this is upsetting, cause this chapter was the one I have been waiting over a year to put out, and it's taken me five months to get the motivation and inspiration to write it all. And no one's gonna read it, regardless of how many tears I shed over finishing this!

you could tell which parts I just needed done to publish this damn thing...

no gif today. Didn't feel it

-----

Fifty Six

+ + +

"CAN YOU COME OVER?" REGINA IMMEDIATELY asked over the phone. 

Naomi was sitting in her best pajama pants and hoodie, watching old reruns of Three's Company. Work started in two hours. Food was in a bowl on her lap. Neighbors were silent. It was a perfect morning for relaxation and some good earned Naomi time. Her nineteenth birthday was tomorrow. She didn't want to get out more often than necessary. 

So when Regina called that Thursday morning, she was all but thrilled to answer. 

"Hey, Naomi! How's life going? Are you keeping up well?" Naomi filled in an introduction for the other woman. Regina began rather abruptly, as if politeness was a thing of the past. "Thanks, Regina. I'm doing great!"

"Can you come to my office? It's important."

Regina never used that tone. She switched between three tones of voice at all times; pissed with the town (a regular), pissed with Emma (a classic), and worried for her son (a regular classic). This was neither of the three. Naomi was immediately set on edge. 

Naomi switched off the television. "Yeah. Yeah, give me a minute."

"This may interest you..." Regina sighed before hanging up. 

She took a shortcut to the mayor's office. That shortcut being someone's driveway and the back parking lot of the supermarket. Two people were cut off in turning. Her inability to pay a ticket was the only thing stopping her from running a red light. She was being a successful hazard to traffic. 

There were times when she understood why the town disliked her so much. 

All doors were unlocked. Naomi had no problem letting herself in and getting up to the mayor's office. Regina wouldn't have had an assistant to let Naomi in regardless. The assistant quit working under her after the curse broke. She had been on her own in the office building for almost a year. Herself, and the janitor. His name was Richard; one of the only regulars at the library. Naomi liked Richard. 

Regina was pacing around her office when Naomi arrived. 

"Take a seat," Regina ordered, swiftly moving to sit behind her desk. Naomi hesitantly claimed the only chair across the mahogany table. 

"I assume this is about the project I asked you to look into?" Naomi asked. Regina nodded, clasping her hands in front of her. 

Regina shuffled some papers around on her desk. Some had notes scribbled on them. Others looked to be printed straight from an encyclopedia. "I'll just cut straight to the point. I'm sure you've been waiting on the edge of your twin bed for days."

"First of all, rude. I have a queen," Naomi muttered. 

The woman glanced at one of her papers. "This is much more serious than I anticipated. At first, I just thought Pan was able to create a bond between the two of you. He was the one to teach you magic, yes?" Regina began. 

Naomi nodded. 

"And you're sure you haven't used magic again, not since Neverland?"

"Not that I can remember. I don't know what I may have gotten into in the Enchanted Forest, but I know I haven't reached into that part of my brain since the night he took Henry's heart. I had to get out of that barrier you closed me in," Naomi explained in a quiet voice. 

Regina took a deep breath. "Understandable. That wasn't complex magic, but at your level of expertise - that being none - I'm surprised you were able to tear it down at all. It wasn't a difficult spell to break, but... I just keep wondering if there's another reason you were able to combat my skill at that level," she murmured. She stared fixedly at her research. "It doesn't add up..."

"What doesn't add up?" Naomi leaned forward to look at the papers herself. 

Regina slid the research off to the side. "I'm going to need some further digging. This isn't nearly enough to warrant a town hall meeting... they'll think I've gone mad. Mary Margaret would never let me set foot around you ever again. But the people may need to know. They deserve to know, if this is the truth."

"Madame Mayor, I cannot help you judge whether or not anyone else needs to find out if you don't tell me these things," Naomi stated impatiently. Regina inhaled sharply and got to the point. 

"Are you familiar with the term soulmates?" Regina asked. 

Naomi nodded. "Two souls are connected. Either by a curse, birth rite, et cetera," she responded. 

