Regina had drank a lot that night. After putting Henry to bed, she just couldn't deal with her mind. She went outside and sat in her front porch with another glass of scotch. It was late and it wouldn't be the first time she'd drink herself to sleep.

Coping with the loneliness wasn't easy but this time it was different. Emma wasn't much of a threat anymore and well it was kind of conforting to have someone help with Henry. She felt the urge to just walk around. The empty streets calmed her. Everything was changing and although she'd spent 28 years contemplating her curse, somehow she enjoyed the change.

She was deep in her mind when Sherrif Swan saw her from a distance. She parked and catched up to her.
"Madam Mayor!"
"Emma! What are you doing here?"
"I'm on a night shift, what are you doing here?"
"I... I had a lot on my mind."
"I can tell!" She said, moving her face closer to hers with a silly smile. "Nice breath... "
"Oh please Miss Swan, I know how to hold my liquor."
"I'm not judging you, but you do know it's illegal to leave a child under twelve home alone?"
"Ugh.. Henry is a very mature boy. He knows what to do if he wakes up and doesn't find me. Either way, I'm sure he'd call you first."
"I'm just kidding Regina."
She smiled and surprisingly Regina smiled back.
"Let me take you home, my car is just there." Emma held Regina by the waist and grabbed one of her hands.
The tired mayor was about to deny the offer, but she realised how far she'd wondered.
"Fine."

They hopped in the car. Regina didn't care to put on her seatbelt and just rested her head on the window.
"So do you make it a habit to roam around drunk at night? "
"I'm not drunk Emma." She said in her usual husky voice.
"If you say so..."

Emma knew not to keep bothering her. A few minutes passed and they arrived at Henry and Regina's oversized home.
"Here we are madam mayor."
She turned to her and saw Regina had fallen asleep. She had no idea what to do. She moved her hair from her face and put her cold hand on her forehead and neck to see if she'd wake but she didn't even move. She got out of the car, checked the front door, opened it wide and went back to get Regina.

It felt wierd to carry her. She put on such a strong and confident show yet she was still just another tired mom. She closed the car door with her foot and carried her all the way up to her room. She hesitated with the doors, she'd never been upstairs. Regina's bedroom was the only one closed. She struggled to free one hand, but she was strong enough to make it.

Regina just did cute little noises of confort when she layed her down on the queen size bed. Emma didn't know what to think. She took off the mayor's high heels and folded the covers over her. She couldn't help but stare a while. Her mascara had ran and her lipstick worn off, but she still looked beautiful. Emma snapped back from her hazing admitting to herself how creepy she was.

Driving back to the station felt wierd. She had never seen such a vulnerable Regina. She was actually kind of scared that she'd be mad at her the next day. She went back home to Mary Margaret's and poured herself a drink. She was conflicted, ever since the mine incident, Regina let her guards down a little bit. It was just enough to make things easier for Henry.

Coparenting with Regina wasn't going to be easy but tonight she was hopeful. She enjoyed seeing this side of her son's adoptive mother. She was calm and sweet. Never expected to think of Regina as cute but she kept thinking about her tired brown eyes.

She smelled nice and her skin was soft. She wondered what she was like when she was younger. Going to bed and falling asleep wasn't easy for Emma. Insomnia was her life long friend. Growing up in different houses with wierd people crumbled her trust and well the habit of falling asleep until everyone was, made her a night owl.

It was around 5 in the morning and she knew she had to fall asleep while it was still dark. She poured herself another drink and went to bed with a new feeling within. She couldn't figure out what it was. A mix of excitment and fear, maybe both at once and so she just went with it and fell asleep.

In the morning, Henry woke up and saw his mom laying in bed but not in the covers. He found it strange since she was such a perfectionist, she had to be quite drunk to just fold the cover over. He closed her door and went downstairs. Even at the young age of ten, he already knew how to cook a couple of recipes. He made himself some fluffy pancakes and a cup of hot cocoa with cinnamon, of course. He ate quietly, still wondering what had happened last night.

When he finished he cleaned up and even did his dishes. He knew Regina would want something healthy so he grabbed a couple of oranges and juiced them for her. He poured the juice in a pitcher and brought it upstairs with a glass. She was still sleeping, so he just left it on her night stand. He grabbed the ibuprofen from her bathroom and left them next to the juice. He kissed her forehead and walked himself to school.

She had raised him well. Of course she was very strict and at times she couldn't understand the needs of a young child but she still gave him all she had. Regina wasn't much of a cuddler but Henry forced her to. How could she resist such a sweet boy, but he was no longer a toddler and so with time he distanced himself from her. They loved eachother but they had difficulty showing affection.

When Regina woke up at noon she was very confused and couldn't remember clearly what had happen or how she ended up in bed. She saw the juice her son had left her and felt overwhelmed. She was scared that like everyone else in this town, he had grown to hate her.

She remembered seeing Emma and getting into her car but that was about it. She felt embarassed that she had seen her drunk. Pouring herself some juice, she remembered she had a lot of work pending. She popped two pills and it wasn't long before she was in the shower. When she got out, still in a robe with a towel on her hair, she put on her makeup and kept drinking her juice. She chose her usual blazer and blouse with a skirt and high heels.

She couldn't concentrate on her work. She hated not knowing everything that had happened and not having control over it. She did some easy paperwork and waited for Henry to show up at his usual hour.
When he arrived, he ran to her like when he was little, conforting her.

