CHAPTER 1- HE'S NOT YOUR TRUE LOVE

The feeling came to Emma whilst she was sat there watching Henry.
She was thinking about the storybook he used to read when everybody else was still under the curse. She thought about how he was constantly telling her that his mother was wicked because of she tried to make him think he was crazy. He used to be mad at his adoptive mother for trying to keep the truth for him and letting himself and others think that he had developed a psychosis.

This wasn't the way Emma saw it, when she saw Regina looking at Henry, she always saw love in her. Never did she think that Regina purposely tried to make the kid's life a misery. The amount of love this woman had for her son made the blonde so unbelievably happy for Henry; she really thought that the kid should have thought this through from a different perspective. She didn't always used to see eye-to-eye with the former queen but really the kid should have cut her some slack sooner.
All Regina did was try to protect Henry from what might have hurt him. There was nothing she could have done to make her mistake better. Everybody makes mistakes, her more than the rest. She left Henry to the foster system, why did he love Emma from the start but take so long to forgive Regina?

Was she –the saviour- trying to stand up for Regina, her supposed enemy?

That's when she realised. That's when her whole life changed for the better…

…It took just a single moment for Emma Swan to realise that she had fallen for the insanely beautiful Regina Mills; she was so taken aback from the sudden burst of intensity that the feeling gave her, that she almost dropped her steaming coffee into her lap.

She'd been sitting on a wooden bench in the park, watching Henry read his latest comic whilst sat restlessly on a new swing from the park of which the plans Regina finally had authorised.

From where she was sitting she had a clear view of the brunette talking with Robin Hood. Although she couldn't hear the conversation -for the distance was to great-, Emma watched the lips of each person so intently that she couldmak out some words and phrases.

The new couple were sitting a good distance away on the beach, happily eating a healthy picnic, prepared by the other woman.
The blonde looked toward the newly dating pair, who sat next to each other a little too far apart; awkwardly holding hands in a slightly-too-tight position.

The thief's son -Roland- was, once again, nowhere to be seen. Emma was always astounded at how uncaring Robin was for his only child. The little boy couldn't be more than six years old and his father left him behind at every opportunity he got. Not to mention that the poor child had already lost his mother so didn't have a single supportive parent.

Although she had given up Henry, she'd done so for his own good as she really believed that he would be better off without her. It was one of the hardest things Emma had ever done, and although she does regret it, if she hadn't have sent Henry away then both their lives would be so different today- she would never have even met Regina.

Regina seemed to be content with the whole situation.

If Emma wasn't so used to seeing the older woman's face around Henry, she may not have picked up on Regina's glancing eyes; the slight dent in full bodied lips that proved that she had been biting her lip, in the same way she has always done when nervous.

Emma frowned but stood up to go and push her son when Henry called her over with a wide grin –much like Regina's- spread across his face.

This Robin guy was definitely not Regina's happy ending thought Emma as the angrily shoved the swing back and forth only stopping when her son slipped, gripping onto the metal chains for safety.

Sure Robin was supposed to be a hero or whatever, but to Emma he seemed to only hold that particular title in the Enchanted Forest- he wouldn't ever be Regina's hero.
Plus, he actually enjoyed living in a forest. What was the appeal in that? What did Regina see in him?

She was royalty and he was no more than a lowly thief who couldn't be bothered to take care of his son.

Emma sat there watching Regina's only slightly hidden discomfort; this was getting hard to watch.

Emma decided to take action; she excused herself from Henry and flipped open her cheap phone.
She dialled Regina's number. Emma was so filled with passion After just one ring she saw Regina glance at her phone and walk away from her date.

"Emma,"

Regina greeted her; relief was evident in her voice

"Hey," she said softly.

Then, on impulse she decidedly asked:
"Regina can I talk to you for a second?"

"Uh, yes of course. Isn't that what we're doing? Emma, what is it? Are you alright?"

Now would have been the time to come up with something to say- anything to say. Emma hadn't exactly thought this through. Her plan was to get Regina away from Robin, but now what?

"Yes! I, uh, I wondered if... I wanted to ask you if you would to come to dinner tonight. We … we would probably just go to mine given the fact that there aren't many options here and I'm getting a bit bored of Granny's. But, you know if you wanted to?"

Emma was so afraid of the reply that she just stood there silently.

"Oh yes what a lovely idea Miss Swan. Henry will really enjoy spending an evening with the both of us!"

The blonde was shocked silent for a minute.
Of course Regina thought she meant with Henry. She hadn't implied otherwise.

"Miss Swan. Are you there? I really must go."

Yes of course you must go- back to the boring thief thought Emma.

"Oh yes okay, I can pick you up at six if that's okay"

Emma was happy that at least she got to spend some time with the former queen. Also Henry being there would defiantly make the whole situation a lot less awkward.

