A/N: Happy Sunday, peeps! I'm expecting this story to be finished by Christmas. I was aiming for 45 chapters but I may go a little over that … hope you don't mind!

The sound of footsteps on the sidewalk beside them was muffled. Throngs passed by the car, not even glancing at her. Why would they? It was just another parked car. After feeling every set of eyes in the room on her for the past hour, this anonymity was a relief. She felt invisible, unseen, hidden.

Not that she hadn't wanted to be heard. She had. Despite how cliché it sounded, the experience had been cathartic. A relief. To tell her side. To have her voice listened to. To no longer feel invisible, unseen, hidden. Helpless.

"Are you ready to go?"

The softly spoken words brought her back to the present. A silence which had descended upon them since they had stumbled from the room, Regina gasping 'get me out of here' as she clung to Emma, her strength crumbling, exhausted, broken for the first time. She turned away from the sidewalk upon which the citizens and tourists of New York thrummed past and looked at Emma.

"It's over, right?" she asked, barely able to form the words, barely able to hope.

Emma nodded firmly, her hand reaching across the centre console and clasping Regina's. "It's over. You did it. You were amazing, Regina. I'm so proud of you. There's nothing more for either of us to do now. We have to wait for the jury to make their verdict."

"Do you think the jury will see? Do you think they will understand what he did?" In a way, Regina wouldn't blame them if they didn't. It took her years to understand the true nature of their relationship, to truly come to terms with the abuse. How was a jury supposed to come to that conclusion after only a week of evidence presented in a theatrical, emotionally heightened setting, twisted and manipulated by lawyers until they didn't know which way was up and which was down?

She was so preoccupied with these thoughts that she missed Emma's answer and the next thing she knew, the people passing the car were suddenly moving faster. Running, surely. Sprinting. No, we're moving, Regina thought to herself as she realised Emma had begun to drive them back to the shelter.

The journey was silent. Regina had spoken enough for one day. And Emma, despite all of her training, was struggling to find the words. As a counsellor, she thought she knew how to provide support and comfort to Regina. It wasn't the first time she had accompanied a victim of domestic abuse to court. But she didn't think the role of counsellor was what Regina needed in that moment. At least, not from her. Emma was Regina's girlfriend; their relationship went deeper than those she shared with other women who stayed at Swan's Shelter. And how was a girlfriend of domestic abuse supposed to act, supposed to support?

So she was silent, concentrating on navigating her way through the New York streets, the traffic slowly decreasing as she headed into the Bronx. It was only when they passed the entrance to the shelter and then the underground parking garage that Regina spoke again.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking back over her shoulder as the nondescript front of the shelter slid past.

"To mine," Emma replied. "I want you and Henry to stay with me tonight."

"What?"

Taking her eyes off the road for a moment, Emma glanced sideways at her passenger. "What? Do you not want to stay at mine?" As she spoke, she slowed the car, preparing to pull over and turn around if Regina did indeed want to be taken back to the shelter.

"Oh, yes, I do," Regina said quickly. "I just didn't know that was the plan."

"It's my plan."

"Yes, but you didn't tell me that plan."

"Oh, sorry. Well now you know. So, do you like my plan? Do you want to stay at my apartment?" Emma was confused now.

"Of course I do. I always want to stay at yours, Emma. It just wasn't something we had discussed and my mind has been too focused on my testimony to think about where we were going to sleep tonight."

"I thought about it. I thought you wouldn't want to be alone after what you went through today. I would have asked you to come and stay last night too but I was working the night shift so I couldn't. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologise. You're right, I don't want to be alone tonight, or any night, to be honest. It's very sweet of you to think about that."

"But I should have told you?" Emma liked to get clarity on these sorts of points. It helped her become a better girlfriend, which was something she always wanted to be for Regina.

"Well, maybe but I was always going to say yes, so don't worry. It's not like you'd booked a month long holiday to Barbados and not told me, is it?" she finished with a laugh. There was silence as Emma turned into her street. Regina narrowed her eyes slightly. "Emma, you didn't book us a holiday to Barbados, did you?"

"No, why would you think that?" the blonde replied, thoroughly confused now.

"Because when I suggested that, you went silent. Sort of sheepish."

"Sheepish? That's a weird way of describing people. I've always thought animal adjectives are strange. Wolfish is odd too. Cat-like grin. But that's another conversation. I didn't reply because it was a rhetorical question. You don't have to answer those."

"So, no holiday to Barbados?"

"Not that I've planned. Why? Do you want to go?"

Regina laughed. Despite the morning she had had, she laughed. By the time Emma was pulling into the parking space, tears were running down Regina's cheeks as she doubled over. Beside her, Emma watched, still confused but somehow recognising that the laughter, even if it stemmed from a mistake or misunderstanding she had made, was what Regina needed. So even if it was at her own expense, she smiled as she saw Regina sitting up, wiping her eyes and then leaning over to plant a wet kiss to Emma's parted lips.

