Regina's journey back to consciousness the next morning was a slow one. She had never opened her eyes quite as slowly as she did this particular morning. She blinked a couple of times. Then rubbed a hand over her face. Her entire body felt very heavy, and she had a feeling that she had been sleeping for a very long time. She was warm. Warm and naked. And still sticky between her legs.

Regina was not the slightest bit morning-confused about her nudity. No, she remembered perfectly well what had happened last night. Her cheeks flushed but not out of embarrassment. There was no reason to be embarrassed. Why should she be ashamed over something that had felt so good?

Last night had been absolutely fantastic. Overwhelming, but in the best way possible. It had been the most beautiful, sensual experience Regina ever had.

Emma had been there with her. Emma had guided her through it. Although they hadn't been together physically, it had still been a shared experience, nonetheless. Perhaps it hadn't been in the traditional way, but as far as Regina was concerned, Emma had made love to her last night. If not with her touch, then with her voice, and the experience had been just as powerful as it would have if Emma had been in the room with her.

Last night had been the best sex Regina had in a long, long time.

But it had been more than that. More than simple phone-sex or whatever it was called these days.

It had been intimacy. At it rawest, most open and honest core. Regina had never experienced intimacy like she had last night. Nor had she experienced to trust another person as much as she had trusted Emma last night. Emma had been so good to her. So kind and gentle and patient. Not once had she made Regina feel silly or stupid, and not once had she acted like what they were doing was tacky. There had been absolutely no vulgarity. No crudeness. Just Emma's usual gentleness.

Regina had no doubt that Emma would be just as gentle in real life. She was undoubtedly going to be a fantastic lover when they reached that point. 'When' not 'if'. Because of course they would. Regina didn't doubt that either. Of course she would be able to physically make love to Emma. One day. She wouldn't rush it anymore. Last night had given her hope. She was still functioning. She was still able to let go and experience pleasure. And she had done it with Emma. Emma had been right there with her. If not physically, then emotionally. And one day, Regina would be able to have it both. Emotionally and physically. One day, she would be ready to experience it all. Last night was wonderful. Regina hoped that last night was only the beginning of their intimacy. She would lie if she claimed that she didn't want it to happen again. Just thinking about it had her body tingling all over again.

Her bond with Emma had never seemed stronger than now.

Regina stretched and pulled the covers up over her bare chest. She accidentally brushed her breast, and the touch reminded her of how Emma had encouraged her to touch herself last night. A shiver ran through Regina's body. She pushed the feeling aside. Not now. It was morning. Which meant that she had to get out of bed. And it would probably be a good idea to put some clothes on too.

But there was just one problem.

Regina didn't want to.

She didn't feel like moving. Ever.

For once, she was a hundred percent comfortable with her nudity. This was her body after all. Hers to dress how she wanted to dress it. And hers to please if and when she wanted to.

Last night hadn't just been a climax. It had been an epiphany. It had been Regina realizing that her body truly was hers and that Killian Jones couldn't control it. Perhaps he would get the best of her mind now and then, but not her body. Never again. She would never be afraid to wear dresses or skirts again. She would never be afraid of dressing how she wanted to dress.

Regina stretched again. Heard a faint popping sound from somewhere in her lower back. Well. That wasn't so surprising given how much she had tensed her muscles last night. It had been better than a workout. Regina rumbled to herself. Felt tempted to pull the covers over her head and curl up for one more hour or two. But as glorious as that sounded, that couldn't happen. She had to get up. Really, she had. She was sticky between her legs. She was a right mess.

With a quiet little groan, Regina at last sat up and reached for her phone. Found it on the bedside table. Exactly where she had left it last night after she… Oh well. She was not going to think about that now. Definitely not.

Regina tapped the screen to make it light up and her mouth fell open when she saw the time. It was 10:26. Jesus Christ! Had she ever slept this long in her adult life?! She doubted it. Gosh! Regina stumbled out of bed with her phone still in hand. She threw a bathrobe over her naked body and opened her closet. Found a pair of jeans and her grey, cable knitted sweater. One of her more relaxed outfits. She didn't have any big plans today. Except for getting downstairs and show her face as fast as possible!

Regina felt absolutely ridiculous for experiencing shaky legs as she half-jogged down the hallway in her eagerness to get to the bathroom. She felt like a teenager. That was what Emma was doing to her. Making her feel all kinds of giddy. Especially this morning. God, Regina couldn't get last night out of her head no matter how hard she tried.

