Chapter Text
Regina took a deep breath, then let it out slowly through her mouth, trying to get her crazily beating heart under control. She wiped her clammy hands on her skirt over her thighs, bouncing her legs.
It's gonna be okay, she kept repeating inside. It's gonna be okay, it has to be, she'll get through this, too...
A gentle, but strong hand covered hers, squeezing reassuringly. When Regina glanced to the side, she looked into Joan's kind eyes, smiling at her.
"You'll do great." Joan assured her, running her thumb across her knuckles. "You've prepared so much for this."
"Yeah, but what if I forget everything?" Regina sighed, shaking her head. "What if I freeze? Then it was all for nothing."
"Baby, you're smart. You will blow their minds away, trust me."
"And if that doesn't work, I'll just blow them, and they'll let me pass." To Joan's glare, Regina chuckled, reaching over and cupping her cheek. "I know, I know. No more self-deprecating jokes."
"Right." Joan smiled at her softly. "The only way to move forward..."
"Is to realize the past was not my fault." Regina finished the sentiment, smiling. "I know what dr. Smith said."
She had been seeing a therapist for the past year. After the mental breakdown she suffered after finding Caleb's adoption papers, she realized she needed help defeating the demons of her past. Joan was with her every step of the way; she took her to appointments, held her through nightmares. It was still a long road until Regina fully healed, but she took the first steps. Dr. Smith was a kind elderly man with huge glasses and a soothing voice, who never blamed Regina for anything. He didn't baby her, but he made sure she was as comfortable as she could be. One by one, they went through all the traumas that haunted her, to find a solution together. He prescribed her anti-depressants, nothing too strong, and he was always by the phone if Regina needed him. Slowly but surely, she learnt how to let go.
Regina also went back to finish high school, her last year, specifically. It was very strange, sitting among a bunch of teenagers (which also reminded her of bad memories quite often), but she soon got back into the groove of studying. She was taking her final exams today, in the hope that if they went successful, she would go to medical school. It was a dream that she felt was lost forever after her life went to shit, but now it was within an arm's reach. And it was all possible because she had Joan.
Joan, who never gave up on her. Who took any chance to help her, who trusted and believed in her when no one else would, not even herself. Maybe it really was fate, after all, that pushed them into each other's arms.
They both needed a speck of light in the darkness, and they both found that in each other. They may have not seemed compatible at first glance, but they defied all odds and expectations. Two very different people from very different worlds, had found a deep connection.
Joan realized her family meant way too big of a deal for her to let it go to waste: she spent less time with work, and more time with them. As she was the head of the company, she figured she could allow herself some time off. The world probably won't fall apart if she spent some more time with her beautiful girlfriend, and her amazing son.
Seeing Regina interact with Caleb got a new meaning after they found out the truth. They decided that one day, when he's older, they will tell him the truth. Right now, he only needed to know he had two great mothers, who both loved him dearly.
"Time to go," Regina sighed. "Wish me luck, will you?"
"I love you." Joan told her, cupping the back of her head and pulling her into a kiss that had Regina's heart fluttering inside her chest happily. "And I know you will be incredible."
"I love you too." Regina whispered, pecking Joan on the lips one last time before she got out of the car. She turned back from the entrance of the school building, waving at Joan with her cheeks flushed. Joan waved back, grinning from ear to ear.
To think that a little bit more than a year ago, she felt like she had to buy happiness... Regina was the best thing that happened to her after adopting Caleb. She would never change a thing.
Well, she would only change one thing- and hopefully, by the end of the evening, that change would come.
--
"Mama will be so happy!" Caleb exclaimed, bouncing around the set table. He nearly took the expensive porcelain with him in his haste, but Joan stopped him in time.
"I hope so." She replied, smiling brightly. Caleb has taken to calling Regina "mama", as he considered her his mother as well. It made Regina incredibly emotional in the beginning, but now she was used to it; it made Joan smile all the time.
"She better like it," Brianna chuckled, wiping some sweat off her forehead. She spent the whole day slaving away in the kitchen, to prepare the most wonderful meal for the couple. "Are you ready?"
"I'm nervous." Joan admitted with a small laugh. She swallowed, feeling the nerves twisting in her stomach. "I haven't done anything like this before."
