Chapter Ten
Mary Margaret Swan initially refused to go out for dinner with her husband, leaving their daughter home alone like they had a thousand times before.
It feels different now.
She was well aware of the difficulties that came with pregnancy even without the pressures of being a teenager still in high school.
Emma insisted that she would call them in the unlikely event that anything happened, that they should take the opportunity to spend time together as a couple without worrying about her.
Mary Margaret was certain that it was more of a test to see how close she was to regaining the trust that she'd lost even if no one would say it aloud.
With her commitment to her studies and work, it was undeniable that she deserved at least a chance.
Despite the circumstances she had risen to the occasion and she'd made a good point that they didn't need to be present for her night of homework.
The date turned out to be worth the anxiety, though it was just a meal at Granny's.
As it turned out, weeks of talking about all of the arrangements they needed to make to help support their daughter meant that they had a lot of other topics to cover.
Unfortunately this came to an end just after dessert when David's phone lit up
In a small town like Storybrooke, there were few true emergencies that required the sheriff's attention but there were a lot of people who disagreed with that sentiment.
With a sigh, he'd announced that he needed to check out a noise complaint and kissed her while assuring her that he would be home as soon as time allowed.
This was how Mary Margaret found herself returning home alone, still smiling.
Things were finally beginning to feel normal-ish, like they could really do the grandparent thing way before either of them had planned it.
She pushed through the front door, unsurprised to find the light still on in the dining room.
Depositing her coat and keys, she headed to the beckoning light planning to remind her daughter that all nighters were out of the question for her. It was an endeavour that the teen had failed to achieve anyway with her restricted caffeine intake.
She sucked in a breath to begin her lecture (which would have ended with a kiss to her forehead) but she was cut off by the sight of an empty chair besieged by textbooks.
Mary Margaret frowned, leaning back to find that the bathroom light wasn't on either.
For a couple of seconds, wondered whether she was being far too overprotective as she was rushed with worry.
Logically, her daughter had gone to bed and forgotten to clear away. It wasn't like she herself was the most diligent while pregnant.
All the same, she couldn't ignore the alarm bells caused by the conspicuous absence so why not just peek into her room to check on her?
Emma would understand the compulsion when she met her son anyway so Mary Margaret didn't allow her objections to stop her feet from taking her towards her daughter's bedroom.
She cracked the door open and all guilt eeped out of her at once upon finding Emma was not alone.
Naturally, it wasn't the first time she'd seen Regina hugging Emma but it was the first that they did so without her knowing that the other teen was in her house.
Mary Margaret's gaze dropped to the hand on the visible bump and her mouth set into a thin line.
She had no idea how they had gotten to this point but she didn't trust it.
As much as she understood the break up she couldn't stand to see her child cry, no matter how badly she had screwed up in their relationship.
Her stare seemed to be enough for Emma to stir and open her eyes, which promptly widened. She glanced over to make sure that Regina was fast asleep before she began the task of extricating herself.
It took a few extra seconds than normal to get up but she managed it and approached the door to close behind them, obscuring her mother's vision of her sleeping ex-girlfriend.
Groggily, Emma said, "Mom, I…"
"You know the rules," Mary Margaret interjected, "If you have a girl in your room, you need to ask us."
Emma sighed, leaning against the door, "It's not like that, mom. Regina just showed up…she needed somewhere to stay…"
Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes out of suspicion.
Regina Mills always had her days scheduled so tightly that it was improbable that she would show up unplanned, especially to the house of the girl who had broken her heart.
There had to be more to the story.
"Why?" she asked.
"She…err…"
"The truth, young lady," Mary Margaret demanded.
Emma shuffled, shoving her hands into her pockets, which had Mary Margaret realise that she hadn't changed into her PJs.
Maybe the cuddling hadn't been planned?
"She may be…a little drunk?" Emma admitted as if it was a question.
A gasp passed Mary Margaret's lips, "You've been drinking?"
"No!" Emma said, hurt dripping through the word as she removed her hands to cradle her bump, "I was studying and she came here after a party, I can't believe you think I would do that to him…"
Mary Margaret deflated, guilt washing over her, especially when she saw the telltale shining in her daughter's eyes.
Covering her hands so that she could feel the still bizarre motion there, Mary Margaret said, "You're right, I'm sorry sweetheart. I didn't mean to accuse you. It's just…I saw how devastated you were after your break up. I would hate for you to go through that again. I'm just worried."
"You have nothing to worry about," Emma promised, "Regina is sort of my friend. I think she's just under a lot of pressure right now. I couldn't send her away."
"So nothing happened?" the older woman asked, running the pad of her thumb to her cheek to make sure that no tears had escaped.
"Nothing," Emma said.
