Her phone made a sound and Regina immediately ceased all activity. She had a pretty good idea of who was texting her, and she knew that she wanted to answer the text right away. She picked up the phone and smiled as she read the message. Emma's excitement was radiating off the message. 'Guess who has a place to livee?!'

'Robert Gold agreed to rent the place out instead of selling?' that was a very wise decision to make, Regina thought to herself. She was very pleased that Emma now had a permanent home in Steveston. Very, very pleased. And she refused to pay attention to the tiny little part of herself that was a smidge envious of Emma's luck.

Her phone chimed again, and Regina quickly checked the message.

'Damn right he did! I mean, at first, he was all kinds of snobby, but then Isabelle came home, and he turned into a puppy. Well, not really, but he definitely changed from beast to man. He became polite and started asked me genuine questions about how I was settling in in Steveston. At first, he more than suggested that I wouldn't stay in Steveston for a very long time. Which is absolute crap. But yeah, now I have a place to live. He's gonna prepare the papers and then he's gonna send them to me, and voila, one little signature from me, and I'm no longer a homeless!'

A smile spread on Regina's lips. This was excellent news. Really excellent. She could vividly imagine how Robert's demeanor had changed when Isabelle came home. That girl had him wrapped around her little finger in the nicest way possible. He loved Isabelle, and Isabelle loved him. They could have been an odd couple, but strangely enough, they weren't. They were just right for each other.

'I'm so happy for you, Emma. Getting your own place after having lived at a hotel for such a long time must be quite a relief.' She sent the message and hoped that Emma would invite her over so she could see the house. Regina really wanted that. Emma had to be ecstatic. She had lived at the inn for a pretty long time now. Nearly three and a half months. That was a long time to not have her own bed or kitchen or anything else for that matter. Regina felt a little giddy. Emma would be permanently living in Steveston now. They could actually have coffee together in private.

'Ugh, it is! It feels really good.'

Regina rumbled quietly. 'Ugh'. She could almost hear Emma say it. And she could see the way Emma scrunched up her nose while saying it. Definitely not the worst thing to imagine. She was just about to text back when her phone chimed, and she received a new message from Emma. 'How is the house hunting going for you and the little dude? Have you guys found something interesting?'

Regina puffed out air and felt the frustration tickle in the back of her mind. She was not annoyed at Emma for having asked, but she was annoyed at the situation she currently was stuck in. It was not easy to find a place to live.

'No, I'm afraid we haven't. Not yet at least, and I must admit that I'm getting a bit frustrated', she texted and quickly added: 'but let's not talk about that. Tell me more about the house! It's the grey one near the forest, right? The one with the tower room?' there was really no reason to turn this into whining about her situation when Emma was so excited about her new house. It wouldn't be right to turn the attention onto her. Regina didn't want to be that kind of person.

'Yeah, that's the one. I can't wait to invite both you and Henry over. But I'm sorry you're feeling frustrated. I know how it feels, not having your own place to live.'

Regina smiled. Emma had not been fooled by her change of subject. Always so perceptive. One of the many things Regina so appreciated about her.

'Henry and I would love to come over and see your new home', she couldn't help but write and hoped that Emma would invite them over soon. She was so curious about the house looked on the inside. She had admired it from the street so many times. 'And yes, it does feel quite frustrating, knowing that the place you live in isn't gonna be a permanent one. When I feel the most frustrated, I regret putting the house in Montreal up for sale so quickly, but at the same time I don't think I'd be able to go back and live there.' Definitely, definitely not! Living in that house, walking up that staircase, sleeping in that bed would be terrible. Regina shuddered. Her skin was already crawling.

'I completely understand that.'

Regina pursed her lips. It was time to lighten the mood. This conversation was not about her past misery. 'And besides, Montreal is far away. It wouldn't be very easy to see you if I lived in Montreal.' There. She hoped that would make Emma smile when she read it.

'That is a very good point.'

Regina pursed her lips again. She knew that she should not, but she couldn't help unloading a little bit more. 'But not having my own place is starting to irritate me a lot. And especially because Zelena is against me and Henry moving out. She hasn't said so directly, but I can feel it. I can feel the silent protest, and she always pulls a face whenever I mention house hunting.' That was true, Zelena really did not like when she mentioned looking for a new house. It was actually one of the very few conflicts she and Zelena had. Zelena hadn't said so directly, but it was obvious that she was against Regina and Henry moving away. To some extent, Regina understood why that was. But Zelena also had to accept that Regina had to move out and start her own life again.

But the fact that there wasn't a house to move into, made that rather tricky.

'She's scared to let you go?'

Yes. That was the exact issue. As always, Emma had hit the head on the nail. 'Yes, I believe that's the general issue, yes. I think the idea of me and Henry living on our own frightens her. I think she fears that I'll somehow get worse if I live on my own. She's afraid that something is going to happen to me if I move out.' The biggest fear when a relative was on suicide watch, was that the person was going to relapse and try doing it again. Zelena's fear was valid. She had literally seen Regina at her worst. It was not difficult to figure out where her mind went. Of course she was thinking back to that horrible day where she had left the hospital room for five minutes, and when she came back, she found Regina on the verge of jumping out of the window. Regina would never forgive herself for that. She would never forgive herself for scaring Zelena like that. Nor would she ever forgive herself for even having considered to leave Henry.

She had never thought about suicide again, but the thought had to enter her mind and stay for a moment so she could effectively kill it.

'I understand that, but you're a grown woman.'

That was just it, she was. And no matter how much she understood Zelena, Regina also knew that her older sister had to accept that sooner or later.

'Exactly. I can't keep living at my sister's place forever like some refugee. I have to start living my own life again. Both for my own sake, but also for Henry's. He needs to see that his mother can manage things on her own.'

Henry too had seen her in a state Regina wished he never had seen her in. He really did need to see her function on her own. Do all the things normal mothers did without needing help. He needed to see her up and about. Not going to bed with a headache or a sore throat all the time.