In the bathroom, Regina took a closer look at her phone. There was one. From Emma. 'Good morning, beautiful :)', it said.

Regina couldn't possibly wait until after her shower. 'Good morning. My apologies, but I slept in this morning. How are you doing today?'

The answer came immediately. 'I am doing pretty well. What about you? :)'

Splendidly. Wonderful. Ecstatic. All fitting words. All words that were entirely too big for casual conversation. Regina wasn't interested in downplaying how good she felt, but at the same time she wasn't interested in flooding Emma with big words right away. 'Quite well. Very well, actually.' That was not a lie. She was doing very well.

'Is there any particular reason you slept in this morning?'

Was Emma teasing or was she genuinely concerned? Regina didn't mind either of those options.

'As you can imagine, I felt a bit tired after last night. And to be perfectly honest, I'm still a little boneless this morning.' She could admit that without feeling ashamed. Shame was starting to feel like a foreign word to her in her relationship with Emma. They could talk about everything. There was literally nothing to be ashamed of. That was foreign too. When she was with Killian, the most dominating feeling was often shame.

'I can understand that. But you're okay, though, right?'

So Emma was concerned then. They couldn't have that. The roles seemed to be a bit reversed as Regina now was the one to soothe Emma's fears and not the other way around.

'A little bit better than okay, Emma. I feel... Well, I feel wonderful.' Now was definitely the time for big words.

'Good! I feel pretty wonderful too ;)'

Regina tilted her head. 'You do? I don't think there was much in it for you last night.' Unfortunately not. That was the only downside to this. Regina was not able to make the same kind of phone call to Emma. She wasn't able to whisper sweet words or guide Emma through a similar experience.

But before she could get the chance to get properly upset about it, her phone chimed again. Regina checked the message. Shower and breakfast long forgotten.

'Are you kidding me? Of course there was! I helped you feel pleasure. I helped you feel good. That makes me feel pretty wonderful, Regina.'

Regina smiled. Didn't get a chance to answer before a second text from Emma arrived.

'And to be honest, the sounds you made... Well, there was a reason I had to hang up when I did.'

Oh. Regina wasn't surprised. The thought had crossed her mind. To be honest, she was more surprised that Emma had waited until after hanging up. Either she had used that ungodly amount of self-restrain she possessed, or perhaps she had found it more chivalrous to wait. Well. Perhaps she shouldn't wait the next time. Perhaps she should stay on the line with Regina instead. Regina would enjoy that immensely. But she wasn't going to suggest that now. It was too much.

'Ah. I understand. And I'm actually quite relieved you ended the call when you did.'

'Why?'

Two question marks either meant extra-confused or extra-worried. Regina had learned that by now. And she knew that she didn't want Emma to be either of those.

'Because I cried. It was terribly embarrassing.' It actually was. She had completely broken down and sobbed hysterically afterwards. Whilst rumble-laughing in delight at the same time. Regina was glad that Emma hadn't heard that. She would probably have thought that Regina's bedroom had been invaded by a dying elephant.

'Oh. Was it too intense?'

Yes and no. It was intense, but not too intense.

Regina did nothing to suppress her feelings or gratitude in the next text: 'No, no, no. Tears of happiness. You truly gave me something back last night, Emma. You made me feel. You made me feel in control, and I cannot thank you enough for that.'

'You have nothing to thank me for, Regina. Seriously, you haven't. I'm just happy I could do this for you.'

Regina smiled and shook her head slightly. Always so humble.

'You are incredible, Emma Swan.' No question about it. She hoped Emma wouldn't argue about it. There was nothing to argue about. It was a simple fact.

Emma did not argue. Instead she asked Regina a question. 'Did you really mean what you texted me last night?'

Double-curiosity. Regina wracked her brain, but she couldn't for the life of her remember anything about a text she had sent last night. Did Emma mean before they had started to…. Regina couldn't remember she had texted anything except a distressed SOS.

'What did I text you last night? Forgive me, I'm a bit confused this morning.' She could just as well have written 'very confused' instead of 'a bit confused'. 'Confused' didn't even begin to cover it. She was completely beside herself in the best way possible.

'The thing you texted about me being with you. That you could feel my hands on your body. Did you really mean it?'

