Hello, babes!

I still do not own OUAT or any of its properties.

A/N: There is a method to the madness of this chapter so devour every word ;) Maybe go back and reread every chapter so you can savor this one? Muah!

As we headed back home, the lights of Christmas Tree Hill faded into the night. I snuck yet another glance at the beauty sitting beside of me and found my foot pressing the accelerator a little harder to get us to our destination. Thoughts of the two of us tumbling into bed kept flashing through my mind. I blinked a few times to clear my head since my focus needed to be on driving us home. By now, the snow was falling in what looked like sheets and I had to ease up on the gas to keep the bug in the right lane.

We were crossing the railroad tracks to get back onto Main Street when the back tires hit a spot of ice and sent the back part sliding a few feet to the left. I heard Regina gasp and felt her nails dig into my thigh in a silent gesture of fear. My foot left the accelerator and the car eased to a stop.

I reached down to cover her hand that was still resting on my jeans. "You ok, brownie?" I could feel trembling beneath my palm and only got a small nod in response. "I'll go slower, ok? We'll be home before you know it." I gave her a reassuring smile before easing back onto our side of the road.

Our pace was considerably slower this time as we made our way through a town that was quickly becoming deserted as people tried to outrun the fast falling wetness. We were both silent with only the hum of the engine and whoosh of the heater filling the vehicle. Her death grip on my knee had lessened to fingers absently making small motions as she looked out the windshield.

"It hasn't snowed like this since right before Henry was born." I didn't need to turn my head to confirm she was smiling. "My mother told me I was lucky to have the final trimester in the winter time. She was pregnant with me in the height of summer and was quite miserable."

I chuckled as I checked the mirrors. "Leave it to you to hang around Momma Cora's womb just so you were guaranteed pool party birthdays."

"Well, Dear, Leo's do detest being controlled. I prefer to think of my entrance as right on time."

"Of course you do. Far be it for nature to dictate when you should arrive. So, what was Henry's pregnancy like?" I noticed the icy spots in the road ahead and tried to distract the woman beside of me in hopes that she wouldn't notice.

"It was typical and normal at first. Until the final trimester when...Emma! Brake!"

As we came around a small curve, I saw a long line of stopped vehicles and jerked the steering wheel to the right while simultaneously hitting the brake to avoid a collision as her voice rang in my ears.

My right arm shot out to keep her in her seat as the front tires hit the gravel shoulder. We barely missed the bumper of the Mazda in front of us. I was breathing heavy by the time the car stopped and every muscle in my body was tense.

I quickly glanced over to where she was sitting with my arm still securely holding her in place. I removed it and asked her if she was alright. She was in mid-sentence when the bug lurched forward into the freshly dusted grassy part of the shoulder as a car came out of nowhere and plowed into us.

In a split second, our bodies were thrown forward and the car that hit us had so much momentum that it scraped all along the side of my car and slammed into the back of the Mazda that we had just avoided. It seemed like it all happened in slow motion but in reality happened in about three seconds.

I caught a whiz of black as it hit us, slammed into the back of the Mazda in front of us, spun out of control and landed across two lanes of traffic on the opposite side of the road nose-down in the ditch.

I heard ringing in my ears and slowly raised my head off of the steering wheel and blinked several times to get the bright stars floating around my vision to stop. My head was pounding as I took in my surroundings. I quickly glanced over at Regina, maybe a little too quickly, but a rush of panic hit my stomach.

A shaky head reached out to the back of the brown haired woman who was slumped over with her head resting on the glove compartment. I felt her wince before I heard it.

"Regina…" The word was whispered so quietly I didn't think she heard me.

"Em…Em…Emma.." She slowly started to straighten up and grabbed the gearshift to steady herself.

"I'm here. I'm right here. Are you ok?"

"We were stopped."

I looked at her quizzically trying to piece together what she was saying.

"We were stopped. Everyone was stopped. How did we get hit?" Big brown eyes were slowly searching the landscape in front of us. The entire front end of Mazda was squished under a tall silver truck with big tires.

