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Chapter Text

Always Here

1: Perfectly Normal

Noise through the baby monitor had replaced the need for an alarm for Regina. At six months, Nathan woke up at an hour that was workable for her. The groan next to her was enough to take her fully from her sleep before Nathan even cried from loneliness and hunger. She reached out, hand on Emma’s back, soothing her back to sleep.

“You have an hour. I have the baby,” Regina said.

Emma garbled something that might have been a language once upon a time. Regina smiled and gave her dozing partner a kiss on the cheek before easing out of bed. Emma grunted and was definitely out before Regina put on her robe. She paused at the door to listen to Emma’s light snoring, which brought a smile to her face and a light feeling to her entire being. A loud coo from the baby monitor got her moving again.

She made her way to the nursery and found Nathan turned in his crib, pressed up against the mahogany bars. Regina shook her head as she lifted him up. He looked up at her with deep brown eyes, as if he was surprised he was being rescued.

“You would think we didn’t do this every morning, my sweet precious miracle.” Regina purred as she kissed his cheek. He giggled and tried to clap, but he was not coordinated enough to pull it off. “I’m going to have to wrap you in plastic when you start to walk if you get any more like your Mama.”

He blew a raspberry at her, one of his favorite pastimes. She was certain Emma taught him how to do it, but she missed her chance to prove that about a month ago. Now, he did it whenever the urge overcame him and treated spitting like it was a hobby. It was almost as if he knew she did not approve, so he did it as much as possible.

“Another thing you get from your Mama,” Regina sighed, shoulders slumping as if she were long suffering. Of course, she would never think that now. While she looked forward to seeing what traits Nathan might pick up from her, she delighted in seeing him do anything that reminded her of Emma. “Your mama who loves you so very much.” Nathan smiled a cute, toothless grin at that.

She and Emma worked out well with Nathan’s schedule. Regina did not mind getting up in the morning, never having changed her sleep schedule from when she lived in the Enchanted Forest. Emma was more than happy to stay up late when Nathan woke up at midnight. She had Nathan during the day and when Emma came home from work, she had him then.

“I know your mama misses spending all day with you,” Regina said as she put Nathan in his walker. It was Mickey Mouse, purchased by his grandmother. Emma had to physically hold Regina back when Snow White asked if she loved it. Emma could not stop her from explaining how she would love to set in on fire, though. Nathan liked it well enough, using it to navigate the kitchen and dining room while Regina started her morning routine.

Before anything, Regina got Nathan his morning bottle. She grabbed one from the refrigerator and set about warming it up. She put on water for the bottle and also water for coffee. Nathan crashed into her legs a couple of times, but she only smiled at him. His feet barely touched the floor and he had no idea how to negotiate the thing, but it was adorable to watch him try, especially when his little brow furrowed in concentration as he tried to work out why he could not go through the wall.

She plucked him out of the walker once the bottle was done. He gave her a gummy smile and something like a happy cheer before grabbing the bottle and shoving it into his mouth. She kissed the side of his head, getting a mouthful of curly blond hair for her trouble. She sat him down in his bouncer chair, which thankfully had not been purchased by his grandmother, so was not covered in Disney characters. Instead, zoo animals kept him company while he sat on the counter.

“Here, you hold this.” Regina tried to get him to hold his bottle on his own. Sometimes, he would, and other times he had problems with it.

Nathan took hold of his bottle at the bottom, palming it as best a chubby little hand could and put his other hand on the side. She was not sure where he got the technique from, but it was one of the reasons why he sometimes had trouble holding the bottle. She did not bother to correct his grip, instead moving on to get breakfast started. He distracted her, dropping his bottle a couple of times. She helped him out, but left him to hold his meal the whole time. Halfway through his bottle, he began wiggling and turning, wanting to get down. He would finish the bottle soon enough, so she returned him to the walker to focus on her other duties. She could hear him crashing into things.

“You are so much like your mama. She influences you, even when she’s not around,” Regina said. Poor Emma wanted to be around, but she had work. She spent as much time with their boys as she could, though. It was easier to be with Henry since he could pop up at the station whenever he had time, but Emma always made sure she got in time with Nathan, too. She smiled as she thought about Emma with Nathan.

-8-8-8-8-

“Look at you my little chubby Duckling,” Emma cooed as she tickled two-month-old Nathan under his chin. He drooled in response and wiggled a little. “Regina, you see my duckling’s rolls?” He was in an onesie with a t-rex on it, proclaiming him “King of the crib.” Emma was determined he would be a “dinosaur kid,” whatever that meant.

Regina was tucked under a blanket on the couch. She was supposed to take a nap, but it was impossible to do with Emma and Nathan in view. She loved watching them, loved how much Emma utterly adored him. It seemed insane to her that just a few months ago, she thought this would all end tragically and leave nothing but despair and agony in its wake. Nathan was the exact opposite of despair and agony.

“He is not a duckling,” Regina groused, blanket under her chin.

“Tell that to his bird hair.” Emma curled Nathan’s wild, blond hair around her finger. His hair had gotten longer since he was born and it did odd, gravity defying things no matter how much Regina brushed it. Emma liked to fashion it into a mohawk or braid his hair whenever she could get him to sit still for a few minutes.

Regina yawned. She could not believe how tired she was, how exhausted she always was and had been since before Nathan was born. It had not been like this with Henry. “He’s going to have princess curls like you.”

Emma laughed. “Then, I’ll have to teach him to flat iron his hair. No one mistaking us for any princesses over here.”

Regina snickered and shook her head. Emma bounced Nathan on her knee and kissed his chubby cheek. He gargled. Emma cuddled him to her chest. Regina would have taken a picture if she had her phone with her or if Henry was around, but she had so many pictures of Emma hugging their sons, this one would have been a drop in a massive bucket.

“We should probably go. Mommy is tired and we’re only making it worse,” Emma said, speaking into Nathan’s ear. Nathan let out a squeal as his response.

Regina reached out, touching Emma’s bicep. “No, don’t go. This is relaxing.” She would never tire of seeing her partner with their children.

Emma smiled and leaned over to kiss Regina. The small show of affection had the strangest affect on Regina — it made her eyes drift shut. She was so tired. It was something beyond what she was used to. It was not like she could feel it in her bones, like weariness, but like it was smeared onto her skin. She could press on when they had company or when she had to take care of their children, but when Emma was around, she was able to slow down and drift.

“Me and Nathan are going to handle lunch. You take your nap,” Emma said.

“Let him handle any knives. I don’t want any accidents like before,” Regina replied in a drowsy tone. Emma had almost sliced her thumb off when she made dinner about a week ago. She was banned from dinner for the moment. Lunch should not involve sharp knives, so it should be safe.

Emma chuckled. “You hear that, Duckling? Mommy trusts you more than Mama with knives. She’s gonna have you babysitting me soon enough.” She snuggled Nathan close to her as she vanished into the kitchen.

Regina wanted to sleep, but she wanted to see Emma with Nathan. She always wanted to see Emma with Nathan. It was only made better to see Emma with Nathan and Henry. Henry was out, though. He had a life now, being a teenager and all. Regina was asleep before Emma came back in with Nathan.

-8-8-8-8-

“At least you don’t have to supervise me in the kitchen, hmm, Nathan?” Regina asked as he crashed into the kitchen wall. “You drive like your mama, too. Who knew driving was affected by nurture.”

Nathan yelped loud enough for Regina to take it as a response. He almost sounded offended. She eyed him with a narrow gaze, but he was too busy banging into the wall to notice. Apparently, he was upset the wall did not get out of his way. With a smile, she shook her head.

She turned her attention to the pan in front of her as she made omelets. She tried to do vegetable omelets at least twice a week, not just for her, as she slowly but surely regained her old figure, but also for Emma and Henry. She already knew Emma’s diet was poor, but Henry was trying to follow his birth mother’s lead on abysmal nutrition. It did not help that Regina kept several cravings from her pregnancy, so there were nights when they had cheeseburgers with fries and onion rings, washed down with chocolate milkshakes. She had to get that under control one day. But, not any time soon.

Emma liked to convince her that she should indulge every now and then and Regina took that to heart. It was better for her to treat herself to her dietary desires rather than how she used to indulge herself not too long ago. Beyond that, it was good bonding time when they sat around and had a junk food meal. They shared a lot more, trying each other’s food, and talking about other bad decisions they would make when it came to food soon enough.

Once she finished the spinach omelets, she got started on pancakes. She tried not to make them too big, as both Henry and Emma would swallow four or five of them regardless of the size. She did not want to weigh them down with a heavy breakfast, even though it was a good way to get Emma to come home for lunch, complaining about a stomachache and how only cuddling could cure it.

“She’s so ridiculous,” Regina muttered to herself. Of course, she loved it when Emma showed up for lunchtime snuggling.

She diced some fruit after the pancakes were done and then turned her attention to Nathan. It was time for him to finish his breakfast. She made him a little bowl of cereal and grabbed his bottle. Plucking him from his walker, which he finally managed to get out of the corner, she carried him to the table to give him the rest of his bottle. While she was breastfeeding, she used the bottle most of the time because Emma openly stared in envy if she saw Nathan latched onto Regina. Not that Regina wanted him to suckle, as her breasts were still overly sensitive.

Nathan cheered loudly when she put the cereal spoon to his mouth. “Sounds like my chunky butt is eating,” Emma said, her voice coming from the stairs.

Even though Regina never said so aloud, she agreed Nathan was chunky. He still had all his cute little baby rolls. He did not have a wrist, just lines were his hands met his arms. The same with his ankles; they were nonexistent. He was dense, so much heavier than Regina remembering a six-month-old being. He had not met a meal he did not like. Yes, he would pause in drinking his bottle occasionally, but he always went back to it to finish it before long.

“Good morning.” Emma greeted her with a minty fresh kiss. She then kissed Nathan’s forehead and he grunted. They both chuckled. “I’m sorry, chunky. Am I coming between you and your meal? Now, you know how I feel about your hoarding something I want.”

Regina rolled her eyes. Emma’s desire for her breasts was a complaint she heard almost daily. Emma would not be able to sample the wares for quite a while. Regina planned to breastfeed for a year and her breasts were way too sensitive for Emma to do more than lightly touch on occasion, and even that was too much most of the time.

“You’re lucky I love you, Duckling, or I might be upset,” Emma said, twirling a lock of Nathan’s hair on her index finger. He did not pay her any mind, hurrying through his cereal, so he could finish his bottle.

Regina smiled. “Did you get Henry up?”

“Had to threaten him with my gun to get him in the shower,” Emma said with a grin and then her eyes drifted to the kitchen. “Oh, pancakes!”

Regina turned her attention to Nathan. “You had to get your enthusiasm for food from your mama.”

“Says the woman who used to devour steak after steak while she was pregnant,” Emma retorted from the kitchen.

“I’m still not convinced I didn’t somehow get your appetite while I was pregnant,” Regina replied. It was a joke, but not really. She had never eaten like that before, never had cravings like that before, even when she was pregnant before. Had the wish influenced her cravings to help her get closer to Emma through food? They would probably never know.

“It’s possible. You were carrying my kid, after all.” Emma gave her a cute, elfish smile.

Regina scoffed and focused back on Nathan as he fumbled with his bottle. The narrative they like to tell, to themselves and everyone else, was that Regina had carried Emma’s baby. It was not a lie as far as they were concerned. Nathan was Emma’s child as much as Henry was Regina’s son. But, they knew their meaning went beyond that and that was a lie, but one Regina wanted to tell herself until it was somehow the truth.

There were ways for Emma to have “fathered” Nathan, but Regina knew they had done none of them. Even if she tried to think of ways for them to have accidentally done any of them, she came up short. But, Nathan was already so much like Emma, it was easy to pretend.

“Did you eat?” Emma asked as she sat down with a plate. She took more diced fruit than Regina expected, but it might have to do with months of nagging from Regina to get her to eat better, if only to see their sons live to adulthood.

“I’ll do it after Nathan is done. Are you sure Henry went to take a shower?” Regina glanced in the direction of the stairs. He should have been down by now. She did not want him to get into the habit having to eat everything on the run. She had only just broke Emma of that habit.

“Positive.” Emma cut up her pancakes, five of them as expected. They dripped with syrup. Emma liked to drown her food in condiments and sauces if she could. She did it less and less as time went on, so Regina suspected it had something to do with Emma’s youth, perhaps needing to add flavor to whatever she managed to eat that day. “Don’t worry about the kid so much. He’s never late for anything.”

Regina smirked while grabbing a cloth to wipe Nathan’s face. “Unlike his Ma.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “I’m on time for important stuff.”

Regina would have disputed that, but Henry came in. He kissed their cheeks as greetings and pretended to punch Nathan, stopping just shy of his cheek. A terrible habit he picked up from his grandfather. One day soon, Regina would have to remember to destroy Snow White and Prince Charming before they turned both her children into barbarians. Snow White would get it soon if she continued to buy Nathan Disney-themed everything.

Henry’s eyes lit up as they fell to Emma’s plate. “Oh, pancakes.” He rubbed his palms together, like he had plans for those pancakes.

“Make sure you eat an omelet, too,” Regina said, speaking to both of them as Emma devoured her pancakes, but the eggs and spinach were not even in front of her.

Emma nodded. “So, what do you have planned for today?” She shoved several pieces of pancakes into her mouth.

Regina shook her head. “Nothing much. Some cleaning. I have the usual video conference with Kathryn and some paperwork to finish up. Marian and Mulan should be over this afternoon with Roland.” These were her days much of the time for the past few months.

Emma licked syrup from the corner of her mouth. Regina had to use a lot of willpower to keep her mind from drifting somewhere dirty. Emma did not seem to notice or an insufferable smirk would have made its way onto her face. “I’ll try to come by during lunch, then.”

Regina smiled a little and Emma smiled back. Even though they had all agreed to let Roland get to know Nathan, Regina and Marian were still somewhat awkward with each other. Mulan was not much help, as she was awkward with almost everyone. Emma was good buffer for all of them.

“You two are gross, you know?” Henry sat down across from Emma with five pancakes himself and an omelet. He slid an omelet in front of Emma, who nodded her thanks.

Emma stuck her tongue out at him. “One day you’re going to be this gross around someone and I’m going to tease you merciless for it.” That was a promise if never there was one.

“Well, for now, it’s my turn,” Henry replied with a smug wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Okay, one, we are not gross. Two, you will never be this gross with anyone, ever. In fact, you are now banned from growing up,” Regina stated. Part of her wished she could ban Henry from growing up. She missed her darling little boy when he was a toddler, but it was fascinating to watch him become an adult. It was intriguing to see pieces of herself in him. He took bits of her and made them better.

Henry snickered and tapped his fork against his plate. “Good luck with that, Mom.”

“I’d like to see this trick. Not the reverse aging BS the Blue Fairy pulled with August, but legit keeping Henry at thirteen. It’d be nice to not have to buy him new shoes every three months,” Emma said.

Regina wagged her finger at both of them as Henry opened his mouth to fire back. “Eat both of you. You have to leave soon.”

There was no argument. Emma and Henry dug in while Regina put Nathan back in his walker after he wiggled in her arms for too long. A coo escaped him as he crashed into Emma’s chair. Emma grinned down at him and tickled his cheek. Regina’s heart swelled as she went to grab her breakfast, an omelet and a respectable two pancakes with her fruit.

“He’s driving under the influence,” Henry remarked. “You gotta fine him, Ma.”

Emma chuckled. “Fine him? He doesn’t even get an allowance yet. You wanna spot him a few bucks?”

Henry scoffed. “And how is he gonna pay me back? You just said he doesn’t get an allowance.”

They laughed a bit and Regina smiled at the scene. Her heart beat with deep satisfaction. This was her family. This cute little intimate group and everyone got along and loved each other. Who could ever want more? She had never wanted more for sure.

“These pancakes are always so good,” Emma said once her plate was clear. “And the omelet looks good, too.” She jumped into it.

“Mom, you are the best cook,” Henry said with a nod.

Regina sat up a little taller. She felt like she would always feel pride swell in her chest when Henry complimented her. “Thank you.”

Once breakfast was done, Emma and Henry were suddenly in a rush. They woke up with just enough time to sit down for breakfast and then act like the world was coming to an end as they tried to get out the door on time. Regina appreciated being able to sit down with them and was certain they forsook sleep to do that for her. She saw them off with Nathan in her arms. Henry got a forehead kiss and he tried to get Nathan to high-five him. Nathan was more interested in outside than anything else. Henry did not take it personal. Emma got a brief kiss on the lips from Regina and high-fived Nathan despite his disinterest.

Then, it was Regina and Nathan, as it had been since Emma went back to work four months ago. Regina was supposed to go back that many months ago as well, but could not bring herself to do it. She did not want to be away from Nathan yet. Emma liked to say “toldja so” whenever she got a chance, usually when Regina’s separation anxiety was on full display.

Regina had not expected, had not anticipated feeling such a deep connection to Nathan, even after he was born, even after she felt it. She thought she would look at him and see reminders of the past, her three children who never got a chance. Instead, she looked at him and saw this beautiful light in her life. Yes, the pain of losing her three babies was there, but it had always been there. Nathan did not add to it any more than Henry had added to it. Her boys were sources of joy and love, not pain and suffering.

“All right, Nathan. I still have work to do, even if it’s from home,” Regina said, plucking Nathan out of the walker. He yelped and grabbed fistfuls of her shirt.

They went to her office. Nathan had toys on the floor while Regina had paperwork to get to. A smile dwelled on her face as she listened to Nathan gnaw on a stuffed duckling toy as she worked on zoning. The phone rang and she knew exactly who it was.

“Hey, Kathryn,” Regina greeted her mayoral stand-in.

“Hey. How’s my favorite Mini-Emma?” Kathryn asked.

Regina chuckled. Kathryn had decided Nathan was “mini-Emma” and Henry was “Regina the second.” Kathryn was certain it would catch on. She was not wrong and Henry was not a fan. It had little to do with being associated with his mother, but everything to do with wanting to be an individual and be cool.

“Nathan is busy trying to swallow a duck,” Regina replied, which was good description of what she was looking at.

“Of course he is. He’s Emma, in mini form, so he has to be eating something in his spare time. How are you? Still feeling tired?”

“No. I’m getting better day by day.” She still took naps throughout the day, but they were getting shorter and fewer as time went by.

“Take your time. I’ve got this covered,” Kathryn said.

“Yeah, as long as I do the boring part of the job.” She handled a lot of the paperwork for the mayor’s office now.

“Hey, you offered.”

“Because you decided to stay on for longer than we agreed.”

“Because you want to be home with the wee one.”

Regina tried to frown, even if Kathryn could not see, but found it impossible. She had not expected to love Nathan as much as she did, but then again, she had not expected him to survive, so she had done her best not to love him. Why love another dead baby? But, Nathan was resilient and she did not credit magic for that. Nathan was Emma’s son and she learned from Henry, there was no stopping Emma’s son. Emma tended to say the same thing about Regina’s sons.

She and Kathryn went through their daily morning meeting, dividing the workload, going through what needed to be done, what each of them could do to get things done, and figuring out meetings. It took roughly over an hour, which was average. As soon as they hung up, a courier arrived, taking documents from Regina and delivering new ones. Some things they could email, but other things needed to be hard copies. She put Nathan down for a nap before tackling her new load of work. She and Kathryn did their video call at that time, too, going through necessary items before Nathan woke up.

Work halted at noon. She made some lunch, waiting for her guests and for Emma. By then, Nathan was up and crawling around. Well, trying to crawl around. He was not quite an expert yet, but he did his best. The sound of keys in the door got his attention and he started for the front door while she kept an eye on him from the kitchen. He cheered as the door opened, as if at six months old, he already knew it was his mama. Emma cheered right back as soon as she was in the house, louder than necessary, but definitely full of love.

“Did my duckling miss me?” Emma made kissy sounds with wide-open arms and Nathan made a happy noise.

Regina stepped out of the kitchen with sandwiches in hand to see Emma had Nathan in hand. Regina had to pause and take in the sight. Her heart thumped in her chest, filling her with affection. She put the platter of sandwiches down and went to hug her partner and son. Emma welcomed her, burying her nose in Regina’s hair as soon as she could while Regina wrapped her arms around Emma’s waist.

“I missed you so much,” Emma said.

Regina made a small noise in the back of her throat. Emma said that every time she came home, be it for lunch or at the end of the day, and Regina believed her each time. How was it possible to love someone so much? Someone who was not her child. Regina did not know and did not care. She thought her capacity to feel so much had died with Daniel, but she was so very wrong.

“I missed you, too. I’m glad you came in for lunch,” Regina replied.

They did not get a chance to say more as there was a knock at the door. Emma moved to answer it, keeping a hold on Nathan, who busied himself by slapping his poor mama in the neck. Regina went to arrange lunch on the coffee table, knowing it was Nathan’s guest. Marian stepped in with Roland’s hand in her own and Mulan behind them.

In the brief moment Regina was allowed to take them in, she thought they were a striking family. Modernity agreed with Marian, whose hair was always perfect, and she wore business casual like body armor. Mulan had finally shed her actual armor and wore something that was almost like a uniform. Mulan tended to dress in black and navy blue now, always neat and well put together. Meanwhile, Roland dressed like the average five-year-old, which was good. They were all making an effort to fit in rather than hide in the woods like Robin and his Men continued to do.

“Regina!” Roland shot at her and latched onto her waist.

Regina smiled and rubbed his back before releasing him. “Hey, honey. You’re here to have fun with Nathan?” She took a step back, knowing it still made Marian a bit uncomfortable to see her show affection to Roland. She could respect that.

“I brought my favorite storybook!” Roland shucked off his backpack and held it up, the book bag, not the book.

Regina could not help smiling. “Oh, how sweet. I’m sure he’ll love it.” Nathan had better grow up to love reading with how many people read to him on a daily basis, or at least enjoyed sharing books with him. Roland was a kindergarten class away from knowing how to read.

Marian and Mulan settled on the sofa while Regina and Emma occupied an armchair. Nathan was on the floor and Roland sat down with him, going into his book bag for his favorite book. Regina would love to see how much Roland could “read.”

Emma nodded toward Mulan and kicked her boot. “Who said you could take a lunch break?”

“My boss was not paying attention. She is not the most attentive,” Mulan said with a grin.

“She’s such a bad influence on you,” Regina said, patting Emma’s thigh. She witnessed the slow change in Mulan since she befriended Emma. She opened up, well to Emma and Marian anyway. She was still the same Mulan that Regina remembered from their year in the Enchanted Forest, but she seemed more at ease now.

Emma sat up tall. “Nah, you only think that. I’m a great influence on everyone around me.”

“I can list several examples as to why that is incorrect,” Regina replied.

“Would this be a bad time to mention she showed me how to cheat on doing the police reports?” Mulan inquired and she actually winked at Emma.

Emma gasped, putting her hand to her chest. “I would never cheat on those reports!”

Mulan snickered as Regina gave Emma a very weak glare. Emma smiled back and pulled Regina to her. Regina snorted and pushed away. She turned her attention to Roland and Nathan while Emma grinned.

“Thanks a lot, Mulan. You got me in trouble. You’re going to have to do inventory to make up for this,” Emma said.

“I have been doing inventory anyway. You and David are terrible at organizing,” Mulan replied quite seriously.

“You have a point,” Emma conceded with a smile.

The conversation faded for a moment as their guests and Emma had sandwiches and lemonade. The visit was nice, and short. Roland tried to “read” to Nathan, but more recited what he recalled from the book. Eventually, he climbed onto Marian’s lap for “help.” Marian read the story and held Roland while Mulan held Nathan, at Emma’s urging. Nathan busied himself trying to eat Mulan’s hair while Roland explained all the best parts to him. Regina was sad to see them go, but everyone had work to get back to.

“Miss you.” Emma gave her a kiss and was gone. It was her and Nathan again. A smile never left her face as she moved to straighten up as well as get Nathan some food for his little tummy.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Regina and Emma spend some time with friends without their children involved.

Chapter Text

2: Give and Take

“You want to go on a date?” Emma inquired, holding onto Regina in their bed while Regina focused on a budget request that did not make sense.

She did not understand why the Business Bureau thought they needed such an increase. She looked at some of the names in the department and they did not look familiar in the sense that they worked there. These were new hires and she did not understand why the department expanded. There should not be new people working there, especially considering these were close servants to royals, who felt they were too good for the jobs the Curse had given them. She would have to ask Kathryn about it.

“Hey, Regina, you want to go on a date?” Emma repeated, pulling Regina a little tighter.

Regina blinked and turned to her partner. “Excuse me?” Random did not even begin to cover the question. “Is that the name of a new television show?” She nodded toward the television hanging over the dresser. She never liked having one in the bedroom, but Emma wanted it and it used to belong to Emma. She knew all too well what it felt like to move and leave behind any and everything that held meaning. She did her best not to do that to Emma.

Emma snorted. “No, you workaholic. I’m asking if you want to go on a date. Granny volunteered to watch the duckling. Actually, this was her idea. I think Ruby’s getting on her nerves or something.”

Regina frowned a little, even though it was little more than an act. “Oh, and we’re meant to take Ruby off of her hands while she enjoys our angel of a son?” That did not sound like a date. It sounded like hanging out with Emma’s friends.

Emma could not help snickering. Hell, Ruby would probably snicker if she heard the question. She had come to like Regina’s snootiness and cankerous nature. Regina was not sure what that said about Ruby, but she supposed it was good for her partner’s best friend to like her without wanting her to change.

“No, we’re meant…” Emma chuckled more as she repeated Regina’s words and held up her hands as best she could in surrender. “I can’t. We’re going to let Granny watch Nathan, so you can get more comfortable with the idea of people watching him, so we can do this baby-moon thing sometime before the kid is one.” 

Ah, so this was Emma’s way of reminding her of the trip they had put off several times already. Well, not really “they.” Regina put it off. She had her reasons.

How was she supposed to be comfortable with the idea of leaving their sons behind while they went on a vacation? How was she supposed to have fun with their children so far from them? She could not talk herself into it and Emma had yet to find the words to do it either.

“I am fine with the idea of Granny watching Nathan.” Granny was their go-to babysitter for several reasons. One of the biggest was just in case Nathan showed any signs of magic. It was quite possible for him to have magic and Regina wanted to be prepared if his magic manifested itself.

Granny was probably the only person they knew who would not freak out and had experience with a magical child. Of course, when they explained this to Snow, the whiny little cow almost put her foot in her mouth about why she had not been able to raise her magical child. While she was correct, Regina still almost struck her with lightning. Once again, Emma had saved the situation.

“So, it’s the date part that’s got you all flustered?” Emma asked, a cheeky smile on her face. She was entirely too comfortable in mocking Regina now.

“You know I don’t mind going on a date with you. It has to be some punishment from the heavens,” Regina replied. She tolerated many things from Emma that would get any other person drawn and quartered.

Nodding, Emma tucked her chin into her hand and pretended to think on the matter. “Oh, you don’t want to hang out with anyone.”

Regina frowned. She did not mind it, really, but whenever they went out on a double-date or even to hang it, it was always Emma’s friends. It was not Emma’s fault. Regina barely had three friends. They were all single, too. Kathryn would not mind a double-date, but Frederick was not the most interesting person to sit across from when out and trying to have a good time. In fact, Regina was not sure what Kathryn saw in the man beyond him being a brave knight and physically impressive.

“If I go out on a date, I would like it to be just the two of us, sometimes,” Regina replied in a measured tone. She did not want to sound upset, even though she was on her way to feeling that way. Emma rarely purposed a date between the two of them, as if she needed buffers between them when they were outside. Did Emma fear they would discover they had little in common and then fall apart? She was not sure, but it would take more than that to get rid of her and she was more than certain it would take more than that to get rid of Emma.

Emma winced. “Uh… Okay. I can make that happen. But, can we do this thing first?”

Regina stared hard at her lover, watching her squirm. It was all an act. Despite appearances and Regina wishing things were otherwise, Emma had her wrapped around her little finger. They would do this thing and if Emma did not remember to take her on a date alone in the next couple of weeks, it would not matter. In fact, Emma could even ask Regina out on another double or mass date and Regina would go right along with it because it was Emma. Regina wanted to mind Emma having such power over her, but it was impossible.

“Where do you want to go for our date?” Emma asked with a smile.

“Let’s get this group date out of the way first,” Regina replied. She would see if Emma remembered they should go on a regular date after that.

“Okay. You want to invite anybody? Kathryn can come.”

Regina waved the suggestion off. “I think we all know Frederick won’t want to hang out with a group of bisexual women.” This was another reason why Regina and Kathryn did not double-date.

Emma blinked. “Holy shit, we are all bisexual.”

Regina arched an eyebrow. “Did you never notice this?” She should not find the odd naivety about Emma adorable, but she did. One of the biggest clues that she was totally and foolishly in love. She did not mind.

Emma rubbed her forehead, as if the information needed to sink in. “It never occurred to me. Is that normal in the Enchanted Forest? I mean, this seems like a lot of bisexuals.”

Regina pursed her lips. “Well, I wouldn’t say ‘normal’ as if it was something everyone did. The Enchanted Forest being in another realm meant we did not have the same values as this realm, including thoughts on sex and coupling. There were certain constraints on sexuality. Being attracted to both sexes wasn’t one of them, so being bisexual wasn’t a problem or something to talk about. It just was. You have to remember, this was a place where your True Love might be a sentient frog or a mule or, hell, even turned into a tree. You got a little lucky if they just happened to be the same sex.”

Emma nodded, but she scratched her forehead more as wrinkles appeared. There was something on her mind, but it took her a few seconds to get it out. “Then, why the hell did Ruby leave here to go search other realms for someone like her?”

Regina shrugged. “You think I could pretend to know how the mind of your friend works? She’s best friends with Snow White for crying out loud. She’s clearly not the brightest bulb in the pack.” When she found out Ruby left to find “others like her,” she did not understand the reasoning there and hoped Ruby was actually looking for other werewolves. It made more sense than her seeking out other bisexuals. They were more common in the Enchanted Forest than in this realm.

“Hey, she’s my best friend, too!” Emma gave her a light shove, jostling her work a little.

“Says something about you that you share best friends with your overbearing mother.” Regina sniffed as she began putting away her papers, sticking them in folders. It would keep until tomorrow. Emma clearly needed attention right now.

“You know you love my overbearing mother!” Emma grinned.

Regina snorted, placed her folders on her nightstand, and turned to face her partner. Emma did not even give her a chance to say anything, pulling her close. She threw a leg over Emma’s hips and Emma’s hand went immediately to her ass. Regina put a hand to Emma’s cheek and held herself up a little, making sure their breasts did not touch. Emma pouted a little, but gave Regina’s ass a squeeze and smiled, so apparently everything was all right.

“Where do you want to go for our date? We never pick for doubles, but I want to take you somewhere you’ll enjoy when it’s just the two of us,” Emma said.

Regina smiled. “You know I’ll enjoy anywhere we are together.”

Hazel eyes rolled as Emma scoffed. “Yeah, like when I took you to that new barbecue place. You glared at me the whole night.”

“You were a mess!” Honestly, a barbecue place was not somewhere one took a queen for a date, but Regina had not minded much. It was more distracting than anything else. How was she supposed to eat when all she wanted to do was lick the barbecue sauce from around Emma’s mouth? It did not help that date was barely a month after she had Nathan, so they had not been having sex, but very much wanted to be having sex.

“It was so good!” Emma groaned and her eyes rolled up in the back of her head. “Me and Henry go there whenever you don’t cook, you know?”

Regina scoffed. Yes, she knew. Henry loved it and always told her about it. He also liked to bring her kabobs, which she very much enjoyed. She liked the food. She believed that was more leftovers from her pregnancy, but she did not join them at the restaurant again. She liked that Emma and Henry had a thing they did together. They deserved bonding time and activities.

“So, where do you want to go?” Emma asked, hands roaming from Regina’s ass to her hips to her stomach back to her ass.

Regina smirked. “Down.” She kissed Emma’s neck.

“Oh, I like when you go there.” Emma wiggled and her hand slid to Regina’s breast, barely kneading it.

Regina hissed, almost bit her tongue as it felt like a thousand pins were stabbed into her nipple, and turned her head to hide the pain she knew was on her face. “Damn it.”

“Shit. Sorry!” Emma sat up, dropping Regina into her lap. “I am so sorry.” She caressed Regina’s back, like they would do to soothe Nathan. It helped and it did not help. The pain subsided on its own, but it was nice to have someone who wanted to comfort her. Regina could not remember the last time she had been genuinely comforted before Emma became her partner.

“It’s okay, my love.” Regina shook her head and held Emma’s biceps, massaging the muscles with her thumbs as a way to let Emma know she was okay. It did not hurt, really. It was more like a sting, jarring in the moment. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

Emma still pouted. “I can’t believe how sensitive they are.”

Regina shook her head once more. Why had she decided to breastfeed? She already knew it would be a nightmare from when she was pregnant. Her breasts were sore all the time. She could not imagine Nathan actually latching on at this point. When he once accidentally hit her in the chest, she almost dropped him.

“I want to kiss them,” Emma said and kissed Regina’s ribs while still rubbing her back.

“I want you to as well.” Regina pulled away a little. “But, not right now.”

Emma whimpered, very much like a little puppy. Regina went in for a kiss, swallowing the end of the sound. The plan was to kiss until Emma forgot about where she actually wanted her lips, but Nathan solved the whole issue for them. Cries erupted through the baby monitor and they jumped apart.

“What? Why is he not asleep?” Emma groaned, glancing over at the alarm clock. She constantly teased Regina for even owning an alarm clock. Apparently, the rest of the “civilized” world used their phones for alarms.

“Because he knows his mama is about to get laid,” Regina replied with a grin.

Emma chuckled. “That sounds about right. I got him.”

Regina did not argue. She had Nathan all day and she knew Emma appreciated these moments. So, she settled back into bed while Emma went to take care of their baby. The idea made her smile and the expression only grew as she heard Emma through the baby monitor.

“Duckling, what’s the matter? Mom left you plenty of milk. In fact, your dinner ruined my nightcap, so you have no right to complain. If anything, I should be crying.” There was a shuffling noise, Nathan crying more, and then Emma cooed. “Hey, it’s okay, lil guy. I’m not really mad at you.”

Nathan did not seem convinced, still bawling. Regina imagined he had huge, fat tears on his cheeks. Emma dubbed it his “ugly cry,” and he saved it for the occasions when he was exceptionally cross for no real reason.

Emma cooed more and then began humming a tune. It took Regina a minute, but she recognized it. Only Emma would assume Paint It Black was an appropriate lullaby. And, of course, proving just how much her son he was, Nathan eventually settled and made little bird noises as Emma sang. Regina sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, but she could feel the smile threatening to split her face open.

“He really is just a mini-Emma.” She would never mind. She hoped he stayed that way, hoped he always had a connection to Emma.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry had friends and interacted with a lot of kids his own age now, so he understood it was normal to think his parents were gross, but his parents were gross. They had a date, or something, and his mom wanted to make sure everything was in place for when Granny babysat Nathan. Unfortunately, his ma had other plans, so now they were in the kitchen, cuddled together, and giggling. His mom was actually giggling.

“Could you guys be gross in your room?” Henry asked with a grin from the dining room. The expression was to avoid getting sent to his room for rudeness. He wanted to go in the kitchen for something to drink, but was scared to get closer. He had made the mistake of surprising his mothers when they were snuggled up before and none of them wanted to relive that moment.

“We don’t have time,” Regina replied as Emma eased away from her. They were both dressed for a night out, but it did not look like it was the same event. His mom was dressed in a cobalt-colored, sleeveless dress that stopped at her knees in the front, but the back cascaded down to her calves. Emma had on tight black jeans with her high boots, a red button down shirt, and her leather jacket was waiting by the front door. The only place they could be going where they would both fit in was eighth grade prom as far as Henry could tell.

“Granny’s not even here yet,” Emma pointed out. She reached for Regina’s hand, running her fingers down Regina’s bare arm.

“No, because if she was, she’d be scolding you both over your display and scarring me for life,” Henry said. Sometimes, he thought they thought he was deaf and sometimes he wished he was. Of course, he knew from his friends, a lot of the stuff he saw was tame. And, not that he would ever say it to his mothers, he liked that they were lovey-dovey. They loved each other and they both deserved love and happiness. Not to mention, their affection for each other would keep their family together. He loved them and their family.

Regina turned and gave him a proper stare down. “Keep it up, my friend, and you’ll be spending your night with Granny rather than your friends.” She had agreed to let Henry have a night out as long as he was home by ten. He was lucky to have Emma advocate for him because Regina was at a point where she wanted to cover him in bubble wrap, put him in plastic, then in a bubble, and tether the bubble to the basement to make sure he was safe for the rest of his days. There were moments when he could seriously see his mom considering that option, but Emma was always there to talk her down. I gotta stop getting kidnapped so much. Not that he had been kidnapped recently.

“I’m just telling the truth. You both are gross,” Henry said with another grin.

Despite the teasing, Henry understood how essential Emma was to their household and he loved how “gross” his mothers were. It was wonderful to see them so in love and so happy to work as a unit. He loved how Emma tampered back his mom’s overprotectiveness and how his mom pulled back Emma’s recklessness. He could hardly describe how it felt to have them both refer to him and Nathan as their sons, not “my son” or any distinction between them despite who was biologically linked to whom. It was through this he truly learned what family was and it was nothing like he thought it was, but it was everything he thought it was.

Family was not blood. Family was a bond. An unbreakable bond that was always there and made family always be there for each other. Family was love, comfort, and safety. Family was a wonderful thing.

A knock at the door distracted his mothers enough for Henry to get his drink and not end up talking himself out of time with his friends, because like his mothers there were times where he could not shut up without help. Granny was there, so it was time for everyone to get going.

“Hey, Nathan, you make sure Granny has to work for that ten bucks an hour,” Emma said, kissing his forehead. She gave Granny a wink.

Granny scoffed. “Don’t worry. The second he shows signs of magic, I’m not telling you.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve got backup.” Emma gave another wink.

Granny’s face scrunched up and then her face dawned in realization. “Maleficent not going out with you lot, then?”

“She thinks she’ll cramp Lily’s style,” Emma said.

“You’re taking Lily, but not Maleficent? I thought Maleficent was the one you liked,” Granny replied.

Emma shrugged. Henry doubted his ma would ever be comfortable with Lily, but his mom had a relationship with both Maleficent and her daughter. So, Emma tried to put up with Lily for Regina’s sake. Henry liked that, knowing his ma was trying to be patient and help Regina make friends. He hoped Lily never said or did anything that resulted in Emma punching her in the face. It would make things impossibly messy, especially since Maleficent was Nathan’s godmother, much to his grandmother’s dismay.

As if talking them up, which Henry thought might be possible, Maleficent and Lily came to the door at that moment. Maleficent went right for Henry, dashing by her so-called friends. In the few months since she had been around, she seemed to like him well enough, hugging him as greeting, whether he liked it or not. He had no problem with it sometimes, but she also did it when he had company and she did not understand it was embarrassing.

“You should stay and help with the baby,” Maleficent said as she let Henry go from a bone-crushing embrace.

“No, Henry should go out and have a life, like his mothers need to do,” Emma said, putting her hand on the small of Regina’s back to lead her out of the house. She grabbed her leather jacket as they got to the door and probably missed Regina rolling her eyes.

“Bye!” Henry waved to Granny, Maleficent, and Nathan. Nathan giggled and then blew a raspberry at him, as if that counted as a farewell. Babies were weird, which was something Henry learned from his uncle, but Nathan reinforced it.

Henry was gone before his mothers, able to walk to his friend’s house. He almost skipped there. He could not remember ever being this happy. Having a whole family, it was beyond anything he could think of. It was truly amazing. He would cherish it forever.

-8-8-8-8-

“This is what we’re doing? Pretending we’re not out of place and not over thirty?” Regina asked as their group strolled into the only lesbian club Storybrooke had to offer. Regina had so many questions, but the way Emma squeezed her around the waist made her forget them. It did not make her forget they would be well out of place at any club, though.

“Over thirty?” Ruby scoffed and put an offended hand to her chest as if she was not actually the second-oldest among them. That did not stop her from wearing a crimson dress that was very nearly a handkerchief. Needless to say, she looked amazing and very ready for the club.

“Bite your tongue!” Lily swatted Regina’s shoulder, the one away from Emma. Emma and Lily probably would never be friends again, but they tolerated each other for Regina’s sake. Regina appreciated the effort from both of them.

“Some of us are young at heart, Grandma,” Emma remarked, leaning in. She nipped Regina’s earlobe. A spark danced through Regina.

“We just want to check it out. None of us got a chance to enjoy the gay scene in Storybrooke really. Besides, Mulan is our ticket in. Totally under thirty.” Ruby held her hand up for a high-five and Mulan gave her one, but being the adorable, awkward social creature she was, it was like watching a long-limbed puppy give a high-five.

“Barely under thirty and in a committed relationship like most of us,” Regina countered. “Not exactly club material.”

Mulan squinted. “How does age factor into this?” She was dressed quite dapper in a slim fit blue suit with a white shirt that had a gold collar. A men’s gold watch adorned her wrist and she had a fedora hat. They might need to pull Mulan out of the club eventually.

“You’ll see when you have infants hanging on your broad shoulders desiring to buy you a drink or pull your toward the bathroom,” Regina replied. She hoped someone gave Marian a pep talk about how popular her girlfriend would be in the lesbian scene. She glanced at Emma. I might have to give myself that talk.

Lily arched an eyebrow. “You seem to know an awful lot about this little slice of lesbian heaven, Grandma.”

Regina narrowed her gaze on Lily. “Watch it, you. Your mother technically isn’t the only one babysitting tonight.”

Lily probably had something smart to say, but wisely bit her tongue. They were quickly ushered into the club. The bouncer actually grinned at them and waved them in. “Make sure you ladies let the bartender know your drinks are on the house. We’re happy to have you!”

“Oh, we got celebrity status!” Ruby cheered, throwing her arms up. She almost popped out of her red, sleeveless sheath.

“Well, she might be over thirty, but like most of us, Ruby’s young at heart,” Emma remarked.

“This is a lot of people,” Marian muttered as they took in the club. Her dress matched Mulan’s outfit in color and she had on nice heels, but not very high. Her hair was done as perfect as always and she wore little makeup. All right, someone might need to warn Mulan how popular her girlfriend would probably be in the lesbian scene.

“Not really. I’ve been to much bigger clubs,” Lily said before she rushed off and melted into the sea of women, going to dance.

Regina suspected that was all Ruby wanted to do, as she dragged Dorothy out onto the dance floor without even getting a drink. Marian pulled Mulan away. Regina could hardly imagine Mulan dancing.

“You want to dance?” Emma asked, nodding toward the crowd of moving ladies.

Regina tried her best not to frown. This was the type of place Emma would enjoy. Unfortunately, it was not her speed. There were too many people and the music was too loud. In a way, it reminded her of royals balls, which she despised. She did not want to ruin the night, though.

“I’ll find us a table. You can go dance,” Regina said. She would not be happy to see another woman dancing with Emma either, but something had to give. She did not want to stand in the way of Emma having a good time.

Emma pulled her close. “You’re kidding, right? I’m out with you. I want to be with you.”

Regina sighed. She supposed that meant she was dancing. She expected to hate it. She expected to put up with glares from people who still were not ready to forgive her or accept her. She expected to want to leave, but endured the torture for Emma. One day, she would have to learn to stop always expecting the worst. It barely took a few minutes for her to enjoy herself as much as Emma. What was not to enjoy with the bass thumping through her and Emma’s perfect form pressed against her?

They danced for what felt like hours, working up a gentle glow visible even under the club’s low lighting. There were laughs and drinks and smiles. Despite the fact that most of the women there were younger than they all were, they cheered the group on, welcomed them like they belonged. It was wonderful. They worked up an appetite eventually. Of course, Ruby knew the perfect place to go eat.

“I swear if you take us to Granny’s,” Emma said, shaking her fist at her best friend as they exited the club.

Ruby snorted. “Oh, please. Like I really want to go to work after all of that and Granny’s isn’t even open at this time. No, it’s a really cool place. I mean, maybe not good enough for Her Majesty, but us plebs will like it.”

Regina rolled her eyes, but did not say anything. There was always a chance she would not like the place because she was used to the finer things in life. What Ruby never seemed to get was that most of the time, Regina could also enjoy the same things “regular” people would like. Hell, sometimes she even surprised herself, like with dancing.

They piled into their cars, Regina driving, following behind Ruby in Emma’s car, as Ruby still did not have a car. They pulled up to a little diner on the edge of town. Regina was familiar with the place, but she never ate there.

“This place has awesome food and it gets a lot of business from the club across the street,” Ruby said, pointing across the way. There was another club, music just loud enough for them to hear with people going into it as well as spilling out of it.

“You know all about that club, don’t you?” Emma smirked at Ruby.

“Don’t make me have my girl bench press you,” Ruby replied.

Emma rolled her eyes, even though Dorothy probably could do that. The witch hunter was pure muscle. “I have a partner who could literally peel you like a banana right now. Do you want to go down that road?”

Ruby did not back down. “I could tell your partner you’re familiar with this dinner.”

“I’m not surprised. If the place has grease in it, Emma knows it,” Regina commented in a dry tone.

They marched into the diner, finding it halfway full, even though it was after midnight. There were people who clearly had been at the club across the street, young women in short dresses and young men dressed like they were going to a house party. Regina would never understand the dress code for young people in this realm. There were times she noticed girls looked like they were going to have tea with the Queen and their gentlemen suitors looked like they were going bowling. Henry would never be one of those if she had anything to say about it, unless she let Emma give him dating advice, which she would try very hard not to do.

They all sat, even though the hostess paused for a moment to take in their group, outright staring at Regina for a long moment. Regina wondered if she would be asked to leave, but there was no animosity in the hostess. She even smiled at them while informing them the waiter would be there soon. The waiter was full of energy and took their orders with gusto and a grin, even as he saw Regina. Apparently, saving them all from the Wicked Witch went a long way.

“We should’ve brought Tink. She would’ve enjoyed this,” Regina said.

“Probably,” Emma agreed.

Regina did not usually invite Tinker Bell out to these group outings because it was always couples. Lily was a last minute addition here with Maleficent asking if she would help Lily be a little more social with the locals. Now that Regina thought about it, Tinker Bell would not mind, or even think about being out with couples, if they did things like they did tonight. Besides, Tink never thought of herself as awkward and powered through every situation like she was normal, like she belonged. Yes, I’ll definitely invite her next time.

“I’m back with everyone’s drinks,” the waiter announced as he put the beverages down. He took their food orders after.

There were fruity drinks and laughter as they waited for dinner. Despite the fact that they were an odd mix, the conversation flowed. Sure, it was mostly absolute nonsense, mostly Ruby and Emma coming up with a bizarre “kill, fuck, marry” game. They could not possibly get more immature, but everyone laughed, even her every now and then, hell, even Mulan, who was probably lost through most of the conversation. It was nice. The only hiccup, she glanced across the room and noticed Robin.

Robin was there with a girl who probably just graduated high school. Her dress hardly covered anything and he was dressed like he was about to go to the corner store. What could she possibly see in him? It was easy to guess what he saw in her. Regina could only guess he traded on his name to find dates. He had to go with young ladies, who didn’t follow the town gossip yet, whose worlds were still revolved around social media, school, and ignoring anything the adults in town might be doing.

Robin did not notice Regina or Marian, for that matter. He was enamored with his youngster, holding her close and whispering to her. Regina did not say anything. It was not until he was leaving that he noticed them and he did not decide to remain silent.

“Oh, I didn’t know this place catered to degenerates,” Robin said, glaring directly at Regina and then glancing at Marian.

“They let you in, so it should’ve been obvious,” Regina replied as cool as could be. She forgot her company. Four of her table-mates, including her partner, erupted into hoots and banged on the table. It was not her best insult by far, but they made it seem worse and Robin’s face turned bright red as other people turned to see what was going on.

Robin’s face pulled into a sneer. “You think you’re so clever.”

“It’s not difficult when my opponent barely has enough intellect to comprehend what I am currently implying.” She smirked as she watched him calculate her words, his mouth set in a frown, and a twitch in his eyebrow. She was not interested in going back in forth with him. “Perhaps it would be best if you continued on your way. I don’t think you want the Sheriff or her deputy to have to ask your friend her age.”

Emma and Mulan exchanged a glance. What were the odds Robin took time to learn the laws of the land after his divorce from Marian and his failed attempt to get his parental rights to Nathan restored? Emma pinned the young woman with a look.

“How old are you?” Emma inquired and it was a legitimate question.

The young woman held up her hands. “I promise I’m twenty. We just came out of the club and I had to show ID there. I have a full time job and everything. And I’ll also get him out of your hair. Have a good evening, Madam Mayor. Sheriff.” She wisely took hold of Robin and tugged him toward the exit. He glared at them until he was out of the door.

Ruby laughed and hit Emma on the shoulder. “He’s just pissed you’re actually Nate’s daddy and everybody knows it. You’re more potent than him.”

“Can we please not?” Regina was not in the mood to remember she had ever slept with Robin and Nathan probably shared genes with him.

“What? You don’t like Emma being your baby daddy?” Ruby grinned.

“She’s never coming out with you again,” Lily said.

“That sounds accurate.” Regina could be home with her baby right now instead of putting up with Emma’s idiot friends. But, then Emma pulled her close and everything in her settled and she remembered why she would be out with them again. Emma. And everyone thinks she’s the one who’s whipped. Emma had Regina tied in knots around her little finger. She was fine with that.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: a SwanQueen date.

Chapter Text

3: By Popular Demand

“So, about that date,” Emma said, lying supine on the sofa. Nathan was asleep on her chest and Henry was next to her, sitting on the opposite end of the couch with a book. Regina was curled up in the armchair with a cup of tea, her glasses, and work documents in her hand. It was technically a lazy day, with all of them in their pajamas and lounging around together.

“About what date?” Regina replied, somewhat distracted by the words drifting before her eyes. Again, something was up with the Business Bureau. There were plots of land being sold to businesses that were not in business districts. Kathryn was looking into it, but Regina could already smell the royal intrigue. She would have to get a list of the members of that department and see if she could link them to the aristocracy.

Emma craned her neck to look at Regina without moving to avoid disturbing Nathan. “You never said where you want to go.”

“You guys also never went on your baby-moon,” Henry chimed in.

“We’re still working on a late one,” Emma replied.

“So, when are you going to go?” Henry asked, eyes never leaving the television.

“Soon,” Regina answered. They had discussed it a few times since Nathan’s birth. They needed to figure out how long they would be gone and where they would go. And, of course, Emma would have to drag her away from their children kicking and screaming.

“Your mom just wants to make sure we have enough time and babysitters lined up. And, you know she’s still scared the Duckling might have magic,” Emma added.

Regina felt like it was legitimate worry. Nathan was possibly created from a wish and he was hers. She had magic as a child because of her mother. She had never really identified it as such as a child, but it was there. Beyond that, she sometimes thought Nathan might actually be Emma’s and if he was, there was an even bigger chance of him having magic. She did not want someone who did not know what to expect from a magical child to watch Nathan and then get the surprise of a lifetime.

“It’s for safety purposes,” Regina said. “If he has magic, someone with experience needs to be there to deal with him or too many things could go wrong.” She could recall a couple of magical mishaps from her own childhood. Once someone had gotten hurt and her mother had not been too happy, which left her very unhappy thanks to her punishment and she had been too young to understand why she was being punished at all. Nathan would never go through something like that.

“So, why not let Granny watch him?” Henry asked, twisting his face up much like his ma would do if she did not understand why something was a big deal.

“Granny is fine for a few hours, but I’m not sure it’s proper or right to ask her to watch him for days,” Regina replied, which was why they were still waiting. Well, one of the reasons why.

“That’s why she’s training Maleficent,” Emma said with a grin.

Henry’s jaw dropped. “Wait, is that why she comes over all the time when Granny babysits?”

Emma laughed. “Yes.” Regina glared at her partner. It was all true, but she felt like Emma could have put it in a better way and not laughed about it.

“But… Maleficent didn’t raise her baby. How can she be prepared if there’s magic?” Henry asked, possibly without thinking about it or because he felt like he could ask them anything. Regina hoped it was the latter.

Emma’s cheeks flared red and she looked away. Regina sighed. Despite not having anything to do with what happened to Lily, Emma felt guilt about it, even though Lily treated her horribly before even knowing who Emma’s parents were. Regina leaned over, having to stretch quite a bit to rub Emma’s shoulder. Emma made a noise and patted Nathan on his raised, diapered butt.

“Maleficent is prepared with magic of her own and Granny has been educating her on what she went through with Ruby,” Regina replied.

“Maleficent should be good for a couple of days, right? I mean, it’s not like she’ll be doing it on her own,” Emma said.

“No, she wouldn’t.” Maleficent would be in the house with Nathan, but there was no doubt help would be there as well. His grandparents would be by. Granny would check up on her, probably with Ruby in tow. Lily would undoubtedly hang out for a while. Marian and Mulan would probably show up. Tinker Bell might even pop by, as she was fascinated with Nathan. Regina was not sure if the fascination came from her claim of Robin and Regina being soul mates for his sole creation or if Tink just really liked babies.

“You want me to stay with Gramps and Grams while you guys go?” Henry asked.

“We thought we’d leave it up to you,” Regina replied, her heart thumping a little heavy in her chest and then constricting too tight. Emma had been pushing to give Henry more freedom and she tried her best, but sometimes, it was so hard. Emma tilted her head again, giving Regina a smile and she reached out, touching Regina’s bare foot with her fingertips. The brief touch sent a soothing wave through Regina.

Henry grinned. “Okay. Maybe I could stay here and help Maleficent. I’ve watched Nathan before, too.” He sat up with pride in his spine.

Neither of his mothers pointed out that he had only watched Nathan less than an hour any time he did and Nathan was always asleep. While Regina and Emma believed he needed more responsibility, they were not in favor of giving him so much that he babysat his very much baby brother. But, Maleficent would entertain him and let him help if he truly wanted to.

“Well, we don’t want to overload Maleficent, though,” Regina said. It was very much the truth. While Maleficent might have her daughter back, she was still unpracticed when it came to being around children. Yes, she adored both Henry and Nathan, but she might not be the best person to care for both at the same time.

“Okay, how about I stay here during the day and help with Nathan and then go have dinner and sleep at Grams’ place?” Henry asked.

“I’m fine with that idea and we all know your grandparents will be all for it,” Emma replied.

“Also, if you feel like you’re being underfoot or you notice Maleficent might be a little out of her depth, go to your grandparents. No need to tempt the dragon,” Regina commented.

There were some snickers and that seemed to be settled, but not really. Emma looked at Regina. At first, Regina went back to what she was doing, but she noticed Emma still watching her.

