Regina quickly went over what she had packed in her little suitcase one more time. Clean clothes that wasn't ridiculously fancy. It was a vacation, after all. She was going to the cabin to relax. Not dress up. Fresh underwear. Makeup bag. Pajamas. Scarves. Pads. Medicine just in case. She didn't think she would actually be needing it, but still, it was better to be prepared for any kind of scenario.

Well. It certainly looked like she had remembered everything. Now there was only one thing she could do. Wait. For Emma to be done with work.

Regina glanced at her wristwatch. That would be a good while. It was still morning, and Emma hadn't even gone to work yet. Which gave Regina the perfect excuse to send her a text. And perhaps texting would take her mind off of that dream she had woken up from earlier this morning. It had been a very good dream. And a very realistic one too. One of those that had you regretting that you had woken up. One of those you wished actually had been real. Perhaps, if she was lucky enough, she would dream about it again.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and opened her text messages. God, she had sent Emma so many text messages. And she didn't have the heart to delete any of them.

'Good morning, miss Swan', she texted and smiled a little to herself. She liked calling Emma 'miss Swan'. Especially because Emma liked being called it so much.

Her phone lit up. A new message had arrived. 'Morning, lovely :D you sent the kid to school already?'

Oh yes. And he had been talking nonstop about how utterly unfair it was that his mom and Emma was 'running away together' as he put it. Regina had assured him that he could come along the next time. And then she had acknowledged how utterly romantic that sounded. Running away together. She really liked the sound of that.

'Yes, I sure have. He sends his love. Are you ready to leave later?' she wondered what kind of 'packer' Emma was. Was she one who packed immediately, or was she more the type who postponed packing until the very last moment? Regina had always sympathized with those people. Packing was definitely not fun. It was tedious and took time.

'Yeah, I sure am! And I can't wait to see you!'

Regina smiled. 'I can't wait to see you later, and I'm looking forward to spending the weekend with you.'

'I am looking forward to spending the weekend with you too!'

Oh, shoot, was it too early to feel mushy?

Probably.

If Regina had been a bit more devious, she would have suggested Emma to play 'hooky' so they could leave immediately, but luckily, she was NOT that devious. Obviously, she knew that Emma had to go to work.

The screen lit up again. A new text from Emma. 'I'm on my way to work, but I will see you really, really soon! Will you be waiting for me on the parking lot?'

'Of course I will.'

'Thanks, lovely :D I'll be counting the seconds until I shall gaze upon your beautiful face again!'

Regina rumbled in amusement. Beautiful, silly Emma. Her way with words was magnificent. One of the perks of dating a writer.

She was tempted to text something equally sweet and mushy back in return, but reminded herself that Emma was going to work. She was busy getting ready and didn't have time to dawdled.

Regina slipped the phone back inside her pocket. Then closed the lid on the suitcase and zipped it. Lifted it to feel if it was too heavy. It wasn't. Light as a feather. She hadn't brought any books. There was plenty of books in the cabin.

She carried the suitcase downstairs with her and sat it down in the hallway. It was still too early to put it in the car, and it was better that it stood available in the hallway. Just in case she needed to stuff something in there last minute.

Once the suitcase was out of the way, Regina walked over to the countertop where Zelena's new Barista Pro coffee machine was standing. The coffee machine had costed something that had made Regina roll her eyes, but Zelena had just shrugged that it was an essential buy. Life was too short for bad coffee, she had said.

She was right. This coffee machine made the best café latté Regina had tasted besides the ones she sometimes had at Starbucks. After the first cup, Regina had admitted that the coffee machine was a damn good buy.

Now she treated herself to yet another café latté. There was something very satisfying about watching the machine make the milk foam. Once the coffee was done, Regina eagerly took the cup and brought it up to her lips. Mmm. Perfect. She would have to buy one of these for herself when she moved. And perhaps one for the log cabin too. She could definitely see the beauty in sitting on the porch with a cup of latté on a cold autumn day.

God, she was looking forward to spending the weekend at the log cabin. It felt like it had been ages since she last was there. And the last time she visited, had been far from perfect. Liam's threat had tainted everything.

And yet…

Regina took another sip of her coffee. There had been some good moments despite everything going on. She remembered teaching Emma Sign Language and re-connecting with her again. Secretly telling her that she liked her.

Regina paused with the cup of coffee halfway up to her lips. What secrets would she be telling Emma this time? What sort of confessions would she be spilling?

She knew what she wanted to tell Emma. She had wanted that for a long while now. To tell Emma that she loved her.

But she wasn't sure if she was brave enough when the right moment occurred. She feared that courage would desert her at the very last moment. Those three words were so big, and Regina couldn't remember when she had used them on anyone who wasn't her son.

She hadn't had a partner she loved for a long, long time. There had only been fear and resentment.

But not anymore. Now she was with Emma who had turned everything one hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction. Fear had turned to tranquility. Resentment to love bubbling just below the surface.

As odd as it sounded, telling Emma that she loved her, would be both hard and easy at the same time.

Regina sipped her coffee. Then thought of the magnificent irony of this. When she and Emma first ventured up to the log cabin, it was to trick Liam into believing that they were going on a romantic trip. And now they actually WERE going on a romantic trip.

Oh, how things had changed.

