A/N: Okay. So, there's good news, and there's bad news. Good news is I'm uploading two chapters today. Bad news is things between our favorite ladies are going to get worse before they get better. Sorry. Really am. Don't blame me. Blame the muses (she types sarcastically). Nah, that's just a cop-out. You should probably just blame me. Keep the reviews coming-I love them! And I know you all probably don't see it, but the reactions to yesterday's chapter have me rolling. ;) Don't worry, though. This is not a doom-and-gloom story. I don't do sad endings.

Emma sits on the plane, hugging her legs to her chest with her forehead pressed to her knees. Beside her, an elderly woman with white hair and the smell of mothballs lingering on her snores loudly as drool dribbles down her chin. She is much too close to Emma and had claimed the arm rest between them immediately. After the last four days, Emma had almost forgotten what it was like to fly coach. Everything feels smaller. More cramped. There is more turbulence-or maybe that is just her imagination. This flight had been a cheap one, the only one she could get on such short notice, and she hopes and prays that it is decent enough to get her back home in one piece.

She thinks of her flight coming to Hawaii. How much more pleasant it had been. Not just because she had been in business class. She didn't really care about the champagne or the luxury, although it had been a nice distraction from her anxiety. No, what made that flight so wonderful was the company. It was the dark enigma of a woman who had sat beside her. It was Regina who had made that entire weekend so special for Emma. They could've been anywhere in the world-they could've gone to a shit hole of a city together, and Emma knows she still would've had the time of her life because she was with Regina. Even before they had gotten friendly, Emma had adored her. She lived for her snarky comebacks, her wit, and their banter. She loved it. And then she'd seen Regina smile genuinely. She'd heard her real laugh. That is when she thinks she probably fell in love with her.

A bout of turbulence rocks the plane, and Emma grips her legs tighter, swallowing a groan.

Of course, none of that matters now. None of what she feels for Regina is important anymore. Regina doesn't care about her. She barely even likes her, much less loves her. She tolerated her the entire trip, relying on her to distract her from her problems for four days. She used Emma-but how can she feel bad about that? Emma knew what it was from the beginning. She had signed a fucking contract, hadn't she? She'd assumed a fake identity and went along with a cover story-hell, even added to it. She had done all of that, knowing it was all just a business transaction. And then she'd fallen in love with the woman anyway.

Fucking idiot. That's what she is. A goddamn, fucking idiot. How could she be so stupid? How could she let herself feel those things when she knew there was an expiration date on her time with Regina? And how the fuck could she convince herself that maybe Regina felt the same way about her? It is the dumbest thing she has ever done. Regina comes from an established, well-off family. She is the mayor of what Emma is sure is a postcard town in Maine. She is the embodiment of grace and elegance and class. And what is Emma? A loser who runs around catching slime balls for a quick buck. An orphan whose parents knew wouldn't be anything special the second she was born, so they tossed her on the side of the goddamn road. A fool who let herself believe that somebody might think of her as more than those things, as more than her circumstances, and might even care for her.

Yeah. She's an idiot.

Lifting her head, Emma stares out the window at a pale gray sky and wonders not for the first time what Regina Mills is doing right now.

"Yes, I need an immediate flight for Boston from Maui. Well, make it happen! I'll pay whatever fees you come up with. I'll fly coach. I'll sit in the goddamn storage compartment with the luggage. I don't care-just get me a flight!"

Regina paces the hotel room, phone glued to her ear and one arm crossed over her stomach. Her bags are all packed and waiting at the end of the bed. She's already informed the front desk she will be checking out early. Everything is ready for her to leave. If she can just get a damn flight from this insufferable travel agent.

"Look, ma'am, I need you to hear me loud and clear." Regina pinches her brow, struggling to remain level-headed. "I must get a flight today. Do you understand? It is imperative that I get off this rock immediately. I'd drive off it myself if I could, but I can't. I know there must be some way for you to get me a flight. No, I don't care if they're all booked! Find me one seat on one fucking plane headed for Boston. I will not calm down until you get me a goddamned-"

Click. Regina groans and throws the phone on the bed. Well, that didn't work. What is she going to do? She has to get a flight. She has to find Emma immediately. It can't wait. She did this, and she has to fix it now.