Ohhh, that. Regina might have been dazed when she sent that text, but it didn't make it less true. 'Yes, I did. It felt like you were right there with me. You were touching me, and it didn't scare me. Perhaps I felt a bit hesitant at first, but your voice made me calm. Your voice made me focus on myself, and myself alone. Nothing else.' They had taken self-love to the next level last night, and Regina was over the moon about it. Her body was incredible.

'I'm so happy I could help ease something for you.'

Ease something for her? Yes, Regina had definitely gotten rid of some stress, but that wasn't the point. The point was that she had learned that she was not broken like she feared.

'Emma, you didn't just "help". You did more than that. You made me feel. You made me feel pleasure for the first time in a very, very long time.' That was more than just 'easing' something for her. Emma had quite literally given her one of the missing pieces back. It had clicked right into place where it belonged and yet another part of Regina that had stayed buried for so long was gradually starting to wake up. Someday it would wake up completely. Someday she and Emma would be able to be together in every sense of the word.

'And I would be happy to do it again!'

Regina's breath caught in her throat and her palms immediately dampened. This was exactly what she had hoped for, but was Emma really serious? Did she truly mean it?

'Are you serious?' she had to ask. She needed to be sure.

'Yes, why wouldn't I be? As I said last night, you deserve pleasure. Lots of it. And if I can help giving it to you in anyway, I'd be more than happy to do so.'

Pleasure. Lots of it. Oh god. Regina's teeth sank into her bottom lip as she forced herself to keep her head on straight. 'That seems so unfair.'

'Why?'

'Because you are not getting anything in return from me.' That was still the only issue Regina had with this. Her inability to whisper things back. To make Emma feel things with her voice. Regina felt disheartened for a moment. Her hoarse, slightly deep voice had definitely been one of her greatest assets in a bedroom-setting. She had known just how to use her voice when she was with a partner. What to say, when to say it. And most importantly, how to say it. But now she couldn't say anything. Her voice was gone. And she still wasn't ready to go beyond the touching she and Emma were already doing.

Damnit.

If only she still had her voice.

Her phone chimed and that was a good thing. Regina concentrated on reading the text rather than getting upset.

'Regina, believe me, I get plenty in return. I get to help you with feeling things. Good things. That's all I need.'

Oh, Emma, Emma, Emma. 'I wish you were here right now.', Regina texted and felt a smile tug at her lips. She had a feeling that she would be smiling a lot today.

'Why?'

Regina smirked. Did she really have to ask?

'Because I'd like to kiss you right now.' If that was a risky text, Regina didn't give a damn.

'I'd like to kiss you too. I always do :)'

Regina had never been giddier to see one of those silly little smileys. 'Really?' she was teasing, obviously. She knew by now that Emma liked kissing her. A lot.

'Yes, really. Is that so hard to believe? You're an amazing kisser ;)'

'Oh, stop it.' Once again, Regina was shamelessly teasing Emma. She happened to know that she was quite the good kisser. There was no reason to be humble about it. If you had a talent, why not flaunt it?

'You are. The best kisser in the world.'

Okay, Emma was taking it too far now. 'I think you're exaggerating a bit now.'

'No, I'm not. I'm not making you shy, am I?'

Sweet of her to ask, but…. 'I don't think it's possible for me to feel shy after last night. Honestly, I can't stop thinking about it.' Might as well just admit that right away. Her head would be full of thoughts for the rest of the day. And night.

'Good! Another one for the collection of good memories :)'

Regina was just about to comment on the goofy emoji when a question popped into her head. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Anything. You know that.'

Good. It was a question that Regina had wondered about since waking up, really. 'How did you know exactly what to say last night?'

'I didn't. I just sort of made it up as I went.'

Huh. Goodness. If that was Emma 'winging it' last night, Regina was most interested in experiencing how it was when Emma was prepared! She didn't text Emma that. Obviously. 'I see.' Now she was actually getting a bit shy. Because she was thinking of how it would feel when Emma was prepared. Okay, it was time to snap out of it and get a move on. She was supposed to shower. So she did. She put the conversation with Emma on temporary hold and took a shower. The quickest shower she had ever taken. She soaped herself in. Didn't touch herself while doing so. She couldn't quite figure out if she was still in the mood. But it definitely wouldn't be the same doing it without Emma's voice in her ear. Maybe she had developed an addiction. And maybe that was okay.

She rinsed off quickly. Draped herself in a towel and stepped out of the shower. Of course there was a new text from Emma waiting for her.

'You are amazing, did you know that?'

Regina scoffed quietly. Oh, please…

'I'M amazing?'

