A/N: For once, I actually have nothing to say. Thanks for all the support. I really hope you guys like this chapter. Things they are a-changin' :)

Opening the gate to Regina's yard, she turned her face to the sky. It looked like rain even though the forecast had promised sunny skies. She had thought it would be perfect to take Henry to the batting cages for a few hours, but it looked as though she might have to change their plans. As she headed up the steps to the portico, the front door opened slowly. Henry poked his head through the crack.

"Hey. I'm not ready to go yet, but you can come inside." He opened the door wider and reached for her arm.

"Oh, Henry, I don't know that that's such a good-"

"Come on." He said, pulling her into the house against her will.

She stepped into the foyer to be met with the sound of piano playing. Regina's piano playing. She looked towards Henry in question, but her son immediately bolted for the stairs, leaving her standing awkwardly alone in the foyer. Turning towards the exit, she found that the front door was still slightly ajar. She could wait for Henry outside, avoid upsetting the truce that had recently formed between her and Regina.

But the last thing that she wanted was to leave. She listened to the music drifting out of the living room. Wanting to be closer, she took soft steps towards the source of the sound. It was a slow number, Chopin if she remembered correctly, a piece that she had heard many times before. It had always been one of Regina's favorites. When the brunette came into view around the corner, Emma froze, her breath catching in her throat.

Regina looked at ease, something that Emma had yet to see since she got back to town. Her eyes were closed, fingers gliding effortlessly over the keys. There was a ghost of a smile on her lips. Unconsciously, Emma leaned against the banister, watching in rapt fascination as Regina played through the rest of the number.

Before Henry was born, back when they still lived in Boston, Regina would play for her every evening. It was their nightly ritual, their way of winding down from the chaos that each day brought. Sometimes Emma would read a book or a magazine while Regina played, but mostly she simply studied her wife, watched the way that the music would flow through her. Each night she knew that she fell a little bit more in love with Regina.

It was memories like those that haunted Emma when she wondered if she had made a mistake by walking away. The happiness they had together was real, and even though things got so ugly between them, she knew that Regina was the only person who would ever have a place in her heart. It didn't matter what happened between them, she knew that Regina was her soul mate. She just wasn't sure that she was Regina's.

With the last notes of the song hanging in the air, Regina slowly pulled her hands away from the keys, her eyes opening for the first time since Emma had started watching her. A few moments passed in silence before Regina glanced down to her watch. Annoyance crossed her face, and she turned on the piano bench towards the foyer. Her eyes met Emma's.

Immediately straightening up, Emma internally cursed herself for getting caught. She felt the panic rise within her, her cheeks growing hot. "Regina, I- I'm sorry, I just- Henry let me in, then he ran upstairs for something. And you were playing and I didn't-"

Regina held up her hand, causing Emma to stop talking. "It's fine," she said, though her eyes gave away her discomfort. Standing, she smoothed down her skirt and started into the foyer. She stopped at the base of the stairs, only a few feet away from where Emma was standing, but paid the blonde no attention. Her gaze turned up to the second floor, she called out, "Henry?"

A few moments passed in silence before an answer came down. "Be right there!"

Emma chanced a look at Regina at the same time that the brunette turned towards her. Giving Regina a smile, she decided she had to say what she was thinking. Even if it wasn't the right thing to say, she still wanted Regina to know. "Your playing is still so beautiful."

Regina gave her the briefest of smiles then quickly peeled her gaze away from Emma's, turning her attention back to the stairs as though she were pleading for Henry to join them. "Thank you," she said softly.

"You know," Emma chuckled nervously, "anytime I hear a piano, I always think of you." Regina's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "But nobody's music makes me feel the same way yours does."

Regina seemed to be at war with herself, conflict shining in her eyes. Her voice barely audible, she asked, "how does it make you feel?"

"Indescribably happy... Like the only things that exist in this world are the two of us and that piano. It's kinda perfect." She feared her words were too much for Regina, but the brunette gave her a genuine smile. They both heard a noise from above, drawing their attention upstairs. Henry appeared on the second story landing and quickly started down. "Hey, kid. You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Emma turned her attention back to Regina. "I'll have him back by dinnertime."

