Chapter Text
3: Watch Out For Each Other
Emma wanted to thank Regina for taking care of Henry. Well, more than keeping Henry, but making sure he was distracted in the best of ways to the point he talked about his day with Regina more than he would have talked about his weekend with his father. The problem was that she was not sure what a good thank-you gift would be.
She had to run this by her think-tank: her two best friends. She met up with Ruby and Mary Margaret at lunch at Granny’s Diner, which was also Ruby’s work. She took her lunch when Emma and Mary Margaret came in, though.
“All right, ladies, I have a problem,” Emma said as soon as they settled into a booth. She was on one side, and they were opposite her.
Ruby laughed. “You got way more than one.” That was low-hanging fruit as far as a joke went, but Emma snickered anyway.
“Yeah, one of them is sitting right in front of me.” Emma stared Ruby down.
“I’m just here to keep things interesting.” Ruby winked at her.
Emma snorted. “My life has always been interesting, way before you showed up.” She preferred the type of interesting Ruby brought into her life compared to her earlier life.
“Anyway, what’s your issue?” Mary Margaret asked, knowing this could go on forever if she allowed it.
Emma folded her hands in front of her and leaned forward. “So, I told you both I have a new neighbor.”
“Hot neighbor you sometimes help out,” Ruby commented with a lewd grin.
Mary Margaret glared at her. “Pregnant neighbor, she sometimes helps out.”
Ruby shrugged. “You say potato, I say tomato.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, anyway, she did me a huge favor on Friday. Apparently, Henry left his keys in his room that morning, which would’ve been fine since he was supposed to go with his father. Neal should’ve picked him up from the house the second he got home from school.”
Ruby raised her hand. “Lemme guess, no Neal.”
“Of course, no Neal.” It happened too often. Maybe even more often than not at this point. “Henry waited for who knows how long as he refuses to tell me, and I haven’t talked to Regina yet, but he sat on the porch, locked out and waiting. Regina pulls in and invites the kid into her house. We’ve interacted with her enough that he was comfortable with that. She kept him on the one night I decided to work overtime because I’m expecting the kid to be with his dad.”
“That was nice of her,” Mary Margaret said with a small, sincere smile.
“Very damn nice, but it gets better. While he’s waiting for his dad, she keeps her door open, so he can keep an eye on the front of the house in case his dad shows up, which he didn’t. They also put a note on my door for Neal, not that it mattered. In the meantime, Regina shows him how to make sugar cookies and teaches him how to make arroz con pollo. There might have been Spanish lessons involved,” Emma informed them.
Ruby’s mouth dropped open. “Wow. Can she be my neighbor?”
“I don’t think that’s how neighbors work since you live in the B&B, but okay,” Emma answered.
Ruby waved her off. “Stop trying to get in the way of my dreams. Was the arroz con pollo good?”
“How is that important?” Mary Margaret asked, giving Ruby a look. Ruby shrugged.
“It was very good, and they made enough for all of us. We sat down and actually had dinner together, dinner my kid helped make. Henry was so happy, and he talked my ear off for the rest of the night about it. How the hell do I thank this woman?” Emma was at a loss. She had never seen Henry so alight from spending the day with someone.
Mary Margaret winced. “I think she has you, Emma. There isn’t a big enough gift for it. You might have to get something generic and move on.”
Emma frowned. “I can’t do that. He was happy the whole weekend, guys. He didn’t mention his father once. Everything he’s said to me about another person has been about Regina since Friday.”
“Aw, does he have a crush?” Ruby asked with hearts in her eyes.
Emma shrugged. “Maybe a little.” It was funny, as Henry had never been enamored with an adult before outside of his preschool teacher, who he was certain invented the sun. Beyond that, adults were people to be respected, but he was rarely impressed with them throughout the course of everyday life.
“Good, he’s not alone. Your neighbor cooks, and you already described her as hot. I’m sold,” Ruby said.
“That’s all well and good, but how does that help me thank her properly. She not only cared for my son, taught him useful stuff, and made his day, but she turned what would’ve been an awful memory into something amazing. What do I do with that?” Emma looked back and forth between them. She needed them to give her something.
“I honestly don’t know,” Mary Margaret replied.
Emma shook her head. “I don’t believe that for one second. You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met. You have to have something I can do to show my appreciation to Regina. This was so huge.”
