The Perfect Date

Emma had always eaten and cooked like a child. Nothing she ever made was fresh, or needed preparing before it reached a pot of boiling water, or a pan, and the oven and chip fryer were her go to equipment when the microwave just didn't cut it. Everything she consumed and served came from a 'ready' or frozen packet and took no longer than half an hour to put together. Every time she cooked, Regina practically starved; having one or two bites of the revolting dishes before giving up and heading to the fridge to grab a light salad.

For Regina, the day had been one from hell. None stop problems, people chasing her and having a go, and when the clock had hit 5pm, she hadn't been able to escape the office quickly enough. She longed to see Emma, get a glass of wine and curl up on the sofa together watching trashy rom-coms. She also couldn't wait to get home to their precious baby boy Henry. He was two, a little terror and he certainly kept them on their toes but he wasn't half cute, and he always brightened up her day. She crossed the parking lot at double pace and got into her little black hatchback in double time. Chucking her bag into the passenger seat, she put on her seatbelt, started the ignition and shifted the gear into drive.

As she pulled out of the parking garage and onto the busy city streets, she hoped her drive home would be stress free. It was all going so well until she reached the main street and found it was gridlocked. Cars sat bumper to bumper, horns honking unnecessarily, and then there were the pedestrians trying to cut across the traffic because the street crossings were blocked with the rush hour traffic. She let out a deep breath before resting her head momentarily on the steering wheel. Traffic was only this bad if there was an accident, or an occasion, which in when she suddenly remembered the date. It was February 14th. Luckily she was already prepared with a gift and card, but Emma had been too busy with Henry when she had left in a rush that morning, for them to exchange cards or gifts. She sighed again, knowing the reason for the congestion would be the increased number of people who were out to dinner, or making a big romantic gesture of taking a loved one out for an evening, and it wasn't going to get better anytime soon.

Their apartment was right in the heart of the city. Regina's father had helped her to buy it when she had first gotten her job at the large insurance firm, King & King. They specialised in commercial insurance, and provided a service to many of the large city firms, and brands that were known worldwide. She didn't enjoy the job much, being a personal assistant and running around after middle aged men, hadn't exactly been her career goal, but it was good experience none the less. Plus, George and Leopold who owned the firm were friends of her father, so it had been an offer she hadn't been able to refuse. She worked hard, and was paid well, which meant that their little home was like a haven, filled with contemporary furniture, classic décor and styles, with a very modern feel. She had then met Emma, and her apartment had become more homely. Emma wasn't exactly stylish, she had rustic and unique style and that had begun to influence their home.

Regina had met Emma in a bar. She was 8 months pregnant at the time, worked off of her feet, collecting glasses and serving bar snacks to exhausted business people. She had instantly become intrigued by her and when she had made eye contact across the bar, and given her a shy smile, Regina had instantly felt a connection. She had to have a few more glasses of wine, before she had finally gathered up the courage to speak to her. Emma had been very shy and reserved, not saying much at all. Regina had tried everything she could to get the blonde to engage with her, but nothing she tried really seemed to be working. She hung around that night until closing time. When Emma had grabbed her denim jacket and yelled goodbye to the other, tall, brunette barmaid, she made a move too and followed her outside.

"Hey, Hi…Sorry, I get the impression that you don't want to talk to me, but can I just say, and I am not a crazy stalker like lady or anything….but you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen" Regina confessed, as she darted in front of the blonde on the sidewalk to get her attention.

From that moment on, things had gone so much better than they had in the bar. Regina had finally gotten Emma to admit that she hadn't been 'not interested' just that they weren't allowed to flirt with strangers, or customers in the bar. Regina agreed that made sense, and then had asked if she would like to get a coffee. Emma had agreed and ever since that night they had been unable to stay apart from one another. It had been just weeks and Emma had moved out of her run down, grotty shared place and straight in with Regina. Then on her first night there, they had spent it at the hospital, as Henry decided to arrive. Since then, they had been living and loving together without any regrets.

