Disclaimer in Chapter One.

AN: Thank you all so much for the great reviews, favourites, and alerts! You are all so awesome :)


Regina knocked on Emma's apartment door the following Saturday, a birthday gift clutched firmly in the nook of her arm wrapped precisely in blue wrapping paper with cakes and multicoloured balloons decorating it and a smaller gift bag hanging from her other hand. Judging from the music and loud chatter happening just behind the door, the party was in full motion, and Regina internally cursed New York traffic for making her late. It wasn't by much, but it mattered to Regina.

As soon as the door opened, a blinding flash overtook her vision, and by the time the spots cleared, she looked down to see Henry beaming up at her with a bulky Polaroid hanging from his neck as the still grey picture escaped its cartridge.

"Regina!" He greeted happily as he launched himself on her in a hug. "You came."

She crouched to accommodate him with a smile on her face mimicking his own. "Of course, sweetheart. I wouldn't miss my favourite little man's birthday."

He blushed before remembering the picture in his hand as it cleared to show Regina with widened eyes and parted lips, surprised at the sudden picture. He laughed when he showed it to her. "You look silly."

She gave a playful glare as he continued to laugh before giving in to her own laughter. "I suppose I do, don't I?"

He nodded happily then held up his Polaroid. "Look what my mom got me."

She glanced down at her own present before widening her eyes in appreciation at Henry's gift. "That is a very special gift. You don't see those often anymore."

He nodded again, proud this time, before turning his back to her and pressing his back to her front and pushing their heads together. He extended the camera out in front of them, but the strap around his neck and his short arms prevented him from getting very far.

Regina chuckled to herself before helping him remove the Polaroid then lifted the camera out in front of them.

"Say cheese," Henry nudged her slightly.

"Cheese," she smiled along with Henry as she snapped the picture.

The flash lit up and the camera whirred as the picture was being printed. Henry eagerly reached for the picture eyeing it impatiently for it to load.

Regina ruffled his hair before standing and finally taking in the scene. Streamers hung all over the place in no organized fashion, and Regina chuckled to herself that it was a toss up whether it was Henry or Emma who was tasked with that particular job. A large 'Happy Birthday' sign hung over the windows, and a small pile of gifts was nestled in the corner.

A few adults, Ruby and Ashley being among them, lingered in the kitchen helping themselves to drinks and chips. The source of the noise she had heard earlier was gathered in the living room where Emma was standing in the center surrounded by all the children pathetically attempting to evade their attacks of silly string and confetti. Her own can was useless against the the small army of four children as she gave up trying to attack back and resorted to protecting her face as the rest of her body was covered completely in the yellow, orange, and blue string.

Regina let out a breathy laugh as she took in the sight of the blonde. As if sensing her presence, Emma looked towards the door and created a small opening around her eyes from all the silly string that now formed her into a multicoloured Cousin Itt look alike. She gave a soft smile and a wave before finally pulling the string off her and waded her way through the horde of children who refused to let her escape. Regina watched as she leaned down closer and whispered something to them. The children released her and immediately began swarming around Ruby who was being dragged to the living room with a deadly glare at Emma.

"Interesting tactic," Regina mused as Emma approached them.

"Careful," Emma said with a threatening finger before pulling herself clean of the string. "I could have them on you with just a word."

Regina pulled off a lengthy piece of silly string from behind Emma's ear with an amused raised eyebrow. "Oh, the horror."

Emma laughed before leaning down and pressing her lips on the corner of Regina's mouth. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Me too," Regina answered with a soft smile. She remembered the gift in her hand and looked down to Henry. "If I recall it's somebody's birthday, is it not?"

"Mine!"

Regina handed him the wrapped gift. "Happy birthday, Henry."

In true curious fashion, he shook the box then pouted when nothing sounded inside it. "What is it?"

"You'll find out when you open presents," Emma said giving him a nudge. "What do you say?"

Henry held the small box under his arm before giving Regina another hug around the waist. "Thank you, Regina."

With that, he ran to the small gift pile and placed Regina's gift gently down along with his Polaroid before joining his friends in attacking Ruby.

Regina and Emma watched him play for a bit before Regina held up the small gift bag. "And this is for you."

Emma eyed it curiously. "Did I miss something already?"

