Chapter Twenty
Emma Swan had grown accustomed to not waking up alone, it was a form of bliss each time consciousness returned to her every morning.
The hand on her stomach was comforting, reminding her that this was nothing like her first pregnancy.
She was not in this alone and as a major bonus, the person supporting her had proven her parenting skills by giving her first child a loving environment to grow up in.
It was still admittedly weird, as was most things in her life, but weird didn't mean bad.
As she cracked her eyes open on this particular day, she found that there was a level above bliss.
Regina wasn't holding her from behind but was tucked into her side, her face pressed into the crook of her neck and her arm thrown across her stomach.
Emma's head lolled to the side so that Regina dropped to the pillow, giving her a better view of her sleeping face.
She was as beautiful as the first morning they'd woken up together but there was an extra layer to it after their discussion the night before.
The whole 'fairest of them all' crap never sat right with Emma.
Regina was many things but she'd never seemed to be vain and she certainly had no reason to compare herself to Snow White. The revenge plot may have gone way too far but Emma now got the origin of it all. It made it seem just that bit more forgivable, especially when she considered whether she would prefer to grow up in a world without electricity, indoor plumbing or wi-fi.
It was difficult to think that would have been better while they were so close.
Regina stirred, also opening her eyes, shifting in the process leaving them nose to nose.
Emma held her breath as she took in the sparkle in those sleepy brown eyes which were blinking, no doubt trying to recall what had led them to this position.
Without express permission from her brain, Emma's hand lifted to shift a fallen eyelash from her bedmate's cheek.
Now more awake, Regina's eyes had widened until Emma held up her finger to show her the eyelash.
Disappointment flashed across the former queen briefly and Emma was close to connecting their lips in an effort to dispel it.
Unfortunately, Regina sat up before Emma could act on the impulse, she could practically feel the fuse burning fast.
Next time it washed over her, she was unlikely to hesitate.
Right now, she cleared her throat and also sat up, "Good morning, Regina."
It felt awkward after their physical (and emotional) proximity but Regina painted on a smile to push through it.
"Good morning, dear," she replied, gripping the top of the duvet to pull it away, probably about to offer her breakfast.
Emma took her wrist before she did, her desire to make her really smile emboldened after the tragedy from her past that she'd learned of.
Short of asking her on a date (or better yet, skipping the formality and suggesting they go straight to being girlfriends), Emma could think of one sure fire way to make that happen.
"What do you think about inviting Henry to have dinner with us tonight?" she asked, reluctantly letting go of her wrist.
Regina furrowed her brow, "Do you really think he would want that?"
"Are you kidding?" Emma scoffed, "The kid is your biggest fan. All he talks about is horse-related."
Regina squinted, perhaps too tired to hide how unconvinced she was.
"I'm flattered?" she said sceptically.
"You should be," Emma replied, wishing that she had the words to paint an accurate picture of the fervour with which Henry discussed his time at the stables.
"And yet he chooses to live with you," Regina murmured.
The bitterness may have shocked Emma before last night but she now was well aware of the source of the hatred that had brought them all to this point.
It may not justify it, but it was at least understandable!
Going for encouraging, she said, "Pretty sure he's more excited about living with Snow White and Prince Charming than me."
Regina flopped back down to the pillow and Emma had to dig her hands into the mattress to stop herself from following her down and throwing her arm across her.
Instead, she scooted back to look at the sheer adorableness that was Regina Mills being an inch away from pouting.
"I know you think that sounds as though it should cheer me up," Regina said.
"Regina," Emma sighed, "Don't overthink this. Just let me invite our son to dinner."
A smile tugged at the former queen's frown and she repeated, "Our son?"
"What did I just say about overthinking?" Emma retorted, mostly because their situation was complicated enough with their next child, what would be the point of quibbling over the custody of their first?
Emma was way beyond the notion that she couldn't be a mother by this point.
Regina's smile became a little wider, a shadow of the woman who'd so vehemently attempted to stake her claim as Henry's only mother.
This smile fell though and she asked, "May I overthink one thing?"
Cautiously, Emma replied, "Sure?"
"Are your parents aware where you spend each night?"
Emma shrugged, "I haven't told them directly but I'm pretty sure they can crack the code."
Regina scoffed, tinged by that bitterness again and said, "I wouldn't be so certain."
The saviour rolled her eyes as she also lay back.
They were facing each other but not nearly as close as a moment ago.
"What are you worried about?" Emma asked.
Regina's brow crinkled, likely uncomfortable with being read so easily, but if she wanted them to work she would have to get used to it.
Wasn't she the one who agreed to be with someone with a so-called superpower? Besides, it was never easier to read the former queen than it was right now, in this quasi-intimate position.
Eventually, Regina replied honestly, "It is just that I am surprised that your mother has not arrived to accuse me of defiling her daughter again."
Emma narrowed her eyes, "Again?"
"It was just after the curse was broken," Regina admitted, "I believe that she was justly entitled to a moment of consternation when she awoke to find her daughter carrying the Evil Queen's baby. She must have thought that I planned it."
