Everything had changed that day, their lives, their future, their relationship, everything.

Except Emma never told her if she felt the same or even how she felt that day. That didn't come until much later on. That came just a few weeks later when they spent New Year's Eve together alone in Emma's room at the inn. It was the first time Emma ever said those three little words and it had come just an hour or so after midnight when they'd been laying together on the small bed trying to fall asleep.

They had spent the rest of winter break together and Regina remembered just how hard it had been to go back to Boston when it was time. She finished her first year at university with Emma coming to visit when she could and those visits had been far and too few of them until the semester ended in the spring. By the time spring break had rolled around and Regina returned to Storybrooke for those ten days, she had bought a house with Emma, a little house, 815 First Street. She'd drained her savings for the deposit on the house and planned to move in when she came home after the second semester finally ended early in June.

Her mother was furious, of course, when she found out about the house, furious about how Regina had left school to come back home for Emma and her baby that was due in August. And of course her mother didn't know at the time the true nature of her relationship with Emma as that would've played out far differently in the end. No, Cora had been furious over the very fact that she'd used that money meant for the next four years of university as extra funds to instead buy a dingy little two-bedroom house with Emma Swan.

Their relationship at that point when they bought the house had been so very innocent. Regina hadn't quite been ready to take things to the next level and Emma was always so very patient during that time. Emma was always so patient. Nothing went beyond the hours they spent just making out, whether it be in the bed or on the couch in the living room. When Emma pushed for more, she would stop if Regina was even the least bit apprehensive. That all ceased after Emma was seven months pregnant as she was moody and irritable all the time. It had been Regina's turn to be patient and her patience wore thin far too many times to count.

Looking back on it now, years and years later, she knew that their first months together had only made their relationship stronger in the end. It's what made it that much more special when they were intimate for the first time a few months after Henry was born.

Outside of the walls of 815 First Street, their relationship was complicated at best. Emma had been more than patient and tolerant, going along with the little lies and denial that came along with hiding their relationship from everyone. Regina, in particular, was so terrified of her mother finding out if she knew she was not only in love with another woman, in love with Emma Swan, but also having her find out about the intimate side of their relationship. They had been so very careful even when they were in the sanctuary of their own home and it caused a lot of frustration for both of them for very different reasons.

And outside of the walls of 815 First Street, everyone only knew them as best friends, as roommates as they claimed to be when asked, and Regina's family invited Emma to every birthday, to barbecues in the summer months, to regular weekly family dinners, and holidays. Regina's family had become Emma's family under false pretenses, really.

It hadn't just been her mother that Regina was terrified of finding out the true nature of her and Emma's relationship. It was everyone. It was her whole family, her friends, and the whole town. Being gay wasn't normal, at least that was how she perceived it growing up in such a small, closeted, close-knit town where every girl married the boy they dated in high school or met in college, and settled down to have a family just as all the generations did before them.

It was laughable now because everything was so different. Regina didn't live her life in the closet anymore. Though she wasn't openly vocal about being gay, her friends and colleagues in the city knew. Her father had known for years since he'd shown up for a surprise visit and walked in on Regina and another woman in her bed. He had barely batted an eye, barely said a word about the woman in Regina's bed, and he'd even gone as far to invite that woman along to dinner with them, an invitation that Regina had rebuked instantly because that woman, she was just another one-night stand.

Looking back at her relationship with Emma Swan now, all five years, three months, and nineteen days of it, she knew she'd had plenty of opportunities to come out to her family, to be herself, to be with Emma openly as she did within the privacy of their own home, but not once had she ever taken advantage of that opportunity. All because she'd spent all those years terrified. A coward.

Or, in the words of her sister, an idiot.

And looking back now, she knew she'd been in denial too over the fact that everyone knew and nobody ever said a word. Everyone knew they weren't just best friends and roommates. Everyone knew they were in love with one another, completely inseparable, and that they loved each other unconditionally. It wasn't until after Emma had the baby that things had changed, especial with Cora.

