It had been three months since Emma Swan had stood in the secret library of the abandoned mansion on the hill and promised Regina Mills her happy ending.
Since then Storybrooke had been uncharacteristically quiet.
No forgotten or unknown family members had shown up to create havoc for the town's citizens and no strangers had rode in to town with suspicious motives or mission statements.
The most exciting town event had been baby Neal's first birthday, and that was because Emma and Regina had shown up together with an exquisite hand-made rocking horse that they had hand made - together.
A month before the party Emma had confessed to Regina that she had no idea what she should get Baby Neal for his birthday, but she knew that she wanted to get him something really special. Regina had suggested the rocking horse. Snow had had one growing up in the summer castle and Regina had remembered how Snow had adored it. Emma and Regina had shopped all over town together but couldn't find anything that matched the beauty of Snow's old rocking horse. In the end it had been Emma's idea that they hand make the toy, and with a little (or perhaps a lot) of help from Geppetto, Emma had crafted a magnificent wooden rocking horse, just the same as the one Regina had described to Emma's delight, Regina had a hidden artistic streak and had spent night after night painting the wooden horse. Regina had painted the entire body cream and the horse's eyes were a spectacular emerald green 'Just like yours' Regina had said to Emma at the time. The wooden horse had hundreds of tiny rainbow-colored flowers through its mane that Regina had hand-painted one by one. Snow had cried when Emma and Regina had given Neal the gift and hugged Regina for an uncomfortably long time.
Everyone of course, had been invited to celebrate the infant's first birthday and now, everyone of course, was watching Snow hug Regina like her life depended on it.
Emma couldn't help but enjoy the moment, knowing how uncomfortable Regina was with the display. After she saw the Mayors face turning a hilarious shade of pink Emma felt it was her duty to cut in.
"Um, do I get a hug as well?"
"Emma, I love it. I love you" Snow released Regina and threw her arms around Emma instead.
"You are welcome" Emma said with a smile. "We based it off the rocking horse you had when you were a kid"
"I know." Snow gushed. "I can tell. It is perfect, every little detail."
Emma couldn't help but smile. And Regina, it turns out, couldn't help but stare.
Despite the lack of excitement in town, Emma was worried. She had promised Regina her happy ending and now she had no idea how to follow through with that promise.
Snow had handed back the keys to the Mayoral office months ago after realizing that running a town in a land without magic was a lot different from ruling over a Kingdom in the Enchanted Forest. All the paperwork was kind of, well… hard and boring so Snow decided that she would rather be spending time with Baby Neal than governing over a town full of idiots.
Emma knew Regina well enough to know that unless Henry was needing fed, the brunette was most likely forgetting to nourish her own body. To rectify this, Emma had started showing up in the Mayors office every day with lunch for herself and for Regina that they would eat together. Sometimes in silence, whilst Regina filled in paperwork and Emma basically watched her do so whilst pretending to read the paper or play on her phone. And sometimes they chatted, about Henry or cooking, or what was going on in town.
Unfortunately for Emma, today was a silent paperwork type of day and the blonde was getting bored.
"So" Emma sat up straight, staring at the brunette in front of her and wondering how on earth she was going to get her out of this office. "Do you have many more documents to read and sign?"
Emma wasn't surprised when Regina didn't even look up from the document she was reading to answer her. "It's never ending, Emma."
"I'll just take off then. Let you work." Emma offered without actually moving from her seat. "Unless you want to come pick up Henry with me from school?" Emma was staring at Regina with her best 'please love me' eyes, but Regina refused to look up from her work.
"School doesn't let out for another two and a half hours, Emma. What are we going to do, sit at his school and wait?"
Emma was sitting in the seat across from Regina's and sighed as dramatically as she could to get the Mayors attention.
It worked.
Regina slowly lifted her head, looked up from her desk and straight into Emma's pleading green eyes. "What is the matter, Emma?"
"Nothing" Emma groaned
"Emma?"
"I'm bored," Emma admitted, suddenly sounding more child-like than usual.
"Are you not the town sheriff?" Regina questioned. "Do you not have sheriff business to attend to?"
"I did it. And Dad is driving around in my cruiser." Emma refused to look away from Regina, instead she held the Mayors piercing gaze.
"I honestly do not know what I am paying you two for." Regina shook her head, still looking directly into Emma's eyes.
"Um, our charm and good looks?" Emma joked, flashing her brightest smile at Regina.
Regina couldn't help but give a little smile back. "Mhmm that must be it."
"So…. do you want to come down to the pier with me? Get some fresh air and then pick up Henry?" Emma smiled hopefully at the brunette.
Regina's heart skipped a beat, the way it always does when Emma smiled like that, so hopeful and innocent; so much like Henry. "Ms. Swan, as always, it seems you are going to get your way whether I like it or not."
Emma practically leaped out of her seat. "Yes! It'll be fun, I promise." Emma said enthusiastically as she helped Regina out from her desk and into her coat.
"I know it will be, Emma." Regina whispered as she lent towards the blonde, reached out both of her hands and zipped up Emma's red leather jacket for her. "As long as you keep warm."
Regina and Emma had spend the afternoon down on the pier playing Emma's favorite game of 'where would you like to go if you could go anywhere in the world?'
"Only in this world, dear?" Regina questioned, making sure she fully understood the rules. "Or can it be anywhere in any realm?"
"Um." Emma stopped walking and leant against the railing to think "any realm."
Regina stopped besides Emma on the railing, her left arm slightly grazing Emma's right. "Ok, well, perhaps Tuscany."
Emma turned her face to look at Regina. "I said any realm."
Regina did the same. "Yes and I answered Tuscany."
The two women were once again staring into each other's eyes. "Why Tuscany?" Emma questioned?
Regina looked away, and began staring at the sea birds that flew just above the water below them. "Before you came here, and well, everything happened, I used to spend a lot of time reading and watching films." Regina was slow as she spoke, always careful not to reveal too much or say the wrong thing. "Whenever I came across Tuscany in these books or films I just always felt drawn to it. I would love to go there and spend my days painting water colors and visiting their art schools."
Emma was still staring intently at Regina. "Who would you go with?"
Regina looked up at Emma. "Henry of course." She answered smiling. "And I guess you could come to." Regina tapped Emma left arm playfully.
Emma smiled back. "Really?"
Regina's breathing hitched at vulnerability in Emma's voice. "Yes, of course Really."
Emma linked her arm through Regina's and the two of them began walking back down the pier. "We should definitely go there one day."
"Who would look after the town?" Regina wondered aloud.
"My parents." Emma teased, playfully knocking her hips with Regina's.
"Emma!"
