Chapter four

Regina came down in the morning to find Emma still asleep on the couch. She was tangled up in the blankets, one bare leg sticking out and trailing along the floor, and her curls were thrown across her face. Her mouth was slightly open. Regina glanced around the room and saw that the pyjamas she had offered her were still folded in a neat pile on the coffee table.

A bitter taste filled Regina's mouth, but she pushed it down. She walked into the kitchen and shut the door behind her.

It was only 7am, but she was fully dressed. She found it difficult to sleep nowadays, but when she'd gone to bed that night, it had been even harder than usual to finally close her eyes. Too many thoughts were clattering around in her brain, like she was trying to fall asleep while stood in the middle of a crowd: her son was lying on his own on the other side of town, probably wishing that he was at home with her, and now there was a strange woman sleeping on her couch, probably wishing she was anywhere else at all.

Regina had slept a grand total of four hours in the end. Five times during the night, she had gotten out of bed and walked towards her bedroom door, ready to go downstairs – though why, she wasn't sure. But she'd never made it past the threshold. Every time, she'd paused in the bedroom doorway, looking out at the dark hall and the long staircase that she couldn't see the bottom of. Then she'd crept back to bed with the shame dripping from her.

As soon as she was in the kitchen, she turned on the coffee machine. It made a lot of noise as it ground up the coffee beans, but Regina was inexplicably confident that Emma was the type of person who could sleep through any noise. She waited patiently for the machine to finish brewing, and then poured herself a cup of black coffee with one sugar. She opened the fridge, trying to discern exactly what she could have for breakfast, but all she found inside was the two takeout boxes each filled with a few slices of leftover pizza and a bottle with the tiniest dribble of wine left in the bottom. She rolled her eyes and closed the door.

Glancing at the clock, she decided that she should probably wake Emma up: she had no idea what the woman's plans for the day were, but if she wanted to go with Regina to the hospital again that morning – which she assumed she would – then they would have to get going in the next half hour.

She picked up her cup and pushed open the kitchen door, walking out into the hall. As she reached the living room door, she paused.

Emma was awake, and she'd managed to drag herself off of the couch. She'd gone to bed wearing the same black shirt from the night before, but – probably as a result of Regina's comments – she had removed her jeans. She was now trying to put them back on, and Regina had walked in at the exactly the wrong moment.

Emma was stood by the side of the couch with her messy curls covering her face and her shirt hitched up around her waist. She peered down at the tight denim, which was only pulled up as far as her thighs, and Regina couldn't look away – God, Emma was thin. Her stomach was flat, peppered with scars, including an enormous one on her hip that Regina didn't even want to consider, and her thighs were long and narrow. Emma hitched the jeans up over her red panties and zipped them up, looking up just as Regina was considering walking away.

'Oh,' Emma said, blinking. She quickly did up the button. 'Morning.'

'Good morning,' Regina said, forcing herself not to look down at the stomach that had just sent tingles shooting through her entire body. 'I was just coming to wake you up. But I see the coffee machine might have done that for me.'

'Coffee machine?' Emma asked, turning around to peel the blankets off of the couch. As she began folding them, Regina caught a glimpse of two dimples at the base of her spine.

'You didn't hear it?'

'I don't think so,' Emma said, arranging the blankets into a pile. 'Maybe I smelled it, though.'

She looked wistfully at the cup in Regina's hand as she spoke. Regina laughed.

'I'll get you a cup,' she said. 'How do you take it?'

'Lots of milk,' Emma replied, running her fingers through her hair. 'No sugar. Please.'

Regina found herself smiling. Without thinking, she said, 'The exact opposite of me.'

She realised at once that she sounded like a teenager, and so she left the room before Emma could grin back at her. Her heels tapped loudly against the floor as she rushed back towards the kitchen.

She made Emma a coffee and sat herself down at the bar, crossing her ankles beneath her. A few moments later, her guest walked in, her face lighting up as soon as she spotted the full cup of milky coffee that was waiting for her.

'Thank you,' she breathed, hopping up onto the seat opposite Regina. She wrapped her hands around the mug like her body had been starved of heat all night.

'What is your plan for today, Miss Swan?' Regina asked abruptly. They were both slightly surprised at her tone.

