When Regina arrived home that afternoon the sight in her front yard made her slow the car to watch Henry and Emma from around the corner. Emma looked frustrated. She was playing catch with Henry obviously exacerbated by the boy's inability to catch the ball. Regina laughed at the sight. She knew her son wasn't very good at sports. Her heart lurched at the expression on Henry's face when he finally did catch the ball. Emma cheered and gave him a high five. Regina let herself smile at the scene but quickly snapped out of it when she realized she was thinking about how nice it would be to come home to that scene on a regular basis.
Regina had agreed to let Emma pick Henry up from school after a few days of begging by her son.
Emma heard the heels clicking up the sidewalk as she threw Henry the ball that he caught again with a huge smile on his face.
"I hope you did your homework first Henry." Regina said ignoring Emma as she walked past.
"I sure did. Emma made me do it right after school. Did you see me catch that ball Mom?" He asked all in one breath. Regina smiled at the boy calling her Mom. He hadn't really done that since the whole Evil Queen thing began.
"I did honey. You did great." She smiled at him and then noticed the mud stains on his shoes. "Henry, please go wash up for dinner." The boy turned and ran upstairs without much objection which also surprised Regina. Before he got to the house, he turned quickly. "Can Emma stay?" He asked looking at Regina with pleading eyes.
"Sure." She regretted the word before it was out of her mouth, and she wasn't sure why she said it. She could tell from the gasp next to her that Emma couldn't believe it either. "Miss Swan, please follow me into the study. We really should talk."
Emma walked behind Regina in silence to the study. Mahogany furniture and bookcases lined the room. Two couches sat in the middle that looked like they belonged in a law office in New York City. Emma sat down and accepted the beverage that Regina gave her. She took a long sip of it and let the Jack burn her throat as it went down.
"So, let's talk." Emma said as she ran her hands down her own jacket. Her palms were sweating from the nerves of being in the same room as Regina, but she couldn't ignore the slight tug in her heart. She wasn't sure if it was coincidence or not, but she assumed that Regina has remembered her drink of choice even after all this time.
"What happened with us was a long time ago, and I don't want any of that to have a negative effect on Henry. Honestly, right now, he needs you to help him see that he is literally living in a fantasy world. He will never believe me because he thinks I'm the Evil Queen, but he will believe you." Regina said looking at Emma with pleading eyes. Emma could see the pain there when talking about their son.
"Regina, I need to tell you why I left." Emma said suddenly. Regina looked up into green eyes with a shocked expression. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it, but that exact answer was something that had kept her awake many nights wondering what she had done wrong. When Regina didn't answer, Emma took it as her cue to continue. "I woke up feeling more content with you tangled in my arms than I ever have in my life, and I freaked. You have to understand Regina. I never had a family. I was in the foster care system my entire life. Once I had a family until I was three, but they got rid of me when they had their own kids. I had Henry in jail after his father got me arrested for a crime that he committed. Feeling that way freaked me out more than anything ever had." Emma looked up across from her. She didn't realize she had stood up, but she was pacing.
"Why am I not surprised that you were in prison?" Regina said with venom lacing her voice.
"Regina stop, please. We can't be like this and help the kid. I just want you to understand." Emma was pleading. Regina felt bad when Emma ran a hand through her beautiful blonde curls in frustration.
"You're right." Regina said casting her eyes down. If she could convince Emma that everything was alright with Henry, she would be on her way back to Boston. No more Savior. No more worry about Emma breaking her curse. "I'm sorry you didn't have a good life Miss Swan, but that doesn't change anything now. I'm with someone."
"I know." Emma responded hoping Regina didn't notice the slight break in her voice. She could tell by the way that Regina looked down and took in a deep breath that she had noticed it.
"So, what do we do?" Emma asked.
"You're Henry's mother. Belle understands that, but she knows nothing of our previous encounter. I would like to keep it that way. We need to work together to help Henry." Regina said standing to face Emma.
