Emma could recall exactly when it happened. The date, the time, and even the argument they were having. What she could not remember, was how it happened, or why? Not that she was complaining, in fact she was doing the opposite. She was reminiscing about it. Today was one of the rare mornings where she woke up before Regina, and Emma could not pass up the opportunity to gaze upon her lover's face and remember how they got to this moment.
It was three months prior, during Henry's summer break. He had stayed at Emma's the night before but when she dropped him off at Regina's house in the morning, she had gotten a stern, 'We need to talk Swan' from Regina, and no choice but to follow her into her house. Sitting in Regina's living room, Emma felt out of place, she always did when she was in Regina's house, or her office, or even sometimes in her presence. She sometimes just could not shake off the feeling of being unwelcome and unwanted. Regina sat beside her on the couch, and started her age old spiel of how Emma is only Henry's biological mother, and that she needs to stop spending so much time with him. That conversation turned into an argument which left Emma and Regina breathless, standing, and staring each other in the eye. Then they were kissing. Regina swears on her life that it was Emma who moved first, but Emma believes that they both leaned in to each other at the same moment. Emma sighed thinking of their first kiss, and although they could not agree who started it, both could not deny that it was a heated kiss, filled up with all the passion they felt for one another, which they both mistook for anger.
Emma remembered that moment next, just a week after their kiss. Which ended which them both staring shocked at each other, then Emma mumbling an excuse and hightailing it out of there. The rest of the week, they avoided each other, picking Henry up at Granny's diner where they did not have to speak or see each other in a private place. Then on the Saturday, Regina showed up on Emma's doorstep. Henry was staying over at a friend's, and they had all night to sort things out. Emma sat on the armchair while Regina was on the couch, not trusting themselves to sit next to one another. First they talked about what caused the kiss, and both confessed being attracted to the other. Then Emma told Regina that she was willing to try a relationship if she was. The moments between Emma asking her and Regina's answer were some of the tensest moments of her life. Then she answered, yes but with one condition. No one but Henry knows. The backlash from the town if the Savior and the Evil Queen were dating would be horrendous, but if they broke up then who knows how Regina would be treated by the townspeople. Emma agreed, on the terms that if they made it to three months of dating then they could start to tell people. After that decision Emma moved to the couch to sit next to her. They kissed to seal the deal. Then kissed again. And spent the rest of the day getting to know each other in ways they had not before.
Emma was broken out of her thoughts by Regina shuffling on the bed, she watched as she turned over and stretched then opened her eyes to look at Emma. Emma smiled at her, "Good morning."
"Morning." Regina answered back, leaning in to peck Emma on the lips. "How long have you been awake?"
"Long enough. Guess what?" Emma asked Regina's back, as she was getting out of bed, Regina was never one to lay in bed in the mornings.
"What?" Regina asked as Emma admired her getting changed.
"Happy three months anniversary." Emma exclaimed, jumping up on her knees. Regina turned back to her smirking.
"So you have to tell everyone who you've been dating for three months now."
"No, we have to tell people, and only the important ones."
"Oh, Emma." Regina held Emma's face in her hands. "I don't have anyone important in my life except you and Henry, and you both already know we're dating. Or I hope you do, otherwise this would be a rather strange coincidence. Now get out of my house before you ruin the surprise by letting someone see you leaving. Go tell your doting parents. I'm sure they'll approve of me straightaway." Regina leaned in and kissed Emma on the mouth before sauntering out of the room.
"Damnit." Emma realised she had been played by Regina, of course Regina had no one to tell. And now it was all on Emma to break the news to her parents.
Emma had already asked her parents if she could go over to their place for lunch on this date a week ago, knowing that is she did not do that then she would back out of telling them. She was already nervous about telling them due to the fact that Regina had made her mother's life horrible for most of her life, and Regina reminding her that she was technically still Snow's step-mother on the family tree diagram back in the Enchanted Forest had not helped in the slightest. Neither had her ongoing insistence that there was nothing wrong with dating your step-grandmother. Emma had not spoken to her for two days after that remark.
