She looked up at the sound of the key turning in the lock, the creak of the apartment door signalling his return and, though she wanted to dearly, she stopped herself from leaping up and engulfing him in a bone crushing hug - one she knew her teenage son would not appreciate. So she waited, listened to his huff of relief as a thud resounded through the hallway and into the open plan living room/kitchen in which she sat, presumably the duffle bag she had most definitely over packed for him a week prior.

"Ma, I think you're going a little overboard" he had laughed upon watching her fold and place yet another pair of jeans into his bag, his eyebrows raised in amusement as she simply ignored her. "I mean, you do know where I'm going right?" he had asked sarcastically, "she hasn't thrown anything of mine away since I was a baby!" he had exclaimed, a small smile stealing it's way across Emma's face without her permission, it soon faded when the image of the woman had instantly appeared in her mind, her heart aching painfully within her chest even three months after last seeing her.

"I know," she had replied to him, a hand coming to rest over the taught bag she had just squeezed closed, the zipper almost coming away from it's tracks as she had forced it shut. "I just..." she had sighed, her eyes closing as she fought back her emotions, "I want her to know you're well looked after, you know?"

Henry had smiled at her sympathetically, had walked forward and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder meant to comfort, his thumb rubbing across the chiffon blouse she wore (her wardrobe from Regina's last curse still in tact apparently) and sighed, "She does know Ma," he had said, his words spoken with nothing but honesty, "do you think she would have let me go if she thought otherwise?"

And that is what had plagued Emma...the fact that she had let them go. Had taken Emma's explanations, her pleading that they would still share Henry between them and even gone so far as to wave them off as they drove away...the sight of her in the rearview mirror, waving, beaming, cuddled into his side when she should have been in the passenger seat. It still hurt.

"I'm homeeeee!"

"In here kid!" she called back, wincing as another bang rang out after Henry's footsteps had grown louder, clearly he'd ignored her constant pleas to put his stuff away neatly as opposed to throwing it. This time though, with him having been gone for the past month, she supposed she could let it slide.

A gentle smile crossed her face as he finally came into view, her head shaking as she looked him over, he seemed to be getting taller by the second. His height definitely came from her father's side, she mused.

The couch let out a tired hiss as he slumped down into it, his hands slapping against his thighs as he leaned his head against the back. "You had a good time kid?"

"Mmm..." he mumbled without lifting his head, "it was nice." she smiled in response, even though he couldn't see. Despite her feelings, she was happy he'd had a good time, glad he'd enjoyed being back in Storybrooke for a few weeks...and then "Mom wants you to call her."

"Why?" she asked almost instantly, her blood draining from her face, her skin growing cold and flushing hot all at the same time with the thought of speaking to Regina.

He shrugged non-committedly, glad she couldn't see the smirk crawling over his face as he spoke the words he had practised on the bus ride back home. "I don't know," he replied, relieved that no hint of his smile nor nervousness came through in his voice, "something about sorting who gets me for what holidays..."

Her shoulders sagged a little at that but what was she expecting? She's dying to hear your voice? She made a mistake in letting you go? She realised that prat in tights isn't her soulmate? "I'll uhm...I'll just go call her then..."

Again Henry merely shrugged as he listened to her standing, somewhat reluctantly, from her place on the sofa. The click he heard signalled her grabbing the phone and, from what he could tell, the sound of her footsteps was leading her towards their attic room, a little annex reserved for both when they needed to get away from their stresses, their memories and their sadness in having to leave Storybrooke...

"But why?!" he cried, grabbing a hold of Emma's wrist to halt her frenzied packing, half of her closet all over the floor of her room.

"Because...it's safer there Henry," she gave back, never lifting her head for fear he would see the tears building there, her emotions all over the place ever since her conversation with Regina.

His head was shaking frantically, a panic filling his eyes. "But...w-we can't just go! What about our friends? What about your parents...what about my Mom?!"

"She knows," Emma choked a little over the words, coughing in attempts at hiding what she knew her son had heard, "we agreed to share you between us, t-to split our time with you equally so you're not missing out..." her throat was thickening with every syllable spoken, "none of us are missing out."

