I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.

4: Getting Back to the New Normal

Emma was not surprised Henry managed to almost tackle her and Regina at the same time as they stepped into Snow's manor house. She was also not surprised he was talking a mile-a-minute before they could even close the door. He had as an eventful week as his mothers'. Snow made sure of that.

He had not been able to tell Regina and Emma everything on their daily phone calls. The time difference was too much. Much of the time, they called him before he was about to head out to a grand adventure and he did not have time to talk like he wanted. Now, he had all the time.

"And we did the night time zoo! Did you know the zoo was open at night? I've never did! They do different stuff at the night zoo than the regular zoo!" Henry practically chirped, literally jumping up and down in front of her. She could understand his enthusiasm.

"Tell us all about it, bud," Emma replied, eager to hear. She had only recently been to the regular zoo, so this night time stuff seemed very exciting.

Henry dragged them by the hand to the family room where Snow, David, and baby Nolan waited. There were tea, cookies, and cakes on the coffee table. Henry made them sit on the empty couch across from Snow and David. He never stopped talking, even as he stuffed sugar cookies into his mouth.

"Wait! Did I tell you that Aunt Snow took me to an archery place?" Henry switched gears right in the middle of a story.

"She did?" Regina arched an eyebrow. Safety issues had to go through her mind immediately. It was bad enough she had not been sure she wanted to leave Henry with Snow for the whole week. Emma had to fight for that.

Snow gave a nervous laugh and held up a hand. "It was perfectly safe. The place is very professional. I promise."

Henry nodded. "She's really good, Mom!" Then he turned to Emma, his face just lit up with excitement. "Ma, did you know she was so good?"

Emma gasped and her heart stopped. This was the first time Henry had ever used such a title with her. Maybe he did not mean it how she took it. Maybe he just shortened her name. There has to be a reasonable explanation for it, right? He had a mom. He did not need her as a mom, even though she liked to think she was his mother and they were a family. And, yeah, he told people she was his mother, but he still usually called her by name.

"Ma, you okay?" Henry asked, eyes squinting as he leaned in to study at her. He put his hand on her forearm, holding her with concern.

Emma blinked. "Uh, yeah." Oh, my god! He meant it. He meant me! Shit!

Emma could hardly breathe. Her distress had to be written all over her face. Regina took her hand and gave it a squeeze. That would not be enough, especially not when Henry said it again.

"Ma, are you sure you're okay?" Henry asked and there was another squeeze to her forearm.

Emma swallowed a lump in her throat. "Sorry. I had too much soda on the plane and it just hit me. Be right back!" She rushed off for the bathroom. She was definitely going to cry and would need to wash her face.

The tears fell before she made it to the bathroom upstairs. She could have gone to the bathroom downstairs, but she did not want to risk Henry standing to greet her at the door when she was done. Instead, David was waiting for her.

"You okay?" he asked, leaning against the wall in the hallway.

"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting him to say that," she replied with a sniffle. She had washed her face, but she was still red and blotchy from what she could tell in the mirror. "He's never called me anything like that. Yeah, he tells people I'm his mother, but he's never called me Ma."

A small, calm smile settled on David's face. "I know. He and I talked about it a lot this week. He wasn't sure if he should start saying it because he thought it would be weird because he hadn't been saying it. But, he also thought it'd be okay since you just got married to his mother, but he still wasn't sure. He said you never asked him. I told him you'd flip over it. We wouldn't be able to bring you down."

She laughed, but it was wet, like a sob. "You can't! I'm Henry's Ma." She could not help squaring her shoulders. She was Henry's mother, in his eyes. The only eyes that mattered beyond Regina's and Regina had been calling her Henry's mother for months.

David put his hand on her shoulder. "And he's just as happy about it as you. That kid adores you. You're his hero."

A grin spread across her face. "The Mighty Thor."

His eyebrow ticked up. "Huh?"

"He likes to compare me to the Mighty Thor. She's basically the female Thor." She still had the comic he gifted her with, framed and hanging on the bedroom wall.

"I like that. The Mighty Emma." He chuckled.

"Good thing he told you and not Snow, huh?"

David laughed even more. "I strongly urged him not to. I love your sister with all my heart and I know her weaknesses. He wanted to surprise you. I wouldn't let her ruin her relationship with him because she can't keep a secret."

"Thank you. If I haven't told you before you're awesome. Thank you." She clapped him on the shoulder.