"I love you," Regina whispered. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For today. For everything. For inviting me to stay tonight. You don't know how much it means to me to have you in my life, Emma. How did I get so lucky?"

Emma kissed her soundly, ignoring the other rhetorical question because she knew she really didn't have to answer that one. Regina melted into the kiss, eyes closed. The world disappeared. The car, the underground parking garage, the suburb, the city, the state, the world vanished. All that mattered in that moment was the woman with her hand resting gently on her cheek.

"Come on," Emma murmured when the kiss ended. "Let's go and have lunch. I know you didn't eat much breakfast."

In unison they got out of the car. Emma locked it and reached for Regina's hand. Together, they walked towards the elevator, riding it up to Emma's floor. Just before she put the key into the lock of her apartment, Emma turned back to Regina who was stood just behind her. "I love you too, by the way."

"I know," Regina smiled. "And knowing that is what gave me the strength I needed to get through today. You're my rock, Emma."

And despite the sentiment, Emma couldn't help but launch into a monologue about the origins of such a comparison, wondering why humans would ever elect to compare themselves to a grey, inanimate lump. Regina rolled her eyes as she stepped into the apartment after the jabbering blonde, closing the door behind them.

Hours later, with Henry sat on the floor, scribbling furiously in a colouring book, the sound of a cell phone reminded both women that the outside world existed. Marian had dropped Henry off at the apartment at the end of the school day, their only brief interlude away from the bubble of the apartment. The bullying incident from Monday had, for the time being, taken a back seat and Regina was simply grateful for the support of another mother. For the past thirty minutes, the trio had been simply enjoying one another's company, blissfully ignorant of the lives of billions of other people, playing out simultaneously all across the globe.

While Regina had half a mind to not answer, Emma passed her the chiming cell phone from the side table. When she saw the caller ID, she felt her blood run cold. Why was he calling? What did it mean? Was something wrong? Did she need to go back? With Emma's eyes boring into her, she slid the icon to answer.

"Hello?"

"Regina, hi, it's Mr Harrison. How are you doing?"

"I'm ok, I think. Is everything, um, ok? With the trial?"

"It's all going great," Mr Harrison answered at once. Regina felt her body sag slightly but she still couldn't completely relax. There must still be a reason for the call. The voice on the other end of the phone continued. "You did very well this morning. Thank you for speaking so openly. It made all the difference."

"It did?"

Emma sat down beside Regina, eager to know what was being said on the other side but knowing that with Henry in the room, the call couldn't be put onto speaker phone.

"It really did. I've just had a conversation with Mr Hades, in fact."

"Leo's lawyer?"

"Yes," Mr Harrison confirmed. "He wants to take the deal we offered him before the trial started. They know they're going to lose. The jury are on our side, after everything they've heard and seen."

Regina caught Emma's eye before speaking. "So, he's pleading guilty? The trial will stop?"

"Only if that's what you and Emma want. I told Mr Hades I'd have an answer for him by the end of the day. As far as I'm concerned, it's up to you and Emma, Regina. I know the charges involve Emma being the primary victim but when I spoke with her about the possibility of a deal, she said she wanted you to be the one to make the final decision. I'm happy to take this case all the way to closing arguments for you. I'm confident we'll win and he will be found guilty but we will still have to wait and see. Alternatively, we can agree the plea deal and he'll be sentenced to ten years."

"Ten years?"

"Yes," Mr Harrison confirmed. "No parole, by the way. He won't be out after five."

"And, if he's found guilty by the jury, what sort of sentence would be get?" Regina asked.

"It depends," Mr Harrison admitted. "I would suspect he'd be looking at a fifteen year bid but it is down to the judge at the end of the day. Parole may available to him after seven and a half."

"So, the options are," Regina began, partly to help herself and partly to ensure Emma knew what was going on, "to accept the deal which guarantees a sentence of ten years. Or to continue with the trial and gamble with the jury's verdict which will either result in him getting up to fifteen years, which could only be seven and a half inside, or walking free. Is that right?"

Emma was stood up by the time the options had been repeated to her. She was pacing, fingers twisting in front of her. Thinking. Deliberating. What was the right choice? What would be best for Regina, Henry? Herself? She had told Mr Harrison that she wanted the decision to be made by Regina and it was true. But now, in that moment, she knew she was about to be asked for her input.

On the other end of the call, Mr Harrison was confirming Regina's understanding and offering his professional opinion on the jury. "They're in our corner, Regina. After they saw you today, they know what sort of man he is." But Regina couldn't make a decision right then in the moment. She needed time to think, to process, to consider. Asking Mr Harrison if it was ok for her to call him back in half an hour, she ended the call.

"Henry, Mom and Emma are going to the kitchen for a bit. Do you need anything?" she asked, rising from the couch. At the statement, Emma marched straight into the aforementioned room. Henry just shook his head, bare feet waggling in the air as he lay on his stomach, still drawing. It seemed the phone call had completely passed him by.