She opened it to find her blue blouse, laundered and pressed and smelling just like Regina. Emma chuckled then feigned a surprised face, her hand pressed to her chest. "I love it. How did you know?"

Regina rolled her eyes before pushing the blonde back a few steps as she shrugged out of her coat. Compared to everyone else who was dressed in jeans and tshirts, Regina felt thoroughly overdressed in her simple dress and heels. Her attention was diverted when she felt a hand on the small of her back and Emma's lips near her ear as she whispered. "You look great."

She gave the blonde a smile, her eyes crinkling with its sincerity as she leaned forward an inch to peck the younger woman with gratitude.

Emma grinned down at her before ushering her towards the kitchen and introducing Regina to her friends.


Regina was impressed with the amount of energy children had. For four hours, she watched as they drained all the cans of silly string dry around most of the adults. She only effectively evaded the attack by pulling Emma in front of her to take nearly all of the impact which earned her a less than amused glare from the woman who had just managed to clean herself up. Even after eating their weight in pizza and pop, they still managed to be as lively as ever with Henry turning his living room into a makeshift soccer field. When Regina saw the mini soccer ball come out, her eyes nearly popped out of her head and she looked towards Emma wondering if the blonde was going to reprimand them. Regina knew if she had pulled that kind of stunt as a child there would have been serious repercussions as a child. But to her surprise, Emma just gave a word not to kick the ball too hard or towards the TV, and the children complied.

It was a different world as Regina came to realize. The clear mess would be cleaned up after the party. There was no one there to be impressed. There were just children enjoying their friend's birthday and friends coming together for a good time.

It was something she could get used to.

"Mom!" Henry ran over to his mother who was pouring herself a drink. "Can we do presents now? Please?"

She nodded with a sip of her drink as Henry celebrated with a fist pump to the air before scampering off to tell his friends it was present time.

"Our gifts may conflict," Regina admitted to Emma quietly as they stood at the back watching as he tore through his first gift - a Captain America shield from Ruby.

"You got him a Polaroid too?" Emma asked skeptically. "You shop on eBay?"

Regina shook her head. "I got him a camera. It's just a small thing."

Emma laughed. "You would." She stepped away to grab a garbage bag and began tossing the ripped and discarded wrapping and tissue paper that Henry was throwing out of his way haphazardly.

Regina sipped her bottle of water when she felt a presence beside her. She looked over to see a scruffy-bearded man, August if she remembered correctly, dressed in all black as he gave her a nod of acknowledgement.

"So you're the girl."

"I'm sorry?"

He extended his hand. "Booth. August W. Booth."

She took his hand politely though her face showed no recognition.

"You're the girl Emma begged me to get my father to give her reservations to his restaurant," August provided.

She took in his leather jacket and and black denim jeans skeptically. "Your father is Marco?"

"Family resemblance is uncanny, huh?" He said with a grin. "I'm also Emma's boss."

"Oh." Regina immediately straightened feeling foolish for not knowing. She would have thought Emma would introduce him as such, but the informalities were ever present. "You have a hard worker, Mr. Booth."

"Emma's a special one," he agreed as they continued to watch Henry open his gifts with Emma having to constantly remind him to say thank you. "She seems to really like you."

"What makes you say that?"

"She hasn't been late to work in six years," he answered. "You must be something special."

"Does it bother you?" Regina asked warily. "I can assure you that'll be the last time."

He laughed at her worry. "Relax. It's nice she's finally doing something other than work and watching her kid."

"It's nice to know she has people looking out for her," Regina agreed watching Emma smile as Henry showed her his new baseball set.

August nodded as he kept his gaze forward but his voice low. "I don't want to see her hurt."

Regina turned at the blatant implication in his voice. She set her jaw as she studied the man. His protectiveness was purely platonic judging from the brotherly way he spoke of Emma and of how he took on a fun uncle role with Henry when he was teaching him and his friends some magic tricks. She inclined her head acknowledging his words.

"Regina!" Henry called interrupting their conversation. He held her gift in his lap as he motioned her toward the spot beside him on the floor.

August saluted her with his cup as she set her water down and made her way to the middle of the living room, kneeling down and resting on her knees to settle beside the nine-year old.

Henry shook his gift one more time but decided tearing into it was the way to go.

"Easy, kid. You'll rip up the gift," Emma teased sidling up beside Regina.

