Andante, Andante

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Hey!" Emma joyfully greets her, that beautiful, delicate face lighting up the phone.

Her golden locks are hidden away by the grey beanie keeping her warm on her walk home from work. Her smile is brighter than ever, despite the many treacherous miles between them and Regina's heart aches to be near her once again.

"Hi, how's my baby?"

"Baby? You've never called me that before. I'm flattered," Emma teases with her infamous cheeky smile plastered across her face.

"I was referring to our actual baby," she protests, rolling her eyes.

"I know," her girlfriend laughs wholeheartedly and glances around the phone at her surroundings while she continues to walk the streets of Catania.

"Move over, let me get a look at this, Emma Swan, who stole my best friend's heart," Ivy quips as she bumps into Regina's shoulder and sticks her face in front of the screen, physically barging her way into their FaceTime call.

"Hi," Emma shyly mutters and suddenly Regina's taken back to the first time they met.

A time where the blonde was petrified Regina might knock her out with a shovel and she was scrambling to save her life. That seems like forever ago and they have come so far since then.

"Even though I totally agree with you forcing her to come back for her career, don't you dare break up with her again," her dear friend protectively scolds causing Emma to nervously readjust her hat.

"I won't, but you gotta promise me you'll cut off Robin's balls if he ever steps foot near my girlfriend again," Emma boasts with that cocky smirk tugging at her pale pink lips and fluttering Regina's heart.

"Deal!" Ivy smiles brightly as she turns to face Regina. "I like her."

"I know." Regina's eyes widen with amusement knowing her girlfriend and best friend would get along very well. "Anyways Swan, you didn't answer my question. How's my baby?"

Instantly, Emma's features light up like a Christmas tree and her stunning green eyes dance with love. "He's really good. I think he misses your bedtime stories, because now, he's up so late every night. I swear he's doing baby aerobics in my tummy."

She chuckles as Ivy watches the couple intently, clearly thrilled about witnessing this unguarded side of Regina. Ivy is her best friend, so she has seen this side of Regina before, but she knows that Regina doesn't allow others to see it, especially people she dates.

"Well, why don't you read to him?"

"I've tried!" Emma quickly defends, but her face is animated with pure excitement. "I think he misses your voice."

"Suck up," Regina dryly retorts, inspiring a snort and a carefree laugh to burst from her girlfriend's mouth and those bouncing curls to nod along as her feet shuffle against the concrete below.

"Emma, are you excited to move to New York?" Ivy interrupts, rudely pushing her face back into view again.

"Yeah, a little nervous, but I bet I can find a job rather quickly in the city," her girlfriend concludes as she steps into her apartment's lobby. "Have you checked out the daycares I sent you last week?" Emma asks, turning her attention back to Regina.

"I checked three out of the four and Emma I did not feel comfortable with any of them," she discloses as that nagging feeling tugs at her gut once again, pleading with her to reject each one of those filthy places.

"They were all four to five star ratings," Emma whines with that adorable, yet sexy pout filling out her thin lips.

"Wow, look at you, Regina, checking out daycares. You're like an adult."