Cora doted on the baby as if it were her own grandchild. She adored Henry right from the start and she spent a lot of time at the house in those first few months helping Emma adjust to her new life as a young mother. Cora was there almost every day until the week before Thanksgiving and though her help had been needed and much appreciated, it made Regina's relationship with Emma that much more difficult and strained. They hadn't been able to sleep in the same bed out of Regina's fear that her mother would catch them together, and Henry's crib stayed in the bedroom during those months and his room, meant to be his nursery, became Regina's room during that time.

The first time they'd been intimate was just shy of a year after Regina first confessed her feelings to Emma. It had been beyond amazing and long overdue. They'd taken the baby to Regina's parents' house for the night upon Cora's request that they give themselves a night off. After they'd made dinner together, dinner they barely touched as it was Emma who started it all and it had been Regina who pushed them past the boundaries where they normally would stop. That night changed their relationship completely, it brought them to a whole different level of intimacy that was new for both of them and one they chased nearly every day that followed up until the day Regina had left and never looked back.

Despite all the lies, the denial, the secrets, their relationship had been realand it had been intense, too. Regina regretted everything now, wishing things had been different, wishing she hadn't been such a coward. She wished she hadn't left the way she did, either, but it was too late now to fix things, to change the way things had been, but she was still holding onto hope deep down inside that it wasn't too late to make amends, amends that should've been made many years ago.

Ten years was a long time and Regina had spent those ten years searching, trying to find something just a little bit close to what she had with Emma. She had chased after love in all the wrong places, with all the wrong people. It was how she ended up with so many one-night stands with women she'd met in bars, in clubs, and with a few of those women, it resulted in short-term relationships that never lasted more than a couple of months at best. None of the women she'd been with in the last decade came close to Emma Swan.

It didn't matter that those few women she'd chased after in hopes of finding love again were beautiful, successful, and great in bed. They all were missing something, missing that spark Emma had ignited within her. It was why, in the last year, she had given up on pursuing relationships completely, choosing to dive deep into her work, into her practice, and took on far too many cases that kept her busy all the time.

Keeping busy had kept her thoughts from wandering down memory lane. Keeping busy had also gotten her to stop drinking completely, too, though she wondered if that part came a little too late.

It dawned on her as she finished her coffee just why that conversation with Zelena had cut so deep, why it had stung so much. Zelena had been right about one thing. She truly was an idiot for walking out on Emma all those years ago. Pretending to move on with her life had been easy, for a little while, but she could no longer pretend that she had moved on completely nor could she pretend that she wasn't still in love with Emma Swan.

Because she was. She was still so hopelessly in love with her that just thinking of never having that chance to make amends, never having a chance to have Emma back in her life, it crushed her very soul and made her already broken heart ache endlessly.

Being back in Storybrooke, seeing Emma again, it brought those feelings rushing back up to the surface where she could no longer bury them as easily as she had before. She couldn't. She didn't want to.

"Would you like another coffee?" Ruby asked as she approached Regina's table. She flashed a friendly smile as Regina just nodded and slid her mug towards her. "Ready to order some breakfast yet?"

"Not just yet, Ruby," she replied. "This coffee is so much better than I remember."

"New supplier," Ruby chuckled. She poured the coffee into the mug. "Never thought I'd see you back here after you left."

"Didn't think you'd still be here working for your grandmother after all these years," Regina jabbed back at her former classmate. "Didn't you always talk about wanting to get out of this town as fast as you could?"

"Granny had a heart attack the fall after graduation. I'm sure you remember," Ruby said with a heavy sigh. "I stayed to help her out around here. She had another one last year just after Easter. The doctor wants her to stop working, but you know Granny. That stubborn woman is gonna work until she literally drops dead on the floor."

Regina frowned. "She's doing all right now, isn't she?" she asked. "When I saw her yesterday, she seemed to be doing well."

"She has her good days and her bad days," Ruby replied with a small shrug. "When you're ready to order, just give me a holler, all right?"

Regina nodded and took the menu Ruby placed down on the table before she walked away. She looked down at the small menu and couldn't help but smile to see that it too hadn't changed at all like the rest of the town. It was still the same menu as it had been ten, fifteen, twenty years ago and the only difference was that the prices had changed throughout the years. She looked up when she heard the bell ring over the door and her eyes landed on the one person who had been invading her very thoughts that morning.

