Typing has been a special kind of hell. I guess I will need to take a break until my eyes get better... But, for now, enjoy the new chapter...


When Regina woke for the second time that morning, she knew that the blonde had already left the apartment. It wasn't the silence that clued her in but the barely there feeling of something missing, the feeling that the brunette did her best to ignore, as it led down a dangerous path.

Having woken up the first time that night, Regina had wanted to take a glass of water. But, on her way to the kitchen she saw the empty couch, the sheets still strewn over it in haphazard fashion, telling a story of a restless sleeper, and she had frowned for in order to reach the kitchen from the master bedroom Regina had passed by the majority of apartment and having not seen the blonde there, it had presented a mystery to her. However, her bafflement had ended quickly when she had remembered another place that the owners of the apartment had had access to, Henry having it shown to her just days before. So, after taking Emma's bathrobe from the bedroom, with tentative steps, keeping quiet, she had climbed onto the roof, finding the blonde there, lost in stargazing, the weary and defeated set to the Savior's shoulders unnerving her greatly, for the insufferable woman had always been strong and enduring in her presence, the punches more often than not rolling off her, as she had forced and pushed on, taking no quarter.

After their little chat, Regina had decided to tone down her cold shoulder and to respect the faltering truce between them, the brewing of something deeper underneath it all ignored and denied.

Walking into the kitchen this time, Regina saw that the couch had been made, and there on the breakfast nook was a black coffee thermos, its green logo obnoxiously visible against the matted surface of the cup. Beside it was a bag with a familiar bakery's name on it, the mouthwatering scents still coming from it, as well as the warmth of the pastries, the signs that Emma had not been gone for long. When Regina reached for the bag, her fingers felt a different kind of paper on the other side of it, and with smirk she read the note clipped to their breakfast.

Enjoy! See you for lunch.

Regina chuckled at the note, the handwriting so obviously Emma's even though the woman had tried to make it more legible and fancier.

"Cool, bagels," Henry spoke from behind her, having stumbled out of his room. But, when he glanced around, his face fell slightly as he shuffled toward his chair at the counter. "She's gone already?" he asked his mother, the question more perfunctory than with the real need of knowing the answer. "But, I thought…" he stopped himself with a shrug, taking one of the bagels out of the bag and biting into it, trying not to show how Emma's absence bothered him, as she had warned him that she would be away a lot. However, he had hoped to at least share some part of a day with his blonde mother, and he had thought that they would be all together for breakfast, if nothing else.

"She will be back by lunch, honey," Regina answered, opening the thermos and thoroughly enjoying the smell of a strong coffee that filled the air, having read her son's consternation perfectly, knowing him well to ease some of his dismay at his mother's behavior.

But before she could add anything else, the Mayor's phone rang in a rather obnoxious ring that she had set for the Charmings. When she had been in Storybrooke, the phone only had rung with that particular melody only when Snow had needed an advice on Neal, but she had been sure that the young mother had come to grips with the motherhood enough to stop relying on her former stepmother. Frowning, she picked it up, looking at Henry who was familiar with his mother's ringtones, and she saw that he had similar expression on his face, intrigue above all else portrayed in the sharp green eyes, but there was worry too.

"Good morning, Snow. What can I do for you on this lovely morning?" Even though she had come to peace with the pixie haired woman, the sarcastic and antagonistic nature of their relationship couldn't be undone with several 'kumbaya' sessions, despite their cooperation, with Neal, Henry, and everything else, including the previous year in the Enchanted Forest.

"Regina," came the slightly miffed voice of Mary Margaret, the name also serving as a greeting. "Is Emma with you?" the woman went straight to the point, knowing that the Mayor did not appreciate small talk and waste of time.

"No, she left a while ago," Regina replied, the urgency in her former enemy's tone doing nothing to settle her nerves. "Is something wrong?"

