hunnyfresh - Letters from War

"Good morning, my little prince." She reached an arm around her to steady Henry before turning on the spot and pulling him into her arms. "Did you sleep well?"

He held up Mrs. Rexy frowning. "She had a nightmare."

"Oh?" Regina mimicked her son's expression. "About what?"

"She misses Rex."

Regina tsked softly and gave Mrs. Rexy a kiss to the head. "I'm sure Rex misses her too. Did you give her lots of hugs?"

He nodded dutifully.

"As long as she's with you and Rexy Jr., she'll be okay."

Henry nodded again in agreement before giving a wet kiss to his mother's cheek. Regina smiled softly, watching him gallop off to the washroom where he'd no doubt try to brush his dinosaur's teeth, but there were worse things his toys had suffered and had lived to tell the tale.

She went to follow him to make sure another toilet incident wouldn't occur when the ringing phone distracted her from her path. Passing the washroom to see Henry, in fact, using a thankfully dry tooth brush on Mrs. Rexy, Regina entered her office and picked up the cordless phone.

She gasped and her stomach dropped when the voice she had waited weeks to hear sounded through the receiver.

" Hi. "

Chapter 14

Chapter Notes

Disclaimer in Chapter One

AN: It's safe to say that I'm getting more and more terrible at answering my emails and responding to your reviews, but I just want to say that I am so thankful for you guys! Thank you for reading, reviewing, and subscribing! The odd times I'm on tumblr I'm seeing fantastic art work and edits, and it really leaves me speechless. I'm really glad you're enjoying it, and yes, yes I am evil. In case anyone was wondering, I did not win the scavenger hunt.

Overdue, but shoutout to Zeighert who has been helpful with military stuff and even recommended a great series. If you've got the time check out Over There for a good show about military life both at home and at the front.

Warning: Violence

" Hi ."

Regina's voice caught in her throat at the sound of Emma's almost shy, sheepish tone, but through some miracle, or through sheer determination and will power, Regina forced her vocal chords into action.

" I'm sorry. "

Her words came out in one fell swoop like a gush of wind forced out of her lungs. So desperate to speak to the blonde, to say so many things, the thoughts simply scrambled inside her brain like pasta in a stirring spot and left her flustered and stammering. "I–I'm so sorry, Em."

"I know," Emma replied softly. "All your letters and packages since then have said as much. They sort of let my mail pile up and gave it to me for the holidays."

The brunette gave a nervous chuckle, still unsure where they stood. "I can't tell if that's cruel or genius."

"It's necessary," the soldier filled in. "I only just got back late last night."

Regina stopped herself from hurling questions at Emma, wrapping an arm around her midsection to physically restrain herself from bombarding the soldier. "Are you okay?" And though she tried to hide it, even she could hear the strain in her own voice.

"I am now." Regina grinned and exhaled, releasing her arm and leaning more firmly against her desk. When she opened her mouth to speak again, Emma beat her to the punch. "I'm sorry too."

Regina squinted and shook her head. "What for?"

"I shouldn't have hung up."

"I thought the line cut out," the brunette admitted.

Emma chuckled guiltily. "Can we go with that instead?"

"There's no need to make excuses for me, Emma. I realize I was being difficult." With a thoughtful tilt of her head, Regina added. "I would have done the same."

Emma laughed again, this time more amused and content before a comfortable silence passed between them. "Merry Christmas," the blonde whispered as if it were the state's biggest secret, and she was risking life and limb to reveal it to Regina.

"Merry Christmas, Emma." Regina walked over to the leather couch in her office, musing over the fact that over half a year ago, Emma had been sitting on this very couch, stumbling through Storybrooke and unintentionally further lodging herself into Regina and Henry's lives. "You said you got in last night?"

"Yeah," the blonde confirmed, waiting for the buzz of static to die down before continuing. "It wasn't really a white Christmas for our squad."

"I'm sorry," she apologized again. It seemed that once Regina had started to get the hang of apologies, they came tumbling out for any and all events.

"I've had worse," Emma dismissed. "Just before juvie, this ice storm knocked the heat and power out at the Johnson's. I would have laughed and asked them if that was God's will if my lips weren't frozen shut."

Regina frowned at that admission. "There's a turkey dinner here with your name on it," she enticed almost shyly as if the promise alone could make up Emma's lack of Christmases.

A wanting groan sounded from the younger woman's end. "Don't tease me."

Regina laughed lightly, the guilty weight on her shoulders slowly lifting with each second spent speaking with the blonde-haired woman who had grown to become so much to her.

"It was nice to see hot chocolate and pictures on my bed though," Emma commented. "You made Henry's elf costume?"

"He wasn't fond of standing still as I measured him. Speaking of, guess who made you a gift?"

"If it's not Storybrooke's Mayor, then I'm all out of guesses," Emma teased earning a throaty chuckle from the brunette. "Did he actually?"

"It's supposed to be a surprise."

"Save it for when I get back?" She hoped.

"Of course I will," Regina promised with determination. "Do you have time to speak with Henry?"

"I was banking on it."

Regina grinned and stood from the couch, keeping the phone cradled to her ear with a firm shoulder as if the act alone could bring Emma any closer. Finding her son in his playroom sitting around a miniature table with Junior, Mrs. and Sea Turtle as his companions, Regina cocked a head and called for his attention. He ran to her and she crouched down to his level, putting the phone on speaker and keeping her balance with a hand on Henry's back.

There was static on the line for a few seconds before the blonde's voice crackled through the phone. "Hey, kid."

"Emma!" Henry jumped up and down, clasping his hands around the cordless using it as his anchoring pole.

The bouncing moved Regina helter-skelter, so showing mercy to her knees, she sat cross-legged in the threshold of Henry's playroom and brought her excited son into her lap, holding the phone out in front of them.

"Emma, you here?!" He screamed into the phone.

The soldier chuckled, and Regina envisioned the blonde shaking her head and running lithe fingers through always-contained curls. "No, kid, I'm still at work."

Henry pouted. "Why? When you coming home? I made you a Christmas present."

"I heard," the blonde said impressed.

"It's a surprise," Henry said matter-of-fact.

"I can't wait to see it." Though Henry was satisfied with the answer, Regina could hear the shakiness in Emma's voice. It was longing and pain and happiness all mixed into one. She really couldn't wait to see Henry's gift.

"Un-ca August is coming over," Henry informed her.

"Is he?" Emma asked surprised.

"I invited him over for the holidays," Regina explained. "He'll be arriving in a couple days."

"Lucky. He gets to hang out with the coolest kid."

"Don't worry, soldier," Regina added quickly to evade the yearning that she could hear creeping into Emma's tone. "When you come home, Henry will be all over you and you may just forget about little old me."

Emma snorted, the teasing lifting her mood significantly. "Forget you? That's impossible."