"Not too shabby," Emma commented with a grin as she looked around in the sleep compartment.

Regina shook her head and smiled. No, this place was definitely not 'too shabby' at all. There was of course the bed. Which actually was two beds that had been pushed together. Very nice. And quite fortunate too. If those beds hadn't been pushed together, Regina would have had to do that herself. There was no way she was going to sleep in separate beds. Absolutely not.

There was also a large window from where she could see the world drift by as the train moved. Even though the sleep cabin was a fairly small one, Regina still found it to be light and airy and very comfortable. Yes, this would make for a quaint little home for the next three days. Regina couldn't wait to lie on the bed and look out of the window. See the world drift by as she relaxed. This was gonna be a nice little mini-vacation. She could feel that. Regina felt very fortunate to be able to travel like this. And for not being here on her own. Having Emma here would make the trip so very memorable.

The sleep compartment did look like the one she had stayed in during her first train ride, but at the same time not at all. This one seemed…. Nicer.

Most likely because she was way more comfortable with being here, Regina mused. This time, she was not focused on keeping her door locked at all times and keep to herself. No, this time she was here to spend some quality time with her girlfriend.

Oh, how things had changed! Had it been possible for her to track down past-Regina and tell her this, she surely would have. And she would have cherished the look of surprise on her own face. Her past self surely wouldn't have believed her.

Which would be perfectly understandable, really.

She opened her suitcase and began to roam around through her clothes. She found what she was looking for, her pajamas and placed it on the pillow so it was ready for tonight. She unbuttoned her white trench coat and took it off. Slipped off her high heels. Popped open the button in her blazer and shrugged it off. Finally, she took off her scarf and scratched her neck. Ahh. Much better.

"The scarf's itchy as hell?" Emma guessed.

It was, actually. Regina nodded and flopped down on the bed with a thud. Ahh. Perfect. She couldn't quite get used to wearing a scarf these days. The less she wore them, the more they itched. Which was interesting when thinking about it. In the beginning, she couldn't imagine not wearing the scarf. But now she had trouble with wearing it. In fact, a part of her had started to detest those stupid scarves that always made her neck itch no matter what. How had she even been able to withstand the itches when she first started wearing those scarves?

Now there was a mystery she wasn't likely to solve anytime soon.

Emma laughed softly. "Tired?"

Yes. Very. She patted the empty spot on the bed and indicated that Emma should join her. Their quality time had officially begun, and Regina wasn't interested in wasting another minute. Meaning that Emma should join her in the bed. Immediately.

"Already ready for co-sleeping?" Emma teased, pushing locks of hair behind her ear. "We haven't even had lunch yet."

That had Regina rolling her eyes slightly. And wondering how on earth Emma could make 'co-sleeping' sound like something entirely different that hadn't anything to do with sleep… Oh well. She waggled a finger at Emma. Once again encouraging her to join her.

"Well, since you ask so nicely," Emma teased, crouching down to unlace her boots.

Regina frowned. Was she being too demanding right now?

"That was a joke, lovely," Emma assured. Her voice was soft, so she probably knew what Regina was thinking. "You always ask nicely, and I always love your suggestions. You know that."

That had Regina smiling, and she impatiently patted the empty space on the bed again. Emma needed to hurry.

"Are you gonna seduce me on the train?" Emma teased, voice sweet as ever as she slipped her foot out of the boot.

On the train? Regina automatically shook her head and was sure she felt herself blush. But she would lie if she claimed that that suggestion wasn't of interest to her… Seducing Emma was always a good idea, was it not? And so far, she had been very, very successful in doing so…

"Oh. Shame," Emma snickered, now slipping off her other boot and standing tall. "I wouldn't have minded if you did seduce me on the train."

Regina shook her head again and rolled her eyes. But perhaps seducing Emma on the train wasn't such a bad idea. Her head was definitely going places, and it was a little hard to stay focused on Emma who was now grinning at her as she unzipped her parka.

At least it was hard to focus until Emma suddenly said: "the hell is that?"

Regina tilted her head and raised an eyebrow in question. The hell was what, exactly?

