She was warm; far warmer than she had been in awhile. It wasn't a suffocating heat, but rather a comforting one pressed against the front of her body. Green eyes fluttered open to see the bare back of the brunette pressed against her, and upon seeing this she pulled the woman closer against her skin-clad body.

There was an urge to turn her head to look at the clock, but doing so would mean that she would have to take her eyes off this most precious, fragile looking woman. She shrugged it aside, blatantly assuming it was still early, for the sun hadn't quite peaked through the curtains yet.

Her pale fingers softly slid down the curve of the brunette's body, astounded once more that she was sharing a bed with this woman. A woman in which she swore to hate; the woman who tried to poison her, yet in the end, out of all the havoc they both had caused, she loved her. She loved her more than life itself.

She had to bite down on her lip to contain a surprised gasp when the brunette abruptly turned in her sleep, her breathing still even. Emma still couldn't get over how delicate the mayor looked in her sleep; it was as if she were seeing another side to the woman that no one else had ever looked upon. Was this how she looked as a child? Before her innocence was taken away from her?

"Can't sleep, sheriff?" it was low, strained by sleep, but there was no doubting that the older woman was awake now, brown eyes looking into green with curiosity.

Emma merely shrugged, not really feeling up to vocalizing in the quiet house. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to soft rose petals, the act slow and all the more invigorating. A soft moan reverberated from the depth of Regina's throat as the blonde's tongue slipped between the other's lips, meeting the other in a teasingly slow duel.

This was something Emma could live with forever which should have terrified her, the act of being emotionally attach to someone made her wish to gouge her eyes out, yet she had come to realize that Regina was someone she couldn't live without.

She had Cora to thank for letting her come to that conclusion, and for a short second her thoughts scampered over to her close-enough-mother-in-law, wondering if the woman was even still alive down in the depths of the town. She probably was with her magic able to sustain her which disappointed Emma far too much.

A silky hand descending down the valley of her stomach snapped her out of her thoughts, her cheeks becoming rosy as it continued southward. It stopped at her taut abs for just a second to appreciate the finely toned body the sheriff somehow managed to keep with her teenager appetite.

"Stay with me," Regina murmured against her lips, still laced with a few hours of sleep.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Emma had already made it official that she would begin packing tomorrow, but definitely during work hours while Mary Margaret was at school. As much as she wished that a few nights would rid the tension, it was highly unlikely.

She gasped audibly into the other's mouth when a finger slid across her already damp sex. How many times had they already done this just this night? It was a wonder that they ever went to sleep.

It was the throaty chuckle from the brunette that sent her high as a slender finger dipped into her wetness. Without even opening her eyes, she knew that Regina wore that beautiful, predatory grin that she had been greeted with the first day they met.

Pink lips regretfully pulled away, yet set a new trajectory for the column of the mayor's neck, placing open mouthed kisses down the warm skin. After a few nips, and a very responsive moan, teeth latched on. She knew that she would be deeply reprimanded in the morning for the mark she was leaving, yet for whatever reason, that only made her bite down harder.

She heard the knowing growl, yet whether it was a warning or approval she wasn't sure. All she knew, well actually all she felt was another finger being slipped inside of her, the speed quickening with skill. In response, her own hand slid up between their bodies and found a home on one of two welcoming mounds.

She gave it an experimental squeeze, loving the sounds it elicited before pinching a pert nipple that was instantly hard between her fingers. The air in the room had grown steamy once again for the thousandth time, and neither of them could see straight though that was little problem in the first place.

The blonde's breath caught in her throat when there was pressure against her sweet spot; surely she was seeing stars. Surely she was dreaming. No one could ever be able to make her feel this way…right? Just as she was about to fall into clouds, the brunette slid her fingers out, snickering when the blonde replied with a whimper. However, the sound quickly turned into another hot moan when a hand grazed against her bundle of nerves.

Her back arched to relinquish her need, aching for more pressure, and was granted exactly that. All so swiftly, her body began to tingle and she was sure she was glowing with sensation. If there was ever a moment to turn back, now was not the time. Her forehead fell onto the brunette's shoulder as she road out her orgasm, hot pants coming out in an attempt to breathe.

"God, Regina," she gasped, "you're going to kill me one day."

"As long as it's by my hands," the mayor snickered and ran her wet hand down the blonde's pale, yet blazing chest.

Emma refrained from rolling her eyes, for she was perfectly fine dying with the former queen's hands between her legs.

"Sorry for waking you up," she apologized, snuggling up close.

"No you're not." She let out a throaty chuckle, her hot breath brushing against Regina's skin, "Go back to sleep. You have a long day tomorrow."

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" the mayor asked coolly as the blonde slid out of the passenger seat in front of her apartment.

