Regina had been driving emma insane.

Emma Swan had applied for a new job as a Publicist for a Mayor of a small town in Maine. A mayor that had decided to try her luck in a bigger arena than small town politics. Emma had seen her campaign comercials, woman seemed as innocent as any other politician out there, she must have a good PR team emma thought. She came by the opportunity from her last bounty hunt.

"I like what you do kid. We could use you on our team. We are actually looking for a PR assistant for our politician, very hush hush. You interested? Seems like you would be good muscle for keeping people quiet."

Emma thought it sounded interesting, hey she was 26 and thought maybe she wouldn't have to move around as much. She applied, and got the job off the interview. Now meeting Mayor Regina had been a real trip.

She sat in a black and white office with black trees twisting up the walls. The furnature was black, there was a white horse on the mantal, and strangly apples on the tables, real apples.

The Mayor came in with a loud bang of the door. Angerly yelling on the phone.

"I don't care Sydney. I want dirt on the competition and I want it now, I don't care how illegal it is."

Suddenly Regina realized she was not alone.

"Excuse me. Who are you." She glared at the blond sitting quietly on the couch.

Emma hopped up and extended her hand. "Swan. Emma Swan. I am your new Publicist."

Regina stared at her hand for a long moment, vaguly remembering Sydney mentioning a new publicist as the last one turned out to be a rat journalist in disguise.

"Oh. Nice to meet you. Mayor Mills—Regina." She shook her hand hard. She noticed the blond had nice arms, beautiful hair if she let her mind wander and the most captivating eyes.

Regina held her hand a moment to long staring into her eyes. Emma coughed and Regina let go.

"Sorry… its been a long day. "

"oh I understand, been nervous about impressing the new boss." Emma smiled easily, how bad could this woman actually be?

…..

It was late. 3am. Regina needed Emma on call every morning 6am "just in case". But Emma couldn't sleep. These last two weeks had been crazy. Regina was a hard ass. Emma was beginning to think this woman actually had no soul. She was sweet on camera but off camera… emma didn't know what to make of her. Was she just trying to be strong in a man's world? Or was this really her?

Either way she wasn't chasing after people anymore just doing damage control. As she stared at her ceiling of her room, new with no cracks, she jumped when her phone rang.

"Regina?! Are you alright?" Her boss was calling at 3am? Something must have happened.

"Emma? Oh are you awake?"

Really? This woman had called to see if she were awake? Regina was silent, that never happened.

"Regina, do you need something."

"I…well I havn't… could you come over?" reginas voice sounded like a plea for help. Emma gathered she had probably been drinking.

"At 3am? Madame Mayor people will talk."emma added with a little laugh.

"oh, I'm sorry. I'll…go."

"Regina wait." The line went dead.

Emma was worried. She didn't know regina well enough but she knew when someone wasn't ok. It was one of her super powers. She quickly made the decision to check on Regina. She threw on a black hoodie over her white tank top and dashed out in her blue shorts.

Regina was sitting in her tub with a bottle of liquer. She had never drank this much before, she wondered if she would survive it. Her mother had returned, Cora. Which was the only reason she was not simply staying the mayor of the tiny town of StoryBrook. Her life had just started to look up she was wanting to adopt, then her mother appeared and she was reminded once again, Cora owned her, had given up everything so Regina could succeed in life. She took another drink.

Emma ran up to the house. 108 Mifflin Street. The mayors house was the biggest on the block. She hesitated only a moment before she dug out the extra key she had for emergencies.

"Regina! Hello! Where are u?" The house looked dead. She wandered upstairs, her terror growing. There was a light on in the bedroom, upon closer inspection looked like it was the bathroom.

Emma took a deep breath before walking in and … heard crying. She walked in and saw regina in her underware which a bottle of something strong sitting by the tub half way gone and her face was in her hands and she was quietly sobbing.

Emma kneeled down beside the tub and put her hand on regina's shoulder.

"Hey. Regina?"

Regina lifted her face to look at Emma, surprise showing.

"Emma? You came." She didn't seem to know what to do.

"Yeah… I was worried. " she said holding reginas gaze.

"why would you care." She shot back.

All Emma could do was be honest. "I have no idea. But I do."

