Regina hadn't realized how much time had passed until Henry fell asleep half on top of Emma. "I think that's my cue to leave." She checked the clock. "It's past someone's bedtime."

Emma looked at the clock, too. "It's only seven."

"He's four."

"Point taken." She ruffled his hair and it did nothing to stir the boy. "When's his birthday?"

"October 9th."

"Will I get to see him?"

"You can see him as often as you'd like, granted he's not in school. You don't have to ask."

"I haven't really been around…"

"Hey, that's not your fault. And believe it or not, he's always gotten to see you on his birthday." Regina gently took the sleeping Henry into her arms.

"Can you come back?" Emma asked, a hand curling around one of Regina's wrists to keep her in place. "I want you here when I look at those and I know I start my physical therapy tomorrow." She nodded to the counter where the books sat that she'd yet to touch.

Regina couldn't help but smile. "Of course." Mary wouldn't mind keeping an eye on Henry for a few hours.

"Thank you. For everything." Emma let go of her wrist. "I don't know how to possibly thank you properly."

"You've done quite a bit for me too, Emma. Let's just call it even."

Regina was only gone for about twenty minutes, and that was mostly because she wanted to make sure Mary was inside the house before she left.

"That was quicker than I expected."

"He was out like a light. I just needed to make sure I wasn't leaving him alone in the house."

"Where were people like you when I needed parents? Seriously, I got the short end of the stick. But between Henry and I, I'm really glad he's the one that gets to have a good home."

"It's not too late for you, you know." Regina grabbed the books from where she'd left them and slid next to Emma on the bed. "You can have that. I trust you remember your post discharge options?"

"Was that a really cryptic reminder of the fact you have many guest rooms?"

"It may have been. Don't you think it would be nice for Henry to have his parents under the same roof? Well, two out of three, but that can't be helped."

"I feel like I should miss Neal more than I do." Emma wasn't ignoring the question, she really wasn't, Regina had just reminded her of something.

"People deal with loss differently. That five stages thing doesn't apply to some people. Some can jump straight from denial to acceptance, and a few just accept it right away and move on. I can't speak for you, but loss can't be measured. There is no too much or too little."

"Speaking from experience? You don't have to answer that."

"Yes. I lost my father, two fiancés, and a daughter."

Emma's eyes went wide. "You're so together…I never would have known."

"Proving my point exactly. Loss can't be measured. But I believe we're moving off focus." Regina passed the book of milestones over to Emma first. Some of the pictures did go hand in hand with them, after all.

Emma took the hint, filing the current topic away for later. "You really did mean everything…" It started with the day of his birth, and even if there had been nothing of note he did, his age was still marked.

"I didn't want him to be a stranger to you. Even when no one thought you were going to wake up, I at least wanted to make the effort. Even if there was no real proof that Henry wasn't the result of a drunken mistake, when it was unsure you would claim responsibility at all, I wanted you to be fully informed of the choice you were making. You may have not chosen to spare the writing or pictures a glance, but at least their existence meant the option was there. Best case scenario we'd get to share and you wouldn't feel like you missed a significant portion of his life."

Well, Emma knew one thing. If Regina kept it up, there might be some making cooties going on and it would entirely be the brunette's fault. "Can I keep you?" Well that wasn't meant to be said. It would be interesting to see how Regina sidestepped around that one.

Regina chuckled. "I'm not going anywhere."

Emma wondered if Regina actually knew how open to interpretation that was, and if she did, was she doing it on purpose. Getting back at her for the all in good fun teasing, perhaps. Two could play at that game, but then Emma was distracted by the first entry that said it was accompanied by a picture. "There's a picture that goes with Thanksgiving, 2001?"

"Mmhmm." Regina opened the album and laid it where they could both see.

Emma couldn't contain her squeal. "He's so tiny! And you…oh my god, I'm there too. I – you – ugh!" Emma brushed the tear that escaped away. "I wish I could remember that."

"Tongue-tied, dear?"

"YES!" Emma shook her head at her outburst. "I'm looking right at the proof you really did include me all along."

"Did you have doubts?"

"Not towards you personally, but with my past it's hard not to."

"I understand."

"You really do, huh? Most people say it and it's a lie, but you make it real. I've always had this, well I call it a lie detector but if that's what it is it doesn't always work. I guess it's what some would call reading someone. I can just feel the intent behind someone's words. Someone could call me pretty and I could always tell whether it was just some sleezeball trying to get into my pants, or if it was a genuine compliment. Social workers told me they understood all the time, but I know they never did. Most of them had families of their own to go home to; if I was lucky I got to go home to a rapist." Well crucify her that moment if it would be a lie that she hadn't meant to let that one slip.

"I understand that, too."

The sheer truth of that statement was staggering. Emma would have never thought they would have such a terrible, terrible thing in common. "And you never told." She knew that to be the truth as well.

"Neither had you."

"We keep getting off track."

"That seems to be the theme of the day, yes."

They seemed to be inching closer and closer so Emma finally decided to do something about it. "Would it be very inappropriate of me to kiss you right now."

"Very." The distance shrunk by a millimeter.

"Do you care?" A couple millimeters more.

"No."

Emma's lips were practically dancing over Regina's as she asked, "Will you stop me?"

The meeting of their lips was answer enough.