A/N: Happy Sunday peeps! Thanks for all the birthday love.
"Mom! Is Emma here? Her big motorbike is outside. Can I go on the motorbike? Why don't you have any clothes on?"
At the last comment, Regina yelped and hurriedly tugged the duvet so it was fully covering her body. At least she was the one sleeping with her back, and butt, to the bedroom door. Her naked form was shielding Emma's, the sleepy woman in whose arms she was lying. The blonde herself was waking up a little more slowly.
"Henry," Regina said, the word jolting the blonde back to consciousness as green eyes snapped open.
"Where's Emma?"
"Right here, kid," the younger woman said, raising her head and grinning at the small boy who was stood in the doorway over his mother's shoulder.
"Can I go on your motorbike?" Henry repeated.
"Um," Emma began, glancing at the red-faced woman around whom her arms were still wrapped, "ask your mom."
"Mom," Henry said, waiting until Regina rolled over so she was looking at him before he continued, "can I go on Emma's motorbike please?"
"Can we talk about this while we eat breakfast?" Regina suggested. In fact, she didn't remotely want to even entertain the possibility of Henry sitting astride a motorbike but she was more concerned with not having any conversations at all with her son while lying naked with her back pressed against Emma's bare front. It was, to say the least, distracting.
"Ok," Henry said, moving further into the room and climbing up onto the bed. Regina and Emma simultaneously pulled the duvet even closer around them. "Emma, when are you going to cook breakfast?"
"Are you hungry?" the blonde asked. Henry nodded, now sitting beside his mother. "Give us ten minutes to get dressed and then I'll start cooking. Would you like to help me?"
"Get dressed?" Henry frowned. "But you're a grown up. I'm six and I can dress myself." Wow, adults were weird.
"I meant cook," Emma said, forcing herself to hide a smile.
"Oh, ok," Henry said. "Mom, I'm going to help Emma make breakfast."
Regina nodded. "I heard. Why don't you go and wash your hands and we'll meet you in the kitchen?"
Henry obediently slid from the bed and disappeared out of the room. Regina rolled back over, still with Emma's arm around her waist. The blonde seemed unwilling to loosen her hold and the older woman wasn't complaining.
"So, I guess we fell asleep before we put clothes on last night," Regina said, unnecessarily.
"I guess so," Emma nodded, pulling Regina even closer so their naked bodies were pressed tightly together. "I'm not complaining."
"I mooned my son," Regina replied. Clearly she had grown too warm during the night and shifted the duvet away from her warm body, inadvertently giving her son an eyeful. To be fair, Henry regularly saw Regina naked. It was more the fact that Emma was naked too that had shaken the mother.
"We'll make sure we get dressed next time," Emma said. "Good morning, by the way."
"Good morning," Regina said, pressing a kiss to Emma's lips. "And what makes you think there's going to be a next time?"
"Are you telling me this was a one-time thing?"
Regina smirked, unable to pretend. "I sincerely hope not."
"Good. Me neither."
Emma leaned forwards to kiss the woman, a soft, gentle pressure despite the heat she already felt as a result of their naked state. That was something she liked about her relationship with Regina. It wasn't all about the sex. In fact, Emma didn't remember the last time she had waited so long before sleeping with the person she was date. And yet she would gladly have waited as long as Regina wanted. When it came to the brunette, what they had ran deeper than their physical attraction.
"This is nice," Emma remarked when the kiss ended, fingers trailing up and down Regina's back.
"It is," Regina agreed. "But my son is waiting for you to make him breakfast. Are you sure you want him to help?"
"It might be a good idea," Emma replied. "If he gets interested in how meals are made, he may be more willing to try new things."
"Did that help you?"
"Yes," Emma nodded. "And became my career path to boot. But the first step was getting involved in the preparation of my own meals. I guess it was a control thing but it definitely helped me improve my diet."
"Let's hope the same is true for Henry," Regina said, wistful.
Emma pressed another kiss to Regina's lips. "Me too. Come on, we'd better get dressed. Do you mind if I grab a quick shower?"
"Go ahead," Regina nodded. "I'll have one after you."
