So Does This Make Us Both The Other Woman?

24. An Ever-Revolving Door (Inside, The Room Is Quiet)

Henry dangles the glittery little apple pendant from its chain and Leo's eyes zero in on it with surprising intensity. "It's just shiny," Snow murmurs again, leaning forward and chewing on her upper lip. "That's why he likes it. Don't get any ideas, Regina."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Regina says innocently, and Emma darts a look her way, one that might have suggested that her gift had been poorly received if Emma hadn't also been holding back her smirk, and she says, "When will he be old enough to eat my cooking?"

Snow shoots her another unamused glare and Henry says suddenly, "Look! He's doing it!"

They all turn back to the floor, where Leo has his hands in front of him as he sits forward and is carefully pulling himself closer to the necklace, slipping forward a few steps before chubby little hands grasp it and shove it into his mouth. Henry beams triumphantly, Emma claps, and Snow looks like she might cry. "I need to call David," she announces, grabbing her phone and ducking out of the room.

"Does it really count as crawling if he's just scooting on his ass?" Emma asks, eyeing her little brother dubiously. "It's kind of goofy."

"So is Snow."

"That's helpful." But Emma slides in closer to her, a hand flung carelessly across the back of the couch where Regina is perched and tosses her a half-smile that she returns. "Thanks for inviting her tonight. She's barely ever away from David anymore and it's been stressing her out all day. I never want to be that codependent with anyone."

Regina's eyebrows slant at her, amused. "You've spent every evening with me for over a week."

Emma rolls her eyes. "That's different." Her phone rings and she glances at it and clicks it off for what must have been the fourth time tonight.

Regina squints at the screen, but Emma slides it away before she can see who's calling. "How so?"

"My codependency is with your dinners. It doesn't count if it's inanimate." She wiggles her own eyebrows at Regina. "How much longer do you plan on seducing me? Do I need a backup plan in case you ever decide to go camping with the boys?"

Henry covers his ears and starts humming The Itsy-Bitsy Spider, and Leo squeals and falls forward onto his stomach, legs still splayed out in front of him. Regina retrieves him and taps Henry's shoulder.

He glowers at them. "Mom, stop her. I'm going to be traumatized for life."

"Emma's not easy to control," Regina says, frowning in an unconvincing apology. "I've been trying for years and have yet to keep her from doing anything she wants to."

"Because she's the only one flirting," Henry mumbles, but he looks just as outraged as Emma had when she'd presented her with her 'new housewarming gift' and slipped the apple pendant around her neck. Which is to say, not at all.

Regina rubs his shoulder. "You have a strong background dealing with these idiots. I have faith in your ability to cope with her. Are you all packed up?"

"Pretty much," he says, his lips twitching downward, which in Henryspeak means I'm thinking about starting.

She narrows her eyes at him. "Robin will be here any minute to pick you up. Go. Pack." This overnight forest retreat had been an idea from the sheriff's department, an organized camping trip for the Lost Boys and any other children who'd wanted to come along, and while she has her reservations- foremost among them the fact that Henry had lived this camping trip for an agonizing week once that had left him almost dead- most of Henry's class is going and she trusts Robin to look after him.

"David could have taken him," Emma says when Henry scampers upstairs. "I don't know why you insisted that Robin–"

"Robin wanted to do this with him. He'd nearly been his stepfather if you recall." She holds Leo up so wobbly legs can support him on her lap. "And some of David's shining examples at looking after Henry include giving him the driver's seat to his truck, allowing him to run off and try to stop some very volatile magic–"