Hey guys! I normally won't be able to update as quickly as I did this time, but this is my gift to you. It is a little shorter than I usually write, but that's how I got it to you so fast. :) Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own my thoughts.


Regina awoke in the morning with a terrible throbbing in her head. She groaned and rolled over in bed, stretching her limbs. The sheets where she had moved felt cold, but she could smell the faint scent of vanilla and something else, something she couldn't describe as anything other than Emma. Quickly opening her eyes, she groaned again as the sunlight streaming in through the window peeked through the curtains and right into her sensitive eyes. She squinted and raised her hand to shield her vision as she surveyed the room around her. Emma was nowhere to be seen, her jacket and belt having been gathered from the floor. Regina's memories from the night before were rather hazy, and for a moment, she questioned whether or not the whole encounter had been a dream. Grabbing the pillow from beside her, she brought it to her nose and smelled it, inhaling the very scent that she could associate only with Emma. It definitely wasn't a dream.

Rolling in the opposite direction toward her nightstand, she saw a glass of water and a bottle of ibuprofen she could only assume had been set there by Emma, knowing very well that she had not put those there herself. Thankful for at least one kind act from the blonde, she popped two into her mouth and washed them down with a large gulp of water. Setting the glass back down on the nightstand, she rested her back against her headboard and took a moment to gather her thoughts.

Her memory of Emma staying with her in bed had not been a dream, so her audacious move to kiss her had not been either. 'Why didn't she stay? Was I too aggressive?' she asked herself. 'God, I wish I could remember it all. Maybe I said something to make her upset. Or maybe she had somewhere to be and I don't remember her telling me.' Thinking that Emma may have left a reason for her departure, Regina checked the nightstand for any sign of a note. Not finding one, she checked her phone, hoping that maybe there was a text, but found none. She sighed heavily, feeling tears welling in her eyes. Trying hard to remember all that happened that evening, she remembered their initial kiss on the couch and then heading upstairs. There was a hole in her memory before she remembered standing half-dressed, kissing Emma's neck and asking her to stay. Emma had promised to stay, despite being reluctant, and then they cuddled in bed. Had her assault on Emma been too much? Was Emma simply trying to coax Regina into bed so she could leave the whole time? Tears ran freely down her face as she allowed her guilt to wash over her. Their friendship was no doubt ruined, and it was all Regina's fault. If she had only kept her mouth shut and not drank more than she could handle, none of this would have ever happened. Sniffling and wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she decided she needed to pull herself together. Although it didn't make it sting any less, she had honestly expected this heartbreak. She would attempt to mend their friendship by blaming it all on the alcohol. Things would probably still be awkward between them, but at least she could salvage their professional relationship at the very least.

Standing and heading toward the closet, she grabbed a cozy bath robe and headed downstairs. She was much in need of a cup of coffee. Feeling her bare feet on the cold wood floor, she headed toward the kitchen. As she entered the room, she immediately noticed that the coffee pot was on, and that there was a full pot of coffee waiting for her. Highly confused, Regina took in the rest of the kitchen, noticing that nothing else seemed to have been touched or out of place. Then she heard the front door open. She glanced at the clock on the microwave and noted that Henry wasn't to be home for another two hours or so.

Into the kitchen walked Emma with a bag of groceries. "Oh, good morning, Regina," she said, smiling warmly at her. "I hadn't expected you to be up yet or else I would've left a note. Here," she continued, setting the groceries down on the counter and pointing toward the barstool seat. "Go ahead and have a seat. I'll grab your coffee for you." As Emma grabbed a mug and poured the coffee, adding only cream, just the way Regina liked it, she said, "I wanted to make sure you got something to eat when you woke up. You had quite a bit to drink last night and need some quality food so I got stuff to make pancakes. Is that alright?" Regina's brow furrowed in confusion, but she nodded silently, sitting on the barstool and graciously accepting the perfectly made coffee being slid across the counter to her. "How are you feeling this morning?" Emma asked, beginning to mix the pancake batter ingredients together.

"Quite terrible, actually. But thank you for the ibuprofen," she replied.