'Oh,' Emma said, looking down at the counter between them. 'I am planning on moving on. If that's what you're worried about.'

For some reason, after a full night's rest, Emma's face looked even paler than it had the day before. Her hair was a mess and mascara was smudged under her eyes and it had only just dawned on Regina that she hadn't given her a toothbrush.

'I wasn't trying to kick you out,' Regina said, clearing her throat. 'It's just, I'm going to see Henry in about 30 minutes, then I have to go to work, and I just… I'm new to this. I'm not entirely sure where you come in.'

Grateful for her brutal honesty, Emma said, 'If you want some time to yourself with Henry, I completely understand. You can go and I'll clear out of here. I just don't know where the motel is.'

'Do you…' Regina paused, painfully aware of how easily she could offend Emma with this question. 'Do you have money for a hotel?'

Emma smiled weakly. 'I have an account that my husband doesn't know about. I just need to get to a bank.'

'Oh,' Regina breathed a sigh of relief. 'Was this account a "just in case" kind of thing?'

'To be honest,' Emma sighed, 'I never really considered what it was for. It was my savings account before I met him, and then when we got married and put all our money together he asked me if I had any other accounts that I needed to add to the pile and I… I don't know. I just didn't tell him.'

'Have you been adding to it since then?'

'Little bits here and there. It's not a lot, but it'll get me going,' Emma said. She suddenly frowned. 'Regina – I don't want to sound rude, but… You know you can't tell anyone about this, right?'

Her skin had turned almost yellow. Regina's heart thumped.

'Of course,' she said, and she so badly wanted to reach out and take Emma's hand. 'I won't say a word to anyone. Henry won't either – not if I ask him not to.'

Emma nodded, looking only slightly less worried.

'Thank you,' she muttered, looking down at her cup. After a moment she straightened up. 'So. I guess the plan is for you to just go about your day as normal, and I'll go to this Granny's place. Just for a few days. Then I suppose I'll move on.'

Regina blinked, taking her cup away from her lips. 'You're going to leave town?'

'Of course,' Emma blinked. 'Did you think I was planning on staying here forever?'

'I guess not,' Regina said, looking down at the counter. 'It's just… you've only just met Henry. He'll no doubt want to see you again. Plus you don't even know where you're going and are you sure you're ready to go off and be on your own?'

Emma's eyebrows were knitted together. With half a smile on her face, she said, 'You sound like you're worried about me, Regina.'

'Of course I'm worried about you,' Regina snapped. 'Have you looked in the mirror recently?'

Whenever she raised her voice, Emma would flinch like a puppy who'd just been shouted at for chewing the furniture. Immediately Regina regretted it.

'I don't want you to feel like you have to leave,' she said more quietly. Emma looked up at her.

'I have to go at some point, Regina,' she said. 'You've been amazing, letting me stay here for the night, and I really appreciate it, but I never expected to move into your house. And like you said when you first came to find me – Henry only wanted to meet me, not to get to know me. Right?'

Regina faltered. 'I… I suppose so. But where will you go?'

'I have no idea,' Emma admitted. 'I haven't really had time to think about it yet.'

'Then what's the rush?' Regina asked, and as soon as Emma looked suspiciously up at her, she tried to sound a bit more casual. 'I know Henry would like it if you stayed a bit longer. You could come to the hospital again today.'

Emma tilted her head to one side. 'Do you want me to stay?'

'I…' Regina couldn't finish her sentence. She shrugged. 'I wouldn't mind either way. I'm just saying that maybe you shouldn't rush off without a plan.'

Emma's eyebrows were raised probably as high as they could go. 'I feel like you're bullshitting.'

'Well, I'm not,' Regina snapped, and this time Emma didn't flinch. 'You can leave if you really want to, Miss Swan. I'm just trying to help.'

Emma waited for Regina's cheeks to turn slightly less red before she said, 'I'll come with you to see Henry again. But I'm going to the motel today. I'll be gone before you get home from work, and I promise you'll still have all your jewellery.'

Regina forced a smile. 'And then what?'

'Then, we'll see,' Emma said. 'I'm a spontaneous person, Regina. I'll work it out.'

