And here we go, an explanation for Regina's actions last chapter just in case anyone was like ?. So, read, review if you'd like, and enjoy.


She woke up later, wrapped gently in Regina's arms. She wasn't exactly sure how long she'd been out, but she was guessing a while. Being pushed over the edge so many times in rapid succession after such a long dry spell was bound to do that. One of Regina's hands was rubbing up and down her side gently. She shivered and turned back to look at the other woman.

"Welcome back," Regina said in a near whisper.

Emma smiled. "It's nice to be back." Emma fully turned over and brought Regina into her arms. She rested her head in the crook of Regina's neck and sighed. It was nice to be this close to her, skin on skin once again. Regina, it seemed, had taken off her corset and stockings while Emma had been out. Her hands roved over Regina's bare skin reverently. Regina was just as perfect as the day they met. Maybe even more so because Regina was hers now.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma in return and kissed Emma's hair gently. She murmured about how well Emma had done quietly. Emma didn't say anything, content to just explore Regina's skin once more after such a long break from the glorious tan expanse that Emma knew every inch.

They laid like that for a long while, wrapped up in each other, not saying anything after Regina's whispers of good girl had faded into nothing. Emma had missed this, the quiet intimacy. They had still slept together whenever they could, cuddled up in each other's arms, but it had been different. They hadn't been as close somehow. It wasn't that they were fully clothed during those other times, either. It was something wholly different, something Emma couldn't quite grasp, but something that she was glad had returned to them once more.

"Please stay, Emma," Regina finally whispered into the silence after what seemed like hours, her breath hitching audibly.

Emma pulled back to look at Regina. Those words had meant more than they did on the surface, she was sure of it. Her presence wasn't what Regina was talking about.

"What do you mean, Regina? Of course I'm staying."

"No you aren't," Regina said in a voice so small in broke Emma's heart.

Emma didn't know exactly how to reply. She didn't know exactly what Regina meant just yet, so she couldn't tailor her response to that. Better just to go with the obvious and hope Regina revealed what she really meant later.

"I'm right here Regina. I'm not going anywhere if you don't want me to."

"But you are, Emma."

Emma cocked and eyebrow. "You're gonna have to throw me a bone, Regina. I have no idea what's going on right now other than the literal meaning of stay being I don't leave this bed. And trust me, I don't want to leave this bed."

Regina was silent for a short eternity. "A few weeks back you came home and told me you'd broken up a bar fight."

"Well yeah, I had. Guy was a bastard for punching me after I helped him out."

"But Emma…there wasn't a bar fight anywhere in town." Regina drew in a shuddering breath. "I went in the next day and asked Ruby about it and she had no idea what I meant. I didn't think anything of it until Tweedle Dee came in on Monday to refile his alcohol permit for the Rabbit Hole and he didn't have any idea what I was talking about either. Those are the only two bars in town, Emma. And they had no idea what I was talking about."

Emma swallowed. Regina had found out. Regina had been the one following her. Oh god, and she probably thought the worst because that was how her life worked up until they had gotten together.

"So then I thought maybe you had just broken up a drunken fight somewhere else. And I waited for the paperwork. And I waited. But it never came. So one night after work I decided that I was just going to go over and see if you hadn't filed it, because face it, Miss Swan, you're horrible at paperwork, but your bug wasn't there. At seven at night. Two hours after your shift started. David's truck was there instead. I thought maybe you were on patrol. So I waited. You never came back to the station."

Emma drew Regina closer to her. She had hurt her. She had hurt Regina. The woman that everyone else had stomped on and threw punches at, the one that she promised herself she would never hurt. She had hurt her by being her normal idiotic self. God, how had she been so fucking stupid? How had she thought that lying was a good fucking idea? Lying about why she needed the money was one thing. Lying about where she was for eight hours a day was another, Bubba had been so fucking right it hurt.

I told you, Emma, you should have just gone for something simple that didn't use much money. Regina would've been fine with it. Daniel thought at her.

I swear to god lover boy, now is not the fucking time. Go back to your little fucking corner and shut the fuck up.