"Okay," Mary Margaret replied, immediately relieved, "Regina can stay."
"Thanks mom," Emma replied, hugging her gratefully before pulling back and biting her bottom lip, "We told her parents that she's staying with Mal because they, you know…hate me, do you think you could…"
Holding up her hand, Mary Margaret said, "I doubt Cora would ask me, Emma, but yes I will keep your little secret as long as you promise to tell me if anything happens?"
Emma nodded and made to turn towards her room but cringed and stopped to admit, "She did…kiss me," Mary Margaret inhaled to respond but Emma hastened to add, "But I stopped her! Like I said, she's under a lot of pressure…and she's really drunk."
Raising an eyebrow, Mary Margaret challenged, "What happened to a little drunk?"
Emma's shoulders slumped and she begged, "Please don't make her leave, mom? I know she didn't mean it and I don't want her to get into trouble."
Mary Margaret bit the inside of her cheek, trying to remember that it was teenagers in question here.
She couldn't legitimately be angry with someone so young, there were adults who would be confused in this scenario so she couldn't blame Regina (particularly when drunk) for not being sure about her feelings.
"You can sleep in the guest room," Mary Margaret said, managing to keep it even.
"But that's all full of crib pieces and stuff," Emma objected, actually more upset about losing access to her most comfortable sleep in weeks.
"This is not a negotiation," Mary Margaret said firmly, "It's that or I take Regina home."
Emma hit her head against the door lightly but then nodded, "Okay," before she peeled off it to head down the hall. She dragged to a stop though, turning with her hands back on her stomach, "Where did you learn all of this?"
"All of what?"
"You know…the mom thing?" Emma elaborated.
Mary Margaret smiled adoringly at her and approached to give her a side hug which Emma leaned into.
"Don't worry, you'll get it," she said softly, "You'll have plenty of help."
S
Regina didn't usually have trouble waking up in the morning, in fact, her sister would often mock her for getting up so early without the need of an alarm.
On this particular day, it was a Herculean task to even drag her eyelids apart so that her pupils could be assaulted with streams of light screaming that the morning was further along than was normal for her.
Rather than going straight to her mental to-do list, she groaned as the light made her very aware of the pain running around every brain cell.
She threw her arm over her eyes and pulled herself up, frowning as she felt an irregular number of pillows behind her.
There was only one person she knew who needed a soft mountain to be capable of sleeping, even before she found out that she was growing a person.
Despite the pain it would cause, Regina wrenched her arm away, shooting upright before deflating.
The next pressing matter became, how did she get here and why did it feel like she was being repeatedly stabbed in the head?
It took a few extra moments for her to piece it together than it should have, mostly because the wall of pictures on the corkboard opposite her still heavily featured images from their dates alongside stills of Emma and Killian essentially growing up together.
Maybe Emma simply didn't have time to take them down?
This idea was stricken by the sharp memory of Emma's voice telling her that she loved her as recently as the night before.
That was how it all came back.
The party.
The copious, ill-advised coping mechanism that was shots of whatever alcohol was presented to her.
Spin the bottle.
Kissing Belle French.
Fleeing like it wasn't an objectively pleasant kiss.
Seeking out the kind of passion she was missing.
Naturally, Emma Swan was inherently good enough to not send her away.
Why then, had she not woken her up before anyone else in the house would be alert enough to realise she was here?
More perplexingly, why had she ended their kiss so prematurely? Regina would have much preferred more.
She swiftly pushed this aside.
The alcohol may have uncovered her physical attraction for her ex-girlfriend but that was hardly a secret.
Their problems went far beyond that and she was able to remember that now that she was sober. This allowed her to realise what was most pertinent here, he needed to get out.
Her muscles screamed as she dragged herself out of the bed, making short work of locating her phone to shove in her pocket before she began the process of creeping out.
She winced at the clattering coming from the kitchen but persevered, only getting a small distance before a voice called, "Regina."
The teen cringed, wondering how rude it would be to continue her escape.
Ultimately, the lack of surprise in Mary Margaret Swan's voice meant that she already knew she was in her house so leaving wasn't an option.
Did Emma tell her? Would she have told her parents?
No, if she had, Cora would be at the door insisting that she would take her home.
Perhaps there was one silver lining?
Slowly, she dragged herself to the kitchen to be faced with Emma in her diner uniform typing furiously at her laptop while biting periodically into pancake that appeared to have been paired with a pickle or two.
Regina didn't dwell on how disgusting that was, instead looking to the counter where the scraping of a knife against toast made her want to scrunch her face both in pain and due to the nausea incited at the thought of eating, even when it appeared to be a normal food combination.
"Good morning, Regina," Mary Margaret said, placing the plate at the seat opposite her daughter.