He threw his shoulders back. "Gotta be there for my nephew."

"He's lucky to have you."

"And you."

David gave her a hug, which she did not know she needed. It helped her get herself back together. They walked back to the family room and Emma was not surprised when Henry hugged her the second she sat down next to him.

"You okay, Ma?" Henry asked.

There were tears again. "I'm fine." She sobbed.

"Oh, no!" He wasted no time hugging her. "I didn't mean to make you cry!"

"I'm good, Henry. I'm so good." She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. Her son. How was this her life? How could it possibly be this good?

"Then those are happy tears?" he asked in a low voice.

"Extremely happy. I'm so damn proud to be your ma." She squeezed him. This was a huge moment. Regina did not even scold her for swearing.

When Emma pulled away, she saw Snow was crying, too. They gave each other smiles. Then, Emma turned her attention to Regina and yanked her into a hug with Henry. This really was perfect.

-8-8-8-8-

With the emotional bombshell Henry dropped on Emma, there was no way for them to be in and out of Snow's home as Regina had planned. It was fine. Hell, it was worth it to see the raw elation on Emma's face whenever Henry said "ma." What to call Emma had been a sore point for Henry for months now.

"I'll get the chef to make some lunch. You're both probably hungry after such a long flight," Snow said, basically excusing herself from the room.

"Why did I bother giving you cooking lessons if you were just going to hire a chef?" Regina sighed. It was worth it, but also annoying. Being around Snow was just draining, but it was good for her to establish a real relationship with her sister-in-law and Henry's aunt.

"I'll have you know I cook for half the week. You just missed it." And then Snow was gone.

"I'm so sure." Regina rolled her eyes and stood from the couch. She made her way over to Nolan, who was on the floor, eating a teething ring. She picked him up and hugged him close, inhaling his wonderful baby scent. "I taught her some of my best recipes for you and she's not even bothering." Nolan blew a raspberry in her face.

David laughed. "I'm enjoying it. She cooked Henry's favorite for him a couple of days ago."

Henry glanced away, never a good sign. Snow was not good, but she should not have been so bad that Henry did not want to lie about how the food tasted. She spared him from having to do so by turning her attention back to Nolan.

"Did you have a good time with your cousin?" Regina asked Nolan, who blew another raspberry. "I hope that means yes."

Henry hopped up, coming to stand next to her. "I read him all my best books and every time we went somewhere I made sure he could see what we were doing. It's kinda hard to gauge if he's having a good time, though. All he does is spit and cry."

David chimed in. "Personally, I've taken the spitting as a sign of approval."

"Rather than the sign of teething?" Regina arched an eyebrow. "Come on, little one. Let's get you some air for a moment." She made her way to the side door, leading to the garden. She was not surprised everyone followed her out.

"Oh, did I mention Uncle David made us swords?" Henry rushed over to a wooden sword, leaning against a deck chair. It was a good replica of a broadsword.

"You made that?" Emma turned to David.

David shrugged. "Woodwork is a bit of a hobby. I was also teaching him a little sword fighting. It's part of a royal upbringing in my country."

"Watch!" Henry handed David his own sword and they were off, sword fighting in the backyard.

Regina sat down, making sure to keep a hold of Nolan. Emma sat down next to her. Regina leaned into her with her shoulder.

"You were right to leave him here. He had such a good time with them," Regina said.

Emma nodded. "They want to be his family, Regina. They want to be his aunt and his uncle. We just have to give them the chance."

Regina smiled. "That's true." She could not let her rather antisocial feelings toward Snow and David stand in the way of them having a relationship with Henry. And, at this point, she should work on having more faith in them and trusting them. They were family. The thought brought a smile to her face.

"Oh, no, are they sword fighting again? I told David he might hurt Henry," Snow said as she came outside.

Emma waved it off. "They're fine."

Snow stared at the scene for a moment longer. Honestly, Regina was right there with her, but Henry was happy and bonding with David. They deserved the time together, in any crazy way they chose as long as Henry did not end up hurt.

"Nolan is always so good with you," Snow said with a smile at Regina.

"He doesn't even eat your hair," Emma added with a laugh. "Lemme hold him for a second." She put her arms out.

