As usual, collage for this chapter is on my Insta. Thank you for all your wonderful reviews, I love hearing from you guys. Warning for this chapter, there are mentions of child abuse, nothing really graphic, but just to warn you.

~The Lonely Geek

Chapter 4

Saturday

"Are you sure this looks okay?" Regina sighs, flopping down on her bed, looking over to her sister.

"Yes, you look stunning," Zelena assured her. "Emma's not gonna care what you're wearing." Before muttering under her breath. "She'd probably prefer it if you wore nothing."

"Zee!" Regina laughed, throwing a pillow from her bed and hitting her sister in the face with it. "It's our first date."

"And it'll be fine," Zelena told her. "You two are gonna spend the time making fun of each other and doing gooey coupley stuff and you'll love every second of it."

"I hope so," Regina says, now feeling nervous as she looked at herself one last time in the mirror. Zelena was right; she did look stunning. "Now I should get going if I'm to get Emma on time."

"I'll get the food and be long gone by the time you two get there," Zelena smiled before hugging her sister. "Now have fun."

"Thanks Zee," Regina smiled, grabbing her car keys.

A few minutes later

"You're actually ready on time Miss Swan," Regina smirked as Emma opened the door. Emma couldn't think back a retort. She was too amazed by how gorgeous her girlfriend looked. She was gonna have to go on dates with her more often if she wore dresses like that for every date. "You look beautiful." Regina added, smiling at Emma's own dress and the lack of her signature red leather jacket.

"So are you going to tell me where we're going?" Emma asked as they got into Regina's car.

"The beach," Regina replied, but refused to give anymore details when Emma questioned why she had to be so dressed up for it.

"Hey, where are we going?" Emma asked, confused at why Regina had just driven past the beach.

"Oh didn't I mention, when I created the curse I made sure I had my own personal bit of beach. It's much nicer than sharing with screaming kids," Regina smiled and they soon arrived. "Come on." Regina opened the car door for Emma and led her down onto the beach. The beach was hidden from the main beach by a large cliff and the sand was soft and golden.

"Is that a picnic?" Emma asked, seeing a blanket and basket a way off.

"I thought you'd like something a bit less formal," Regina told her. "And I even got Zelena to get you a grilled cheese fresh from Granny's."

"I thought you despised Granny's," Emma smirked, touched that Regina had thought so much about the date. Any nervousness that she had about the date was now forgotten.

"I do, but Zelena got it," Emma laughed at this. "Besides I'd do anything for you dear."

"Really?" Emma smirked as they sat at the blanket, their fingers interlaced.

"Really," Regina confirmed.

"I'm guessing you're not having a grilled cheese," Emma laughed at the thought of the Queen eating something so greasy.

"Considering I don't plan on dying a premature death from clogged up arteries," Regina arched her eyebrow at Emma.

"One grilled cheese isn't gonna kill you," Emma argued.

"One grilled cheese a day like you have will," Regina replied, before picking her salad out of the basket. "Meanwhile a salad is nutritious and delicious." Emma just wrinkled her nose up in disgust.

"Thank you," Emma said after a few minutes. "For doing all this. It might be simple, but it's perfect."

"Anything for my girlfriend," Regina smiled. "Though I am going to have to improve your eating habits, you're worse than Henry."

"Who says that's an insult?" Emma laughed. "Our kid is great."

"He may be, but his eating habits may not be," Regina agreed. "And he certainly didn't get that from me."

"Why are you so fussed about how the kid eats anyway?" Emma asked suddenly, realising that Regina had a weird expression on her face. "I know it's important, but there's nothing wrong with having a grilled cheese occasionally." Regina paused, lost in an old and painful memory. She had to blink back tears before replying.

"You're right," She said, her eyes meeting Emma's. "My mother always thought that it was important that a young lady was slim. She didn't believe I would be able to marry high up if I ate unhealthily. On my tenth birthday my father tried to give me a cake, but mother found out." Regina broke off, the tears starting to flow down her face now. "She forced me to sit and look at it for the rest of the day and wouldn't permit me to even try a crumb. The next day I was only allowed to eat one crust of bread and I was locked in the cellar next to the kitchen so I could smell all the food being prepared for some party she was hosting, but couldn't eat some."

"Regina-" Emma broke in, her eyes wide and heart bleeding for what her girlfriend had been put through. "I'm so sorry."

"I guess old habits just die hard," Regina shrugged as Emma wrapped her arm around her.

"What was the cake like?" Emma asked, an idea coming into her head.

"Vanilla," Regina replied. "With a layer of melted chocolate instead of icing and sliced strawberries around the outside."

"Like this?" Emma asked, flicking her wrist so a cake appeared on front of them.

"Yes," Regina whispered.

"It's all yours," Emma told her, and Regina smiled at Emma's thoughtfulness and picked off a flake of chocolate and nibbled it delicately.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" Regina asked Emma, picking off a strawberry and feeding it to Emma.

"Only once or twice," Emma smiled, accepting the strawberry. "If you ever need to talk about anything... I'm here for you, always."

"And I with you," Regina told her. "I know you're childhood wasn't easy and that was my doing."

"Well you've made up by being the perfect girlfriend," Emma replied.

"Perfect?" Regina arched her eyebrow. "That's a very high compliment."

"And you're the only person in the world who deserves it," They smiled once more before leaning in and kissing softly. And in that moment, neither of them cared about the pains of their past. They were together and that was enough.