"Or we could have one together," Emma suggested at once.
Regina's eyes darkened. The idea of showering with the blonde was incredibly tempting but also highly inappropriate. "Another time?" she suggested. "We told Henry we'd be ten minutes."
"True," Emma admitted. "Ok, can I borrow a robe to walk to the bathroom. Unlike you, I don't flash six year olds."
Regina swatted at Emma's shoulder before pointing to the back of her bedroom door where her own dressing gown hung. Emma placed a final kiss to Regina's lips before releasing her arms from around the woman and rolling away. The brunette made no secret of the fact that her eyes were glued to the bare body which emerged and walked around the end of the bed. Emma could feel the heated gaze and shot a wink over her shoulder just before she donned the robe and tied it securely.
"Nice ass," Regina said. "You can flash me any time."
"Noted," Emma laughed. "I'll be five minutes."
"There are fresh towels in the cupboard below the sink. Help yourself to anything in the shower."
"I'll be able to make myself smell like you all day," Emma grinned before disappearing out of the room, leaving Regina to lie back in her bed and marvel at the perfectness of her life.
By the time Regina entered the kitchen twenty minutes later, towel-dried hair dampening the top of her shirt, Henry was stood on a chair stirring a bowl held securely by Emma.
"Mom! I'm making pancakes," he exclaimed as soon as he realised his mother had arrived.
"I can see that," Regina said, dropping a kiss to the crown of his head. "Good stirring."
"I poured the milk in too. And put the flour in with that metal thingy over there."
"A sieve," Regina supplied, smiling at Emma over the top of her son.
"Emma, what now?" Henry asked, dropping the spoon onto the counter and spattering the mix all over the surface.
"Now, we need to cook them," Emma said, pointing to the pan she had already put on the stove, a knob of butter patiently waiting to be melted. "This part is a little bit dangerous because it can get very hot so maybe you can help your mom get out everything we're going to have on the top of the pancakes."
"Jam!" Henry shouted.
"Ok, and what about your mom? What does she want?"
Henry turned and looked up at his mother. "Mom?"
"I think I'll have some maple syrup today," Regina mused.
"Want me to cook some bacon too?" Emma asked. She had spotted a pack of the meat in the fridge.
"How about some bananas instead?" Regina suggested. "Henry, would you like to help me slice up the bananas?"
"I don't like bananas," Henry pointed out.
"You don't have to eat them," Regina reasoned, "just cut them up. And maybe you do like bananas. You haven't eaten one in a long time."
"I'll cut them but I don't want to eat any," Henry said firmly, climbing down from the chair and dragging the piece of furniture back to the table.
"Ok," Regina agreed. "Come on then, let's get a chopping board and a knife and some bananas.
When the pancakes were at last cooked, Emma carried over the teetering stack to where both Mills were sitting, Regina pouring out the fresh coffee she had made for her and the blonde. A bowl of haphazardly chopped banana slices had been placed beside a bottle of maple syrup and Henry's jar of jam.
"Here we go," Emma said, placing the plate down. "Henry, would you like one or two?"
"Two." There was a beat and then; "please."
"Ok," Emma nodded, forking the requested number onto the boy's own plate and passing him the jam. "Regina?"
"Two as well please," she smiled. "What a treat! Thank you for cooking again. Can you say thank you to Emma please, Henry?"
"But I made them too," Henry protested.
"You helped Emma cook them," Regina reasoned. "So how about I say thank you to you as well as Emma and you say thank you to just Emma."
That seemed fair, Henry decided. With all parties receiving the appropriate thanks, Regina and Emma set about adding bananas and syrup to their pancakes while Henry used a spoon to slather jam onto the top of his.
Emma and Regina both watched slyly as Henry picked up his fork and pried off a piece of the pancake. Without hesitation, he popped it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed.
"Mom, can I have some milk please?"
"Of course," Regina replied at once, jumping to her feet and retrieving the requested drink from the fridge.
