Regina adjusted herself a little in the couch as she replied to the message Emma had just sent her. Today was a rather important day for Emma. Because today Emma had taken the first steps in choosing a layout for her book. That was very exciting, and Regina was so eager to know more. She wanted to know everything. Every last little detail. All the little tidbits. She had actually been showering Emma in questions ever since she got home from work. And Emma had answered every single one of them. Her excitement was so sweet and made Regina so happy. Emma was well on her way to become an author. Exactly like Regina had predicted that she would be. She had never doubted Emma's abilities. Had known it as soon as she had read chapters of 'A Tap on the Shoulder'. Emma was very talented, and she wished that Emma herself was able to fully see that. See her own potential. But Emma still doubted herself. Just as she doubted whether this was real or not. One of the first things she had texted Regina after coming home from work had been 'omg I can't believe that this is happening!'. It hadn't just been one of those cute exclamations on Emma's part. It had been genuine hesitance to fully acknowledge that her dream was coming true.

Regina had of course told Emma how proud and happy she was. But silently, she had hated Mary Margaret Blanchard for having done such a number on Emma regarding her dream. What kind of 'mother' would constantly bring their child down and repeatedly tell them that their dreams would never come true?

A bad one. An absolutely terrible one.

Regina was planning to stare Emma's so-called adoptive mother down when she met her. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to yell, but had she been, she surely would have. For a long, long time. She wouldn't even have cared that the woman was sick. Certain things were worth being kicked out of the hospital for.

She tugged her legs up under her, smiling as she replied to yet another text. Texting Emma was always nice, but today it was a little extra nice. It lessened her anxiety. She had been struggling a bit with that today. And she would probably struggle even more with it tomorrow. At the doctors. For the last exam before the operation.

Regina had of course tried all the usual stuff. Had told herself that it wouldn't be THAT bad. That if she just kept breathing, she would be okay. And yes, breathing would be a good place to start, but the reassurance didn't really work. Not today.

She liked Doctor Anton. The man was a very good doctor and had always been very kind to her. But the idea of him touching her throat still had her insides curling in a not very nice way. There was something jarring about a man touching her neck.

A pity that Emma wasn't a doctor. Because she was just about the only person Regina would allow to ever touch her neck. But unfortunately, Emma was not a doctor. And unfortunately, this last examination was necessary if she wanted the operation. And she did.

Regina did her best to push back the anxiety as she replied to Emma's text. 'Did you decide on a cover today, or are you still considering?'

The reply came quickly. 'There were soooo many options, but I actually ended up choosing a cover today. The one with the red apple and black backdrop. I think that will suit the genre perfectly.'

Regina smiled. Happy that Emma had gone with her initial choice. She had been very excited about that particular design, and Regina understood why. It sounded like a beautiful cover. She could already see it. And couldn't wait to hold it in her hands. To open it and read it. See Emma's name on the cover. The fruit of her hard work. The result of a life-long dream. To Regina, this was the most important book in the entire world.

'I think you're right about that. It's gonna be a beautiful book.'

'Yeah, almost as beautiful as you ;)'

Regina clicked her tongue. Emma was always taking every little opportunity to slip in some kind of compliment. 'Oh, stop it.' She texted. Obviously not meaning it in a harsh way. It was just teasing. And Emma knew that.

'Never. So, what time should I pick you up tomorrow?'

Oh god. Tomorrow. Okay. Focus. Not worry. She couldn't let this ruin the rest of her day.

'I think if you can be here at one it's fine.'

'Alrighty. I'll be with there at one, then :)'

Regina's eyebrow rose ever so slightly. ''Alrighty'?' she hadn't heard that one before, and now she was wondering whether it had been a goof-up or completely intentional on Emma's behalf.

'Yep. Alrighty ;)'

Intentional then. Regina rumbled quietly. 'Right then. What are you doing right now?'

'What I always do. Thinking about you.'

Oh, come on now. Regina rolled her eyes. 'Don't be silly.'

'I'm not. I'm thinking about you. And the awesome bath we took.'

Well…. 'Oh yes, I've been thinking about that myself. It still keeps me up at night.' Really, the memories kept popping up in her head at the most inconvenient time. And very often at night when she was supposed to sleep.

'I'm happy to hear that ;) a shame there isn't any bathtubs on the train ride from Vancouver to Toronto, ha ha.'

Why yes, that was indeed a shame. A damn shame. 'I suppose we'll just have to take advantage of the "bathtub time" we have left then.' Seriously, if Regina was to survive six weeks with no sex, she was going to require plenty of 'bathtub time'!

'Is that your way of telling me that you'd like to take more baths with me in the future? ;)'

Duh. 'Yes, I thought that was fairly obvious.' Regina sent off the text and felt rather pleased with herself. She knew that her dry responses always made Emma laugh.

'So I texted Henry this morning. We chatted a bit about his English assignment, apparently he's been writing a lot on it.'

Oh, so that little nugget of information had reached Emma too. Interesting. 'Yes, I've heard rumors of the same. But he still won't let me read what he's written so far.' And quite frankly, it was driving her nuts. She was so curious and so badly wanted to know what Henry was writing on. What could possibly be in that assignment?

'Seriously?'

'Yes, indeed. Apparently, it's a very secret assignment.' With his abilities to keep a secret, Henry could join the CIA at any day. But the question was, WHY did it have to be such a big secret?

'Clearly it must be. He hasn't even given you a little hint?'

'None whatsoever.' Unfortunately…

'Damn. Well, at least he hasn't shown it to Zelena instead, ha ha.'

Oh yes. That would have been quite unbearable. 'Yes, that's a relief. I couldn't bear if he allowed her to read it and not us.'

'I suppose we'll just have to live with the fact that he's not gonna show us.'

It sure looked like it. 'Yes, I guess you're right about that.'

'So.'

Regina lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. 'What?'

'Can I take you out for pie tomorrow? :D'

Oh. She hadn't expected that at all. 'Are you serious?'

'Yes, of course I am. You love pie. And I love you. And pie. It's perfect.'

'You are impossible.' Impossibly sweet.

'Is that a yes?'

'Definitely.' Very much so. No matter how much she tried to calm herself, tomorrow's doctor's appointment would be tough. And it would be nice do to something nice afterwards.

'Awesome! You have yourself a deal, then.'

And as nice as that was, Regina still pursed her lips slightly. 'I invite you to doctor's appointments, and you ask me out for pie. I think things are a bit uneven.' VERY uneven!

'No, they're not.'

Regina snorted. Emma always protested.

'They are... Are you absolutely sure you want to go with me?' and here came all her insecurities again. Great.

'What kind of question is that? Of course I want to go with you! If you still want me there, that is.'

Regina texted fast now. 'I do. I really do. I just don't want you to worry about me. Going to the doctors is always stressful for me, and sometimes I tend to zone out, shall we say. I'm just giving you a warning.' And a fair warning that was.