'Yeah. You are. So, so amazing!'

Regina smiled softly. Yes, she had officially become one of those people who smiled at their phones. And she was completely okay with that.

'So are you, Emma. So are you. I don't think I have the exact words to tell you how grateful I am for what you did last night.'

'I'm grateful too. You allowed me to help you last night. You could have chosen to keep quiet about it, but you didn't. You were so brave!'

Regina cupped a hand over her mouth. Last night before reaching out to Emma, she had felt so discouraged and broken and insecure about herself. And now Emma was telling her that she was brave.

'Are you trying to make me cry again?'

'God no!'

'Well, that's what we're heading towards.' Regina felt that it was a fair warning. She was definitely still emotional from last night's events.

'I'll change the subject.'

Good plan. 'Please do.'

'So... New subject. Do you have any plans for today?'

Regina frowned. Did she? Hmm. Had she planned something today or not? God, she honestly had no idea. Christ, she was more rattled than she thought she would be. Oh well.

'I can't remember.', she typed and sent the text. Had a feeling that it would make Emma laugh.

'Maybe just a lazy day then?'

A lazy day sounded absolutely appropriate. Just what she needed. 'Yes, I think it will be.'

'That sounds like a good plan. Which movie are you gonna watch today?'

Regina tilted her head. 'What makes you think I'm going to watch a movie today?'

'Because you always watch a movie every Saturday night.'

Regina raised an eyebrow. That was impressive. 'You know my routine.'

'That I do.'

'That's quite impressive.'

'Not really, actually. I've studied hard :)'

Hmm. Was that just Emma being sweet, or was she flirting? Regina couldn't quite determine.

'You have?'

'You bet. Learning about you and all your routines is one of my favorite things to do.'

Oh, so not flirting. Just Emma being her usual sweet self. 'You are silly.'

'Yeah. About you!'

Regina rumbled in amusement. 'Smooth, miss Swan. Real smooth.'

'Thank you! I'm trying my best ;)'

Indeed. 'You always are. I'm beginning to think that you are incapable of being anything but the best.'

'You're making me blush!'

Regina smirked. So many exclamation points. She had a feeling that Emma was in fact blushing and not saying it. 'Good. That makes for a nice change. Usually, you're the one who makes me blush.' Very true indeed. Emma quite often made her blush. And especially last night when she- before Regina's thoughts could stray too much, her phone chimed again and interrupted her.

'Yeah. That's another one of my favorite things to do.'

Another truth. 'I'm sure it is.'

'So anyway... Are you still home alone?'

Only now Regina became aware that she was still wearing only a towel. And that her hair was dripping. God, she was slacking today! She had to get a move on. Before her son arrived home. 'I am. For now. But Henry will be back in about an hour.' She almost mourned that a little. If Henry hadn't been coming home this early, Emma could have stopped by for brunch. That would have been nice. It didn't seem like Emma was doing much either.

'Ugh, now I'm all annoyed because I can't come and see you!'

Regina smiled like an idiot. They had clearly been thinking the same.

'We'll see each other in a week.' One of them had to be sensible, right?

'That's too long to wait!'

Regina rumbled. She felt the same. She really did. But for whatever reason she couldn't help but teasing Emma just a little bit. 'Good thing texting is invented then ;)'

'Oh my god! You just winked at me!'

'Yes, I did.'

'Can't believe it! This is headline news! I nearly fell off my chair!'

'Oh very funny, dear.' Regina temporarily put the phone down to at last towel off. And put on some clothes. Texting Emma while wearing nothing but a towel reminded her too much of last night. Everything reminded her of last night.

She put on her underwear and jeans. Then the cable-knitted sweater. She ditched the makeup and tied her hair back in a simple ponytail. It was finally getting long enough for that. Regina absentmindedly touched the ponytail and thought to herself that she wouldn't be chopping it off anytime soon. She liked her hair long. Had actually forgotten just how much.

Her phone chimed again, and Regina checked the message.

'I like that.'

Huh? Regina frowned softly. 'Like what?'

'When you call me 'dear' :D'

Oh. Regina smiled at that. She hadn't even noticed that. But it was very appropriate. 'Well, I figured since you have so many pet-names for me, I might as well give you one too.'

