Emma looked around her office, trying to decide if she needed anything else for the trip. Regina and Henry were already at home packing and she couldn't wait to get going. Evie was going to meet them at a small diner and they would drive together to the lake house. She grabbed her half full box and exited her office, closing the door behind her. Neal and David were throwing darts to pass the time, but both looked her way when she tried to leave.
"Emma, where are you going?" Her father asked.
"Home. I have to finish packing." She said, checking her phone for the time. She barely had 5 minutes to spare.
"Packing for?" Neal asked.
Emma sighed and turned around. "I'm taking Regina and Henry to meet my adopted family in Pennsylvania. We're staying there for the winter. Now I'm late and you know how Regina is about punctuality."
"Your adopted family?" David said.
"Yeah, my mom, my dad, my two brothers and my sisters. And my dogs. I wonder if the little bastards are still alive." She wondered, turning to leave again. She stepped out of the precinct and walked to her car, putting the box in the back. She got into the driver's seat and she couldn't help but think about the Swans and how amazing she had felt finally getting adopted.
/
How do you know when you're home? When you've found the place you truly belong, your true family, your true friends? Does it hit you like a brick to the face? Or is it this soft, warm feeling in the pit of your stomach that spreads all over your body? Emma had never belonged anywhere. Never felt like she did...except here. With the Swans. The crazy, loving, wonderful Swan family. The only family that she'd been with that felt like an actual family. Grace was a tall, beautiful blonde woman with a true heart of gold...until you pissed her off. She was never mad at Emma, but anyone else was fair game for her violent mind. But Emma loved it, loved her. She was protective without being smothering, and her cooking was amazing. She had a mind faster than a whip with an even faster fist. Her husband was Alexander. He was the softer of the two, blonde and handsome as well, but he was built like a professional wrestler. He was the funny one, always bugging Grace until she exploded and ended up chasing him around the house with some kind of object that could be used as a weapon. But he was mostly a big teddy bear. Jackson was her older brother, the brains of the family and the most mature one. Until he hooked with her other brother and all bets were off. He and her younger brother, Jacob, were the pranksters of the family and always annoying the women. Jacob carried the reputation of being an errant troublemaker, the ladies man and the typical little brother who got on almost everyone's nerves. Dianah was Jacob's "twin", and the resident temperamental hothead of the family who barely knew the meaning of the word 'limit'. She was obsessed with music and enjoyed doing crazy things like cliff diving and sky diving. Then there was Evie, her perfect little sister with a heart of gold. Last but not least was Tiberius and Nero, the two family Jack Russell Terriers that thought they were wolves and her mother's three lazy, former police dog German Shepherds: Caesar, Pompey and Crassus. There was also Lenny, the tabby cat that remained unbothered and unconcerned with the rest of the world as all cats were. Of course there was Lily, her best friend who spent more time at the Swan household than she did at home. Her father was Max Baker, the current chief of police at Grace's old station and her former partner of almost 7 years. That was her family, the one she had always known and the place she belonged. All of this, all of them, were a part of what made their house feel like a home to an unwanted, misunderstood, lonely teen girl who'd never been loved, who'd been abandoned at birth and forced to fend for herself. Emma couldn't imagine a better place in the world to be or a better family to have, except maybe one that included her son and her girlfriend.
/
Emma sighed as she walked into the mansion. The living room was filled with about 7 suitcases, half of which were most likely Regina's. It brought a smile to her face and when Regina came downstairs, she was immediately yanked into a bearhug. Emma picked her up and carried her into the living room, sitting on the couch with the queen in her lap.
"Emma, I am not a child. What have we talked about?"
Emma ignored her and kissed her for all she was worth. Regina moaned into her mouth, grabbing the blonde's coat and trying desperately to pull her closer. She was so close to taking off Regina's shirt right then and there but she remembered where they were and that she would need to move in case Henry or anyone else came in. She stood up, still holding Regina, and carried her up the stairs as fast as she dared.
"Emma, what has gotten into you?" Regina giggled. She yelped as she was thrown onto her bed while Emma closed and locked the door.
"I'm happy." Emma grinned, walking to her and falling to her knees between Regina's legs, leaning her temple against the queen's thigh. "I'm excited, a little nervous. I just can't wait for you to meet my family. What if you hate them?"
"I think you have that backwards."
"Nonsense. They'll love you. I know it. Evie is already dying to meet you and Henry. She's the only one who knows the full story. I called her the day I got out of prison to pick me up."
"The full story?" Regina arched an eyebrow.
"Not the whole thing of course. Just that Henry found out he was adopted, found me, we met and fell in love. The basics, minus the magic and stuff."
