a/n: Not much to say but enjoy. Reviews = love. Thanks so much for your support in this story.

Chapter 25

Unexpected

"Mom! Have you seen my…"

"It's in the drawer next to your bed." Emma called out, already knowing what her son would be searching for. She finished folding the last bit of clothes into her own bag and zipped it up. Maddie lay there watching her intently with a slightly cocked head. "Regina wants us to be at her apartment when she gets home." Emma explained to the dog aloud as she looked over to the Beauceron. Maddie's ears perked up and tail began to wag at the mention of her human's name, causing the blonde to smile and reach out to scratch between its ears. "You love her don't you?" She asked, amused at herself for even talking to the animal. She moved her bag out of the way and sat down on the bed, Maddie adjusting to rest her head on Emma's lap. "I do too. Thank you for taking care of her for us." She whispered as she stroked the dog's fur while she waited for her son to finish getting ready.

"Alright, all set mom." Henry stated as he came to stand in the doorway to her room, with backpack and suitcase in tow. Maddie lifted her head off the blonde's lap to look over at the boy, then got up and hopped down off the bed to go over to him. "All set to go home, girl?" He grinned at the Beauceron and patted her head. The dog let out an affirmative bark before squeezing past the boy to make her way to the door of the apartment, letting out another loud bark when the humans didn't get there as fast as wished them to do.

"Alright, alright. I swear, you're worse than Henry." Emma mumbled in response to the dog as she made her way out of her room. She gave a quick call to Regina's driver to let him know they were ready, then shoved the phone in her back pocket and scooped up the last of the items. She looked around the apartment making a quick check of everything before nodding to Henry to open the door as she switched off the light and exited the apartment. She double and triple checked the lock before they set off on their way to Regina's for the next few days.

"Henry, please be careful." Emma fretted from the kitchen area as she watched her son attempting to plug in the cord from his Playstation into Regina's TV.

"Geez, would you relax. I know what I'm doing. It's one cord." The boy muttered as he tried to peer behind the TV to find the proper slot. "Ugh I can't see anything." He gripped the TV and began gently pulling it out.

Emma removed the containers from the take out bag and set them a little more forcefully upon the counter than intended. "I'm serious! If anything happens to her stuff she'll kill me, then you… then me again." Henry stopped what he was doing and looked over at his mother as he started laughing. Emma huffed and put her hands on her hips, clearly not finding anything of the situation amusing. "What?"

Henry just shook his head as he went back to messing with the TV. "It's just, you said that exact same thing when you found me following you guys in the woods that one time. Remember?" Emma rolled her eyes as she picked up the two Chinese take-out containers and brought them over to the couch as Henry finally plugged the cord in and gently slid the TV back into place. "See. Nothing to worry about." He stated as he turned around to grab the two controllers.

"Don't get any of that on the furniture, she might kill you." The boy teased his mom as he walked over and tossed one of the controllers on the couch before grabbing a food container from her and plopped himself down. "Wanna play?" He asked as he set his own controller in his lap and started digging into his food.

"What are we playing?" Emma picked up the remote to the TV and switched over to the proper source for the console before sitting down to get a few bites of her food in.

"Little Big Planet." Henry answered out of the side of his mouth before slurping up a stray lo mein noodle.

"Oh? So we're going co-op tonight? Afraid I'll beat you?" The blonde elbowed her son as she teased him, setting her container off to the side and picking up the controller next to her.

"Pfft, hardly. I just thought maybe this would be a good game we all could play... as a family, ya know?" He added and looked over to her. "I even brought a third controller for mom, it's in my bag."

Emma gave her son a soft smile as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and brought him into a side hug. "You're a really good kid."

"Yeah, I know." Emma snorted softly as she removed her arm and gave him a shove away from her as both started laughing.

"Alright, let's do this. But I'm Sackboy this time." Emma stated as she grabbed another quick bite of her food before starting up the game.

To say she was exhausted would be a complete understatement as Regina made her way down the hall to her apartment. Here feet were killing her and the last couple of meetings had gone far past their time but had needed to be done in order for the work to continue on both projects. She had sent a text to Emma as she was leaving, apologizing for never getting back to her due to the constant business of the office that day; she hoped that they had made it safely to the apartment but had never received a response back.

Sliding the key in the door, a touch of fear came to her at the possibility of finding the apartment empty of inhabitants. No, Emma said they would be there. I'm just being irrational. Taking a deep breath she pushed open the door and frowned when she didn't find Maddie greeting her. The dog always seemed to know when she was there before she even was. Perhaps Emma had second thoughts. Regina sighed and began removing her coat to hang it up when she heard the sound of Maddie padding out of the guest room running to greet her; the dog had been curled up on the end of Henry's bed sound asleep.

Regina's heart lifted as she knelt down to greet her furry darling. "Hello, beautiful." She smiled as the Beauceron licked her chin. "Where's Emma and Henry?" She asked, the dog sitting down and huffing. "Don't pout. I missed you too." She scratched the dog's head then kissed the top of her snout before getting up. The Beauceron wagged her tail happily before standing up and heading over to the couch where the blonde had fallen asleep waiting up for her, as if to answer the question asked to her.

Following the dog, Regina gave her a signal to stay quiet as she went back to her bag to get something from it. Maddie sat down and watched the brunette move about the room until she came back to sit down on the couch next to the sleeping blonde. The Beauceron placed her head in her owner's lap as Regina reached out and caressed the sleeping woman's cheek. "Emma?" She brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

The blonde stirred from her slumber and squinted, looking over to find Regina watching her intently. A small smile formed on her lips. "Welcome home." She mumbled as she tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes.