"I dunno. Let's just take a second here…ok? Are you hurt? Do I need to call an ambulance? Nevermind. I'm calling one anyway." I dug the phone out of my pocket and dialed the three digits telling the dispatcher we needed an officer and an ambulance. I answered a few basic questions and then hung up to turn to see if Regina had any visible injuries. I heard her wince when I turned her as fully toward me as the car would allow.

"What? What hurts? You gotta tell me 'cause I don't see anything and if you have internal injuries we won't know until the ambulance gets here and then we have to wait to get through this snow to get you to a hospital…." I was cut off by a cold shaky hand reaching up to touch my forehead.

"You're bleeding. I'm fairly certain I'm not hurt in any way but you're bleeding."

I sighed in relief. "I thought something was wrong."

"You're hurt! Therefore something IS wrong."

I moved my head down to look into her worried eyes trying not to wince as she felt around the spot where she saw blood. I tried to offer a confident, half-smile to reassure her as I spoke. "Hey, listen, it's gotta just be a small cut. Look, I'm in tip top shape." I held up both hands and wiggled my fingers.

Worried eyes continued to dart around my face and finally over the wiggling hands in front of her. As I lowered them, we both jumped when someone tapped on the glass window.

I rolled the window down and a girl who couldn't have been more than 20, started apologizing profusely while babbling on about not seeing all of the stopped cars in front of her as she rounded the curve behind us.

"Wait. YOU hit us?" My brow furrowing as reality started setting in. I reached for the handle and was out of the car quicker than I probably should have been moving.

I advanced a couple of steps toward the blabbering idiot and she shrank back slightly as I got closer to her.

"How in the hell did you not see us? Any of us? There's stopped cars for as far as you can see! Do you have any idea what chaos you started by not paying attention? Look around you! How fast were you going?"

She stumbled over her words and I saw her glance behind me on the other side of the road before claiming she was only going 35mph.

I narrowed my eyes and kept the clenched fists at my sides as I seethed because I realized she must've seen the posted speed limit sign. "35? Really? Do you see the situation here? We were stopped. On the shoulder. You had to have been flying and not paying attention to hit us on the SHOULDER and then bounce off of us and slam into the Mazda hard enough to sandwich it under that big ass truck."

The girl started fidgeting and trying to still claim she wasn't speeding. Then a light bulb flashed in my head.

"You were texting weren't you? How else do you hit a parked car on the shoulder?"

Regina's perfume surrounded me and I glanced at her as I felt her hand on the small of my back.

The girl tried pleading her case to Regina and I held up my hand telling her to save it for the police.

I took Regina by the elbow and led her back around to her side of the car to get her away from the road. "What are you doing out of the car? Don't be moving around just in case you're hurt."

My hands gently rubbed her upper arms when I saw her shivering.

"I'm fine, Ms. Swan."

This rush of aggravation rose up in me and I lost it. "What the hell? Ms. Swan? Is that what we're back to? We were nearly killed, Regina. I have a right to make sure you're away from the road and not moving around in case you have a life threatening internal injury. So don't give me this Ms. Swan load of crap. My heart is about to break through my rib cage right now. I couldn't handle it if….if something happened to you."

A pair of dancing brown eyes stared up at me before pale limbs wound around my neck. "See how quickly your focus turned back to moi with the slightest of prodding? You're easily played, Ms. Swan."

I leaned back from the chest pressing into me. "Wait. You played me? In a time of utter turmoil when you could be suffering inside?"

A soft smile broke out across a tired face. "Hmmm. Anything is possible, I suppose. You seemed like you needed to be refocused on something that wouldn't raise your blood pressure or cause harm to the lady who knocked us for a loop. I merely facilitated that refocusing in the fastest way possible."

Any aggravation I had paused momentarily as I felt cold fingers playing with the hair at the nape of my neck. I looked down at her and rested my forehead against hers, careful not to touch the fast healing wound I had against her.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before whispering. "What if you're hurt?"

A cold nose nuzzled mine as her warm breath hit my face. "Trust me, Dear. I've suffered on the inside before and this is not something you should concern yourself with. Focus on the positives. We're ok. The accident was not a fatal one for any of us and this Valentine's Day is proving to be a memorable one in many ways."

