Here we go, guys! We're at the halfway mark! Things are about to change drastically, so hold onto your seats, keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, and be sure to leave me a comment afterwards to let me know what you think! ;)

On Thursday, Emma learned why Regina hated Mary Margaret Blanchard.

She'd gotten a call from Mary Margaret that morning, the pixie-haired brunette apologizing for not calling sooner, and going off about their vehicle breaking down and having to hike 10km back to town to get the truck towed and repaired before they could drive back to the cabin. David snatched the phone briefly to say hello, and when she had Mary Margaret back on the line, she'd spilled the beans about her and Regina's budding relationship.

In hindsight, it could have been worse. As it were, Emma got an earful about how she wasn't in any shape to be making such big decisions right now and that Regina should know better than to date her while she was still, in theory, 'disabled.' Emma had argued right back with fervor, and hadn't noticed Regina and Henry's arrival until the older woman had plucked the phone right out of her hand and hung up on Mary Margaret.

"How much of that did you hear?" she'd asked, wincing. Regina had scoffed and moved to get her dressed for the day.

"Enough."

They had breakfast like usual, and once Henry's attention was focused solely on an episode of My Little Pony (Spike was his favourite, of course), Regina sat Emma down at the kitchen island with a cup of coffee.

"You know whatever she says won't change my mind, right?" Emma said softly, feeling the annoyance rolling off of Regina in waves.

"I just don't want her upsetting you," Regina muttered, but she couldn't resist a slight smile when she watched Emma's hand grope the air blindly before finding her wrist and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Nah, I know she means well. She'll get over it eventually."

"Hmm." Regina just hummed, unconvinced. Emma began tugging her wrist closer and closer until the brunette took the hint and leaned forward to kiss her sweetly, this time humming with pleasure. Emma was a hell of a kisser and she never failed to make Regina's toes curl with delight every time they locked lips.

"Can I ask you a question?" Emma husked, releasing her lower lip after giving it a gentle bite.

"Mm," was the only response Regina gave, their noses brushing together as she considered interrupting the blonde with more kisses.

"What did Mary Margaret do to you?"

That was one way to kill a mood. Regina pulled away with a scowl so intense that Emma didn't need her eyesight to know she was being glared at. She gave a sheepish smile of apology, stroking her thumb across Regina's knuckles and feeling the other woman relax minutely.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just… she's my best friend, and I want to understand why you two hate each other."

Regina sighed and, after a moment, gently pulled her hand free from Emma's. It was clear she wanted a moment to steel herself, even if Emma had to resist the urge to search out her hand again.

"She... She..."

Brows pinching together, Emma tried to look remorseful. "You don't have to—"

"I should," Regina said sullenly, her voice resigned. "I've... I've kept it to myself all these years. Maybe it's time I let it go."

Emma nodded in understanding, remaining respectfully quiet as Regina debated how to begin. After another long moment, she took a breath and blew it out through her lips.

"You know that we went to the same college? Zelena, Kathryn, Mary Margaret and I?"

Emma nodded.

"I was studying physiotherapy at the time. Sophomore year. He..." she trailed off, voice straining a moment before she cleared her throat. "His name was Daniel—Mr. Colter. He was a new teacher in the literature department. We... Well."

She took another breath, giving out a weary laugh. Emma chewed on her lower lip but said nothing. "Foolish as it was, we were in love, and we thought we could keep it hidden. Tell me, Emma, have you met Mary Margaret's father?"

Momentarily startled by the segue, Emma frowned and tilted her head. "Leo? Yeah, a few times. M&M invited me to a few Thanksgiving dinners and weekend visits. He seemed nice."

Regina sniffed. "I'm sure he did. His wife—Mary Margaret's mother—died only a few years before she went to college. Did you know he used to attend every single event at the school? People used to talk about what a great and supportive father he was, always there to visit Mary Margaret and to donate to the school at every fundraiser."

She gave a bitter little laugh at that, and Emma once again had to resist seeking out her hands. "I take it he had other reasons."

"Indeed. He would go introduce himself to the other parents, finding single mothers to speak with, no doubt looking for his next wife. Might as well pick one out that had a grown child in the same school. Get Mary Margaret an instant sibling, right? Except he found me instead."

