A/N: Alright, I know that this is a shorter chapter but that's because I am splitting this into multiple chapters with the next chapter being a flashback. I'll do my best to post it later tonight, but I have some quizzes due and my friends are insisting that I "get out of my dorm room". I'm not sure why-it's a blizzard outside! I'll just stay in my cozy room with my fuzzy blankets and all of my thoughts to keep me company-and help me procrastinate from my real life responsibilities ;)

But enough about me and my niche for procrastination, here's the next chapter!

I do not own OUAT.

No beta. All mistakes are mine.

gezellig:

(adj.) cozy, nice, inviting, pleasant, comfortable; connoting time spent with loved ones or togetherness after a long separation.

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Her alarm goes off. Again. She groans and rolls over to shut it off. She fumbles for the alarm and it goes flying off the nightstand. She groans again as she rolls closer to the edge of the bed to reach it. Once it finally shuts off she rolls back to face her slumbering wife. Only now, Emma is awake and looking at her with a shy smile. "Morning babe," she says taking her hand.
"Mmmnn," Regina grumbles as she burrows further under the covers and closer to her wife.
Emma laughs as she wraps her arms around Regina and pulls her closer.
Regina wakes up enough to sit up and look at Emma before she says, "you seem more alert this morning."
"Yeah. I'm feeling better too. I can actually remember what I'm doing. I guess it's a good thing my wife is some sort of Florence Nightingale, huh?" Emma says with a grin and kisses Regina.
Regina rolls her eyes and lays her head back down on Emma's chest, listening to her heartbeat. The monotony of the beating lulling her back to sleep when Emma speaks again, "so, what exactly happened last night?"
Regina pulls back again and looks at her wife with concern, "you don't remember?"
"Well, I feel like a remember a lot, but it's all so crazy, I'm hoping you're going to tell me that I just stumbled in here, you took care of me and there was no talk of Evil Queens or Saviors or curses and I didn't make a fool of myself by talking so stupid."
"Actually dear, I'm quite used to your ability to 'talk stupid' as you so eloquently put it. However, last night was not one of those times." Regina said with a coy smile.
Emma rolled her eyes at the first part of Regina's sentence, but she looked confused when Regina finished. "I didn't say anything dumb?" she asks.
"Darling, you always manage to succeed in that department, but if you are referring to the talk about an Evil Queen, a Savior, and the curse to end all curses, that does not make you sound dumb. It sounds like you're remembering."
"Fuuuuuuuck," Emma groans as she throws her head back onto her pillow. She whimpers as she realizes how much her head still hurts and moving that fast makes her feel like she is going to pass out, or puke, or both. "What if I don't want to remember?" Emma whispers looking down to the end of the bed.
"Emma?" Regina asks. She doesn't know what her wife is referring to. Does she not want to remember that she's married to the Evil Queen now that she's know what it's like to be married to just Regina? Regina pulls away from Emma and decides to leave before her feelings get the best of her. If she can just make it to the bathroom before the tears start.
"Don't do that," Emma utters as she pulls Regina back to her.
"Do what," Regina whispers, still keeping up the pretense of moving away, but she's not actively trying to get away from Emma.
"Pull away. Don't do that." Emma pulls her wife back to her chest and rests her chin on the top of Regina's head. "When did you remember?"
Regina adjusts her position so her ear is right over Emma's heart; the thumping calming her own rapid heart beat, "Yesterday when the boys were talking about their history project."
"Do you want to forget again?"
Regina pulls up to look Emma in the eye, "what do you mean?"
"I mean, like, do you wish we could go back; to being just Emma and just Regina? A detective and a lawyer; no Evil Queens, no Saviors, just two women that fell in love and are raising a family together."
"Emma. Look at me," Regina says leaning up to catch Emma's eye. When Emma finally makes eye contact Regina smiles, a real smile-genuine and so full of love. "You will always be just Emma to me. You are so much more than a title given to you before you were even born by a man driven further into the darkness over his own grief. You are more than a pawn in his demented game. You are my wife, the mother of my children; you have made yourself into who you are. Even if we do remember now, that doesn't mean a thing. Nothing has to change. We can still be a detective and a lawyer, just Emma and Regina."
Emma gives a sad smile, "It doesn't work like that and you know it. Those books were put in the basement for a reason. When we cleaned down there after we moved they weren't down there. Now they are. Someone wants us to remember, there's a reason; there's always a reason. It's like the curse all over again. There's been no pressure for years and suddenly it feels like I'm drowning."
"It's not the curse all over again," Regina says adamantly. Emma gives her a dubious look and opens her mouth to speak when Regina shakes her head, "now we are together and nothing is going to pull us apart. If you think you're drowning, let me save you."
"You want to be my lifeguard?" she asks with a wink, "I think I need mouth to mouth," she says causing Regina to roll her eyes.
"Idiot," Regina whispers as she kisses Emma's temple. "I try to make a moment romantic and you make a joke. Typical."
Emma grumbles ineligibly but pulls her wife closer to her. Regina smiles and kisses her temple again. If the sigh Emma gives is any indication as to how she really feels, Regina would assume Emma is enjoying herself. So, Regina keeps kissing her face. First, Regina kisses her temples and then her forehead. Then from her cheekbones to her nose, along her jaw, and from her chin to her ear. She nips at the spot right behind her ear that she knows drives Emma crazy and then lazily licks the shell of her ear before kissing her way back to her lips.
"Damn woman, let's stay in bed all day," Emma says as she pulls Regina on top of her.
"All day dear? I'd say someone is overconfident," Regina drawls with a smirk as she leans down to kiss her wife.
"I will always follow through babe," Emma smirks right back as she flips their positions.
"Well then," Regina laughs as she looks up into her wife's eyes, "get to it. I believe you started something yesterday you couldn't finish. Better not let that happen again."
Emma looks at her with a wicked gleam in her eye, "of course not, my queen," and closes the distance between their lips.