'Have you talked to Zelena about that?'

Oh boy, had she ever. She had brushed the subject last night, and Zelena had immediately tensed up and given half answers until tears had glistened in her eyes as she confessed how scared she was of seeing Regina and Henry go. "I know I'm being ridiculous," she had said. "But I can't help but feel like I'm going to lose you. I know that's not the case, but I just…. Please don't leave, sis. Not yet. Please."

Regina stopped dwelling on the memories and texted Emma back. 'I have, yes. And while she understand where I'm coming from, she's also terrified. She was on the verge of tears the last time I mentioned it, and I don't want to upset her, so I'm laying low about talking about it for now.' If there was something she did not want to witness, it was her sister crying. She couldn't bear that.

'I can understand why you'd want to lay low, but suppose you mentioned it now and then? Do you think that could help her get used to it?'

Regina pursed her lips. She supposed that could work. But still, she wouldn't be bringing up the subject again anytime soon. And it was time to change the subject. This was not a whine session in Doctor Kristine's office. They were talking about Emma's new place.

'I don't know. That's what I'm hoping, but after the last time, I'm feeling quite hesitant to mention it again. But enough about that. We were talking about your new home. Tell me more about it.'

This time Emma obliged, and the smile returned to Regina's lips as she read Emma's enthusiastic words about the new place. She was obviously very happy, and Regina willingly shared that happiness with her.

'That sounds really amazing. How soon will you be able to move in then?'

'If I'm lucky, by the end of this month! I literally cannot wait to move in. I can't wait to have my own kitchen to cook in. Or, attempting to cook. I'm considering taking a cooking class sometimes. Just to get the chance to learn things from scratch.'

Oh. If it was cooking-lessons Emma was looking for, she had come to the right place. 'I happen to be quite good at cooking. Is there a dish in particular you'd like to learn how to make?' of course she had to offer. Henry wasn't particularly interested in learning how to cook, and Regina supposed that she had been yearning to pass her father's skills onto someone else. He had been a wonderful chef. Regina had so many memories of helping out her father in the kitchen. The smell of spice had filled the room and had made her stomach growl in anticipation. It had been wonderful.

'Well... I once had this kickass Enchiladas at a restaurant, and I've tried to make it many times since, but I haven't been able to succeed.'

Enchiladas. Regina definitely had experience in making that. In fact she was rather good at it. It would be no problem to teach Emma how to make that. 'I know how to make Enchiladas. I could teach you if you'd like?'

'Oh my god, that would be awesome :) you like cooking, don't you?'

Very much so. And she especially enjoying cooking peacefully. It was no longer a race to make the meal perfect. It was just her, quietly cooking whilst listening to the radio. But unfortunately, the meals she cooked for her darling son wasn't very… variated.

'Yes, I do. But unfortunately, Henry has very singular taste. Macaroni and cheese. Burgers. Hot dogs. French fries. Fried chicken. Lasagna. He's a very picky eater, so there isn't room for a lot of variations. Or spice for that matter.' Absolutely no spice. And after being off the liquid diet, she had craved nothing but spicy food. Anything that could make her tastebuds jump.

'Yes, I do. But unfortunately, Henry has very singular taste. Macaroni and cheese. Burgers. Hot dogs. French fries. Fried chicken. Lasagna. He's a very picky eater, so there isn't room for a lot of variations. Or spice for that matter.'

'And you like spicy food?'

'Well, yes, but generally, I wouldn't mind making different meals once in a while.'

'What's your favorite dish to make?'

Regina didn't even need time to consider that.

'I think that has to be Mofongo.'

'Mofongo? I must admit that I've never heard about that before.'

'I didn't expect you to. It's a Puerto Rican dish. My father was from Puerto Rico.'

'Ohhh! I'll google that right now ;)'

The place or the dish? Regina rumbled quietly to herself. The dish. Definitely the dish. She waited perhaps twenty seconds, and then….

'That looks really good!'

That was quick. 'It does, doesn't it? Perhaps I could make it for you sometimes? If you'd like?' Regina had a strong feeling that Emma never had been allowed to eat what she wanted to. It was time to change that.

'I'd like that very much. But first I'll invite you over for tacos. Like I promised.'

That brought on another smile. Those tacos again. Regina liked tacos. 'That sounds wonderful, but Henry would never forgive me if I went and had tacos on my own.'

'Then bring him. I always make enough tacos for three people :)'

Well, problem solved, then. Regina brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. 'He'd absolutely love that.'

'I'm happy to hear that. So, what are you doing right now?'

Regina had no idea what brought out the sass, but she ended up writing: 'Texting you.'

'Oh, very funny! I meant apart from that.'

Regina stared at her open laptop, and she could have sworn that the damn thing was looking back at her. 'I am currently planning an online class in literature, and no, you're not bothering me. I was about to take a break anyway.' Not true, but the planning wasn't going anywhere. And texting Emma was important.

'I'm glad to hear that. Are you happy about your new job?'

She was. And grateful for the opportunity to work in the field she had studied. But nevertheless… 'Well, yes, I mean it's certainly very different from my old job, but I actually quite like it. It gives me the opportunity to do something similar to what I used to do, but I'd lie if I said that I don't miss teaching.' And missed using her voice in general. But realizing that she could no longer work at the university as a professor had been a huge blow. She had loved teaching. And she had been damn good at it too.

'Of course you do!'

'But I am definitely grateful for this opportunity. I'm grateful that I can still be a teacher of sorts, even without the ability to speak.' She had to remember to be grateful for what she had and could. At all times. Grateful for being alive and functioning like she was supposed to function.

Once again, Regina remembered that this was not a pity-party. Time to change the subject. Again. She sent off another text. 'How is the editing going so far?'

'It's going pretty well. I've finally started to actually cut things from the manuscript instead of just adding things. I think that's a pretty good thing. And I had to re-write a whole scene last night. It took a while, but it works really well. Better than before. And way darker.'

