"What do you mean you have to leave?" Regina gaped.

Her lover lowered her head, unable to meet the woman's piercing, broken gaze.

"I'm sorry," Emma told her. "It's business, you know? I can't… I can't not go."

"Jesus. Australia."

"I… I know it's not… ideal, but-"

"How long?"

"Six months."

"Are you kidding? Is that for real?"

"I'm sorry."

"Emma, you can't…"

"Come with me."

"You know I can't do that! You know they need me here. I'm the mayor. I can't just-"

"Please, Gina."

"I can't."

"Em?"

The voice coming through the phone was shaken and cracking with emotion, even in one syllable, and the sound shattered Emma's heart and filled her with guilt.

"Yeah, baby."

"I can't sleep."

It was well past three in the morning, and as much as the foggy daze of sleep weighted her down, Regina's voice made her alert.

"It's alright, babe. I'm here. What's going on?"

"But you're not here. You're in fucking Australia, Emma! You're a world away."

"I… I know…"

"It's been three months, and I… I can't do this."

"I know, baby. I'm sorry. But I'll be home before you know it."

"You're so fucking full of shit, Emma! You know goddam well that this has been the worst three months that we've ever-"

"Regina, did you really call to scream at me about something out of my control?"

"No!"

"Then stop."

"Fine. I'm gonna go. I'm sorry I called."

"Stop it, Regina. You don't have to go. Just… Please, try to understand."

"I can't, Emma. I can't do this anymore."

"Then come visit."

"I can't leave. The entire town would fall apart. You know things are-"

"I'm trying, Regina. I know this is hard, but please don't give up on me."

"I can't do this."

"What are you saying?"

"I can't be without you anymore. I need you to come home."

"I can't. Don't do this, okay? You're just making me feel like shit about something that's out of my hands."

"It's not out of your hands. You don't have to keep the job. You could find something else. You could-"

"Regina!"

"Fine. Fuck it. I shouldn't have called you. I'm going."

"Gina, don't-"

But the call ended before she could convince her lover to stay on the line.

"Regina!" Emma cried into the phone. "Shit. Listen, I'm really sorry."

"What do you want?"

"Seriously?"

"What. Do you. Want?"

"Regina, please."

"I can't do this right now. I'm in the office, and I-"

"Please don't hang up. Please."

Luckily, her pleas made Regina pause. They were too desperate to ignore.

"Look. I'll call you back tonight. I just can't talk right now. I have a meeting in five minutes, and I-"

"Fine. Go."

It was past nine when Emma received the call. She answered too quickly, and her voice came out hurried and pressured.

"Regina."

"Hi."

There was a long pause before Emma collapsed under the weight of the silence.

"How was work?"

There was another long pause before Regina replied, "It was fine. Busy."

"Always busy."

The mayor could hear the forced smile in Emma's voice. Even though it would normally bring out her own smile, Regina found herself stone-faced and serious.

"Regina?"

"Yeah."

"You sound…"

"What, Emma? Irritated? Upset?"

"Well, yeah."

"Can you blame me?"

"Um… I mean… No, but…"

"What?"

"But I don't know what the hell to do about it, okay?! Jesus Christ, Regina. What do you want from me? You won't visit. You know I can't leave."

"And you know I can't leave either."

"Then what do you want?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"Regina. Come on. I-"

"I gotta go."

When Regina hung up the phone, Emma felt her stomach drop.

A world away from Storybrooke, Emma found herself feeling more alone than she had since before she met her lover for the first time. After several calls to the mayor's office – and her cell phone – she gave up and collapsed on her bed. When sleep refused to provide her an escape from her distress, she pulled a pair of headphones out from the drawer beside the bed and put them on, allowing the music to drown out the thoughts of her strained relationship.

Regina stayed busy, keeping herself awake well into the night as she worked on paperwork that wasn't due for several weeks. She took any and every opportunity to bury herself in work, to the point where she was barely sleeping at night. She was good at hiding her exhaustion, though, and no one seemed to notice just how stressed and overwhelmed she was. The only person who would have been able to tell based on her subtle behaviors was Emma.

But she was alone, and no one paid enough attention to pick up on the signs of her distress.

Finally, after three days of fighting the urge to call her lover again, Emma broke down and dialed the number.

"Regina!" she cried, when she was surprised to find that the woman actually answered. "Jesus. I thought…"

"What, Emma?"

"What do you mean, 'What?'"

"I mean, what do you want?"

"You're my girlfriend. Aren't you supposed to want to talk to me?"

"Not right now I'm not."

"What happened to you wanting me to come home?"

"You're not coming home for another three months, so what does it matter if I want you to or not?"

"What does it matter? I want to know that you miss me and that you still… still care about me."

Inhaling a long, steady breath, Regina replied, "I do care about you."

"But you don't miss me."

"Don't be stupid."

"Alright… Look. I told you I was sorry. I don't know what else I can do."

"Nothing."

"Regina."