Regina arched an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“About that date…” Emma grinned, showing all of her teeth.

Regina sucked her teeth. “Fine. Where would you like to take me?”

“You’re terrible! I want you to pick a place,” Emma replied, swatting at Regina’s foot.

Regina groaned, as if that truly pained her. It was a bit irksome. She had to think of some place for them to go on a date. Some place she and Emma would both enjoy. Of course, it was not a genuine burden, but she could not let Emma know that. Emma needed constant reminding she got on Regina’s nerves.

Emma blew her a kiss and Regina rolled her eyes. The action only got a laugh out of Emma and then Nathan whined a bit. Emma turned her attention to Nathan. He was still sound asleep, but Emma rubbed his back. Sometimes, Emma could not help touching him, as if needing to feel him and remind both him and herself that she was there, that he was there. She loved him so much it made Regina’s heart swell to bursting.

-8-8-8-8-

“There are bottles in the fridge,” Regina said to Granny, who could not look more fed up with her if she tried. Sighing, Regina ducked her head. “I’m sorry.” Granny was there to babysit, as she did quite often.

“I know you’re overwhelmed with having so much help with this child, so I forgive your little bits of madness where you think I don’t know how to do this after three months of doing this,” Granny said with an amused twinkle in her eye.

Regina smiled graciously. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Sometimes, it is overwhelming.” It was sometimes hard to believe a little over a year ago none of these people would have been there for her, except maybe Henry. She would have been skeptical about Emma, but she was very aware now that she would have been wrong. She never in her wildest dreams would have thought she could have so much support. How had she gone without? What would she do with it? Sometimes, it frightened her and she could only think about how she might ruin it, as she ruined everything.

“I know. Now, get going. Let your partner treat you for the night.” Granny shooed her away, earning laughs from Henry, who sat on the couch with a pile of graphic novels. It seemed he had plans for his brother, reading so Nathan would be caught up when Avengers: Infinity War came on television. It was a bit funny because even though that would be some time from now, Nathan still would be too young to comprehend anything about the movie or the comics or anything. Maybe it was for Granny’s benefit.

“Oh, I’m starting already,” Emma said as she stood at the foot of the stairs. All eyes went to her and Regina had to swallow a moan.

Emma had a way of looking both dashing and beautiful, regardless of what she wore. But, there was something about her in the red dress with black trim that clung to her like a second skin that made Regina want to skip the date and fall right into bed. The sight took her breath away. And, of course, their son ruined the moment almost as soon as it begun.

“Oh, come on!” Henry groaned and covered his eyes with his hand. “Could you two be any more gay? It’s embarrassing.” He moved to cover Nathan’s eyes as well. “I’m sorry our moms are so gay, Nathan. Maybe they’ll do better when you get older.” Granny was no help, chuckling at his antics, encouraging his poor behavior.

“Excuse me?” Regina managed to say while Emma was as useless as ever, having the nerve to laugh.

“Matching dresses? I’m going to vomit and it’s probably going to be rainbows because, again, you two are gay,” Henry said.

“Matching dresses?” Regina was about to point out they did not match. The dresses were two completely different styles, but Emma had gone with an inversion of Regina’s color scheme. Regina’s dress was black with red trim.

“We’re cute,” Emma spoke up, grinning, like she did this on purpose.

Regina respected that, as she agreed. “We’re more than cute. We’re elegant and sexy.” She gave Emma smirk that she knew made Emma’s knees go weak while Henry groaned even louder than before.

“You’re gross and embarrassing. Can you go before Maleficent and Lily show up? We don’t need more witnesses. Poor Nathan might never recover.” Henry moved to cover Nathan’s eyes again. Nathan grabbed his hand with both of his pudgy little ones and grinned at Henry. Henry smiled at him. “I’m sorry our moms are literally the most embarrassing things ever. You will one day be a cool kid with friends in spite of them.”

“Dude, you’re a cool kid because of me!” Emma pointed to herself with both thumbs.

“Keep telling yourself that as you and your ‘wife’ walk around in matching dresses.” He rolled his eyes as he actually made finger quotes. Regina had to bite down a laugh as Emma looked offended.

Regina went to Emma and took her hand. “Come, my love. You’re still plenty cool.”

Henry hummed. “Your partner is obligated to tell you that,” he said in a sing-song tone.

“You’re in a feisty mood. Taking after your Mom, huh?” Emma snapped back.

Henry scoffed, taking absolutely no offense. “We all knew that.”

“Okay, we should get out of here before it sinks in for me that you just tried to use me as an insult,” Regina said. In the past, this would have hurt her, but she had developed an understanding that these little back and forth with Henry was just another way for him to bond with Emma. Nothing Emma said was actually meant as an insult and Henry did not take offense them. It was all in jest, so Regina could bear it.

“Saying a cool kid is like his parent is an insult, even if the parent is awesome like you,” Emma said.

“Oh, my god!” Henry groused and fell to the floor as if they were killing him.

Emma laughed and put her chin in the air. “I think I can leave knowing my work here is done.”

They gave farewell kisses to Nathan and then Henry got several kisses as well, just to embarrass him further. Henry whined and wiggled, but never made any real attempt to escape the affection. Regina opened her mouth to give instructions to Granny, who shut her up with a simple, knowing look. Regina smiled instead.

“Maleficent should be by soon. If it’s all right with you, we’d like to talk to you both when we get back,” Regina said.

“You have to go first to get back,” Granny pointed out.

Regina took the hint, which was not hard as Emma pulled her out of the house. She grabbed jackets for both of them, just in case. They took her car to the restaurant. Peruvian food provided by Alejandro Ardilla, but Emma would probably recognize him as Kronk. When it opened, Regina got too many questions about Yzma from her son to feel comfortable about taking him there, but she had been a few times without telling him. That was before Nathan, though. She knew Emma would tease her about this place now, but the establishment was very too good to avoid it forever.

“The High and Mighty Llama?” Emma read the sign and scrunched up her face. “You sure you want to eat here?”

Of course, Emma would not have heard of the restaurant. Five star meals for her were served by Regina’s hand. Everything else was junk food. Emma knew all best dives and diners in Storybrooke. Regina’s only complaint about that was for Emma’s health, as Emma’s physique was better now than ever. Just the thought made Regina want to lick cider off of Emma’s abs.

“The food is better than it sounds,” Regina promised. Maybe she would not have to put up with the Yzma jokes. Emma might not get the connection.

Emma shrugged, taking her word for it, and she wrapped her arm around Regina’s waist as they exited the car. A valet took care of parking while they made their way into the crowded restaurant. Regina made reservations, but she suspected they would have been seated just as quickly if she and Emma popped up there on a whim. She was not sure if they got the treatment because she was the Evil Queen, or Emma was the Savior, or if it was a little bit of both.

“Is the menu going to be in another language?” Emma asked, eyes wandering the place as they were shown to their table. There was low candlelight for each table with Peruvian art on the wall and some ancient pottery on display.

Regina smiled. “I’m shocked you’re not worried there won’t be prices on the menu.”

Emma snorted. “Please, I can tell from the look of this place there’s no prices on the menu. I’m going to need a raise for dating you.”

“So you say on every date when you let me pick the place.”

They had a little table in the corner, away from the crowd. Most places did that for them. It was nice that people wanted to afford them a little privacy. It restored Regina’s faith in humanity, at least a little bit, and maybe even in herself. If these people could forgive her and be pleasant to her, maybe she could forgive herself… to a degree. Her crimes were too high and too heavy for her to ever forget, but she could live her life to a degree with her head up high and try to do right by people.

“Have you been here before?” Emma asked as a waitress bounded over to them.

Regina shrugged. “Once or twice.” That was an underestimate, but she did not want to get to when and why she had been there before.

“Your Majesty, the chef has been made aware of your presence and wishes you to try a special dish he’s been working on,” the waitress stated.

Emma smirked at her. “Once or twice, huh?”

“I happen to know the owners, nothing more. I would be delighted to sample the chef’s special dish as long as he promises not to hand deliver it or interrupt my date,” Regina said, motioning to Emma.

“Ma’am, I think we all know I couldn’t stop him if I tried,” the waitress replied with a grin. “But, I’ll bring you free drinks to make it less painful.”

“I wish I could accept that offer, but I’m breastfeeding. Bring the drinks for her.” Regina pointed to Emma, whose eyes sparkled at the idea of free anything. “So, hopefully, she will not recall any of this tomorrow.” It would be one thing when Kronk showed up with the food, it would be another thing entirely when he started gushing over their date and possibly singing about whatever his special dish was and how wonderful love was.

Emma grinned and rubbed her palms together before resting her chin in both hands, like she could already smell the embarrassment. “I would love to know what this is all about, but there’s also free drinks. Fine. Bring on the free drinks.”

“I want to bring you one of our craft beers, but I also feel like you’ll want to try the sangria,” the waitress said.

“Yes to both if they’re free. I’m also not driving. I can mix and match all the alcohol I want.” Emma beamed at the idea and winked at Regina. “Finally benefiting from you never letting me touch the Benz. High five to me.” Of course she gave herself a high-five.

The waitress nodded and snickered at Emma’s behavior. Regina sighed and shook her head. “Please, don’t encourage her. She’s not as silly as she pretends. She just wants attention.”

“Not any attention,” Emma said, holding up a finger. “I want your attention. Be it getting on your nerves or not.”

Regina put her hand over her face. “Save yourself,” she told the waitress, who smiled.

“I’ll be right back with those drinks then.” She handed them menus. “In case you find something you want to try, Your Majesty. Or if you want to recommend anything to your partner.”

Regina nodded and the waitress was gone. Emma turned her attention to the menu and Regina smiled at her. Emma would like the food, beyond the fact that Emma liked to eat. She had been there enough times to know what she could recommend to Emma if Emma needed help. A couple of times she came alone and other times with…

“Robin,” Regina gasped. She spotted him across the way, arguing with the hostess.

Emma’s head popped up and looked over. A long groan escaped her. “Can we not escape him?”

Regina gave a pathetic shrug because it was all she had right now. They could not hear what he was saying… yet. She could see the veins in his neck as his face turned red, though. He was loud and had an audience that was quieting down to hear what was happening.

“There has to be a table! I’ve been here before and there was always a table!” Robin bellowed, putting his finger in the poor hostess’ face.

Emma glanced at her. Regina frowned and stood up. She created this monster. This entitled idiot, who did not know he always had a table here because he was with her. So, she would have to put a stop to this scene before things got out of hand.

“Robin,” Regina said as she approached the scene.

Robin turned and glared her down the second he realized it was her. He pulled the woman he was with to his side, like he was protecting her or trying to make Regina jealous. Regina rolled her eyes. She could not believe he still found women to date him. Who were these women and were they desperate?

Robin sneered. “Oh, so they’ve called in the hounds.”

Regina shrugged. “A more clever line would have been bitches, but whatever. Why don’t you leave this young woman be?” She motioned to the hostess, who looked like she was ready to run for cover. She was probably used to people listening to reason. “There are no tables.” The place was crowded, as it always was.

Robin growled. “You put her up to this.” He pointed to the hostess, who ducked behind a pillar by her podium.

Folding her arms across her chest, Regina rolled her eyes. “Yes, I put her up to making this place full and making you not call ahead for a reservation.”

“You’re trying to embarrass me,” he spat. 

“I think you don’t need my help in that area. Between this performance and the fact that you’re picking up women from Storybrooke High, you have your own humiliation well in hand,” Regina replied. Standing close enough to see his companion, she felt like Emma needed to card the young lady.

“You need to stay out of my life. You’ve ruined it enough. You’ve cost me everything.” His eyes were wide and he was practically frothing at the mouth.

“It blows my mind how nothing is ever your fault,” Emma said, coming behind Regina, the ever present backup. Emma slid her hand to Regina’s hip, which might have been to upset Robin, but was more likely to communicate to Regina that she was there in every way possible.

Robin snarled and shook his fist at Emma. “You’re even worse than she is! You let her corrupt and defile you! You helped turn Mulan and Marian against me.”

Emma glanced at Regina. “We are busy for two women with a new baby on our hands and a town to protect. Where would we even get the time to turn anyone against you? But, I guess it does explain why we’re not getting enough sleep. Nothing to do with Nathan having sleep habits worse than me.”

Robin flinched and then his eyes went wild. “That boy is nothing like you!” The woman by his side jumped, startled by how loud he was while Regina and Emma barely batted an eye to his outburst.

Regina scoffed. “I beg to differ.” And she did not mean that as an insult. There were so many instances already she felt like Nathan was as people called him “mini-Emma.” Beyond the blond hair and grin, he already exhibited behaviors she assorted with his mama.

“You’re making the situation worse,” Emma pointed out.

“Oh, yes, because your presence de-escalated everything. I’m sure your hand on my hip has all but put this fire out,” Regina replied.

“Oh, now it’s my fault you have awful taste in men?” Emma pointed at Robin, who gawked at them.

Regina cocked an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, did you have me beat with the leather clad pirate who was allergic to bath water and, if you tell it right, threatened to rape you quite a few times upon first meeting?”

“What’s going on here?” the deep voice of the head chef asked as he stepped over. Regina felt certain he was as tall as two of her.

“You let garbage into this establishment is what’s going on here,” Robin said, sneering at Regina and Emma.

“Well, we were stalling him until you showed up as I recall you dislike it when I start fires in the middle of the lobby,” Regina told Kronk, as that was what he had on the nametag on his chef’s coat. She always thought that was odd, as he went by Alejandro most of the time.

Kronk nodded. “I appreciate it. I get enough magic in my life after hours.”

Regina did not say anything to that and hoped like Hell Emma did not realize who this was or what the hell was going on or bother to read his nametag. Emma looked back and jumped when she took in the complete size of Kronk. It was hard to believe he was fully human, not half-giant or something like that.

“You’re taking their side?” Robin was almost foaming at the mouth at this point. There were pearls of spittle gathered at the corners of his mouth.

“I’m taking my employees’ side. Quite a few of them rushed to the back to let me know what’s going on. You’ve been abusive and argumentative for no reason. You don’t have a reservation, then you don’t have a table. That’s how this works. If you don’t get that, I can show you the door,” Kronk said and he made a show of rolling his massive shoulders. The chef’s white uniform did not take away from his intimidation factor in the least.

Robin screamed, his face practically maroon now with frustration. “You would throw me out, but entertain the Evil Queen? This place is so backwards! How can you even stand to have their type of filth in here?”

Emma looked at Robin’s date. “Honey, I think you need to get away from this before it gets worse. You want to be banned from one of the top restaurants in town because of him?”

Regina was about to shush Emma, but the date actually left. She tossed her hands up and walked away. Of course, that only set Robin off more. His chest heaved and he balled his hands into tight fists. His mouth moved, but it took a while for words to make it out.

“How dare you run her off? What right do you have? This makes no sense! Why are they always catered to? How can you put up with their sort? How can you call yourself a man and let the Evil Queen tell you what to do?” Robin screamed, panting at the end of the question.

Regina winced. It hit her in the chest every time he called her “the Evil Queen,” even though his opinion did not matter. It was just amazing how he easily he switched on her. But, what should she expect from the man who knowingly dated and bedded his wife’s executioner? He could not possibly respect anyone or anything if he could do something like that.

“Don’t you realize I’m the real hero here? I was the one who put my life on the line for poor people. What has she ever done beyond murder people?” Robin took a step forward. Regina’s fingers twitched while Emma moved her to the side a little, probably prepared to literally jump on Robin.

“She’s saved a lot of people, too. What have you done lately?” Emma snapped. “You know, beyond lose two women you supposedly love and be as nasty to them as you possibly can?”

Robin roared in a fury and leaped at Emma, but never made it. Kronk took charge of the matter, grabbing Robin by his shirt and literally carrying him out of the restaurant. Robin screamed the whole time, shouting nonsense threats and insults to the couple. Emma and Regina went back to their table.

“You think he’ll ever get over it?” Emma asked.

Regina shook her head. “No. We damaged his pride much too much. What happened between him and Marian did not help.”

“We had nothing to do with that,” Emma said.

“We had nothing to do with a lot of things, but he still blames us. But, can we put him out of our minds? I still have hopes for this date and you have free liquor coming.”

“Which always makes things better.” Emma grinned and reached across the table for Regina’s hand. Regina smiled and took the offered hand.

The waitress brought Emma’s drinks and they got a free platter of appetizers, spinach puffs. If that was not a clue for Emma, then Regina might make it through the dinner without any teasing. But, then again, if Emma had more beer and sangria together, it might not matter.

“Oh, this is good!” Emma licked her lips after trying her beer. She reached over for a spinach puff and examined it. Regina braced herself for something, but then Emma just popped the food in her mouth and went back to her beer.

“Are you toying with me?” Regina asked. She needed to know if she would have to be tense the whole date or if she could relax.

Emma reached across the table and held her hand again. “I am enjoying my time with you. Simple as that. Now, do you think we could get some appetizers not full of a green vegetable I don’t like?”

“You eat spinach all the time.” She cooked a variety of green, leafy vegetables for them all the time, for breakfast and dinner.

“You know how to make it taste good, though. Can we get dip or something?” Emma asked.

Regina waved the waitress over. She got sauce for the puffs, but also sliced baked potatoes with cheese sauce. Emma would devour that, she had no doubt. They also ordered entrees after she recommended several things to Emma and explained what was in them. It was a smooth time until the chef made a second appearance.

“Regina, you are going to love this,” Kronk said as he came to the table and put her plate down. The waitress had Emma’s order and another craft beer. Kronk looked giddy, holding his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment. “I’ve been working on it and had to perfect the sauce that goes with it, but it’s like heaven on your tongue.”

“She can already have heaven on her tongue whenever she wants,” Emma remarked.

Kronk chuckled while Regina’s eyes went wide. “Emma!”

“I don’t doubt that, Sheriff. I also made your dish special. Consider it thanks for always putting your life on the line for us. Well, and you both are such an attractive couple. You’re adorable! You both are always welcome here.” Kronk glanced at the door. “But, maybe only when you’re together.”

“Sorry about Robin again,” Regina said.

“Not your fault. I know what it’s like to enable someone, after all. Now, I don’t want to keep you, but when you’re done, I’m coming back out here to find out what you thought.” Kronk gave them both a sort of bow and then hurried away.

Emma turned to her with a smirk that made Regina brace herself. “So… Kronk, huh?”

Regina narrowed her gaze on her partner. “I thought you were here to enjoy your time with me.”

Emma smiled. “Fine, but I’m not responsible for anything I say after another of these.” She tapped her empty sangria glass. Regina sighed. Maybe she should decline free drinks in the future, even if it meant having to have her date interrupted by Kronk and being labeled “adorable.”

-8-8-8-8-

The date did not play out as planned and Regina blamed the free alcohol. Emma indulged too much and she had to teleport them into the house. Emma was too heavy for her to hold up on her own, even to get her to the car.

“We’re home!” Emma announced in a howl.

“Shh!” Regina hissed, putting a finger to her lip. While it was not too late, if the schedule followed, Nathan was asleep. Henry was probably still awake and Regina did not want him to see his mother like this, even though Emma was a funny drunk.

“Sounds like you had a good time,” Lily commented as she and Maleficent stepped into the foyer.

“The drinks were free and awesome. Delicious,” Emma slurred. She stumbled a bit, but Regina held her up.

Maleficent smirked. “Oh, Regina, you’re not having a happy ending tonight.”

“No, especially since I’ll have to get up with Nathan at two in the morning,” Regina replied. She did not mind. Emma had a good time, which was all that mattered, especially after their run-in with Robin. She was not even bothered when Kronk tried to sing to them at the end of the night while they tried to eat their dessert in peace.

Granny stepped out as well. “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it.”

Regina chuckled. “Yes, I suppose I did. Well, I wanted to speak with you all about watching Nathan and Henry for our baby-moon, but I feel like I need to get Emma to bed.”

“I have no problem helping with the baby-moon, but I do have a diner to run,” Granny replied.

Regina turned to Maleficent. “Which is where you would come in.”

“If you think I’m ready to watch the kids for that long,” Maleficent said.

“Of course you are!” Emma replied.

Regina shook her head. “Sweetheart, I need you to use your inside voice.” She had discovered drunk-Emma actually did not have an inside voice. “Maleficent, I have no doubt you would do fine and you have plenty of help at your disposal. I’m sure his grandmother would jump at the chance to be of any assistance, even though she knows the very idea makes my skin crawl.”

Lily scowled. “That makes two of us.”

“You can call me, even if I’m at the diner. Marian and Mulan will probably help, too. I’m sure we can’t stop Ruby from coming by. She takes her title of fake-aunt very serious,” Granny said.

“All of that sounds like much better backup,” Maleficent said. While she might have forgiven Snow, she did not like to suffer the woman’s presence if it could be helped. Regina understood.

Granny nodded. “Good.” She turned to Regina. “Sober her up and figure out when you’re leaving. Make it soon. You two deserve it. And, we’d like to do it before some other disaster springs up.”

Regina smiled. “Thank you.” She hated to think there might be one on the horizon with whatever was going on with the Business Bureau, but with luck, they would keep until after she and Emma came back.

The three babysitters left and Regina helped Emma up to their bedroom. On the way there, she glanced into Henry’s bedroom. He was reading. She did not disturb him. Getting Emma out of her dress was easy enough. Emma giggled the whole time, thinking they were about to be intimate. Of course, it was impossible since Emma was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Regina smiled and kissed her forehead.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: they finally get to their baby-moon.

Chapter Text

4: Rest and Relaxation

Henry was not sure what to make of his mothers as they prepared for their baby-moon. He was happy they were finally going. But, watching his mother pack confused him. Stranger still, he did not think Emma packed at all. And I thought Mom was the one who didn’t want to go.

“Mom, are you sure you’re going to need all those books?” Henry asked, sitting on the chaise in Regina’s office. He could not understand why his mother was looking for books. Who took books on vacation? Sure, he had only had a real vacation when he was in New York that year with Emma, but he did not recall them taking books.

“There are just a few things I’d like to read on the plane. It’s a long flight,” Regina replied.

Henry gave his mother a deadpan expression, even though she was not looking at him. “Mom, you just grabbed the complete works of Shakespeare, both volumes.” He was not sure his mother knew what a vacation was or how they went, which did not surprise him. When had she ever had a chance to take a vacation in her life?

Regina turned to frown at him. “I happen to want to reread Hamlet on the plane.”

Henry scowled in return, fighting off the urge to face-palm. “Mom, you cannot read Hamlet on the plane.”

Regina shook her head and squinted as she regarded him, like she was trying to figure him out, like she was not the one being weird. “Why not? It’s over seven hours and we both know your ma will end up watching movies and sleeping.”

Henry sucked his teeth. “Mom, you know Ma just wants to be able to focus on you and only you for a couple of days, including on the plane. She’ll want to talk to you and have your attention and everything and you’re going to want the same thing, but you’ll try to act all cool, like you don’t. I’m not saying don’t take any books, but don’t take too many. You’re not going to be reading once you get there.”

Regina arched an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, when was the last time you were on vacation? It doesn’t even matter because you’ve never been on vacation with Ma.” He held up a finger, silencing her before she had a chance to rebut. “Looking for Lily doesn’t count. You both haven’t been able to really just enjoy each other’s company for more than a couple of hours. That’s what you’re supposed to do on the baby-moon, just enjoy being around each other. You don’t have to worry about me and Nathan. You just focus on each other, even on the plane.”

Regina gave him a small smile. Henry liked how freely his mother smiled now and how her eyes sparkled each time she did it. He noted little things like this now and filed them away, comparing them to memories before everything happened. He was very aware Regina often looked at him like he hung the stars, especially when she smiled at him. Even now, she did not smile at anyone the way she did at him, not Emma, not Nathan. He often wondered how he could doubt her adoration for him, but he knew how. He did not like to think about it much anymore. It caused a knot in his stomach and then it felt like the knot was stabbed with a thousand hot, piercing needles.

Beyond doubting his mother’s love for him, Henry recalled how he treated her after finding out he was adopted. In his mind, it meant she could not love him, not like his birth mother. Before going to find Emma, he used to snipe at Regina with all sorts of comments, but the one he could still see in his mind that brought all of the hurt was to say “you’re not my real mom.” Regina always paused and winced, like the words physically hit her.

“Anything wrong, Henry?” Regina asked.

Henry blinked and shook himself free of his thoughts. “No. Just trying to think of what you should take instead of a book.”

Regina waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Look, I’ll only take this one and put all my others back.”

“No, Mom. Take something happy! Something that won’t make you brood.” Henry shook his head. What was he going to do with his mother?

“Hamlet does not make me brood.”

He scoffed. “You don’t know what brooding is then. In fact, Shakespeare in general is not a happy place for you, not even his sonnets. What if you do something closer to modern lit? You’re not bad with Dickens. Maybe catch up on your poetry.”

Regina frowned again, but moved to her less used space on the bookshelf. He watched her pick one book, possibly Jane Austen. He was not as familiar with the set up of that area, but now he needed to tell Emma to take Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. There was no way Regina would be able to resist judging the book and then reprimanding Emma for the entire flight for her reading tastes and lecturing her about proper, engaging literature.

“I better make sure Ma isn’t packing anything unnecessary,” Henry said, hopping up from the chaise. He trotted out of the office before his mother could say anything. “Don’t pack Shakespeare!” he called as he left. He would check again later to make sure she listened.

Emma was in the master bedroom… not packing anything from what Henry could tell. Is she ever going to pack? She was on the bed with Nathan curled against her. He was asleep, as it was past his bedtime. He should have been in the nursery. His mothers were both insistent on Nathan learning to sleep by himself, so they rarely let him sleep on their bed.

“You’re gonna get in trouble if Mom comes in here and finds you lazing about with Nathan,” Henry stated the obvious. Sometimes, it felt like it was necessary with his ma, but then again now that he thought about it, getting in trouble might have been the point. Emma liked getting in trouble every now and then, which he did not understand. Adults.

Emma scoffed. “Lazing about? I’m watching him, making sure he doesn’t fall out of bed or whatever.”

“He’s supposed to be in his bed and you know that as well as I do.”

Emma shrugged. “His bed, my bed. Close enough. It’s a bed.”

Henry folded his arms across his chest. “Aren’t you supposed to be packing? You leave in a few days. You don’t want to rush after not only getting Mom to go on a baby-moon, but talking her into going to Vegas.” He was still not sure how the hell Emma talked his mother into going to Las Vegas. Part of him thought Regina could not possibly know Las Vegas as the city of vice. Yeah, it might be a place the Evil Queen could fit in and have a ball, but not Regina Mills the Mayor of Storybrooke or Regina the mother of two.

Emma waved him off. “Regina packed for me. Can you believe that? I married up.” She held up both thumbs.

Henry laughed. “You’re silly.” He noticed Emma was so much more lighthearted now. Family suited her as well as it suited the rest of them. She was able to be at ease and bring out other facets of her personality more often. “Did she really pack for you?”

“Well, she put away stuff I picked out. She thought I didn’t know what I was doing.”

He smiled and nodded. “Like always.”

She waved it off with a flick of her wrist. “Yeah, I let her go. Little does she know, I know how to pack way better than she does. I fixed both our suitcases, so we can fit souvenirs and junk, too. She was also worried over just taking carry-on. She didn’t know if we’d have enough, even though we’ve got more than enough. We’re not leaving for the week, after all. She doesn’t travel much, huh?”

He shook his head. “I think you’re taking her on her first real vacation. I mean, yeah, she told us she’s been out of Storybrooke and stuff, but not to just relax and experience the place. You don’t think Vegas is going to be too much for her?”

She waved that off. “Nah. I’ve been a few times. It’s calmed down recently in comparison to what it used to be and I’m not going to take her anywhere too crazy. I just wanted to get her as far from here as I could and have a lot of options, even though we’re only there for three days.”

Henry nodded. That sounded like a good idea. “If she likes it, you guys can probably go back for a longer vacation.”

Her eyes sparkled, clearly liking that idea. “That’s what I figured, too. Three days is short enough for her to hate it, but not seethe about it, and long enough for her to decide if she likes it and we should come back.”

Henry was not surprised Emma put so much thought into what seemed like nothing. “Thanks for taking care of Mom so much.” He gave her a small smile.

Emma snorted. “It’s mutual. She takes care of me. We take care of each other and you and Nathan. You guys give me the best idea of what family really is and I love it all.”

Henry put his chin in the air, pride puffing out his chest. “You and Mom do the same for me. Make sure Mom has a good time and don’t let her push you around. You know, more than you like, you weirdo.” Emma only laughed. Adults were weird.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina hated flying and it had very little to do with the airplane. She was impatient. Two hours into the flight and she wanted to see her babies, but she could not figure out the damn airplane wifi. Emma was busy going through movies, so she was of no help, but that might have been intentional. It did not help matters that she refused to ask for assistance, not wanting to hear Emma say something about her separation anxiety. Was it a crime to love one’s children and want to be around them?

“Henry told me you brought a book. Read it and stop worrying about the boys. We just saw them,” Emma said, attention still on flipping through movies.

“We just saw them almost four hours ago. I just want to make sure everything is all right,” Regina replied. Anything could have happened in those four hours and there were still several hours left on the plane. What if something happened and she was not aware? What if their sons needed them?

Emma turned, putting her hand on Regina’s knee. “Give it time. You’ve been away from them longer than this before. You know they’re in capable hands. Just, relax.” She gave Regina’s knee a little squeeze. It did not help.

Regina sighed. “It’s hard. Why do we have to go all the way across the country?”

“Because we need time to ourselves.” Emma caressed her knee with her thumb and then gave her a small, sorrowful smile. “If you’re so worried about the boys and you don’t want to be there, we can try to squeeze into a flight back. I don’t want you to worry. I hate it when you stress out. I just want you to be happy.”

“You mean it?” Regina would feel her lip wobble. Why was Emma so good to her?

“Of course I mean it. If you’re actually stressed about this and you don’t want to do it, as soon as this plane lands, I will do everything in my power to get us back to Storybrooke as soon as possible. I don’t want you to be upset, especially while we’re supposed to be on vacation.”

Regina knew Emma spoke the truth, but was also challenging her. If Regina felt uncomfortable about Henry and Nathan being without them, they would be back on the next flight as soon as they landed, but there was also the bite there. The idea that she could not let go, that her whole life was wrapped around their sons, and everything she did had to involve them was not right. She could not live that way, not for herself or for their sons. Beyond that, she wanted to spend time with Emma without their sons in the middle. She wanted to get to know Emma in a more intimate fashion that had nothing to do with sex and everything to do with love.

“I’ll read my book,” Regina said, going into her carry-on bag under her seat. She fished out her worn copy of Pride and Prejudice to start from the beginning. She barely made it to page two before she noticed Emma taking out a book of her own. She read the cover. “What the hell is that abomination?”

Emma grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. “Good reading here.” She waved the book around.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies? Regina wanted to slap her partner with the novel. Who was this woman she devoted herself to?

“How am I supposed to be seen in public with you? What is this nonsense you dare to call a book? What kind of possible story or substance could it hold?” Regina knew she was on a rant, but she could not stop herself. She had babies with a woman who read things like Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Emma had no defense for this as far as she was concerned, no matter how much Emma tried to state otherwise. Before Regina knew it, drinks were served with snacks and several hours had passed.

“So, how you doing?” Emma asked as she ripped into her tiny bag of pretzels. Regina put her own bag on Emma’s tray, having no interest in them.

Regina sighed. “Better. I know you pulled out the book as a distraction and it worked.”

Emma smiled brightly, like she had not been upbraided for hours in a confined area with an audience around them. Regina made a conscious effort to relax at that point. Emma’s hand on her leg helped. She was able to make it through the flight without tearing her hair out about the wifi. As they descended, she took in the sight of the city, a shining beacon in the middle of the flat desert, even with the sun high in the sky. Emma grabbed their bags as soon as they were able to stand.

“You think you can wait until we get to the hotel to call about the kids?” Emma asked, her voice and expression serious.

Regina could only nod. While the airport was eye-catching with slot machines, chiming noises, and flashing lights, she was more captivated with Emma’s voice. She took hold of her own luggage and took Emma’s hand, allowing Emma to lead her through the airport to get a taxi. The sights and sounds outside were distracting, but were nothing compared to the warmth of Emma’s hand.

“So, since it’s early, I figured we’d check in and then wander the strip a bit before we eat. The show is tonight, okay?” Emma said as they settled into a cab.

Regina nodded. “Sounds fine.” She let Emma plan most of the trip, picking a couple of things that seemed interesting to her for them to do, but nothing more. She let Emma do the planning because Emma had been to Las Vegas before. She had provided the financing, so Emma could live lavish on vacation.

“We have to find the M&M store for Henry,” Emma reminded her. It was the one request Henry had, as they were suddenly his favorite candy. She suspected it had to do with the fact it was Paige’s favorite candy, but his mothers did not call him on that yet. Emma was probably waiting for the perfect time to use it.

Regina nodded. “We can save buying him any chocolate for the last day, though.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely. Although, it would be funny to watch him give Paige melted chocolate.” Emma put her hand to chin, as if plotting her diabolical scheme to humiliate their older son.

“Emma, you will not embarrass Henry with Paige like that. Other means, yes, but not like this.”

Emma chuckled. “I just want to know where it is, so we won’t waste time on the last day trying to find it.”

Regina smiled, feeling like Emma was learning to plan things out from her. They arrived at The Bellagio, checked in, and Regina was glad to enter the room. She still wanted to check on their sons. Emma busied herself marveling over the suite, like a child in a toy store.

“Hey, Henry,” Regina knew she cooed into the phone, but she could not help it. She missed their babies so much. How was she supposed to last three days without them?

“Hey, Mom. Are you guys at the hotel? Emma texted me when you landed it, but nothing after,” Henry reported.

Regina frowned. “She did, did she?” She narrowed her gaze on Emma, who poked her head out of the bathroom, like she knew they were talking about her. She would tell with Emma later. “Never mind that. How are you, Henry?”

“We’re fine, Mom. Please, just go enjoy yourself. I’ll send you some pictures of me and Nathan, so you can see everything’s fine. You need to relax and have fun,” Henry said.

Regina sighed. “I’ll try.”

“No, there is no try.” He snickered and she hated she knew he was quoting Yoda. Emma had done this to both of them. “You and Ma deserve this.”

Regina could not call him a liar there. “I know. I know.”

“And be nice to Emma, Mom. You guys are there to have a good time. She’s doing her best, so you have to do yours, too.”

Regina rolled her eyes. “Fine.” Well, she would be a little mean. Emma liked it. But, she did need to try to enjoy herself and her alone time with Emma. “But, yes, send me pictures with you and Nathan.”

“And you send me pictures with you and Ma. I wanna see smiles and having fun and all that.”

“I will.”

“Okay. So, I’m gonna hang up and you need to go have fun.”

“Fine. I love you.”

“Love you, too.” And with that he was gone.

Emma stepped back into the room. “Everything all right with the kids?”

Regina arched an eyebrow. “You texted Henry when we got off the plane?”

“I just wanted him to know we landed, nothing more. He didn’t even text me back, which is why he should end up with melted chocolate.”

Regina rubbed her chin. She tried to muster up some righteous indignation, but found it impossible. She was on a baby-moon. Everyone wanted her to enjoy herself. This was not the time to self-sabotage. She had to work on that. Live in the moment, love in the moment. Enjoy your time with Emma and let her know she’s appreciated.

“Are you ready to go?” Regina asked.

Emma’s face twitched. She was probably expecting an argument or at the least a biting comment. Regina mentally patted herself on the back. No, I should not celebrate not rising to the occasion of starting a fight. Emma should not expect her to start a fight over something like this. She was now more determined to enjoy herself.

“Come.” Regina took Emma’s hand and started to the door. “We’ll come back here before the show, right?”

Emma nodded. “If that’s what you want. Are you okay with doing dinner as is, though?”

“It’s fine.” Typically, yes, Regina would want to dress the part for dinner, but she was supposed to relax. She was on vacation. How often would she be able to say that and the vacation not also be part of a planned kidnapping of some kind?

Emma smiled and moved, so she was leading now. They walked what Regina learned was called The Strip. It held the big and famous casinos and shows. The different building designs caught Regina’s attention, but something else had Emma’s eye.

“Wanna get a drink? They have all these really cool cups,” Emma said.

“And apparently they’re just drinking alcohol in the middle of the street?” Regina could not think of a place where that was legal, even in Storybrooke where some of the laws were just whims she had when she was bored under the Curse and they had not taken them off the books yet.

“Oh, yeah, this is Vegas, baby. Come on. I have to drink at least four drinks, so I get a cup, Henry gets a cup, Dad gets a cup, and when Nathan is finally using a cup, he can have one. I’d include you, but I know that’s beneath Her Majesty.”

“It should be beneath you, too. You are Princess Consort at this point, Highness.” Regina smirked, willing to bet money Emma had not considered that.

Emma’s mouth fell open, but nothing came out. Regina chuckled, but did not stop Emma when she went for her first drink. She shared with Regina, who liked the taste, but was not in the mood for excessive drinking. She took a few sips as they wandered up and down, going into some stores and poking into a few casinos. It was fun to do this simple exploration. They conversed in between, took a few selfies to send to Henry, and lost some money on a few games of chance. Before they knew it, it was time for dinner. Regina let Emma pick.

“You sure you want me to pick?” Emma asked, giving her hand a squeeze.

“Well, we’re doing the show I want to do, so I think it’s only fair you get to pick dinner. Besides, I can only imagine you’ll want to do something to broaden my horizons.” Regina fought the instinct to roll her eyes.

Emma grinned. “Now that you mention it…”

Dinner ended up being takeout from a place called Fatburger. Regina was not surprised and did not have the energy to pretend this was below her upper class palette. Nathan had ruined all illusions of her only delighting in fine dining. Besides, was it a crime to enjoy both? They toted the food back to the hotel suite.

“You having fun yet?” Emma asked as she cleared the table by the large window for them to eat. She pulled the curtain, so they had a view of the city at night. It was breathtaking.

Regina gave her a small smile. “Yes. I liked the walk and I have a feeling I’m going to like dinner.”

“Fatburger is awesome. I’d suggest we get one in Storybrooke, but Granny might actually kill us and make us burgers,” Emma said.

Regina nodded, as that was quite true. She could not wait to try the food, as Emma talked about it the whole time they waited for the burgers. She sat down and opened their takeout bags. She wished they had plates, even though it was fast food. There was something about civil dining requiring plates for her. Emma gave her a look, as if she knew what Regina was thinking.

“It’ll be fine. We know how to handle burgers, babe,” Emma said.

Regina scowled. “Do not call me that.”

Emma pouted. “But, you call me terms of endearment all the time.”

Regina opened her mouth, but thought the better of what she was about to say. She used terms of endearment with Emma as she felt it necessary to remind Emma that she was loved. More specifically, she wanted to remind Emma of her affections for the sheriff. After all, her tongue was more often sour than sweet and she liked to soothe any burns her heated words tended to leave behind. But, did she need the reminders as well? Maybe Emma had her own reasons.

“Why ‘babe’?” Regina asked, moving Emma’s burger to her side of the table. They would split the order of chili cheese fries Emma just needed to get and Regina’s onion rings. Topping off the decadent meal were milkshakes. Emma had gone with the classic strawberry while Regina wanted to try the cookies and cream one. Why not go all the way if she was going to have the unhealthiest dinner she could? She was on vacation.

Emma’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Why would you want to call me ‘babe’? I could give you an explanation as to why I call you ‘sweetheart’ if you wish. Why would you want to call me ‘babe’?” Regina asked.

Emma scowled, leaning an elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand. “I guess that one rolls off the tongue easy. I want to call you something to let you know you’re special, but babe is really generic, huh? I guess I don’t have a big enough vocabulary to find the right word for you, though.”

Regina nodded. “Well, sweetheart is generic as well, but I honestly believe you to be a sweetheart because of the way you came to my side with Nathan. Your heart is a wonder, a marvel, and I acknowledge that every time I call you sweetheart.”

Emma blew out a breath. “Damn, now I really feel like I want to step my game up.”

Regina smiled and shook her head. “You don’t have to. Now, I know whenever you say babe, you’re not calling me that because you’re being annoying or unoriginal. You’re calling me that because you think I’m special. Not many people do.”

Emma grinned and sat up tall. “I do think you’re special. You’re the mother of my children and I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. Now, let’s eat because we don’t have that much time before the show.”

With that, Emma bit into her XXL Fatburger. Regina was not sure how she fit the thing in her mouth, but did not ask any questions. She had witnessed Emma gorge herself on way too many things. So, she took a bite of her burger and knew the flavor dancing on her tongue showed on her face. Emma’s eyes lit up and she quickly chewed her food.

“It’s good, isn’t it? You look so happy eating it. We should totally get one in Storybrooke,” Emma said.

“It is good, but you pointed out the problem with getting one,” Regina replied.

“Hmm… do you think you could like magic us up some Fatburger every now and then?”

Regina scratched her cheek and considered the notion. “I’m not sure if I would be able to teleport things outside of Storybrooke to Storybrooke. It’s something to consider. I’d also need to see if I could use the mirror to look in on the outside world. I wouldn’t want to teleport something without considering the consequences or the environment.”

“You’re thinking way too hard on this.” Emma shoved some fries in her mouth.

“Yes, well, you brought it up. I’m considering it to indulge you,” Regina countered.

“Because you love me,” Emma replied.

“Of course. Why else would I indulge someone as immature as you?” Regina said. Of course that only made Emma grin. Regina had nothing to respond with. Instead, she took another bite of her burger and sipped her milkshake. It was delicious. She would definitely mention to Granny they needed a wider variety of shakes.

Dinner was wonderful and then they had to get dressed for the show. Regina always wanted to see Cirque du Soleil, but the only one Emma was interested in was the Michael Jackson one. Regina was a fan of his music, so she had no problem with seeing the show based on his work. It was a good time.

-8-8-8-8-

After the show, they walked around The Strip some more, which suited Regina. They needed to work off that dinner, after all. They held hands and wandered through more casinos. Emma could not resist by the time they walked through the third one and had to place a bet.

“I feel lucky,” Emma commented.

“I’m sure that would remain true if we make it back to the hotel room soon. After all, I think we need to burn off those milkshakes,” Regina replied with a smirk.

Emma groaned and the blackjack dealer smiled at both of them. “Newlyweds?” he inquired as he flipped his cards. “Winner.”

Emma stood taller and rubbed her hands together. “Oh, we could be!” She doubled down on the bet.

“We are not getting married in Vegas without our sons around. And could you imagine your mother’s reaction?” Regina did not even want to think of that headache.

“You’d enjoy it.” Emma winked.

Of course Regina would, but eventually it would grow irksome and wear on them both. She would rather not have to deal with that. Not to mention, Henry would probably side with his grandmother if his mothers returned a married couple. Married in Las Vegas of all places, without any family or friends with them.

Emma only played one more hand of blackjack, winning again, but she was more interested in going back to their room. Regina was in favor of that as well. They were kissing on the elevator with her leg hooked around Emma’s waist, not caring that her dress was hiked up to the point of showing her ass. Regina could hardly believe her lack of inhibitions. She also could not believe she was able to open the room door with Emma sucking on her neck with her hand up Regina’s dress. There would probably be a mark, but she could not bring herself to care.

“I want to undress you,” Emma said, hands on Regina’s abdomen.

“It would be easier for you to unzip me,” Regina purred.

Emma wasted no time doing just that. Regina pulled away as she felt the dress dip. Emma whined and Regina smiled as she let the dress go, stepping out of it, revealing her very best crimson lingerie. She continued on, closer to the bed. She paused to turn to Emma and beckon her with a crooked finger. Emma bit her bottom lip.

“You had that on all day?” Emma asked, licking her lips.

Regina smirked and nodded. “All day. Even when we were on the plane and no one was paying any mind to your hand on my knee.”

“Holy fuck,” Emma groaned.

“Yes.” The idea of doing anything on the plane was intriguing. She heard of the Mile High Club. She would not mind being adventurous and giving it a try. Maybe on the ride back.

“You are so damn hot,” Emma said.

“Come and feel how hot,” Regina replied.

She did not need to tell Emma twice. Emma was on her and they tumbled to the bed. She twisted a little, needing to avoid Emma touching her breasts. She did not want to wince and ruin the moment. Emma held her body up, as well, conscious of Regina’s weakness. Regina tugged at Emma’s dress as they shared a heated kiss. Where the hell was the zipper?

Once she found the zipper, Emma pulled away to get out of her dress and underwear. Regina moved further up the bed and Emma chased her, but paused at halfway there. Regina was about to ask what was wrong, but then Emma leaned down, kissing her ankle. A light moan escaped her as Emma kissed her way up Regina’s left leg until she got to Regina’s waist. She hooked her fingers around the waistband of Regina’s thong and pulled it down as she kissed down the opposite leg. The sight alone made Regina pant and each kiss made her heart thump with promise.

“Come back, sweetheart,” Regina said as Emma got to her ankle.

“Of course.” Emma twirled the thong around her finger before discarding it behind her. She placed a few more gentle kisses to Regina’s abdomen, pausing at her stretch marks, before they were face to face. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too.”

There was another kiss and Regina hooked her leg around Emma’s hip as Emma straddled her thigh. She groaned as Emma pushed down against her thigh. Regina shifted, wanting to give Emma more. She gripped Emma hips and pulled her down.

“Fuck, babe,” Emma said, mouth barely away from Regina’s lips. They shared the heated air between them.

“Tell me what you need.” Regina allowed one hand to wander Emma’s ribs before caressing the swell of Emma’s breast.

A cute little moan escaped Emma’s throat. “You. I only need you.”

Regina did not need to hear anything else. She eased her hand down between Emma’s legs. She exhaled as she felt how much Emma wanted her and groaned as Emma moved against her fingers. Little, beautiful noises escaped Emma, but quickly became a moan was Regina slid inside her. 

Being inside of Emma never failed to touch Regina deeply. There was something about Emma accepting her, something about bringing Emma pleasure, something about being connected like this that made Regina feel like she was part of a greater entity. Regina moved slowly, wanting to savor the moment, but Emma would have none of it. Emma’s hips rose and fell faster and faster until she cried out. She collapsed against Regina. It hurt like hell, but Regina did not mind. The feel of Emma’s whole body pressed against her was like being wrapped in love.

“You are so precious to me,” Regina said. She kissed Emma’s cheek. Emma’s response was to nuzzle her neck. This was only the beginning she knew. She could not wait for round two.

-8-8-8-8- 

Next time: more baby-moon.

Chapter Text

5: Sleepover

Regina awoke to something she had been treated to countless times prior to now — Emma’s tongue between her legs. There were times she thought the baby-moon was just an excuse for them to have sex somewhere that was not home and she could not figure out why she thought that was such a bad thing. Moaning, her fingers wasted no time running through Emma’s hair, which was still somewhat wet from their shared shower last night. Well, maybe the shower was this morning. It did not matter. Emma looked up and locked eyes with her, but her tongue kept doing what it was doing.

Regina purred as she settled into the pillow as she rocked her hips in time with Emma’s amazing tongue. Pleasure built quickly as Emma moved Regina’s leg to her shoulder and spread her. Regina tossed her head to the side and moaned. Her body trembled as her nerve ending sang from the sweet attention. Emma sucked on her and eased a finger into her. Regina pumped her hips, trying to push Emma deeper. Emma used a hand to hold her by the thigh, trying to stop her.

“Emma.” Regina growled and tightened her hand in Emma’s hair, trying to bring her closer. “You teased enough last night.” In fact, Emma spent about an hour last night leisurely lapping at Regina after she ordered Regina some strawberries and whipped cream just because she wanted to watch Regina eat them.

Emma scoffed, breath hitting Regina’s sensitive skin. Regina bucked against Emma’s face, but this did nothing. Emma was in a playful mood, which was probably left over from last night. After she managed to talk Regina into sex on the couch, Emma was full of herself and teased every single orgasm out of Regina last night.

“Emma,” Regina breathed the name, fisting her handful of blonde hair. She tried to pull Emma back to where she needed her, even though she knew Emma would not move until she wanted to. “Please, Emma. Please.”

“I got you, babe.” Emma sucked and licked and Regina melted into the bed with a satisfied groan. “I love the little sounds you make. You sound so good. You taste so good.”

Regina scratched at Emma’s scalp as she arched into her mouth. Tongue and lips and Regina was certain liquid bliss flowed through her. Emma was so good at this. How did Emma know exactly how to touch her every single time? She did not know and did not care. She moved with Emma’s mouth, trying to keep up. It was impossible and she felt herself drifting higher and higher. Then, she felt another finger slip inside of her and that was enough. Her entire world exploded and she cried out, quivering from her power of Emma’s talent.

As Regina recovered, Emma crawled back up the bed and gathered Regina into her arms. “I got you.” She kissed Regina’s forehead.

Regina sighed, feeling contentment wash over her. She settled against Emma, hearing her heartbeat against her ear. Emma’s fingers drifted up and down Regina’s bare shoulder. Regina put a hand on Emma’s hip, delighting in the feel of more skin against her skin. This was the perfect vacation.

“What time is it?” Regina asked. They had the curtains drawn and they did their job quite well. Not a slither of sunlight entered their room.

Emma shrugged. “No idea. I was too busy celebrating I woke up first.” She kissed Regina’s forehead again.

“It’s not the first time.” Although, the reason it probably happened now was because Emma went to bed very satisfied. Yes, Regina had her fair share of orgasms, but there was tons of teasing with it that she had not subjected Emma to. After all, she was trying to be nice.

“Nah, but usually I have to wake up in the middle of the night to do stuff like this. You usually wake up first in the morning. Anyway, you want some breakfast?” Emma made a show of looking around for the menu, but did not move from her spot.

Regina thought on it. She did not want to move, just revel in her orgasm and her partner. “Is there a room service menu by you?”

Emma shook her head. “Don’t see it. The TV remote is by me and we should be able to see the menu on the TV. Well, sometimes you can do that.” She turned to grab the remote and found the hotel channel.

While Emma searched for substance, Regina grabbed for her phone. Henry said he would send pictures. There were plenty of messages with pictures attached.

Regina cooed. “Oh, he’s covered in his dinner!”

“Don’t look at pictures without me!” Emma dived on her, but was quite careful of her. “Lemme see! Lemme see!”

Regina rolled her eyes. “Look.” She turned the picture of Nathan covered in applesauce to Emma.

Emma grinned. “I can’t wait until he’s only eating baby food.”

Regina glowered at her partner. “Stop pushing him to grow up so soon. Before you know it, he’ll be on a bus to Boston.”

Emma snickered. “I’m assuming his birth mother is on vacation with his other mother and that’s why he’s running away from Storybrooke.”

“That or his big brother has settled in Boston and he has decided his mothers are gross.”

Emma snorted. “We can just show him this picture, so he’ll know he was once gross, too. What else do you got?”

“Henry sent quite a few.” Regina began to scroll for both of them. The next picture was Henry covered in Nathan’s dinner.

“Aw,” Emma said. “He was trying to be helpful.”

“I’m sure he walked away right after that.” Regina went to the next picture where Granny was feeding Nathan again. There were also texts from Granny, updates on Nathan, like giving him a bath and putting him to bed. There were a few updates about Henry, too. A picture of him on the sofa playing video games, a note that he ate a good dinner, and he went to bed at a decent hour.

“How’s Maleficent and Lily doing with them?” Emma asked.

Regina shrugged, but she also had texts from Maleficent. As she read them, she chuckled. “I think I’ve broken your baby. He will not stop crying.” “Your boy has pooped up his back. I refuse to watch him ever again.” The latter message was followed up with a picture of Maleficent cuddling a very clean Nathan.

Emma smiled. “That is the shortest time of never watching someone.”

Regina gave her a look. “Oh, please, you wanted to throw him out when you had to change him the last time he went up his back and through the onesie.”

An actual shudder shook Emma to the point Regina felt it. “It’s so disgusting. He barely eats food. How does he have all of that inside of him?”

Regina shook her head. “I’d rather not consider it since we are about to eat. Will you please call for some breakfast?”

Emma rolled her eyes and acted as if this was such a huge burden, but not only did she order breakfast, she braved leaving the bed when there was a knock at the door. Regina practically swooned as Emma tossed on a robe.

“My hero,” Regina said. She was not sure she even wanted to get up to spend a day wandering the city. What did it matter if the baby-moon was about having sex? She could not believe she thought that was a bad thing. A weekend in bed with Emma would be more than satisfying and quite relaxing. Making love counted as bonding, right?

Emma smiled as she barely let the bellhop in and took the food from the cart in the living room. She tipped him and carried everything inside to the bedroom. While Emma set up for them to eat in bed, Regina put her phone down to resist the urge to call Henry. He should be awake. After all, they slept in and they were three hours behind him. But, she wanted to focus on eating first.

“You want a piece of my waffle?” Emma broke a bit of her large Belgian waffle, which was covered in mixed berries and whipped cream.

“Yes, please.” Regina took the bite, Emma feeding it to her. Her own breakfast was plainer than Emma’s, a bowl of oatmeal with honey and strawberries. She liked it, though.

“You should’ve gotten the pancakes.” Emma shoved some waffle in her own mouth.

Regina shook her head and took her own spoonful of breakfast. “No, not after dinner last night.” She moaned at the taste of the honey. She definitely made the right decision.

Emma’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious? You’re just going to make that sound with me right here and not in between your legs?”

Regina smirked at her partner. “Well, maybe if you were doing it right I might make that sound for you.”

Emma growled. “Is that a challenge?”

Rolling her eyes, she ate another spoonful of oatmeal. “So you can tease me more? I think not.” She made a show out of the next spoonful that passed through her lips.

Emma groaned. “Regina, come on.”

“Eat your waffle, sweetheart. We do have to go out soon.” Regina patted Emma’s thigh before making even more of a display of eating her oatmeal.

“Holy shit…” Emma bit her lip. “You definitely should’ve gotten pancakes. You couldn’t possibly be this obscene with pancakes.”

“Is that a challenge?” Regina winked at her. “But, again, pancakes would’ve been too heavy.”

Emma pouted once more and then turned her attention back to her food. “I guess, but we’re going to walk it off today.”

Regina held back another smirk and decided to cut Emma a break. She was being nice, so they could carry on the conversation Emma wanted. “It’s fine. But, we’re having a proper dinner tonight.”

“Totally. Of course.”

Regina glared at Emma, making sure her partner understood she meant it. Emma gave her a wide grin, which did not instill her with confidence. It was a good thing she ate healthy right now. Once they were done with breakfast, they called Henry, wanting to check in. He was more eager to talk to them now than he was last night.

“What are you guys doing today?” Henry asked.

“We have a show tonight, but I’m gonna take your mom through the garden here and I wanna see the shark thing over at another hotel,” Emma replied.