Rewriting a whole scene? That was impressive. And a darker scene too? Regina smirked. 'Malena is just going to love that.' It was funny, really. As sensitive to 'real life things' as Malena could be, she was a huge lover of gory books. The gorier, the better, as she once happily had told Regina while dumping a new book in her lap and ordering her to read it. Which Regina had. Every single time. And then she had pretended to like them for Malena's sake. A few times. Most of the books had been fine.

'Yeah, that's what I'm counting on ;)'

Regina shook her head and smiled. 'You and your smileys.'

'What's wrong with smileys?'

'Nothing. It just reminds me of when I'm texting my son.' Regina couldn't help but tease a little.

':):):)'

That answer had Regina rumbling so much, her throat started aching, but she refused to be bothered by it as she texted back: 'Very mature, miss Swan.'

'I like that.'

What? Regina frowned. 'Like what?'

'When you call me miss Swan.'

Oh! They were flirting again. Interesting. Flirting was a rather new thing in Regin's life, but she quite enjoyed it. Flirting with Emma was always so very pleasant. She was comfortable with flirting. 'Oh, I see. I'll remember that.' Flirting received and understood.

'I can't wait to see you this week!'

That feeling was completely mutual. 'I can't wait to see you either. I've been thinking a lot about you.'

'You have?'

Two question marks. Regina frowned. Did Emma not believe her when she said that she had been thinking a lot about her? It was time to change that too.

'Yes, indeed. That shouldn't be so hard to believe.'

'And can I ask what you've been thinking about?'

Oh. That. Regina squirmed a little now. But of course she was going to give Emma an honest answer.

'I feel a bit embarrassed now, but I've been thinking about kissing you. How nice it was.' She already wished that she had not sent the message. It made her look like a dumb teenager texting her first crush.

But as always, Emma was lovely and understanding. 'That's nothing to be embarrassed about, Regina.'

'Maybe not to you, but I feel as though I'm in the process of "learning" things all over again. Learning how to date, etc. You understand what I mean?' literally, though. It felt like she was in the middle of a great, big learning process in which she took baby steps. Gently approaching all the things she once had done with ease.

'Yeah, I sure do.'

Regina found herself to be growing quite flustered, and right now she wasn't completely sure of the reason she was flustered, so she figured it would be better to wrap up this conversation. She did have an online class to prepare, after all. And Emma had things to do too.

'Anyway, shouldn't you be in the middle of editing?'

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, I should. But texting you is so much more interesting.'

Indeed, but nonetheless….

'But it won't make you finish your book any sooner, will it?'

'Touché. I'll get back to work.'

That sounded like a good decision to make. 'Good ;)' she simply couldn't help herself and had to tease the lovely Emma a little bit.

Regina put the phone away and turned her attention back to the laptop screen. Her intention was to plan that online lesson, but she wasn't very focused. It was easy to get distracted when being logged into Facebook in the background. It did not take long before someone messaged her. For a moment, Regina thought that it was Emma sending her a whole block of emojis, but it was not. It was Malena 'checking in' and asking how she was doing. Regina messaged back and told her old friend that she was doing good. Very good, in fact. She briefly mentioned that Emma was coming for dinner, and Malena expressed her delight at that. 'My employee is still grinning from ear to ear. Thank you for that, dear. I prefer my employees happy.'

Regina smiled. She too preferred Emma happy. All the time. The thought of Emma walking around smiling while at work had her heart thudding steadily in her chest. She liked that mental image. She liked it a lot.

'I will do my best to ensure it stays that way.'

'And you always succeed.'

'Why thank you. Now, are you ever going to tell me about your mystery woman?'

'Not yet.'

Regina grinded her teeth. Damnit. She had really hoped Malena would give in this time…

The rest of the week went by quite quickly, really. Snow fell, and Henry challenged his aunt and his mother for a snowball fight. Neither the mother or the aunt saw reason to say no, so off they went and fought an epic battle until Zelena dramatically collapsed and declared that she had been defeated. Soon after, Regina followed her example and even held up a fistful of snow that should make it out for a white flag.

But tonight was not for snowball fights. Tonight was the night of her date. Tonight Emma was coming over for dinner. Finally. Regina had been both excited and nervous all night.

The lasagna was cooking merrily in the oven. There was nothing more she could do for it. The only thing she needed to do was to get dressed for the dinner.

Regina went upstairs and into her room where she opened her closet and peeked inside. What did she want to wear tonight? A dress, of course. But which one? That was the million dollar question. She roamed around between the hangers. Considered. Her midnight blue one with the zipper-slit up the side of one leg was very nice, but perhaps a tad too much seeing that this was just a dinner at her sister's place. Perhaps she could wear the dress for the date at Emma's place instead. Yes, that was an idea. Then there was her red dress. But again, a bit too much. And maybe too cold. It was sleeveless, and it was pretty chilly tonight. Her white dress was a worthy contestant, but she wasn't really in the mood to wear white. Not tonight. What then?

Regina pushed a few hangers aside and suddenly found exactly what she was looking for. Her houndstooth knee length, olive green and black wool dress. Perfect for the weather, and she always liked the pattern too. The dress was kind of checkered, but still not quite. And it gave the illusion that she was wearing a bolero, but she was not. The bolero was all a part of the dress. If she wore a black belt and the darker pink lipstick she owned, she would look very nice.

With the decision made, Regina swiftly discarded of her scarf, unbuttoned her slacks and wiggled out of her white button up. When she was standing in her underwear, she carefully turned her back on the full-figure mirror as she discarded her worn clothes on the bed. There was still certain things she could not do. Looking too long at her half-naked body in the mirror was one of them. First, she slipped on the thin stockings. Then the dress. The material easily glided over her head and once she had smoothened the material over her hips, she turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. Well. She couldn't help but smile as she zipped the side-zipper. That did not look too bad. Actually, it looked really nice. This was another dress she hadn't worn in a long, long time. Which was a shame. She had almost forgotten how much she liked it. How nice it looked on her.

