I waited for Nash and his family at the diner. Hearing the bell ring, I looked up to see my old friend followed by his two kids. "Hey."

"Good to see you, Em." Nash gave me a quick side hug.

Glancing down at the girls, I smiled. "Hey, you two. Excited for New York?"

"Yes!" They spoke in unison, nearly bouncing off the floor.

"It's a great place. Grab a booth. Ruby will be right over."

"Let me finish this order and I'll be over." Ruby passed us with a few bags of to-go boxes.

Following them to a table, I stood as the girls slid into the booth. Nash took off his coat and joined. "Where's Alice?"

"She is finishing a work call in the car. She should be in soon. Can you have lunch with us?"

"Sadly, no. I have to get back to the station soon. I placed my order to-go."

"Well, we'll be in town until Sunday morning. When do you get off work?"

"After paperwork, I'll be done by seven. Want to come for dinner? I already cleared it with my roommate."

"Sure. We need to go there anyway to unload your boxes."

Sounds good. Meet here at fifteen after and you can follow me. Did you find the inn okay?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Sorry to interrupt," Ruby began. "Here's your lunch, LG."

Taking the bag, I smirked. "How long are you going to call me that?"

"Probably forever." She grinned. Turning her attention to the table, she smiled. "What can I get started for you?"

"Of course." I grumbled. "See you guys later."

"See you soon." All three spoke in unison.

Alice closed the car door as I walked out. "Emma, it's been a long time."

"It has been. Nash will catch you up. I have to get back to work but I'll see you tonight. Jae and Elli have grown even in the past few months. It's crazy."

Alice chuckled. "They really have. See you later?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Have a good rest of your day."

"You too. Glad you made it here safe."

Entering the station, I heard a shuttering sound from the bathroom. My stomach dropped knowing exactly what that sound meant. Gross. Couldn't you have waited? Geez. Guess I won't be eating lunch. Taking a seat at my desk, I waited for my boss to exit. Why do we have to have one bathroom? I'll just go next door or pay the janitor an extra fifty bucks to scrub that place like it was an operating room. Thank goodness this wasn't my first impression of Graham. Clearing his throat, Graham opened the door. "At least you washed your hands."

"Emma! What, what are you doing here?" He stammered, face turning a deep red.

"I work here, remember? It's customary to be back from lunch on time for at least the first week of work."

"Uh, right." The mortified man glanced at the clock before taking a seat at his desk. "It is 1PM." Graham refused to look in my direction.

"Mmhmm." If he wasn't my boss, I'd make him so uncomfortable. But I can't lose this job. It pays well and is one root in town that proves I'm sticking around. "Look, I get it. It happens."

"Can we never talk about this again?"

"Nothing would make me happier."

The day was pretty uneventful. I was able to get all of the paperwork from the week done. Part of me was excited about having it finished because it was an excuse to see Regina when I hand delivered it to her office. I know the past few days have been a roller coaster of emotions but I'm still happy to see her whenever I can. Leaning back in my chair, I thought about the brunette. I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'll just see where it goes. I smirked at myself. That's going to drive me nuts.

"Any plans for this weekend?"

Being pulled from my thoughts, I glanced over to my boss. "Yeah, a buddy of mine and his family are passing through. He brought my stuff from Boston and is staying the weekend."

"That's nice of him." Leaning back, Graham stretched. "You can go ahead and leave, if you'd like. I'll clock you out so you'll still be paid for the full day."

I studied the sheriff carefully. "Wouldn't we both get in trouble for that?"

"No one has to know."

"Uh-huh." Who am I kidding? Of course I'm going to leave early. "Okay. I'll see you on Monday." Sliding into my coat, I gathered all the paperwork I finished. "I'm going by Town Hall, I can take your paperwork too."

"No, thanks. I'll take it."

"Okay. Have a good weekend." With a final nod, I was out the door.

As I waited for Regina to finish her phone call, I became gity. Why am I so excited? I'm dropping off paperwork. Looking down at the red string, I smiled. It probably has something to do with this. I snorted softly. She probably already knows I'm here because of this thing. Hearing the office become silent, I knocked.

"Come in, Miss. Swan."

Entering the office, I smiled at the businesswoman. "Evening, Madam Mayor."

"Evening, Miss. Swan." Looking away from her computer, dark eyes focused on me. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to drop off my paperwork." I motioned towards the stack of files in my arm. "Finished it early and wanted to deliver it before I started my weekend."

"With your friends from Boston?" She paused. "You can place them on the desk."

"Yeah." Putting the folders down, I took a seat. "How did you know they had arrived?"

"I know everything that goes on in this town."

"Of course you do." I grinned. "Did Henry wake up from the food coma this morning?"

Chucking softly, Regina leaned back in her chair. "Yes, thankfully. Since we stayed at the diner, we'll be eating leftovers for days."

