They were going home tonight, and Regina was sort of okay with it.

She was looking forward to seeing Henry again.

But she was not looking forward to parting ways with Emma. Absolutely not.

Their little extended weekend at the cabin had been a roaring success. Better than Regina ever could have imagined.

She had had her doubts. Which had nothing to do with Emma. Of course not. She was only doubting because of herself. She had feared that she wouldn't be able to enjoy the cabin because of what had happened here. Because of Liam Jones who had forced his way into her home.

But she had not seen him lurk in the shadows. Not a single time. There had been no echo of him anywhere. Nor of Killian.

When they had been in the kitchen, Regina had not seen a glimpse of her past self, tense and worried as she tried to make Killian a perfect breakfast. Instead it had just been her and Emma, preparing breakfast together and having a nice time nudging each other and sneaking in as many caresses as they possibly could.

Regina walked into the bedroom and closed her suitcase. She looked at the bed but did not see the bed where she once had lain quiet and obediently while Killian had finished using her body in whatever way he saw fitting. Instead she saw the bed where she and Emma had laughed. And kissed. And drawn on each other's backs. The bed where she had confessed her love to Emma. The bed where they had eaten breakfast together. The bed where they had slept. And- Regina smiled a little- NOT slept.

That bed was hers and Emma's now. Not Killian's.

Continuing her little 'last minute tour', Regina went into the library. Stood in the doorway and glanced at the couch. She did not see the couch where she once had sat tense and alarmed next to Killian while he was watching television and she pretending to do the same but really just was waiting for Killian to snap. Again.

No, instead she saw the couch where she and Emma had attempted to watch a movie but had ended up kissing instead. The couch where they had talked about everything and nothing.

The couch where Emma had given her an accidental orgasm.

Regina smiled slightly and shook her head. Yes, that had actually happened, believe it or not. She was not embarrassed about that. Emma hadn't been, so why should she? Why should she feel an ounce of shame over something that had made her feel happy and relaxed?

Regina was done apologizing for her feelings.

And she should probably stop stalling too. They had to go home. She had almost forgotten that. It was easy to forget. They would have to come back soon.

Regina walked downstairs with the suitcase in hand. Packing hadn't been fun, but the idea of coming back to the cabin with Emma again sometimes had comforted her a lot.

She walked out of the backdoor rather than the front door. That was an easier path to the car. She put her suitcase in the car and sighed a little bit. It felt so final. No more excuses. They were really going back.

As she walked towards the house, Regina reminded herself that was a good idea. She had learned yesterday that Zelena had fed Henry chips. And probably lots of other junk food too. She had tried to scold her sister for it yesterday, but Zelena had only given cheeky answers in response.

It was high time to go to home and reinforce a healthy diet.

Coming back inside, Regina found Emma in the kitchen. She was looking down, but Regina suspected that she wasn't seeing much. Emma had that typical 'deep thinking'-face going on. Regina walked over to her and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

Emma looked up at her and smiled. "Hi. I was getting lost in my own head for a moment there."

Evidently. Regina smiled softly. Relieved that Emma did not look worried. Whatever it was that she had been thinking about, it hadn't been something bad.

"And I don't think I'm completely ready to leave yet," Emma confessed. "Any chance we have time for a cup of coffee before we have to go?"

Absolutely. There was always time for coffee. They had ended up staying up late last night. They had just been talking. About everything and nothing. And Regina had taught Emma some Sign Language. Some of it had been sweet, most of it romantic, and some of it had been a bit naughty. Because Emma had requested it. And just how was Regina supposed to deny Emma anything?

She walked over to the coffee machine and switched it on. It began murmuring. Such a soft sound in the kitchen. Regina debated buying herself one of those coffee machines. Simply because she enjoyed the sound.

There was movement behind her. Then a pair of long arms wrapped loosely around her (Emma never held onto her too tightly) and a nose was buried in her silk blouse. Regina felt her heart melt at that. If this was the type of behavior Emma's ex-girlfriend, Lily, had claimed to be 'clingy', Regina seriously considered finding that girl and giving her a piece of her mind. There was nothing clingy about what Emma was doing. Nothing at all. It was only sweet.

"Mmm," Emma hummed into her blouse, and Regina felt the skin in the back of her neck tightening. Emma was giving her goosebumps. Again. Would there ever be a point where Emma did NOT give her goosebumps?

