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Emma Swan was filing paperwork at the police station while enjoying her favorite food, bear claws from granny’s diner. When she receives an interesting call from the town's mayor, Regina Mills. Apparently Neal had been trying to serve her with a paternity suit. He believed that Henry was his child and was furious that Emma had kept him away from his son for over a decade. not a decade 12 years? Or is it 7 ok I'll have to look that up lol.
After all this time, everything she’d been through in the last few years, Emma was finally happy. She felt like she belonged somewhere, she even felt like she was apart of something amazing, her son Henry. All of Emma’s life she felt unwanted bouncing from foster home to foster home never really having someone to rely on, She never imagined at 28 she would finally find the place she belonged not only with a family but also her biological parents. She just hoped Neal wouldn’t somehow ruin everything she worked so hard to create. Regina had been there for everything and Emma knew she’d never leave her but Henry, on the other hand, could sometimes be referred to as a difficult child, especially recently with both of his mothers’ working. Emma had been working from home most of his childhood so it was a big adjustment when his mother left her surveillance job. She feared he’d want to spend time with Neal or even live with him one day, She knew Henry was Regina’s but yet she had the irrational fear this world, or judge for that matter, wouldn’t believe her.
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10 Years Earlier
There was only one person in Storybrooke, a tiny town in the middle of nowhere in Maine, who had bothered to make Emma feel welcome, the town’s beautiful mayor Regina. Emma had met her on her first day in town when she stopped by the local diner, Granny’s, the day had been particularly rough so she decided to treat herself to her favorite breakfast, bear claws. The queen, as Emma loved to call her was sitting in what Emma now knows was Her seat, she was enjoying a cup of coffee while staring straight at Emma. Dark chocolate orbs met forest green as both women felt a shiver go up their spines almost like their souls called out to one another's.
Emma, in her clumsy fashion, stumbled to take the open booth across the diner. Not noticing the orbs trained on her as she ordered her breakfast after saying a quick hello to the beautiful waitress with a red streak in her hair. In the few minutes, it took to order Regina had gotten up and walked over to the table while looking at Emma like she was about to eat her up like she was her dinner.
“ Well Hello, dear,” Regina says while her eyes rack over the blonde's slime form taking in how the low cut tank top hugged her body. Emma, too busy looking at the skin-tight grey dress the beautiful stranger wore, barely noticed her food being set down in front of her nor the strange look Ruby gave her. She had to admit she nearly missed the words coming from the stranger’s mouth.
Emma stumbled over a simple Hello ”H---Hi.” As she tried to avert her eyes to safer territory Emma’s gaze settled on candy apple lips of the queen-like stranger.
Regina chuckled at Emma’s nervousness “You must be new in town..” Regina stuck her hand out which Emma shyly shook. “ I’m Regina Mills, I’m the mayor. It's nice to meet you ” Enjoying the look of shock she received, Regina couldn’t understand why this stranger amused her. The brunette could she this green-eyed beauty was special, she didn’t know why but she wanted to find out.
“Nice to meet you, Madam Mayor. I’m Emma, Emma Swan.” Emma couldn’t help but be confused as to why the mayor of anywhere would bother talking to her, a complete stranger, but she couldn’t deny that she felt like a moth drawn to a flame, even if it meant she may be burned.
“Mind if I join you, Miss Swan?” Regina said while eyeing the empty side of the booth. Not waiting for an answer she slides into the empty booth as she flagged the waitress back over and ordered herself a second coffee.
“Um yeah, of course,” Emma for once in her life was actually afraid of how she looked, she didn’t know why but for some reason she wanted to impress Regina. Something felt so right to both of them, as though they were drawn to each other.
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From that moment on Regina and Emma met every morning at Granny’s for breakfast, where they’d enjoy getting to know each other. Emma told Regina everything which wasn’t normal for her. Emma was a very closed off person but for some reason with Regina, she felt as though she was finally safe to be herself. Regina, told Emma about her life, well as much as she could without giving away that she was the Evil Queen.
Emma and Regina had begun dating only a few short days after Emma plucked up the courage to ask Regina on a date to the local Italian restaurant, afterward they decided to head over to the Rabbit Hole as neither woman was ready for their night together to end. The women both had a bit too much to drink that night after they’d gone to The Rabbit Hole together, Most of the night Emma had been so nervous she almost spilled her drink twice. Near closing time Emma finally was drunk enough to have the guts to kiss Regina,One thing leads to another and they ended the night in Regina’s bed. Neither had noticed the lights that erupted from their sweaty bodies as they made love for the very first time, no they didn’t know they had broken the dark curse until the next morning when an angry crowd gathered outside the mansion demanding Regina’s head. Emma, of course, had protected Regina and after a few weeks of the townspeople harassing the couple they were finally left alone to be happy together, even the Charmings eventually came around to the idea. Emma finally had a family, not only did she have parents but she had someone who truly loved her.