Emma glanced over the top of her laptop and smiled shyly at her before returning to her work.
Rocking on her heels, Regina said, "Hello, Mrs Swan…I'm sorry but I really should go…"
"I hope that you don't have much experience with hangovers," Mary Margaret cut her off and Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma who sank into her seat as she typed more slowly, "You should know that it is essential to eat if you hope to salvage the day."
"She's right," Emma offered into the ensuing silence.
"Excuse me?" Mary Margaret shot back.
Emma's eyes widened and she amended, "I mean…I assume she's right?"
Regina had to bite her bottom lip to stop the smile that wanted to tug at the corner of her mouth as Mary Margaret shook her head.
The woman filled a glass with juice to put next to the plate along with two pills.
"Come on, Regina, try and eat and take these?" Mary Margaret tried again.
Regina absolutely wanted to refuse the first but the latter was now the thing that she desired most in the world with the volleying stabs in her head,
Perhaps it was worth the sacrifice?
Reluctantly she nodded and sat at the table, "Thank you, Mrs Swan," she mumbled, hungrily taking the pills and then nibbling tentatively at the toast.
Mary Margaret leaned against the counter drinking her coffee and surveying the teens.
A few months ago, Emma wouldn't have been able to focus on school work for long in her girlfriend's presence and Regina definitely would not be staring adamantly at her plate.
They would have been sat as close as they could without heading into PDA territory under a parents' gaze.
In the new form of their relationship (or was it post-relationship?) the clacking of keys was the only sound pervading the stilted awkwardness, neither of them saying so much as a word to each other.
This continued until Emma slammed her laptop shut and Regina winced hard at the force.
"I gotta go, I'm so late for work," Emma announced, kissing her mother's cheek, being sure to be softer while she placed her plate into the sink, "I'll see you later, Regina? For our project?"
Regina held in a sigh as she nodded, of course she would be seeing her again so soon.
Emma fled after some hesitation and Regina made a concerted effort to finish the toast.
She stood to also put her plate on top of Emma's.
"Thank you, Mrs Swan, I really should go…"
"There is just one thing," Mary Margaret interrupted and Regina halted wondering how she'd gotten to this point. It all felt very avoidable, she still nodded despite her wish to flee as quickly as Emma had. "I understand that you are angry with my daughter and I don't doubt that she deserves it, but there is one thing I take issue with…"
Regina knit her brow together until it hit her what this admonishment must be about.
"Emma told you about the kiss?"
"Yes," Mary Margaret said, "I coaxed it out of her."
Regina's anger quickly depleted.
It was her that showed up here, too drunk to go home alone and Emma gave her a safe place to stay. Of course, Mary Margaret deserved to know what happened in her own home.
"I'm sorry," Regina replied, shoving her hands into her pockets so that she didn't play with her fingers nervously, "I know I shouldn't have done it but Emma handled it perfectly and it won't happen again…"
"It's not that," Mary Margaret said and Regina's eyes shot up to her. Did she not think that them being together would be impossible now? The woman confirmed this, "I wouldn't have any issue if you and Emma were to try again."
Frowning but intrigued, Regina asked, "Then what do you have issue with?"
Regina expected a pause but she'd evidently had time to think about exactly what she wanted to say, "With you confusing her. She is already in a vulnerable state with all of the changes in her life. I don't want her to get hurt again."
More incredulous than she'd ever been with an adult, Regina scoffed, "You're worried about me hurting her?"
Mary Margaret put her coffee down and Regina dug her hands further into her pockets, shrinking back as she realised how disrespectful that was.
That was definitely not how her political mother had taught her to conduct herself with her seniors.
Thankfully, the school teacher didn't comment on that, laser focused on their current conversation.
"Yes, she loves you," Mary Margaret said firmly, "You are well within your rights to not feel the same after what happened but please do not make her think that there is a chance when there isn't."
Regina took in a long breath, this was the perfect opportunity to admit what she couldn't to her family.
"What if I love her but I can't forgive her?"
Mary Margaret's features softened and she said, "Then I would suggest not kissing her again until you figure it out? You could maybe try friendship?"
Regina nodded slowly, liking the sound of that despite everything.
Maybe that was the middle ground she'd been searching for?
It wasn't as though her attempts to stay had been successful anyway.
"I'm sorry…it won't happen again," she assured.
"It's not me that you need to apologise to," Mary Margaret replied, picking her coffee back up.
Regina swallowed, "You're right…thank you for the breakfast, Mrs Swan. I'm starting to feel…better."
"You're very welcome, Regina."
Seeing this as permission to vacate, Regina managed a small smile and headed out.
She could go to the diner to make good on her promise but she instead decided to head somewhere to clear her head as best she could.