The notion of Emma traipsing off into the world by herself, without anything on her except a hidden bank account and a ratty old leather jacket, made Regina feel sick. She knew that this was a terrible idea. But she also knew that really, it was absolutely none of her business.

She swallowed down her fears and nodded. 'Fine. I'll show you where Granny's is, and the bank. And probably the store, too.'

'Thank you.'

'And if you want to have a shower, by all means. I probably have a spare toothbrush somewhere.'

'Thanks,' Emma repeated. She finished her coffee. 'I'll skip the shower, but a toothbrush would be great. And some deodorant, probably.'

Regina smirked. 'Thank god you asked.'

Emma rolled her eyes back at her. 'Shut up.'

Hopping down from her stool as gracefully as she could manage, Regina said, 'I'll be back in a second.'

She disappeared through the kitchen door and up the stairs. When she returned, she was carrying a tube of toothpaste, a can of Dove deodorant spray, and a child's toothbrush still in its plastic packaging.

'Sorry,' she said, placing them on the bar before Emma. 'I thought I had a spare grown-up one. Apparently not.'

Emma picked up the toothbrush. 'Are these dinosaurs?'

'They are indeed,' Regina said, taking their empty cups over to the sink. 'If you're a fan of them, that'll give you another thing to discuss with Henry later. He'll love it.'

Emma was holding the toothbrush with both hands, examining it closely. 'This is awesome.'

Regina rolled her eyes to herself, but she was smiling. 'Go and get freshened up then, Miss Swan. I'm ready when you are.'

Emma hopped off of her chair and headed for the door. 'Thanks, Regina.'

She disappeared into the hallway, and Regina heard the click of the bathroom door closing. She leaned forwards against the sink and closed her eyes, willing her heartbeat to slow down.

'You're welcome,' she murmured, leaving the cups unwashed.


'That's Granny's right there,' Regina said, slowing her car down so she could point out of the window. Emma leaned passed her and looked for a moment, unable to hide the wrinkling of her nose.

'It looks... cute,' she said.

Forcing herself not to laugh, Regina said, 'It's fine, I assure you. It's cleaner than it looks.'

'You've stayed there?'

Regina paused. 'Yes. Once or twice.'

'Why?' Emma asked, leaning back in her seat. 'It definitely can't be as nice as your house.'

Regina felt herself flush at the compliment. She tried desperately to think of an excuse – my house was being fumigated. Wait, does that even happen anymore? What bugs could get in? – but kept coming up short. Eventually she just sighed.

'I used to meet a man there.'

She didn't turn around, but she knew that Emma's eyebrows had shot up.

'Oh, really?'

'Don't sound so surprised,' Regina said, pretending that she was concentrating on the road. She despised her cheeks right then for flushing bright pink. 'Politicians do have sex too, you know.'

'I didn't for a minute think that you weren't having sex, Regina,' Emma laughed, and again, Regina heard the compliment that was buried in there. 'I'm just surprised that you're the sneaking-out-of-the-house-so-you-don't-get-caught type.'

'I didn't want Henry to know,' Regina said quietly. 'He has enough to think about.'

Emma shrugged. 'I suppose that's fair. So who was the guy?'

There was a pause, and then Regina admitted, 'The sheriff.'

'Oh, okay,' Emma said. The flustered look on Regina's face was adorable, but she could feel her heart starting to beat faster. She asked as casually as she could, 'But you're not seeing him anymore?'

Regina flicked her eyes across the car, trying in that single second to read Emma's expression. 'No. Not anymore.'

'What happened?'

'I don't know. We…' Regina paused as she reached a stop sign. 'We just drifted. It wasn't going anywhere.'

'Does it have to?'

Regina blinked. 'Well. I suppose not. But I find that it helps.'

'Before I met my husband,' Emma said, and Regina immediately felt her body stiffen, 'I only ever used to date guys if I knew it wasn't going anywhere. I kind of wish I'd stuck to that rule now.'

A bubble of sadness filled Regina's chest. 'Emma. You can't judge all relationships based on how this one turned out. Not everyone is like that.'

'I know,' Emma sighed, fiddling with the hem of her jacket. 'My track record isn't great though, is it? I get abandoned in jail by my first boyfriend, and then my marriage… I don't know. Maybe it's me. I must attract a certain type of guy.'