'You don't have to give me a warning, Regina. Zone out as much you need to. I'll be there to bring you back.'

Yes, Emma had done that before. Regina swallowed. She didn't want to get emotional. Not right now. Meaning that it was time to talk about something else. 'I know you will. Anyway, would you like to stay for dinner tomorrow night? I'm making Enchiladas.' She sent off the text and then raised an eyebrow. Oh, so she was making enchiladas tomorrow night. Good to know. That had been a completely spontaneous idea, and she was a bit worried of whether she would even be capable of doing that. Doctor's appointments always zonked her out.

'Count me the fuck in!'

Well, now she DEFINITELY would be making enchiladas. 'I'll take that as a yes.'

'A big fat yes!'

Oh, that lovely, colorful language. Regina smiled and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. 'Henry will be pleased to hear that but be warned. He'll ask about your book. A lot.' He had talked of little else since it was revealed that Emma's book would be published. Regina feared that he had been bombarding Emma with questions, but if he had, Emma hadn't mentioned it.

'Hahaha! He's more than welcome to ask. As much as he want :)'

Emma had just signed herself up for a night of '20 questions'. 'Alright. Now I've warned you. He always complains that he doesn't see you enough. You have no idea how offended he was when he found out that I had been to see you that Wednesday.' Oh yes, once she had restored his precious Wi-Fi, he had begun to take interest in her whereabouts. And he had been greatly affronted once finding out that she had visited his favorite person. Without him.

'Is that so? Didn't you tell him that we were just doing boring adult stuff?'

Regina was sure that Emma was smirking. 'I did. And that worked out just fine until Zelena showed up afterwards and wanted to know what that boring adult stuff was....' seriously, Zelena was way too annoying. One of these days, Regina would be forced to bring up 'that night'. The night where she had overheard her sister and Chad doing… boring adult stuff.

'And what did you tell her?'

'To stop sticking her nose where it doesn't belong.' Which had been very satisfying.

'And what did she say then?'

'That I was being rude. Me. The nerve of her!' Regina huffed quietly to herself.

'I wish you could see how hard I'm laughing right now!'

Regina wished that too. Was just about to write something dreadfully sentimental about how beautiful Emma looked when she laughed. But she decided to keep the joke going for a little longer. 'Easy for you to laugh, I was the one who had to deal with her. I love her deeply, but god, do I need somewhere else to stay!'

She sent off the text without paying much attention, but once the text appeared as part of their conversation, Regina realized what she had just written. 'but god, do I need somewhere else to stay!'. Oops. That…. Hadn't been intentional. Just an accident. This wasn't her making some pathetic attempt at hinting that she wanted to live with Emma.

Even though she did.

Even though living with Emma was one of the things that ranked highest on her wish list.

But again, she couldn't just invite herself and Henry to live at Emma's place. Couldn't just go 'couldn't it be great if Henry and I lived at your house?'. That wasn't how this worked. Emma was the one who had to ask her. And since she hadn't, Regina had to assume that the thought hadn't crossed her mind.

It was too soon.

Regina didn't want to make things awkward. She quickly sent off a new text. 'So, what are your plans for the rest of the day, my darling?'. There. A nice little change of subject would easily save the situation and spare her the awkwardness.

'I was planning on maybe hanging out with Willa and Helena for a while!'

Oh. That was a great idea. 'Ah, I see. Give my best to Willa, will you?' dear Willa. Regina had a particularly soft spot for her.

'You don't want me to give your best to Helena?'

Well, obviously Helena was great too. A rather strong lady, Regina had to admit. But it was Willa her heart beat for… 'Of course I do. But I want you to give the warmest greeting to Willa.'

'You like her, huh?'

'Oh yes, I absolutely love her.'

'Rest assure she loves you too :D'

Regina couldn't resist to tease a little. She knew that would make Emma smile. 'Are you quite sure about that? Have you asked her?'

'Of course I have. And she just told me how crazily in love with you she is!'

'I'm very happy to hear that.'

'I should really start writing….'

'And I should probably start peeling the potatoes.' Regina turned her head and looked at the potatoes waiting for her by the kitchen sink.

'Should I come help you? I could totally do that!'

'Forgive me, darling, but I doubt we actually would get any potato peeling done if you were here….'

'That's a good point, actually. I'd probably be more interested in kissing you against the kitchen sink ;) we haven't tried that yet!'

One of Regina's eyebrows went up and she caught herself grinning goofily as she thought about how lovely that would be. Being pressed up against the kitchen counter by Emma…

'We haven't. And I'm fairly certain that's a mistake. We definitely have to try that at some point.'

'Want me to come over? I can be there in five minutes ;)'

Regina scoffed. 'No you can't. Not unless you speed all the way here, and I will not allow you to do that!'

'Ooooh… So bossy ;)'

'Only when I need to be, miss Swan.'

'It's so sexy!'

Heat flashed in Regina's cheeks. Now she was actually tempted to ASK Emma if she wanted to come over. But then she reminded herself that it wouldn't actually fit with her plans tonight. She had quite a bit of work to care of after dinner. Zelena had claimed that it was silly of her to work the evening before her doctor's appointment. That she rather should do something nice and then have an early night.

But Regina knew that if she went to bed early, she would end up lying awake for hours and hours. Unable to sleep and with racing thoughts. It was better to keep herself busy. Much, much better.

'Is it?' now she was teasing again.

'Ridiculously, mind-bendingly sexy!'

Regina snorted. 'Mind-bendingly sexy'? Safe to say that she never had heard that one before. But she quite liked it. She liked being called 'mind-bendingly sexy'.

'If I don't start peeling those potatoes right now, I'll end up thinking about our bath again!'

'Can't you do both? Peel the potatoes WHILE thinking about our bath?'

'I could end up accidentally slicing off a finger…'

'Oh, fuck no! Okay. No thinking about the bath. Nu-uh!'

Regina smirked as she texted Emma and promised that she wouldn't. Look who was being bossy now. And 'mind-bendingly sexy' too…

The next morning didn't start out too good for Regina. She woke up feeling anxious and slightly nauseous because of it. Darn it. She had hoped that she would ace this a little more than she currently was.

She got out of bed, showered and got dressed. And once she was done with that, there was a sweet 'Good morning, lovely :)' from Emma waiting for her.

'Good morning, my love', Regina texted back and wondered if the sky would fall if she decided not to have any breakfast today.

'How are you feeling?'

Regina sighed. Well… 'A bit nervous. A shame I can't be sedated for this. A good thing I'll be out cold for the operation.' It was a very poor attempt at joking.

'You don't have to joke, babe. It's alright to be nervous. I know how tricky this is for you.'

'Tricky' was one way to put it. 'I'm so glad you'll be with me.'

'Always!'

'I shouldn't be this nervous. It's not like I haven't tried this before!'

'I'll hold your hand the entire time. I promise!'

