Regina's view

After breakfast, Emma and I decided to have a relaxing day today. Emma has now gone to shower, while I brought the tray back to the kitchen to clean up everything, because I hate mess. While cleaning up, I once again sink into my thoughts.

I had been just plain stupid for a long time. Why hadn't I just told Emma that I loved her? We could have been spared so much. I have to laugh quietly, we are very similar in that respect, I hope Henry doesn't take on this characteristic of ours. But he probably won't, he is such an incredibly open boy, who always shares his feelings, well he is a little shy when it comes to talking to girls, but so are many boys his age. I have to smile at the memory of when he told me that there is a girl that he would like to invite to the ball that will soon take place at his school, but he does not dare to ask her. Unfortunately he didn't want to tell me which girl it was, but he will tell me, after all he didn't want to tell us that there was a girl that he was interested in. When we asked him if he had already asked a girl, he had turned red, that had been totally sweet. Henry and Emma, my family... Who knows, maybe one day we will be a real family, living together in one house, happy and free... The three of us... together, that would be really nice. Hopefully it will be a reality someday.

After I finished cleaning up, I sat down on the sofa and turned on my cell phone. I hadn't even noticed that it had gone off, had I turned it off?

The start screen lights up and shortly after that my cell phone does not stop vibrating. 20 unread messages, 26 missed calls...

I look to see who called, crap. Fourteen of them were from Henry, ten from Ruby and two from Kathrin... Before I call Henry back, I open the chats and read the messages. They are from two chats, one with Henry of course and the other is a group chat with Ruby and Kathrin... First I read the messages from Henry.

8:00PM

Henry: Mom, did you get to Emma? Did you find her? How is she doing? When are you guys coming back?

Oh damn, I was going to get back to him when I found you...

9:16 pm

Henry: Mom? Are you still on the road?

22:04

Henry: Ruby says I have to sleep now, write me when you read my messages, I'll read your reply then tomorrow, Love you mom and give Emma a hug from me, tell her I love her.

7:04 AM

Henry: Mom I'm starting to get worried, you said you'd be in touch when you arrived...

7:32 am

Henry: Ruby says you may still be asleep because you may have arrived very late. Call me when you are awake.

3:01 pm

Henry: Mom. I'm off school now, you're not sleeping now are you? Are you with Emma now? Are you okay? Is she okay? I'm worried, please call me!!!

5:07 pm

Henry: Mom, I've tried calling you 6 times now, it always goes straight to voicemail, where are you?

6:42 PM

Henry: Mom??? If you don't call or text back soon, I'm calling the police and having them look for you!

8:08 pm

Henry: Ruby told me not to call the police and that you guys are fine, why did you contact her but not me? Mom, are you guys really okay?

Today: 7:09 a.m.

Henry: Ruby and I are going to your house if you haven't checked in by 9:00, she confessed to me that she hasn't heard from you either. We are worried!

9:00 AM

Henry: We are leaving now, good thing you told me where you were going. We'll be at your place around 2:00!

That was the last message Henry sent. I could slap myself for forgetting to write him. And not only because he was worried, but also because he and Ruby will be here soon and I would rather be alone with Emma for a while.

I love our son more than anything, he is the most important thing in my life, but still I would rather just spend time with Emma right now. After all, we haven't even talked about what is to become of us now. Are we together now? Does Emma even want that? Do we just go out for now and see what develops? Do we tell the others? Do we keep it to ourselves for now? Thinking about the open questions, I open the group chat to read the latest messages.

The day before yesterday

8:58 pm

Ruby: Did you get to Emma okay?

21:00

Kathrin: Why where is Emma?

21:02

Ruby: Emma went away to a place from her past, her biological parents were here... I have no idea what they were doing here though...

21:03

Kathrin: Oh... Hope she is ok

21:03

Ruby: I hope so too...

Yesterday

4:43 pm

Ruby: Regina? Are you okay? Henry has texted you several times and tried to call you? Are you at Emma's? Please get in touch.

7:04 pm

Ruby: Please get in touch, I can't reach you. Henry has asked several times now if I've heard anything, I've told him everything is okay, but I don't want to lie to him and I'm worried too...

8:16 pm

Kathrin: Gina, please contact me, otherwise they will go crazy. I can't reach you either...

Today

8:59 pm

Ruby: Too late, we will come to you, get in touch anyway if you read that!!!!

Fuck, why the hell didn't I think to check in? Okay yes, the night I arrived Emma was really not well and I just had to be there for her, so it's clear that I didn't think about it. The next morning I thought that Emma had run away again and I had to clear my head first and then she was there and I stood in front of her in a towel. Then I kissed her and after that I ran away, then according to Emma I had passed out and woke up in bed this morning... So it's clear that I didn't think about it and yet I feel guilty about it... What if Emma is overwhelmed with Henry and Ruby coming here? What if she runs away again? Why did I tell Henry again where I was going? Yeah right, because otherwise I would never have been able to go, he wouldn't have let me... I definitely have to warn Emma... I look at the clock... Crap it's already 1:15, so they'll be here in 45 minutes if they arrive on schedule... I quickly text Ruby...