But Regina couldn't have been happier about it.

She glanced at the large clock in the kitchen. Time was passing so very slowly. What was she supposed to do until it was time to go and pick up Emma? Of course she could always work, but she had actually taken the day off. And felt bad about it. Until she realized that she hadn't taken a single day off since she got the job. She was allowed a long weekend.

But now she was sort of regretting it. She could have needed something to fill out the endless hours until it was time to pick up Emma. Henry was at school. Zelena was at work. It was just her all on her own.

She walked aimlessly through the house until realizing how silly that was. Time to do something else. She ended up in the living room and scanned the bookshelves until she found what she was looking for. 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier. One of her favorites. As of recently, she was slowly starting to shift back into the thriller-genre, and it was wonderful to be back. The classical books she had read, and the more 'softer' ones had been good, but there was nothing quite like a good thriller.

Regina made herself comfortable on the couch. She tugged her legs up under her and grabbed her reading glasses from the coffee table. Then she opened the book. Was instantly transported into the nameless heroine's head. 'Rebecca' was such a fascinating read. Daphne du Maurier was a very talented writer. Had Henry been a girl, she surely would have named him Daphne.

She had not even read twenty pages before she heard the front door rattle, though.

Regina put the book down and looked up. Half expected Mrs. Danvers to come strolling into the living room.

But obviously, it was not Mrs. Danvers. It was Chad. Regina could tell from the footsteps in the hallway.

"It's just me!" he called from the hallway, and Regina smiled. Bless him for always remembering to do that. He knew that it alarmed her when the front door opened. It wasn't so bad anymore, but Chad still remembered doing it. And Regina still was grateful for his thoughtfulness.

Soon the man in question stepped in. He looked a bit ruffled after his night shift. He often came to Zelena's place to sleep during the day, and thus also on this day.

"Hi, Regina," he greeted and rubbed his face.

Regina smiled at him. 'Long night?' she signed slowly. Chad wasn't as fluid in Sign Language as Henry and Zelena was.

"You have no idea," he yawned and rubbed his face. "Mind if I crash here?" he gestured lightly to the couch.

Regina shook her head. Of course she didn't mind it.

Chad more or less collapsed onto the couch. He grabbed the remote control and switched on the television.

Regina went back to her book and didn't pay attention until Chad said: "Oh, look at that. Feel like trading your book for a bit of television?"

Regina looked up and smiled when she saw what was on television. The Great British Bakeoff. 'Do you think Zelena will forgive us if we watch it?' she signed.

"Probably not," Chad grinned. "But we can keep it a secret, right?"

Regina conspiratorially tapped a finger against her mouth to indicate that her lips were sealed. It was only after she had made the gesture, she realized how ironic that was. She put the book down, happily replacing 'Rebecca' with Mary Berry's quiet disdain and Paul Hollywood's obvious disappointment. This would be the perfect distraction until it was time to go and pick up Emma.

"That can't be good," Chad commented when one of the contestants took out a cake that wobbled terribly. "Clearly hasn't settled properly."

Regina agreed with that, and it didn't take long before she and Chad happily was exchanging remarks about the cakes and contestants. Zelena would undoubtedly feel VERY betrayed if she found out, but her wrath was a cross Regina was willing to bear. Chad made for a great baking show-buddy. His comments were always so entertaining. He often made her laugh.

This was nice. A bit of one-on-one time with her brother-in-law was always nice. Regina had always had a good relationship with Chad, but after Killian had attacked her, and the truth about how he had treated her had come out, Chad had become much more protective. Almost as though Regina was his little sister and not sister-in-law.

Regina had nothing against that. She only appreciated it. Found it sweet, the way he looked out for her.

And plus, he was a hardcore fan of The Great British Bakeoff. Even more passionate about it than Zelena was. Which was quite impressive, really.

"Okay, I know this is an old season," Chad commented as one of the contestants promptly dumped his cake in the trashcan. "But that still pisses me off."

Regina nodded and clicked her tongue in disdain. She would never (as in ever!) be good enough to compete in such a program, but had that been her who was in that man's position, she never would have resolved to throwing her cake into the bin. She would have found a different solution.

Regina smiled a little to herself. Or perhaps she wouldn't. Perhaps she would have thrown an even bigger fit.

"Lena tells me you're going away for the weekend," Chad said conversationally.

Regina nodded and her smile grew wider. Lena. Chad was the only person in the entire world who could get away with shortening Zelena's name like that.

"Emma's a great person. I'm happy for you," Chad said warmly. "And Henry seems over the moon every time she's around."

Uh-huh, definitely. Regina nodded and smiled.

"I am a bit concerned about my current Mario Kart high score though," Chad jokingly continued. "I see her name climbing up there."

Now Regina rumbled in amusement. Yes, Emma was a real shark at Mario Kart. By far better than Regina. And even better than Chad. Something that Henry was in great awe over. He had of course asked Emma where she had gotten so good. She had shrugged and said that she was born with a gift. The answer had been cheerful enough, but Regina had seen a certain shadow behind her eyes, and when she later had asked Emma about the same thing, she had gotten the real story behind Emma's talent.

Emma had quietly told her that the gaming arcade close to where she lived with her adoptive parents had been the only place, she truly had felt happy as a kid. She had gone there as often as she could. And that was how she had gotten so good at Nintendo.