'I like it, lovely ;)'

Lovely. Emma had called her that last night. A flush crept up Regina's neck and spread to her cheeks in a matter of seconds. The memory of Emma's gentle, slightly hoarse voice in her ear had her strongly considering taking another shower. She pulled herself together and tried to calm down. God, that woman! Emma knew exactly what she was doing. Regina didn't hesitate to tell her that, and although Emma denied having a clue what Regina was talking about, her denials were full of winking emojis that contradicted her innocence a great deal. For a while they bantered back and forward. Which was very entertaining. Until Regina discovered that she had spent an ungodly amount of time in the bathroom and really had to get a move on. Plus, she was getting really, really hungry. Unfortunately, she accidentally revealed to Emma that she hadn't had breakfast yet, and Emma gave her hell for it. Well, not literally. But she had strongly encouraged Regina to eat something.

So that was exactly what Regina was going to do. She informed Emma of this and thoroughly enjoyed her answer.

'Make yourself something sweet ;) catch you later!'

'Yes, I suspect that you will, dear.'

The row of emojis she sent made Regina smile so much her cheeks hurt. She left her phone to charge in her bedroom while heading downstairs to finally get that breakfast.

Coming into the kitchen, it didn't take Regina long to figure out that she was in the mood for something sweet. Something like- Regina opened a cupboard and smiled at what she found- pancake mixture. Perfect. That was exactly what she was in the mood for.

She switched on the radio and landed on a station that played 'What A Wonderful World'. Good old Louis Armstrong. Regina upped the volume. She agreed with Louis. The world was pretty wonderful.

She had just added water to the mixture and was getting ready to make the pancakes (and perhaps even dancing a little) when she heard a key rattle in the door. It didn't startle her. Regina already knew who it was.

She was right. Just as Regina had poured some of the mixture onto the frying pan (while still swaying her hips a little bit), Zelena came wandering into the kitchen. "Good…. Morning?" she said and tilted her head slightly. Then chuckling softly. "Are you dancing, sis?"

Regina lifted her shoulders slightly. Perhaps she was. And perhaps she didn't care.

"You're in a good mood," Zelena observed.

Regina gave a nod. She certainly was.

"And you're making…. Pancakes," Zelena continued to be a real Sherlock Holmes. "For…. Breakfast?"

Regina nodded again and flashed her sister a thumbs-up. Mimed: 'breakfast. I slept in.' Then she walked over to the cupboard to find a plate for the pancakes. The music had changed to Dean Martin's 'That's Amore' in the meantime, and Regina swayed her hips again. But this time she was purposefully exaggerating to make Zelena laugh.

And it worked. Zelena let out a chuckle. "I'm guessing that your date with Emma went well then?"

Rather than answering, Regina simply mimed the words along with Dean Martin: 'When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet, you're in love.'

That really made Zelena laugh. She was literally beaming at Regina as she said: "You're in a really good mood today!"

Regina nodded and felt a smile tug at her own lips. Yes, she was absolutely in a good mood today. And the reason for her good mood was the only thing she could think about. She knew that she should ask Zelena how her evening with Chad went, but right now she simply couldn't find the capacity. There was only room for one thing in her head right now. Emma. Obviously, she would have to get that sorted out before Henry came home so she could be the best possible mother.

But right now she was highly satisfied with just being a woman basking in the afterglow…

When Saturday evening came, Regina was anxiously awaiting Emma's arrival. The week had been so long. But now the day was finally here, and as far as Regina could judge, Emma should only be a few seconds away.

Which turned out to be absolutely right. The gravel outside Zelena's house crunched, and Regina felt tempted to open the door already. But she didn't. Of course not. That would be too ridiculous. But it was hard to wait. She was so excited about tonight. A family outing, she, Emma and Henry. Regina couldn't remember when she last had been on a family outing. They were going to the cinema to watch that movie Emma had talked about. Regina wasn't the only one who was excited. Henry hadn't talked about anything besides tonight's outing all week. He adored Emma. And Regina was absolutely delighted about it. It was so important that her son adored Emma just as much as she did.

Finally, she heard a car door open, then slam shut. The gravel crunched. Footsteps coming up the pathway. And then, at last a knock on the door.

Regina opened before Emma could get the chance to knock again. There was she, the woman she had been thinking about the whole week. Emma was wearing black skinny jeans and her red leather jacket. Most likely over a tanktop in either grey, black or red. Regina imagined that she had more than one shelf dedicated to only tanktops. Her hair was hanging loose in golden curls spilling down her back. She looked perfect. Absolutely perfect.

"Hi. Wow," Emma said. It sounded like a breath whooshing out.