If Emma saw her sitting there, she didn't acknowledge her, and she walked straight over to the counter and greeted Ruby with a bright smile. Emma sat down on the stool when Ruby motioned that she'd be right with her and much like the first time Regina ever laid her eyes on Emma Swan, she just couldn't look away. She just couldn't take her eyes off the woman who still owned her heart and her very soul.

"Hey," Emma said after Ruby finished up with another customer and bounced over to her. "Can I get the usual to go, please? Running a little late this morning."

"Your butt-kissin' deputy was just in here a little while ago. Got the usual waiting for you down at the station already."

"Jones was here?"

"Nah, August dropped by. Put a little extra in there for you, too, Em."

"Which I'm sure he'll take credit for."

"For sure."

Emma laughed and it was a sound that resonated through Regina and stirred up something deep inside of her she wasn't sure she was ready to feel again. She tried to tune her out, to ignore her and she stared intently down at the menu trying to decide what to order for breakfast, and yes, even over the din of chatter from the other customers, Emma's voice was still so clear as if it was the only one her mind was willing to hear in that very moment. It didn't matter that she tried to tune her out, to put her focus elsewhere, she just couldn't push her away. She also couldn't stop herself from looking up over at Emma and just drink in the very sight of her.

"How's Henry this morning?" Ruby asked as she grabbed a cup and poured Emma some coffee. She waved her off when Emma refused. "You have time, Em. Your shift doesn't start for another ten minutes, right?"

"Right," Emma replied. "Don't know how Henry is this morning, honestly. Kid was still sleeping when I left. Typical teenager. Taking full advantage of his summer vacation by sleeping in past noon. He's worse than me on a day off after pulling a few double-shifts in a row."

They laughed and the second Emma turned on the stool and looked over in her direction, Regina looked back at the menu again in a hurry. She didn't look up from the menu until she was sure that Emma was no longer looking over at her.

Henry. She remembered how Emma had chosen his name, choosing to name him after her father. It wasn't even something they'd discussed at the time, it was just the name she had announced a day after he was born when the hospital told her she needed to have a name on the birth certificate. Regina still remembered how ecstatic her father was that Emma named the baby after him. She didn't even know until the day after that when her father came to pick them up from the hospital that Emma had named her son after him, not until Emma had blurted it out in the car. It had taken her by surprise, her father too. He said it was a great honor and one he didn't feel he was worthy of. From that day forward, Emma's son was no longer Baby Swan, it was Henry Swan.

Inside those walls of 815 First Street, Regina had helped Emma raise her son as if he too were hers. Regina wasn't his other mother, though. She never called herself his other mother and as Henry had gotten older, she was Gina to him and then finally Regina when he learned to pronounce his R's better. She wasn't his mother on paper, either, and that was something that Emma had wanted but couldn't make possible as Henry's father had shown up just hours after she'd given birth and signed his name on the birth certificate as Henry's father. The sperm donor.

How Neal Cassidy even found out she had given birth, Regina still didn't know to this day, but because he'd shown up, his name was put on the birth certificate officially. She hadn't even been in the room when Neal was there and whatever was said and whatever had happened between them, Emma never spoke of it and Regina never asked. Unfortunately-or fortunately, really-Neal didn't stick around for too long after that. He visited the baby twice in the first week before he just left, gone for more than a year before he came back around again. It was always a year in between visits for a while.

Just thinking about Henry's absent, deadbeat father left her with a bitter taste in her mouth and just like that, her appetite was gone. Even though Neal had tragically taken his own life just months before she left Emma and Henry, the mere thought of him always left her feeling that way. Henry deserved a better father. Henry deserved a father who wanted to be in his life more than he actually had been. Henry deserved to know the love of a father all the time and not just when Neal decided it was time to put on his big boy pants and attempt to play the role of Henry's father once or twice a year at best. And most of all, Henry deserved a father who hadn't been so utterly selfish and taken his own life because things weren't going well in life for him at all.

