Making My Way Back To You

FOUR

"They're actually getting along," my mother acknowledges as I hand her a loaf of bread. I look back at the two boys in the living area. 

"Yeah, I'm glad," I say, smiling. "Oh! Mom, Cora said 'hello', by the way. You guys haven't talked in a while, I take it?" 

"You went and saw Cora today? Did she say anything about," she looks over my shoulder at my father and lowers her voice, "Regina?" 

"Actually," I lean in and whisper, "She's coming home tomorrow. But, you never answered my question. How long has it been since you spoke to Cora?" I ask. 

My mother sighs and opens another grocery bag. "About a year," she says. 

My eyes widen. "A whole year? Mom! Cora has been super lonely, I'm sure she could use a friend right about now. Especially since she's going to be in a house alone with 'you know who'." My mom nods and proceeds to put away the random things she bought while she was out. 

"What about Henry?" she asks, making her way back to the counter where I'm sat. 

I shake my head, "He hasn't been around for a while and he doesn't want to see Regina." At that, my father's ears perk up and he abandons my boyfriend to join in on our conversation. 

"What?" he asks, causing my mother to visibly wince. "What's going on with Regina?"

I look my father in the eye and can see his hurt at just the thought of my ex. "She," I say in a shaky breath, "is getting out tomorrow. Cora is going to pick her up in the morning." 

"Oh, okay."  He goes back to my boyfriend and they resume their conversation. His words cause my eyes to widen and look at my mother. 

"The hell was that?" I ask her. "I thought you said he freaks out about Regina." 

She shakes her head and mimics my look. "That is the most calm I've seen him in the last four years with the subject of 'Regina'," she whispers. "I wonder what he's up to," she mindlessly says, continuing to put things away. Her words claw at me though. I grab them and latch onto them and later on they leave me with another sleepless night, thinking about Regina. What is my father up to? 

There's only one way to find out. 

*****

It's the next day and I slowly creep my way up to Cora's front door. I stare at the old door for a moment, thinking about what I'm going to say to Regina if she's here yet. I check my phone; 8:35am. I turn my head and see Cora's car in the driveway, so either she hasn't left yet, or she already picked Regina up. 

I let out a few deep breaths out and grip my hand tightly in a fist as I hold it up to press my knuckles against the door a few times. After a minute and a loud noise of barreling steps, someone answers the door and to my surprise, it's neither Regina or Cora. 

"Emma, hi. What are you doing here?" The redhead asks as she leans against the door frame. 

"Uh, Zelena you look great. How's..." I can't finish because after Regina was taken to prison, I lost contact with pretty much the entire Mills family. 

She smiles faintly. "Are you referring to my husband or my daughter?" she asks, I can see the pain in her eyes. 

"Both... I guess," I shyly say. 

"Well, why don't you come in?" she widens the door, gesturing for me to enter her home. 

As I walk in the house -Zelena hot on my trail- a tiny girl runs up to her mother and I can't help but smile. She's wearing a sparkling pink skirt along with a white and pink unicorn shirt on with a stain of either chocolate, dirt, or perhaps her grandmother's brownies, smudged around her face.  Her long red hair is a crazy mop of curls, just like her mother's. 

"Mummy!" she says with a strong English accent, causing me to wonder who her father is since Zelena's isn't that thick. "Daddy and Gina are eating all the brownies so you best come quick!" Her words amaze me because she can't be any older than four, yet at Regina's name, my heart stops. 

"Mummy will be in in just a moment, alright sweet pea?" I'm in awe of the way the young redhead smiles and runs back into the kitchen. If that were me, I'd be crying and pulling on my mother and begging her to come and see the delicious brownies I had just baked. 

"She's beautiful. She looks just like you," I say, smiling at Zelena. 

"She may look like me, but she's got nothing but her father coursing through her veins," she nods, looking in the direction that her young child just ran off too.

"So, what's her name and who's this lucky husband of yours?" I ask. 

"Her name is Merida," she says. 

"Like the princess?" I ask. She nods. 

"Of course! You knew I wanted to name my daughter after a princess since I was seven," she laughs. 

I smile. "I just can't believe you kept your promise!" 

"I always keep my promises, unlike some people," her smile fades. Her words stab at me and I know that I deserve it. 

"So," I clear my throat, "what about this husband?" 

"Why don't you come see him yourself?" she says, and begins walking to the kitchen. I'm hesitant but follow behind her. 

As we enter the kitchen, I'm met with two gleaming smiles from Cora and Merida, which I happily return, and a polite nod from the man across from them on a bar stool. Sweat begins to bead on my forehead as I look around but find no Regina. 

"Emma," Zelena says, pulling me out of my panic. "This is my husband, Robin." He turns to me and I examine his face; chiseled, square jaw and beautiful blue eyes. His head is full of sandy blonde hairs. 

"Nice to meet you," I say, jutting my hand out and he accepts it and shakes it once. 

"Likewise." 

"Daddy! Look, this one is a heart shape just for you!" Merida exclaims, and I'm ever so grateful for her pulling us out of the awkwardness lingering between us three adults. 

"Thank you, Princess," Robin says, smiling and taking the brownie out of his daughter's hand. 

"It's good to see you, Dear," Cora says, pulling me in for a hug. 

"You too," I say. As I pull away, she winks at me. 

"Where did Regina go?" Zelena asks, causing me to try and swallow the lump in my throat. 

"She went to the bathroom," Merida says around a bite full of chocolate batter, causing more of a  mess. We all begin to giggle at the four year old's actions, her not knowing that we're laughing at her. 

But our giggles stop as we hear a sharp gasp from the other side of the room. My eyes widen as I look up and down the beautiful woman that was taken away from me just four years ago.

"Emma?" Regina whispers. 

"Hi," I shyly say. Before I'm able to utter another word she's gone. 

"How do you know Auntie Gina?" The tiny redhead asks me. 

"We used to be best friends, kid," I sadly say.