"He's the birthday boy," Regina reasoned. "He can open it however he likes."

"Yeah," Henry agreed, moving closer to Regina to back up their double team.

Emma just shook her head as the final wrappings were thrown away.

"Woah!" Henry held up the small box with a black Samsung digital camera displayed on the front. "No way!"

Regina smiled down at the joy on his face when she felt a puff of air release sharply from behind her.

"You actually got him a real camera," Emma said impressed as she watched her son open the box eagerly. "You didn't have to do that. That must have been expensive."

Regina turned her head to fully look at Emma, swearing that the blonde's tone had a degree of flatness. "It's his birthday." She said obviously. "I know Polaroids are rare to come by."

Emma smiled tightly before nodding. "He loves it."

Sure enough the boy had opened the box and was avidly reading the instruction manual, eager to get the battery charged and to start snapping his own pictures.

Regina locked eyes with Emma, wondering what had made the blonde so uncomfortable. As quick as it came, Emma blinked and her eyes lightened thanking her for the gift before standing and claiming it was cake time.


It was another hour before the last child was picked up and Henry was hugging August goodbye.

"Thanks for the trades, August."

He ruffled Henry's head. "Anytime." He looked up at Emma and waved. "I'll see you later." He gave a final wave to Regina before shutting the door closed behind him leaving Henry, Emma, and Regina alone in the apartment with the mess to clean up.

Emma dropped on the couch, moving slightly when an Incredible Hulk action figure dug into her hip. "That is the last birthday you're gonna have."

"You say that every year," Henry dismissed as he inspected his haul.

Regina moved some fallen streamers to take a seat beside Emma, their thighs touching as their fingers intertwined in Emma's lap. She leaned over the blonde to pull a dried up piece of silly string from the crown of her head and held it in front of Emma teasingly.

"What?" Emma said offended at the strong and ran her hand through her hair. "I thought I got it all out."

"Your mane of hair seems to be a vortex," Regina quipped.

Henry smirked as he went over to the corner to retrieve the camera battery that was charging and placed it into the device. He purposely set himself in between Regina and Emma, forcing their hands to separate as he nuzzled into the confined space.

"Come here," he ordered as he held the camera up in front of them.

"So demanding," Regina tickled his side.

"Please?" He asked with a pout.

"You're lucky you have good genes," Emma said nestling her head against Henry's as Regina did the same.

Emma's arm came around both Henry and Regina as it nestled protectively on the older woman's shoulder.

It took a few tries before Henry finally succeeded, with only a little bit of Regina and Emma's foreheads cut off this time. He beamed at the screen. "My first picture."

Regina nodded impressed. "You might have a career in it yet."

Emma kissed his temple before ushering him off the couch. "Go put your stuff in your room before you go to Ashley's."

Regina stood as he did with confusion written on her face. "You have work?"

Emma nodded as she began to clear away stray paper plates and cups, finding pizza crusts on the tables.

"On his birthday?" She asked again as she held the garbage bag open for Emma.

"Yeah," the blonde huffed coming up from the floor to clean some crushed chips.

"Wouldn't August have given you the time off?"

"It's the end of the month," Emma reasoned. "Bills." She shrugged.

"Of course," Regina said with a furrowed brow.

They continued cleaning with Regina washing the glass cups and silverware while Emma cut up the pizza boxes and set them aside for the recycle. Emma leaned against the counter beside the sink, nudging Regina with her foot as the brunette glared at her in response.

"I am not a dog that needs poking."

Emma smirked before taking the final glass and placing it in the dish rack and inching herself between Regina and the sink. "I'm really glad you came."

"Henry wanted it," Regina said with a flourish of her head.

"Right, Henry," Emma rolled her eyes playfully. "And if I wanted it?"

"I'm not so sure I would have been able to make an appearance," Regina answered coyly.

Emma shook her head tugging Regina closer to her, her hands wrapping around her waist. "Please?" She mimicked her son's tone.

Regina grinned and leaned her head in, capturing Emma's lips between her own. As her lips moved over soft pink ones, Regina unconsciously leaned further into Emma, which wasn't difficult as the blonde was tugging on her hips until their bodies were pressed firmly against one another's. Regina's fingers traveled around Emma's neck as her arms extended to hang lazily around the blonde's shoulders.