Regina shook her head. "Yes, but do you understand what it actually means? Beyond the denotation?" She pressed. Naomi shook her head. The other woman sighed and clasped her hands on top of the desk. 

"Right. A soulmate bond is just what you described: two souls trapped in an unbreakable connection. Well, most people have come to associate a soulmate with true love. Oh, what joy - I've found my soulmate and now I'm going to live happily ever after in my flowery tower and magical singing voice! But what they don't understand is that a soul bond is not all rainbows and glitter. Nothing related to magic is," Regina explained. 

"When they think of a soulmate, they can only see the good things. Their minds are so focused on this perfect match. Every dictionary under the sun describes a soulmate as a perfect match. People can find them, they can be developed. But this is the description from a land without magic. These people don't fully understand what this sort of bondage is. Two souls are connected, whether they like it or not. You could be each other's mortal enemy, but when one dies, you will feel the pain. When you are sad, the other will feel it. If a woman were to give birth, the other partner would be feeling the stress and toll with her. And there is nothing that can be done about it."

Naomi slowly nodded along, not quite following. "And that's not the worst part," Regina continued. She leaned forward on her elbows, becoming quite serious. "When one end dies, a part of the other dies with them. Just a sliver. And while the living end is alive, a sliver of the dead will remain."

"Uh-huh. Yeah. I get that. But what does that mean?" Naomi asked. 

She knew exactly what it meant. But she needed clarification. She had never been a particularly faithful person, but she silently prayed for clarification. 

Regina slid out a piece of paper and a pen. "Think of it as a Venn diagram." She drew two circles on the paper, meeting to form a space. She wrote Naomi's name in one circle, and Pan's name in the other. 

"Now, Pan is dead. He's gone." Regina shaded in his circle, which was connected with Naomi's. "But see here, the bonded part of your souls is also gone. But that's impossible, because you're still alive. You're sitting right in front of me. But because of the bond, part of your circle is shaded, while this part of his circle should be light. This one spot in your bond is all it takes to create this disaster; this chaotic match."

"A part of your soul died that day before everyone was sent back to the Enchanted Forest. And from that day on, a part of his soul lives on inside you," Regina concluded. She studied Naomi's face, searching for any sort of reaction. 

Naomi leaned against the backrest of her chair. She slowly rubbed her upper lip in contemplation of this information. She stared at the Venn diagram on Regina's desk. So this was how she ended? 

After everything she'd gone through, this?

"So what are you saying?" Naomi demanded. Regina sighed. 

"What I'm saying, Naomi, is that Peter Pan will never be fully dead until you die. As long as you live, a part of him still lives. Within you."

Naomi crossed her arms tightly. She was shaking without control. 

There had to be another way. There had to be a situation in which their bond was broken, and he died for real. Maybe the Dreamshade, or when he switched bodies with Henry. Was it when she was trapped in Storybrooke? Did Regina's curse break their bond? Something had to have happened!

"You're crazy," she stated. 

"Look, I'm not suggesting you go out and sacrifice yourself! There has to be another way to figure this out. Either figure it out, or deal with the cards dealt to us. This has happened to soulmates before. The living half came out alright in the end. Most of the time," Regina explained. 

Naomi took several deep breaths. She needed a minute to mull everything over. Pan was dead. She had watched him disappear with Mr. Gold. There was no coming back from a trade like that. 

"What are you suggesting, then?" She demanded in a small voice. 

"I'm suggesting an investigation of your dreams, your visions. This is the source of your connection. The dreams you keep having are his remaining soul contacting you. He's manipulating you. You cannot succumb!" Regina finalized her explanation. 

"I wasn't planning on it!" Naomi exclaimed, nearly pulling her hair out. 

Regina sighed, rubbing her hands together. "I just hope for us to be on the same page. I do hope we can become allies, Naomi. This situation is bigger than the both of us."

The younger girl said nothing. Regina was right, of course. They did need to join forces. But did that mean Naomi had to like it? Absolutely not. 

"I hate this!" She screamed, jumping to her feet. Regina barely flinched. Naomi kicked the nearest lamp and tossed some random file of papers onto the floor which she hoped wasn't important. One chair got knocked over. Another lamp got kicked. Regina said nothing at first. She let the younger woman release her steam.