Daniel fled in the wake of her all-consuming anger.

Regina continued. "So I had Sydney follow you around for a few days, but of course he couldn't follow you out of town. But he confirmed enough. You hadn't switched shifts with David. You lied to me." Regina let out a hiccupping sob.

Emma fell even further into a her hole of self-loathing. She would've gladly set herself on fire at that moment.

"The next week I followed you out of town. And you went to that God forsaken bar night after night from open to close. And I just—" Regina broke down completely then and couldn't go on.

"And then every time you gave me an opening to confess that I had fucked up I acted like nothing was wrong and I had no idea what your problem was." Emma swallowed hard. "Regina, God, I'm so fucking sorry. I shouldn't have fucking lied to you about anything, but I swear to God I'm not doing anything bad at Bubba's. I'm not going behind your back and cheating. I needed a second job since money is so tight around here right now. I wanted to save up some money and what I was managing to pack away on the sheriff's salary wasn't enough. That's what I've been doing at night, that's why I was there from open to close, no other reason. I love you and only you. I would never do that to you."

Emma took a shaky breath. Her hands rubbed circles on Regina's shuddering frame. God, she had fucked this up big time.

"B-but I hadn't had sex with you in months I thought—I thought…"

"No, Regina, no. No sex with you but still being with you is better than literally the best sex ever in the whole wide world with someone else."

"Then why didn't you just tell me you were getting second job instead of lying?"

"…I wanted what I was saving money for to be a surprise. So I thought I had to keep the job a secret too." She looked down at her chest sheepishly.

"Oh, Emma. You are literally the biggest idiot I've ever known."

"Yeah, I'm starting to realize that," Emma replied quietly.

"What were you saving up for that you wanted to be surprise that badly?" Regina finally managed to take a deep breath.

Emma bit her lip. At this point could she even justify a white lie after she had just fucked up literally everything else? But she still really wanted the proposal to be a surprise. She had to think on her feet.

"I wanted to save up for a good down payment on a new car. I know you hate the bug, so I wanted to see your face when I drove home in something else. It was a stupid idea."

"But you love the bug."

"But I love you more."

"You're an idiot."

"I know."

"You don't need to buy a new car just for my sake."

"But I wanted to."

"Oh, Emma."

"I know."

Regina dried the last of her tears and pulled back from Emma to look at her. Tears were still streaming down her face silently. Regina reached up and brushed them away tenderly.

"Quit your second job. You don't need a new car. And I need you."

"I can't. I promised the guy who runs the bar three months. It's almost over. I know you probably don't fully believe that I'm at the bar just to work, but I don't want to leave Bubba in a rut. He's a decent guy. He—uh—actually really got mad at me the other day when I told him that I hadn't told you about my second job. Slapped some sense into me." Emma paused. "That I promptly forget as soon as I figured out that you were mad at me because I thought I better not tell you something that would make you mad at me when you were already mad. How fucking stupid am I?"

"Very, but I think we've established that." Regina studied Emma's face for a long while. "I'm coming to work with you tonight then. I want to meet him. I want him to confirm everything you just told me. And he says one word to the contrary and…I don't know what I'll do to you Emma Swan, but—"

"You'll destroy my happiness if it's the last thing you do?" A small smile pulled at the corners of Emma's mouth.

Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Something like that, Miss Swan."

"I'm going to be in the dog house for a really long time, aren't I?"

Regina nodded. "Oh yes, Miss Swan, I think you are."

Emma groaned. "I'm so fucking stupid it hurts."

"God, imagine how much pain your father must be in then." Regina got up out of bed and started to get dressed. "Get up, Emma, you have to be at work in half an hour."

Emma bolted up and looked at the clock. Shit, Regina was right. Emma flew out of bed and went to tug on her clothes as quickly as she could. She was going to have to call Bubba and tell him that she was going to be a little late. Double shit. She hoped her ring money could take the slight hit in tips she was going to make for the night.

Regina for her part got ready at her normal pace and still managed to be ready by the time Emma flew from the bathroom, motioning to Regina to come on, while dialing Bubba's number. Regina just glared at her but followed nonetheless.