That sounded nice. Regina wanted it to be enough. But right now, it wasn't. Right now, the anxiety was the most dominating feeling, and as they kept texting back and forward, Regina more than once ended up revealing that she was more than 'a bit' nervous. She didn't mean to. Didn't want Emma to get concerned. But she couldn't help feeling the way she felt.

'Tell you what... Why don't I just come right over after I've had breakfast? :)'

Oh. A part of the metaphorical block of ice in Regina's stomach melted slightly at that. 'Seriously?'

'Yeah, of course. Sounds to me like you could use some cuddling, and you know how happy it makes me to cuddle with you!'

She could definitely need some cuddling, but… 'Are you sure you're not busy?' surely, Emma was in the middle of having breakfast, right? She really shouldn't be interrupting her schedule just because-

The phone vibrated in Regina's hand. She checked the message.

'God, Regina! No. I'm not busy. At all. I'm never too busy for you, okay?'

Regina surrendered. 'Alright. To be completely truthful, I would really appreciate it if you could come over earlier.'

'On my way!'

The relief to know that her literal savior was on her way, immediately made things a little easier for Regina. 'That sounds good. I can't wait to see you!'

'I can't wait to see you either. I never can.'

Emma was on her way. Thank god. Regina took a deep, steadying breath…

It actually didn't take that long before Regina could see Emma's little yellow bug from her bedroom window. She was however in the middle of putting on some makeup (she hadn't slept well and it showed) so she left the initial greetings to Henry. Her door was half-open, and she smiled when she heard her son say: "hey, Emma."

"Hey, kid," was Emma's response. "How's it hanging?"

Regina's smile widened when she heard Henry chuckle and say: "come in."

"Thanks."

There was some shuffling and the sound of the front door being closed. Then Henry's voice: "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, kid."

Henry wasn't the only one who had missed Emma. Regina finished with the makeup and left her room.

Coming downstairs, she found Emma and Henry hugging in the cutest way imaginable. She didn't announce herself. Just stood quietly and drank in the image of her son and the woman she loved being so sweet together.

After a moment, Henry let go of Emma. Regina came forward and cupped Emma's cheeks.

"Hi, beautiful," Emma said as a grin spread on her lips.

Regina smiled back. Looked into her eyes and tried to communicate her silent question. And once the question was answered, she leaned in and kissed Emma. Just a little peck, of course.

"Eww," said Henry. While clearly being amused at the same time.

That made Emma chuckle against her lips. Then kissed her one more time for good measurement. Even went as far as to make a teasing 'mwah!' sound.

"Seriously?" Henry groaned.

Regina rumbled in amusement as she broke the kiss. She winked at Emma.

"Yep. Seriously," Emma grinned. "Just accept the fact that I'm crazily in love with your mom, kid."

"Ooookayyyy," Henry groaned dramatically. But Regina could see the look in his eyes. How happy and utterly satisfied he looked. Clearly thrilled that his mom was being kissed.

"Was that Emma I heard?" Zelena called from the kitchen.

"Yep," Henry confirmed before Regina nor Emma could get the chance to confirm. "She's busy kissing mom!"

Regina rolled her eyes. That little brat. If Zelena didn't waltz in on them, trust Henry to sell them out to her sister.

Zelena made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a cackle. "Oh. In that case I think you should get your little butt in here and give them some privacy."

"They're standing right in the middle of the hallw-"

"Just come in here," Zelena interrupted. "We weren't done looking at plane tickets!"

Henry grumbled something under his breath and then disappeared into the kitchen once more.

"Plane tickets?" Emma asked curiously and looked at Regina. "Why would they need plane tickets- Oh. Toronto, right?"

Regina nodded to confirm that Zelena and Henry was indeed looking at plane tickets so they could fly to Toronto. But that wasn't what she wanted to 'discuss' right now. She slipped an arm around Emma's waist and pulled her closer. Honestly, she was hoping for a bit more than just a few pecks.

Emma immediately understood what she silently was trying to communicate. She grinned as she put her hands on Regina's hips and squeezed a little. "Hey, you," she murmured. Then she kissed her again. And this time it wasn't just a simple peck.

Regina cupped her cheeks once more and felt how Emma angled her face to both lean into the touch and deepen the kiss. She tethered a bit on her heels. Rumbled in amusement over their shared eagerness. Was relieved when Emma wrapped her arms around her waist. Because it brought them flush together. And because it would prevent her from falling, should the worst thing happen. Regina hoped that wouldn't happen. She still had a bit of bruise on her buttock.

But seriously, keeling over because Emma was kissing her, wasn't that much of an unlikely scenario in Regina's mind.

"I can hear you slurping!"

"Henry!"

Emma chuckled as she broke the kiss once more. Regina was not embarrassed as she took her hand and lead her into the kitchen. She was more curious as to knowing if Henry was just being dramatic, or if she and Emma indeed HAD been slurping. Hopefully that wasn't the case. Hopefully, Henry simply was being dramatic.

He scowled slightly at them, but Zelena didn't. As always, she was amused as she looked up from the laptop on the table. "Good morning, Emma."

"'Morning," Emma greeted with a smile and gave Regina's hand a little squeeze.

"Good to see you again," Zelena said and then turned her attention back to the laptop. "Ha! I knew it. There's plenty of plane tickets available still. Getting to Toronto shouldn't be a problem at all. The only problem will be to get young master Mills to get his little butt out of bed early," she Henry a fond yet teasing look.

"I can get up early!" Henry huffed and puffed up his little chest in indignation.

Zelena snickered and ruffled his hair. "I know you can, Hen. I was just teasing."

"You suck," Henry stated plainly, and although it was rude, Regina didn't scold her son for it. She wasn't really in any position to do so considering how many times she had been tempted to raise her middle finger at her sister. Compared to that gesture, Henry's statement was a fairly innocent one.

Zelena laughed and looked at Regina and Emma. "And I've heard rumors that you two will be taking the train."

"Yep, that's right," Emma confirmed as Regina smiled. They would indeed be taking the train. And Regina was so looking forward to it.

"I think that's awfully romantic," Zelena teased. "The ultimate callback to how you met."

"Yeah." Emma turned her head and looked at Regina. "Hopefully I won't be in your seat this time."

Regina smiled fondly at the memory. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

"But if I am, feel free to tap me on the shoulder," Emma continued with a little smile dancing on her lips.

Regina remembered that too. That tap on the shoulder had started everything.

She instructed Emma to sit down and make herself comfortable at the table. She offered her a cup of coffee, and Emma smiled as she accepted the offer.

So as Henry sat down and began to ask Emma a million questions about her book, Regina walked over to the coffee machine to make more coffee. And while doing so, she listened to Emma and Henry's conversation.

"So, when will it be published?" Henry asked and sounded ever so impatient.

"It might still be a little while, kid," Emma answered him. "We're just getting things started."

"Okay, but I wanna be the first one to read it!"