Regina quickly finished her coffee before she fished out a couple of bills from the pocket of her capris. She placed the bills on the table beside her empty mug. She waved at Ruby before she walked out of the diner and out into the rain. She ran to her car where she'd parked it across the street, fumbling with her keys as the rain started to fall harder. Once inside, she slipped the key into the ignition and then sat there, watching as Emma darted out of the diner and headed straight to the sheriff's cruiser she'd parked out in front of the diner. She felt frozen just watching Emma and she barely moved, barely breathed, until Emma drove off just seconds later.

It felt as if no matter where she went while she was there in town, she would inevitably run into Emma Swan one way or another. It was probably best that she was planning to leave after the will was read, after all.

She took the long way home after Emma had driven off and made a U-turn just in front of the station down the street and parked out front. She tried to ignore the pangs of hunger the whole way, wishing now she'd just stayed for breakfast despite her appetite momentarily disappearing at the thought of Henry's deadbeat father. She parked beside her sister's green Charger in the driveway and she noticed instantly the silver Lexus parked on the other side.

The lawyer was there and he was very early. She double-checked her watch and frowned. Her mother had told her eleven. It was barely eight o'clock.

Regina ran inside the house as the rain fell even harder. Her first mistake had been trying the side door and it was locked. She didn't have a key and she cursed under her breath and ran around to the front door, grateful that it was unlocked. She was soaking wet and dripping on the floor as she shut the door behind her with a heavy grumble. She rushed upstairs to change into some dry clothes and she'd barely opened the door to her old bedroom when Zelena appeared in the hallway.

"Regina," Zelena said in a hushed whisper. "Did you go out for breakfast?"

"Coffee," she corrected her as she pushed a few strands of wet hair off of her face. "Did the time change for the reading of the will?" she asked. "I thought the lawyer wasn't supposed to-"

"It's still on for eleven," Zelena replied. "Or," she drawled out with a wave of her hand, "whenever Mother is ready, I suppose. Bloody hell if I know anymore. With Mother, things seem to change instantly without ample warning or notice."

"Why is she with the lawyer now?"

Zelena exhaled dramatically and followed Regina into the bedroom, her little dog suddenly running up the hall and following close behind them. At Regina's disgusted look, Zelena exhaled dramatically once more and she picked her dog up and tucked her securely under her arm. Regina rolled her eyes and grabbed the towel she'd used that morning after her shower and started to dry her hair.

"Mother wants to make sure that everything is in order," Zelena said and she moved to sit down on the bed. "Not just with Daddy's will, but with her own too, I suppose. It's been a while since they met with the lawyer and I'm fairly certain Mother is convinced that Daddy changed his will without her knowing."

"Why would he change it?"

"Aside from adding the brewery?" Zelena asked and she gave Regina a very pointed look as if it was supposed to be obvious. "Emma and Henry, of course."

"Why would-"

"Are you that daft, little sister? Did you not hear a word I said the other night? Emma is family."

"I heard you."

She had heard it loud and clear. She was starting to see it more, too, especially after the funeral yesterday when she'd seen just how her family was with Emma and Henry. Admittedly, it hurt. A lot. She was harboring endless guilt because she knew she should've been there for every birthday, every family dinner, and every holiday, too. It hurt because her family had always accepted Emma as one of their own and more so since she had left Storybrooke a decade ago. It hurt because once upon a time, Emma and Henry had been herfamily and they'd had a life together, one they called their own in the small little house on First Street that had been theirs.

"You truly are a daft idiot, aren't you?" Zelena deadpanned. "Look, I should warn you that Emma is going to be here for the reading of the will. We gave the children the option of being here if they wanted to, so whether Henry and Robyn show at all, that's up to them, but Emma will be here."

"I see."

"No, you don't. You don't see anything at all. Why? Because you haven't been here, Regina, so get your head out of your damn arse and wake the hell up! Life went on without you. Unfortunately."

"What do you care, Zelena? As you just said, life went on without me. There is nothing stopping it from continuing to go on after I leave."