The brunette stared at her for a moment, as though she were debating something with herself, then finally responded, "if you'd like, you may keep him for dinner tonight."

"Really?" Henry asked from the stairs, eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Yes," Regina turned her attention back to Emma, "but have him home by eight."

"Will do." She watched as Regina turned her attention back to their son and gave him a weak smile. When Regina started up the stairs towards where Henry was standing, Emma got an idea. "Regina?" The brunette turned towards her, eyebrows raised in question. "You wanna have dinner with us? We can all go to Granny's, my treat."

Her eyes widened for a split second before any trace of emotion was wiped from her face. "Oh, I... don't think so."

"Please, mom?"

Regina turned back to Henry. His bottom lip was stuck out ever so slightly, eyes wide with hope. Emma couldn't see Regina's face from her angle, but she knew the brunette was struggling with turning him down. "Not tonight," Regina said softly to Henry, "but you two have fun." She placed a gentle hand on Henry's shoulder as she passed him on her way upstairs.

Emma watched until Regina was out of sight, then turned her attention back to her son. The disappointment was obvious in his eyes. "It's just gonna take time," she said softly, not wanting to chance Regina hearing her from above. "But things are getting better between the three of us, right? I mean, we had a pretty peaceful dinner the other night. That was progress."

"Yeah." His shoulders slumped a little as he walked down the rest of the stairs and towards the front door.

Emma turned her attention back to the top of the staircase. Regina was avoiding her again, that much was obvious. Their dinner three nights ago had been too much for the brunette. It was too much like it used to be, too intimate for where she and Regina were in their relationship now. It was only natural for Regina to be pulling away again, but it made Emma's mission that much more difficult.

Ever since Henry had tasked her with helping Regina, she had been searching for ways to do just that, but so far she had come up with nothing. Her only plan was to keep a closer eye on her ex, but considering the distance between them, it wasn't going to be easy. She knew that there was nothing she could really do to help until Regina was willing to let her in, and Regina was nowhere near ready for that.

"Mama?" She looked back to Henry. He was standing on the front porch, eying her. "You coming?"

"Yeah." She cast a quick look back upstairs then followed her son outside.

...

She checked the clock on her cell phone. It was nearing nine-thirty; she had promised Regina she would get Henry home by ten. The last twenty minutes or so, Henry's enthusiasm for trick-or-treating seemed to have waned, so she thought it was probably time to start their journey back home. It had been a long enough night for the both of them.

She glanced back to the most recent house they had stopped at, finding Henry already on his way back down the sidewalk, his Darth Vader mask tucked under his arm. When he got to her, he smiled wearily then broke out into a yawn.

Chuckling, she said, "how about we call it a night?"

He seemed to relax at the idea and nodded. "Ok."

As they started in the direction of the house, Emma asked, "you think your mom's home yet?" Regina had experienced some emergency at the office earlier that day, forcing her to stay late to work on a tax paperwork thing that Emma didn't begin to understand, let alone want to.

"Probably not. She said she might not be home before bedtime."

Emma frowned, not having realized things were so bad for Regina. "Then how about we stop by her office so that you can tell her goodnight?" City Hall was only a few blocks out of the way. A quick visit would allow her a chance to check in on Regina, see how she was doing without drawing attention to her motives.

"Ok." Henry's mood seemed to brighten at the idea of seeing his mother, causing Emma to smile.

Some ten minutes later, they made it to City Hall. Emma glanced across the street and found Regina's car parked in an otherwise empty lot. She followed Henry up to the building and checked the front door. It was unlocked. She knew that the town was nearly crime-free, but that didn't mean that basic safety precautions shouldn't be taken. She made a mental note to talk to Regina about that later as they headed up towards the mayor's office, their footsteps echoing throughout the empty building.