"Bullshit!" Regina kicks her suitcase furiously.

"My, my, sis." She looks up and finds Zelena walking towards her. How that woman always managed to slither her way into places that should've locked her out would always astound Regina. "Violent, aren't we?"

"Zelena," Regina breathes, straightening her back. "I... I was just..."

"You were just trying to save your fake relationship," the redhead finishes for her, and Regina furrows her brow. "Mother told me. I came up to check on the two of you, but I can see that things aren't going so well."

"She's gone." Regina runs her fingers through her hair as moisture pricks at her eyes. "She left. No, she didn't leave. I drove her away. Because I'm a fucking coward."

"Well, what are you waiting on? You'd better hurry-the longer you're apart, the less inclined she'll be to listen to you."

"You think I don't know that? I've been trying to move my flight up to today, but apparently Emma's was the last plane on this whole fucking island." The tears pool behind her eyelids. "I don't know what to do."

"Take mine." Regina's eyes snap open, and she finds Zelena looking back at her blankly.

"W-What?"

"Take my flight. I booked one for this evening-you know, since I'm not getting married anymore. Take it."

"But... But I couldn't do that to you, Zelena."

"Do what to me? Give me another day here in paradise? Regina, take my ticket. I insist." She pulls the plane ticket and receipt from her purse and holds it out. "Now."

Regina steps forward hesitantly before looking back at her older sister. "Why are you doing this?"

Zelena shrugs. "We're family, and I like you and Emma together. It's more than obvious that you two are made for each other. Besides, I owe you, don't I?"

"I didn't mean like this, Zelena."

"Whatever. I'm doing it. Take the ticket and hurry up-it leaves in two hours. It's technically for New York, but you can negotiate that when you layover in L.A."

Regina takes the ticket and throws her arms around Zelena's neck as the tears break down her cheeks. "Thank you, Zelena. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, sis. Now, go. Get out of here and get your woman."

Grabbing her luggage, Regina sprints out of the suite with a renewed purpose in her chest.

Emma files towards the plane exit, taking a few seconds to make sure that her eyes and cheeks are dry after the severe crying session she had earlier in the lavatory. The stewardess smiles widely at her as she leaves.

"Thank you for flying with us. Have a wonderful day."

"Thanks," Emma mutters under her breath before making her way off the plane and headed for the airport terminal. It's packed with people searching for their loved ones, and Emma struggles to locate a familiar face through it all. She'd called August before she even boarded her flight to let him know she would be home that night, and he had said he'd be there to pick her up. After asking a slew of questions, of course. Which she didn't answer.

"Where are you?" Emma huffs, gripping her bags as she searches the sea of people.

"Ma!"

The small voice draws her attention as arms wrap around her waist. She looks down and sees Henry clinging to her, his face buried in her stomach. August walks out of the crowd from the direction Henry had just darted with a smile on his face.

"Henry," Emma sighs and kneels down. She gathers him into her arms as new tears fall down her face and kisses his forehead firmly. "Oh my God, I missed you, kid."

"I missed you, too, Ma," he tells her. "It's so good to see you." He looks around her, brow furrowed. "Where's Regina?"

Emma sucks in a sharp breath at the name that has possessed her every thought for... how long even? She has lost track of time. It feels like it's been forever. "She's not with me."

It's a vague answer, and Emma worries that her son's overly curious nature will prompt him to demand more. However, when Henry looks at his mother's stony expression, unrecognizable compared to her usual smile, he can see the hurt and pain and anger. He sees it swimming behind cool green, and he doesn't want to bring that up to the surface. So, he changes the subject like the intuitive boy he is.

"Did you get me anything?"

Emma chuckles dryly, grateful for the less difficult topic. "We can go through your souvenirs when we get home, kid." He grins, and she stands back up with his hand in hers. August can see straight through the thin smile she gives him, but he doesn't press her for answers. Instead, he just holds one arm open in an offer, and she immediately folds into it. Her face presses into his solid chest while he hugs her warmly.