"I care," Zelena started and she scowled a little. "I care because Emma is my best friend," she said matter-of-factly and she sized Regina up with a hard glare as she stood up from the bed and let her little dog down on the floor. "You hurt her. You devastated her. You broke her damn heart. You-"

"I know!" Regina snapped, losing all resolve to keep her temper in check. "I know I did. I know, Zelena, I know, and I can't take any of it back."

"No, you cannot."

"Are you going to continue to make me feel even worse than I already do about something that happened more than ten years ago? Because if that is the case, I can leave right now."

"You can't just leave."

"Mother can forward me what I need to know about whatever it is that is in the will, if any of it even concerns me."

"Mother can barely open her email app on her phone. She only really uses it to play Clash of Clans when she gets bored in church every Sunday."

Regina sighed tiredly. "Get out," she said and she pointed down at the dog. "And take your annoying little mutt with you."

"Fine."

Regina rolled her eyes and all but slammed the bedroom door shut as soon as Zelena scooped her dog up and walked out. With a huff, Regina got out of her wet and uncomfortable clothes. She rolled her eyes again upon the realization that she did not have anything else to wear that was clean. When she'd packed her bag a few days ago, she hadn't planned on staying past Friday afternoon, and she was not one to wear clothes a second time, dirty or not.

It was a little nitpicky habit she'd inherited from her mother. One of many.

In only her black lace panties and matching bra, she strolled across the room to her old closet. Just a few things hung in there now, clothes she doubted would even fit her still, and she went through the shirts one by one, all four of them, muttering under her breath at the limited choice she had. The only thing in that closet suitable for a warm day-and it was warm already-was a plain white V-neck t-shirt. It wouldn't do, she noted as she looked down at her black bra with a frown.

She'd need to borrow some clothes, at least until she did a quick load of wash to launder the clothes she had brought along with her. She wasn't anticipating that happening as she was most definitely leaving after the will was read. She had a life to get back to in New York City, after all. Borrowing something from her mother's closet was out of the question for two reasons, one, she had not been the same size as her petite mother since she was a preteen and two, her mother would absolutely refuse to let her borrow anything at all.

Zelena was taller by a few inches and she'd always had good taste, though sharing and borrowing clothes had never been a thing they did. Ever. With no other options and not wanting to put on her wet clothes from before back on, she pulled the robe off the back of the closet door, slipped it on and opened the door only to walk right into Zelena.

"These should fit," Zelena said as she held out a sleeveless burgundy blouse and a pair of black slacks. "You're welcome, sis."

"How did you-"

"I just knew. You're welcome," Zelena chuckled lightly. "When you finish getting dressed, will you come down and join me for a cup of tea?"

Regina took the offered clothes and nodded slowly, mouth slightly agape at the thoughtfulness of her older sister, something she'd never experienced much before, if at all. Zelena had surprised her a few times already and this was no exception. Just the small gesture of lending her clean and dry clothes without having to be asked spoked volumes of how much her sister had changed over the years. She wasn't sure why it bothered her, though, but it did.

Maybe it was because she'd been gone for a long time and she didn't know the person her sister had become. Maybe it was because she hadn't expected it at all. She really didn't know and it made her stomach twist in knots as she dressed in the borrowed clothes. Maybe it was all of the above and also because it had been a very long time since she'd seen her sister last.

Everything was different now. Everyone was different, too. It had her mind spinning in circles. It also made her uncomfortable because Zelena knew far more than what Regina ever wanted her to know and then there was the fact that knowing Zelena and Emma were friends that completely boggled her mind.

Zelena was the very last person she thought that Emma would ever end up being friends with in the years that she had been gone. They were polar opposites in every way. How and more specifically whywere they even friends? Sure, Henry and Robyn were friends, but that didn't mean-

"Gods," Regina exhaled as she realized she was beginning to feel a little jealous. "Grow up."

She could feel herself beginning to slip. It was a feeling that left her knowing it wouldn't be much longer before it happened, before she gave in to that craving, that urge, that desire to chase the dream of the easethat came after a few glasses of wine, or vodka, or whatever else happened to be the poison of her choosing at the moment. She could almost taste her favorite wine, a ghost of a memory, as she licked over her lips. She was losing herself in that moment and she didn't feel strong enough to pull herself up before she caved completely.