While he waited, Henry took another bite. Emma couldn't help but feel a little proud as she dug into her own breakfast. It was a step forwards. From what Regina had told her about their meeting with the psychologist on Thursday, Henry had been made aware of the reasons behind his limited diet and, it appeared, had understood that things needed to change. Emma thought the approach sounded too direct when Regina first recounted the conversation. It seemed, however, that Henry had taken on board what he had been told and was willing to at least try and improve his eating habits. If Emma was able to help him do that in some way, then she was honoured.
One and a half pancakes later, Henry declared he was full. Gulping down the last of his milk, he asked if he could go and play with his trains. Regina nodded her permission on the condition that he put his plate and glass in the dishwasher. Chores done, the young boy disappeared, leaving both women alone.
"Well, I think that went well," Emma said, her own plate scraped clean.
"It did," Regina agreed. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For cooking. For getting Henry interested. He never wants to help when I ask him."
"I'm just glad he ate them," Emma replied. "It's real progress, Regina. He's trying new food. He's open to new flavours. He's going to be ok."
"I hope so," Regina sighed.
"I know so," Emma insisted, reaching out and placing her hand on top of the brunette's.
"Mom, can I go on Emma's motorbike?" Henry asked, charging back into the room, having remembered the request that he had made earlier that morning.
"Um, no," Regina said.
Henry pouted. "Why not?"
"Because you don't have a helmet and you don't have any clothes to protect you."
"Can we go to buy a helmet and clothes?"
"Not today," Regina replied. "And anyway, Emma has to go to work soon."
Henry frowned at that. "But it's Sunday. It's the weekend. People don't work at the weekend."
"Not usually, but I work in a restaurant where everyone else comes to enjoy their weekend by eating nice food," Emma pointed out. "So while most people don't work on Saturdays and Sundays, they are my busy days."
"Oh," Henry said, sounding crestfallen. "So you have to go?"
"In about half an hour," Emma nodded, glancing at the clock.
"Oh."
"Henry, sweetheart. Do you not want Emma to go?" Regina asked gently.
Henry shook his head. "I wanted to play trains with Emma."
"How about you ask Emma if she would like to come over after school tomorrow to play trains with you?" Regina suggested.
At that, Henry's face lit up. Even if Emma wasn't already one hundred per cent on board with that plan, the fact that the small boy was excited at the prospect of spending time with her would have made her rearrange any commitments she might have made.
"Emma?" Henry asked, turning to the blonde. "Can you come play trains with me tomorrow?"
"I'd love to," Emma smiled. "What time do you finish school?"
"Three thirty but then I go to play at Ursula's house until five then Mom comes to get me," Henry recalled.
"Actually," Regina said. "I'm going to collect you from school tomorrow. I'm taking the day off work."
"You are?" Both Emma and Henry asked the same question, heads turning towards the brunette.
"I am," Regina nodded. She glanced at Emma, silently communicating that they'd talk more later.
"Ok, so can Emma come over after school, Mom?" Henry continued.
"Of course," Regina nodded.
"Good," Henry announced. "Bye, Emma. See you tomorrow."
With that, he trotted out of the room and back to his trains. Emma turned to his mother eyebrows raised in question.
"I'm taking tomorrow off," Regina repeated.
"Why?"
"Because I know Monday is your day off and I want to spend it with you, if you're free?"
"Oh I'm free," Emma said, already excited at the prospect. "But don't you have to work?"
"I'm the CEO of the company. My job is to put the right people in the right positions to best service our clients. If I'm not there, the work still gets done. I'll just have a few more emails to answer when I arrive on Tuesday morning. You only get one day off a week. I want to be able to spend it with you sometimes, if that's alright with you."
"It's more than alright," Emma grinned. "I'd love spend the day with you."
"It's a date," Regina said, leaning over to kiss Emma lightly before setting about tidying up their breakfast things.
"What time would you like our date to start?" Emma asked, trying to help but Regina batted her hands away, insisting that the blonde cooked so she was to sit and enjoy the rest of her coffee.
"How about after work tonight?" Regina suggested.
Emma grinned. "Another slumber party?"
"If you'd like to," Regina nodded.
"Oh I'd love to," Emma replied at once.
"Great," Regina smiled. "And maybe you can walk Henry to school with me in the morning."
At that, the excitement which Emma had been feeling at the prospect of spending another night with Regina faltered. "Oh."
