Emma groaned as the last paperwork for the budget report was filled and signed with a few hours to spare before bringing them to the mayor's office. When she glanced at the clock, her eyes widened because she had just missed lunch again.

"No wonder my stomach was wailing in agony," Emma muttered to herself as she stood up from her seat to gather her coat.

"Well hello there, Sheriff," a sultry voice from the door said, making Emma turn around so quickly it made her dizzy.

"Woah!" She braced herself on her desk as she blinked her eyes rapidly to brush away the dizziness. She shivered slightly when she felt a warm hand at the small of her back.

"Are you alright, Sheriff?"

"Yeah," Emma moaned as she massaged her temple. "Just got startled… and a little dizzy."

The Queen tutted. "You missed your lunch again, didn't you?"

"I was busy."

"I can see that." The Queen pressed something on her hand that made Emma look up at the woman. "Here, I brought these for you."

"What for?" Emma dumbfoundedly asked as she looked down on the food containers inside the small tote bag.

"For you to stare at," the Queen deadpanned. When Emma snorted the Queen rolled her eyes in annoyance. "To eat, you silly girl! You have been missing eating lunch four days in a row now."

Emma raised an eyebrow at that. "How did you know about that?"

The Queen waved her hand dismissively. "I got eyes and ears… and mirrors." She smirked at the last word.

Emma rolled her eyes at that. "Right. How can I forget."

The Queen grunted exasperatedly. "People are starting to notice it. Even Henry does. And where the hell is your one-handed wonder, anyway? Isn't he supposed to take care of you since he claimed to be your "true love" and all that foolish nonsense your mother kept splattering about?"

Emma just shrugged as she took out the food containers from the bag and settled them down on her desk. "I was on my way to Granny's actually."

The Queen rolled her eyes again at the blonde's poor attempt to change the subject. "Nice try, Savior. Better luck next time," she sarcastically snorted and perched herself up on the side of the sheriff's desk, the ends of her skirt barely brushing the floor.

"Not now, Queenie," Emma said with her mouth half-full of food.

The Queen squinted her eyes at the blonde. "For a princess, you certainly lack table manners."

"It's a good thing I'm not a princess then," Emma mumbled after taking a sip of hot cocoa from the travel mug the Queen provided with the food containers.

The Queen chuckled at that. "Touché." She stood up and brushed away the imaginary dust on her skirt. "I better get going. I still need to visit my apple orchard back at the Town Hall."

"Tell your girlfriend I've finished the budget reports she insisted me to finish today. I'll bring it over later," Emma mumbled with a mouthful of food.

The Queen exasperatedly sighed at the blonde's barbarian attitude and held out her hand. "I'll give it to her, then, since I'm on my way there," she said impatiently.

Emma beamed at the woman before gathering the folder from the drawer. "Here you go. And thank you, for the food."

The Queen did her very best to stop the blush from rising on her cheeks, but couldn't stop her heart from skipping a beat at the blonde's beaming smile.

Taking the folder, she waved the blonde off with a scoff. "If I ever see you skipping meals again I'll shove an entire feast down your throat."

Emma snickered. "Kinky."

The Queen narrowed her eyes at the blonde before clicking her tongue in warning. "Watch it, Savior." Then, she's gone in a cloud of crimson smoke.

Emma just shook her head as she continued eating, glad that the Queen is gone so she's saved from the questioning that's obviously bound to happen when it comes to her relationship with Hook. She's not ready to open that topic for the moment because of the confusing thoughts and feelings she has for the split queens, feelings she shouldn't be feeling since she's in a relationship with the man who came back from the dead after their failed attempt to bring him back when she decided to go down the Underworld to save him because the Gods claimed that he deserves a second chance.

