SwanQueen One Shots - Book Two

Man Enough Now

One look. One smile. One "hello". Was the start of something extraordinary.

One heartbreak. One frown. One "Goodbye". Was the end of something extraordinary.

Now ten years later, Emma and Regina have both grown up. Found themselves. When they were younger, they were in pure bliss. They were happy...But Emma didn't know she was in love with Regina. Not until it was too late. So she left, she left town to get her head together but once she stayed away for a year, she found it hard to go back...Until one day a little boy took her back home.

Here she sat, across from the woman she had hurt five years earlier. They had both changed so much. Emma had grew her hair out whilst Regina had cut hers. Instead of wearing bright colours, Regina instead wore a much more professional dress.

Regina held back a smile as she took in Emma, her style in clothes hadn't changed one bit.

"Hi..." Emma said shyly trying to break the silence that surrounded them.

"You've already said that." Regina laughed slightly.

That laughter, it still had the same effect on Emma.

"Sorry...So...Henry...He's your son? Who's the Father? Anyone I know?"

"He's adopted. His Mother was pregnant with him in jail. Of all the times to get arrested..."

Emma's heart dropped, she felt her face go pale and she swallowed hard. "Was he...Was he from Boston."

"Yes, how did you know?" Regina asked scrunching her eyebrows up before a look of realisation crossed her face. "Oh....Oh Emma."

"I was set up, okay? By the man that I had a drunken one night stand with."

"You don't even like men."

"As I said, it was a drunken mistake. I don't even remember that night. All I remember is the next morning." Looking at Regina, Emma knew she had to get her feelings off her chest before it was too late. "I'm sorry I left."

"Don't."

"No, I have to tell you or I never will tell you and it eats me up inside every passing minute I don't tell you..I was scared, I wasn't quite ready yet. Didn't want to let my freedom get too far away so I said anything, to keep you just close enough. Like I need a little space to breathe, alittle time for me to think I just need you to wait for me..." Emma looked around at the pictures on the office walls.

One caught her eye, Regina and Henry when he was a toddler. Her heart ached. She was supposed to be in that picture with them. One happy family.

"But you weren't waiting for me, to grow up and get my shit together. Stop giving you the runaround, running from forever. It's too bad, we happend when we did because I've learned alot about life since then. I can't go back, Regina I hate that you fell in love with a kid trying to figure it out. Because I'm man enough now." Emma tilted her head to the side and pushed her mouth to the side. "Or woman enough...You get what I mean."

"I wanted to wait..But then Kathryn sh-"

"Ugh. That bitch was always interfering."

"She said you found someone else and that's why you left to be with them. Then her and Fred were looking to adopt and she was showing me pictures of babies. She showed me Henry and I loved him instantly because he looked like you and now we know why."

"Everything happens for a reason." Emma smiled softly. "Do you...Still have feelings for me?"

"They never left and that's what killed me inside because I couldn't get over you and I thought you were never coming back."

"I grew up, got it all together. I stopped running from forever so if one more chance is something that you ever think about...I'm man or woman enough now."

"Let's take it slow okay?"

"We can take as long as you need. Just know I'm never leaving again."

"Good." Regina smiled as she stood up and held her hand out. "Let's go see Henry so you can get to know our son properly."

"Our son." Emma whispered to herself as she took Regina's hand and stood up. "I'm glad I was man enough to stay and get my feelings out...I've got everything I wanted. I'm finally home again."