A rush of anger at Mary Magaret moved Emma's hand so that it landed absently on the other woman's waist.
How could Mary Margaret have gone from insisting she not run away from Regina trying to defend her honour?
Just because she'd given birth to her, it didn't change the inescapable fact that they were the same age.
She snapped out of this low buzz of seething anger as Regina's hand covered her own.
Swallowing against her dry throat, Emma joked, "Pretty sure if you'd planned it, you wouldn't have chosen to be your True Love."
Regina cocked her head as Emma laughed and said, "I wouldn't be so sure about that, Emma."
And there was that pull for a kiss again! Surely this woman was doing it on purpose?
The flutter it incited turned Emma's laugh into a more nervous version of itself.
"I can't tell if that was really sweet or a confession," Emma mused, unconsciously pulling Regina close.
"I didn't plan to break my curse until you so unceremoniously burst into my office to announce your pregnancy," Regina replied.
"Hey, I was freaked out! I thought you had like pod people…powers," Emma defended.
"And that was more likely than the curse?"
"Kinda," she said, "If Enchanted Forest you saw your life now, would she believe it's real?"
"Well no, but she wouldn't have gone straight to alien's being responsible," Regina chuckled, "Perhaps some fairy or sorceress."
"Yeah, sounds so much simpler," Emma said, dramatically rolling her eyes. The mirth diminished, however, as she asked, "Are you glad you did? Break the curse, I mean. Stable woman is a step down from mayor let alone queen."
"You are aware that I own the stables?"
Huffing, Emma said, "That's not what I mean."
"Then what do you mean?"
Emma dragged her teeth over her bottom lip, "You've done everything for me, I guess I just want to know what you want."
Regina remained silent contemplatively, her fingers falling atop Emma's, before he accepted the edict to not overthink things.
"I want my son to live in the same house as me, I want…you and Tamsin when she arrives…but I can wait, I understand why I deserve to wait."
These words were close to bulldozing Emma's walls then and there.
There was at least part of that which she had full control over, she could give it to her by simply leaning forward.
It did occur to her, however, that if they were going to embark upon a real commitment, there was more foundation to build.
That could start with the first prat of Regina's impassioned mini-rant.
"What if we start with inviting the kid for dinner?" she suggested.
Her smile creeping back, Regina said, "That sounds perfect."
Emma nodded, "I'll talk to him and let you know?"
Regina returned with her own nod and tried to move back but Emma's hand remained on her waist.
In the spirit of asking for what they wanted, Emma said, "We have some time, do you think we could…stay like this for a while? It's comfortable."
Regina was sceptical for just a second but seemed to remember that they'd already cuddled all night. Why would it be different just because the sun was rising?
Slotting herself back into the saviour's side, Regina dropped her head to her chest and said, "If you insist.."
Emma hummed and circled her arm around the other woman, somehow feeling as though they'd taken a step closer to whatever they were going to inevitably be.
S
Henry Mills scribbled another equation onto the worksheet eager to finish his homework as quickly as he physically could.
When it came to the weekend, Regina insisted that he take the chance to sleep in which he couldn't argue. He wasn't as big a fan of the edict that he should finish all of his schoolwork before he come to the stables.
The scratching of the plate across the table had him look up to his grandmother, providing the toast he had asked for.
"Are you sure that you don't want anything else?" she asked, pouring him some orange juice to place next to his breakfast.
"No thank you," he replied and Snow dropped into the seat opposite him, biting into her own toast.
Henry chewed, his pencil hovering over the next equation.
He scrunched his brow in his concentration, wondering if it was too uncharming-like to ask his teacher for the answers, she may be his teacher but she was also his grandmother.
It swiftly occurred to him, however, that she would hardly be convinced to help him cheat because he wanted to be able to go to the stables as soon as Emma arrived to take him to Regina.
She always frowned at the name but had at least refrained from spouting all of the ways that she was irredeemably evil.
None of it had succeeded in keeping Emma away from her, but the disdain was still obvious.
Henry chewed pensively and then swallowed to ask the question that was suddenly bothering him, "Do you think you'll ever forgive my mom?
Snow froze mid-bite but unstuck herself rather quickly.
"That's really complicated, Henry," she sighed.
"I know she did some really bad things but…won't it be easier to be a family if you could be in the same room as her?" Henry pondered, unconsciously searching for some kind of permission.
Emma was no longer hiding her desire to be around Regina so maybe if Snow White could forgive her one day, he could start thinking about going back to normal.
Dropping her toast to the plate, Snow leaned back.
By this point, he'd lived with his grandmother long enough to know that she was wishing that his grandfather wasn't at work to help her give a more diplomatic answer.
"I…I suppose you're right, if they were to…" she trailed off, crinkling her nose.
"They are True Loves," Henry offered, which seemed to have little effect on Snow's comfort level with this line of discussion.
At least she didn't burst right out to say that they couldn't possibly share the same kind of love that she did with Prince Charming.
