I started this on my birthday 12/09 but couldn't write cos of my pain level. I then had to focus on the last couple of weeks on my dissertation, but here it is, my birthday o/s that I wanted to post then. It may be followed by a couple of other birthday o/s's of prompts from the FB group I am part of. Also, I couldn't work out what the age should really be so it's a guess… Very short. Very silly, but wanted to write something. Bear with.

Age is just a number.

"Regina, you have been moping around all week, what is wrong with you?" Regina sighed, glancing up at her girlfriend, whose dopey, concerned expression tugged at her heart. She was right, Regina had been feeling down a lot lately, and she knew that she should probably tell Emma what was going on with her, but every time she thought about it she figured the sheriff would laugh at her. She knew it was silly, and that she allowed herself to get pulled into her thoughts every year but this was the first time she had been in a relationship around this time of year and she didn't know how to deal with it.

She felt Emma's eyes on her and she glanced up from where she was sitting, noting the blonde's expression hadn't changed and she forced a smile, one she knew Emma wouldn't buy. They'd only been together 18 months and had been barely friends for the two years before that, probably more so frenemies. She thought back to this time of the previous years, their relationship had been relatively new the year before and Emma had not been living with them, so she had not been around for her to explain her sour mood.

"I'm sorry sweetheart. I guess it must nearly be that time, I didn't mean to worry you." Emma's expression told Regina she didn't believe her, but she let it go, instead holding out her hand for the brunette to take. She did, and the younger woman squeezed it gently, this time sighing in relief as endorphins flooded her system. It seemed that any time she was feeling a little blue, she only needed to be comforted by the blonde and she would feel better. She knew she could rely on the other woman to help her if she were to tell her what was wrong but she also knew that she could not allow herself to rely on anyone. That had not worked out so well for her in the past.

Without a further glance at her partner she gave her hand a light squeeze and stood, walking briskly from the room. She couldn't tell Emma what was going on, she knew when the blonde knew it would quickly spell the end of their relationship. She made her way up to her room, hoping that just this once, Emma wouldn't follow her.

Of course she knew Emma would follow her. She always did. When she was hiding, she always found her. Regina was constantly cursing the Charming idiots for that trait of their daughter, why could she not just be left alone when she wanted. She glared up at the younger idiot when she pushed the door to the bedroom open, looking at Regina as she lay on the bed, cuddling the pillow from the other side of the bed, the pillow that Emma had slept on the night before.

"Ok, you don't have to tell me what is going on with you. Of course I don't expect you to tell me everything, but I just want to know that you are ok. Usually you're either happy or angry or whatever but I have never seen you so… despondent. Henry was telling you about the A+ on his paper yesterday and I could tell you were just going through the motions. I'm getting really worried about you, whatever it is, maybe I can help."

Regina simply ignored her and rolled over so she was facing the other side, hugging the pillow tighter to her, hearing the door close as she Emma left. She had never felt like this about anyone before. Even with Daniel, it had been more of a school girl crush. Graham had been… well, a bit of fun. With Emma it was different. It was true love, and she didn't want anything to jeopardise that. She knew she could not face losing Emma because of what she was hiding. Then again, she knew that she could also lose Emma if she continued behaving the way she was over something so trivial.

Regina sat up quickly at the revelation. She knew that Emma had been trying so hard to get her to open up. And deep down, she knew that Emma probably would not be that bothered what she was hiding. She stood quickly, determined to go and find her and explain.

The brunette heard music and followed it, figuring Emma was in the study playing her records. She was surprised to see Emma sitting at the piano in the corner of the study, the beautiful music coming from her. She stood in the doorway and watched in awe as Emma played one of her favourite classical pieces with ease. She stood there for a few minutes until the piece ended and she could not help but applaud, stepping inside the room when a shocked Emma jumped and turned to face her.

She took another step forward, frowning as it was matched by Emma who was looking concerned at her recent behaviour, and they carried on matching steps towards each other until they were a foot apart.

"That was… so beautiful Emma. I had no idea you could play like that… you've been around that piano hundreds of times and you never once…" Emma was smiling at the proud tone of her girlfriend and reached for her hand, rubbing her thumb over the brunette's knuckles in a comforting gesture. She seemed unsure of herself as she rubbed the back of her neck with her other hand.

"I mean… I'm ok. I never took any classes so it's just what I taught myself…"

"That is even more impressive Emma. When I first heard you, I thought you were playing one of my records it was that good." The younger woman blushed at the praise and looked down at the floor in embarrassment. When she looked up, Regina was smiling at her, but it wasn't reaching her eyes.

The sad look on her face made Emma want to do whatever she could to cheer her up. "Tell me what is going on in that pretty little head of yours." The shorter of the two knew she should just tell her girlfriend what was worrying her but she had to find the right way to do it. Until then, she could at least tell her how she was feeling.