"You will be," Emma assured him. "You and your mom."

"But not me?" Zelena butted in, mock-insulted.

Regina rolled her eyes.

"I'll see what I can do." Emma chuckled again.

"Don't forget us commoners when you become a celebrated and adored author," Zelena drawled, and Regina thought to herself that while her sister was many, many things, a 'commoner' was not one of them.

Regina happened to have her head turned in Emma's direction, and Emma smiled as she made eye contact with her. "That's definitely not very likely to happen. There wouldn't be a book without you."

Regina returned the smile as she came back to the table with two cups of coffee. One for Emma. And one for herself.

"Thank you, beautiful," Emma said as Regina sat down next to her. She reached for her hand instead of the cup of coffee, and Regina found that to be a little amusing.

"When are you guys doing to the doctor?" Henry asked.

The question was clearly directed at both of them, but Regina was the one to answer by signing the exact time to him.

"Oh." He glanced at Emma. "You're staying the whole day, right?"

Regina pursed her lips slightly. Was that concern?

"Yep. Definitely," Emma confirmed in a steady, secure voice.

"Cool. Can we do something afterwards then?" Henry asked eagerly.

"Tell you what... I've promised to take your mom out for pie afterwards. Why don't you come with us?" Emma suggested, glancing at Regina as though to make sure that was alright.

It was more than okay. Including Henry was incredibly sweet of her. It proved how much Emma knew that Regina and Henry were a 'package deal'.

Regina smiled broadly in response.

"I love pie!" Henry beamed.

Zelena glared at the laptop in front of her and muttered something about wishing that she didn't have to work this afternoon.

Emma chuckled into her coffee at that, but Regina thought to herself that it really was a shame that Zelena couldn't come. She too was a lover of pie. Perhaps they could bring some pie back to her. Zelena would probably appreciate that. She had worked rather hard this week. She deserved some pie…

It truly was a shame that they couldn't just enjoy a pleasant morning and early afternoon together. It was a shame that there was a different reason for Emma's visit. Time was going by way too quickly and Regina winced every time she looked at the clock. As 'leaving time' was approaching, she had bit her lip several times. And perhaps zoned out a little too.

"I think it's about time to leave, babe," Emma said so softly as though worried to frighten Regina.

Regina nodded reluctantly and rose from her seat to go upstairs and fetch a scarf.

Upstairs, she automatically opened her closet and found a black scarf on the shelf. She tied it around her neck and looked at her face in the mirror. Oh, how she did not want to do this. Oh, how she did not have much of a choice. Her gaze darted towards the drawer in her bedside table. The drawer where she kept those mild tranquilizers she had taken when she first started going to Doctor Anton's for checkups.

For a moment she was tempted to take one. Just one. Just to take the edge off things. But of course she did not do it. She hadn't taken tranquilizers in a long, long time, and she preferred it to stay that way.

She could do this.

HAD to do this.

Emma would be with her.

Things couldn't go completely wrong when Emma was with her.

Regina brushed invisible dust off the scarf. Then straightened her back. Took a deep breath. And walked back downstairs. She couldn't very well stay up here and hide.

Coming into the hallway, she found Emma and Zelena standing there. Had they been talking? And what about? Her? Regina was ninety nine percent sure that was the case.

"You ready to go?" Emma asked softly.

No. Not even remotely. Still, Regina nodded. But whilst wrinkling her nose. She then turned to Zelena and signed: 'make sure that Henry has had his lunch when we come home.'

"Yes, I'll make sure Henry is ready and has had his lunch when you come home," Zelena confirmed and smiled at her.

Excellent. Regina returned the smile. Then turned to Emma and gestured to the door. They should head out. Regina didn't want to be late.

Emma nodded. "Yep, let's get going."

But before they could go anywhere, Zelena walked over to her and kissed her cheek lightly. "I'll be over before you know it, sis. Remember your breathing exercises, okay?"

Regina gave another nod. A little more meekly.

Turning her head, Zelena called up the stairs: "Henry! Come give your mum a hug!"

"Coming!"

He was true to his statement. Regina had barely gotten the chance to blink before Henry had come barreling down the stairs and was more or less throwing himself at her, hugging her tightly around the middle.

Regina rumbled and took the opportunity to ruffle his hair. Just because she could.

Henry laughed and squeezed her harder. As hard as he could, Regina suspected. It was like receiving a good ol' bear hug. Henry was quite strong, really. Once he was looking up, Regina cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead.

"Mooo-oooom," Henry mock protested, scrunching up his nose and laughed. "I'm not a little boy anymore!"

Wasn't he? Regina tilted her head questioningly.

"Okay, but I won't be in two or three years," Henry said firmly as he released his grip on her middle.

True, true. In three years Henry would be thirteen. Oh god. The rumbling sound coming out of her was one of sheer disbelief. She couldn't quite wrap her head around Henry being thirteen in three years.

"See you when you get back. I can't wait to have pie," Henry grinned and batted his big brown eyes at her. "Can I have chocolate pie?"

But of course. Regina nodded.

"Awesome!"

His excitement over getting pie later had Regina pecking his forehead again and ignoring his mock-grumble. Once done kissing him, she turned her attention to Emma once more.

Emma flashed her a smile as she outstretched a hand towards her, and Regina took it without hesitating.

They left Zelena's place hand in hand. Regina felt perhaps a fraction more soothed as Emma squeezed her hand softly.

Rather than choosing the Mercedes, they opted for Emma's yellow Bug instead. That had been Regina's suggestion. She loved Emma's sweet little car with its upbeat, happy color, and she hoped that it could cheer her up a bit.

Emma suggested that she would drive, and Regina happily agreed with that. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be all that up for driving after the appointment.

Off they went. Emma behind the wheel, Regina in the passenger's seat. Her head was full of thoughts, and she was glad that she was not the one to drive.

"What sort of pie do you want?" Emma asked a bit suddenly.

Huh? Regina turned her head slightly. Where did that even come from?

"Chocolate?" Emma suggested.

Hmmm, no. Regina wasn't all that fond of chocolate pie. It was a bit too… chocolate-y. She shook her head and wrinkled her nose a little.

"A little too sweet?"

Regina nodded. Exactly.

"I get it," Emma said, elegantly maneuvering the car through a turnabout. "You're sweet enough as it is."

Oh, please. What was up with all these cheesy compliments today? Regina snorted, not at all unhappy about the cheesy compliments.

"How about banana then?" Emma suggested.

No, not banana either. Regina shook her head again.

"Lemon? Or it that too bitter?"

Yes, far too bitter. Regina nodded.

"Yeah, I'm not a fan of lemon pie either," Emma told her. "How about... cherry pie then?"

Nope. She shook her head.