When Regina finally got home that night, she found Emma busy in the kitchen and she rolled her eyes. She grimaced at the thought Emma was cooking their dinner, and then had her worst fears confirmed, when the blonde heard her click the door shut and she peered across to her with a big grin.

"Hey, you're later than I expected. Henry is waiting for you, he wants mommy Regina to read him a story" she explained chirpily. "Oh and dinner won't be long, five minutes. It's one of my specials!" she declared proudly.

Regina let a small groan escape her, and then smiled sweetly at her blonde lover to let her know that they groan was not at the fact she was cooking; secretly it was, but Emma didn't need to know that. She took off her coat and threw it with her bag on the sofa, when she noticed that Emma was all dressed up as well. Her heart sunk. The last thing she wanted to do was go back out into that V day madness in New York. She decided to go straight into Henry, as she could hear him in his cot, clearly playing and not sleeping, or attempting to go to sleep. It was also way past his bedtime, which told Regina that Emma had allowed him a late afternoon nap.

"Hello little Prince!" she exclaimed, drawing on all her energy in order to appear full of life, and not drained like she actually felt. "What are you up to?" she asked.

"Mommy!" he exclaimed excitedly as he pushed himself up and pulled on the cot bars so that he could see her properly.

In his hand he held his soft toy panda that she had got for him the day he was born from the hospital gift shop. A bit like she had been with Emma, he was inseparable with the toy, who he had aptly named 'panna'. She smiled at him and bopped his nose gently as she bent down to kiss his head, and like a magpie, he made a grab for her necklace.

"Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh Henry" she stated as she gently pulled back. "Not mommy's necklace" she reminded him.

Henry smiled cheekily and sucked his fingers for a moment, before glancing passed her to his little white bookcase. He looked so tired and she could tell he was fighting it. She couldn't help but feel guilty though because she had been the one who was late home. She ruffled his hair and looked at where he was pointing.

"Swwworrwwyy Mommy!" he declared.

"You want to read a book, or you would like mommy to read to you?" she asked in a very grown up tone. She didn't believe in all this baby talk, but of course Emma did.

"Weeeeeddd wiiiii hwooo!" he exclaimed cutely, a small giggle escaping him as he bounced on his mattress and waited for Regina to go and get the book from the shelf.

She smiled and crossed the room to get it. She showed him it as she came back across the room and took him out of his cot. It was almost daily routine for her and Henry now, except when she was away on business or working overtime that they sat by the window, with the fairy lights and they read his favourite story. She settled down with him in the rocking chair, and he snuggled cutely against her as he sat in her lap, and she then began to read.

In just 20 minutes, Henry had fallen asleep and she had been able to put him down without a fuss. She had left his fairly lights on, kissed his head as she had tucked him up for the night, and turned out the main light as she left the room and left the door ajar in case he woke up. She headed back to the living area and kitchen and grabbed up her handbag and coat to put them away in the closet.

"So what time is your mother arriving, or my mother, or whoever is babysitting?" Regina asked regrettably.

"Huh? Babysitter?" Emma questioned as she looked up from the table, where she was laying out two glasses, and placemats for their dinner.

"Are we not going out? You're all dressed up so I just assumed that…."

"No!" Emma stated with a soft smile. "I am not going out in that madness. I have cooked us a nice meal, and I thought we might snuggle up after, watch a film, have dessert, spend time together" she explained.

Relief flooded through Regina and she smiled softly as she hung up her coat, dumped her bag and removed her shoes to place them on the rack. She returned to the table and smelt, something spicy simmering away on the hob. A small smile came to her face and she smiled more than lovingly at Emma. Whatever it was it actually smelt nice, well better than the revolting food Emma usually served her.

"Since we are not going anywhere, do you mind if I change? I mean I know you have gotten all dressed up; and you look beautiful, it's just I have been in this uncomfortable dress all day!" Regina asked.

"Not at all" Emma dismissed, she was too busy dishing up the food now.