Emma radiantly smiled at her once again and continued making breakfast. Cooking the pancakes on the griddle and bacon in the next pan, she seemed to be right at home making breakfast for them. She remained facing the stove as she said, "I'm making enough for Henry to have some when he gets back. That kid loves pancakes and bacon." Regina silently observed the scene before her. Despite having to discover where Regina stored things in her kitchen, Emma seemed to be quite comfortable. Regina, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with emotion. Waking up without Emma next to her had left her steeling herself for bitter disappointment. Now she watched in awe as Emma happily flipped pancakes in her kitchen. The domesticity of it almost seemed natural to Emma and it was unnerving to Regina. It was too good to be true, as Regina had known for years that villains don't get happy endings. She then spent several minutes that morning in bed reminding herself of that very fact. This wasn't going to turn into anything at all, and if it did, it wouldn't last. It was impossible. The Evil Queen and the Savior? What a preposterous idea.

Regina started to drown in her own thoughts once again, but without alcohol, she was no good at dealing with feelings. Seeing Emma that morning return was a pleasant surprise, one that Regina had somehow managed to turn around. She convinced herself that she needed to put a stop to all of this before she got hurt. She decided that it was better to be alone by her own volition than to have her heart broken in the long run.

As she opened her mouth to say something, Emma removed her red leather jacket and placed it on a nearby chair, before returning to her task at the stove. Regina's mouth dropped open slightly as she noticed the dark bruise on Emma's neck, clearly from Regina marking her. She put her head in her hand as she mumbled, "Shit."

"What's wrong?" Emma turned to ask her.

"Your neck," Regina said, pointing to the left side of her own neck so Emma would know what she was referring to.

"Oh, yeah," Emma laughed. "I saw that this morning. You sure did a number on me," she joked.

Regina wondered where to begin. She figured asking a question that had been on her mind all morning would be a good place to start. She cleared her throat and asked, "So where did you disappear to last night?"

"Well," Emma paused for a moment, finding the right way to word what it was that she wanted to say. "I knew you were pretty drunk, so I didn't want you to wake up and have regrets. I just figured it was best if I slept down here on the couch." She turned from the stove with a plate of pancakes and a plate of bacon. She then raised her own mug of coffee and took a sip before setting it down and smiling at Regina again.

"Yes, well," Regina began, folding her hands very professionally on the counter. Emma shifted awkwardly feeling the change in mood in the kitchen. "I do have regrets, as I don't normally consume that much alcohol."

Emma nodded, not sure where she was going with this. "Right, I'm sure your headache is proof of that." Her body tensed and she folded her hands around her mug.

"Well, that, and the bruise on your neck." Regina nodded in her direction, refusing to make eye contact.

"Oh, that's nothing some cover up can't fix." Emma nervously rubbed at the purple marking, suddenly getting a good sense of where this was headed.

Feeling as though she had to stop beating around the bush, Regina pulled the trigger. "I apologize for my drunken mistakes last evening. Clearly, my inebriation caused me to make questionable choices."

Emma felt like she had been sucker punched. She released her mug and leaned her arms against the counter. A wave of hurt and anger washed over her as she spit out, "And by 'mistakes', you clearly mean me." She shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek, fighting the tears that started to well in her eyes. She ran her hand through her hair as she choked out, "Look, I didn't mean to upset you in any way. I did everything I could to respect you and ensure you that I had no intention of taking advantage of you. But damn, Regina. The only one that made a mistake here was me. I never should have followed you to the staircase. I should have just left."

"Emma…" Regina tried, suddenly feeling guilty about taking this approach.

She was interrupted by the front door opening, as Henry came barreling into the kitchen. "Hi, Ma. What are you doing here?" he asked, wrapping his arms around his mother.

She hugged him tightly and replied, "It was a mistake." Regina visibly winced at her words. Emma continued, "I forgot that you were with your grandparents and I came over to visit. I made some food anyway."

"Awesome! Thanks, Ma!" He grabbed a pancake before kissing his other mother on the cheek saying, "Hey, Mom. I'll be back down. I'm taking my stuff upstairs." He then sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Emma…" Regina tried again.

"No, Regina. I don't want to hear it." Emma grabbed her coat and keys off the chair and turned toward the door. She opened it, stopped, and said, "Just tell Henry I'll see him later for dinner or something," before closing the door behind her.