"It's so romantic!" Freddie squealed, from where she was sitting with Dolly on her lap. The cat grew an insane amount in the past year, resembling a furball nowadays. She purred away on Freddie's lap contentedly. "Gosh, to think someone will wait for me with dinner, and then...!"
"You mean me!" Brianna cut her off, putting her hands on her hips. "I mean, obviously it's gonna be me."
"Obviously." Freddie purred. Brianna grinned, leaning down and kissing her on the lips. Joan rolled her eyes at her friends fondly.
Joan had been planning to do it for a few months now, and she figured this was the best time. She was fairly certain that Regina will pass her finals- and what's a better way to celebrate, than being presented with the idea Joan was planning?
She didn't want to do it in the typical, cliche way- Regina deserved the absolute best of everything. Joan wanted to show her just how much she cherished and appreciated her. She loved Regina, deeper and more intensely than anyone before, and this had to be shown.
An idea suddenly sprung into her mind as she glanced at her son, still gawking at the silverware.
"Caleb," She started, lips curling into a smile, "would you like to help me?”
The little boy grinned, clapping his hands in excitement. Joan ruffled his hair lovingly, then kissed the top of his head.
Now, all she needed was Regina’s positive answer.
--
‘’I can’t believe I passed!” Regina laughed, cheeks flushed from genuine happiness. She looked like a ray of sunshine, bright and warm, as she all but danced inside the house. ‘’I got an A+ on everything! How cool is that? I’m totally going to get into med school. The biology teacher said it’s my true calling, and he actually told me he was proud of me, it’s insane! You know, positive reinforcement really means a lot, because now I’m even more certain I’m gonna pass my driving test as well, and then I’m gonna absolutely grind the road…”
‘’Keeping the speed limit, of course…”
‘’Sure, yeah. But I can’t wait to actually drive on the road!”
‘’Heaven help us.” Joan teased. She immediately softened the blow with a kiss onto Regina’s cheek. ‘’I’m so proud of you, baby. You just nailed your finals, and I’m pretty sure you’re gonna achieve whatever you want- be it a driver’s license or med school.”
‘’You really think so?” Regina asked, biting down on her lip. It still sounded too good to be true, sometimes- she needed to remind herself this was all real, not just a beautiful, elaborative daydream.
‘’I know so.” Joan grinned, wrapping an arm around her waist. ‘’Come on, let’s celebrate.”
‘’Ah, so that’s why Brianna and Freddie are out.” Regina hummed, breaking out into a grin. ‘’And how exactly are we going to celebrate, Ms. Deacon?”
‘’I have a few ideas.” Joan replied, grinning. ‘’But first, I hope you’re hungry.”
‘’I’m always hungry, you know me. Do I smell chicken pot pie?”
‘’Your favorite.” Joan smiled. ‘’I kind of played around with the idea of cooking it myself, but then I realized it’s safer to let Brianna take care of it.”
Regina was led inside the kitchen, where a beautifully set table was waiting for her. She couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp at the sight of the glimmering silverware, and the bottle of Chateau Latour sitting on the table proudly.
‘’You sure know how to make a girl feel special.” Regina cooed, letting herself be courted by Joan pulling out a chair for her and sitting her down. Joan poured them both some wine, raising her glass.
‘’To your success, our happiness, and the so many amazing things that await us.” She said, touching her glass to Regina’s. Regina grinned, leaning in to kiss her on the lips, tasting sweeter than any wine.
They talked about their day through the dinner, with Regina explaining how her exams went in detail. She couldn’t help but notice how Joan was staring at her, eyes bright and smile wide, like Regina was the center of her world.
‘’What?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. Joan let out a dreamy sigh, reaching for her hand over the silken tablecloth.
‘’I’m just so happy with you.” She said, her voice so warm and genuine, it made Regina’s skin tingle with pleasant goosebumps. ‘’ "You're my home, Regina. I'm the luckiest woman in the whole world, because I have you. Our relationship may have had a strange start, but I never regretted anything."
"Me neither." Regina replied softly, her eyes glimmering in the candlelight. "I feel the same way, you know that."
"I hope so." Joan chuckled, and Regina was surprised to see the hint of blush on her cheeks. Why was Joan so shy all of a sudden?
"You okay?" She asked gently, growing concerned. Joan nodded, loosening the collar of her shirt with a slightly sweaty hand.