This kiss was different from the other ones they had shared in the past. Where the others were soft and hesitant, the signs of the beginning of a blossoming relationship, this one was passionate and full of desire, needing to soak in one another.

Regina let out a breathy sigh when she felt Emma's tongue gently swipe against Regina's lower lip, and the brunette complied immediately letting Emma explore her. A moan was caught in Regina's throat, but she wasn't able to release it when they heard the sound of a door knob turning, and just in time, they sprang apart, their cheeks flushed and their chests heaving as Henry stepped out of his room.

Regina cleared her throat, gaining composure more quickly than Emma and made her way to Henry making sure all his toys were put away.


Regina walked Emma down to her car after Henry was settled at Ashley's with hugs for both of them. Their fingers found each other in the light of the slowly descending sun as they approached Emma's car.

"Where did you park?" Emma asked getting out her keys.

Regina motioned down the street where her Benz was still parked miraculously untouched.

"I'll drive you over."

"Because I'm incapable of walking?"

"Because I'm trying to milk the time I'm able to grace you with my presence," Emma answered smartly.

Regina rolled her eyes but didn't argue when she slipped into the beetle. Her expression turned smugly amused when the engine sputtered pathetically as Emma turned the key in the ignition.

"Come on, baby," Emma soothed her bug as she turned the key again. It continued to sputter, but this time her engine backfired loudly sounding much too like a gunshot. "Dammit!" Emma slammed her palm on the dashboard.

Regina remained quiet as Emma got out of the car and lifted her hood. Regina didn't need to be a mechanic to know that the smoke coming out from under the hood was not a good sign, so she stepped out and watched as Emma cleared the air and leaned under the hood to fiddle with the contraptions.

Ten minutes passed, and Regina was all too aware of August's earlier words that Emma had never been late in six years. Without a word, she rifled through her purse to remove her phone and flipped it open to call a tow truck.

"No no no," Emma said quickly stealing the brunette's phone and ending the call. "I don't need a truck."

"Your car won't start," Regina argued insistently before taking back her phone.

"I'll take the subway."

Regina scrunched up her face in disgust. "That is highly unsanitary."

"And breathing in this fresh, non-polluted air is just as good," Emma argued before moving back to the driver's seat and fishing out change from the cup holders. "Seriously. I'll be fine."

Regina marched over to Emma's side and tugged the blonde out of the car.

"Regina-"

"I'm driving you to work." The finality in Regina's tone was nothing to be messed with, but it was Emma after all. She had a tendency to do the opposite of what she was told.

"No you're not."

Regina just kept her grip on Emma while locking the beetle before dragging the blonde down the street. "It looks like you don't have a choice, dear."


They sat outside the Wooden Whale just before Emma's shift was due to start. Already some early birds were filtering into the bar as the sun had finally made its descent.

Emma glared petulantly at Regina. "You didn't have to drive me."

"What, I can't be nice to you now?"

"It is a little disconcerting," Emma teased before getting out of the car. She was going to stick her head in and bid Regina goodbye but was surprised when the brunette stepped out as well.

"You'll need a ride home," Regina answered the unasked question as she came to stand next to Emma.

"I don't want to have to wake you at three in the morning," Emma attempted to dissuade the brunette.

"Good because I plan on staying awake." With a sway to her hips, Regina sauntered towards the entrance, bypassing the men who lingered near the doors and obviously ignored their wanting stairs as she beckoned Emma to her.

Emma caught up with Regina noting the bar was beginning to crowd, but nothing like it would be later on. Already music rock music was blaring from the speakers and rounds of drinks were being served.

"You're going to stay here all night just to drive me home?" Emma asked skeptically.

"Consider it date number three," Regina said shrugging out of her coat and thrusting it along with her purse into Emma's arms. "Keep those safe."

Emma eyed her as she took a seat by the counter, and when she properly deduced that Regina was not leaving, she hopped on the counter and turned to quickly deposit the belongings into her locker. Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't attempting to impress the brunette, so she pulled on her cut offs and ripped tank, slipped on her boots, and added a cowboy hat for a last minute effect.

The way Regina's eyes raked up and down her body as she returned from the back was worth it, and she decided she liked having Regina there.


It was a moderate pace for the first hour with Emma making time to stop by Regina every so often to refill her drink of ginger ale with lime. Emma had tried slipping her a shot after her first and only apple martini, but the brunette reminded her she was driving for the evening. Emma subtly offered that she could drive them home, but the glare she received from even thinking about driving Regina's Mercedes let her know that option was not even on the table.