'Move on to women, then,' Regina said, and it slipped out of her mouth so aggressively that she was suddenly sure that she was going to crash the car.

Emma looked at her, her eyebrows raised in amusement. 'Is that your genuine advice?'

Ignoring her burning cheeks and inwardly kicking herself, Regina said, 'No. It was a joke.'

There was a pause, and Regina could hear Emma chucking under her breath. The hospital was only a five-minute drive from her house, and yet it had never seemed so far away.

Then Emma suddenly asked, 'Do you think it's easier to be with women?' and Regina nearly vomited on the windscreen.

'How should I know?'

'I'm not saying you'd know,' Emma said. 'Just… what do you think? Men are great for certain things, but they've never done that much for me in the long run. Maybe women just treat each other better.'

'I'd be inclined to agree,' Regina said, turning a corner. 'But I think a big factor in all this is that you have to actually find women attractive. You can't just jump ship, unfortunately.'

She laughed as she said this, meaning it as a joke, but Emma had fallen silent. She turned her head and stared out of the passenger window.

'That's true,' she said quietly, and that familiar tug at Regina's heart returned.

They continued on their way to the hospital without another word. Regina's stomach was twisting itself into knots and she was painfully aware of the fact that she must have upset Emma in some way, but whenever she turned to look at her, she didn't look upset – just thoughtful. Her hand was fiddling with her necklace, and her green eyes flicked from left to right as Storybrooke rushed past the window. It was funny how such a tiny town suddenly felt like an entirely new world to her.

When they arrived at the hospital, Emma turned to smile at Regina. She looked more nervous now that they were so close to seeing her son again.

But Regina's mind was still on other things. She blurted out, 'You'll find someone else, you know. Someone who treats you right.'

Emma blinked, her gaze dropping slightly. She let herself take Regina in: her sleek, black dress and her towering heels that she somehow managed to drive in. Her hair was immaculate and her presence was utterly terrifying. And yet a small, ridiculous part of Emma felt safe around her. It was weird how trust had already blossomed between them when she hadn't quite reached that stage with her husband yet.

She looked back out at the mostly empty parking lot, her fingers still tangled in her necklace.

'Yeah,' she said quietly, unable to meet Regina's eye. 'I hope so.'


They stopped at the hospital vending machine to buy some candy for Henry – Regina told Emma that this had become a regular habit now and she had no idea how she planned on phasing it out again – before they went to his room. Emma had gone quiet, and Regina wasn't sure how she was meant to convince her that this would be okay. But before she could even try, she noticed that there was a commotion up ahead, just outside her son's room.

'What the hell…?' Regina muttered, immediately speeding up. Emma matched her pace, feeling gangly and awkward beside her.

'What's going on?' Regina asked as she reached the doorway. Dr Whale was stood just inside the room, surrounded by several nurses. 'Has something happened? Is Henry okay?'

She tried to lean past the doctor to see the bed.

'Madam Mayor, please. There's been a change in your son's status—'

'Oh, and no one thought that I needed to be informed?' Regina snapped, pushing past him. Emma tottered behind her, blinking. Before she had time to think or even register than maybe she should be concerned, she caught sight of the bed. Henry was sat upright, and his cheeks were pink.

'Hi Mom,' he grinned at Regina. Then he spotted Emma. 'Emma! You're back!'

Dr Whale moved back towards them. He blinked when he saw the bruises on Emma's face. 'Who are you, exactly?'

Emma hesitated, looking from the doctor to Henry and back again.

Regina sighed. 'She's—'

'Just a friend,' Emma interrupted. 'A friend of the family.'

Regina narrowed her eyes, but didn't correct her. She turned back to Dr Whale and waited for him to speak.

'Well?' she asked, tapping one foot on the ground. Emma almost laughed. 'Are you going to explain what's going on?'

Dr Whale seemed to be completely immune to her rage by this point. He gestured to Henry, who was still grinning broadly. 'Your son's condition has… improved. Quite dramatically.'

'It already did that once,' Regina snapped, having learned the hard way from getting her hopes up too high. 'And then it deteriorated again.'

'This is quite different,' Dr Whale said. 'Last time, we noticed small improvements – minor, good signs that gave us hope that he was getting better. This morning… I don't know what to tell you. It's like he's healed overnight.'