"Nah, I'll be fine," Emma replied while running a hand through her hair, "In fact, there are still a few boxes that I never unpacked when I first got here."

"From fear that I would chase you away?"

There was a throaty chuckle.

"Ha, hardly, Madame Mayor. Hell would freeze over before I ever caved in to your ways."

Brown eyes rolled as she adorned a smirk, her hand dismissing the younger woman as if she were a nuisance, for they both too all too well that Regina had become all too fond of her.

"Have fun with packing, Miss Swan. Do you mind getting Henry off the bus?"

"Sure. Something wrong?"

"I just have a few errands to run after work."

Emma pursed her lips but just nodded, knowing that even though they were now technically together, they both had their own business. She trusted the woman enough to know that the former queen wasn't scheming up another curse deep in the depths of the forest.

At last, they finally made their own way, the blonde stomping upward towards the apartment while hoping that she was right about it being empty. Much to her knowing her parent's work schedule, she was still surprised to find that she was right when she opened the door to find the place silent.

Her leather jacket was discarded onto the sofa, just as her boots were kicked off, before she made her way to the kitchen in search of a bottle of bourbon whiskey. If this was going to be the last day in the apartment, she better make it worth while.

With a glass of ice in one hand and the alcohol in the other, she made her way up the metal stairs. She frowned at the mess that awaited her, clothes dispersed in an array of tank tops and jeans that she wasn't sure were dirty of clean. Either way, she grabbed them by the handful and shoved them into the hamper with the thought of washing them either before she left or back at the mayor's house. It didn't matter. As long as she got all of her shit packed up before her parents arrived.

With the music blasting out of a severely outdated stereo along with help of a few glasses of whiskey, the time flew by with little worry. Her closet had been packed as neatly as possible into a box along with the rest of her crap. Fortunately for her, most of the random items that usually seemed to spring up during the last few minutes of packing were already piled away in a box that was neck unpacked in the first place. All that was left were the sheets on her bed, which she wouldn't need anyways, along with the few other items that were here before she moved in such as a clock and bedside lamp.

She discarded the whiskeyless glass into the sink before grabbing the last box. Only she was able to fit all of her crap into the beaten down buggy with skill. With the music still blasting, she was unable to hear the footsteps coming up the stairs as she opened the front door, and she nearly ran into her mother.

"Emma!" the dark-haired woman jumped in surprise, her hand held against her chest, but then her eyes landed on the box within her daughter's grip. "What's this?"

"Uh…" if her hands were free she would have scratched awkwardly as her head, but seeing that such an action wasn't possible, she merely pursed her lips. "Regina asked me to move in with her."

There was an overwhelming sadness that enveloped her mother's eyes in which Emma had to look away. Realizing that they were still standing awkwardly on the stairs, she backed up through the doorway and sat the box onto the floor.

"This is about the other night, isn't it?"

A large sigh fell from the blonde's lips and she shoved her thumbs into the jean pockets. Her boot made a hard thud as it hit the floor. Snow was on the right track, but that wasn't the only reason. She had needed her space for quite some time, but never knew how to go about getting that.

"Honey, what happened the other night…it was a surprise and as it is still hard to take in, that doesn't mean we wanted nothing to do with you. Your father and I love you no matter what you choose to do with your life."

"It's not that, mom. I need my own space as I have been wanting for awhile. Now that you and dad are together and you're not my…well uh…roommate, things have gotten a bit awkward."

"I understand…"

Snow sighed and walked over towards the kitchen to start a pot of tea to distract her. Emma could have taken that time to escape down to her car, but that wouldn't have been right. Snow was her mother. There was also something else in the way the brunette moved and it raised a flag.

"You and dad talked didn't you?"

"Yea."

"How'd that go?"

"He wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the details, but he realizes, just as I have, that the past is the past and needs to be left there."

"Right," she fidgeted awkwardly. It sucked that her plan to escape didn't work out the way she imagined, but this was probably for the better anyway than leaving a note on the counter. "Mom?"

"Hm?" she was distracted with her search for the tea bags.

"I'm only a few minutes down the road. You're not losing me."

Their eyes met from across the room.

"I know that."

"And maybe after things have settled, you can come over for dinner. I mean…if it's okay with Regina and you guys don't want to bite each other's head off."

Her mother laughed at that.

"That would be lovely," she replied and walked over towards the blonde who remained by the door. Her smile faltered when she saw the box once again, but she tried her best to hold it in place. "Do you need any help?"

"This is the last box. Thanks though."

"Okay," the brunette took a step closer and wrapped her arms around the blonde tightly, "I love you, Emma."

"I love you too, mom."