“It’s good you’re both doing things you each want to do and doing it together.” Henry liked to act like he was their couple’s counselor, even though they did not require one. They did not mind, as long as he did not go overboard or venture into something inappropriate.

Emma smiled. “It is good to share these things with your mom.” She rubbed Regina’s shoulder.

Regina cuddled in closer to her partner. “Agreed. I even let your mother introduce me to a place called Fatburger.”

Henry groaned. “Aw, I want to try it. It’s supposed to be so good!”

“It really is, Henry. It really is. I think your mom fell more in love with her burger than with me!” Emma gave Regina puppy eyes.

“At this point, I might, considering how you’re treating me,” Regina replied.

“Ma, you can’t be mean to Mom. She promised to be nice to you,” Henry scolded Emma, which made Regina smile.

“I’m not being mean to her. I introduced her to her one True Love, Fatburger,” Emma argued.

“You might be right. I think I’m going to go elope with my next burger,” Regina said. She hated to admit, even to herself, if Emma wanted to go back there for dinner, she would be more than happy to do so.

“Wow. Those must be some good burgers. I hope that burger didn’t get Mom pregnant,” he laughed at his own joke.

Emma sucked her teeth and then she made a fist. “I’d fight that burger if that’s the case and I’d win. Your mom only has my babies.”

“I’m fairly certain you had the first one,” Regina pointed out.

“Either way, you are my baby mama.” Emma hugged Regina around the shoulders and kissed her.

“I can hear you two being gross. You want to talk to Maleficent? She’s feeding Nathan and he’s feeding the highchair tray,” Henry reported.

Speaking with Maleficent was short. She was more focused on feeding Nathan, which his mothers appreciated it. It sounded like she was having a time of it, though. Regina made sure to encourage her friend for the few moments they were on the phone. Once the call was over, Henry sent some pictures of Maleficent feeding Nathan and Nathan feeding the tray, and his hair. They smiled.

“That boy is going to need a bath after every meal with her,” Emma said.

“She’s doing her best,” Regina replied.

“I know. I’m just saying he’s a mess.”

“Reminds me of you.” Regina patted her thigh. “Come on. We should get going.” She managed to get out of bed and talk Emma into doing the same. They then started the day. Everything they had planned was good, but at the end of the day, when they did everything they planned, Emma began “free-styling,” as she called it. With a sigh, Regina decided to go with the flow, even though she thought she might live to regret it.

-8-8-8-8-

“How do I let you talk me into these things?” Regina said, trying her best not to look as uncomfortable as she felt. Emma found out about an “adult pajama party.” Something for them to do after they finished with their show and Emma did not want to go to bed just yet. Apparently, staying in and making love would have been way too simple and easy for Emma. Regina felt exposed wandering the hotel in her black silk slip and high heels, even though she had on a hoodie to cover up. If someone propositioned them, she would be the one to punch that person in the face.

“You’ll like it. It’ll be fun,” Emma promised. She was dressed almost as inappropriately as Regina, except she had on a Wonder Woman camisole and sky blue boxers. The only thing between their barely-there pajamas and the outside world were two large hoodies; both of which belonged to Emma. She had never been so grateful to be short in all her life.

“What is the point of an adult pajama party beyond drinking and drugs?” Regina inquired.

Emma shrugged. “Sex?”

“Which we could be having in our room right now.”

Emma threw her arms around Regina and pulled her close. “Stop trying to confuse me with facts. This’ll be fun.”

Regina groaned, but did not fight Emma as she dragged her out of the hotel and to the club hosting this party. She held her head up high as they walked down The Strip, even though she was barely wearing anything at all. She was not ashamed and made it all the way to the club with her chin in the air. Emma chuckled.

“I’d never suspect you were wearing almost nothing at all,” Emma whispered into her ear as they waited on line. Apparently, this adult pajama party was popular.

“Oh, I’ve got more than enough practice in prancing around in anything I please. You should see some of my pants from the Enchanted Forest. They were like a second skin,” Regina replied and she leaned in to nip Emma’s earlobe.

“Fuck,” Emma hissed.

“Something we could be doing if we stayed at the hotel,” Regina replied, running her finger along Emma’s jaw. She felt like this would be important to remind Emma of every few minutes, if only to make up for the torment Emma put her through last night.

Emma let out a breath as they were allowed entrance to the club. There was blaring music as expected with flashing lights, but there were also bubbles floating around the club and feathers drifting from a pillow fight in the middle of the dance floor. There were people wandering around with bubble guns and bubble wands well. The soap in the air mixed with lasers and lights was pretty interesting, but Regina would still rather be in their room.

“Let’s dance and then get a drink,” Emma said after they coat-checked the hoodies.

Regina did not want to know where Emma kept her wallet to pay for the drink, but she did not argue. She would give this whole thing a chance, even though it seemed ridiculous to her. She felt a little better when she saw other women in slips and bits of lingerie. There were plenty of men there in only boxers or boxer briefs. Hell, even a few showed up in tighty-whities, so Regina was far from embarrassed by her silk gown or Emma trying to look like Wonder Woman in a porno.

“This seems like a good way to get sexually assaulted,” Regina commented, even though everyone seemed to be having fun. There were some people there in “fun” pajamas, like teddy bear onesies complete with hoods and animal print onesies. A few people clutched stuffed animals to their bodies or had sleep masks on their heads. And, then there were people there in regular pajama sets.

Emma grinned and put her arm around Regina’s waist. “You know I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” She kissed Regina’s cheek.

Regina was not worried about herself. She could take care of herself, even if she had been raised a prim and proper lady. Prim and proper did not mean she could not and would not throw down with her bare hands if necessary. Emma knew that, but Regina let her have her moment of chivalry.

“How about we dance before we tempt fate around these people?” Regina nodded toward the dance floor. She would prefer that to being even slightly inebriated around this crowd.

“You don’t have to ask me twice!” Emma led her to the dance floor. Emma wasted no time putting her hands on Regina’s hips, but her eyes drifted to the pillow fight not too far from them.

They danced for a while and indulged in one drink before Regina pushed Emma to go join the ridiculous pillow fight, as she knew Emma longed to do. Emma did not need much coaxing and dashed off. Regina found a chair to continue nursing her drink. She was very careful to keep a ladylike posture, mostly because she had a surprise for Emma, and only for Emma.

“Nice PJs,” a man said, staring down at her with a smirk. His eyes wandered her legs with open interest. He had perfect teeth and long, blond hair. He was in boxer-briefs only, showing off a lean, muscular body that did nothing for her. It was in that moment Regina realized she only had eyes for Emma Swan now. Everyone else was just a sentient skeleton. Damn, I didn’t even think that was possible.

Regina resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but made a show of taking a sip from her drink. She let her boredom show in her eyes. “While I don’t come with a warning label, here’s a warning: just walk away.”

His smirk remained and his eyes tried to bore into her. “I think I could handle you.” He even winked at her.

Regina fought down the urge to vomit and pursed her lips. “I doubt it with your ignoring a clear warning and all. You don’t have the intelligence and you’ve already caught my partner’s attention.” She watched as Emma, who was all the way across the room, stopped swinging her pillow. She held her hand up as Emma got hit in the head with a pillow. Emma turned to the person who hit her and went back to her fight. Regina turned her attention back to the halfwit before her.

The moron did not change his expression. “Who’s your partner? One of those babies in the pillow fight?”

Regina tilted her head. “So, you missed my remark on your intelligence, thus proving my assessment correct. Added to that, you insult my partner and expect to get anywhere, which also proves my theory. I’m also going to assume you’re missing the complete disinterest in my tone and face. You’re not even as cute as you think you are.”

“Yet you’re talking to me.”

“Oh, is that my mistake? Then let me say this once, if you continue blocking my view of the pillow fight, I’m going to take my glass and use it to castrate you right here, in front of everyone.” Regina smiled, bearing her teeth. The Evil Queen inside of her chipped up and she raised her glass to him.

He bristled. “Excuse me?”

Her smile became even more predatory. “Yes, and I won’t even bother to break the glass. I will simply cut you with the smooth edge.”

For the first time, he showed signs of a working brain and rushed off.  She was not surprised when Emma settled at her side, pillow still in hand. Regina sipped her drink while Emma put an arm around her. Regina did not take it as staking a claim, but more Emma liked having physical contact with her. Regina enjoyed the contact as well.

“That guy looked pretty scared,” Emma said.

“He should. He was this close to losing his scrotum.” Regina held her thumb and forefinger up.

Emma nodded. “He looked that way. You okay?”

“I’m quite fine, but I just learned something from that walking pile of idiocy.”

Emma arched an eyebrow. “You learned something from him?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure it’s appropriate for this setting. Go back to your pillow fight. Enjoy. I’ll tell you later,” Regina said. Revealing her epiphany would make Emma’s day more than her surprise, she would put money that.

Emma stared at her for a moment, gave her a squeeze, and then rushed off to play a little more. Regina was glad for it. Emma deserved to have fun without worrying over Regina’s revelation. Regina spent several more minutes frightening away men who had more gall than sense. Then, a woman had to prove she could compete with the men, sitting down next to Regina.

“You seem to have a talent for chasing men off,” the woman said, her voice a seductive purr that did nothing for Regina.

“Not just men,” Regina replied, giving the woman a sideway glance before focusing on the pillow fight. Emma was laughing and hammering some poor surfer-looking kid. He was curled into himself to take the brunt of the pillow with his shoulder while Emma’s arms were flexed and Regina licked her lips.

“Wife material over there?” the woman asked, giving the pillow fight a brief glance.

“We have two kids together.”

That was enough to get the woman to stand. “Congratulations.” Her face looked like she sucked a lemon.

Regina snickered to herself as she found herself alone again, but not for long. Her confessions of having two children chased away a man and a woman. Emma came over a few minutes later, the surfer boy she had been pummeling in tow. They were both laughing.

“Regina, this is Marc with a ‘c.’ He fell in love with me after I clobbered him with a pillow,” Emma reported, having the nerve to look proud of herself.

Regina smirked and leaned forward a bit with interest. “Oh, did he now? And, let me guess, since you’re with me, he has grand delusions of a threesome.”

Marc with a c laughed and ran his hand through his wavy blond hair. “Actually, she told me her girlfriend was hot and scary and I wanted to see this combination to know what to look for in my continued journey for the perfect woman.”

The response caught Regina by surprise and she chuckled, sitting back in a regal position. “Well, this is what you should look for.” She eyed him as if he had cut into her apple tree with a chainsaw and then let her voice drop an octave as she told him, “I will destroy your happiness.”

Marc visibly shivered while Emma looked like she had to bite back a moan, teeth sinking into her bottom lip. Marc let out a long breath. “Wow. Is there someone else that can do that? Because that was fucking hot.”

Regina shrugged and glanced away in disinterest. “I wish you luck in finding her, as I am quite taken.” She blew Emma a kiss.

“Yes, you are!” Emma gathered Regina up in her arms and nuzzled her neck. From the smell of Emma’s breath, she had another drink while she was out there pillow fighting, which also explained her behavior. Regina did not mind much. They were on vacation and Emma did not need help standing up or walking, so it was fine.

“Yes, I am.” Regina caressed Emma’s cheek, pressing Emma closer.

Emma took that as a request to kiss her. Regina did not object, but refused to let the kiss grow out of control as Emma tried and tried for more. Emma let out a cute little moan as she pulled away. Marc with a c did not stick around. Regina was not surprised.

“Your friend has left us,” Regina whispered into Emma’s ear.

“What friend?” Emma sounded a little dazed and then managed to shake herself out of it. “Hey, you wanna go play with the bubbles?” Emma pointed toward the bubble machine. “They’re handing out bubbles and stuff over there. Let’s go blow some bubbles.”

Regina shrugged. Why not? She was already in a club in her skimpy pajamas. Emma was having a good time and she got to scare people. The night was going well. Bubbles could hardly hurt it. There were a few bubble machines, pumping out bubbles of different sizes. There were a few attendants handing out bubbles for people to blow. They came in all shapes and sizes. Emma took a ring she needed both hands for to create giant bubbles while Regina took a small one and amused herself watching Emma work. Emma turned making bubbles into a full body experience, which Regina appreciated, especially as she watched the flex of Emma’s arms. After a while, Regina pulled Emma to the side.

“Emma,” Regina whispered, pressed against her partner. She had to quell a shudder as she felt Emma’s powerful form against her.

Emma pushed against her a little more. “Yeah?”

“I have a surprise for you, but for you to get it, we have to leave here. We need to go back to the hotel, so I can lick champagne off your stomach and give you your surprise,” Regina commented.

Emma grunted. “Oh, wow. Can’t pass that up.”

Regina chortled. “That’s kind of the point.” Of course, she was kind enough to not point out Emma had passed up on it earlier in favor of this party.

They retrieved their hoodies, donned the jackets, and made their way back to their hotel. Emma giggled the whole way there, tugging Regina close, and kissing her whenever the urge overcame her. Regina expected to hardly make into the room before they got to the main event, but Emma shocked her by holding off long enough. As soon as the door closed, Emma blinked.

Emma held up her finger, like she had a eureka moment. “You wanted to tell me something before!”

Regina laughed. “It can wait.”

“No, no, no. I want to know now. It was bugging me all night.”

Regina twisted her mouth up. “Oh, really, in between the pillow fight and bubbles?” Emma hardly had time to worry over her little revelation.

Emma chuckled. “Yeah. If you tell me there’s something you want to tell me, then I’m gonna wonder about it until you tell me what it is. I figured it wasn’t something bad because you didn’t want to leave, even though everybody and his mother was hitting on you.”

“Yes, well, it was due to them that I came to realize, I only want you. I’m surrounded by scantily-clad everyone. Some of the best human flesh imaginable on display and I would rather watch you have a pillow fight. My eyes never left you. I didn’t register anything beyond how these people annoyed me and how I wanted to be back here with you.” Regina was not sure what to expect from her confession, but Emma’s grin was on the list of what might happen.

“So, what you’re saying is you wanna marry me? Well, we are in Vegas.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

Regina rolled her eyes. “Of course that’s how you would take it. You’re insufferable, you know that?”

“And you love me for it!” Emma gathered her in her arms and kissed her before she could say anything.

Regina returned the affection of course and the night got back on track. She pulled away from the kiss, leaving Emma panting. Breathing did not seem like an issue for Emma as she kissed Regina’s neck and collarbones. Regina had to step away to get her to stop, earning a whine from Emma.

Regina offered her an impish smirk. “Do you want your surprise?”

“You know I do. What do you got for me? Hell, where are you keeping a surprise?” Emma looked her up and down.

Regina’s eyes danced with mischief. “Oh, Emma. You should know me so much better than that.”

Emma’s brow furrowed and she tilted her head. She looked like a cute puppy once more. Regina took hold of Emma’s hand and placed a chaste peck on her lips as she put Emma’s hand on her thigh. Emma was slow from her couple of drinks and still did not get what the surprise was as Regina dragged her fingers up her thigh. It was not until she got to her destination did Emma’s face shift in total surprise.

“Holy shit! You’ve been commando this whole night and dragged me to some stupid nightclub?” Emma stroked her lightly.

Regina arched an eyebrow. “Excuse me? I dragged you where?” Her voice pitched slightly as Emma caressed her.

“Fuck, Regina. What if someone saw?” Emma’s fingers did not stop moving.

Regina moaned and held onto Emma’s shoulders. “I was careful. This was only for you. I’m only for you.”

“Fuck.” Emma went in for a kiss as she continued to stroke Regina. Regina’s nails dug into Emma’s shoulders as she went from Regina’s clit to her opening and back again. She rocked her hips and moaned, moving her mouth from Emma’s lips to her neck. She was thankful they were in easy to remove clothing, but it was unfortunate that they had just been around a bunch of bubbles as Emma’s skin tasted like cheap soap.

“We have to take a shower,” Regina said, pulling away from Emma’s talented lips and hand.

“Yeah, because those bubbles are making it really hard to taste the best bits of you,” Emma replied.

“The best bits?” Regina could not help herself, but then again, Emma could not help herself either.

Emma smiled. “Yeah, all of you.” She then made a show of sucking on her finger.

“Good answer.” Regina took Emma by the hand and led her to the bathroom.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: back home to family and drama.

Chapter Text

6: Parks and Recreation

While Las Vegas was nice and fun, being home was Heaven. As soon as they crossed into Storybrooke, Regina sighed and it had nothing to do with the fact that she could feel her magic coursing through her. It did not feel the same on the outside. It was still there, but muted in a way and it took her time to adjust. The sigh came from the idea they would be seeing their boys soon. Yes, the baby-moon exceeded all expectations, but Henry and Nathan were truly everything.

As soon as they entered the town, Regina could see they were missed. There were balloons tied to trees and “welcome back” banners up near those, right where someone who was entering the town could see. Subtle they were not. Emma chuckled.

“You can really feel the love in this place, huh? Think we should go to Granny’s? They might have a recycled banner up for us.” Emma was teasing, but they appreciated the sentiment. It was only recently both of them were able to understand the concept on home on a grander scale. Storybrooke was home.

Regina drove them to Granny’s, as that was where they agreed to pick up their sons anyway. There were more balloons and streamers as they turned onto the street with the diner. Regina parked and turned to Emma.

“This better not be another baby shower,” she warned.

Emma guffawed, actually slapping her knee. “I should be saying that to you! You’re the one hoarding my kids.”

Regina gave her a half-smirk. “As it should be.”

Emma reached out and caressed her cheek for no reason. “Point being, are you hoarding another one? Although, I think I’d have noticed the morning sickness this time.”

Groaning, Regina rolled her eyes and got out of the car. Emma laughed loud enough for her to hear and followed her out. They entered Granny’s and were splashed in the face with confetti. Regina growled and tapered down the desire to explode the place as grinning face before her looked way too proud. Only Snow White. With a huff, she blew confetti away from her lips. Emma putting her arm around Regina helped keep her calm. 

“Well, thanks for not making it glitter, Mom,” Emma said to Snow White, who kept smiling, like she did not know how close she was to being murdered.

“Welcome back, Moms!” Henry was on them before the confetti settled, grabbing them into a tight hug, as if he did not care he might get confetti on him. They hugged back. Regina sighed as soon as Henry was in their arms. It was only three days, but it felt like forever.

“Did you get married?” Lily asked with a smirk as she and Maleficent stepped forward with Nathan in her arms.

Regina did not have a doubt Ruby dressed the baby in a Care Bear onesie, complete with a hood with little ears. There was a little rainbow going across his belly. It was a good thing neither she nor Emma cared about gender roles because the outfit was pink.

“Oh, my god, who made my Mini-me into Cheer Bear?” Emma cried, her eyes dancing with delight, as she collected Nathan from Maleficent. She hugged Nathan close and kissed his cheek. He giggled.

“Of course you would know the bear,” Regina said. She was aware of the Care Bears, but did not know them individually like Emma seemed to. 

“You gotta know the main ones!” Emma purred as she rubbed her cheek in the fluffy hood of Nathan’s outfit. “I used to watch them on TV whenever I got the chance. They cared, Regina.”

Ruby stepped up and gave Emma a high-five, confirming Regina’s suspicions as to who dressed Nathan. Regina was not sure what Nathan would do growing up in this family. At least Henry was old enough to make his own fashion choices, even though she could see Ruby influencing him as well. He had developed a love for Pride t-shirts, like the one he had on now, which was a simple print with word “Love” written in rainbow colors.

“We need to disappear for three days more often,” Emma said with a laugh.

“No, you really don’t,” Kathryn said from the back of the diner, which led Regina to believe something happened while they were away. No one said anything, though.

“But, did you get married?” Henry asked as he led Regina deeper into the celebration. Emma was left behind to continue congratulating Ruby on giving Nathan the perfect outfit. Granny stepped in front of Regina and they exchanged a hug.

“Your boys were very good in your absence,” Granny said.

Regina smirked. “They better be.” This earned a laugh from Henry and Granny.

Kathryn was there and stepped over for a hug. Snow and David came over, but Regina wanted Neal more than them, and took him right from Snow’s arms. He cheered, hugged her around the neck, and gave her several wet cheek kisses.

“You’re as bad as your sister,” Regina said to Neal, but she said it with a smile, so it was only seen as encouragement. Roland came out of nowhere and got her around the knees, hugging her legs. Mulan and Marian stood a couple of feet away, ready to wrangle Roland if he did not let go or if he tripped Regina up. With the celebration underway, there were plenty of questions about what they did. The most prevalent came up about once a minute.

“But, did you get married?” Dorothy asked. “Ruby explained to me lots of couples go to Vegas to get married.”

Emma narrowed her eyes on Dorothy. “Is there a bet?” That certainly sounded like something Emma’s merry band of delinquents would think up and it would explain why almost everyone in the diner asked, including Tinker Bell, who did not know any cities in the world outside of Storybrooke.

No one answered that question, but there were some shifty eyes from everyone in the diner, except the babies and Roland. Regina could hardly believe it. “Even you, Marian? I know they’ve been corrupting Mulan, but you?”

Marian did not respond, but she looked away. Regina laughed and let it go, deciding to grab some finger foods since Granny had gone through the trouble. As she stood to get food, she glanced outside to notice Hook glaring in at them. It was tempting to flick her wrist and have him fall on his back, but that was petty and she was beyond that now, most of the time anyway. Besides, he started walking as soon as he saw her. Regina put him out of her mind and went back to enjoying the party.

She and Emma continued to regale everyone with tales of what they did in Las Vegas. Emma showed pictures, as she always seemed to know the perfect time to take a picture. Thankfully, she had already sorted them, as Regina was very aware some of the pictures their sons did not need to see. There was nothing too risqué where she did not want other people to see, but some things she did not want Henry to see, like Emma finishing off one of those drinks in the tall, novelty cups. And, she drank more than three to make sure several people had “chalice,” as she insisted on calling them, right along with her, her father, Henry, and Nathan.

“We brought stuff back for you guys, you know?” Emma said. “It’s all in the car and mixed up in the luggage, though.”

“Give it to us later. You should both get settled again,” Snow replied.

Regina blinked. She was still surprised whenever Snow showed a little bit of thoughtfulness. She suspected Emma and Henry had influenced Snow’s slow change of behavior. The change would do Emma some good, but Regina did not bring that up. Instead, they continued to talk about their trip and what they thought of the big city. Regina had been more mesmerized and dazzled with it than Emma was, of course.

“Next time, we can do a family trip,” Henry said.

“Well, that wouldn’t be for a while. I’m not sure if I want to put Nathan on a plane for seven hours for some years now,” Regina replied. She would not mind doing closer trips as a family, though.

“Yeah, he’d probably be miserable.” Emma rubbed Nathan’s head. He blew a raspberry at her, which made her laugh and she blew one right back. “Never forget, anything you can do, I can do better.” She shook her finger at Nathan, who tried to grab it. Regina longed to hold him, but watching Emma with him was the next best thing.

“Is that really a place you want to take your child?” Granny asked.

Emma shrugged. “Vegas has a lot of family places and family shows. I know Henry would love to see the Grand Canyon and we didn’t even get a chance to do it, so it would be a first for all of us.”

Henry’s eyes lit up and he pressed his hands together. “That would be cool.”

“You guys are so adorable! The cutest family of all time!” Tinker Bell cheered, and she seriously looked like she was staring at the cutest thing she had ever seen.

“I’m choosing to be insulted by this,” Regina said.

“Nope. It’s a compliment. We’re officially adorable!” Emma motioned to their whole family.

“No, we’re not and someone make sure Tink doesn’t have anything else to drink,” Regina requested and earned several laughs, but she was serious.

After a few hours, everyone decided to call it a night. Regina did Granny a favor of using her magic to clean up. Then, it was time to load the family into the car. As they came to the Benz, they were all treated to the sight of a thick, jagged scratch going lengthwise across the car just below waist level. Regina sighed. I should’ve tripped him.

Emma frowned and held Nathan closer to her as if to protect him. “I’m going to arrest him.”

“You have no proof,” Regina said.

“I don’t care! He’s not going to treat you any way he thinks is okay. This is a threat as far as I’m concerned,” Emma huffed.

“It’s fine, sweetheart.” Regina waved her hand and the car was as good as new.

Emma’s frown deepened. “You being able to do that doesn’t make the whole thing disappear. I know it was him and, again, this is a threat.”

“Don’t start abusing your power because of him.” She did not care about Hook. He could not hurt her personally if he tried and if he went after someone close to her, she would reduce him to tears and possibly ashes. And that would be if she was in a giving mood.

Emma shook her head and smiled a little. “It’s funny hearing you to tell me to take the high road.”

Regina smirked a little. “I learned from you.”

Emma made a face, even though they both knew it was true. Regina was not too worried about Hook. He was upset over Emma coming to her senses, which actually had nothing to do with her. She supposed his feelings worked well as a pirate since he was so salty. Now, if only he would take those feelings and sail away.

The sun had set by the time they got to the house. Henry was kind enough to carry in some of the bags without asking about his things from the M&M store. Emma took the rest, determined to only make one trip from the car to the house, and Regina freed Nathan from his carseat. Feeling him in her arms, she could see why her partner had not let him go during the whole party. Beyond enjoying his weight in her grip, the onesie he was in was plush and so soft. It was like holding a stuffed animal that cuddled back every now and then.

“Why haven’t we put this one on him before?” Regina asked as they made their way to the living room.

“It doesn’t fit our color scheme?” Emma grinned and winked.

Regina tried so hard not to acknowledge that, but the smile was too insistent on coming to life. It did not help that Henry laughed. Emma puffed out her chest before dropping into the armchair. Henry flopped down on the sofa and Regina followed suit, stripping Nathan out of his clothes. Once he was free, she released him to crawl around the space.

“So, it’s nice to see the town didn’t get destroyed while we were gone,” Emma said.

Henry chuckled. “There were yetis, but I decided not to tell you.”

“Yetis?!” Regina sat up. That explained why they got a welcome back party. The town had to deal with something without them and saw what it was like.

“A clan of them. It’s cool. Gramps and Mulan got them under control. Turns out, they came out of a portal and were just confused when they tore up a few blocks of the town and some cars. They agreed to go live in the high hills, but Gramps said you would work on sending them home. Him or Miss Kathryn will probably fill you in at work tomorrow,” Henry replied.

Regina nodded. That sounded logical, and typical for their small, sleepy town. She would worry about it tomorrow. Thankfully, nothing over the top happened that night. They were able to reconnect as a family. They gave Henry his gifts, which included a motorcycle candy dispenser for him and a gumball dispenser for Paige, both full of candy. Nathan got a yellow M&M plush toy. Emma dangled it in his face and he blew some spit at it, but could not have cared less about it after that.

“Maybe you should have gotten him some candy, too,” Henry said as he shoved a handful of M&Ms in his mouth.

“Yeah, so he can eat it with all his no-teeth,” Emma replied.

“You get me anything else?”

“No. You’re too much of a smart-aleck to get anything else.” The words might have had more sting if Emma was not pulling out a gift for him at the same time she said that.

Henry was happy with his t-shirts, toys, and mugs. It took a while for them to unpack all of it, but his smile made it worth it. After that, they watched a movie and played cards while watching out for Nathan, as he ran them and furniture over in his walker. It was a good night.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina had to consider Emma might actually be right. After her morning meeting with Kathryn and coming up with a plan for the displaced yetis and discussing the continuing issues with the Business Bureau, Regina dressed Nathan for an afternoon out. She immediately put him in red and black, which was definitely part of the family color scheme. She shrugged.

“You’re one of us, so you should look like us,” Regina said to Nathan. He cooed, which she took as agreement.

It was a nice day, so Regina thought a stroll to the park would be nice. If things proved unexciting, she would then make a stop at the Sheriff’s station, so Emma and her father could fuss over Nathan for a few minutes. She grabbed the baby bag and carried Nathan to the car. They kept the stroller in the trunk of the car, so she did not have to worry about collecting it and moving it from the house to the car when she was by herself.

They went to the park. Regina liked to walk Nathan through the gardens, hoping he would develop a love for the outdoors, which she had tried, but failed to pass onto Henry. Of course, Henry inherited her love of reading, so that was always fun. They spent a lot of time reading together before he pushed her away. They never regained that time, but he came to her for book recommendations now, which was good too.

“And plus he likes reading to you,” Regina said to Nathan as she placed him in his stroller. Henry made sure to read to Nathan almost everyday. Their mothers hoped it would pay off and instill a love of reading in Nathan.

They took a stroll through the garden with Regina explaining as many plants as she could to Nathan, who was more interested in trying to eat his hand than anything else. She did not mind. One day, he might be fascinated and take in the information like a little sponge. Once there was no more garden to tour, she pushed the stroller into the park proper.

There were others out with strollers, who smiled and waved at Regina. She did the same in return, learning early on that Nathan made her suddenly seem friendly and even approachable to people. She did nothing to disprove it. She did not want to chase away any future friends for Nathan or even Henry. She did not need any “Evil Queen” comments or rumors to make things difficult for her family. Besides, as she became more self-aware, she understood, this was what she wanted as the Evil Queen. She wanted people to like her, to appreciate her, to respect her. It might take her a while to get used to it, but she wanted to be able to accept people who accepted her.

The day was going well until a waste of space clad in all black spilled into her path. Hook stood in front of her, like he was blocking her, a stupid smirk on his face, and a flush to his cheeks that suggested he prescribed to the philosophy “it’s five pm somewhere” when it came to day drinking. Did he not understand with a wave of her hand she could send him head first into the lake? And that was if she was in a charitable mood. Of course, the fact that he was more rum than sense probably stopped him from considering what Regina was capable of doing to him.

“Your Majesty,” he spat the title as insulting as possible.

“Pirate,” she replied. “Dare I even wonder what you’re doing in the park?” He could live there or he could be stalking her. Neither sat well with her. If he lived there, he might be spoiling the place for other people.

He sneered at her. “That’s none of your business, wench.”

“I would watch myself if I were you, but since you’re probably running on all alcohol, it’s not a stretch that you don’t even understand English anymore. Shall I be returning to a redecorated car yet again or have you decided on something even more juvenile?”

His face twitched. “You think you’ve won, haven’t you? You and your little bastard.” Spittal clung to his bottom lip after her uttered that disgusting word.

Regina could feel her blood pressure rise and sparks flickered from her fingertips. “Tread very carefully, sir. I might not be quite as evil as I once was, but I would not think twice about watering the grass with your blood if you dare insult my son again.”

“Yes, your son! So, why have you insisted in stealing my Swan? She feels nothing but pity for you and you play off that in a way that would make your past self cringe!” he barked, slashing at the air with his hook. The momentum caught him for a second, causing him to stumble.

She scoffed. “You don’t know me as well as you think you do and you don’t know Emma as well as you wish you did.” Her past self, the Evil Queen, would be a bit confused to see her in love, but would be happy for her, especially to be in a relationship with someone willing to die for her and to have a family with that person. She had never known a love like this before, in any way, shape, or form. Her past self would have envied it, craved it, and, yes, most likely destroyed it, but she would have done that from holding too tight, not out of shame.

“I know you’re a lonely cow who couldn’t stand to see Swan happy, so you poisoned her mind against me and convinced her you somehow carried her baby. We all know you can’t magically get pregnant,” he hissed. His face gained more of a red hue, looking closer to brick than scarlet now.

Regina rolled her eyes. “You are very misinformed.” Magical pregnancy was the only way Nathan could exist. “Look, why don’t you go back to drinking like it’s eventually going to become an Olympic event and leave me to walk with my child? You mean nothing to me.”

“You haven’t won! I will have Emma back and make sure she sees you for the demented bitch you are!” he snarled, spit gathering at the corners of his mouth like a rabid dog.

Regina flexed her fingers in his full view, reminding him of her power. “You will stay away from Emma.” With him, she knew it was not just talk. He harassed Emma even now, under the delusion that he was being persistent rather than a jackass in his pursuit of a coupled woman.

Hook glared down at her. “Go ahead, your Majesty. Do your worst and remind Emma of the monster you are.”

Regina gnashed her teeth. “I think it’s you who has forgotten the monster I used to be.” She did not even know what she might do to this piece of filth should he decide to “win Emma back.”

“Excuse me, Regina, is he bothering you?” Mulan seemed to appear at her side. The deputy eyed Hook, hand on the hilt of her sword, which she was never without. Thanks to her and others like her, Regina and Kathryn recently put together legislation for open-carrying swords and other bladed-weapons. People would need licenses or everyone would have a sword of some kind strapped to their person going everywhere.

“He’s committing suicide from what I can tell,” Regina replied, looking Hook up and down.

Hook sucked his teeth as he sneered at Mulan. “Of course you would show up. Ladies like you always stick together.”

“Ladies like us?” Mulan glanced at Regina, probably trying to figure out what they had in common. Mulan would never think “lesbianism,” as her mind did not work that way. But, then again, who the hell would think like that when hearing “ladies like you always stick together”? What did that even mean? Why did he think that was an insult?

“You mean ladies who have figured out sharing space with you is a waste and the world would be better if you were not in it. Yes, we’ve started a club. Emma was the founder,” Regina remarked.

Hook snarled and pointed his hook at her. “You corrupted her against me!”

“Emma woke up and saw you for what you are long before she realized she had feelings for me. Deal with it,” Regina replied.

“Respect her choice,” Marian said, coming up behind them. She stood a respectable space away with Roland by her side. So, she was there as backup, but also wanted to protect her son. Regina hated how much she learned to like Marian based on little things like this. How could Robin have wanted her when he had Marian and how could he screw things up so badly with Marian? What type of idiot was he to lose this woman?

“There was no choice! The Queen brainwashed her and you only help her continue to do so! It’s like you’re all blind or don’t care about Emma. I will have her back, mark my words,” Hook stated, still frothing at the mouth.

“He’s an idiot. There’s no point in trying to talk to him,” Marian said.

“I’m not trying to talk to him. I’m giving him fair warning.” Regina locked eyes with Hook. “Listen to me carefully, you pathetic, drunken lout, stay away from Emma. Do not follow her around, do not approach her, do not talk to her. She wants nothing to do with you and I won’t stand for someone disrespecting her now.” She could be chivalrous when given the chance as well.

He curled his lip. “You don’t control me. I will have her back. There are plenty of people who know you brainwashed her, who still detest you, who will help me destroy you.”

“Let them try, swine,” Regina replied.

“You will rue the day you stole Emma from me and die in agony by my hand for your crimes,” he vowed.

“Come.” Marian put her hand on Regina’s elbow. “I have some experience with men who don’t listen and don’t understand a woman can make her own decisions regarding her relationship with him, even if he thinks he’s the greatest thing to grace this world or any other world. He won’t change and you’re wasting your energy.”

Regina gave Hook one last snarl, but turned with Marian. It would do her no good to assault Hook in front of a deputy and force noble Mulan to do the right thing and arrest the mayor of Storybrooke. Mulan continued to face Hook, her hand at the ready in case he got out of line. He did not move, though. After Regina and Marian were a good distance with the boys, Mulan left Hook and trotted up behind them.

“I am glad to work with David or I would have a very low opinion of the men in this town,” Mulan commented.

“Uh, rude!” Marian held up Roland’s hand.

“I said men, not boys. The boys seem quite fine. Nathan, Neal, Roland, Henry, all perfect gentlemen,” Mulan remarked with a small smile.

“I’m almost certain Emma is giving you lessons to be more like her,” Regina said.

“There are some lessons, still, yes.” Mulan’s smirk showed she knew what she was doing.

Regina groaned. “Marian, good luck as this one becomes more and more of a thorn in your side.”

Marian smiled. “I think her playfulness is cute. I’m more concerned with Emma, though. Is it safe for her with Hook wandering about, especially as drunk as he is?”

Regina waved that off. “Emma can handle Hook, as Mulan will tell you. If not, I will handle him and worry over the consequences later. I’m not sure why he thinks he can wander about and have his way all the time.”

“Sounds like someone else we know,” Marian said.

Regina frowned. “Yes. But, they are of no consequence right now. What are you three doing in the park?”

“We’re gonna feed the ducks and have a picnic!” Roland grinned and giggled. “I’m gonna beat Mulan, too!” He pulled a wooden sword from his hip. “I’ll save China this time.”

Regina smiled, holding back a laugh. “I’m sure you will.”

“You’re welcome to join us. I’ll need the company after those two go off to save China for the hundredth time,” Marian said. “It’s worrisome how often Mulan’s homeland is in trouble.” She gave Mulan a wink.

Regina smiled more and nodded, taking Marian up on her offer. She wanted to see this family unit outside of her home. Roland was so attached to Mulan and had come a very long way with Marian. They found a shady tree to settle down against and Roland was off to sword fight with Mulan. As it turned out, the sword on Mulan’s hip was also wooden.

“I would say it’s a good thing Hook didn’t challenge her, but I have to assume Mulan could take him down, even with a wooden sword,” Regina said.

Marian smiled. “Yeah, I have no doubt he’d feel her wrath, even with the wooden sword. She carries that one whenever we come to the park. But, we keep her actual sword wrapped in the picnic blanket.” She tapped the sheathed blade that was right next to her. “Roland always wants to play sword-fighting with her when they go out to show how much he’s learned from her. In fact, she made those swords for them after he insisted on learning from her.”

“They seem good,” Regina commented as she bounced Nathan on her thigh. He wiggled like he was wanted to get away, but there was way too much open space. She was not about to chase him through grass as he crawled all over the place.

Marian smiled. “Yes. He’s very attached to her.” Marian leaned in, a faint blush. “The other day, he called her ‘ma.’ He didn’t seem to realize it and she didn’t say anything, too scared to break the moment, but she cried after.”

Regina had to look at Mulan, in the distance, training Roland to fight. “I can’t even imagine it.”

“It was so beautiful. She said she’s never felt like she fit in anywhere like she does with us. And she cried as she told me how much she loved both of us,” Marian said. “My heart felt so full and I just held her.”

“What else could you do?”

“I know. I try not to compare her to Robin. Not the man he is now, but the man I knew, and it’s hard because that man is a memory to me, a precious memory, but a memory still. Sometimes, all I can remember is the emotions. I know I love her as I loved him and I don’t mean that to say I’m scared, but I mean that to say I could spend my life with her. I could build a life with her. I could have and raise children with her,” Marian said.

Regina knew how all of that could be. There were times when she thought of Daniel and could only place the way he made her feel. She knew Emma did the same and it helped her understand that Emma was so right for her. “I know the feeling. Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because I feel like you would understand and I feel like you’re responsible for this and I don’t mean that in the fact that you killed me or you were with Robin or even that you gave me this second chance when you saved my life from the frozen curse. You gave me good advice. You told me to give Roland time. I was so ready to give up, to just despair and let Robin have my son, but you told me it would take time. And you were right. I look back at how Roland was when I first arrived and I can’t even believe it was real compared to now. And, so now, we have this wonderful family unit.”

Regina nodded. “I knew that from experience.”

“I know, but it was still good advice. And, seeing you, how you spend your second chance… Well, it’s inspiration.”

Regina scoffed. “Oh, shut up.”

Marian laughed. “Yes, I know, too emotional.” She leaned over and took hold of Nathan. Regina allowed it. Marian held Nathan up, trying to encourage him to go into a walking motion. “One day, I like to think I can even have a child with Mulan.”

Regina looked over at the deputy. “You’ll have to deal with a lot of ‘I am your father’ jokes from Emma. Emma will teach Mulan this and it will be agonizing.”

Marian snickered. “You love Emma so much.”

“Shh. It’s a secret.” The worst kept secret in history.

“And that’s the other thing. Seeing you and Emma together, working with your family. It gives me faith and strength to be with Mulan and have Roland. It’s odd as hell, but it’s the truth.”

Regina nodded. “I understand. I can never make up for what I did as the Evil Queen, even as people try to dismiss it because you are alive now, but I’m glad you can move forward and even look at me as something other than a monster.”

“Well, I’ve learned what others told me and I think I’ve taken it beyond. I’ve been able to separate you from the Evil Queen. In my mind, you have become two different people and I think you are. I can’t see the Evil Queen having what you have. She’d have burned it down.”

“To spite herself.”

“Yes. But, you have embraced it all, even when Emma gets on your nerves, which I know she does. You take it with good humor and you accept her, annoyances and all. You have a family with her and your family’s good. So, Hook can scream all he wants about you being a monster and he can pretend his flaws aren’t the reason Emma left or that Emma just didn’t understand she needed something he couldn’t provide.”

Regina was surprised she did not blind Marian with her beaming smile. Her shoulders threw themselves back and she sat up straight with pride etched in her spine. It was a huge compliment to hear someone she had wronged so much call her family good.

“Marian, when you and Mulan are ready, come see me about having a baby together. Unless you plan to adopt,” Regina said.

Marian blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Remember, before being Emma’s partner, Storybrooke’s mayor, or even the Evil Queen, I was a witch. I know a few things.” She winked. “I would be honored in helping you expand your family whenever you’re ready.”

Marian opened her mouth, like she was about to ask a question, but then her eyes widened with realization. A grin spread across her face. “Of course. I’ll have to discuss that with Mulan first, though.”

“Take your time.” As far as Regina knew, the couple had only been together seven or eight months. But, when they were serious about extending their family, she would be there for them.

-8-8-8-8-

Mulan did not want to return to work, but it had to happen. So, she left Marian with a kiss and Roland got a high-five. Regina and Nathan got a bow. She was pleased Marian and Regina decided to keep hanging out together. It was probably good for both of them.

“Hey, Mulan, good afternoon?” Emma asked from, what was technically Mulan’s desk, but since Emma did not seem to like using her personal office, she sat at everyone else’s desks to do reports.

“I got a chance to hang out with your wife and child,” Mulan replied.

“Who taught you that joke? Dad, you teaching Mulan jokes?” Emma called. David was probably in their supply closet.

“I would never teach Mulan jokes!” David replied with a laugh, definitely in the supply closet.

Mulan rolled her eyes. She enjoyed working with Emma and David. They were very close and loving. It was hard to believe they had only met a few years ago. If Mulan did not know them as father and daughter, she would have assumed them to be big brother and little sister from the way they got along.

“How did you end up hanging out with Regina and Nathan?” Emma asked.

“Regina probably would not like me to tell you, but when Marian and I went to the park, we saw Hook bothering her,” Mulan replied. She was not a fan of Hook. He was already a handful when he was bothering Emma, but he seemed very threatening when it came to Regina and did not care he came across that way when she had a baby with her.

Emma scowled. “The hell? What was Hook doing in the park?”

“Bothering Regina from what I could tell. I stepped in before things got out of hand, but I did not like the look in his eyes. Can we do something about him?”

Emma sighed. “Beyond arrest him for public intoxication, we don’t have much.”

“Maybe we should start doing that. Ignoring him and leaving him to his own devices does not seem to do anything.”

“You might be right. I don’t want him to think he can just do whatever he wants, especially if Regina has Nathan. I mean, she can take care of herself, but she’ll do everything to protect Nathan.”

“Then, it is decided? We will now arrest Hook whenever we can for whatever we can.” They needed to make a statement to that man before he crossed a line.

“Yes. You hear that, Dad?” Emma called.

David stepped out of the closet. “I think I’m going on patrol right now. Who knows, I might even come across Hook.”

“I like the way you think, Deputy Nolan,” Mulan said.

“I got the idea from you, Deputy Fa. Care to join me?” David wiggled his eyebrows.

“Okay, okay, okay. While we’re going to start arresting Hook, we’re not going to actively hunt him. We’ve got other things to do,” Emma said. Mulan gave her a look. “Okay, every now and then we have things to do. Still, no actively hunting Hook. There are enough scumbag lawyers in town to defend him and say we’re harassing Hook. We don’t need that reputation.”

David smiled. “Oh, look at you being all responsible.”

“Dad, I have a gun and I’m dating the Mayor. I can shoot you and get away with it,” Emma said. David only laughed. Mulan snickered. She hoped they were able to contain Hook before he got out of hand.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Regina goes back to work and Robin reminds them he still exists.

Chapter Text

7: Secret Agenda

Regina rubbed her eyes as she looked at reports from Kathryn. They had allowed the thing with the Business Bureau to fester, but now it was revealed why there were new people and what was going on. They had given a lot of business licenses and plots of lands that were not open to businesses, but only to certain people. Those people thought they would make a power grab and dared to try to flex on Kathryn. Regina felt like she would have to go into the office to handle this. She needed to be able to glare down arrogant cretins who refused to yield to Kathryn. It would remind them who backed Kathryn and why it would be wise to let her run things as she saw fit.

“Hey, babe, did you hear me?” Emma asked, shaking Regina from her thoughts.

Regina blinked. “I’m sorry.” She cuddled in closer to Emma. They were curled up on the bed and she had work in her lap as well as on her nightstand. Their sons were in bed and they were supposed to be spending time together, but she was plagued by mayoral problems.

“You still thinking about the nobles trying to put together a new council after they infiltrated the Business Bureau?”

Regina sighed. “Kathryn was holding them off for a long while, or so she thought. They blind-sided her with the Business Bureau nonsense. She doesn’t even know how they managed that. She thinks there’s a mole in the mayor’s office feeding those wanna-be usurpers information as well. They come to her with too much knowledge about things and will argue her down with things they shouldn’t know. It’s bigger than the Business Bureau now. The question is, how big?”

Emma nodded and ran her hand through Regina’s hair. Regina’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment. It would never fail to amaze her how a simple touch from Emma could calm her down. She put her hand on Emma’s thigh and gave a little squeeze.

“Well, I guess it’s time for you to go back to work,” Emma said with a sigh.

Regina’s shoulders dropped. “Maybe part time, first.” She was not ready to go back, but it seemed like it was time. She was not about to allow anyone to take over her town.

Emma guffawed. “Can I say I told you so yet? Because, come on!” She threw her hands up.

Regina glared at her partner. “No. If you were gracious, you would never say such a thing.”

Emma scoffed. “Since when am I gracious? Come on, you thought you’d go back to work like less than a month after you had my clone. Now, you’ll probably try to follow him off to college because you can’t cut the cord.”

Regina narrowed her gaze on Emma. “How dare you! How can you love me and throw this all back in my face like that? You’re awful.” Truthfully, she was surprised Emma held on this long. She probably would not have been able to manage holding out for so long.

“I’m awful? If only you knew how much I was holding back, you’d know I’m a saint!” Emma patted herself in the chest. “The only thing saving you from a roast of epic proportions is that I’m scared you’re going to poison my food because we both know you can take petty to dangerously low levels. And I don’t even mean poison-to-kill-me poison, but poison-my-grill-cheese-and-now-I-can-never-trust-comfort-food-again poison, which, to be clear, would be totally wrong and cruel and unusual punishment, which is against the constitution, and since you’re mayor, you have to follow the constitution.” Emma’s grin bordered on manic.

“Take a breath, sweetheart.” Regina patted Emma’s knee. “Now, there are so many things wrong with your statement, I’m not going to bother to correct you. Just know I wouldn’t hurt the mother of my children… too much anyway.” She gave Emma a smirk and a wink. “As far as this going back to work business, I’ll start with this mess and see what happens from there.”

“Yeah, you might be able to start small and go back part-time for a while.”

Regina doubted that, but Emma liked to hope and she liked to humor Emma, so they would both hope. “I’ll have to see if Maleficent can babysit.”

A snort escaped Emma. “Why wouldn’t she? It’s not like she has work.”

“Have I mentioned you’re awful? I’ve offered to help her get a job on many occasions, but she’s very happy to spend time with Lily. And, better still, she’s happy to spend time with Nathan and she’s comfortable with the idea of taking care of him, so she can watch him while I’m at work,” Regina replied. That was one of the many issues with Granny as their babysitter. Regina could not go back to work because Granny worked and was only good for watching the baby during off-hours. With Storybrooke being an actual town rather than a Cursed town, she could not take Nathan to work as she needed to focus on real things going on around them, real problems sprouting up, and working out real solutions. It would be hard to do with Nathan around, as she would only want to take care of him.

Emma leaned down and kissed the top of Regina’s head. “I know this seems off-topic, but I love you and I love this. I never imagined this when I was pregnant with Henry, but this is what I wanted for him and…” She blew out a breath.

“What you wanted for you,” Regina finished for her. “I know how it is. I’ve wanted this all my life. There’s nothing wrong with wanting this.”

“And it won’t go away when you go back to work,” Emma said. Now, that seemed very off-topic.

Regina winced. “What?”

“It might not have crossed your mind, but I know you get scared we could lose this. I get scared, too. We’re both very aware of how easily this could all go away and how hard times could be without this, but we also know how hard we’ll cling to keep it, how hard we’ll work to keep this and make it work. We just have to remember that part.”

Regina pushed herself up to kiss Emma. “You are amazing sometimes.”

“Aw, why’d you have to ruin it with ‘sometimes’?” Emma poked her lip out.

Regina kissed her again, going as far as dragging her teeth across Emma’s bottom lip, earning a light moan from the sheriff. “You’re lucky you’re adorable, even when you’re insufferable.”

Emma snickered. “I know. But, we’ll be here when you go to work. Nathan will be here when you come back. Henry will be here. I’ll be here. We’re all going to love you. It’ll be fine.”

“Of course you’ll be here. How else would you get meals?” The taunt was meant to diffuse the heavy emotion hanging in the air.

Emma snickered and put her arms around Regina. “And sex. Don’t forget sex. It’s a big part of why I keep coming back.”

Regina laughed. “Funny, that’s also a big part of why I keep you around.”

“Sure, there’s that and you love me.” Emma went in for another kiss. “And I love you.”

Regina smiled. “That means a lot and I love you, too.” Whenever Emma declared her love, it always felt right and it made the world feel right.

“I know you do. That’s why it’ll be fine when you go back to work. We all love each other, so we’ll still be a family, even when you start work again.”

Regina sighed and managed to curl into Emma even more. She could feel the words were true and it eased a knot she did not even know she had in her stomach. Had she been worried about losing them if she went back to work? Honestly, she had not entertained the thought of work much beyond her meetings with Kathryn. That was more than enough work, and could be handled while Nathan was asleep or her other chores had been completed. There was still some part of her that was a giddy, gullible teenager.

“You know, I think there’s still a piece of me that wants to just be a housewife,” Regina confessed.

Emma’s brow furrowed as she pulled away to regard Regina. “You, a housewife? I can’t see it.”

Regina scowled. “Excuse you? What do you think I’ve been doing these past few months?”

With a snort, Emma waved that off. “Yeah, but this is downtime for you, babe. You wouldn’t be able to do this for the rest of your life. You demand action. Big time action, which is why you loved it when I showed up the first time.”

Regina rolled her eyes, but Emma was right. Yes, she loved taking care of her family, but she probably would not be able to maintain this lifestyle for years. Not that it mattered. She would go back to work, little by little, but she would go back. Her family would still be there and she would still be able to take care of them.

“Now, are we done with the mushy stuff and your work stuff? Can we get back to the movie?” Emma turned to face the television.

Regina let loose a long suffering sigh as she closed up her folders. “Why did I agree to have this television in the bedroom?” She placed the rest of her work on the nightstand.

“Same reason I don’t give you shit for doing work in bed?”

“It’s funny how fast you forget I can poison your meals.” That shut Emma up for a few minutes.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma had to practically drag Regina out of the house. Regina could not stop kissing Nathan goodbye and promising “Mommy will be back soon.” She felt like he would hate her for leaving, for abandoning him. She knew intellectually that was ridiculous, but emotions so often would not listen to reason.

“He’ll be all right. Go terrorize the masses.” Maleficent shooed them away, complete with the hand motion.

“You know you want to,” Emma cooed in her ear.

Regina huffed. She really did want to go remind these nobles who was in charge and why their little coup attempts would never work. She decided to ride in with Emma and Henry.

“Mom, no crying when you drop me off at school,” Henry said from the backseat. He did not have a seatbelt on. Regina was not sure if the backseat of the Bug even had seat belts or if that was how he rode with only Emma in the car.

“I make no promises.” She was still wiping her eyes from crying over Nathan. She would have to redo her makeup as best she could, but she missed her baby already.

“Mom, you’ve seen me go to school before. Please, don’t cry.” He was so serious.

“This is different. I feel like I’m seeing you off to kindergarten for the first time,” she replied. She was not sure why it felt that way, but it did.

He held up a finger as he issued his decree. “Mom, you will not cry like that.”

Emma’s eyes went wide. “I have that memory! You bawled like you were never going to see him again.”

“Mom has severe separation anxiety,” Henry stated with all the certainty of a medical professional.

“Excuse you, I do not. I just miss my children, like a normal human being. But, now, I don’t think I’ll miss you quite as much. You weren’t this mouthy in kindergarten,” Regina remarked, folding her arms across her chest.

Henry grinned and when he got to school, Regina managed to control herself. She kissed his cheek and watched him and Emma fist-bump and he was gone, trotting off into the building. Regina sighed and Emma grabbed her hand.

“It’s fine,” Regina lied.

“No, it’s not. He’s growing up and it hits you hard,” Emma replied.

Regina sniffled. “Yes.”

“But, kids grow up. It happens. What you should be proud of is the fact that he’s growing into an intelligent, caring, and empathetic young man. You raised him well, babe.”

Regina squeezed Emma’s hand. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“Now, let’s get you to work and get you to scaring some nobles, so they know they can’t just take over the joint,” Emma declared, tilting her chin up.

“It turns you on that I can do that to people.” Regina smirked.

“It damn sure does.”

Regina snickered, but did not get the chance to do much teasing as she wanted. They were at the Town Hall much too soon. She had enough time to check her makeup and do a touch up and then they were there. Emma smiled at her and caressed her cheek. Leaning over, she gave Emma a farewell kiss and then got out of the car. Emma jumped out of the car before Regina could get far and trotted over to Regina.

“Your battle armor is so hot,” Emma said with a grin.

Regina tried not to smile, but it was impossible. She had put on a black pantsuit with a blood red silk shirt and a tight, low cut black waistcoat. It was very reminiscent of her Evil Queen outfits complete with crimson lipstick. The only thing she needed was a hat. Emma referred to it as a favorite “HBIC” suit and Regina felt complimented rather than insulted by it.

“Knock ‘em dead, babe.” Emma gave Regina a tight hug, empowering her.

Regina nodded and Emma kissed the side of her head. As Regina stepped away, Emma had to be herself and she goosed Regina. Regina jumped and glared at her partner.

“Don’t make me start with you,” Regina said, pointing at her partner.

“Oh, I would be good practice, but I don’t think what you would do to me, you’d do to them.” Emma wiggled her eyebrows.

Regina sucked her teeth and turned to leave. She could hear Emma snicker and the car door shut. Regina turned to watch Emma go park the car, basically, as she worked across the street. But, then something caught her eye and a shiver raced down her spine as she spied a dark, crooked figure for a brief moment. Then, like smoke, it was gone. But, she felt like she knew this feeling.