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"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Regina asks for the fifth time that morning.
"Yes, Regina. I will be fine. We will all be fine," Emma says with a smile looking at her kids sitting around her as she brought the boys their pancakes.
"Alright," Regina says as she fixes her outfit one last time. "Zelena will be here soon, she just has to drop off Roland and Kelly at school."
Emma rolls her eyes, "I don't need a babysitter, Regina."
Regina walks towards her and grabs her wrists, "from the way you're swaying I'd say you need more than that. You need to go to the doctor, but I will not force you. Your stubborn ways will catch up to you, my dear. However, I will not leave you with three small children when you are not feeling well. As soon as Zelena gets here you can get some rest. I will come home as soon as possible."
"Okay, but I don't want your sister taking care of me," Emma says in a huff after Regina kisses her temple.
"Well that makes two of us," Zelena says walking into the kitchen.
"Auntie Z!" Tommy screams as he launches himself from the table into her arms.
"And good morning to you, my little flying monkey. How are you?" she asks with a chuckle as she moves to set him back down in front of his plate.
"Good," he mumbles through a bite of pancakes.
"Thomas!" Regina chastised. "Chew. Swallow. Then speak."
"Yes, Mommy," he says after he swallowed. "Are you gonna stay awl day, Auntie Z?!"
"Well, I will stay until your Mummy gets back from work, how does that sound?"
"YAY!" he squealed.
"You're early Zelena," Regina says as she moves about the kitchen.
"Yes. Robin offered to take the children to school this morning."
"My hero," Emma grumbled.
"Thank you for coming over on such short notice Zelena," Regina says as she subtly pokes her wife. Emma jumps, but stays quiet as she moves closer to the boys and further from Regina's fingers.
"Of course, what are sisters for if not to help out their little sister's wife when she gives herself a concussion after being back at work for less than a month," she says with a smirk.
Regina laughs and Emma glowers, "I resent that."
Regina walks over and kisses her cheek and whispers, "but it's true dear." She looks at Henry to see if he's ready to go, and continues to Tommy where she kisses his forehead and says, "be good for your Aunt and make sure you take good care of Momma until I get home, understand?"
He nods enthusiastically and says, "Yes Mommy! I be da bestest helper."
She gives him a smile before kissing her daughters and moving back to grab her purse and coat. She pauses in front of her surly wife. "Do try to tone down the dramatics darling, wouldn't want you to pull a muscle with all that scowling," she says giving her a kiss at the edge of her mouth.
Henry snickers and looks down at his empty plate.
"Said by the Royal Drama Queen herself."
"Her Royal Majesty will suffice just fine dear," Regina snarks right back. Emma has always called her a queen, but with her memories returned it takes everything to a whole new level of teasing.
"More like Her Royal Pain-In-My-Ass," Emma grumbles as she turns to open the fridge.
Regina just smirks and smacks her wife's butt when she walks past to grab her phone.
"Ew. Moms." Henry groans as he puts his plate in the sink.
"Yeah. Ew. Moms." Tommy repeats. The whole kitchen erupts in laughter at the mocking quality of the young three year old.
"Mom, if we don't hurry I'm going to be late," Henry says as he heads to the door with his backpack.
"Alright dear," she turns back to her wife, "I'll be back as soon as I can-"
"Oh for the love of God!" Zelena exclaims. "Just go! Everything will be fine!"
Emma chucks, "she's not wrong babe, everything will be okay. I'll see you when you get home."
"Please be civil in front of the children," Regina says as she kisses her wife.
Emma and Zelena just roll their eyes, but no promises are made.

