A/N: And moving straight on from the last chapter …

A gasp. A startled wiggle. And a thump.

"Shit! Are you ok?" Emma asked as she peered over the edge of the sofa to where Regina had just landed on the floor.

"Yep," the brunette groaned, rubbing her hip.

"What are you doing back here?" Emma asked, sitting up and turning her attention to her son who was still standing in the doorway, looking curiously between the two women who, until a few seconds previously, had been lying in each other's arms.

"The film was shit," he glowered. "I wanted to come home."

Emma frowned at the excuse, knowing by the look on her son's face that he had been upset by something but also knowing that now probably wasn't the time to discuss it.

"Oh ok," Emma said just as Regina picked herself up off the floor and moved to sit in the armchair on the far side of the room, putting as much distance between the two women as possible.

"What do you need to tell me?" Henry repeated, glancing between his history teacher and his mother, both of whom were a little flushed.

"Um," Emma said with a sideways look at Regina. "Well … The thing is … Ok so here's the thing. Regina and I … What I'm trying to tell you is -,"

"You're together," Henry finished for the stuttering woman.

Emma blinked. "What?"

"You and Regina, you're a couple," Henry clarified.

"How did you know?" Emma asked.

"Well I wasn't completely sure until about two minutes ago but even before I saw you guys on the sofa I knew you were more than friends. You're not exactly subtle," the teenager shrugged.

"And … are you ok with this?" Emma said, her heart racing as she waited for Henry's answer.

"I don't care who you fuck, just as long as the whole school doesn't find out my mum's a lesbian," Henry said before he disappeared into the hallway and heavy footsteps were heard on the stairs.

Emma turned to stare at Regina, her mouth open.

"What just happened?" she asked as the brunette crossed over and settled herself back on the sofa.

"I'm not sure," Regina replied.

"Was he ok with us being together? I couldn't tell because of the swearing and the possibly homophobic remark," Emma said rubbing her forehead in confusion.

Regina chuckled. "I don't think he meant 'lesbian' in a derogatory way. He's a teenage boy, Emma. Of course he doesn't want his friends to find out his mother, who is also their geography teacher, is sleeping with a woman, who is also their history teacher. That's fantasy material for their hormonally charged bodies."

"Gross," Emma replied. "And we're not sleeping together. Or 'fucking' as my darling son so eloquently put it."

"Not yet, no," Regina said. "But I'm pretty sure the true nature of our relationship behind closed doors means very little to teenage boys when they're, um, pleasuring themselves."

"Oh my God, stop talking!" Emma laughed.

"Make me."

Regina's mouth was at once covered by eager lips, Emma's tongue seeking entrance quickly and a stifled moan escaping her as she tasted the brunette again. Regina's heart beat powerfully in her chest as the kiss continued, the sensations Emma's tongue and lips were creating making her core throb.

Emma didn't want to lie on top of Regina, unsure the woman was quite ready for an act of dominance like that so as they kissed, she herself lay down, tugging Regina gently on top of her and letting her thighs fall open so she was cradling Regina's body between them. Regina happily complied, relishing the feel of Emma's body pressed against her own as the blonde's fingers ghosted up and down her back, occasionally squeezing her ass lightly before sliding back up to tangle in her tousled hair.

"What about Henry?" Regina asked when they broke to catch their breath twenty minutes later. Not wanting to move from lying on top of the blonde, she rested her chin on Emma's chest as she looked up into the face above her.

"I'm pretty sure he won't be coming down here any time soon, if that's what you mean," Emma replied, her fingers trailing through Regina's soft hair which was splayed across her shoulders.

"Are you going to talk to him?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "I'll go up in a bit, try and work out how he's really feeling about us being together. Something happened when he was out too and it wasn't anything to do with the film they watched."

When Emma knocked on Henry's door later that night, she was greeted by a grunt and turned the handle to enter the dark room. Henry was sat in bed reading by the dim light of a lamp on the table. Emma stepped over a pile of dirty clothes and crossed the room to sit on his bed.