Probably not. And Regina was completely fine with that. More than fine. She loved when Emma gave her goosebumps. She loved that she was still capable of getting goosebumps for reasons that was not dread and terror.

Emma lifted her mouth and nose from Regina's blouse and said: "I wish we could stay one more day."

Regina nodded. Yes, so would she. She turned around so she could gently cup Emma's cheek.

"I'm being pathetic, aren't I?" Emma asked, voice laced with what Regina suspected was old insecurities. Old fears.

And just like Emma always did, Regina soothed her fears. She shook her head. Then leaned in and allowed Emma to hug her tighter. Another little milestone. Regina had not 'allowed' tighter hugs. Until now. She felt comfortable with it. She and Emma had already shared so much intimacy on so many levels. A tighter hug was nothing. After a moment, Emma let go of her and looked up at her. Then down.

Regina was sure that Emma's gaze was lingering on her stiletto's, but she couldn't quite understand why. What was Emma thinking about? Anything in particular? Before she could get a chance to inquire about it, Emma looked up again, and then the coffee machine made a slight clicking sound, indicating that the coffee was done. Regina elegantly freed herself from Emma's now loose embrace and walked over to the cupboard where she found two cups. She poured coffee into the cups. Added milk and sugar to Emma's, and only a splash of milk to her own. With a smile, she handed Emma the cup of coffee.

"Thanks, babe," Emma said and flashed Regina a little half-grin.

Regina gave an amused glance in response. That word again. Emma liked that word. So did she. Regina was no longer connecting the word with threats and dread. In short, Emma had erased the word's negative meaning and had replaced it with a positive meaning. The word 'babe' had gone from 'this means I'm in trouble later' to 'That is what Emma likes to call me. It's sweet, and I am no longer afraid of it'.

They settled down at the kitchen table with their cups of coffee. Stalling again, but oh well. Regina took a sip of her coffee. It tasted good.

"Do you have any plans this week?" Emma asked lightly.

Smalltalk. Excellent! She reached within the pocket of her blazer and found the stack of post-its and her trusted pencil. Her stack of pink post-its was rapidly thinning, and Regina briefly wondered what silly color post-its Emma would come up with next time. She was eager to find out. Then she wrote down an answer on the blank post-it. 'I don't think I have that many plans apart from work and the weekly session with my therapist, whom I for once look forward to see. I like telling her about the progress I've made.' She handed Emma the note and felt her chest swell with pride. Gosh, she had so many things to tell Doctor Kristine. So many positive things. How she had been brave and had confessed her feelings to Emma. How she had been ever braver and had shown Emma her throat. The symbolic way in which she slowly had removed her hand from her neck, had meant the beginning of a new era. Regina was not wearing a scarf today. Nor would she be putting one on. Not anymore. Not ever.

A soft hand gently touching hers had Regina snapping out of it. Emma was smiling at her. Softly. Just as softly as she was squeezing her hand.

Regina wanted to lean across the table and kiss Emma. But she knew that if she did that, they would still be here in an hour. And in two. And in three.

So instead of straying from their time schedule, she smiled, shook her head and grabbed a new post-it note. she began writing a new message. A longer one.

'I suspect I'll arrive for my session armed with an entire novel written about you. My poor therapist won't be able to ask me anything. She'll be far too busy reading all the mush I'm gonna write down about you.' She pushed the note towards Emma and wondered about a specific thing. The big question was, should she tell Doctor Kristine about the intimate moments? She had told Doctor Kristine about their unorthodox phone calls, but this was different. This time they had been in the same room. In a way, that felt more intimate.

Regina decided that she would be telling Doctor Kristine that certain 'things' had happened during the trip. That would be enough. She didn't need to go into any details.

And one thing was for sure… She would NOT be telling her therapist about the foot massage. THAT particular memory belonged only to her and Emma.

"You're gonna write down mush about me?" Emma chuckled and did that waggle-thing with her eyebrow. Emma was very talented when it came to that. She was very talented when it came to that too.

Regina nodded. Obviously. She always wrote mushy stuff about Emma. It was impossible not to.

"Aww," Emma said sweetly. "That's so cute!"

Regina answered that by rolling her eyes and reaching for her cup of coffee.

