
"Mom!" Henry exclaimed, running up to the two women. "Did you see Emma catched my ball?"
"Caught," Regina replied. "And yes I did. Well, I didn't see her catch it but I can see that she's holding it. Well done, Emma."
The blonde blushed at the compliment but also felt rather smug at the fact that she was clearly making Regina a little flustered.
"Great throw, Henry," Emma said, handing the ball back to him. "Is football your favourite sport?"
"Yes!" Henry grinned. "I'm going to be a quarterback when I'm older."
"Wow," Emma smiled back at him. "Do you want to practice your throwing a bit more?"
"Can you do it instead of Mom? She sucks."
"Henry," Regina scolded. "Don't say that. It's rude."
"But it's true," Henry pointed out. How could something that was true be rude? It was important to always tell the truth, wasn't it? The world of grown-ups really was confusing sometimes.
"Maybe your mom just needs more practice," Emma suggested. "How about you go back to where you were and throw the ball to me and I'll throw it to your mom? That way, we can all play together."
"Ok," Henry agreed, turning and trotting back across the field.
As soon as his back was turned, Emma leaned down to kiss the woman beside her, something she had been itching to do since she spotted the little family.
"Hi," she said when they broke apart.
"Hi yourself," Regina said. "Leather again? Really?"
"Safety first," Emma chuckled. "Gimme a minute and I'll get rid of it."
She put down the bag she was carrying and unzipped her jacket. The pants weren't as hard to get off as they were to get on and her jeans underneath ensured her undressing was entirely appropriate for the middle of a park in the afternoon, surrounded by families.
"Mom, Emma, hurry up!" Henry called, having reached the spot where he had been standing to play earlier, only to find that the new woman to join their game had started undressing. Women were weird.
"Ok, I'm ready," Emma said, stuffing her leathers into her bag and standing up, straightening out her tank top.
Regina, however, just gawped. She might have spent a night in Emma's arms, engaged in a rather heavy make out session the following morning and she had certainly admired the blonde's physique on their dates. She had yet to realise, however, quite how chiselled the blonde's body was.
"What?" Emma said when she noticed that the brunette was staring at her, slack-jawed, again.
"How often do you work out?" she said, eyes glued to the defined planes of the blonde's stomach she could see through the thin white tank top.
"Oh, four mornings a week," Emma said, glancing down at her own body.
"I'm … I … You're …"
Emma laughed and leaned forwards to peck Regina lightly on the lips. "You can be speechless about my body late, honey. Right now, I think your son wants us to play with him."
Moving past the still stunned woman, Emma jogged a little way away before signalling for Henry to throw her the ball.
Thirty minutes later and Henry announced he was hungry. Making their way over to the picnic rug which Regina had laid out, the boy immediately reached for the bag where his mother had packed a few snacks. Pulling out an apple, he started munching.
"Um, so I kinda made something," Emma whispered to Regina as the two of them sat down side by side.
"What kind of something?" Regina asked.
"Cookies," Emma admitted. "I baked them this morning before work. They're just simple chocolate chip. Nothing fancy. Do you think …" She glanced at Henry who was now watching some of the other children in the park.
"Let's try," Regina shrugged. It was impossible to predict what Henry would or wouldn't eat but since their meeting with Archie, he had already tried cheese with some success and had agreed to allow Regina to cook both chicken and add the capsicum to his usual tomato sauce that evening. "Henry, would you like a cookie?"
"What cookie?" he asked, turning to his mother.
"Emma made us cookies," Regina explained as the blonde herself pulled a box of the treats from her bag. "They've got chocolate in them."
The fact that Henry's self-imposed dietary restrictions included his refusal to eat anything unhealthy had always worried Regina. She would almost be able to understand if a child refused to eat vegetables and fruit but Henry had stopped eating candy, chocolate, potato chips and every other type of food that children usually loved. It was one of the reasons she had been concerned that the eating habits were closer to an eating disorder linked to his weight. The cookie, therefore, would be an interesting test.
"Are they nice?" he asked, peering into the box now the lid was removed.
"Well, my friend Ruby said they were delicious but I haven't tried one yet. I hope they're nice."
"You're a chef," Henry said slowly. "So you should have cheffed a good cookie."
"Chefs still 'cook' food, Henry," Regina corrected. "But yes, I'm sure Emma has cooked us a very nice cookie. Would you like to try one?"
Henry gave the food a final appraising look before taking a defiant bite of his apple. "Maybe later."
"Ok," Regina said, knowing not to push. "Well, Emma, I would love to try one of your cookies."
"Help yourself," Emma smiled, waiting for Regina to choose her own treat before selecting one herself.
They weren't going to win awards any time soon but they weren't bad, Emma decided as she chewed the first bite. Regina, however, let out a little moan of delight. Mid-chew, the blonde turned towards the sound.
"Something the matter, dear?" Regina asked, reaching over and brushing the crumbs from Emma's lip.
"Um, no," Emma stuttered, swallowing the mouthful of cookie she had. "But I'm sure as hell going to bake for you more often if that's the noise you make."
Regina shushed Emma dramatically even though there was no way Henry, who wasn't even listening, had any idea what they were talking about. That said, Regina mused, it seemed her son was far more aware of everything going on around him than she gave him credit for. Their meeting with Archie on Thursday had proved that.
"I don't get to indulge in sweets very often," Regina admitted. "I have to work hard to keep my body in this shape. Unlike you."