Regina eased Nolan into Emma's arms, not worrying over her giving him back. The second Emma's hair ended up in his mouth, she would hand him over. For now, Regina got to admire Emma with her little nephew. How her face lit up the moment she had him secure. How she would blow raspberries with him, almost as if they were communicating. How she would pepper his face with kisses. The sight never failed to make Regina melt. If this was how they would come home from vacations, she was fine with that.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma, Regina, and Henry stuck around for a little while, having a late lunch with Snow and her family. It was a giant spread, probably enough to count as dinner. Of course, if Regina decided to cook when they got home, Emma would still eat.

The highlight of the visit, beyond Henry with his stories, his sword fighting, and his surprise title, was watching Regina with Nolan. His face always lit up with her and hers did the same. Then, after a few hours, they headed home.

Snow insisted her driver take them home and Emma was too tired to argue. She and Regina had taken a cab there, anyway. Emma did help put the luggage in the car, though. It was hard to be waited on hand and foot for things she could easily do.

Henry asked questions about their trip all the way from Mist Haven to Storybrooke. He seemed very interested in what they did, which they both loved. He was just so happy to have them.

Once they got home, Emma carried all their bags up to the condo. She had to, even though the driver offered. She needed to be able to take care of her family and Regina had to understand that because she did not say anything.

"So, can we do a movie night since you're back and we're all back home?" Henry asked, going right for the couch, like he was about to get them set up for a movie.

Emma grinned. "I knew you'd ask that." If he did not, she would. The cuddle time on the couch would be the perfect way to end the day.

"Then you have a movie already in mind?" Henry's eyes sparkled and he seemed so hopeful.

"Yup. We're going to order some pizza and wings in a couple of hours and sit in our pajamas all night," Emma said.

"Yes!" Henry grabbed his bag and went to his room.

Regina stepped into Emma's personal space. "Quite an ambitious plan. When did we settle on it?"

Emma chuckled. "It just came to me. He's so excited. I want him to stay that way for a while. Hell, I want to stay this way for a while."

"So, what movie are we watching to keep that energy?"

"The only movie you can watch with all the pizza I'm going to order. Ninja turtles."

Regina laughed and it was music to Emma's ears, especially when no objection came. "If we had planned for this we could've had a family pizza night and made our own."

"Oh, yeah! Damn, I love when we do that." She had not known pizza could be homemade until Regina and Henry showed her. Now, it was a favorite activity. Also, a way for Regina to trick her into cooking.

"Well, we can plan one soon. Instead, this works. Now, we can all get cleaned, get into our pajamas, and then you can make the call."

Emma nodded. "Good plan."

There were showers, pajamas were put on, and they all curled up on the couch for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Emma made their order about halfway through and then barely fifteen minutes later, the pizza, hot wings, and cinnamon sticks arrived. They started the sequel as they gorged themselves until Henry fell asleep. Emma carried him to bed and tucked him in. She kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, Ma," Henry muttered in his sleep.

Emma's heart thumped. "Goodnight, kid."

She practically floated back out to the living room. She was not surprised Regina broke out a bottle of wine, which was good because Emma planned on having more pizza. She gathered Regina in her arms and nuzzled her neck.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on?" Regina asked.

"He calls me Ma."

"As he should."

"It feels nice. Regina, we're a damn family."

"We have been for a while."

"I know, but him saying that…" Emma blew out a breath. "We're a family."

Regina kissed her cheek. "Yes, we are, and that feels very nice. Special."

Emma pulled away to grin at her. "Yeah!" Regina longed for a proper family as much as she did and now they had one. Well, they had one for a while, but something about Henry calling her Ma made it fresh.

"I'm happy it means so much to you that he calls you Ma. But, you are his mother and I think we should talk about that in a legal sense." Regina adjusted how she sat, swinging her legs behind her onto the couch. She focused on Emma with such an intensity that Emma had to take a gulp of wine.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked.

"Would you consider adopting Henry?" Regina paused, more than likely because Emma gasped as soon as the question was out. "You don't have to, mind you. It's just we're planning on more children and it would be nice for them to have the same parents, socially and legally. And, if something happened to me, you would legally be able to care for Henry…" She trailed off for a moment, as if trying to give Emma a chance to interject. "Not to be morbid or anything, but I know how fickle life can be with these things. And, I know we should've had this conversation sooner, but it seemed like we were doing so much and I didn't want to put even more things on your plate."

Emma was speechless to the point she could not breathe. What had she done to deserve such treasures? Damn it, I'm going to cry again!