Her whole body was tense, as it usually was in moments like this. She looked down at the clothes her sister had brought in for her and realized that she had crumpled them in her hands. That feeling, that darkness that crept through her very soul, hung heavily as she laid the clothes out on the bed and helplessly attempted to smooth out the wrinkles.

It was impossible to rid herself of the thoughts that relentlessly tore through her mind, thoughts that centered around none other than Emma Swan. Everywhere she went, everywhere she turned, everywhere she even looked, every damn thought she had led right back to the one woman she had spent the last decade trying to forget.

Trying to fall out of love with her. Trying to move on. Trying and failing endlessly.

This wasn't why she came back to Storybrooke. She had come back to bury her father, to say one last final goodbye. She did not come back to Storybrooke to fall into a trap of memories that tormented her every damn second of the day. She did not come back to Storybrooke to take a glimpse into a life that should've been hers. It cut too deep into her broken and fragile heart, opening old wounds she knew had never fully healed.

It grated her nerves to listen to her sister talk about things she didn't fully understand. It made her want to throttle Zelena just to shut her up whenever she started talking about Emma Swan. She wanted nothing more than to remind Zelena that she had come back to bury her father, not stir up the past. It seemed like nobody had gotten the memo and Zelena was stirring it up at every little opportunity she could find. It was beyond irritating and beyond frustrating.

If her memories weren't going to be the thing that led her off her path of sobriety, it'd be her sister, without a doubt. There was only so much she could handle and her sister was beyond that.

She dressed in her borrowed clothes and fixed her hair, giving up on trying to tame the unruly natural curls that came with damp hair. She let it be as she didn't have the energy to deal with her hair at the moment and after a few brushes with the comb, she placed it down on the dresser and headed for the door. She had barely stepped out into the hallway when she heard a knock echoing up the stairs from the front door. And then her voice.

"Zee?"

Emma's voice flowed through the house as she let herself in. Regina froze and looked at her watch. Emma was early. Really early. More than two hours early. What the hell was she doing there that early to begin with?

"In the kitchen!" Zelena called out as Regina approached the top of the stairs.

Zelena. Of course it had to have been Zelena who had called Emma over early despite the fact, from what Regina had learned at the diner that morning, Emma should be at work. She headed down the stairs and headed for the kitchen, a little hesitation in each step as she neared the doorway. She lingered there for a moment and watched Emma, who had just entered ahead of her seconds earlier, walk over to Zelena to give her a one-armed hug. Regina walked in as soon as Zelena spotted her standing there and she made her way over to where the kettle was starting to boil on the stove.

"Mother is just with the lawyer now talking privately. I believe they're sorting through a couple of things," Zelena said to Emma. "Would you like some tea?"

Emma held up the Styrofoam cup from Granny's. "I've got my coffee, Zee. You know I've never been one for tea. Now, biscuits, on the other hand, I'm always down for those," she laughed. "Hey, Regina."

"Hello," she replied with a forced smile. "Aren't you supposed to be at work this morning?"

"Slow start to the day," Emma replied with a shrug. "If I'm needed, they'll call over the radio," she said as she pointed to the small walkie she had clipped on her belt beside her badge. She turned back to Zelena with a hopeful smile. "There are biscuits, right?"

"Of course," Zelena said as she pointed to the tin of biscuits on the counter. "And no, you are not to have any of them until the tea is served whether you are drinking some or not. They're reserved for the reading of the will with the lawyer. Mother was very insistent about that."

"Right," Emma replied and she looked down at the cup in her hand. She looked nervous and Regina could tell that she was purposely avoiding looking at her now. "Maybe I shouldn't be here, Zelena. This is for family and-"

"And you are family," Zelena said pointedly, stopping her before she could continue. "You and Henry are family and, as you know, you are both in the will. You should be here, Emma. We all want you to be here."

"Fine. Okay," Emma replied with a roll of her eyes. "Is this going to take long? I have Marco coming over to the house later to fix the pipes and-"

"Hopefully not," Zelena said with an overly dramatic sigh just as the kettle started to whistle. "Regina, be a dear and pour that into the teapot, will you? I'm going to run upstairs and see if Robyn is awake yet."