Emma swallowed down the growing lump in her throat. Regina's voice had turned hard and cold and she could feel a trickle of discomfort crawling up her spine in dread of what might come next.

"Did— did he—?"

"No," Regina breathed out, gently curling her fingers around Emma's and giving the anxious blonde a reassuring squeeze. "Nothing like that, dear. But he tried, oh, he tried. And when I rejected him and told him I was already spoken for, he went to Mary Margaret for help. She adored me in the beginning, did you know that? Followed me everywhere like an annoying, lost puppy. I don't know what he said to her, don't know if he'd given her the idea that I might join their family, but she started snooping. She caught Daniel and I together one day and ran off to tell him before I could stop her."

She fell quiet again, fingers tensing against Emma's. Not knowing what else she could do, Emma lifted her hand and pressed her lips to Regina's knuckles, a soft and loving little touch.

"Daniel was gone the next day. Fired for misconduct, they told me. His office, his desk, the little bookshelf he'd been so proud of, all his favourite books and manuscripts... everything, gone. It was his dream, you know. That job, that opportunity, it was everything he wanted, and Leo had him fired and blacklisted. No publishing company would even accept his inquiries."

She trailed off again, voice tight and strained. Her hand twitched within Emma's, and the softest little sniffing sound told Emma that Regina was crying.

"Regina?" she whispered, expression crumpling with concern because she knew the story got worse. Regina wouldn't be this torn up over someone else's ruined career. The brunette drew in a long, wavering breath and squeezed Emma's hand a little tighter.

"Writing was all he had, Emma. It was his everything. He didn't know what else to do, didn't have anywhere else to go. I thought he just needed some time but when he stopped answering my calls, I went to his apartment to make sure he was okay. I had to use the spare key to get in and I— I found him—"

Emma leaned forward to pull Regina into her arms at the exact moment the brunette lost herself to her tears, burying her face into the blonde's shoulder with a torn sob. Despite her best efforts, her stifled cries could still be heard over the television and Henry soon padded over to investigate, his little brows pinched and his lower lip jutted out in a pout at the sight of his mother crying.

"Mommy?" he whimpered, his own eyes tearing up, and Emma blindly motioned for him to come closer.

"It's okay, kid, come here," she murmured, finding his shoulder and gently hugging him against hers and Regina's side. With one hand against his back, she used her other to gently stroke Regina's hair, fingers combing through the silky strands. "Shhh, shh, it's okay. Cry all you want. Let it out."

And so Regina cried. She sobbed at first, big, body-shaking sobs that were long overdue from more than a decade of being bottled away. Eventually she quieted, her eyes red and puffy from where she'd been pressing them against Emma's now-damp shoulder. Henry had clutched to her hand looking torn and she finally composed herself enough to press kisses to his face and assure him that she was feeling better after a good, well-needed cry.

After freshening up a little in the bathroom, they'd all agreed on ordering in pizza and ended up snuggled in a giant pile on the couch watching Tangled, Emma leaning against the arm with Regina's head resting against her chest. They hadn't spoken much more after that, Emma not wanting to push and Regina simply feeling emotionally exhausted. As Henry grew distracted by the characters on screen, however, Regina was the one to break the lull in conversation with her soft, somewhat hoarse voice.

"She never found out."

"She... Mary Margaret?"

Regina's head moved slightly in a nod. "She knew Daniel was fired because of her father, but she never found out about his... his death. Not many people did. I had... I'd called my mother in a panic after I called 911 and she... she did everything in her power to keep it quiet. We never even told Kathryn. Zelena only knew because she and Mother were the ones to pick me up after..."

She nestled her face a little closer against Emma's chest and Emma smoothed down her hair, craning her head forward to press a kiss to the top of Regina's head.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not knowing what else to say. Regina's arm tightened around her. "Why didn't you ever tell her?"

"What would be the point?" Regina sighed. "She'd told me she didn't know that Daniel would get fired. Tried to make an excuse for her father's actions. As much as I hated her for outing us, as much as I blamed her, I couldn't... couldn't put his death on her. She was this starry eyed freshman, spoiled and sheltered. She wouldn't have been able to bear that."

With a sad little laugh, Regina shook her head. "So I hated her and bullied her, and Zelena did the same. We really earned our nicknames, I guess. Mary Margaret hated me so much that she started making up rumors about how Daniel probably dumped me because of how horrible I was and left for Europe instead."