Emma did not have the words to describe how indebted she felt to Regina because of that one day. Thinking about it made her eyes burn with tears, and a hum blossomed in her soul. Regina probably did not even know the magic she worked, but it was incredible, and Emma refused to let that go by. Regina deserved a thanks for this.
“Well, you said she’s pregnant. Maybe you should get something for her baby. After all, you appreciated what she did for your child. I’m sure she’d appreciate the same from you,” Mary Margaret answered.
Emma’s face lit up. “You’re brilliant. I’m so happy I asked you.” She had no idea what to get, but this was a great start.
“If you’re going that route, think about something you needed when Henry was a baby and go from there,” Ruby added.
Emma nodded, as that would help narrow things down, except for the fact that Emma missed the first year of Henry’s life. She had to finish a prison sentence thanks to that asshole Neal, and her foster brother August was kind enough to look after Henry. He did not do the best job, but it was more than enough. It was better than her poor kid ending up in a system that failed both his parents and his uncle. Emma wanted so much better for Henry and liked to think she managed it.
I’ll give August a call and see what he had trouble with. He had been a godsend for the year he had Henry, even though Emma suspected he had a lot of help he never disclosed. August did not hang around the best of people, but he kept Henry alive and relatively healthy. She could not and would never have asked for more.
August was not much assistance as she dialed him up on her way back to work. He claimed he did not remember much of that time, which was BS. August might not be a great person, but he was a damn good uncle, and he liked Henry. No way he just wiped out the first year of Henry’s life from his mind.
“Why are you being difficult?” she asked.
“I’m not!” he answered, and she had no problem picturing that nervous smile he grew whenever he lied.
“I’m not trying to make fun of you or anything. I’m trying to figure out what a woman who’s about to have a newborn would need.”
He gasped. “Are you about to have a newborn?” He had the nerve to sound excited.
“Hell, no! Are you stupid?” She had no plans to have more children. Henry was more than enough, and he was great. No way she would get lucky enough to have another cool kid like him.
He laughed. “Damn, I guess so. But, seriously, I don’t remember what I needed for Henry besides sanity, diapers, and formula, in that order. I mean, obvious things like clothes and blankets, but nothing stands out. I wonder if I’m traumatized.” He said it like a joke, but probably yeah.
“Yeah, sorry about that. You did me a huge favor.”
“I should’ve been there to protect you, Em. I was supposed to be your brother, and I did what every asshole on Earth has ever done to you, so if anything, I’m flattered you trusted Henry with me. Watching him really was the least I could do. I wish I could help you here, but it’s such a blur. It was a lot. What’s going on?”
“I’m trying to buy a gift for a pregnant woman.”
“For like a baby shower?”
“Something like that.”
“They usually have registries for that, right?”
“Maybe. I’ll look. Thanks.”
“Anytime, Emma.” They disconnected the call.
At work, when Emma had time, she scrolled through baby sites to try to find a good gift. Henry had described Regina’s nursery. He was not very impressed, but he mentioned a bare bookshelf. She decided to purchase a gift in Henry’s name while continuing to search for something from her. There were plenty of options.
She nearly went with the idea of getting diapers, as those were always necessary, but did not seem like the best gift. Maybe a bouncer? Something to keep the baby occupied and in place while Regina moved around the house. What about just clothes? Baby clothes were always cute, fun, and appreciated. But even that idea seemed lame. She needed to do something hard-hitting.
“This is harder than I thought,” she sighed, burying her face in her hands. She would not give up. Regina deserved something grand.
-8-8-8-8-
Regina was in a mood, and had been all day. Rocinante kept his distance when she came through the door, which let her know her emotions radiated off her like scorching rays from the sun, and she wished she could burn people to a crisp if they ventured too close. People were so awful and stupid and loved nothing more than to broadcast those characteristics, especially in her area.
She practically tore out of her work clothes, feeling confined in the suit. It was ridiculous that she still wore a suit and heels while ready to drop a baby at any moment. It was ridiculous that this attire was expected of her, and it was ridiculous that she accepted this. The second she was in more comfortable clothes, she flopped down on the couch with no plans to get up until the universe learned how to behave.
Unfortunately, she still had things to handle, so she had to unpack her briefcase and open her laptop. All this did was remind her that people were stupid and awful. She had to make it through these documents, though.