"Mom! What happened last night?You fell asleep dressed and on top of the covers."
"Oh Henry. I think I had too much to drink. I'm sorry if I worried you. "
"It's ok. He said leaning in for a hug."
"Thank you for the juice. It really helped."
"You're welcome."
"Come on let's go have supper."

It had been months since Henry was so loving and caring with her. Since Emma's arrival, all he cared about was spending time with her and it broke Regina's heart.

Emma woke up more tired than before falling asleep. She went to the kitchen and saw Mary Margaret cooking. She looked at Emma and smiled. She now knew her roomates habits and read the hangover on her face.
"You look like you need some coffee."
"Yes, but I need a glass of water first."
Emma sat down and rested her head in her hands. Mary Margaret handed her water and she drank in one shot.
"How was your night shift?"
"Interesting. To say the least."
She refilled her glass and Emma drank it all once again.
"Hungover huh?"
"Yes. I needed it."
"What happened?"
"I bumped into a drunk Regina walking around at night."
"Regina?!"
"Yes, believe it or not. She seemed upset. I brought her home but she fell asleep in the car and I couldn't wake her up. "
"What did you do?"
"I carried her to her bed."
"Wow, that's fast progress."
"Yeah..." The blonde said in a nervous tone.

***
Henry loved eating at Granny's and although she hated to feed him junk food, today, she just wanted to make him happy. As he ate his usual grilled cheese, Regina was still trying to remember what the hell happened after Emma found her. When Henry finished and asked for his cocoa, Regina had a better proposition for him.
"Hey, how would you like to go see Emma instead? I'm sure Mary-Margaret could make you some at her house."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. I'm starting to understand that there's space for both of us in your life. Besides, even if I try, I can't manage to keep you from her."

Henry got up as fast as he could and Regina just left the money on the table. She knew that he could benefit from both of them and Emma was actually starting to grow on her.
They arrived in a second and Henry ran up the stairs, he knocked and Emma answered the door.
"Kid!"Please don't tell me you ran away again.
"No Miss Swan, I offered to come and see you for a while. I mean if it's alright with you."

Emma wasn't expecting that at all. She just nodded in disbelief. She was still in pyjamas and her face was a mess. Henry hugged her and ran to hug her aswelll.
"We came for hot cocoa!"
"Henry... That's not how you ask for a favor son."
"Sorry." He said with a wide teeth smile. "Miss Blanchard, can you please make us some hot cocoa please."
"Not for me. Thank you." Regina said with a hand gesture.
"Just the kid then. I'm good with my coffee." Emma said smiling at Mary Margaret.
"Hot cocoa for two than Henry." Mary Margaret said with a wink.
"We'll leave you two here. Emma and I have to catch up on some stuff."
"Ok than moms."

Emma and Regina looked at eachother with a whole new complicity. It was the first time their son called them "moms". Emma led the way upstairs and Regina followed.
"So, I suppose you're wondering what happened last night."
"Yes. I'm... slightly embarassed I have to admit."
"Don't be. You just fell asleep in the car and well you wouldn't wake up so I carried you to your bed."
"You... you carried me?" Regina was surprised.
"Yeah." Emma answered like it was no big deal.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that but ok. It's better than I imaged."
"How are you? You seemed upset last night. I didn't know you were the drown your sowrrows type."
"Well, I didn't know that you were so strong. You really carried me all the way up the stairs?" She said skeptical.
"You're not heavy, Regina."
They both laughed. Regina got all shy about it and looked down.
"Thank you, Emma. I guess you're a good addition to Storybrooke's sherrif station after all."
"Whenever, Madam Mayor. Just be careful."
"Don't worry. I learned my lesson. Next time, I'll stay on my front porch."
"So it's settled then. Let's go back downstairs and enjoy Henry together."
Regina smiled and followed her again.

"Would you like some coffee?"
"Water is fine. Thank you Emma."
Henry looked at Mary Margaret. He couldn't believe his eyes. They all sat down and chatted for a while. They talked a lot about school and upcoming holidays and birthdays. Both his moms tried to stay on the sane page and just like that Henry had the best night he had had in a long time.

When it was time to go, Henry hugged everyone and Regina just waved at Emma with a kind smile.
They drove back home and talked casually. He talked to her about how he believed in her and that he knew that even if she was the evil queen, she wasn't all bad. That she just loved very deeply and in return hated very deeply as well. He continued talking to her about the book and how he knew everything but of course his mother denied everything.

Now that things were getting better with everyone in town. She couldn't afford the curse breaking. They would hate her even more than they ever did and so she assured him that they were all just fairytales. Still, she was happier than she'd been years. Her son wasn't much of a talker and now he was opening up to her.

They got home and Henry had to go to bed. She decided not to drink that night. What Henry told her about how she just felt everything very deeply really resonated with her. Everything she did. All the terror, murders and her now life long search for revenge, it was all out of the depth of her feelings. Now living in storybrooke she was reaching a sense of contentment. She realised the more she let her son be, the more he trusted her with his affection. She still couldn't believe she'd shown herself so vulnerable and hurt in front of Emma. It was embarassing but somehow it made her realise that Emma really did care for Henry and now her. This child, wethear they liked it or not forced them to get along. He loved them both and that was more than enough but another thought kept coming in, something that was really bothering her and didn't really know how to process.

She couldn't stop imagining herself in the Sherrif's arms. Strong and conforting. She knew it happened but she was curious as how it actually felt to be carried and cared for by this young and admittedly beautiful woman. How could she keep her walls up after that. She fell asleep confused and feeling very guilty. She never expected to care about snow's daughter or how the 28 year time gap would make things so complicated.