When Emma reached the open door to Regina's office and glanced inside, her heart skipped a beat. Regina was behind her desk, writing steadily on a document. She felt Henry nudge her forward and looked down to her son. He gave her a small smile and nodded. She wasn't sure what he was looking so happy about, but after glancing back up at Regina, she cleared her throat.

Regina looked up from her desk in surprise. "Hi." She said slowly as she schooled her features back into place. "What are you two doing here?" Her gaze fixed on Henry, she stood up and moved around her desk as Emma and Henry crossed the room towards her.

"We thought we'd surprise you," He said with a grin.

"And that you did. How was trick-or-treating?"

He held up his plastic pumpkin full of candy. "Really awesome."

Both Emma and Regina chuckled, their eyes meeting for a moment. When Regina looked back down to Henry's loot, Emma studied the smile on her ex's face. She really missed seeing that smile on a regular basis. "How about we take you home?" She heard herself asking without thought.

Regina looked up to her in surprise. With a shake of her head, she answered, "I need to work for a little while longer, probably another couple of hours."

"Please, mom?" Henry begged. "It's almost ten. You can do the rest tomorrow. Please?"

Regina closed her eyes for a few moments, and Emma knew then what her answer would be. "Alright," she said softly.

"Yes!"

"I just have to get my things." Regina said and circled back around her desk.

A few minutes later, the trio was back outside of City Hall, and after a little begging from Henry, were walking towards the house, leaving Regina's car abandoned in the parking lot. Henry not-so-subtly moved from between the women to Emma's far side, forcing Regina and Emma to walk next to each other. Emma glanced up to Regina to gauge the brunette's reaction, but her expression was blank, her attention focused on the sidewalk in front of them. Looking down to Henry, Emma watched as he snuck a hand into his pumpkin and pulled out a piece of candy.

"Hey, let me check it first," she said, holding out her hand for the treat. He handed it to her and she gave it the once over. "Looks alright." She held it back out for him to take, asking, "can I have a piece?"

"Sure." He reached back into his pumpkin and pulled out a Baby Ruth for her.

As she took the candy, she smiled at her luck. Glancing at Regina, she found the brunette already watching her. "Here," she offered, knowing the candy was Regina's favorite. When the look in the brunette's eyes changed, and Emma could tell she was about to decline, she quickly added with a smirk, "you know you want it, Mills."

Regina's eyes went wide at the playful tone that Emma hadn't used with her in years. Her gaze dropped down to where the candy bar laid on Emma's palm. "Thank you," she said softly, her fingertips grazing Emma's skin as she took the candy bar from her. Emma gave her a small smile that was hesitantly returned.

When Regina's gaze was torn from hers, Emma glanced back down to Henry to find their son watching them carefully, a grin in his eyes. "Here," he said, holding up another candy bar, a Butterfinger, for Emma to take.

"Thanks," she took the bar then chanced a look over to Regina. The brunette had already opened hers up and was taking a bite of the chocolate. Before she was caught staring, Emma quickly turned her attention back to the path in front of them. There were only a few blocks to go before they reached the house. She felt her mood darken at the thought. The last thing she wanted was to say goodbye to her family again. "So..." she searched for anything to say to Regina, "you work too hard. Don't you have people you can delegate tax things to or something?" She cringed. That was the best she could do?

"I could, but not if I want the paperwork done correctly and on schedule."

Emma chuckled. Regina had always been a perfectionist. It was good to see that some things never changed. "Do you still have a lot left to do tomorrow?"

"Yes, unfortunately. A woman in the office was supposed to file the papers today, but when I reviewed them this afternoon, I found so many mistakes that I decided to just start over. It'll probably take a couple of days to get everything sorted out."

"I'm sorry." Regina looked up to her in surprise. She felt her heart leap in her chest and continued nervously, "it must be pretty hard being mayor, you know, being responsible for the welfare of the whole town and everything. When Henry told me that you were elected a few years ago, I knew that you were perfect for the job, but I never thought about how difficult it has to be, the pressure that's gotta come with it."

"It has its stresses, but it usually isn't too bad."