About 5 weeks after their drunken night Emma had begun to notice strange changes in her body, her breasts had become very painful and she began to have horrible morning sickness throwing up every day for nearly a week. She decided to take a pregnancy test, she hoped she wasn’t pregnant it was far too early in her relationship with Regina for that. But alas she was indeed pregnant she knew it could only be Regina’s but who would believe her? After all, they were both females. Although it was not unheard of something like this happening in the Enchanted Forest it had been thought impossible here in this world. Now she had to tell the love of her life, she just hoped she wouldn’t lose Regina forever.
A few nights later Emma and Regina had decided to enjoy some time together after Regina had a particularly hard day at the office. Regina had asked Emma to bring her dinner from Granny’s diner. Of course, Emma rushed over to the town hall with their dinner, She was just happy to get out of the room she was renting from Red and her granny. Shortly after finishing dinner things had gotten a bit awkward after Emma spilled her root beer all over Regina’s couch….
“Emma! Really?!” Regina quickly jumped up from her spot on said couch. She really didn’t care about the mess but didn’t want to get her outfit dirty since she still had a long night ahead of her with all the paperwork she had yet to finish. After all, Emma was clumsy, she was always making messes, which would drive Regina crazy if she didn’t find it completely endearing.
“Oh my gosh. Regina, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to…..” Emma began to ramble as she did when she was uncomfortable. She grabbed a handful of napkins frantically trying to clean the stain that was starting to set. Emma couldn’t help feeling like an idiot, she knew logically that it wasn’t a big deal but her hormones had been going crazy the last few days.
Regina was finding the whole situation hilarious. Emma was the only one who saw Regina like this, this happy caring woman, everyone else saw her as some sort of scary monster. Regina could imagine living the rest of her life with Emma, even if that meant constantly cleaning up after the blonde-haired princess.
“What are you laughing at Regina?! This isn’t funny I just ruined your couch!” Emma said nearly crying. Regina couldn’t understand why Emma was taking this so seriously after all she was always making messes and Regina had never minded before, so why was this any different to her?
“ Oh, Emma don’t worry about it. Wait are you crying? Honestly, Emma, there’s nothing to be upset about.” Regina moved to pull Emma closer to her but as she tried Emma pulled herself away, wrapping her arms around her middle, walking over to the large window that covered one wall of the office. Emma turned her face to watch the people below going about their days, unknowingly being watched by the savior.
“ I just ruined It, Regina! Just like I ruin everything!” Emma screamed with tears streaming down her pale face. Shocked by Emma’s harsh words, Regina slowly walked over to her princess. She knew something was off but she feared scaring Emma. For the first time in weeks, Regina saw just how tired Emma seemed to look she also could tell Emma was looking pale.
“Emma, what’s wrong? This isn’t about the couch anymore, is it?” Reaching out to turn Emma back to face her, Regina knew this was serious but she didn't know what could be so bad. Had Regina upset Emma in some way? Was Emma going to leave her? Regina Shuddered as she set her hand on Emma’s shoulder.
“No I-It’s not. I have something to tell you. Please don’t be mad at me.” As Emma looked back at the brunette she prepared her heart to lose the one good thing in her life. She knew no one would believe Regina was her child’s other parent, hell she didn’t even understand it herself. She was terrified that she’d have to raise this child alone, alone like she always had been at least before Regina.
“Emma I could never be mad at you. What happened?” Emma shook her head, refusing to meet Regina’s chocolate eyes, unable to see the inevitable hurt and betrayal in the orbs. There was no going back from this, Emma knew that, but Regina needed to know the truth after all it is her baby.
“I--I-I’m Pregnant…” Emma said looking down at her feet. Regina could sense Emma’s need to run, She placed herself in front of the door while crossing her arms, she wracked her brain, trying to come up with words but she kept coming up empty.
“Oh…. Who’s the father?” Regina put on her best mayoral face. She couldn’t believe this, there’s no way Emma would ever cheat on her, right? But there was no way she could have fathered a child, right? She was a woman.
‘You are Regina…” Emma pauses while trying to take a deep breath to settle her racing heart. “Blue said It’s only possible with true loves’ magic.” She hoped Regina would believe her, it was the truth but she knew it was a bit crazy, after all, two women having a child by magic wasn’t exactly normal at least here in the land with no magic.
“Oh Emma, I love you and I love our baby.” Regina moved closer to Emma before wrapping her arms around the woman she loved. She was determined to do right by Emma and her child, She wanted to be the best mother she could be. Regina would never allow herself to be anything like her own mother, Emma and their baby deserved so much more than that.
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Emma had never expected to see her ex-boyfriend again or for him to show up in town, let alone only a few days after she’d told Regina their good news. Neal had been looking for Emma ever since she left Arizona, He loved Emma and he didn’t understand why she would just up and leave him. He thought they’d been happy running around causing chaos and traveling the country. Neal had even bought a ring, he’d planned on proposing to Emma when they eventually made it to Tallahassee. he thought he had at least a few more years before settling down with Emma, turned out he was very wrong.
The truth was Emma didn’t love Neal, she hated stealing, hated being constantly on the run. She dreamed about having roots, having a little place in the world to call hers, somewhere to raise her family. Neal, on the other hand, loved the rush, he was a thrill-seeker, a bad boy. He’d always loved the negative attention he received, maybe that was from growing up with parents who only seemed to notice him when he did something wrong. Either way, he was the type of boy fathers warned their daughters to stay away from, after all, who wants that type of man around.