"Fell in love?" Regina smirked, making the younger woman blush. The former queen was always well guarded with her feelings and emotions but anyone who saw them together could see how head over heels Emma was for the woman before her. It drove her crazy but she knew Regina was pretty much whipped at this point, no matter how much she would love for that not to be true.
"I love you, Regina."
"I love you too, Emma." Regina ran her fingers through the blonde's hair, lovingly loosening any tangles she might've found. "I must admit...I am nervous as well."
"Don't be." Emma assured her. She knew her family would love Regina. She knew it in her heart and she couldn't wait to unite everyone together. Perhaps even bring the Swans to Storybrooke. She wondered how her parents would take to meeting Snow White and Prince Charming. It probably wouldn't be a good thing with Grace's temper. "So, um...when we get to the house, there are some rules."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, but the only important one really is no sex in the lake house."
Regina's eyebrows rose. "I wonder what happened for that to be made into a rule."
Emma laughed. "You don't want to know. Anyways, I know we haven't...you know had sex or anything...yet, so I just wanted to tell you just in case you wanted to jump me or anything when we get there." They were taking things slow in the relationship, even though Emma was dying inside a little bit every night she had to lay in bed with Regina and not be able to touch her the way she wanted to. It was like systematic torture. But at the same time, she didn't want to rush things with Regina. She wanted to be different than her other lovers. Regina's eyebrows did a little dance as she thought and Emma started snickering. Regina's eyebrows rose as she asked the silent question. Emma smirked and pointed at her own. "They have minds of their own, don't they?" Regina scoffed and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Is that all I should know?"
"Oh yeah, we have a stables. Jackson loves horses and stuff so you can go riding too if you wanted. You know, show off a bit." She thought for a moment. "Um, they might try to get you do some things, we're a very physical family but it's really nothing I haven't seen you do. Oh! Do not, I repeat do not mention the name Taylor, Ms. Taylor, Taylor Swift, Tay-Tay, any variation of the word, none of it. I cannot stress this enough."
"Why?" Regina leaned back. "Is there something I should know?"
"Well, for one my sisters hate Taylor Swift, but the big thing happened about a year after I was officially adopted and we had a neighbor in Boston. Ms. Taylor. Who was kind of a whore, and um, my dad, being the weak one track minded man that he is sometimes, flirted with her to get a cake she had made. He didn't know she had a crush on him even though everyone could clearly see she wanted to defile his marriage. Anyways, Grace caught Ms. Taylor practically throwing herself on Dad and she snapped and kicked her ass left, right, backwards and forwards. Mom got arrested and Ms. Taylor went to the hospital for a concussion and several broken bones. Mom was and still is pissed about it, so don't bring it up."
"Did Ms. Taylor survive?"
Emma nodded. "Not for lack of trying on Mom's part, but she didn't die or anything. She recovered and moved to like California or something. Dad was clueless about the whole thing. Mom eventually forgave him but Ms. Taylor remains a sore subject that I would just like to avoid."
Regina nodded. "Okay, no Ms. Taylor."
"Good, that should be about it. Just don't forget some clothes to relax in, a swimsuit and some workout clothes. Other than that, you should be good." Emma grinned, getting to her feet. She offered her hand to Regina and helped her up before tackling her onto the bed and kissing her all over her face.
"Ugh, Emma, what the hell?!"
"I love you." Emma paused to say before kissing her forehead. "Very much. Even when I hated you, I knew I loved you." Regina's laugh made her heart melt and she kissed her again.
"Miss Swan, I have to finish packing."
"There's like 10 suitcases downstairs. We're only going to be there a few weeks."
"A few weeks?"
"Yeah, then we pick a place to go for vacation. Henry might miss some days out of school, but he's a good kid. Unless...I hope Jacob doesn't suggest something stupid like coming to Storybrooke. Damn it, I probably jinxed myself. Regina, do something."
Regina smirked and rolled out from underneath her, getting off the bed and fluffing out her hair. She checked her appearance in the mirror and scowled. "Miss Swan, you messed up my makeup."
"As if you really need makeup." Emma replied, rolling onto her back. "Personally, as good as you look with it, I think you look so much better without it. You're adorable!"
"A queen should not be adorable."
"Then you have a problem." Emma countered, sitting up. "I better get ready to go pick up Henry for his last day. What asshole of a teacher gives kids homework the second to last day of school before winter break?"
"Your mother, apparently." Regina answered, leading the way downstairs.
Emma rolled her eyes. "I hated school growing up."
"Did Grace make you go?"
"Well, I had to go, but she did tell me that school didn't really measure my intelligence and grades weren't at the top of her concern. She wanted me to do well, but she didn't really put much emphasis on it because she hated school too. She knows how unnecessarily stressful it is. I can name every type of police force in the U.S., their weapons and protocols, but if you ask me how to find Y in that bullshit area we call math, then I'm screwed."