"I am." She promised, her smile nervous, but happy. "I am, because you're mine. And I want it to last forever."
She called out for Caleb, making Regina raise an eyebrow. She thought her son was asleep, but here he was, dancing into the kitchen, wearing a tiny suit and looking very handsome. He was grinning from ear to ear, and Regina's heart swell with happiness.
She has found him- her little boy, her bundle of joy, stolen from her cruelly, was here, calling her Mama and smiling at her with the same genuine love he did for Joan. On top of getting her son back, she found a wonderful girlfriend, too- maybe Joan believed she was the luckiest, but Regina was certain it was actually her.
She needed a few seconds before she could comprehend the small velvet box Caleb was holding. Regina let out a gasp, covering her mouth with her hands. Her eyes quickly filled with tears as Caleb stood by Joan, popping the box open and revealing a beautiful golden ring with blue rhinestones that matched her eyes - exactly how she dreamed it, when she thought fairytales could come true. Now, it seemed, they really could.
"Mummy wants to ask you a question." Caleb said, grinning proudly. Joan swallowed thickly, before she got down on one knee before Regina, taking the ring from her son.
"I never want to let you go." Joan whispered, voice choked up with emotions. "I love you so much, Regina. This thing between us... Whatever we used to call it, it was always real. And I want to give you this ring, as a pledge to show you, just how real it is."
Her smile wobbled softly, as tears filled her own eyes. "Regina," she said, heart beating fast inside her chest, "will you marry me?"
Regina always believed she wasn't a crying type; something really huge and shocking had to happen to make her tear up, because the years toughened her. But seeing this genuine display of love by Joan, the knowledge she was truly, really loved, that Joan wanted her as much as she did, opened the floodgates. She cried, happily and earnestly, flinging herself into Joan's arms and nearly knocking her off her feet.
"Yes, yes, yes, fucking yes!"
"Regina, Caleb can hear you..." Joan laughed, but she couldn't be too mad at her. She held her beautiful fiancée close, burying her face in her golden hair. Caleb cheered in the background, before he jumped in for a group embrace, hugging both his mothers tight.
Regina felt like she could burst with happiness.
--
She kept staring at the ring as they lay in bed, sighing happily as the light of the lamp reflected off the rhinestones.
Caleb went to bed with a huge smile on his face, hugging Dolly against his chest. Regina, as always, made sure to tell him how much he loved him.
She wrapped her arms around Joan, unable to wipe her grin off her face. This all read like a wonderful dream- but it was so much better, because this was reality.
"I'm so fucking happy, you have no idea." She said, kissing the top of Joan's head. "I just passed my exams, you proposed to me... I have my son back, I have a family. If someone told me this would happen a year ago, I would have told them to fuck off."
"Life can be strange, that way." Joan smiled, pressing a kiss to Regina's collarbone. "I was actually thinking we could just keep this business... Ridiculous, really. I fell for you, right away."
"Your mother will be so happy." Regina said, smiling. Lillian has taken to her amazingly, just like Julian. Maybe one day they would tell them the truth as well- right now, what mattered is that what started out as a questionable business deal, had blossomed into a genuine romance.
"There's no need to re-introduce you to anyone, as well." Joan teased. "Maybe fake dating pays off, somewhat."
Regina chuckled, swatting at her lightly. Her smile faltered a bit, and she cleared her throat.
"Joan?"
"Yes, babe?"
"I was thinking of looking for my brother."
Joan looked up at her, cupping her cheek. She ran her thumb across Regina's cheekbone. "Really?"
"Yeah. You know, Clark actually loved me. And he's the only one I miss. He's eighteen now- I wonder if he still lives at home. He was treated equally shitty, so I have a feeling he left as soon as he could. And, you know, I just really hope he didn't get into trouble like I did. I want to find him, before someone takes advantage of him."
"That's a good idea." Joan told her, in the company of an encouraging smile. "I'll help you."
"Do you think we can find him?" Regina asked, biting her lip. Joan playfully flicked her nose, making her smile.
"I think as long as we're together, anything's possible."
Regina grinned, settling back against the headboard comfortably. She rested her chin on top of Joan's head, feeling calmer and more content than ever.
"I can't argue with that, that's for sure."