Somewhere Down The Road

Chapter Eighteen

Storybrooke: 20 years old

"Sorry you have to hang out with your old man since Emma isn't here," Henry teases, drawing a smile from her face for the first time in what seems like months. "Actually, I'm not sorry at all."

"I don't mind being out here with you. The lake is so...peaceful this time of morning. I'm surprised we haven't seen Mr. Swan."

"That man has been working hard. He was telling me all about his business almost doubling this past year," her father informs her and as he goes on and on about the fishery, Regina's mind drifts away.

She's not trying to be rude but she rather not hear about the Swans right now. It's bad enough being in Michigan without Emma, despite everything they have been through. This place feels like a ghost town without Emma brightening the days and filling the silence with her bubbly laughter. She misses her. But apparently, Emma wasn't missing her enough to come home this summer from college.

When Regina arrived two days ago, she waited for Emma to come seek her out but after radio silence for those forty-eight hours, she scrounged up the courage to walk down that hill and ask where the hell she has been. Mary Margret explained that Emma had a job in Iowa while she was at school and didn't want to lose it just to come home for the summer. She's living in some apartment with Ruby and some girl, Lily, and Regina's beating heart collapsed to her feet and finally admitted defeat.

Emma has moved on.

She and Emma are officially over.

And it feels more like a sign from the universe than anything because Daniel dumped her six months ago and has been playing all sorts of mind games since. He sat her down, told her he loved her but he felt very confused and torn because he had only ever seriously dated her. Yes, he's dated plenty of girls but she was the first to make him settle and now he's unsure what to make of that. For the past six months, he's been playing a strategic game of cat and mouse and she's been a fool allowing it all to happen because her mind has been just as puzzled.

So, when she came up to Storybrooke, she thought that maybe this was a chance for her to be single again and see where that leads with her and Emma. If Emma isn't still seeing Ruby. However, Emma isn't even here and she's off living with Ruby in another state, so the universe slammed that door right in her face. Now, she's faced with the cold hard reality that they just aren't meant to be.

"You've been quiet lately," her father points out, his eyes jumping toward her before bouncing right back to his line in the water.

"Just...trying to sort some things out in my head," she admits, keeping her attention on the lake and nothing else.

He hums in consideration, scratching at the stubble around his chin from not having time to shave this morning in order to get out on the lake so early.

"In case I haven't told you lately, you're my daughter."

She chuckles, rolling her eyes. "Yes, thanks daddy, I'm well aware."

"Well, with that comes an unconditional love. There's nothing you could say or do that would make me hate you or feel embarrassed of you." A scorching heat burns beneath her flesh, evaporating all the liquid in her body. She swallows. Her eyes glued to the lake. "I know you might not understand this, but someday if you have children, you will get it." He gently runs his big palm over the back of her head. "My top priority is making sure you are happy in life."