A mixture of shyness and delight over the compliment colored Regina's cheeks. She was definitely not wearing anything fancy tonight. A pair of black slacks she had dug out of the back of her closet. A blue blazer that hadn't been buttoned. A purple silk blouse she had left unbuttoned all the way down the middle. A little black camisole underneath. And of course a scarf around her neck. A blue one that matched the color on her blazer to perfection. This was her version of going casual. At least as casual as one could be at the movies. Henry had teased her of course. He had claimed that she still looked like she was on her way to a business meeting. Regina wasn't sure if that was true or not, but oh well. She felt very comfortable. She liked her outfit, simple as it was. And apparently, so did Emma. But it wasn't the compliment that had made Regina flush. It was Emma's voice. It reminded her so much of last Friday night…. Okay, that was enough remising. Regina thrusted a hand inside the pocket of her blazer and handed Emma the usual 'hello, you look so beautiful tonight!'-note.

Emma grinned as she read it. She slipped it inside the pocket of her red leather jacket and then looked up at Regina again. "You look so beautiful tonight," she said firmly as she reached back and closed the door behind her without looking away from Regina.

Regina shrugged lightly. Had this been another dinner date, she most certainly would have put on a dress.

"How about that hello kiss?" Emma asked her. Her voice was soft and just the slightest bit cheeky.

Absolutely. Regina gave an eager nod in response.

Emma grinned as she came closer. She slowly placed one hand lightly on Regina's right hip. Then quickly looking up and asking: "yeah?"

A rush of gratitude filled Regina. Emma was still checking. Still making sure. Regina could imagine that it would have been easy to get caught up after what happened last Friday. That it would be easy to assume that Regina now was okay with every kind of touch. But Emma didn't assume. She checked. God, she was amazing.

Regina nodded in affirmative. Grabbed Emma's free hand and placed it on her other hip. She was more than okay with this!

"Hi," Emma said softly. Then she leaned in and kissed Regina. Very softly. Very gently. As she always did. But there was something new in their kiss tonight. Regina could feel it. A new type of intimacy. Regina could almost taste it. Their bond had been strengthened by the shared experience. Regina gently cupped Emma's cheeks. They were a bit cold. They couldn't have that. Regina would happily keep her hands right here until Emma's cheeks were warm. And she would happily kiss her until ALL of her was warm.

Emma's hands were doing something. They were fisting her blazer. She hadn't done that before, but Regina certainly didn't mind it. She was willing to bet everything she owned that Emma was thinking about last Friday night too. Regina certainly was. And she was so relieved. A part of her had feared that tonight's meeting would be a little awkward. It was one thing to be silent and do the things Emma's soft voice had guided her to do. It was one thing to flirt via text all week, but she had been slightly worried that seeing each other in person after last Friday would be awkward. But it wasn't. Not even in the slightest. What had happened that night had only made both of them more eager.

Regina inched closer to Emma. Closer than she normally would. She was ready for that. And when she felt Emma's tongue tap against her bottom lip, she willingly opened her mouth. To hell with being delicate. She had longed to do this all week!

She had all but forgotten the plan for tonight when Emma gently broke the kiss and took a step backwards. She smiled at Regina.

But Regina wasn't ready to let her go. Not yet. Still cupping Emma's cheeks, she gently tilted Emma's face downwards and planted a feather light and lingering kiss on her forehead. She was hoping to pour all the things she could not say into this kiss. Thank you for helping me find another missing piece of myself. Thank you for reminding me what intimacy is. Thank you for showing me that I can still feel pleasure. Thank you for not making this awkward. Thank you for being patient. Thank you for waiting and never pressuring me. Thank you for being in my life. Thank you so, so much.

She pulled back and willingly met Emma's quizzing gaze. "Did you just thank me?" Emma asked her.

Regina nodded. Why yes, she did.

"I already told you, you don't have to do that," Emma said half firmly and lowered her voice as she continued: "it was something I happily did, and it's something I would be happy to do again."

Oh goodness. Regina immediately got sidetracked. Felt her skin heat up again. Swallowed thickly. Ouch. That hurt. Darn it. She made a face and rubbed her silk-clad throat slightly. Of course her throat had chosen tonight of all nights to act up.

"Does it hurt?" Emma's voice which had been full of delightful promises a moment ago was now concerned and serious.

Regina shrugged slightly. It did hurt a little. But she would survive.

"A lot?"