"Hey, kid," she said, patting his leg.

"I'm not a kid," Henry huffed, slamming the book shut and tossing it onto the duvet.

"No," Emma agreed. "But you're my son and to me you'll always be my baby."

This didn't do anything to alleviate Henry's dour expression.

"What do you want?" he asked with a sigh.

"To talk," Emma replied. "Whether about me and Regina, or what happened tonight, or about anything else which might be on your mind."

"Nothing happened tonight," Henry replied, a little too defensively.

"Ok," Emma placated, not wanting to push Henry into a conversation he clearly wasn't ready for. "So let's talk about me and Regina. I'm sure you have questions regarding our relationship and what happens now you know we're together."

"I told you, I don't care as long as people don't find out at school," Henry scowled.

"Well that's not exactly what you said and I would like to have a discussion with you about your language, young man, but I do need to know that you're really ok with this. I know we talked before Christmas about the possibility of me moving on from your dad at some point but we never discussed the fact that Regina is, well, a woman."

"If you're gay, I don't care," Henry replied. "Or bisexual, whatever. It doesn't bother me."

"But you think it will bother your friends?" Emma prompted.

"No," Henry said. "I mean, they won't care in a homophobic way but you know as well as I do that if people found out about you and Regina the gossipers at school would have a field day. I don't want that, for me or for you two."

Emma chuckled. "You're right," she nodded. "But if Regina and I continue to date, which I very much hope we do, people will find out eventually and there's nothing we can do about that. We'll just have to find a way of dealing with it."

"I know," Henry sighed. "I just wish you didn't both work at school. It was bad enough when it was just you."

"I'm sorry," Emma offered, "but you can't choose who you fall for. It might not be easy or convenient but it is what it is."

"Does she make you happy?"

Emma smiled softly at her son. "She does."

"Good," Henry said, offering his mother a smile in return. "I want you to be happy, Mum. I don't care who makes you wear that goofy grin just as long as you are."

"Goofy?" Emma said, feigning outrage.

"Very goofy," Henry nodded with a smirk. "But it's ok because it means you're happy. It's a good goofy."

"I want you to be happy too, Henry," Emma said, chuckling. "So are you going to tell me why you didn't go for a sleepover with Felix and Peter?"

"Firstly, I'm not a six year old girl so it wasn't a sleepover," Henry said, his face darkening again. "And secondly, no."

"Why not?" Emma asked.

"Because it's none of your business," Henry snapped. Emma raised her eyebrows at the tone. "Sorry," Henry mumbled. "I'm tired. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Ok," Emma said, standing up from the bed. "Sleep well, kid."

"You too," Henry said, sliding further beneath the covers and rolling onto his side, his back to Emma. "Night, Mum."

"Goodnight, Henry."

Regina was lying on what had become her side of the bed reading the news on her phone when Emma came into the room after brushing her teeth. As soon as the door closed, the brunette asked: "how did it go?"

"I'm not sure," Emma admitted as she began to get ready for bed. "Good, I think. At least, he said he really didn't mind us being together, nor the fact that we're both women. Just as long as we're happy. But he's worried about the gossip mill at school, understandably. And then I asked him what happened tonight when he was in town and he completely shut down."

"Well at least he knows about us and he's ok with it," Regina said. "I know his approval is very important to you which means it's important to us."

"Yeah, I'm glad he seemed accepting of us too. I guess time will tell how accepting he is once everyone else knows," Emma said as she pulled on an old, over-sized t-shirt.

"You want to tell people already?" Regina asked, her eyes widening in alarm.

"No, of course not. I mean, I would be honoured to walk into the staff room on Monday morning holding your hand and kiss you senseless in front of our colleagues but I'm not in any rush. This is all very new still and I'm happy to wait until we see where things are going before we make any kind of announcement."