Naomi eventually settled down and placed her hands on the back of her chair. "Thank you for the work." Naomi took a deep breath. "I'm just stressed, you know? Got a lot on my plate lately." She looked at the damage she had caused. Regina twirled a pen in her fingers. 

"Are you done?" She asked. 

Naomi stared ahead at the window. It had gotten darker, more threatening of a thunderstorm. "I'm sorry about..." She motioned around the room. 

Regina shook her head. "I understand. You should have seen what I did to the mausoleum after Emma broke the curse," she admitted. Naomi barely cracked a smile. It was a funny thought, though. 

"But Regina, you can't tell the town. Nothing about this needs to get out. Please don't give them another reason to hate me," Naomi begged. For the first time in months (that she knew of), she clasped her hands. "Please, Regina. They can't know yet."

Regina nodded sincerely. "Very well. I'll keep it a secret for now. But you must know that if it ever happens that circumstances come down to ensuring the safety of the town and your own popularity, I will not hesitate to release each bit of research I've discovered. I can't risk it."

"Of course. Of course. I would do the same in your shoes," Naomi agreed. It was times like these when she missed having long hair to shield her face. "But things haven't gotten that bad yet, right?"

"We don't think so..." Regina smoothed the ruffles in her skirt. 

That was promising. 

"Did you get back to work?" Regina asked. Naomi nodded. "Good. It's important everyone has stationed roles in the town these days. It's important to know where everyone is. Missing cases have... tripled... over the past week. We can't afford to lose track of anyone."

"You don't need to worry about me, Miss Mills," Naomi stated, drumming on the back of the chair. She grabbed her jacket. "I need to go home. Learning you're doomed is a little tiring, don't you think?"

Regina nodded, standing up. "Let me see you to the door-"

Naomi was already halfway to the other end of the office. "I got it. Thanks."

+ + +

Naomi and Mary Margaret had agreed to meet up for dinner that evening. Naomi wasn't feeling up to a hunt of sorts, and Mary Margaret wanted to treat her to a birthday dinner. Nothing big, nothing special. 

Naomi had made Mary Margaret promise she wouldn't do anything extravagant for her birthday. Nineteenth birthdays weren't near as important. Nothing special happened at nineteen. You aged. That was bout it. Naomi saw no reason to have anything special for that one day a year. 

But as we all know, Mary Margaret is terrible at keeping her promises.

"I need to pick something up at the house before dinner," Mary Margaret told her on the way to the apartment. They had already passed the road to get to their apartment. 

"Really?" Naomi asked, glancing behind her. "Can it wait?"

"Nope."

The door was unlocked when they arrived at the apartment. That was Naomi's first red flag. Mary Margaret never left the house unlocked for hours on end. 

She felt around in her jacket, subtly. The travel-sized knife was still there. They may need it...

"Surprise!" The lights came on, and everyone jumped out of their hiding places. 

Naomi smiled widely and waved, carefully leaning back towards Mary Margaret. She chuckled uncomfortably. "Ah... you know I hate these things..."

"I know, but most of these people have never been in a surprise party," she told Naomi. "I wanted them to have the experience before we were all turned into monkeys."

"Okay, well..." Naomi gave Ruby and Cass hugs. "As excuses go, that's not bad."

There had been a full buffet bar of snacks set out on the island counter. She was pleased to see that she knew everyone in the building. They had either lived together, worked together, killed together, or engaged in serious debates about how a zebra is striped. She was glad to see her mom didn't invite any random passerby on the street. 

She was surprised to see Emma and Henry. Emma remembered her. Not Henry. Naomi supposed the only reason Henry came along was for a place to be. It would have been irresponsible of Emma to leave her twelve-year-old kid in a hotel room for two hours. At least this was the perfect time to meet Henry. 

Thirteen. He would have been thirteen. 

He was the only guest who didn't know her. 

"Since we missed your birthday in the Enchanted Forest... we've decided to do it now!" Mary Margaret told her. 

"Most of us missed your eighteenth as well. But the nineteenth is just as important, right?" David added. Naomi smiled and gave him a big hug. Did they even know when her birthday was? Did they forget how time worked? It didn't seem like they did. She decided to leave it up to pregnancy brain and let it slide. 

