hunnyfresh - Letters from War

Emma shook her head to clear her mind and shrugged half-heartedly. "Well I got to go back to Georgia in a couple weeks."

Regina briefly knit her brows as if she forgot Emma's time with them was limited. To be fair, Emma nearly forgot too. Before she could open her mouth to suggest they come to Boston with her or for her to stay longer or anything , Regina nodded and painted on a tight-lipped smile, one, Emma came to notice, she used only while she was discussing politics or accommodating her many mayoral duties. She had never used it in Emma's presence, and that left a sour taste in her mouth. "Of course."

With that, Regina turned to Henry and looked pointedly. "You, young man, have a bath with your name on it."

"How come Emma go?" Henry asked as Regina sat on the lip of his tub, the water warm and frothed with green watermelon scented bath wash.

"She has to go back to work, sweetie," Regina explained, tipping his head back to ease a cup full of water to wet his hair.

As usual, he covered his eyes and blew raspberries at the trickles of water that escaped his head to track over his mouth. Regina couldn't help but glare playfully, using her hand to wipe his face dry before reaching for his shampoo.

"She come back later?" Henry had now commandeered one of his many toy sail boats, dunked it under the water, then sprung it up from the depths of the tub, effectively splashing the floor, the wall, and his mother in the process.

Regina paused in wiping off the water droplets from her cheeks as she took his question into consideration. Would Emma return? She knew it wasn't up to Emma whether she was sent overseas. How often did they get shipped out anyway? Surely one was enough and Emma could fulfil the rest of her duty at home base. Regina was going to have to ask Sidney to dig into the ins and outs of the US Army for her.

"Mommy?" Henry reclaimed her attention.

"Hmm?" Regina snapped to attention and squeezed a healthy portion of shampoo into her palm before lathering it into her son's hair.

"Emma come back?" He repeated, though this time he stopped his playing and held his mother's gaze. Regina had to suppress her chuckle when the look Henry was giving her was the same one she gave her subordinates when they failed to meet her standards. Nurture seemed to take precedence in that case.

Regina rinsed off her soapy hand into the water then palmed Henry's cheek, smiling softly at the hope and wonder brightening his eyes. "I hope so, dear."

Satisfied with the answer, Henry continued his playing, first sculpting his soaped hair into a single spike before making an engine noise with his lips as he and his boat traversed the bath.

Regina found, as she sat on the closed toilet lid watching Henry play in the bath, that she was extremely nervous about Emma's leaving to Boston. They never discussed the length of time Emma would be visiting, though Regina had just assumed she would stay for the duration of her leave. Of course she would want to return to Boston. August was the closest thing she had to family, and she would want to spend as much time with him as possible, especially as he dealt with his recovery.

It suddenly occurred to Regina how much she enjoyed Emma in their life. Emma had come waltzing in some beat up monstrosity, and for the first time in a very long time, Regina felt a companionship that was different than being a mother to Henry or a Mayor of a small town. The camaraderie was there over the course of their letter-writing, but this past week had strengthened that. Regina had taken a mini vacation after all. The only other time she had taken days off of work was when Henry had come down with that unnatural stomach flu, and she and Henry had spent a day or two in the hospital investigating the cause. And now it seemed the days were cut short. Perhaps she could persuade her to stay. But that wouldn't be fair. But when did Regina Mills ever play fair?

"I'm raisin-y." Henry held up his wrinkled hands to show his mother who smiled fondly, tearing herself away from her thoughts and returning to her spot on the lip of the tub to grab his palms and press kisses to each finger.

"Yes you are, my little grape," Regina said tickling under his arm. She ran the faucet and unplugged the drain before reclaiming the cup and filling it with new water. "Let's get you rinsed up, dear."

"That kid likes his stories," Emma whispered as Regina partially closed the door of his room.

Regina let out a breathy laugh, paired with a face that indicated her years of motherhood certainly had her experienced in the art of bedtime. "You have no idea. You're lucky you weren't here a few weeks ago when he somehow convinced me to read his entire collection of Dr. Seuss. We have ten books, and they're not short either."

"Weak," Emma teased, following Regina to her study where she poured them a drink.

Regina sat on one end of the couch, sipping casually on her cider as Emma sat on the opposite end, a foot curled under her leg after she had settled her drink on the coffee table, on top of the coaster as she had learned. The clock on the mantle ticked slowly, and in the quiet of the room, the soft tick amplified making the silence known. After thirty ticks, to Regina's count, she opened her mouth to break the silence. "Emma-"

"So-"

They chuckled, and Emma motioned with her hand for Regina to take the lead. Regina cleared her throat and leaned over the couch to nestle her glass on the table there before leaning back into the leather, taking the movement as an excuse to gather her thoughts.

"Henry is very excited about his new tricycle," Regina said hastily. "Thank you."

Emma smiled. "You said that when I bought it."

"You didn't have to go to that much trouble."

"You said that too."

"I just mean-"

"I know," Emma cut her off, pushing off the couch and placed her hand on Regina's knee, squeezing it in reassurance. "It's easy to save when I don't have a lot of things or people to spend it on, and I hadn't gotten him a gift yet. That helps make up for keeping me sane all those years."

This time it was Regina who smiled, squeezing Emma's palm in earnest. "I agree his drawings are priceless, but-"

"But it was worth it," Emma insisted, her sincere yet cheeky smile making the lines of stress that usually clouded her face disappear in an instant.

Regina conceded, nodding her head in agreement, though what she was agreeing to, Regina wasn't quite sure. She just knew there was an understanding between her and the blonde. An understanding that ran deeper than the knowledge that they both wanted to extend this euphoric bubble they found themselves in. It was an understanding that despite different upbringings, it was the little things - the constant letters, Henry's art, well wishes, and the oddest touches that meant more than just reassurance - that either woman yearned for yet felt unworthy of. And with that thought, Regina was loathed to let that bubble pop just yet.

"So, you've been here for a week. Was Storybrooke all that you expected?" Regina finally voiced, clasping her hands over a knee.

"It's definitely different than the cities I used to live in," Emma chuckled but lowered her voice with sincerity, watching Regina intently as green eyes held brown. "But I found a couple things I'd come back and see."

Regina arched an eyebrow and tilted her head at the implication. She hid her tinting cheeks behind a smirk and retrieved her glass, lifting it into the air for a toast. "Well, to your return then."

Emma followed suit and finished the rest of her cider in one go, placing the empty tumbler back onto the coaster.

The ticking filled their silence once more before Regina broke it again, this time with an indignant huff as if her brain had forced her mouth to speak. "Do you really have to go?"