Emma knocked on her parents' door, taking a deep breath in and feeling ready to face the music. Her mother answered the door and immediately hugged her, the usual greeting Emma got from her now. After being dragged inside, Emma was sat at the table across from her father. They spoke about the latest news in Storybrooke, or rather the lack of news, it had been surprisingly peaceful lately. Then lunch was served and they all ate. When both her parents were finished and her mother stood to gather the plates to clean Emma stopped her.
"Uh, Mom. Can you sit down please? There's something I need to tell you." Emma started to focus on her breathing, making sure she was taking deep breaths to remain calm.
"What is it Emma? You can tell us anything." Her mother reached out and took a hold of Emma's hand on the table. Emma squeezed it, and smiled at both her parents before saying the words that she had been rehearsing all day.
"Regina and I are dating. We have been for three months, only Henry knew. We kept it a secret to avoid the added pressure of everyone knowing while we figured out our relationship. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't worrying you or anything like that." Emma looked up at her mother to see her smiling straight back at her that was not the reaction she was expecting. She looked over to her father to see him doing the same.
"Was that all you wanted to tell us?" He asked her.
"Uh, yeah. That was it." Emma answered.
"Okay then. I need to get down to the station." He said standing up to leave, while her mother squeezed her hand again then let go, standing and starting to gather up the plates.
"That's it?" Emma asked. "I just told you I've been dating Regina. For three months. Behind your backs. And you have nothing to say?"
"Oh, Emma." Her mother said, taking the dishes over to the sink. "It wasn't behind our backs, we both knew the whole time."
"What?!" Emma exclaimed.
"Yeah. We knew you were with somebody, you were happier. But when we found out it wasn't Hook the only other option was Regina. But I really need to go." Her father kissed her mother, then kissed Emma on the forehead and left.
"You knew the whole time. And didn't say anything. At all." Emma was confused by all this.
"We didn't want to hurt you, or your relationship. When you didn't come to tell us, we then thought that maybe you were ashamed of Regina. But when we saw you two together, and how you tiptoed around the other one, as if you would scare them off with one wrong move, we realised we were wrong. You weren't ashamed, you were protecting your relationship." Her mother smiled at her again, rubbing Emma's shoulder comfortingly.
"Does anyone else know?"
"I know that at least Ruby and Granny do. But that's because they could smell you two all over each other, you can't get anything past those two. I'm not sure about everyone else though. But if they didn't know then they will soon, you don't have to hide anymore. Oh, why don't you bring Regina over for dinner tomorrow? She can bring the dessert, I know she likes to bake."
"But Mom, don't you hate Regina? Or at least dislike her? And now you're just inviting her over?"
"I did, a long time ago. But I've moved on from then. If I can forgive Regina for all that she's done to me, then I'm sure I can have her over for dinner as the partner to my daughter." Her mother kissed Emma on the head, and Emma smiled back at her. She should have never worried about telling them, but she was rather annoyed that her relationship with Regina was that oblivious to her parents and who knows who else. Emma spent another hour with her mother, chatting with her and helping her with some chores around the house before leaving and heading to Regina's office.
"They already knew." Emma said as soon as she entered Regina's office.
"Who knew?" Regina asked her, not looking up from her laptop.
"My parents already knew we were dating. They figured it out almost as soon as we started dating."
"And you're annoyed by it?" Regina stopped typing and looked up at Emma.
"No. Well yes. I really just wanted to tell them and get an honest opinion from them about you." Emma looked down, she had not realised till now that she was upset that her parents already knew.
Regina stood up and walked over to where Emma was standing and wrapped her in her arms. "Don't be upset. I'm sure it made telling them much easier. Did it?"
"Yeah, it really did." Emma put her hands on Regina's hips, relishing the way her body felt under her hands.
"Then there's nothing to worry about. If the worst thing was that they already knew then I would consider it a success." Regina leaned in and kissed Emma twice on the lips and once on the nose. Emma laughed at her, she always did that when she was trying to cheer Emma up.
Emma kissed her back before breaking away to speak, "Actually, there was something worse that happened."
"And what would that be?" Regina asked, leaning back to look Emma in the eyes.
Emma leaned in and whispered in Regina's ear, "You're invited to dinner."