“No, it couldn’t have been.” She shook it away and put it away. There was no way he was there. Her imagination was messing with her. Time to go flex her intimidating muscles and put the town back in order.

Thanks to Kathryn, Regina knew to go to the conference room, as they would be all meeting. She strode into the building with all the swagger of a queen and a woman who was in complete and total control. The click of her heels might as well have been a theme song. Staff in the Town Hall stopped in their tracks when they saw her marching through the halls. These were people who saw her outside often since the birth of Nathan and they smiled at her, waved at her, sometimes conversed with her on the grocery line. They must have forgotten how she looked when she was being Mayor Mills rather than “Nathan’s mom.” The whispers started almost immediately and she ignored them, going right for the conference room doors. She threw them open with flourish, much like she had done at a certain wedding, causing all eyes to go to her.

“Sorry I’m late,” Regina announced with a flare that made her inner Evil Queen puff up with pride.

“Regina, so glad you could make it.” Kathryn smiled, sitting at the head of the conference table. Her spine was straight and her head was high. She looked very much in control and as regal as she possibly could. Sometimes, it was just hard for one person to overpower six. Regina would balance the odds.

“Your Majesty,” one of the men gasped. The sound made Regina’s smirk curl more.

“Mayor Mills will do. It’s my first day back on the job. I’m considering part-time. Kathryn has done such excellent work in my stead, don’t you think?” Regina asked as she walked slowly toward Kathryn and stood by her. Kathryn moved ever-so-slightly, but Regina glued her to the seat with magic for the moment. She wanted the room to understand Kathryn was still in charge and Regina was the teeth behind her.

“Yes, uh… Kathryn has done well,” the man, Edgar, a duke, who Regina was certain had been turned into a frog on more than one occasion by more than one witch, replied. A couple of his known courtiers had found their way into the Business Bureau and he had been granted plots of land for businesses in areas that had been set aside for new residences. Funny how that happened, but how had it happened? How did he get people in the Bureau?

“I’m sorry. Kathryn? Are you her personal friend?” Regina inquired with a tick of her eyebrow.

Edgar bristled. “Of course not. I meant Deputy Mayor Nolan.”

“Yes, well, the Deputy Mayor has been keeping me very much up-to-date with the workings of the office. As you all should be aware, I am very much still connected to everything going on around here. The Deputy Mayor and I are in constant communication and every bit of legislation and documentation with her signature has my approval,” Regina said.

“Everyone is aware we are a team,” Kathryn affirmed.

“So, what I don’t understand is how there is this sudden unofficial council making demands of our office after embedding their own people in the Business Bureau,” Regina continued. The nobles visibly flinched. “You’re not an interest group or an organization. You’re not here on the behalf of anyone but yourselves. I don’t understand.”

“No, Mayor Mills, we simply had some concerns we wished to bring to the Deputy Mayor.” A woman, Panya, said. She was a princess who had been cursed with some affliction, but Regina was not sure what or why. The woman never seemed particularly annoying or greedy, but here she was.

“Oh, concerns. Do share.” Regina slipped into the chair to the right of Kathryn. She would love to hear what crap they were going to come up with now.

“Yes, we would love to hear those and try to address what we can,” Kathryn said and bless her, her eyes gleamed with the same devilish mischief Regina knew her own eyes held.

“And after we hear your concerns, we’d like to express our own, like this thing with the Business Bureau. As I don’t understand how you thought all of that would go unnoticed,” Regina said as she put her hands on the table and folded them in front of her. She watched them all gulp. Yes, she had missed this.

-8-8-8-8-

Going back to work part-time hurt and it did not lessen day by day, even though Regina enjoyed her job. It felt good to put that made-up council in its place and put the Business Bureau back together, having to fire several people. There would be a little more digging to find out how the Business Bureau got infiltrated in the first place, which would be fun. Still, she missed her baby boy. Regina spent a lot of time looking at her phone, waiting for pictures of what Nathan was doing with his day. The weird thing was that it was no different than her mornings, except her time with Kathryn was at the office instead of home, where Nathan slept through most of the time anyway.

“You don’t need to babysit me, Regina,” Kathryn said from her space at the desk. Regina refused the seat since she was only there for half the day. It was still Kathryn’s. Regina worked from the sofa, which again, made things similar to how she worked at home, except she was not at home.

“I’m not. I have to ease back into this role eventually. I might as well start now,” Regina replied and it was true. She could not stay home with Nathan for the rest of his life. Besides, as Emma said, she needed things to do, challenges to keep her going, and she would not be happy as only a housewife, no matter how much she thought she might.

Kathryn nodded. “You make motherhood seem quite lovely.”

“I enjoy it, but it’s not for everyone.” Regina’s own mother was proof of that. “And I think you have to want motherhood, not just a child. You have to want to be a mother to that child.” She could be considered proof of that from when Henry became difficult. For a while, she had wanted him as a possession more than she wanted to be his mother and she now understood it led her to making poor decisions with him.

“I think one of the things I like most about this realm is that I can make that choice. Yes, people will still look at me like I’m crazy regardless of which realm they’re from if I tell them I don’t want children, but I have that choice. Back home, I’d have been forced to have at least three kids by now.”

“Not for you?” Regina did not think Kathryn entertained any thoughts of motherhood, which she did not hold against Kathryn. She felt like it should be Kathryn’s choice or anyone’s choice because children should not be put into a position where they were unwanted or could feel like a burden.

“No. I’m enjoying my life of glamor.” Kathryn threw her hands up and laughed.

Regina chuckled with her and they went back to work. “Have you found the mole yet?”

“No. I thought the mole would be whoever it was that hired the courtiers, but they weren’t hired by the same people.”

“That would’ve been too easy. Let’s cleanse the Bureau first. How did they think they would get away with this? As if we wouldn’t notice them buying up all this land and getting licenses without no work. What if there was something that was meant to distract us?” Regina asked.

Kathryn shook her head. “This was the biggest thing on our desk from what I could tell. What did we miss and how could it have been so big, but so subtle?”

Regina scowled and scratched her chin. She turned her attention back to her files, considering there might be answers there. Nothing stood out, but she continued on working. There were still the yetis to handle. Kathryn had ideas, but they needed to tweak it for it to work. It was better than nothing, though.

By lunch time, Regina made it through what she had and was set to go home, as she did for her work week. She worked four days out of the week for half the day. It had been a rough week, mostly being heartsick over Nathan. How did Emma do this everyday for the whole day?

“Knock, knock,” Maleficent said as she pushed Nathan’s stroller into the office. Regina could feel her face light up.

“What are you doing here?” Regina asked as she tore off of the sofa to go hold her son.

“Just playing the hero for once,” Maleficent remarked with a smile as Regina unbuckled Nathan from the stroller. She hugged him and inhaled his sweet scent.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” Regina bounced Nathan in her arms and he giggled.

“Let me see this guy.” Kathryn got out of her seat with her arms open for Nathan. Regina passed the baby along. Kathryn sighed and hugged him close. “You sure you don’t want one?” Regina’s smile was teasing.

Kathryn snickered. “Can I give him back when I’m tired of him?”

Regina chuckled. “That’s what a second parent is for.” Yes, there were times when she needed a break and Emma was there.

“And interrupt Frederick’s poker night or game days? I don’t need that kind of stress in my life,” Kathryn remarked.

Kathryn gave Nathan back and Regina put him back in the stroller. She took charge of the stroller from Maleficent. She wasted no time going to the Sheriff’s office. On the way of simply crossing the street, she felt a familiar chill and glanced to her left. There was nothing there, but the smell of firewood wafted through the air. It was probably nothing, so she continued on. Maleficent parted ways with her then.

“Lily and I are going to catch a movie. I still don’t understand this phrase,” Maleficent said with a furrowed brow.

Regina smiled. “There are phrases here I don’t think anyone understands. You’ll enjoy it. Have fun.” They exchanged brief hugs. She watched Maleficent stroll off up the street and then turned to the door to the Sheriff’s office.

“Nathan!” Emma was on them before the door even closed. She hugged Regina and kissed her cheek before going to unstrap Nathan.

“Wait, no, leave him there. We can go have lunch,” Regina said.

Emma nodded. “You hear that, Mulan?” she called behind her. Mulan was nowhere insight.

“I will hold down the fort. I will be leaving when Dorothy comes in, though,” Mulan replied. The Sheriff’s department did not really seem to have shifts anymore. Everyone put in forty hours a week at random times, but it worked. Dorothy was all too happy to handle weekends since Ruby worked those times as well. The others would come in if there was an emergency, but Dorothy handled the “boring, day-to-day” things, enjoying the extra pay to spoil her girlfriend.

“Yeah, you’re good.” Emma turned to Regina. “Let’s go.”

Regina nodded and turned with the stroller. They walked the short distance to the diner. Ruby greeted them, took Nathan, and walked off while they were left to find their own table.

“I expect my kid back before I get my sandwich,” Emma called to Ruby, who ignored her. “I think Nathan might be the actual mayor of Storybrooke.”

Regina liked that idea. Nathan was loved and so many people wanted him around. Regina had never known that sort of love, nor had Emma. It helped them believe Nathan would grow up living a good life, having support, and care. They could not ask for more.

Regina and Emma looked at each other, prepared to have a conversation. They would not get that far. Robin stormed into the diner, as if he had been looking for them. He glared as he marched toward them. Regina was surprised he did not have his bow in hand with the murderous rage in his eyes.

Emma groaned and covered her face with her hand. “Oh, god.”

“Regina, you think you can make a fool out of me!” Robin roared.

“It wouldn’t be hard if I actually tried,” Regina said. What was he upset over now? She had not seen him since The High and Mighty Llama incident, which was several weeks ago. Did he have nothing else to do with his life than stew over things that happened between them?

“I refuse to fall for your lies anymore!” His face was already bright red.

Regina glanced at Emma, who shrugged. “Robin, I haven’t spoken to you directly or indirectly for weeks. What could I have lied about? In fact, I don’t care enough about you to lie about you. Lies take effort and planning. You’re not worth the effort.”

“I will not be made a fool of ever again. You will not let me think that little bastard is mine!” Robin threw his hand out.

Emma jumped up, but Regina held up her hand to keep Emma from getting on Robin. She was quite sick of peons referring to her little boy as a bastard, but she could not allow the Sheriff to be seen manhandling a citizen of Storybrooke. She stood in front of Emma, wishing that would somehow diffuse the situation, but she knew the truth.

“I don’t know what bastard you’re referring to, but every single person here will tell you my son Nathan belongs to Emma. So, what’s the issue here?” Regina asked. Why would he not just go live his life? Stay in the forest? Do whatever it was sad, has-been folk heroes did with their time?

“Yeah, Nathan is my son with Regina,” Emma reminded him, pointing to herself.

“I’m sure that’s the case. You made this big deal about having me sign a contract and you took me to court and sullied my name when all this time you used your magic to have Emma impregnate you,” he spat.

“Says who?” Regina asked. Beyond, you know, most of the town?

He scowled at her and continued on as if she did not ask a question at all. “I considered it, but now I know it to be true.”

“What put it over the top?” Emma asked. “You know, beyond literally everyone saying so.” She rolled her eyes.

“One of my men heard you in the park offering to do the same for Mulan and Marian. It’s bad enough you’ve infected Marian with this indecent sludge you call a relationship, but now you’re offering to carry it on to future generations and ruin children’s lives over it.” He sneered, absolutely disgusted with them.

Emma turned to her with a skeptical look. “Really?”

“I’m a witch,” Regina reminded her partner.

“And we’re using wishing stars here?” Emma threw her hands up.

Regina shook her head. She would not have been able to undo the spell on her. “That has nothing to do with this.” Things had to happen the way they did for Henry’s wish to come true. It had to overpower magic she would not have been able to do.

“I’ll be taking you to court over this. I will clear my name!” He literally beat his chest in front of everyone and just like that, Robin was gone.

“What the hell was that?” Emma asked as she motioned for Regina to sit back in her seat.

Regina shook her head. She had no idea. Robin had no claim to Nathan, no bonds. Most of the town thought Nathan was biologically Emma’s. Robin was being spiteful by making a scene and wanting to go to court.

“He thinks Marian loves Mulan enough to extend a family with her and now he’s taking his anger out on us. Do you realize we both have horrible taste in men?” Regina asked.

Emma grinned. “But awesome taste in baby mamas.” She actually gave Regina two thumbs up.

Regina sighed. “I’m starting to reconsider.” Massaging her temples. What fresh hell was Robin about to put them through?

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve decided to at least go after Hook whenever he tries something. I know you didn’t care about the car, but I don’t want him to think he can just harass either of us whenever he feels like it,” Emma said.

Regina nodded. “That might be best.” They needed to gain control over their exes before something horrific happened. Maybe worrying over them was why she missed whoever or whatever allowed those nobles to attempt their not-so-subtle coup. While she knew she did not need her guard up in the same way she had it as the Evil Queen, she had to stay alert. She could not allow herself to be lulled into thinking their life would be quiet and idyllic outside of their home. There was always something going on in Storybrooke.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: Regina and Emma end up in court again.

Chapter Text

8: Court Order

“This is bullshit,” Emma huffed as she paced outside the courthouse. She was dressed in her best and made sure her Sheriff star was on display on the breast pocket of her black suit jacket.  

Regina watched her. “Can you watch your language around our children, please?” She motioned to Henry, who stood a couple of feet away with his grandparents and uncle. They were there for moral support, as were more people than Regina would have liked, witnessing this moment of humiliation. Why couldn’t Nathan have just done them all a favor and have fallen out of the sky? She would love him just the same and she was certain Emma would have as well.

“Uh, I agree with Ma,” Henry said, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. His suit was almost identical to Emma’s. He had dressed up, even though he did not want to go into the courtroom. But, the judge might call him for more information on the situation, so he put on his suit and best shoes.

“Could this open things up for Robin to take Nathan?” Snow asked with tears in her eyes.

“No. He doesn’t have any parental rights. He signed them away and the judge upheld the contract. It doesn’t help that he keeps breaking the nondisclosure agreement. This is all about clearing his already worthless name,” Regina replied with a scowl that refused to leave her face. She held Nathan closer to her, as if that would make everything all right.

“Does he think this will restore his stupid honor he’s always talking about?” Emma asked with a scoff.

Regina shrugged. “Probably.” She did not understand why he thought that would be the case. But, then again, he had not been rational for a long time.

Emma sneered. “Idiot. Can’t restore something that wasn’t there in the first place.”

“Not with tactics like this,” David grumbled, his arms folded across his chest. He had opted to wear his deputy uniform, also in case he was called in by the judge.

As much as Regina hated when she agreed with David, he was right. Robin did not seem to understand the concept of honor anymore. There was something broken in him and nothing he did would fix it. He had to sense it as he fought for his honor, but that was not the problem and she doubted he would figure it out, especially since he was surrounded by Yes Men. What if this really is all my fault? What if killing Marian had been the thing to break him? It had not seemed so when she first met him in the Enchanted Forest.

Robin knew who he was when Regina first met him and he very much lived up to his name. But, as she thought on it, it was strange he was comfortable even sharing a space with her then. How could he sit across from Marian’s executioner and not at least try to rip her throat out or “accidentally” shot an arrow at her while they fought off the Wicked Witch? Regina had no answers.

Regina sighed. “Well, let’s stop putting off the inevitable. It’s not like we want to be standing here when he arrives.” She knew Emma was likely to tackle Robin down the stairs if she saw him now without actual supervision.

They made their way into court. David took Nathan from Regina and led Snow and Henry to a waiting area. Mulan and Marian were already seated over there. They all smiled at each other and then smiled at Emma and Regina. The couple gave them a nod and then went into the small courtroom. Kathryn was always ready waiting for them inside.

“I can’t believe we’re here again,” Kathryn said.

“That makes two of us,” Regina sighed.

“This is complete bullshit.” Emma looked like she wanted to put her fist through a wall, or preferably Robin’s face.

Regina took hold of her hands to make sure they did not get out of control and led Emma to her seat. Kathryn put her briefcase down and kept her eyes forward, but glanced at Regina and Emma every now and then. Regina ran her thumb across Emma’s hand, hoping to keep her calm. She could feel Emma trembling in her grip.

“How do you think this will play out?” Regina asked. The smell of the courtroom, like cheap pine and cheaper carpet, and its plain appearance, much like the couple of wooden benches behind them, made her stomach turn. She never wanted to be in the room again, yet here they were.

Kathryn shook her head. “I have no idea why we’re even here. Every problem Robin has is from his own doing. The only reason some people even assume Nathan is his is because he violated your contract. He has no legal connection to Nathan, so he shouldn’t need to prove Nathan isn’t his.”

“So, this is pointless and it’ll get thrown out?” Emma’s eyes begged for confirmation.

Kathryn winced and it did not instill confidence in the couple. “Well, unless he wants to argue this would clear his reputation. The judge might let it go through. But, I can’t see that happening. Robin is the reason his reputation is ruined. You both didn’t have anything to do with that. Nathan didn’t have anything to do with it,” she pointed out.

Regina frowned. She found herself bothered by this, even though she knew Robin was Nathan’s biological father. She had not deluded herself into thinking otherwise, even though the town would have made it so easy. Hell, the fact that she connected almost everything Nathan did to Emma in someway would have made it easy. Her anger was more over the fact that Robin would take them to court over this when Nathan was none of his concern. He wanted so badly to not be connected to this child and she craved the ability to grant his wish.

Robin and his attorney, still the weary Matt Murdock, who must have been a sadist. Robin glared at them as he settled into his seat. Regina rolled her eyes. There was not time for much more than the look as the judge entered and they stood until they were told to be seated.

“Well, I hadn’t expected to see you folks again. Why are we here?” Judge Marahuté asked with a sigh as he regarded them. He looked like Emma looked and how Regina felt. This whole thing was exhausting. Robin was draining in every sense.

“Your Honor, it has come to my client’s attention that Regina Mills represented a fraud to him when coming to him with the contract having him terminate his parental rights,” Mr. Murdock replied. Robin huffed in his seat, but he did not make any other noise.

The judge arched a blond eyebrow, leaning forward with interest. “How did she represent a fraud?”

“The baby, Nathan David Swan-Mills, is in fact the biological child of Emma Swan. Ms. Mills put my client into this only to drag his name through the mud and slander him at every chance she could get,” Mr. Murdock stated.

“She slandered his name by making him terminate parental rights you are now claiming weren’t legally his to begin with and making his sign a nondisclosure agreement that he later violated on more than one occasion?” the judge asked, pain in his eyes already. He massaged his forehead as wrinkles appeared.

“It is very much that ridiculous, your Honor,” Kathryn said.

Judge Marahuté rubbed his hands together. “I’m not sure I understand this. What makes your client think Emma Swan is the baby’s… father?” He made a face as the word came from his mouth. He took a breath and rested his chin on his knuckles.

“Ms. Mills is a known practitioner of magic. In her own words, she claims to be one of the best. A witness overheard her telling another woman she could use her magic to allow the woman and her female partner to have a baby,” Mr. Murdock explained.

“Ms. Mills, you are a known witch. Is this true? Would you be capable of performing such an act?” the judge asked.

“Yes, your Honor, I told another same-sex couple I could assist them when they were ready to have a child,” Regina confirmed.

“Is that what you did here?” the judge asked, making a twirling motion with his index finger.

“Your Honor, why would I drag Robin into this if Emma was my child’s parent in the first place?” Regina asked. Her head throbbed from this idiocy. Robin was a pain in the ass that never went away. “Him being involved has done nothing but bring unnecessary stress into our lives.”

The judged nodded. “Agreed, but to clear this up and hope we will never have to deal with this matter again, I will order a DNA test on the baby.”

“And magic,” Mr. Murdock added.

“Excuse me?” the judge asked.

“My client would also like a magical test done. If magic was involved in this, magic might be the only thing to detect it. So, we would like to request a magic test along with the DNA test. There are many magic practitioners in town. I am sure the court can find one who is impartial,” Mr. Murdock explained.

“Sounds good. We will have both a DNA test and a magical paternity test, if that is a thing.” The judge looked at Regina. It was clear from this moment he was not from a realm with much, if any, magic. How had he come to Storybrooke? How had he gotten caught up in the Curse? Regina doubted they would ever know.

Regina nodded. “It is.”

“Good. There will be both then. I’ll schedule them for this time next week, giving the court time to find an impartial magic user and also an impartial lab in Storybrooke.” It was hard to figure out which of those would be harder to find, not because of magic or science, but everyone knew Regina, Emma, and Robin at this point. Who was impartial anymore? But, the judge banged his gavel and that was that.

“So, we’re actually doing this? This is such bullshit!” Emma screamed and stood up to kick her chair over. The court bailiff moved toward them, but Regina held up a hand.

“Emma, please. It’ll be fine,” Regina said, wrapping her arms around Emma.

“Upset that your lies are about to come to light?” Robin hissed.

“Upset we have to share space with an asshole like you,” Emma barked and she jumped in Regina’s arms. She did not make any move toward him, but she was wound so tight, Regina feared her partner might tear right out of her skin.

“Come, sweetheart.” Regina tugged Emma toward the exit. The last thing they needed was for the Sheriff to get arrested in family court and Emma seemed to understand that as she walked with Regina, albeit slow and she never took her eyes off of Robin.

Kathryn trailed behind them, grip on her briefcase so tight, her hand was white was she carried it. “I’ll fight this.”

“Don’t bother,” Regina said. She was tired of Robin and this might actually be the thing to get him off of their back.

Emma glared at her, stared her down like when they first became acquainted with each other. “The hell do you mean don’t bother? This is our son, Regina!”

“Yes, I am aware,” Regina replied through gritted teeth.

“The hell then?” Emma demanded, flailing her arm.

“This changes nothing, my love. It’s merely a waste of time. It’s not like he can use this to gain custody of Nathan,” she pointed out, hoping it would get Emma to calm down. No such luck.

“I’d ask what happened, but it doesn’t look good,” Henry said, standing before his mothers.

Regina shook her head. “Nathan will have to undergo a DNA test and a magical examination. Robin is trying to prove Nathan isn’t linked to him biologically.”

“We should be so lucky,” Henry said.

Kathryn sighed. “It would be easier than having to appear in court again.”

“Is it possible?” Mulan asked.

“For Robin to not be Nathan’s father?” Regina shook her head. “I wouldn’t have gone through all of this if there was a slither of a chance.” She turned to Marian and looked her dead in the eye. “I didn’t lie.”

“I believe you,” Marian said.

“Why would Robin even do this?” Henry asked.

“One of his men overheard me offering to help some friends should they want to conceive. In theory, I or any other witch could create a child between any two people who wanted it. The trouble really comes from finding the ingredients for the spell, but it’s possible,” Regina explained.

Mulan glanced back and forth between Regina and Emma. “Did that happen?”

“I wouldn’t have dragged Robin into this if that’s what happened. Life would be so much easier if that’s what happened,” Regina sighed. This was so stupid it was making Emma’s non-stupid friend stupid. “Let’s just go home.” 

She needed to get Emma out of the courthouse. She was too quiet now. Regina could feel an explosive energy building and she did not understand why. They were not in danger of losing Nathan. They needed to talk this out. No one argued about leaving. They all exited the courthouse, shoulders slumped and defeated for some reason beyond Regina.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma was still quiet, even after her favorite dinner. Regina was not sure what she could do to lift her lover’s spirits. After their sons were in bed and they snuggled on the sofa for their usual alone time, Regina decided to just ask.

“Sweetheart, talk to me. What’s the matter?” Regina asked, tucking her legs under her. She gave Emma space between them, thinking Emma might not be in the mood to touch since she did not seem to be in the mood to talk. “This doesn’t take anything away from your relationship with Nathan. You are his parent no matter what. We won’t lose him to Robin.”

Emma frowned and tugged at her flannel pajama pants. “I know we won’t lose him, but why is he able to harass us like this? This shit is meaningless, but he gets to have his way. Why? What the hell does it accomplish?”

“Nothing.” Which was why she could not understand why Emma was so bent out of shape about it. All of this was meaningless.

“And what about the next time he gets some bullshit idea? Does he get to drag us to court over that, too? Do we have to jump through hoops over that as well?”

Regina leaned over, gathering Emma in her arms. She was pleased Emma did not fight her on it. Emma tucked her head under Regina’s chin and sighed. Regina kissed the side of Emma’s head.

“I’m sorry for this, my love,” Regina said.

Emma sighed again, her entire body dropping with the sound. “It’s not your fault. He’s just an asshole. I’m tired of bullshit. I just want to be able to have our family and raise our sons and be happy. Is that too much to ask?”

“Of course not, sweetheart,” Regina said. She would make it her business to make sure something like this could never happen again. Emma had enough stress in her life. She did not have to worry about what other speed bumps might come up in their family from someone like Robin Hood.

“I can’t believe the judge is playing into this.”

“I don’t think he’s playing into this in the way you think. I’m sure he’s thinking this is bullshit, as you continue to point out, and he can use this to shut Robin up and shut him down.” It was more than clear the judge was not a fan of Robin.

Emma scowled. “Yeah, but what about the next time?”

“He could use this to block a next time.”

Emma looked up at her for a moment before turning her attention to the helm of Regina’s silk slip, twisting the fabric in her fingers. “Is that why you’re okay with this?”

Regina scoffed, lightly dragging her fingers across Emma’s bare arm. “I’m not okay with it. I just think it’s something we can get through and it can keep us from having to hear from Robin ever again. His claim will be disproven and he comes across as hysterical. No one will believe a word he says, not that many people do at this point. He has no legal ties to our child, so he can’t do anything with or to Nathan, except reveal how nasty he has become.”

“I don’t want this to turn into something Nathan has to deal with when he gets older.”

“He won’t, sweetheart. Even if he did have the chance, he doesn’t want Nathan.” Regina rubbed Emma’s bicep.

“That doesn’t make me feel better since I know he’d take Nathan to spite us. He thinks we ruined his life or whatever. He’s an ass.”

“He is that and he also doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Nothing he’s doing is going to go anywhere, except to ruin his own reputation more. He won’t and can’t get Nathan. We’re going to be fine. Our family’s going to be fine.” She kissed the side of Emma’s head again.

Emma’s expression did not change and she pulled her knees to her chest. There was something more there, but Regina was not sure Emma would tell her right now. She gathered as much of Emma in her arms as she could, as if physically trying to hold her together. She gave another kiss, this time to Emma’s forehead. Emma did not lean into it, did not move.

“What is weighing you down, my love?” Regina asked. What was the real trouble?

“It’s nothing. I dunno. Just jumbled.” Emma made a circular motion in front of her chest with her open hand.

Regina held Emma for a long while as a movie played on the television. Emma never said what bothered her and Regina did not pry. Emma would tell her when she was ready. For now, they had to prepare for this new annoyance in their lives. She hated that the judge gave Robin this power, but it could easily be a setup to get Robin to stop already. She hoped the judge saw it the same way she did and not whatever horror Emma seemed to envision.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma was not better by the time they were called back to court. Her body vibrated with aggressive energy. She had pouted and brooded the whole week before they got the call. She glared Robin down with a renewed hatred as his cheek was swabbed and then her cheek was swabbed. Nathan squirmed and wiggled when it was his turn, but it was over before he made a fuss. He blew spit at the cotton swab while it was in his sight, though.

“We’ll rush this, but it will still take time,” the person who took the swab said to no one in particular. She then left.

Judge Marahauté regarded them all. “For the magical portion of this trip down the rabbit hole, we’ll have to take a field trip. The magic user we found said the spell would work best on her property surrounded by items needed for the spell. She had also affirmed to have heard of Regina and Emma, but has no feelings one way or the other for them, which is better than the first dozen people we talked to who either attempted to kill Regina or her trying to kill them in the past.”

“Dozen?” Kathryn said, giving Regina a glance. “I’m shocked you were so lazy against fellow witches.”

Regina snickered, but Emma did not move. Regina sighed and decided to ask a question. “And how did this witch feel about Robin or is it only us you’re checking in on? That hardly seems fair.”

The judge shook his head. “Didn’t even know who the man was.”

Robin’s face fell. “She’s lying. How could she not know me? Do you know how many people I’ve helped? She might hold a grudge against me from the Old World.”

Mr. Murdock put his hand on Robin’s shoulder. “We checked her out as well. She was from a different section of the Old World. It’s likely she doesn’t know you beyond your reputation here, if that.”

Regina felt like that would work to their advantage. Robin had not made any friends since Marian’s return. Meanwhile, she had saved the town from the Wicked Witch, they had stopped the Snow Queen, Emma had helped Elsa, they had defeated the Chernabog, and so many other things. Most of the town supported them just for their heroics.

“Are you all agreed to at least go see this magic user?” the judge asked.

There were no objections. Regina was concerned over how quiet Emma was and how her hands had been balled up into tight fists since they got to the courthouse. She tried to take Emma’s hand, but Emma did not accept, even as they took the trip to magic user. The small ranch-style house was in a middle-class section of town. A sign in the front yard advertised the person living there as an apothecary and fortune teller. Regina was almost certain she knew the magic user the court got for the case.

“Sonja Koldunya?” Judge Marahuté knocked on the door. It was amazing how he ignored the bones scattered about the front yard since he seemed a little baffled and uncomfortable with magic, but it was likely he knew they were chicken bones.

“Coming!” a voice called. The door opened revealing a grandmotherly figure who could probably be friends with Granny should their paths ever cross. She even had a shawl over her shoulders.

“Ah, the Baba Yaga,” Regina said. She could see why the Baba Yaga claimed to be impartial. No matter what Regina had done in the Old World, this woman never seemed bothered by it. Sometimes, she would give Regina little warnings about her behavior, but nothing further. Regina once made an impulsive attempt at her life and the old woman laughed in her face over it.

“The Evil Queen,” Sonja replied with a smirk. She probably had never heard of Robin Hood, as she claimed. She was from far north in the Old World.

“I suppose I trust you to do this test,” Regina said.

“You should. I’m the only one not likely to lie and say your baby is a demon and should be destroyed,” Sonja replied and she was probably telling the truth.

Emma snarled. “Nathan is not!”

Regina pulled her partner back. “Sweetheart, calm down. Sonja means no harm. We can trust her.” Well, trust her with this. Regina was not sure if the trust could be extended beyond that, though.

Emma did not look convinced, face set in a scowl and body tenser than taut bowstring. They stepped inside. It looked like a regular home of a little, old lady. There were house plants everywhere, but the smell of peppermint and rosemary overpowered every other scent in the house. Stepping into the den, it was clear this was also the home a witch. There were shelves of bottled ingredients and books, a table in the middle, herbs all around, and tarot cards tucked away on a table in the corner.

“If you like, beyond this test, I could also draw my tarot cards for an answer,” Sonja said.

“We only need the court issued test, ma’am,” Judge Marahuté replied with a polite nod.

Sonja shrugged. “So be it. The court official who contacted me said I should talk you through the process. I’ve also agreed to have this filmed.”

“Lemme just set up the camera,” one of the court people said. He worked quickly and then everyone stepped out of Sonja’s way.

“Before I get started, I’ll explain the process. I have to put together a potion. I’ll then take a hair from each candidate, dip into the potion, they will each go into their own containers, and sit for a week. I’ve agreed to leave the camera here for proof there is no tempering, but the hairs must remain in the shade of my magnolia tree to seep out the proper nature. After five days, we’ll all reconvene here and I’ll open the jars and dip the hairs in another potion and we’ll find out who baby Nathan belongs to,” Sonja explained.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Emma groused.

“Yes, so I can be done with the lot of you,” Robin huffed.

Regina curled her lip at him, but did her best to comfort Emma with her presence. It did nothing. She tried to caress Emma’s arm, but Emma moved away. Was Emma upset with her? Blaming her? She did not understand why, beyond the fact that she had been with Robin. But, if she had not been with Robin, they would not have Nathan and they probably would not be together as a family now. Did Emma regret their family? She could not see how that was possible.

Regina was taken from her worries as Sonja moved around the room, grabbing ingredients, handling her mortar and pestle, and talking them through what she was doing as she ground the ingredients and began mixing things. Sonja prepared her potion. Hairs were plucked and placed in small jars to sit under a tree in her yard for a week. Then, everyone was gone, except for the camera to make sure nothing happened.

“Step into my living room for a moment before you go,” Sonja said to Regina and Emma.

Emma groaned. “Can’t we just go home? I’m sorry if Regina tried to kill you.” It was a good sign she was at least talking, but she still was visibly upset.

Sonja laughed. “Tried to kill me?” She rubbed her chin with one thick finger. “I saw the Queen throw a temper tantrum once. Not sure it counts as attempted murder.”

Regina folded her arms across her chest. “You got lucky.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Majesty. Now, go sit on the couch,” Sonja ordered, motioning to the sofa.

Regina and Emma did not argue, even though Nathan was a little fussy. He had been surrounded by strangers for the better part of the afternoon and he was hungry. Regina fished out a bottle from the baby bag. She handed him to Emma, thinking feeding him might make Emma feel better. It was only then she noticed the sorrow in Emma’s eyes. Oh, my god. Emma doesn’t want to prove he’s not hers. Regina could not believe she missed that, but before she could address that issue Sonja was before them.

“Tea?” Sonja asked as she came with tea.

“No, thanks,” Emma said, pressing Nathan close to her.

Sonja turned to Regina. “You might want to teach that one some manners.”

“Of course. We’d love some tea,” Regina answered.

“I don’t want any tea,” Emma grumbled. Sonja ignored her and Regina would have to remember to teach Emma the witch rules of etiquette at some point.

“There now.” Sonja tilted her head up a little, as she poured tea and put a cup in front of each them. She sat in her rocking chair.

Regina did not make a move to the tea. “Why do you want to talk to us, if not my past aggression toward you?”

Sonja waved that off. “You were just trying to prove yourself as a witch. We all have those moments. You don’t live as long as I have and not run into a few upstarts who aren’t as bad as they’re trying to be. I will say, I was a little surprised by your power… and also how easy you gave up, especially knowing who your mother was.”

“I didn’t give up. I was just more secure in myself when I felt I could match your power,” Regina replied.

Sonja chuckled. “You go ahead and tell yourself that. If you’re that powerful, then I think I know how that test is going to turn out.”

Regina frowned. “Is this what you wanted to talk about?”

“No. I wanted to let you both know I had a visit from a man with one hand not too long ago,” Sonja said.

Emma gasped and shook just enough to disrupt Nathan’s meal. He blew a milky raspberry at her, which she ignored, and he went back to his bottle. “Hook? What the hell did he want from you?” It was a good question, especially since Sonja was on par with Regina’s mother when it came to magic, maybe even better. Why was Hook bothering someone with such power?

“A love spell,” Sonja said.

“Bastard,” Regina snarled. She would kill him the next time she saw him before she allowed him to enslave Emma with some cheesy love spell. Well, it would not be cheesy if it came from a baba yaga. The most powerful baba yaga, actually. He could have her partner literally eating out of the palm of his hand if Sonja assisted him.

Sonja held up a hand. “Don’t worry. No one in the union is going to sell to him.”

“You guys have a union?” Emma asked.

“Well, there were several covenants in the Old World and sometimes we would get together in what you would call conventions, but we felt like a union seemed more official here. He’s gone through all thirteen of our covenant members, but the union itself is pretty big. The bruja over on Third Street almost took his other hand,” Sonja replied.

“What do you guys care?” Emma inquired.

“While a lot of us aren’t fans of Regina, we’re also not fans of people who turn on us and he turned on Regina and her mother. You don’t double cross a witch and then ask another witch for help. You have a history of not doing right by us. But, I’m telling you because I happen to like you two. You got spunk,” Sonja said with a laugh.

“Do you think Rumple sold him one?” Regina doubted it happened, but Rumple could be unpredictable.

Sonja started cracking up, going so far as to slap her knee. “He’s in our bowling league. He had the first ‘I tossed Hook out on his ass’ story. We couldn’t believe Hook thought that damned imp would help him with anything, especially trying to hurt Emma.”

Emma blinked. “What about me?”

“Rumple has a soft spot for you and Regina. He probably doesn’t show it to you, but it’s there. Probably because you’re his grandson’s mothers. We’ve got other theories going, but we don’t talk about them when we’re bowling. Speaking of the bowling league, you both need to sign up. We could use more witches.” Sonja gave a solid nod, as if that would sell them.

“As much as I’d love to see Regina bowling, I’m not a witch,” Emma replied.

“But, you got magic. It’s a bowling league of magic users. We get together Thursday nights to talk shit to each other. Regina, you’d enjoy it. Emma, you’d probably wanna win.”

“You’re not wrong,” Regina said.

“We don’t have the time for that now, though,” Emma pointed out.

“Of course not, but now you know the league is there. When you get a chance, you can come check it out. For now, be aware Hook is trying something. I’m not sure if anyone will help him, but he’s trying,” Sonja reported.

“Thank you,” Regina said.

Sonja shook her head. “It’s nothing. He’s an ass.” She sipped her tea.

“Any chance he could make a love potion himself?” Emma asked.

“No, as cheap as they are, they’re still a pain to make and you’d need to know what you’re doing to do it. No one is going to help him.”

“Is that all?” Regina asked.

Sonja shook her head and put her tea cup down. “That’s all.” She stood and went to rub Nathan’s head. “And, Emma, regardless of whose blood is in this boy, remember he’s your son, just like Henry is Regina’s son.”

Emma gasped and sat up a little. Regina smiled her thanks to Sonja, who waved her off. Nathan finished his bottle and Sonja shooed them out so she could finish her tea. Emma took Regina’s hand in the short walk to the car.

“I’ll find out about Hook,” Regina said. “Talk to me when you’re ready.”

Emma nodded and stared down at Nathan. Regina was not sure why it mattered to Emma if Nathan was biologically hers or not, but they needed to work it out soon, as she was certain Emma would be heartbroken with the tests if she had allowed the town to sway her into thinking she provided the genetic material to make Nathan. Of course, like Sonja said, it did not make Nathan any less than her son.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: test results.

Chapter Text

9: Must be Magic

Regina sat in her office, rubbing her palms together. Emma was still not talking to her about why she was bothered over the testing of Nathan. She did not understand why it upset Emma to have it confirmed she was not Nathan’s other biological parent. They knew that. Why did Emma think otherwise? She refused to say, refused to even admit that was the thing troubling her.

Regina had busied herself for the past few days to get her mind off Emma and tried to wait her out. She had visited every witch, wizard, and warlock in town. Sonja had already let them know Regina would be on the hunt for them. According to them, none of them had given Hook what he sought, but he had been to each of them for a love potion. They also described it was hard to get certain ingredients for spells and things, but it had nothing to do with the love potion. She wondered what that was about.

“Have you always had a need for these ingredients?” Regina asked, putting on her mayor’s hat for the moment. In front of her was a mage, Bridgette Hobbs, who tended a small apple orchard during the week and ran a small stand for potions on weekends. Apparently, there was a witchcraft market after the farmer’s market left for the day. Who knew?

“No. The business has picked up since more people came over in the Second Curse. I’ve always been able to get what I need from suppliers if I can’t find it myself,” Bridgette replied.

Regina nodded. “I’ll look into it. There haven’t been any written complaints. If you can all form a union, you should also be able to work with the government.”

“Is that not what we’re doing right now?” Bridgette smiled and motioned between them.

“Yes, I suppose that much is true.” Regina considered the witches’ supplies could have gotten entangled with the mess over at the Business Bureau. Maybe one of those nobles had been given the license to supply the witches, but had no intention of doing so. “Now, back to my business. I’ve spoke to most of the union. Are there any non-union members Hook might have visited?”

Bridgette shrugged. “That’s always a possibility. Not everyone likes to be a team player, after all.”

There was a short list of other magic users Regina went to see. Yes, Hook had been there. No, they had not helped him with his love potion. It was easy to imagine he was plotting against Emma. But, he did not count on no one wanting to help him. She rolled her eyes to herself. Surely he was somewhere raging she had turned the entire town against him. For now, she needed other people to keep an eye out for him. Time to bring in the rest of the Charming softball team.

“Emma, sweetheart, I’m going out,” Regina called as she hit the stairs and grabbed her keys from the hall table.

“Cool. Me and Nathan are having pizza for dinner then,” Emma said from the living room.

“If you do not take that roast out in fifteen minutes, I will destroy your happiness,” Regina promised as she made it to the door. “Love you.”

“That means no sex, Nathan,” she heard Emma say.

“And stop telling our son about our sex life! It’s creepy, which says a lot coming from me,” Regina added.

“Love you, too!”

Regina sighed and went to her car. At least Emma was talking to her, but that did not change the fact that Hook was out there doing things. She drove to Snow’s house and was greeted by David with Neal in his arms. Before she was in the door, Neal was in her arms and David rushed off. A stench then hit her nose and she winced.

“Why does he smell like throw up?” Regina asked.

“Because he threw up. I’m wearing most of it,” David replied as he rushed off for the bathroom.

Regina shook her head and turned her attention to Neal. At least David cleaned Neal up mostly before going to take care of himself. The baby would need a new t-shirt, though. Snow must have been on that mission as she came with one before Regina made it to the sofa.

“He got David good this time,” Snow chuckled. She was probably happy it was not her for once.

“Did you feed him those yams again on purpose?” Regina smirked as she took the t-shirt from Snow. “And you call me evil.” Yams did not agree with Neal’s stomach, even though he would eat them at every meal if anyone gave them to him.

Snow laughed. “I wasn’t the one who fed him and it wasn’t even the yams. David thinks he can get Neal to eat anything, even when Neal doesn’t want it at first.  I tried to tell him that Neal might eat it, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to stay down. Anyway, you texted about Hook.”

Regina put Neal down to begin changing him. He wiggled as she peeled his shirt off of him and he reached out, like he wanted the shirt back. “He’s bothering every magic user in town to get his hands on a love potion.”

Snow winced. “Is he really? That’s…” She covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head. It was like she was trying to keep swear words at bay.

“I’m waiting to hear you say romantic, as I’m sure that’s what you want to say,” Regina replied.

Snow glared at her. “There is nothing romantic about magically forcing someone to love you.”

Regina bit back a flinch, unable to forget the rather shameful place she had been in with Henry not too long ago. It seemed like a lifetime, but it also seemed like yesterday. Things could fall apart so easily. What if Hook managed to get what he was after? What if Emma could not recover from the DNA testing? What if this time next week her family fell apart? No, you have to have faith. Emma wants this family as much as you do, needs this family as much as you do. You will not fall apart.

“I just want more eyes on him. I’ve spoken to all of the witches in town and they’re not going to sell to him, but there’s always a chance he might still get his hands on it,” Regina said.

Snow nodded and then her brow wrinkled as she regarded Regina. “Why won’t the witches sell to him? I didn’t know they were fans of yours.”

“Most of them aren’t. But, the Baba Yaga, who is a big name in witchcraft, seems to like me enough to talk others into not dealing with him. Not to mention, none of them trust him. Although I have to say, I pissed off a bruja enough for her to consider it, but she hates him more.” Regina hated she took it as a compliment that people hated Hook more than her. “She also told me she refused to do it because she really likes Emma.”

Snow smiled, a beaming brilliant expression. “She really has made an impact, huh?”

“Yes.” Regina finished Neal after all of his moving and cooed at him. He laughed, but tried to get out of his new shirt. As he pulled it up, she pulled it down. He giggled and this became a game they were suddenly playing. “My baby boy is with his other momma right now. It’s going to be so weird for you and your nephew to grow up together.” She tickled Neal’s belly just as he pulled his shirt up. He shoved it down with the hope of escaping. No such luck.

“Are you all right?” Snow asked.

Regina paused, affording Neal an opportunity to slide off of the sofa. Was she all right? “I will be, once this business with Nathan is settled.” Maybe once the tests were out there, Emma would be able to breathe easy and move on. She did not want Emma to adopt the same notion that Nathan might be hers through some crazy miracle. That was not healthy for any of them.

“Is it just this issue with Nathan and Robin? David said Emma’s been quiet at work, even when he tries to engage her. She’s just been doing paperwork and he doesn’t think she’s doing that well because she doesn’t seem like she’s there mentally.”

“Well, Hook is out there trying to poison her with a love spell. So, there is that.” They were quite stressed at the moment. Regina did not even want to mention the group of nobles she was keeping in line through sheer intimidation. Not to mention, she needed to look into the magic supply shortage, whatever that was about. She would need to handle Robin and Hook to give the nobles proper attention and check on the supply issue.

“Hook is trying to do what?” David asked, returning to the living room without his shirt.

“Oh, come on! Again, you people call me evil?” Regina turned her head. She really did not need to see his pale, hairless chest.

David laughed. “Oh, so we’re going to pretend you didn’t try to seduce me that one time?”

Snow had the nerve to guffaw at this. “What?”

“I was trying to protect my curse!” Regina refused to look at him and waved her hand in his general direction. “Cover that up, please.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” David snickered. It was moments like that he reminded her of Emma and she hated to think how much nature could beat nurture. If she thought on it too much, she would travel down a dark road of what-ifs and feel unfathomable sorrow for a little blond child who would have been a daddy’s girl through and through.

“You’re terrible.” Regina focused on the couple, mostly looking at Snow, as she truly had no desire to be blinded by David’s naked chest. “Hook is trying to find a love potion to use on Emma. Well, I assume anyway.”

“Could be for me.” David then made his pecs jump.

Regina gagged. “You’re trying to get me to leave and it’s working. I wanted to let you know, so you could keep an eye on him. And tell your wolf friend.”

“What are we going to do if he succeeds?” Snow asked.

“We’re not going to let that happen. Emma is not some piece of property Hook can lay claim to and then brainwash,” Regina replied.

“You’re right. She’s got her family now. We won’t let Hook take that away from her,” David vowed, punching his fist into his palm.

Regina nodded. Deep down, she felt like this was all hypocritical of all of them, but for the most part she did not think it was. They were all protective of those they loved and who did any of them love more than Emma?

-8-8-8-8-

Regina made it back home to find Emma pacing, holding Nathan close in the nursery. Regina was about to say something, but decided to watch the two for moment. Nathan was asleep, head tucked neatly on Emma’s shoulder against her neck.

“You’re my son, okay, Duckling? No matter what.” Emma sniffled. It was in that moment Regina realized Emma was telling herself that. “You are mini-Emma. You’re my kid. You’ll always be my kid.”

“Of course he is, sweetheart. He’s your little clone,” Regina said, stepping into the room. No one said that lightly. Nathan was Emma, just the baby version.

Emma turned and stared at Regina with wide, haunted eyes. Regina could not believe what she was seeing. When did Emma become so concerned over blood relationships?

“Emma, he is yours, regardless of who fertilized the egg,” Regina said. She thought that was clear. She knew more than anyone else Emma always believed she was Henry’s mother. What made this any different? “Why is this so difficult for you?”

Emma shook her head. Regina did not accept that. They were about to get their test results back tomorrow, at the same time, she needed Emma to get over whatever this was. Nathan needed his mother at the top of her game.

“You have to tell me something, sweetheart. I need something here. I want to be here for you. I want you to be able to tell me anything. We’re partners, but I can’t read your mind. I get that you want Nathan to be related to you, but why? Why do you need that?” Regina reached for Emma, who stepped out of range.

Emma shook her head. Regina sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose to help keep her cool. Inside, she felt splintered, cracked, and broken. She knew Emma did not want to hurt her, but that did not make the pain any less.

“Emma, why don’t you trust me?” Regina asked before she could swallow the question down. Her voice cracked at the end, releasing all of her agony into the atmosphere. It felt so selfish to be hurt right now when Emma was in obvious anguish.

Emma put Nathan down and fled the room, taking so many pieces of Regina with her. The splinters inside of her stabbed at the bits that remained. Regina took a deep breath, holding tears at bay. She really did not need Emma to fall apart right now, especially since she was not sure she would not follow suit. She went to Nathan’s crib and kissed his forehead before going in search of Emma. Emma retreated to the couch, playing video games with Henry.

“Really, my love?” Regina said. Emma was actually using their son as a shield. The coward.

“What? I owe Henry a round in Mario Kart,” Emma replied.

Regina did not say anything. Henry would have to go to bed eventually and they would talk. For the moment, she sat down and watched them play. She was not in the mood to join in, even though they often had family game time, which could be of the digital or analog nature. Right now, it took everything inside of her to remain calm.

It was not until they were in bed that Regina got her chance to talk. Emma laid down and dared to show Regina had back. Regina scowled.

“Is it me you’re upset with then? How dare I sleep with Robin?” Regina said. How unfair would that? At least Robin had not tried to kill them.

“It’s not like that,” Emma said, but she still did not turn to face Regina.

“Then tell me what it’s like. I don’t understand why you need Nathan to be related to you by blood.” There was never a time when she needed Henry to share blood with her. What did blood ties mean? Her mother and sister shared blood with her. One wanted only to control her and the other replace her. One she killed, even though it was through trickery, and the other killed herself rather than try to have a healthy relationship with Regina. Everyone she loved right now had no blood ties to her, except Nathan, and she loved them all just the same.

Emma ground her teeth together for a long moment and flipped to lie on her back. Her eyes locked on the ceiling. “I don’t need it.”

“Then, what is the problem? I need you to talk to me, sweetheart.” Regina clutched Emma’s shoulders. “Please, don’t push me out.” There was that crack in her voice again. It took everything inside of her to keep tears from pouring out of her. She could not cry. She did not an emotional outburst to be the reason Emma opened up to her. “I need you to trust me, my love.”

“I do trust you. I can’t talk to you because I don’t know what the hell this is. I don’t get it. I’m all messed up here.” Emma tapped the center of her forehead. “I know he’s my son. Blood doesn’t matter.” The sigh that escaped her was not very convincing.

Regina squinted. She was not sure Emma truly believed that. She might want to believe it, but Regina had seen different in her eyes. Maybe Emma did not realize it. There had to be something she was aware of that changed her behavior so drastically. “Is it because you’re sick of dealing with Robin?”

Emma ground her teeth together once more. “It’s part of it. I mean, no one even believed this ass was the father. What the hell is wrong with him? Why did he have to do this? This proves nothing.”

“Except it brings down the pretty illusion the whole town had of our perfect love that created Nathan.”

Emma snickered, but the joy did not quite reach her eyes. “I’m pretty sure I was the only one going around saying ‘perfect love.’”

“Is that it?” Was Emma bothered by changed perceptions? The town might feel lied to. It might change public opinion of them.

With a frown, Emma’s whole demeanor remained down. “I don’t know. I mean, the town might be pissed, but so what? Nathan’s not really their business. He’s ours. I do know I can’t stand Robin. I don’t get why he’s doing this and I hate that he’s allowed to do this. No one thought Nathan was his. He didn’t have to save his reputation. His reputation is shit and that’s his own fault. This is bullshit to the fullest.”

Regina kissed Emma’s bare shoulder. “I know, my love. He’s just trying to take some control. We can’t give it to him.”

“I know, but I feel like he already got it when he got this thing put into court and got these stupid tests ordered.”

“Yes, but if we wait, this could work in our favor. He’ll prove to the court we didn’t lie and the court will stop entertaining him. We won’t have to go through this again after this and it’s good to do it before Nathan is old enough to ask questions. This will discredit Robin and it will stop here.” She was very confident of that.

“I know…” Emma groaned and curled in on herself.

Regina put her hand on Emma’s cheek and stroked the warm skin with her thumb. “Nathan is yours as much as Henry is mine.”

“You raised Henry.”

“And you will raise Nathan. You’ve been here for him since before I even knew he was there. You’re the reason he is here rather than another dead baby for me to mourn. You are his mother and he is your son. This will change nothing. He has no rights to Nathan and Nathan is your clone. This will all be fine.”

Emma nodded, but her body was still tense. Regina was not sure what more she could say. Emma would just need to see tomorrow. Everything would be fine.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina held Emma’s hand as they stood in the parlor at Sonja’s house. Kathryn was with them, of course, but no one else from their family and friends were because it was the middle of the day, and they did not want an audience anyway. Across from them, there was Robin and his lawyer. They agreed to have this done with the judge and court officials as witnesses, so there was no disputing the results.

“So, I’d like to point out that these are only for the magic test results. The DNA test will take a few more weeks after some trouble at the lab,” the judge announced.

Regina craned an eyebrow. “Trouble at the lab?” This was the first she was hearing of it. She turned to her partner.

Emma waved it off. “Dorothy’s looking into it. The lab got robbed this morning and they’re still trying to get information from the lab about what happened and to run down everything that was stolen. It’s a mess.”

“Oh, that’s convenient,” Robin huffed. “I’m sure you’re dragging that investigation.”

Emma scowled at him. “The Sheriff’s Department will do its job. I know you don’t know anything about having a job or following the law, but we got this.”

“Is everything pertaining to our case all right?” Mr. Murdock asked.

Judge Marahuté nodded. “The lab assured me none of the DNA was compromised. They’re just worried over what is and might be missing and would rather focus on that. I think it’s wise for them to do that as well because who knows what these criminals will do with whatever they’ve stolen from the lab.”

“Agreed,” Regina said.

“So, Miss Koldunya, if you would give us the results,” the judge requested.

Emma took a deep breath and her hand was sweaty against Regina’s palm. There was a pit in Regina’s stomach now. She knew what the results would be, but she did not know. Because would things be the same after this reveal? Would it ruin her family? She never would have thought that last week.

“Now, we’re all here for the final moment of the spell to determine the paternity of the baby. To remind you all of the test jars.” Sonja held up a little glass container that simply said “baby.” “The court officials can all attest this is the same jar from last week.” They nodded. “And now for Emma.” Another clearly labeled jar with her name and a long blond hair. “And Robin.” The same color, but shorter.

“Can we speed this up?” Robin huffed.

“I was hoping to talk you through the process, but if the Court is fine with it.” Sonja looked at the judge, who shrugged.

“I’m almost certain Miss Mills is the only one here who’d understand,” Judge Marahuté replied.

“Then, I’d like to keep explaining, so Mayor Mills doesn’t think I’ve pulled a slight of hand,” Sonja said.

Regina rolled her eyes, but let Sonja go. There was another potion with an explanation and she took Nathan’s hair out with tweezers, dipping it into the potion. She then placed the hair on the table. It began to glow green.

“Now, whichever hair matches this color, that’s the father of the baby,” Sonja said. It went as expected.

“This is a lie!” Robin screamed, pointing at Regina. “She put this witch up to it!”

“Mister Murdock,” the judge said.

“Robin, this was an impartial test with an impartial examiner. There will also be the DNA test. If they don’t match, we know something happened,” Matt Murdock said.

“But, if they do match, it’s time to accept the truth, Mister Locksley,” Judge Marahuté said. “It’s not like these women are asking anything of you, so you can stop wasting their time and the Court’s time.”