She sat down in front of her vanity and did her makeup. Dark pink lipstick and discreet eye makeup. A little bit of eyebrow shaping and then she was done and examined her face in the mirror. Yes. She looked nice. Very appropriate for a date with her…...

Regina frowned. With her what, exactly? Did they have a label? Should they have a label?

With Emma. Her date with Emma. That had to suffice for now.

Regina gave her hair a quick brushing. The faint sunlight reflected in the handle of the brush and was cast back on something that glowed silvery. Her childhood jewelry box. She still kept her jewelry in the old box. It was one her dear father had bought for her, so she saw no reason to get rid of the childhood trinket.

Now she sat the hairbrush down and reached for the jewelry box. Opened it and looked at all the jewels inside. She had quite a lot. Had always liked wearing jewelry. She used to have even more, but all the jewelry she had gotten from Killian over the past two years they were together, she had sold to different stores. The money she had gotten from the sales, she had donated to different charities. No way she would be keeping his money. She didn't need them. She didn't need anything of his.

Regina roamed through the jewelry box, but she didn't find it this time either. Her mother's engagement ring with the big purple gemstone remained missing. She supposed it was lost when her things were moved from Montreal to Vancouver. She mourned the loss and often considered writing to the new owners of the house in Montreal and ask them if they happened to have stumbled upon the ring somewhere. But deep down she didn't think so. If that was the case, they would have reached out to her. They were good and honest people.

She stopped searching for something she already knew wasn't there and lifted a pearl necklace up from the box. She had always loved this necklace. It had been given to her from her mother on her eighteenth birthday. The last birthday Cora was there for. She was killed in a car crash two months after Regina had turned eighteen. That was why she cherished this necklace so much. It had belonged to her mother. Cora had even worn it when she married Regina's father. Regina had seen the pictures a million times. One of the very few pictures where Cora actually smiled. Many things could be said about her, but Regina had never doubted that her mother had loved her husband dearly.

She gently let the pearl necklace slip through her fingers. It had been so long since she last worn it. There was a part of her that just wanted to….

Regina threw all caution overboard and put the necklace around her neck. Clasped it in the back and looked at herself in the mirror.

There was her throat. Bared. Uncovered.

It looked….

Regina swallowed something.

It looked awful.

Plain awful.

The red lines seemed almost aggressively pink against the white pearls. The imprint from the buckle so very visible.

She couldn't do this.

Not yet.

It was too soon.

She did want Emma to see her throat at some point.

But not tonight.

It was not the same as being dishonest.

Not when she was planning on revealing the truth.

Soon.

But not now.

The thought of greeting Emma without her scarf was nausea inducing.

Regina carefully unclasped the pearl necklace and put it back in the jewelry box. Not tonight. Someday, but not tonight. She winced. God, her throat was itching so badly! She opened a drawer in her vanity and found the cream she always used to soothe the itching sensation. She popped the lid open and was just about to start spreading the ointment on her skin when there was a gentle knock on her door. Then the doorknob was pressed down.

Regina's hand immediately flew to her throat with her fingers spread wide to hide the marks on her neck, but it was not Henry coming into her room. It was Zelena.

"It's just me," her older sister said. "Sorry. I should have announced myself."

Regina shrugged lightly and motioned with her free hand that Zelena should close the door.

Zelena did so, and Regina lowered her hand again. Tried to maintain a neutral facial expression as she began rubbing the ointment into her skin. It didn't matter how much she moisturized that area; the skin was still dry. Especially where the mark from the belt buckle was.

Zelena gently touched her shoulder, and Regina thought to herself that she wasn't doing a very good job at maintaining a neutral expression. She reached back with her free hand and gave Zelena's hand a light pat.

"It smells really nice in the kitchen," her older sister said.

Well, that was good. Regina would have been worried if it didn't. She gave a quick smile.

"Are you excited about having Emma over?"

An eager nod. Of course she was excited. Very excited.

"I think she and Henry will get along wonderfully," Zelena predicted with a chuckle.

Regina wholeheartedly agreed with that prediction. She smiled again. Sat the bottle of cream down. Looked at her neck in the mirror. Reached up to lightly trace one of the red lines with her finger. Now the smile was gone.

"Does it hurt?" Zelena asked quietly.

Regina shook her head. No, it did not hurt. It was just… there. Very much there. She should probably be used to seeing it by now, but she still wasn't quite there, so to speak.

Oh well. Now was not the time to look at the markings on her neck. She had other things to do.

She parted ways with Zelena in the hallway. Her older sister had her own plans tonight. Plans that involved Chad and a movie. As curious as she was, she had kindly made herself scarce tonight. This particular family dinner was one she wasn't invited to. And she was fine with that.

'But later', she had mock-threatened. 'Later I want to be a part of the family dinners.'

Regina had rumbled in laughter and then rolled her eyes.

Now she was puttering around in the kitchen, really just biding her time until Emma arrived. It wouldn't be long. Henry was 'parked' in the living room with a book, so Regina had not yet put on her scarf. It was laying on the counter, ready and close by. She knew that she couldn't go on like this and that she at some point had to let Henry see her neck, but not right now. She didn't want to scare him.

She peeked inside the oven. The lasagna was thriving. Good.

"Smells good, mom!" Henry called from the kitchen.

Regina knew for a fact that he had his cellphone in there with him, so she grabbed her own phone and sent him a quick 'thank you, sweetheart'. A strange version of 'yelling back', but a version she had gotten used to over time.

"What time is Emma coming?" he called through the glass door.

Regina texted the answer. 'She should be here in about twenty minutes. Are you hungry?' she heard her son's cellphone vibrate against the table in the living room.

"A little bit," Henry replied.