Naomi cheerfully hugged a few of her guests, allowing them to kiss her cheek and bid their wishes of her happy day. "Is it really a good idea to have a birthday party given everything that's going on?"

"I think that's exactly why it's a good idea," Mary Margaret stated. "A distraction might be nice. People need something to be excited over. It's so gray out there, have you noticed? I refuse to let it be gray on your birthday."

Naomi thanked her, while simultaneously greeting Alexandra - who had come running into her leg. Mary Margaret slipped away. "Ah! Already walking?" She asked Ashley, rubbing the child's back. 

Ashley nodded, letting out an exhausted sigh. "She got on her feet not even a week ago! I haven't been able to keep up since-"

"NAOMI WRIGHT!" A young woman squealed in delight. Naomi's head whipped around in search of the source. Gracie marched forward, arms outstretched. Naomi giggled happily, though a little in shock. 

"How did my mom know to invite you? Do you know her?" She asked, kissing the girl's cheek. 

Gracie looked beautiful as ever - ever being the one other time they had interacted. But she figured it wasn't a coming and going issue. Her pale golden hair was tied back in a braid. Somehow, it managed to shimmer in the bright ceiling lights. Naomi wanted to ask where Gracie shopped, and how she had yet to find it. A tiny pang of jealousy shot through Naomi's mind. 

"Who is your mom?" Gracie asked, clearly oblivious. 

"The one who made the guest list?" 

Gracie's bright expression faltered. "Right. Right, yeah. Sorry, she just looks way too young to be your mom!"

"Oh, don't even get me started." Naomi sighed with a subtle roll of her eyes. "That's too long of a story. I've stopped trying to get too deep into my family tree. It starts getting messy around the first branch."

Gracie laughed, gently rubbing Alexandra's soft hair. Alexandra giggled loudly and held her mom's hand. Naomi clasped her hands in front. "Ashley, this is Gracie. Gracie, Ashley," she introduced the two. 

In the kitchen, Emma and Mary Margaret stood together, watching Naomi mingle with her friends. "Should we tell her?" Emma asked in a low voice. 

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Not tonight. Let her have this," she commanded. 

"I understand, but maybe after everyone leaves, we can discuss-" Emma began speaking, but her mother held up a hand in protest. She held her jaw firm. "I'm not saying make a speech and tell the entire damn party he's back! But Pan could be out there as well, and you know what happened last time!" She whispered with gritted teeth. 

"Let her have tonight!" Mary Margaret said with finality. "If he were looking for her, he would've found a way by now! She's not exactly guarding herself."

Emma stopped arguing and returned to Henry. It was time to do something much long procrastinated. 

She approached Naomi with her son in tow. "Henry, there's someone I want you to meet," she told him, smiling at Naomi. "This is Naomi Wright."

Naomi gave him a cheerful wave and held out her hand. "Hi. I'm a friend of your mom's."

Henry shook her hand. She didn't know what she had been expecting when they finally met. She had been warned that he remembered no one. There was only enough memory drought for Emma. But she had forgotten what it was like before that kid knew her. He had always been around. She had been his babysitter for the past five years, and that was all she remembered. The rest was all one muddled blur. 

He brought her out of the curse's coma, if only partially. He let her remember things, and now he couldn't even remember her. 

Naomi could only imagine what this was like for Regina. 

She knew he didn't remember her. But it had never fully clicked in her mind that once they met for the second time, he wouldn't remember her. He didn't recognize her. He didn't make any reaction to her presence. He had no memories of her. He didn't know who she was. He probably didn't care. Naomi wondered what Emma's cover story was for this spontaneous trip to Maine. 

"How do you know each other?" He asked. 

Emma and Naomi exchanged panicked looks. Emma made a hand motion, telling her to improvise. 

"College," Naomi answered. 

"Really? You don't look old enough to be a college graduate," Henry commented. He looked up to his mom, who was, fortunately, a good actress. "Isn't this her nineteenth?"

Naomi fiddled with her fingers. "I haven't graduated yet!" She quickly added. 