She reached her hand out for regina and helped her out. She made her sit on a towel and drink lots of water, hoping to avoid an emergency room visit. Though an hour later regina was throwing up everything she had ever eaten in her life. Emma sat there with her hand on her back and holding her hair back and wiping her face everytime she came up for air. Finally when she had finished Emma scooped her up and put her in bed.

Emma was about to leave. It was 6 am. Regina was out of the woods and in bed, staring down at her hand that lay next to her face on the light blue pillowcase.

"come here." Emma held her arms out. Regina climbed in. She hadn't trusted anyone, not in a long time. But she couldn't help it, she wanted to be wanted right now, she wanted to feel safe. And in emmas arms she did and they both nodded off to sleep.

"regina dear!"

Regina bolted awake.

"Mother. " she looked over and still saw a sleeping emma. "shit!"

"Emma!" she wacked her with a pillow.

"uh ah what.."

"My mother, Emma you have to hide!" Regina was showing true fear in every inch of her face.

Emma stumbled to the closet and closed the door.

Just as Cora walked in.

"regina dear. Why are you not dressed and ready? Were you ill?" She looked around noticing the smell of puke and looking thouroughly disgusted.

"yes mother, I was." Regina seemed like a little kid again. Wanting her mom, but her mother never liked to be around when she was sick, that duty usually fell to her father unless she was very ill.

"well dear I guess you won't be making it to the press meeting today, we will have to reschedual. Though a Friday was hard to get. I'll call u later dear. Please do try to clean up." With that Cora left the room got on her phone to reschedual and soon regina heard the front door lock click.

She took a deep breath and sighed.

"you can come out now." She had her head in her hands again.

Emma walked out of the closet.

"shit that is your mother?! Does that woman have a soul?" Emma started to get defensive. Regina was sick and needed someone to take care of her, it was obvious no one else not even Regina's mother was going to.

"Yes, that's mother. She doesn't like things to be… inconvenient. Sorry you had to… hide." She offered a weak smile, emma noticed she was still really pale.

"Well, your still sick. So I'll go make you some toast and coffee?" Emma walked to the door waiting for a resonse grabbing the door handle.

"Your… staying?" Regina looked hopeful and small in her huge bed pulling her knees up to her chest.

"yeah, guess I am."

Regina smiled quietly to herself.

Emma spent the whole day with regina. Getting her to open up wasn't too hard considering emma had seen her at quite a low the night before and Regina figured she had earned a little insight.

"Regina. That's abuse." Emma reached for her hand, surprising regina again.

"Emma shes my mother. And I grew up… far away from here. Things were different there."

"Doesn't mean you should put up with it. You deserve so much better." She shook her head in frustration she wanted to protect regina.

"I don't, I'm not a good person Emma. I have done some horrible things." She looked away out the window as if watching her past actions springing to life.

"Regina no one is perfect, this isn't a fairytale…" Reginas eyes shot to her, searching for a deeper meaning in her statement. She didn't find one, just concern.

The conversation took a lighter turn after Emma tried some of Regina's home made apple cider.

"And there I was running around without underware, I was the madest 6 year old, beat the crap out my host brother with a Barbie to get it back." Emmas eyes were bright and alive telling the story. It had gotten late and the light from the lamp shone bright in her eyes.

Regina laughed. When was the last time she had done that? Let alone smiled. Emma was still talking when Regina became fascinated with a curl that had fallen in Emma's face. Without thinking she reached out and tucked it behind Emma's ear. Emma stoped talking. Regina's smile faded.

Regina cupped emma's face, searching her eyes for fear. She found none.

She stroked her thumb over emmas cheek.

Emma leaned into it.

Then Regina leaned in, and kissed her soft pink lips.

The lights flickered and they pulled apart.

"Emma, I'm sorry…"

Her apology was silenced by another kiss. She grabbed the back of emma's neck and deepened the kiss.

Soon the clothes were off and there was gentle touching and gazing being held.

When then both found there release they collapse in a pile of sheets and arms. Emma wanted to run. She made a move to get up but regina grabbed her wrist.

"please. Stay."