"Hmmm, what then?" Emma said, clearly pretending to think about it, and Regina smiled because she knew exactly what Emma was doing. She really appreciated it. And it worked too. She felt better and couldn't help but being amused as Emma kept suggesting pies. Some of her suggestions were quite ridiculous. Regina had never in her life heard of a 'Dorito and onion pie'. Nor was she interested in familiarizing herself with it.

"How about... No, you wouldn't want that," Emma gently teased her. "It's probably a ridiculous suggestion, but how about... apple pie?"

Bingo. Regina smiled as she nodded in confirmation. Apple pie was indeed her favorite. And Emma damn well knew that already.

"Seriously?" Emma joked. "No way! I never would have guessed."

Regina rumbled now.

"I'll buy you the largest piece of apple pie I can possibly find then," Emma solemnly vowed.

Oh, Emma, Emma, Emma. Regina's cheeks hurt from smiling.

"I'm serious," Emma claimed. "I'm here to answer your every calling. Just say the word." She laughed and joked: "as you wish…"

Had Emma just tried to channel her inner Westley from Princess Bride? If that was the case, Regina might just have fallen a bit more in love with her. She happened to be quite fond of that movie. Perhaps they should watch it at some point. And perhaps Henry should join them. He happened to love Princess Bride too. Regina had raised him well.

She looked out of the window. It was a bit of a grey, cold day. A bit windy too. It was pie-weather. Definitely pie-weather. She was looking forward to that. Hopefully, she would still have an appetite by the time they were done at the doctors. Sometimes she felt a bit sick afterwards. But she hoped that Emma's presence would prevent her from feeling TOO bad.

She turned her head and looked at Emma again. She looked quite concentrated as she was driving. Was even frowning a little bit. Regina had the strongest urge to reach out and smoothen the wrinkle between Emma's eyes, but seeing that Emma was driving, perhaps that wasn't the safest thing to do. The touching would have to wait till later then.

Regina thought to herself that she could have done with another relaxing bath today. A shame that couldn't happen today…

As Emma parked the sweet little Bug on the parking lot near the medical clinic, Regina started to feel anxious again. Part of her wanted to hide in the car. Or better yet, suggest that they drove home instead.

But there was no way around this. She squared her shoulders as she unbuckled her seatbelt and exited the car.

It didn't take long before Emma was with her and slipped her fingers in between Regina's.

Regina gave Emma's fingers a squeeze and didn't let go as they crossed the parking lot. Didn't let go as she opened the door so they could head inside.

Down the familiar white hallway they walked, and once they reached the front desk, Regina didn't let go of Emma's hand either. She didn't want to. Instead she urged Emma to follow her as she walked up to the desk and waited for the brunette receptionist to notice her. Hopefully, without any encouragement. Regina didn't want to have to tap the glass window between them.

Nor did she have to. The receptionist looked up from her computer and flashed her a smile. "Oh, hello!"

Using her free hand, Regina quickly roamed through her coat pocket and found the slip of paper she had written earlier. It said her name, her social security number and the nature of her appointment with Doctor Anton.

The secretary quickly glanced at the note and then looked up again. "Of course. Just take a seat in the waiting room. Doctor Anton will be with you shortly."

Regina nodded and smiled politely at the helpful secretary before squeezing Emma's hand and silently urging her along.

They continued down the hallway. Passing many doors and a few nurses along the way. For each white uniform Regina saw, the more nervous she got.

The waiting room was exactly as ugly as Regina remembered it. Uncomfortable plastic chairs. Heavy green curtains. 'Upbeat' and slightly sickening blue color on the wall. Old magazines on the little round tables. And the distinct smell of hand sanitizer hanging in the air. The smell was so bad Regina's stomach curled unpleasantly.

Regina and Emma sat down in two of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, and Regina officially could no longer be distracted. Not even by the cute little girl who smiled dazzlingly at Emma. Not even by Emma's sweet smile in return. Not even by the soft squeeze she received to her hand. Well, she squeezed back, of course she did, but it was a weak attempt.

"I'm here," Emma quietly assured her. "I'm right here."

Regina blinked and concentrated on her breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Slowly, slowly. In through her nose and out through her mouth.

God, she was nervous! In a moment, a man would be touching her neck. Her most vulnerable place and what if she wasn't strong enough to handle that?

What if she forgot that it was Doctor Anton and not Killian Jones?

What if she gagged?

What if she started crying?

What if it all became too much for her to handle?

What if-

The glove was tugged off her right hand. The soft spot between her thumb and index finger gently caressed.

Oh.

It felt nice. Really nice.

The block of ice in her stomach melted a little bit more. It became a little easier to breathe. A little less strained.

After another moment of having her hand gently stroked, Regina exhaled and found herself capable of blinking. Of turning her head. And looking at Emma.

"Hey, babe," Emma said gently. "You okay?"

Well…. Regina pursed her lips and wasn't sure how to answer that question.

"It's okay if you're not," Emma softly reminded her. "You don't have to be okay all the time."

That was true. Regina gave a little nod and released Emma's hand to take off her other glove.

"I saw there's a coffee automat in the hallway," Emma said lightly. "Do you want some coffee?"

No, coffee would only make her feel even more jittery. Regina shook her head and found her phone in the pocket of her coat. She quickly typed: 'perhaps some water?' Her throat felt awfully dry. She turned the screen towards Emma.

"Sure," Emma said briskly as she rose from the plastic seat. "I'll find you some water. I'll be right back, okay?"

Regina nodded and watched as Emma disappeared out of the waiting room. She felt a twang of panic and hastily reminded herself that Emma was just going to get her some water. She would be right back. She wasn't leaving her.

She was fine.

She was fine.

She was fine, she was fine, she was fine, she was fine.

"Miss Mayer?" a nurse called from the door, and Regina jumped a little in her seat because for a moment it had sounded like she said 'miss Mills' and she couldn't go in without Emma! She refused!

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should just leave. While she could.

Regina took a breath. The nurse had NOT called her name. Mayer wasn't even remotely close to Mills. She really needed to pull herself together.

"One plastic glass of water coming up."

She blinked, looked up. There was Emma. Right in front of her. Thank god. Regina smiled as she accepted the plastic cup of water. She hoped she looked calm. Didn't want to reveal how close she had come to storming out of the room…

Emma sat down next to her. Put a hand on her knee. It felt quite soothing.

Regina gobbled down most of the water and cleared her throat. Like she had done a few times already. Her throat was playing tricks on her. It felt like it was closing up on her when it wasn't.

Emma began to draw random patterns on her knee, and the gentle gesture had Regina releasing a little puff of air. That felt nice too. The panic lifted a little and she became able to focus on the things around her. Including the adorable little boy in the corner who seemingly was playing some kind of guessing game with his mother. Not unlike the pie-guessing-game she and Emma had engaged in while driving here.

"He kinda looks like Henry," Emma observed, also glancing in the little boy's direction.