"Okay Miss Swan. It's a date!"

The brunette hung up and Emma watched her walk slowly back towards the picnic at the sea edge.

One word thought Emma. How could that one last word that escaped the woman's mouth make her heart beat quite so fast?

Emma smiled shyly because she felt just like a juvenile teenager asking her biggest crush out on a date. Except that this would not be a date, she reminded herself.
Emma was confident that nothing could knock her good mood until she saw Robin's arm draped around the gorgeous woman. His lips locked on hers in an awkward embrace.

Emma knew they were dating but she wasn't aware that Regina felt that way about him.
How could she be mad at Regina it wasn't like they were exclusive- they weren't even going out Emma reminded herself.
Maybe she was imagining Regina's feelings for her. What if it was all in her head? Could she really live knowing that the woman she pined for loved another?

Angry tears came to her eyes as she sat back on the park bench.

She wasn't mad at Regina, she could never be mad at such a perfect woman. No. She wasn't even mad at Robin, she was just so furious at herself for assuming things of Regina. She let a fresh batch of tears fall freely onto her cheeks.

"Mom"

Emma quickly brushed the wet tears from her skin. Sniffling she turned to face her son only humming subtly in response.

"Mom, what is it? What's wrong?"

Henry looked so sweetly concerned for his mother that Emma felt so bad that she had completely forgotten his presence.

"Nothing's wrong kid. Just a bit of hay fever, that's all."

Emma knew that her voice sounded weak and it totally cracked when she called him by her usual pet name.

"But you were- umm okay. Shall we go now? I'm kinda bored."

She was sure Henry had seen through her act. He always did but there was no point in explaining any of this to him. It would just confuse him.

"Sure let's go!"

Emma had regained control.
The blonde was never good at understanding her emotions, but there was very little doubt regarding what she was feeling at that minuet. She was jealous, and most defiantly not of Regina.
She was jealous of Robin flipping Hood.
She wanted to be the one to complain about Regina's healthy picnics; she wanted to be the one to hold her hand just right; and she most defiantly wanted to be the one to leave with her every night.

The moment made her pause and take a deep breath. She had never imagined that she would ever feel that way for anyone, she never even felt so strongly about Neal, or Bae as he was more commonly known here.

Henry walked silently next to Emma for a long while. He was the first to break the silence.

"Mom, who were you talking to on the phone?"

Relieved that the awkward silence had finally been broken Emma explained to Henry about dinner at hers.
Henry seemed really excited to the saviour so they walked back to Emma's to get ready chatting happily.
Emma just remembered what she would do about her parents and Neal, the baby not her dead ex. She decided that she couldn't tell them it was a bonding thing for Henry because she knew her over involved mother would definitely want to join in.
She also could never tell them about her feelings for Regina because she knew what her mother would say. A scene from a few weeks previous replayed in her mind

5 weeks ago

Emma's head was swirling as she dreamed of warm arms embracing her cold body and her eyes locking into those of her lover.
The saviour hated it; she was refusing to stop indulging into such faux and whimsical fantasies.
The blonde sat up on her bed trying to shake away such illusions. It was no use Emma was craving love.

"Emma, where are you? I'm cold and I really need more blankets."

Mary Margret had never seemed more irritating and whinny to the blonde. She had been running around after her all day awaiting David's return home.

The former prince, and newly appointed deputy sheriff, had been working an extra shift at the station to catch up on paperwork that had been pushed aside until Emma couldn't bear the size of the paper mounds cluttering her office.

"Coming mum!"

Emma sulked to her small, and hopefully temporary, room to grab the extra blankets of her bed to give to Snow.

After making a show of stomping towards the older woman's room, she begrudgingly wrapped the warm blankets around the woman she was supposed to call her mother.
Emma could see Mary Margaret's tense shoulders relax under the warms and touch of the blonde.

"Emma"

Snow's voice was weak and made her sound so hopeless that Emma felt she had to oblige to the woman's every request.
Edging closer to the bed, she made a soft but slightly aggravated humming noise in response and turned her head in the former princess's direction.

"Thank you!"

The brunette sounded so genuinely grateful that Emma knew she was appreciated.
Emma sighed in relief at the end of the string of everlasting requests.

Emma thought about kissing her on her forehead, in a mother-daughter sweet way, but felt uncomfortable at the thought.
Deciding it better not to she turned on her heel almost silently and began to traipse out the room.

"And Emma- I know."

Emma looked at the woman as though she had truly lost her mind, although the blonde girl was pretty sure that after the past while she seriously needed re-evaluate her definition of losing your mind.

Snow wondered if she should continue.
Maybe Emma was playing dumb but maybe she really didn't understand what she, Snow, could so clearly see.
She looked at her daughter as if the confused face would give her an answer however all she saw was pure bewilderment.

