Chapter 2

Regina looked toward Emma and watched as the savior swirled her drink around in her glass, tilting it back toward her mouth before abruptly stopping. "What?" It was low, a quiet question that sort of fell from her lips. She saw Regina watching her from the corner of her eye and turned toward her as she asked this question.

Regina finished the last of her wine and set her glass down, turning her full attention to the blonde. "Oh," she cleared her throat, "nothing." Emma rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink, listening as Regina scoffed.

"What? Regina? What?" Emma thumped her glass down on the bar, catching the attention of a few people. Regina's eyes darted around, shooting Emma a shocked look. As the other patrons went back to whatever they were doing, Regina lowered her voice.

"Emma. Seriously?" Regina looked at Emma, stunned. The blonde looked down at the now empty glass, tracing her finger around the rim absentmindedly. She seemed to calm down after a few moments and looked up at the bartender. He made eye contact with her, the unasked question on his face. She thought for a minute and shook her head, pushing the glass forward on the bar so he could take it. Regina did the same with her wine glass, secretly relieved that Emma wasn't going to drink any more. The bartender came and took both glasses, handing both women their checks.

"You know, I never really…" Emma's speech was slurred, and Regina knew she was probably drunk, so she waited for her to continue. "I didn't ever really thank you." Regina turned in her chair to face Emma, a questioning look on her face. "For Henry." There was a long silence between them during which Emma stood up and placed some money on the bar. She came around the corner to Regina's bar stool and placed her hand on the back of it. "Do you remember when I first came here?" Emma was looking down toward the floor, but she reached up and took Regina's hand, in hers. When their eyes met, Emma continued.

"When we thought…he was gone, for good?" Tears pulled at the corners of Emma's eyes and Regina lowered her head in disappointment.

"Yeah. Because of me." Emma took Regina's shoulders into her hands, squarely standing squarely in front of her.

"Regina. That doesn't matter." She paused. "But, when I came here, there was something you didn't know." Regina looked up at her. "I can tell when people are lying. I know you know that now, but you didn't then." Regina shook her head, a little confused. "I asked you if you loved Henry…and you said yes." They locked eyes. "And I knew that you weren't lying. You loved him then Regina, and you love him now. And I want to properly thank you for that—everything he does, he does out of love and with a pure heart. I wanted to believe, for the longest time, that it was because of me, and because I came back to Storybrooke, but now I know it's because of you." Before Regina could respond, Emma turned to leave and headed toward the door.

Quickly Regina threw a couple dollars on the bar and disappeared in a could of purple smoke, reappearing outside on the sidewalk just as Emma exited the bar. "Emma. Wait." She held her hands up. "Let me make sure you get home ok." Emma sighed and quickly gave up a fight she hadn't even started yet.

"Alright. Can we walk? I'd just rather be outside."

Regina nodded, chuckling. "You're more like your mother and father than I think you give yourself credit for. Snow and David were constantly outside." Emma scoffed quietly, dismissing her thought hastily.

"I should be so lucky." She turned toward Regina and couldn't help but trace her eyes down to the third button on her blouse—normally buttoned up, it was unbuttoned and loose, showing a little more cleavage than usual. Emma could admit it to herself: Regina was classically beautiful, but more than that, she was one of the sexiest women Emma had ever seen. She was lost in a daydream when she heard Regina's voice interrupt her thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Regina was walking at a leisurely pace, hoping to spend a little more time with Emma than the walk from the bar to her house would normally take.

"I just mean…well, sometimes I don't blame you for not liking them so much back in the Enchanted Forest." She laughed a little, and then continued. "No, no, they're great." Her voice trailed off a bit. "But sometimes the whole 'true love' thing gets a little tiring." Emma walked slowly, scuffing the heels of her boots along the sidewalk. She looked down and watched as the sidewalk swayed back and forth under her feet. She reminded herself to keep her guard up: she was definitely tipsy, if not drunk. She didn't want to say anything stupid.

"So what?" Regina asked. "You don't believe in true love anymore?" Secretly, Regina hoped Emma's answer would be in her favor.

"Anymore?"

"Hook…" she paused, "you two were—"

"That was never true love…I mean, I don't know if I've every actually felt it before, but I feel like it's something that you know for sure, and you don't just guess about."

"Well, that's true." Regina thought of Robin. Emma knew that's what the silence was for. "But if it ever happens again, you'll know."

"Again?" Shit. Regina didn't mean to say that out loud. If it ever happened again for her, she meant. For the first time since Robin died, she found herself attracted to someone else. She was hopeful: for new beginnings, for Henry, and for Emma.