…

The next week couple months flew by. Regina seeming the same to the outside world, and to emma at the office but every night in the safe walls of 108 Mifflin street Regina was warm, a bit shy at times. And she smiled, real genuine smiles.

Today Emma was in the office waiting for regina to finish her interview which was happening right outside story brook. The media was everywhere and emma was watching the TV anxiously. Regina had received some threats about pulling out of the campaign. But her team really didn't think but of it. Emma however was a wreck that her lover did not have enough security detail for her liking. Inside StoryBrook Regina was safe, outside seemed just crazy. It felt like storybrook was in some weird bubble no one but emma had penetrated.

She saw Cora on the screen with Regina. This made Emma's blood boil. That woman was terrible to Regina. Emma was certin she didn't have a heart. She was trying to figure out a way to get Regina away, but short of kid napping her she had no clue as to how.

Just as she was lost in her thoughts, there were gun shots. People screamed the camera went down. Emma froze. Regina.

She was out of the office in the car in a rush of speed. Drive fast out of storybrook. She got within a mile and jumped out of the car and started running.

…

Regina heard the shouting, then her mother took one step to the right of her, one fatal step. Then next thing she heard were gun shots. Her mothers shocked face. Cora falling into her. Regina kept screaming for help. Cora right before she died said the crewlest thing she had ever uttered to Regina.

"It should have been you." With that she left a very damaged Regina alone.

It took the cops a while to get Regina to let go of her mother. She kept screaming no. But finally the shock hit. She started shaking. She couldn't hold on any more. The cops placed a blanket on her telling her they caught the guy. Regina just stared into space, not uttering a word tears running down her face. The realization sinking in.

She never loved me.

Emma could see her bright orange blanket. She was alive.

"Mame you can't go in there.."

"I'm her publicist."

"you can't go.."

"I'm her fucking girlfriend!" They stopped holding her back.

"I love her, try and stop me." She pushed past them.

"Regina!" she put her hands on her knees.

"Regina, hey look at me I'm here, I'm right here."

Regina slowly lifted her eyes.

"Emma?" she looked back and forth in her eyes.

"yeah babe its me." She smiled holding on to her tighter.

"She didn't love me. No one …does." She looked off into the dark.

"I do Regina." She pulled reginas face back to look at hers.

"I love you."

She took Regina back to her place. Held her in her arms as Regina cried herself to sleep. Emma cried too and was glad that it was dark so regina wouldn't see. She could have lost her. It could have been Regina.

…

Regina jolted awake. Emma was still holding her hand, jerked she started to wake up.

Regina tried to steady her breathing.

"Sorry I…"

"It's ok. Want to go back to sleep."

Regina looked at her with big eyes and shook her head.

"ok" emma yawned. It was 6 am.

"Let's got make brekfest."

"Emma, its 6am, please go back to sleep, I'm sorry I woke you…" She hugged herself tight with her arms.

Emma rubbed reginas arm and regina looked up at her.

"it's ok." Gave her a kiss on the cheek. Grabbed her hoodie and shorts and threw them on.

"come down when your ready I'll get a head start."

…..

Emma made pancakes. They looked really funny. It was one of the few things she actually knew how to cook. She was feeling very mortal and she didn't want to live another day without letting regina know how she really felt.

Regina walked in wearing her light blue robe. And sat down at the island. Emma sat down next to her, regina rubbed her eyes then when she looked at her pancakes

"Will you be my g….."

Emmas eyes where wide her hands were shaking, regina looked puzzeled.

"girl friend. Its says girlfriend."

Regina looked at emma.

"Regina, damn it regina it could have been you yesterday, I am really sorry about you losing your mother but I am not sorry it was her. I need you, you don't even realize how much, you think I have been saving you but you have been saving me. I love you and I want to do things for you, I want to wipe your tears away and make you laugh, and get smacked with pillows and I would do anything just to see that smile on your face that you only put on for me. If this is too fast I can wait…"

"emma."

"I mean no pressure if you don't want to.."

"emma.

"its cool I'll just…"

Regina grabbed her face with both of her hands.

"stop talking."

Regina crashed her lips into emmas.

Emma lifted her up and laid her on the couch, regina sat up and pushed emma back, pinning her to the couch instead.

"I love you too."