Sorry guys, I know it has been a long time, and it may involve some back tracking but here's what I've been working on for forever. I've recently come into a lot more free time than I have had in recent months. Im hopeful to actually finish this at some point. I just need to figure out my endgame. Let a sister know if you have any ideas.

As always, concrit welcome, reviews are love. Hope you enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Home~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the twenty-eight years preceding her contact with Emma Swan, 'unflappable' was a word that would top Regina's list of personal descriptors. Tonight, however, as the fidgeted in front of the mirror, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her dinner guests, the Queen would consider herself as flapped as Emma Swan ever made her. On the surface she acknowledges that the only difference between tonight and the countless family dinners shared before is the shift in dynamic, yet she is still smoothing invisible wrinkles from her skirt for the umpteenth time in a short while. As she checks her teeth for lipstick she lets out a frustrated huff.

"You need to get it together." She says to herself. "It's just dinner. Snow and Henry will be there too." Her face twists in a grimace before turning and heading to the kitchen. The brunette checks the clock on the stove to see that it's very nearly six o'clock and goes about pulling her lasagna from the oven to set. Regina is halfway through assembling the plates and flatware for dinner when she hears the front door open and Henry loudly announcing their arrival.

"In the kitchen!" She shouts back and uses this final moment of solitude to try to shake off her nerves. Henry enters the kitchen to see his mother shaking out her arms and rolling her neck.

"Everything okay Mom?" He says, smiling and kissing her on the cheek in greeting.

She grins back, hugging him. "Just the crushing weight of my own anxiety. No big." He hugs back tightly, replying softly "The only thing that has changed is knowing." The teen steps back from their embrace, exchanging a mother's hug for a stack of plates and cutlery. "Duty calls." He jokes, exhibiting the plates dramatically, putting a light hearted emphasis on how ordinary it is. As soon as he disappears into the dining room, Snow and Emma enter the kitchen chattering. Regina is taken with how pretty Emma looked.

The mayor already thought that the blonde was beautiful but tonight she looked like she cared. Her usual jeans were swapped for form fitting black slacks and in place of her usual t-shirt and leather jacket was a tank top that Regina could only describe as flowy. She looks like I wasn't the only one fidgeting in the mirror. The brunette grins broadly at that thought, but it quickly disappears once she notices two expectant faces looking at her. Wide brown eyes stare back at them. She gives them an apologetic half smile.

Snow turns to her daughter, smirking. "I told you she would notice. I expected her to be cooler about it, though. I brought pie!" She adds the last part cheerfully, offering the dessert to the other brunette. Regina, flushed at being caught ogling, graciously accepts the pie and busies herself with putting it away until later.

Both of the Charming women casually move around the kitchen. Snow was pulling glasses from the cabinet and the water pitcher from the fridge while Emma peeked over Regina's shoulder as she cut the lasagna into even squares.

"Mmmm. That answers the question you didn't hear." The blonde chuckles, resting her hand gently on the brunette's shoulder. Regina shivered at the contact, pausing in her efforts. She sets the spatula down gently, handing Emma a potholder over her shoulder. She stays deliberately still, hyper aware of both the blonde's proximity and of Snow returning to gather salad dressings.

Emma takes the offered cloth and takes a step back as Regina turns around with the lasagna. The blonde smiles brightly at her, "That looks awesome as always babe. Er.. Regina." The Queen smiles back awkwardly, stepping around the other woman. "Excuse me." She says, making a beeline for the dining room. Snow and Emma exchange a look. "Does she seem tense to you?"

The brunette furrows her brow, "Maybe just a bit. I don't know why though, we've had dinner together dozens of times." Emma sighed.

"It's the Change."

"Emma I hardly think menopause is the answer to this, besides Regina's like, 70 anyway so it's probably long since-"

"MOTHER. Not that Change! The change in… this…" the sheriff waves widely. She looks pained. "I shouldn't have said anything. I did this." She covers her face.

Snow crosses to her daughter quickly, taking her hands in a comforting fashion, "No, Emma, don't. Don't think like this. Yeah it's weird but somehow not at all surprising. It's going to take some getting used to." She gave her her best supportive mother smile, "Just relax. She's going to feed off of you, give her some good vibes." She glances over her shoulder, hearing Regina talking near the door. "Probably lay off the PDA while I'm here. I don't want her to be uncomfortable." She adds in a whisper. Turning around, Snow gathers the salad supplies in her arms and heads for the dining room. She gives Regina a radiant smile as she passes by. The Queen smiles back, continuing into the kitchen.

She stops a few feet from Emma, smiling nervously, subconsciously holding herself. "It's ready, Henry is talking like you've been starving him." There's silence as Emma just takes her in; her guarded posture suggests a level of vulnerability that the blonde hadn't fully registered. The brunette falters under the intensity of the Savior's gaze and looks down at her feet. "Emma I-" she stops and clears her throat, looking back up into green eyes. She jumps slightly, not expecting them to be much closer than when she looked away. "Emma!" She exclaims.

"Sorry!" The blonde reaches out to place her hands on the brunettes forearms.

Regina exhales deeply. "It's ok, just unexpected." They smile at each other briefly. Regina looks away again, squeezing Emma's hands. "Henry said the only difference is knowing and… I feel… upside down." She finishes, feeling lame.