"Bubba's, how may I help ya?" Bubba picked up after a few rings.

"Hey, Bubba, it's Emma. I'm going to be like maybe thirty minutes late. I'm super sorry I just—Regina and I were talking, about my job there actually, and I sort of lost track of time."

"I thought ya told her about the job days ago." Bubba didn't sound happy.

"I was going to, but she was mad at me for something I didn't want to make it worse and…suffice to say I'm an idiot. I'm sure you'll get filled in on exactly how much of an idiot I am when I get there."

"I'd say so, Miss Swan," Regina said from right behind her.

"Still with your woman?"

"Yeah, uh, she's actually coming with me tonight."

"Wants to make sure ya aren't lyin'." It wasn't a question, Bubba already knew.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well then, I look forward to meetin' her. I'll see you when ya get here, little lady."

"Bye." Emma hung up the phone and shoved it into her jeans pocket.

"Perceptive man," Regina said still in the same position, chin almost on Emma's shoulder.

"Yeah, he's a smart guy in his own way."

"I look forward to meeting him."

They descended the stairs together and both strapped into the bug. Emma flew out of town. Regina, for her part seemed nonplussed by the speed.

"So, what do yellow roses mean? I looked them up on Google but I couldn't find a straight answer."

Regina turned to look at Emma once again. Emma could practically feel the weight of her stare on her skin. She had probably just asked a really stupid question.

"Infidelity, Miss Swan. They mean infidelity."

Oh. Fuck. Well that made a lot of sense in the grand scheme of things. That definitely would have given her the clue she needed to straighten things out long before this.

"Well, if Google had told me that this would have been resolved sooner."

"I suppose, Miss Swan."

"How long am I going to be Miss Swan exclusively?"

"A while."

Emma nodded. She couldn't really complain in this case.

They made it about half way to Johnson City before a thought hit Emma. "Wait, Regina, if you thought I was cheating on you what the hell was that little adventure in light BDSM we just had? Not that I'm complaining because shit do we really need to do that again, but…" she trailed off.

"I thought you were stepping out on me because I wasn't giving you what you needed."

"So that was trying to keep me around by not only offering what I wanted, but offering something else that no one else would."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Regina nod.

"Shit, Regina, that's not what you need to do to keep me around at all. Unless you enjoyed it as much as I did. Then by all means, spring that on me again. But, fuck, Regina. Seriously, there's no need to do something like that. Sex isn't the most important thing, you are. And I'm just going to put this out there for future reference you don't need to buy me expensive shit because you want to keep me around, you don't need to do anything over the top, period. You just need to be you, ok?"

Regina hummed, acknowledging what Emma said, but not really responding. Emma was about to go on when Regina decided to speak.

"I wish you would've taken your own advice, Miss Swan."

Emma sighed. "Yeah, but I just…I want to do everything I can for you because no one else in your life has, you know?"

"I feel the same way, but when it gets in the way of our relationship, I'd rather not."

"Got it, no more lying for the sake of large surprises. Believe me. I got it."

Regina laughed once. "I'll feel the need to repeat that for quite a while to come, Miss Swan. After all, we both know how dense you are."

"Fair enough."

Emma stayed silent for a few minutes. "So. Did you enjoy earlier?"

Regina snorted. "Yes, Miss Swan, because in the middle of a serious matter, that is the question to ask."

Emma blushed heavily. She couldn't help it. She was really curious.

"But yes, Miss Swan, to answer you, I did enjoy myself. I'd enjoy myself more if I wasn't doing it in hopes of saving my relationship, however."

"So, maybe when I'm out of the dog house…"

"We'll see, Miss Swan. I have to be in a certain mood to be quite that dominant."

"Works for me. Regular sex with you is also very nice."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Teenaged boy."

Emma laughed. Yeah, maybe she was on the inside. Kept things interesting at least.

They stayed silent for the rest of the ride to Bubba's. Regina's hand eventually snaked its way over to rest on Emma's. Emma smiled for the rest of the drive.