Building a Family

Meshing the Past and the Present

There was a chill in the air despite it being summer but Regina liked it. It made it bearable for her to sit out on the deck with a blanket wrapped around her legs as she sipped her coffee. She watched the sun as it rose over the lake, illuminating a few fishermen out in their boats. Ducks swam through the water and somewhere, cicadas hummed. It was just a peaceful start to her day.

"Mom?" Sophie asked, sliding open the door. "What's for breakfast?"

Regina smiled as she looked back toward the door. Sophie stood there in her pajamas, her dark hair standing on end as she rubbed her eyes. "Is there anything you want?" she asked her daughter.

"Can we have French toast, please?" Sophie asked, eyes lighting up.

"French toast sounds perfect," Regina replied, standing up. She folded up her blanket, placing it on the chair before heading toward the door.

Before she could step inside, she paused as she heard a car coming up the driveway. She frowned as Sophie looked up at her. "Who's that, Mom?"

"I don't know," she said, moving toward the sound. "Wait here while I check."

She approached the railing, leaning over it to look down the driveway. A dark green truck was pulled next to her car and she recognized it immediately, relaxing even before the driver got out. Graham raised his hand, waving at her. She waved back before turning to Sophie. "It's your Uncle Graham."

"Uncle Graham!" Sophie squealed, racing through the house. Regina motioned for Graham to head to the front door and he nodded.

She headed inside and by the time she got to the front door, Sophie was already wrapped around Graham. He was dressed in his dark green polo and khakis, the summer uniform for the forest ranger, so she knew he was on the job. Graham smiled as he held Sophie close. "How's my favorite goddaughter?"

"I'm your only goddaughter," she replied, laughing.

"So?" he asked, laughing as well. "That can still make you my favorite."

Regina smiled, wrapping her arms around her. "Why don't you go brush your hair and put it up so it doesn't get sticky while eating breakfast?" she told her daughter.

Sophie nodded and hurried back toward her room. Once Regina heard the door close, she stepped closer to Graham and scowled at him. "I have a bone to pick with you. What part of 'don't tell my daughter who her father is' didn't you get?"

He grew sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. "Technically, I didn't tell her. I just confirmed it was not me and then named everyone in the picture."

"You should've gone to law school," she replied, glaring at him and in some ways, the loophole he had found.

"You know I would've gone insane trapped in a courthouse and having to wear a suit every day," he told her. "But I'll play lawyer for a bit. Sophie is a smart girl, Regina. She gets that from you. As well as her stubbornness. She wouldn't have just stopped. I just gave her a clue to follow. I figured it would take her most of the summer to figure it out, giving you time to figure out how to tell her the truth."

She raised an eyebrow, wanting to shake him as she stepped closer. "You said so yourself, she's a smart girl. She found the other three men in the photo in under a week."

His eyes widened as his mouth fell open. Recovering, he asked: "What did she do?"

"Well, it turns out they were all near Storybrooke so she snuck their names and addresses on to the invite list for the Summer Festival. And they all showed up, much to my surprise," she said, crossing her arms.