She saw Emma's expectant glare and pressed on, not really knowing what her daughters reaction would be to the next thing she says.

"…about your feelings for Regina."

The blonde cocked her head so she was looking directly into the eyes of the obviously delirious woman.

Emma was so taken by surprise at her mother's outburst of insanity that for once the blonde struggled to find the words to explain that she was most definitely not crushing on Regina.

"Snow- Mum. Ummm. I, I don't have any feelings for Regina.
We are just friends and I'm not even sure if that's just for Henry's sake.
Please, you must be joking right. Come on she was a bloody witch for god's sake."

Seeing the look on the ill woman's face she knew this was not a prank. Her voice softened and she raised her eyebrows.

"Look, you must not be thinking clearly from all the flu medicine you've been taking. I'm gunna let you get some rest so you are well for the town meeting next week."

Emma was just so taken aback by the older woman's ridiculous, and medicine induced, thoughts that she turned confused then accidentally crashed into the clean and perfected feature wall of the brunette's bedroom.

"Poor love sick girl"

Snow was taking mostly for her own benefit but the muffled words were just comprehendible to the blonde.

"Emma, you know I'm right about this, I am kind of an expert in such areas.
I will tell you now though, I don't approve of you and Regina as a couple and I'm damn sure your father won't.
However who are we to get in the way of true love. If you're sure this is what you want then maybe we can discuss it as a family."

By this point Emma was practically squirming and was ready to fake a sheriff call just to escape the room, thick with tension thanks to her mother's delirious thoughts.

Emma, still a little dazed from hitting the wall so hard, sat down on the sofa for 5 minutes of peace before the older woman found something else to complain about.

She tried to shut her eyes lolling her head back against the arm rest; however her mind was over-run by pictures of her child's mother smiling and calling her Miss Swan.

"Curse my mother" the blonde mumbled aloud.

What in this world had ever made the brunette think that she had feeling for her son's adoptive mother no less!

The saviour was so confused and the only thing she knew for definite was that she would have to find a way to get out of this house. Emma pondered over different escape plans but none of them ended well in the long term.
She also couldn't make herself abandon the teacher when she was as ill as she was.

Emma stood up trying to grasp some kind of way she could be in two places at once.
If only she could get her magic to work she could quite simply duplicate herself.

The thoughts where bouncing around Emma's head till she could no longer take it. She held her head in pain. Grumbling, she clutched hold of the kitchen top before everything went fuzzy.

Emma awoke to find herself lying on the cold floor of her parents kitchen. The blonde moaned as a sharp pain seared through her head.
She realised that she has slightly cut the side of her forehead when she fell.

The saviour, feeling very to the contrary, mopped up a pool of gushing blood running down her face.
Looking for her mother's first aid kit, she heard an all too familiar voice calling her from upstairs.

"Emma, love, is everything all right down there, I heard a crash?"

Mary Margaret's voice was laced with fear and panic. Emma walked hazily up the stairs and across the hall until she found the room her mother was staying in.

"Mum, everything's fine I just tripped slightly and took a slight blow to the head but other than that everything's absolutely fine.
By the way, where about do you keep your first aid kit?"

Emma attempted to avoid the eyes of the woman lying limp in bed opposite her. To her dismay her mother waved her over with a concerned look glistening in her soft brown eyes.

Emma trudged over towards the teacher as she examined the cut on her head with discomfort. Mary Margaret placed a finger at the edge of the still bleeding gash.
She saw how Emma winced at the pain as she hovered a finger around the surround area of the cut.

"Emma, are you sure you are all right? The first aid kit's in the cupboard just above the wine glasses. It might be best to call Whale see if he thinks you need a check over."

Snow's face was so pitiful and concerned, a look that always made Emma somehow feel guilty.
Without another word the blonde turned her back the older woman and walked towards the first aid kit.

Emma grabbed the red bag from the shelf and started to pour a solution onto a cotton pad when she heard the front door click open then shut.

"Hello?"

Emma called out trying to put on a smile although she really was not in the mood to speak to anybody.

"Emma, it's me I'm back from the station. How's your mother?"

Emma was so happy to see her charming father that she had to fight the urge to run and hug him crying into his new uniform shirt.

"Umm she's a little better, although I think she better lay of the medicine she seems a little confused."

Emma's words where quite as David walked into the room waiting for instructions of what still needed to be done.
Instead he was greeted by his daughter dabbing excess blood off of her forehead.

"Emma! What happened, are you all right?"

David's voice filled with the same sympathy that irritated her whenever her mum spoke to her as if the 28 years that they abandoned her for had never passed.

"I'm fine David - really, don't fuss. Just go and check Mum's okay. I need some air. I'll go meet Henry at school."

And before David could protest the idea his new sound daughter had disappeared with a slam of the door.