"I like the idea of you writing down mush about me," Emma snickered.

Now Regina demonstratively took a swig of her coffee. Emma was teasing her. But she was not annoyed about it. Quite the contrary. Emma always had the sweetest way of teasing her.

And speaking of writing..." Emma said, changing the subject. "Have you heard more about Henry and his mystery project?"

Regina shook her head, turned the post-it over so she could write down an answer. And save paper. 'No, he still won't tell me what he's writing about, but I know he's been writing on it this weekend.'

"He takes it pretty seriously, huh?"

Regina nodded. He did. When it came to anything fairytale-related, Henry took things VERY seriously.

They sipped their coffee. Both of them trying not too subtly to drag things out.

But eventually, the cups were empty and rinsed. The time had come.

They left the cabin. Regina locked the door and hid the key in its usual place. Where she was sure Mr. Edwards would find it. Thank god for him. Regina reminded herself to send him a bottle of wine with a thank you note. Had it not been for him, this place would fall apart.

"It could really be awesome to come back sometimes," Emma said. Not very subtle in her hints.

Regina nodded and found her car key. Felt a flare of annoyance. She liked driving. She really did. But she did not like driving when it was with someone. Because that meant she could not communicate with the person. Couldn't use her hands to answer or write on a post-it note. They would just have to listen to music instead.

They walked over to her black Mercedes, and before Emma could get the chance to do so, Regina gallantly opened the door to the passenger seat for her and made sure to make a grand gesture with her hand.

Emma chuckled, asked: "hasn't the roles been reversed quite a bit?" as she climbed onto the passenger's seat. "I'm the one who's supposed to be opening doors for you."

Regina scoffed as she gently closed the car door. As far as she was concerned, they were both ladies. There was no reason why she shouldn't be opening doors for Emma.

She went around the car and climbed onto the driver's seat. Buckled her seatbelt and started the engine. Felt a little twang of sadness as they began to drive away from the cabin. She was going to miss it.

Next to her, Emma glanced back in the direction they were coming from. Back towards the cabin. Then she chuckled.

Regina glanced at Emma. What did that mean? Why was she chuckling? Had she seen something funny? Remembered something funny? God, it was frustrating that she couldn't ask Emma about it! The frustration swirled about in her mind but was interrupted when she felt Emma's soft hand on her knee. Oh. Regina instinctively put her own hand on Emma's for a moment before putting it back on the wheel. She hoped that Emma hadn't seen her pouting.

"Next time I'll be taking you somewhere," Emma gently promised.

Regina felt her lips curl up in a smile. And just like that, Emma once again had made her frustration melt away.

"Might just be a trip to Eugenia's Inn, but..."

Regina rumbled in laughter. A trip to Eugenia's Inn was definitely not to be underestimated.

"Yeah?" Emma said, adopting the goofy, playful tone Regina so adored. "Does that sound awesome, beautiful?"

It did. Regina smiled and nodded. It did sound awesome. And as the frustration lifted once more, she silently debated which pet name she liked the most. 'Beautiful' or 'babe'. Both of them were good. Very good.

Perhaps she didn't need to choose. Perhaps she should simply be happy that her girlfriend had so many sweet, creative pet names for her.

When they reached the first exit, Regina wondered what pet name she would have given Emma if she had been able to talk.

Perhaps that was yet another reason to consider that surgery. She would be able to shower Emma in sweet, silly pet names…

It was a long drive from Salmon Arms. Emma had sweetly offered to take the wheel many, many times, but Regina had shaken her head no every time. She was okay with driving. And honestly, she had this thing about how she was the only one who could drive the Mercedes. Zelena might have driven it a few times, but those had been emergencies. Regina preferred being the one driving her car. She was very protective of the old Mercedes. Like she was with most of the things that had belonged to her beloved father.

They listened to music. Exactly like they had when driving up here. By mere coincidence, they had found a channel having a what Emma called 'cheesy love songs'-marathon.

But apparently, they weren't so cheesy one couldn't sing along.

'Lady in reeee-eeeeed,' Emma sang exaggerated, clearly trying to outsing poor Chris DeBurgh. Regina was not impressed, but she would never ask Emma to stop singing. She would never ask Emma to stop voicing her excitement for something. Whether that be a song or something else.

"Is he singing about you?" Emma teased.