"I feel sad."

Emma nodded knowingly and raised a brow as if she had told her something she already knew, which technically, she did. Regina looked discomfited that she had even dared display weakness, even if it was to her girlfriend. The blonde could sense how uncomfortable she was and used her thumb and forefinger to raise her girlfriends chin until they were looking each other in the eye.

"Well lucky for you, I have emotional jumper cables, I'll boost you. Just attach like so…" She used one arm to wrap around Regina's waist and when she knew the woman would continue looking at her, moved her other arm into the same position. Regina raised her brow at the sheriff, looking at her as if she was crazy.

"This is just a hug…" Emma did not move, and after a moment the brunette melted into her, cherishing the warmth, the connection with the younger woman.

"Is it working?" Regina considered for a moment. Her heart rate was already reducing, she felt calmer, she could feel the love as if it was something physical that flowed between them.

"… yeah…"

She settled closer, her head leaning against Emma's chest. Emma used the opportunity to bury her face in her girlfriends hair and they stood together for a matter of minutes before Emma's stomach growled obnoxiously, making the pair separate from their entanglement. This time when Regina smiled, it wasn't as forced.

Emma stood in the kitchen as Regina started pulling out ingredients for their lunch, quietly watching the woman in her element. She was quieter this week that usual, it's something she had noticed almost instantly. She had considered the history of their relationship to see if it was an annual issue or whether something had happened that she was not sharing. She knew that nothing the woman could tell her would make her love her any less, or could make her leave, like she knew the mayor was afraid of, but she couldn't tell her that without freaking her out.

"Emma?" The blonde blinked twice as if to clear her thoughts and looked to the slightly exasperated woman in front of her.

"Huh?"

"I called your name three times, are you ok?" Emma knew she should be asking the other the same question, but instead figured she could turn this around to get her girlfriend to talk to her.

"I'm just worried about my girlfriend. I think she forgets that she's the love of my life and that I can always tell when she is not herself and I worry about her." Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde's antics and folded her arms, glaring at the other woman. Emma raised her own brow, challenging the brunette.

"You really want me to tell you?"

Emma nodded, unable to stop herself stepping up her girlfriend and pulling her into her arms.

"I do. But only if you really want to tell me."

"Fine… but… listen Emma, as silly as you might think this is… it's serious to me, ok?" Another nod and Regina took a deep breath, finally ready to share the thing that had been worrying her the most.

"Emma… today is my birthday… and I'm… well technically… I'm 65 years old today…" She hesitated, a feeling of embarrassment filling her chest. "And you're only just thirty… you're the sheriff, the saviour, the product of true love, I mean look at you… why would you want to be with someone more than double your age, who everyone in the town hates…" Emma laughed loudly, not noticing the hurt expression that crossed her girlfriends face. She did notice the lack of warmth when the smaller woman moved out of her personal space though.

"Well I'm glad you think it is funny Miss Swan but…" Her words were cut off as the blonde pulled her into a searing kiss that made her go weak at the knees. She pulled away to speak, and it took Regina a moment to follow along with what she was saying, as each word was followed by a kiss to some part of her face or neck.

"Regina… Baby…" Regina cringed at the nickname, more out of habit than actual dislike, before realising she maybe didn't hate it after all. "I… don't… care… if… you… are… 35… 65… or 105…" She stopped the kisses, looking in the brunettes eyes so she could see the truth in them. "I love you for who you are, for how you make me feel, for how I am better because of you… I don't care how old you are. Age is just a number."

Regina looked ready to disagree, but the look on Emma's face made her pause. Of course they'd said 'I love you' already, but she was pretty sure she'd never seen the woman look at her like that before. She was looking at her like she hung the moon and it made the mayor a little breathless.

The taller of the pair wrapped her arms around the shorter, and as they had demonstrated earlier, it quickly made her feel better. "I'm not just saying this sweetheart… you have demonstrated you can make it through anything, at any age. You have demonstrated so much courage and bravery in your lifetime, from losing Daniel when you were 16, everything with… him… for the next few years, your mother, single motherhood, constant curses and villains… You never give up, you never let anything hold you back, and you're an inspiration… You are the one who is far too good for me. The town does not hate you and you, their mayor, their queen, are the reason they are all healthy and happy and living their best lives. Plus…" She paused her mini speech and smirked down at Regina who held her arms loosely around her waist. "Technically you're only like… 35, that curse you cast froze you for 30 years, its better than any botox the real world offers…"

Regina rolled her eyes at Emma and glared at her playfully. "That's a shame Miss Swan, you were doing so well..." Emma wasn't fazed by the look she was receiving and leant forward to reclaim the lips she had been glancing at for the latter half of the speech.

"Happy birthday beautiful."

Not proofread or beta'd cos I wanted it posted two days ago. Let me know what you think!