"Yeah, kiddo, remember when I took those community courses for a few months last year?" Emma played along. Henry didn't seem to remember but accepted it. Naomi smiled and mouthed a thank you for the opportunity to finally meet him again. It had been two weeks. 

If he couldn't have their previous adventures, they may as well get started making some new ones. 

"You may have to stay with her some afternoons, alright?" Emma explained, glancing at Naomi apprehensively. 

Henry didn't look pleased. "Mom, I'm thirteen."

"I know that..." Emma said. "But this town is, well- it's dangerous at night. Just like New York. I think I would feel better if you stay with her sometimes while I'm working. It's not like I'm asking you to move in with her."

"Oh. Well then... happy birthday!" Henry said to Naomi with a kind smile. She smiled back, folding her arms. 

She wanted to get away from Henry. But at the same time, she wanted to make up for the months lost. All that time, all those experiences. Neither of them remembered anything. He didn't remember the time in fourth grade when she picked him up early from school just to catch the first showing of a superhero movie he had been interested in. He didn't remember her helping him beat one particularly difficult level of a video game because he didn't understand how it worked. He would've been stuck there for the next month if not for her. 

She didn't remember the last year of her life, period!

Naomi decided it was better not to dwell on the bad thoughts, especially not on her birthday. She excused herself from Emma and Henry. 

Who could serve as a temporary distraction?

Naomi slowly approached her brother, who clearly wasn't enjoying the social atmosphere. "How are you doing?" She asked. 

Killian took a sip from his canteen. "Lovely."

"I must say, I'm not a particular fan of the surprise aspect. The darkness was very strange. I don't see the point. You won't know if they're here regardless, as the damned door is shut," Killian told her. She agreed. 

"I don't really like them either, but it makes Mary Margaret happy. I figure I owe her that," she said. Naomi looked over her shoulder to where her and David were conversing with Archie. Killian said nothing. 

Things had been a little weird between the two ever since their first day back in Storybrooke. Granted, better than it had been one year previously. She figured he knew something she didn't. He remembered the last ten months. There was something she was missing - beside the obvious. She didn't like her brother knowing more about the world than she did. 

Ruby walked up to the duo a few minutes later, then casually leaned against the counter. Killian raised an eyebrow. 

"Hey, Ru," Naomi spoke slowly, tapping her on the bicep. "How're you doing?"

"I am just fine..." Ruby muttered, keeping her faze focused on Naomi's brother. Killian cleared his throat and took another drink. 

Naomi silently bid him ado. "This is gross. See you tomorrow."

Killian gave her a face, begging her not to leave him alone. She winked and sent a tiny wave, while slowly backing away to stand with Mary Margaret and the others. 

Archie gave her a warm smile at her approach. Mary Margaret set her glass down on the edge of the table, not paying attention in order to give Naomi a proper hug. Archie stared at the glass - like his telepathic powers were keeping it on the brink of collapse. David eyed it with caution. 

"How are you enjoying the party?" Mary Margaret asked, wrapping an arm around Naomi's shoulders. 

"Very well, thanks so much!" Naomi exclaimed. She gave the glass a side-eye. It had gotten very precarious. Mary Margaret still paid no attention. 

She began to say something else when Naomi swooped down to save the cup. Most of the drink splattered all over the carpet. But Naomi had been able to save the rest. She caught the glass upright at the nick of time. 

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Mary Margaret shrieked. Archie rushed off to get a towel over the area. "So sill of me-"

"It's alright, darling." Naomi set the glass back onto the table, shaking off some punch that now wet her hand. David couldn't help himself but laugh. As did Naomi. Archie joined in as well once he returned with the towel. And then, eventually, so did Mary Margaret. 

Naomi moved closer to Mary Margaret to whisper into her ear. "Hey, how do you know that girl-" she pointed in the vague direction to where Gracie was standing. Gracie was deep in conversation with Cass, completely oblivious to anything on the other side of the apartment. "She says you invited her, but I can't think of anywhere you'd know her from. She's a newbie, just like the Merry Men."

Mary Margaret subtly looked in the direction Naomi pointed. "Oh- no? I don't think so?" She sighed and threw up her hands. "Look at me! I'm a mess this evening! I must have forgotten when I invited her. Do you know her?"