“They’re asking for my honor,” Robin growled.

“You don’t have any anyway,” Regina pointed out. How could he not understand this? Or was it just a truth he did not want to accept?

Kathryn put a hand on her arm. “Regina.”

Regina sucked her teeth and made sure to give Robin a scathing look before leaving with Emma by her side. Kathryn trailed behind them. They went outside to the car.

“At least that’s one thing out of the way,” Kathryn said.

Regina nodded. “That’s true.” They still had mayoral items to look into, like magical items no longer being in supply and they still had so much to sort out with the Business Bureau. They had to determine what was legal and what was not and who was involved and who was just unlucky in knowing one of the nobles trying to pull a fast one. “Thank you for this.”

Kathryn waved her off. “It’s not a problem. I wish this was the end of it.”

Regina glanced at Emma, who was looking far off into the distance. Regina’s heart clenched. “I wish this was the end of it, too.” She feared it would never be the end of it, or it would be the end of something, which she did not want to think about.

Kathryn nodded and bid them goodbye. She walked to her car. Regina glanced at the car, but focused on Emma. Emma was gone. Regina could see it. There was so much swirling in her eyes, like an out of control whirlpool.

“Emma.” She reached for Emma’s hand and felt a little better because Emma did not pull away.

“I think… I think I need to be alone for a while,” Emma said.

Regina nodded. “Okay.” Her heart fell into her feet, but she also felt hope. Maybe Emma would be able to sort out her feelings and explain things and they could move on.

Emma put her hands in her pockets and walked off down the street. Regina got in the car, intent on going home, but she watched Emma in the mirror until she disappeared around the corner. Regina sighed and wished her stomach would untwist itself. She was distracted from her grief by Robin Hood. At least he was good for something.

“You think you’ve won this round, Regina?” Robin screamed as he exited Sonja’s house, waving a open hand in her direction.

Regina glared at him as his lawyer tried to grab him. Robin slipped away only to be tripped by Mr. Murdock’s cane. She snickered. The look of defeat was on Robin’s face as it slammed into the stone walkway. He snarled loud enough for her to hear as he jumped up, trying to get into his lawyer’s face. Mr. Murdock continued on his way, being blind a good excuse to ignore an infuriated Robin, even though he was yelling. Regina decided to drive off while he was distracted.

Regina wanted to return home, but she needed some time to herself, time to gather her emotions, and return home strong for her sons. She went to the docks. She had taken to avoiding the area because of Hook, but she refused to cede this space to him entirely. This was her spot long before he showed up. She sat on a bench and stared at the sea.

The sea always calmed her. Back in the Enchanted Forest when she was under mother’s thumb and then later when she was married to the King, she used to imagine sailing over the horizon, coming to some new country, and becoming someone completely new. It was still a habit when she came to Storybrooke, but now it was different. Here and now she was able to do that and she refused to let it go. Watching the sea told her she had finally remade herself into someone she could like and be proud of. She was that person the younger version of herself dreamed about.

“It took a long time, but this Curse worked out in my favor. I have two beautiful children and the woman I love with all my soul. I will not let them go. While this isn’t the life I imagined while watching crashing waves from a balcony, it’s the life I need and want,” Regina said aloud. She needed to hear the words to feel them, to act on them.

She watched the water for about ten minutes. It helped soothe her aches from watching Emma walk away, from Emma not being able to share her troubles, and from not being good enough to be there for Emma in her time of need. She returned home. Maleficent greeted her at the door with Nathan in her arms. Regina took him immediately and inhaled his scent.

“Henry has been trying to teach me how to use the computer since my own offspring gave up on me,” Maleficent said.

“At least she showed you how to use your phone,” Regina said as they went to the living room. Henry was on the couch with his laptop while Lily was in the armchair, playing on her phone.

“I had to show her how to use the phone. I used to call her and she never answered. I still cringe when we text each other,” Lily replied.

“Where’s Ma?” Henry asked, looking behind her, expecting his other mother.

Regina sighed, settling down next to him, but away from the computer, as she was certain Maleficent was sitting there. “Your ma needed some time to clear her head.”

“Why? She didn’t know half of Nathan’s DNA isn’t hers?” Henry asked with an arched eyebrow.

“I’m not sure what she was expecting. This has hit her hard,” Regina replied. Maybe it was a number of things mixed together and that was why Emma could not explain to her.

Henry nodded. “I noticed. She’s been down the past week. I don’t get it, though. What’s the problem? We all kinda knew Robin was the donor and all, right?” He looked around at the adults.

“Well, truth be told, Emma could be Nathan’s father, for lack of a better term,” Maleficent said.

“I know, with magic and all, but Mom and Ma didn’t know they had feelings for each other until well after Mom was pregnant. Could Ma accidentally make Mom pregnant?” Henry inquired.

“I think this was something deeper, but I’m not sure. Emma said she couldn’t explain it. She might have needed to order her thoughts. I’m sure she’ll be home soon,” Regina said and then shook her head, like that would make her forget. “Maleficent, Lily, staying for dinner?”

“Of course. Our cooking has yet to reach your level. But, we haven’t had thirty years worth of practice,” Maleficent said with a grin.

“You know Snow White has said the same thing,” Regina said.

Maleficent flinched. “She’s a menace. I can’t even have good lines with her around.”

Regina rolled her eyes and took Nathan with her to go make dinner. She thought Emma would be home by then, but that did not happen. Maleficent finally knew how to operate her email by the time Regina was putting Nathan to bed and Emma still was not home. Regina decided to call, but Emma did not pick up. That was odd. Emma would at least have the decency of letting her know she would not be home. She called the Charmings.

“Is Emma there?” Regina asked.

“No, we haven’t seen her all day. She hasn’t checked in either, not as my daughter or as my boss,” David replied.

Regina scowled. “Would you mind calling around? She left the Baba Yaga’s house after the test and I haven’t seen or heard from her since. I just want to make sure she’s okay, but her phone went to voicemail, which we all know she doesn’t check. She hasn’t answered any texts I’ve sent.” It was possible Emma was ignoring her, but it was more likely something was wrong.

“We’ll both start making calls. Call you back in an hour.”

“Good.”

Regina hung up and made her own calls. At the end of the hour, she had plenty of people out looking for Emma, even though she tried to talk them out of it. Regina sighed and stepped into the living room, shocked to find Maleficent and Lily still there.

“Just cast a locator spell. You know you want to,” Maleficent said.

That was not a lie, so she did not try to deny it. She went to grab one of Emma’s jackets and enchanted it. She followed with Maleficent by her side. Henry trotted off with them. Lily could watch Nathan, as long as he remained asleep. When he woke up, she would panic if she was still alone. The spell took them to the town line.

“She left?” Henry’s voice cracked and his face tensed.

Regina put her arms around him. “No, of course not. She would never abandon our family.”

Henry ripped away from her. “She does it all the time!”

“No. She has evolved and learned better. She wants us and even though this thing with Nathan and Robin has cut her deeply, she wouldn’t run away from us. Believe in your mother,” Regina stated, for both herself and her son. She turned to Maleficent, who look around with a twisted expression.

“Do you smell that?” Maleficent asked.

Regina nodded. “Like burning firewood and sage.” This could be worse than she imagined. She pulled out her cell phone. “Ruby, could you come to the town line? As crude as this is, I need your nose.”

“As long as you don’t need my tongue. As flattering as that would be, I think our wives would kill us,” Ruby remarked.

Regina groaned and hung up. Maleficent scanned the area, searching for a clue. Regina did the same. There was something more at play here than Emma being upset over Robin butting into their lives. But, she did not find anything to help her figure out what was going on. Maleficent did not either.

“I’m here,” Ruby said as she pulled up in her truck.

“Can you pick up Emma’s scent? She’s missing and not answering her phone. My locator spell brought us here,” Regina explained.

“Did she leave?” Henry asked, face still tight and his hands were balled up.

Ruby stuck her nose in the air and inhaled. “Are you sure the locator spell came here?”

“Yes,” Regina replied. “Why?”

“No scent.”

“Maybe she never got out of her car,” Henry said.

“She’s not in her car,” Regina said.

Ruby nodded. She sniffed and started moving. Regina and her crew followed. Ruby went back into town and walked the path Regina expected after they got close to Sonja’s house. But, then Ruby stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Regina asked.

“Nothing, except that’s it. There’s nothing, except this weird wood scent. It has nothing to do with Emma, though,” Ruby answered.

“Did Ma get kidnapped?” Henry asked. They could not rule that out.

“We’ll find her,” Regina vowed. No one would destroy her family. No one.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the search for Emma continues.

Chapter Text

10: Lost and Found

Nathan would not stop crying. It was like he knew something was wrong. Regina stayed in the nursery with him, trying to put him to sleep. She did not like leaving Henry alone in the living room. She wanted to be with him, be there for him, but she could see Henry was on the verge of snapping thanks to his brother’s wails.

“I know, I know, baby. We’re going to find your mama. I promise,” Regina said, kissing his forehead. He was so hot from all of the crying.

Nathan let out a devastatingly loud scream and it rattled Regina to her core. She had done everything she could and even her son did not believe in her. But, his cries began to taper off after that gut-wrenching sob. They became soft whimpers and then he was asleep. She sighed as she put him down in his crib.

“I will not fail you or our family, Nathan. I will find your mama,” Regina repeated. She would not let her sons down.

Regina went downstairs to see Henry was on his computer. Henry tried to find Emma’s phone and Regina began making calls, hoping someone at least caught sight of Emma in some form. Time was then lost to both of them. Regina paced behind the sofa, her phone pressed to her ear. Throughout the night, they had been hoping for some sign of Emma, but there was nothing. It was like Emma vanished from the face of the Earth, which was possible. The only thing was: was it voluntary?

“Her phone still isn’t on,” Henry sighed, rubbing the back his head with one hand.

Regina heard him, but could not respond yet, too busy getting bad news on the other end of the line. She hung up and leaned against the sofa, pressing her forehead into the cushions. Henry moved, so his head was close to hers. She kissed his cheek.

“It would be easier to think she left, so I could be angry instead of scared,” Henry said.

“Agreed, but Emma loves us,” Regina replied. She wished they could be angry with her, but Emma could be in serious trouble. Beyond the usual dangers of Storybrooke and other realms, Hook was still out there trying to use magic against her. Robin and the Merry Men could have done something to her, feeling justified due to the simple fact the sheriff was always a villain to them.

“I know. But, now I’m so scared for her, Mom. What if someone hurt her and we can’t find her? What if she needs us?”

Regina reached out, rubbing his head. “We’ll find her. I promise.”

Henry did not say anything and Regina did not add more. What else could she say? She would find Emma, come Hell or High Water. In fact, she would find Emma if she had to bring both of those things with her.

“You should go to bed,” Regina said, rubbing the top of Henry’s head.

“I don’t think I could sleep.”

“I know, but you should try. You need the rest after this stressful night and I can listen to the computer if it pings in the eternal search for Emma’s phone. I got this,” Regina promised him. She did not want him to worry over adult matters. He needed time to be a child, even if he did not think he did.

“I know, Mom. You and Ma never quit on each other, but this makes my stomach twist and turn,” he said, rubbing his belly. His face twisted a little and he looked like he might be sick. “It’s hard to sleep like that.”

“I know.” She had grown up with that feeling all the time and then felt it again when she and Henry had their problems. But, that did not mean she would let Henry fall into that dark abyss of despair. “But, still, try to get some sleep. I’ll do all I can.”

Henry nodded and kissed the side of her head before tearing off of the couch. Regina sighed and pressed her forehead to the leather as soon as Henry was out of sight. She had done everything she could, including groveling before the Blue Fairy to find Emma. It did not work. She had done everything except sell her soul and she was willing to try that at this point. It was all she had left. Hours into the search and they knew less than when they started. No amount of police work, magic, or investigating had done anything. She feared the worst and needed answers.

“Maleficent, I need a favor,” Regina sent through text.

“Anything,” was the response. She hoped that was true.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry went through his usual nighttime rituals, but did not go to bed. Instead, he went to Nathan’s room and stared down at his sleeping brother. He was certain Nathan knew something was wrong, which was why the baby cried the whole night.

Whenever he looked at Nathan, he thought Nathan looked like Emma. He assumed it was something in humans from nurture, as people thought he looked like Regina in certain places. It was only recently he learned to love being told he looked like Regina just as much as he liked being told he acted like Emma. He liked having connections to both of his mothers, connections other people could see and know they were his mothers. He wondered if that would mean the same to Nathan.

“Nathan, even though Ma’s gone now, I know Mom will do everything to get her back. That’s what they do for each other. It should’ve been a big clue they were meant for each other because they used to only do that for me. They’ll do it for you now, too. We all want this family, ya know? There’s no way Ma isn’t fighting her ass off to get back to us. I know it seems weird of me to say that because I thought she left, but she never could. She loves us, loves the concept of us. We’re a team. We’re like the Avengers. We can do solo stuff, but we still come together to make this awesome unit, you know? And Mom is Iron Man. She’s smart and she’ll always put our team back together. Ma is like Captain America. She’s super-brave and she keeps us all honest and she’s the glue that holds us together. She’ll be back. We’ll be okay,” Henry vowed. It was more for himself than Nathan and he knew that. He needed to hear the words aloud.

Nathan’s mouth twitched into a smile and Henry took that as a good sign. Nathan was happy in his sleep. He knew Emma would be home. Henry would believe his baby brother, the clone of Emma.

He went to his room and got into his bed, but he did not fall asleep. He stared at the ceiling, wondering what the hell happened. How could Ma vanish into the thin air where the most powerful magic users, Mom, Maleficent, and even the Blue Fairy can’t find her? It did not make any sense. Maybe Emma was so upset, she accidentally did something with her magic. She was still very green with it and made mistakes every now and then. Regina treated those mishaps as if they were cute things, but what if it was something extreme now?

“Ma, give us something. Help us find you,” he whispered to the darkness. He cast off his blanket and went to the window. He sat on his reading bench and searched the sky. A wishing star had a different look in the sky, or so he assumed. When he wished for his family to be whole over a year ago, he had not really thought about it. Or was it because he was in a town with magic, wishing on any star would work? Or did it have to be a shooting star? Or the brightest star? There were too many variations in fairy tales for him to know how this worked. “Sometimes, I wish Mom raised me with a religion, so I could just pray like a normal kid.”

While he had did not have religion, Henry liked to think somewhere out there in the vast universe/universes, there had to be a god of some kind. Something had to keep everything in some kind of order, especially with the portals and realms and mythological creatures being able to come and go as they pleased. So, he let out a prayer.

“Please, God, whoever or whatever you are and whatever it is you do, let us find our missing Captain America,” he said.

He went to bed on that note, feeling like it was the best he could do for now. Tomorrow he could act, but for now, this could work. It was how they had Nathan, after all.

-8-8-8-8-

Maleficent appeared before Regina an hour after Regina was certain Henry had fallen asleep, even poking her head in the room on him. She had a plan and she doubted anyone would back it, but she was out of ideas. Maleficent gaped at her when she explained it.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea to go to Rumple with this?” Maleficent asked.

“Good? No.” Regina did not operate under the delusion Rumple had a soft spot for her in any way, but they had gone through every magic user in town, except the Dark One. “I told everyone I was willing to do anything. I am willing to do anything.”

“I don’t think any of us expect you to go this far,” Maleficent replied.

Regina glanced up the stairs. Yes, two someones expected her to go that far. Three actually. She would do anything for Emma, including going to deal with the Dark One. They did not have anything else to go on. They did not even have a clue.

“I owe it to my family to try everything,” Regina said.

“Are you sure you don’t want to wait? Emma could show up. It’s only been twelve hours,” Maleficent replied.

Regina shook her head. “Yes, but in those twelve hours Emma missed dinner and her time with Nathan. She hasn’t contacted anyone, not me, her friends, or her father. Her car is still parked in the driveway. Something is wrong and I can’t stand by and say not enough time has passed yet.”

Maleficent nodded. “Understood. Are you sure you don’t want me to come? Or Kathryn? Someone to make sure you don’t cross the line in bargaining?”

“That’s just it. There is no line for me.”

“Hey, those two boys still need at least one mother. You can’t do something that costs them both of you.”

“If I do something that drastic, I promise you they will have at least one mother.” That mother would be Emma, but she would rather that than sitting at home years from now without Emma, knowing she had not done everything she could.

Regina waved her hand and vanished before Maleficent could try to talk her out of it. She feared this idea might not be as outrageous as she thought because Maleficent did not try very hard. She appeared outside of the pawn shop and knocked. She had already contacted Rumple to meet her there.

“I can guess what you want, Regina,” Rumple said with glee as he opened the door.

Regina stepped inside. “Well, can you give it to me?”

“I don’t know. I should check to make sure I have the items necessary. I’ve heard you were supposed to looking into how hard it is to get certain magical items.”

Regina bit back a frown. “No one else had a problem with finding the items necessary to try to locate Emma.”

“Yes, but they all failed, didn’t they? Including the always useless Blue Fairy. Of course, I’m sure she tried for Snow’s sake and not your own. If anything, Tinker Bell probably had a delightful time failing you once more,” Rumple said.

Regina could only wonder what about this man made Sonja think he liked her. “Rumple, you know what I want. Now, what do you want to make it happen?”

Rumple waved her off. “You don’t have anything I want.”

“Of course I do. You answered my call, after all.” She knew she had to go big or go home with him, though. His eyes locked onto her and wandered up and down her form. She managed to hold back a shiver. His assessment seemed to strip her bear, not physically, but spiritually.

Rumple giggled, sounding much like the Dark One she remembered. She definitely had something he wanted. Now, the question was did he know how desperate she was.

“Would you be willing to part with your heart?” he asked with a smirk, like he knew. He then waved it off. “Honestly, I wouldn’t want it if you were.”

She bit back a frown, not willing to risk upsetting him right now. “Then what do you want? Every second we waste here is a second Emma might need.”

“So be it.” Rumple shrugged and his eyes shimmered in a way she had never seen before. She almost expected his skin to grow scaly and green. His eyes were definitely reptilian. “Would you be willing to part with your soul?”

Regina did not hesitate. “If you find her, it’s all yours.”

There was that Dark One giggle that made her skin crawl. She knew why he wanted her soul. She knew the theories anyway, heard them before, even read about some, but she did not care. He rushed behind the counter and pulled out a crystal about the size of a baseball.

“What’s that?” she asked. She thought she knew, but believed it should be bigger.

“Don’t worry about that. It’s just what I’m going to host your soul in when our business is done,” Rumple stated.

Regina’s eyebrow ticked up. “And you just happened to have that on hand?” A crystal with that power took a lot of time and magic to make. How long had he been waiting for her to make this offer? “Dare I ask what you plan to do with my soul?” She was certain her soul had to be as black as her heart. It probably was as useless as her heart, even though he seemed to think otherwise and he was not alone in that.

Rumple only snickered and wiggled his hands in delight. In the end, it did not matter. Rumple tried several different spells for over an hour. None of them ever located Emma. He could not even tell her if Emma was in the realm or any other realm. He was as useless as the Blue Fairy.

“Thanks for nothing,” Regina hissed.

“Wait.” Rumple dipped in front of her, wanting to block her path. “I can do something else.”

“You’ve done everything and given me nothing, like everyone else.” She could keep her soul, but her partner was still gone. She would trade the former for the latter any day of the week.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry heard his mother leave and waited to hear her return. He had dozed off, but woke when Regina’s voice reached his ears. He could hear Maleficent, too. So, he assumed she was house-sitting while Regina went out to try some insane plan. What did Mom do?

Then he heard their voices again. He was not sure what they were saying, though. He got out of bed and tiptoed to the foot of the stairs.

“If Rumple couldn’t find her, what more can we do?” Maleficent inquired.

“It only makes me feel like foul play is involved. At first, I assumed it was a mistake on Emma’s part, but her magic would’ve more than likely brought her back if this was something she did. Her magic works best when she needs it to,” Regina replied. So, apparently, his mom had the same thought as he did.

“What do you want to do now?”

Regina sighed. “I’m not sure. I’ll have to think on it. Thanks for staying with the boys.”

“Of course. I’ll try to pair up with Tinker Bell tomorrow again and see if we can come up with something together. I don’t understand how anyone’s magic could beat us when we combine our powers.”

“I don’t ever.”

“But, I won’t stop,” Maleficent vowed. “I’m here for you and yours, like you were there for Lily.”

“Thank you.”

Henry assumed Maleficent vanished. He heard his mother sigh again. Inching his way downstairs, he saw Regina on the couch with her phone to her ear again. He could not imagine who she was calling at this time in the morning. It helped him realize how much pain his mother had to be in. She went to Rumple for help and she was still trying to find things well past midnight. He went to her and gathered her in his arms.

“It’s okay, Mom,” Henry said.

Regina turned to him, like she did not notice him until that moment. She hastily got off her phone. She turned the embrace around quickly, her arms around him. “I know. I’ll find your mother, Henry. I promise.”

“I know you will. You guys rescue each other and save the day and stuff. It’s what you do.” She needed the faith and encouragement as much as he did. He kissed her temple and hoped it fortified her. “I believe in you and I know Ma believes you, too.”

Regina nodded. “I won’t let our family go.”

“Did you really go see Mr. Gold?”

“I can’t say I’ve tried everything if I haven’t tried everything. Besides, Emma would do it for me.”

“And what happened? Did he find her?”

Regina sighed, causing her whole body slumping, and played with the ends of Henry’s hair. “Unfortunately, no.”

“What do you think it means for the Blue Fairy and the Dark One to not be able to find Emma? Maybe it’s not magic.”

Regina shook her head. “That inclines me to believe it’s magic. Someone with no magic wouldn’t be able to hide her. But, this magic has to be very powerful to hide from the Blue Fairy, the Dark One, me, Maleficent, and everyone else who has taken up our cause. I still have some calls to make.”

His brow furrowed. “To who?”

“There are many magic users who are night people and they’re up right now. Beyond that, Ruby has been hunting all night. I check in with her every half-hour. It won’t do us any good to have her vanish if she does find some sign of Emma. You should go back to bed.”

Henry wanted to object, but he did not think that would help. His mother needed less stress in her life, so he could go easy on her. He kissed the side of her head again.

“Good night, Mom.”

“Good night, Henry.” With that, he left and she went back to making phone calls.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina did not realize she fell asleep on the couch until her phone ringing woke up her. Her phone was still in her hand and she answered without checking who called. Her heart pounded against her ribs for it to be Emma.

“Hello,” Regina said, cooly. If it was Emma, this conversation was going to have two fast mood swings in it.

“Did she come home? Did you find her?” David asked.

“No. Did you?” Regina knew it was pointless to ask. David would not have asked her if he had discovered Emma, but she needed to say something.

“No. I’m going out to search with Ruby again right after a shower.”

“I’d rather not think of you in the shower.” She could not help herself and it was comforting to be a little normal in this time of full-fledged panic.

“No one said you had to.”

“You mentioning a shower forced my imagination’s hand. Call me when you start your search and I’ll try the opposite direction. Maybe we’ll meet in the middle and Emma will somehow be there.”

“I’m scolding the hell out of her when we find her. You know… after the huggings and tears.”

“The same.” They hung up without farewells. She checked the time to see it was a little after five. She had time for a shower of her own and she could make breakfast before Henry got up. “Oh. He probably won’t want to go to school.” She was not sure if she would be all right sending him. He would be distracted the whole day and she would worry over his state of mind. Worse, what if he was a target for whoever took Emma?

Regardless, Henry would need breakfast and she still had to pump. So, she went for her shower, pumped while she had the chance, and started on breakfast. Henry wandered downstairs before she was done. There were bags under his eyes mixed with worry lines and look of considerable age. Her heart squeezed in her chest.

“It’s only oatmeal and toast,” she said. She was not sure either of them would be able to hold much down.

Henry grunted in response. She was fine with that and simply made him a bowl, putting cinnamon and apple slices in it for him. Putting his breakfast in front of him, Regina leaned down to kiss Henry’s head.

“You can decide on going to school today,” she told him.

“You’re gonna find Ma, right?” he asked.

“You know I will.”

He nodded. “Then, I’m okay to go. Unless you need me to watch Nathan.”

“No, I’ll worry about Nathan. You focus on you for now. Are you sure you want to go to school?”

He sighed, shoulders falling. “I might need the distraction. I mean, I can’t help the way you and Ruby can. And I can monitor for Ma’s phone on my phone.”

“Be careful for me, okay?”

“I promise, Mom. I’ll stick close to Grams if she comes to school and if not her, I’ve got my friends and they understand when stuff like this happens I could be next. I’ll be fine and I’ll call you if something remotely suspicious happens.”

Regina nodded. It was settled then. When had her little boy gotten so mature? She was not sure and did not have time to think on it. Instead, she grabbed a bottle and went to retrieve Nathan, who had rolled onto his stomach. He looked up at her with a toothless grin. The sorrow and concern in her heart weighed down her lips, so she could not smile back.

“I will find your mama, baby. I will,” she vowed. She would not let Nathan grow up without Emma. He grunted in response, which was new, but she accepted it. He might be out of sorts like she and Henry until Emma was back.

Scooping him up, she got Nathan ready for the day. He squirmed and whined like never before, still upset. She did not blame him, but she pled with him to stay still, so she could dress him. He made the whole process an ordeal. As she tried to feed him, he pushed the bottle away, a first.

“Come on, Nathan. I know you’re upset over Mama, but you have to eat,” Regina said. He let out a whine and dodged the bottle every time she attempted to put it to his lips. “Please. I need you to eat. I can’t lose you, too.” Her voice cracked.

Nathan stared at her, head tilted. Suddenly, he accepted the bottle. She slumped into the rocking chair as he drained his bottle without any fuss. 

She returned downstairs with Nathan in her arms to find Henry ready for school. Maleficent and Lily were in the living room. She hoped they teleported because if they did not, it meant she was utterly distracted because she did not hear the doorbell. Lily came for Nathan immediately. He let out a wail, but then curled against her.

“I’ll watch this guy while you and Mom go look for your wayward partner,” Lily said. They could only hope Emma was “wayward.”

“Thank you,” Regina sighed. She had not thought much about what she would do with Nathan. With Ruby off searching, Granny would need to be at her business and Maleficent would be off looking with her. Her two primary babysitters were occupied.

“No problem. He and I can have some fun, right, Nathan? I’ll teach you all the tricks I taught your mama in how to shoplift,” Lily said. Nathan grunted. When did he learn to grunt?

Regina rubbed her temples, feeling a headache that threatened to crack her skull. She looked at Maleficent, who looked at her. She was not worried about leaving Nathan with Lily, even though Lily only watched him with her mother and Nathan seemed to be in a pissy mood. Lily would do her best with him. Maleficent seemed like she was ready to go, arms crossed, index finger tapping against her elbow. Regina was just as impatient.

“Henry, go straight to school,” Regina ordered. He might claim he wanted the distraction and he would be careful, but he was just as likely to wander off and start his own investigation for his mother. He only nodded and headed out the door. She turned to Lily. “You know where everything is.”

Lily nodded. “I got this. Go. Find your idiot.” Nathan whined and squirmed, almost throwing himself out her arms. Maybe he did not want to stay with Lily.

Regina narrowed her eyes on Lily while comforting Nathan, rubbing his back. “I’ve told you about that.” She did not approve of Lily even playfully insulting Emma. Lily hurt Emma almost as much as she did and Lily needed to own that rather than downplay it, especially since Lily understood Emma better than most.

Lily held up her hand in surrender as Nathan settled down again. “Sorry. Nervous. I know Emma’s not my biggest fan, but I wish she’d forgive me. I want her to forgive me.”

Regina knew that feeling, but definitely not to the point Lily did. By the time the feeling seeped through her, they were in Neverland and Emma had already considered them… something. Regina was never sure what. But, then again, she understood when Emma and Henry came back during the Second Curse that “something” was about the only thing that made sense for them. They had always been “something,” even before they realized it. Maybe the moment Emma arrived on her doorstep with their son, they were “something.”

“You have to show her you want that and then it’s up to her,” Regina told Lily, who nodded.

“Let’s go,” Maleficent said.

Regina nodded, gave Nathan one last look to make sure he was all right, kissed his cheek, and they were off. They tried different locator spells, but they did nothing. It was a magical wild goose chase. They did not understand.

“How the hell is possible for us to not be able to find her?” Maleficent screamed in frustration as they stood in the eastern section of Storybrooke. This was beyond infuriating.

“Do you think someone kidnapped her to another realm?” Regina pondered.

“The locator spells wouldn’t take us to so many different locations around town. Not to mention, Rumple would’ve still be able to find her. He would’ve at least been able to tell us what realm to look in. The Blue fairy would’ve been able to gather something as well. Hell, even Tink would’ve at least been able to say she’s not in this realm anymore. Now, this is something even more insidious. Something beyond us,” Maleficent said.

Regina agreed and was about to say as much, but her phone rang and her heart leaped in her chest. She answered immediately without looking, once again hoping it was Emma. “Hello.”

“Regina.” It was Mulan.

“Did you find her?”

“Yeah…” Mulan sounded confused, though.

Regina’s heart sped up. “Is something wrong? Is she hurt?”

“I… I do not know. I do not know what I am looking at. I don’t even understand what just happened.”

“What don’t you understand, Mulan? What happened? Where are you?” Regina asked. More importantly, where was Emma?

“I am by the park. Emma is here… but…”

Regina did not hear the rest. With a wave of her hand, she vanished and reappeared at the park, right next to Mulan. Mulan did not even flinch.

“Where?” Regina accidentally barked.

Mulan shook her head, but she pointed ahead of them and there Emma was. Emma was walking arm and arm with Hook. Regina snarled.

“Oh, hell no!” Regina moved with purpose driving her forward, heels stabbing into the concrete.

“Regina, wait!” Mulan jogged up behind her. “Regina, I already tried to engage Emma and it was… weird.”

“Of course it’s weird. She’s hanging on the arms of that pirate bastard. He’s probably managed to find a love potion from some lowlife magic user and now he’s poisoned Emma. I will not stand by as he tries to ruin her life for his own selfish Happy Ending.” Regina moved even faster.

Mulan’s face twisted, but Regina did not stick around to explain more. Mulan continued to trail behind her as she caught up to Emma. She could hear Emma giggle over whatever dreck Hook was spouting. She had to be under a love spell. Emma never giggled. She grabbed Emma by the elbow and gave a gentle pull.

“Emma,” Regina said.

Emma spun around with Hook. Regina did not miss the smug look in his dark eyes and the smirk on his face, but she ignored him. Her eyes stayed on her partner. Emma did not look any different, even though she scowled when she focused on Regina. It was an odd effect for the love potion, unless Emma was upset for her taking away her attention from her perceived center of the world — Hook.

“Regina.” Emma said her name with unknown animosity. Not even when they were enemies had Emma said her name with such deep hatred.

“Emma, I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you’re under a spell,” Regina replied, hand still on Emma. She needed to touch Emma, to be assured she was there, even if it was under difficult circumstances. Emma had not left. Emma was somewhat unharmed. But, why couldn’t we find her? She would worry about that later.

“Like I’d believe anything you’d say. You’re a liar,” Emma stated with venom that poured from her demeanor and eyes.

While it was true, it hurt to have Emma say such a thing. She would never lie to Emma now. Mentally, she shook it off. Emma was not herself. The words came from the spell, not Emma.

“Not only are you a liar, but you hurt me more than anyone else on the damn planet. Hell, you took me from Killian,” Emma continued with a hard glare.

Regina could not believe what she was hearing. “I took you from who? You’re not even pissed over me taking you from your parents, but from this walking pile of excrement? Which we all know isn’t even true, as you left this ridiculous waste of air with no help from me.” She curled her lip at him.

“Don’t talk about my True Love like that!” Emma roared and she balled her hand up into a fist, like she planned to hit Regina.

Regina glanced at Hook, who puffed out his chest. This bastard was proud of what he had done, taking Emma’s agency from her. How dare he! Regina needed this to be over now, so she threw herself into Emma, kissing her for all she was worth. Emma made a noise of genuine disgust and threw Regina to the ground.

“Gross! What the hell is wrong with you, you nasty bitch?” Emma snarled. “Who the hell do you think you are doing that to me? I don’t want you! I never wanted you. I just wanted Killian and you tried to take him from me. You tried to brainwash me.”

Regina stayed on the ground, unable to gather enough dignity to stand. How could it not work? She loved Emma with all her heart and soul. A wishing star had granted them a family together. They had to have True Love and it should break any curse. It should. Cracks splintered through her heart like shattered ice and she knew she would never be able to pick up the pieces.

“Emma, I love you,” was all Regina could manage at the moment. It was the truth. Nothing would ever be truer.

Emma looked at her like she was the lowest life form in existence. “You’re a plague, Regina. A disgusting virus more vile and vicious than anything we’ve ever faced. You come through and try to kill everything right and good for everyone. You separated me from my parents, my son, and my True Love. You’re the worst type of person because you don’t even feel bad about it. You say you love me? No, you love fucking with me, just like everyone else. You’re a fucking plague and you should just do us all a favor and die. We both know that bastard kid of yours would be better off if you were gone. After all, didn’t you have three kids that would rather be dead than yours?”

If the words from before hurt, those murdered Regina. Emma had just referred to their beautiful baby boy as a bastard. Those could not be her words. They would never be her words, but still, them coming from her mouth, it opened a gushing wound. Worse than that, Emma telling her to go die, after learning all of her secrets. Emma knew what words like that could do to her, the spiral it could send her down and the ending that was always possible. And even worse, mentioning her stillborns. Her three children who had not had a chance to even breath their first breath. How could she use those intimacies as weapons? What had Hook done to her?

“I think you’ve said it all, love. Very good. Let’s go,” Hook said, holding out his arm. Emma latched on with both hands.

“Emma,” Regina whimpered, wanting to reach out and snatch Emma from Hook. Even now, all she could think about was getting Emma away from that festering rat. He could not be trusted. She did not want to think of the monstrous things he might do to Emma to punish her for leaving him. “Don’t go with him! Emma!”

Emma did not even turn around. Regina tried to get up, but it was hard. It was like she was hollow inside, her muscles shredded and her bones sawdust. How were they supposed to pick her up? Thankfully, Mulan was there and pulled her to her feet. Beyond that, Regina forgot about Maleficent, but her oldest friend was there as well.

“Listen carefully, Hook. You’re playing with more than fire right now. Poisoning Emma is one thing, but poisoning her against her actual family is another. You will rue this day, sir. You will,” Maleficent vowed, speaking words Regina could not dredge up at the moment.

“We will not rest until we right this wrong,” Mulan promised.

Hook regarded them with a grin. “This is what you don’t understand. The wrong has already been righted. Justice is served as Emma is back where she belongs, back where she wants to be. Right, love?”

“Of course. I love you,” Emma said and then she leaned in, slowly kissing Hook. Regina did not know she was going to be sick until her shoes were covered in half-digested oatmeal. Who knew Emma being missing would be the easy part?

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the group tries to figure out what happened to Emma.

Chapter Text

11: Maybe Magic

Regina did not recall going to the Sheriff’s station, but she was there. She did not recall sitting down, but she was in a chair. She was not sure when every person in her life who mattered showed up, but there they were. Tinker Bell gave her a cup of tea while Kathryn rubbed her shoulders. Lily placed Nathan in her arms, as if his presence would jump-start her brain. It worked, but only because he almost dived out of her embrace. 

“Why do you keep doing this?” Regina asked as she settled Nathan in her arms. 

Nathan looked at her, like that was an answer. Regina shook her head and he had the nerve to blow a raspberry at her. She would have scolded him, as this behavior was way out of control and completely rude, but a laugh caught her attention. She looked up to see Tinker Bell snickering.

“Please, don’t encourage him,” Regina said with a sigh.

Tinker Bell laughed. “But, he’s cute and funny.”

Regina shook her head. “What’s going on?” she asked, finally taking in the fact that there were several people in the Sheriff’s station.

“We called everyone to regroup,” Maleficent explained. “Everyone” was the Charmings, Marian, Granny, Ruby, and Dorothy along with the others.

Regina nodded. “Are they all up to speed?”

“We told them of the sighting and confrontation and Hook has more than likely used a love potion of some kind on her,” Mulan replied.

“I already asked Belle to research what kind of love spell it could be based on what they told us,” Ruby chimed in.

“I have to go speak with the Baba Yaga,” Regina said. This started with her warning. Maybe she had more information.

“I’ll go with you,” Maleficent said. There was no room for negotiation in her tone. Regina nodded.

“The rest of us are going to keep an eye on Hook. If that bastard does anything to her…” David punched his fist in his palm and snarled. He must have known about the kiss.

The memory made Regina’s stomach flip. What else might Hook have done to her or gotten her to do while she had been missing for almost twenty-four hours? She had no faith in Hook to be honorable or decent when it came to Emma, especially when he thought he “won.”

“I’m still going to try to figure out where Emma was before she just showed up. It might help solve this thing,” Ruby said.

“I’m helping with that,” Dorothy added.

“Emma smelled like sage and maybe a little smoke, if that helps,” Maleficent said.

Ruby shrugged. “Every little bit helps.”

“We’re not going to let this just go by,” Granny said, staring at Regina. “Emma’s been there for all of us and you’re one of us now. We’re not going to let anyone just break up your family.”

“Thank you,” Regina said with a small smile. There was the fierceness to them all that Regina could see. This was the loyal energy they brought to Snow White. She had not understood it then and did not totally understand it now. But, they were willing to give that to her and Emma. Honestly, she did not care about herself, but Emma needed all of it.

“We got you, girl,” Ruby declared.

“It’ll be all right, Regina,” Snow said. Her usual hope shining in her eyes as she pressed Neal to her. The way she held her baby, it made Regina fear otherwise. Snow held Neal like a woman who refused to lose another child, like Emma was already lost to them.

“Let’s go to the Baba Yaga,” Regina said to Maleficent.

“You want me to come, too? An ex-fairy can be pretty intimidating,” Tinker Bell boasted, chin tilted in the air.

Kathryn was the one to rein her in. “How about you come with me, sweetie? I’m going to check for any criminal magic users to see if Hook might have been able to use our ever-growing underworld to gain some kind of potion or drug or combination of the two. You could help me figure out what to look for. You know what goes into any number of love spells, after all, while I don’t have a clue.”

“Oh, yeah. I can do that.” Tinker Bell nodded.

It was good. The Baba Yaga would not be intimidated by Tinker Bell by far. In fact, she would probably be tickled that a fairy thought she could intimidate her. Even when Tink had powers, she was about as intimidating as a box of kittens wrapped in flowers.

Regina started to get up, but Kathryn gave her a squeeze. “Finish your tea first and enjoy holding your son for a bit. Take a moment to calm down. You don’t want to go into Sonja’s house on a tear.”

Regina nodded as that was true. Everyone separated to take care of their different tasks until she was alone with her son, Maleficent, and Lily. No one said a word as she sipped her tea and cooed to her baby. Nathan gave her a toothless smile with each sound from her mouth, almost as if he was trying to cheer her up. Even his happy laugh did not fill the burning hole inside of her, so the tea did not nothing really. It seemed to take forever and no time at all for her to finish her tea.

“I guess I’m still on babysitting duty. Anything you want me to tell Henry when he comes home?” Lily asked.

“Nothing beyond the fact that we found his mother and she’s under an enchantment,” Regina replied. He would want answers, but she was not sure he was ready to confront the full horror of Emma leaving them for Hook, even if it was magic-induced kidnapping.

“You don’t want to just tell him Hook stole Emma, so we can see him punch his first person in the face? It’ll make Emma proud once you free her from the spell,” Lily said.

Regina smiled a bit. Emma would undoubtedly be proud if they let Henry punch Hook in the face, but they would rather Henry learn other manners of conflict resolution before resorting to violence. She handed Nathan back over to Lily and stood.

“You go right back to Regina’s house. Do not try to help locate Emma while you have Nathan,” Maleficent ordered.

Lily made a face, but they all knew the truth and that needed to be said. Making it easier, Regina sent Lily and Nathan back to the house with a wave of her hand. She then transported herself and Maleficent to Sonja’s front door. Regina knocked while Maleficent looked around.

“The shattered chicken bones are a nice touch, but I would’ve liked to see the house on chicken legs again,” Maleficent commented. 

Regina shrugged. “That never impressed me.”

“Come on in,” Sonja said, opening the door without asking who was there. She probably did not need to.

Maleficent and Regina walked in as Sonja waved her hand to shut the door. She motioned to the sofa and they sat down. They did so and Sonja walked off, fetching tea. Typically, witches served each other tea whenever they hosted each other, but they also never drank the beverage when it was served. Maleficent picked up her tea to inspect the hot liquid, steam rolling off of it. Regina would not even pretend, even if it was poor etiquette on her part.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you with finding Emma,” Sonja said as she eased into her rocking chair.

“We’re here on a related matter you might be able to help with,” Maleficent replied.

“You told me Hook had been seeking a love potion. I’ve spoken to every magic user I am aware of in this town and all of them promised me they didn’t sell to him,” Regina stated.

“You think I sold to him?” Sonja inquired with an arched eyebrow.

“I think you know who did.”

“You think highly of me.”

“You’re one of the most powerful magic users in the town. You’re in the union and you guys have your little bowling league. You know something.” It could not be possible for a magician of any kind to put something past the Baba Yaga, the Dark One, and her. Well, she hoped anyway.

Sonja shrugged and sat back in her armchair. “I actually do not. I do know none of us sold to him and everyone tried to help you when you asked.”

“And the growing black market of magical items? What of those sellers?” Regina asked. She had not thought about the black market until Kathryn brought it up. There might be something, including the fact that she was supposed to look into the short supply of magic ingredients. What if something there had been used against Emma and she missed it thanks to Robin Hood interfering in their lives?

Sonja shook her head and had a sip of her tea. “The people I know are on the up and up, hence the union. We were all practitioners of the craft in the Old World. I imagine here’s like the Old World, though. There are always delinquents who don’t want to follow the rules or someone who doesn’t actually use magic is selling stolen or scammed items. Or someone who works in the shadows is doing it.”

Regina frowned. Those things made sense. “The spell used on Emma seemed to flip her feelings about me and Hook rather than just the usual love spell, but she had her memories and access to everything.” It was the only way Emma could possibly know to dredge up her stillborns and wound her so deeply, she felt like her insides would never mend again.

Sonja sat forward. “So, you’ve seen her?”

“A couple of hours ago.” Regina kept her tone neutral. She did not trust Sonja, or anyone really outside her group, and refused to show emotions in front of this witch, especially when it was possible she somehow conspired against Regina and her family.

“Do you want to describe the symptoms or do you both already have ideas?” Sonja asked.

“This was more than a love spell. It was emotional manipulation. A love spell wouldn’t make someone call her son a bastard, especially someone who has punched people for calling her son a bastard,” Maleficent replied. 

“And her hatred toward me was more than when we were bitter enemies,” Regina added.

Sonja pursed her lips as she put her tea down. Apparently, this demanded her full attention. “Emotional manipulation. Like a puppet spell?”

Regina shook her head. “No.” She would have recognized that immediately. “And no one has her heart.” It was still quite impossible to get there, which she was thankful for now.

“So, it’s like someone took out her heart to control her, but doesn’t have it?” Sonja inquired, rubbing her thumb against her chin.

Regina nodded. “But, those were Emma’s words, not someone else’s.” It was not someone speaking through her. Emma took what she knew would hurt Regina the most.

“There are dark forces at play. I know you asked me to help you locate her. Who else did you ask and were they successful?” Sonja asked.

“No.” Regina had a feeling where this was going and did not like it one bit.

“No magic user? Not even the Dark One?”

“No one.”

“Did it ever cross your mind this could be someone beyond us? What if the Dark One has decided to play? Like he lulled us all into a false sense of security and he’s now made his move?”

Regina shook her head. “I offered to deal and he accepted, but still couldn’t find her then.” After thinking on, even if it was only theories about what could be done with her soul, it was reckless of her to offer it to Rumple of all people. He had almost licked his lips when she accepted the deal. It was all for naught, though.

“Perhaps you’d like to make a deal with me.” The spark in Sonja’s eyes reminded Regina who she was dealing with. Sonja might not know the true nature of her deal with Rumple, but understood what Regina would do to get Emma back.

Regina did not flinch. “If the Dark One was of no use to me, what could you possibly do?” The Baba Yaga was powerful, but not all powerful.

“Even if I were to tell you my sisters made the cross with me? Together, we are very much on par with your Dark One.”

It was tempting. “I’ll pass.” Regina stood and Maleficent followed her lead. “Thank you for your information and your help.” She left with Maleficent by her side.

“Your soul is a pretty hot commodity,” Maleficent commented.

“You’d think I was special or something,” Regina deadpanned.

“Yes, but now what?”

“Well, she made sense with these being dark forces at play. We both know the skill level it takes to pull a heart and the power it takes to control someone. This is being done without enchanting her heart.” The very thought of such power was frightening.

“Someone who managed to make her hate you and love Hook. Someone who made her hate Nathan. I didn’t think it was possible, even if she was upset over this Robin business. Perhaps we should test her feelings toward others and see how she reacts,” Maleficent said.

“I wouldn’t want to subject another loved one to those words. They might not understand,” Regina replied. She barely understood.

“Well, not her parents. But, what about Mulan or Ruby? I think you’d be able to remind them not to take it personally.”

Regina considered that. “I suppose we could try.” Mulan would probably be the best bet. She would be able to control herself and work through any hurtful things Emma might say. She had already encountered Emma to know what to expect anyway.

“And we have to figure out who might be powerful enough to do this to Emma depending on what happens with that experiment,” Maleficent said.

“I have ideas.” Regina had a short list of suspects just from the looks she got from Rumple and Sonja at the thought of getting her soul. “We can see if Kathryn gets a list from magic users on the black market. Someone might pop out.”

“This town really is too big,” Maleficent said. Right now, Regina agreed.

-8-8-8-8-

They all regrouped at Regina’s house. Regina forgot her manners, not thinking to make a meal, but Ruby solved that. She and Dorothy showed up with pizzas, wings, soda, and juice. They all sat in the living room to compare notes. Henry was there. Regina knew trying to keep things from him would only make matters worse. She would do her best to contain him, though. This could get dangerous and messy, especially if it did boil down to a magic user who could overpower the Dark One. She definitely did not want him around if she had to do some wet work and she would do anything at this point to help Emma.

“So, Emma’s stuck with Hook?” Henry asked before taking a bite of his pepperoni slice.

“It’s magic,” Snow replied, as if that was not obvious.

“Yeah, what kind of magic?” he asked.

“A love spell?” David shrugged. It probably did not matter to him. He looked like he spent the entire day containing himself from tackling Hook to the ground and beating him to death. In fact, according to Ruby, she caught him several times that day within a few feet of Hook with his sword in hand and she had to redirect him. Regina would not judge him if he snapped, but they needed to know what Hook did to Emma first. It would not do anyone any good to kill Hook and only find that the spell remained and Emma would mourn that idiot for the rest of her life, or worse try to join him.

“Like the one you were going to use on me that time?” Henry asked, turning to his mother.

Regina tensed and her eyes went wide, as all attention went to her. Then came the judgmental scowls and the silent speculation. Regina took a quiet inhale and sat up tall. She would not let them get to her. If they had questions, fine. If they had accusations, they could get the hell out. She could solve this issue without them.

“It’s not how it sounds!” Henry jumped up. “It was when her mom came and she thought she lost me and all she wanted was to try to make things better and we kept making it worse!”

David did not appear satisfied. “Really? Maybe you’re the one using magic on people, Regina.” He pointed a threatening finger at her. Okay, so he snapped under the stress and he snapped at her. She would not accept that.

Regina scowled and folded her arms across her chest. “Yes, I’ve had Emma under a spell since the start of my pregnancy, made her support me through the whole ordeal, and forced her to love us all as a family. If that’s what anyone here believes, there’s the door.” She pointed to the object in question. She was under enough stress and pressure as it was.

“Well, you said your True Love’s kiss didn’t work. You know what? It always works for us!” David motioned to him and Snow, who nodded. “Whenever you pull something on us, we’ve got this. We can breaking any damn curse you or any other damn witch tries to throw at us. What the hell are you trying to to pull here?”

Recalling how her kiss had no effect on Emma was like a hot, barbed knife to the heart. Maybe she did not love Emma enough. Or maybe Emma never really loved her. Maybe this whole thing was a lie. No, you don’t believe that! This is your family. You don’t let these idiots dictate how you feel about your damn family. Why had she allowed the Charmings into her life? They were so reckless with their words and other’s feelings. Henry dropped his pizza and was on his feet before Regina could speak.

“Hey, my moms love each other! Just because they didn’t share some stupid magical kiss doesn’t mean anything. And you don’t get to talk to her like that after all she’s gone through!” Henry’s chest heaved as he stared his grandfather down.

“Regina was very willing to give her soul to Rumpelstiltskin if it meant getting Emma back. Does that mean nothing to you?” Maleficent inquired, giving David and Snow a scathing look. “Do you even understand what that means? Regina was willing to give up, not her life, but her very essence for Emma.” 

“Maybe she just said she did that,” Snow said.

“It could’ve been a ploy,” David argued.

“And you can be an asshole, but that’s neither here nor there,” Lily snapped. “Who the hell are you to stand in judgment of her? This holier-than-thou bullshit might’ve played before I showed up, but we all know you’re no angels.”

David and Snow both flinched, as if they did not expect that. Now, there were eyes on them. Most of the room was unaware of the sins of their beloved Royal Couple. Snow’s face turned red and she looked at the floor.

“Look, we can throw judgments around all day, but this is about getting Emma back,” Marian said, possibly saving the situation. Regina could not see Snow and David sticking around if people actually questioned them on what Lily meant.

“We can all agree there’s no way in Hell Emma would voluntarily go back to Hook. She leaped behind the counter once in the diner to avoid him and that was before Her Majesty got knocked up. Let’s stay focused,” Granny added.

There was a tense second that passed before everyone sat back down. Henry did not pick up his pizza again, using his time to glare at his grandfather. Lily joined in. The Charmings had a way of never failing to disappoint Lily whenever she had to share space with them. Regina knew the feeling all too well.

“I would like to repeat for those who question Regina. She was willing to give her soul to Rumpelstiltskin for Emma. If you think someone having your heart is terrifying, someone having your soul is worse than you could ever imagine. You’re not a puppet. You’re a shell. You get to live with the knowledge you will never feel anything ever again, not happy, not sad, nothing at all. You lose yourself. Your passion, your drive, your desire for anything. You stop being alive, even as you live and breathe. And when you die, there is no afterlife. When you die, you cease to exist. Your energy is gone from the universe. Regina was willing to give up being able to love her children if it meant finding Emma,” Maleficent stated.

Henry blinked and looked at her with stricken eyes. Eyes so much older than he was. “Mom?”

“You need your mother, Henry,” Regina replied. Beyond that, this was what she and Emma did. They went to extremes for each other. They took on wraiths, swallowed death curses, contained magical bombs, gave up Henry, and tried to absorb the Darkness. This was a drop in a large bucket.

“I need both of you! We’re a family!” Henry grabbed her hands and held tighter than she thought possible. She could feel him trembling and it made her want to cry. “We’re a damn family.” His voice cracked and a sob escaped him.

Regina caressed his head. “I know.” She would still give up her heart and soul if it meant bringing Emma back him and Nathan.

“I don’t think you do! You guys can’t just keep doing this! We’re a family. If one of you doesn’t come home or is lost to us somehow, it makes us broken. You don’t get that back,” Henry said and tears poured down his face. “You don’t get that back.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” She held him as he buried his face in her shoulder and cried.

Everyone was silent for a while as she embraced Henry and rubbed his back, hoping to comfort him. David and Snow watched her, but did not dare move. She was surprised they were smart enough to figure out it would not be best to touch Henry after disrespecting his mother. It took Henry a long moment, but he eventually picked his pizza back up.

“We’ve gotten a little data as to figure out what sort of magic Hook has at his disposal. It might be a little beyond what we’re used to,” Maleficent said.

“What do you mean?” Ruby asked, her face scrunched up and her mouth covered in hot wing sauces.

“There’s witchcraft and sorcery and such that we’re used to, right? Energy we’re used to seeing manipulated,” Maleficent started.

“I could find us the witch if you give me the details,” Dorothy boasted. There were times she was just precious, like she had never met a witch she could not track and beat.

“This is probably not a witch,” Regina said.

“Not a witch?” Dorothy echoed and looked like such a thing could not be possible.

“There are levels of magic users. Different types and everything, just like there are different realms and lands and such. This could be beyond our usual level of magic users,” Regina replied. She was not sure how to explain it. It was messy and complicated.

“Like what? I mean, like what level would Ruby fall on here? What level do you and Maleficent fall on?” Marian inquired.

“Ruby can’t totally control her magic, so she would be rather low level,” Regina said and she looked at Ruby. “Not an insult, just doing basic classification.”

Ruby shrugged. “I’m not insulted. I’m actually curious because I don’t know either.” She shoved a half of a slice in her mouth.

“Without going through everything, just know that every magic user we know, have met, and tangled with is versed in using the magic of one dimension. It’s the most our bodies can handle, like being in extreme cold or hot weather. We have a limit. There are others without that limit. I’m sure they have a limit, but it’s well beyond ours,” Regina explained.

“We have someone like that around here?” Granny inquired.

“We don’t know. It might not matter. We could be wrong,” Regina replied. The scents of sage and smoke and wood that kept popping up did not instill her with confidence, though. Maleficent giving her a glance did not help.

“Would our list help?” Tinker Bell motioned between her and Kathryn.

Kathryn shook her head. “It’s not much of a list yet. There’s something up with the magical supplies, though. The Business Bureau revoked the license of one of only three suppliers. One of the two remaining was robbed.”

“I investigated that one,” Mulan said. “There were no clues. Emma said something like ‘it seems like the Invisible Man broke in’ and then she wondered if he was real and if we should go knock on his door, which we did. He claimed he had nothing to do with it. We have no other clues. The shop closed up because most of its inventory was gone and it would take too long to resupply.”

“Of course because nothing is ever easy,” Kathryn sighed. “So, without our input yet, how do we know if we’re dealing with a regular witch or one of these higher ones you think might be involved?”

“We need to check and see if this spell is as powerful as we think it is before we confirm that,” Maleficent answered.

“How do we check?” Marian asked.

“We want to see how Emma interacts with someone she has a personal connection to. That can help us gauge what sort of spell she’s under,” Regina replied.

“Something beyond her interaction with you?” Mulan inquired. There was no emotion in her tone, making it an honest question.

“Yes. It’ll give us a chance to understand if the spell is something that has warped all of her emotions or only the ones directed toward me,” Regina replied. And Nathan. She would never un-hear Emma calling their baby boy a bastard and she would never forgive Hook for taking things to that level.