"Yes, they are," Snow acknowledged, her jaw tight.
Henry took another bite, figuring that this was at least progress in the grand scheme of their rivalry.
Before he could press for more progress by suggesting that it would be good for Tamsin to be born into as little strife as possible, the door to the loft opened.
Snow's eyes flicked up to her pregnant daughter and her jaw unclenched just a little but she didn't say anything.
"Hey," Emma called to both of them, "You ready to go, kid?"
Henry shoved the last of his toast into his mouth and hastily scribbled an answer to the last part problem as he nodded vigorously.
Emma would usually attempt a smile at her mother at this point, give the woman some hope that they could have a relationship, but on this occasion, she was refusing eye contact adamantly.
Henry was too focused to notice the oddness of their interaction.
"Thanks for breakfast, grandma," Henry said around his toast before he zoomed towards the door.
He pulled his birth mother with him, already a few steps ahead of her by the time they got to the stairs.
"Woah kid, slow down," she puffed, "Carrying a little extra weight here."
Henry slid to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and waited impatiently for her to get to him.
"Sorry Emma, Hooper needs his breakfast too," he pointed out.
"I'm sure your mom has that covered," Emma pointed out as the pair made it to the bug.
Henry slipped into his side, shaking his head, "She said he's my horse, I have to do all of it so we can bond. Pretty sure she's gonna let me ride him soon, it's going to be awesome!"
Emma ran her palms along the steering wheel and Henry was about to urge her to start the engine but she said, "Speaking of awesome…what do you think about coming to the mansion tonight to have dinner with us?"
"Us?" Henry repeated.
"Me and your mom," Emma elaborated.
Henry deflated into the seat, suddenly face with all of the doubts that had kept his time with Regina relegated to the stables. That was their palace but the mansion would, in the coming months, also be his sister's home.
The silence dragged on too long so Emma had to nudge him.
He could have said that he wasn't feeling up to it but the speed with which he'd taken down his toast meant that it was difficult to deny his energy level even without Emma's superpower.
This all culminated in him asking the pertinent question that was keeping him away.
"Do you think mom loves Tamsin more than me?" he blurted.
"What?" Emma said incredulously.
Henry took in a long breath, trying to organise his thoughts which should have been easier with all of the time he'd dedicated to dwelling over it all.
"She's all nice now," he explained, "She broke the curse, hasn't tried to hurt anyone, not even Mary Margaret, she let me move out…"
"You asked her to move out," Emma defended.
Henry looked down and admitted, while playing with his fingers, "I thought she would make me stay."
"Did you want her to make you stay?"
"I don't know!" he huffed, "She broke the curse for Tamsin, when I wanted that, she told me I was crazy."
Emma pressed her lips together, thinking this through. Maybe she had thought that a dinner invitation would be easier than this?
At last, she settled on an adequate reply, "That's very different, Henry. She thought breaking the curse would mean losing you and it sort of did. It must have been an impossible decision but it was the only way that she had a chance of getting everything, she told me that she wants you to move back in."
Henry perked up, interested.
"When did she tell you that?" he demanded.
Bashful, Emma cleared her throat, putting an end to all doubt as to where she went each night.
"She's been…helping me sleep."
Henry wrinkled his nose in the same way that his grandmother had. Unlike her, however, it wasn't that he didn't want them together, it was just that he didn't want specifics.
"Just sleep," Emma reiterated, "She helps me get comfortable, we're…friends, I guess?"
Henry squinted. Why did adults make everything so complicated?!
"You're friends with the mother of your child?""
"Children," Emma amended.
Henry turned to her.
Had she actually admitted to being his mother before now? Sure, she had taken on all responsibility more quickly than all indications said she would but he had thought that would take longer.
"But Tamsin will actually be her kid, like…biologically."
"Do you think our mom thinks of it like that?" Emma asked and Henry could only shrug, "She talks about you and Tamsin in the same way, why don't you come to dinner and you'll see?"
He hesitated and said, "She went under a sleeping curse for Tamsin, what if she didn't wake up? If she had…died?"
Emma's hands returned to the steering wheel, her knuckles whitening under the pressure.
She definitely understood the churn that Henry felt in his stomach at his own suggestion.
"Is that why you were still kind of mad at her after the curse broke?" Emma asked.
"I guess."
Emma hummed and removed her tight grip, "It's still weird to me, but your mom believed in me. I thought you did too?"
"I did," Emma assured, "But…I was so scared when Dr Whale said she wouldn't wake up. It's the first time I thought there was a chance…that I wouldn't see her again."
"Hey," Emma grabbed his wrist, stemming tears for the tragedy that could have happened, "Your mom is okay. She did that for all of us…for our family…come to dinner and you'll see?"
"Okay," Henry replied uncertainly.
Emma smiled at him and started the engine.
"We should go, Hooper's probably hungry right?"
Henry nodded, thinking that he should put aside his reservations to do what he'd asked of his grandmother. He had to give his mother a real chance after all she had done to earn it.