Once again, Regina had felt infuriated at Emma's adoptive parents- who weren't worthy of that title by the way- and she had been tempted to track them down and give them a piece of her mind.

Regina took a deep, calming breath. Now was not the time to be angry. It was the time to be happy and excited. Because she was going to see Emma today….

Finally, at long last, Regina could hop inside her car and drive off. The day had dragged on forever, and it had been hard to fill out the long stretch of empty hours. After a bit of indulgence in The Great British Bakeoff, Chad had challenged her to a game of chess. Regina had never been one to let a good challenge go to waste, so of course she had said yes, and she and Chad had played a formidable game of chess. One that she had won, much to Chad's dismay. She had been triumphant while had tried to claim that she had cheated. Obviously, she hadn't. And Chad had been forced to admit defeat.

Once the chess game was over, Chad had gone upstairs to 'crash' as he called it, and Regina had once again been left to her own devices. Sitting down and doing nothing had not been an option, so Regina had found her airpods, switched to listening to 'Rebecca' on audio book, and then proceeded to give the fridge a good cleaning. Zelena had been talking about wanting to clean out the fridge for ages, but she still hadn't gotten around to do it. That was why Regina had taken matters into her own hands. She had taken out all the groceries and had scrubbed the fridge from top to bottom. Zelena would be happy when she found out that Regina had helped her out, and Regina had been very satisfied with her own doing once finished.

After having cleaned out the fridge, Regina had still been determined to fill out the empty hours with sensible things. So she had gone upstairs and had cleaned the bathroom. She wasn't completely sure why. Was she perhaps a little nervous to be alone with Emma all weekend? That was silly. There was nothing to be nervous about.

Unless she of course decided to confess her feelings to Emma.

Regina squeezed the wheel a little more firmly. She genuinely really wanted to tell Emma that she loved her, but she was unsure of how she was supposed to do that when she couldn't talk. Texting was out of the question. Way too impersonal. Of course she could always mouth the words, but again, that didn't feel quite right either.

If only she had been able to speak. If only she had been able to say the words.

Regina sighed a little as she turned left. How was she supposed to make her confession heartfelt and genuine when she could not speak? The first 'I love you' was so important. It was words every partner longed to hear. But alas, no voice, no confession. At least not a spoken one.

Was it possible to tell your partner that you loved them without actually saying it? Was there a way she could make it just as heartfelt and genuine as if she had spoken the words out loud?

Regina wasn't completely sure, but if a way to be genuine although she couldn't speak her feelings existed, she would love to know about it.

And just like that, she had found another brilliant reason to get that surgery. Being able to tell Emma that she loved her.

Regina shook her head and turned up the volume on Peggy Lee. She had vowed to herself not to think about the possible surgery. The whole point with this weekend was to relax and unwind. Watch good movies. Eat delicious food. And of course spend time with Emma. Preferably kiss her a lot.

Now Regina was distracted for entirely other reasons. She was hoping to push herself a little further this weekend. Not as far as sex. Obviously not. She knew that she was not ready for THAT yet. Just a little further. She had been doing really well lately. There had been lots of kissing entirely without the following twinge of panic. There had been a lot of unbridled touching. She had definitely been more daring when she last saw Emma. And now she was hoping that she still would be daring once she was alone with Emma.

It would be quite special, being alone with Emma for the whole weekend. She was a little nervous. Couldn't deny that. It had been ages since she went away for the weekend with a partner.

It was strange, really.

A weekend in a remote cabin with Killian would have been the ultimate nightmare. It would have filled her with dread and made her heart pound in a panicked rhythm.

She remembered that one weekend she and Killian had spent in the cabin. 'A romantic weekend for just the two of us', he had said. 'Doesn't that sound good, babe?'

Regina had dutifully nodded and said something about how nice it was going to be.

She had spent the whole weekend on edge. Terribly frightened to accidentally say something that would make things go south. Killian had been in a good mood that weekend, and in many ways, that had been even worse than if he had been sour from the beginning. It was when he was in a good mood, he had been the most dangerous. Because the smallest little remark could set him off. One toe out of line, and his mood could shift. In the blink of an eye. Trying to navigate in the eerily calm water that was his supposed 'good mood', had been like walking a tight rope while wearing a blindfold. One foot put wrong, and she would topple over.

So she had been subdued the entire weekend. Had made her answers short and non-challenging. She had cooked the food he wanted, done the things he felt like doing. Including in the bedroom.

She had been a model fiancé the entire weekend.

And yet when they drove home, Killian had complained. He had said that she had acted 'cold and uninterested' all weekend, and he had hissed about how unfair that was and how she always managed to find a way to ruin his good spirits.

It had been so unfair. Regina had bent herself backwards to be the perfect fiancé the entire weekend. She had done everything he wanted her to do. Had said yes to it all.

But it still hadn't been good enough. Killian had kept complaining. He had said that she had been 'as cold as ice' in the bedroom. That had sent Regina reeling, because only a couple of days earlier, Killian had given her a long speech on how he found it to be 'vulgar' if a woman made too much noise in the bedroom. He found it much more appealing when a woman was quiet.

Well. She undoubtedly would have been his dream woman now.

