Chapter Text
Regina remembered the day she brought Henry home like it was only just yesterday. How small he was in her hands, how his eyes would light up as she coed down at him. She remembered his first steps, first words, and how he used to babble to every passerby in the street. The small notches on the doorframe of the family room remained a constant reminder of just how grownup her son had become, in what felt like seconds to the brunette.
She was sitting in her office with Zelena when the idea came to her. The redhead had been venting about the trouble Robin had gotten herself into at school when Regina zoned out of the conversation for a short moment. Her mind flew back to Henry’s early days at school and how every day he would come out with a handmade storybook, detailing all the adventures they would go on together. She thought about the Mother’s Day gifts covered in glue and glitter, and Valentine’s dances. The toothy grins and the hugs that started with a wide armed charge. She missed it all. A small smile crept onto her thin lips, a sight that took the redhead off guard and caused her to huff at Regina finding humor in her daughter’s misbehavior.
“Biting is a serious issue!” She protested as Regina jumped back into the conversion.
A small chuckle escaped from her lips as she announced, “I want another baby.”
***
The process had changed quite dramatically since she adopted Henry all those years ago. Back then all she had done was inquire about adoption and Rumple brought her a child a few weeks later with adoption papers to sign. Looking back, Regina was unsure if that was the best course of action, but in the end, he did bring her Henry - even if it was to aid in his plan to get his son back - and she’d always be thankful for that.
‘Maine Adoption Agency,
The most rewarding part of what we do is seeing dreams become reality.’
‘Maybe using Gold wouldn’t be such a bad idea.’ Regina thought as she scrolled through the website. Hundreds of pictures of happy couples smiling with their babies littered the screen of Regina’s laptop, and after a short while of scrolling, the Mayor noticed an alarming pattern, every picture portrayed a family unit, something that Regina didn’t possess. Not allowing herself to be put off by the endless amounts of happy families grinning at her, Regina started the application process. Excitedly she began to fill out her details: name, date of birth, occupation...spouse’s name...Regina sunk back into her seat as her fingers hovered over the mousepad.
Letting out a puff of frustration, she began to drum her fingers against the hardwood desk. She feared that this would be the case, especially when she decided against using Gold and his questionable methods. But her heart was set on welcoming another child into life and she couldn’t bring herself to give up at the first hurdle. Wracking her brain, she tried to come up with some kind of solution to her problem...but alas she was coming up with nada. The list of suitors in Storybrooke was short, so short that Regina could count it on one hand, and none she would want in association with her child. In a huff, she slammed the lid of her laptop closed and moved to fix herself a drink in the kitchen. As she passed through the family room, she found herself stopping at the door frame and ran the side of her finger over the small indentations on the wood. ‘If only it was as easy as before’ she sighed, and threw a fleeting glance over her shoulder at the fireplace filled with pictures, all of Henry throughout his life. She was about to continue on her quest for a glass of wine when her eyes landed on one of the more recent pictures, it was taken at Henry’s birthday party, a rare picture of the smiling teen with both his Mother’s. Regina didn’t know why she’d chosen that picture, they’d taken separate ones beforehand, but Henry had insisted that the three of them huddle together for a rare snap. Regina grinned at the picture as she headed towards the kitchen, then it hit her. The perfect solution was right in front of her the entire time. Racing back to her office, Regina flung open her laptop and typed, ‘Emma Swan’ in the spouse box.
***
Emma had been having the day from hell. It seemed like everyone in town had gotten together in secret to agree that the Sheriff needed a day were she wasn’t reaching her desk until five and was left with blisters on top of blisters from running around town all day. But all that was over now, her feet were up on her desk and her gun was locked away until she was heading out the door, as soon as her Dad arrived for the night shift. All Emma wanted was to finally take her work boots off, eat her body weight in pizza and immerse herself in the world of Call of Duty with Henry, until they fell asleep on the couch like they do every Friday night. But when her phone sprang to life on her desk, she feared that her quiet night would be ruined before it had even begun.
“Swan.” She answered bluntly without checking the caller ID.
“Hello there, Mrs. Swan. I am Angie from the Maine Adoption Agency.” Emma swung her legs down from her desk and sat up straight in her chair, wanting to make a good impression even though the woman on the other end of the line couldn’t see her. Henry had told her about Regina’s plan to adopt another child and the blonde Sheriff figured that Regina had put her down as some kind of reference.
“Hi there, Angie. What can I do for you today?”
“As I’m sure you know, I am the adoption agent attached with this case and I just thought I’d set up a few informal phone calls before we get the ball rolling!” Angie was chipper, too chipper for Emma to take seriously at this moment in time, but she was going to try. Her friendship with Regina had blossomed over the six years she’d been living in Storybrooke, and it warmed Emma’s heart to think that Regina would put her as a reference on such an important application.