Regina scoffed. Hardly.

"I think he is," Emma said sweetly. "This is totally your song, babe."

Regina scoffed again. Trying her utmost to appear unimpressed. But deep down, she found Emma to be absolutely hilarious.

'I have never had such a feeling; such a feeling of complete and utter love as I do tonight,' Emma mercilessly continued, tipped her head back and even lifted her arms to give the impression that she was dancing too. 'Lady in ree-eeeed!'

Good heavens. Regina was relieved when the song ended.

But the 'cheesy love song marathon' did not end there. Oh no. After 'Lady in Red' came 'My Heart Will Go On'. Emma obviously cleared her throat and gave an extremely heartfelt rendition of the song. Poor Celine Dion didn't get a chance.

Regina made sure to give the impression that she was deeply horrified, but it was a charade. She was secretly THRILLED that Emma felt this relaxed in her company that she was comfortable with jamming along to the radio. That she trusted that Regina would never be unkind.

"You know, I get the feeling that you don't appreciate my singing," Emma teased once the song had ended.

Regina raised an eyebrow in a 'really'-manner. And tried to hide her smile.

Emma snickered. Put a hand on Regina's knee. "Okay, okay. I'll stop."

Absolutely not! Regina firmly shook her head and made a brief 'go on'-gesture with her hand. In no way was Emma allowed to stop singing her joy out in the car. No matter how off-key it sounded. It was still happiness. And that was the only thing that mattered to Regina.

And so Emma continued to sing. Cheesy after cheesy love song was reimagined and sprinkled with graceful (or perhaps not so graceful) arm movements and blonde hair tumbling over Emma's shoulder. That part definitely WAS graceful. When Taylor Swift's 'love story' blasted out of the speakers, Regina nearly had to pull over because she was rumbling so much.

"Only the best for you, babe," Emma teased. And then continued to 'serenade' her.

Regina had never been serenaded before. However silly it sounded, this was another new thing. And one that she would be requesting regularly from now on. It didn't even matter that she couldn't communicate much while driving. This was way more entertaining than any conversation they could have had.

Emma kept singing along to the radio. Until a different song came on. Regina did not know the song. Emma muttered something about not being able to outsing the artists, an explanation that seemed a bit mysterious. Until Regina listened to the lyrics.

'Breathe, breathe me in, taste my words
Let me blow your mind
I'll take you far, far away
I'll make you feel alright
You gotta crave it and chase it
Until you're close enough to taste it...'

Oh. That explained a lot. Emma was too polite to sing along to the suggestive lyrics. Or perhaps she was afraid that it would feel like she was pressuring Regina in some way.

Regina hid a smile. Dear, sweet, considerate Emma. Regina listened to the song. She actually quite liked it. And she also liked the suggestive lyrics. It made her think back to the night in the cabin where they had only been a hair away from having 'traditional' sex. God, that had been some night! No doubt Regina's mind had been blown. She lifted one hand from the wheel to draw her hair behind her ear. When the next song began playing ('For Your Eyes Only' by the impeccable Sheena Easton), Regina tilted her head. She had always liked that song. A lot. She had sung along to that song many, many times. She and Mal had often tried to outsing each other.

She missed that. Missed singing along to her favorite songs. An idea popped into her mind. Singing properly was out of the question. But she could rumble. And she could also sync the rumbling with the music. It would sound strange, would feel strange. But… in no way was she afraid that Emma would judge her or give her weird looks. Emma would never do that.

Regina parted her lips ever so slightly and then began rumbling. Nearly humming. It did feel strange, using what little voice she had like that. But she was able to time her rumbling to the music. It wasn't quite singing, but it was the best she could do. And it brought a whisper of what she once had been. Who she once had been. The type who sang along to the car radio.

She could sense that Emma was looking at her. Could feel her eyes upon her. But she could also feel that Emma was not judging her. A brief, sideway glance had Regina seeing the thoughtful look on her face. What was she thinking about, Regina wondered.

Regina knew what SHE was thinking about as she continued to rumble along to the song. She thought of her voice. How it had sounded. How much she missed it. How much she wished that it would be the easiest thing in the world to say yes to that operation.