Her doorbell rang, not helping at all. Her head throbbed down to her teeth as she clenched her jaw. Who the hell was that? Ripping herself off the sofa, she marched to the door and yanked it up as best she could while being careful of her pregnancy. She blinked to see Emma standing before her with a box tucked under one arm and a large bag in the other.
“Emma,” Regina breathed, her body sort of settled down, her mood on the back burner now.
“Hey, I come bearing gifts.” Emma did her best to hold up her bounty.
“Come in.” Regina unlocked the screen door and ushered Emma inside. “What’s all this?” she asked, eyes on the bags, and definitely not Emma’s ass. If she was eyeing Emma’s ass, it was the pregnancy hormones’ fault. Nothing to do with her.
“I wanted to get you something to thank you for what you did for the kid on Friday,” Emma replied.
“Oh, Emma, it was nothing. I enjoyed Henry’s company on Friday.”
“See, that’s the thing, it wasn’t nothing. It was huge. So huge, I don’t think I can actually pay you back or thank you, so I went with the next best thing and got your kid something. I mean, it might give you a bit of an idea of how I feel about you helping my kid,” Emma explained.
“Oh, so this is all stuff for the baby? All right. Please, come in and sit down for a second.” Regina motioned to the living room.
Emma did as suggested. She dragged her bounty to the living room and flopped onto the leather sofa before putting the bag down and setting the box on the floor. Regina rushed over, needing to move her work and other things. She closed her laptop as well as several folders, stacked the folders on the laptop, and put them on the kitchen counter. If only I could throw it all in the trash.
“Can I get you anything?” Regina asked.
“No, just sit down before you have that baby,” Emma replied with an easygoing grin.
Regina chuckled and did just that. As soon as she sat down, she winced. This baby moved so much now. It might be stress. She had to watch that.
“Now, I don’t know if you had a baby shower or have one planned, but I think this is something you’ll really want to have.” Emma tapped the top of the box.
“Something from experience, I assume?” Regina glanced over at the box. It appeared to be a bouncer. She had plans to buy many things for herself rather than having a baby shower since she spent her entire pregnancy in the middle of a divorce and did not have time to do things for much outside of work, and finding a new place to live. This was sweet, though.
“I definitely thought about things I needed with Henry when I got this stuff.” Emma leaned back against the couch cushions. “You don’t know how much you really helped that kid, which means you really helped me.”
“Emma, it’s not a big deal, I promise you. After all, thanks to both of you, I can keep my cat.” Regina glanced around for Rocinante, but he was still nowhere to be found. He better come out soon, or I’ll have to look for him. It would not help her mood. However, her mood had lightened considerably now that she thought about it.
“I don’t really get how much a cat could mean to someone. I’ve never had a pet, but you get how much a kid means to someone.” Emma motioned to her stomach.
Regina sighed, shaking her head. “I couldn’t believe his father didn’t show up.”
“Yeah, that’s Neal most of the time.” Emma’s shoulders dropped. “Henry still gets excited about him possibly popping up, though.”
“He had several good stories to share.” She knew all too well how easy it was to call up the good times, but underneath those, the terrible times scratched, clawed, and throbbed.
“Yeah, unfortunately, he’s got twice as many stories that end with him sitting on the porch, hugging his overnight bag to his chest and his douche-bag father not bothering to call to explain why he’s not showing up.”
“That must be quite disappointing.” Regina put her hand on her stomach. Was this the future for her own child? She suspected as much. After all, he had not asked about the baby or her pregnancy. Not to mention, she had accused her of trying to trap him when she told him she was pregnant. Never mind the fact that they were married, and she had already filed for divorce. It was that sort of idiocy that made her walk away. Well, that and the cheating.
“And heartbreaking. For both of us. As his mother, I want to spare Henry any pain I can, but I never want to keep him from possibly seeing his father. The thing is, his father is great at that on his own. I don’t know what Neal’s deal is, as he claims he loves Henry and wants the best for him. He’s got no problem sending money, no problem sending any amount of money I might need for the kid, but he’s no good at showing up, at being there.”
“That’s terrible.”
“And it’s really hurting Henry. He already has such a hard time at school.” Emma glanced at Regina, as if checking to make sure she was invested before continuing. “The kids think he’s weird. I call Henry my little old man. He’s got an old man’s brain.”