"But you can't-" he was crying now, "we can't-"

"I can't do it anymore Henry!" she cracked then, both her voice and her whole being. Sinking to the bed, her head falling into her hands, elbows resting on her knees, she allowed the emotion to finally come out. She was tired...bone weary with the weight of it all and for once...for once she allowed herself to fall apart, to cry, really really cry it out.

His little hand bounced in time with her shoulders as she sobbed, his gut churning at the sight of his mother breaking down, something he had never seen before. The closest being when she had told him of her childhood, of the family that had accepted her, cared for her...kept her only until they managed to have a child of their own...then she was discarded, thrown away like last night's trash with no certainty of another home...

"She feels the same," he encouraged, his own voice thick with emotion as her shaking increased a little at his words, "I know it, I know she does...but if this is what you want...if it's what you need then...I'll come with you...I won't leave you."

"Hello?"

Her heart skipped instantly at the sound of Regina's voice, velvety tones she hadn't heard for over 12 weeks..."Hey," she breathed out after a long moment, fingers gripping the phone tighter in attempts to ignore the trembling of said digits.

"Emma?"

She nodded slowly, forgetting for a moment that the brunette couldn't see her. "Yeah," she finally replied with a sigh, "it's me."

There was a sound from the other end, a muffled sort of noise that she wasn't able to identify before Regina was speaking again, something hidden within her voice, she could hear it now, now that she was listening closer. "Not that I'm not pleased to hear from you," she began, Emma's brow furrowing as she waited for the word she knew to be coming next and yet couldn't understand why with what Henry had told her, "but, what is it that has you calling? Henry's already text to tell me he's home," she explained her own confusion, her voice lowering a little as she went on to ask "he is home isn't he?"

"Yes," Emma laughed softly, shaking her head at the absolute Mama Bear the brunette still remained to be, "he just got home but..." she carried on with a little trepidation in her voice, "he told me you wanted me to call? Something about where he is for which holidays?"

"Oh he did, did he?" Regina asked, confusion completely gone from her tone though Emma's still remained, doubled with the knowing in the brunette's voice.

"Okay," she laughed again, a little astounded at how easily her nerves seemed to dissipate when it came to Regina "now I feel completely out of the loop."

A soft chuckle came through the receiver, the sound causing warmth to spread through her body, a welcomed familiar warmth that she found she missed. "Don't worry dear," the term of endearment only increasing the heat Emma had been feeling, "I do believe we've been parent trapped."

Blonde curls tickled at her arms as her head shook slowly, "little shit."

"I hope you don't use that type of language around our son Miss Swan," and though Regina's words were admonishing, a sly amusement still danced within that had Emma rolling her eyes, ignoring the light blush to her cheeks, "I think we both know you're smart enough to find better adjectives," she continued on, the compliment bringing a gentle smile to Emma's face, "like manipulator perhaps."

"You're right there," the blonde laughed, revelling in the similar sound that flowed back through the receiver to her, "I wonder where he gets it from."

"Hmm..." came Regina's hum of agreement, feigning bemusement, "I wonder."

"It seems it worked though," and at the brunette's questioning "oh?" she explained, "well I'm guessing the main objective was to get us to talk again and..." she gestured with a hand, though Regina couldn't see, as if to prove a point, "well, here we are."

"Yes," Regina sighed then, amusement seeping from her tone as the elephant in the room was brought to light, "here we are."

"You did not!" Emma laughed, saving the wine from spilling over her glass just in time, a sheepish glance to Regina revealing that the woman had indeed seen, a little glare, hardly threatening, letting her know that she was off the hook...ironic when considering their point of conversation.

"He deserved it!" Regina practically cackled back, her own wine placed upon the coffee table, legs curled up beside her and hand resting on her thighs whilst the other was propped up against the back of the sofa, her head resting against her palm as she continued to revel in Emma's laughter. "Besides, he's got about 50 pairs of the same leather pants, I'm sure he won't miss one!"

"But to do it in the middle of Granny's? During the lunchtime rush?!" she exclaimed, still laughing, her stomach aching with overuse. "That is pure evil, hilarious" she amended briefly with a short laugh at Regina's smug smirk before continuing, "but evil nonetheless."