13:16

Me: Hey Ruby, I'm totally sorry, my phone was off, I didn't realize it... Everything is fine with us, Emma is here as suspected.

This message won't change anything now since they will be here soon, but I had to write it anyway...

As soon as Emma is done showering I will tell her... Please let her deal with it.. I don't want her to run away again...

Emma's view

This morning when I was woken up by Regina, I was incredibly relieved that she was conscious again. That she was well again was already a reason to be happy, but then she was so sweet, she just brought me breakfast in bed, woke me up from my nightmare and told me that she loves me too. Sure I already thought it after the kiss, but to hear it from her is just something completely different. I am still totally intoxicated by it, of course not in the sense of drugs, but by the feeling that her words have triggered in me. We almost slept together for the first time, but I couldn't and didn't want to at that moment. So much had happened in the last few days and I didn't want to think about all those things when I was making love to her. Even though it was very hard to end it this morning before I couldn't control myself anymore. Besides, Regina should be completely healthy again first, not that she faints again. The warm water on my skin feels good, it is as if the water, for the moment, washes everything negative from me. I feel free again for a long time, I have the feeling that I can finally breathe properly again. It is as if the heavy iron chains had been removed from my body, as if the cracks in my protective walls, which had been forcibly smashed in, were suddenly healing again. My walls are almost completely healed. My biological parents, they hurt me a lot, but if I'm honest, I would have chosen to give Henry away too if I were in their place. However, I would have never thrown what they said to me at Henry. It's something I just can't forget or forgive. But maybe I can live with it someday. It still weighs on me a bit but when Regina is around, I usually don't think about it. Regina and Henry are my family, my home and they can't take that away from me anymore.

I get out of the shower, dry off and put on a pair of light jeans and a black top. I comb my hair and then go back to Regina.

Something seems to be wrong, because she looks like she has big worries. I hope she doesn't regret telling me she loves me or the kiss... Why do I always think it has something to do with that? I guess I'm just very insecure... First I should ask her what's going on.

"Regina? Is everything okay?" I want to know.

Emma...so...in order for me to come here...I had to tell our son...where exactly I was going...he told me to contact him when I found you. But then there was so much going on ..I didn't think about it... Just now, I realized my cell phone wasn't turned on... Um...Ruby and Henry were really worried and...they'll be here in about 30 minutes... I'm sorry Emma..." Regina explains to me hesitantly. At first I feel overwhelmed by this, but then I remember that I don't have to run anymore, that this is my family and I am grateful to have found them. After my biological parents showed up, I forgot about that for a moment because my younger hurt and insecure self was suddenly much more present again. But now I don't have to run away anymore, neither from my family, nor from my feelings!

It's okay Regina, don't worry, I can handle it and I won't run away again, I promise," I say, because I think that's what she was afraid of. The other way around, I would have thought the same. In fact, I'm happy about it, of course I'd rather spend some time alone with Regina, but I'm still happy to see our son right away, I hope he's not angry with me... I don't want him to think that I wanted to leave him again, because that's definitely not what happened! But before Ruby and Henry show up here, I want to talk to Regina about us...

Regina, can we talk about us before they get here?" I ask her quietly, looking down at the floor.

Sure, I'd like to talk to you too!" she replies and I look up and see that she is smiling.

Henry's view

Restlessly I slide back and forth on the car seat, still we haven't heard anything from Mom. This doesn't suit Mom at all, normally she would have written to me several times, if only to ask if everything is alright with me. Mom is always afraid that something might happen to me. She's really overprotective sometimes, which makes me even more surprised that I haven't heard anything since she left. But most of all I'm worried about Emma, it must have really hurt her to have packed her things and run away. I know she would never leave me, I never doubted that for a second. Mum didn't want to run away, she just didn't know what else to do, after all she didn't have any family before us, how could she know that? A cell phone ringing tears me out of my thoughts.

Henry, can you check who has written there? Maybe it was finally your mom. The cell phone is in front of you in the tray," Ruby asks me. Full of hope that it really was Mom, I take out the cell phone. Sure enough, it's a message from Mom. I open the message and read it out loud.

Hey Ruby, I'm so sorry, my phone was off, I didn't realize it. Everything is fine with us, Emma is here, as suspected." Momentarily I feel relief. Mom has indeed found Emma.

You see, Henry, everything is fine and we'll be there soon, we're driving about 40 minutes to get to them," Ruby says to me. She's right, but it's still strange that Mom hasn't written to me. And she does say that she hadn't noticed that her phone had gone off, but still she was going to get back to me when she found Emma. So something must have happened, she can't have just forgotten.

It's good that Mom found Emma, but I'll be glad when we finally get there and I can hold my Mom's in my arms." I mumble more to myself than to Ruby.

Soon we'll be there, then you can give them both a hug," Ruby says as she gives my hand a quick squeeze, seeming to understand why the news doesn't convince me one hundred percent. Even though she won't admit it, I think she's also very worried about them and will also be glad when we're finally with them.