"Ok," Regina said, relaxing back against her pillow. "Are you coming to bed now?"

"You bet," Emma said, her voice a little husky. "Oh no, not like that. I didn't mean … I know we're waiting until … fuck."

Regina couldn't help but laugh at the way Emma was hanging her head in regret and shame at the foot of the bed.

"Emma, dear, I know what you meant. And you don't have to hide the fact that you want me, sexually. I want you just as much. At least, my body does. I'm just not sure my mind is ready yet," Regina explained.

"I know. I'm sorry," Emma said, her voice small.

"No need to be sorry," Regina assured. "To be honest, knowing you're attracted to me is a big boost for my self-confidence. I thought after everything I've been through, after my lip, my forehead," she gestured to the scars, "after what Robin did to me, no one would ever want me again."

"I want you," Emma said at once, climbing onto the bed from the end and crawling up it until she was directly above the brunette. "I want you, Regina."

Regina looked up into the earnest face of the woman above her. She had felt her own body tense slightly and her heart beat rise when she had watched Emma moving towards her, over her, above her. But now, looking up into the sparkling green eyes, she felt nothing but contentment. Emma would never hurt her. Emma cared about her. Emma would keep her safe.

The kiss was gentle, their lips barely brushing together before Emma swung her leg away from Regina and lay down on her side of the bed. Regina rolled at once into the crook of Emma's arm, nestling closely and laying her head against Emma's breast.

"Are you ready?"

Regina nodded silently, staring out of the windshield towards the school playground just as Henry's door slammed. The brunette watched as the boy walked away from the car. If being seen arriving at school with your mum was bad, adding your history teacher into the mix was certainly too much for the teenager. Regina had stayed with the Swans all weekend and Emma had driven the three of them to school that morning. It was a miserable February day, a steady drizzle soaking everything as they sat there. Waiting.

"Everybody knows what he did to me," Regina said in a small voice.

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "But hopefully that means they won't be asking you questions. After all, they've already read the story in every newspaper in the country."

Details of Regina's ordeal had been published soon after the new year and once Robin had appeared in court, pleading guilty, more details of the attacks and kidnapping had occurred. Since there wasn't a long, messy trial, the papers had soon lost interest however and after his sentence had been announced, they quickly moved onto other stories. Regina was immensely relieved.

Regina chuckled darkly. "I never imagined when I was growing up that I'd be in the newspapers for that reason."

"There's still time to win the Nobel Peace Prize or -,"

"Write a best selling historical book about the impact of psychedelic drugs on the musical trends in the 1960s," Regina interrupted.

"Or that, yes," Emma laughed.

"I've got a draft copy of it sat on my laptop," Regina mused. "I should probably have spent the last month editing and updating that rather than moping around my house. And your house," she added.

"You weren't moping," Emma said, reaching across the console and taking both of Regina's hands in hers. "You were healing. You needed that time Regina and if you still need time, if you're not ready, Mr Gold will understand."

"No," Regina said, shaking her head. "No, I'm good. I'm ready to get back to work."

She reached for the door handle but Emma's hand on her wrist tugged her gently back.

"Wha-,"

The rest of the word was muffled by Emma's lips. She sighed into the increasingly familiar sensation, a minty tongue playing with her own briefly before Emma pulled away.

"I thought we were lying low," Regina remarked, looking out through the rain into the deserted car park. They had arrived very early at Regina's behest.

"We are," Emma replied. "I checked no one was around first. Come on, we're going to be late."

It wasn't easy, but it wasn't as bad as Regina had anticipated either. During the morning briefing, Mr Gold didn't acknowledge her return, as she had requested, and most of the staff just made do with a sympathetic smile in her direction. Only Rose and Ruby actually came up and hugged her in a slightly awkward way. Well, maybe it was awkward because Regina's arms were hanging limply beside her tense body as she desperately tried to control the urge to push the women away. Physical contact from anyone other than Emma still made her panic. She said nothing but she saw Emma whispering to the two women minutes later and guilty looks appeared on both their faces when they realised what they had done.

