Guilt

Chapter 25

"Ms. Mills!" Hope started running faster when she saw her history teacher walking in the streets. She wanted to go home and take care of Leo, but there had been a question on her mind for quite some time now and she finally had an opportunity to ask.

Regina turned around and saw Hope running towards her with a heavy schoolbag. She smiled at her teacher once she'd caught up with her and breathed loudly from the running.

"Sorry, I.. I wanted to ask you a question," Hope said, still breathing loudly. She'd tried her best to get back into shape after her pregnancy, but it was much harder than she'd anticipated.

"What's the deal with you and my mom?" she finally asked and looked questioning at the teacher, who didn't seem too happy to be discussing this topic. "I mean, I know you two went on a date like a week ago, but mom didn't say a lot about the subject."

She started walking next to Regina as her teacher started thinking about a proper answer. "I'm not even quite sure myself," Regina admitted. "There's a lot going on right now and I don't want to make anyone unhappy."

Regina looked at Hope. The girl nodded slowly as she looked at the road ahead. "If you're asking for my permission to ask her on another date, you uh.. you have it."

Regina raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Really?"

"Well.. I heard the date hadn't gone very well, but mom said she liked spending time with you. She clearly likes you and I know she's having a hard time with me and Leo and I think you can maybe help with that."

"I.. thank you. I'm glad to hear this," Regina said. "I know it can't be easy to see your mother dating someone else. Especially when it's your teacher, so it really means a lot that you're okay with it."

Hope smiled sincerely and looked at Regina. "Yeah, well.. mom's doing so much for me, I don't want to be the one standing in the way of her happiness."

~~~~

"I.. don't remember that at all and my mother never told me either."

Regina and Emma were sitting in Regina's kitchen, at the dining table. It was their second date and although normally, they'd have chosen for a restaurant, neither woman felt like any surprises on the evening, so they'd decided to just stay home.

Emma had just told Regina what Mary Margaret had told her. The one about Regina knowing Emma as a baby and being happy to see her.

"Well, that makes sense. People don't memorize things until they're four years old," Emma said and smiled sweetly. "This lasagna is delicious, by the way."

"Thank you," Regina responded with a smile. "But it's still a strange story. It does make sense, though. My mother could easily be someone who spills another's secrets. It's just so strange how these things go."

Emma nodded. "I agree. It's a nice story, though, whether it's true or not."

She ate the last of her lasagna and smiled at Regina. The brunette looked at her with adoration in her eyes and smiled back.

They stayed silent for a moment, both still thinking about the story. Emma waited for Regina to finish her food and helped her clear the table when they were both content with the amount they'd eaten.

"What do you want to do, now?" Regina inquired. She was washing her hands and dried them off before she looked at Emma. "I don't know how late you promised Hope to be home, but.."