'There is carrot sticks in the fridge if you need a snack.'

"No thanks!"

Of course not. Regina shook her head. She was sure her sweet son was rolling his eyes in the other room. She spun around on her heels and opened the fridge. Grabbed one of the neatly cut carrot sticks and took a large bite followed by demonstrative and obnoxiously loud crunching. These were perfectly good carrot sticks and she refused to see them go to waste.

In the living room, Henry was snickering. That little rascal. "Nice try, mom!"

Regina shrugged innocently even though her son couldn't see it. She was definitely not trying anything. She was merely treating herself to a snack. Nothing more than that. She had absolutely no idea what Henry was implying. She crouched down and peered into the oven again. She had to admit that it looked really, really good. Perhaps even better than the last time. She hoped that she hadn't added too many red pepper flakes. She didn't want Emma to spend the evening coughing and drinking water while her eyes watered. That would be unfortunate.

Regina switched the radio in the kitchen on and gentle piano music immediately floated into the kitchen through the speakers. She found herself swaying lightly back and forward to the music in her high heels. It had been a long time since she last did that….

She was highly engaged with listening to the music and keeping an eye on the lasagna, so she did not hear Henry leap from his chair all the sudden. In fact she didn't hear anything before picking up on Henry dashing up the stairs.

Then someone cleared their throat behind her. Said: "hi. The kid made it to the door before you did."

Emma. Oh. Regina swiftly reached out and grabbed her scarf and tied it around her neck. Quickly glanced to make sure the marks on her neck were covered. They were. Now she was ready to greet Emma and turned around.

Emma looked as radiant as the last time. Tonight she was wearing a sleeveless black leather mini dress and black leggings. That dress suited her really well. Her honey blonde locks had been pulled into a ponytail. It looked good. Very casual. That pleased Regina. She didn't want Emma to think that tonight was this huge formal, stiff thing that required intricate hairdo's and such. It was just a quiet dinner. Nothing more. She was not wearing her glasses tonight, but she looked equally as lovely without them.

She realized that Emma was staring at her. A lot. Like she was trying to burn a hole in her dress or something. Regina felt anxious for a split second. Did she have something on her dress? Was there a stain she had not noticed? She wasn't cliché enough to glanced down at her dress. Instead she raised an eyebrow at Emma. If she really did have a stain on her dress, she would like Emma to tell her.

Her raised eyebrow seemed to wake Emma from whatever trance she had been in, though. "Hi," she repeated. Then: "you look beautiful."

Oh. Ohhhh! Regina's shoulders immediately relaxed, and she flashed Emma a smile. Then signed 'beautiful' like she had done the last time.

"I've, uh... I've got something for you," Emma said and stretched a square box out towards Regina.

A gift? For her? Oh no, that certainly wasn't necessary. Not at all.

But Regina wouldn't dream of rejecting something Emma had given her, so rather than protesting she came closer, raising an eyebrow in what she hoped was a 'for me?'-manner.

Emma smiled in confirmation as she once again waved the box slightly.

Thoroughly intrigued, Regina gently took the box from Emma and removed the lid.

Nestled in the velvety inside of the box was a rose. A single red rose. Regina lifted it out of the box and looked surprised at Emma. This was quite possibly the single most romantic gift anyone ever had given her. The exact one hundred and eighty degrees opposite of the lavish, over the top bouquet of roses Killian had given her every time he apologized for beating her. The house had been full of roses by the end of the relationship. Regina hadn't been able to stand the smell of roses for a long, long time. But this… this was different. This was so very Emma.

"Yeah, err, Moe was all out of roses. Except for that one," Emma said somewhat awkwardly and licked her lips nervously. Fidgeted with her hands. "That was the last one he had," she hastily continued. I suppose that makes it pretty special. I guess. I mean, I wish he'd had bouquet of roses obviously, but-"

No. No, no, no, no. Regina put her free hand over Emma's to stop her babbling. Then she leaned in and pecked Emma on the cheek to make her feelings about the rose crystal clear. She brought said rose up to her nose and inhaled slightly. The scent was not laced with insincere apologies and vague threats about what would happen if she did not accept the roses with a smile. No, this rose smelled of hope and new beginnings.

She did not need a lavish bouquet from Emma.

She just needed this.

One rose.

And someone who understood the value of a single perfect rose.

Killian never would have.

But Emma did.

Of course she did.

Regina lifted her head and smiled at Emma once more.

"The lasagna smells really good," Emma said appreciatingly.

Regina glanced around but didn't locate her stack of post-its. Instead she found her phone and typed in an answer: 'I hope you're hungry', and turned the screen towards Emma.

"I am," Emma confirmed with a grin. "I'm always hungry."

Excellent. Regina smiled. Put the phone down and switched off the piano music. Then put her hand on Emma's arm. She looked so lovely tonight.

"I've missed you," Emma said softly.

I've missed you too. Regina could not say the words. She had to settle for smiling in a way she hoped would give away how she felt.

Emma put her hand over Regina's, and Regina released the rose and let it fall down on the countertop so she could use her hand to cup Emma's cheek. She simply had to. Emma leaned into the touch and made it impossible for Regina to focus on anything. The urge was back. The intense, all-consuming urge to kiss Emma Swan. She'd had that urge many, many times during the past week. Sometimes it had been difficult to think of anything else.

"As much as you want," Emma said. Her voice was low now. Soft. She had used that tone the last time too.

Regina slowly leaned forward. Didn't want to rush this. Took her time to look into Emma's magnificent green eyes for a moment. Then her lips was nearing Emma's. She was anticipating the kiss. Could almost feel Emma's lips against her own already, and-

"Regina, have you seen- oh. Oops. Sorry about that."

Zelena's voice could cut through steel, and Regina had never been more annoyed at her sister than in this very moment. Annoyed and slightly embarrassed. Because Zelena wasn't the only one who had come into the kitchen. So had Henry. Oh dear. She moved her hands away from Emma's and turned around to check on the lasagna in the oven.