Those two words warmed Regina's heart, she leaned over and kissed the blonde's forehead softly. Emma closed her eyes at the gesture, only opening them when she felt the brunette pull away. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I would be so late when I asked for you and Henry to be here when I got home." Regina apologized quietly and Emma noticed the flash of sorrow in the brown silky eyes. She quickly leaned up to kiss the brunette in hopes of removing that touch of sadness from her.

"Don't worry. We just made ourselves at home." Emma commented with a small wink as she tucked dark locks behind the other woman's ear.

"When you hadn't responded to my texts, I thought perhaps you had second thoughts and…"

"Oh…sorry." It was Emma's turn to apologize. "I hadn't realized my phone died while Henry and I were playing his video game. I put it on charge after that but guess I fell asleep. I didn't mean for you to worry." Her heart constricted at unknowingly causing the brunette any moment of hurt.

"My apologies. I'm… it's just, I'm used to people not keeping their word where I am concerned." She looked down as her jaw tightened while she inwardly berated herself for jumping to conclusions that should not have been. The blonde had never given her reason to doubt her.

"I know." The blonde wiped at her eyes once again, still adjusting to being awake.

Regina let out a small chuckle, erasing the remnants of somberness from the moment ago, when the blonde could no longer hold her yawn at bay as she let out a soft mew like sound. How the other woman could pull her out of the darkness time and again, she still didn't truly understand. "I had wanted to give you something tonight, but perhaps I should wait for another time when you are more alert and…"

Emma quirked her brow and sat up a bit more, sleep forgotten. "Wha… no, I'm awake. What is it?" She looked around to see if she could spot what the brunette had for her.

Regina's smile grew a little more as she watched the blonde's child like enthusiasm. "It's nothing that can't wait, dear." She commented as she casually glanced away and went to get up, a hint of a smirk twitching at the corner of her mouth.

"Regina." Emma almost whined as she reached out and pulled the woman back down to the couch. "You can't tell me you have something for me and then just decide not to tell me what it is."

"You pout like Henry." The brunette mused.

Emma rolled her eyes and let out a small huff of laughter. "So are you going to tell me or not?"

Regina just regarded her carefully a few moments, making Emma fidgety wondering what the woman was up to. Regina was nervous as she finally looked down at the tiny hinged box that she had set out of sight next to her earlier. She slowly picked it up in her hand and slid her thumb over the top of it. Emma followed her gaze to see what the brunette was looking at.

"I believe this…" Regina started, so quiet Emma almost couldn't hear her, as she held out the box to her. "Is what you were looking for earlier today." Emma eyed it carefully then glanced up at the brunette again and back at the box before gingerly taking it from her. With shaky hands the blonde opened the box. "I meant what I said when I told you it wasn't the idea of marrying you."

Emma just continued staring at the ring, forgetting how to breathe. When Regina had said she had something for her she never expected… "I thought you said you needed time." She finally found her voice and raised her gaze to the woman in front of her.

"I… I do. But this is to show, no, to prove to you that I want that. With you. And I'm not going to let my past keep me from that." She stated the last with her confidence returning. She slowly removed the ring from the box then took Emma's hand in her's. "Emma Swan, will you marry me?"

The blonde lost any vocal response, rendering her speechless and reducing her to a simple nod in reply. Regina looked down and gently slipped the ring upon her finger, unable to stop the flashback of when Daniel had done the same to her so long ago. His words from the second time she had to say goodbye to him drifted through her thoughts, to find love again. I have, she answered the haunted echo. When she finished slipping the ring into place, she slowly lifted her gaze as her thumb continued to rub the blonde's finger just below where the ring now sat.

They both stared into each other eyes for sometime before Emma brought her hands up to cup Regina's face and kissed her with such tenderness yet full of every ounce of her love. With sweet tears in her eyes, she moved to wrap her arms around the brunette and buried her face in her neck; Regina brought her arms around the blonde's waist and held her tightly. In that moment the outside world no longer existed; only they existed… as one.

"You know you didn't have to do this." Emma commented with a sniffle when they finally broke from the embrace.

"I know." Regina moved to brush the back of her fingers over the blonde's wet cheek, removing a lingering tear there. "But I was told by someone very precious to me to find love again." She confessed and cupped Emma's cheek. "I found you, and I'm not losing love again." She paused as she thought delicately of her next words. "You are my 'forever'."

"Do you realize how long that is?" Emma asked with a small smile and brow slightly raised, recalling when the brunette asked her that same exact question.

"Not long enough."

Emma couldn't help the blush that crossed her cheeks. "Charmer." She mumbled, Regina narrowing her eyes at the word. "What? I said charmer, not charming. There's a difference." Emma held up her hands in innocent defense earning a chuckle from the brunette.

Emma smiled and slowly got to her feet, holding her hands out for Regina to take. The brunette placed her hands in the offered ones allowing Emma to pull her up to stand with her as she started to walk backwards. Regina quirked her brow in response, wondering what the blonde had planned. "I believe I need to repay you for earlier today." Emma answered the other woman's unspoken question.

"Is that so?" Regina mused with a seductive smirk.

Emma stopped and took a step into the brunette's space instead. "Yes." She stated softly and reached up, using her index finger to move Regina's hair away from her face, slipping it behind her ear. "But I was thinking something more slow and tender, to truly show you how much you mean to me." Emma touched the brunette's cheek and placed a soft kiss upon her lips. "And... maybe to celebrate this." She gave a light laugh and a wink as she held her hand up, wiggling her ring finger before stepping back and turning around, taking hold of Regina's other hand once more as she lead them to the bedroom.