Regina smirked. "You have such a potty mouth all of a sudden."
"I'm sorry, school still pisses me off to this day."
Regina laughed and gave her a kiss. "Go get our son. I should be done by the time you return. What would you like for dinner?"
"What is my absolute favorite dish of yours, my queen?" Emma grinned.
"Do you ever get tired of lasagna?"
"When you make it? Nope. I'll be back soon." She gave Regina a few more kisses, only stopping when the brunette had to force her out of the house. She sighed and put her on her coat, dashing out to her car and starting the drive to school. Henry got in a few minutes later. "Have a good day?" She asked.
He shrugged. "We didn't do much. Grandma told me she needs to talk to you, by the way."
Emma nodded, swinging the car around to head to her parents house. "Ready for the trip? You know, there should be some other kids in the town nearby. You won't have to spend all your time with old people like us."
"I'll be fine. I want to meet Grace and Alexander."
"Cool. They're dying to meet you too. You're somewhat of a celebrity already."
"Oh?" He asked, sounding just like Regina.
"Yeah. They all want to meet the kid who traveled across damn near 2 states to meet me." Emma smiled as she parked outside the Charming apartment. Henry got out and followed her inside. Her father was in the kitchen, making sandwiches. Her mother was sitting to the kitchen table, grading papers. Henry ran to give his grandparents a hug while Emma pulled a chair up near Snow. "You wanted to talk?"
"David told me you were leaving town." Snow said.
"Yep. I'm taking the family to a lake house for the winter. We should be back in time for Christmas and stuff. If not, then we can have the celebration- Son of a bitch, I forgot Christmas!" Emma quickly stood up and called Regina.
"Yes, Miss Swan?"
"Regina, I forgot Christmas."
"So, you didn't see the giant christmas tree in our living room?" Regina asked. She started laughing, making Emma's heart do a few backflips at the wonderful sound. "It's okay, Emma. I know your mind is preoccupied. I got Henry's presents already so that's covered. Tend to the rest yourself."
"You're the best."
"I know."
Emma let out a sigh of relief as she sat back down. "Sorry about that. This whole trip is making me a little crazy."
"Trip to see your adoptive family?" Snow asked.
"Yeah." Emma frowned slightly. "That's what you wanted to talk about?"
"Well...yes. We should meet them-"
"No."
"And thank them," Snow continued. "For taking care of our little girl."
"Maybe another time. We've got the trip first. When we come back, then maybe. I'll talk to Mom and Dad about it. Until then, I have to go. Regina's waiting for me." She had so much stuff to do now. She had to finish packing and get presents for everyone in her family. She decided to make a quick detour out of town to a better shopping mall so she could start looking for some gifts. She easily bought a bunch of clothes but who wants clothes for Christmas? She and Henry back home and Emma dashed upstairs to grab her computer and started looking for better gifts online. She found a diamond ring for Regina, some boots for her mother, a new gun for her father and Jacob, some new boxing gloves for Dianah, a Sherlock costume for Jackson just to annoy him, and a brand new pair of Louis Vuittons for Evie. Thank God for Regina's Curse funds or they would be seriously in debt. But she still wasn't satisfied after ordering all that stuff. Regina found her buried in the computer when she came looking for the blonde.
"Emma, I've been calling you for 10 minutes. Dinner's ready."
"Just a second."
Regina walked forward and gently closed the computer. She tilted Emma's chin up to look her in the eye. "No, Miss Swan. Come to dinner. Now." She commanded softly, a seductive tint to her words, knowing full well that Emma was powerless against her.
"O-okay."
Regina smirked and pecked her lips. "Very good."
Emma followed her downstairs and sat down to the table as Regina served the food. "You know, Regina, you're gonna have to have a cook off with my mom at some point. She's the family chef."
"Done." Regina smirked.
Emma bit into a piece of lasagna and almost moaned. "Regina, just marry me already."
"Just for my cooking?" The queen asked with a pleased smile. She adored compliments even though she would never admit it. In truth, it didn't take much to please Regina. She was actually a very simple person underneath all that queenly etiquette and stuff. Emma liked to think of her as still that girl who loved riding and nothing more, but it had been years since Regina had freely expressed herself as this person and that girl was locked away because a queen had to be poised and strong and never waver. It made her angry at Cora and Gold all over again, but she forced it down.
"For everything, your majesty." She smiled.
"You two are disgusting." Henry interrupted.
Emma threw a glare at him, but Regina only chuckled to herself and returned to eating.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Regina was incredibly nervous as the trio walked into the diner. Emma gave her hand a squeeze as she steered them over to an empty table. "Regina, stop worrying." She said. "It's just Evie."