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When Regina walks into her home just after lunch it's quiet; too quiet. She places her things down and walks towards the living area where she hears quiet murmuring. She peeks in through the doorway where she says her wife laying on the couch across the room with her arm over her eyes. Zelena was sitting in the middle of the room facing away from Regina and is staring at her hands. The twins are in their swings fast asleep. Right as she is about to make her presence known Zelena growls, "Dammit!"
Regina is taken aback; Zelena swears even less than she does, always perfectly composed-it's nauseating, really. However, Emma just laughs, "Easy Z, you keep this up and people will find out that you actually have the mouth sailor."
"That is largely incorrect," Zelena huffs, "I am not uncouth like yourself."
"Whatever," Emma says shaking her head, "you know you enjoy swearing. If you didn't you wouldn't do it. I think this would be considered your guilty pleasure," she's teasing her now in her best sing song voice, "Something you don't want anyone else to find out about. It'd truly be a shame if you were no longer the perfect one, wouldn't it?"
"Shut it, Swan," Zelena gave a perfect Mills glare.
Emma head is pointed at the ceiling and she has a shit-eating grin on her face as Zelena continues to scowl, "it's Mills, Sis."
"Good afternoon," Regina says stepping into the room before Zelena can try to maim her wife. Both Emma and Zelena jump.
Emma recovers first and says, "Hey babe, did you get everything at work taken care of?"
"Yes." Regina looks to her sister who is looking back at her hands. "Is everything alright Zelena?"
Zelena looks up at her sister and says, "Unfortunately not, Sis." Regina raises an eyebrow in silent question. "My magic is not returning."
"You remember?" Regina asks startled.
"Of course," she says haughtily.
And of course that's all the answer Regina is going to get out of Zelena. She may be the reformed Wicked Witch but she will never willingly give up information to Regina. They may have resolved their issues long ago and they trust each other with their lives-and more importantly the lives of their families, but Zelena will never truly trust anyone. After going back in time, being stopped by Emma before she could kill Regina-she found out just how unruly Cora had truly been.

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter! Again, sorry that it's so short but I really wanted to dedicate a whole chapter to the flashback scene coming next-it's pretty long and has some interesting background in it, but hey! Maybe I'm a little biased ;)

Here's some background to hopefully clear some things up:

In this story Henry was actually a little younger when he originally brings Emma to Storybrooke (think about 8). Emma and Regina got together before the curse purely to relieve all that tension *wink wink nudge nudge* and then when the curse broke and everyone was sent back to the Enchanted Forest, they fought a lot (family stuff-'nuff said) and then they started a real relationship soon after that (I'll maybe delve into that more in future chapters). Tommy, Evy, and Lottie were all born in the world without magic. Henry is 13 at this time. They came to this world about 4 years ago, Tommy is 3, so they found out they were pregnant pretty quick after they came here. Evy and Lottie are 3 months old and Emma and Regina just started going back to work a month ago. The twins and Tommy were born through fertility treatments. Adoptive nursing is a real thing that I learned about in a few of my classes last semester and I thought it was something Regina would totally do to be closer to her babies. *heart eyes* If you are still confused about what it is and what it entails you can ask me or you can totally google it and it'll pop up.

In my head, Regina and Robin were never together (DON'T FORCE IT *cough cough* WRITERS) Anyways, turns out Zelena is Robin's soul mate (awwww) and with Marian never coming back (because Zelena didn't kill her) Zelena and Robin are free to live out their lives happily with Roland and Kelly.

Regina is a human rights lawyer (think: helping women out of abusive relationships, defending their rights, she could even investigate war crimes or crimes against humanity, protecting prisoners' rights, etc. if she wanted to-but I see her mostly fighting for female equality) Emma is a detective that specializes in finding Missing Persons (like a private detective and a bounty hunter put together with a badge that says she's a detective). Robin is a human rights activist that works with Regina's firm. He's not so good at the legalese, but he has a heart of gold and is a pretty awesome thief/burglar so he can do the dirty work that would cost Regina her job. FRIENDSHIP ;) Zelena is pretty much a stay at home mom, dabbling in daycare (sometimes watching her nieces and nephew), being a midwife (only sometimes, because I mostly see her staying at home), and I totally see her being into incense (making her own candles, using oils all the time, etc.)

Right now Emma and Regina are both back at work part-time (since they just had twins) and they are both at home with the kids on their off days so there's no daycare right now.

Wow. That was a lot of background. Let me know if you guys have any questions and I'll do my best to answer them either in these notes or in the story :)

Hope you enjoyed! :)