Regina scoffed to herself and shook her head once more. But she did not scold herself for thinking about her experiences with Killian. She was allowed to think about them from time to time. And it was better to think about it now and get it out of her system before she saw Emma.

Emma. Her shoulders loosened immediately. A weekend in a remote cabin with Emma was something that made her heart thud for all the right reasons. There would be no fear and no feelin like she was walking blindfolded on a tight rope. It would be a good weekend. She already knew that. Nothing about being alone with Emma scared her.

She smiled to herself and for the millionth time thanked her lucky stars that Emma had been on that train. Thank god she had been too scared to fly.

Just as she had thought that, it occurred to Regina that she should work on her fear of flying. Who knew, perhaps she and Emma would be travelling further someday. To a place they needed to fly to. She couldn't be scared of flying then.

A soft rumble slipped out of her. How silly she was, thinking about future travelling plans with Emma. How wonderfully silly of her. It was amazing, how big a part of her future Emma already was. She had fallen face first for Emma Swan. But the landing had been incredibly soft. Emma had made sure of that. Just like she would make sure that every other landing would be just as soft. There was no sharp edges with Emma. No unexpected, nasty surprises that made her flinch. Only kindness and understanding. And love.

Once again, Regina thought of the confession she hoped to make during this weekend. How would it be received? Did Emma love her too? Henry had certainly claimed so. And so had Zelena. For whatever reason, Regina had been stupid enough to share her feelings with her sister. Zelena had first squealed, then smiled ridiculously and given Regina a hug. Which had been nice and all, but Regina was not looking for praise just because she was capable of loving Emma. She had been looking for advices on how the heck she was gonna TELL Emma.

But of course, Zelena had been unhelpful as ever. None of her suggestions had been good enough for Regina. She wanted it to be special. NEEDED it to be special. Emma deserved that. Regina had a feeling that there hadn't been any grand confessions of love in her past relationships. This Lily Page person she had dated before meeting Regina, hadn't sounded particularly kind. It was clear to Regina that she had treated her relationship with Emma very casually. No grand gestures.

That enraged Regina. Emma was damn well worth grand gestures. And nothing about being in a relationship with her, could be considered 'casual'. Why on earth hadn't Lily realized just how special and wonderful Emma was? Why hadn't she been able to see what was right in front of her?

Regina vowed to herself to never take Emma for granted. She would always show her how special she was, and when Emma didn't feel special, Regina would do everything in her power to convince her that she was. She would do the same for Emma as Emma had done for her. Be her harbor. A safe place to land.

Regina turned left again. Now she was almost there. Almost time to see Emma….

Regina parked close to Dragon Publishing and after a moment's consideration, she got out of the car. She didn't feel like sitting and waiting for Emma. She was much too impatient for that. She wanted to see Emma right now. So why not walk inside and surprise her? Emma's workday was over. She wouldn't be interrupting or anything.

She walked up to the double doors and peered inside. Only now realizing that she probably needed some kind of key card or code to get inside. Damnit. So there would be no surprising Emma today.

But just as she was about to turn around and walk back to the car, the door buzzed and then clicked open. Regina frowned. What was that? Magic? The power of thought? Either way, she was happy to see the door open. She quickly walked through, now on the mission to find Emma and whisk her away.

"Come to retrieve something, dear? Or should I rather say someone?"

Regina turned her head and found Malena standing behind her. Oh, so she was the one who had let her in. Of course she was.

But what was Malena doing here? Shouldn't she be busy working or something? Apparently not. She was seemingly lurking and observing someone. Regina was familiar with that. There had been many times where she had looked up to discover that Malena was looking at her. Malena never gave any clear reason as to why she was doing it, and over the years Regina had learned that Malena simply liked looking at the people she cared about.

But today, it was not Regina who was the object of Malena's staring. Regina turned her head and looked around in an attempt to figure out what (or who) Malena had been looking at. But she could see no one. Except for Ursula, the secretary.

Regina raised an eyebrow. Was that who Malena enjoyed looking at these days? That was a bit… untraditional, wasn't it? But Regina wasn't one to judge. And as long as Malena had not revealed the identity of the woman she was seeing, Regina had no business assuming. It could be Ursula. But it could also be someone who had just walked past them. Nobody knew.

"Looking for a certain blonde, dear?" Malena asked her and smiled in that particular way she so often did.

Regina nodded. Yes, she was most definitely looking for a certain blonde.

"She's at the top floor, and I have a feeling she'll be very happy to see you. She has been giving her watch some intense stares all day."

That put a smile on Regina's lips, and she immediately felt less silly. Emma was just as excited and impatient as she was. She smiled at her friend and gestured to the elevator to indicate that she would go and find Emma.

"Off you pop," Malena chuckled. "Go find your blonde."