But it wasn't. It still wasn't clear to Regina which decision she should make. 'Yes', sounded appealing. But so did 'no'. If she said no, things could continue like this. But if she said yes, she could in fact end up speaking again. Perhaps. Nothing was certain.

When the song ended, Regina switched off the music and put a gentle hand on Emma's thigh.

"I'm fine," Emma said, quickly lifting her head. "I was just getting a bit sleepy that's all."

Regina rumbled again. This time not for singing, but out of pure amusement. So she still had a singing voice that could send people off to sleep. Good to know.

"Anyway, I better check out the busses," Emma murmured, fishing out her phone and scrolling on it.

Regina narrowed her eyes. What kind of rubbish was that? Did Emma seriously think she would have to take the bus back to Steveston? Absolutely not. In fact, as Emma would have put it: no way in hell.

Regina tapped Emma's knee to get her attention. And when Emma looked up, Regina shook her head firmly and pointed to herself.

"What?" Emma asked confused.

Feeling frustrated again, Regina pointed to herself once more. Then to the wheel. And then lastly to herself. God, how she hated pointing!

"Uhh..." Emma scratched the back of her neck. For a moment she seemed completely at loss, and Regina was already preparing for the 'sorry, but I don't understand'.

But it never came. Instead Emma's lit up in understanding. "Ohh! You're offering to drive me home? Is that it?"

Yes! Exactly! Regina nodded eagerly. No collapse in their communication after all. Thank god.

"Seriously? That would be awesome!" Emma said, relief evident in her voice. "Thank you so much!"

Regina offered a smile but silently felt slightly sad. And angry. The way Emma automatically thought that she would not be driving her home and that she had to take the bus was upsetting. Was it Lily again, Regina wondered. Was she the one who somehow had made Emma think that being driven home wasn't a thing?

Well, it WAS. It was very much a thing. Little considerations in a relationship was a thing. And Regina was going to show Emma that. Just as Emma had shown her that touching was not bad.

"But you don't have to drive me home though," Emma hastily continued. "I can easily find a bus and-"

No. Just no. Regina shook her head. Subject closed. Had she been able to speak, she would have told Emma to shut up. In a nice way, of course.

"Thank you," Emma said almost timidly.

No thank you's was required, but Regina still nodded graciously. Then she opened the glove compartment, and after having found what she searched after, she handed Emma the little bag of licorice.

"You're hiding snacks in there?" Emma exclaimed, clearly surprised.

Why yes, she was. Regina offered a slight shrug.

"You've secretly got a sweet tooth!" Emma laughingly accused.

Yes, she did. Like most people did. Regina smirked a little in the dimmed light.

Emma stuffed the piece of liquorice inside her mouth. "Mmmm!" she exclaimed. "This is so goooood!"

So good. Wasn't that…. One of the things Emma had said the night where they… Yes. Yes, it was.

Regina quietly cleared her throat and tried to think of something else. Something that did NOT have anything to do with sex. A difficult task, but she wasn't all that mad about her inability to think about other things. This was a GOOD thing.

It meant that she truly was becoming lesser and lesser fearful when it came to sex. She hadn't been fearful last night when she and Emma were laying close in the bed. She hadn't been fearful when she had gotten the idea to 'help' Emma. She had not done it out of obligation.

Just like she wouldn't do it out of obligation when she and Emma finally at some point crossed that bridge. She would do it because she wanted to.

It truly was that simple…

By the time they reached Steveston, Regina had the strongest urge to turn the car around and drive them back to their little hideout in Salmon Arm.

But unfortunately enough, that was not something that could happen. That much was evident when they reached Emma's house.

"Damnit," Emma grumbled as Regina parked the car.

Regina switched off the engine.

"I don't wannaaaaaa," Emma announced, dramatically throwing her head back.

Regina was with her on that one. Her desire to say goodbye to Emma was… below zero. She frowned as she looked out of the window.

"I suppose this is the part where I get out of the car," Emma half-moaned.

Unfortunately, yes. Regina unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. She was planning on walking Emma all the way up to her house. She was pretty sure she heard Emma sigh. Then the clicking sound of her seatbelt. By the time Emma got out of the car, Regina had opened the trunk and was elegantly pulling at Emma's duffel bag.

"I could have done that myself," Emma pointed out as Regina succeeded in hauling the duffel bag out of the trunk.