Regina laughed. “I’ve noticed that, but I quite enjoy it, which is why I keep telling you it wasn’t a problem to have him on Friday. We got along swimmingly, so I assume I’m an old woman.”
Emma chuckled. “I wouldn’t say all that.”
“I’m just letting you know that he was able to match my energy, so it wasn’t a great feat for me. It was nice.”
“Yeah, but I’m telling you all of this for you to understand why it was such a big thing. Henry didn’t have to wallow in disappointment for the umpteenth time thanks to you. When we got in, all he talked about was his day with you and all of this stuff you were going to do together. You gave him a great experience to replace the disappointment and hurt. I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Regina understood this much more than Emma would ever know. She could not help smiling to know she managed to give Henry such kindness. “It was my pleasure then.”
“Well, I still have gifts for you.”
“More than one?”
“Yes, Henry wanted to get you something, too. Don’t worry, it’s not a thank you. He just wanted to get the baby something. He’s also kinda excited about your baby now.”
Regina nodded. “I suppose since we’re planning to spend more time together, that makes sense.”
“You’re really going to teach him how to cook?”
“I love baking and cooking. He seemed quite interested, so I’ll do it. It’ll give me practice for this one.” Regina rubbed her stomach. She had some experience in cooking with a child, but Henry was closer and seemed more interested, so she could learn better what to do when her baby was old enough to join her in the kitchen. I can’t wait.
Emma laughed. “Oh, we’re gonna practice on my kid, huh?”
“He knew the job was dangerous when he took it.”
“He had no idea. I think he might actually have a little crush on you.”
Regina shook her head. “I don’t think that’s the case. He just needed someone to pay attention to him when his father wouldn’t. I know how that can be.”
Emma’s face scrunched up, and then she nodded toward Regina’s belly. “You mean for your kid?”
“No, for me.” Regina folded her arms in her lap. “My mother…” She took a deep breath, needing to fortify herself even now to admit the simplest thing about Cora Mills. “Isn’t the greatest parent on Earth.”
Emma hummed. “Mine left me on the side of the road as a newborn.”
Regina’s eyes went wide. “My god, Emma!” She was not accustomed to being one-upped at the horrible mother conversation.
Emma waved it off. “Yeah, I don’t sweat it anymore, but it makes me want to do right by my own kid. I never want Henry to hate having me for his mom.”
Regina patted Emma’s knee. “You’ve done quite a good job.”
“Doing my best.” Emma took Regina’s hand and squeezed it. Warmth filled Regina to the point that the terribleness of the day melted away, and only the promise of a better day shone through. “You’ll do great as well. You’re good with Henry.”
“I want to be good. My mother…” Regina shook her head. “I never want to be that woman.” She refused to be that woman. Well, you’ve already succeeded, considering she at least found a man who would take care of her and their child. You couldn’t work that magic.
“You won’t be. You’ll be extraordinary.” Emma took a deep breath. “Wanna open these gifts?” She held up the bag.
Regina smiled, appreciating the change from the heavy turn their conversation took. It also have her a chance to dismiss how Emma’s touch soothed her in ways she had not felt in a long time. “You don’t want to wait for Henry?”
“He’s working on a big project and hit what he called a ‘flow state,’ but he wanted you to get this stuff as soon as possible,” Emma said.
Regina had to smile again. “He’s quite thoughtful. I don’t think I want to open this without him, though.”
“Want me to go get him?”
“Please.”
“Be right back then.” Emma shot up. “Don’t get up. I can let myself out at this point.”
Regina did not get an opportunity to respond as Emma was out the door. This was time to compose herself and process what was happening. She could not believe Emma had gone out of her way to buy Regina’s unborn child gifts. This touched her, which made her understand what Emma was going through with Henry.
And her heart hurt for Henry, especially to know his father perpetrated that type of neglect often. Henry probably already knew he had a lifetime of disappointments ahead of him with his father, but he held onto the hope that things would change. If only she could tell him, he was right to hope, except he was not. He would do it anyway, just as she did it anyway. Her sister did the same. Hell, Emma might still do it, and her parents left her on the side of the road. Some people were not meant to have kids.
