A/N: So this isn't beta'd. To be honest I didn't even proof read it. This is just a vessel for all my feelings. Hope you enjoy anyway.
As Emma sat there at the dinner table with her son and his mom she knew. This is what she wanted her life to be. She finally had the family she had been looking for since she was a child.
There was only one issue. Regina didn't want to come out.
Come out was a loose term because what would she be coming out as? It's not like they were dating, though they acted like it enough. Emma spent most nights at the mills mansion, only leaving after Henry was put to bed. Sometimes, she and Regina would have a few drinks and Regina would allow Emma to stay, sleeping in Regina's bed with her so Regina could "keep an eye on her".
Emma knew from the first moment she woke up next to Regina, their legs intertwined, that she was deeply in love with the mayor. But when she thought about bringing it up to her, anxiety won out and she kept it to herself.
Until tonight. Tonight was the night she was going to ask Regina to be hers. Their laughter filled the dining room and made everything feel warm. It gave Emma hope that maybe Regina was ready.
Emma knew Regina liked her. They cuddle on the couch and hold hands and have shared a few small kisses here and there but had never talked about it. But she knew Regina was big on appearances and no matter how confident she seemed, she always cared about what other people thought of her.
So after Henry was in bed for the night, Emma asked Regina to have a drink with her. Regina quickly accepted the offer and led Emma to her office where she kept her cider. "Gina, there's something I want to talk to you about…" Emma mutters looking into her glass. Regina turns her attention to the blonde, who throws back the whole glass of cider. Liquid courage was a must for this conversation.
She clears her throat and opens her mouth to talk but no sound comes out. She closes it, and then tries again, but still nothing. "Emma what is it? You know you can talk to me about anything." she grabs Emma's hand and intertwines their fingers.
Emma clears her throat again before blurting out "I'm in love with you!" she feels her face go red and tries to hide under her hair.
"You're what?" Regina asked, shocked.
"I'm in love with you Regina. I have been for years. I don't even try to hide it anymore. And I think you love me too." she mutters.
Regina is silent for a few moments before whispering the blonde's name. Emma looks up through her hair at the beautiful chestnut eyes that belong to the mayor.
"Emma," she repeats, "Of course I do." she admits and Emma breathes a sigh of relief.
"But we can't. We can't be together. It's not in the plans for us." She drops Emma's hands and stands up, needing space between them.
"I don't understand. How is it not in the plans for us? I love you and you love me. That should be enough shouldn't it?" Emma asked.
"The Author Emma. The Author has our entire lives planned out for us." Regina looked like she was going to cry and started pacing in front of the couch the other woman was sitting on.
"I don't care what the Author says Gina. Why do we have to follow what they say? Why can't we rewrite the story. Our story! If it wasn't in the plans for us why am I so desperately in love with you? What if I decide you and Henry are my plans? Who is going to stop me?" Emma stands and grabs Regina's hands again.
The brunette looks into Emma's sad green eyes. "We can't Emma. You know it as well as I do that we wouldn't work out. I love you Emma, but Robin was my true love and he's dead, so I don't get another chance. And I won't let you waste your chance to find your true love on me."
"What if you are my true love, Regina?" Emma begged.
"I'm not Emma." Regina shouted, getting frustrated.
"How is that so easy for you to do? Just say no and shove me away?" Emma was angry now too. Regina wasn't even willing to try, how would she know if it was doomed to fail?
"You think this is easy for me, Emma? You think I don't want to be with you? I know we are able to be whoever and whatever we want to be when we're here. But Emma, what happens if we were to take it public? Are the townspeople going to be okay with us? What about Henry, what if he gets picked on at school? What about your parents?" Regina threw her hands up in frustration.
"Who cares what other people think about us! It doesn't matter to anyone what we are as long as we are happy and it's what we want!"
"It's not up to us Emma! It's up to the Author!" yelled Regina and Emma sat back down on the couch. Regina followed suit and sat behind her. "We can't rewrite the Author. Even if we could there is so much working against us. You're the savior and I'm the Evil Queen. You're good and I'm bad. You're light and I'm dark. Don't you get it Emma? It isn't up to us, the Author tells us who we are and who we can be with."
"I'm not from the land of magic and spells and mysterious people who control everyone with a special pen or whatever. I'm from this land, and that's where we are right now. We aren't in the Enchanted Forest. The Author doesn't exist here, Gina.
"I've known I wanted you for a while now, and now I'm going after what I want. I want you. I want us. I want a family with you and Henry. I know we can make it work if you just try with me. Please Regina. You are my happy ending…" Emma was crying now.
Regina wrapped her arms around Emma and held her while she cried. "How?" Emma whispered, softly rubbing Regina's back. "How do we make this work?" Emma looks up shyly. "It's up to us, and there has to be a way." Regina leans in and closes the gap between her and Emma. Their lips meet and it just feels right.
They are supposed to be together. But, Regina knows they can't 're doomed to fail and she refuses to put Emma through that.
Regina breaks the kiss first, instantly missing the feeling of the other woman's lips. She stands up and takes a few steps back from the couch.
"Emma. You know I love you. I don't try to hide it from you either. But we cant be together. You're not my happy ending no matter how much I want you to be. There's nothing we can do about it."
"Reigna please." Emma cries.
"I think you should leave…" Regina tells her and Emma cries harder. After neither move for a moment, Emma slowly stands and walks to the door. No other words were exchanged between the women as Emma put her boots and jacket on.
Not even a goodbye as Emma slipped out the door.