"Good... That's good to hear." She looked back to the path in front of them and winced. Not exactly the conversation she wanted to have with Regina, but at least they were talking cordially about something.

"How are you adjusting to being back in Storybrooke?"

Her eyes snapped up to meet Regina's, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Um, fine... It's been fine."

The look Regina gave her made it clear that the brunette didn't believe her. Regina knew how difficult the adjustment was the first time Emma moved to Storybrooke; there was no way it was going to be any easier now. "And the deputy position?"

"It's been interesting." Boring. Boring was the right word for it, but she wasn't about to say that to the woman who helped her land a source of income when she so desperately needed it. Regina smirked at her, apparently seeing right through her to the truth. She gave a half-smile and added, "it's pretty different from what I'm used to, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it's not nearly as stressful as my job in Chicago was. I don't have to worry about money anymore, and you know, I'm not dealing with the scum of the earth now. I haven't touched a first aid kit in the month that I've been on the job, so that's a bonus." She watched as Regina's eyes softened, knowing the brunette always hated how dangerous her work could be. She pretended that her stomach wasn't doing somersaults at the way that Regina was looking at her and said, "being deputy is definitely a good change. It's just gonna take a little while to get used to the slower pace, but it's where I'm supposed to be."

"Good. I'm glad that you like it."

As they approached the gate of the house, Emma slowed her walk. She didn't want to cross the property line, didn't want Regina to feel pressured into inviting her inside. It was late enough as it was; Henry and Regina both needed to get to sleep. "Well, this is where I say goodnight." She looked down to Henry in time to see another yawn. Chuckling, she said, "I had a lot of fun tonight, kiddo."

"Me too." He wrapped his arms around Emma's waist in a quick hug. "Night, mama."

"Night, buddy." When he pulled away and headed through the gate to the house, Emma turned her attention to Regina. Her ex was standing a few feet away, studying Emma carefully. Emma tamped down the feelings in her stomach, forcing herself to remain a picture of togetherness despite how nervous she suddenly was.

Regina broke the silence first, saying, "thank you for taking him. I know it was a hassle for you to get out of work tonight to do it. I really appreciate it."

"It was no problem. I had a lot of fun with him." She did a double-take. "Wait- how'd you know about work?"

"I spoke with the sheriff. He told me that you promised to work nights next week for him if he would cover for you tonight. And if you ask me," Regina leaned in just slightly, "he took advantage of your poor bargaining position."

Emma let out a laugh at how serious Regina was, causing the corners of Regina's mouth to quirk upward. "Well, the trade was worth it. I'm just sorry you couldn't come with us."

"So am I. I would've liked to have seen Henry trick-or-treating. Just a few more years and he'll think he's too old for it." There was a wistful smile on Regina's lips, and Emma could see the fear in her eyes. Their little boy was growing up too fast.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." She wanted to add a 'together' in there somewhere, but she knew Regina was still adjusting to having Emma back in town. She needed to be careful when it came to inserting herself in Regina's life. The last thing she wanted was to hurt the brunette any more than she already had.

After a pause, Regina said softly, "it's good that you moved back, Emma. He's really loved having you here."

"I've loved being here. I can't believe that I ever left." When the smile fell off of Regina's face, she knew that she probably shouldn't have said anything, but she couldn't keep herself from adding softly, "dumbest decision of my life."

Regina took a step backwards, closer towards the house, her gaze turning across the street. "Well, I should be going. Henry needs to get to bed."

Emma glanced up to the house where Henry was standing under the porch light, watching his mothers carefully. "Of course." She looked back to Regina as the brunette took another step backwards. "Have a good night, Regina."

"You too."

She watched as Regina headed through the front gate and walked up to where Henry was waiting on the front porch. When the door was unlocked and Henry had disappeared inside, Regina hesitated in the doorway. Slowly, she turned back around. When their eyes met, Emma's heart skipped a beat. She held up her hand in a wave, and Regina returned it before disappearing inside the house and closing the door behind her.

Emma took in a deep breath, trying to steady her heartbeat. They were definitely making progress.