Oh, God. Why am I reacting like this? I feel like a kid around their crush. Why is she acting like this? Not that I don't enjoy it. This scarf smells like her perfume. I'm going to die. Is she trying to kill me? Say something! "We, we better go. See you soon." Turning quickly, I opened the door and sprinted across the porch and to the bug.

I didn't realize what I had done until I saw Henry walking towards me looking very confused. Do I dare look at Regina? Against my better judgement, I did. Meeting her gaze, she waved before walking back inside.

"What was that about?" Henry studied me as I drove into town.

"Nothing." Focus on the road. Ugh! All I want to do is snuggle into this scarf. It's so soft! Glancing at the red string, I wondered if these new feelings had something to do with the legend.

"I don't believe you." Looking out the window, he continued. "You being here is a good thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Mom's never been this open to new things before. Ms. Blanchard has asked Mom to bake for fundraisers and she's refused. Said she was too busy. Now, you asked her to bake a few pies on short notice and she agreed."

That makes me feel special. "I wonder what gave her a change of heart."

"I'm not sure. She's changed since you decided to stay. It's nice."

It took us nearly an hour to get everything on Regina's list. I didn't realize there were so many different types of sugar. Henry laughed when I was clueless about some of the items. After we loaded the bags into the car, I let Henry get in while it warmed up. "Hey, I'll be right back."

"Okay. I'll let Mom know we're heading her way soon."

Running back into the store, I purchased a bottled Frappuccino. While I waited in line, I heard a familiar nickname come from behind me. "LG, how dare you get coffee anywhere besides Granny's!"

Turning, I laughed at the overdramatic redhead. "I'm making a grocery run and saw them on the shelf."

"No worries." Shifting forward we both waited our turn. "The Thanksgiving idea is awesome by the way. We're all pretty excited. Mary Margaret insisted she decorate the diner and I've recruited a few people to help cook and serve the food."

"That's fantastic. Thanks for your help. I'll stick around afterwards and help clean up."

"Nice. Are you going to invite you know who?" Ruby wiggled her eyebrows.

"While she is baking pies, I'm sure she has plans with Henry. That's why I'm here. I did a grocery run so Regina could have what she needed to bake."

"I still can't believe she agreed to bake pies. I also can't believe this whole thing was her idea."

"It was." Turning my attention to the clerk, I smiled. "Hey, how are you doing?"

"Good. Will this be it?"

"Yup." Sliding my card, I waited to sign.

"There you go. Oh, I saw the flyer for the Thanksgiving dinner at Granny's. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Happy Thanksgiving."

"You too, Deputy."

"See you, Ruby." Grabbing my bag, I waved.

"Later, LG."

Opening the car door, I gave Henry the bag. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I told Mom we were heading her way. She unlocked the door so we can bring groceries in."

"Cool." Pulling out of the parking lot, I was thankful we got out when we did. Holidays are crazy even in small towns. There's three parking spots left.

"What did you go back in for?" Henry inspected the bag. "An iced coffee?"

"For your mom. She's doing so much on such short notice, I wanted to do something nice."

The boy studied me for a moment. "That was nice of you." There was something in his tone but I couldn't place it.

It didn't take long to bring the groceries inside and unload them on the counter. "Henry, you can play your game or watch TV while Emma and I work." Regina started organizing the groceries into piles of shelf sustainable and perishable items.

"Okay." Henry made his way to the living room after grabbing a soda.

"Coaster!" Regina called.

"I will!" He called back.

"Henry loves his video games." I chuckled. "Can I help?"

"Yes, start putting the cold groceries in the fridge. Most should fit on the top shelf. While you were gone, I cleared out space for some of the pies once I'm done making them."

"Will do." Sliding out of the coat, gloves, and scarf, I placed them on the back of a dining table chair.

"What's this?"

Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled. "Oh, something I picked up for you."

Regina studied the bottle for a moment. "Thank you." Twisting the cap, she took a long sip. "Did you not get one for you?"

"No. I didn't think to get one for myself. I wanted to do something nice for you."

Dark eyes lingered as I finished putting the groceries in the fridge. "It's appreciated."

"You're welcome." Closing the fridge, my eyes fell on the red string. Should I bring it up? I don't know of a better time you could bring something like this up. I followed it to the ground, across the floor, and up to its other end. "Regina?"

Meeting my gaze, the businesswoman took the string between her fingers. "We'll talk about it after Thanksgiving."

My heart started to race. "S-so you can see it too?"

All she did was nod. Finishing the coffee, Regina rinsed the bottle and dropped it into a recycling bin in the pantry. "Like I said, we'll discuss it after Thanksgiving. I knew one of us would bring it up eventually. However, it's not a conversation we should have with little ears around."