Regina did a double take on the little boy and realized that Emma was right. The boy had a mop of brown hair and big brown eyes. Definitely not unlike Henry. She nodded eagerly and smiled as she watched the little boy stalk around on his chubby little legs. He was awfully sweet. Reminded her very much of Henry when he was at that age. This little boy was definitely just as curious as her son was. Regina couldn't have been more delighted when the little tyke came stalking over to her and offered a sweet "'ello!". She smiled and waved at the little boy. Unfortunately could not say anything. But that clearly didn't matter. He seemed very entertained and immediately copied the motion.

Names were called in the waiting room. Including the little boys. He was called Anthony. That was a sweet name for him. It suited him very well.

With the little boy gone, Regina went back to sipping her water. Went back to breathing deeply. Emma went back to drawing on her knee. And while it was nice, it didn't distract her completely. She flinched every time a new name was called.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Regina fished it out and checked the message. Smiled when she saw the silly picture she had received from Zelena. It was a picture of her and Henry. Both of them were grinning in a very goofy manner while flashing thumbs ups, and for unknown reasons, Zelena had added a ridiculous cat-filter that gave them both cat's ears and whiskers. One could wonder why, but there probably wasn't a deeper meaning with it.

"Can I know the joke?" Emma asked curiously.

Regina flipped the screen towards her and Emma grinned when she saw the picture. "Nice. They look good with whiskers, don't they?"

They definitely did. Regina turned the phone slightly so she could write a reply to the picture. 'Seems like everybody wants to be a cat.', she wrote and smiled because Emma was reading over her shoulder.

"Including me," Emma chirped in.

Right then. 'Including Emma. I'll have you know she's very jealous of your whiskers.', she added to the message.

"That's right. I am," Emma said firmly, chuckling again.

Regina shot her a fond gaze and thought to herself that Emma would look mighty sweet with that silly cat filter. They should try taking such silly pictures sometimes.

No. She shook her head slightly. That was TOO silly. Even for them.

"I thought Zelena was busy working?" Emma questioned and raised an eyebrow.

Regina shrugged and tapped away from the message so she could write down her observations about 'the mysterious case of the two cats'. 'Apparently she's not too busy to be a cat.'

"Apparently not," Emma laughed.

Regina slipped the phone back inside her pocket again. It was sweet of Zelena to send such a silly message. A bit of cheering from the sideline.

She wished it had been enough to make her feel all confident when the nurse re-appeared and called: "Regina Mills?"

Regina's head snapped up. Fuck. That was her. Okay. She could do this. She rose from the uncomfortable plastic chair and walked over to the nurse. Emma followed her.

She shook hands with the nurse just like she always did. So did Emma.

"Hi, I'm Emma. Emma Swan."

"Ah. Miss Swan. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," the nurse said as she shook Emma's hand. "If you both could follow me."

Well, what other choice did they have, Regina darkly thought to herself as she and Emma followed the nurse down the hallway and past two doors. The third door they walked through. Doctor Anton's consultation room.

Regina's insides twisted.

"If you could just take a seat in here. Doctor Anton will be right there," the nurse said.

"Thanks," said Emma and then they were alone.

As soon as the door had clicked shut behind the nurse, Regina followed her usual routine. She loosened the belt in her coat. Unbuttoned it and shrugged out of it. Left it hanging over the back of a chair. Next she took off her scarf and bared her throat. God, she had tried this so many times.

Too many times.

How wonderful it would be if she could skip the doctor's appointments in the future.

Regina sat down next to Emma in one of the plastic chairs. Scratched her throat slightly and bit her lip. Again. And again. It was a coping mechanism. But a very bad one.

"Careful," Emma murmured. "You'll end up making your lip bleed, babe. And if there's something I really don't wanna see, it's you, bleeding."

Oh. Fair point. Regina flashed Emma a meek little smile and took her hand. Let the pad of her index finger trail up and down Emma's fingers.

"That feels really nice," Emma smiled.

Yes, and for her too. This was definitely a better coping mechanism. A much, much better one.

"You know, I've never appreciated how nice handholding can be until I met you," Emma mused. "And now I feel like I've missed out big time because handholding is like, really, really nice!"

Regina leaned in and kissed her cheek. If this was another attempt at distracting her, Emma was doing a good job.

The door was opened and in came Doctor Anton. As tall and mighty and bushy-haired as always. "Hello, Regina," he smiled, outstretching a hand towards her.

Regina politely shook his hand and even mustered a little smile.

Then the doctor turned to Emma. Outstretched his hand and introduced himself. "I'm doctor Anton."

"Nice to meet you, my name's-"

"Emma Swan," the doctor finished the sentence and flashed her a smile. "Yes, I know. I've heard a great deal about you already, miss Swan. It's nice to finally put a face to the name."

Emma looked proud as she shook his hand, Regina noted, and she was very happy that she had mentioned Emma so often during her doctor's appointments.

"Well…" With the formal things out of the way, Doctor Anton sat down in his office chair. He looked at Regina. "First and formerly, I'm very glad to hear that you decided to have the surgery, Regina."

Regina shrugged slightly. He'd already said that once.

"And I've just received the paperwork from the hospital in Toronto," Doctor Anton continued. "They've decided to push your operation forward a bit. In a month from now. Is that okay with you? Otherwise I can call the hospital and ask them to find a new and more suitable date."

In a month. That was very soon. But perhaps that was actually a good thing. Had the operation been scheduled to in two, three or even four months from now, Regina would have spent every single month worrying and being anxious. A shorter timespan was better. At least for her. Now it depended on Emma. She turned her head and looked at her.

"That's fine with me," Emma said softly and flashed her a little smile.

"Alright," Doctor Anton said, shifting slightly on his chair. "Would you like me to go through the procedure one more time, or would you prefer to just get started?"

'Let's just get it over with,' Regina signed, knowing that her doctor could understand Sign Language.

"Okay. Let's just get started. Would you like me to send for the nurse, or is it okay with miss Swan present?"

In the cases where Zelena was unable to accompany her, Regina would have asked him to send for the nurse. She wasn't comfortable with being alone with men. Not even with her doctor. But she didn't need the nurse to supervise today. She had Emma with her. And that was more than enough. She gave Emma's hand a little pat.

Doctor Anton gave a nod and slipped on his latex gloves. Regina was vaguely aware that Emma was squeezing her hand, but she couldn't look away from those latex gloves, and when her doctor rolled closer on his office chair to be in eye level with her throat, she felt the sense of impending doom. Her stomach hurt. Her chest hurt. Her throat hurt. Everything fucking hurt.

Okay, Regina," Doctor Anton said in that soft, kind tone he always spoke to her in. "Tip your head back a little."

She did as she was instructed, but felt disgustingly vulnerable with her throat exposed. She closed her eyes as tightly as she could and squeezed Emma's hand. Every instinct was yelling at her to run, to get out of the door as soon as possible because in a minute this man would transform into Killian Jones.

And Killian Jones would hurt her.

He would wrap his belt around her neck and-

Her hand was squeezed. "I'm here. I'm right here."