"Eww," Henry said simply.

Regina was on the verge of turning around and scolding him, but Zelena beat her to it. "Now, now. Be nice."

Good. She was aware enough to give Henry a decent answer to his cheek.

"But kissing's gross," Henry argued with all the sensibility and wisdom only a ten year old could possess.

"It's actually not, you know," Zelena teased.

"Aunt Z!" Henry protested and Regina was sure he was pulling a face. He often did when using that tone.

Zelena laughed. Then: "oh, there's my phone. Perfect!"

Regina bit the inside of her cheek and counted to ten. There was no way Zelena just had come here to find her phone. She had also come to get a glimpse of Emma.

Well. It was time for Zelena to leave. Regina turned around and scowled at her sister. Raised her hands. Signed. 'Didn't you have somewhere to be?'

The message went through loud and clear. "Yes, yes, I'm leaving now," Zelena replied. "Calm down, sis. I have no intention of ruining your date."

'Get out of here,' Regina signed. She was done being polite.

"Rude," Zelena huffed.

Emma chuckled.

Regina turned to her son. Signed again. 'Have you washed your hands?'

"Yes, mom, I have washed my hands before dinner," Henry proclaimed innocently. Too innocently.

Lies. All lies. Regina raised an eyebrow, shook her head and pointed towards the stairs.

"But moooom," Henry said dramatically.

Nice try. Regina shook her head again. Her finger remained pointing up the stairs.

"Fine," Henry grumbled. "I'll go upstairs and wash my hands. But I already DID wash them once!"

He stomped off, and Regina rumbled in silent laughter. Cute. Real cute. And also very, very untrue.

"He's a little trickster," Zelena said as she slid her phone into the pocket of her green, furry coat. "Anyway, I'll be taking of now. Have a nice date." She grinned, and Regina immediately rewarded her with an eyeroll.

She was not amused.

"I hope you'll leave me a piece of lasagna," Zelena said, unfazed by Regina's eyeroll. "Oh, and Regina, your post-its is in the living room."

Oh, so that was where they had gone. Good to know. Regina rewarded her sister with a smile this time and signed: 'give my best to Chad.'

"Yes, I'll tell Chad you said hi," Zelena said and zipped her coat. "Might be home late, so if you hear the door rattle after 1 o'clock, it's only me, alright?"

Regina nodded. She appreciated that heads-up. She really hated when she heard the door rattle.

Zelena smiled at Emma. "See you later. Enjoy my sister's lasagna. It's a real treat."

With that she went out in the hallway, yelled goodbye to Henry, and then the front door opened and closed as she left.

Oh, great. Perhaps they could actually finish what they had started, Regina thought to herself.

But the thought had barely left her mind before Henry came back into the kitchen. "All clean!" he sullenly proclaimed.

This time, Regina did believe him. She could smell the soap from where she was standing. She smiled at her son and signed: 'can you bring Emma into the living room and talk to her while I prepare the dinner?'

Henry nodded. Turned to Emma. "Mom says I'm supposed to take you inside the living room and entertain you while she prepares the food."

"You don't want any help?" Emma asked and looked at Regina.

Absolutely not. Regina shook her head as firmly as she could.

"She doesn't," Henry said cleverly. "She never wants help when she's cooking. She always thinks that everyone is standing in the way. Right, mom?"

Regina rolled her eyes and motioned with her hands, making a gesture that didn't need further translation. The gesture was: 'shoo!'

Henry chuckled as he looked at Emma again. "Come on."

"Right. Okay," Emma said as she followed him into the living room.

Now Regina was alone in the kitchen. That suited her fine. She had always been better at preparing the dinner on her own. Plus, now she got to shamelessly eavesdrop on Emma and Henry's conversation through the open glass door. How very lucky. Lurking Mom Mode activated.

"Sit down and pretend you're home," she heard Henry say and had to suffocate her amusement.

"That's what mom always says," Henry continued, almost proudly.

Regina was proud too. That was indeed what she always said. She had raised that boy well.

"I bet it is," Emma chuckled. There was a soft creak, revealing that she had just sat down on the leather couch.

Silence.

It was really hard for Regina not to sneak a peek inside the living room no matter how hard she concentrated on taking the lasagna out of the oven.

"Are you in love with my mom?"

Regina nearly dropped the lasagna on the floor. My god, Henry!

"Yeah. I am," came Emma's calm response, and Regina was slightly awestruck. Just like that. No attempts at downplaying her feelings. Just open honesty. It was absolutely refreshing.

"Have you kissed her?" the question was asked with so much authority, Regina couldn't blame Emma for spluttering. If she had been able to, she would have done the same. No doubt about that.

"Uhh... Yeah, I have," Emma confirmed and now she sounded a bit awkward. Regina couldn't blame her.

"That's gross."

Regina did nothing to suffocate the smile coming through. Oh Henry, Henry, Henry. Emma sniggered. "Yeah, I thought so too when I was ten."

Good answer.

"How many times have you kissed her?" Henry asked. Still with that hilarious authority in his voice.

Emma spluttered a second time. "You are pretty nosy, did you know that?"

Even better answer. Regina didn't mind it at all. Emma was more than allowed to comment on her son's curiosity.

"Yup. Now tell me how many times you've kissed my mom."

Regina gnashed her teeth. Huh. Apparently, she was raising a little rascal. Right then.

"Three times," Emma half-laughed. "I've kissed her three times, alright?"

"'Kay," Henry said. "I think kissing's gross, but I guess mom doesn't. Is that why she's smiling? Because you're kissing her?"

Well. Things were slightly more complicated than that, but essentially…. Yes. That was the reason why she was smiling.

"I think so," Emma confirmed.

"Then it's a good thing," Henry said firmly. "Even though I think it's gross."

Emma laughed. "I'm glad you think it's a good thing."