Regina was quick to shake her head and smile reassuringly at her girlfriend. Emma sounded so concerned and vulnerable, and they couldn't have that. Not tonight.

"Okay. But you will tell me if it starts to hurt a lot though, right?"

Of course. Regina nodded and cupped Emma's cheek again.

"Don't want you to be in pain," Emma murmured.

Regina reached within the pocket of her blazer and showed Emma her little bottle of pills. She shook the bottle once and made the pills rattle around inside it.

"You have your pills. Good." Emma said. "Is Henry ready to go?"

Regina was about to answer, but Zelena beat her to it as she came strolling inside the hallway. "He should be on his way downstairs as we speak. Good evening, Emma."

"Hi," Emma smiled.

"Come to take my sister and nephew away from me for the night?"

Regina was about to either nudge her sister or sign something crass, but Emma beat her to it by saying a delightfully cheeky: "yeah. Pretty much."

"Hmm," Zelena said with fake disdain. "I suppose I'll have to try and live with that."

Regina rolled her eyes and figured that it was time to change the subject. 'Are you sure Henry is on his way? I don't want us to be late.' She signed.

"Want me to go upstairs and rush him instead?" Zelena suggested.

Regina shook her head. There was no need for that. She would be fetching him. She gave Emma's cheek and then left her downstairs with Zelena. She hoped that Zelena would behave. She had been giving Regina some interesting looks all through the weeks. She had also stated that there was something different about Regina.

Regina hadn't confirmed nor denied it. She had simply pretended not to hear it. She knew for sure that Zelena had no clue what had happened between her and Emma, but it was entirely possible that her sister could sense that the relationship between her and Emma had changed in some way. And that was fine.

She knocked on Henry's door. Then swung it open. But before she could get the chance to sign anything, Henry asked: "is Emma here?"

Regina nodded and flashed her son a smile.

In a manner of seconds, Henry turned into a blurry figure rushing out of his room and barreling down the hallway. Regina scowled and wished that she could shout the reminder of not running in the house. She couldn't, so she had to settle for following him. She caught up with him at the top of the stairs where he lingered for a moment. Long enough to shout: "Emma!" with all the excitement a ten year old could muster. Then he ninja 'ed her again and rushed down the stairs.

Regina was right behind him, and she scowled at him when she finally caught up with him.

Henry winced as he turned around and looked up at her with his big green eyes. "Sorry, mom. I won't run down the stairs again."

He was already completely melting her, but Regina maintained the façade and clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"I just wanted to say hi to Emma," Henry defended and flashed Emma a big toothy grin as he walked over to her. "Hi, Emma!"

"Hey, kid!" Emma said and her grin matched Henry's as he hugged her tightly around the middle.

Okay, if Henry's defense about wanting to see Emma didn't melt her, this certainly did. Regina was utter mush as she watched Emma ruffle Henry's hair and tease him: "Have you missed me that much?"

"Yep," Henry said and looked back over her shoulder. "And so has mom. Right, mom?"

If he was trying to tease her, he was failing miserably. Regina would never deny to having missed Emma. She simply nodded.

Emma made eye contact with her and flashed her a soft, warm smile.

Henry of course spotted it. Sometimes he was far too observant for his own good. "Are you gonna be gross again? I can leave," he said and pulled a face.

Why, that little…

"We're not gonna be gross," Emma laughed and looked at Regina. "Right, Regina?"

Regina shook her head in what she hoped was an 'of course not'-manner. Now was not the time for being 'gross' as Henry put it. Too much audience.

"Good!" Henry said firmly. "Now let's go. Otherwise we'll miss the movie."

"Right," Emma parroted and pretended to be speaking like a solider. "Let's roll."

Henry chuckled.

Regina rolled her eyes at her son and girlfriend's childish antics, but she was secretly pleased.

"Well, have a good evening, you three," Zelena said, thereby reminding Regina of her presence.

Regina flashed her sister a smile. She was absolutely sure that it would be a great evening.

They left the house and got into Emma's little yellow bug. For the first time in her adult life, Regina climbed onto the backseat. Because Henry insisted on sitting next to Emma. It was odd, but Emma's sweet chuckle was completely worth it.

They reached the cinema in fine time. Henry of course wanted popcorn, and Regina of course granted him permission. But only a kiddie sized bowl. She still had nightmares about the time he had eaten an entire bag of popcorn and had proceeded to barf all over his bed later that night. Fun times.