Turning around from the sink where she was washing the pan, Regina caught the look of apprehension on the blonde's face.
"What's wrong?" Regina asked.
"Do you not remember the way Henry reacted on Thursday morning when he thought I was going to walk him to school? I don't think he's ready for that. He thought I was going to replace Mal and then disappear like she did. I don't want him thinking that's going to happen with me."
"And walking him to school will make him think you're going to leave?"
"I don't know," Emma sighed. "But he wasn't happy at the idea three days ago. Why would tomorrow be any different? He clearly associates going to school with you and Mal and then Mal disappearing."
"She did leave two months after he started nursery," Regina mused. "I hadn't thought of that."
"I think it might be best if I wait here. Leave the walk as something that you and Henry share. For now, at least."
"Ok," Regina agreed. "You're probably right. Thank you for reminding me. I don't want Henry to think you're just another Mal."
"I don't want to be another Mal," Emma said, crossing the kitchen and pulling Regina into her arms. "I won't be another Mal."
"I know," Regina said at once. "I know that. And we have to make sure Henry does too. But we also need to take things slow. I don't want to put too much pressure on us too soon."
"I think it's a little late for that," Emma mused. "I already have a play date with your son tomorrow. But I don't think of it as pressure, Regina. I think of it as an honour that Henry has chosen to not only accept my sudden appearance in his life but is willing to include me in his play time. That's a big step for a six-year-old."
"You understand kids," Regina noted. "They connect with you."
"I grew up with more foster siblings than I can count. I was always around kids. The foster families tend to use the older kids to take care of the younger ones. It was only when I moved in with my final foster mom and dad that I was allowed to be a teenager without the responsibility of looking after younger kids. But by then I had had so much practice, I always assumed I'd be a mother one day."
"Maybe you will be," Regina said, kissing Emma lightly.
"You know that can't happen," Emma sighed. As it always did when her inability to have children was brought up, a pang of sadness shot through her body.
"And you should know better than anyone that blood doesn't make a family," Regina murmured, another kiss placed on Emma's lips.
"Maybe," Emma sighed. "Anyway, I'd better get going. I have to put a big order in for next week and I've got to get to the restaurant early to do inventory."
"Ok," Regina accepted. "I'll see you tonight though?"
"Of course," Emma confirmed. She unwound her arms from around Regina and stepped away. But before she could move far, fingers grasped her wrist.
"Emma, I'm sorry," Regina offered.
"For what?"
"For talking about kids. I know it's painful for you."
"Yeah, well, it's my own fault." Regardless of what had happened to trigger her anorexia, Emma would never not blame herself for the damage she had subsequently done to her own body.
"Don't say that," Regina said quietly. "If you're going to blame anyone, blame the person who made you feel like you didn't have control." Emma's eyes locked with Regina's, wide and wary. "You don't have to tell me what happened," Regina continued. "But know that I am here, that I listen to everything you say and that if you ever want to talk, I'll be ready to hear your story."
"If you blame that person for what happened to me then you'd be placing the blame for Henry's eating problems at your own feet," Emma pointed out.
"No," Regina said, shaking her head as a look of darkness crossed her features. "That blame belongs to Mal. I used to want her to come back. I used to want to ask her what happened, why she left. But now, I know that our lives will be infinitely better if neither Henry nor I ever see her face again."
"Yeah, well, I'm with you there," Emma nodded. Not only was she glad that Mal had no contact with Regina or Henry, for their sakes rather than because she was jealous, but she also never wanted to see him again. "Look, can we talk about this later? Or not, whatever. I'm going to be late."
"Sure," Regina nodded. "I'll finish cleaning up while you get ready. Make sure you say goodbye to Henry before you leave."
"Of course," Emma promised.
She would always make sure she said goodbye to Henry. She also made a silent vow to herself that she would never leave, not unless Regina wanted her to. It might only have been a month. She may only have spent an afternoon and two breakfasts with Henry. But already Emma couldn't imagine her life without the Mills in it. What's more, she didn't want to.
A/N: next up, Regina and Emma spend the day together. In bed, mostly.