Neal arrived in Storybrooke on a cold October day, after settling into his small motel room he decided to make his way over to the town's only diner for something to eat. As he walked through the door, bell chiming announcing his arrival, he saw ahead of blonde hair he recognized, Emma. Neal, however, saw another woman at the booth with his girl, She was beautiful that much he could admit, the dark-haired woman was holding Emma’s hand while it rests on the table. He could tell she wasn’t just a friend, there was something else going on between the two and he didn’t like it one bit.
When Neal found out Emma was pregnant he was furious, he was convinced Emma must have cheated on him back in Arizona. He’d overheard Emma talking about her pregnancy with some brunette waitress as he’d been hoping to convince Emma to speak to him. He fled town as quickly as he’d arrived allowing Emma and Regina to live their life together in peace for the last decade. Nobody really knew why Neal decided seemingly out of nowhere to demand a paternity test, in his ten years away Neal had realized Henry could, in fact, be his child.
Unfortunately for Neal, there was no way Henry was his, Neal had not seen Emma for nearly five weeks before she’d gotten pregnant. Neal had talked to the best lawyers in New York, trying to find any way to get his son back. He’d lost his father years before and that event made him realize he couldn’t live his life without who he believed was his son. But secretly Neal hoped he could one day win back Emma's heart and make her love him once again.
Emma and Regina had raise Henry, even naming him after their fathers’ Henry and David. They’d been the ones to care for him from day one. Regina had been enraged upon receiving the paternity order, neither woman could understand why the man decided to wait so long. Regina knew he wasn’t the father, as did everyone in Storybrooke, this suit was just a formality still it angered her to think Neal thought he deserved to even gaze upon her wife and child.
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Present Day
Regina sat on Emma’s left, next to her was their lawyer, shooting daggers at the man she hated more than anything. Nobody took what was hers, Emma and Henry are hers, and she would do whatever it took to destroy anything or anyone who dared to even try to hurt them. She would destroy Neal if it was the last thing she did.
They had waited three days for the DNA test results. Neal had insisted on rushing the whole process, thinking he’d be the father he had always wanted. Regina and Emma knew he wasn’t the father but knew that this world worked differently than their own. If it was their own world Regina would have beheaded Neal the second she saw him. Here if they didn’t allow the DNA testing they risked losing their son until the matter was sorted.
During those three days, Neal had constantly tried anything and everything he could think of to get Emma to notice him. One day he even followed the Swan-Mills family to Granny’s Diner for their weekly dinner, as soon as Regina saw him coming up to their table she’d lost it yelling at him to leave her family alone. After that Sheriff David, who also happened to be Emma’s father, had escorted Neal out. Neal had been told to stay away from the family but that didn’t stop him from trying up until the results came in.
After the incident at the diner, Henry became more and more aware of what was going on. He’d heard his mothers whispering one night and asked them what was really going on. At first, he didn’t understand why they couldn’t tell everyone about magic and how he really came to be, but his mothers explained that in this world magic wasn’t something many people believed in. Lucky for Emma and Regina, Henry was an intelligent child and understood that not everyone would believe the truth.
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Judge Gold cleared his throat as he called the court into session, He’d just been handed the DNA test results and was eager to get the day moving. Gold opened the sealed envelope and began to read the test results. He didn’t understand how Regina Mills was the second parent, but honestly, he didn’t care. This case bored him, he personally never cared much about family, why did this idiot of a man even want to be a father? Fatherhood was a waste of time then again Gold had never bothered to father any children but for that he was grateful.
“In the case of Henry David Swan-Mills, Neal Cassidy I’m sorry to tell you but you aren’t related to the boy in any way.” Neal’s eyes looked as though they were going to pop from his head while the rest of his face turned as red as a tomato. The man never really learned to control his anger,
“What? Of course, I am!” Neal screamed as the judge gave him a cold glare. His lawyer tried frantically to calm her client, knowing it would only get him into more trouble. Regina, on the other hand, was smiling like a Cheshire cat, she had to admit she was enjoying this man’s childishness.
“I’m sorry to say, dearie, you aren’t. Court Adjourned.”
“ I demand to know who the father is!” Regina’s smile only grew knowing Neal would only become even angrier when he found out she had fathered Henry. Judge Gold looked over to Neal with a cold look in his eye clearly bored with his outbursts. “Regina Mills.” Gold said Neal’s face grew enraged. Gold would never admit to enjoying irritating the people who sat in his courtroom, after all, he liked making things interesting.
“What the hell do you mean, Regina Mills? She’s a woman, that's not even possible!” Neal said as he glared back over at the Swan-Mills family. Regina cleared her throat before looking at Neal. “I don’t believe that’s any of your business.” She turned to Emma “ Come, dear, Let's go home and see our son.” She said loud enough for Neal to hear, enjoying how he glared. Regina knew Neal wasn’t stupid enough to bother her family again.