"You keep saying that, but-"
"Emma!" The call came from halfway across the diner, drawing the attention of nearly everyone in attendance. The lovely blonde woman who had just stepped through the door turned bright red and she lowered her head before rapidly making her way over. Regina's eyebrow rose as she assessed Evie Swan. She wasn't really sure if that was her real name or a nickname, but it suited her. She was very beautiful, blonde haired and blue eyed like most of the other Swans, but her smile was warm and comforting. Except for when she smirked at Emma because it made her seem like an evil mastermind plotting to take over the world. Emma got up to hug her baby sister who couldn't have been more than at least 25. She was wearing a simple outfit of jeans, nude heels, and a dark red blouse. "Emma, I missed you. Don't ever stay away from us that long again."
"I missed you too, E." Emma released her sister and motioned to Regina and Henry. "Evie, this is Regina, the love of my life."
Evie's eyes went wide. "Wow, Em." She leaned forward and whispered. "Blink twice if she's holding you against your will. Although I completely understand why." Regina smiled as Evie turned to her sister. "Talk about the ultimate upgrade from that jackass. I swear, if I ever see that son of a-"
"And this is Henry. Our son." Emma interrupted. Henry stepped forward and Evie's eyes went wide again.
"Emma…"
"Yeah?"
"Mom is going to murder you. You didn't tell me he was- what are you, like 12?"
"11." Henry said.
"11. Aww, he actually looks like the both of you." She bent forward and offered her hand. "I'm Evie, your aunt. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You too." He said, politely, shaking her hand.
"And you as well, Regina." Evie shook her hand too before looking at Emma. "You are so dead."
"You knew how old he was." Emma said as they all sat back down. "You picked me up from prison."
"Yeah and it was months before you told me you even had a son. You didn't say when." Evie pointed out. "But still…" She awed again and looked at Henry. "Order anything you want, New Nephew." Henry grinned then and looked at the menu. Evie turned to Regina. "So, your majesty, what do you do for a living? Emma's been pretty secretive about you in certain areas."
"Oh yeah? How so?" Regina almost flinched when she said your majesty.
"Your majesty?" Emma frowned, picking up on her words.
Evie looked confused. "That's what Regina means. It's latin for 'queen'. Also, you called her your queen the last time we spoke."
"Oh." Emma relaxed and looked at her menu.
"Anyways, all she talks about is how beautiful you are and how amazing you are and great your ass is."
"I'm the mayor." Regina answered with a glance at a blushing Emma who was trying to pretend that she was focused on her menu. "It's a small town you wouldn't have ever heard of though. But Emma tells us you're a doctor?" She inquired, quickly redirecting the conversation.
"Yep." Evie smiled. "Straight out of high school and into medical school. Top of my class so I graduated a little early."
"Surgeon?"
"Yep."
"That's very impressive." Regina commented.
"Not as impressive as Jackson. The guy is ridiculously smart."
"So are you, Miss Surgeon." Emma retorted. "How is everyone?"
"Same old, same old. But clearly you have some stories to tell." Evie placed her elbows on the table. "For instance, how long have you two been together?"
"A few months." Emma answered, eyes narrowing. Regina fought off a smile at the mischievous grin that spread across Evie's face, but she was merely messing with Emma because she quickly changed the conversation back to Regina in attempt to get to know her. She soon found that Evie was as amazing as Emma described and not surprisingly, she was great with kids. They had a great dinner and Regina couldn't quite remember why she was nervous in the first place.
"So the house is like an hour away from here. They did some repairs, some remodeling and other stuff." Evie informed them as they paid for their meal.
Emma scoffed. "You mean Dad tried to do some repairs and remodeling and Mom ended up calling professionals."
"Duh, Emma, what else would I mean?" Evie said with a roll of her eyes. "Anyways, we have plenty of room, plenty of food and plenty of things to do. You know, if you're still alive to experience it. By the way, Grandma is coming."
"Oh lord." Emma sighed.
"What's wrong with Rose?" Regina asked. "You spoke highly of her, Emma."
"The woman is like Granny with twice the martial arts training and no filter whatsoever." Emma replied. "I love her to death, but she is going to put me through the ringer. I swear, why do I want to go home again?"
"To show off your new girl." Evie grinned, messing with Henry's hair. "And my new nephew."
"Right." Emma beamed, giving Regina a loving peck. "I have to tell the world that this awesome woman right here chose me." Regina smiled, kissing her cheek.
"Well, you two are disgusting." Evie said. "See you guys at the house."
"Bye, E." Emma immediately looked at Regina as they paid and walked to the car. "Well, what'd you think?"
"She seems wonderful, Emma."
"Just you wait. She's not the crazy one."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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