There was a dense pause, before Regina all but shrieked, 'And no one thought to call me?!'

'We've been running tests all morning, Madam Mayor,' Dr Whale explained. 'After what happened last time, it seemed better to wait until we had more information before we got your hopes up again. Especially since we knew you'd be here at 8:15 sharp.'

He nodded to the clock, and Emma followed his gaze. He was right – 8:15 precisely.

Regina took a deep breath, pressing her hands against her temples. She walked over to her son's bed and kissed him on his forehead, noticing immediately that his skin wasn't as hot as it had been yesterday.

She turned back to the doctor and said slightly more quietly, 'How did this happen?'

'Honestly, we have no idea,' Dr Whale said. He seemed far too casual about the whole thing, and Emma decided then that she didn't like him at all. 'It's remarkable. When he went to sleep yesterday evening, things were much the same. Then he woke up and it's like something magically changed. Something fixed him overnight.'

Without meaning to, Regina glanced over at Emma. Emma looked back, but without the same recognition in her eyes.

'So he can come home?' Regina asked, reaching out to place her hand at the back of her son's head.

'Not just yet,' Dr Whale said. 'We need to keep monitoring him, just in case things change. But if things stay the way they are and Henry's condition continues to improve, he could be home within a week.'

Regina could have burst into tears. A week. She leaned forwards and kissed Henry's head once more, squeezing her eyes shut.

'That would be nice, wouldn't it?' she murmured, and Henry grinned up at her.

'I can't wait,' he said, before his gaze returned to Emma. She was stood awkwardly by the wall, her thumbs looped in the back pockets of her jeans. She smiled back at him, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

Regina turned back to Dr Whale. 'Do you need to do more tests right now?'

'No. We can leave for the time being,' he replied, gesturing to the nurses that they should head for the door. 'I'll come back a bit later.'

'Okay,' Regina nodded. 'Thank you.'

Emma could tell from the look on the doctor's face that she hadn't said thank you to him very often since Henry had been admitted.

Dr Whale turned to leave, then he paused. He looked back at Emma.

'Have you had that checked that out?' he asked, gesturing to the cut on her cheek with his pen.

'Yes,' Emma flushed. 'Of course.'

'Okay. What happened there?'

Before Emma could answer, Regina called out from the bed, 'She fell down.'

Dr Whale glanced back at her and sighed. He left the room shaking his head.

Regina perched herself on the edge of Henry's bed, keeping her arm wrapped around his shoulders. Emma slowly approached them, grabbing a chair. She dragged it towards the bed and then, seeing how close she would be to the pair of them, pushed it back a few centimetres.

Henry was looking at her. 'How did you manage to cut yourself that badly falling down?'

'Henry,' Regina hissed, nudging him.

Emma smiled, sitting down. 'It's okay. I'm just pretty clumsy, kid. You should be glad you didn't inherit that from me.'

When her son grinned back at her, it made her heart pound. Regina watched the pair of them, an uncertain smile on her face.


'So,' Regina said, gesturing to the nearby building. They were stood outside the hospital, and Regina was holding her car keys awkwardly in one hand. 'That's the bank. And the store is just two blocks that way.'

'Great,' Emma said, nodding. 'Thanks.'

'And you remember where Granny's is? I showed you on the way into town?'

'I remember. It's back down that street.'

'And you'll be okay getting back to my house to collect your car?'

'I'll be fine, Regina,' Emma said, half smiling. 'I'm not going off to college. I'm just going to a bed and breakfast.'

Regina sighed, looking down at her shoes. 'I know. I just… I want to be sure that you're okay.'

'I'm fine,' Emma said, and it almost sounded convincing. 'Really. Besides, you'll know where to find me, and I'll probably see you again soon, won't I?'

Nodding, Regina said, 'Of course you will. I'll take you to see Henry again. Tomorrow afternoon maybe? We get more time in the evenings.'

'That sounds great,' Emma said, looking around her. She swallowed, suddenly looking uncomfortable. 'I'll… I'll let you know what room I'm staying in, once I get to the hotel. I'm going to tell them not to let anyone contact me unless they know the room number already.'