"I'm gonna go. I can't deal with this right now."

"Regina, wait-"

But just like the last time, the call ended abruptly. It was three days before Emma's phone rang.

"Um… Hi."

"Emma… I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I was a bitch, and it was totally fucked up. I thought about it, and I realized that you have no choice, and that my being mad at you is pointless, because none of this is your fault. You're just trying to keep your job."

"And help take care of you."

"I know. And I'm sorry." When her lover said nothing in response, Regina added, "Emma?"

"I'm here."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too, baby. But this will all be over soon, and I'll be home in your arms."

"I need you, Em. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright, angel. I love you."

"I love you too."

THREE WEEKS LATER

Given that Emma wasn't really the type to openly share her feelings, she chose not to call her lover when she got home from a long shift and felt a wave of hot, stinging tears welling in her eyes. Unfortunately for Emma's pride, her phone rang as soon as she collapsed onto her bed. Of course, when she saw Regina's name on the screen, she couldn't ignore the call, not matter how embarrassed she was about her tears. Desperately trying to clear her eyes and her mind, she coughed a few times and wiped her eyes before answering.

"H-Hi," she managed, unable to avoid her voice cracking.

"Emma?" Regina gasped. "Are you crying? What's the matter?"

"N-Nothing. I…"

"Baby, what happened?"

"I just… I just miss you so much."

Once again unable to control her voice, Emma let out a strangled sob, but immediately covered her mouth to stifle it.

"Baby."

The blonde had to take in several gasping breaths before she was able to reply, "Yeah."

"Go look out the window."

"W-What?"

"Go look out the window."

"But-"

"Just do it, babe. Please."

When Emma slowly crawled out of the bed and steadied herself enough to walk, she made her way over to the window and gazed out to find the most relieving sight she could have imagined.

As soon as she saw it, she bolted to the front door of her apartment and threw it open, and once she opened the door, she found her lover smiling brightly, holding her arms out.

"Oh, my God," Emma cried, throwing herself into Regina's arms and burying her face in the woman's neck.

She took in the scent of her perfume and savored the sensation of her cheek against Regina's skin for several moments and she continued to cry. Eventually, she lifted her head and gazed up into her lover's eyes.

"I can't believe you came."

"Me either."

"God, I fucking missed you."

Regina reached out gently and cupped her lover's face in her hands, carefully pulling Emma closer, and when their lips connected, Emma could feel herself melting as every nerve in her body caught fire. It only took her a few seconds to grab her lover by the collar of her blouse and jerk her into the apartment, kicking the door closed behind them.

"I don't know how I lived without this for this long," Regina whispered in Emma's ear, tucking a few strands of long blonde hair out of the woman's red, flustered face.

"Me either," Emma told her. "What made you change your mind?"

"Why were you crying?"

"I couldn't take it anymore. And I didn't know what to do. I was pretty sure I was going to quit and come home."

"No," Regina said sternly. "You're not giving up. You love this job. And this trip is almost over. That's why I came. Because I wanted to support you, not berate you for following your dreams."

"My dream wasn't to live on the other side of the world for six months without you."

"No… But this job means everything to you. And like you said, this was necessary."

"You mean everything to me, Regina. If you'd said you were going to leave me if I didn't come home, I would have come home. I'd give up everything for you."

"That's why I'm here. I don't want you to give up anything for me."

"Except sex with other women," Emma teased with a grin.

In response, Regina shoved the woman's shoulder firmly and scowled.

"What?" the blonde laughed. "It's true."

"It's true, but not funny."

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry."

"You're such a dick."

"You love me."

"Yeah. So?"

"So… You love me."

"That doesn't make you less of an asshole."

"No. No, it doesn't. I think you like it, though. Secretly, you love when I tease you."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Swan."

"Aw, don't pull that shit with me."

"You're insufferable. You know that?"

"Just shut up and kiss me."

Unable to resist the demand, Regina allowed Emma to crush their lips together in a burning kiss. Soon, Emma was lifting Regina off the ground, hands under her thighs to support her as she pinned the woman against the wall in her bedroom.

"Emma," Regina gasped, when the blonde's lips fell to her neck. "Don't… Don't leave marks!"

"Why?"

Flustered by the grin her lover was taunting her with, Regina scowled at the woman again and tried to push her away by pressing her palms flat against Emma's collarbone. Emma was stronger though, and she pressed her hips into the mayor's as she moved her lips to the woman's neck once again. Feeling the wave of shock pulse through her body, Regina found herself moaning in response, despite her desire to resist her lover's advances.

"That's it, baby. Tell me you want me."

"Shut up!" Regina snapped, then gasped as Emma bit down on the nape of her neck. "Emma!"

"I need you," Emma breathed, suddenly serious.

Breath hitching in her lungs, Regina felt her hips rocking forward involuntarily, and she was shocked to feel Emma responding in perfect harmony as she took her turn to make her own movements.

"Emma."

"Yeah, babe."