Emma snorted loudly, readjusting her arm around Regina's waist. On the TV, the movie was playing through a duet song and the two singing characters' voices floated from the speakers.

All at once, everything looks different... now that I see you.

"You know what? Screw Europe."

Regina made a little sound of confusion, but then, "Language, Emma."

"No, screw Europe!"

"Screw Europe!" Henry echoed gleefully, and Regina made a hilariously indignant sound and wouldn't stop until Emma tickled her into submission and pinned her to the couch to kiss away her frown.

On Friday, Emma had a delivery down by the lobby. Except Emma was still in pajamas and currently slurping cereal in front of the TV with Henry, so Regina offered to go down and retrieve it for her.

They'd registered her with the concierge early on in the week so when Regina appeared in the lobby and inquired as to Emma's delivery, he pointed her towards someone waiting outside. Stepping out of the main doors, she cleared her throat for the young man's attention.

"You have a delivery for miss Swan?" she asked, lifting a brow. He blinked at her in surprise, then mild disappointment.

"Oh, yeah. Uh, you're not Emma, though."

"Clearly." She rolled her eyes. "She's unavailable at the moment and asked me to come retrieve it."

"Oh. Hmm. Okay." Scratching at the back of his neck, he held out a clipboard and tapped his finger on the dotted line. "Sign here, please."

She added her flourish to the page, then put her hands on her hips expectantly. The young man nodded and motioned to... a bright yellow motorcycle parked on the curb.

"... Wait, what?" she muttered, baffled.

"It's all fixed up, good as new. I know Emma said she couldn't afford all the repairs, but well, I had some extra time on my hands and..." He grinned, blushing slightly, and Regina felt a twinge of annoyance at this boy who had clearly done the free work to get Emma's favour. "Anyway, if you could let her know Billy fixed it up for her, free of charge, that'd be great."

"Of course, Billy," she said with a saccharine smile.

"Oh, but uh... the helmet... Couldn't really do much about that. The visor was completely shattered. I don't know how she managed that, but... anyway, she'll have to get a new helmet, but otherwise..."

He shrugged and smiled, tossing the clipboard into the passenger side of the truck he'd driven to cart the motorcycle here. Turning back around, he handed her the keys to the bike.

"Actually, Billy, would you mind helping me drive this down into her parking space? I'm afraid I don't know how."

"Sure thing, ma'am."

She used the fob to open the gate leading down into the apartment building's underground parkade, walking along as he easily cruised the bright yellow monstrosity inside. He gave her an assessing look as they made their way to Emma's parking space.

"So, are you Emma's housekeeper or something?"

She'd have smacked Billy across the head if she could.

"Emma Swan."

The door snapped shut behind her and she could see Emma visibly cringe on the couch.

"What did I do?" the blonde asked, grimacing. Regina marched right over to her, heels and all, which meant the brunette was pissed.

"Why did Billy just drop off a yellow death trap downstairs and tell me that he fixed it for free?"

"Billy?" Emma repeated, barely remembering the name of the mechanic, before she realized Regina was talking about a motorcycle she'd assumed quite dead. "Oh, crap."

"Emma..."

"I thought they'd put it in storage until I could deal with it. I didn't think he'd just up and fix it and bring it back here."

"Emma."

"They never even sent an invoice? God. I hope he's not expecting me to give him a call—"

"Emma!"

Emma went quiet, lips pursed in a grim line and head ducked as if waiting to be scolded. The look of guilt on her face said a thousand words and Regina wasn't sure if she wanted to hear them.

"You drive a motorcycle?"

"Uh... Yeah. Yep."

"And you got into an accident on your motorcycle."

Biting the inside of her cheek, Emma lowered her head. "Yeah..."

"Is that what caused your injury?"

Henry glanced over at them, curious, and Emma seemed troubled by the question. When Regina slowly sank down on the couch next to her and settled a hand on her thigh, she sighed. "Yeah, partially. I mean it's a long story, but that's the gist of it. I guess he couldn't fix my helmet?"

"No. He said the visor was shattered."

Emma's lips twitched as she nodded. "Right. Yeah. Figured." She shrugged and stuck another spoonful of cereal and milk into her mouth, pretending to listen to the TV again, and Regina sighed.