Her face turned slightly pale as she said this, and yet again Regina felt a stab of anxiety in her stomach. She shouldn't be leaving Emma alone. She knew it.

But they'd already had this argument before, and she'd lost. So she just looked down at the floor and nodded.

'You can come back to mine any time you want,' she said quietly.

Emma smiled at her. 'I think you'll get a bit sick of finding me sitting on the porch every day, Regina.'

'There's a spare key under one of the plant pots,' Regina said, although she had no idea why. 'You can let yourself in.'

Emma blinked. 'Really?'

When Regina looked up, her caramel eyes were swimming with worry. 'Of course. Whenever you want.'

'Why…?' Emma started, and then stopped herself. She shouldn't force her to answer that – especially when Regina probably didn't know the answer herself.

Instead, Emma held out her hand. 'Thank you, Regina.'

Regina paused before she reached out to shake it. Emma's fingers were cold, and Regina found herself utterly reluctant to let go.

'You're welcome.'

Eventually, she forced herself to slowly walk back to her car. She didn't look back around, even though her heart was pounding and she could taste salt at the back of her throat..

This is ridiculous, she told herself as she opened the car door, sliding into the driver's seat. She's going to be fine, and you'll probably see her tomorrow anyway.

But Emma looked so small as she drove away, and the guilt refused to leave her. Emma was alone, and even though she lifted one hand to wave goodbye, she looked afraid. Regina should be there for her. She wanted to be.

All day long, she kicked herself for allowing Emma to leave. She should have stood up to her. She should have made her stay.


Regina staggered back into the house at 9pm, after a full day at City Hall followed by several hours at the hospital with Henry. He seemed almost completely back to his old self, right down to his many, many questions.

'Where's Emma today?'

'Is she staying in town?'

'I still don't understand how she ended up here – I thought you said when you went to Boston you didn't find her?'

By the time she was back home, Regina bones were aching with exhaustion. And yet she still couldn't take her mind off of Emma, sitting alone in a dingy hotel room that Regina herself had probably had regrettable sex in once or twice.

She toed off her shoes in the hallway and snapped on the lights. God, it was so quiet.

Padding into the kitchen, Regina headed straight for the fridge. She'd forgotten to eat again for most of the day, and her stomach was growling. It wasn't until she was three feet away that she remembered that she still hadn't had time to go grocery shopping.

She stopped. 'God damn it.'

She knew there was leftover pizza in there, but she wasn't sure she could bring herself to eat it. With Emma there, it had been fine – good, even. But sitting by herself in an empty kitchen, it just seemed sad.

Emma would be eating by herself too, she realised. They should have had dinner together.

The thought slipped into her head like a shadow and she immediately shook her head, scolding herself. You sound like a teenager. Get a grip. Still, she found herself staring longingly at the door, waiting for someone to walk through.

Then she noticed that there was a piece of paper lying on the counter that she definitely hadn't left there that morning, and she hurried over to it as fast as her aching feet could take her.

Regina,

I hope you don't mind that I used your spare key – when you said I could come around whenever, you probably didn't mean it literally.

I just wanted to do something nice for you to say thanks for last night. I know you probably haven't been shopping again, so check the fridge.

I've checked in to room 17 at Granny's. I told her that if you call, she can put you through whenever. I'm going to go and check out her diner tonight – I feel like this could be an interesting experience.

Thanks again and see you soon,

Emma

Regina stared down at the note for a few moments before she rushed over to the fridge. It wasn't full by any stretch, but Emma had bought her the basics – probably far more than she should have been able to carry without a car. Most of the shelves were filled, and one pizza box was still there. It too had a note on it.

I was hungry so I took my own, but please remember to eat yours. Another rule of ordering takeout is that nothing gets thrown away.

Regina found herself laughing in spite of herself. She pulled the box out and saw that Emma had put a couple of her leftover slices in there with Regina's, just in case.

Regina's stomach twisted once more, and she looked out at the road.

It was dark already. This house was too damn big and any time a car drove past, she jumped, either expecting it to be Emma or someone looking for her. She imagined Emma sat on her tiny bed in Granny's, staring at the wall, with no working television and no cell phone to distract herself with. The thought was too pitiful, and Regina couldn't handle it. Not for a second longer.

She shoved the pizza box back into the fridge, grabbed her keys, and headed for the door.