"You okay?" he asks quietly.

She hesitates before looking up at him. "Not yet, but I will be." She has to be. For Henry. "Come on, guys. Let's go home. I am so beyond jet-lagged right now."

The three of them make their way out of the airport to the parking lot where August's car waits for them. He drives while Emma sits in the passenger's seat with her eyes closed, listening to Henry jabber about how his weekend was and responding with an "uh-huh" when needed. August glances over at her in concern throughout the entire ride. He knows Emma. He's known her since they were kids, and even with the time they fell out of touch, he still knows her better than perhaps anyone. This isn't normal behavior for her-especially not with Henry. Ordinarily, even jet-lagged, Emma would be totally absorbed in everything her son has to say, especially with the time they spent apart. She would smile and laugh and interact. Something had happened. He could tell when Emma had called to tell him she was coming home early. She didn't sound herself at all, but she'd evaded all his questions at the time. Something happened, and he has a feeling it has something to do with the intimidating brunette who Emma left with but mysteriously didn't return with. Emma hasn't mentioned anything about her, and August is far from giving up on finding out why.

When they get to the apartment, August helps Emma carry up her minimal amount of luggage, and they drop it all unceremoniously in the living room.

"Did you get me the things I wanted?" Henry questions eagerly.

Emma pushes her hair out of her tired face. "Well, I couldn't get it all unfortunately. Even in Hawaii, it's kind of hard to come by black sand and volcanic rock when you're staying at a resort. I did manage to find you the perfect shell, though." She digs around in her back pack until she finds the palm-sized orange shell. "I thought of you as soon as I saw it."

"Wow, it's so pretty," he says, holding it delicately in his hands and staring. "And not broken at all. I can never find unbroken shells when we go to Carson Beach. Ma, it's perfect."

"I'm sorry I couldn't get the rest of the things on your list," she says. "Although I did snag you these." She fishes out the stuffed sea turtle and beaded, shark-tooth necklace for him.

He grins widely. "Awesome! Thanks, Ma!" Grabbing the turtle in one hand, he throws the necklace on and puffs his chest out. "How's it look?"

"Bad ass, kid," Emma smiles at him, and he rushes off to the bathroom to get a look in the mirror. "Got you something, too, August. For helping me out and watching Henry." She holds out a coffee mug with a row of grinning tiki totem statues and a multi-colored Hawaiian-flower shirt she knows damn well he wouldn't be caught dead in.

"Gee thanks," he says, furrowing his brow at the bright shirt and goofy mug. Still, he smiles at the gifts because they are just so very Emma. "I was just saying how much I needed a hideous flower shirt and a coffee cup that smiles back at me."

"Ha-ha," Emma smiles. "Seriously, though, thank you, August. I really appreciate you watching Henry while I took care of this. You saved my ass."

"You know I'm always good to watch Henry. He's a great kid, but you already know that. So, how'd the trip go? Was the wedding as awful as you thought it would be?"

"The wedding didn't happen," Emma sighs as she moves to the fridge and grabs a couple of beers for them. August raises his eyebrows in surprise as she tosses one to him. "As it turns out, the bride and groom weren't very compatible. It's just a good thing they came to their senses before they got married-that would've been a disaster."

"So, that's why you left early?" he asks, and she nods. "That's the only reason you left early?"

Emma gives him a sharp look. "August, don't. I'm too tired for this conversation."

"I'm just saying it's a little weird. You came back early without that Regina woman, and you haven't been like yourself since you called. Every time I spoke to you before, you sounded really happy and excited. More than I've ever heard before. Then, you called to tell me you would be back early, and you sounded devastated. I mean, look at yourself, Em. You look like somebody reached into your chest and crushed your heart." His aqua blue eyes fill with concern. "I only nag because I love you, and I'm worried." She sniffles, her hands rubbing up and down her arms. "Whatever happened, you can tell me, Em."