Strong arms grabbed hold of the box and lifted it, but she met her mom's gaze before turning towards the door. In that single moment she knew that things would be alright in time. Maybe they would all be able to sit around the table at Thanksgiving and laugh about the past. As fucked up as that visual was, it was a possible future event if things went smoothly. Finally, after her mom opened up the door for her, she shuffled down the stairs to load the final box into her car and lead herself into the next phase of her life.

The mayor had been scheming behind the blonde's back. She wasn't doing something lethal as her former self would have been doing. In simple words, this was something she needed to do herself and honestly didn't want the sheriff to grow weary of her careful decision, for Regina had thought long and careful about this for quite awhile.

It wasn't right keeping her mother down in the dark cavern with nothing but the shadows. As terrible of a woman her mother was, Regina wanted to give her one last shot at a true life. Although Cora still refused to enlighten her daughter on the whereabouts of her heart, she remained vaguely open to this new agreement. After a long and tedious discussion that evening, Regina was able to convince her mother that they could still have a part in one another's life. Cora would be let free, but if and only if she agreed to abide by her daughter's thought out contract.

"Do you really not trust me?" the older woman said as she handed the mayor a bag from the odd contraption her daughter called a grocery basket.

"No, mother. Not yet. Until I do, that will remain where it is."

There was a slight shimmer from the metal bracelet that was clamped around the older brunette's wrist. Hassling for an agreement with the pawnbroker for the piece of jewelry was a battle that seemed never ending, but she needed it more than anything. Gold had been very clear about the binding spell that had been placed on bracelet As long as that bracelet remained on her mother's wrist, she would remain without magic. With the fact that Cora thrived off of her magic, she was inherently harmless.

That was the deal she had made with Cora. She would be free to live amongst them as long as she relinquished her magic and agreed to cause none of her family harm. One could say that this plan held several cracks and faults, yet this wasn't simply an agreement of words. With the snapping of metal around the wrist came a magical contract that Cora couldn't break even if she wanted to. She could try, but as a consequence, her magic would be used against her to inflict harm, enough to cause death if persistent, straight to her core until she stopped.

Once the contract had been sealed, she led her mother out of the cavern and into the town of Storybrooke. Forgetting that she needed to get groceries for the week, she scolded herself severely as she brought her mother into the store like a kid that wasn't allowed to be left alone. There were eyes watching them, yet out of fear they remained several feet away, not knowing that Cora was magicless.

"I don't understand this world," Cora said after her heart leapt out of her chest from the sound of a horn from a few car rows over.

"Neither did I when I first came here," Regina replied while putting in the last bit of groceries into the black Mercedes, "but you'll get used to it."

The last half an hour had been such an amusement, watching her mother attempt to pry off the bracelet when she thought she wasn't looking. Daughter finally bested mother.

Her mother slid into the passenger seat as Regina started the car. Perhaps this surprise wasn't the best in the world for Emma on the first night of moving in, but what's done was done. The best thing she could do was hope for the best.

"Are you fucking insane!?" Emma shouted at the tops of her lungs once Regina had made her way up to the door.

Regina's eyes flickered over to her mother watching them through the passenger door of the car. She took in a deep breath of air before trying to explain to Emma.

"Emma, she's harmless now. I just finished telling you that."

"She tried to take my heart, Regina. My heart. And then she actually took yours! You're going to allow her into this house?"

"It's my house, Miss Swan," brown eyes narrowed as she took a predatory step into the blonde's face, "if I thought she would cause any of us harm then I would have never allowed her to leave those dark confines. Don't you trust me?"

The last sentence was softer than the previous, brown eyes boring into green as she tried to beg her to understand. Emma sighed.

"…I do trust you. It's just…"

"I understand, my dear," she lifted her hands and placed them on either side of the sheriff's face, "I'm sorry for not asking about this beforehand. I just knew that you would have never agreed to it. We're both far more powerful than her now that you know magic. All will be fine."

"How long is she going to be here?"

"In our house? Or Storybrooke in general."

"Both I guess."

Emma pulled away and pressed shoulder into the open doorway, trying to take several calming breaths.

"She's staying here in Storybrooke. I wouldn't allow her to go anywhere else. She'll be staying with us until she gets a hold of this world."

The younger woman glanced over at Cora who was watching her intently. She brushed aside a small shiver with a shrug.

"Fine, but I'm not explaining this to Henry."

With those as her final words, she disappeared into the house to leave Regina to her mother. After packing all damn day, Emma expected an easy night, only to find out she would be sharing an awkward as hell dinner with her girlfriend's mother. The holidays were really going to be fucked up.

A/N Thanks for sticking around. I know this chapter involved several different things, but I'm trying to wrap it all up in a decent conclusion. You can expect probably one last chapter to tie this all up.