"I like when mom's happy," Henry said plainly.

"Yeah. So do I," Emma said sincerely.

Oh, bless them. It felt like Regina's heart had just grown four sizes.

"She used to look sad a lot, but now she doesn't anymore," Henry sounded thoughtful. "It's because of you. At least that's what aunty Zelena say."

'Aunty Zelena' had an abnormally big mouth, and she needed to learn to keep it shut when Henry was close by. Period.

"Well, I'm glad I can make your mom smile," Emma said softly.

So was Regina. Very, very glad!

There was quiet for a moment, and Regina finally took the lasagna out of the oven. It was perfect. Thank god. She had psyched herself out, and had ended up being sure that the lasagna would be a complete failure. She was glad to see that the opposite was the case.

"Aunty Z loves to take pictures," Henry said suddenly and broke the silence. "Do you wanna see some?"

"Yeah. I'd love to."

What pictures? Regina had the strongest urge to go in there and intervene. If Henry showed Emma the pictures from her teenage years, they were going to have words later. She heard her son leap from the couch, most likely to grab one of the albums, and she wished that she could get the opportunity to see which album he had plucked out of the shelf. But unless she stood and stared openly, thereby revealing that she was eavesdropping, she didn't have the opportunity to see which album. Damnit.

Another creak revealed that Henry had just sat down in the couch again. Pages rustling. Regina almost held her breath.

"That's me," Henry proclaimed. "I was only three days old."

Oh. Regina relaxed again. Baby-pictures of Henry. That was something Emma was more than welcome to see. And the pregnancy pictures, too. Regina would never have anything against showing them to anyone. Carrying and giving birth to Henry was the greatest accomplishment of her life.

"Aww," Emma cooed. "You look so cute!"

Absolutely. No doubt about that. Now Regina had the strongest urge to flip through that particular album too. Looking at baby pictures of Henry was never a bad idea.

She heard more rustling. Flipping through the album. Then Henry's voice: "That's mom and aunty Mal at my christening," Henry said. "Mom says I kept screaming in the church."

Well, he did. Loudly and insistent.

Emma chuckled. "You know what? I think I did too when I was being christened."

Regina heard them chuckle together and smiled. They were getting along fantastically. That was wonderful.

"Do you wanna see something really funny?" Henry's voice was low and conspiratorially, and Regina immediately wondered what he was up to.

"Always!"

"Okay!"

Regina strained her ears. Could she hear Henry rifling through the album? Flipping several pages backwards? Forwards? What was he looking for?

"Look!" Henry exclaimed, giggling lowly. "Isn't that funny?"

Emma was not answering, and that quickly prompted him to ask the same question again.

"Yeah. Real funny."

Regina was puzzled. It didn't sound like Emma found it particularly funny. She sounded more like she was touched. God, what had Henry just shown her a picture of?! The suspicion was killing Regina.

"Some of the pictures are missing," Henry said. "I've asked aunty Z about it, but she can't find the pictures."

Regina's stomach churned. She knew exactly which pictures were missing and why.

"Well, it's lucky there's plenty of other pictures in the album then," Emma said softly.

Regina was puzzled again. It almost sounded like Emma knew which pictures were missing.

"Yeah. You've finished your fairytales?"

And there it was. The question Regina knew her son had been sitting on all day.

"I sure did," Emma half-chuckled.

"That's awesome! Can I read them? You said I could read them?"

"You can read them," Emma confirmed and chuckled.

"Awesome! My mom's girlfriend is a writer. That's so cool!"

Huh. Girlfriend. It would seem that Henry had no problem with labelling them. Regina fussed over the table one last time and then she left the kitchen to announce that dinner was ready. She could have done it several minutes ago, but she had been much too busy eavesdropping.

"Is dinner ready?" Henry asked as he spotted her stand in the doorway.

Regina nodded in confirmation. Dinner was indeed ready.

"Cool! I'm really hungry," he said excitedly.

Regina rolled her eyes. Obviously. Her son was always hungry.

Henry leapt from the couch and raced into the kitchen. After a moment, Emma rose from the couch as well. Armed with the post-its and pencil. She smiled as she came towards Regina and even more so when Regina spontaneously reached out and took her hand.

They settled down in the kitchen. Regina served the lasagna. Offered Emma wine, but Emma declined. She was driving home, after all. Regina could only condone that decision. Emma wanted water, so she chose water too. They could have wine some other time.

Henry hadn't lied about being hungry. He tried digging into his food before they had even toasted. Regina shot him a warning glance.

"Sorry, mom," he apologized and raised his glass like Emma and Regina had done. "To... To Emma's fairytales!"

"Woah, kid, I don't think we should be toasting to that," Emma said slightly befuddled.

But Regina found that it was an excellent idea. She nodded eagerly and toasted first with Henry and then with Emma. To her fairytales. Which would be a roaring success, Regina didn't doubt that for a moment.

Then they dug in. Regina couldn't help but watch Emma's reaction at the first bite, and it definitely did not disappoint. Her green eyes widened slightly, and after having swallowed the first bite she said: "okay, but this is like…. Really, really good!"

Regina modestly bowed her head in gratitude. The lasagna had turned out rather good.

"Seriously, this is the best I've ever tasted," Emma said firmly. "You are one hell of a cook!"

"Emma said a bad word," Henry cleverly pointed out and chuckled into his milk.

She sure did, didn't she? 'I'm sure she's sorry about that,' Regina signed across the table to her son.

Henry turned his head to look at Emma. "She says you're sorry about that. Are you?"

"Yup," quickly assured. "Really sorry."

"Good," Henry said plainly and then took a sip of his milk.

Regina rumbled in silent laughter. When (and not if!) Emma became a familiar guest in this house, Henry would start craving money to the swear jar. She was sure of that. A certain prickling sensation had her turning her head, and she discovered that Emma was looking at her.

Emma smiled. "The lasagna is really, really good."