Regina's younger year groups were silent. Not a question, not a mutter, not a single incident of a student acting out. It was odd, certainly, but not entirely unpleasant. Her Year 10s and 11s however were a different matter. Regina supposed it was because they were a little older, a little more aware of what she had been through, and a little closer maturity-wise to being able to understand. Well, as much as an outside could understand. She supposed the questions hadn't been as crude or invasive as they could have been.

"Miss, where's your husband now?"

"Is it true that he stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and replaced it with a fake?"

"How many stitches did you need in your head?"

"Why didn't you run away?"

"Miss, do you think he'll come after you again when he gets out?"

"What happens to rapists in prison? Is it like gays?"

"Miss, are you changing your name?"

"No, Nick, I won't be changing my name," Regina sighed.

It was almost the end of the last lesson and her Year 10 class were packing up and waiting for the bell. Henry was lounging in his chair in the corner, looking out through the rain-spattered window and ignoring the conversation. Regina didn't blame him. She wished she could have done the same.

"Why not?" Nicholas Zimmer asked.

"Because it was my name in the first place," Regina said.

"What? How'd that work?" Nicholas' twin sister Ava piped up.

"He took my surname after he got into trouble with the law a few years ago. So he can change his name back but I'll be keeping mine."

The bell rang just as Nick opened his mouth to ask another question.

"Don't forget your homework is due on Friday, please," Regina called over the noise of thirty teenagers heading for the door. "The supply teacher did not follow the curriculum as closely as I do so we are going to have to work a little faster if we want to get everything covered by the end of the summer term."

When at last her classroom was quiet, Regina returned to her chair and flopped down into it. She closed her eyes. It was over. Her first day back was done. Now all she had to do was come into work tomorrow. And the next day.

The creaking of her classroom door made her open her eyes (and reminded her she needed to buy some WD40 on the way back from work). She smiled when the familiar blonde head popped into view.

"How was it?" Emma asked as she stepped into the room. Although it had merely been two hours since she had spent her lunch break with Regina, the blonde had rushed upstairs from her own classroom the moment the last rucksack had disappeared, eager to see how the older woman's afternoon lessons went.

"Long," Regina admitted. "But ok."

"Yeah?" Emma asked, a smile breaking out on her face as she looked at her girlfriend. "Good. How was Henry?"

"Fine," Regina said. "A little quieter than usual but nothing to worry about. I think he just wanted to stay out of the discussion about me and Robin."

"Did they ask lots of questions?"

"There were quite a few, yes," Regina nodded. "But I've got it handled. Come on, we're going to be late to the staff meeting."

"You're going to that?" Emma asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Regina frowned.

"I dunno," the blonde admitted. "But I had planned to use you as an excuse for not going myself so that sucks."

Regina laughed and stood up. "Sorry, dear. If you want to skive you'll have to find someone else."

"But I want you," Emma whined, stepping forwards and winding her arms around Regina's waist.

"You're not really getting the idea of this 'hide our relationship at school' thing are you?" Regina said with a quirked eyebrow.

"Can you blame me?" Emma said. "You're literally irresistible."

Regina smiled and leaned up to peck Emma's lips.

"Come on, let's go and be bored to death about whatever new initiative Mr Gold has thought up this week," Regina said, leading the way out of her classroom and into the corridor.

When Emma walked into the staffroom on Friday morning, she frowned when she realised Regina wasn't there yet. The woman was always prompt, especially for work. Pouring herself another coffee, she headed towards Ruby and Rose who were huddled in their usual corner. The pair stopped talking at once when they caught sight of the blonde.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Emma asked as she sat down beside Ruby.

"Nothing," Rose said, a little too quickly.

Emma frowned. "Were you talking about Regina?"