"Oh, yeah. Her name is Gracie," Naomi answered. She glanced over her shoulder at Gracie once more. She still wasn't paying attention to anything in their direction. "But how would you know she would want to come to my birthday? I've never mentioned her around you, or anyone in this room. We were alone in a convenience store when meeting."

"I'm sure you must have mentioned something offhandedly," David interjected. "Mary Margaret is good at planning these things."

"Wait, hold on!" Mary Margaret whispered, and tapped on David's shoulder. Archie hastily took on the duty of distracting Naomi. Mary Margaret motioned toward the back door. David got the clue, and quietly slipped away from the group. 

"So, you haven't been coming back for any more sessions. I assume things are doing better?" Archie asked. 

Naomi leaned against the table. "That's one way to put it. I just figured if Pan really wanted to get to me, breathing exercises and journalism wouldn't stop him. This isn't an insult to your work, Archie. I do want to thank you for the help, but I don't think it was the right fit for these particular nightmares," she explained. 

Archie nodded slowly. "Right. Well, I just want you to understand that sometimes what goes on in your head is just that; it's going on in your head. If you want my professional opinion, I think you are still in the grieving process. Remember the five stages? Anger, denial, depression-"

"-bargaining, and acceptance," Naomi finished, taking a chip. 

"Yes. Well, I believe you are trapped in a form of the second stage.  Have you been feeling depressed lately?

"Archie, it's my birthday-"

He held up a hand in apology. "You're right. Sorry. All I'm saying is, perhaps we've been overthinking this throughout the past couple weeks. Perhaps this is just another way our magnificent brains process grief. It's all very interesting," he concluded. 

Given what Regina had discovered, Naomi was very doubtful. But she was a woman of her word. Most of the time. Regina was very clear about her instructions when it came to their latest discovery. 

"I'll look into it some more. Thank you." She smiled kindly. He nodded, patting her arm. 

She spent the next few minutes stuffing her mouth with chips and salsa. She recognized David's recipe. He made incredible salsa. 

"Naomi!" Mary Margaret gently shook her arm, grabbing her attention as David walked through the door again. He carried a large, bulky container behind his legs - to the best of his abilities. Naomi gasped and maneuvered around the party guests like an expert gymnast. When she got closer, she could see the box was a cage. 

David smiled and set the cage onto the floor. "Happy birthday, Naomi," he said, slowly releasing the gate. 

Inside, crouched a fluffy black creature. It was so fluffy that if not for the green eyes and tiny mouth that mewed at her, she would have thought it was literally just a ball of black fur. It didn't dare a look at its new surroundings. It readjusted its paws to be tucked underneath. 

"You got me a cat!" Naomi squealed. People around her laughed at the reaction. 

She gingerly picked up the tiny feline. The kitten really looked bigger inside the cage than it really was. "This is beyond amazing! Thank you!" She exclaimed, but keeping her voice low as not to frighten her new baby. 

"Female. She'd been at the shelter less than two months," David reported with a proud smile. Naomi allowed Gracie to come up and pet the kitten. "I already dropped the first month's worth of food and litter at your door," he explained, wrapping his arm around his wife. "You're always complaining about living alone in that tiny studio."

Naomi tucked her kitten's back paws in properly. "You only got the litter? No box?"

David considered this for a moment and flushed with a tiny nod. "Yes, it appears so," he admitted sheepishly. Mary Margaret rolled her eyes in humor. Naomi giggled. 

"I appreciate the sentiment," she said, taking a seat in the nearest chair. 

She gazed down at her kitten lovingly. The party went back to their own businesses after a couple minutes, which Naomi did not mind. The attention was starting to bear down on her shoulders like some weight she wanted to heave off, if not for a kitten in her arms. 

Naomi gently stroked the kitten's fur. She was so soft and delicate; so little Naomi was afraid of holding her too tightly. 

"April," she stated, a tiny grin growing on her face. Mary Margaret giggled happily, ever so carefully stroking a finger along the top of her head. "I am proud to introduce April as the latest addition to this family."