"Understood."

Xxx

Over the next few days, I ran errands for Regina after I got off work while she baked. I had never been to the dry cleaners before and would remember to always check my tags to make sure I'd never have to go back. Since Regina was busy in the kitchen, I helped Henry with his homework at the dining room table. It was nice spending time with her and Henry in a relaxed environment. "It's nice having you here."

"Thanks, kiddo." I ruffled the boy's hair. "It's nice being here." It's like having a family. Sadness clenched my heart thinking this would end after tomorrow. My stomach lurched when my wrist started to tingle. Shit. Regina's humming paused for a moment then began again. I'm sure she felt her wrist tingle too. Double shit. I'm glad we're finally going to talk about it. I just hope it's a good conversation. She didn't seem too freaked out when I brought it up. I hope that wasn't just her Mayor Face.

"How's everything going in there?"

She knows I'm feeling something. I wonder if she knows what I'm feeling. "Good. I think we're almost done."

"Good. The last pie is in the oven." Walking into the dining room, Regina flipped a hand towel over her shoulder. "Since I've been baking and the oven is currently in use,why don't we order a pizza for dinner?"

"Sounds great to me!" Henry put away his English folder. "Extra cheese and pepperoni?"

"Of course." Regina's attention moved to me. "Garlic knots or cheese sticks?"

"Oh…uh…I'll never pass up garlic knots." Grabbing my wallet, I pulled out a few bills. "Let me pay half."

A soft smile graced the brunette's lips. "I've got it. You can pay next time. I don't have cash. Can you cover the tip?"

"Sure." Next time? Warmth filled my chest. Both of us glanced at the string connecting us.

Regina placed the order. Once it arrived, Henry chose a movie for us to watch. He sat on the couch between us as we ate. This is so nice. We fell into a routine. I'm sad it's probably going to end after tomorrow. I knew it was never going to be a long term thing but everything happened so easily.

"What's wrong?" Henry nudged me, gaining my attention.

"Huh," looking around, I could feel Regina's eyes on me too. "Oh. Nothing. Just got lost in thought, I guess."

"You missed the whole end of the movie, didn't you?" Henry pouted.

"I'm sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind. I promise, I'll watch the whole movie with you after the holidays." I paused. "As long as that's okay with your mom."

"That will be fine." Regina's attention moved to Henry. "Time for bed. Go brush your teeth and I'll be up shortly to tuck you in."

"Okay." Turning his attention to me, Henry yawned. "Night, Emma."

"Night, Henry." We watched as the young boy made his way up the stairs. "I'll clean up down here while you tuck him in."

"Thank you. Once I'm done, I'd like to talk with you." She paused at the bottom of the stairs. "Don't think about leaving beforehand." Smirking, Regina motioned towards the string. "I'll know if you do."

A nervous laugh bubbled up my throat as I watched the brunette ascend the stairs. Great. We're probably going to talk about why I'm acting weird. Am I starting to have feelings for her or am I lonely? The holiday season has always been hard for me but this feels different. Something has changed.

I was done cleaning and putting the leftovers away when Regina joined me. "I thought we could wait until after Thanksgiving to talk but it seems like we need to now. Would you like to talk here or in the den?"

"In the den would be nice."

Leading us into the small room, Regina took a seat in her chair while I sat on the couch. Leaning against the armrest, I pulled a pillow against my chest. "Emma, you can relax. I'm not angry or upset that we've been put in this situation."

"Y-you're not?" I questioned, releasing my grip on the pillow.

"I fought it at first. That's why I acted the way I did your first weeks here. The more I resisted, the more my stomach turned at the thought of you leaving."

"So, you feel it too?" Regina nodded. "That's a relief. I thought I was going crazy. Especially when I first saw the string." Should I tell her about the legend? I'm glad we're finally talking about this. "Do you know what it means?"

"It means that we're soulmates. Destiny or fate believes we're supposed to be together. That we complete each other and even the other out."

We. There it is. It's in the open now. I can't read her. She's clearly not mad about this but how can she be so accepting? "And you're okay with this?"

"I suppose. I'm not a fan of my relationship being picked for me, however, I dislike the idea of you leaving town more." Shifting in her seat, Regina let the information sink in before continuing. "How do you feel about all of this?"

"I…" How do I feel about this? "It's a lot to take in. I'm confused because, yeah, I've found women attractive before but I feel something different when I'm around you. When I thought about leaving, I felt terrible." Biting my lip, I fought the urge to hide behind the pillow. I hate being vulnerable. If I want this to work, I have to be. "It's so easy with you, here, and with Henry. I know the past few days have been because you're baking but, it's been so nice. I feel like we could almost be a family or something. Not right away but maybe sometime in the future."