Regina beamed and had to express herself in ways beyond smiling. Quickly, she scribbled on a note: 'I'm glad you like it', and pushed it towards Emma.

"You'll have to give me a lesson in cooking sometimes," Emma said warmly.

So she hadn't forgotten. Regina smiled and nodded.

"You should come again!" Henry squawked . "We could watch Marvel movies together!"

Emma smiled at him. "I'd really like that, Henry, and if your mom thinks I should come back, I will."

Regina immediately put her hand lightly over Emma's. Of course she wanted her to come back. More than anything.

There was another toast. This time to the snow outside. Henry chatted about Emma's fairytales. Emma was happily replying to everything he said, and Regina observed the two of them interacting. She loved seeing this. She loved seeing them together so naturally. She wouldn't have to worry about Henry 'accepting' Emma. He already had.

Emma turned her head and met her gaze. Smiled.

Regina willingly returned the smile.

"You're staring at mom again," Henry said simply. It was almost an accusation.

Emma's eyes swiftly darted back to him. "I-"

"You're being gross. But that's okay," Henry snickered.

Regina was amused too. Yes, it was okay. It was completely okay that Emma was looking at her. And it was okay that Henry thought it was gross too. She didn't mind. She liked when Emma looked at her. Especially with that look of wonder in her green eyes. She looked at her like…...

Like Regina somehow was the answer to all her prayers.

Nobody had ever looked at Regina like that before. Nor had she ever been this in love with anyone before. It was new. But somehow it felt as though she had been waiting for it. Waiting for Emma.

Once the lasagna was eaten and the kitchen had been cleaned, Henry went upstairs to tidy his room, something he had been putting off all week. But only after Emma had promised that she wouldn't leave before he was back downstairs.

Regina and Emma went inside the living room and settled down on the couch.

"Well, you've ruined lasagna for me," Emma half-chuckled as she leaned back slightly. "That was fucking-"

Regina raised an eyebrow in warning. It was amazing how much little ears sometimes could hear.

"Absolutely," Emma hastily corrected. "That was absolutely delicious."

Regina smirked. Couldn't help it. She was pleased with herself. Pleased with how the dinner had turned out.

"I'm really glad you invited me," Emma continued, and now her voice was softer.

Regina reached out and gave her hand a little squeeze. Then pushed a lock of dark hair behind her ear. She was glad too. Very glad. This was such a wonderful evening. Emma was a natural with Henry, Henry seemed to adore her already.

This night couldn't have gone better.

She returned the intense look Emma was giving her. Had a feeling she knew what was coming next.

"Can I kiss you?" Emma asked quietly.

And there it was. Regina nodded immediately, eagerly. The excitement made her tingle.

Emma leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft kiss, and Regina gently grasped her hand and brought it up to her cheek. A new touch. She felt comfortable with that. She felt Emma shift. Twist her upper body slightly so they were sitting more face to face on the couch and the angle became better.

The kiss was soft, very soft. Emma did nothing to change the rhythm. On purpose. Regina knew that. She was maintaining the same rhythm and pressure to keep her comfortable, and even if Regina had had a voice, she wouldn't be able to put into words how much that meant. That kissing like this was so fresh and new. That she wasn't used to kissing for the kiss' sake. In the dark world she had been in for the past two years, a kiss always had to lead to something else. That was the rule. And if you dared changing it, you were 'a fucking tease'.

It wasn't like that with Emma.

Emma did not push her into doing more.

Emma simply knew.

As though they had known each other for years and not months.

Regina pressed her lips just a little more firmly against Emma's. Kissed her with a smidge more intensity than before. She felt comfortable with that too. Kissing Emma like this was a good thing. More than a good thing. It was one of the best things Regina had experienced.

Kissing could actually be glorious.

Emma was the one who broke the kiss, but that was okay. Regina had started feeling a little out of breath anyway.

Actually, she was very out of breath.

She felt…...

Oh god!

She was currently feeling a whisper of the feelings that once had been connected to kissing. The faintest thrill of…. Excitement.

Regina felt heat rise in her cheeks and she hastily lifted her hands to cover them. God, this was embarrassing!

"Hey," Emma said gently and laughed a bit. "It's totally fine. You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about, Regina. This is... This is a good thing. A very good thing."

Well… Yes. Regina supposed that it was. Old feelings buried deep coming back and all that. But she was still acutely aware that her chest was rising and falling very, very quickly. It was a good thing that Emma was so gallant and wonderful about it.

She had forgotten that kissing could be like this.

This glorious.

This wonderful.

This…. Safe.

No more hard and insistent dry lips pressing against her own. No more silent demands about more in every single kiss. No hands wandering up or down or trying to get access to her body from various places.

Emma was not like that.

She was kissing Regina for the kiss' sake and absolutely no other reason.

And she was kissing her so soft and gently.

Nothing else could make Regina feel like this.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Regina moved her hands away from her face and looked at Emma. Well. Except perhaps for that. She was surprised, definitely. Grabbed a note and wrote down a question. 'I thought I already was?' then pushed it towards Emma. Was she really asking her? So formally? That was…. Well, something that Regina had not expected. So old-fashioned.

So positively charming.

"Yeah, well, I don't think I've ever actually asked you officially," Emma said and now she was the one who looked a bit embarrassed. "I mean, we don't have to put a label on what's going on between us, but-"

Regina interrupted her frantic babbling by pointing to the answer she had written under the question. A simple 'yes'. Of course.

"Yes?" Emma asked, just to make sure.

Regina smiled as she nodded in confirmation. Yes indeed.

Emma reached out and took Regina's hands between her own. "I promise to be the best girlfriend ever."

Regina's chest rumbled in laughter once more and then she leaned in and kissed Emma's cheek lightly. She did not doubt that for a moment. Emma was already so good to her. There was nothing Regina wanted more than being Emma Swan's girlfriend. She knew it was going to be wonderful.

To Be Continued…..