"Emma, say something, please," Regina begged, her voice trembling.

"I'm honored," Emma managed to choke out. Her eyes stung with the weight of her tears.

"You are?"

Emma nodded and waved to herself, trying to articulate something. Anything! "I…" She sobbed, unable to contain all of the emotion she felt.

Regina wasted no time embracing her. "Now, you know how I felt when you proposed."

Emma laughed through her tears. "It's so damn overwhelming. It's not even fair."

"Again, now you know how I felt. But, is that something you would want?"

"Hell, yeah!" Emma took a breath, trying to calm every inch of her down. "Would he… would he want that?"

Regina smiled. "I assume with him calling you Ma and introducing you as his mother everywhere we go already, he'll be very open to the idea."

"He does do that, doesn't it?" She forgot about that, too overwhelmed with him granting her term of endearment. Really, how the hell did I get so lucky? "We'll talk to him before we do it, though, right? I don't want him to think I'm trying to replace his dad." She did not want to give Henry a reason to resent her.

"Of course we'll talk to him first and he's never thought that. He'll love it. His hero, his legal mother."

A small smile fought through Emma's tears. "You already are his legal mother."

"There you go, trying to sweet talk me." Regina kissed her and Emma's smile grew.

"Says the woman who wants to have even more children with me. Do you know what it does to me to see you with Nolan and then realize you're willing to go through having a baby with me? I mean, it's one thing to let me parent Henry, but to have a baby with me, mind-blowing."

Regina kissed her again. "It's not a hard choice to make when I see you with Henry and you say things like this."

Emma's heart fluttered. This marriage was off to a great start. She would forever wonder how she got so lucky.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina danced around the kitchen as she made breakfast, even though she did not have time for that. She needed to get dressed because she had to go into the office today. It was something Maleficent was easing her into as she took over the books for the other legit businesses and worked to integrate all the finances for one company. She would not have to go in every day, but a couple of days out of the week, especially for meetings. Most of her job could be done from home, though.

Gentle arms wrapped around her and a loving kiss touched her cheek. "Why are you so chipper this morning? We go back to work today," Emma groused.

"Yes, but start our lives as a normal married couple. It's exciting," Regina replied. They were about to establish a new normal.

Emma nuzzled her neck. "You like being married to me, huh?"

"Adore it so far." She was ready to burst with joy. She could not even be snarky.

Henry groaned as he exited his room. "It's too early for you guys to be kissy-kissy."

"Never!" Emma gave an evil laugh and squeezed Regina close.

Regina turned to kiss her and Henry made a gagging noise, but his attitude was fixed with pancakes. After food, they all got dressed and grabbed whatever they needed to grab. Regina paused in front of a mirror as she held her briefcase and stared at herself dressed in a three-piece suit. Emma came up behind her and kissed her cheek, just enough to get her going again.

"You're going to do great," Emma said.

They piled into Regina's car, as she would drop them off and she would pick them up later. Just for today. They wanted to support her entering the workforce.

They dropped Henry first, talking the entire ride to his school. It was mostly her, telling them what she should have lined up for the day. They listened like they always did. Henry hugged them both as he exited the car.

"Bye, Mom. Bye, Ma!" Henry waved as he trotted into the schoolyard.

"I could get used to that," Emma said as they got back into the car and proceeded to the Storybrooke Sheriff's station.

"You better. You'll be hearing it for a long time," Regina replied. Emma nodded and held Regina's free hand until they pulled up to her job.

"I'm not ready to be normal yet," Emma whined.

"It has to happen some time." Regina smiled.

"You're only saying that because you want to go gossip in your office." Emma huffed and folded her arms across her chest.

Regina laughed. "Why, yes, I do." She really did. She wanted to meet people and talk to people and deal with figures and budgets and investments and profits. She wanted all that and more.

"Fine, go enjoy your day, but know being away from you is torture for me." The fact that Emma said this like a petulant child somehow made it even more endearing.

Regina kissed her cheek and Emma exited the car. Now, it was time to get to her place of employment. This would be Regina's first time working in an office. She still was not on the books, but this was the closest she had ever had to a normal job.

Maleficent ran her business empire from a very unassuming office space, a drab, tan five story building among a row of similar buildings. It was not even on a main street in Mist Haven. But, that was good, Maleficent wanted to fly under the radar, just like Regina. The front desk was manned by a pleasant enough looking woman and she pointed Regina to the elevators, letting her know Maleficent's company, Dragon Inc., occupied the entire third floor.