"I'll do this as quickly as possible," Doctor Anton promised.

Then his fingers were on the sides of her neck. Only touching with his fingertips, but Regina still jerked involuntarily, and her breathing sped up.

"You're doing great," Doctor Anton said gently. "Deep breaths."

She bit her lip again and fought the urge to run as he palpated her neck. Oh god, that was really, really not nice!

"You're awesome," Emma said gently and gave Regina's hand another squeeze. "You're doing so good!"

Somehow, Regina managed to squeeze back despite feeling absolutely horrible. If only he would get his hands off her neck!

"That's it," Doctor Anton said as he moved his fingertips around her neck and followed the thin red line the belt had made.

It felt like her skin was burning. Like something else was burning under her eyelids. Regina squeezed Emma's hand tightly once more. Clutched on to this last little piece of comfort she had.

The squeeze was returned. "I'm here, Regina. I'm right here with you."

The doctor's fingers was touching the surgical scar on her neck now. Regina let out a puff of air. Had she been holding her breath again?

"We're almost through," Doctor Anton assured. "You're doing great, Regina. Just keep breathing as you do."

She was not doing good, and Regina feared that all three of them knew it. She was behaving like she was being exposed to the fires of hell. But she couldn't help it. She silently counted the seconds in her mind as Doctor Anton checked the scar from the first, failed operation. That was actually sort of okay. That she could breathe her way through. Ish.

But what she couldn't breathe her way through was when she felt fingertips grazing the mark from the belt buckle. Her eyes snapped open and alarm bells went off in her head. She coughed. Gagged. Memories of rough hands grabbing her. Pulling at her hair. A thick belt wrapping tightly around her neck. Too tightly. Her breathing sped up and became erratic. She couldn't get it off! Couldn't breathe! Why wasn't he stopping?! Why was he doing this to her?!

"It's okay," a soft, familiar voice murmured in her ear. "You're okay. I'm here. I'm right here. Just breathe, beautiful. You're doing awesome."

Breathe. Yes. She needed to breathe. Had to breathe.

Regina took a deep, shuddering breath. That was better. She felt less lightheaded now.

"This is the last part, Regina. We're almost through." Doctor Anton told her.

How soon was 'almost'? She bit her lip and tried not to shiver. Her hands felt damp and for a second she thought about how revolting that had to be for Emma…

"You're doing so good," Emma whispered. "So, so good! Seriously, you are acing the shit out of this doctor appointment!"

Despite everything, Regina still managed to smile. A teeny tiny smile. Barely there. But nonetheless.

"All done," Doctor Anton said as he at last moved his fingers away from her throat. "You did wonderful, Regina."

Was it over? Truly? Regina blinked and tried to focus on her surroundings. Could she at last breathe again?

Emma stroked her arm lightly once. "You did it. I'm so proud of you."

Regina managed another meek smile and looked at Doctor Anton. Were they really done? Really?

"All done," the doctor repeated and flashed her a kind smile. "Would you like a glass of water?"

Yes, please. Regina nodded. Her throat had gone all dry again.

With his usual effectiveness, doctor Anton was quick to provide her with a glass of water, and while Regina took slow sips of the cold water in an attempt to calm herself, he said: "everything looks perfect. You are all set and ready to go for the operation."

Well, that was a good thing. And now she was very much done with being here. She emptied the glass of water in one big swig and coughed. Cleared her throat. Smiled meekly at her doctor Then stood from the chair. Tied her scarf (loosely) around her neck. Then put on her coat as quickly as she could without seeming impolite.

Doctor Anton understood, though. Understood why she needed to get out of here fast. He smiled at her when they shook hands and didn't even seem to notice that her hand was trembling slightly as he gave her the papers from the hospital. Regina stuffed those inside her purse and then took Emma's hand.

"Ready to leave?" Emma asked and flashed her a smile that looked…. Proud.

Regina nodded eagerly. As soon as Emma had shaken hands with the doctor and said goodbye, they left the consultation room.

Down the hallway they went again. In the opposite direction, thank god. Regina couldn't get out of here fast enough. She was tired. And a little embarrassed. She had hoped she would do better.

"Are you still up for pie?" Emma asked. "Because it's totally okay if you want to wait."

Regina shook her head firmly. Of course they were going out for pie. Just like they had agreed on.

"You're sure?"

She nodded. Absolutely. Yes, she was tired, and yes, she nearly had a panic attack back there. But she was better now. Much better.

"Okay. As long as you're okay," Emma said. "That's all I'm interested in."

Regina knew that already. Emma had done a remarkable job at soothing her in the consultation room. She let go of her hand and slipped an arm around Emma's waist instead.

"That feels nice too," Emma said with a soft chuckle. Then she pushed the door open, and finally, Regina could step outside and breathe. Which she did. Sucked the air deeply into her lungs again and again and again. God, that felt good!

"You did awesome in there."

Hardly. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"You did!" Emma said firmly.

Nope. She found her phone in her purse and wrote a message. 'I gagged. I'm sorry you had to hear that. It was disgusting.'

"Bullshit," Emma said plainly upon having read the message. "It was not. It was perfectly understandable."

Regina scowled. Didn't agree. She really wished that Emma hadn't witnessed that. That wasn't exactly the new level in their relationship Regina had been interested in taking.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her lips was pecked gently. The following question was equally soft. "You ready for some pie?"

Regina nodded and smiled. She was. Very much so. She was still feeling a bit lightheaded, and something sweet would probably help.

They headed back to the Bug. Emma behind the wheel again. Regina in the passenger's seat once more. Emma switched on some music (after having asked), but it wasn't the usual loud music she normally listened to. Instead it was gentle piano music.

Regina shot Emma a sideway glance. Classical music wasn't Emma's taste. She was clearly staying on this channel for her sake. How sweet. But she shouldn't force herself to listen to piano music when she wasn't that interested in it. Regina tried her best to communicate that by gesturing.

And somehow, Emma understood her. "I'm cool with piano music," she said with a chuckle. "You don't need anything loud or shouty right now."

No, she did not. Emma was entirely correct about that. And the piano music did feel very soothing. Regina leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. She was very relieved that it was over now. That she wouldn't have to think about doctor's or hospitals until in a month. And first there was the train ride. That was something to look forward to. A right little journey.

"Are you alright, babe?"

She nodded. Perhaps not entirely 'alright', but slowly and steadily, she was getting there. As to prove that, she fished her phone out of her purse again and took a picture of herself. With the cat-filter. She sent it to Henry accompanied with a funny message to let him know that they were on their way back.

Henry answered quickly. He liked the cat-filter….

Arriving at Zelena's place, Emma honked twice to let Henry know that they were there, and it didn't take long before he came rushing out of the house and nearly fell sideways into the car.

"Ready for pie, kid?" Emma asked and one of her eyebrows did a little dance of amusement. Most likely at the way Henry nearly stumbled into the car.

