Another short update, the response to this story is absolutely overwhelming and I thank you all so much :)


Regina had never had the perfect childhood…or one she could really call a childhood at all. Her mother had never been affectionate towards her; she merely told Regina that she was strict out of love, out of want for a better life for the young girl although the brunette never saw any evidence of this. When her mother had died she didn't cry, she wasn't happy nor was she as devastatingly sad as she was when her beloved father had passed away. She felt…free somehow, she felt guilt for not being able to muster the tears but she could find no reason to…nothing to miss.

All throughout her life here in this humdrum town she had felt wasted, like there was somewhere else she needed to be but now she knew. She knew there was somewhere else she needed to be and it was right where she was with her head resting on Emma's chest as they lay listening to the sound of their heartbeats. Hands brushed through her dark hair as she drew lazy patterns on the blonde's abdomen, both lost in their own thoughts.

Emma's heart clenched in her chest as she thought of how distraught Regina had been from the movie, they had yet to let go of one another and neither wanted to though the blonde could tell from the sunlight beginning to creep in through the curtains that morning was slowly approaching. Regina would have to go back to the hospital and Emma back to the diner in order to open up.

"I could help you know…" came the soft voice from just below her, Emma furrowed her brow as she tried to figure out whether she had in fact spoken aloud. "With the diner?"

"Don't you have work today?" the blonde asked, her hands still moving through silky locks, she felt Regina turn and bury her face in her white tank top, she could feel the brunette's smile against her skin and couldn't help but smile herself, "what?"

Regina let out a small giggle as she tried to hide her embarrassment; she brought her hands together to rest on Emma's chest as she laid her chin on them in order to look up at the waitress, "I may have convinced Whale to give me a day off…"

"Oh my god!" Emma shot up automatically causing Regina to falter slightly as she sat up also, the blonde had to fight the smile from taking over her face at the doctor's confusion, "will the hospital survive without big bad doctor Mills?" She was almost quick enough to dodge the cushion that was thrown at her head, almost.

"Idiot" Regina laughed as the cushion flew back at her, the victorious smirk on her lips was knocked off completely when Emma took her vulnerable state as a chance to lunge and pin her down to the mattress. Regina couldn't deny the surge of happiness she felt as seeing Emma so full of life.

"Ah, who's the idiot now?" she grinned down at the brunette she now straddled, it was as though in the same moment they became aware of the new position they found themselves in. Regina could feel the blonde's pounding heartbeat as she placed a hand over Emma's chest in order to push them both up into a sitting position. She revelled in the feeling of the blonde's small arms around her neck as she looked up into forest green eyes filled with such emotion it caused the breath to catch in her throat. Leaning in slowly she couldn't help the dark chuckle that escaped her lips as Emma's eyes began to close in anticipation of what she was finally being allowed to experience.

Emma frowned as Regina pulled back just before contact, the frown turned to a scowl as she saw the mischief playing within deep brown eyes. "You my dear," her face scrunched as a lean finger came down to swipe at her nose before Regina moved from under her, "have a diner to open."

The blonde sighed deeply as she looked at the clock resting on the bedside table, it was 5:50am and definitely time to open up. She would've groaned but the thought of Regina staying behind just to help her and spend even more time with her made the process all the more appealing.


The usual crowd of faces rolled in one by one to order their morning coffees and breakfast, Regina to her credit helped as much as possible even with Emma complaining that it was her day off and so work was the last thing she should be doing. Cooking, she stated, apparently soothed the doctor and so she took responsibility for the creation of probably the best breakfasts the patrons had experienced in a very long time. Granny was suitably unimpressed when she strolled into her diner at 11:30am ready to take over the stove. The tip jar was overflowing with many comments on the over par standard in breakfasts that morning. For her part Regina merely smiled hesitantly as she handed over the spatula to the clearly disgruntled older woman.

Even after working a morning shift she stayed by the blonde's side until her shift ended at 2pm, at which point Ruby strolled in and joined them in a nearby booth.

