We Can Love Again

Live a Little

It didn't hit her until she was at the doorstep that she and her family would be actually be separated. The realization almost made tears come to her eyes, though she tried to shove them down as much as possible. Regina couldn't help it- she loved her family.

"I don't want you to go Momma!" Roland exclaimed, securing his arms around her waist.

The SUV was all packed up and ready to go. She and Emma had prepared the previous week for their so called adventure, finding available stores and pricing everything out. Now all they had to do was get in and drive away. It seemed so easy.

"I know sweetheart, but we talked about this. I'll be back in three days with lots of stories to tell you."

He sniffed, looking up at her with glossy, tentative eyes. "New York City is where the Green Goblin was defeated by Spider-Man. If you see one of them there, will you tell them I said I?"

Regina just about laughed out loud at the sincerity of his voice. Obviously, he didn't know the difference between a real person and a fictional character.

"Okay, I promise. You make sure you're well behaved for your father, Snow, and Will. Whatever they say goes."

The boy nodded sadly, letting his grip slacken around her. Seeing his disheartened look, Henry came over towards his brother and sling his arms around his shoulders.

"We'll have fun, don't worry," the older boy promised, shooting his mother a smile, "I can't believe both of my moms are going to be on vacation- that means I get double the gifts when they get back."

Regina couldn't believe how much her son was taking on her sarcasm. "We'll see about that. Until then, you'll need to be a good big brother and help out with Caroline. And... If you do, I'll think more about getting you that cellphone."

Hearing that, he beamed as he gave her a tight hug.

"Awesome! I'll miss you, Mom."

"I'll miss you too," Regina smiled, hugging him back with all the love and intensity she could offer. She could tell Emma was growing impatient in the car waiting for her, but Regina didn't care. When she came to saying goodbye to Robin, she almost couldn't do it. She remembered how excruciating it was to be away from him the first time, how being separated made her feel so lost she might as well been dead.

"You'll have to tell me how New York is," Robin smiled, so convincingly encouraging it almost made her feel better. "We'll be fine here. You go and have fun."

Damn, she hated how positive he could be sometimes. She wrapped her arms around his neck before he could see her tears.

"I love you," she whispered into his shoulder, trying desperately to capture the moment for all it was worth. Feeling secure in his arms... That was home. And it was all she could ever ask for.

His hold on her slackened somewhat, and he pulled back to give her an affirmative look with his eyes. "You know how much I love you too. I'll take good care of her, of all our kids. I promise."

Regina believed his words in a heartbeat; the tattoo on his forearm proved it to be true, undoubtedly. She could only smile in return, before the image of Snow holding her child came into view beside her fiancé. It pained her to know that she and her daughter were going to be separated for the first time in forever, made her heart feel panicked in a motherly way, though she knew leaving her in Snow and Robin's hands was a foolproof decision.

"Momma's gonna be back soon, I promise," she told her daughter, leaning down to gently press a kiss against her soft head of hair. Her child simply stared up at her with such curiosity, such pure, unconditional trust that made her wonder why on earth her own mother would want to give up such a precious blessing in life. Regina actually felt sorry for Cora; she wouldn't give up the chance to see her baby grow day by day for anything.