Regina smiled and hurried into the bedroom. As much as she liked to look presentable, she also liked nothing more than to be comfortable when she was at home. Before she met Emma she didn't own anything remotely in the category of leisure wear, but now that Emma was there, with a closet full of items that did, she was happy to indulge from time to time. She stripped of her dress, and made a quick change of her underwear, to a matching set that were slightly sexier and quickly covered them with a pair of leggings, a camisole and a large cream, roll neck jumper that smelt like Emma.

When she emerged from the bedroom, she saw Emma at the fryer and suddenly her heart dropped. Of course Emma couldn't cook without their being fries on the plate. She trudged over to the table and scooped up the glass of wine that had been poured for her. Was a grown-ups romantic meal really too much to ask for. She blew out the candle Emma had lit in the middle of the table and stood for a moment watching her, as she debated just telling her she was tired and was going to go to bed.

"Hey, what's up?" Emma asked, as she turned with a plate in either hand, ready to serve it at the table, only to see Regina looking disappointed and her smile faded.

"Oh I knew this was a bad idea. I should have just booked a table at that French place you like. I've messed it up haven't I?" she questioned sadly. "Damn it Emma, so stupid" she cursed herself.

Regina took a moment and then felt another pang of guilt as she saw how upset the blonde looked. She had put in so much effort, with dinner and the table and everything, and there she was just being silly and ungrateful. She quickly took a mouthful of wine and tried to think of a way to rectify the situation. After all the food actually didn't smell that bad, neither did it look as revolting as it usually did.

"It's not baby, honestly it's lovely. I'm tired, I really have had a long day and that arse Leopold was right on my case" she explained.

At least that was the truth, even if it wasn't her dream date for a valentine's day. She smiled best she could at Emma who acknowledged her explanation with the nod of her head. She felt disappointed that Regina's day hadn't been great, but she knew how she could fix it.

"How about I run you a bath, and throw this rubbish out and order us a Chinese or something?" she suggested.

The brunette shook her head, that wasn't going to be necessary and mustered up a warm smile for her lover to reassure her, as she told her that was the case. She would eat the food, or some of it at least, and a few fries weren't going to kill her if she went to the gym first thing. She approached Emma, who was still standing there like a waitress with two plates, who had forgotten what table they were for and took one carefully.

"One request…" she said with a loving smile.

"What?" Emma asked innocently.

"No formal tables, can we eat cuddled up on the sofa?" she asked cheekily.

The idea instantly had the blonde's face all lit up again with a smile, and she seemed happy again. Emma grabbed the other glass of wine and headed with Regina to the sofa, where they both sat down close together and settled down for the night. The brunette actually felt happier just being there with Emma and she grinned as she looked at her plate. Fries, noodles, and some breaded meat shapes that resembled something only toddlers would eat. She grinned as she watched Emma tuck in, shoving in a full mouthful of food and moaning appreciatively.

"Ok, why is there nothing green on this plate, and what on earth are these?!" Regina grinned as she held up a breaded shape.

"It's a turkey dinosaur!" Emma mumbled with a mouthful, and then she giggled when Regina pulled a face.

"Try it! They are nice, and you might even like it" Emma exclaimed as she giggled more at Regina's expression.

She could tell she was disgusted by it and it just made it all the more funny. She egged her on, until Regina finally put it to her mouth and took the smallest bite of its leg. Emma gasped playfully at her as if she was horrified by her taking chunk out of the poor creature, which only made her giggle in return.

"What?" she giggled as she tried to chew the processed, frozen, meat shape.

"You've made him wobbly!" Emma giggled.

"Wobbly?" the brunette questioned.

"Yeah. Wobbly, you bit his leg off!" Emma giggled, cutting into one of her own dinosaurs.

"Well, you've decapitated yours" Regina quipped sarcastically as she comically took another bite and grimaced as she chewed on it.