Regina certainly intended to. She walked past her friend, pushed a button to summon the elevator, and when it arrived, she slipped inside. Pushed the button that would take her to the top floor. The doors slurped closed, and Regina hoped that she was on her way to the right place. This place was a bit of a labyrinth, she knew that from experience. She had once managed to lose five year old Henry when they were visiting his godmother. Like any mother, Regina had thrown a fit when her son appeared to be missing. It hadn't helped that Mal repeatedly had assured her that there were no boogeymen in her building. Boogeymen had not been the issue. The issue had been that Henry was a curious child who always had to explore everything, and for a curious kid, the large building was full of dangers. Well, obviously Henry had been found. In Malena's office where he was busy admiring her collection of dragons. Regina had hugged her son and sheepishly apologized to her old friend for all the nasty things she had said in her panicked state. Malena had brushed her off and had assured that it was okay, but Regina had felt bad. The next day she had gifted Mal with yet another dragon figurine for her ever growing collection.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. Regina stepped out and strolled down the hallway. It looked like she had come to the right place. There certainly was many offices. She gave each name tag on the door a throughout look to make sure she didn't accidentally walk past the door to Emma's office.

There it was. 'Emma Swan, beta reader and editor' it said in golden letters on a door to the left. Regina had found the right place. She straightened her posture. Ran her fingers through her hair to make sure that it hadn't gone frizzy. For a moment she wished that she'd had her mirror here, but then she decided that it didn't matter. Emma liked her for more than her appearance.

She lifted her hand and tapped on the door. 'Knock-knock-knock!'. Oh. That sounded a bit loud, didn't it? That hadn't been the intention. She was clearly more eager than she had assumed.

There was no answer. Was Emma not there at all?

Regina frowned. Perhaps they had missed each other somehow. Perhaps Emma had left the building already.

"Come in."

Oh, so she hadn't. Good to know. Regina's lips quirked up at how unenthusiastic Emma's 'come in' had sounded. She clearly thought that Regina was someone else. Perhaps even someone who asked her to stay longer.

Well, Regina was about to surprise her. She pushed the door opened and casually strolled inside. There was Emma, looking exactly as lovely as she always did. Regina smiled at her and formed the word 'hello'.

"Hi," Emma squeaked, clearly surprised. But then she snapped out of it and rose from the office chair she had been sitting in. "Oh my god, hi! What are you- I thought we were supposed to meet out front?"

Regina shrugged. Found her phone in her pocket and typed: 'Malena let me in.' then showed Emma the message.

"Oh," Emma said. She still sounded a bit surprised.

Regina tilted her head. Couldn't resist teasing her girlfriend just a little bit. 'Not happy to see me?' she typed and turned the phone towards Emma.

The scoff Emma let out oozed of indignance. "Am I ever not happy to see you?" she asked rhetorically. And then, in one fluid motion, she leaned in. "Hi!"

Emma was standing quite close, and Regina was sure she would be able to feel her chest vibrate with silent amusement. Emma laughed too. Then planted a swift kiss on Regina's lips.

Regina took the opportunity to gently cup the back of Emma's head and assure that the kiss wasn't TOO swift. As per usually, she was utterly kiss starved and had longed for this all week. And very soon she would be able to do this all weekend. How amazing was that?

Emma mm'ed into the kiss and Regina pushed her fingers into Emma's blonde locks. She shivered slightly when she felt Emma's hands slide down and settle on her hips. That was pretty amazing too. The only thing bothering her was the fact that she was wearing a thick coat. The touch would undoubtedly have felt even better if she had worn something light.

Regina was vaguely aware that there were voices close by, but her intention had been to ignore them.

Not Emma's, apparently. She broke the kiss, and Regina immediately felt disgruntled. Perhaps even looked it, for Emma chuckled sweetly. Reminded: "we have all weekend, right?"

Regina nodded and felt herself flush.

"Shall we?" Emma asked as she hoisted her grey duffel bag up.

Regina smiled and nodded. Indeed they should.

Together they left Emma's office and walked back down the hallway. Regina took Emma's hand and smiled when she felt her fingers being squeezed gently in that reassuring gesture Emma so often did.

They reached the elevator and when the door slurped open, both of them stepped in. First Regina (because Emma insisted on 'ladies first') and then Emma herself.

"I've missed you," Emma said and grinned at her.

Regina smiled back and now it was her turn to squeeze Emma's fingers. She felt no urge to let go of Emma's hand even though they were not walking anymore. Why should she? This was nice.

Emma clearly shared her feelings. She didn't seem like she wanted to let go of Regina's hand either.

The elevator stopped and the door opened. Regina and Emma stepped out and walked towards the exit. In her periapical vision, Regina was certain she saw Malena. And she was even more certain that she saw Malena mouth: 'you found your blonde'.

Regina could only agree with that. She had most definitely found her blonde.

They climbed into the Mercedes, and as soon as the engine had been switched on, Regina pointed lightly to the radio.

"I don't mind a bit of music," Emma smiled.

Of course not. Regina flicked on the radio, and it didn't take long before the tunes of a very familiar song floated into the car.

"You got a fast car

I want a ticket to anywhere

Maybe we make a deal

Maybe together we can get somewhere..."

Regina immediately felt nostalgic. Had a very distinct memory of dancing with her father while that exact song played. Her father had had a very broad taste in music. It was a good memory. Especially because Regina also remembered how her father suddenly had grabbed her mother and swung her around. Cora had of course protested first, but then her face had lit up in one of those rare smiles and she had actually danced with Regina's father. Cora had been a tough nut to crack in many ways, but if there was someone who could soften her, it was Regina's father. He had loved Cora with all his heart, and Cora…. Well, despite her icy exterior, she had loved Regina's father too. In her own way.