The gossiping had been expected and, despite it being unpleasant, for the most part Emma had successfully ignored it. But when it came to two of her friends, two of Regina's friends, she was not prepared to let it slide.

"No, of course not," Rose replied. It was unconvincing even for someone without a built in lie-detector.

"If you have a question for Regina, why don't you just ask her," Emma said, her tone icy.

Rose and Ruby both blushed. "We don't want to upset her," Ruby said.

"And you think talking about her behind her back like we're fifteen is better do you?" Emma asked. "Come on guys, we're all friends. Regina would much rather you just ask her directly rather than speculate about whatever it is you want to know."

"She really won't mind?" Rose asked.

"I mean, it's not her favourite topic of conversation," Emma shrugged. "But Hopper has told her the importance of facing what happened to her and not hiding away. Questions from friends shouldn't be a problem for her because she knows you care about her and want to understand what she went through."

"Do you talk about it with her?" Rose asked.

"Sometimes," Emma nodded. "But not a lot. I know what happened and it's not something which needs to be raked over again and again. It's in the past. We're both moving on."

"We?" Ruby frowned.

"Yeah," Emma said, the tips of her ears beginning to turn red. "In the sense that I've been helping her get through these past few weeks. She needs her friends around her and if you want to know something which will help you support Regina too, then ask."

"Ask me what?"

None of the other teachers had noticed Regina entering the staffroom but she was now stood in front of them holding a steaming cup of coffee.

"Morning," Emma said brightly. "You're a little late."

"I needed to get some petrol. Ask me what?" Regina repeated looking between Ruby and Rose.

"Um," Ruby began, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap and avoiding Regina's gaze. "Well, we were just wondering about what you did in that bathroom. I mean, we read in the newspaper how you stabbed one of Robin's," Regina tensed, "henchmen in the arm but we were curious to know what happened."

Regina sat down opposite the three women and sipped her drink. She looked at her friends. Emma was watching her, concern etched on her face whilst Ruby and Rose both looked guilty.

"When I woke up, my hands were tied behind my back," Regina explained. "There was a mirror on the wall above the sink and I managed to knock it to the floor and used one of the shards to cut through the rope. Believe me, it takes much longer than it does in the films. That's how I got this." She held up her hand with the long, pink scar running down the palm. "And then when Will came in to bring me some food, I stabbed him in the forearm. I didn't do much damage I'm afraid and when I got into the corridor, John grabbed me and threw me back into the room. They swept up the glass so I couldn't do it again."

"Wow," Ruby murmured.

"You were so brave," Rose said, her voice little more than a whisper.

"It was my survival instinct kicking in," Regina shrugged. "I bet you would all have done the same thing in those circumstances. And it didn't do any good. They tied me up again and that was it." She stopped talking, not wanting to think about what happened next.

"Do you guys want to come over for dinner this weekend?" Ruby asked.

"Is your grandmother cooking?" Emma asked, making a face.

Ruby laughed. "No, she's away this weekend. I've got the place to myself and thought I'd make the most of it. Are you busy on Saturday night?"

Emma glanced at Regina who gave a subtle nod.

"Sounds great," Emma said. "I think Henry's got plans anyway."

"Oh yeah, what's going on between him and Peter? I meant to ask you last night but I forgot." Rose said to Emma.

"What do you mean?" Emma frowned. Her son had been in a surly mood all week and she still hadn't managed to talk to him about what had happened the previous weekend.

"I had to get between the two of them yesterday afternoon in the playground. If I hadn't been passing I'm sure Henry would have socked him one. I sent Peter on his way and tried to talk to Henry but he wouldn't say what had upset him."

"I have no idea," Emma said. "I'll talk to him tonight."

"Good because you know Mr Gold has a zero tolerance policy for violence. Henry's a good kid so something must have really got him worked up for him to be so angry."

Emma glanced once more at Regina. Both women were wondering the same thing. Did Peter know about their relationship or was something else going on?