“Mulan, we thought you’d be the best candidate. You have a close, personal relationship with Emma and you can hold yourself together under pressure in case her feelings toward you are hostile as well,” Maleficent explained.

Mulan nodded. “I know it is not her speaking. It is the magic. From my very brief in encounter with her when I found her, I knew it was the magic.”

Regina’s face did not change, even though she felt just a little lighter. It was good Mulan got it. “Exactly.”

“I can agree to that,” Mulan said.

“I’ll go along to observe, so we can compare behaviors with an inside and outside look,” Maleficent said.

“Are we all in agreement?” Regina’s eyes shot to David and Snow.

“What do we do after Mulan does this?” Snow asked, her voice low, but steady, like she found some humility. Who knew she had it in her?

“We might be able to narrow down the spell or the magic and figure out how to help Emma,” Regina explained. “So, who was the last person to see Emma and Hook?”

Ruby scoffed. “Now that we know they’re out and about. I can just track them, like I’ve been doing whenever a certain dad goes into dad-mode.” She glanced at David. 

David grunted. “If he has her under some spell, he better hope you keep showing up.” He cracked his knuckles. Snow put her hand on his knee.

“Or we could wait in the diner since they have to eat,” Granny reminded everyone.

“Genius,” Regina said dryly, but she meant it. Emma had never made it a point to cook for Hook, even when she liked to say she was in love with him. It was not that Emma could not cook, but she did not when it came to him.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry wanted to go wait in the diner with Mulan and Maleficent, but his mother would not allow him. He did not expect her to. He had never felt such an overwhelming sensation for violence before. It made his teeth itch. Hook had set out to destroy his family by stealing Emma and even when they got her back, he knew things would never be the same. No, because his grandfather had already said something unforgivable and who knew what Hook had done to his mother. She might not be able to live with herself after. How dare Hook do such a thing?

Henry had never been a real fan of Hook. He thought Hook made his mother happy and he was a pirate, but that was about the only cool things about the guy. He never imagined having a relationship with Hook. He definitely never envisioned being a family with Hook, not the way he was with his mothers and Nathan. He never thought Hook could be so supremely selfish, though. He wished he was at the diner if only to hear the bastard’s excuses for why he had done this.

His mom would not even let him be around her to hear the conversation. Mulan had decided to go with being wired, which his grandfather surprisingly knew how to do. The idea of having a transcript sat well with everyone, as it gave them all a chance to somewhat interpret the encounter. So, he was at home waiting while his mom was in her car, listening to whatever happened.

“What do you think will happen?” Henry asked Lily, who was apparently the designated babysitter for this adventure. He did not mind Lily so much now. It was nice she was trying to be useful and there for them. They were in the living room, playing blackjack of all things. Emma taught him how to play, which both surprised and did not surprise Lily.

“I think Hook fucked up,” Lily answered with the blunt honesty he was used to from her. She glanced over at Nathan, who was busy squirming in his swing, trying to escape. He had been fussy all day, which was not like him. Henry felt like Nathan knew something was wrong.

“Well, duh.” He tapped for a hit on his fourteen.

She hit him, flipping a card from the desk. “No, I mean like seriously fucked up, like there’ll be a line waiting to kick his ass if Regina chooses to let him live fucked up.”

Henry had no doubt about it. He would be on that line. “Do you think Hook is gonna hurt Ma?”

“Not if he knows what’s good for him, which he clearly doesn’t.”

That did not make Henry feel any better. He did not get a chance to think on it as all the adults filed back in. Lily quickly gathered up the cards, aware his mom would not be happy to see them playing blackjack, even if they were not gambling. The adults were all talking at once, so Henry could not make out what the conversation was.

“So, what happened?” Lily asked.

“Emma seemed perfectly normal,” Mulan reported with a haunted look. “She was friendly and spoke to me with respect. The only problem was she refused to leave Hook’s side. She held his arm the whole time and then told me she’s going to resign the Sheriff’s department to make more time for…” She shuddered. “I dare not repeat it.”

“She called him ‘Killikins.’ I proceeded to throw up. I mean, I literally threw up right on a poor sparrow just chilling on the gate. He was not happy,” Ruby said.

“I think we all died a little in that moment, yes,” Granny conceded.

“So, what does that tell us?” Henry asked.

“This is a delicate web that has been weaved. After Mulan, Ruby went to say hello and Emma was normal toward her. She didn’t ask for help or anything to give away that she was under a spell, so this magic is precise like a surgeon’s cut,” Regina answered.

“She still smelled weird, though,” Ruby chimed in. “Hook had a weird sage and firewood smell to him, too. It was faint, but there. Not a scent either of them ever had until today.” 

“Could be part of the spell,” Dorothy said.

“What if it’s not a spell?” Henry doubted it, but they had to take it into account. “What if this is Emma’s response to Robin being Nathan’s sperm donor? Like it drove her crazy or something.”

“So, your working theory is Emma suffering a psychotic break from news she already knew?” Lily asked. “Don’t quit your day job.” She patted him on the head and he slapped her hand away.

“Yeah, but think about it, Ma has been under a lot of stress since she came here. What if that was the straw that broke the camel’s back?” Henry said. “But, then again, why would she go to Hook?” He remembered how she was after the breakup, like a ton of weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She never gave him the details, but it seemed like a good time for her. She got in on Operation Mongoose and tried to reconnect with his mom before helping with the pregnancy. If she did break, she would probably get the hell of Storybrooke.

“Exactly,” Kathryn said.

“Let’s make psychotic break theory number two.” Ruby held up two fingers and wiggled them.

“Even though Emma was normal for the most part, the fact that she decided to quit her job was over the top. Having a new kid didn’t make her quit her job,” David pointed out with a scowl. Snow stood by him and opened her mouth, like she was about to speak, but Mulan beat her to it.

“No, and she used to run home to be with all of you,” Mulan said to her family.

“There’s no way Emma in the right frame of mind quits being sheriff. She’s always going on about how she has so much more to teach me and Mulan,” Dorothy agreed. “We still don’t know how to do donuts in the patrol car.” She rubbed her chin. “Even though we’ve eaten donuts in it plenty of times before. Emma says it’s not the same thing.”

Ruby cringed and slapped her hand over her girlfriend’s mouth. “Maybe don’t mention that right now.”

“For now, we have to all agree to make sure Emma and Hook aren’t alone together until we can say for sure she’s with him voluntarily,” Kathryn said.

“I feel like it’s highly unlikely Emma said the word ‘Killikins’ voluntarily. I actually now subscribe to the idea that’s not even Emma,” Tinker Bell declared. “The real Emma is still lost and Hook has a doll of some kind, which is why it doesn’t smell right to Ruby. He may or may not know it’s not really Emma.”

That made more sense to Henry than his psychotic break theory, except his mom would know if Emma was real or not. Now, they had to work out a next step. He wanted to help. So, he sat down on their discussion while Maleficent took it upon herself to use all of her powers to make sure Emma and Hook were not alone, stalking them through a water in a cup. Apparently, if it was a reflective surface, witches could make it FaceTime. Regina looked relieved for a moment, but the heaviness of the situation never left her. Henry wanted to make everything all right, but he knew only his ma’s return would do that. He would do his best to help.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: putting up with Hook and Emma.

Chapter Text

12: Taking Care

Regina sat with Maleficent in her study. She wanted to bring Kathryn in on this, but felt it did not make any sense. All she had was a theory right now and the theory had to do with magic. This was out of Kathryn’s purview and Regina had said as much to her. Kathryn understood and handed over the information she gathered with Tinker Bell. She told Kathryn to go back to her job, as she told everyone else. They had worked out who would follow Emma when.

“You think it’s Faust, don’t you?” Maleficent asked, sipping some of Regina’s finest scotch. She sat on the chaise away from the desk.

Regina sat back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap. “He’s the only one I can think of who would sell to Hook and who could have this sort of power. I mean, that has to be beyond a love spell. Who else would be so bold as to sell to someone trying to enslave the Savior?”

Maleficent shook her head. “No one I can think. And, yes, you have made many witchy enemies over the years, but none would work with Hook of all people. His allegiances switch hourly at times.”

“Faust wouldn’t need his allegiance.” No, Faust needed what other people were suddenly interested in and he had to be aware he had what he needed to get it.

“Right. And you are right about the spell. I can’t think of who else would have the sort of power to command Emma with such precision. I wouldn’t even begin to know how to tangle someone’s emotions for only three people,” Maleficent said, staring into her glass.

“Even if you had the knowledge, you wouldn’t have the power. I’ve read theories as to how it could be done, but I don’t think anyone would be able to do it. I don’t even think the Dark One would have that power.” Regina could only think of one person had ever encountered in her life who could pull that off.

Maleficent tilted her head and swirled her finger around the rim of her glass. “But, you would.”

Regina shook her head. “I’ve never felt as such, which I suppose is good considering my past.” If she had ever felt that sort of power as the Evil Queen, there would have been no need for a Dark Curse. She might have figuratively and literally burned everything to the ground after enslaving the whole realm.

Maleficent snorted. “Could you imagine?”

“I would rather not. I’m more imagining how to punish Faust for this horror.” Regina was not sure what she would do about things if he was, in fact, behind all of this. She would never forgive him, though.

“I can tell you the fantasies I had of doing with Snow White after she stole Lily from me,” Maleficent said.

Regina scoffed. “I’ve had plenty of those myself. No, Faust or whoever this cur is deserves far worst.”

“I could eat him. I hear being devoured by a dragon isn’t pleasant at all. Apparently, he’s already been seasoned with sage.”

Regina laughed a little. “I’m sure it isn’t, but I doubt he’d been good for you. What I’m not sure about is Faust even being here.”

“If anyone would know it’s you.”

“I need to research. Just catching a waft of firewood and sage isn’t nearly enough evidence.”

Maleficent frowned. “I like to believe the incredible balancing act of emotional manipulation counts as evidence as well.” 

Regina nodded. “Yes, of course. Kathryn’s list was better than she claimed, but there’s other things I’d like to look up. You’ll stay?”

“Until we catch that bastard.” Maleficent sipped her drink.

“Thank you.” Regina was not sure why, but the presence of her oldest friend comforted her in this time of need. Maleficent waved her off. “No, you don’t know how much this matters.”

Maleficent shook her head. “I do, but you don’t realize it. Once upon a time, a young upstart found me at rock bottom and pulled me to my feet. You don’t know what that meant to me, Regina. You don’t know what you meant to me, which is why I can forgive you for everything that happened.”

Regina was speechless. It never occurred to her that she meant anything to Maleficent beyond maybe being a friend. But, maybe she did not even understand what being a friend meant. Maleficent saw her as something more and she did not even know what could possibly be. She had never really had “something more” beyond Henry, then Emma, and then Nathan. Even when she “had” Robin and Roland, it was something different.

“I never knew,” Regina whispered.

“In your heart, you did. If you didn’t, we wouldn’t be here. Now, enough of this. Let’s plot the death of the worst sort of magician,” Maleficent declared with glee in her eyes. It was something Regina could get behind.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry cut school for the first time in a long time for the same reason he used to cut school — to find Emma. He wanted to see her and Hook together. He wanted to see what everyone else saw. He wanted to confront Hook. It’s a good thing Ma never got me that knife she wanted me to have for protection because I’d use it on him if he really hurt her.

So, now he was out and about seeking his mother. He was able to find her just as easy as he used to. Enchantment or not, Emma was predictable, but it was probably because Hook was predictable at this point. He liked the dock, so there they were, watching the waves. Henry did not approach them. He observed them for a while. Fury he had no idea he was capable of raged through him when he noticed his mother holding Hook’s hand. He wanted to rush them, tear them apart, and then rip into Hook like no one ever had or would. And then Mulan was next to him.

“You’re good for someone so young,” Mulan commented, causing him to jump. He did not realize she was there until she spoke.

“Don’t tell my mom!” Henry begged, pressing his hands together. He would be grounded until college if his mom knew he hunted down Hook.

Mulan shook her head slightly. “Of course not. She does not need more stress right now. Why are you following them?”

He shrugged. “I just wanted to see.”

Mulan’s brow furrowed a little. “Why? This is an illusion. No need to see an illusion.”

“Is it, though?” His stomach twisted and he felt a burn in his throat, like he might throw up. It’s not real. Stop thinking it is. It’s not real. As he stared at Emma with Hook and saw her gushing over him, even from a distance, he was so certain it was not real. But, what if? His whole chest burned now.

Mulan tilted her head. “Do you think it’s real?”

“Um, no. Ma never walked around with Hook like this all the time. And holding his hand? Are you kidding me? Ma isn’t like that. She isn’t even like that with Mom and they’re gross,” Henry said.

“Then why do you question if this is an illusion?” Mulan asked.

Henry shook his head. He did not know what he meant. He was just trying to make sense of all of this. It was too much for his brain. They had been so happy and it was all torn from them so abruptly. Why could they not have a family like normal people? Him, his mothers, all of them. It never worked out. Maybe we’re cursed. Magic’s real, after all.

“Perhaps I should take you home,” Mulan said.

Henry was about to ask why, but he realized the reason behind the offer. Tears streamed down his face. He was crying. Not just crying, but sobbing without sound. With that realization, he felt himself stop breathing. He could not remember how to breathe and his lungs burned. She took his hand and forced him to start walking. Each step was like knives in his feet and pins in his heart.

“I know this is scary,” Mulan said.

“That doesn’t cover it,” Henry grumbled and then hiccuped. “We just want to be happy, just want to be a family. And we were happy and stupid Robin with his dumb honor and then Hook came and ruined and it might never be right and Gramps said those mean things to Mom, like he doesn’t think they really love each other, so it’s like he thinks our whole family’s fake, but we’re not. We’re real and we were happy and none of this is fair!” He felt the snot ooze out of his nose and could not bring himself to care. He had earned an ugly cry!

Mulan nodded and rubbed his back. He expected it to be awkward or timid, but it was clear she comforted people before. It was probably Roland. Roland got to have a good family with two moms, even though his dad was an ass. Why was it he and Nathan could not have that same thing? Had their family not bled enough, sacrificed enough?

“I know how that can be, Henry,” Mulan said. “It has been my experience that some people have to work harder to find their family. I had to do the impossible several times and endure so much heartache before I found my place. So, perhaps some people have to work harder to keep their families. You are all fierce warriors. You will not let this stop you. None of you.”

“What if I lose one of them or both of them? What if Nathan has to grow up with one or no mothers? How is that fair? How is it fair to bring us all together and then just tear us apart again?” Henry begged. What the hell game was God, Fate, Destiny or whatever it was that granted his wish playing?

Mulan gave his shoulder a strong squeeze. “You will not be torn apart. You should have faith.”

Henry shook his head. His faith had been tested more than enough in life and he was so tired of it. He was tired of being the Truest Believer. He did not want Nathan to have a life like this either. Nathan was a cool baby and he would probably grow up into a cool little brother. Henry wanted everything to be easy for Nathan, as far as family went, so he could focus on things he liked, so they could focus on being together.

Beyond Nathan, he felt like his mothers deserved some peace and happiness. When were they allowed to just live their lives and enjoy life? They always seemed shackled by something, sometimes by themselves, but more often by things out of their control. Why were they not allowed to be together and love together and be a family and have a family for the first time in their lives? They saved so many people in such a short period of time, yet they still had to suffer and bleed while those people got to live nice lives.

“You will make it through this,” Mulan insisted.

They returned to the house in silence. Henry got his cry out and wiped his face with his shirt before they got to the front gate. Lily’s mouth dropped open when he walked through the door. Lily had been the one to send him on his way that morning. Their mothers were locked away in the study already by the time he was awake that morning. He did not feel as bad cutting out on her as he would have if it had been his mom and he did not know what to make of that. For a moment, he had to admit he did not respect Lily much because Emma did not like her, even though his mom seemed to like her just fine and he had no real problem with her.

“What’s he doing back home?” Lily asked Mulan.

“He needs to be here. Where is Regina?” Mulan scanned the first floor.

“Up in her study, but she doesn’t want to be disturbed, which is why that one was supposed to be at school,” Lily replied.

Mulan nodded and went for the stairs, despite Lily’s protest. Henry wanted to follow Mulan, but felt like that would not help. Instead, he waited. He waited and he watched. Lily paced behind him, as if she did not know what to do with herself without Nathan in her arms. Nathan was lucky. He did not know their family was unraveling at the seams. He was so innocent he could nap. Although when he’s up, he definitely knows something is going on since all he does is cry.

“Do you feel useless?” Henry asked, gnawing at the corner of his mouth.

Lily paused and glared at him. “I am not useless.”

“In this instance, you are. None of your skills are helpful here, right?”

She glared even harder. “So?”

“I have skills that are useful here and I can’t do anything because I’m a kid and I’m so twisted up inside. Today, I saw my ma out with a guy I know put her under some kind of magic and I just wanted to punch him. I couldn’t think of a plan. I couldn’t formulate an excuse. All I could do was think about was how I wanted to punch his damn face in for breaking my family.” Henry balled his hands in tight fists and shook.

Lily took a deep breath and her eyes roamed the ceiling, like she was searching for the right words. “I know life sucks, a lot sometimes, kid, especially for people like us. But, I have to believe that out of hard stuff comes good stuff.”

Henry scoffed. “No, you don’t. You were bitter and angry even after you found your mom. You still wanna hurt my Grams and Gramps.” Of course, he wanted to hurt them, too, right now.

She shrugged. “And so does your mom half the time. And I know you know that sometimes even your own ma wants to slap them in the face. I can see it plain her eyes every now and then. But, beyond finding my mother and eventually working to a point where getting to know her is my top priority, she also introduced me to family beyond her.”

Henry arched an eyebrow. “What family?” As far as he knew, Maleficent did not have any other people, in this realm or the other.

She gave him another shrug. “In another life, one that would’ve been way easier than this one, Regina would’ve been my aunt. It’s funny because my mother knows she’d have had to tell Regina that years after Regina spoiled me rotten and taught me how to ride horses and do parlor tricks and quell the masses. She says Regina never would figure it out on her own because Regina didn’t know what family really was back then. Your mom’s my family, kid. She’s the reason why I haven’t hurt your Grams and Gramps, not my mom. She’s the reason why if I knew it would do something, I’d get down on my hands and knees and beg Emma to forgive me.”

“She won’t.” He was not sure why he said that, but it just came out, like he wanted to hurt her.

Lily did not even flinch. “I know she won’t. It doesn’t mean I don’t want her to. It’s kinda like Regina being connected to your grandparents, even though she still holds a little bit of dislike for your grandmother. I want Emma to realize we’re connected because my mom is family with her partner and just hate me a little less.”

Henry sniffled. Lily was just chasing the same thing he was chasing, the same thing both of his mothers chased. It was not fair. Why were they not allowed to have it, but someone like Hook could steal joy from them and flaunt it in front of their faces?

“How can Hook take this away from all of us?” He sniffled again, wiping his nose with his hand.

Lily rubbed her elbows. “He’s a selfish prick who isn’t used to losing.”

“Yeah, well, neither am I,” Regina said as she, Maleficent, and Mulan made their way down the stairs. “Making it worse, I also don’t know when to quit.”

“You guys got something?” Lily asked while Henry wiped his face.

“We’re close,” Maleficent replied.

“They need food. They’ve been up there reading and drinking without eating,” Mulan reported.

“Snitch,” Regina hissed.

“Emma would want me to take care of you. I will go pick up some lunch. You all stay out of trouble. Maybe even get some sleep,” Mulan said.

No one argued. They knew there was no use of arguing with Mulan anyway. She was a protector to her core and she would protect them from themselves. Henry felt a little better about himself since his mom was in the same boat.

“Tell us about what you got,” Lily requested, pointing to herself and Henry. Henry nodded. It would help take his mind off of wanting to stab Hook with his own hook.

“This appears to be a puzzle you wouldn’t know was a puzzle and it might’ve started weeks ago,” Regina replied as she sat down on the sofa. Maleficent followed her.

-8-8-8-8-

Mulan hated this. It made her itch down to her bones, something impossible to scratch. Hook did not understand what he did by enchanting Emma. He had thrown so many lives off balance, put the whole town on edge, and he did not seem to care, just happy to have an ornament on his arm from what she could tell when she shadowed the “couple.” She remembered before discovering Henry, Hook had been about to kiss Emma and Mulan blew her cover. She put her sword to his neck and the only reason he did not lose his head was because of Emma. Emma had gasped and cried, begging Mulan not to kill him, like he was the most important thing on Earth.

Of course, those actions only made Mulan hate things more and she was so enraged. The real Emma would have pounced on her if she thought Mulan was a danger. Not to mention, after that, Emma casually mentioned she would not be returning to the Sheriff’s office. She would not even formally resign. She was simply not coming back. She just wanted to be with Killian and that bastard Hook had looked smug and proud of her words. What did Hook want with a shell of Emma? A shadow woman who slowly but surely would only be wearing Emma’s face? She felt like Tinker Bell was right, even if that was bodily Emma, it was a doll. Hook turned her into a doll and was happy with that.

“Pervert,” she grumbled.

She pushed into Granny’s, wanting to stop thinking and take care of Regina and Henry like Emma would want her to. She did not have to wait on line, as most of citizens of Storybrooke let the Sheriff’s department order first in case some crazy emergency sprang up at the last second or out of gratitude for the department saving them from crazy emergency. She had to skillfully avoid upset questions swirling around rumors of the Sheriff quitting, though. It was hard. She was not talented in linguistic acrobatics like others, but she was able to assure the people enough to order.

“I don’t know Regina’s usual order, Ruby,” Mulan said with a frown.

“I got you.” Ruby winked. “Are you ordering for the whole house?”

“Yes. They are a mess over there,” Mulan replied.

“To be expected.”

“But, Regina and Maleficent are making some headway into who they believe caused this. Unfortunately, they were drunk as they were doing this, so they might forget,” Mulan said.

Ruby chuckled. “I doubt Regina forgets anything that gets her closer to getting Emma back. I don’t know why True Love’s kiss didn’t work for them since if those two got any more in love, we’d have to hose them down.”

Mulan did not understand what that meant, but Ruby often lost her in phrases. Ruby did not stick around to explain. Before Mulan could do anything, Snow and David came in with baby Neal. She gave them a nod, but did not want to speak with them. They still harbor doubts, whispering Regina might have bewitched Emma and now she was free. It was mostly Snow, but David did not object. Do these two know their daughter at all? David had to know better, but that just made it worse. Mulan hated to think he was encouraging Snow’s insanity by cosigning it just to avoid an argument.

Snow and David sat at a booth and Granny brought them a booster seat for the toddler before going back to the back. Mulan tapped her fingers against the countertop and tried not to look at Snow and David. She wanted to say something to them, but she did not know what to say. And, suddenly, it did not matter. Emma walked in, glued to Hook’s side. He looked like owned the world and she looked at like he was the sun, life-giving and radiant.

All the sound around them stopped. The town still could not figure out what to make of Emma and Hook. It had been a day and everyone she spoke to and saw did not seem to understand why Emma was with Hook again. Most of the town took it as Emma abandoning her family, abandoning her sons, abandoning her wife who had just given birth. They seemed to refuse to believe Nathan was Robin Hood’s blood, even now with rumors of DNA tests and magical blood tests going around. She could not hardly believe how easy the town thought the worst of Emma, but she supposed they did not have much else to go with, especially with Emma telling anyone who would listen how much she loved “Killian.”

“We don’t serve thieving pirates around here,” Granny called from the kitchen. She could probably smell him from there.

“What about conquering heroes?” Hook wiggled his eyebrows and pulled Emma closer. The implications were enough to get David out of his seat.

David stood before Hook, glaring at him like he was the worst sort of person. Mulan might actually agree. “My daughter isn’t something to be conquered.”

Hook grinned at David, not even bothering to appease him. “I know, mate. I’m not referring to her as a conquest. I love Emma.”

“I love you, too!” Emma cooed and rested her head on his shoulder. She brought a hand up to caress his chest.

Mulan could not help a groan. She was beyond disgusted. She only heard Emma sound that way when she teased Regina, but she seemed to be quite serious here. Could Emma hear herself? Was her true self locked away in there and listening to the dreck spewing from her mouth? Was she repulsed every time she touched him or he touched her?

“You see? So, everything’s fine,” Hook said with light dancing in his eyes.

“Everything is not fine!” David squared his shoulders and his body seemed to vibrate. His hands were balled into tight fists to the point where she would not be surprised to see blood drip from his palms. He was about to lose it and Mulan was willing to let him. Maybe if someone killed Hook the spell would lift, even though Regina did not seem to think so.

Beyond that, Mulan was pleased to see David was not as muddled as he acted. He did not buy it that Emma was with Hook on her own or he would not look like he was ready to murder Hook where he stood. Hopefully, that would get the rest of the town to understand Emma did not abandon her family. Emma was not that sort of person.

“David!” Snow came to his side. “Look at them.” She motioned to Hook and Emma. Emma was somehow tucked even closer to Hook’s side.

“Yeah, look. She loves me.” Hook rubbed Emma’s shoulder.

“I love him, Dad. Everything’s fine. We’re going to get married soon and we’ll even have kids,” Emma said.

“You have kids already,” David replied through gritted teeth, trying to glare Hook into submission.

“Kids with Killian, Dad. I mean, I love Henry, yeah, but kids with my True Love is a big deal,” Emma said.

“And what about Nathan?” Snow asked.

Hook frowned, but Emma spoke. “What about Regina’s bastard?” Things got so quiet they could have heard a spider spinning its web in the corner.

“Did you just…” Granny came from out of the kitchen. “Did you just refer to your own child as a bastard?”

Emma’s face twisted and there was a fire in her eyes. It was scary how real that looked.  “My kid? That kid isn’t mine! You guys all held onto this stupid romantic notion that I got Regina pregnant. Come on, why the hell would I even want to touch Regina let alone get her pregnant? That bitch is the reason I grew up without parents and had a life that totally sucked. There’s not enough magic in the world to make me touch her or love her. Regina spread her legs for Robin Hood and he got smart and got the hell out of Dodge before that car wreck became his life. That’s Robin’s goddamn problem, not mine.”

Granny put a finger in Emma’s face. “You think that about that sweet baby boy who grins every time you walk into the room?”

“Babies grin at everybody. I don’t care. He’s not mine and I’m not taking the rap for that,” Emma declared, her chin in the air.

“And I’m not serving either of you,” Granny said.

Hook looked like he was about to argue. Mulan stepped behind Granny. Bodies in the diner shifted. Hook’s face went pale, as if he understood just how many people were against him right now. It would seem all it took was David to show he did not buy what Hook was selling to get others in on it. And maybe there were people who understood Emma would never say such a thing about Nathan.

“You’re not serving us because of a baby not being mine?” Emma asked.

“I’m not serving you because I don’t like the looks of this trash.” Granny sneered at Hook, looking him up and down.

“She’s not alone in that,” David said.

“Dad, he’s going to be your son-in-law,” Emma argued.

“That remains to be seen. I don’t like that he’s trying to take you from your job and your family,” David replied.

“I’m still with you and Mom. I just don’t want to do the sheriff thing anymore because I want to start a family immediately with Killian,” Emma said.

The thought made Mulan gag. This was day two of Emma and Hook. What happened on the first night? Ruby had trailed them, but had not reported what she saw.

“Do we still get to keep our room at the B&B?” Emma asked Granny.

Granny smiled so wide and it looked plastic. “Of course.”

“Then maybe you’ll check the room and see about that smell,” Hook said with a sneer.

“I’m pretty sure it’s you, but fine,” Granny replied. “Now, out.” She had a shooing motion with both hands.

Hook and Emma left. The tension in the air left with them. David let loose a sigh and his shoulders relaxed. Snow went back to the booth. Thankfully, Neal was still sitting calmly.

“They have a room here?” Mulan asked.

“Yeah, Hook’s ship mysteriously caught fire and they needed a place to stay,” Granny replied.

Mulan arched an eyebrow. “Mysteriously?” Not that she cared about Hook’s ship.

“If you can pin it on our resident fire-starter, more power to you,” Granny answered. Even if Mulan could prove Regina burned Hook’s ship, she had not been given orders to investigate that, so it would probably have to stay a mystery.

“And the smell?” David asked.

Granny shrugged. “Sometimes during Ruby’s wolf time, she hunts rabbits and hides them about the place or at least that’s what we told Emma when she asked about the smell.”

“There is not a pile of rabbit corpses in a room in the B&B,” David said.

Ruby stepped over and grinned. “There might be in one particular room that’s been enchanted, so the smell doesn’t infest the other rooms. Look, it kept them from focusing on each other. They spent the whole night trying to figure out what the smell was, where it was coming from, and trying to get another room. It’s already going to be hell for Emma when she comes back to herself to realize what he had her saying about her family. Could you imagine what she would go through to know she slept with him, too?”

David turned green. “I’m going to kill him when this is all said and done. He’s fucking dead.”

Mulan had never heard David swear before. She patted him on the shoulder. She did not know what else to do. Ruby did the same, so Mulan did not feel completely useless. She hoped Regina had something by the time she got back. They all needed this to be done.

-8-8-8-8-

Kathryn came by after work, bearing gifts for Regina, who was back in her study. She found more connections between the Business Bureau scandal and the missing magical supplies. The Business Bureau was investigating a lot of magical businesses as well for some reason. Those businesses were all legal, though. There did not seem to be any connection between the businesses to the nobles either.

“Do you have more names to go with the Business Bureau scandal?” Regina asked, shuffling through papers. There was something here, but she was not sure what.

“No. You have all the names. The regular employees, as well as the ones who worked for the nobles. I don’t think the person who sold to Hook was one of the employees, but this has to be connected. What’s the point of it?” Kathryn wondered aloud as she sipped her drink.

Regina frowned as she studied the names. She had looked at these things over a dozen times. None of the names stood out. “I’m missing something.”

“Maybe you’re too close to it. Tinker Bell thinks you need sleep and I might agree with her.”

“Tinker Bell also thought I needed Robin Hood in my life, so her opinion isn’t valued.”

“Harsh,” Kathryn scolded her. “Tinker Bell is trying to help and she’s your friend. I know this is hard, but don’t take it out on her, even if she’s not here.”

“You’re right. But, I can’t stop. I just…” Regina rubbed her eyes. “I can’t. I need to help her. I need to save her. This is what we do. I know if I get into trouble, Emma will save me. Emma, deep down, expects me to save her.”

“You’re doing your best.” 

“No, I feel blocked because I itch to just kill Hook and be done with it. I’m at the point where I would actually drink his blood for dinner, probably with some pasta. The only reason I haven’t literally smoked him is because I’m scared the spell won’t lift. I can’t leave Emma in that state, condemn her to that fate, and not know how magic was used. What if I never figure this out? What if I let her down?”

“You won’t. We won’t.”

Regina sniffled, feeling tears burn her eyes and emotions claw at her throat. “I have to save her.”

“You will because you’re not alone. You got this. You’ve got us.” Kathryn pointed to Maleficent, who was asleep on the chaise. Well, more like she passed out. They had too much to drink after Mulan decided they did not need babysitting anymore. Thankfully, someone else was watching Emma and Hook.

“I’m very grateful for all of you.” She was, but that did not make this situation any less stressful. She felt like she had the weight of the universe on her shoulders. “Wait,” she said.

“What?”

“This ended up connected to two other things we didn’t think about. What if it was connected to something else out of the ordinary?” Regina asked, now rustling through folders.

“What else is out of ordinary? We had the yetis not too long ago. There’s a spike in robberies. The magic place and the lab. There’s a lot of movement on the magic black market. I don’t think there’s anything else. How could those be connected?” Kathryn asked.

“I’m not sure.” Regina had a terrible headache and it felt impossible to think. She might need sleep and start fresh in the morning. “Kathryn, I might heed your advice.”

Kathryn smiled. “Take a hot shower, enjoy your best tea or wine, and then get a good night’s sleep. Call me in the morning and try not to drink anyone’s blood.”

A weak chuckle escaped Regina. “Of course. Thank you for being here for me.”

Kathryn’s eyes sparkled. “It’s my pleasure. I’m glad to see you finally get to be the person you truly are. I know better than most what it’s like to be trapped in your station. I also know the horror of a forced marriage. I got lucky. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be forced to get married to someone old enough to be your father.”

Regina shook her head. “I’d rather not think about it.” The only thing she wanted to think about was Emma. There was something deep here and she would dig until she had it.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: more clues to the puzzle.

Chapter Text

13: The Horror

Regina was on a mission. She did not feel tired, even though she had not slept in forty-eight hours. When Belle called her, having something, she teleported to Gold’s Pawn Shop immediately. She did not care if he was there. He would do well to stay out of her way right now.

“Belle,” Regina called as she appeared next to the display counter.

“Coming. This book is a beast,” Belle replied from the back.

Regina did not say anything, but Rumple stepped out. He watched her, but did not speak for a long moment. She watched him back, daring him to challenge her right now. She would burn this whole place to the ground if he stood in the way of her getting Emma back.

“Come to renew our deal?” he asked. There was that gleam in his eyes again. He wanted her soul so badly. Some would say he already got it.

“You can’t help me,” she replied.

A half-smirk settled on his face, like he had her. “But, my wife can.”

“Yeah, and she does it out of the goodness of her heart, like being with you,” she snapped. The whole reason Belle was in on this was simply because Ruby asked. She probably did not know anything beyond Emma missing before Ruby told her what happened. It was not like Rumple enjoyed keeping his wife informed.

“You two!” Belle called with a grunt.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake, Belle, just hold the book up and I’ll move it!” Regina huffed. She did not have time for this.

Belle did as instructed and Regina teleported both Belle and the book. Once the book was in front of her, she could see why Belle had some trouble with it. Massive did not cover the size of the tome. It was big even for a codex. It reeked of the ages.

“What is this?” Regina asked with an arched eyebrow. The blank cover, peeling off bits of maroon leather, looked like it might fall apart at any moment. Belle might have a more impressive library than she did.

“Agit de Tenebris. It’s a history of shadow deals. I was able to find the oldest story of the name you gave me,” Belle answered.

Regina appreciated Belle’s discretion. Belle might love Rumple, but she understood he could not be trusted. In fact, the way his eyes gazed upon the book, Belle would probably have to lock it away as soon as they were done.

“Perhaps we could go somewhere else to talk about this,” Regina suggested.

Belle nodded. “Yes, don’t want to be distracted if someone comes into the shop.”

“Perhaps I could accompany you,” Rumple offered.

“No. You have to mind the shop.” Belle leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before giving Regina a nod.

Regina waved her hand and they were gone with the book. They reappeared in the library, in front of an empty table with the codex already on it. Belle smiled, happy with the location change. She spent more and more time at the library lately. Regina suspected Belle would eventually go back to running the library full time, but that was a question for another day. Belle opened the book to a specific page.

“Oh, it’s good you brought us here. I have a few other things I wanted to show you based on what Kathryn told me,” Belle said, walking off before Regina could open her mouth in response.

“Kathryn hasn’t given me any updates,” Regina replied. She had given Kathryn a name to look up and heard nothing back.

“She sent me what she and Tink think might be the ingredients to a spell, but she didn’t say anything in regards to the name you gave. I don’t think she found the guy.” Belle’s voice was distant now, muffled by rows of books and the design of the library to hush most sound.

Regina hummed. She doubted Kathryn would find him, not under that name. She did not even think he was here. And, if he was, there was no telling what name he was using or what he looked like. The whole thing could be a wild goose chase on so many levels. She could be wrong. This might not even be about her. It could be about Emma. What if she were wrong and wasting their resources?

“Do you think I’m wrong in my assumption?” Regina asked.

Belle made a noise, which sounded like a grunt. She probably grabbed more books than she could handle. She came back with several thick items.

“I don’t think you are considering what Kathryn told me and what I’ve learned looking into the spell that could come from these ingredients,” Belle replied as she shoved all of the books on the table. She grunted again at being unburdened.

Regina’s brow furrowed. “Am I not considering this information in who I assume is behind this or does this new information back my assumption?”

Belle looked at her. “Sorry, that was vague. Kathryn told me you were talking about making connections between this and the other weird things happening in town. She decided to do that.”

Regina gave a nod. “What did she tell you?”

“She and Tink came across some really weird transactions on the magic black market. Tink was quite troubled by it. Kathryn says one of things she’s going to start working on as mayor is cracking down on that.”

Regina nodded. “I hadn’t the time.”

“Yeah, which is why having dual mayors is actually good right now. It gives you a chance to go out and be the hero when necessary, but doesn’t mean the town stops working when you go handle things. Besides, you don’t generally think of magic as a bad thing, so it’s good to have representation on both sides now.”

“When are you running for mayor?” Regina joked.

Belle snickered. “Could you imagine? I don’t even want to think about what people would say with me running, but I wouldn’t want Rumple near that sort of power. He can’t resist the temptation, ever. I’ve learned he’ll always give in.”

“Yet you stay with him?” Regina could not see Emma just accepting her crap. Her past, yes, but not present flaws that could harm others. Emma would call her on it and there would be changes or there would be problems.

Belle shrugged. “I’ve toyed with him, as you know, going and coming back, just as he’s toyed with me, insisting he loves me and then lies to my face. But, I love him. I hate that you’re the one who gives me hope.”

Regina frowned. “Me?” If she knew she had such an influence on Belle, she would have told her to leave a long time ago. Belle’s crimes against Rumple were nothing compared to what he had put Belle through and the lies he told time and time again. No one deserved that from someone they loved or who loved them.

Belle regarded her with warm eyes she had come to expect from a rather gentle, though adventurous soul. “I see how much you’ve changed. I know there’s still darkness within you, but you do your best for Emma, for your sons. Maybe one day, he can be the same.”

“But, I’m not cursed.” That remains to be proven.

“Sometimes, I feel like he isn’t either. He’s just… scared, like you were just angry.”

Regina had never considered that. “You shouldn’t try to change him, though. The only reason I could let go of my anger was because of my son. Rumple… he lost that.” She would not have changed for Emma, not right away. But, she would have done everything in her power to keep Henry, which went from trying to control him to regaining control of herself. “I might have felt things for Emma before I realized it, but Henry is the reason I changed.”

Belle’s lip trembled. “One day, I might be enough. I know he’d move Heaven and Earth for me, like you  would for Emma.”

“But, you don’t think it’s enough to make him brave.” Her heart ached for Belle. What was it like to love someone who would always put power before her? Love someone who would inevitably hurt her? Belle did not deserve that.

Belle shook her head. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time. So, the items Kathryn found on the black market seem to be part of some really diabolical spells, according to Tinker Bell. She felt like you could pair those items with some of the other, seemingly innocent magical items that disappeared. According to Tink, this would create a few huge spells. Things only someone really powerful could use. Someone more powerful than the Fae.”

“What’s one of the spells for?” Regina asked, even though she could guess.

“Tink was only able to figure out one, but all of the extra ingredients tell her there’s more to come. Soul extraction was the one she figured out, which is why I think you’re right in your guess. Why does Faust want your soul? I remember the look in Rumple’s eyes when you offered it to him and I’ve never seen him look like that before. It was like Christmas morning for a child.”

Regina shrugged. She would not tell anyone, especially someone who might one day tell Rumple. He suspected, but she doubted he truly knew the value. The Baba Yaga also suspected, but did not truly know. Only two living people knew the truth and they would never tell. Even this bastard Faust was taking a guess. But, he decided it was enough of a risk to force her hand and gather ingredients for his next move once he got her soul.

“Emma’s bait for Faust to steal your soul,” Belle gathered.

“That’s what I’m thinking. Of course, having the blood and heart of a Savior and product of True Love might come in handy later on,” Regina commented. Surely Faust could do major magical damage with those or use them to trade with all of his other magical delinquent comrades. We have to do a census and find out who is in town before something worse happens.

“Very true. I’m assuming the ingredients he used to control Emma are more common than these, but I’m not sure because you don’t know the spell. Tink hasn’t been able to pin down anything that could tell us what that spell is either. She’s more worried about someone stealing your soul, though.”

“Of course she is.” Tinker Bell would probably never stop worrying over her, which she did not understand.

“What she told me about losing your soul, it sounds scary and you were willing to give it to Rumple to get Emma back.”

Regina crossed her arms over her stomach and rubbed her elbows. “My sons need their mother and Emma needs her life. They deserve their mother and she deserves to live her life.” Regina had lived several lives. Sometimes, she even felt wary from it. Regardless, it was exceptionally irresponsible to offer her soul to Rumple.

“The guilt I’m familiar with. It might surprise you to know Rumple occasionally feels it.”

Regina chuckled. “It is surprising. So, what do you have from your oversized manuscript?”

Belle’s eyes danced with the delight only bookworms got from learning something new. “Oh, that’s interesting. It helped me as well, which is why I keep talking about Rumple. I learned about the origin of the Dark One and the Dark Curse in this book. It has the first account of many Dark deals, including Faust.” She smirked.

Regina did as well. “Oh, yes, talk dirty to me.”

“So, you know how our stories make it to this realm and then get twisted into fairy tales or legends or myths, right?”

Regina nodded. “I’ve read almost every form of his story and what I missed, Maleficent caught.”

“Well, this book.” Belle ran her fingers over the tattered pages like a beloved pet, going so far as to trace the elegant lettering with her index finger. “This separates fact from fiction. It also let’s me know, if we let him get your soul, we’re not going to like it. But, also, if he doesn’t get your soul, we’re not going to like it.”

“Of course, because why should this be easy?” Regina had no doubt about them not liking whatever Faust had cooking. No one who wanted her soul had altruistic reasons. She just needed to know how to end this madness.

“I know and I still think we’re missing part of the puzzle. I still don’t understand how the yetis or the lab robbery might come into play. It seems like he has what he needs and more based on magical items from the list Kathryn compiled. I just don’t understand why the lab or why yetis.” Bella’s smirk was now a frown and she squinted at the book, as if it would give her the answers she sought.

“He just has a head-start on us, so some things don’t connect yet. He might be able to outsmart one of us, but not all of us.”

Belle nodded. “True. So, I’ve been putting together possible spells from the list of black market magic things and the other magical items based on what I’ve learned from this and there is a possibility of mass death if we don’t stop him.”

Regina pinched the bridge of her nose. “Of course. Because why should Storybrooke not be in danger when this seemed like such a personal crisis?”

“I’ll go through that with you and it might help you in figuring out who he is. If you know what he needs to do, it might lead to his identity,” Belle reasoned. Regina nodded. It was better than anything they had so far. After all, he did not turn out to be one of the members of the Business Bureau like she thought, so they were still at square one there.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry sat in the park, on a blanket, trying to relax. It was impossible, though. Across the pond, he could see his mother with Hook. He froze before, but he would not freeze again. Lily was focused on Nathan, who was fussy and screaming, like he knew their mother was right there, but out of their grasp. Lily tried to comfort the baby and that was enough for Henry to get away.

“I’m gonna go check out the ducks. I used to feed them with Mom,” Henry said.

“Okay,” Lily replied, distracted as she checked to see if Nathan had to be changed. He was not making it easy, flailing about and crying bloody murder.

Henry was off before she realized what was going on. He ran as hard as he could. No, he did not have a plan beyond kicking Hook in the balls with all his might. It was as satisfying as he expected it to be, especially when Hook squealed and fell to his knees, hand between his legs. Good luck having kids now, asshole!

“Henry!” Emma shrieked, dropping to Hook’s side. His face was bright red and he looked at Henry with murder in his tearing eyes. Henry would love to see him try. Emma had the nerve to cradle Hook in her arms, like he deserved her comfort and care.

“How could you?” Henry screamed at her. “How could you let him do this to you? To us? Let him hurt us like this?” He could feel tears prick his eyes, hot and angry. Okay, maybe he should have had a plan. Anything would have been good to help him control this tidal wave of emotion.

Emma blinked. “If anything, Henry, you just hurt me.”

“That’s not even a fraction of what he did to us and this is only day three! You were missing for a whole day. Do you know how freaked out we were? Do you know what this is doing to Mom? To us? Don’t you care about our family?” Henry huffed. This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real! No matter how many times his head said it, he could not take it in. It was real enough to cause agony, so that made it plenty real.

“Henry, I’m sorry I hurt you, but I don’t want to be with your mother. Me and you will always be family, but your mom is evil and I never wanted her. I want to be with Hook. You were okay with that before.”

“I was okay because I thought you were happy! But, you weren’t. You’ve said so, a bunch of goddamn times. You dumped this idiot long before you started going out with Mom and helping with Nathan.” Henry’s voice was a roar to a point where it hurt his chest, but it did not look like he was getting through to Emma at all.

“Watch your mouth, lad,” Hook groaned, struggling to get up and getting nowhere. He breathed so hard and heavy, his cheeks puffed out.

“Killian,” Emma said, actually admonishing him. Henry blinked at this.

“The boy might have broken me permanently,” Hook pointed out with a satisfying strain in his voice.

“You’re lucky that’s all I did,” Henry growled. He hoped that bastard pirate peed blood later on. If only I owned some steel-toed boots. He knew what he would ask for on his birthday.

“Henry, leave Killian alone. Actually, apologize for this.”

Henry scoffed. “Yeah, right!” Even though Emma entreated that he apologize, there was something odd here. He expected Emma to get mad at him for hurting who she wanted everyone to believe was the love of her life. Emma did not seem upset with him, not like she had attacked his mother. It was more like what his grandfather talked about. Emma did not seem to hate them, just Regina and maybe Nathan, but that did not make things better.

“Henry, you apologize right now,” Emma said.

“You think I’m going to apologize to the ass that broke up our family?” Henry demanded, glaring his mother down.

“We’re still a family,” Emma said.

“Oh, yeah. Let’s say you marry the One-armed Bandit here, where do I live?” Henry asked. He knew from the past there was no room in this relationship for him. He was Emma’s son in only blood when she was with Hook. It was one of things that bothered her about the relationship and she told him as much. She did not mean to ignore him, but she was not sure what to do with him and Hook together. It did not help that Hook had always seemed to want her to himself. He had put up with Henry when he thought it would gain him points with Emma.

Emma’s brow furrowed. “Well, you’ll have a room at our house, of course.”

He scoffed. “You don’t have a house, Ma. You don’t make time for me when you’re with him. You know that. What the hell is the matter with you? Why can’t you fight this thing? Don’t you love us enough?” His eyes burned and knew he was ugly-crying again, but he did not care. How could she not love his mother enough for True Love’s Kiss to work? How could she not love them enough for this bullshit spell to wear off?

“That’s enough! Of course I love you. I just love Killian, too,” Emma said, as she helped Hook to his feet.

Hook smiled and kissed her. “Thanks, love.”

“You don’t even love him! You never did!” Henry wanted to rip his hair out by the handful. Hook had the nerve to glower at him, like he was supposed to be afraid.

“Show your mom some respect, boy. She says she loves me,” Hook stated.

“Yeah, well, she says a lot of things lately that don’t make sense,” Henry snapped, tears still steaming down his face.

“You’ve got a smart mouth like your mother, but none of her defenses. So, watch yourself, boy,” Hook dared to warn him. “Maybe come back to me when you stop being a crybaby.”

Henry wiped his running nose. “You know my mom’s not gonna rest until you pay for this.”

“Regina’s the one who should pay and you should be pissed at her,” Emma said. “Why aren’t you questioning her love for you? She dissed you for Robin Hood. She had a damn replacement baby, Henry.”

“Nathan is not a replacement!” Henry’s body shook and now he wanted to punch his own mother in the face. But, there was no way that was Emma. Maybe it was her body, but that was not her mind. She never would have called Nathan a replacement. “You taught me he’s not a replacement!” Henry roared, hurting his throat. How dare she even suggest such a thing. “You love Nathan! You named him!”

“I don’t care about that kid. He’s not mine and I never wanted him. I named him to humor you guys.” Emma shrugged. “Really, the judge should’ve given him to Robin to save him from your mom’s evil.”

Henry felt like he could burst out of his skin. How could she say these things? He was about to charge her, tackle her to the ground, and force her to take back everything she said, but he did not get the chance. A hand on his shoulder told him Lily made her way over there.

“Lily, what are you doing with Henry?” Emma demanded.

“His mother trusted me with him and with Nathan.” Lily motioned to the baby carrier she sported. Henry would think it was funny one day, he was sure. Right now, everything bothered him too much and it was only going to get worse.

Nathan noticed Emma and reached out for her. When she did not move and he was not free from the carrier to get to her, he cried and wiggled. Emma curled her lip at him, like he disgusted her. She even stepped away from him, which made Nathan cry louder.

“Really? That’s how you look at your son?” Lily asked.

“I don’t care who has the bastard, but you can’t just be in charge of my son. For all I know, you’ll sell him to a circus,” Emma said.

Lily shrugged. “What do you care? You got your man now. You can just make more sons, right?” She glanced at Hook, who was still holding his scrotum and his face was red. She chuckled. “Or maybe not.”

“Love, let’s get out of here. There’s no point in arguing with this bitch,” Hook hissed.

“Oh, scared she might confirm she’d rather stay with her son?” Lily gave his a teasing smile.

“She loves me enough to leave,” Hook said.

Lily nodded. “But, does she love you enough to get you an ice pack?” She winked at him.

Hook pointed his hook at her. “Keep talking, bitch.”

“I don’t need your permission to do so and your little phallic symbol doesn’t scare me. I’ve been stabbed over fucking gum, my friend. You’re nothing.” Lily held up her shirt, showing off pale, raised skin at her side. She was not lying about the stabbing at least. “Is that why you need Emma at your side? Because she’s someone big and having someone big wait on you makes you feel big? You’ll never be big like her. You’ll always be nothing.”

“Wrong,” Emma barked, pressing herself closer to Hook. “You’re nothing, Lily. Less than nothing. I love him. No one will ever love you.”

“Tell that to her family,” Henry declared, putting his chin in the air as he stood by Lily’s side.

Emma stepped back, like he had hit her with a serious blow. Pain dashed through her eyes. “So, you’ve picked your side, Henry.”

Henry winced. He wanted to go to Emma and hug her. He wanted to remind her they were all on the same side. They were all the same family. No, Emma might never like Lily, but Lily was part of their family and she would have to deal with it.

“Yeah, he’s on the side of family, Emma. So, he’s not going to give up on you,” Lily said. Emma’s face did not change at that declaration, like nothing could possibly get through to her.

“Let’s go.” Hook pulled Emma close and hurried away.

“That was dangerous, Henry,” Lily said.

“Yeah, I know.” He sniffled and wiped his face again.

“How’d it feel to hit him in the nuts?”

He straightened his shoulders. “I’m super happy with that decision.”

Lily nodded. “Wish I saw you do it. You okay? You know Emma doesn’t mean the stuff she says.”

Henry shook his head. “I’m mad at her. I’m mad she’s not strong enough to resist.” Why was the fact that she had a loving family not enough to reach inside of Emma and break whatever magical chains she had around her? She and Regina loved him enough to break the Dark Curse with a forehead kiss, but Emma did not love their family enough to stop a mind control spell or whatever this was? It did not make sense to him. Emma should be so much stronger than any magic.

“You heard your mom before.” Lily was referring to the conversation they had with their mothers while waiting for Mulan to bring lunch yesterday. They were dealing with sinister forces, beyond even the Dark One.

“How could one man be so dangerous?” Henry wondered aloud.

Lily shrugged. “I don’t know. All my monsters are still quite human. Wanna go get some food?”

Henry rubbed his head, but nodded. He was not really hungry, but what was left to do? He was tired. He hoped they did not have many more days of this.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina suspected most of their large group thought she was all right because she called them to her house with a plan and she cooked. But, she always cooked enough for an army when she was nervous or stressed or overwhelmed. This was more than her usual drowning. This was being pulled to the dark depths of the ocean. She might never see light again. At least she could cook one last time for those who dared to love her.

“Is it Thanksgiving again?” David asked as he piled chicken pasta onto one plate. The other was already packed with pork chops and yellow vegetable rice and corn bread. He would have a heart attack by the end of the night and Regina would be responsible because she made dinner. If only they saved Emma, she would be able to gloat she finally killed a Charming.

“This is thanks for you getting in Hook’s face yesterday,” Regina lied.

“I still can’t believe she actually called Nathan a bastard,” Snow said, her voice low and pained, her eyes haunted as if it had just happened moments ago. She was traumatized, like Emma had called Neal a bastard. It was good to know how much she loved Nathan, but Regina could have done without the circumstances.

“I can’t believe she told the world Robin was Nathan’s father. I didn’t think there was enough magic in all the realms,” Granny said. “And you will give me the recipe for these hamburger mac and cheese balls, provided I don’t die eating all of them.” She pointed at Regina.

“What’s mine is yours at this point.” Regina shrugged. She owed Granny a lot and she was not sure why the older woman even cared, but she did and it was enough.

There was a little fighting, as the table was not wide enough to hold everything and the dining room was too small for everyone. Mulan almost took Dorothy out for the homemade egg rolls. They were not like the ones Mulan was used to, but she loved them and so did Dorothy and Dorothy tried to inhale more than her fair share.

“Regina, I would have your babies for the empanadas alone!” Ruby moaned as she shoved yet another empanada in her mouth as she tried to escape the kitchen.

“You just want to see Dorothy and Emma have a fight,” Marian remarked as she made her way to the living room with her plate and Roland’s plate. Mulan was kind enough to get drinks for mother and son.

“Henry, could you pass me some shrimp, please?” Kathryn requested, trying to get by Tinker Bell, who looked so lost. There was probably too much choice for her. Regina saved her the trouble and handed her a plate with some known favorites.

Tinker Bell grinned. “Thanks!” She rushed off to go be part of the trouble in the living room. Despite the mounting danger and trouble they were in, she seemed so happy to be part of the group. Regina hoped everyone took note and remembered to bring her around more often if Regina did not survive this mess.

“Is this how you guys always eat?” Belle asked. She was wise enough not to bring Rumple, but one could only wonder what he got up to when his wife was away. After all, he did dastardly things when she was there.

“Oh, please. We’d all be dead,” Regina replied. “Remind me to put this down as my next evil plan.”

“I volunteer for all trial runs of this plan,” Lily said, mouth stuffed with roasted potatoes. “If I die, bury me with these potatoes.”

“No, potatoes are for the living,” Maleficent said, eating some of the potatoes herself.

They all sat in the living room and it was nice, but Emma’s absence was so noticeable. Still, the house seemed alive in ways it never had. There was a huge buzz in the house. Maybe it was the promise of a plan. Maybe it was being together. Whatever it was, there was some comfort. With luck, they would be able to do something like this again, with or without her.

Regina’s thoughts were disturbed by the doorbell. Putting her plate down, she moved to answer the door. She knew it was Robin before she opened it, but she opened it just the same.

“Robin, what do you want?” she asked.