"You know Tracy Chapman?" Emma asked, cutting through Regina's unexpected trip down Memory Lane.

Regina nodded. Boy, did she ever know Tracy Chapman.

"And you like her?"

Regina nodded again and even went as far as bopping her head up and down and moving her shoulders a bit to give the impression that she was dancing. As well as someone could dance behind a wheel anyway.

Emma knew of Tracy Chapman too. And clearly more than that. Regina was pleasantly surprised when she started humming along. She stopped fake-dancing behind the wheel and concentrated on listening instead. Glanced at Emma now and then.

But Emma must have noticed. She grimaced. "I'll shut up now."

Oh, absolutely not. Regina shook her head and motioned to encourage Emma to keep going.

Emma squinted. "You want me to keep humming?"

Yes, please. Regina nodded to confirm that.

"You've got some weird wishes, lady."

Cheeky. Regina liked it. And she also liked it when Emma started humming again. She liked it a lot. She glanced at Emma now and then, and now there were no more grimaces. Only Emma grinning back at her as she hummed.

When 'Shallow' came on, Emma seemingly couldn't hold back. She started singing along instead of humming, and Regina was absolutely delighted. Emma had a very nice voice. How fun it would have been to sing along with her, but oh well, that was not an option anymore. Time to let that go and not be sad.

"You like my singing?" Emma asked once the song had ended.

Very much so. Regina let out a rumble and nodded eagerly.

"Cool. You know, if I fail as a writer, I can become a singer instead," Emma quipped.

Regina rolled her eyes. No way Emma would 'fail' as a writer. A new song began playing. 'Love Me Like You Do'. Oh. She switched up the volume a little. Yes, she had seen the movie in which the song was played. Because two of her female former colleagues had begged her to. And being the good friend Regina was, she had agreed. No, she did not care for the movie at all. But the song was…. Good.

"You like that song too?" Emma asked.

Regina flushed. Emma was teasing her. She could feel it. But she might as well just be honest. She nodded quickly once.

"Seriously?"

Now Regina was sneering as she looked at the road. If Emma asked her about whether she had watched the movie, she would give absolutely no answer. One of the perks of being mute.

But Emma didn't. She laughed, yes, but at the same time she lightly touched Regina's arm. She didn't mean the teasing that bad. Obviously, Regina already knew that, but it was nice to receive confirmation.

"'Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire, yeah, I let you set the pace, 'cause I'm not thinking straight!'" Emma sang, and Regina was sure that her heart had just skipped several beats. "'My head's spinning around I can't see clear no more, what are you waiting for?'"

She let Ellie Goulding take over from there, and that was probably a good thing. Not because Emma didn't sing well, she really did, but had she kept on singing, there was a good chance that Regina would have had to pull over and kiss her right then and there….

Early on, Regina had decided that she didn't want to delay their arrival by stopping at a restaurant to get food. Instead she found a nice little spot and pulled over. Opened her purse and found sandwiches for them.

Emma took one bite of hers and exclaimed: "that's peanut butter!"

Why yes, it sure was. Regina nodded to confirm it.

"Oh my god!" Emma made a sound that sounded very much like a moan, and Regina nearly choked on her sandwich. Her cheeks felt warm.

"Should I make that sound again? Because I totally can." Emma was on a roll when it came to teasing.

God. Regina looked away and felt her cheeks heat up further. Emma was quite impossible today.

Said blonde woman snickered lightly and once again put a hand lightly on Regina's arm.

Regina dug into her own sandwich. She too had chosen peanut butter for once, and she had to admit that it was pretty good. And quick to consume. It didn't take long before Emma had eaten hers either. A sandwich wasn't all that much, Regina had decided that earlier today. They would require more fuel than just a sandwich.

Once again, she opened her bag and handed Emma the tinfoil wrapped goodie she had packed earlier.

Emma opened it and gasped. She gave the bear claw a fond look. Then lifted her head and gave Regina a look just as fond. "Seriously?" she asked.

Regina shrugged lightly. Yes. Seriously. She had memorized Emma's usual order long ago. She loved bear claws.

Emma took a big bite of the bear claw. "You are seriously the best girlfriend ever," she declared. She chewed, swallowed. Then continued: "I mean, you definitely are anyway, but I'm telling you... This bear claw..."

More silent laughter erupted from Regina. Emma's fondness for bear claws was sweet.

"You didn't pack one for yourself?" Emma asked and her eyes seemed to narrow slightly.

Regina shook her head. She wasn't that fond of bear claws. She preferred something 'fresher'. Like…. She opened her purse again and found the shiny red apple she had packed this morning.

"Okay, way to make me feel bad about my life choices." Emma said flatly and mock scowled at her.

Regina was amused again as she bit into the apple. The crunch at the first bite was strangely satisfying. She had always enjoyed apples.

Next to her, Emma coughed.

Regina quickly turned her head to see what that was about. She wanted no accidents in this car.

"I'm fine," Emma croaked. "Totally. I just took a too big bite, that's all."