"She said she would call but she hadn't since the day you left, and then it was only a short conversation to just tell us that you are at the place, all in one piece. Yesterday, she declined my calls and did not answer any of the messages I sent. And when I tried to reach her just a minute ago, I get directed to her voicemail." The quick utterance made Regina force down her scorn, knowing that if she interrupted Snow, asking her to speak with more sense, the woman would grow only more frantic. "What's happening, Regina?" And, there it was. The mistrust from the royal couple she had known would resurface sooner or later, regardless of all the speeches of letting go of the past and so on…

"If she is still in the subway, that is normal for New York," Regina answered calmly, not allowing her voice to show her irritation at the woman on the other side of the conversation, even though she had gripped the counter hard to keep herself centered and focused, suffused with warmth when her son took the palm between his own two and squeezed gently. "And, she will come back for lunch with us, and I will tell her you called." She did not say that she knew why Emma hadn't called back, everything with Neal must have been really hard on her, and to talk to the woman who had named her second born with the same name, the woman who had confessed to wanting to start over with another child… Yes, Regina knew why Emma hadn't replied, but she wasn't going to speak of it, not until Emma gave her permission to do so.

And, that thought, that respect for Emma's boundaries and privacy was the most telling sign of her emotional state, again the sign she decided to avoid, or at least postpone dealing with it till the later date.

She had missed some of Snow's complaining words, but suddenly having lost all patience to deal with the woman, Regina interrupted. "Mary Margaret, Emma is a grown woman, capable of taking care of herself, not needing hovering parents to do it for her, all the while pestering her. She came here to finish some rather important business, having warned all of us previously that it would take most, if not all of her time. So, Snow, when she has time to talk to you, and wants to call, I am sure that she will do so. I will, however, inform her that you have been looking for her. Now, good day, Snow!" Regina gave the phone to Henry, taking her coffee thermos and going out on the roof, needing a moment to dispel the irritation.

Minutes later Henry passed through the door and sat beside his mother offering her phone back. It didn't escape her that they were both still in their pajamas sitting in the open, under the morning Sun.

"You know something," Henry spoke softly, his voice not having a trace of accusation, just a simple statement showing that he was aware that something was happening with Emma and that he knew the brunette had at least some knowledge of it.

"Yes. A little."

She wasn't going to lie to him, but she was aware that Henry wasn't going to push her on it, knowing that there was time for everything and that Emma would share with him when she was ready. Nodding at her answer he smiled at her and leaned his head against her shoulder, while she sipped her coffee.

"Have you talked?" he asked after several minutes of quiet. Regina nodded. "And?" He moved his head away to see her better, the excitement in his face shining in the morning light. At Regina's raised eyebrow, he pouted, well aware that she was stalling. "Are you two okay now?"

"Henry, it is a long process and it takes a lot of work on both sides. It takes time." She tipped his nose when he frowned. "Just think of how long it took you to forgive me," Regina added softly, her brown eyes looking into his, while her finger caressed his cheek. But, when his eyes turned sad at the remainder, looking so similar to the other pair of green eyes she was seeing regularly, Regina drew a settling breath before she smiled at him encouragingly, willing to dispel the sadness that shaded the jade of the look focused on her face. "But, we are moving toward being okay."

The morning passed quickly as the two of them looked through the photos Henry had made in the year he had spent there, commenting each with a humorous remark or an anecdote about the scenes in them. It was how Emma found them, laughing over Henry's Halloween costume and the teenagers' party, where one of the girls had showed as Snow White. After joining them on the couch, she added her own stories to the pictures, her sarcasm and dryness often causing Henry to burst into a laugh often, once even bringing him to tears as they remembered the particular winter day that everything that could have gone wrong for Emma had gone, the day getting rapidly worse, his glee in turn making Regina chuckle softly. But the moment Henry mentioned Walsh, Emma clammed up, laughter leaving her eyes immediately. Quickly she asked about lunch, rising from her seat and going into the kitchen.

