Miles To Go

Chapter Seventy

Emma smiled at the memory, it being recent and yet felt like it had happened so very long ago all at once. It was true, what Ruby had said about them having one hell of a story together. So very much had happened in the last fifteen months since Emma had first arrived in Storybrooke without the single most idea that the love of her life was there and that she would reconcile with her in a matter of weeks.

They had made so many memories last summer and in the months that had followed. The good memories by far out-weighed the ones that involved Cora by far and just thinking about it, it'd been a few days since Emma had even thought of her. She would never forget what that insufferable woman had done to her and how she tried to meddle with her and Regina's relationship. She would never forget the pain and the suffering she went through because of that woman.

In the end, they had won. Nothing came between them and nothing Cora did stopped them from being together, from getting married and to getting to where they were in that very moment. Just knowing that the adoption would've sent Cora over the edge of insanity was more than enough to bring a satisfactory smile to her face and a feeling of triumph because nothing had come between her and her happy ending with her wife.

Emma said goodbye to Ruby and headed for the parking lot, wishing she had a car of her own and not the cruiser. She missed driving the Bug, but at least the Sheriff's car provided efficient transportation for the time being. It didn't take her long to drive home and she slipped inside, stopping the the study to place the folder of paperwork on the desk before heading off to find her wife.

It didn't take her more than a minute to find her in the kitchen, plating mini apple turnovers on a platter that were meant for the interviewer that was due to arrive at any given moment. Emma wrapped her arms around her from behind and laughed when Regina tried to fight her off and failed in the end. She turned in Emma's arms with a smile on her face and they kissed softly before Emma lifted a hand to wipe at the small spot of flour on her cheek.

"You ready for this, babe?"

"Yes," Regina nodded. "Are you?"

"As I'll ever be."

"The dog needs to go out," Regina stated as she slipped out of Emma's embrace.

"Rex," Emma chuckled with a shake of her head. "His name is Rex. You're the one who named him, after all."

"Yes, of course. You don't need to remind me, dear. Rex needs to be let out. He's been in his crate since before you left."

Emma playfully rolled her eyes and headed for the mudroom at the side door where she'd moved the crate earlier that morning. Rex whimpered and wriggled as she unlocked the crate door and scooped the puppy up into her arms, laughing as he covered her with kisses immediately.

"You know, for a future police dog, you're just too adorable, Rex," she chuckled as she slipped out the side door and headed around to the backyard, double checking to make sure the gate was securely shut behind her before placing him down on the grass. "Go on, Rex. Go do your business like a good boy."

In the end, she spent close to half an hour outside in the backyard with the puppy mostly following her as she tried to coax him to do his business. She knew Regina was watching from the back door, she'd caught that amused smile through the window more than a handful of times.

"Come on, Rex, I know you gotta go," Emma pleaded as she stared down at the puppy who had plopped down and closed his eyes. "Come on," she sighed as she scooped him up and headed for the back door. She walked inside and held the sleeping puppy in her arms and found the kitchen empty with Regina nowhere in sight.

Her nerves, however, took flight when she heard an unfamiliar voice conversing with her wife and the voices grew closer to the kitchen with every passing second. She put a smile on her face as Regina and the woman from the adoption agency walked into the kitchen. The woman was older, likely in her sixties Emma guessed and she stared at Emma with hard steel grey eyes.