A predatory smirk crossed the brunette's features, an eyebrow quirking in teasing, "I didn't inherit the moniker for nothing my dear Savior."

They both laughed a little more at the comment, the warmth of the fire and ease of conversation leaving them quite content. They'd shared evenings like this more and more frequently recently, starting with 'family' dinners at Henry's request, leaving Emma and Regina to entertain one another once he had taken himself off to bed for the night and so, after the first time they had decided that they were allowed to unwind with a few drinks together and spend the time getting to know one another. Something both had become quite accustomed to and found they now looked forward to.

"Who'd have thought it, huh?" Emma mused as she allowed her head to fall back against the back of the sofa, her legs curled up beneath her whilst her wine glass balanced on her bent knee. Regina was still watching her, her brow furrowed as her head tilted in question when the blonde's own head lolled in order to look at her with slightly raised eyebrows. "I mean look at us," Emma used her free hand to indicate the way they sat. "Sat here like two normal human beings..."

"We'll never be normal dear," Regina laughed lightly as she scooted a little down the sofa so she too could rest her head against the back, her dark hair lifting at the back with the movement drawing the blonde's attention to it.

If there had been no drink involved then Regina surely wouldn't have simply remained looking at Emma as she reached forward and began twirling longer strands of hair between her fingertips, if they hadn't have been drink involved then Emma surely wouldn't have reached for it in the first place...yet here they were, resting only inches apart as though they were the best of friends. "What made you want to grow it out?"

Dark eyes narrowed momentarily as she blinked through the hazed relaxation the younger woman's ministrations had pulled her under, "hmm?" she hummed lowly, her voice thick with sleep as she looked at the blonde through her lashes.

Seeing her like this, so unguarded with the light of the fire flickering across her skin, being allowed to touch her, to be close to her like this...it had Emma swallowing thickly for a moment before trusting herself to speak again, to actually be able to speak. "I was just wondering why you let it grow long?" she asked, still stroking through silken strands, "I've never seen it so long."

Regina shrugged, "time for a change I guess," her face scrunched in thought as she looked to the fire still burning brightly in the hearth, her lips forming into their natural pout as alcohol and sleep began to take it's toll. The CD that Emma had brought with her had moved onto more mellow sounds, music that complemented the atmosphere that the room had taken on, it had her smiling gently as she turned to face the blonde once more, noticing that the woman's fingers had stilled in her hair, her expression unreadable. Green eyes moved over her face slowly, taking in the warm pink tint her cheeks had taken on, noticing the caramel specks that were unnoticeable in her eyes from a distance, tracing over the lines of her mouth before she was moving forward.

It took Regina a long moment to understand what was happening, her mind trailing behind with the haze they had fallen into and she almost allowed the contact, almost leaned into it when Emma pressed their lips together in a soft kiss. The blonde's eyes had instinctively closed upon touching but Regina's remained open, grew wide as her hands came up to press against strong shoulders. "Emma, I-" she gasped when she had pushed the younger woman off, her stomach instantly dropping when shame coloured the blonde's features. "I don't-"

"I'm sorry," the blonde said as she abruptly stood from the sofa, her head shaking as a hand came up to rake through her gently curled locks, eyes closing for a brief moment as she tried to swallow down her embarrassment, "I don't know why I did that," she breathed whilst backing away from the brunette who had stood also, a little unsteady on her feet. "I should go."

"Emma, no please, stay" but the younger woman's head shook, her eyes focused anywhere but on Regina, completely oblivious to the tears that were building there as she tried her hardest to hide her own as she continued to back up. She turned when she realised she had made it to the foyer and moved to pull her boots on as fast as was humanly possible.

"Tell Henry I'll call him tomorrow," she muttered as she zipped up her shoes, grabbed her jacket and grabbed the door handle, only stopping when Regina's warm hand came to rest over her own, gripping gently.

Her bottom lip trembled as she fought to keep Emma there, to convince her to stay. She couldn't lose her, couldn't lose her friendship at the very least. "Please, don't leave like this," she whispered into the space between them, her heart aching within her chest as tears began trailing down her cheeks, mirroring the ones already dropping to the floor from the blonde's quivering chin.