“Even though Swan wised up and left you, you tell her to stop spreading these scandalous lies about me fathering that child,” he barked, pointing into her house. And, as if on cue, Nathan started crying. No shortage of people went to comfort him, so Regina remained focused on the peon in front of her.

“Robin, I don’t have time for you. No one cares,” Regina replied. They had much bigger problems than Robin’s tantrums. Why did he not take this nonsense to Emma anyway? She was the one spurting for the world to hear that he was Nathan’s father.

“We really don’t!” Ruby called.

“You have no parental ties to Nathan. You could walk away right now and never look at him again, which in all honesty, would make literally everyone involved happy, yourself included,” Regina explained. Why was that so hard to understand? If he had not started this nonsense with Nathan, it was possible none of this would have happened. Oh, let’s be serious, this was in the works regardless of what this fool did. He just gave opportunity to it.

He glared at her. “I won’t let my name be dragged through the mud. I have honor!”

“No, you don’t!” Ruby said.

“Quiet,” Granny scolded her granddaughter.

“What? It’s so clear this guy has no idea what the word means. You know who has honor? People who don’t walk around calling little babies bastards,” Ruby said.

“And people who take responsibility for their actions,” David added. Regina wondered if he knew he was being a hypocrite. He and Snow could at least apologize to Lily.

Regina regarded Robin for a moment. Ruby was right. He did not know what honor was. He barely knew who he was anymore or what he used to stand for. He definitely did not take responsibility for anything anymore.

“Are you a part of this scheme?” Regina demanded. This whole thing with Emma anyway all started with him and his ridiculous honor. He was the one who sparked the events that would lead to Emma being twisted inside and walking off on her own only to vanish into the ether until she reappeared on Hook’s arm. Maybe he set Emma up. “Is this your revenge?”

“What are you even talking about?” Robin said, squinting at her as if she were out of her mind.

“If this is…” Regina began, but she was cut off.

“Regina, as your attorney, I advise you not to finish that statement, especially with the three deputies here,” Kathryn said.

Regina held up her hands in surrender. “You better not have had anything to do with this. Now, get off my property.” She slammed the door in Robin’s face.

“Do you think he had anything to do with it?” Mulan asked as Regina sat back down.

Regina shook her head. “I don’t know. I just feel like this started with him, but it could be a coincidence. Faust might’ve seen this as an opportunity.”

“Faust?” David echoed. He looked at Snow. “Do we know a Faust?” Snow shook her head.

“Yes, this might actually be bigger than just Emma being kidnapped and placed under a spell by Hook. Let me catch everyone up.” It was the whole reason she gathered them all anyway. Regina started talking. Everyone else listened. Some even stopped eating.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the main players gather in a small room.

Chapter Text

14: Emotional Ties

“So, we don’t know who Faust is, but he could possibly kill ten thousand people?” Snow inquired, having to put her plate down to digest what Regina just told them all.

“According to the text I found, if this is Faust, he has one of two ways to get what he wants. One way is basically destroying Regina and the other is killing ten thousand people,” Belle replied.

“I thought this was a small town. How the hell do you even have ten thousand people for this guy to kill?” Lily inquired. None of the news stopped her from eating a helping of beef stew with rice and beans as well as moving onto the shrimp. Others had not fared so well with the news and still had not gone back to their dinner.

“On our last census there were thirty thousand people in town, I do believe. We can blame the Second Curse for the huge population boom. So many places were trying to flee the Wicked Witch and ended up caught in the net so to speak,” Kathryn answered.

“So, Regina is worth ten thousand people? How does that math work out?” David asked and all eyes went to him. He actually blushed, so the idiot probably did not mean it how it sounded. “No, I mean, like Regina is one person, not ten thousand. The math itself isn’t right.”

“Yeah, Mom, how is that?” Henry said, helping his grandfather out, despite the fact Henry still was not happy with him over the things he said to his mother.

“He more wants Regina’s soul than anything. He has all of the ingredients to do a soul extraction and use her soul in a spell. I can’t quite figure out what the other spell is, though. The ingredients make no sense,” Tinker Bell replied.

Regina suspected what the other spell was, but did not say anything. It would raise too many questions that she either did not want to answer or did not have the answer to. It would be a distraction that none of them needed.

“But, that still doesn’t explain how one Regina equals ten thousand other people,” David said.

Tinker Bell shrugged. “I dunno. I just know what’s going on based on the list of magical ingredients I looked at with Kathryn. The only problem is…”

“The ingredients on the list don’t add up to a spell that could kill ten thousand people,” Maleficent chimed in. “I triple checked Tink’s work and everything she said checks out. We have no idea how he plans to kill ten thousand people.”

“Maybe it’s a bluff,” Ruby replied.

“If this is Faust, it will not be a bluff,” Maleficent said.

“Are we putting all our eggs in one basket that it is him?” Snow asked.

“Of course not. We’re still checking everything out. It’s just from what we have, it looks like this could be it. Unless he’s out there planning to steal my soul and some other jackass gave Hook a potion to control Emma and somehow they both smell like sage and firewood,” Regina replied.

“Well, you do have enemies,” Snow said.

“Thank you, I hadn’t noticed.” Regina scowled in her direction.

“Hey, come on! We gotta get it together to save Ma.” Henry got them back to focusing. Everyone brought everything back together again and went over what they knew. They also went over what needed to be done, like figuring out some place that could hold all of the items Tinker Bell and Kathryn had on their list.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina stood in front of her mirror in her study, flicking through locations like she was on her phone. She was searching for places that could hold all of the items necessary for the soul extraction spell and whatever could be used to kill ten thousand people. Well, she had been searching for those things.

“Seriously, Regina. Stay focused and stop spying,” Kathryn scolded her from behind, daring to actually clap at her.

Regina had wandered from her task to see what Hook was up to with Emma. She could not help it. He had already taken liberties with Emma. He had violated her freewill. If he violated her body, he would be a long time dying. His suffering would be the stuff of legends.

“Tink will keep them out of trouble,” Kathryn said, as if that was reassuring. She was parked on the chaise, once again looking through what they knew and what they had, hoping to figure out how Faust would be able to kill ten thousand people. That was a lot of people and they all doubted he had a bomb and even if he did there was no place in Storybrooke that could hold ten thousand people at once to take out such a high number of victims.

“Oh, please. All she needs is a hint that they’re actually in love and she’ll find them an oceanside room and a priest to marry them,” Regina replied, going back to her search.

“Hopefully a different priest than the one we got for this, huh?” Kathryn snickered.

“I’m glad you’re finding humor in this,” Regina deadpanned.

“And you’re off track again. Maleficent will find this stuff before you do.”

Regina scowled. “This search might be in vain. I have to assume he cloaked where he’s hiding everything and none of us are powerful enough to find him.”

“That’s not what Maleficent said.”

“Yes, well, she’s arrogant.”

“She says you’re the one who’s holding back.”

“She thinks more of me than I am.” There was never any proof she was what Maleficent or Faust thought she was.

Kathryn eased over to her and studied her. “Why do I think she’s right and you’re doing yourself a disservice?”

Regina shook her head. “I’ve only tapped into that power twice.”

“The Curse?”

“Yes. It takes more power than most can generate.” It was one of the reasons it had to be her. Rumple had to wait for her.

“But, Snow cast the second one.”

Regina scoffed. “She provided the ingredients. I provided the power. Basically, she flipped the switch while I pushed the electricity through.”

“So, you can’t push the electricity through to find where someone might be keeping giant bones?”

“Just because the bones are big doesn’t mean you need a big place to hide them. After all, bones break.”

“I’m worried about where a person got giant bones to sell. Anton is still alive, so what giant is missing that we don’t know about? I feel like it’s safe to assume no one would be stupid enough to sell fake ingredients to a magic user, as they will figure out the con sooner or later.” Kathryn wondered aloud.

“We definitely need to raid the magic black market once this is all said and done.” Regina continued looking and then groaned. She switched the image on the mirror to Maleficent. “This isn’t working.”

“No and even if it did, it would take too long to search the whole town. I’d love to be able to do a location spell on a mermaid tail. Who do you think was the poor mermaid who lost her lower half?” Maleficent asked and then she disappeared from the mirror. She reappeared in the study.

“I try not to think about it. I have to admit, more came over in this second Curse than I could have imagined, but they all have legs now. Or we hope they do. You and Lily better make sure we don’t see any dragon hides anywhere.” The ingredients for this spell kind of made her skin crawl and bile rise in her throat. Faust might be able to pull this off considering the trouble he had to go through to get these rare, magic items.

Maleficent scoffed. “I wish someone would try.”

Regina rubbed her palms together in thought. “We need a different strategy. Let’s think of this logically. We know he stole magic, but he might have also robbed the lab, which probably has to do with him killing ten thousand people.”

“Nothing missing from the lab would be able to kill ten thousand people,” Kathryn pointed out.

“He might mix science and magic. It’s been done before,” Regina said.

“That still doesn’t tell us who he is. It just tells us he knows magic and he might know science, which we already knew if this is Faust,” Kathryn stated.

“How about this, the Curse has a bit of a sense of humor and a sense of irony, yes?” Maleficent said.

“Only in some aspects,” Kathryn replied.

“It does like to connect this life to the former life in some way, though. You think we should try to figure out what the Curse would connect with Faust in Storybrooke,” Regina reasoned.

“This mission requires more nerd moments than I expected,” Maleficent commented.

Regina arched an eyebrow. “Oh, so you’re opposed to research?”

Maleficent snorted. “I’m a witch. Of course not. I just expected to blow more stuff up.”

“You’ve spent way too much time with your offspring.” Regina shook her head. Maleficent rolled her eyes.

“So, plan B?” Kathryn asked, hands pressed together.

“Searching for what in this world might connect to Faust and whatever identity he might have in this world,” Regina replied. “Let’s call everyone and let them know this is the new focus.” They got on the phone and there were plenty of complaints.

“That’s a needle in a stack of needles,” Ruby groaned.

“Oh, yes, but searching every decent-sized storage structure in Storybrooke 2.0 was easy,” Regina replied. While it did not seem it, Storybrooke was larger than she recalled. The Second Curse must have adjusted for new people coming in, which explained why they could fit thirty thousand people. Storybrooke was practically a city now.

“Can’t we just go wait for him at the crossroads or something?” Lily asked.

“No, he’s not the Devil. What sort of education are they giving kids in this realm?” Granny sucked her teeth in the phone.

“Maybe he’s living under the name Johnson, though,” Kathryn suggested.

“Why would he be living with that name?” Snow asked.

“You’re kidding, right? You don’t know the legend of Robert Johnson?” Kathryn countered, like Snow was an idiot, which to be fair, was not far off.

“Is this what we’re doing?” Marian asked with a sigh.

“Look, I am unfamiliar with Faust and anything that might be associated with him,” Mulan reminded them. She was from a distant country even in the other realm. None of it made sense to her.

“In the Old World, it was said Faust was an alchemist. He was already ancient by the time we were alive. Everything we know about him would be legend or myth,” Regina realized.

“The Agit de Tenebris gave us some insight,” Belle pointed out.

“Yes, at least we have that. Hopefully, it’s all fact, even if it means he might be after ten thousand people,” Regina said.

“Did you not meet him once, my friend? When you were going on your tear through every magic user in the realm?” Maleficent asked. There were gasps over the conference call. Were conference calls ever not annoying?

“You fought Faust!” Ruby screamed into the phone.

“If by ‘fought’ you mean almost died, then yes, I fought Faust. But, he sought me out. I hadn’t found him. Rumple stepped in before Faust could finish me. I had weakened the bastard enough for the Dark One to frighten him,” Regina replied.

“Rumple saved you?” Granny asked.

“Yes. He still needed me to cast the Curse. We’re getting off base here, though. We have to figure out where Faust might be. Until then, Granny, I need a room to set the trap,” Regina replied.

“Of course.”

“Other than that. Faust doesn’t have to look like what he looked like when he confronted me, so giving a description is pointless. He could be anyone he wanted and it would be beyond our power to detect him. He has to be trying to keep a low profile here, though. Perhaps he has a lab somewhere,” Regina said.

“Then why would he rob a lab?” David asked.

“Just because he has one doesn’t mean it has all of the equipment he requires. The things he stole from the other lab were unique to them,” Regina reminded him.

“Or the Curse could’ve been in its funny, ironic mood and he could be a religious figure somewhere. We’ve got a lot more churches this time out,” Kathryn pointed out.

“Not to mention a couple of temples and I think a mosque,” David added.

“Or he could be a doctor since he was an alchemist once upon a time,” Marian said.

“He could be a teacher since he was a scholar,” Maleficent added.

“So, he could literally be anyone. We really narrowed this down, folks,” Ruby commented in a tone that was just as good as rolling her eyes.

“I might be able to help narrow it down, actually,” Belle said.

“What do you have?” Regina asked.

“So, reading more into Agit de Tenebris, I found that Faust could be able to keep his soul in exchange for ten thousand,” Belle answered.

“So you’ve said. We haven’t figure out how he might be able to kill ten thousand people,” Kathryn reminded them.

“Now that’s the odd thing to me. He has had more than enough time to kill well over a few million people,” Maleficent pointed out. “Why would he not be able to kill ten thousand to keep his soul? We all know human life means nothing to the man.”

“No. The ten thousand souls must be taken in the same day according to the codex,” Belle replied.

“That does narrow it down. What would allow him to kill ten thousand people in a single day?” Dorothy pondered aloud. “Has he got the magic for it?”

“No. The stuff he has wouldn’t be able to kill ten thousand people,” Tinker Bell said. “How could you kill ten thousand people in one day, though?”

Regina sighed. “A plague. He needs a lab. He stole equipment from the forensics lab, but he must have what he needs to create the plague at his own lab. Kathryn, look up scientists in Storybrooke.”

“I love how this jumped from save Emma to save the town at the same time. Usually, it’s Emma who has to worry about save Regina, which evolves into saving the town,” David remarked.

“Storybrooke has a lot of scientists,” Kathryn reported, ignoring David.

“Just send the names to my phone. I feel like I’ll know it when I see it. Once I think I’ve narrowed it down, I will let you all know our next move,” Regina said. “Goodnight.”

Farewells were said and the call was ended. Regina sighed and rubbed her face. Maleficent put her arm around Regina’s shoulder and pulled her close.

“It’ll be over soon. We’ve got this. Faust won’t beat you twice,” Maleficent said.

“But, I don’t understand. Why not just take the ten thousand lives and be free of his deal? Why my soul?” Regina rubbed her chin. She thought that was why she was so valuable to him, but that was not the case. He could have freed himself centuries ago. Why did he want her then? Why did Rumple want her? The Baba Yaga? She looked down at her hands. I don’t have this power they seem to think I do.

“I’m sure you’ll ask and he won’t answer because Emma’s going to punch him in the face right after,” Kathryn commented. “Now, I’ve got to get home before my husband figures out he hasn’t seen me much in the past week. When this is done, I’m going to owe that man a vacation.”

Regina laughed, but she did not feel that confident. She turned her attention to the list Kathryn sent her. The list was long and she doubted she would be able to figure out which one was Faust. As she studied the list, she remembered the Curse had a sense of humor, but was also lazy on occasion and that made it easy to figure out who Faust was. Doctor Adrian Pope, a chemist. She would pay him a visit tomorrow and end this foolishness.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina was not sure if this would work. It should be fine, but it could always blow up in her face. If a Cursed persona did not count as a real one, they were screwed. She would give her soul for Emma and Faust would have what he wanted along with his magical/chemical weapon to kill at least ten thousand citizens of Storybrooke. But, she would try this before things came to that.

With everything in place, she went off on her own to Adrian Pope’s lab. She was not being cavalier. Her group knew she was going in alone. She was bait if something went awry. But, she was also the one Faust wanted, so she might be able to bargain with him to free Emma. She had backup. Maleficent, David, and Mulan would be nearby. Marian decided to set up on a rooftop with a quiver of enchanted arrows, just in case. She felt as safe as she could feel in the situation.

When Regina got to the lab, she found it open. He was expecting her or he was overconfident. Maybe both. Either way, she went inside and went to the back. There he was, standing by a table of lab equipment with a white lab coat on. There was equipment about the place, but it was impossible to tell if it belonged there or had been lifted from the other lab.

“Regina, I didn’t expect to see you so soon,” he commented, his back to her. “How did you find me?”

“Your name. You didn’t bother to change it,” she replied.

He turned, showing he was nothing like she remembered. The Faust she met in the Enchanted Forest and almost died against was an older gentleman with a greying beard and milky white skin. This man was possibly younger than she was with dark hair and a clean, tanned face. His eyes were ancient, though.

“I should’ve expected Fae magic to be lazy in that regard,” he sighed and curled his lip. “You can see why I traded up.”

“Let’s get down to cases,” she said. She did not want to socialize with him or discuss the holes in the Dark Curse. It had given him the name of a character in the play about him, but reversed the given and surname. Making it even more glaring was the use of the word “pope.” He had a holy name. A man who made a deal with the Devil had a holy name. Maybe the Curse is sentient and laughs at its own jokes.

“Yes. Give me a moment.” He went into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He sent out a text from what she could tell, unless he had social media and updated a status. “They’ll be here shortly. Now, we can skip everything and you give me what I want and we all go our separate ways.”

Regina frowned. “Yes, and I can leave Emma playing sex doll to Hook.”

A smile slithered onto his face. “Well, we could always deal.”

Her eyebrow ticked up. “Why would I make it so easy for you?”

“Because you want Emma back. I know you do. I know what you feel for her, so you have almost no choice but to make this easy for me.” His smile became a shark-like grin. 

“Am I supposed to be moved now?” she asked with her voice beyond bored.

“What if I told you Emma made a deal with me?” he inquired.

“Emma’s an idiot at the best of times, but she knows better,” she replied. Emma had learned from dealing with Rumple, never make the deal. Plus, she was a little more genre savvy now. No one ever made the deal in a fairy tale unless they wanted woe rained down on them.

His grin widened and his eyes gleamed with wild pleasure. “I love that you think that.”

She did not respond. She would not let him bait her. He eyed her for a moment, studied her, like a specimen, like a fly he planned to pluck the wings off. It was somehow more clinical than when Rumple used to look at her. Apparently, the scientist in him lived on.

“Want to tell me what’s in those containers?” Regina nodded toward a wall with parcel sized boxes.

“I’m sure you’ve figured it out.”

“Why do you need my soul if you could just kill ten thousand people and be free? We don’t even have the manpower to stop you.” She liked to think it would be easier to kill ten thousand people all at once than deal with her.

“Your soul and the ten thousand people are for two separate things.”

Regina did not know what that meant and was not in the mood to find out. As discreetly as she could, she sent Maleficent a magical layout of the lab with the location of the chemicals. He watched her, but did not seem to know what she was doing as she tapped her chin, pretending to be in thought. All the time in this realm and he had not bothered to learn Morse code? So sad. Lily taught it to Maleficent to bond, making sure her mother knew she used it when scamming people as a teen. Regina had learned it one year out of boredom.

“Well, I know the ten thousand souls is the exchange for yours. How does my soul factor in then?” she wondered.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” he replied.

“I suppose. I have figured out much of your scheme here, but some things still escape me. What about the yetis? How did they factor in? Were they a distraction or a happy accident?” she asked. 

He waved the idea off. “I had nothing to do with the yetis. I was too busy with the nobles and the Business Bureau. You do realize the world is built on greed, don’t you? I know you understand the quest for power. I tossed out a few ideas to help get them more power, greased a few palms in the mayor’s office, and they not only distracted you, but helped me get the ingredients that will probably kill all of them. No one thought twice when I suggested one of the magical supply places needed to go, so they could open another business on that property and I walked away with all of those supplies.” The very idea drew a snicker from him.

“Then why rob the other one?”

“I needed things to go a little faster. The best laid plans as they say.” He shrugged as if it were no big deal. Something messed up his plan and she was willing to bet that something was called Emma Swan.

Before she could prod him further, the door opened and Hook stepped in with Emma. His eyes went wide the moment he noticed Regina. Emma scowled.

“What the hell is she doing here?” Hook demanded, aiming his hook at Regina.

“Regina is my guest,” Faust replied with smile.

“Hook, you idiot! Did you actually do a deal with Faust of all people just to ‘win’ Emma?” Regina was not sure how stupid he could possibly be.

“I would do anything to get my love back. Is that what you’re trying to do now? Steal Emma from me again?” he growled.

Regina glared at him. “I never stole her in the first place. She was with me of her own free will, which is more than I can say for you right now. At least when she was with you the first time, that was her own bad decision. This is just disgusting.” She motioned between him and Emma.

“You poisoned her against me!” he roared, veins popping from his neck.

“It’s true!” Emma said.

Regina looked at her poor partner. “You’re just repeating whatever lies Faust wants you to, dear.” She glanced at the stupid pirate. “Hook, you’re a fool. Surely you know a deal with Faust is worse than a deal with Rumple.” Regina felt like she wasted her breathe. If Hook was so enraged he would sell his soul or whatever Faust wanted, more power to him. Emma was her only concern.

Hook smirked. “But, I won, didn’t I?”

“That’s just the point. No one wins against Faust,” Regina said. Everyone knew that. Well, of course, that was about to change.

“I have won,” Hook repeated, speaking through his teeth, as if he did not quite believe that himself.

Regina turned her focus back to Faust. He was the only one she needed to watch right now. “What did you do to Emma?”

“I didn’t do anything she didn’t agree to.” Faust smiled and glided over to Emma, who suddenly did not move. He caressed her cheek.

Hook growled, staring daggers at Faust. “Hey! Hands off my woman!” He raised his hook, like it would do something. Maybe Hook was too stupid to even know who Faust was.

Faust chuckled and slinked away, moving like smoke, leaving behind the smell of firewood and sage in the air. “Regina, I made a deal with Emma. I offered her a chance to be blood related to Nathan and she took it.”

Regina did not rise to the bait, even though it seemed so plausible. She could still feel Emma’s hurt after Sonja told them Robin was Nathan’s father. Faust could easily have the power to grant that wish. When Emma vanished off everyone’s radar, Faust could have hidden her away, pitching his deal to her. But, Emma was not so stupid.

“Emma would never deal. She’s learned better,” Regina said, glancing at Hook. He had lived this life far longer than Emma, but apparently he never learned.

Faust leaned on his lab table. “Very good, Regina. Very good.”

“What are you doing? Why are you even entertaining this bitch?” Hook demanded, frowning at Faust.

Faust glanced at the pirate. “You still don’t get it, do you?”

“He used you, fool!” Regina rubbed her eyes. “You’re nothing more than a piece on his chessboard and not even a high ranking piece. He didn’t help you out of the kindness of his heart.”

“Especially considering I don’t have one. Took the troublesome thing out centuries ago,” Faust remarked. “Tell me, pirate, are you really content to have this woman dangling on your arm like this? We all know it’s not real, yet you’re fine with this?” His face scrunched up in mild confusion.

Hook growled. “It is real! Emma loves me.”

Faust tilted his head and laughed as he regarded Hook. “Oh, my. You’re serious. Regina, he’s serious.”

“It’s not a spell. Regina kissed her and there was nothing,” Hook pointed out.

“Of course there was nothing. True Love’s kiss is Fae-level magic. You’re all used to this pathetic bit of nothing magic. I’m a little more advanced than that, which brings me to your question, Regina. I want to be a lot more advanced than that,” Faust said.

Regina did not want to imagine a power-hungry Faust with more magic. “Why?”

“Come now, Regina. Why not? Why did you decide to remain Queen, even after you achieved your goals? Why does Rumple remain the Dark One, even though a happy life sits right in front of him every single day? None of us like to be the low man on the totem pole. We’ve been there and it’s terrible. Doesn’t suit us. I’ve been around some rather high individuals. I can’t go back down after I get out of this deal,” Faust replied.

“So, what, you think my soul will make you a demon?” Regina scoffed. It was theoretical, but she never understood the science or magic of how it would work.

He wiggled his thick eyebrows. “Oh, I know your soul will make me a demon. Imagine, Regina, traveling not just between realms, but dimensions. Going where you please, doing what you please, and answering to no one.”

“As you pointed out, I stopped at Queen, even though I knew there was a level higher. Rumple remains the Dark One. Why can’t you be content to be Faust?” she asked. But, she knew the answer. He was not content to be Faust because he was Faust. His curse of his own making was that he always wanted more, more knowledge, more power, more everything.

Faust pushed forward, got in her face, gnashing his teeth at her. “Stop playing stupid, Regina. Do you want to see the love of your life stuck to this fool, despising your son? What if eventually the spell wears thin and she realizes what happened, but can’t stop it? Would you leave her trapped in her mind to feel all the horror and not be able to do anything about it?”

“Hey, you giving Emma to Regina wasn’t part of the deal!” Hook charged Faust, who did not even bother to look at him. Silver bands shot from the walls and tied Hook up.

“Honestly, pirate, how do you not get this? You were merely bait.” Faust glided back over to Emma and cupped her chin. Emma flinched, but could not move.

“What are you doing?” Hook snarled.

Faust sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Emma, what did you see in him?”

Emma shrugged. “My parents thought we had True Love and I just wanted to make them like me. I wanted to show them I could be more like them. And, he’s cute and a great distraction from all of the other crazy stuff going on around here.” The words came out bland, like she was answering any other question, reeking of a truth spell or an obedience spell. How many hexes did this rat bastard put on Emma?

“Emma, you don’t mean that!” Hook struggled against his bonds.

“It’s not a truth serum you’re using to get her to love Hook,” Regina said. What spell did he have Emma under?

Faust sucked his teeth. “Of course not. How pedestrian.”

“Do you have her heart?” Regina doubted it, but what else could it be?

“No, I tried. It’s protected.” He moved like smoke again, wafting over to her and getting back in Regina’s face. “Did you do it? I mean, even I couldn’t get to it and I’ve never experienced this before.”

“Her heart protects itself. How’s that for Fae-level magic? What did you do to her?” Regina demanded.

“It’s very subtle emotional manipulation. I can’t see a witch being able to pull it off, but a demon would be able to do it like child’s play.” He moved away, over to Hook.

“I’ll kill you, mate, when I’m out of this,” Hook promised.

“Dear boy, you will never be out of this, except for when I take my price from you. Now, quiet while I show Regina something she probably could do with ease if she ever bothered to reach her potential.” Faust waved his hands in front of Hook and slowly, but surely shining threads of light appeared at his fingertips, leading to Hook.

“Emotional ties.” Regina did not think those were real. It was one thing to be able to manipulate a person full time, but to be able to find a single emotional tie out of the millions and play with that one. It was probably easier to find identical snowflakes in a blizzard. “How?” she whispered, scared of the awe in her voice.

He squinted at her, like she was an idiot. “Demon magic. How do you think they tempt us so?”

Regina bit the inside of her cheek to keep from trembling. “Did you… did you…” She could not get the question out for fear of the answer. “Did you sever her emotion tie to me? To our son?” She would not know how to begin repairing that. What if Emma could never love Nathan after this?

“Now, you’re catching on. Well, your tie, I plucked and tied it with him, so she would love him again.” Faust rolled his eyes. “The over the top crap was an added bonus for him, as he seems to think that’s what love is. I’m sure Sheriff Swan will always want to throw up when she remembers it.”

“She does love me!” Hook once again tried to escape.

Faust tugged at the lines, Hook grunted, and the shimmering strings all vanished. “No, she doesn’t. In fact, I think she’s pretty disgusted with you at this point. We can find out in a moment after I deal with Regina. Now, you sit tight, as I need you for this other thing I have going.”

“What could you possibly need that worthless sack of excrement for?” Regina asked.

“I need a heart freely given for my ten thousand shadows spell,” Faust replied.

“The plague you plan to use to kill ten thousand people in one day?”

“Yes, it’s my own design. Part science, part magic, all getting the demons off my back.” He shoved his hand into Hook’s chest and there went his heart. Faust carried it to the table and placed it in a jar. “Now, for our business, Regina.”

“What do you want?” She knew, but she wanted to hear him say it.

“Your soul for Emma, simple as that. I will fix her emotional ties, remove the addition spells, return her to normal, and you give me your soul. If you want, I can even make her forget this little episode with Hook. Then, she won’t be damaged in any way. Your boys get their mother back almost totally unharmed.”

“Fix the ties first and I get to have a moment for a farewell to make sure she is normal. Don’t touch her memory.”

“Very well.” Faust went to Emma and there were the threads of light again.

Emma ran to Regina and grabbed her into a tight hug. “Babe, don’t do this! I know what happens when you don’t have a soul. He told me. He told me!”

Regina inhaled the sweet aroma of her partner and clutched onto Emma’s back. Somehow, even after days with Hook, she still smelled like Emma, now minus the sage scent. Thank the gods for small favors. She went in for a kiss before Emma could say anything. It was long and wet, exactly what Regina wanted. She needed to hold onto Emma, to feel her magic and to use it enough to fool Faust.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Faust stepped over to them, trying to pull Regina away. She would only have one chance at this. Faust would know what she was up to, might even sense where she was going. She could not hesitate.

So, as soon as Faust touched them, Regina teleported them, all three of them. I hope this works. If it did not, she had made the deal. Faust would get her soul if she had miscalculated and at least ten thousand people would be dead this time tomorrow.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: what is Regina’s plan here?

Chapter Text

15: Deal With the Devil

Regina, Emma, and Faust appeared in the room and Regina breathed a sigh of relief. She managed to get Emma and Faust there with her without Faust figuring it out beforehand and tearing them both asunder. That was the hard part and she had to thank Emma’s unique magic for disguising what was happening. Faust did not seem to know what happened, could not track the magic to understand where they were. In fact, he was smiling at her. She bit down the instinct to gloat. Now was not the time to be a comic book villain.

“Really, Regina, trying to run? Surely you have more dignity than that,” Faust said.

“One would think,” she replied, focused on the feel of Emma’s hand on her waist, on Emma holding her.

“You’ve saved Emma. Isn’t that enough?” Faust asked.

“Again, one would think.” She looked at Emma, wanting to get lost in those hazel eyes and never find her way out. Hopefully, there will be time for that later.

Emma took her hand. “You can’t give him your soul. You’ll never be able to feel anything ever again.”

That was only part of it, but Regina would not say what else went along with losing her soul. There was an afterlife and she would never see it. There was a place she could be with her family forever and it would be out of her grasp if this did not go according to plan. It had to work.

“You made the deal, Regina. I’ve fixed Emma. She loves you again, loves your son. Now, your soul,” Faust said, holding out his hand like she could put her soul in his palm.

“What does he even want with your soul?” Emma asked.

“He wants to take on the Devil,” Regina replied.

Emma rolled her shoulders. “He’ll have to get through me first.”

“Oh, Emma.” Faust gave her the most patronizing smile. “Do you two realize this is why things were so easy? Your natural desire, almost instinct to jump in front of bullets for each other? The only thing Regina wouldn’t give me to save you is your sons.” That was true enough. “Do you know she was willing to give Gold her soul before me and that was just to find you while I played with your ties.”

Emma gasped and stared at Regina. “You didn’t.”

“I did. He couldn’t do it,” Regina replied.

“But, what if he could? You don’t just get to give up your soul for me, especially to Gold!” Emma huffed.

“Says the woman who shoved the Dark One’s dagger into the Darkness for me. You almost gave up everything that makes you Emma to save me,” Regina countered.

“I wanted you to be happy!”

“And I wanted you to be the same! And I wanted our sons to have their mother.”

“They have you!”

“They need you!”

Faust snapped his finger to get their attention. “Ladies, while this is rather entertaining, I have other things to do. There’s a magical chemical weapon to finish and ten thousand people to slaughter and a demon transformation spell to finish and a Devil to rival. So, Regina, your soul.”

Regina noticed a spark from the floor and smirked. “Well, I would, but I don’t think you’re going to need it where you’re going.”

Faust narrowed his gaze. “What?” The floor shook like the boards were about to rip themselves up.

“Jacob Faust,” a sophisticated voice seemed to purr as a column of fire shot up in the room. Regina would have to remember this entrance. She could do it at a Halloween party.

Faust’s eyes went wide and he turned to the bright, orange pillar. Sweat slid down his cheek, even though it was not hot. His mouth trembled and she could see his arm shaking. All of the color drained from his face. He knew what was coming.

“No, no, no, no. It can’t be,” Faust said, his voice hitching in his throat.

“Why can’t it?” the voice asked as the fire cleared. Standing before them was a man with long, polished, curved horns on his forehead, clear skin, and piercing yellow eyes. He was dressed in a black suit with a red vest. A thin, black, forked tail swayed behind him. “I think you’ve underestimated your query here, Jacob.”

“No! We had a deal!” Faust screamed, throwing himself at the newcomer, who had to be in the infamous demon Faust made his deal with — Mephistopheles.

“Yes, we had a deal, just as you and Regina had a deal. The only problem is you’re into monologuing,” the demon commented.

“Villainy 101 and oh, so often our downfall,” Regina remarked with a smirk. She had done it.

“No! I had a deal with her. I get to have her soul,” Faust said, pointing at her. It would not be surprising if he stomped his foot as he had his little tantrum.

“I’m sorry that deal will be voided, as I have come to collect on our deal,” Mephistopheles replied.

“No!” Faust howled and reached for Regina, only to run into Emma and her fist. Bone crunched, and Regina was certain Emma broke her hand, but Emma did not flinch or make a sound. Faust’s face was a little red, but he seemed unharmed. He stepped back and looked ready to charge again. In his haste, he seemed to forget he had magic. Mephistopheles remembered, though.

With a pointed stare that sparked from his eyes, Mephistopheles stopped Faust in his tracks and floated the panicked man to him. Emma did not move from in front of Regina. It was flattering, but more than likely unnecessary. Regina took the time to heal Emma’s hand, tapping her fingertips against Emma’s hand.

“What the hell is going on here?” Emma demanded, eyes staying on Faust.

“Yes, what is going on? You can’t take me, Mephistopheles. We had a deal!” Faust gagged.

“Yes, we had a deal. I could only take your soul on holy ground that had been touched by the moon. And here we are,” Mephistopheles replied, as if that made any sense to Faust.

“This is a hotel room at Granny’s!” Nothing got passed Faust apparently.

“Yes, but it was blessed by a righteous priest, making it holy ground. Or do I have to go through that with you? I probably have to go through that with you. When was the last time you met a holy man you didn’t debase? You do know any righteous holy man can bless an area and make it holy, right?” Mephistopheles smirked, as if he got enjoyment out of treating Faust like a fool. Of course, this was probably a long day coming for him.

Faust gawked at the demon. “But, how did the moon touch this room?”

“A child of the moon, but apparently close enough.” Regina motioned to small claw marks Ruby graciously left on the wall. She would have to repair the damage magically when this was all over.

“But, none of this fair! If you give me time, Mephistopheles, I could get you ten thousand souls in exchange for mine, just like our deal!” Faust begged.

“Oh, but I don’t want ten thousand. I don’t want a single soul except for the one I’m here to collect. I’ve waited almost that many years for yours. Besides, you think I don’t know what you were planning here, trying to take Regina’s soul? Do you think I could return home having left you behind to make that deal?” Mephistopheles scoffed. “Not a demon in all of Pandemonium would make that deal.” He stepped in front of Faust. “You’re an idiot to have tried to make that deal. I mean, do you really not grasp the enormity of what you planned to do?”

“Please!” Faust clasped his hands together.

“I don’t think so.” Mephistopheles turned to Regina and Emma. Emma tensed and balled her hands into fists. It was a good thing Regina had healed her hand. Her instinct to brawl always topping her magic as defense. “Be calm, Emma. I’ve got what I want. I just have a message for Regina.”

“For me?” Regina echoed.

“Yes. You might have noticed it took me a moment to get here. I was stopped by your grandmother, who told me to tell you she’s proud of you and she wishes she could be here. Unfortunately, Lilith’s been banned from this dimension for a few centuries.”

Regina’s brow furrowed. “How’d she get banned?” Leave it to her relative to get banned from a dimension. Of course, this was her mother’s mother, so maybe it was best she got banned.

“It has to do with influencing way too many humans to drink human blood.” He waved the whole matter off. “It wasn’t like it was hard and who determines what’s ‘too many’? It was political.”

“Making humans drink human blood was political?” Emma asked with a twisted expression.

He scoffed. “Of course. Don’t even get me started about the complaints about vampires in other realms. It’s all political and selfish. Asmodeus is trying to work things out with her, or so he claims. You’d think he’d understand the marriage was over. She’s moved on. Deal with it.”

“Please, tell me I’m not the only one lost,” Emma said.

“You are. Regina and Faust know exactly what I’m talking about, which makes Faust that much more of an idiot. Planning too big, son. Planning much too big,” Mephistopheles replied. 

“You just didn’t want me to be able to take you on,” Faust snapped.

Mephistopheles rolled his eyes. “No, I didn’t want Lilith to murder me in the most foul manner before she ignored all bans, found her way here, and did unspeakable things to you for all eternity. I’m actually doing us both a favor.”

“I would slaughter all of you. You wouldn’t be able to match my power and you’re jealous!”

Mephistopheles shook his head. “You wouldn’t have become a full demon. No one can absolutely change their full nature. It would destroy them.” He sighed and turned back to Regina. “Anyway, Regina, Lilith wishes she could see you. She’s also very pleased you tricked Faust. I don’t think I have to tell you how annoying he’s been to all of us, but me especially. I’ve never had a deal go on this long.”

“What are you going to do with him?” Regina asked, not that she cared.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it. I have a list and then other demons have lists. Lilith’s ideas are particularly well thought out considering he dared to try to steal your soul and rip you away from your wife and children. And, let’s not even talk about the thousands of people he’s killed over the years who happen to be in Hell. He’ll be a long time suffering,” Mephistopheles assured them.

“You think you could take a heartless pirate, too? He made a deal with Faust,” Regina said. She would love to never have to deal with Hook again and to know he was writhing in agony for all eternity.

“I’m unfortunately confined to this space due to the nature of my summoning. But, if it makes you feel any better, Faust is the only one who could put that heart back in. After all, his magic is influenced by demons, not the fae like most magic around here.”

“Most?” Emma asked.

“Yes, Regina somewhat wields demon magic. She’s part demon, which is why Faust wanted her soul. He could’ve used it to become part demon as well. She’s unique. Someone with demon blood who can wield both light and dark magic. The soul of a protector and a destroyer. You almost had her, Jacob.” Mephistopheles smirked. “But, then you got too cocky.” He actually bopped Faust on the nose with his index finger. “Time to go.”

Mephistopheles disappeared into a column of fire with Faust screaming the whole way. Regina hoped the screams were in both terror and anguish. And then the room was clear. Regina grabbed Emma into a hug, sighing. She wanted to say it was over, but she knew it was far from that, especially when Emma did not hug her back.

-8-8-8-8-

Henry could hardly sit still as he waited in the diner with the rest of his family. He did not understand much of his mother’s plan, but he trusted her. His grandmother reached over the table and touched his hand. He wanted to pull away. He was still angry with her over the situation with Hook, but he needed something.

“It’s quiet,” Henry found himself saying. He did not even know what that meant. Did he expect there to be a giant final battle, complete with explosions? That felt more appropriate than this deafening silence.

“It was quiet at the lab, too,” Marian said from her spot at a small table with Mulan.

“I can smell something weird,” Ruby said.

“Like smokey firewood and sage?” Maleficent asked.

“I would probably describe it just like that,” Ruby replied.

Maleficent nodded. “That’s Faust. Do you smell anything else?”

Ruby stuck her nose in the air and inhaled. “It’s almost like liquid fire. I’m not sure how to describe it. There’s a hint of smoke and… darkness.”

“I guess the demon arrived,” Granny said.

“I wish we could see what he looks like,” Henry said.

“I don’t.” Most of the group mumbled.

Henry could understand that. “Does this mean Mom’s plan is working?”

Maleficent nodded and gave him the okay sign with her fingers. “If a demon showed up, we’re golden.”

They went back to being silent, and waiting. Henry drummed his fingers on the table for a moment, but then stopped. He felt immature breaking the silence, even if he needed something to do, something to take his mind off of things. If everything went right, any moment now both of his mothers would enter the diner. He was certain everything went right. It was rare things did not when both of his mothers worked together, except after Pan cast his curse. Other than that, though, his mothers were an unstoppable force. So, they had to win, right?

“Is this really dangerous?” Henry asked. The fact that everyone looked at him, but no one answered right away was answer enough.

“Henry, you know your mothers will do anything for each other,” Snow said. Maybe she needed to say it more for herself, as he already knew that in his heart of hearts.

“But, are they going to come back to us?” Henry motioned to Nathan, who was sitting on Kathryn’s lap. Nathan had been quiet all day. It was unnerving. He did not even make a sound when he was hungry.

“They’ll always try to come back to you. That’s how parents are,” Maleficent assured him.

Henry nodded, but he glanced at his grandparents. He shook away any thoughts before they could manifest themselves. No, his parents and his grandparents were two different sets of parents. Yeah, his mothers were all about each other, but they were also all about their sons. His mom would do everything to save his ma and make it back to him and Nathan.

“They’ll come back,” Henry said to himself.

There were nods and he knew they were sincere. So, they were not surprised when Regina and Emma walked through the door, unscathed from what he could see. There were cheers and they were up. Henry had a million and one questions, but they died on his lips when he saw the look on their faces. Emma seemed haunted, deep cracks in her eyes, and paler than ghost. Regina was not much better, color drained from her. If she turned grey and crumbled to dust, he would not have been surprised.

“Come on, sit down.” Granny rushed them to a booth. Emma sat in the corner and seemed to curl into herself. Regina sat at the edge of the bench. He had never seen so much voluntary space between his mothers, not even when they hated each other. Emma seemed to shrink deeper into herself as everyone gathered around, wanting to know what happened.

“Are you all right? Did everything work?” Ruby asked.

“Where’s Faust?” Maleficent asked.

“Was there really a demon there?” Dorothy inquired.

“What about the plan to kill ten thousand people?” Mulan asked.

“Do you need help?” Tinker Bell asked.

“Hold on, hold on.” Kathryn held up her hands. “Let’s not crowd them.”

Henry watched his mothers and felt this was the most somber victory party they ever attended, topped only by the one at the town line when Pan’s curse was coming. There was a little food, which Granny probably just had rather than prepared, and almost no conversation for a long while. The food had been untouched before his mothers showed up and no one made their way to it after backing up a little either. They all just watched Emma and Regina, as if waiting for one of them to shatter.

“This is a lot to process,” Regina said. It was the understatement of the year. “How about we all meet for lunch tomorrow at the house?”

There were quiet agreements, but no one moved until Regina got up. Henry stepped over to her side, but froze when Emma did not move. Was Emma going to stay? What happened? What if… what if the thing with Hook had not been a spell, after all, and their family was not whole again?

“You sure?” Kathryn eased Nathan into Regina’s hands.

“Yes, I think we just need a moment to catch our breath. Kathryn, are you good with handling packing up the lab?” Regina asked.

“Yes. I’ve got that and Maleficent is going to be right there making sure we don’t accidentally create pink elephants or something as we move things,” Kathryn answered.

“And me!” Tinker Bell grinned. Regina smiled at her.

“Very good. So, see you all tomorrow at noon,” Regina said.

There were half-hearted waves as Regina made her way to the door with Nathan in her arms. Emma glanced at them before getting up and following. Henry trailed behind both of his mothers, almost like he was blocking Emma’s retreat. He was not sure why he felt like his birth mother might flee, but there was something so flat in her demeanor. Then, he saw the worst moment of the day. His mom went to hand Nathan to his ma and Emma flinched, moving away. What the hell? Before he could ask, Regina flicked her wrist and they were home. Emma did not have a chance to escape.

“Do you want to talk?” Regina asked as she placed Nathan in his walker. He whined and put his hands up, but Regina walked away. Henry was tempted to pick Nathan up, as he could use comfort in the odd tension in the house. But, with the way Nathan started fussing, he feared he might make things worse for the baby.

“I think…” Emma shook her head and retreated to the basement. No one chased her. They were in the process of turning part of the basement into a private space for Emma, as she conceded a while ago that she could not use the guest room because one day they might have a guest. The space was far from finished and Emma rarely used it. Nathan howled as he watched her leave and bawled once she was gone.

“What happened?” Henry asked.

Regina shook her head and went to Nathan, who turned away from her. She did not react. “She hasn’t talked to me about it, but she has been held hostage in body, mind, and heart for the past few days. She needs time.”

“What about you?”

She sighed, shoulders dropping so slow it was a wonder how she did not keel over. “I need to process, too. This was a lot. Your mama got into this because of me.”

Anger flared within him. “That’s bull! It wasn’t because of you!”

“It was. Faust didn’t want your mama. She was bait for me.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that. Faust wouldn’t have been able to use Ma if it wasn’t for Hook. He’s the one who started all of this. If Faust could’ve used Ma against you before this crap, he would have. This is not your fault,” Henry insisted. He refused to allow his mother to wallow in self-blame. She had done everything right. “And you saved at least ten thousand people while saving Ma. You’re a hero again. You should be proud of that.”

Regina looked away and he knew he had not gotten through. It might take some time. So, he grabbed Nathan and charged upstairs. They could read some comics while their mothers got their acts together.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina made herself some tea and sat at the counter, cradling the hot mug in her hands. For some reason, the hot press to her palms soothed her. It always had, ever since she was a small child. She guessed it had something to do with the pain taking her mind off of her troubles. She could focus on something else until she was ready to deal with life.

Henry had a point. Faust had plenty of time to come after her, especially since she had no idea he was in Storybrooke. It was not until Hook was stupid enough to get involved with him that allowed Faust to use Emma. Making another cup, she picked up both and made her way downstairs.

“Emma,” Regina said, just to let her partner know she was coming.

Emma grunted from her seat on her bean bag chair. She had changed clothes, throwing on a tank top and jeans. She probably burned her other clothes, which Regina could understand. And, if she had not burned the other clothes, Regina would get to it eventually.

Regina did not say anything else and sat in the chair next to Emma. She hated the bean bags, but it was Emma’s space and this was what she liked. Regina put the tea cups on a tray that Emma used as a coffee table because she refused to go out and buy an actual coffee table. Emma already had a beer in hand from her mini-fridge.

“Do you want to talk about the things you can at least make sense of? Or maybe you want to talk about what’s troubling you?” Regina could not leave Emma to stew in what she knew was a cocktail of terror. The simple fact that Emma would not take Nathan was a huge red flag. Beyond that, the last time they had not talked Emma vanished for a day and then reappeared on Hook’s arm.

Emma guzzled her beer, finishing it without a breath. “Can I just be too drunk to talk about it?”

“Not from one beer, sweetheart. I think we learned from our ordeal with my pregnancy, it’s best when we talk.”

Emma sighed. “I know.” She dropped, sprawled out on the bean bag.

“Let’s start with something simple. Who are you upset with?”

“Robin. Hook.” Emma sighed and ducked her head. “Me.”

“Why you?” Better still, why not me?

Emma sat up and sucked her teeth. “The whole reason this shit started is because I was pissed over something I already knew. Something that didn’t even matter. I walked off like an idiot and ran into Hook and let him push me, let him promise me crap from this great magician he knew. Faust wasn’t lying when he said he tried to make me a deal.”

“First off, I want it to be real clear that this didn’t start because you were upset. Faust started this before he even got to you. And he tried to offer you a deal, but you didn’t take it.”

“I’m an idiot, but I’m not that stupid. I was just pissed enough to meet with him, but by the time he started talking I wanted to get out of there. By then, it was too late. He already…” Emma moved her hands like she had an invisible ball, mimicking Faust’s hands to control her emotional ties.

“That wasn’t your fault, Emma.”

“I know…” Tears welled up in Emma’s eyes. “It was just… I love Nathan so much, babe.”

Regina’s heart fluttered at the use of the ridiculous term of endearment. “I know you do.”

“But, now I don’t know!”

Regina blinked. “Excuse me?” She was not expecting that to be the problem.

Emma beat at her breast with her fist. It was a good thing Regina had healed that hand or it would have been useless by now. “Why the hell was it so important to me for him to be related to me? Shit like that has never mattered before. If I had ever been adopted, those parents, I don’t care how bad they were, would’ve been my parents. I’m still walking about with this stupid last name ‘Swan’ because of my first set and those assholes returned me.”

Regina cleared her throat. “Swan-Mills.”

“You know what I mean!” Emma waved her off. “Regina…” She pulled at her shirt, near her heart. “What he did to me…” Gritting her teeth, she shook her head and sobbed.

Regina was out of her chair in a flash, kneeling by Emma and cradling her as best she could. The position was uncomfortable, but she did not care. She needed her partner to be all right. This was the pain she expected. Emma was beyond toyed with by Faust. It was beyond a violation. He literally took her emotions and forcefully changed them.

“It’s all right. It’s all right,” Regina kissed the side of her head. Suddenly, Emma was on her, kissing her like there was no tomorrow, like they were about to fuck six ways to Sunday, like they were the only two people on Earth. Regina had to pull away. “Emma, wait. Wait.”

“I can’t. I can’t.” Emma pawed at her, trying to get her out her shirt. All she had to do was grab Emma’s wrist and the action halted.

“Why are you doing this? What will this prove?” Regina asked. Sex would not right any of Emma’s emotions and would not take away the agony Faust put her through.

“I need you. I need to feel you,” Emma replied, still crying.

Regina wiped her eyes. “Not even ten minutes ago, you barely wanted me to touch you and now you want to make love?”

Emma groaned and fell back, rubbing her face. “Can’t a woman just want to make love to her damn wife?”

“Not when she didn’t want to touch said wife ten minutes ago. Talk to me, sweetheart. Talk to me,” Regina begged, hand on Emma’s knee.

“I need to remind myself how I feel about you. Do you realize for three fucking days all I could feel was a deep, burning hatred for you? Hatred for the mother of my goddamn children. That’s what he did to me! He took you from me and made me hate you. If you had been in trouble these past few days, I’d have applauded. What the fuck? Just what the fuck? Who does that?” Emma sobbed again, covering her face with her hands. “Who does that? Who’s happy about the mother of her fucking children being in danger?”

Regina gathered Emma in her arms again, pleased that Emma did not pull away. “You didn’t do it. Those weren’t really your feelings. Faust cut your emotional ties to me, severing your true feelings for me.”

Emma wailed harder. “I hated Nathan, too. I couldn’t… I couldn’t… feel for him, even though I knew I should, knew I did. He’s my son and I hated him!”

“Because Faust cut your emotions! It’s not your fault!” She needed to get Emma to understand that. None of this, not her feelings or her actions, were her fault.

With red eyes, drenched in tears, Emma stared at her, looking much too deeply. “You would’ve overcome it! I don’t know how, but you never would’ve hated Nathan. You’ve never hated Henry. You beat a fucking god for Henry!”

“Emma,” Regina sighed and held her partner tighter, brushing back some of Emma’s hair to get a good look at her. “I appreciate you thinking so highly of me when it comes to our children, but I’ve had low moments, too, and those low moments are on me. No one touched my emotional ties, no one manipulated me. I once wiped Henry’s memory and I planned to use a love potion on him to get him back to my side.”

Emma pulled back. “A love potion?”

“After he left with you when I inhaled the curse on the well. I was heartbroken. I thought I could force him to love me.”

“But, you didn’t go through with it.”

Regina shook her head. “While my idea of love has been tainted quite a bit since birth, even I knew that wasn’t right. It just took a while. I love Henry and he loves me, but we had to work for it. You love Nathan. He’s your son.”

Emma sniffled and a small whimper escaped her as she glanced away. “I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“Scared to hold him. Scared I’ll still hate him. What if I hold him and I don’t feel love anymore? What if Faust broke me? What if Hook broke me?” Regina had never heard Emma’s voice sound so distant.

And that really was it. Emma was afraid she had changed. She feared they had turned her into something she was not, something she had no desire to be. She was frightened she had been broken and was beyond repair. It was a legitimate fear, one they both knew very well.

Regina shook her head. “There’s no way. You’re too strong to be broken by the likes of them. You know your true heart. You love Nathan with every fiber of your being. Faust can’t take that away from you.”

“If he didn’t actually fix me…” Emma tapped her chest. “What if… What if…”

“You can’t live your life in what if moments. You know better than that. You love us. Did it feel different when we kissed?”

Emma licked her lips. “No.”

With a smile, Regina clutched Emma’s arm, hoping to fortify her. “Then, go hold your son. You couldn’t have done anything. Faust was a true monster. He would have used any and everyone for his own means. Hell, he planned to kill ten thousand people to free himself from his deal. Making it worse, he had powers beyond our understanding and he caught you off guard. It’s not that you were weak. You’re strong, one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. He can’t take that away from you.”

Emma sniffed. “He did. Him and Hook. They took it all.”

“No!” Regina grabbed her hands and squeezed. “You still have everything. We’re all still here and we’re waiting for you. So, like I said, go hold your son. You go hold him and read to him and at the end of the day, we’ll get in bed together and you’ll cuddle the hell out of me and we’ll take this day by day.”

Emma took deep breath and nodded, but she did not move. She pulled Regina to her and clutched Regina like a security blanket. Regina understood it. There were nights when she would hold Emma like this and she had not been used as a toy for three days.

“I love you,” Emma whispered.

“I know you do.” Regina scratched at the nape of Emma’s neck. “I never doubted it. From the moment you vanished, I knew you didn’t leave us voluntarily. I could feel it.”

“I never should’ve walked off. I should’ve talked to you from the beginning.”

“I could see you were hurting. I just wanted to give you time,” Regina said.

“I needed time because I couldn’t figure out why I was so upset, but I know why. Kinda anyway. Nathan deserves a better father than Robin.”

Regina laughed a little. “You silly girl. Don’t you understand he has better? You’re here.” Nathan got exactly what he deserved with Emma. She needed Emma to grasp that and appreciate that.

“I should’ve been by your side right after we got the news.”

Regina caressed Emma’s arm. “You were outraged on our son’s behalf. You wanted him to have a better father and you couldn’t put that into words. That’s fine. I don’t think it’s fair Nathan got stuck with those genetics either, but he has us. He doesn’t need Robin. He’ll be fine.”

“Because he has you.”

Regina kissed her cheek. “And because he has you. You are the whole reason he even exists, Emma. Remember, before him, I had lost three. Hadn’t carried to term. You made it your mission to make sure my pregnancy went smoothly. You made it your mission to make sure Henry was all right during the pregnancy, to the point where it annoyed him. You’re an amazing parent and Nathan is lucky to have you.”

“I’m lucky to have you all in my life.” Emma sniffled. “Regina… about what I said with the other three…”

Regina shook her head. “No, we don’t have to talk about that now. You weren’t in your right mind. I don’t blame you for it.” It hurt. It hurt more than she could have imagined to have Emma, of all people, throw her dead children in her face, but that was not Emma. That was Faust using Emma. Well, to Hell with him, literally and figuratively.