Emma smiled as she chomped on her own turkey dinosaur, again moaning appreciatively as she swallowed it down and shoved in a couple of French fries after. Regina's facial expressions as she ate the dinosaurs, noodles and fries was hilarious, and she knew she would be counting the calories that they entire meal was loaded with. Regina was playing up, knowing it was amusing her lover only. If she was honest, the dinosaur things were actually quite nice, well nicer than they looked certainly and she knew Emma was enjoying the situation. If it amused her then it certainly made Regina feel better.

She picked her way through the noodles and fries but compared to Emma, who had cleared her plate, Regina could barely manage more than half before she felt full. The plate had been stacked. She envied Emma, how anyone could be so lean, and toned, when they ate constant rubbish, and did nothing to work out, she would never know. Reaching forward she abandoned her plate on the small coffee table, in exchange for her glass of wine. She sipped at it as Emma gave her an unimpressed look.

"Hey!" she tapped her lightly. "What's wrong with my food?!" she smirked.

"Oh babe, it was lovely, I just couldn't eat another bite" Regina smiled cutely with half a shrug as she took a large sip of her drink.

Emma smiled smugly, hoping that meant that Regina actually enjoyed it. She placed her empty plate beside Regina's and snuggled back onto the sofa with her, sipping her own wine. The blonde then turned to her and smiled as she looked her up and down.

"You like my clothes don't you?" she asked with a grin.

"I might….." Regina confirmed vaguely.

Emma giggled again and leaned across unexpectedly to kiss her cheek, which made Regina blush as she put an arm around her to pull her in closer to her. She smiled lovingly as Emma looked at her with the same loving smile, and they exchanged a small but passionate kiss.

"I love you" the brunette whispered sweetly.

Emma smiled at her again and parted her lips as if she was going to return the sentiment, but then suddenly started to grin, launched across Regina and grabbed the remote from the end table behind her. She quickly flopped back onto the cushions and clicked the television on. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Regina pouting and it only made her smirk more. She knew it was coming, and so she waited to be reprimanded. She did it all the time and Regina always pouted and they then ended up in fits of giggles when she finally called her out on not saying it back.

"Emma!" she whined as she picked up a cushion from beside her and launched it at her.

"What?!" the blonde giggled as she tried to dodge the cushion and it just skimmed the top of her head, before landing on the floor across the room.

"You didn't say I love you back!"

"I love you back" Emma repeated with a big grin and avoiding eye contact.

"Emma!" she whined again.

The blonde burst into fits of giggles and flicked through the channels, until Regina scooted closer and pulled her into her in a total invasion of her personal space. She held her tight and tried to grab her chin to force her to look at her. It was playful and fun and Emma just couldn't stop giggling as she told Regina to let go. Secretly she didn't want her to, when Regina was playful, she was at her best. Emma liked her best that way, so whenever she had the chance to encourage that side of her to appear, she took it.

"OK! OK! I LOVE YOU!" Emma cried out, still giggling as the words left her mouth.

Regina smirked proudly and cuddled into the blonde more, as they finally fell silent, but Emma was still grinning. She checked the television schedule and searched for something to watch. There was hardly anything on and as she scrolled she bit her lip trying to hold back the urge to follow up her statement of a second ago with the word back. She held it no longer than a minute before in a mumble she said it.

"Back"

"Emma!" Regina scolded cutely as she smacked her arm lightly,

The blonde started giggling all over again as she pushed down on the remote and the pages scrolled quicker. Regina grinned to. She loved Emma's giggle because it was just so cute and infectious. She looked towards the television and suddenly yelled out for Emma to stop. The blonde looked at her seriously as she let go of her and suddenly sat forward, and making a strange squeaking noise, pointed and wagged her finger at the television. Emma glanced at the schedule and instantly knew what was going on. She looked at the brunette again, now waving her arms and squeaking as if she was hyperventilating and grinned.

"What?" she questioned playfully, even though she knew 'what' exactly.

Regina's arms flapped some more and she smiled at the blonde with the biggest, excited smile Emma had ever seen. She was struggling to get the words out for her excitement, and she flapped her arms even more and started bouncing on the edge of the sofa cushion like an excited toddler. In fact she very much reminded her of how Henry was when his favourite show was on.