Henry wasn't one to make a fuss over the kiddie-sized bowl, Regina knew that. But still, she appreciated that Emma bought a popcorn in the same size to be solidaric with him. That was sweet of her.

Regina didn't feel like eating popcorn tonight. She settled for a cup of coffee instead. For the simple reason that she felt a little bit sleepy and wanted to stay awake during the movie. She was terrible when it came to nodding off while watching a movie and she didn't want to fall asleep at the cinema. That would be embarrassing.

They showed their tickets to the clerk and was shown to the large room where the movie was shown. Regina was excited. She hadn't been to the cinema since before the accident. This was another milestone. However small it was.

They found their seats. Right in the middle of the room. Regina silently applauded that. Emma had found good spots for them. The screen was right in front of them. She and Emma sat down, but Henry lingered, leaving the seat between Regina and Emma gapingly empty. He even frowned a little bit, and Regina didn't understand why. She was happy when Emma asked: "what's wrong kid?" she patted the empty seat between her and Regina lightly. "Aren't you gonna sit down?"

"Yeah, but..." Henry's frown deepened. He even got a little wrinkle between his eyes. Regina recognized that wrinkle. Her son always got that wrinkle when he was thinking deeply about something.

"But what?" Emma asked. She looked at Regina, probably in the hopes of getting a translation for Henry's behavior, but Regina was as much in the dark as she was. She looked at Henry and was sure a wrinkle of her own appeared between her eyes. What on earth could be the cause for Henry's hesitance?

"Would you rather have preferred that we sat further down?" Emma was teasing now. Most likely because she was getting insecure. "On the kiddie row?"

Regina couldn't blame her for getting insecure. She too was deeply puzzled about Henry's behavior.

"No," Henry huffed indignantly. Clearly way too old for the kiddie rows. Okay then.

"Then what is it?" Emma asked with a patience Regina only could admire. Perhaps Emma hadn't had anything to do with kids until Henry, but she was definitely a natural at this. "Is there something wrong with the seats?"

"No, but..." Henry shifted a bit. Shuffled his feet and scuffed the noses of his shoes against the carpet.

"But what, kid?"

Henry glanced at his mother and then back to Emma. "Don't you wanna, you know..."

"What?" Emma asked, now sounding thoroughly confused. Again, Regina couldn't blame her.

"Don't you wanna sit next to mom?" Henry asked her. "So you guys can hold hands and stuff?"

Oh. Regina couldn't help but rumble at that. How very sweet and considerate of him.

"Oh," Emma said, sounding a bit distracted. And very dumbfounded. "Well, actually, we were thinking that you should sit between us. Right, Regina?"

Regina nodded in confirmation. Yes, that was indeed the plan, but…

"I don't mind," Henry said immediately and straightened his posture slightly. "You should sit next to mom."

Well. It would appear that she was raising a little gentleman. Not that she was ever in doubt of that. Obviously.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked. She was good at checking with him too, Regina noted.

"Yup," Henry said, and Regina smiled when hearing how he popped the "p".

"As long as you don't start kissing," he firmly continued.

"We promise we won't," Emma said as she rose from her seat and moved to sit next to Regina instead. "Thank you, kid. That was really sweet of you."

Regina saw how her son blushed at the praise. "No kissing," he reminded them.

"No kissing," Emma confirmed. She sounded very solemn.

Henry satisfied plopped down on his seat and began munching on his popcorn even though the movie hadn't even started. If he continued, he wouldn't have enough. Regina was just about to make him aware of this when Emma sat down in the middle-seat and shielded Henry and his popcorn-habits from her view.

"Hi," Emma smiled.

Regina returned the smile and flashed her a silly little wave.

It didn't take long before the lights dimmed. The previews flashed across the screen, and in the darkness, Emma leaned in and whispered in her ear: : "what do you say? Do you wanna hold hands and stuff?"

Yes. Always. Regina wasn't sure whether Emma could see her nod in the darkness, so to make sure that there wasn't any doubt about her answer, she took Emma's hand and interlaced their fingers. Regina was incredibly comfortable sitting here in the plushy seat. For once, she didn't feel sleepy. She felt awake and alive. And a bit cheeky too. Cheeky enough to break Henry's 'no kissing'-rule. When Emma was looking at her, Regina was the one to lean in. She kissed Emma's cheek gently, and although she couldn't see it in the darkness, the slight twitch in Emma's cheek told her that Emma was smiling. Which was just about the only thing Regina could ask for.

To Be Continued….