"Nothing happened," she says in a thick voice that gives away all the emotions she has tried so hard to bury down. "She just... I don't even know what happened to tell you the truth, August. One second, she and I were great. We were getting along really, really well." The red-cheeked look she gives him is enough to explain what she means. "We were having a great time together, and it was so nice. We actually talked, y'know? We talked about things that really meant something. Personal stuff. You know how withdrawn I am about myself. My past." Boy, does he ever. In all the time he'd known her, August has only known her to disclose details of her past two people: himself, who already knew about it from their shared childhood, and Henry, who had asked her once before why he didn't have a father and grandparents. And she'd done that reluctantly. "But I told her. I told her because she... she made me feel like nobody has ever made me feel before, August. I mean that. It sounds corny, but I felt like when I was with her I could truly be myself-forget all my fears and expose myself in a way I never have before. I was still afraid of being hurt at first, but being with her felt like it was worth it. After a while, I wasn't scared anymore. I trusted her to hold my heart and not hurt it. Not leave me." Her face darkens. "And then she did it. She told me that it was all just an act, and she didn't feel for me like that." Tears brim in her eyes, and she looks directly at August in sorrow. "Why does this always happen to me, August? Why do the people I let myself love always leave me? Why aren't I good enough for anyone?"

"Emma, no." August scoops her up in a hug, and she cries into his chest. "Don't say that. You are good enough-it's everyone else who has the problems. Your parents gave you up because they were bad people. Not because of anything you did. They were selfish and cruel. That's why they did it. Neal left because he was an asshole who lied to you. And this Regina-she's just a fucking idiot." A tear-soaked laugh forces its way past Emma's lips, and August smiles as he strokes her hair. "There is nothing wrong with you, Emma. And when the right person comes along, they'll see how fantastic you are. Sometimes, we have to go through shit for a while before we meet our true love. It's okay, though. I for one think that it's the bad ones that prepare us for the right one."

"True love?" Emma scoffs up at him. "You really believe that crap?"

Smiling, he wipes her tears away with his thumbs. "I do. It may be cliche, but I think there's someone out there for all of us. Someone who is perfect for us. Maybe even someone who is made for us. You'll find her one day, Emma. She'll be perfect for you, and she'll be perfect for Henry. And then you'll have your family."

"I wish she'd hurry the hell up already," Emma mumbles, and August laughs.

"Me, too." He clears his throat a bit awkwardly. "Are you good, Em? I kind of have a thing in another hour, but I can cancel if you need me."

She arches her eyebrow at him, stepping back to give him a full, inquisitive gaze. "A thing?"

"Uh-huh..."

"As in a date?"

"Maybe."

"Hell yeah, August! Give me some!" He grins and high-fives her waiting palm. "Tell me about it. Who's the lucky person?"

He shrugs, his eyes rolling to the side as he chews on the inside of his cheek. "Nobody special."

Emma laughs. "Dude, you know I always know when you're lying. Try again, Pinocchio." He frowns at the nickname she'd given him when they were kids in the system together.

"Well... his name is Killian." He gives her a nervous look as he reveals a side of his life that he'd never felt brave enough to tell anyone-not even her. "He, um, he's in the Navy, and he's stationed at Charlestown a few months. I met him at a bar the other week, and we talked a long time. I thought it was just a freak thing, but the other day I ran into him when I took Henry to Carson Beach. We started talking again, and he asked me out. I told him I couldn't, but then you called and said you'd be home early. So, I worked up the nerve to call him and reschedule for tonight." He waits nervously, his eyes skittering from his shoes to her uncertainly.

Emma, with a warm smile on her face, simply puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes. "Congratulations, August. About time you put yourself back out there." He rolls his eyes but smiles all the same. "You'd better go now, or you'll be late."

"Thanks, Em." He hugs her tight before moving towards the door, trying and failing to contain his excitement. "Bye, Henry! See you later!" He looks back at Emma as he opens the door. "Talk to you soon, Em."

"You'd better," she beams. "I want to hear all about your sailor." He grins, cheeks flushing red, before he rushes out.