As the night went on, Emma continued to tend the bar while swirling bottles around her. More than once did she light a row of shots on fire smirking internally at the way Regina looked completely aghast at the spectacle, but Emma could see the underlying intrigue there. When she stepped onto the counter, she danced and flirted, earning bills and swaying her hips to the beat of the music. By the end of her song, Emma sauntered over to Regina who looked up at her unamused for fiddling with a man's tie and promptly placed the cowboy hat on Regina's head. She winked at the older woman causing the crowd to howl at the show. Emma caught Regina's eye roll, but she also noticed the blush on her olive skin and the very obvious fact that she hadn't removed the hat.


Regina leaned against the wall of the bar at quarter to three, her coat firmly cinched around her waist, her purse protected under her arm, and Emma's hat still lodged on her head. She waited as patiently as she could for Emma to lock up, but every so often her eyes would droop close and her head would nod off. She snapped to attention when she realized she had almost fallen asleep standing up and looked around to see if anyone had noticed before repeating the process again.

When her eyes dropped shut a third time, it was a gentle tug that woke her. Emma stood in front of her with an apologetic frown on her face.

Regina shook her head quickly. "I'm fine."

"I can drive?" Emma offered meekly. "Or call a cab."

"Don't be foolish," Regina dismissed and pushed off from the wall. "Come on. I know a sleeping little boy who will be happy to see you."

True to her word Regina remained alert on their drive back to Emma's apartment. Though her mind obeyed the rules of the road, she couldn't help but notice how Emma seemed more than fine. She recalled seeing Emma during the day and deeply wondered when the younger woman slept. Mother had always said that her beauty sleep would be her key to success, and even as a child enforced her with a strict bedtime that Regina only broke due to her sporadic lifestyle as a photographer. Regardless, she was impressed and more than a little worried that Emma was spending at least twenty of her twenty-four day awake and mobile.

"Come up," Emma said as she slipped out of the Benz.

"The third date rule applies even now?" Regina teased though the tiredness in her voice was evident.

Emma smirked and wrapped an arm around Regina's shoulder. "That could be arranged, but I'm pretty sure you'd fall asleep on me."

Regina couldn't suppress the yawn that escaped her mouth. She did her best to cover her mouth, but it just felt too good. "You must not be very good then."

Emma chuckled as she half-carried the older woman up the stairs straight to her apartment.

Regina felt the cowboy hat leave her head and the thin cushions of the couch beneath her legs, springs digging into her thighs, as the comforting warmth from Emma disappeared. By the time she finally realized she was lying on her couch, Emma quietly crept in with a thoroughly knocked out Henry, shutting the door behind her with a foot, before slipping into the boy's bedroom and placing him in his bed. Regina was about to sit up to help, but in no time at all, Emma emerged from his room and quickly made her way toward the couch, nestling in beside Regina.

The brunette tried to wiggle out of her grasp, but Emma held her close. "I should get going."

"You're tired," Emma argued. "It's late. You have a tendency to get lost. Stay the night. I'll keep my hands to myself."

Regina huffed, unable to deny the fatigue that was settling in before finally wiggling free and stripping herself of her coat and heels. She settled back down into Emma's side, hesitant to wrap around Emma. It had been a long time since she had a stable relationship, and the protocol for cuddling wasn't exactly fresh in her mind.

Emma took Regina's hand and pulled it around her middle, letting the older woman rest her head against her chest.

It was a few minutes of comfortable silence where both women suspected the other had fallen asleep, but it was Emma clearing her throat indicating she was just as awake as Regina.

"When do you sleep?" Regina asked suddenly, her voice a soft timbre in the early hours.

"Now." Even in her half awake state Regina could tell Emma was over exaggerating the tiredness in her tone.

The brunette scoffed lightly at Emma's answer, pressing firmly against her in order to get a proper answer.

Emma shrugged. "You get used to it. I catch a few hours now and after I drop Henry off."

Regina mulled over her words. "Have you ever considered a different field of work?"

Underneath Regina, she could feel Emma tense ever so slightly. She remained rigid as she gave her answer. "I can't do anything else," she admitted quietly. "I barely got through high school and college was never an option." She let out a long breathy sigh releasing the tension from her body. "I was a mess until I found out about Henry."