Regina had heard the comments about the boyfriend-turn-flying monkey but there was apparently more to the story than even Henry knew. Deciding to let it go for the moment, their ceasefire still fragile and she did not want to do or say, or even provoke Emma in doing or saying, anything to damage it. So, following the blonde to the kitchen, she started on salad, as the others joined her, making lunch becoming a family endeavor, enriched with light teasing and impish food fight in the middle of it, the culprits of course being Emma and Henry.

When they dropped off Henry to Avery's place, Emma drove them to one of party stores in the Village, the one she had been using before for Henry's birthday and Halloween. Showing her around the shop, Emma gathered the party flavors, laughing at the scowl on the other woman's face when she placed several cans of silly string in the shopping cart, or when Regina accidentally opened a can with inflatable snakes. But the brunette did not lag behind with her own revenge, several of her own jokes almost downright cruel. However, they enjoyed the return of barbed repartee, settling into a pleasant rhythm. Immediately after finishing up with the party supplies, Emma drove them to a Chinatown supermarket, telling Regina that it held most of the known foods and drinks, and cheaply, at that.

"You're not going to ask me?" Emma spoke after a long a bit of silence, walking beside Regina who was pushing the shopping cart, examining the shelves. The break in their conversation had happened right after Henry had called, begging them to let him stay over at Avery's for sleepover, as apparently there had been some other boys Henry was friends with. Granting him permission the women realized that they would not have a buffer in his form for the rest of the day and night, slightly unnerved by the prospect. Staying civil and controlled in public and under Henry's supervision at the apartment was easy, but without the protective net as such…

"What?" Regina said absently as she regarded the bottles of apple juice, trying to decide which one was better. When she placed the most satisfying choice into the cart she turned toward the blonde and noticed the frown on her face as well the unsecure posture and hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

"About Walsh?"

"You want to talk about that?" Regina raised her eyebrow in surprise before she glanced around. "Here?"

"No, I mean, I thought you would've cornered me by now." Mumbling into her chin, the blonde went straight ahead, before she twisted around suddenly and looked at Regina. "I mean, you never let me get away with things…" Then it seemed as Emma realized where she was and the walls came up incredibly fast as she turned away one more time, leaving Regina flabbergasted beside the juices. "Never mind," Emma added going to fruit section of the store, picking up several items.

That evening the tension between them was back, as they ate Regina's spaghetti in silence, neither offering to start a conversation, the looks thrown over the table, glancing away when they caught the eyes watching them back. But when Regina took a bottle of wine and two glasses, having placed the bottle opener in her pocket, and walked out to the terrace on the roof, Emma followed her without question.

As they took their seats, Regina passed the bottle to Emma to open it, watching as the deft fingers handled their task. Wordlessly toasting them, the brunette sipped the wine and sat back, her posture of the Evil Queen, relaxed on her throne, but instead of cold, calculated and condescending look in her eyes, Regina gazed at the blonde with something akin gentle regard, before she spoke.

"I don't care about Walsh, or any other man in your life, until it interferes with Henry," Regina said clearly, her voice taking on a slightly softer edge when she continued. "That said, I am offering you a friendly ear for tonight, if you wish to share something." The offer in itself surprised Emma, even if the remark about her relationships was expected. "This is a limited time offer, Miss Swan."

"Emma," the blonde instantly corrected, and took a large swallow of the tasty white wine, preparing herself to talk.

"Emma," Regina acknowledged with a nod.

And, the blonde took the offer, talking about what Walsh had become to her, the remainder that she wasn't safe anywhere from the dangers of the fairy tale world, about the burden of the Savior, the ever changing demands placed on the woman, fighting a villain after a villain, not having a moment to sit down, to enjoy time with her son, with her family… She talked about mixed feelings she had about the newborn, her abandonment issues preventing her to enjoy the happy event and embrace her brother with acceptance. She talked about her parents and their incessant need to help her find her happy ending right away, pushing people her way, about Henry… From time to time Regina would offer an opinion, or ask a question meant more for Emma to think about things then to learn something. Then they ended up talking about the memories they shared, Regina once more explaining the process behind creation of the life Emma had had before Hook had given her the potion.