I felt hot tears pricking at my eyes but tried to blink them back as I held onto the woman in front of me. The reality of the situation was setting in and even though I could hear others talking around us, I tried to drown all of that drama out as I gently kissed her. She was right. We escaped with pretty much no injuries.

The adrenaline stated wearing off and I felt a moment of panic as my mind exploded with a dozen different scenarios in which this could have ended differently.

The moment didn't last long because of the cold finger tapping gently at the nape of my neck to get my attention.

While I struggled to reign in my fears, I gave another half-smile and held onto her a little tighter. The wind was still howling around us and I moved us around to open the passenger side so Regina could slip in. The door closed with a resounding clink.

My boot heels dug into crunchy gravel as I rounded the car to get in the opposite side. My heart was in my throat when I saw random pieces of twisted metal and broken glass strewn across freshly fallen snow. I could feel my steps falter but steadied myself before opening the door and climbing in. The engine was still running so thankfully the car remained warm as I quickly closed the door.

Regina wasted no time scooting over to snuggle up to me as close as she could get in the cramped car but not before checking the small cut above my right eye with a tender touch.

"What did you mean outside?" I moved my arm behind her so I could wrap my arm around her waist as she laid her head against my shoulder.

The way she tried to stifle a yawn was cute. "About what?"

I tried to think how to phrase the next question and got zilch. Delicacy was still something I was learning. "About knowing what it feels like to hurt on the inside."

It was almost imperceptible but her body tensed up.

A few moments passed and then I felt her relax against me again before answering with one word that made me growl without realizing. "Daniel."

Her head raised as she looked up into my eyes. "We don't have to talk about it. The only thing that should growl is your stomach."

Try as I might, I couldn't laugh at her lil joke.

"Emma.."

"No. No, I kindof want to know. I mean, I do but I don't. Ya know?" My head leaned back against the headrest and I closed my eyes. "It's just…I know we have to talk about it but I didn't think it would be Valentine's Day. I wanted this day to be about us. From sunup to sundown."

Beside me, a throaty chuckle escaped. "Well, I do believe this Valentine's Day breaks all protocol for a traditional date so we might as well fill our time waiting for the EMT's with something useful. Perhaps clear the air of the giant question mark over my head?"

"If anything's over your head it's an arched eyebrow."

"What?"

"Nothing. Continue."

I felt her fingers fiddling with the belt loop at my waist. "What would you like to know?"

"Anything you wanna share, brownie." My lips found the top of her head and I placed a gentle kiss there.

She cleared her throat and began her story. "You know we met young and had Henry. Then, he started traveling for work. At first, it was a good thing. He was gone during the week but home on the weekends and holidays. We would share time with Henry and make memories with my family. All part of a normal parental routine if there is such a definition of normalcy."

"Then, all of that started to change as he spent more time on the road. I don't know if we were ever a fully united couple though. He began cashing his own check and giving me cash for half of the expenses such as the mortgage and utilities. I didn't think anything of it at the time but looking back, that should have been my first sign. His weekends with us started disappearing rapidly and he said it was all to make more money to help Henry have a good life. But, the extra money he claimed to be making never appeared."

I sighed loudly and pulled her closer so she would continue.

"I found one of the checks he hadn't cashed yet while doing his laundry on one of the rare weekends he was home. It was for almost two thousand dollars more than he told me it was for. So, I questioned him about it and he got angry saying I had no business going through his stuff. We had a huge fight and he stormed out and stayed gone for almost four months. During that time, he never sent one penny nor did he answer his phone or try to contact me to check up on Henry."

"My dad came to see me one day at work and asked me to lunch. We didn't even make it out of the parking lot. He had a friend of his come to him and tell him Daniel had been reprimanded several times and was in danger of losing his job at the company because he had gotten two tickets for DUI's. When my dad questioned him further, he found out Daniel had quite the reputation on the road. Apparently he was quick to drink, heavy on playing any type of game he could bet on and had been seen several times with different women while heading back to his truck when stopped for the night."

Her voice was quivering and I thought she had changed her mind about telling the entire story but she kept stepping forward.

"In a matter of five minutes, my world changed. Every suspicion I had didn't cover anything I had heard. I cried for the remainder of my lunch as my dad held me. When I had calmed down enough, my dad said he had debated on whether he should tell me but knew I needed to hear all of the painful truth in order to figure out how I wanted to progress in the relationship. I was still technically engaged."