“That sounds perfect, Angie. Anything I can do to help!” Emma tried to match her enthusiasm but knew that she’d never reach her level even on one of her good days.
“Brilliant. Well, first off I’d like to know a little bit more about your job. It says here that you are the Sheriff of Storybrooke Maine,”
“Sure am. I work very closely with Regina, the Mayor, she’s such a hard worker you know...but not to the point where she doesn’t have time for other things obviously. I mean, look at Henry, he’s our son...it’s...well...yeah, he’s great and it’s all down to her.” Emma mumbled, trying to make sure that she didn’t put her foot in her mouth and screw things up for Regina.
“That’s great. But I’d like to talk some more about you, Mrs. Swan.”
“Emma is fine.” She cut in, completely missing the fact that she had called her ‘Missus’ twice now. “Well I’m an open book I guess...but I don’t really know what this has to do with the adoption process.”
“Well, we want to make sure that a stable home can be provided. Stable past the income for the household, something that I see we will also have to discuss at a later stage.” Angie trailed off and Emma could hear the loud clicking of keys. “So, we’ve got a pretty good overview of your past...and the steps you have obviously made since being released from prison. If you could provide me with the name of your old parole officer, I am going to need a statement of character from them ASAP.”
“My parole officer? I don’t-” Emma was about to shut Angie down when there was a loud crashing sound, followed by the hissed curses of one of the old lost boys that still loved to get on her nerves. “Can you hold for just a lil’ second, Angie.” She pressed the hold button before the woman on the other end of the phone had a chance to protest.
“Em, get the cell for me.” Emma glad to find her Dad walking towards the cells with Felix in handcuffs by his side. “Found this one trying to break into your bug.”
“Stealing from the Sheriff? Not your best-laid plans.” The blonde mocked sarcastically as she opened up the cells and bowed as Felix was gently pushed inside. “You’re in for a fun night with this one.”
“Don’t I know it. You heading out?” David asked as he hung his jacket over the back of his chair.
“Not yet. Got the adoption agency on the hold.” The blonde rolled her eyes dramatically and dragged herself towards her office.
“Something you’d like to tell me, Sweetheart?” Her Dad teased as he settled into his chair.
“I’m Regina’s reference, I think. Angie is gettin’ on my nerves, so she might want to pick someone else by the end of this conversation.” Emma shouted over her shoulder before slamming her office door shut.
“Have fun.” She heard him shout before she picked up the receiver once again.
“Hey, sorry about that. Work.”
“It’s quite alright, Emma. I’m afraid that I'm going to have to cut this little meeting short, however.” Emma could hear a noticeable decline in Angie’s enthusiasm as she spoke, which worried the blonde slightly. “Would you be available tomorrow for some follow-up questions?”
“Umm, sure. And I’ll look into the parole stuff for ya.” She promised, before mumbling a quick goodbye. Emma held the phone in her hand long after Angie had hung up. She replayed their conversation in her mind, trying to figure out how she’d managed to mess things up, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it and before she knew it, it was time to head to Regina’s house to pick up their son.
***
Regina was checking over Henry’s weekend homework when the doorbell chimed. Standing, Regina straightened out her black skirt and walked over to the staircase to inform Henry of his birth mother’s arrival. Stopping at the mirror, Regina puffed her hair and wiped away any stray lipstick from under her lip.
“Miss Swan.” Regina smiled as she opened the door to find the blonde leaning casually against the white pillar.
“Madam Mayor,” Emma responded in kind, although Regina noticed that the Sheriff lacked her usual swagger as she spoke. “Kid ready?” She kicked the ground, afraid that Regina would somehow be able to find out how much she had tanked her interview by just looking at her.
“Gathering supplies, as always. Can I treat you to a glass of my famous apple cider?” She teased, her mind going back to the night they first met and how nervous she had been when she saw Emma standing by her front gate.
“One wouldn’t hurt.” Emma smiled, a real smile Regina noted and pushed herself off of the pillar.
The pair walked through the spacious house, through the family room, past the office, stopping finally in the kitchen. Emma hopped onto her usual barstool, as Regina walked over to retrieve two glasses. As she waited for her drink, Emma looked around the large room, her gaze stopping when she saw a carboard box with Henry’s name written on the side.
“Kicking the kid out?” The blonde joked as she tilted her head towards the box.
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” She chuckled lightly as she placed the drink in front of Emma. “I’m sure Henry has informed you that I am looking into adopting another child?” Emma nodded nervously, before draining her glass in one gulp. “Well, I wanted to take a little trip down memory lane and see if there’s anything Henry would like to pass onto his new little brother or sister.”
“That's...that’s a great idea, Regina.”
