"You're home!" Sarah said as Jack walked through the front door.
"Hi Mom" her son greeted embracing her.
"Did you have a good time?"
"Yeah, what about you?"
"You could say that. Regina came over for dinner"
"She was here?!" the boy exclaimed.
"Yeah, but she left a bit disappointed because you were not around. She really wanted to see you"
"I'd have loved to see her too!" he said, his disappointment evident.
"But she sent you her Love." Sarah said trying to lighten her son's mood. "Why don't you tell me what you did with Miss Walker"
"Just class stuff. We made some drawings for the volunteer day at the children's hospital"
"Really? Sounds cool!"
"Yeah...hey mom, when can I go riding with Regina again?"
"I don't know, and that's assuming she even wants to take you again, kid"
"She does! She said she would. We could ask her. How about tomorrow?"
"I don't think that's a good idea and you have school tomorrow!"
"Yeah, but what about after school?"
"I'll be at work. And besides, Regina is a very busy woman. We can't just drop in on her! That wouldn't be cool"
"But Mom...!"
"Not a chance Jack! And its off to the shower and then to bed for you, my boy"
Mother and son headed up the stairs in silence. Sarah entered her room promising to go tuck her son in as soon as he took a shower and brushed his teeth. She got herself ready for bed and let her mind wonder to a certain brunette she'd just seen less than a couple hours earlier. Whatever was happening to her as far as Regina was concerned was nothing short of confusing. She hardly knew the woman and yet something deep inside her kept insisting on trusting her completely, even with her son. And Jack seemed to be taken with her just as much. Truth is, She couldn't fault her son for wanting to see Regina when her herself kept clenching her fists just to stop herself from grabbing her phone and dialing her number. Their reasons to want to see her might have been different but one thing was for sure, the stunning older woman was slowly growing on the hearts of both Mother and Son.
"Hey kid, are you done?" she called as she stepped in her son's room. Jack looked up at her from His bed but said nothing.
"Oh! That is so not fair! You can't keep giving me that pouty look every time you don't get your way, kid"
The boy still said nothing.
"You know what, I'm really starting to feel replaced by Regina now kid. What about her do you like so much that I don't have?"
"I don't know! I just think that she's kinda cool, that's all" Jack said sitting up to create space for His mother on his bed.
"Okay, but I'm cool too, right? That's what you always tell me. That your friends at school think so..."
"Yeah, but there's just something about her...she just feels right. Like she's meant to be with us"
"Okay kid! That's kinda deep! And you have never said that to me"
Jack shook his head, trying to be very patient with his (most times) childish mother.
"Of course I have! You're my mom! Don't get all jealous. I Just mean, I feel like Regina is somehow special . Like whenever I'm with her, I feel like...How I feel when I'm..." He hesitated,
"When you're...?"
"When I'm with you. Safe and Happy. Like she'd never let anything hurt me, no matter what. Just like you make me feel and I really like that, I really like her"
"Yeah...me too, kid. Me too" Sarah said, mostly to herself.
"What?" Jack asked.
"Nothing, just thinking" the blonde answered.
Over the next few minutes, a silence so thick fell into the space between them as they tried to grasp what the 8 year old had just said.
Sarah was the first one to speak..."Hey, tell you what. How about you give Regina a call. Just wish her a goodnight. Will that be okay?"
"Really!?" the boy jumped from his bed into His mother's arms.
"Yeah really. Just keep it short, Wow! You've grown so big and heavy. How old are you again, twenty?" Sarah joked winking at her son, the light of her existence and her only reason for living these past 8 years. It'd just been the two of them and she'd always felt content and extremely happy but over the last week, she'd found herself wondering what it would feel to want more, to have more.
"Hey! Earth to mom!" Jack's voice and hand bringing her back to the present,
"What?!"
"I asked you if I could use your phone to call Regina"
"Yeah, sure kid. Its in my room"
Regina had not been able to sleep nor think about anything else since leaving Sarah's apartment. She'd spent the last two hours staring at the sealing, her thoughts consumed by the blonde and the kiss they'd shared. That somehow complicated things but she would never regret sharing such a lovely moment with a woman she was madly in love with, even if technically she was lying to her.
