Roni

Chapter Eighteen

Emma and Regina quickly finished up with Victoria's prisoner, not wanting to get caught red handed by Ivy or Victoria herself. Emma did use her superpower on the strange woman and didn't detect any signs of dishonesty in her words. She did have a feeling, long before the confirmation that Perla was more important than just a loved one, lost to Ivy. She couldn't even imagine crushing her loved ones heart, but then again Regina did it, as well as Snow and maybe if pushed came to shove and she was forced, maybe just maybe her perspective would change.

The minute they arrived back at Roni's, Regina went inside to check on her bar, well mostly check up on Jack to make sure he's doing his job. While Emma headed upstairs to check on Ella, but not before offering to meet Regina back down stairs so she could help close up the bar.

"Hey mom," Emma greets her mother as she closes the door behind her.

Snow is in the kitchen making herself a cup of hot cocoa by herself.

"Hi honey, how did everything go?"

"Pretty well. We found out Victoria and Ivy are keeping some woman captive. They both have their memories and Ivy is the one who cast the curse by crushing her loved one's heart," Emma rushes to explain as she sits down on a stool in front of her mother.

"When are these people going to be tired of casting curses?" Snows sadly replies, shaking her head while she pours two mugs of steaming hot cocoa.

She expertly adds whipped cream to both and sprinkles a light dust of cinnamon on top, just as she always does. A sudden sharp pain jabs through Emma's heart as she realizes that she doesn't even remember the last time she sat down with her mother and talked, enjoying their signature beverage. A small smile slowly appears on her face as she watches her mother carefully.

"What is it sweetie?"

"Nothing," she shrugs her shoulders carelessly and accepts the warm cup from Snow. "We just haven't done this in awhile." Her mother smiles brightly and nods in agreement, loving the shared moment between them. "How was Ella?"

"She was Ella," she giggles and continues, "you know how your daughter is. The spitting image of you, inside and out." Emma nods along, blowing on her beverage to cool it down, because there's not much she can say to Ella's behavior.

"Do you think this is all too much for her?"

"Honestly? No, things like this don't really phase her. I just wish she would open up more, she's so closed off...like someone I know," her mother insinuates, narrowing those dark green eyes at her stubborn daughter. Yet, Emma just ignores the stern glare and sips her drink. "She spoke with her father today. He's not happy that you two aren't home yet."

Emma remains silent and continues to sip her chocolatey beverage as a distraction. If it were just Killian and her in this marriage, she would've spoken to him about everything right away, but it's not. She has Ella that she needs to consider as well, she is only thirteen and Emma cannot stand the thought of breaking her little girl's heart.

"Emma?" Snow's soft voice urges concerned, glossy green irises to peek up at her. "Would you like to talk about what happened before Ella and I came here?"

Pure panic washes over her while she blushes profusely and there is just no way she can counter the reaction her body immediately feels by the small question.

There's no way she knows.

"What? How I fought with Killian?"

"Come on Emma, don't play stupid with me. I'm your mother," she sips her cocoa while peering over the mug to glare at her daughter. However, Emma has always been as stubborn as a mule so she simply shrugs her mother off and stares down aimlessly into her dark drink. "Okay if you won't say it, then I will. Something happened between you and Regina. I'm not sure how far either of you took it, but I can see it. In both of you."