Their relationship since he came back was somewhat neutral, like it feels kind of normal but at the same time it wasn't, like something was off. Emma couldn't explain it. There were times that they're okay, sometimes not, but that's normal in relationships. But this time around, Emma felt like she and Killian were drifting apart, like both of them are being forced into this relationship. Killian is a good man, she knew deep down he is, but their time in the Underworld opened something in them, made them realize that there are things that just don't fit right. But the pressure of expectations coming from the people around them made them forced themselves into something they both don't want to be in. But they're trying, they really were, but it just didn't feel right. And as the days and weeks passed by, they only seemed to only grow apart even more. Emma feels somewhat lonely, she won't deny that, and she tried to seek refuge from Killian, but both of them knew that he isn't what Emma wanted, or needed. So to distract herself from the loneliness she's feeling, she drowned herself at work.

And then there's Regina being in a romantic relationship with her other half. It was unexpected but not surprising. They don't share the same heart anymore so the Queen is free to feel and do whatever she wants, and if being in a romantic relationship with her split half is what will make her happy and Regina feels the same, who are they to judge? Storybrooke is a magical place and weird things happen, so Regina's relationship with the Queen didn't come as big news.

At least she has her happy ending, Emma thought to herself as she finished eating and took the dishes to the sink to wash. The sting of jealousy hurts but Emma decided to push it down and just be happy for her friends.

She'll find her happiness again. It might not be any time soon, but she has hope.

Regina moaned as the Queen delivered gentle nips and kisses on her neck down to her collarbone. Tilting her head to the side to give her other half more access she snaked her hand around the Queen's hips until her palm reached the woman's backside, squeezing them roughly as she bit the flesh on her pulse point. Regina was busy reviewing the project proposal for the renovation of the town's public library Belle French had sent her the previous week when suddenly the Queen landed on her lap in a cloud of crimson smoke. She was startled at first but welcomed the gesture as she also needed the distraction after dealing with incompetent fools all day.

"I missed you," the Queen muffled after licking the bite she left on Regina's neck with the flat of her tongue.

Regina chuckled throatily. "We saw each other before I left this morning, dear."

"Still," the Queen pouted then leaned down to kiss Regina's plump lips.

Regina let out a contented sigh as she returned the kiss. She must admit she had also missed her other half, the strong urge to go home during lunch hour was the proof of that. But alas, her pile after pile of work prevented her from spending even a little time for lunch with her love, making her mood turn into a foul one all throughout the day.

"I brought these," the Queen said and waved the folder in front of Regina before slapping them down on the desk.

"Is that the budget report I've asked Emma to finish today?" she asked with a frown.

"Yes," the woman on her lap said as she continued to lavish Regina's neck and collarbone with kisses.

"And what were you doing at the sheriff's station?" she asked with a moan as the woman started nibbling her earlobe. She tightened her hold at the woman's hips then pulled her closer until their chests pressed against each other.

"I brought Emma a late lunch," the Queen answered offhandedly.

"Why?" Regina hummed as she started licking the woman's smooth skin that she can reach. The lack of response coming from the Queen made her stop. When she looked up, she saw the worried lines on her forehead. "What is it?"

The Queen bit her lip as she stared absentmindedly at the window behind Regina. "Have you noticed something about Emma lately? Like, something was off?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Regina frowned.

"I don't know," the Queen shrugged. "I… It seems she's down lately. And Henry and Miss Lucas had informed me that Emma's been skipping meals this past few days. Even Widow Lucas is getting worried; Emma didn't pick up her daily order of bear claws this morning." She tilted her head to the side. "Something's wrong with her," she added.

"Trouble in paradise?" Regina asked, but now she's also frowning. It was really a surprise that Emma has lost her appetite. All of them knew how much the blonde sheriff loves to eat. And Emma forgetting to buy her daily dose of artery clogging treat? Something must be really wrong.

"I don't think that's it," the Queen said, shaking her head slightly. "They seemed to be on good grounds as of late, although he's also silent and keeping to himself at the Jolly Roger. Come to think of it, I never saw them together in town that much."

"Then something is definitely off," Regina nodded. "If it's not with her relationship with Captain Guyliner, it only leaves us to one person."

They looked at each other when they both reached the same conclusion.

"Snow White."