“Have a look if you’d like, while I fill you another.” Regina tried her best to control her breathing as she poured another - larger - glass of cider for the blonde. She didn’t know how hard it would be to talk to Emma about the adoption, especially when Emma’s name was also all over the papers she would be signing soon.
“I-I remember this.” Regina turned to find Emma holding Henry’s baby blanket, the only thing Regina was given when she adopted Henry. “One of the guards gave me this when I told her I was having a boy...I just figured that they threw it away after I gave him up…” Emma gently rubbed the wool between her fingers.
“He loved that, it was the only thing that would put him to sleep most nights.” Regina moved closer to the blonde, feeling a strange urge to comfort the blonde. “You can take that with you if you’d like to.” The brunette smiled softly, prompting Emma to look over at her with slightly watered eyes.
“T-thanks.” She sniffled. Emma felt horrible, as Regina started to dig through the box. “Regina...I-I’m so sorry.”
“What for, dear?”
“Before I came over, I got a call from the Maine Adoption Agency…”
Regina’s heart started pounding in her ears, drowning out the words that poured from the savior's mouth. During her ‘amazing’ brainwave, she hadn’t taken into account the impact it would have on Emma, granted she wasn’t sure how the adoption process even worked nowadays, but she thought she’d have more time to break the news to Emma that they were suddenly married and about to adopt a child together. She definitely didn’t expect the agency to contact Emma directly after only a week.
“Emma.” She snapped, making the blonde stop her rambling apology that she didn’t hear. “I didn’t know what I was doing...I mean, I knew what I was doing. But I wasn’t thinking, I saw your picture with Henry and I and it just made sense...but now it’s real, and-”
“Regina, what are you talking about?” Emma gritted her teeth as she tried to piece together what Regina was shaking around.
She cringed and said, “The child we are adopting...what are you talking about?”
“Messing up your reference interview.” Emma’s mouth hung open slightly, her mind working on overdrive as the events of the last few hours finally clicked together. “Wait.” Regina walked away from the breakfast bar to pour herself a quick shot of cider, preparing herself for what was about to come. “Did you say, we?” She asked, calmer than what Regina was expecting.
“I needed a spouse.”
“AND YOU THOUGHT THAT I WAS THE BEST CHOICE?” The blonde finally exploded.
“I obviously wasn’t thinking straight, if this is how you’re reacting.” Regina snapped, defending her questionable actions.
“How am I supposed to react, Regina? You’ve just told me that I’m suddenly married to the Evil Queen and we’re adopting a child together!” Emma shot back, her words hurting the brunette more than she’d ever know.
“Former. Evil. Queen.” She hissed through gritted teeth, “And I am adopting a child, Miss Swan. You are merely a name on a piece of paper.”
“A piece of paper that makes me somebody’s mom!” The Sheriff pointed out and the weight of the situation finally fell onto Regina. “How are you not seeing how much of a big deal this is!”
“I wanted this, and I saw no other way...I’m sorry, Emma.” Her eyes began to water as she reached out to the blonde, who snatched her hands away from Regina’s reach.
“Bit late for that now.” She spat. “I’ve been kicking myself the entire way over here because I thought that I’d messed things up for you...and granted, I might have. But I can’t even feel bad about that right now, not when I feel this angry.”
Regina was about to respond when Henry padded into the kitchen with his weekend bag over his shoulder. “Hey, moms.” He paused, looking back and forth between the two women. “What’s all the shouting for?” He questioned, knowing that he wasn’t going to actually get the truth out of either of them.
“Miss Swan was just reenacting her workday,” Regina was the first to speak as she fed her son a weak excuse.
“And your Mother was showing me how she would have handled things because she always seems to know what’s best,” Emma mumbled, her harsh gaze burning into the side of Regina’s face. “You ready?” She turned to face their son, who simply shrugged in response and headed towards the door.
Regina was quick to round the breakfast bar to catch the blonde before she left, “Emma, wait a second.” She gently grabbed the blonde’s arm, forcing the Sheriff to stop.
“Go throw your stuff in the trunk. I’ll be out in a minute.” Emma threw over her shoulder at the curious teen, who grumbled as he exited the house.
“We need to talk about this,” Regina semi-whispered as she let go of Emma’s jacket and pleaded with the blonde not to do something that would put the adoption at risk, more so than she might have done already.
“Right now, I need a stronger drink.” The Sheriff nodded, “Station, tomorrow morning.” She mumbled meekly before making her exit.
Neither had imagined that their day would end on such a sour note, in fact, Regina had been looking forward to the short time she got to spend with the blonde as she waited for Henry. The brunette knew that she had to make things right with Emma, if there was ever a chance for the blonde to help her...help Emma would later admit, she would have given if she had of just talked to her in the first place.