"I bet he'll enjoy the turkey and cheese sandwiches though."

"For two, maybe three, lunches. Then I have to get creative."

"I bet. I normally eat turkey a few times a year. Always around Thanksgiving."

"Henry must get that from you. If you'd like some turkey for sandwiches, drop by and I'll give you some."

"Thanks, I will. It'll be tomorrow or Sunday though."

"Whenever is fine. How do you like being Deputy?"

Besides walking in on my boss today, great. "I like it. I've not had a nine to five type job in awhile. It's a nice change of pace."

"Good to hear. Are you spending the whole weekend with Nash and his family?"

"Not the whole weekend. They're coming over for dinner tonight and I'll be showing them around town tomorrow. Sunday they'll probably leave relatively early. Do you have any weekend plans?" It's nice chatting like this.

"Spend time with Henry. There's a new video game coming out tomorrow and he wants to get it with his allowance. I told him I could get one and he wouldn't have to wait in line but he insisted on it."

"Being in the crowd and seeing all the other fans is half the fun. It's like going to a ComicCon or a movie premiere. Is he cosplaying?"

"Is he what?" Regina blinked in confusion.

The confusion on her face is adorable. "Dressing up like a character. It's called Cosplay."

"No, I don't believe he is. I know he's wearing a shirt from the franchise though."

"That's cool. I had to track down a bounty at San Diego ComicCon once. He thought that since the tickets sold out so quickly, that I wouldn't be able to get in." I grinned triumphantly. "I knew a guy who owed me a favor. After the bounty was taken care of, I got to go back and enjoy the convention. I wasn't able to go to those kinds of things as a kid. If there's ever a convention or movie premiere Henry really wants to go to, I can take him if you can't."

Dark eyes studied me. "Are you offering as an adult chaperone or as an adult kid?" Regina smirked as I chuckled nervously.

"Uh…both?" I grinned.

Shaking her head, Regina smiled. "Sure. Only if you have the time off."

"Awesome."

"I told you I wouldn't cut you off from seeing or spending time with Henry. I meant it."

Sorrow churned my stomach remembering our previous conversation. "I know." Realizing the time, I got to my feet. "I have to meet Nash soon." Not exactly the truth but I needed to get my emotions in check before dinner. "I'll see you Sunday."

"See you then. Have a good time with your friends." Turning back to her work, Regina started skimming her computer screen.

"Thanks." Pausing at the door, I bit my lip. "Have a good weekend with Henry. Tell him I said hello." My chest clenched as I stood there. I want to say more but I can't.

"I will."

Pulling up to the diner, I turned off the bug and sat there staring at the steering wheel. I think I'm falling in love with her. I know she keeps trying to push me away but there's a reason for it. Maybe she's been hurt so badly she doesn't want to put herself in a position like that again. I wouldn't blame her if that was the case. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes to let my mind wander freely. Of all things, Henry's book came to mind. I almost forgot about that. Maybe she really did curse everyone here and that's why she's pushing me away. Our kiss would break the curse and everyone would try to kill her. I laughed. That's crazy. Anxiety and fear washed over me. If that was true, Regina ripped me from my parents. Could I love the person who did that? Who caused me to be in the system all of my life. Hearing a tap on my window, I looked over to see Ruby's worried face. Rolling down the window, I forced a smile. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing. Granny and I were getting worried. You've been sitting out here for half an hour and haven't come in." She paused, studying my face. "Are you okay? You look like you've got a lot on your mind."

"I'm good. I do have a few things on my mind but nothing I can't handle." Please don't push this.

Nodding, the young woman smiled. "If you need someone to talk to, I'll spring for the coffee and we can chat."

"Thanks, Ruby. I appreciate it." Seeing Nash's car pull in beside me, I stepped out of the bug. "Hey, guys."

Rolling down his window, Nash spoke. "Hey, Em. We'll follow you. No rush."

"I better get back inside. Talk to you later, LG."

I smirked as Ruby entered the diner. That nickname is going to follow me forever. "Let's go."

Arriving at the apartment, I pushed open the door. All of us were hit with the smell of a home-cooked meal. "It smells amazing! I told you I would help cook."

Flipping a towel over her shoulder, Mary Margaret smiled. "There really wasn't anything to help with. You getting the groceries helped more than anything." Her attention moved behind me. "You must be Alice, Nash, Jae, and Elli." Both girls clung to their parents. "I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies for dessert."

"Peanut butter," Jae spoke softly.

"Chocolate chip?" Elli finished.

Looking towards the other and back to the schoolteacher, they smiled. "Awesome!"

It took the girls a little while to warm up to Mary Margaret. Once the cookies came out after dinner, she was their favorite person. "How did you know we weren't allergic to peanuts?" Jae asked before she ate the last bite.

"Emma told me they were your favorite. Since I do have a child in my class who has a peanut allergy, I don't get to bake with it often."