Emma and Henry are having a quiet dinner at her parents' loft when the topic of happy endings and true love enters the conversation, again. Seriously, when will Snow White will stop mentioning that every time Emma comes to the loft? It's sickening.

"So, when will you and Hook settle down?" Snow giddily asked.

"It's still too early for that," Emma mumbled as she kept twisting the overcooked pasta on her fork. She's not really hungry but she forced herself to have at least a couple of bites before dropping her utensils. She knew her mother won't stop asking her that until she gives her a definitive answer; one she will not be getting anytime soon, or ever.

"But, honey—"

"Snow," David cut her off. "They'll settle down when they're both ready. There's no need to rush them." He winked at Emma, and the blonde only gave him a tight smile.

She already knew it was a bad idea coming, but she bailed out so many times already and she knew Snow was starting to notice it. So, to her better judgment, she went with Henry in tow. It was a relief when Killian turned down her mother's invitation; they didn't have to be awkward at each other in her mother's presence. Emma knows Killian was also getting agitated at Snow's meddling and talks of true love so he's steering clear away from the pixie-haired woman as much as he could. Unfortunately for Emma, she couldn't do the same even if she wanted to.

All throughout dinner they had let Snow talk. They only answered when she directed a question at them but all through it all, Snow did all the talking. She and Henry are now walking towards Mifflin Street since it's the queens' turn with Henry.

"Are you okay, Ma?" Henry asked as they neared the white Mayoral mansion.

Emma just hummed. "Just thinking."

"Ouch." He laughed when Emma playfully punched him in the arm. "Seriously, Ma. You seemed so off lately."

Emma just shook her head with a sigh. "It's nothing you should be concerned about. This is just me getting too much in my head. No biggie."

"It's not nothing if you keep looking like you'll have an aneurysm whenever Grams is around," he deadpanned.

"Henry…"

"You're not the only one who's getting a little too irritated with Grams' meddling," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I wanna bang my head on the table when she asked you again about settling down with Hook earlier." He frowned. "Where is he anyway?"

Emma shrugged. "Probably at the Jolly Roger. I don't know."

He frowned again. "Are you two okay? He's not hurting you, isn't he?"

Emma immediately shook her head no. "No, no. He's not hurting me. We're just… on a break." She couldn't help but wince a little.

"Ma," Henry sighed.

"It's just not working anymore," she blurted out. It's better out in the open than keeping it to herself. "So we decided to have a break. It was a mutual agreement so you didn't have to worry about anything," she added quickly.

"Oh," he sighed again, but this time in relief.

Emma chuckled at that. "Yeah."

"So, what happens now?"

She just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Continue living, I guess."

Henry just hummed as they continued walking. They can already see the white mansion ahead. "What about Grams?"

"What about her?"

"Well, you said you and Hook are on a break. When will you tell her about that? She's been expecting the two of you to tie the knot anytime soon."

Emma just shrugged again. "To be honest, I don't want to tell her anything. She's been so pushy lately that even Killian was thinking of drowning her if he heard her say "true love" again." She rolled her eyes. "I've never been so thankful that I have a house of my own. I don't need her breathing down my neck 24/7 or I just might strangle her." She joined Henry when he snickered.

"Careful, that's your mother," he laughed.

Emma sighed. "Unfortunately." She and Henry looked at each other for a few seconds before they laughed out loud in unison.

"Well, it seems the two of you had a great time," a voice said from the front porch of the mayoral mansion. Emma and Henry didn't notice they had arrived in front of the big white house.

"Just having a little chat," Emma smiled at the Queen who's leaning contentedly on the doorframe of the open door.

The Queen smiled fondly at them. "Come inside then. It's cold out there."

"We have hot chocolate!" Regina bellowed from the kitchen.

"Honestly," the Queen sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"Sweet!" Henry whooped and almost ran towards the house.

Emma just chuckled and went after him at a much slower pace. Once inside, she took off her boots and the Queen helped her out of her jacket. She slipped the midnight blue fuzzy slippers Henry had given her for her birthday and made her way towards the kitchen. Regina was just pouring the freshly made hot chocolate into the two mugs whilst the Queen made some tea for her and Regina when Emma entered. She took a seat on one of the barstools then let out a sigh.