The last word was said with a bitterness I had never heard from the woman at my side.

"Did you confront him?" My thumb was stroking her side trying to offer comfort but I don't think she even noticed. My brown-eyed Supermom was lost in memories so painful it hurt my heart to think about.

The silence was broken by the sound of sirens off in the distance.

"I did. It ended with him trying to convince me he had never done any of that and he said the extra money he was making was being put into a small savings account for Henry to cover any emergencies that might arise. He vowed he had never been unfaithful and said there were plenty of guys he could have been mistaken for when it came to the women."

"I was hopeful and naïve. I believed him. I wanted so desperately for him to be the perfect guy I thought he was when we first got together that I allowed myself to be blinded by hope. To crave the family unit I had always dreamed of so much that I was willing to overlook anything he might have done and put faith into him when I had no business doing so."

"It became this wicked pattern of my dad trying to tell me things he had heard, me confronting Daniel, and him denying everything with what seemed like reasonable explanations. Then, he began drinking heavily on the weekends he was home. We began sleeping in separate places. I was in the bedroom and he was on the couch. He would drink until he passed out only to repeat the cycle the next day. Henry didn't understand why his dad wouldn't spend time playing with him or watching movies. Life became unbearable."

She twisted in her seat and paused trying to collect her thoughts before choking out the next phrase. "And then you came into our lives."

I reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and started to speak before she silenced me with a finger to my lips.

"Please…I…need to finish this." She swallowed and continued. "All of a sudden I found myself smiling and feeling happy. Henry began smiling and asking to speak to you on the phone and asking when we were gonna see you again. I got so swept up in playing house with you that I forgot about the problems waiting for me on random weekends. Then, one day, Daniel showed up at my work while you weren't there and I had to go with him. The hour was hellacious and all I wanted was for it to be over. That evening, when I got home from work, I told him he needed to find a place to stay because I wanted him to move out immediately. After a long argument, he agreed but begged me to give him another chance. I struggled and struggled with wanting to make a clean break but had him telling me we were both Henry's parents and he needed us to be together. Henry is my weak spot so I caved and kept wearing the ring."

"He started calling when he was on the road and would talk to me and Henry. Things seemed to be turning around but then, well, then just as that started happening, I found myself looking at you and Henry together and wanting that picture instead."

A tear rolled down her cheek and my thumb instantly wiped it away.

"He showed up at Christmas to bring Henry back to me and then…well, you know what happened. I haven't seen him or talked to him since that night. I haven't wanted to and Henry hasn't asked about his dad one single time. I did a lot of soul searching and realized that I didn't want to be part of Daniel's messed up version of a family unit. I knew we would never be what I once thought we would and Henry would be just fine."

I pulled away from her and she sat up and leaned against the glove compartment to stare at me with eyes so open and wounded that I felt myself wanting to jump in them and pull the light back to the surface. Both of my hands reached out for both of hers. It was then I realized my right thumb had no resistance running across her fingers.

I looked down and was rendered speechless.

"When did you take your ring off?"

She smiled softly and brought my hand up to gently kiss the thumb. "Last night. I thought and thought about what to get you for Valentine's Day and nothing fit."

White teeth worried her bottom lip and it was the most vulnerable I think I had ever seen her. She looked up at me, searching my face, trying to mask her emotions but failing miserably. "My gift to you is me. All of me. My dad talked to me after the pool incident and, as only he could do, told me that Daniel was no longer family and hadn't been for a while. He also told me that anyone who jumped in to save his grandson and then kicked the loser of a father out of the house was more family to him than Daniel ever was. He gave me a hug and informed me that he welcomed you in whatever role I wanted for you in our family."

Her hands shook slightly as she laced our fingers together. "I think my dad knew I loved you before I did."

My eyes had fallen down and were glued to our fingers entwined in front of me as that statement hung between us. I slowly looked up into the face of the woman who had owned my heart for a long time. All of this almost felt like a dream. In the middle of a snowstorm, everything I had wanted had been handed to me and my mind was racing trying to keep up. I think my silence might have concerned her because I saw her take a deep breath and hold it.