As soon as Emma opened the door and saw her waiting there, she blinked. 'Regina?'

'You have to stay.'

Emma's eyebrows shot up. 'Sorry?'

'In Storybrooke,' Regina said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 'With… me. In my house.'

'What? Why?' Emma asked, her eyes suddenly widening. 'Has something happened with Henry?'

'Henry is absolutely fine, Miss Swan,' Regina sighed. 'You saw him earlier – he's a lot better. Something about your presence has done that, no doubt. But that's not why you need to stay.'

'Then what's the reason?' Emma asked, leaning against the doorframe. Quite inexplicably, she looked more confident than Regina had ever seen her. 'Please, just tell me the truth.'

And finally, Regina did. Or most of it, anyway.

'I'm worried about you,' she said, forcing herself to meet Emma's gaze. 'I'm afraid that he'll come here to find you, and I'm afraid that you'll go back to him. I'm worried that if you spend too much time on your own, you'll realise how lonely you are and you'll go running back to the only person who you think loves you. I want you to stay here and have some company and realise that love doesn't actually look like that.'

Emma bit her lip. 'How am I supposed to find out what love really looks like by staying here?'

Ignoring the flush in her cheeks and the frantic beat of her heart, Regina shrugged. 'Maybe you won't. But you might learn what it's like to have a friend, and I think that might be just as good.'

A tiny, hopeful smile lit up Emma's tired face. 'You want us to be friends?'

'Yes. I do.' It was another half-truth. 'I think we understand each other, Miss Swan. And I think we can help each other.'

'Oh, Regina. How the hell can I be of any help to you?' Emma laughed sadly, her self-hatred coming out in spades. But the sad look on Regina's face make her pause.

Regina swallowed.

'I'm lonely too,' she admitted. Something immediately thudded inside Emma's chest.

'You are?'

'Of course I am,' Regina sighed, gesturing down at herself. 'Look at me. I don't have any friends in this town, and I don't exactly attract many men. The only person I have left is my son, and he's in hospital and I miss him dreadfully every single day. I can't sleep because the house is too quiet and having you around is… It's nice. It's refreshing. I like having someone to talk to.'

She'd never admitted so much truth aloud in one go before in her entire life, and the painful patheticness of it all made her feel like she had to catch her breath. She waited for Emma to laugh, or back away. But she just sighed.

'Yeah,' she said, crossing her arms. 'I can understand that.'

'You can?'

'Of course,' Emma said. 'I just… I don't want to intrude on your life any more than I already have done. I have no idea what I'm doing, or how long I'm staying here for, and you don't need my shit piling up on your doorstep while I try and decide. I don't want it to get to the stage where you want to ask me to leave but you feel like you can't.'

'Miss Swan,' Regina said, and her voice was suddenly firm. 'I have already told you: I do not do anything I don't want to. I want you to stay, so I'm asking you to. Rest assured, when it's time for you to leave, I won't waste any time in telling you so.'

Emma looked like she wanted to smile, but she wasn't entirely sure that she was allowed to.

'Besides,' Regina said, shrugging. 'Henry will be back at home in a week. If his questions don't scare you off by then, you were born to be a part of this family.'

Emma laughed then, shaking her head. 'You've got a point.'

'So – come back with me,' Regina said, no longer caring if she sounded desperate. 'And no more sleeping on the couch – I have spare beds. You're having one. Did you manage to buy some clothes today?'

Emma nodded, gesturing at the sad collection of bags on the floor that she hadn't managed to bring herself to unpack yet. 'Yeah, I did.'

'Then get them together and let's go,' Regina said, taking a step away from the door. They both knew that Emma wasn't going to say no again. 'I can actually cook us some dinner now that someone kindly did my grocery shopping for me.'

Emma's cheeks flushed. 'I hope I got the right stuff. I didn't know what fruit you liked, so I got apples.'

Regina forced herself not to smile. 'Apples are perfect.'

She watched as Emma gathered up her collection of bags and her leather jacket, then headed towards the door. She smiled as she passed by.

'Thank you, Regina.'

Regina took the oversized key out of her hand. Their fingers brushed together.

'You're quite welcome,' she said, turning away and locking the door. 'Now, let's go home.'