CHAPTER TEN:

Emma knocked on the door of the mansion and felt anxiety wash over her. She was wearing a tank-top identical to the one that Regina had destroyed the night before, the blue blouse that had become somewhat of a joke between the women was on her bed waiting to be cleaned. Regina opened the door and Emma had to take a moment of pause: she was beautiful.

"Miss Swan," she began, her voice softer than velvet, "I hope you brought your appetite."

"Thank you, for inviting me."

"Henry wanted it," Regina said. Emma recognised the words as her own and she couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened by them. As Emma walked into the foyer Regina leant in, putting her hand on Emma's hip and whispered, "nice shirt, Sheriff," turning back to the kitchen as Henry bounced down the stairs.

"Hey Ma!" He called, "How weird is this? Cool though…" he paused, "you don't think she's up to something do you?" His face dropped and he looked at his shoes. He believed in his mother so much, and yet part of him still feared what could happen if she let that other woman take over. He was a smart kid, he knew how much she battled with the darkness within herself.

"No kid," Emma shook her head, "I think she just wants you to be happy." He smiled at Emma and she followed him through to the dining room. She stopped for a moment, not quite sure where to sit, she presumed Henry and Regina sat at either end of the table, so she opted for a spot in between them both. "Mutual territory," she thought.

Regina came in with a plate of lasagne in each hand, placing one down in front of Henry and one in front of Emma. As she put down Emma's plate, the blonde was overcome by the scent of her: a mixture of apple and cinnamon, surely a by-product of being in the kitchen. Emma closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, "smells nice," she said, pretending that she meant the food – which did look delicious. The moment she tasted the lasagne on her tongue she knew Henry suffered when he came to her house. She envisaged Regina over the last 30 odd years spent frozen in time: a Queen who had presumably never cooked a meal in her life, learning how to cook and then spending months perfecting a recipe. She could feel a light fire burning her taste-buds from the red pepper flakes that she knew Regina added to her recipe; her own personal touch.

"That was amazing, Regina," Emma said as she swallowed the last mouthful of lasagne.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, dear. I made apple turnover for dessert," Regina smirked, "I even added a special ingredient just for you." Emma's eyes went wide and her jaw fell slack, but she laughed warily. Henry offered to get the dessert from the kitchen and Emma knew it was so he could give himself the biggest piece, she shook her head as he left the room.

"What's the secret ingredient?" Emma asked.

"Poison," Regina laughed mockingly. The blonde knew that she was joking, but she couldn't stop her heart from racing inside her chest.

"Here Ma," Henry said as he entered from the kitchen and put a bowl down in front of Emma, "and yours too, Mom," he said, repeating the action for Regina. Henry then sat down and inhaled the turnover while Emma took a bite and immediately recognised the ingredient the Regina had put in for her.

"Cinnamon," she exclaimed, smiling at Regina.

"Yes, dear."

Henry laughed, snorting down the last mouthful of his turnover, "can I go upstairs and play x-box now, Mom?" He asked, puppy dog eyes at the ready.

"Have you done your homework?" Regina asked, chewing the last of her dessert.

"Yeah, I did it yesterday."

"Dishes first," she said to Henry. He sighed and Emma knew she could save him. "It's fine," Emma nodded towards the stairs, "I've got the dishes kid. You go." Henry laughed but when he saw the way Regina was glaring at Emma he offered to help – he didn't want her to get into trouble.

The two of them were dancing about the kitchen as the little bubbles from the dishwashing liquid flew through the air. Regina was sitting on the bench, laughing at the two idiots in front of her. Emma threw more bubbles at Henry and he responded with some form of contemporary dance-fighting. Regina stood and began to walk over to the sink, knowing that the dishes were not going to get washed unless she did them. "If you come over here, you're going to get wet," Emma said threateningly.

"You wouldn't dare."

"That sounds like a challenge, Mayor Mills," Emma placed one hand in the bubble-filled water and raised her eyebrows at the brunette. Regina took another step forward and felt a sudden downpour of water slamming over her head, leaving her drenched from head to toe. She wiped the water away from her eyes and saw the glow ebb out of Emma's hands.

"Magic," Regina said, her eyes ablaze, "Miss Swan, I thought you'd know better." Regina usually worked with fire, but because she didn't want to hurt the blonde, she pulled the water that filled the sink and hurled it at Emma. Henry ran between them and shouted, "that's enough! You don't have to fight," not entirely sure as to whether or not they were joking.

"Henry's right," Emma agreed, "we don't need to fight each other." She nodded at Regina and as Henry relaxed his shoulders he was attacked from water on both sides. The two women closed in on him as he tried meekly to defend himself, unable to control his laughter. "Stop," he gurgled, "Moms! Stop!" The three of them were in hysterics, and they fell onto the floor, their drenched clothes clinging to their frames. They stayed on the floor laughing together, and throwing the left over bubbles at one another, until they couldn't breathe.