A/N: Sorry for the delay, life has been crazy but hopefully, things are starting to get back on track!
Henry held a skeptical look on his face when he arrived home to find both of his mothers in the kitchen unloading a horde of grocery bags. With the image of their recent fight lingering in his mind, he was pleasantly surprised to hear the playful laughs that filtered through the mansion. Their relationship had always been an unpredictable one and the emotional whiplash was hard for Henry to get used to at first. Even though he wanted nothing more than a real family, just him and his Moms, one house, one family, Henry knew that those were nothing but the childish wishes of an only child, and nothing that would ever come to be. So he didn't allow himself to get his hopes up and instead shouted his usual 'Mom, I'm home!' and headed towards his room to get his homework done.
Just over an hour had passed since Henry had arrived home from school and by now dinner preparations were well underway. Regina had taken the reins and took secret pleasure in ordering the blonde around her kitchen. Emma had never been great with cooking, her results usually ended in smoke alarms and takeout from Granny's, so she was making sure to pay extra close attention to Regina's directions. She had wished to distract her mind from the pending conversation with her parents. The last few nights had been sleepless for the blonde, her mind racing to every worst-case scenario.
Soft music filled the kitchen as the two women - mostly Regina - prepared dinner for eight. Flashes of tears and disappointing screams flickered in the back of Emma's mind as she chopped the handful of peppers that she'd been assigned.
"Are you sure we even have to tell them?" She voiced as Regina hummed along to the classical music and stirred the pot of bubbling chili on the stove. Noticing that her declaration had failed to catch the brunette's attention, Emma gently placed the knife on the chopping board and padded across the kitchen. "We could just leave town with the kid and change our names! I've always thought that you looked more like a Roni than a Regina." The blonde added as she hopped up on the counter next to the stove, a playful smile tugging on her lips.
Without so much as sparing the blonde a simple glance, Regina demanded. "Pass the peppers,"
"Regina, are you even listening to me?" Emma grew annoyed slightly as she pushed herself off of the counter and retrieved the chopping board full of mismatched pepper sizes and shapes.
"I'm trying not to," Regina muttered under her breath as Emma plonked the chopping board down beside her, before reclaiming her seat on the counter, her mind too bombarded with visions of becoming an orphan once again when her parents disown her.
As Regina corrected Emma's peppers, the blonde fell silent once again. Her eyes fixed on the floor as she picked at her nails. From the moment Emma stumbled into Regina's office that afternoon, the brunette knew that she was dreading dinner with her parents. Regina had noticed the blonde's distant behavior throughout the day, especially when she was left with nothing to do but think.
While Regina tried her best to keep Emma distracted throughout the day by dragging her to different shops for 'must-have' ingredients and forcing the Sheriff to actively help in the kitchen, she could tell that her efforts hadn't been working as well as she hoped. The Mayor couldn't help but feel guilty, and although she knew that Emma held no grudge against her, she felt obligated to raise her spirits. But her patience was wearing thin, and at the end of the day, she still had a dinner party to prepare for.
"Emma, if you insist on hovering you could at least help me. Preparing a three-course meal for six adults and two children isn't as easy as I make it look." She snapped, hoping that a more stern approach would snap the Sheriff out of her funk.
Without needing to be told twice, Emma made a show of jumping off of the counter and moving back over to her work station. "They're gonna freak. Of course, they are." She muttered to herself just loud enough for Regina to hear over the bubbling liquid and loud slams of the knife against the chopping board as Emma murdered some carrots. "Am I doing this right?" The blonde asked frustratedly, as a rogue carrot escaped from the board.
Slightly amused by the frazzled blonde, Regina turned down the hob and made her way over to Emma, "Surprisingly, yes." She smirked as she stood behind the blonde and gently placed her hand over Emma's to guide the knife through the carrots the correct way. "Your parents love you. Your happiness is all that matters to them, while I'm sure they might be a little taken aback, I don't believe that they'll react as harshly as you think." She reassured the blonde as they stood chopping carrots together.
"Yeah...you're right," Emma mumbled, as she tried to focus on the task at hand and not how good Regina smelled or how soft her hands felt wrapped around hers. "This is kinda fun."
"I'll remember that. I played housewife once before and I don't intend on taking up the role again." Regina remarked as she removed herself from Emma and stood against the counter to observe the blonde's chopping technique.
"Did you ever think we'd be here, Regina?"
"In my kitchen?"
"The night before our wedding." Emma corrected as she placed the knife on the counter and handed Regina the chopping board of carrots.
"No. I did not." The older woman smiled softly as she placed the carrots into the pan. Sighing gently she stirred the bubbling chili. "When we first met I wanted to get rid of you as quickly as possible, and now..." She stopped as she felt Emma's presence behind her.
"We're about to start a family together." Emma finished, receiving a small nod from the brunette. It was moments like this - where it felt like they were the only two people in the world - that Emma could find herself getting used to, even looking forward to. Moving closer, the blonde woman placed her hand next to Regina's, pressing her front against the older woman's back. Surprisingly, Regina relaxed almost instantly into the embrace, the only thing missing in her mind was Emma's strong arms wrapped securely around her waist and scattering kisses on her neck.
"Emma..." Regina whispered as she turned her head ever so slightly, wishing - no praying - to feel Emma's lips on her own. Regina's heart skipped a beat, as the magnetic force between them beckoned her closer. The brunette's cheeks flushed as she followed Emma's wandering eyes, the Sheriff taking in every detail, from her soft hazel kissed eyes, to the faint scar on her perfectly plump lips. Closing her eyes, Regina gently snuggled into Emma's firm yet soft chest, as the blonde delicately wrapped her arms around the Mayor's waist committing to their unintentional embrace. "Thank you," Regina spoke after a few moments of content silence, earning a small hum from the blonde as she rested her head on top of Regina's.
"Regina, I-" Emma started but was quickly interrupted from above.
"Mom! Can you help me out for a sec!"
With a loud sigh, Regina placed her hand over Emma's, "Hold that thought?" The brunette whispered as she gently unclasped her hand's from around her waist and regrettably removed herself from the blonde's strong arms.