Regina shrugged. Sure she could. But that didn't mean she should. She closed the trunk and handed the duffel bag to Emma.

"Thanks," Emma said with a slight chuckle.

Together they walked up the little pathway that lead to Emma's front door.

Emma roamed through her coat pockets for a moment before exclaiming a rather endearing 'aha!' and then clutching a silvery key in her hand.

Well, this was it. The moment they said goodbye. Regina had no idea how. Their extended weekend had been absolutely wonderful, and it felt so anticlimactic to say goodbye.

"Well..." Emma said and did an odd little shift. She had one foot on the first step of the porch and one on the ground. It couldn't be very comfortable. Right now, Emma was the picture of stalling.

Regina nodded. Mostly because she had no idea how to say goodbye.

"If it wasn't because I know you're going home to your adorable son, I would have invited you in for a cup of coffee," Emma said.

Regina smiled. A cup of coffee would have been nice. She was starting to fade a little bit. It had been a long drive.

"No, actually, scratch that. If it wasn't because I know you're going home to your adorable son, I would have invited you to stay the night," Emma corrected herself. "I wouldn't have minded another night of co-sleeping."

Nor would Regina. She was so gonna miss their co-sleeping. God, the thought alone of going to bed by herself tonight was agonizing. She stepped forward and cupped one of Emma's cheeks.

Emma shivered. Regina hoped that it wasn't because her hand was cold. She had forgotten her gloves in the car. She attempted to move her hand away from Emma's cheek but was stopped when Emma put a hand over hers. She smiled.

"Thank you so much for inviting me to come with you. I've loved every second of it. Even though we sucked at watching a movie together."

True. They had been the absolute WORST at watching a movie together. Regina couldn't help but smirk as she re-lived how they had kissed each other yesterday. They had continued for HOURS. Until a clap of thunder had startled them both. And Emma had found the old game of scrabble. That had put a stop to their kissing. For a little while. When Regina successfully won, Emma rewarded with… a kiss.

Regina said thank you for the kiss with another kiss.

And so they had continued.

Emma leaned in- actually, she was stumbling a little bit- and then she pressed her lips against Regina's in a soft, sweet kiss.

Regina responded by lifting her other hand, so she now was cupping both of Emma's cheeks. She noticed that Emma was standing with both feet on the first step of the porch now. Meaning that she was taller than Regina.

Regina didn't mind that at all.

Emma's fingers skated from her cheek and to her waist. Once again, Regina noticed the little things that made Emma so wonderful. How she even now avoided to touch her neck. How she resisted to wrap her arms around Regina's neck like most people would have done now. It would only have been natural. But instead, Emma's arms wrapped around her waist.

Regina couldn't help but releasing a soft little moan. She did not care that they were in public.

Clearly, Emma didn't either. Regina felt her grip around her waist tighten a little. Not in an uncomfortable manner, of course. No. Emma's grip around her waist felt completely and one hundred percent safe.

When Emma deepened the kiss, Regina sneakily nipped at her bottom lip. Emma clearly had not expected that. She moaned. Louder than what Regina had expected her too, causing Regina to stiffen in surprise. But only for a split second. Soon she was nibbling at Emma's bottom lip again. Was she teasing her? Yes. Perhaps a little bit. But it didn't make Regina feel bad. It made her feel…. Wicked. In the best way possible.

Regina happily could have continued this all night. And chances that they would have if Ruby Lucas hadn't flashed her headlights at them. The kiss was broken when both of them looked up.

Emma seemed annoyed and grumbled under her breath.

Regina, however, was amused. And she had every reason to. She was not the one who lived in the same town as Ruby Lucas. She could get out of this scout free. Satisfied with that, she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Well..." Emma said and shifted a bit on the porch. "I suppose we better..."

Indeed. Regina nodded. Lifted her hands and made a sign she hoped Emma would recognize.

Emma did. Grinning like the Cheshire cat, but voice nonetheless soft she said: "I love you too. "And I wish you could come back inside, but I know you have to get home to Henry, so I won't suggest it."

Regina rumbled in amusement. Then she reached out and gave Emma's hand a soft squeeze.

"Goodnight," Emma said softly.

Lifting her hands, Regina signed 'goodnight'.

"Could you sign 'I love you' again?" Emma asked her and the longing in her voice was so palpable, Regina nearly kissed her again.