She tried her best not to jump when her thoughts were interrupted by the loud ringing of her phone. When she looked at her phone, the groan that was on its way to her throat died down when she saw the name on the screen. Sliding a finger on the green button, she couldn't for the life of her decide how she was still alive considering how fast and loud her heart was beating in her chest.
"Miss Bennett, its rather late don't you think so? You couldn't stay away, could you?" Regina said, trying to make herself sound as normal as possible.
"Regina...:?" a smaller voice than the one she'd expected to hear came through the receiver.
"Jack!?" She more asked than exclaimed. "I'm so sorry Honey. Hi. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Mom said you came over, i'm sorry I missed you. I wanted to come visit you tomorrow but I have school and Mom will be working after school so she let me call to say goodnight 'cause you could be busy tomorrow anyway"
"Yes sweetheart, I came over and I'm sorry that I missed you too. I wish I could see you tomorrow but your mom is right, you do have school and that's important"
"I guess, but when will we hang out again?"
Regina couldn't help but smile at the boy's stubbornness. He was just like Sarah.
"Do you really want to see me that much?"
"Yeah, I do. Don't you wanna see me?"
"Of Course I do! More than anything!" Regina said. "Hey, is your mom there?"
"Yeah...why?"
"Would you mind giving the phone to her?"
"Yeah, sure"
"Regina..." the blonde's voice invaded her senses.
"Miss Bennett..."
"Miss Bennett? Really? We're back to that, even after what happened earlier? "
"What happened earlier?" she heard Jack ask.
"Nothing. We just had dinner, I told you" Sarah answered quickly realizing her mistake.
"Sarah, you can't just say things like that in front of Jack!" Regina retorted.
"That's more like it!"
"What is?"
"You just called me Sarah. Anyway, what's up? I'm sorry if we disturbed you, the kid was really bummed about missing your visit and I thought talking to you would make him feel better"
"Um...no you didn't disturb me. I was just getting ready for bed and its always nice to hear from Jack"
"That's good then...So..."
"Yeah, I was just wondering if you and Jack would like to come spend some time with me this weekend. There has been a shuffle in my plans and I may be staying in the city a while longer than I'd initially planned. So I was thinking of looking for a small apartment and considering how little I know about the city, I was hoping you could help, If it isn't so much to ask" Regina said thinking fast and holding her breath as she awaited the blonde's response.
"Um...yeah, sure! I don't work weekends and I'm sure the kid would love that"
"Really? And what about you?"
"What about me?"
"You said Jack would love it but...I was hoping you'd love it too"
"Of course I would! Listen Regina, about earlier..."
"Yeah..."
"Just hold on a sec...Hey kid, time to say goodnight to Regina and thank her for the invitation to spend this coming weekend with her" she said turning her attention to her son.
"Really!? That's awesome!" the boy said coming to the phone. "Thank you, Regina! Can't wait for Saturday!"
"Me either!" the brunette said, mimicking the boy's enthusiasm. "Now you have to go to bed. I'm sending you a hug and a kiss"
"Me too! Goodnight and sweetdreams"
"Thank you sweetheart" Regina smiled.
"Goodnight kid" the blonde said planting a kiss on her son's forehead.
"Goodnight mom..." the boy responded
"So you were saying?" Regina asked as Emma entered her bedroom
"Yeah, about what happened earlier, I shouldn't have...I'm so..."
"Sarah, please don't say you're sorry, unless you're really sorry it happened...are you?... Sorry that what happened, I mean?"
"No, I'm not sorry it happened, I'm just afraid that I crossed a line you weren't ready or willing to cross"
"No you didn't. "
"Okay. I'm glad to hear that. So...see you on Saturday?"
"Yeah, and Sarah?" the brunette called "About what happened earlier?"
"Yeah..."
"I really liked it"
"I really liked it too" Sarah said with the hugest grin on her face.
"Goodnight Sarah" Regina said, with the same grin brightening her face.
"Goodnight Regina"
They both hung up smiling at the realization that neither of them could wait that long to see each other. Something told them they would be in each other's company way sooner than Saturday.