"I'll see you Regina." and then, with one audible sob that neither knew the source of, she was gone.

"So," Emma breathed into the phone, cringing a little as it crackled over the line, "how're things with you?" cringing for a second time at the poorly hidden bite to her tone, bite that was in no way meant for the brunette who's gentle sigh she heard, had her shutting her eyes with a frown, when had this gotten so hard?

"I'm sure Henry had told you by now," Regina began gently, ever aware of the fact that Emma could and would hang up should she say the wrong thing, should she tread too hard on the wrong subject. "Robin moved in last week."

And though her throat practically closed up right then and there, restricting her breathing completely, her heart stuttering painfully in her chest, she managed to reply somewhat evenly and for that she was ever grateful. "No actually," she replied, a breathy laugh hiding the tiny quiver that she had felt when speaking, "we haven't had a chance to catch up properly yet."

"Oh," Regina breathed back, mortification colouring her tone, "Emma I-"

"Congratulations."

And she breathed deeply into the phone once again, the blonde already able to picture the pain in dark eyes, pain she had helped to ease over their time together but pain she could do nothing to quell now, not when her own eyes held the same emotion, if not more. "Thank you..." Regina gave back slowly for what else could she say...what else could either of them say?

"She...she's alright" he settled on finally, not looking up from the soup he was stirring on the stove, the recipe one Regina had taught him on one of his visits, teasing that if he were to be leaving with Emma then he could at least learn to cook something nice for her since she was doing the rest for him...it was a way of his brunette mother taking care of them without being too intrusive, that much both knew.

Emma's brow furrowed at his tone, something in his wording, the way in which he spoke, avoided saying something had her craning her neck over the back of the sofa in order to look at him, her green eyes narrowed as his shifted between the saucepan and her. "What aren't you saying kid?" and she see's the way his shoulders slumped at that, has noticed him acting a little more subdued since he had arrived home, when she had returned to the sitting room with the phone clenched tightly in her hand, her jaw set just as tight as her grip.

"Nothing, it's just..." he sighed deeply, moving the pan from the burner before turning it off, pulling out two bowls ready for when the soup had cooled enough for them to eat. He turned and leaned against the countertop, biting the inside of his lip as he looked down at his socked feet, his brow furrowed as he thought of the best way to describe what he was feeling, what he had been feeling since arriving in Storybrooke. "She just seemed different," he finally settled on, looking up at his blonde mother with confusion in his eyes, as though she could tell him what was wrong, what could be wrong.

"In what way different, Henry?" she asked, turning her body in order to rest her chin on her hands on the back of the couch, curling her legs beneath her to gain a little more comfort as she allowed Henry the floor.

His head shook as he looked away in thought for a moment, trying to put his finger on all that had changed with her. "I don't know..." and he sounds as frustrated as he looked, Emma's own concern spiking at the sight of her son so upset, "she's just not the same..."

"Do you think she's reverti-"

"No," he cut her off instantly, complete certainty in his eyes as he looked down at Emma, "no, she's still doing really well."

"Maybe she just misses you kid," Emma shrugged then after giving her son an apologetic smile, she knew as well as he did that Regina wouldn't revert to her dark ways, that just wasn't in her anymore. "I'm sure it's nothing."

It's a few weeks later, whilst Henry is in school, his final few days before he is due back in Storybrooke, that Emma finds herself sitting in the little annex window again, thoughts of dark hair, of crimson lips and ebony eyes filling her mind as she allowed her tears to fall, the ache in her chest growing no weaker over time. Rain trickled down the window in shimmering ribbons, her emerald eyes watching random drops until they touched upon the window pane and disappeared from her sight.

Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around them as she fought to regulate her breathing, to shift her thoughts elsewhere before she practically drowned in her own tears. How could she still hurt so much? How could it still feel so raw? Her cheeks burned as more tears fell down the sore tracks, something in her gut shifting though for now she paid it no mind. Her instincts had always led her well but it was her instincts that told her to leave, her instincts that had her leaving the only place she called home, the only person she had possibly ever truly loved and where had it led her? Sobbing like a fool on a tiny window seat on her day off from work.