Emma's smile only lasts another second before she's staring down at the floor with a furrowed brow. Her conversation with August had distracted her from the aching loss in her chest, but with him gone, it returns full force. She can feel Regina's arms around her, a phantom pain that won't go away despite being cut off from the source. Her lips kiss a trail from Emma's shoulder up her neck to her jaw. The weight of the brunette presses her against the wall as teeth nip playfully at her lips. A tongue soothes the small bite left, and Emma gasps because she can fucking feel it all.

And then a voice whispers so clearly in her ear, "There is nothing real between us, Emma. It's all just an agreement. If you've allowed yourself to think differently, it's your own fault."

Emma blinks at the sting those cruel words leave on her skin for the second time, and all the feelings disappear. The hands are gone. The lips. The warmth of Regina's presence vanishes like flowers under a fresh, brittle snow. Clenching her fists, Emma exhales to try and keep her trembling body under control. Don't cry, Emma. Don't you fucking dare. She isn't worth anymore tears.

Apparently, her tear ducts think differently as they fill and overflow down her cheeks. Emma wishes she wasn't so weak. She wishes she could just get over it already. She is used to being abandoned. It hadn't hurt this bad whenever Neal left. She'd cried then out of fear for what she would do alone with a baby on the way. And even those tears hadn't lasted long. She had picked herself up from the floor where he'd left her and decided to rise to the challenge. To give her child the love and home she'd never had herself. After that, she had barely thought twice about the man who'd knocked her up and screwed her over. There were no more tears shed for Neal Cassidy. But for Regina Mills? For Regina Mills, she can't seem to fucking dry them up.

"Ma?"

A small gasp wrenches out of Emma's mouth when she raises her head and sees Henry standing in front of her, his face shadowed with concern.

"Ma, what's wrong?" he asks her uncertainly. "Why are you crying?"

"What? N-No, Henry, I'm..." She scrubs at the moisture on her cheeks until they are bright red from her hands and sighs, shoulders slumping. "It's nothing, Henry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just been a very long past few days, and I'm tired and a little emotional."

"Is it because of Regina?" he asks, and she frowns at him.

"What... Why would you think that?"

He shrugs. "Well, before, when you sounded so happy on the phone, you always talked about her. About whatever the two of you had done that day. And when we would video chat, you would always smile at each other and laugh. You guys seemed to really like each other. And then, the one time you called and sounded sad, you didn't mention her at all, and I couldn't hear her in the background. I figured it had something to do with her." He rubs the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry if she hurt you, Ma. She seemed nice."

Emma can't stop more tears from falling down her cheeks, and she struggles to speak through the pain clenching in her chest. "Henry... it's alright. I am upset about her, but I don't want you to worry about that, okay? I'll be fine-I just need a little while to get over it." She doesn't specify how long because she honestly doesn't know. A few days? Weeks? Months? A year? No amount of time seems enough for her to recover from the devastation that Regina Mills has caused her. "I'm so glad to be home with you again, Henry."

He walks to her and hugs her waist. "I'm glad you're home, too, Ma." She wraps her arms around him gingerly and kisses the top of his head. She has no idea how she ever survived before this beautiful little boy came into her life. Henry is and will always be her lifeline. "Hey, I know what will cheer you up! Hot cocoa before bed cures everything."

Emma laughs hoarsely down at his smiling face. "That sounds great, Henry. Let's do it."

The two curl up on the sofa together with cinnamon hot cocoa and watch movies together. Henry falls asleep against her within two hours, but Emma stays awake into the early morning hours. She carries him into his room and tucks him into bed, leaving him with a kiss on the forehead, before moving outside onto her fire escape. Wrapping her arms around herself against the frigid wind, she remembers the warmth she'd experienced just earlier that day and shivers. Despite the cold, though, she doesn't go back inside. She sits out in the rapidly dropping temperature, and she enjoys it because it hardens her. It dries the tears on her cheeks until they are only stinging red marks. The physical pain distracts her from the emotional, and she likes that. She needs it. Staring up at the sky, she catches sight of the blinking lights of an airplane heading for Logan International before exhaling a puff of vapor and moving back inside her apartment to go to bed.