There was another reception desk when Regina got off of the elevator. The woman, Rapunzel Corona according to her nameplate, smiled at Regina as she stepped over. Regina did her best to smile back, even though her stomach flipped. She was at work. She had a job. A real job in her field. Holy shit. What am I doing here? Mother will eat me alive if she finds out.

"Hello, how may I help you?" Rapunzel asked with a bright smile.

"Hi, I'm Regina Mills," she started and that was all she needed to say.

"Oh, I've been expecting you. Your office is in the suite at the end of the hall." She pointed down to the right.

"Oh, thank you."

"No problem. I was also told to instruct you that this suite…" She pointed at the other end. "Those are the rest of the employees in case you need to go yell at someone."

Regina chuckled. "I'll try my best not to need to do that."

"It's also good to know if you ever need to pick up something that can't be emailed to you. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask me."

"Thank you again."

Regina went to the end of the hall and opened one of the double doors. The suite was not very big. Five small offices with glass walls, a waiting area with two leather couches, two arm chairs, and a wall mounted television showing the news. And there was another receptionist desk. This one was Merida Dunbroch according to the nameplate.

"Good morning. You must be Miss Mills," Merida said, strong accent and bright smile.

"Yes." Of course, now that she heard it, it did not sound quite right. Maybe because you're not "miss." But, this whole thing was set up before she got married. Not to mention, she had not changed her name. Should we have done that?

"I'm Merida, executive assistant to pretty much all of the execs. So, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask me."

Regina could not help arching an eyebrow to that. "One assistant for everyone? What if you have to run errands outside?"

"Our hall monitor picks up the slack until I get back. Please, don't worry. It's all worked out and I'm very good at my job. Besides, with the way things work around here, there's almost always only two execs here at the most at the same time. Anyway, that's your office right there." Merida pointed to the left. "Please let me know if you need anything as you settle in. I was told you already have a work laptop and everything."

"I do."

Merida smiled. "Good. Miss Drago scheduled to meet with you in an hour."

"Yes." She, Maleficent, and Kathryn had planned a sit down in Maleficent's office just to run through a few items.

With those things out of the way, Regina stepped into her office. It was a small space, enough for her and maybe four other people. It was just her desk with a cushy, black office chair behind it and two chairs in front of it. There was a window right by the desk, but the desk was at the bare wall. She had a few things she could put up, her credentials and such. The desk needed at least one picture of her family to help keep her balanced should anything come up that disturbed her peace.

She checked in the desk drawers. There were basic office supplies in the slender middle drawer, stapler, sticky notes, push pins, and such. All of the other drawers were empty. She had a small printer in the corner. Before boredom settled in, there was a knock at her door and she looked up. She smiled.

"Kathryn," Regina said.

"You settling in good?" Kathryn asked as she stepped into the office. She sat down in one of the seats in front of the desk.

"I'm just taking in the space."

Kathryn nodded. "I'm the office right next door if you ever need anything, even though I'm not here most days. Of course, you probably won't be here most days either. Or, if you are here, it won't be for a full work day."

"Yes, Maleficent explained most of that. The office is mostly for meetings. Regular work, she says I can still do at home, as I've been doing, even as I take over get more responsibilities. The whole point of the office, though, is I'm going to be doing more work. I think she's always testing the waters to see if my mother will care."

Kathryn scowled. "Please, let's not speak of your mother. While we're not as big as she is, I like to think we're getting there in connections and will be able to keep her at bay should she pop up."

Regina sighed. They could only hope. The second they put her on the books, Cora would appear and make life Hell for at least her and Maleficent. They would need to be taught a lesson, after all.

"Let's not think about her, though, like you said. Before we meet with Maleficent and work out what I'll be doing, can I pick your brain about a legal issue?" Regina asked.

"Of course."

"I want Emma to adopt Henry. He sees her as his mother. Plus, she and I plan to have more children and would love for them all to have the same parents as much as possible." Also, if her mother ever succeeded in hurting her, Emma would be able to take Henry to safety without someone being able to give Emma a hard time about it. Stop thinking about Cora. This is just the right thing to do.

Kathryn nodded. "Seems like you know what you want. Doing this, though, means if something happens and you end up divorced, she would have a claim to Henry."