"Yep," Henry confirmed and leaned forward as he asked: "how did it go, mom?"

'It went alright,' Regina signed. It was a harmless little white lie.

"Good," Henry said. "So you're definitely getting the surgery?"

Absolutely. Regina nodded in confirmation.

"That's awesome," he grinned and gave Regina's shoulder a little squeeze. "I'm proud of you, mom!"

Regina immediately felt a little less tired upon hearing that.

"Zelena was jealous," Henry revealed with a grin. "She wanted to come with us for pie."

But of course she did. Regina smiled a little.

"We could maybe bring something back to her?" Henry suggested.

"That's a good idea, kid," Emma nodded. "A really good idea."

Regina nodded and turned her head so she could flash him a proud look. It was sweet of him to think of that. Exactly like she had done earlier.

"I'm hungry," Henry said simply.

Emma's stomach chose this exact moment to growl rather loudly, and Regina smiled again. Henry clearly wasn't the only one who was hungry.

"So am I apparently," Emma quipped. "Maybe I'll have two pieces of pie."

"Me, too!" Henry said excitedly.

No. Regina shook her head.

"Why not?" Henry moaned. "I'm really hungry, mom!"

She didn't doubt that. But she happened to know how big those slices of pie were. Regina shook her head again.

"While the two of you discuss that, I think we should get going," Emma quipped as she switched the engine back on. "Next stop, pie!"

"Next stop, pie!" Henry cried eagerly.

Their excitement was intoxicating, and when Emma moved a hand away from the wheel and squeezed her knee, Regina felt much more like herself.

"Are you sure you won't try a slice of Dorito pie, beautiful?" Emma quipped.

"What's Dorito pie?" Henry piped from the backseat. "Can I have that?"

Emma laughed.

Regina rolled her eyes and hoped that Henry wouldn't ever beg her to make that kind of pie. It sounded absolutely horrible…

Their trip to the cafeteria was a success. The pies were good, really good. Regina's appetite returned and she ended up eating a huge slice of apple pie.

But once she had consumed the last spoonful, she was completely and utterly exhausted. Could barely keep her eyes open as they headed back to the car. She mostly left the conversation to Emma and Henry as they drove home. She was longing to either sit or lie down for a long time. And she was longing to finally be rid of that damned scarf. She had felt like it was suffocating her more than a few times already.

Henry was grinning like a mini version of the Cheshire cat by the time they reached Zelena's place. His belly was full of chocolate pie and his hands full of the box of pie they had bought for Zelena. As soon as the car was parked, he ripped the door open and sprinted inside as fast as his little legs could carry him. Clearly eager to surprise his aunt with the pie.

Regina was NOT in a hurry as she and Emma followed suit a couple of seconds later. She was much too tired for rushing. Too tired to even scold Henry for leaving the door wide open.

They made it inside and had just ridded themselves of their outerwear when Zelena came into the hallway. "You're back," she observed and smiled. Henry had clearly presented the pie to her. "Henry said it went well at the doctors. Was that the kid friendly version or not?"

Regina tilted her hand in a so-so manner. She still didn't think that she had done a very good job. And yet she still had been rewarded with pie. Like a child who had done a good job and had been taken out for ice cream as a reward. That was a little amusing.

"She did amazing!" Emma said firmly. Ever the loyal partner.

"Of course she did," Zelena said (ever the loyal sister) and shot Regina a fond look. "Thank you for the pie, by the way."

Regina shrugged lightly at that and reached within her purse. Found the papers Doctor Anton had given her and handed them to Zelena. She probably had some interest in those too.

Zelena quickly flicked through the papers. Then looked up. "You're getting the surgery in a month."

Regina nodded and pursed her lips. Had trouble with keeping her eyes open. She was so, so tired.

"That looks like a nap to me." Zelena observed.

'I can't. I have to make dinner," Regina signed while shaking her head. She had promised Emma enchiladas….

"You can make Enchiladas another time," Zelena gently brushed her off. "Why don't we just order in tonight instead?"

Tempting. Very tempting.

"That's a great idea," Emma chirped in and looked like Zelena had just invented something fantastic.

"What do you say, sis?" Zelena asked. "In the mood for some Chinese takeout?"

She was always in the mood for Chinese takeout. No doubt about that. But again, she had promised to make enchiladas. She had bought all the ingredients and she couldn't just change their dinner plans.

"Henry!" Zelena shouted, turning her head towards the kitchen. "Do you want Chinese for dinner?"

"Yes!" Henry shouted back. "I always want Chinese for dinner!"

"That's settled then," Zelena said in that typical no-nonsense way. "Now go upstairs and get that nap."

Okay. Okay, she would go and lie down. But hopefully, not alone. She looked at Emma. Tilted her head as she pointed to the staircase and then to herself.

"Yep. I'd love to take a nap with you," Emma said immediately. "Lead the way, beautiful."

Regina did just that. She passed Zelena on the way. Smiled at her and mouthed 'so tired' to which Zelena muttered an almost inaudible 'uh-huh' and nodded ever so slightly.

She walked upstairs, closely followed by Emma, and as soon as the bedroom door had closed behind them, Regina took off her scarf and scratched her neck. Slipped off her blazer and opened the first three buttons in her blouse. For a moment she considered taking off her bra too, but she didn't have the energy to reach back.

She simply collapsed onto the bed. Literally collapsed.

It didn't take long before Emma was laying next to her. Her voice was soft as she asked: "any chance you wanna cuddle?"

Yes, absolutely. Regina gave a sleepy nod and wiggled closer to Emma. As soon as she was in her arms, she grasped Emma's hand and placed it on the side of her neck. Oh, that was much required after all that poking and prodding and fucking palpating! This was another victory for her. Not too long ago, Regina never would have allowed anyone to even come near her after a doctor's appointment. She would have hidden alone in her bedroom. But now… Now she craved closeness from her partner. Touches. Instead of isolating, she was communicating.

"You need some good touches?"

Regina nodded tiredly once more. That was exactly what she needed. Emma's loving hands on her neck.

"Okay. Let me know if it becomes too much, okay?"

She gave another little nod to confirm that and lifted her head slightly so she could first peck Emma's lips and then mouth 'I love you'.

"I love you too," Emma beamed. "So much."

Regina lifted a leg and slung it over Emma's hip. Not to indicate that she was in the mood for anything, she definitely wasn't, but just to get a fraction more closeness. And Emma understood that. She wrapped her free arm around Regina's waist and pulled her closer, so their bodies were flush together.

Yes, this was exactly what Regina needed right now. She let out a sigh of pure satisfaction. It was wonderful to once again feel safe. She adjusted slightly and smiled when Emma snickered a little and said: "that tickles, but it's really nice."

Regina let out a sleepy rumbling at that. Then sleepiness washed over her, and she willingly surrendered to it. She could sleep. She was safe now.

To Be Continued…..