"I should try and call Henry in case he forgot about this morning," Emma said as Zelena breezed out of the kitchen and she pulled her phone out of her back pocket. "It's early. Probably too early. Teenagers, you know? He probably did forget."

Regina nodded and watched Emma walk out of the kitchen as she called her son. She sighed as she did as she was asked, pouring the hot water from the kettle into the teapot and added a few teabags before she put the lid on. She found a serving tray her mother normally used when serving tea to guests and placed a few of the matching teacups on the tray. She even took the biscuits out of the tin and placed them on a small plate, too.

She could hear Emma talking just outside of the kitchen and her intention wasn't to eavesdrop on the conversation, but she just couldn't help herself. Just hearing Emma's voice after not hearing it for far too long brought a warmth deep inside of her. One she had been missing for years.

"Yeah, I know it's early, kid, but they're reading the will this morning," Emma said quietly. "You and Robyn still have the option of being here or not, but I'd really like you to be here, Henry. Why?" Emma sighed and Regina could now hear her pacing in the foyer. "Because they're the only family we've ever had. Kind of owe it to Gramps to be here, kid. If he didn't want us here, we wouldn't even be in the will, right? Fine. Fine, I'll swing around and pick you up, but you know you won't melt in the rain, right?"

Regina laughed and instantly clamped a hand over her mouth. Emma walked back into the kitchen then, an eyebrow raised curiously as she looked at her. They just stared at one another for a moment ad Emma shook her head as she switched the phone to the other ear.

"I'll come by in a few minutes, kid. Make sure you're ready when I get there. Okay, bye." Emma ended the call and slipped her phone back into her pocket. "He's complaining it's too early and then refused to walk over in the rain, so I'm gonna head out and pick him up."

"Pretty soon he'll be able to drive."

"Don't remind me," she groaned. "I'm not ready for that yet. He's growing up-yeah, I'm not ready for any of it."

"It'll all inevitably happen," Regina pointed out. "Whether you are ready or not."

"Yeah. I know."

Zelena came back into the kitchen furious. "Nobody ever prepares you for what it is like to have a teenage daughter," she sighed exasperatedly. "I suppose it could be worse," she said as an afterthought. "Her attitude could be much worse."

"Like you were?" Regina jabbed with a smirk. "You were no angel, Zelena."

"And you were?"

"Yes, I was, actually." Regina deadpanned. "Straight A's in school, never got into any kind of trouble, never missed my curfew, never-"

"Yes, we all know you were the model child, Regina, the do-gooder type. Did you even date anyone before Emma?"

"Yes, but-"

"Let me rephrase that," Zelena smirked. "Did you even fuck anyone before her?"

"That is none of your damn business!"

"I'm just going to go," Emma said nervously as she awkwardly made her way toward the doorway. "I'll be back in about twenty minutes, give or take however long Henry takes to get his ass outta bed."

"I wish you would mind your own damn business, Zelena," Regina hissed at her as soon as Emma walked out. "You have noright to talk to or about me like that."

"Feeling a little on edge today, are we, sis?"

"Shut up."

"You two were looking awfully cozy together. Work everything out, did you?"

"No. We were just talking."

"You could do a hell of a lot better than just talking, dear sis. In case you haven't realized this by now, Emma is still-"

"We are not having this conversation, Zelena. Now please," Regina said tiredly. "I would appreciate it if for once you would just mind your own business and not talk about things that you do not understand."

"Fine."

"Good."

It wasn't going to be the end of the conversation, not completely if the look in Zelena's eyes was anything to go by. Regina just wanted to get it all over with so that she could leave. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand to stay there. She wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to stay strong enough to continue on her path of sobriety without falling miserably back down that endless black hole.

She just needed to get through that morning. And then she could leave.

She could run back to her life in New York City and, like before, life could finally move on once again, just as it had been for many years.

A/N: Now I realize I should have warned people about Hook, but he's just a blip in the story, a filler character if you will, one who really doesn't have much of a role nor is mentioned much after a few chapters, so you don't have to worry about that...