"Regina, I can't deny that I have feelings for you still. I can't deny that I still think about that night on a regular basis. I will do whatever needs to be done to help Henry, but I can't promise you anything when it comes to how I feel about you. I let you go once, and I can't help but think there is a reason I got to see you again." Emma responded standing inches from Regina's face. Regina let her eyes roam down to Emma's lips. She wanted desperately to push their lips together, but she had to stay strong. True love's kiss. That is what would break the curse. Regina almost laughed to herself when she thought about that. Emma Swan certainly wasn't her true love. Emma leaned closer. Their lips were inches away from each other when the door flung open causing both women to jump back.
Belle came into the study oblivious to what was happening inside. "Hey Emma." She smiled sweetly at Emma. "Are you staying for dinner?"
Emma said yes looking down. She continued to look down when Belle placed a sweet kiss on Regina's lips.
Dinner was uneventful. Belle asked a thousand questions about Emma's past. Emma gave answers appropriate for Henry to hear. Henry talked on and on about how good he had been at catching a baseball and how he was going to continue to practice with Emma who promised to take him to a batting cage one day to teach him to hit.
"So, Emma" Belle said looking across the table at the blonde "you don't have a significant other at home missing you? Surprising for such a beautiful girl." Emma didn't ignore the way Belle looked at Regina to gauge her reaction to that statement. Regina was wide eyed for half a second before she caught herself.
"I sure don't." Emma responded surprised at how calm and level her voice sounded.
"There are quite a few eligible people in Storybrook." Belle said grinning. "Of course there is Sherriff Graham, but we all know you can't date him thanks to our unbearable Mayor's policies." Belle shot another grin at Regina who softened a little and laughed.
"I don't think Emma likes men honey." Regina said.
"Of course she does. I'm not stupid. I had to have a Dad at some point." Henry said with his best duh expression on his face. Emma turned to Henry. "I loved your father kid, but that doesn't mean I want to be with another man."
"That's fine by me." Henry said. "My friend Jake has two dads, and he said he can barely stand it." The three women laughed to themselves.
"Well there is always Ruby." Belle said earning a sideways glare from Regina. "I mean I think she is straight, but I have no doubt in my mind that she would give you a go if you tried Emma."
"Henry is still at the table." Regina said with a glare at both Belle and Emma.
"I know how dating works Mom." Henry said. "Like I said, I'm eleven not stupid."
Dinner ended on neutral topics such as the weather, Henry's comic books, and current events happening in the world. Emma excused herself after dinner. Regina walked her to the door while Belle took the dishes to the sink.
"Does Belle live here?" Emma asked hoping her curiosity wasn't evident.
"No." Regina answered. "She usually leaves after dinner."
"Ok. Thanks for having me." Emma said moving towards the door.
"You're welcome." Regina said letting the door close behind the woman. Emma leaned against it and ran a hand through her hair again wondering what the hell she was doing. She had been telling the truth when she said she didn't want to give up on Regina. However, she had felt her usual sensation to run when she thought about having dinner with Henry and Regina on a regular basis. She sighed before heading back to her car. She didn't notice that Regina watched her from the window.
As she was opening her car door, she heard footsteps behind her. Emma turned quickly thinking that someone was trying to surprise her.
"Hey Emma." Emma signed in relief when she realized that Mary Margaret was the person standing beside her. "I saw your car from the store, and I was hoping I could talk to you."
"Yeah, what's up?" Emma asked leaning against the bug.
"Ruby told me you've been staying at the bed and breakfast. If you're interested in having more than one room, I've got an extra bedroom that I've been looking for someone to move into."
Emma smiled to herself. For the first time in a long time she felt like someone was asking something of her to be nice instead of for their own agenda. She didn't answer so Mary Margaret continued. "I know you might not stay here long, but I own it so you don't have to sign a lease or anything."
"I'll do it." Emma said smiling at the woman standing across from her. "It would be nice to not come home at lunch time to Granny making my bed."
"Great." Mary Margaret said with a big smile. "You can move in whenever you want. It'll be nice not to eat alone every night." Emma didn't miss the sad smile on Mary Margaret's face.
"How about you come with me back to Granny's now? I'll grab my stuff and start tonight. I only have a few boxes." Emma said noticing again the way the woman's eyes lit up.
"That sounds fantastic." Mary Margaret responded before getting in the car.
Emma smiled as she drove towards Granny's. She didn't know why, but this place was starting to feel like home.