"I swear to god, if Lieberman grabs my ass one more time…" Ruby complained as the women laughed, "and Whale…ARGH!"

Regina knew the history between the junior doctor and their superior, she knew how the man had practically broken Ruby's heart with his promises of devotion before going on to sleep his way back around the hospital. It had taken a lot of pep talks and an inhumane amount of tequila to get the young woman back on her game and Regina wasn't sure she could withstand the hangovers once again. "Honey, he's an idiot remember? Besides…I thought you had your eye on the sheriff?"

Emma's head whipped around at this, "Graham?" she looked dumbfounded, "seriously?"

"Hey, no judgement" the truth was Ruby was infatuated with the town sheriff, he just had something about him that she couldn't help but become drawn to, "I don't tease you about your lady likes" they all laughed at the eyebrow twitching shot towards Regina.

Contrary to their belief their close proximity hadn't gone unnoticed by the brunette; she smiled at the way both remained near one another. How the little fingers of their hands brushed underneath the table and the spark in their eyes that certainly wasn't there the night before. She was happy for her friends, Emma had clearly been through enough to more than deserve the woman sat next to her, the same woman who had drove her colleagues crazy the past year constantly asking to be updated on the blonde's progress.


Ruby strolled out of the changing rooms with a shit eating grin on her face, if she would've glance back she would've witnessed her superior sneaking out from behind the door. His face was flushed as he rearranged his stethoscope; Ruby had well and truly knocked his socks off with that kiss.

Approaching the empty staff room she could hear a strange sound, on first glance she saw it to be unoccupied and so simply flopped herself down onto the sofa. This shift had been trying and she was only just getting used to the hours, the sound came again from somewhere to her right. All's she could see was the water cooler…was that a foot sticking out from behind it?

Walking over her heart clenched as she took in the sight of Doctor Mills crouched down by the wall, hidden from sight by the cooler but given away by the sound of her sobs.

"Hey…" she jumped slightly at the soothing hand on her shoulder, her brown eyes were red from her cries, "what's wrong?"

Regina tried taking deep breaths in order to keep her voice steady enough to speak, her body was convulsing violently with the emotions flooding through her body, "sh-she…" Ruby's arms wrapped tightly around her as she attempted to speak, "she's g-g-going to b-be alright!" the last word came out almost as a scream. The young brunette didn't need to ask who the doctor was referring to.

"But that's a good thing isn't it sweetie?" she ran a hand through silky dark hair and she breathed soothing words into Regina's ear, she felt the woman nod against her, "so then…why are you crying?"

Regina pulled back slowly to look at Ruby, wanting the younger woman to understand what she was feeling, "I'm just so happy."


It made Ruby's heart soar to see the pair how they were now, Regina was finally getting the thing she deserved most, love.

Their afternoon was spent together, all regaling each other with stories of their lives before parting ways. Ruby was spent from working the early morning shift at the hospital and so took off for a well-deserved sleep. This left Emma and Regina, they stood on the street outside Granny's with neither wanting to leave the other but the evening was drawing in and Regina was working the early shift in the morning.

"Well…" Regina held out her hand, it was something so far away from the intimacy they had shared earlier but all of her confidence in their conjoined feelings had disappeared into the night air, "goodnight."

"Yeah," Emma took the hand in her own, her breath catching as they made contact. Her eyes locked with deep brown as she tried to remind herself to breath, "thank you for today."

Reluctantly Regina began to back away with a small smile, "no problem…I'll see you soon?" God how she hoped that was true, she had half a mind to run over and kiss the bumbling blonde senseless right then and there.

"Yeah," some of Emma's brain cells returned slowly as her close proximity to Regina was lessened, "hey, I still owe you that date don't I?"

Regina couldn't help but to let the wide grin taking over her face show, she also couldn't help but blush at Emma's returned smile and blush.

"Tomorrow night good for you?"

Regina nodded a little too vigorously before controlling herself, "tomorrow night it is, Emma."