"Emma said you teach fifth grade. How is that?" Alice sat beside her husband on the couch.

"It's lovely. Storybrooke is a small town so my class size isn't too big. I can give each student the attention they need and do fun educational activities outside of the classroom."

"That sounds nice."

"It really is." My phone buzzed with a message from Henry. I couldn't help but laugh at the selfie he sent. Mary Margaret's brow rose. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Henry just sent me a picture of the flour mishap that happened when he tried helping Regina."

The blood drained from the schoolteacher's face. "Oh, no…" she tried to stiffen a laugh but failed.

Hearing two yawns coming from the kitchen island, Nash chuckled. "I guess certain parties are tired."

"I guess so." Getting to my feet, I stretched. "I'll unload my boxes real quick so you can get back to the inn."

"I'll help." Nash followed me out. "You seem happy here."

Placing a box on the curb, I went for another one. "I think I am. I get to spend time with Henry and have a steady job."

Nash wasted no time getting to the point. "What about the Mayor?"

Biting my lip, I glanced at my wrist. "We're friendly. We enjoy spending time with Henry."

Leaning against the Jeep, Nash smiled knowingly. "You're falling for her, aren't you?" He didn't give me time to deny it. "I'm glad you're staying here. Even if it is only for Henry. I know how much you want a family."

"I do want one." I want one with Regina and Henry. I got a taste of it before Thanksgiving and can't stop wanting it again.

Before he could say anything else, Alice and the girls joined us. "See you tomorrow, Emma!" Both girls hugged me tight before yawning again.

"Night, girls." I watched as they climbed into the backseat. "Meet at Granny's tomorrow morning for breakfast then a tour of the town?"

"How does nine sound?" Alice asked.

"Good to me."

"Fantastic." Nash helped me take in the last few boxes and said his goodbyes.

Plopping down on my bed, I sighed. Am I falling for Regina? Even if she's possibly the reason I never grew up with my parents? Covering my face with my arms, I groaned. I don't know. I'm so confused. It doesn't help that Regina keeps pushing me away even though she knows we're supposed to be together. Blah! Feeling my phone vibrate, I read the text from Henry.

Night, Emma. The mess was cleaned up. Took a while though. It got everywhere! -H

Night, Henry. The baking adventure looked fun. Enjoy the release event tomorrow! Your mom told me. Try to get some sleep. -E

I can't wait! I'll do my best. -H

Xxx

The next morning, I got to Granny's a little early. I was happy to see a familiar black Mercedes Benz in the parking lot. Entering the diner, I was greeted by Ruby. "Take a seat."

"I'm a bit early. Nash and them won't be here for about ten to fifteen minutes. Take your time." Smiling, I ruffled Henry's hair. "Hey, kiddo. Madam Mayor. I'm surprised to see you guys here. When's the game being released?"

"Morning, Miss. Swan."

"At two. People can't start lining up until ten. Event stuff starts at eleven." Henry was buzzing with excitement.

"I thought making a day of it would be nice. Breakfast here, head to the game shop, and potentially go by the comic store before going home."

"Sounds like a busy day." My eyes fell on the string that connected us. I'm torn. I want to ask her about the book. Possibly have a legitimate conversation about everything. Hearing the door open, my attention moved.

"Emma!" Elli and Jae called.

"Can I introduce you?" I asked quietly. All Regina did was nod. "Hey guys, come here for a second. I want to introduce you."

"Morning, Em." Nash smiled at Henry and Regina. "Hello."

"Madam Mayor, Henry this is Nash, his wife Alice, and their kids Elli, and Jae. I used to work with Nash in Boston." I paused. "Everyone, this is Regina Mills, The Mayor of Storybrooke and her son, Henry."

"Pleasure to meet you all." Regina used her Mayor voice. "I hope you enjoy your stay in town."

"Thank you. We have enjoyed it so far." Nash chose his words carefully. He knew more about Regina than he wanted to let on.

Alice placed a hand on Nash's shoulder. "Let's find a table. I know the girls are hungry."

"Right." Turning his attention back to Regina and Henry, he nodded slightly. "Have a good day."

"You as well."

"I'll be right over." I watched as the group made their way to a larger table in the corner of the diner. "I hope you have fun today."

"Thanks!" Henry finished his food. "Wish you could be with us."

That didn't phase Regina at all. Does she know something I don't? "I know, but it'll be a good day with your mom. Days like this are memories that you'll look back on."

"True." He beamed. "Ready to go?"

Chuckling, Regina finished her coffee. "Yes. You can go ahead and get in the car. I'll be out shortly." With that, Henry raced outside. "Thank you for what you said."

"No need to thank me but you're welcome. It goes both ways. You'll look back on this when he's older and so will he." Feeling a tug at my heart, I cleared my throat. "Anyway, have a good day. I'll let you know when I can drop by to get the leftovers."

"You as well."