“And yet here I am.” Regina rubbed her stomach. She did not mean herself per se. She would do her best with this baby. She always wanted to be a mother, prove she was so much more than Cora could ever be, at least in this one area of life. But she had already failed. For all of Cora’s nonsense, she was still married to the father of at least one of her daughters, and he loved both daughters. Regina could not say the same for herself.
While her husband was not yet an ex, as he was dragging out the divorce as some sort of sick punishment and form of control, the relationship was done. She was not sure how he would receive their child. He had not expressed a desire for children, except mentioning every now and then wanting “an heir.” She had ignored that bit of weirdness, much like she had ignored a lot of things in the relationship, until it was impossible to ignore. It was divorce or homicide, and she doubted her firm would have kept her on if they had to defend her on murder charges. She liked to think she would have gotten off, though.
The door opened, taking Regina from her thoughts. Emma came back in with Henry in tow. Emma took her seat back on the sofa while Henry sat between them.
“Hey, Henry,” Regina said with a smile.
Henry grinned. “Hey. I told Ma you didn’t have to wait for me to do the gifts.”
“I wanted to, especially since one is from you. You should be here at my spontaneous baby shower,” Regina replied.
Henry did not get it, if the blank expression on his face meant anything. He turned and dug into the bag, pulling out a large, beige tote. A graphic she could not make out sat in the middle of the bulky bag. He held it up with a grin, and the graphic read in bold black “baby bag” with a picture of a pacifier. He stared at her, studying her.
“This is heavy. Are you allowed to hold it?” He glanced back, checking with his mother rather than Regina. She should have been offended, but he was a child, and his mother probably held the secrets of the galaxy as far as he was concerned. He was also aware that Regina was stubborn and would try to do something she was not allowed to do, but his mother would tell him the truth.
“It is pretty heavy,” Emma said and looked to Regina. “I think you should just pull the stuff out of the bag.”
Regina frowned. “You two are ridiculous.”
“We’re just trying to look out for you,” Henry said, and it was so damn cute.
A lump formed in Regina’s throat, and any building rage sizzled right out. So, Regina did as they requested. She went into the bag and managed to wrap her arms around a long, rectangular gift. She pulled out the present to find it was a box set of books. The words across the light blue collection read “Babies’ first animals.” A set of ten animal books.
Henry grinned. “I figured since you like animals, you’d want to read your baby books about animals. You can put them on your bookshelf.”
“Thank you, Henry.” Regina hugged the books to her chest as best she could. “This is so sweet. I can’t wait to read this to my little girl.”
His smile was enough to light up the world. “Okay, there’s another book in there.”
“Is there?” Regina put the collection to the side, right next to her, and dug into the bag again. Indeed, there was another book. It was big, thick, and wide, but not like a children’s book from the feel of it. She fished it out to discover it was a collection of fairy tales.
“I have the same one. I’m hoping we — me, you, and the baby — can read them together one day.” His eyes went to her belly. He wanted to read with her baby.
Regina swallowed hard, but could not hold back the sob that escaped her. Henry gasped, and panic rippled through his features as he put his hands up, as if to grab her. Emma slid to her side and took her hand.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to fall apart,” Regina said.
“It’s fine. I’m sure it’s hormones,” Emma replied.
Regina appreciated the out, but no, she was touched. Someone wanted to be there for her child before she was even born. Regina did not have that until college.
Regina took a deep breath. “Thank you.” She was barely able to get that out.
“You want the rest, or should we wait?” Emma asked.
Regina shook her head. “No, no, no. I’ll finish. There’s no more books, right?”
“No, this is it. Next is Ma’s gift.”
Emma popped up off the couch and went to her box. She held it up, revealing it to be a baby bouncer. Regina smiled.
“Thank you, Emma. That’s really thoughtful of you,” Regina said.
Emma grinned. “This came in real handy with Henry. It was the only way he’d fall asleep for about a year. It was tragic when he got too big for it. Poor thing broke underneath him one day.”
“Ma!” Henry’s face was bright red.
Emma chuckled. “I also got you a baby sling.” Emma fetched that out of the bag. “You love doing stuff for yourself, so you can keep your hands free while you’ve got the kid.” Emma pushed her shoulders back, pride all over her stance.
Regina took a deep breath and smiled at them. “Thank you both so much. This is more than I could have ever asked for.”
“We got you and the kid, Regina. Don’t worry,” Emma said. Regina believed her.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Zelena pops up and makes things awkward.