She didn't, though. Instead she lifted her hands and signed 'I love you' again.

"I want a recording of you doing that," Emma said with a grin. "And then I wanna look at it when we're not together."

Regina shook her head again. Emma, Emma, Emma. What was she going to do with that woman?

"And now I'm just stalling because I don't want you to go home," Emma openly admitted and shrugged in a 'what are you gonna do about it?'-matter.

Well… Regina happened to know EXACTLY what to do about it. She leaned in and captured Emma's lips in a surprise kiss. One that had Emma go 'mmmm!', kiss her back for a glorious minute or so, before pulling back, straightening her posture and declare: "okay, I'm totally gonna let you go now."

Lies. All lies. It turned out that now wasn't 'now'. 'Now' was five minutes later once they had broken apart from yet another glorious kissing-mini-marathon.

"Text me tomorrow?" Emma asked a bit breathlessly when Regina finally walked back to her car.

Regina settled for a thumbs-up. That was literally all she could muster right now. Her head was spinning, and her legs felt wobbly.

After one last smile, Regina climbed inside her car. Buckled her seatbelt and drove off into the night. Now she just had to get home. And to bed. Now that Emma was no longer with her, Regina finally had the time to acknowledge how tired she was. It was a long drive from Salmon Arm.

And she also missed her son. She knew that Henry had been in the safest of hands all weekend, but she still missed her boy. Of course she did. And she had noticed that Henry had texted her very regularly today. First asking at what time they were leaving the cabin, and once they were on the road, where they were. Regina had sensed some separation anxiety coming from her son, and that was the reason why she might be stepping a little extra on the gas pedal. She could only hope that she would not encounter an officer on the road. If she did that, she would end up with a speeding ticket. And that would not be the best way to conclude this glorious trip…

The lights were still switched on in her sister's house when Regina finally could park the car. She unbuckled her seat belt but remained sitting in the car. Just taking a moment to slowly move her head from side to side. Her neck was a little sore. Probably because she had been driving for so long. Perhaps she SHOULD have accepted Emma's offer about driving. Oh well. Lesson learned.

She got out of the car and retrieved her suitcase from the boot of the car. Her feet were a bit achy as she walked up to the house. Why had she even worn high heels for driving? And where was Emma's foot massage when you needed it?

Regina forced herself to stop smirking. Remembered that she would see her sister in a moment. Now was not the time for smirking.

She was only few steps away from the door when it was flung open. She heard an excited "MOM!". Saw a blurry figure by the door. Then little arms hugging her tightly and a mop of brown hair.

Regina unceremoniously dropped her suitcase on the ground and lifted Henry into the air. Spun him around exactly like she had done when he was a tiny tyke.

He was not anymore. His longish legs were swinging in the air as she spun him around, but his laughter hadn't changed much from five year old Henry's laugh.

"Moooom," he laughed. If he was trying to protest, he was failing miserably.

Regina spun him around one more time for good measurement. She had no idea why they were doing this. It was not like she had been away for weeks. It had only been a couple of days.

Oh well. She would never get tired of being welcomed home in this way.

"I've missed you!" Henry said once Regina had sat him back on his feet. He hugged her tightly around the middle again.

Regina dropped a kiss right in his mop of brown hair. Then she crouched down. And once he was looking at her, she 'struck' and peppered his cheeks, forehead and nose with kisses.

"Mooooom," he said again. Still laughing. It wasn't an actual protest.

Regina kissed his precious little face again. Just because she could.

"Did you have a nice time with Emma?" Henry asked.

Regina nodded eagerly. Yes, yes, yes!

Henry grinned at her. And before she could even blink, he had taken her suitcase and was walking back towards the house with it.

That had Regina smiling. What a luxury. Apparently, her long weekend away had turned her son into a piccolo. Right then.

She followed said son up the pathway and opened the door for him so he wouldn't trip with the suitcase and all. That would be awful.

"Do you want me to take it upstairs?" Henry sweetly offered.

Regina shook her head and motioned for him to come to her. When he did, she took his hand.

"Well, well. My missing sister has returned home!"

Regina turned her head and found Zelena standing in the doorway and smiling at her. She returned the smile and did an odd little wave.

"How was the trip?" Zelena asked as she came fully into the kitchen.