"I know, but…" That did not worry her. Emma was it for her and she liked to believe she was it for Emma.

A small smile settled on Kathryn's face. "You're willing to take the risk because you don't think you'll divorce."

"I really don't." Regina had never had faith in someone like this. But, she knew deep in her heart, Emma would never let her down. Emma had already stood by her through so much.

Kathryn's smile grew. "She is sweet and supportive, but this is a big thing."

"I know."

"And it sounds like you've made up your mind."

"I have. We still need to talk to Henry about it."

Kathryn rolled her eyes. "You know he's going to go for it."

"We still have to discuss it with him."

"So, you really just wanted to give me the head's up, so I could get the paperwork drawn up and everything?"

Regina nodded. "If you would and as soon as possible, please."

"I will. It's your life. I'm glad you have this sort of faith in your relationship. I'm glad your life is coming together."

"Thanks to you, for keeping me together when everything fell apart."

Kathryn scoffed. "My help? I got you a job selling yourself."

"And allowed me to provide for my son. No one else would even get me that. I might not have liked the job, but I'll always appreciate that. Besides, you took a risk for me. My mother could've easily devoured you."

Kathryn scoffed. "She might think she could, but no one wants to mess with Midas or his daughter. We might not know where the bodies are hidden like her, but we know enough vices to give people pause."

Regina chuckled. "Don't I know it."

"You might know enough to keep her at bay at this point and if you don't, I like to think all three of us know enough."

"I'm sure eventually we'll find out." They had to prepare for that.

Kathryn waved that off and let the subject of Regina's mother drop. After a few minutes, Maleficent called for them to join her in her office. Maleficent's office was about twice the size of Regina's. She had cabinets behind her desk. A window to her side and a window in front of her. There were two seats in front of her desk, which was where Kathryn and Regina sat, but there was also a couch against the wall. She had all sorts of pictures on the walls with famous people and nobles.

The meeting started out all business. Maleficent went through Regina's duties, what she was expected to do in the office, and also how closely she would be working with Maleficent and Kathryn. Kathryn especially when it came to any contracts and legal matters if money was involved. Regina also technically had two underlings to boss around and there would be introductions at a staff meeting later. But, when that was done, Maleficent suggested lunch and walked them to a cafe down the street she liked.

"Now, tell us all about the honeymoon," Maleficent said the moment they sat down at a table.

Regina was all too happy to share. She had already given them gifts from the trip, but had not had a chance to really talk to them about it. Well, she had a week's worth of stories to tell them, none of the intimate things included.

"You're gushing, you know?" Maleficent asked with a smile.

"Love really looks good on you," Kathryn said.

Regina's cheeks burned with a strong blush, but she was happy. Emma not only made her happy, but just talking about Emma made her happy. Emma was a dream come true.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma was happy to see Regina when she came to pick Emma up from work, but even happier to see Henry with her. He hopped out of the car and hugged her. She laughed and lifted him up.

"You're getting so big, bud!" Emma groaned as she put him down.

He threw his shoulders back. "Because I eat vegetables. You have to eat more vegetables and you'll get bigger, too."

Emma laughed and did not have it in her to tell him that she was done growing. They hopped in the car and headed home. She liked watching Henry go through his home-from-school routine. He was so organized and independent, but independent through practice. He could do what he did because Regina had gone over it with him so many times. Emma could not think of a single thing she had done with her mother to the same degree.

Regina came up to her and grabbed her hand. "Shall we talk to him about you wanting to adopt him?"

"Can we do it over snacks?" Emma asked, even as her stomach roiled. It would make things easier in case this did not go the way they assumed. There was always the chance Henry was happy with the way things were.

"Of course. You can also get into house clothes if it makes you feel any better." Regina kissed her cheek, easing the knot growing in Emma's chest.

Emma nodded and went to change her clothes. Black sweatpants and her sleeveless undershirt were enough to get comfortable. She grabbed some red, fuzzy socks Regina brought her, somehow just knowing Emma would love them. She was freaking right. They were so comfortable.

She came out to find Regina making crepes of all things. She had not been expecting a real snack, just some chips or fruit. Regina had to know how nervous she was. Emma just let her work, hoping her stomach settled, so she could shove a couple of crepes down her throat. Henry came back out in his own house clothes. Slowly, but surely, Henry had adopted her style in the house, at least. He had on sweatpants and a baseball shirt, not quite comfortable going around in his undershirt.

