A/N: This follows everything that happened in New York City Serenade, except that Regina remembers what has happened in the past year.
Regina had taken to sleeping in Henry's room since she'd returned to Storybrooke. The bed was small, but it was reassuring to be surrounded by all his things. Heartbreaking, too. The whole house was heartbreaking. It had always been too big for one person, but now she ached at the silence.
She made the rounds in Henry's room before getting into bed, running her fingers over his things. She paused by the window, smiling sadly at the action figures lined up on the sill. Those she didn't touch. Henry liked them just so. They were still arranged for some sort of battle from years ago, from before everything changed.
It was easy, standing by the window, to pretend nothing had changed at all. That Henry was in bed behind her, that Emma's car was driving down her street…
Emma's car was driving down her street.
Regina would recognize that car anywhere. Especially now that her last memory of Henry and Emma was of that car pulling away, leaving her behind.
She didn't want to turn away from the window, afraid that if she let the bug out of her sight it would disappear. But the pull was too strong, and Regina ran down the stairs and flung open the front door.
The car was still there, parked at the edge of Regina's lawn, and then Emma got out and Regina let loose a sob that she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. She ran down the walk, not caring that she was barefoot and in just a nightgown. All she cared about was getting there, seeing Emma jog around the car towards her, their arms going around each other like it was natural, like it had happened before.
"You're here," Regina whispered in disbelief, and then she saw Henry slumped over in the back seat. "You're both here."
Emma pulled back, blushing at the hug they'd just shared. "He doesn't remember," she told Regina sadly. "But I do. And I was wondering if we could stay here tonight."
"Of course." Regina knew it would hit her later, but right now she barely cared that her son didn't know who she was. He was home, and he was safe, and that was all that mattered.
Emma rubbed her hands up and down Regina's arms. "Go inside before you catch cold. I'll get the kid."
Regina didn't make it far, hovering on the porch while she watched Emma pull Henry from the back seat and pick him up awkwardly. He'd grown, she realized as the blonde approached. He'd grown so much.
Regina closed the door behind them and trailed Emma up the stairs, hovering behind her as she set Henry down on the bed. As soon as Emma stood up Regina was rushing to sit on the edge of the bed. She ran a hand over Henry's hair, bending down to kiss his forehead. If he didn't remember her, she was grateful for this moment in which she could love him unrestrained.
"All four limbs still attached and everything," Emma said from behind her. "I'm getting the hang of this mom thing."
Regina didn't respond to the joke, instead dissolving into tears. She'd never imagined that she would see Henry again. And while it hurt to know that the mother he knew was Emma and not her, seeing him back in his old bed was incredible.
Not wanting to wake him, she finally forced herself to get up from the bed and turn off the light. Emma offered her another embrace, seeing Regina's pain at having to let Henry go again, and for once Regina didn't hesitate before taking it.
"Thank you," Emma whispered, keeping her arms locked around Regina's waist but pulling back just enough to see her.
"For what?"
"The life you gave us." Emma only half-smiled. "It was beautiful, Regina. I was devastated to find out it wasn't real."
Regina matched Emma's slight smile. "I'm sorry you had to wake up from it."
"No," Emma said firmly. "I wouldn't trade this for anything." She reached up to wipe some of the tears from Regina's face. "Besides, I have some unfinished business to attend to."
"What's that?" Regina found herself leaning into Emma's touch, unable to believe that she'd missed the blonde this much. Henry had consumed almost all of her thoughts for the past year, but now that Emma was in front of her she realized how much she'd missed those green eyes, and the infuriating things Emma said to her, and even that stupid red jacket.
But Emma wasn't talking now, and her eyes slipped closed, and then she was kissing Regina. The brunette met her lips eagerly, thinking of all the times she'd wanted to kiss Emma Swan and talked herself out of it. From that moment under the apple tree to the moment Emma had gotten into her car to leave Storybrooke.
"I wanted to do this before we said goodbye," Emma admitted. "But I figured I couldn't just kiss you and leave you there to deal with Hook and Neal and my parents."
"How thoughtful of you," Regina murmured before tugging Emma back into the kiss.
"The real reason was that I didn't want you to have to remember alone." Emma drew back and took a good look at Regina. Her hair was just a bit longer, and she'd never looked at Emma so softly. "And I sure as hell didn't want to forget."
Regina smiled at that. "Thank you," she whispered, trailing her fingers through Emma's messy hair. "It was hard enough missing Henry, and missing you as a friend. If you were more…" She thought back to how distraught she had been when they landed in the Enchanted Forest, how she'd been ready to remove her own heart to fight away the pain. "It might have killed me."
"Never. You're too strong for that."
"I don't plan to test that." Regina backed up slightly towards her room. "Are you staying?"
Emma followed Regina into the room and shut the door. "I'm never going to walk away from you again."