In response, Regina just smiled. As wide as she could. She even gave a thumbs-up with her free hand.

"How wonderful," Zelena beamed. "And Emma? Is she still…" instead of finishing the sentence, Zelena simply waggled an eyebrow.

Regina nodded despite not knowing how that sentence was gonna end.

Henry suddenly freed his hand from hers. "I'm taking this upstairs!" he laughingly announced. Then he peeled off with her suitcase in his hands.

Regina glanced after him. Then shrugged lightly and smiled. Oh well. If he really wanted to take her suitcase upstairs that badly, then by all means let him.

She walked into the hallway and slipped off her coat and shoes. Retrieved her phone from the coat pocket and brought it with her as she headed back to the kitchen where Zelena was still standing.

"Tired?" Zelena asked softly.

Regina nodded. She couldn't deny that.

"Happy?" Zelena then asked.

Regina nodded again. This time more excited. Moving her lips, she formed the word: 'Very'.

"I'm so happy to hear that, Regina," Zelena beamed. "So you and Emma are…" she intertwined her pinky fingers to illustrate a close bond.

Regina nodded. Signed: 'perhaps even more than when we left.'

"Yes, you texted that you told her you love her," Zelena grinned.

Regina jokingly gave two thumbs-up. She sure did that.

"That's big," Zelena said plainly.

Another nod. It sure was.

Zelena tilted her head. "You look a bit different, sis. I can't quite put my finger on it, but you do."

Regina shrugged. Perhaps she did. If she did, that was her business. There was no way she was going to give Zelena any details on what had happened in the cabin. That memory only belonged to her and Emma.

"Henry has missed you." Zelena changed the subject. "He has actually been asking a little bit after you."

Regina frowned. So definitely separation anxiety. Which was plenty understandable. She would dedicate all her time to Henry now.

As on cue, Henry came back downstairs. "I put the suitcase on your bed, mom, I didn't mess up your clothes or anything, but-" he paused. Looked at her. "Mom?"

Regina nodded in confusion. Why did he suddenly sound so serious? What was the matter?

"You're not wearing a scarf," Henry quietly pointed out.

Oh. Ohhh! Regina's hand automatically went to her throat as though checking. Henry was right. She wasn't wearing a scarf. She moved her hand away from her throat again. She had no reason to hide her throat. That was a finished chapter.

"Oh my goodness!" Zelena exclaimed. "You aren't! When did you take that off?!"

Regina shrugged. Then signed: 'it was time."

Zelena looked like she was swallowing something. "Did Emma- I mean- has she seen…"

Regina nodded quickly and smiled. If it hadn't been for Emma, she wouldn't have dared taking off the scarf. But Emma had made her realize that she did not need to hide her scars. That they were nothing to be ashamed of. They were a part of her, and Regina did not regret her decision about ditching the scarf.

"That's awesome, mom!" Henry piped up. He was smiling, but his eyes remained serious. Like he could understand how big of a deal this truly was.

Regina smiled at her son.

Zelena said nothing. She didn't need to. She understood even better how big of a deal this was for Regina. It wasn't just a question of taking of her scarf. It was a question of letting Emma in. Like a true partner.

Zelena cleared her throat. Her eyes suddenly looked rather misty. She swallowed. Cleared her throat again.

Regina raised an eyebrow in warning. If Zelena was about to blubber, so help her…

It could have ended up being a good old fashioned blubbering party if Regina's cellphone hadn't chimed. Henry was quicker than her. And more curios. There was no way of stopping him before he had snatched her cellphone and shamelessly was looking at the screen.

"It's from Emma!" he loudly announced, waving Regina's phone while grinning mischievously. "She says thank you for a great trip! And she also loves you! Look!" he flipped the screen around so Regina could see. "There's a bunch of heart emojis and kissy-faces!

Zelena cackled.

Regina did not get angry at her boy for 'exposing' her secrets. She merely rumbled as she went over there and took the phone out his eager little hands. She glanced quickly at the screen. Henry was right. There was indeed a bunch of 'kissy-faces'. She dropped a kiss on his hair, stuffed the cellphone away in her pocket (she would answer in private) and signed: 'That's nice'.

It could have been interpreted as an understatement, but it really, really wasn't.

Being loved by Emma Swan was definitely nice!

It was everything.

To Be Continued…