"Where do you want me to put the keys?"

"Just wherever. The drawer in my room, I guess? I won't be needing them for a while." Emma shrugged it off with a frown and Regina sighed again, kicking off her heels before padding into the bedroom. She slid open a few of the top drawers, wondering if Emma had a junk drawer for loose items. After a moment, she tried the little side table next to the bed, finding an assortment of random things inside; keys, headphones, elastic bands, loose change. Dumping the keys within—probably a little rougher than was necessary—she nearly shoved the drawer shut again before a photo caught her eye. It was buried beneath everything else, but the bright, cheerful face of a little blonde boy smiled up at her.

Emma always said she never kept any photos.

Reaching in, Regina slid it out from beneath the other items and slowly sat down on the bed, uncertain of what she was looking at. Or rather, who. But the longer she examined his cherubic features, his wild blonde curls, his dimpled cheeks and big green eyes, she could hazard a pretty good guess. Flipping the photo over, she read the messy scrawl written in sharpie.

Logan, September 11th, 2015

"Regina?" Emma called from the living room, sounding chastened. Replacing the photo, Regina gently shut the drawer and headed back out to her girlfriend and son, expression troubled. Emma was curled up on the couch, one hand reaching out for her and a slight pout on her lip.

"Right here, dear," she murmured, taking her hand and sitting down next to her. The blonde immediately snuggled into her side.

"Sorry for being grumpy," she mumbled, nuzzling her face against Regina's shoulder. "The accident was... kinda tough. I just didn't like thinking about it. The bike showing up today wasn't really the best surprise."

"I understand," said Regina, rubbing a hand along Emma's back. Emma squeezed her knee in appreciation before turning her attention back to the little sounds of joy Henry made while watching cartoons.

Regina didn't have the courage to ask about the little blonde boy until that night.

Emma was settling down into bed and Regina was sitting on the edge of the mattress next to her as they did most nights, one waiting on the other for a question before they bid goodnight. Emma tucked a hand behind her head and smiled wryly, feeling the brunette shift restlessly.

"What's up?"

"Can I ask you a... somewhat personal question?"

Emma gave a soft, confused laugh. "Of course. You can ask me anything, you know?"

It wasn't much reassurance since Regina was sure she'd seen something she wasn't supposed to, but after taking in a deep breath, she whispered, "Who's Logan?"

The smile slowly faded from Emma's lips, her body going still and her brows gently pinching together as she pressed her lips together into a straight line. After a moment, she reached out and searched for Regina's hand. Regina offered it up and felt the younger woman squeeze her gently.

"Can... Can I show you tomorrow?"

Regina didn't know what that entailed, and truth be told it scared her just a little bit, but she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Emma's forehead. "Okay."

Pulling Regina's hand up to her face, Emma kissed the back of her hand, once, twice, a third time. "Okay... Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Emma."

On Saturday, Regina met Logan.

Emma had given her directions and they ended up at a small, picturesque little neighborhood park. The sun was out and the temperature was warm so the park was teeming with laughing, squealing children, their parents nearby and scattered around the many benches. Emma and Regina sat together on one such bench, Regina's eyes on Henry as he shyly joined the other children, most of them around his age. It had taken a little coaxing to get him to let go of her and Emma's pantlegs and go play, but Emma had whispered something into his ear and he'd lit up in excitement, carefully plodding his way out into the chaos right afterwards.

"So," Regina said softly, holding Emma's hand and linking their fingers together. Emma took a deep breath and smiled wryly.

"Do you remember what he looks like? His mom usually brings him here every Saturday."

Scanning the many children, Regina found it surprisingly easy to pick him out of the crowd. He looked just like Emma, really. Smaller, with short-cropped blonde curls and all his baby fat still accounted for, but a mini Emma nonetheless.

"I see him."

Emma ducked her head with a sad little smile. "That's Logan. My, uh... my son."

Regina had known—it was hard not to figure it out just from the picture—but hearing Emma say it aloud made it so much more real. Her fingers tightened around Emma's a moment, sympathy and confusion and... frustration? Could she be upset that Emma hid this from her? No, that wasn't fair. They'd only been together two weeks, and clearly this boy wasn't in Emma's life. She had no right to be upset about this at all.

