Emma had never had her heart ripped out, making her unlike a lot of people in her crazy-ass extended family. But she thought it would feel a lot like this: being perfectly comfortable, safe, warm, loved, and feeling it drift away. Trying to get out of her arms. Emma tightened her grip, pulling that lovely soft warmth back against her chest, like she was stuffing it into her ribcage once more. "Uh-uh," she whined, about all she was capable of this time of day. Emma had never been a morning person. Her current bed did not help her condition.

"Ms. Swan." The enunciation, the tone, as chilled and arch as ever, arriving with the fond predictability of a sitcom catchphrase. Was it Emma's imagination that it sounded warmer—darkly amused, perhaps? "If you don't let go of me, I won't be able to get anything done this morning."

Regina was a morning person. Emma found this harder to forgive than a lot of her Evil Queenery. "Oh, what, you have to get Henry into his school clothes? We let him spend the weekend with my parents so we could have some alone time, remember? Spend all weekend in bed?"

"It was a figurative saying, Emma. I didn't really intend we literally spend all weekend in this bed. Imagine the hygiene—"

"We can at least stay till noon."

"Noon!" Regina cried, aghast. "I have activities planned."

"So do I…" Emma said leadingly, drawing her hand over Regina's hip. Nice hip, if you could get your hands on it. "Wait, you don't have to pee or anything?"

"No, Emma."

"Good. Then…" Emma drew the word out, kissing the back of Regina's neck, snuggling her nose into Regina's wonderful scent…

"Oh, alright."

"Yes," Emma cheered quietly.

"You're an infant."

"Admit it. You like being decadent. You're just mad you don't have any servants to order around—bring you breakfast in bed."

"And here I thought that was why I started dating you."

"Speaking of which—"

"Yes," Regina cut her off, "breakfast in bed. Sounds like a fantastic idea. Allow me—I think you're a little overworked from last night, serving girl."

"Oh, now I did all the work. I seem to recall you calling me a princess."

"You are a princess, dear."

"Thanks, your highness." Emma exercised her right as big spoon, pulling Regina to her a little more tightly. She could feel Regina concentrating, her body knitting magic—something subtle, intricate, which took more effort than a big movement of energy like a fireball or freezing spell. "Actually, I was thinking that perhaps someone owes someone in this bed an apology."

"Accepted." Regina patted her on the hip. "Consider the matter closed."

"You, Regina. You apologizing to me."

Regina's eyes were closed, all her focus on the spell, but Emma could see a smile flicker over her features. "Whatever for?"

"Besides all the murder, plotting, vengeance, yelling?"

"Besides that."

"Well, I was thinking for Robin Hood."

One eye poked open, coming round to Emma. "Oh?"

"Yeah. 'Oh.' As I recall, when I saved Maid Marian, you were pretty pissy about losing your boyfriend—"

"You mean, tampering with the space-time continuum, risking the destruction of the entire universe?"

"Like I said, losing your boyfriend."

Regina's eye closed.

Emma pressed on. "But, with those two hooking up, we were finally able to stop having one-night stands and go on a proper date."

"Oh, yes. I remember you asking me out. A lot of begging, and pleading…"

"I thought that was you? Once you said we could use my handcuffs…"

"Yes, the things I do to buttress your ego."

"Buttress?"

"A twelve-year-old, I swear, I should be locked up for dating a twelve-year-old."

"Two minutes ago I was an infant. I'm moving up in the world."

"I can only imagine it's my good influence."

"Yeah." Emma kissed Regina again. Knew it bugged her some, being kissed when she wasn't expecting it, wasn't ready for it. Did it anyway, because Regina enjoyed it more than she was irritated. "You know what I remember? What I'll remember all the rest of my life?"

Regina let Emma cling to her as much as she was embracing her. "Do tell."

"I remember waking up, feeling you get out of bed. I was so attuned to you, Regina. That night, I think we were breathing out and breathing in at the same time. I saw you naked in the moonlight, and you were so beautiful, Regina, baby. You broke my heart, because I knew I'd never have you. Not really. But it would break my heart more if I didn't try. You remember what happened next?"

"It's been a while," Regina said grouchily.

"You remember."

"Yes. Of course I remember. But I'm no good at telling it. You tell it."

Emma petted her hair. Regina let her. Let Emma coil around her, hold her, caress her like a dear pet, precisely because she knew Emma didn't see her that way. A possession or a prize. She saw Regina, first and foremost, just as a person. The Evil Queen, the magic, the Mayor—it all came second to that.

"You tell it, darling," Regina insisted.

"I said—" Emma kissed her again, because Regina was asking for more than a memory. "That you always left sometime in the night and I'd never seen you go. So maybe it was a sign. Maybe I woke up because you wanted me to wake up, magical girl. And, as long as I'm awake, you might as well come here and kiss me again."

"'Let's go to sleep together, Regina. See if anything horrible happens if we don't run away.'" For once, Regina's impression of Emma wasn't mocking. It was staggeringly accurate. "I fell in love with you, then. The moment you asked me to stay."

"No. You loved me all along. From first sight, Regina Mills."

"Maybe I just keep falling in love with you. Over and over again. Which is good, because you piss me off all the time."

"I should try being sweet to you. Keep you in love with me all the time."

"Start by handing me my phone. It's on your side of the bed."

Emma patted Regina on the hip—don't go anywhere—and grabbed the smartphone from the nightstand, sweetly handing it to Regina. The Mayor quickly checked her messages, and was satisfied the world hadn't fallen apart without her. Emma watched the little look of bemused concentration on Regina's face as she lay, flat on her back, the phone held up like a good book.

"What?" Regina asked, feeling Emma's gaze on her.

"You're cute when you're responsible."

"'Cute'? Not sternly dignified in the face of grave obligations—"

"Nope. Cute."

"Say you love me again."

"I love you again."

Regina grinned. "God help me, I found that amusing. Well, let's not test the moment with more obnoxiousness. Breakfast is ready, dig in."

Emma looked around, not detecting any purple smoke that would usually hail magic being summoned. "Uh, did you order a pizza and tell the delivery boy to just come into the bedroom?"

"I'm not you, dear. I used magic."

"Okay then, where's breakfast?"

"Honestly, woman, you should have your eyes checked." Regina pulled back the sheet covering her. There, on her clavicle, was a slice of strawberry, topped by a whiff of whipped cream, then sandwiched in by another strawberry slice. "Your breakfast."

"Looks scrumptious," Emma said, feeling a bit like James Bond with the one-liners. She reached over—

"It's not a finger food, dear."

"Oh, how silly of me." Emma leaned in, picking up the snack with her mouth, and chewing it as she lifted her head to look Regina in the eye. She swallowed. "Nice. But the portions are a little small."

"I did prepare more," Regina said, pulling her sheet back further. "Hope you're not a messy eater, Emma."