Day 9: Emma goes to her parents' for the holidays and runs into her high school crush - quite literally.

No magic Storybrooke AU.

Emma hasn't been back in Storybrooke for at least ten years. She wasn't trying to avoid visiting her hometown, but work has kept her busy so her parents would usually go visit her in Boston instead of her coming back.

This year, it was different. Emma quit her job after the fact that her boss believed that she was his slave and not a reporter. And now, she had all the time in the world, she decided to visit her parents for Christmas and maybe stay for a bit with them, especially since she was out of a job.

She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't excited to be back home. Her holidays started in the best, possible way. She called Ruby and they were both getting wasted at the Rabbit Hole.

"I still cannot believe you're back!"

"Temporarily," Emma reminded her, because, while she enjoyed being back, there was nothing to hold her here.

"We'll see about that," Ruby muttered against her shot glass before gulping the liquid down. "Let's walk to Granny's! I need some food."

Emma agreed. "My dad is going to be pissed if he realized we're drunk before noon," she added while she placed some bills on the table and put her jacket on.

"It's because we are pirates, Emma."

They giggled as they made their way down Main Street. Emma studied the street, noticing the smallest details.

"Nothing has changed since I left."

Ruby laughed. "A lot of things have changed. Just not the little physical things," the woman said, but didn't elaborate on her statement. Then, to prove Emma's point, she yelled, "Race you to our table!" just as soon as the diner was in sight.

Even though Ruby had a head start, Emma was much faster. She always was faster. She passed Ruby with no trouble and went up to the top of the stairs, slowing a bit to push the door but not stopping completely.

However, Emma didn't count on someone opening the door from the inside. By the time she realized what was going on, it was already too late to stop and she found herself falling on someone.

"Motherfucker!" Emma let out as her lower abdomen landed on a bent knee.

"Language," Someone protested. With a voice that haunted a lot of Emma's dreams.

"Regina?" Emma asked, putting her weight on her hands and knees, the pain of the fall mitigated by the adrenaline rush of seeing her high school crush.

"Miss Swan. Move or so help me."

Emma chucked. "What? You'll push me off with that tiny body of yours?" she teased as she pressed her body against Regina's, because annoying Regina had always been her one of her favorite pastimes.

Regina rolled her eyes but before she could answer someone rushed to them. "Mom, mom! Are you alright?"

Immediately, Regina's face softened and Emma's face morphed into a curious-meets-panic facade.

"Yes, Henry," Regina answered, pushing Emma off. The blonde gave no resistance. "Miss Swan has always been clumsy."

Emma turned her face to see Regina's son. Another painful reminder that she was never hers and never will be.

"So, you know my mom?" the kid, who had to be at least ten by now, asked.

"Yeah. And last time I saw you, you were a little pea," Emma answered his question. A flashback of Regina and Robin showing her an ultrasound picture popped into her mind and she didn't know which hurt more, where Regina hit her with the knee or her heart breaking a bit.

"Cool! So you can hang out with us so she doesn't feel so lonely!" He said, excitedly. Emma frowned at the kid, how was possible that Regina was lonely? She was very popular in high school, and not to mention her so-called soulmate, Robin.

"I'm sure Miss Swan has other plans, Henry. She hasn't been in Storybrooke in ten years."

He looked shocked, "You have been away longer than I have been alive!"

Regina stood up from the floor as soon as Henry's words left his mouth and cleaned her pantsuits from any dirt she could have picked up from the floor.

Ok, so maybe she had lied and there was a good reason to avoid Storybrooke. But, she was telling the truth when she said she was busy with work.

"Come along, Henry. We need to wrap your cousins' presents."

Emma saw them reach for the door, Regina with a stoic face that masked all her emotions and Henry with a confused face.

"Regina, wait!" Emma stood up and walked towards them. "I'm sorry," she said looking into Regina's eyes.

"What for?"

What for? For leaving you when you asked if I wanted to be Henry's godmother, for ignoring your phone calls, for writing an angry email about how you broke my heart, expected me to play along with your happy family, for not coming back in ten years, and for crashing against you.

"For everything," Emma said in a loud whisper.

Regina nodded and left without saying a word. Just like Emma had left her all those years ago.

Ruby slapped Emma's arm, snapping her back into reality, "You are an idiot, Emma Swan."

"Where's Robin?"

"You should have talked to Regina all those years ago."

"Ruby. Where is Robin?"

Ruby shrugged. "No one knows, really," she said. But then, she went on telling Regina's sad story.

She told Emma how Regina left Robin a couple of weeks after Emma moved away and how he had warned Regina that if they didn't get married, he wouldn't recognize Henry as his son. Ruby told how she couldn't change his mind.

Shortly afterwards, her mother kicked her out of the house for being a disgrace to the family. Her so-called friends left Regina in the lurch when she needed them the most. Lastly, Ruby told Emma how Robin got another girl pregnant and married her. They left the town shortly after the marriage; it was before Henry was born because Robin's new wife was jealous of Regina. Ruby regaled on how Regina still went to community college and raised the kid by herself.

She also told Emma about how Regina had distanced herself from Emma's parents so they wouldn't bring her up in conversations they had with Emma. Ruby had asked and asked, and begged really, for Regina to let her tell Emma the happenings, but Regina said she wanted to be the one to give the news to Emma. Regina thought that Emma should hear it from her or not hear it at all. With each passing day, Regina lost a bit of hope until she stopped thinking about Emma altogether.

Regina had raised Henry alone. Because she refused to marry Robin and that was the beginning of a complicated life. And, she had tried to tell Emma, but Emma was too selfish to be a good friend.

"I need to talk to her."

Ruby hummed in agreement. "I told you were an idiot. She moved back to the mansion was Cora died and all of Henry's belongings passed to their rightful heir."

Emma nodded and without saying anything else, she ran out of the diner. She ran down Main Street and crossed into Mifflin Street. She ran up the hill and to the white mansion where she had spent so many evenings. To her second home. To Regina.

By the time she knocked on the door, she was almost out of breath.

When Regina opened the door, Emma only managed to say, "The kid?" Because she didn't want him to listen to their conversation, whether it was good or bad.

Regina seemed to agree with Emma, because she nodded and answered, "Living room. Watching Harry Potter."

And so, Emma entered into the house with no real invitation, and gently grabbed Regina by the elbow and dragged her into the closet next to the entrance. It had been the same small space where Emma told Regina that she loved her for the first time, right after Robin and Regina showed her the ultrasound.

"I'm ..." Emma breathed deeply, "I've been so stupid. So selfish. I should have listened to you, all those years ago. I would have prevented so much suffering for everyone. I would come back, in a heartbeat. I would have married you. Adopt Henry. Help you raise him. Share chores and help around the house. But the only thing that mattered was my pride. And, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If I could turn back time, I would do everything differently. And, I know you probably moved on, because now, you don't need someone as selfish as me in your life. But, I wanted you to know how sorry I am."

After finishing her monologue, Emma reached for the door knob and started to open the door. Her actions were stopped when she felt Regina wrapped a hand around her wrist.

"Stay."

Emma turned around to see Regina, with tears in her eyes, silently pleading her not to go. Not again.

"Ok."

"I mean, stay. Stay in Storybrooke," her voice almost breaking down, "I know we hurt each other, and I know it will take some time to heal. But please don't leave me again."

"Never," she said as she wrapped her arms around Regina for a bone crushing hug.

Maybe coming back to Storybrooke for Christmas wasn't a bad idea after all.