It wasn't until she heard the sound of car brakes squeaking that she picked her head up from where her forehead had come to rest upon her forearms. Her stomach fluttered and her heart rate picked up speed though she had no idea why. Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the change in her emotions, her eyes falling to the street below as she did, to the Mercedes that had pulled into the last empty space on their street, to the brunette slowly climbing out of the car and looking straight up to where she sat...to Regina.

"But Regina, if you've crossed the town line then..." and Mary Margaret had told her, warned her that any born in the Enchanted Forest, in their land, who left would never be able to return with Henry being the only belonging to this world, the only able to go back and forth. It was almost surreal seeing the brunette here, standing on the sidewalk, completely out of her element in a land she had lived in for almost 3 decades though knew nothing about it in all honesty, not the real world, not Emma's world.

"I know," she replied, her eyes darting around the space in which they stood, her mind still running a mile a minute even as she turned back to rest her hands against the top of her Mercedes, her fingers reddening in the cold winter air, the bitter rain still coming down upon them both, she'd forgotten her gloves in her haste to leave and hadn't expected the rain in her desperate need to escape, to get to Henry...to get to Emma.

Emma's head shook as she watched the woman before her, brow furrowed as she attempted to make sense of it all. "Does Henry know you're here?" and her only reply was the shaking of the brunette's head, a deep heavy sigh that spoke more than what she could in that moment. "He's gonna be thrilled," she tried, her voice soft as she inched a little closer to Regina, watching the way her lips pursed in attempts to keep the tears stinging her eyes at bay, tears that may have already fallen for the rain drops trailing olive cheeks kept her secrets.

"Why did you come here Regina?" and she tried to keep the hope out of her voice, the fact that the brunette had come alone knowing she could never return, the sight of various boxes filling the majority of the car save for the driver's seat being a clear indication that she had left...but why? "Henry can still visit, he isn't affected by-"

"I didn't leave for Henry..." she answered abruptly without looking up from her car, her brow furrowed as she heard her own words and moved to correct, to clarify, "I mean...I did leave for Henry, of course I did but..." and she inhaled deeply then, frustrated at herself, the way she was behaving, she was a former goddamn Queen so why couldn't she string together a simple sentence!?

"But what?"

And Regina finally turned again, her dark eyes reddened by tears gathering there, her lips pulled together to keep from crying out as she desperately wanted to, her body almost convulsing with the need as she looked at Emma properly for the first time in months. "Why did you leave?" she asked then, her voice almost lost in the rain fall that Emma feared may turn into a full blown storm, her hair sticking to her face and neck in the wind that was slowly picking up speed.

"You know why," she gave back with a trembling lip for, although it hurt like hell, what was the point in lying now? What was the point in pretending anymore?

"Then you know my answer," the brunette instantly gave back, stepping forward a little, watching the way emerald eyes widened ever so, the way thin lips parted on a gentle gasp as the younger woman made sense of her words, heard the meaning behind them and remained where she stood.

"But Robin-"

"Isn't you."

"The mansion-"

"Was too big for just me."

"Your town-"

"Is no longer home without you or Henry there."

"Regina-"

"I love you Emma Swan and I was wondering," she trailed off, uncertainty colouring her features then, "if you'd allow me to take you out properly...just us two..."

It was a long moment filled with tense silence and the sound of rain hitting the sidewalk before Emma finally replied, her eyes full of wonder despite her words, "that's an awfully long way to come for just a date," she laughed nervously, shivering from something other than the cold when Regina's fingers trailed down her arm before tangling with her own, the rightness of it all almost ripping a sob from her throat.

"Well, you're an awfully special woman," she breathed as she inched closer, her eyes filled with such a warmth, a warmth that had dimmed ever since Emma's departure with their son from Storybrooke, "so what do you say?"

And, though later both women would agree it best to take things slow between them, even with Regina moving into their cosy little apartment, Emma could do nothing more but close the distance between them and seal the deal with a tender kiss, glad when rain chilled fingers moved up and over her shoulders in order to tangle within her wet locks, reassuring the blonde that she would never be pushed away again.