When Regina had gained enough strength to leave the healer's, she had made it very clear where she was going: Val'ail, home of her uncle Martin and her aunt Emilie, where her previous mentor Judas had based all of his operations out of. For most purposes, Val'ail was her home, the place Regina returned to when she needed to lick her wounds and regain that cocky swagger she strutted into town with. To put it in layman's terms: Regina was going home.
On the way there, she entertained the notion of going to Uncle Martin's for a spell. It was probably where she'd go first. She had no claim to Judas's house, though it remained vacant now. When she returned to Val'ail, she went to the Savoirs house to drop off her things, but she didn't stay there at first. Whether it was hers or not, Regina grew up in Judas Mycroft's hideaway. It was as much a home to her as the shack was that her Mama Cate lived in.
As she walked up the cobblestone streets towards the two-story shack, for the first time in months, the house was lit up on the inside. From what her memory could pick up, she realized that it was the kitchen that was lit up with candles.
Anger bubbled in her. Who the hell moved into the Mycroft hideaway?! Who did those squatters think they were ******** with?! Ready to rip into the poor b*****d who'd taken residence in Judas Mycroft's house, Regina yanked the door open, her ears flat against her head and her teeth bared in a silent snarl.
Before she could verbalize her anger, it hit her. The smell of dinner, slightly burnt. The warmth that the shack had seemed to lose when Judas left to find her. She stopped in the doorway, staring in. Part of her wanted to run, but she'd spent so long running, and what had it gotten her other than heartache and pain?
She stepped into the house slowly, ears flat for another reason entirely now as she looked around. It was like time hadn't touched the place; not a speck of dust remained on the mantle. The fire was roaring within the living room fireplace, giving a nice warmth to the house. She walked into the kitchen, stopping in the doorway.
A mountain of a man, at least a foot taller than Regina, stood at the stove, poking at the meat on the stovetop. He was growling at the meat for not cooking right. Regina grinned slowly, not daring to breathe, as though it would break the spell and the illusion would be broken. Eventually, she took a shaky breath.
The man turned when he heard it, and his tired, solemn eyes bore into Regina closely. "... Gee?" He rumbled, his voice as rough as his face. The human stared at Regina from the stove, thrown. He hadn't expected her to show up here, not at the same time. They seemed destined to always just miss each other. Apparently Fate had decided to give them a second chance.
Regina smiled slowly, tears welling up in her dark eyes. "Judas." She mumbled, clenching her fists. For a moment, they only stood and stared at each other, and then the two were drawn together like a moth to a flame. Regina threw her arms around the man as he enclosed her in a bear hug, and buried her head against his solid chest.
She was dimly aware that he was ranting and raving and probably cursing her for breathing, let alone running away. Swearing he'd never let her out of his sight, she was so ******** grounded. But she didn't care. She leaned into him as he ranted, taking in his scent and the warmth of his embrace and the way his arms practically crushed the breath right out of her.
Before, she'd come to the shack when she was in town and sit and try so hard to relive the memories. They always came up short, leaving her feeling empty inside. But now, with Judas holding her close and the warmth and the smell of slightly burnt food... She was ready to burst.
For the first time in years, Regina was home.