Ashley let the party settle down once more before approaching her at her chair. Alexandra was at her hip, once again. Naomi gave Alexandra a fist bump. 

"Why April?" Ashley asked. 

"When I name animals, I like to imagine them as people," Naomi explained. Ashley smiled. "I imagine her as an April. She took karate in seventh grade. She believes in horoscopes and is a kleptomaniac."

"Really?" Ashley giggled. "What other animals have you named?"

Naomi thought for a moment. "There was a beta fish Henry had in third grade. His name was Steve. Steve liked white chocolate unironically and only wore khaki shorts. Mary Margaret once had a class gerbil she let me name. That was Penny. Penny exclusively read comics and had braced for five years. I think.. oh- there was Bartholemew, who-"

A knock sounded at the door. Belle opened it, seeing as she was nearest, and froze on sight. Regina stood on the other side, holding a small gift bag. Belle called back to report the arrival to the hosts. This sent a wave of quiet over the entire apartment. 

"What should we do, boss?" Leroy asked David. 

"I just wanted to drop this off. I can be on my way," Regina announced, holding one hand up innocently. 

A few exchanged muttered doubts. Belle backed up to stand closer to Archie. Ashley hid Alexandra behind her leg. "We don't want you here!" Granny stated. 

"Hey!" Naomi piped up, pushing herself through the crowd to the front. She waved Regina inside the apartment. "Be nice. Regina is a welcomed guest of mine."

"Well no wonder. Trouble always comes in pairs," Leroy muttered bitterly. Mary Margaret thumped him on the back of the head. 

Naomi smiled brightly, but poison was laced behind the toothy grin. She handed April off to Belle and clasped her hands in front. "You know, Leroy, this place can only hold so many. And since I'm bringing Regina in with open arms, maybe one of us should leave," she told him. She looked around the apartment. "Any protests?"

He closed his mouth finally and returned to watching the game on the television. The rest of the guests returned to their own business. Emma chuckled, her conversation with Ruby having been interrupted for such entertainment. 

"Don't worry about them. I'm glad you're here," Naomi assured Regina. The woman smiled thankfully. 

"I didn't know what to get. I hope it's okay, I never did thank you enough for taking care of my son all those years!" Regina told her, holding up the small bag. 

Naomi shrugged it off, as if the gesture meant nothing to her. It was one of the most meaningful things all day, right under the kitten. "Don't worry about it, Regina. I'm pretty damn sure half of these people only came for the free food!" She told her. Naomi subtly glanced around the living room. "And it's doing me a favor. These people or horrible conversationalists."

Regina chuckled and set the bag on the table. Her eyes traveled around the room, studying all the arrivals. Her eyes eventually landed on Emma and Henry, settling on the latter. The grip on her clasped hands tightened. Her breath hitched in her throat. 

"You two've met?" She asked in a low voice. 

Naomi sighed and nodded. "It's weird. He's still the same nice kid, but it's like he's staring right through you. I don't like it," she stated. Regina agreed. Only several seconds passed before Naomi opened her mouth again. 

"Hey, how did you know about this thing in the first place? Did Mary Margaret call?"

Regina snorted, glancing around the apartment. "Heavens, no. I always know what's happening in my town," she replied, crossing her arms. 

"Well, thank you," Naomi murmured. Regina watched the partygoers continue with their evening as if she weren't in the room. It was a nice change, compared to being sneered at and avoided. Noami had given her the chance to feel included as a part of her own town again. 

"Friends?" Naomi offered kindly. Regina eyes her outstretched hand for a moment, before slipping off her black gloves for a shake. 

"Friends."

+ + +

greetings, my lovely darlings. I can't remember the last time I worked on this book :)

I've had other hyperfixations taking up my time. There's this one book that I ONLY published for in six months. Exclusively that one. It's bad, but for the longest time it was the only one I had inspiration to do anything with. 

to be honest, it's been difficult to find motivation to work on it. There had been a lot of ghost readers, and many drop out before making it this far. I really don't feel too inclined to work my ass off for hours just so 4 people can read it. So if you actually like it, let me know! Or else how will I know that I'm not wasting my time?

last edited December 17, 2021