"It's just dinner with mom and Henry?"

"It's different! You're different. All flowy and beguiling! I feel different and it's weird Em. I'm sorry… what is that face?"

"Beguiling?" Emma smirked at her. "I didn't realize a new top and some make up would throw off your game."

"Emma please don't tease me. Not now." Brown eyes pleaded with green. "You have to know you have always been a weakness." Regina sounds small when she says it and it sounds unnatural to the blonde.

"I'm sorry." She says, wrapping the other woman in a hug. "I can change my shirt if it would help."

Regina shakes her head, her verbal response muffled by Emma's shoulder. "You don't have to. You look so lovely." She says, stepping back from the embrace, lightly touching the Savior's face. They're lost for a moment, appreciating each other, until they hear a throat clearing behind them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but Henry's hungry enough to start his salad without prompting." Snow says softly, fully aware that she broke up a moment. She retreats quickly not wanting to intrude further. With one final glance and two burning faces they both turn to follow the other woman into the dining room.

Regina's flush flourishes upon entry when Henry gives them a look and waggles his eyebrows, earning him a nudge from Emma. "Hey, kid!" Henry just laughs by himself.

"Moms, lighten up! You both finally get what you've been pinning so hard for for years. I don't see why you're being so weirdly proper."

"Henry-" Emma starts to scold, Snow looking on silently with wide eyes.

"Emma it's ok. He's right. Sort of." Her voice falters as she plops unceremoniously into her seat. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I don't fully know why I'm feeling this way but I would really rather not get into it." She opens her eyes, peering around the table. Regina is met with understanding smiles and nods.

"No problem. Pass the lasagna!" A teen boy appetite stops at nothing.

The rest of the meal passes without incident (aided by wine on Regina's end) and they even manage to make it through dessert with only one awkwardly timed joke about pie. The unease Regina had been feeling was shaken for the most part once she settled into the familiarity of dining with her companions. She didn't speak that much for her part, but she felt it was probably better that way. She genuinely enjoyed watching his son and his other together, how animated they both became. And, if she were being honest, she had to admit that she had become fond of Snow. The Queen had learned to appreciate and care for the Princess in a way that her past self could not.

The three women were once again seated at the kitchen island, Henry having gone upstairs to get ready for bed and school the next day. Emma was in the middle of regaling the other two with a retelling of a drunk phone call she received from Hook.

"And then he says, 'C'mon luv, the three of us could really make somethin' happen!'" The blonde looks caught between horrified and amused, while Regina chokes on her wine.

"Oh good, I wasn't the only one getting solicitous phone calls." She says after catching her breath.

Snow White is beside herself with laughter at their shared chagrin. They both fix her with a look. "What? I think that's way better than some of the messages I got from your father." She replies, taking a long sip of her tea. "Sorry, Debbie Downer. He will get over it." She smiles hopefully, glancing at the clock. "Shoot. I had better get going. I need to pick Neal up from the fairies on my way home." She gets to her feet before quickly engulfing the older brunette in a hug. Regina's eyes widen in surprise but she returns the hug after a moment. "Thank you for your hospitality Regina. I know things are changing, but they're changing for the better! You deserve to be happy." She says this quietly, so that only Regina can hear her. The Queen doesn't know how to respond with words so she just hugs her a little tighter. Snow pulls back and turns to Emma, "Walk me to the door?" She smiles as she exits. Regina can hear her call up the stairs to Henry, and rolls her eyes as she hears him shout in reply.

In the time that Emma was gone the brunette drained her glass and refilled it, suddenly feeling more nervous now that there were no distractions from each other. Regina didn't hear the blonde return, but didn't jump when she felt her wrap her arms around her from behind. The warmth from the contact spread over Regina's shoulders and throughout her body. She suppresses a shiver.

"Mom wanted to know if I would be home tonight…" Emma says softly. Her hold tightens slightly, her breath tickling the brunettes ear. The Savior reaches up with one hand and ever so gently brushes the dark hair away from her neck, inhaling the other woman's scent as she nuzzles the exposed skin. Regina visibly shivers at this. "I told her I already was." She admits this in a whisper, causing the brunette gasp, releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Regina's head was swimming and she was hot all over. She didn't know which at the stronger influence, Emma or the wine, but she knew she was losing hope of self control fast. She turned in her seat toward the younger woman, hands resting on her chest, head bowed. Emma rests her hands on the brunette's shoulders and kisses the top of her head. Regina buries her head into the crook of her neck, breathing deeply. She mumbles something, the vibrations making Emma giggle and pull away slightly.

"What was that?" She says smiling warmly, her eyes twinkling.

"I'm not ready yet." Regina admits quietly, resting her head against Emma's chest, listening to her heart hammer. She hears her gulp.

"Regina I didn't mean…"

"It is taking everything I have to not give into my body screaming for you." Regina's voice is low, raspy, but clear. Leaning back, she looks up at Emma through heavily lidded eyes and licks her lips. Emma's emerald eyes are wide, fixed on Regina's full lips. She licks her lips subconsciously.

"Can you… can you just… hold me tonight?" Her voice is raw and smouldering, chocolate orbs fix on pink lips. Her eyes upwards, connecting with the other woman's, who steps back and extends her hand in a silent invitation. Regina accepts it with all the grace she could muster, snapping the lights off as they go.