"Notting Hill!" Regina finally cried out.

Emma giggled again unable to stop herself as the brunette gave her a hopeful look. She looked so happy Emma had to oblige her request. The truth was, she had known it was on, and she knew it was Regina's favourite film. She had purposely put the television on and stopped near that channel so that she would notice. She hovered over the button, taunting Regina for just a second until she cried out at her again, and stared at the television in hopeful excitement.

"Press the button Emma!"

Shaking her head, Emma pressed select on the remote and the screen lit up with the opening credits. The brunette clapped excitedly and stated it was only just starting. Like Emma didn't already know that, she had been forced to watch it multiple times, and was pretty sure she could recite most of the lines by now. Settling back in at her side, Regina snuggled up again and cuddled the blonde as she stared helplessly at the television.

When the movie finally finished it was getting late, heading for midnight and Regina was practically asleep on Emma's lap. She smiled and stroked back her hair as she heard her crying at the film. Happy tears of course because it was a happy ending, and by the end every time they seemed to end up in this position, and Regina was always in tears so Emma was used to it. She knew she was tired too, and the wine wouldn't have helped, and yet they still had presents to exchange. Emma moved subtly as the credits started running, which made Regina slowly pull herself up. The brunette looked at her and smiled. Even when she was crying, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Bedtime?" Emma asked gently.

"Yes please" Regina nodded gently.

Emma reached for her hand as she slowly stood up, and then gently pulled her up with her. Regina put her arm around her waist, and with her head on Emma's shoulder they wandered slowly over to, and into the bedroom. Regina didn't even bother changing as she flopped down onto the bed, atop the covers and snuggled into her pillow. She was exhausted and barely keeping her eyes open. Emma on the other hand, stripped of her dress and dropped it messily on the floor as she came to the bed and bent down at her bedside cabinet. From it she pulled a single red rose, and a small gift bag and then climbed onto the bed, beside her beautiful girlfriend, who now was barely awake at all. She smiled and placed the rose beside her.

"Baby, could you just stay awake for one second more?" Emma asked cutely as she lay down too and faced her.

Regina hummed in response, her eyes still close but her lashes flickering. Emma pleased cutely, she really only needed a minute. She really wanted to give her the gift before she fell asleep, and this was the perfect moment.

"Baby…" Emma muttered gently.

Regina wriggled in closer and her thick black lashes flicked open gently as she looked to Emma sleepily. She smiled seeing the rose and rubbed her nose gently into the petals as she closed her eyes again.

"It's beautiful baby" she murmured.

"That's not it baby, please just open your eyes again" Emma pleaded gently as she unpacked the little gift bag and held the small box ready in her hand.

"I'm really tired baby" Regina mumbled as she snuggled in even closer to the blonde.

"I know baby…it's just….I wanted to….." Emma began and was mumbling a little nervously.

Regina opened one eye slightly, curious and focused on Emma. The blonde took a breath and smiled, then swallowed as she brought around and between them the little box. She had Regina's attention as she sleepily opened both of her eyes, and hesitantly started to make questioning sounds. Emma smiled lovingly at her, putting her finger to her lips to silence her, and then popped the little box open to reveal a diamond ring. The brunette gasped and pulled herself up a little to look at it properly.

"Is this…..a…." Regina was lost for words as she looked at the blonde.

Emma was grinning at her and nodded in a slight confirmation as she tried to find the words. Regina's eyes fell back upon the diamond.

"Regina Mills, will you marry me?!" Emma eventually spat out.

Silence fell momentarily between them as Regina's eyes started to well up with tears of joy. She couldn't believe it. This was a dream. It had to be. No way she was this lucky. In shock she looked up at Emma seriously.

"Really?"

"Yes really!" Emma confirmed with a grin.

Regina face slowly broke out in the biggest smile and she lurched towards Emma, hugging her tight and suddenly crying happily again.

"Of course I will! Yes!"