Entering the kitchen, Regina saw Emma continuing her pacing. Not wanting to interrupt the blonde's thoughts, she slid onto one of the stools at the breakfast bar and splayed her hands across the cool, smooth surface. It was grounding, soothing. On the far side of the room, Emma yanked the fridge door open and pulled out a beer. Regina raised an eyebrow. Emma never drank this early in the day.

"Sweetheart, are you ok?" she asked softly as the bottle cap was thrown into the garbage.

"No," Emma said after she had taken her first glug of the cool liquid.

"Talk to me," Regina urged. "What are you thinking?"

Another gulp was needed. Two. Then Emma put the bottle down on the side and crossed to where Regina was sitting. Leaning across the counter, Emma placed her hands on top of Regina's. "Ten years isn't long enough," she said simply. "Not for what he put you through."

"I know but it's better than nothing, right? What if they jury find him not guilty?"

"They can't," Emma exclaimed, turning abruptly and marching back to her beer. "How could they? He did it. They've seen the evidence. They heard you. I told them what happened. Of course they'll find him guilty. That's how the law works."

"I know it seems obvious to us but what if one or two of the jurors aren't convinced? That's all it takes."

"So, do you want to take the deal? Is that what you're thinking?"

"I … I don't know," Regina admitted. "Do you not want to take the deal?"

"It's not up to me," Emma replied. "He's your husband."

"Ex-husband," Regina clarified, even though they hadn't started divorce proceedings yet. "And you were the one he held at gunpoint. We should make this decision together."

Until that phone call, Regina hadn't known that Emma had told Mr Harrison that if any decisions needed to be made with regards to Leo's plea deal, he should call Regina. Emma might have been the one held at gunpoint but Regina had been a victim of Leo's for years. She had to be the one to make the decision. So Mr Harrison had called Regina's cell, not Emma's to discuss whether or not the deal should be agreed. It was Regina's life, not Emma's. She was just doing her job. Regina was the one who would have to live with the consequences of what happened to her son's father for the rest of their lives.

Except, it wasn't that simple. Unlike other court cases Emma had been involved in, this was different. This would affect her. Because it would affect her life with Regina. So, while the final decision would and should be Regina's, Emma was willing to put her two cents in on the subject. Except, what were her two cents?

Emma's fingers tapped on the already half-empty beer bottle, leaning against the kitchen counter. Regina could see her agitation, the conflicting ideas which were swarming the blonde's mind. She understood; she had them too. Silence fell, broken only by the rhythm of Emma's fingertips.

"Mr Harrison is confident we'll win," Regina said after a minute's silence. "But it means we still have to wait. Finish the trial. The jury will deliberate. Then they'll deliver the verdict. Then we'll have to wait for the sentencing. Even if he is found guilty, Mr Harrison thinks he'll get about fifteen years."

"That's five more than ten."

"Yes but he could be eligible for parole after seven and a half. Of course, he may or may not get parole."

"And he could get fewer than fifteen?"

"I suppose so," Regina nodded. "Mr Harrison said it would depend on the judge at sentencing."

"So, the waiting, the agony of not knowing for the rest of the week, maybe even next week, that could all result in the same outcome? Or a shorter sentence? Or even a not guilty verdict?"

"In theory."

Emma tipped the beer bottle against her lips, all but draining the last of the amber liquid. "Ok, I know what I think we should do."

"Tell me," Regina urged.

"Take the plea. Take the deal. It's not worth the risk. Ten years is a long time. Henry will be almost seventeen by the time he's released. We'll get a restraining order if we need to. We'll move. We'll do whatever we have to in order to keep you both safe. That's all I want to do, Regina. Keep you safe. And if there's even the slightest chance that he could walk, it's not worth gambling with that, just to get a slightly longer sentence which may enable him to be released earlier anyway. Take the deal."

Regina nodded slowly. "I agree. Ten years is better than no years."

Empty beer bottle discarded, Emma strode around to the far side of the breakfast bar and engulfed Regina in a strong hug. A bear hug, she would have said, had she not disliked using animal traits to describe humans. Regina clung onto her, own arms wrapped fiercely, possessively around Emma's slender frame. They stayed like that, silent. Tears slid down Regina's cheeks, almost unnoticed. Relief? Sadness? She didn't know. She just let them fall.

When Emma pulled back at last, she wiped the faint mascara tracts from Regina's cheeks and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "I love you. I'm so proud of you and everything you did today. You were so brave."

"I didn't feel brave," Regina admitted.

"Well, you were. Everyone in the courtroom understood how much courage it took to stand up in front of all those people and talk. You'll never have to do that again, I promise. You won't ever have to see Leo again either. Or even think about it. But there is one thing you do need to do."

"Call Mr Harrison back."

Emma nodded and pulled out her cell, handing it to Regina. She took it and, with her girlfriend's arm slung around her shoulder, Regina made the call.

"Mr Harrison? It's Regina. And Emma," she added, resting her head against the blonde's shoulder as she spoke. "We've talked about it and we'd like you to take the plea deal."

A/N: I hope you've all had a lovely weekend!