“I’m sorry about it, though.”

“I know. But, don’t worry about it right now. Focus on you and feeling better.”

Emma nodded. “I feel a little better.”

“Well, we can get you to feel a lot better.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, let’s go see our boys.”

Emma nodded. They both stood up and walked upstairs. They were not surprised to find Henry with Nathan, reading his favorite Moongirl graphic novel. He looked up at them, but did not say anything. Emma leaned down and Henry eased Nathan into her arms. Emma shook with tension for a few seconds, vibrating with nervous energy, and then she sighed like she had sunken into a warm bath. Her body relaxed and Nathan laughed. Emma pulled him close, inhaled his smell, and kissed his forehead.

“I love you, Nate. I love you and I love your brother and I love your mom and I love our family. I love us. I love all of you,” Emma said. Henry grinned and Regina moved to start a group hug. The air between them seemed to lighten. Hopefully, everything would be all right.

“For the record, we are not calling him Nate,” Regina said before that nickname took root.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina only had a few minutes to spare with Emma in the shower, so she used that time as wisely as she could. She teleported to the Sheriff’s office. Dorothy was on duty. Ruby was there with her.

“If you two could give me a moment with the prisoner,” Regina requested.

They just threw up their hands and walked to the door. “We wanted to take a little romantic stroll anyway. Back in five.” Ruby held up her fingers.

“Plenty of time,” Regina replied and turned her attention to Hook.

“Come to gloat, your majesty?” Hook asked with the resentment she was used to. He swaggered over to the bars. “Think you’ve won?”

Regina shook her head. “You see, this is the problem, you think this is some sort of game, Emma some sort of prize. I’ve come to teach you otherwise.”

The idiot had the nerve to smirk. “I’ve always been a very poor student.”

“Yes, I know, which is why I have this.” Regina plucked his heart from her pocket. “Now, you can learn the lesson in one shot.” She waved her hand and a syringe appeared in her hand.

“You think you can use my heart to command me?” Hook sneered at her.

“No, I think I can use your heart to get you to never think of Emma again. It just involves a little training, of the shock variety. You see, I’m going to inject you with this potion and every time you think of Emma, it will send a little shock to your heart, which you will feel throughout your entire body. The shock will get a little stronger each time. So, eventually, you will die, thinking of Emma, or you will learn to never think of her again.” Regina stuck the needle into his heart.

Hook hissed and his hand went to his chest. “When I get out of here, I will win Emma’s hand.” He screamed and dropped to his knees, his body trembling.

Regina smirked. “Oh, it works. Let’s see what happens a second time. Emma’s at home right now, waiting for me.”

“Emma will be mine,” he growled and then hollered again, his hand now clutching his chest.

“I could watch this all day, but I have a family to get back to. Enjoy.” Regina suspected Hook would think of Emma until he died and she would make a huge dinner in his honor that day. For now, she had to make a regular size dinner to get things back to normal for her family.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the Swan-Mills family continues to heal.

Chapter Text

16: Healing

When they were in bed together after being reunited, Regina knew Emma would talk about things, but she did not want to push. They agreed talking was best and Regina had the urge to question her partner, but she trusted Emma. So, she did not say anything. Instead, she allowed Emma to play little spoon for a long time. She did her best to cocoon Emma and protect her from the outside world. Then, Emma shifted until her head was against Regina’s chest.

“Hook liked being the big spoon,” Emma said. Her voice was small, but matter-of-fact.

Regina frowned. “I know.” She hated to know that, but she knew. She and Emma were not a spooning couple really. They dragged over each other, mostly because neither of them settled in bed for a while.

“You stalked me?”

Regina scowled. “What a way to put it. You make me sound no better than the pirate.”

Emma shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just… you watched me while I was with him?” She looked like she might be sick.

Regina caressed her cheek, wanting her to know it was all right. “Through the mirror. But, it was Ruby and Tinker Bell who made sure he didn’t touch you beyond the kisses he forced on you.”

Emma’s body relaxed. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You don’t have to thank any of us.”

“Yeah, I do because you could’ve easily thought I just turned stupid again and went back to him. And even if you didn’t, they could’ve. I hate to think if Ruby was more like my mom, you know?”

Regina did not want to think about that. Ruby was not fooled for a second. She trusted in Emma and her decisions, which happened before she even got involved with Regina. Ruby was a good friend. Regina was glad Emma had her.

“I hate that I kissed him, but I can get over it because I’ve kissed him before. Yeah, those times were voluntary, but this I can put to him being a scumbag. But, more than that, I’d have to go stab that asshole with his own hook,” Emma said.

“Oh, I wouldn’t have left enough of him behind for you to stab. In fact, had he touched you like that, I’d have incinerated him the moment he stepped outside,” Regina said. There would not have been any careful planning or trying to get to the bottom of anything had Hook forced himself on Emma. Regina would have slaughtered him the second she knew.

Emma snuggled closer. “I know and I appreciate that.”

“I love you, Emma. I don’t want anyone to ever hurt you.” She felt it needed to be said for both of them. “I’m sorry you went through this because of me.”

“No, it wasn’t because of you. None of this was your fault, Regina. Hook is a slime-ball on a good day and I let my emotions get the better of me, which gave him a chance to get to me. I should’ve stuck around and talked to you. I definitely should’ve punched Hook in the face a long time ago.”

Regina shook her head. “I should’ve let you. I didn’t want people to think you were abusing your position, though.” Surely the public would excuse her now and let her get a pass. She would take Emma to Hook if she really wanted to make him hurt.

Emma nodded. “I know. You were trying to look out for me, which is what we do for each other. I love you for it. I love you.” She rubbed her nose in Regina’s collarbone and they were quiet for long moment. “What do you think Kathryn did with him?”

“For now, he’s in the jail. We’ll figure it out. It doesn’t matter as long as we know where he is. Actually, even that doesn’t matter since we have his heart. We can order him to do pretty much anything. You take the time to get yourself together. We all need to get ourselves together.”

Emma nodded against her chest. “Were you really going to give up your soul for me?”

“Did Faust really tell you what happens when a person loses their soul?” Regina held back a frown. She wished Emma did not know, as that was just one more thing to burden herself with as she tried to recover. Of course Regina would have given up her soul for Emma, just as Emma was ready to give up her humanity for Regina.

“He did. I think it was a way to test if I had feelings for you. It was after he did the thing.”

“After he altered your emotional ties.” Regina stroked Emma’s bare shoulder, wanting her to understand it was all right.

“Right, it was after that. When he told me, I didn’t care. I said you deserved to not exist. It was a favor to the universe. It makes me sick.”

Regina’s caress moved from the shoulder down Emma’s arm. “Don’t worry about it. That wasn’t you. You were manipulated by magic. It’s like if you were on drugs. He roofied you with magic.” It was much more than that, but she did not think Emma would be able to grasp the magical explanation beyond what she felt.

Emma made a face like she bit into a lemon. “But, were you ready to give up your soul for me?”

Regina caressed the top of Emma’s head. “Emma, sweetheart, I need you to look at me.” She waited until hazel eyes were locked with hers. “You are my soul. You gave me back my soul. Without you, I wouldn’t be the person I am now and I will always be grateful for that. You are my soul, my love. I would do anything for you, especially if it meant keeping you safe. Also, if the roles were reversed, what would you do?”

Emma chuckled a bit. “You got me there.”

“We do these things for each other. You were willing to become the Dark One for me and my happiness and that was before we were a family.”

“True.” Emma snuggled against her again, as if trying to get closer.

Regina ran her fingers through Emma’s hair. “Are you okay with what happened with Hook?” There were so many things Regina wanted to do to that damned pirate for his actions. She wanted to peel him like a banana, bit by bit, and listen to his screams with a glass of wine as she sprinkled salt on his wounds. For now, the punishment she had already issued would have to suffice.

Emma let out a long breath. “Not okay, but not as pissed with that as I am the other stuff. I expect Hook to be a scumbag at this point, just like I expect Robin to be an asshole. I think the worst of this for me was how I felt about you and Nathan. Like I said, I love you both so damn much and he took that away from me. Who the hell does that? Who takes away someone’s ability to love her son and her wife? I mean, I love you.”

Emma seemed to say “I love you” every minute to all of them, which was fine. It was her way of coping with things. Besides, it never hurt to hear the phrase.

“Emma, I know. Again, before we were even a couple, you were ready and willing to take on pure Darkness for me. So, believe me, I know how you feel. He didn’t take that from you. He corrupted it, but it’s there and it’s intact and we love you back. You’re always ready to go the extra mile for me, so I know.” The love and trust Emma had in her before they even got together would never cease to amaze her.

“Yeah, but we were best friends when I put the dagger in the Darkness. Friends do that kinda thing for each other, right?”

Regina shrugged. “You’re asking me? The only friend I had before you was Maleficent and we see what I did to her. Besides, we didn’t know what we were then. We both know this…” Regina did not even want to say “love.” There was something so much more to them. “This bond, this emotional, spiritual bond between us has been there for a while. It made you come back to the mine for me with the trigger and it made me risk not just taking in the death curse, but my mother coming through the well for you. It allows me to get over my thirst for your mother’s blood and allows you to forgive me for how you grew up.”

“And Nathan?” Emma’s voice cracked and even in the dark, she could see tears in Emma’s eyes.

“Emma, the only reason he isn’t sleeping in here right now is because you needed skin contact with me.” They were naked at Emma’s request. When they got in the bed, she wanted to be able to feel Regina intimately, even though she finally admitted she was not ready for sex yet. “You love him. He’s your son. You named him. He’s mini-Emma.”

Emma sighed and was quiet for a while. “But, what if I love Henry more? Like what if I’m some kind of asshole who can really only love a kid related to me?”

Regina wished Faust had not been dragged to Hell, so she could send him there herself, the hard way. He had taken the family security Emma had only just given into. He had put their whole family back on shaky ground, back in the mix of insecurity because this was not something she, Emma, or Henry had ever had. They knew it was precious and they always had an underlying fear something could happen to it, but now something happened to it.

Regina moved to look Emma in the eye. “You have never and will never be such an asshole.”

Emma shook her head. “I dunno. Regina, I called our son a bastard. I used your babies to hurt you.” Her bottom lip wobbled. “I used your…” She could not even say it again. She did not need to say it again.

“I know.” And Regina understood more than anyone what that meant. “But, that wasn’t you, even if it was your mouth. It wasn’t your heart. If I took your heart and forced you to say that, does that mean you said or you meant it?”

Emma rubbed the side of her nose. “I hated him, though, Regina. I could feel fucking hatred for my duckling. I hated him with a burning passion that didn’t even make sense! He can barely sit up, but I hated him.”

Regina could feel tears drip onto her skin. “You hated him because Faust manipulated your feelings that way. It was powerful magic, Emma. I’ve never seen anything like it, actually. I’ve read about it, but I always thought it was theory. But, to see it…” Regina did not have words. “It was like you learning magic existed.”

Emma nodded and sniffled. “You really never seen anyone do it?”

“Not even Rumple. All our manipulations came through the old fashion way or through taking a heart. Emotional ties are like nerves. Imagine if I wanted to sever the nerve that controlled your ring finger without actually hurting any other part of you. Just peeling away the layers of your arm would already be too much, but to find the nerve only for your ring finger, and only one nerve, how hard would that be?”

“Damn hard.”

“I need you to understand that. You were under the influence of complex magic. Magic I’ve only read about. If someone forced you take a cocktail of complex drugs and then released you into the world, would you blame yourself for what you said or did?”

“No, but I’d still wonder…” Emma sniffed.

“I think you just need to give yourself time. The wonder will be there as you try to get back to normal, but you will get back to normal.” She kissed the top of Emma’s head.

Emma did not argue that. They had both dealt with more trauma than most in their lives. Sometimes, time was the only way to deal with it. Getting on with life and talking it out whenever the trauma showed up was good. Regina had learned that from Emma. They did not talk for a long time and Regina fell asleep petting Emma’s head. She was not sure if Emma fell asleep.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina went all out for lunch, like before. She wanted everyone to feel the difference, to know the difference Emma made. Unfortunately, a somber air remained around Emma, even though she tried. She smiled at everyone as they came into the house and talked for a moment with each individual, but then tucked herself on the couch and did not know how to move. Regina sat down next to her once all the food was set out.

“There’s some food, sweetheart. I made sure to make some of your favorites,” Regina said. She hoped it would get Emma out of her haze.

Emma shook her head. “I appreciate it, Regina, but I’m not…” She sighed. “Can you get me Nathan again?”

“Of course.”

Regina got up and retrieved the baby from Ruby. Ruby put up a bit of a fuss, but seemed to understand why she was losing Nathan. Regina went back to Emma, only to find Henry curled up with her. Henry had food in his hands, a few things to tempt Emma undoubtedly. Regina eased onto the other side of Emma, which would have been a struggle even if she had gotten all of her baby weight off, and put Nathan in her arms.

“Ma, you gotta try these. They’re new. Well, new in the sense that Mom never made them before, but they’re awesome.” Henry held up a cheeseburger dough ball. Regina looked up the recipe that morning in trying to find things she knew Emma would like… and maybe she would like.

“Here.” Regina took the dough ball from Henry and held it to Emma’s mouth.

Emma looked at the food and bit into it without asking what it was. She moaned as soon as the bite settled in her mouth. Nathan looked up at her and put his fingers on her mouth, as if he were trying to get some himself. Emma laughed and kissed his fingers.

“You can’t have that yet, but it’s gonna be awesome when you can,” Emma said to Nathan and then turned to Henry. “What is that? It’s freaking good.”

Henry shrugged. “Mom made them.”

“Uh, yeah, so you’ve said. That doesn’t tell me what they are,” Emma replied.

“They’re called cheeseburger dough balls. They’re like sliders, but with the bun wrapped around them. I wanted to try it, but I don’t think I like the concept,” Regina explained.

“Because you want to be able to pile on other toppings,” Emma said with a small smile.

Regina smiled. Emma knew her quite well. They sat alone for a while, as a family. It was like everyone else knew to give them space. But, little by little, they trickled in, as did conversation. Emma engaged with people every now and then, but not like she usually would. It was fine. This was only day one.

“So, where’s Hook?” Emma eventually asked. It was probably eating away at her, even though Regina already told her last night. For all she knew, he could have been out on the street today, though.

“Right now, we’re keeping him in jail as we work out the charges,” David answered.

“We already charged him with kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. He does not believe the charges will stick, but he does not know our town charter now includes crimes involving magic,” Mulan explained.

Emma nodded. “That’s good. When did you add that?” Her attention was on Regina.

“Right after the issues with my sister. Had she not killed herself, we needed laws in place to deal with her. Not to mention, when we first came back and everyone blamed me, they were upset to find out there were no laws in place for them to charge me with anything. While I think they’re quick to judgment, I did think they were right. So, misuse of magic is the same as using a weapon to commit a crime,” Regina replied. She knew the changes in the law were necessary if they were going to stay in Storybrooke.

“What happened with his heart?” Emma asked.

Maleficent shrugged. “We can’t put it back in. He’s out of luck.”

“I’m still not convinced you were trying hard,” Belle said, ever the bleeding heart. How was it possible to have such a capacity to forgive and worry over others?

“I tried enough. Tinker Bell tried. We even let the Blue Fairy try. Ruby tried, but she was more seeing how far she could hit it with a baseball bat. The point is, we all tried,” Maleficent argued.

“I’d have done better if David could pitch,” Ruby grumbled.

“Don’t give me that,” David waved the complaint off. “I threw you good ones, right over the plate.”

“Could that hurt Hook?” Emma inquired.

“If the spell is anything like the one we use, it should have felt like he was having a heart attack every single time she made contact,” Regina replied. The very notion made her want to purr, but she kept that inside. There was always the chance she could put Hook’s heart back, as she was part demon, but why try?

Emma nodded and smiled a little. “Good. What happened to the stuff for the spell to kill all those people?”

“We’ve inventoried the items and the plan is to distribute them to anywhere they’re relatively harmless. Then, there were the items for the soul extraction spell and whatever the other spell was and all of the lab equipment that was meant to create and spread his plague.” Belle shook her head.

“The mayor’s office will handle that with the help of the Sheriff’s department as many of those items were all purchased on the magic black market we’ve spent too much time ignoring. Our lax attitudes helped make this happen,” Regina said.

“You okay?” Emma asked, putting her hand on Regina’s knee.

Regina smiled. “You’re back, so I’m fine.” Their family was whole and healing. She could not ask for more right now.

Henry made a loud groan. “You guys are being gross in front of our entire family now!”

“Don’t worry. The food makes up for the heart eyes,” Ruby said.

“So, what you’re saying is you don’t realize all of you couples are gross?” Lily remarked, twirling her finger around.

“I work hard to be gross, so there.” Emma gave Regina a high five. It was like they planned it, as they did not even have to look at each other for it happen. It was in this moment Regina realized she had been trained, just as she trained Emma. There were moments when Emma could drag her into nonsense and she did not even think about it.

“I have to agree you’re gross. I mean, grosser than these two.” Ruby motioned to Snow and David.

“But, your True Love’s kiss didn’t work,” Henry blurted out.

“Duh. True Love’s kiss isn’t going to break demon level magic,” Tinker Bell said, as if that was common knowledge.

“Why do you know that?” Regina asked.

“Because all fae know to stay out of the path of demons, angels, gods, and demigods. You think Blue just avoided your mother for the hell of it?” Tinker Bell asked.

“And yet you bothered with me,” Regina pointed out.

“Wait, what? What news is this?” Kathryn inquired.

Tinker Bell shook her head. “I don’t know the facts. I just know Cora fell into one of those categories and the Blue Fairy didn’t want any part of her or Regina. I didn’t think it was fair with Regina, but we all know how that went.”

Henry looked at his mother. “Are you a demon, angel, god, or demigod?”

“None of the above, sir,” Regina answered. It was not a lie. Later, when they did not have so much company, she would break down how she was part-demon.

“Emma, have you decided when you’re going to come back to work?” Mulan asked.

Emma sighed and played with Nathan’s fingers for a second. He blew a raspberry at her and she smiled, even though she was covered in spit. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to stay away too long. I need to get back to normal.”

“Take all the time you need,” David said.

“That’s just it, I don’t think I need time. I want to go back tomorrow if I can, but I just want a little more time with my family,” Emma replied. She mussed Henry’s hair, earning a dissatisfied grunt from him. He stuck his tongue out at her.

“We’re here, Emma. We’re not going anywhere,” Regina assured her partner.

“Nah, you’re stuck with me anyway. You married me, right?” Emma grinned.

“I knew it!” Ruby jumped up, dropping quite a bit of fruit salad. She ate a surprising amount of fruits and vegetables for a wolf.

“When did you get married?” Snow shrieked. Thankfully, Neal was wandering the room, stealing fruit from people, and not in Snow’s arms or she would have made him deaf from how loud she yelled.

“When they were in Vegas, of course,” Granny pointed out the obvious.

“Oh, right. We weren’t telling people yet,” Emma said, putting her head down.

“It’s fine.” Regina rubbed Emma’s thigh. “Yes, we’re married and, yes, it happened in Vegas.” It was quite embarrassing, especially since at the time, she swore they would not do it.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” David asked.

Emma blew out her cheeks. “It was kinda impulsive. We went by a bunch of wedding chapels and we joked around about getting married and then next thing you know we were married. We didn’t want to say anything because we wanted to see if it was going to change how we behaved at first. I don’t think it did, but then we had this crap.”

“We also decided if it fit us, we’d have a proper wedding next year on our anniversary, so everyone could attend,” Regina added.

“Aw!” Way too many people cooed.

There were questions about their rings, which they did not have. They had not bothered to buy any because they had not wanted anyone to know. Then, too many of them offered suggestions on what type of rings they should get. They humored the suggestions, but Regina knew she would not go along with any of them. She needed a ring that spoke to her and said Emma. And, considering Emma’s lifestyle, that ring might end up a bracelet or put on a necklace. It had to be something that could not snag, as Emma would be the person to lose a finger that way.

Then, there were talks about where and how they should have a proper wedding. Emma and Regina let them run with ideas. Henry chimed in occasionally, like he wanted everyone to know he was invested in the idea of his mothers having a proper wedding. Emma gave Regina a smile, like she needed Regina to know she was also invested in the notion of a proper wedding. Regina patted Emma’s knee. Some day.

“Just know we’re not having the reception at Granny’s,” Regina announced. “No offense.”

“Oh, I’m taking offense. What’s wrong with my diner?” Granny had the nerve to ask.

“It’s a diner,” Regina replied bluntly.

“Granny, come on. Even I wouldn’t have my reception there,” Ruby said.

“Oh, was that something?” Dorothy asked with a teasing smile.

“No. If I was going to propose to you, it’d be a lot more romantic than that. It definitely wouldn’t be a Vegas wedding either.” Ruby threw Emma a wink. Emma laughed, but Regina was close enough to hear the hollowness of it.

At the end of the day, the Swan-Mills family was left alone and had family time. They watched a movie and played a game. Emma never let go of Nathan. When it was time for Nathan to go to bed, Emma was the one who took care of it, leaving Henry and Regina alone for the first time that day.

“Is Ma gonna be okay?” Henry asked.

“She will. It’s just a lot. Faust made her feel actual hatred toward your brother and then he dangled something in front of her that I know she wanted badly and she’s ashamed that she wanted it, even though she wanted it for the right reasons,” Regina answered.

His face scrunched up. “What?”

“He tried to make her a deal for her to be related to Nathan. That’s why she was gone for a day before we saw her with Hook. He was trying to get her to deal.”

“She didn’t, right?”

Regina shook her head. “No, your mother isn’t so stupid. Hook is, though, and now he’s without a heart. He would’ve been ingredients in a spell if my plan didn’t work.”

“He deserves it. Who takes a mother from her family like that and then pretends it’s okay? Who forces a mother to hate her son?”

Regina did not have the answers there. Even at her worst, she had never done that. She could not say she would not have done that if presented the chance. She never needed to.

“Henry, we’re not going anywhere. Do you honestly think I would marry someone who I feared would leave us?” Regina asked. They all knew she did not take marriage lightly.

Henry shook his head. “No, and Ma wouldn’t have married you if there was a chance she was gonna leave. I didn’t think you were gonna tell them you got married.”

“I think Emma needed to say it and needed people to know. It’s fine.”

“Has it changed your relationship?”

Regina nodded. “I think it has. It might not be noticeable from the outside, but definitely on the inside. We’re connected deeply. This whole family is.”

Henry smiled and then Emma was back, sitting between them. “The mini-me is down for the count. What are we going to do now?”

There was another movie and game before Henry went off to bed. Then, Emma and Regina cuddled on the couch. All was quiet and well for a long moment.

“I’m sorry we got married in Vegas,” Emma said.

“I’m not,” Regina replied. She moved to straddle Emma’s lap. She put her hands on Emma’s cheeks, cupping her face. “I’m very happy to be your wife. It doesn’t matter to me where we got married.” She thought it would matter, but when they got married in Las Vegas, she was fine with it. It felt right to be married to Emma, location did not matter.

“You deserve better.”

Regina laughed. “If anything, you deserve better. And when the time comes, I will treat you to the lush, lavish wedding you probably stopped dreaming about as a small child. The location doesn’t matter to me. We’re married, Emma. I married you.”

Emma blew out a breath. She knew what a big deal that was to Regina because she knew Regina’s stance on marriage. The stance had once upon a time been: Never, ever again. Emma changed a lot of things for her. Having the choice and being bonded with someone who she cared so deeply for changed everything. When they got married, everything felt right. It was not a prison sentence, but a promise of happiness.

Emma smiled and then she dropped a bomb. “I want to adopt.”

Regina blinked. “Excuse me?” Emma had been full of surprises and this was definitely one of them, even though she suspected it. She just did not suspect it to come out now.

“I want to adopt a kid.”

“To prove you can love a child not blood related to you?” Regina did not think that was a very good reason to adopt a child, especially when they still had a whole baby to raise. She needed Emma to say the reasons aloud, so Emma knew that was not why she wanted to do this.

Emma shrugged. “That’s part of it, but I’ve thought about for a while.”

“How long is a while?”

Emma shook her head. This was probably a thought from before they even got together. Still, she needed Emma to dig deep on this, give her good reasons for it.

“Okay. So, you want to adopt,” Regina said.

“Henry’s gonna be gone soon and Nathan will be like an only child. I don’t want him to be lonely.”

“Is that all?” Regina knew that was not it, as that was not a very good reason either. A child was not a pet. And, again, Emma probably thought about this long before Nathan was in the picture.

“Of course not.” Emma threw her shoulder back and sat up a little straight. “I mean, there’s a kid out there, Regina, who thinks their parents didn’t love them and they’re not lovable and that’s why they don’t have parents.” That was how Emma felt as a child. “There’s a kid out there who got the shit end of the stick with parents, like Nathan with his bio dad. We could be that kid’s parents and we could love them the right way and they could have a family and we could be a family.” Emma’s eyes were alight and Regina smiled.

Those were the right reasons to adopt and those were the reasons she knew Emma would want to adopt eventually. She hoped Emma also understood underneath that was the reason she wanted to be related to Nathan. It was not to love him properly, but because he got short-changed when it came to a loving father. But, Nathan was lucky because of his sperm-donor. He had Emma. They all had Emma.

“Let’s put a pin in this. I have no problem with having more children. I like the idea of Nathan having company, as I grew up an only child and it was a lonely existence, but it was partially because my mother. I would delight in being a family for a child who needs one. We both need to go back to work and have life regain some normalcy before we introduce another child to the mix, though.”

Emma sighed. “You’re right.” Her shoulders slumped.

Regina ran her fingers through Emma’s hair, combing back golden tresses. “Emma, I’m not saying no. I would very much like to raise children with you beyond Henry and Nathan. I think we would be great parents for a child like you described. I just think this is too fresh right now.”

“You’re right, but I’m gonna bring it up again.”

“I look forward to discussing it when you do.” She was certain this was a dream Emma harbored for a while and she had no problems with making it happen. She just needed to make sure Emma was all right and in the right headspace before they went ahead with this.

-8-8-8-8-

The topic of adoption came up many times over the next few months as things slowly but surely got back to normal… normal by Storybrooke standards and normal for their family. Sometimes, they included Henry in the discussion and sometimes they did not. Regina asked the opinion of her friends. They supported the idea, especially Kathryn and Maleficent. They thought Regina found the life she was supposed to have before Fate stepped in.

To Regina’s understanding, Emma also talked to all of her friends and family. Her parents supported the idea. In fact, Snow acted like it was the most brilliant idea she had ever heard. No one called her on it, but Regina was certain Snow’s behavior had to do with her thinking Emma voluntarily got back with Hook. David, the eternal cosigner to Snow’s nonsense, looked at her long and hard whenever the topic came up, but he eventually agreed with her as always.

In the end, Destiny seemed to make the decision for them. Emma was called out to the park and found a baby abandoned in the brush. This was a common practice in the Old World, but not so much in Storybrooke. Still, every now and then, someone seemed to forget it was illegal to dump a baby in the woods. Regina would never forget how she was at her desk and Emma called her.

“Oh, my god, Regina! There was a baby in the woods and I found her and she’s so tiny and cold and she’s in the hospital and she might die!” Emma’s voice was panicked, no breaths in between her words, and she could hear Emma pacing.

“Wait, slow down, Emma. What happened?” Regina was already up from her desk. She grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer.

“Baby in the woods! Just abandoned in the woods! She was so cold and small and I almost didn’t find her, but I found her and she’s in the hospital and she’s so tiny!” Emma said.

“Okay. What hospital?” Regina asked.

When Emma gave her the information, Regina breathed a sigh of relief it was not Storybrooke General. If she never saw Whale again, it would be too soon. Instead, she went to Storybrooke Medical Center, which was the superior hospital anyway. There she found Emma cradling a tiny bundle to her chest as doctors examined her.

“Emma, sweetheart, you need to let go of the baby for them to help her,” Regina said. Emma looked up at her with stricken eyes. “Sweetheart, you have to let her go for them to help her.” She put her hand on Emma’s shoulder and stared into her eyes.

Emma finally released the child into the care of the doctors, but they stayed there the whole time for the little girl until the doctors told them she would be fine. In the end, she did not have anywhere to go, though. They did not know who her parents were and Emma fought Child Protective Services on the baby’s care after it came out she was a special needs’ child. The baby was deaf, or at least very hard of hearing.

“They said she probably won’t get placed with a family and no one is coming forth to claim her,” Emma reported at dinner. The baby was curled into her chest. Nathan hobbled over, on chubby fourteen-month-old legs, curious about their new guest.

Regina picked him up, so he could see the baby. “You see her? Your mama saved her life.”

“Mama!” Nathan reached out for Emma. Emma teased him, bopping him on the nose with her index finger. He giggled and wiggled his nose, only to get bopped a second time.

“What’s her name? Do we know anything about her?” Henry asked, bouncing in his seat. The storyteller in him was probably going mad with questions.

“I know she needs us,” Emma stated. “We don’t know anything about her except she’s all alone and she needs people on her side.”

“No one better than us,” Henry declared with a nod.

Later that night, Henry was found reading Avengers comics to the baby, even though he knew she was deaf. They noticed early on she would cuddle into a person’s chest if they were holding her while they spoke. So, he did that while Nathan sat next to him and listened to the story. Regina’s heart melted at the sight and she knew. This was their family.

Emma brought home the adoption paperwork the next day. They named the baby Odette, because she was wealthy in family and love. Though they could never prove it, their family doctor put Odette at six months based on height and weight. Regina did a spell that backed that up, but neither were concrete and she was so small it was hard to tell.

Odette was tiny and blonde. She cried with all her heart, but only when she was hungry or needed changing. Emma wondered who would discard such a cute kid. Regina loathed to tell Emma.

“It’s probably because she’s deaf,” Regina said, their first night with Odette as their daughter officially. They had taken care of her since she was released from the hospital after Emma found her in the park. That had been months ago.

Emma frowned and tickled Odette’s neck. She giggled and tried to wiggle free. It was impossible since she was strapped into her highchair. It was Nathan’s highchair not too long ago, but they were trying to get him used to sitting in a chair now. He did not seem happy with the transition, but that was just part of growing up.

“Why would someone throw away a kid for being deaf? Not to mention, she could’ve died out there,” Emma replied.

“Just shadows of the Old World. Deaf children, well, deaf people in general weren’t treated well. Nor were the blind or handicap. But, the Old World was rough and people did many loathsome things to survive,” Regina said.

“How is leaving a baby to die helping them survive?”

“One less mouth to fed.”

“Fuck.” Emma hugged Odette close, even with the chair in the way. “Never here, princess. Never here.” And just like that, their family was complete.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the end.

Chapter Text

17: The Avengers

Henry could not have asked for a cooler birthday gift. He had been to New York Comic Con last year with his ma, but that was for a day. Well, they had a pass for a day and were in New York for the weekend last year. This year he got the whole family to go and it was for the whole convention. Sure, his mom was only there for a day, but it was still something. Better still, he got them all to cosplay. Ruby would owe him a lot of money when they got back to Storybrooke. That’ll teach her to bet me when I already know Mom is making the costumes. Not that he let Ruby know that he knew that.

“Ma! I’m gonna go check out that stand over there!” Henry pointed to a t-shirt booth. He wanted to make sure he got everyone a cool shirt as a souvenir. Everything was expensive, but his mothers were indulging him for his birthday and he felt like everyone should share in the joy.

“Okay. Me and your mom will be right here with your brother and sister,” Emma replied, pointing behind her as best she could with Nathan in her arms. She had to be careful not to hit him with her Captain America shield.

Regina was already sitting against a wall with Odette strapped to her chest in a baby carrier. Henry could hardly contain himself, especially whenever he looked at Regina and the way she adapted the baby carrier into her costume. This whole thing was too much for words. His mom was here, at Comic Con, with the babies and being totally cool about everything while they were all in cosplay.

For a moment, Henry wondered if his mom was hot in her costume with Odette pressed against her. She had on a leather vest and gloves. Yes, the gloves were fingerless, but there was also a utility belt, which funny enough held baby supplies for Odette and Nathan. She even had the Winter Soldier mask, even though she could not wear it as Nathan and Odette cried when they saw it. But, his best thought of the day, he felt, was how well the baby carrier blended in with the Winter Soldier vest.

Regina looked like she was about to say something to Henry, but Odette swung her might hammer and Regina had to dodge getting hit with a soft toy Mjolnir, which doubled as a rattle that Odette could probably feel when she shook it. Emma chuckled and teased Odette by putting her Thor helmet on her. Odette, like most babies, did not like having something on her head, so she threw it off. Or, she could be like Emma, who refused to wear her helmet, too.

“No, Odie!” Nathan shook his little green finger at Odette, scolding her to hilarious effect.

“Get going, Henry,” Emma said, waving him away. She then let loose a long breath and put Nathan down, letting him the two feet to Regina. Emma had been reluctant to put him down most of the day, thinking he would get lost in the massive crowd, even though she complained about how heavy he was. It probably did not help that she carried the baby bag, typically tucked into her shield or on her back.

Henry trotted off, careful not to slip in his good shoes, while his mothers sat down. That was how a lot of the day went. He liked it because his mothers showed trust in him while also enjoying Comic Con with him. He grabbed a couple Fables shirts and comics, thinking his grams and Ruby would enjoy them. By the time he returned to his mothers, there was a guy talking to them, giving them what he felt like was a weird smile.

“What’s going on?” Henry asked, not too sure why a guy who was clearly in his twenties and dressed like a character from Attack on Titan (he was aware of anime, but did not watch, so he had no idea who the character was) was by his family.

“This kid thought it was cool we were dressed as the Avengers,” Emma replied.

“I told him it was your idea,” Regina added.

The guy turned to him and offered his a kind grin. “You must be Henry. I’m Antoine Triplett. Most people call me Trip.” He held out his hand for Henry to shake. “Your mothers were telling me how this was all your idea. I think it’s amazing.” His smile reached his eyes, so they were warm and friendly.

“Thanks,” Henry said. He had talked his mothers into cosplaying with him and, of course, they went all out. They were Avengers because the more he thought about it, the more he felt it suited them. There were some tweaks, but it worked. 

Henry was Tony Stark, wearing his best suit, but also an Iron Man chest plate his mom made him for the occasion. Emma was dressed as Captain America with Regina playing the Winter Soldier opposite of her. Nathan was the Hulk and Odette was Thor. Henry had played with the idea of being Black Widow since almost everyone else was gender-bent, but he did not like the idea of wearing a wig the whole day. He felt he made the right decision, considering Emma’s stance on her helmet, Odette’s stance on her helmet, and for the few seconds his mom got to put on her mask, she complained about how hot her face was.

“I write a blog about cosplay and I was hoping you guys would let me write about you. There’s so much awesomeness going on right now. First off, a family of cosplayers and everyone looks good, like on a professional level.” Trip chuckled and focused on Nathan for a moment. “I’m definitely scared of baby Hulk. The fact that you’ve got two moms and you guys are obviously a regular family is always a plus to knock it to idiots who think it’s not normal. And last but not least, I very much like the statement you’re making with your moms as Cap and Bucky.”

Henry chuckled. “You’d never guess it also fits their personalities, along with their looks. I actually think my ma ships it.”

Emma shrugged. “I’m not saying they’re a couple, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they kissed or did even more in the realm of their PG-13 reality.” She was not a fun person to watch Captain America: Civil War with as it was nothing but theories and evidence of Captain America being in love with Bucky. Personally, Henry preferred Cap with Agent Carter, mostly because he loved Agent Carter having no powers, but still being incredible and a badass. And, the funniest thing out of all of it, his mom hated any romance story that showed up in a Marvel movie. She was banned from watching Avengers 2 with them because she ranted and raved over the Hulk and Black Widow storyline and how it added nothing to movie, making it pointless.

“So, I was hoping I could just talk to you guys for my blog. I’m not sure how comfortable you’d be with pictures,” Trip said.

“Not very,” Regina replied.

“Mom doesn’t want any of us on the internet,” Henry said. He could not even put pictures on social media without her approval. He was certain it was just his mom being overprotective and not wanting any of her children on the internet before they were old enough to make that decision on their own. She certainly did not have a problem with photographic evidence that she was Bucky, as she had taken dozens of pictures with Emma in the hotel room. Not to mention, dozens more with the children, and as a whole family.

“Okay, just a little chat then. How did you all get these costumes?” Trip asked, giving them another once-over. 

“Mom made them.” Henry motioned to Regina.

“Mom!” Nathan waved at Regina, who smiled and waved back.

“Give Mom kisses,” Emma whispered to Nathan, who almost leaped out of Emma’s grip to make it happen. He placed sloppy kisses to Regina’s cheek and then to the top of Odette’s head. Odette let out a deep giggle that made everyone smile.

“Henry, since you’re behind the costumes, deciding who would be who, care to explain the thinking behind it. I find it a little funny that the toddlers are the Hulk and Thor,” Trip said.

Henry nodded. “Thought went into everyone’s costume to fit them to the popular Avenger they are dressed as. Odie is blond and powerful when it comes to getting her point across.”

“Don’t call her Odie,” Regina said.

Henry grinned. It drove his mom crazy whenever one of them called Odette “Odie.” She let it go a little now. Emma liked to say they wore her down, but it really came from Nathan being able to say Odie, even though they were certain he was trying to say Odette.

“I’m not sure which I’m more impressed with, Regina, your work with leather or your work with the metallic look of Henry’s chest plate or your arm,” Trip said.

“The leather is easier than the metallic look, but he had to tell me months in advance who he wanted us to be for everything to be finished on time and look as close to the movies as I could get them,” Regina replied.

“Right, back to the question, Henry. How did you decide on everyone?” Trip asked.

“Nathan is smart and you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry. He can wail with the best of them and sometimes he flips over stuff. Ma has turned into a very Captain America-like sheriff in our small town. She’s just virtuous and righteous and ready to be a hero all the time. She’s all about justice and doing the right thing, even though she doesn’t have a problem with swearing. Mom is someone who went from hero to villain to hero again.” Henry paused, stopping himself from going into the fact his mom was also tortured by past deeds just like Bucky. “And I’m Tony Stark because I’m the one who brought the team together.”

His mothers laughed, but he felt like it was true. Trip asked a bit about their outfits and how Regina managed to make everything so well. She put in the time and work without using magic and explained it all in detail to Trip, who never stopped looking intrigued as he took notes. Henry never appreciated the little mom things his mom did until he saw his Iron Man chest plate. The woman was a domestic goddess, which he heard Emma say, but she was always talking about food.

Trip also took a moment to feel Emma’s shield, surprised by how light it was, even though it seemed like an exact replica of Captain America’s shield. He held their helmets and Regina’s mask, marveling over them and the detail. He even touched the tattered clothes Nathan had on to mimic what the Hulk did to his outfit when he turned into the Hulk. He laughed over the shades to dark green on Nathan’s green unitard to make it seem like he had muscles. Henry laughed when he first saw it, too, so he could understand the reaction.

“Come on, we gotta go see the comics before my panel starts,” Henry said. “Nice to meet you, Trip.”

“Can I get his blog information first? I mean, I might like to see us in writing,” Emma remarked.

Henry pretended to pout, but his ma quickly got what she wanted and they were off. One thing he loved about Comic Con was all of the different booths with comic books. He tried to talk his mom into getting him his own credit card after grabbing well over two hundred dollars worth of graphic novels at the Midtown Comics spread. It did not work out well on the credit front, but he got all of his comics.

“This is the best birthday gift ever,” Henry grinned, bouncing on his heels. He felt unable to contain himself.

“Good.” Emma took him into a one-armed hug. He turned the tables on her, grabbing her up and trying to hurry her. The panel he wanted to see started soon. 

“Can you slow down? Some of us have passengers.” Regina motioned to Odette, who gawked at everyone passing them by. Of course, Emma had a passenger, too, holding Nathan in her arms.

“Sorry, Mom. But, come on! I know Odie will like this one, too!” Henry turned around to walk by her side. She shook her head while Emma fell into line with them. It did not stop Henry from rushing them to get to his panel.

-8-8-8-8-

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us for day two of Comic Con?” Emma asked as Regina readied their babies for the brisk New York autumn.

“No, I want to see the other sights. I want to experience the city,” Regina replied. It was nice to share a day of Comic Con with Henry, knowing how much he loved it, but she refused to do all four days. There was too much to see in the city and they did not have nearly enough time to see it all.

“I’m sorry our first family trip to New York is like this. There’s not enough time for everything I’d like to do with you,” Emma said.

They were in New York for a five day week, having arrived Wednesday evening. Henry had school and they already let him miss these days for Comic Con. They would leave late Sunday night and Henry promised he would be up for school on Monday.

“There’s always next break. You owe me a Broadway show for this,” Regina reminded her wife. She agreed to Comic Con in exchange for a Broadway show sometime in the future. She was not sure what she wanted to see, but no Disney and no Wicked.

Emma smiled. “I would give you anything.”

“Yes, but we’re not here for me. We’re here for Henry, so go play with him or whatever you two do at Comic Con when we’re around. Nathan and Odette have a date with the MoMA. Meet up at dinner?” Regina asked.

“Of course.” Emma moved over to the bed to pick up both babies now that they were dressed. Henry was out and about, exploring the hotel room and probably getting compliments about his Iron Man suit. “Look at my little goobers! Mama wants to hang out with you, even if you are spending the day in an art museum. You’re going to be so much more cultured than I am when you’re both five or something.” She kissed both of their cheeks, earning giggles from the pair.

Regina felt like even though the thing with Faust was over nine months ago, Emma still had doubts in herself. There were days when she had to hold Nathan and Odette, she had to do things with them, and no one could come between them, not even Regina. She had to prove to herself she loved them the same as Henry. Regina continued to give her time. Things were good between them and these moments of doubt Emma had lessened as time went on. Regina believed eventually Emma would be fine.

“You gonna be okay with these two?” Emma asked.

“Yes, I’m fine with them. Nathan is better behaved than you are,” Regina replied.

“Good!” Nathan declared and puffed out his chest, showing off his dinosaur shirt as Emma was still very insistent on him being a dinosaur kid. He was slowly, but surely talking. Emma worried because his vocabulary was so limited and he mostly parrotted words they said, but Regina assured her it was fine. Henry did not start putting together small, choppy sentences until he was two.

“You jay-walk one time across Park Ave and now all of a sudden you’re reckless.” Emma waved her arms around. “It’s New York, babe. Everybody jay-walks.”

“Not across Park Avenue, Emma.” Leave it to Emma to pick a busy street with multiple intersections to almost die in while they were on vacation.

Emma grinned and gave her a kiss. This was their happy family out on vacation. Even though they probably would not be able to do what Regina wanted to do together, she was still quite happy with this. She wanted more time like this, where they went on trips as a family and did things they all liked. She could not wait for Nathan and Odette to get older, develop their personalities and tastes, so they could do things the babies liked. It would be nothing short of amazing.

-8-8-8-8-

The Swan-Mills family returned home. Henry made it to school while his mothers made it to work. Regina was full time mayor again, but she was not working the same hours. Kathryn remained deputy mayor and helped out. Emma was still doing her thing as full time sheriff. She seemed to enjoy her work more now since Hook tried to take it away from her.

Hook had been tried not too long ago. Twelve citizens of Storybrooke found him guilty of magical kidnapping, false imprisonment, and a slew of other charges. He was the sole inmate of a new prison erected in case other people had criminal inclinations. He would be there for a good long time and should he ever escape, Emma had his heart and could call him right back. There were a few correction officers hired for the new prison, but Regina left that to Kathryn, who got input from Emma. The correction officers had orders to give Hook the bare minimum of everything. They did not question those orders.

Several people noticed Hook experienced fits throughout the day, which Regina smiled about whenever she heard. Doctors all thought he was healthy for someone with his lifestyle and could not figure out what was wrong with him. They thought he might be having seizures, even though he did not have a history of it until now. The fits seemed to get worse and worse with each passing day. Regina hoped it lasted a few good years. She had already bought the perfect bottle of wine to open for when Hook finally did them all a favor and died.

The town was back to normal for the most part. They had even forgotten about Robin trying to prove Nathan was not his. Even though the DNA pointed to Robin, everyone still considered Nathan to be Emma’s son, which he proved more and more each day. Robin still did not know how to act, but most people ignored him. If he tried to step out of line, the nearest townie let him know what it was. It helped that everyone knew Emma and Regina were married… because Snow could not keep a secret ever in the history of the world, several worlds actually. It was all right, as they had a proper wedding planned soon enough.

At home, Regina and Emma worked on family things. They helped Henry with his homework. They roared whenever Nathan took steps, even though he had been walking since he was ten months. They discovered what solid foods Odette would and would not eat. They worried over what they would do with Odette’s deafness. Regina already watched videos to learn sign language, ordered books, and found several out of town specialists to help Odette learn to communicate. Their daughter would not be left behind in a town where some people might hold onto outdated notions of deaf people being useless.

“You know, I never thought my life would be like this,” Emma said. The kids were asleep, so it was what Henry jokingly referred to as “Mom time.” All they did was snuggle on the couch, let the TV watch them, and talk.

“That makes two of us, but I had dreams like this.”

“With Daniel.”

Regina had her arm wrapped around Emma’s and moved to link their hands. “Well, yes, but with you once I accepted my feelings for you. When I was younger, having a family was all I wanted.”

Emma kissed the top of her head. “Me too, so thanks for giving me this. But, you know, you gave me more than just a good family. I’ve got a good life, one that fits me. I’ve finally come into my job and it’s a career more than a job. We’ve got three amazing kids. This beautiful house. I’ve got a wife who’s going to make me fat eventually.” Her eyes strayed to the empty plate that once held two slices of pecan pie. Emma ate one and a half of those slices.

“I won’t let you get fat. The second I think you’re in danger of not being able to run down a bad guy, I’m switching us to vegans.”

Emma gave a fake gasp. “Dear God, woman, you really are evil. What in the world would I do without your sliders or those damn macaroni and cheese balls?”

Regina laughed. “I’ve got to do something to keep the romance alive here. We don’t want to end up in… what was that thing you called it?” She rubbed Emma’s stomach, as if that would help her remember.

“Lesbian deathbed. I get the feeling we’re not going to have that problem because you are damn sexy.” Emma pulled Regina practically on top of her and kissed her long and hard. Her hand went to Regina’s breast, as they had become very good friends since Regina was no longer sore.

Regina put her hand on Emma’s cheek. “I think that’s you.”

Emma smiled. “I love you.” She gave Regina’s breast a squeeze.

“Was that to me or my nipple?” Regina asked as the aforementioned body part was pinched.

Emma slid her hand under Regina’s shirt. “Can’t it be both?” Her fingertips gently caressed the plump flesh she adored. She leaned in, kissing Regina’s neglected breast. 

“You can love my breasts in the privacy of our bedroom, but not so much on the couch when Henry could wander down at any moment.” Regina leaned back a little, so Emma’s mouth lost contact.

Emma pouted. “Well, that sucks and then we have two babies, so there’s always going to be someone who might wander down. I’m never gonna get to do you on the couch, huh?”

Regina arched an eyebrow. “These are your goals in life? ‘Doing’ me on the couch?”

Emma smiled at her. “I love you and I say these things because I love you and I want to be with you and I love this family and everything.” And just like that she was out of trouble.

“I know you do.” Regina kissed the end of Emma’s nose. “I love you, too. I wouldn’t have this without you, sweetheart.”

“I wouldn’t have this without you. This is why we make such good partners. We’re pretty good halves, but then you put us together to make a whole, we’re fucking awesome.” Emma hugged her close and kissed her several times.

Regina sighed and settled against Emma, one hand on her neck and the other on her thigh. Emma’s hand was still in her shirt, casually flicking her nipple. She did not say anything, as Emma liked to revel in being able to touch her breasts without causing her pain now. “Crude but accurate, which I’ve come to expect from you. I love this life with you, Emma. I would do everything within my power to keep us together.”

“I know. I would do the same. But, we’ve got to do a little better. We’ve got kids now. Two of who aren’t involved in the madness.” Emma meant it was time for them to stop jumping in front of bullets for each other.

“Until Nathan shows us he has magic.” Regina was very suspicious of their baby boy.

“I wouldn’t put it past him. I still have no idea how he got those cookies off the table.”

Nathan was full of surprises that Regina and Emma were not happy with and him walking did not help. He put everything in his mouth, always knew where they put food when they put it down, and always figured out how to get the food if it was left unattended for ten seconds or more. It was even worse with sugary snacks, as Regina did not want him to eat those things, yet somehow he ended up with Emma’s donuts and such if she did not shove them in her mouth immediately without ever putting them down. If they were lucky, Odette would not follow right behind her big brother.

“We have a wonderful thing, Emma. I thank you for this,” Regina said.

“I thank you for this and for believing in me and for believing I could be trusted with kids. We’re a family and it’s more than I could’ve ever imagined,” Emma said. “You, me, and our adorable children. Although if Henry keeps trying to grow in that mustache, we’re disowning him.” She snickered at her own remark.

Regina laughed. “I can agree to that.”

This was more than either of them could ask for. Sometimes, it was more than either of them felt they deserved, but it was theirs. And they loved it. So, they would keep on fighting for each other, fighting for this, and doing what they could. They would always be there for each other.

“Can we move this to the bedroom? We need to avoid that lesbian deathbed thing you were just talking about,” Emma said.

Regina nodded and Emma stood up, holding Regina up as she weighed nothing. She put her hands around Emma’s neck and held herself up on Emma using her thighs. Emma used her free hand to hold Regina around her ass, but her other hand never left Regina’s shirt. Regina could not wait for the worship she knew was coming when they hit the bedroom. This was quite possibly the best life ever, even with the stress and villains. 

-8-8-8-8-

Epilogue: The Ultimate Guide

Emma called Regina over, something about a blog. Regina had forgotten all about talking to the young man at Comic Con a couple of weeks ago. Henry rushed over to the couch, holding Odette. Nathan, not wanting to be left out, charged from the play area, tripping into Emma’s legs. Regina shook her head.

“There are so many injuries in this boy’s future,” Regina said as she grabbed him up. Now, they were all in front of Emma’s laptop, staring at the screen.

“Momma!” Nathan reached for Emma.

Regina gasped. “The ungratefulness.”

“Yeah, if he was really a mini-me, he’d never abandon you,” Emma said as she settled Nathan in her lap. They smiled at each other and Regina patted Emma’s thigh.

“You’re being gross again,” Henry grumbled.

Regina rolled her eyes and Emma gave her a kiss to further gross Henry out. He let out a dramatic groan and shielded Odette’s eyes. Odette was not a fan of being blinded and slapped Henry’s hand away. He quickly pulled away and kissed the top of her head.

“Let’s just read,” Regina said and they turned their attention to the screen again.

Day One of Comic Con gave me more to report on than I expected, but I want to open with one of the coolest, sweetest, and most all around adorable things I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. I ran into a normal, small-town American family and they were beyond special. Two married, professional parents with three cute kids, even though Henry probably won’t be happy I called him cute, as he was at least thirteen years old. It’s hard not think a kid is cute when he’s dressed as Tony Stark, though. And, this is where things get adorable.

Henry was at Comic Con for the whole event, as a birthday gift with his parents and siblings. They were all dressed as the Avengers, at Henry’s request and desire. Henry was Tony Stark with a brilliant suit with cool shades and one of the most realistic Iron Man chest plates I have ever seen. It was made by his mother, Regina, who he had dubbed the Winter Soldier for the day. The detail she put on her arm was so amazing, I asked to touch it because I thought it might be an actual vibranium arm. Alas, it was not. I still can’t believe she made it rather than bought it, but she could have a future in designing cosplay if she ever gives up what Henry described as “government job.” She had to modify her Bucky vest a little, as she had the tiniest, most darling Thor you could ever see attached to her chest.

Baby Odette, a precious seven month old, looked like she could take over being the Thunder God for a day. She even had a plushie Mjolnir with a rattle in it. Regina even made that. When I say the woman might be some kind of god of her own, I’m not exaggerating. Toddler Nathan was the Hulk, complete with green skin, although most of it was a green body stocking, but he had the perfect ripped shirt and pants to go with it. The detail to make it look like he had muscles was truly incredible, dark shades of green and padding in all the right places. I was convinced he could rip me in half if his mother ever put him down.

Last, but not least, Regina saved her best work for her wife, Emma. That’s right, her wife. Emma was Captain America and she looked like she could give the First Avenger a run for his money. She had the Cap costume from the Winter Soldier movie and she filled it out well. I don’t mean that in a sexist way, but her guns were on full display even with the costume. She probably could rip me in half, even with Hulk-Nathan in her arms.

She let me hold her shield, which looked real, but was light as hell. She had it attached to her arm because she was in charge of carrying the Hulk and a baby bag, which was tucked into the shield at the time. This was another thing that blew my mind with Regina’s designs. She added things in for their lifestyle with the kids. Regina had baby items in her Bucky belt and Emma’s shield had the baby bag, which could attach and detach from the shield. It’s really sad to me that Regina doesn’t design costumes for a living. I want one. I’m sure parents who want to cosplay with their kids would love it as much as this family.

The greatest thing about this is that Emma ships Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Henry didn’t say if this was part of his reasoning for dressing his mothers as the pair, but it is a pretty good match. They were a powerful, striking pair with their children. They were a family the Avengers might even envy.

The most disappointing thing about this was that I didn’t get a picture. And I know you guys like to say “pics or it didn’t happen,” so Emma or Regina, if you happen to read this, if you could find the kindness in your hearts to send me a picture with your faces blurred out since you don’t want your kids on the internet, I would greatly appreciate it.

“Regina, we gotta send him the pic on the fridge,” Emma insisted. 

“Yeah, it’s the best one of all of us. I can blur out our faces and we can email him,” Henry said with a grin. 

“It’s because your mom isn’t doing a duck face in that one,” Emma said, winking at Regina.

Regina frowned. “I do not do duck faces all the time.”

Emma laughed. “Yeah, only in pictures when it’s me and you or when you’re doing a selfie. You are the duck face Queen. It’s okay. I like ducks. I mean, my Duckling is awesome, especially in that picture.”

“Yeah, which is why we should send it,” Henry said.

“Yeah!” Nathan chimed in, more than likely just echoing. Odette smiled, probably just taking in the rest of the family’s expressions.

Regina sighed. “Oh, all right.” Why not? Their family was damn cute, even in cosplay.

-8-8-8-8-

The end.

My only regret, I wish I had a picture of the Swan-Mills in cosplay to show you guys.

Thanks for reading. Please, let me know what you think of the story and of this particular version of the Swan-Mills family. Back to my padded cell with me. Thanks again.