AN: Sorry this took ages!

I took some liberties with Lily, sorry (not really sorry).

Thanks to my beta, Ari, again x

The second person who confronted Emma about her not-so-platonic feelings towards Regina was Lily after her old friend had been in Storybrooke for a week.

It all started with her having lunch with Regina and Henry at Granny's like any other day. They were discussing Operation Mongoose when she saw Lily sit down opposite Maleficent at a table near theirs. After Henry and Regina left and she was ready to go continue her Sheriff patrol, she heard the door of the diner open and Lily call out her name.

"Lily, hi," she replied after turning around. "What's up?"

"I'm… pretty good. She… Maleficent is not the scary dragon bitch I thought," Lily started uncertainly. "She's... this real person and actually really nice. She's teaching me and everything. I've been thinking about staying here a little while longer."

Emma smiled. That's how it had started for her too. She had said she would stay in Strorybrooke for a week, but there she was, living with her family and talking about happy endings with Regina.

"That's great. Really great, Lily. Let me know if you want to have lunch or whatever sometime. If you want to be… friends again." She was uncertain what she should say, but she really wanted Lily to have happiness in her life too, and she really hoped they could be friends despite everything that had happened.

"Yeah, we could do that. Speaking of friends, I need to ask you something," Lily started casually enough. Her face had some of its old excitement back; she resembled the girl Emma knew in her youth.

"Okay, sure. What?"

"What's happening between you and Regina?" she asked as her lips pulled into a mischievous smirk. "The first time I saw you guys she was giving you this motivational speech about not corrupting yourself like you were the most important person in her life? And you guys also share a kid? If I didn't know any better, I'd say Henry has two moms who are happily together. Please tell me you're some secretly dating team moms magic couple." She grinned after her last sentence.

Emma's mouth hung open at that. Okay, so she might have thought that herself once or twice – she didn't deny that anymore – but how could Lily come to this conclusion in such a short time? No one other than Neal had ever implied anything like that before.

"Tell me you've done it, at least," Lily added cheerfully as she sat down on one of the chairs outside Granny's.

"I… No, Lily, we haven't," Emma shook her head and tried to keep her expression neutral so she wouldn't reveal how she really felt about Regina. For a short moment she felt shocked that Lily kept going on about the subject like that, but then she remembered keeping her mouth shut had never been Lily's strong suit. The woman was starting to resemble her carefree younger self more and more each passing minute.

"You're telling me that you're just besties with that woman?" Lily laughed and raised her eyebrows. "Nothing else? Besties who share a kid. Gal pals for life…"

"Okay, Lily, just stop it," Emma waved her hand dismissively and as nonchalantly as she could. She tried to manage a laugh, but it sounded forced even to her own ears.

The corners of Lily's mouth turned upwards into a knowing smirk once again, and Emma hated herself for having been so transparent. "So I am not completely wrong here. So, what's the issue? Why are you still with that pirate when you could have Regina?"

Emma sighed. It wasn't like she didn't want to be with Regina. It had started off as a playful thought about the insufferable mayor of the town, but it had somehow turned into a growing fascination over a woman who would never return her feelings. Regina was all about Robin Hood and his bow and goddamn forest smell. Emma had once contemplated going to live in the forest for a week and learn how to use a bow and arrow to see if that would help, but she had decided against it. There were things that Regina desired that she just couldn't give.

"I… Regina doesn't see me that way," she finally admitted her defeat and responded truthfully, realizing Lily could see how she felt about Regina anyway. "She thinks of me as a friend and Henry's birth mother. She doesn't even like girls."

"Whoa, Emma let me stop you right there." Lily voice got higher and she raised her hands. "That is the biggest load of crap I've heard from you. Sorry. Can't you see how she looks at you? How you both look at each other? You guys should come with a PDA warning. God, I can't imagine how bad it'd be if you actually were a couple; the heart eyes that you throw all over the place are enough as is."

Emma shook her head and spoke her mind again. "I think you're over-analyzing this. She loves Robin. Can't you see that?"

"That may be the case, although I'd say it's debatable, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't love you too." Lily smiled at her. "And about the Regina doesn't like girls thing? I'm in possession of some classified information, but this situation clearly requires it." Lily took a deep breath and looked like she was about to deliver the best news of the year. "Regina? Not only into dudes. My mom and her in the Enchanted Forest? Well, let's just say that I could've called Regina my step-mother if I had hatched where I was originally supposed to." Lily winked and shrugged.

Maleficent? Was Lily just attempting to mess with her head? Regina didn't like girls. Regina liked forest men and stable boys, but not girls. Or not her, at least. Otherwise something would've happened already.

"You're joking," she concluded and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Emma, you idiot!" Lily put her face in her hands and groaned.

"Hey!" she shouted. Only Regina was allowed to call her an idiot.

"Knock knock," Lily started with a smile and dropped her hands to her lap.

"Knock knock jokes? Seriously?" She couldn't believe she was having this conversation.

"Emma. You're supposed to say 'Who's there?'" Lily explained as if she were talking to a young child.

Fine. "Who's there?"

"Regina, who's gonna pull you out of your I love Regina closet," Lily replied and laughed. Emma didn't. "Come on, Emma."

"Lily, I told you. Regina doesn't see me that way."

"Can't you see anything?" Lily's tone was starting to get frustrated again. "Your awe of Regina is completely clouding your judgment over here. Even my mom thought there was something going on between Regina and you. Something even she didn't want to meddle with. So what are you waiting for?"

A miracle. That was what she was waiting for. Actually, she was done waiting and hoping for anything. Being co-parenting friends was more than she had ever expected, and there was no reason to believe something as implausible as Regina liking her back romantically.

I promise the last two chapters will have (a lot of) Emma and Regina interacting with each other! Sorry it's taken so long!