"Are you making crepes?" Henry's voice was loud with excitement.

"Yes, with chocolate drizzle, whipped cream, and strawberries," Regina replied.

Henry gasped, coming up behind Regina to see. "Are we celebrating something?"

Regina chuckled. "Just having a good snack since we're all together. You and Emma occupy yourselves while I do this."

Henry and Emma went to their favorite way to unwind together — legos. They had a table against the wall with their lego projects. They were trying to create a city, but kept buying sets that did not match any city, real or imaginary. It was just a mess, but they loved it. The medieval castle they had on the east end needed finishing, so they got to that until Regina called them for crepes, sitting at the dining room table.

"So, what are we celebrating?" Henry asked with powdered sugar and chocolate all over his face.

Emma and Regina glanced at each other. Emma tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. She needed Regina to say it. She would not be able to take Henry's rejection more so if she was the one who made the proposal.

Regina smiled. "We wanted to run an idea by you and see how you felt about it."

Henry finished chewing and swallowed. "What's the idea?"

"How would you like it if Emma officially adopted you? That way, she's not your stepmother, but you actual mother," Regina said.

His little brow wrinkled. "But… you got married… isn't that… I mean…" He glanced at Emma and squinted. "You're my ma now, right?"

"Of course!" Emma put a hand on his shoulder. "You're my kid just like you're your Mom's kid."

Henry squinted even harder and then turned to Regina. "Mom… I don't get it. Why would she need to adopt me if we're already a family?"

"It would make it double-official!" Emma suddenly chimed in. Henry thought their marriage made them official as a family in the eyes of everyone else. That was what they needed to focus on. For him, they were already a family. Anything else was for everyone else. "Think about how people at school tell you that I'm your stepmom, right?"

"Yeah, even though I told them you married Mom, so…" He shook his head.

"Well, if Emma adopted you, there would be no 'step' about it and people would stop trying to correct you because Emma would legally be your mother," Regina said.

"How is that different than now beyond people still trying to tell me she's my stepmom?" He looked Emma in the eye. "You're my mom."

Emma smiled. "I am, kid." She bit into her own crepe.

"The biggest thing, Henry, is that if something happened to me, Emma would be able to take care of you without anyone coming in to cause trouble," Regina said.

"Who could cause trouble?" Henry asked, looking between them. "How could they cause trouble?"

"There's a lot of legal issues, Henry," Regina replied.

Henry's mouth twisted up. "Big word stuff?"

"I'll do my best to explain it to you. One of the biggest legal things if you allow Emma to adopt you, if something happened to me… like I got sick…" Regina blew out a breath.

"Or went away like Dad?" His eyes glistened.

Regina hugged him. "If that happened, no one would be able to take you away from Emma."

He gasped. "But, she's my mother! They can't take a kid from his mother!"

"It's possible, but not if you let me adopt you," Emma said.

"Plus, if Emma and I have children, under the eyes of the law, you would all have the same parents," Regina added.

Henry frowned. "But, we would still have the same parents. Emma's my mom. You're my mom. You'd be the moms of my brother or sister."

"You're right."

Emma sagged, thinking this was it and Henry did not want to be adopted. But, Regina was just getting started. It was a marvel to watch Regina breakdown complex concepts to Henry. Henry hung on her every word, soaking in his mother's words. It took all night, but Henry surprised Emma when she went to tuck him in.

"So, when I get adopted…" He said it like it was a foregone conclusion. "We all get to have the same last name like other families?" he asked. Of course, they could have had that already, but Emma and Regina had not really discussed that. Names did not matter to them.

Emma smiled. "If that's what you want, kid."

He nodded. "Yeah, we can all have the same last name. Plus, we all have to have the same last name before you have a baby because babies don't come with last names, Ma. You can't have a baby together and have different last names. How does the baby pick a last name?"

Emma chuckled and was surprised she did not float away from how good she felt. "You're absolutely right. So, you want to be adopted?"

"If that makes everyone get that we're a real family, yeah. I'm tired of explaining to people." His face scrunched up and he shook his head.

Emma chuckled. Little did he know, he might have to explain more. But, the important thing was he did not reject her. He accepted her and wanted to fold her into this family as much as possible. She would take that with a smile.

"All right, let's get a bedtime story going." Emma grabbed one of his books and they got on with their bedtime ritual.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the family expands.