"The father?"

"Not in the picture," Emma answered tersely.

Regina nodded, and despite wanting to push she refrained. She lifted her head to meet the green-blue gaze of the younger woman's in the moonlight. "What about going to school now? Take some business classes for your bar."

Emma chuckled dryly. "So they can teach me what I already know how to do? I don't need a degree to get a lease."

"It doesn't hurt to have one," Regina offered.

"It doesn't work out like that for people like me," Emma said soothingly. "I don't go to school, I do trades and hard labour for people like-"

"Me." Regina finished for her sitting up from the blonde entirely.

"Not exactly the words I was looking for," Emma muttered.

"Then what were you looking for?"

"Nothing, it's just-" Emma huffed and sat up, bringing her knees up to rest her elbows on them. The space between both women grew as Regina moved to the other side of the couch. "Yeah, growing up, I had to learn pretty quickly that some people are more privileged than others. Some people were smarter or more athletic or had more money. Some people can just buy whatever they want and damn the consequences while others had to learn how to deal with how to keep something that's broken."

Regina remained quiet as Emma looked up at her and continued. "I'm one of those people who have to keep around broken things and who need to work back to back shifts if they want something nice."

Regina furrowed her brow as she watched Emma clutch her knees tighter to her chest. "Are you upset about my present to Henry?"

The blonde sighed, but it was all Regina needed to know she was right. "No, he really does love it."

"He loves yours as well," Regina pointed out.

Emma slipped her legs down so she sat cross-legged on the couch and looked directly at Regina. "I know. It's just, I'm trying to teach my kid the value of a dollar, and I don't want to spoil him into thinking he can get whatever he wants if he just asks the right person."

She tucked her knees back up to her chest again, and Regina could see the conflict behind jade eyes. Regina sighed. Perhaps her gift had been a bit much for a nine-year old, and there was always an unspoken rule never to get something better than the parent. She swallowed hard and leaned over placing her palm over Emma's where they were clasped around her legs.

"I'm sorry." She said sincerely. "I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries."

Emma shook her head. "No, no, forget I said any of that. We're breaching into deep stuff again for date number three and I haven't even asked you to be my girlfriend yet."

Regina raised an eyebrow while Emma parted her lips in a total foolhardy manner. She contemplated briefly continuing their conversation, but it was past three in the morning, and Emma had no intention of keeping up with the subject, so naturally she chose to tease the blonde at her slip up. Crawling her way over to Emma until she was seated directly in front of her, she leaned over the blonde's raised knees and smirked. "You want me to be your girlfriend?"

Emma cringed embarrassed. "Can you forget that too?"

Regina shook her head. "Pick one."

Emma tilted her head to the side thoroughly contemplating which was the lesser of two evils, and decided embarrassment was the way to go when she nodded her head. "Yeah, I mean, Henry wants it."

"Henry?" Regina asked amused tugging Emma's hands free and pushing apart her knees to settle in between them. "Perhaps I should be discussing this with him."

She grinned wickedly when Emma's ears turned red and she swallowed thickly, locking their gaze as she leaned fully against the blonde. She feigned a yawn that had unfortunately turned into a real one. "If you're going to ask me then I suggest you do it before I fall asleep or die from old age."

"Did anyone ever tell you you're bossy?" Emma narrowed her eyes petulantly.

Regina simply shrugged noncommittally before finally settling down with her face mere inches away from Emma's.

The blonde averted her gaze for a long time until Regina tugged her chin forcing her to look.

Emma swallowed again before muttering. "Want to go out?"

Regina laughed lightly. "Those would be dates. This is a more personal matter."

"Patience is a virtue."

"Not one that I possess. It isn't that hard to say 'will you be my girlfriend'."

The words were barely out of her mouth before she felt Emma's full lips on hers. Her hands automatically weaved around Emma's neck as she returned the kiss only for the blonde to pull back a second later.

"Yes," she grinned smugly. "Thought you'd never ask."

Regina glared then rolled her eyes before standing up and moving off the blonde. She headed straight for Emma's room as she called over her shoulder. "There is no way in hell I am sleeping on a couch."

Emma chuckled to herself feeling especially light and relieved as she followed Regina into the room and shut the door behind her.