"You gave him up," she said softly, not a question or an accusation, simply a statement. Emma nodded her head. "Why?"

She didn't want to judge, but she didn't understand, either. Emma, of all people, knew what it was like to be given up for adoption, to grow up in orphanages and foster homes. How could she have given up her own child to that kind of uncertain fate?

"He turned seven this year." Emma rubbed at the back of her neck again, a nervous habit. "Eight years ago, I was in a pretty bad place. I made some bad choices, slept with a guy just because he was there for me at the time, and, well... He didn't really stick around after I found out he'd knocked me up."

Regina kept her eyes on the playground, tracking Henry's progress as he ran around with some of the other kids. Logan had joined their group, and her heart gave a little stutter at the sight of her and Emma's sons playing next to each other.

"I, uh... I fell back into a few old habits, did some pickpocketing, stealing, that kind of thing. Didn't know how the hell I could afford to pay for a kid when I could barely care for myself on the streets. Next thing you know, I'm giving birth in prison and I had no one to trust him to while I finished my time for minor theft."

Regina hesitated. "You were... in prison."

An odd look came over Emma's face. She let out a breath, shoulders slumping, and slid her hand out of Regina's, both hands retreating onto her lap. "Yeah. It was... it was just for theft, I didn't hurt anyone or anything... but yeah. Six months. It took me another few years to get my act together after that, get to where I am now."

She swallowed audibly, withdrawing a little further into herself. Regina watched as the bright and beautiful blonde she knew turned into a pale, meek imitation, arms slowly curling around herself as if in defense. This version of Emma was timid and resigned, an unwanted little lost girl who didn't think she mattered and never would.

"I couldn't... I couldn't provide anything for him," she whispered, self loathing creeping into her tone at the memory of the day she'd given him away. The day she'd stared into his green eyes and prayed to any God that would listen to give him a better life than the one she'd had. She'd cried harder than she'd ever cried before when they took him from her arms and spirited him away. "I had to give him his best chance."

Regina sat in stunned silence, her hand frozen in the air where she'd moved to touch Emma but could not bring herself to do so. Emma was nearly leaning away from her, hunched in on herself with a self deprecating smile twisting at her lips.

"I know that seeing him, even from afar, is wrong. I know I'm breaking all the rules. But I had to make sure he was okay, you know? I had to... to make sure he went to a good home. I never made contact. I just... I check in on him every year. Just to be sure."

Her shoulders jerked up in a shrug that was supposed to look nonchalant but looked more forced than anything. Shaking her head, Emma bit her lip and grimaced. Her bandages were getting soaked through with tears.

"That's how I got into my accident. I was checking in on him near his birthday like every year, and his mom looked across the park one day and made eye contact. I don't think she even knew, honestly, but I'd panicked at the time, jumped on my bike and ran. Maybe I didn't secure my visor properly, or— I don't know. The doctors said it was a freak accident. I ran a yellow light and slammed my bike into a truck, ended up thrown and landing just next to it, and the next thing I know I'm looking at it and it just blows up in my face. They spent hours picking glass from my eyes."

She touched her bandages gingerly, feeling the dampness and pursing her lips. A soft, sad laugh escaped her as she dropped her hands back into her lap.

"Sorry. I kind of dumped this all on you. But you found his picture and I— I can't hide this all from you. So... now you know the truth."

Regina leaned back slowly into the bench, hands wrung together on her own lap. Across the park, she watched as Logan ran up to a pretty woman she guessed was his adoptive mother. The woman mused his hair affectionately, said something to him, then returned to chatting happily with the other parents around her as the boy ran back to his friends. He even engaged with Henry, who seemed to take to the oddly familiar blonde with ease.

When she finally turned back to Emma, she realized the younger woman had stayed silent out of fear. She sat there looking like she was ready to be judged, to be pitied or shamed or hated. It was as if she was already resigned to getting abandoned on the spot, and the mere sight of it made Regina's heart ache.

"Oh, Emma," she breathed, gently pulling the other woman towards herself. Emma curled into her arms immediately, ducking her head to hide the wobble of her lips. "Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me, but it doesn't change anything. I would never judge you for what happened."

"Y-You don't think I'm a terrible person?" she asked in a tiny whisper. Regina chuckled softly.