"How bad was it?" Regina asked as she put the mug of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and cinnamon and a small slice of homemade blueberry cheesecake in front of Emma.

Emma sighed. "Still the usual." She moaned contentedly when she took a sip of her drink. "The next time she invited me over again for dinner only for her to dress me down again with another "true love" and "settling down" talk, you have my utmost permission to put her down under a sleeping curse," she snipped then took a bite of the cake. She moaned again when the sweet flavor of the cake coated her tongue. "Man, this is good," she said in between bites.

Unbeknownst to her, the Queen and Regina simultaneously squeezed their thighs together just hearing the blonde's delicious moan, thankful for the breakfast bar that separates them from the boy and the savior so they didn't notice the act. When they looked at each other they both raised an eyebrow and smirked; it's a mutual understanding that they had thought the same thing. It didn't go unnoticed by Henry.

Interesting, Henry thought as he looked between the queens and Emma. It was weird enough that his mom is in a romantic relationship with her lesser evil half but he accepted it since he saw how happy his mom was. And now, looking at them giving his Ma a lascivious look, is making him feel some kind of relief all of a sudden. It was still weird and gross because that's his moms and it's already too weird since his adoptive mom is being in a relationship with her split half which is practically herself. It was all confusing at first but he managed to stop thinking too much about it since Storybrooke is a magical town and weird things happen. Less thinking, less headache. Period.

It's not that he doesn't like Hook. He's an okay guy for him since he can bond with him aside from his Gramps. But seeing him with his Ma, well, let's just say they are not really compatible. He also noticed that he couldn't handle his Ma after the whole Dark Swan and Underbrooke debacle. He's been with her physically but not emotionally, which is what Emma really needs after everything she's been through, but he didn't give her that. Then there's his grandmother that kept pestering Emma to settle down with him because Killian's your true love and it's only right since you two belong with each other and all that crap that makes Henry actually want to vomit. He loves his Grams. Really. But her forcing his Ma to be with someone she doesn't want is just… wrong. He'd rather see Emma in a relationship with his other mothers than see her force herself into a relationship with a man who obviously doesn't want to be with her either. He can sympathize with Emma; Snow White's meddling is no doubt suffocating and outright irritating.

Henry knows from the start that Emma has feelings for his adoptive mom. He didn't know how or when it started, but she has up until that moment and still is not doing something about it. And seeing how his split moms look at Emma makes him think that they also feel the same towards his blonde mother. And if ever they are not cowards anymore and decided to have a relationship, he won't be against it. If that's what makes them happy then who is he to stop that? All that matters to him is that they are happy. They had already been through so much all their lives and they deserve a little reprieve.

Finishing his own mug of hot chocolate and slice of cheesecake, he excused himself to get ready for bed. He still have a few more minutes before his actual bedtime and tomorrow is Saturday but he wanted to give the three of them some time alone to discuss whatever grown-ups talk about, and he doesn't want to be there when they decided to talk about something his sixteen year old mind wasn't ready to be exposed to. He internally shivered at that and almost ran up the stairs towards his bedroom.

"I better get going," Emma said after finishing her treat. "It's getting late and I have to relieve Mulan early tomorrow." She was about to wash the plates and mugs she and Henry used when Regina slapped her hand away.

"I got this," she tutted. Emma was about to protest when the Queen stopped her then pulled her out of the kitchen.

"Just let her. You know as well as I that she won't let you do that since you're a guest." She helped the blonde with her jacket. "And you look tired. Are you sure you're alright walking towards your home? We have guest rooms where you can sleep for the night."

Emma just waved her off as she slipped on her boots. "I'm fine. And walking helps clear my mind." Her breath suddenly hitched when she felt the Queen gently squeeze her shoulders and her warm breath softly brushed on her nape.

"Alrighty then. Goodnight, Emma."

Emma silently took a deep breath before nodding slightly, not even meeting the Queen in the eye. "Goodnight."