I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to hers to abate any doubt that might be lingering. It was a gentle kiss filled with tenderness and promise. I only pulled back enough to look into her eyes as I responded with a fervency I didn't even know I had. "I want it all."

She started to speak and I pressed a finger to her lips and smiled. "Nuh-uh. My turn, brownie."

"I have never felt the things I feel for you, not with anyone. I wasn't raised around committed relationships or happy family moments like you were so I'm kindof learning as I go along. Hell, the only family I have ever felt a part of is yours. You know I'm not good with the ooey gooey stuff but Imma just go for it. Aight?"

She nodded.

I reached up to rub the back of my neck. "I, uh, I want it all. Like, everything. I'm not proposing or anything but I want to make my intentions clear. I want you. I want Henry. I want the house with the white picket fence which I made myself and you painted. I want T-ball games and clown birthday parties. I want family dinners and houses that smell like bread."

Her confused look brought a smile to my face.

"I'm rambling. The point is, I want you and everything that comes with that. And I don't share. I want us to be the only person we each date and I want to celebrate every holiday together for as long as you'll have me. Regina…" I reached out and cupped her cheek. "I want to be the only person, male or female, who keeps their sunglasses in your car."

I don't think either of us were aware of the tears falling. All of the unsureness melted away much like the snow falling on the hood of the warm vehicle protecting us from the outside madness the world had waiting for us. Before I knew it, Regina had opened her door and crawled out of the car and I followed suit. We met at the back of the vehicle with arms wrapping around familiar parts, cheeks pressing against cheeks, chests once heavy with the dreaded walking on eggshells over unpleasant topics lightened by confessions on a day meant for romance and Gone With the Wind type grandeur. Our lips met and I felt a warmth spreading across my limbs warming me from the inside out.

The sirens that were once in the distance had found us.

EMT's rushed around to each person involved in the accident and police began taking statements. The bandage above my eye being the only physical reminder of any pain felt during our first Valentine's Day together. As we leaned against the car with my arms wrapped around her from behind, waiting for our turn with the police, my thumb kept rubbing over the spot where the International Go Away sign had been removed. What's the opposite of go away? Oh yeah. It's 'Come Here'.

I thought back to the beginning of the day and chuckled. Our version of Vday was anything but typical. But that seemed to be a running theme in our relationship. From day one, life with Regina in it was never normal and I liked it that way. I knew sharing the stuff about doucheface wasn't easy for her but it was a lurking demon we had to destroy and put to rest. We needed to in order to move forward.

We. Such a simple pairing of two letters but it represents so much.

I looked around at all of the chaos and noise surrounding us and then up at the falling wetness still coming down. Each snowflake melting as it hit our skin, watering the seeds that had been planted, and huddling us closer to each other. I smiled into the sky and felt my cheeks crinkle around my eyes where tears had been frozen to my face. Happy tears. Tears that were shed at the realization that I was finally home.

I leaned down to whisper a phrase most people utter without appreciating the true meaning of nor the people they speak the words to. "Happy Valentine's Day."

A/N: This story is a work in progress and it is my baby. Thank you to everyone who has sent a pm asking about it or encouraging me. This year has been an eventful one and I have not had as much time and energy to write as I would have liked. Thankfully, you have stayed onboard and continue to support me from the shadows.

For every person who has liked this story so much to read and review it, THANK YOU! Sometimes, us writers just need a boost. This chapter was a labor of love for many reasons. Delving into Daniel's life has been coming for a long time and I knew how I wanted to handle it over a year ago but couldn't quite find time to make it happen. So I made many, many notes along the way and this chapter is the product of all of those small details that were annotated.

I believe this is the longest chapter I have ever written but I didn't want to interrupt the flow nor did I want to disappoint all of the people who tell me they jump up and down once they receive a new chapter notification. THIS IS FOR YOU! This story still has a ways to go and I am hardly finished with it nor will I rush it. I have stated from the start that I will not publish anything until I am 100% satisfied with it. Whether that takes a week or a month or longer. Wait until you see what our favorite couple has in store for them J

mamawolf2-I haven't forgotten about you!

MUAH to all of you!