"Emma, you're one of the most brave and wonderful people I've ever known."

"But—"

"No buts." She gently took hold of Emma's face with both her hands, palms cupping her cheeks. "Even after all you'd been through, you made sure he was okay, that he found a home. You're one of the kindest people I know, Emma Swan, and that's one of the things I love about you."

It wasn't quite the same as the three magical words, but it was enough. Emma went still, her skin growing warm and flushed beneath Regina's hands. Regina was fully aware of what she'd said, too, and meant every word of it.

"Really?" she asked, timid and uncertain.

"Really," Regina said before pulling her into a kiss. Emma melted against her, her entire body relaxing as if a weight had been lifted from her back. They kept it chaste as they were sitting at a children's park, but Emma sunk into her embrace with her face tucked in against Regina's neck, and Henry ran over to squeeze himself in between them as if sensing their need for comfort.

When Regina next looked across the park, Logan's mother was looking at them, not in recognition of Emma, but simply another mother smiling at the sight of them. Her lips moved, and though Regina could not hear her from here, she understood what Logan's mother was saying.

You have a beautiful family.

On Sunday, they painted together—all three of them—for the first time. Regina had changed into a pair of Emma's old jeans and a T-shirt and managed to set up two big easels and one small one side by side in the living room after pushing all the furniture aside. With a large tarp spread out beneath them to catch the mess, she set out rainbow selections of color for all of them and somewhat reluctantly began dipping her fingers into the paint.

"I'll never get this out from under my nails," she sighed, smearing random colors onto her canvas. Henry was having the time of his life, though, and Emma was swaying gently in her seat to the sounds of Regina's classical music playlist drifting from the ipod dock, so she supposed it wasn't all bad.

"What you painting, Mommy?" Henry asked after a moment, scrunching his nose at her canvas. She made a face and said,

"Abstract feelings."

"Oh."

He shrugged and went back to his masterpiece while Emma burst out laughing.

"You're just slapping paint onto canvas, aren't you?"

"Not all of us can be as talented as you, dear," Regina teased, leaning over to press a blue-smeared finger against Emma's neck and getting a squeal out of the blonde. Her attempt to jerk away only resulted in more of Regina's sticky fingers leaving paint across her shoulder.

"Aww," Emma moaned, making a face and sticking out her tongue. "Henry, look what your Mom did!"

"Mommy," Henry said in his most stern, scolding voice, turning an accusing eye on her.

"Get 'er, kid!" Emma coaxed, and before Regina could threaten either of them, her son had landed both his sticky, neon-green hands on her exposed arm with a wet splat!

Regina actually let out an undignified squeak before giving a shrill, "Henry Daniel Mills!" Between the three of them, they managed to get more paint on each other than on their abandoned paintings, and by the time Zelena arrived with dinner as a peace offering, they were all sorely in need of baths.

"Did I just walk into a real life game of Splatoon?" the redhead muttered, a reference that only Henry giggled at. She ended up taking Henry into the hall bathroom while Regina and Emma went into the ensuite, stripping out of their now rainbow-colored clothes and washing the paint off their skin.

"There better not be any hanky panky going on in there," Zelena had hollered at them from the hallway, which promptly ended the tentative makeout session they'd begun while showering in their underwear.

Once dried off and dressed in clean clothing, they sat down for a movie and unpacked the dinner Zelena had brought. "Takeout from Tiana's," she'd said, which meant the food was heavy and delicious, delegating them all to the role of couch potato for the next hour or two just to digest. Zelena stayed long enough to help clean up the remains of their artistic endeavors before taking Henry for the rest of the evening, offering to let Emma and Regina have their last night together alone.

"Tomorrow?" Henry asked when Emma hugged him goodnight.

"That depends on if your auntie Zelena will get her butt out of bed and bring you over," Emma teased, ruffling his hair as Zelena made a snorting sound next to her. "But you and your Mom are always welcome here, alright?"

"Okay." He hugged her again extra tight, somehow sensing that things were going to be different from then on. As she was on her knee, he got up onto his toes to smack a wet kiss onto her cheek. "Love you 'Ma."

He grabbed onto Zelena's hand, ready to go, and promptly pulled her towards the door, missing the looks of surprise on all the adults' faces. Still frozen on one knee, Emma managed to pick her jaw up from the floor and give a shy smile.