When Regina finally retired to bed, it was past midnight, meaning that they had spent six hours on the roof talking and sharing. The wine had been gone in the first hour, and after that they had switched to mineral water with lemons. She had heard some things she would have never guessed and in turn she had spoken of some of her darker moments, feeling their connection grow steadier. Pleased with the very satisfying evening, she closed her eyes, sinking into restful sleep.

She was awakened by a loud scream, muffled by the walls, startling her as she jumped out of bed, as she tried to summon her magic. Rolling her eyes at her forgetfulness, she opened the door of the room carefully, slinking off toward the sounds of sobbing in the living room, realizing what was happening the instant she saw the Savior. The blonde woman was weeping in the pillow, her fists bunched into the blanket, as she shook terribly. First, Regina thought that Emma was awake, trying to settle her emotions, but when she heard a soft murmur, she saw that the other woman was still in the grips of the nightmare. Coming closer, Regina reached for the blonde's shoulder trying to shake the woman awake but it didn't work. Emma's skin was sleek with sweat, her white top sticking to her, completely drenched while the woman herself was ice cold. Pushing the wet hair out of the pale face, Regina placed her palm onto the cheek, wet from the tears endlessly streaming over it, crouching beside the couch, trying once more to wake the blonde.

"Regina," Emma murmured brokenly and the brunette sighed in relief before she heard the rest of it. "Please, Regina. No… no…" Emma was having nightmares about her? Regina frowned, disappointed by that knowledge, having hoped that at least Emma did not see her as the Evil Queen. But, having attacked her in her office just several days before, bringing her to the brink of death, she guessed that the blonde's subconscious mind had a lot of material to create such dreams. "Regina, I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Almost choking on her sobs, Emma reached blindly for something and feeling the silk of Regina's pajamas, she pulled her hand closer to her, her palm creating a fist in the silk. "Please don't cry. I'll deal with her myself if you want. Please, don't hate me." Still sleeping blonde pulled Regina into her arms, the uncomfortable position doing nothing to deter the woman. "I'll do anything, please. I am sorry."

Regina closed her eyes, the tears slipping out of her eyes, her composure already shaken by startling awakening. It wasn't the Evil Queen Emma dreamt about… The pleading voice explained enough of the pictures haunting the blonde. Even though she was surprised with the offer to kill Marian just to make her happy again, the idea that Emma would do anything for her awed her beyond recognition. Similar words had been spoken when awake, but Regina guessed that the confirmation from the most vulnerable part of Emma's psyche was all it took to understand the impact the blonde's mistake had on the Savior herself. And, the mumbled words from the night before – Never, as I live and breathe, took on a different meaning, forcing more tears down Regina's face.

Not able to bear the heart wrenching sobs and pleas anymore, Regina leaned into the blonde and hugged her closely, deciding that if she couldn't wake Emma up, at least she would try to ease the dreams. "I forgive you," she whispered into the blonde's ear, the hot breath forcing down a shiver to run down Emma's spine. Regina smirked at the reaction, cataloguing it for later. The words she had said stopped the murmurs, however the blonde was still whimpering softly, gripping the silk firmly. "Emma, I forgive you."

After repeating the words over and over several times the blonde relaxed, sinking into restful sleep perhaps for the first time in weeks. Slowly, Regina opened the fist at her chest and released her clothes from the hold, managing to slip away without disturbing the blonde further. Sighing, she covered the blonde with the blanket, tucking her in as she went through the motions, before she wiped an errant tear from Emma's mostly dry cheek. Looking around she saw light peering in from the windows and with surprise she looked at the clock, seeing that it was already after five in the morning.

Taking a shower and dressing for the day, Regina thought back to the blonde, witnessing the nightmare making her thoughts and ideas about the Savior swirl, shown in the new light, rippling through her emotions as well. She took the book she had started reading the day they had arrived there, waiting for Emma to wake before getting on breakfast, not willing to rouse the woman with the noise of the kitchen.