"Take me."

At first, Emma just resumed sucking on the base of Regina's neck, until she had the woman gasping for more. It was only then, when the woman was on the verge of begging, that she pulled Regina away from the wall, turned, and laid her down carefully on the bed, not breaking the contact between their bodies. The mayor's hands instinctively gripped Emma's shirt and tugged, pulling her lover closer. Emma responded by rocking her hips forward, creating friction between their legs.

Regina breathed a desperate, "Oh, God," before letting her head fall back against the pillow behind her as Emma's hands worked to unbutton her shirt.

It didn't take long for them both to undress, and as soon as her lover was completely exposed, Emma moved down towards the end of the bed and lowered her head between Regina's legs. When she felt the woman's warm, eager mouth on her most sensitive bundle of nerves, the mayor cried out Emma's name.

"Saranghae. Dangshineun jega kkumkkudeon yeoja-eyo."

Regina lifted her head and looked down at her lover, who was smiling up at her.

"What?"

"I love you. You're the woman of my dreams."

"What-"

"It's Korean."

"Where did you even-"

"Shh."

Regina screamed a desperate, "Ah!" as Emma slid her tongue along her slit, lapping up the fluids that were dripping from her core.

Moving away, Emma told her, "I love when you get soaked like this."

"Always," the brunette said, her voice breathy and strained. "Only for you."

"You're so fucking perfect."

"Emma!" the mayor whined. "Just fuck me!"

"So perfect…" the blonde added, slowly dragging one finger between the woman's folds.

"In me," Regina gasped, before tangling her fingers in Emma's wavy blonde locks.

In response, Emma licked her clit again, then moved away again and slowly pushed a finger into Regina's core. The woman's body reacted by jerking hard, and her back arched as the sensation of the penetration sent a shock shooting up her spine and back down again, stopping at her core, which tightened around Emma's finger.

Emma smiled at the reaction she'd won and teased, "Like that, baby?"

"Yes. Yes. Emma…"

Slower than Regina probably wanted her to, the blonde curled her finger forward and stroked her lover's pulsing walls.

"You want another?" she asked, as Regina began letting out low moans with every movement.

The mayor nodded her head vigorously as she bit down on her lip, silently telling Emma just how desperate she was for her touch, and of course, her lover gave her what she wanted, pulling out and pushing two fingers in.

When she curled them both, Regina cried, "Fuck!"

"That's it, baby. Now, tell me how much you want it."

"I want it. Emma, please. Please. I need it. I need you."

"You need to come?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm gonna make you come."

She worked up a steady pace before Regina started to gasp, "Shit. Shit. Emma! Fuck!"

Feeling her lover's walls tighten around her fingers, Emma smiled and said, "That's it, baby. Come for me."

"Oh, God. Em… Em. I'm gonna… Shit!"

Speeding up enough to push the woman over the edge, the blonde finished working her lover into a frenzy and gave a satisfied smile as her orgasm slowed to a stop.

"Fuck," Regina breathed, tugging Emma down on top of her until their hips molded together, surprising her by creating more friction between her legs. "Ah… Shit."

"A little worked up, are we?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

As Emma asked the question, she rocked her hips forward, pushing herself against her lover's core.

"Emma…"

"You wanna go again? It's been way too long."

At first, Regina hesitated, but she replied with, "N-No… I want… It's your turn."

"Babe, you don't have to-" Emma tried, but the rest of the words stuck in her throat as she let out a strangled gasp, feeling Regina push her hand between their bodies and use two fingers to rub her clit. "Ah, fuck."

"You're so wet."

"Of course I'm wet!"

"Feels so good..."

Emma's jaw dropped when Regina pulled her hand away and slid the same two fingers between her own lips, sucking on them seductively as she put on a show for her increasingly flustered lover.

"Shit, that's hot."

"Tastes good too."

"Wow…"

"Let me go down on you."

"Please…"

"Lay on your back."

Immediately doing as she was told, Emma rolled over and assumed the position Regina had been in moments before. Her lover wasted no time putting her mouth between Emma's legs as she sucked on her swollen clit. With every little movement of Regina's tongue, Emma gasped, until it was too much to bear, and she was moaning and thrashing beneath her lover, who was holding her still by pressing her hips down into the mattress.

"Please. Please."

"I love you, Emma."

It only took a few more strokes of her tongue before Emma was coming hard, her cunt dripping with her arousal. Regina lapped up every drop, licking her clean before lifting her head and looking up into Emma's eyes. Seeing the passion and lust in her eyes, Emma felt her stomach twist itself into a knot.

"I love you too," the blonde finally breathed, stroking Regina's dark locks of hair. When Regina allowed her body to melt into her lover's, Emma added, "I never want to leave you again."

"You're the only place that feels like home."

"And you're the only one I'd ever want to have a home with."

As Emma felt Regina's arms wrap tightly around her torso, she knew this was the last business trip she'd ever be able to make without her lover.