Oh. Okay then. Regina resumed eating the apple and glanced absentmindedly out of the window. She was pretty sure she had just heard her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was probably Zelena. She could wait. Regina really didn't have time to text her right now. She hoped that this first text wasn't the start of something. Sure, a couple of texts throughout the day was fine. But not one every hour. Zelena would definitely be capable of that. But hopefully, she wouldn't do that. Hopefully, she would remember that Regina very much was an adult woman who was hoping to get some alone time with her girlfriend…

Four hours was a long time to be on the road. Regina was glad when they reached their destination. The log cabin looked exactly like itself, and Regina noticed that the window Liam had broken, had been fixed. It was probably Mr. Edwards who had made sure of that. Bless him.

She switched off the engine and they got out of the car. Emma with her duffel bag. Regina opened the booth of the car and hauled out her suitcase. Then they continued up the little path towards the house.

Regina bent and found the hidden key under the doormat. She unlocked the door and in they went.

The hallway looked like itself too. Regina and Emma were the ones who were different. None of them were tense this time. Well, perhaps Regina was a bit nervous over being alone with Emma, but she was definitely not nervous in a bad way.

They took off their coats. Knowing that she would be spending the majority of the evening driving, Regina had gone for something more causal. Black jeans she hardly ever wore, but she had a feeling that they looked quite nice paired with her cream colored silk blouse.

"You look great!"

Regina turned around and smiled at Emma as a way to thank her for the compliment. 'You look beautiful,' she signed and meant every word of it. Emma's ability to make jeans and a tanktop look good was never failing.

"Yeah right," Emma snorted.

Regina was made of steel when it came to Emma criticizing herself. She wasn't having any of it. A few times she had signed 'shut up' when Emma did it. Sometimes she had covered her ears. And now she narrowed her eyes at Emma and gave her her best 'Professor Mills'-stare.

"Okay, okay. I'll shut up," Emma laughed.

Good. That was exactly what Regina had hoped to hear. Satisfied with that, she checked the pockets of her coat. And found nothing. She frowned. Didn't she stuff her stack of post-its in there before leaving? She knew she hadn't put them in the suitcase. She remembered laying them on the countertop to ensure she remembered them. But it would appear that they hadn't gotten further than the countertop. Darn it. She had definitely forgotten them at home.

Holding back a sigh, Regina found her phone and tapped in a message. 'I think it's possible that I forgot my post-it notes at home. Did you by any chance bring any?' she showed Emma the message and hoped for the best. She had come to like their post-it messages. Much more personal than using her phone. Obviously, she could use her hands as well, but she feared that some things would get lost in translation.

"I did," Emma nodded. "But they're pink. I hope you don't mind that."

Pink post-its notes. Regina was amused. She shook her head. No, she definitely didn't mind that. Once again, she acknowledged that they would be here all weekend. No having to drive home. That inspired her to write a new message on her phone: 'would you like a glass of wine before unpacking?'

"I'd love to."

Wine it was, then. The perfect thing after a long drive.

Regina dumped her suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and went into the kitchen. She heard a thud indicating that Emma had dumped her duffel bag next to her suitcase. By the time Emma came into the kitchen, Regina had poured two glasses of red wine and pushed one of the glasses towards Emma. She had been a bit sneaky and had asked Mr. Edwards if he could pick up a bottle of wine for them and leave it in the fridge. And he had delivered, bless him.

"Thanks. Oh! Gimme a second!"

As quickly as she had emerged, Emma disappeared again, and Regina heard a bag being unzipped. Then frantic roaming around. She raised an eyebrow. That sounded awfully serious. What on earth was Emma looking for?

She soon found out. Emma came back into the kitchen. Now carrying a stack of perfect, pink post-its. "Here you go, lovely," she announced as she put the stack down on the table.

'Thank you," Regina signed and smiled. She was certain she had never seen lovelier post-its than these.

"You're welcome," Emma returned the smile tenfold. "I'm getting better and better at Sign Language, but I'm not that good yet. Unfortunately."

Regina begged to differ. Emma was far better than what she gave herself credit for. She picked up her glass of wine and motioned for Emma to follow her into the living room.

Emma did so.

The living room looked like itself too. Regina was relieved when she felt peace settle warmly in her chest. She had been slightly afraid that being here again would give her flashbacks of Liam, but there wasn't any. Only joy over being back. She decided to make herself comfortable and kicked off her high heels. Now she wanted to relax properly. She sat down on the couch.

Emma followed her example. Unlaced her boots and sat down next to her on the couch. Took a little sip of her wine. Turned her head to look at Regina. "It's nice to be here again. Under different circumstances."

Yes, it sure was. Awfully nice indeed. Regina brushed her fingertips over Emma's bare arm. Couldn't help it. Suddenly, her head was full of thoughts. Swimming with suggestions of what they could do now that they finally were alone. She wanted closeness.

As though Emma was able to read her mind, she shuffled closer. Took Regina's hand. Brought it up to her lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

Despite it being only a brief touch, Regina shivered slightly. It felt like her body was aflame or something. She was thinking of many things at the same time. Including the dream she'd had last night. It had been a really, really good dream. It had left her with a warm feeling all over for almost twenty minutes after she woke up.

But they had only just gotten here. It was far too early to start making requests. Snapping out of it, Regina reached for the stack of pink post-its (she grinned slightly) and wrote a message for Emma to read. 'are you hungry or anything?' they had been on the road for quite a while, and a sandwich and a bear claw wasn't all that much.

