Both women raised their eyebrow at that but neither said a word before Regina deduced that perhaps she should take Henry out. August insisted that Emma go with her, muttering something along the lines of "as long as you clean the bedsheets" before the man was happily left alone with his jello and his soaps.
Emma couldn't help but think this was his plan all along, and she was sure it was. It was August, after all. The writer in him loved a bit of drama. Shaking her head, she allowed Henry to pull her down aisle after aisle where Henry pushed buttons, sampling the toys so that nearly the entire store was filled with a cacophony of nursery rhyme songs and animal sounds.
"Pick one out," Emma encouraged, giving the boy a pat on the shoulder.
He looked up at her wide-eyed. "Really?"
She nodded. "It's a late Christmas present."
As soon as 'present' was out of her mouth, Henry galloped away. Smiling fondly after him, Emma followed the sounds of his heavy boots to find him in the playset aisle. She winced. Maybe this wasn't the greatest of ideas after all, she thought, imagining Regina lugging a playset in her Benz and setting it up at the mansion. But then Henry grinned pretending to be a baker in the model kitchen, and he hammered away on the handyman set, and even though she'd probably face Regina's wrath and receive a lecture on spoiling the kid, it was kind of worth it.
"Look." Henry pointed out a chalkboard ease that had the beginnings of the alphabet printed on top. "It's like a school."
She crouched by him as he found the demo piece of chalk tied to the board and began doodling away. "Hey," she realized in wonderment. "You're starting school this year."
"Yup!" Henry didn't turn away from the chalk board as he nodded happily. "I'm gonna go to big boy school and take the school bus."
"Oh my god," she whispered, just staring at Henry who was oblivious to the pride swelling up within the blonde. She knew he was getting big, but it hit her suddenly just how big he was getting. That little baby who used to eat her letters and create rainbow tornadoes in crayon that got her through the day was going to school in the fall. Who knew what'd he be doing the next time she saw him. Probably riding a two-wheeler and taking the bus by himself and getting a paper route and being a big boy. She sat down on the tile hard.
Henry laughed when she plopped. "You silly."
She pulled her into her lap and blew raspberries on his cheek, the boy squealing with joy in his attempt to get away but encouraging Emma when she stopped for too long. "Stop growing up," she said absolutely seriously when his laughter quieted.
"Okay." His promise was meaningful and to him, he meant it, but time was a hated friend who listened to no one, and Henry would grow up no matter how much Emma, or Regina for that matter, wished it.
She released him where he darted off to the next aisle leaving Emma sitting on the tile, staring forlornly at the toddler who was going to grow up into a child without her.
Emma tapped on the window of the jewelry store she found Regina in. Though there was snow on the ground, the sun was out and the winds were low, so she saw no reason to actually enter the store, especially when she could watch Regina browse without interruption. It was strange how Regina blended in with the crowd whereas in Storybrooke, whenever the Mayor entered the room, everyone and their mother knew. But here, they were just Regina and Emma and Henry, and no one knew their name or where they came from or where they were going. The bliss that came from the anonymity spurred on the hope that they could be whoever they wanted to be and damn the consequences. They were a little family taking the day to shop, and if Emma's plan went through with precision, perhaps Regina would allow her to shop for something specific.
The brunette looked up at the tapping and grinned when Emma waved from the opposite side of the glass. Within a moment, Regina was out of the store and raising an eyebrow at the giant plastic bag in Emma's hand. "What did you do?"
"It's a present!" Henry filled in, racing to his mother and tugging her to the bag. He forced Emma to drop it to the ground and pushed down the plastic to show the t-ball kit Emma had purchased for him.
"Then I guess we have to wrap it before you can have it," Emma teased.
Henry frowned at her. "No."
Regina rolled her eyes affectionately before leaning into Emma's side as they walked to the Benz, Henry swinging haphazardly off Regina's arm. "You're spoiling him."
"Hey, I see him once a year. If I'm lucky," she pointed out. "I'm allowed to spoil him. And you if I feel like it."
"I take it you haven't felt like it then?" Regina teased with a feigned pout.
The blonde smirked and winked mischievously, before turning to face the older woman, walking backwards in the parking lot. "Can I ask you something?"
Regina nodded curiously.
"Feel free to say no. I know it's special and you only get to do it once," she rambled on, bumping into a car behind her.
"What is it?"
Emma stopped walking and whether she was impersonating a puppy dog or had her own personal look, Regina was falling for it. "Can we go first day of school shopping?"
That night, Regina came home to August's apartment from the hospital alone since entertaining Henry at the ward was a near impossible task. She had also been betrayed when Henry insisted he wanted to hang out with Emma after their back-to-school shopping excursion. She couldn't find it in her to be upset that her son wanted alone time with the blonde, but the scenarios of what they could be getting up to ran rampant in her mind.
It was a good day. Perfect, really. They didn't do anything grand other than shop and have lunch, but the simplicity of it all made Regina yearn for more. For what? That's what she was trying to wrap her head around because if she voiced what she knew, she was terrified it was only going to be taken from her. But these family moments–they were too good for words.
When Emma had asked to go school shopping, Regina was surprised at first. She didn't think the blonde would be interested in academic pursuit, but it was more than just buying pencils and crayons. Henry was growing up quickly, Regina knew that from firsthand experience, and Emma wanted to be involved in all the ways she could. The hesitance in Emma's eyes when she had asked had tried to make itself small, but Regina faltered only from surprise before agreeing readily. The beam on Emma's face brought about the key realization that Regina was still trying to process.
They were a family.
Emma had been in Henry's life just as much as she had, even if she was a phantom presence for the first three years. Maybe it was because Regina never planned on ever meeting then Private Swan or maybe some twist of fate urged Regina on, but the brunette had always made it a point to include the soldier in both hers and Henry's life. Now it was for a more monumental purpose.
So after departing the plaza, they had traveled to a department store where they bought kindergarten supplies seven months early. It was a toss up who was more excited for the spree: Regina, Emma, or Henry.
Regina adored buying new button ups and denims for her son, but once she passed the newborn section, her eyes watered at the fact that Henry had once fit into that onesie or Henry used to suck on that teether. Emma never had the chance as a child to truly go back-to-school shopping. Instead, she was stuck with hand-me-down clothes, bags that were tattered at the seams, and supplies pilfered off floors and unsuspecting desks. Though she tried to argue that Henry needed a geometry set, eventually Regina was able to dissuade her of the purchase. Emma, however, was lucky enough to be the one to buy Henry's backpack. Regina nearly snorted when Henry chose his bag, but Emma grinned and blushed, ruffling the kid's hair as he pointed to a green and brown camouflage knapsack. And Henry, well, he was just happy to be the centre of attention.