"Love you too, kid."

Zelena shot her sister a curious look before leaving with Henry in tow, the door clicking shut behind them. Rising to her feet, Emma cleared her throat and turned towards Regina with a fierce blush on her cheeks.

"God, your kid," she muttered, rubbing at the back of her neck almost bashfully.

"He is a charmer, isn't he?" Regina chuckled, shaking her head and sliding her arms around Emma's waist. Emma's arms circled her immediately in response, fitting perfectly together like a puzzle piece. "Why don't we get ready for bed?"

"Already?" Emma's eyebrows lifted clear over her bandages. "What time is it?"

"Eight thirty, but I thought we might lay together and talk."

A slow grin spread across Emma's lips. Regina and Henry had initiated several more sleepovers ever since they began dating, and Emma had learned one very adorable fact. "You just want to cuddle, don't you?"

"I do not cuddle," Regina argued, sounding almost petulant. Emma snickered but didn't fight her on the matter, obediently brushing her teeth and washing her face, swapping into a comfy pair of shorts and a tanktop before sliding into what was becoming her 'side' of the bed. She normally slept in the dead center, but when Regina slept over, the right side was hers.

Once Regina had slipped in under the covers and flicked off the bedside lamp, Emma opened her arms up wide. "C'mere, cuddlebug."

"Shut up," Regina grumbled, even as she snuggled into Emma's arms and nuzzled her face in against that perfect spot between Emma's neck and shoulder. The blonde laughed heartily, pressing kisses into the brunette's thick, dark hair.

"I'm gonna miss having this every day, you know," she said after a while, relaxed and happy. Their limbs were tangled together and the warmth they shared was at the perfect temperature.

"Me too." Regina toyed with the hem of Emma's shirt, rubbing the thin fabric between her fingers. Her knuckles brushed the soft skin of Emma's hip and the younger woman shivered in response, goosebumps rising across her flesh.

"We won't let it change things, right?" Emma asked softly, hesitantly. Regina lifted her head and cupped the younger woman's cheek, thumb brushing tenderly over her cheekbone.

"Of course not. This, us—it's what I want, and having Mary Margaret take care of you again won't change that." Then, after a moment's thought, "I could still come over for sleepovers. How uncomfortable do you think I could make Mary Margaret?"

Emma laughed, grinning at the note of mischief in Regina's voice. "Oh, you're bad."

"You have no idea," Regina purred, smirking as Emma wriggled in response. The blonde's hands found her face once more and she went still, closing her eyes as Emma mapped out her face in what was becoming a familiar and intimate routine. Fingertips traced every curve and contour, followed the crest of her brows and the slope of her long nose, her thumb finding that little divot of a scar on her upper lip and caressing it like an old lover. It sent a shiver up Regina's spine as it always did, and like always, Emma dipped down to kiss the scar, her tongue sneaking out to lave the spot ever so gently.

"Emma," she breathed out, snaking her arms around Emma's neck to pull her a little closer, wanting more of her tender touches and affections. Laying on their sides facing each other, Emma had the freedom to start sliding her hands lower, palms brushing along her side, her waist, her shapely hips. She curled her hand around Regina's thigh, coaxed her leg up over her hip, then circled back and tentatively slid her palm over the brunette's ass. Regina's breathy moan urged her onwards, her hand squeezing the supple flesh there, only the barrier of thin silk pajama bottoms between them.

"Is this okay?" Emma whispered, ever the honorable one. Regina pressed herself up a little more fully against Emma, breast to breast, stomach to stomach, and with her leg over Emma's hip, even her core brushed against her pelvis.

"Touch me, Emma. I want you to."

Emma let out a little moan of her own, squeezing Regina's ass once more before sliding her hand up again, sliding beneath her silk top and following the curve of the woman's spine. Her flesh was hot beneath her palm, skin tingling against skin. Regina shivered as her hand slid along her side and made its way to her chest, tentatively cupping a small but pert breast in her palm. They'd both gone without a bra to bed, and Emma's breath caught in her throat as she slid her thumb over and brushed against a very erect nipple.