Emma frowned. "I work out four days a week and I wouldn't say my diet was unhealthy. In fact, it's the exact opposite of that. In anticipation for eating this cookie I spent ten minutes planning what I was going to eat for lunch and dinner to counterbalance the fats and sugars in it."
The brunette could have kicked herself. What was supposed to be a compliment about the blonde's physique had cut far too close to the bone. Of course Emma took great care of her body. It was an obsession; the blonde had said as much. Emma knew better than anyone how important it was to ensure her diet was healthy and that her body was strong.
"Emma, I'm sorry," Regina began. "I didn't mean that. I know you're healthy and I know you take care of yourself."
"I'm naturally skinny, alright?" Emma pushed on. "And I build muscle easily. I don't do a million crunches a day to get these abs." She slapped herself in the stomach, a little too hard, as if she wanted to feel pain as well as make a point. "My muscles have always been defined but I work out in healthy ways to make sure I keep them in good working order, not to make them bigger."
"I know, I'm sorry. I just … I guess I've always been the opposite. I don't build muscles easily and I have to work out every day to stay looking like this. I have to be careful about what I eat and -"
"Let's finish this conversation later," Emma interrupted, glancing at Henry who should not be overhearing the two women discuss food in such a way. "What's next on the park activity agenda for the Mills family today?"
"Whatever Henry wants," Regina said. "Henry, would you like to go to see the ducks?"
"Can we go to the playground?" he asked. "Ducks are boring."
"Ok, sure," Regina nodded, finishing off her cookie and beginning to pack away their possessions. "Would you like a cookie for the walk over?"
Henry looked at the food again then up at his mother. He could see that she desperately wanted him to take one and, he had to admit, they did look good. "Half a cookie," he said after a moment.
"Half a cookie it is," Regina said, breaking one in two and handing one piece to Henry. "I'll save the other half in case you want it later."
"Ok," Henry said. "Can we go now?"
The adults stood and finished the packing process, Emma stuffing her leathers into her bag along with the leftover cookies. By the time they set off towards the playground, a quarter of a cookie had disappeared.
"Wow!" Henry exclaimed as he spotted Emma's motorbike that was parked neatly beside Regina's Mercedes when they returned to the parking lot over an hour later. "Is that yours?"
"Yep," Emma nodded, patting the saddle and smiling at the young boy who was still gawping at the motorbike.
"Mom, can I ride on it? Please?"
"No way," Regina said firmly, arms crossed.
Henry pouted. "Why not?"
"Because firstly you don't have a helmet. Secondly you don't have any protective clothing like Emma." She gestured towards the woman who was now dressing in her leathers as if to illustrate the point. "And finally, we're going home and Emma is going to work so even if I did decide to let you climb onto the back of that death trap -"
"Hey!" Emma exclaimed but Regina just ignored her and carried on.
"- you'd end up at a restaurant and not at home with me so that wouldn't be very useful, would it?"
"Ok, but some other time then?" Henry asked, eyes flicking between Emma and Regina, unsure which woman ultimately had to grant permission. His gaze settled on Emma. It was, after all, her motorbike.
"Hey, it's not up to me, kid," Emma said. "Ask your mom."
Regina pursed her lips. She really didn't like the idea but she didn't want to tell Henry no flat out if his interest in Emma's motorbike meant he was accepting the idea that the blonde would be in their lives more in the future.
"We'll see," she said eventually. "But for now, get in please, young man." She opened the door to the Mercedes and Henry obediently hopped inside. "Say goodbye to Emma please, Henry," his mother added as he buckled himself up.
"Bye Emma," Henry said. "Thanks for the cookie."
"I'm glad you liked it."
"I liked the pancake too," Henry admitted. "Can you make me one tomorrow morning? I want to have it with my jam."
"Tomorrow morning, huh?" Emma repeated, glancing at the slightly surprised looking brunette beside her. "What do you say, Regina? Shall I cook you and Henry breakfast tomorrow?"
"I'd love that," Regina replied softly. "Would you like to come over after work?" Unspoken words, inappropriate for Henry's young ears, raced through both women's minds but the darkening of deep brown eyes and the slight drop in the timbre of Regina's voice spoke volumes.
"I would," Emma nodded, already feeling a tingle deep in her core at the anticipation of going to sleep with her arms around Regina again.
"Yay," Henry exclaimed, interrupting the moment. "See you tomorrow, Emma."
"Bye Henry," Emma said, waving as the boy's mother closed the car door and walked to her own. Emma followed, leathers now in place. "So, I guess I'll see you tonight."
"I guess you will," Regina said.
"I can't wait," Emma murmured, pressing a light kiss to Regina's lips before stepping away and swinging her leg over her bike, jamming her helmet in place.
A little round face pressed up against the rear window and watched in wonder as the woman waved at him once more, turned on the machine and manoeuvred out of the space. Henry gasped as the blonde kicked the bike into gear and accelerated away.
"You are never in a million years getting on the back of that thing," Regina muttered under her breath as she started her own vehicle and pulled smoothly out of the parking lot, heading home.
A/N: Again, this was the final NSFW chapter. Also, it's my birthday on Friday and as a special treat to myself I've booked the day off work and instead I'm going to write a smut-filled chapter for you at my favourite restaurant on the riverfront. So, basically, you'll be getting an update sooner than you think!