"You're gonna be okay, right?" Emma asked breaking the silence, threading her fingers with Regina's as they lay on the armrest.
"I'm not invalid," Regina said with a forced huff, though the edge wasn't in her voice.
"I know," the blonde reassured, stroking her thumb over the back of Regina's hand.
A quiet discontent settled around them again as Emma thought how quickly this month had flew by. She remembered getting easily bored at August's during the day, and a part of her had almost wanted to return back to the base for a little more purpose, but she was so grateful that August had all but kicked her out of his place in her search for Regina. Despite the sadness she felt for leaving, she couldn't help but be happy that she had a place to call home, though a part of her was hesitant to call it that just yet, something innate knew that was what Storybrooke was. Home. A place to miss. People she knew would be difficult not to see on a daily basis. Someone to dream about. Someone to care about her. Yeah, it was definitely home.
Regina's eyes fought the tiredness of the late night and the five-hour trip, and Emma felt a twinge of guilt that once again this woman who had no obligation to her whatsoever had somehow climbed past Emma's wall and was willing to give the blonde a shot. It amazed her that a woman like Regina could even exist. But here Regina was, sporadically widening her eyes to bat the sleep away as her head rested against Emma's arm.
"You can sleep," the blonde suggested. "I'll wake you when I have to board."
At that, Regina snapped her head up and shook her head, clearing the tiredness away with force as she pressed her palms to her cheeks. "I'm fine."
"You're tired."
"I booked a hotel for Henry and I," Regina explained. "Long weekend," she added dryly.
"Is there anything you're not prepared for?" Emma teased, laughing when Regina smirked with a raised eyebrow that personified the fearsome Madam Mayor.
"First class ticket holders for Flight 436 to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, please make your way to the terminal."
At the announcement, Emma stood and picked up her rucksack. "I'm just gonna change quickly."
Regina nodded, watching as Emma headed out of the waiting area to the large hallway where the washrooms were held.
Regina was unaware she was biting her thumb until she nipped too hard on her cuticle and winced at the pain. The anxiety in her at the thought of Emma leaving rivalled that of when her father passed away. It was fine, she told herself. It wasn't like Emma was being shipped off to war. She was simply heading back to Benning for the time being. She could very well complete her service simply by being on Reserves for the remainder of her term. Many soldiers completed their service without going on tour. There was nothing to worry about.
The logic should have eased Regina's racing mind but all it served to do was force her to picture Emma in the midst of warfare, shots firing, land mines erupting, and buildings burning. If Regina had an overactive imagination from mere wonderings of Emma's experiences, she couldn't comprehend what the blonde's nightmares were like.
Regina scowled to herself at her pessimism. The military wasn't always like that – guns, bombs, and prisoners of war. She had read that many soldiers enjoy their time serving, making lasting relationships with peers, and learning skill sets that were transferable in the workforce. That was Emma. She was a survivor. She'd be fine.
A soft moaning sounded beside her, and she snapped her head to Henry who was curled uncomfortably on the chair, whimpering in his sleep.
"Shhh," she soothed, rubbing one hand along his back while the other brushed the much too long locks of brown hair out of his eyes. She had nearly convinced him to get a haircut, but Emma had said that if he wanted to look like Jim Hawkins, he'd have to pierce his ear. The blonde looked almost smug, expecting Henry to clutch his ears and scream out preemptively at the sting of the piercing gun and try to chop off his hair instead. She was wrong. Now Henry wasn't letting anyone near him with a pair of scissors or a razor.
His eyes fluttered open though they drooped, wanting to succumb to sleep.
"Go back to sleep, sweetheart."
Even in his half-awake state, Henry's eyes shifted around swiftly. "Where's Emma?" Without being given an answer his eyes started to water in fear before Regina quieted him down again with soft humming.
"She's in the washroom. You can still say goodbye to her."
He nodded and sat up despite Regina's attempt to cradle him back down then climbed over the armrests to sit in his mother's lap. "She come back tomorrow?" He asked hopefully, clutching Regina's cheeks to her eye contact.
Regina chuckled softly. "No, sweetie, not tomorrow."
He pouted and looked to be on the verge of arguing when he turned and awed audibly. Regina looked for the source of his wonderment and found Emma, strutting from the hallway in her shades of beige and pale green camouflage uniform and her hair pulled back into a severe bun. If Regina were to see her on the street, she would have thought this woman serious and no nonsense. Seeing the transformation from Emma Swan to Corporal Swan was quite impressive just from the vast disparity between the two. Gone was the wild-haired blonde who chased her son around with cardboard swords. In her place was the disciplined soldier who had seen too much at too young an age.
"What are you doing awake?" Emma's voice was soft despite the hardness of her face as she sat beside Regina, using a finger to poke at Henry and offering Regina a to-go cup of coffee the brunette hadn't noticed until now.
She smiled her thanks as the boy moved silently from Regina's lap into Emma's, leaning back to eye her uniform curiosity.
"You clean up well, soldier," Regina commented, one edge of her lips curling upwards as she took in the blonde beside her.
Emma smirked and nuzzled her forehead against Henry's. "I'm glad you're awake. I got you something too."
"A present?" He asked eagerly.
She produced a small United States flag pin from her pocket, displaying it in the palm of her hand. "There was only a tiny kiosk opened this late."
Henry didn't hear her explanation as he picked up the pin and inspected it with careful eyes. "Is it a toy?"
She shook her head. "Remember how you wanted a necklace like me and August?" When Henry nodded, she continued. "It's kind of like that, except you can pin it onto your shirt. I work for them too,"'she explained pointing to the pin, "and you can pretend."
He grinned his acceptance to Regina who smiled fondly at the two before stretching out the front of his sweater for Emma to pin it on. With a grin of her own, she unclasped the backing and carefully pressed the pin through his hoodie and slid her other hand under it to close the fastening. She nudged his chin with a knuckle when she was done. "Look at you, kid."
Henry looked down at the pin and grinned widely. "Look, Mommy!"
"I see, sweetheart." Regina said straightening out his sweater. "You clean up well too."
He giggled happily and scooted off Emma's lap, running to the seat he had vacated, Regina's coat now sprawled haphazardly against the chair and Rex still sleeping the night away. He grabbed the dinosaur and was already holding him out in front of him before running the two steps back to Emma. "Rex cleans up too," he mimicked, tilting the dinosaur side to side in some dance move. "He's for you."
"Kid..." Emma tried but Henry climbed back up into her lap and placed Rex insistently into her arms.
"Rex is really good at giving hugs," Henry explained playing with the stubby arms of the toy. "He doesn't like hide and seek 'cause I always find him and I always pick the bestest hiding spots, and he makes the bad dreams go away."
The last one hit a nerve in Emma's chest, and without further control of her body, her eyes watered as she quickly pulled Henry and Rex into a tight hug. She pressed a kiss to the curve of his neck. "You're the best, kid."