The gasp that escaped Regina set Emma's nerves aflame, and when she was not told to stop, she eagerly brought her thumb and forefinger together to gently roll the nipple between her fingers, tugging and gently pinching to find what caused the many sounds Regina made. It grew hard and stiff under her ministrations, and Regina began to wriggle ever so slightly against her.

"I need to know how far we're taking this, Emma," the brunette said lowly, her voice hoarse, almost a growl. "Because if we're not having sex, then you need to stop now."

Emma's mouth dropped open in surprise... then she gave a nervous chuckle. "Blunt, aren't you? I thought you had never done this before."

"With a woman? No. But you make me want to do things to you..." Regina groaned, pulling Emma's teasing fingers away from her breast and kissing the younger woman hard, plundering her mouth with a greedy tongue. When they finally broke apart for a ragged breath, she had to slap Emma's wandering hands away again. "Well?"

"Um... Can I..." Emma grabbed her hip, gently rolling over so that she hovered half on top of Regina, her weight braced on her elbow. With surprising patience, Regina cupped her face and pulled her in for another, much softer kiss.

"Mm?"

"I think... maybe MM is right and I... I don't think I'm ready quite yet. But..."

"But...?" Regina coaxed, stroking the backs of her fingers along Emma's cheek. The younger woman had turned a bright red, blushing furiously beneath her bandages.

"Can I take care of you instead?"

Regina chuckled softly, brushing her fingers through silken blonde hair and leaning her head up to peck Emma's lips. "If that's what you're comfortable with, darling, I certainly won't complain."

With a shy grin, Emma kissed her once more—missing her lips by a landmark and kissing her nose instead—and began making her way down, fingers fumbling with the buttons of Regina's silk top as she kissed her chin, her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. The silk fell away and she eagerly mapped out Regina's breasts with her lips, kissing and nipping at every inch of her, laving her tongue over stiff nipples and nuzzling the silky smooth underside of her breasts. She left a trail of affection down her flat stomach, tongue dipping into her navel, lips smiling against her skin as Regina squirmed and moaned in response.

Fingers hooking into the waistband of both silk pants and panties, Emma began slowly sliding them downwards, feeling Regina lift her hips off the bed to aid in the process. She made sure to pull them all the way down and toss them aside, then kissed her way back up starting at her calves, her knees, her beautiful thighs. As Regina parted her legs to make room for Emma's shoulders, she was overtaken by the scent of the older woman's arousal, so clearly wet and wanting. With one arm around Regina's leg and her hand resting on her abdomen, Emma smiled up at her soon-to-be lover, her other hand cupping gently over her mound.

"Is this alright?"

"Emma," Regina said, her low voice a mixture of affection and frustration, "Please, please, please, make love to me."

Emma laughed softly, the meaning in her words not lost on her. "As you wish."

She lowered her head, turning her hand around to gently sink two fingers into Regina's waiting heat as she took her into her mouth, and Regina's cry of relief was the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard. They moved together, Regina rocking her hips and Emma loving her as attentively as possible, and when Regina finally came it was with stars in her eyes and something warm and yearning in her heart.

Crawling back up, Emma pulled Regina into her arms and held her close, hands gently caressing her spine until the delicious tremors within her body calmed and her breathing slowed. Moaning long and low with pleasure, Regina kissed Emma's neck and snuggled further into her embrace, their legs tangled together and the blanket pulled up over both their bodies.

"Mm. Are you sure you don't want me to...?" Regina mumbled, one palm resting possessively against Emma's chest, just over her heart. Emma shook her head, a permanent smile etched onto her features as she settled a hand over Regina's and held it there as if there were no other place it could possibly belong.

"No. This is perfect. You're perfect."

Regina hummed again, leaning back enough so that she could kiss Emma properly, sweet and tender and unhurried. Emma may not have been able to see it, but Regina's eyes were open and clear with honesty.

"... Emma?"

"Hm?"

"I... I'm falling in love with you."

Emma gave an awkward little laugh. "You just had an orgasm."

Regina kissed her again. "Then I'll tell you again in the morning. I'm falling in love with you."

Expression softening, Emma ran her hand along Regina's bare spine, the touch gentle and tender. "I'm falling in love with you too."

They said no more, curling into each other and slowly drifting into slumber. In the morning, Mary Margaret would reclaim her role as caretaker, but for tonight... tonight, it was just Emma and Regina.