"No, I'm fine," Emma smiled.

Oh. Okay. Next question, then. 'Is it too cold in here?' she didn't think so. Mr. Edwards had switched on the heat as promised. But if Emma was cold, she would obviously turn it up further. God forbid that Emma should freeze.

"Nope, the temperature is more than alright," Emma replied and chuckled softly. "Is there something on your mind?"

Damn her ability to look right through her. The dream popped up in Regina's mind again. She reached for her glass of wine and took a sip. Was she looking to find some liquid courage? Or was she stalling?

Maybe both.

"What is it?" Emma asked softly and brushed a hand over Regina's arm. "I can tell that there's something on your mind."

Of course she could. Emma could always just tell. Regina shrugged slightly. She was still stalling.

"Tell me," Emma gently coaxed. "Please?"

Regina worried her bottom lip. Nearly gnawing hard enough to make it hurt. Then she pulled herself together and reached for the stack of pink post-it's a third time. She could have chosen to just flat out ask Emma, but she felt like she should 'apologize' first. 'You'll think it's a strange request.', she had written. And wasn't it? Wasn't it a completely random request that didn't make sense? Regina would certainly think so if she were the one to receive such a request. She gave the note to Emma.

"Never," Emma said firmly as soon as she had read the note. "There are no such things. You can ask me to do anything. I'll do it. Unless it's something that involves being upside down. That makes me dizzy."

Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head. Emma Swan was a goofball. A damn convincing goofball. Especially when she brushed her fingers lightly over Regina's arm again. "Come on. Tell me. Please?"

Oh, alright. Fine. She would ask her and rip the band-aid off quickly. She plucked another note from the stack and wrote down her request in some fluid motion. 'could you lie on top of me?'

That was what she had dreamed about. A very realistic dream it had been. And it had felt so, so nice. Amazing even. She couldn't imagine that it would feel bad in real life. She gave the note to Emma before she could regret it.

Emma read it. Had her gaze locked on the note for a long time. Then she looked up and made eye contact with Regina. She seemed to scan every inch of her face for traces of doubt.

Regina understood why. This was a New Thing. She had been on top of Emma a number of times already, but it had never been the other way around so to speak.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked softly.

Yes! Regina nodded eagerly. She was extremely sure of this.

"Okay," Emma said. "I can do that. Definitely. But you have to let me know if you start to feel uncomfortable. Promise me that."

Of course. Regina nodded again. Then lied back on the couch and adjusted slightly until she was flat on her back. She looked expectantly up at Emma. She was ready.

Emma shifted too. Pushed her blonde curls back over one shoulder. Then shuffled forward on her knees.

Regina's instincts were currently sending her the wrong message. That this was a vulnerable position and that she should move. She was well aware that her breathing had sped up, but she refused to give in to the fear. Not today. She hoped that her gaze was steady as she looked up at Emma.

"Only for a moment, yeah?" Emma's voice was soft and her movements slow and deliberate as she place her hands on either of Regina's face. Her body was hovering over Regina's now, and Regina noted that Emma seemed to consider for a moment. Then slowly, very slowly, and while maintaining eye contact with Regina the entire time, Emma lowered herself onto her.

She was on top of Regina. She could feel the pressure from Emma's body against her own. Her breathing sped up again. Her instincts were still sending her the wrong message. That this was dangerous. That something bad would happen in a moment.

"Are you alright?"

Regina nodded. Not quite. But she wanted to be. She was still breathing too fast.

"I'll move," Emma said gently. "This isn't-"

But Regina shook her head and interrupted her. More than anything, she wanted Emma to stay where she was.

"Regina…"

Something clicked into place inside Regina. This was Emma Swan.

Emma Swan's soft, gentle voice assuring her.

Emma Swan's comforting, pineapple scent.

Emma Swan's loving hands on either side of her face.

Emma Swan being so careful even now.

Emma Swan would never hurt her. Not in a million years.

This was not a vulnerable position that meant danger.

This was a milestone in their relationship.

And Regina was okay.

She let out a puff of air. Felt how her breathing evened out and became slow and steady.

"Okay?" Emma asked softly.

Regina nodded. Smiled warmly at her. Skimmed her fingers up and down Emma's back. This was…. Exactly as wonderful as it had been in her dream.

No. Scratch that. This was better.

"You're amazing," Emma murmured.

Hardly. Regina smiled a little and shook her head.

"No, really you are," Emma continued, voice more earnest now. "I don't think you have any idea about how amazing you truly are."

Perhaps not. But she did know how amazing THIS was. Regina moved one hand away from Emma's back and cupped her cheek gently. It hadn't escaped her notice that Emma was angling her head in a particular way that meant that it never got too close to her neck.

"Would you like me to get off you now?"

God no. Regina firmly shook her head and formed the word 'stay'.

"Okay," Emma murmured. "I definitely have no problem with that. "This is very nice."

It was. Regina rumbled in amusement. Felt slightly giddy over her own progress.

"And that was nice too," Emma cheekily continued.

So she had felt the rumbling too. Interesting. Regina smiled up at her and Emma kissed her cheek softly.

Regina's dream had not served the real thing justice. This had to happen again. Regina NEEDED this to happen again….

To Be Continued…..