"There's something in my pocket," Emma clarified as she thrusted a hand inside the right pocket of her parka. She frowned softly as she appeared to be grabbing onto something. She tugged it out and went 'huh' when she suddenly stood with an envelope in her hand. In a quick motion, she turned the envelope so Regina could see it. 'To Mom and Emma' it said on the front, and Regina's curiosity was immediately roused. Had Henry written them a letter? That was of course incredibly sweet of him, but why? Why would he write them a letter? Had he written something specific, or was he simply wishing them a good trip? Either way, Regina was happy to get a message from her son.

"Henry must have slipped it into my pocket when he hugged me," Emma deduced. "What a sneaky little monkey!"

What a sneaky little monkey indeed. Regina nodded and was extremely curious to find out what her son had written in that letter. The envelope looked very stuffed. Clearly a long letter.

"Shall we see what it is?" Emma asked as she quickly walked over to the bed. She laid down next to Regina and without waiting for Regina's answer (which would have been 'yes' anyway) she ripped the envelope open.

The first thing falling out of the envelope was a little note. Emma was quick to turn it over so they could read it.

'Dear Emma and Mom!

Both of you have been nagging me about wanting to read my English assignment, so here it is. I hope you guys will like it, and take care of it, please! I'm supposed to turn it in when we get back home from Toronto.

Have an awesome train ride. See you in three days!

Henry.'

Oh. Ohh!

"Interesting," Emma said and voiced Regina's thoughts perfectly. She turned her head and looked at her. "Are you ready to find out what your secretive son has been writing about?"

Regina nodded. She was more than ready! She had been so very curious about that secret assignment Henry had hushed up about.

Once again, Emma thrusted a hand inside the envelope and roamed around for a second. Several sheets of neatly folded papers followed when she withdrew her hand again. She flipped them over, and Regina eagerly bowed her head so she at last could read her son's secret paper.

'More than words', a modern fairy tale by Henry Mills.'

Once upon a time there was a Queen and her little prince- actually, the prince wasn't so little anymore, but the Queen had some problems with remembering that, so in this fairy tale, we'll call him "little prince" even though it's not true.

They lived happily until something happened. Something bad that made the Queen lose her voice. The Queen was real sad for a long time and even though she always smiled when her little prince was near her, he could see how sad she really was. He so wished that he could do something to make the Queen smile again, to see her be really happy.

Then one day, the Queen began her journey after having been away to have her battle scars looked after. The Queen had to travel home by train, because her carriage was broken, and she didn't trust those modern metal things that flies in the air. But that turned out to be a good thing. Because on the train the Queen met someone. Someone special. A princess, but not a traditional one. Let's call her a White Knight, or maybe even a White Swan. During the train ride, the Queen and the White Swan became friends. You see, to the White Swan, it didn't matter that the Queen couldn't speak. The White Swan took the Queen exactly for who she was. A nice person. A nice person the White Swan wanted to see again, so when the train ride ended, the White Swan asked for the Queen's phone number.
Not a very fairytale thing to do, but hey, all great stories has to start somewhere, right? And how else was the White Swan supposed to get in contact with the Queen again?

The Queen and the White Swan spent more time together, and the little prince could see how happy this made his mother. She began smiling again. And when she smiled now, her eyes didn't look sad anymore.

But like in every fairytale, there are monsters who tries to ruin everything for the heroes.

The Queen found out that a monster was threatening her White Swan, and so the Queen decided to stop seeing the White Swan. To protect her. To keep her safe. But the Queen was so unhappy.

Sometimes the little prince saw her looking out of the window without actually seeing anything, and he got so worried because he didn't want the Queen to stop seeing her White Swan.

The monster did things. Bad things. Evil things. He kept threatening the White Swan, and in order to catch the monster, the Queen and the White Swan had to go away on a quest. Because like all the other heroes, they were smart, and they managed to trick the monster. They managed to catch him and make sure that he wouldn't come back again.

Now the Queen and the White Swan could be together again, without being afraid of the monster, and the little prince was so happy when the Queen and the White Swan was together again, because he knew that the White Swan was the only help the Queen. Not save her, because the Queen once told him that women are not damsels in distress but help her. Help her feel better. Help her smile.

Right now, the Queen and the White Swan are on their way on another quest. A less dangerous one, but still an important one. The little prince know what the Queen is a bit nervous about this new quest, but he wants her to know that it's okay to be nervous.

Now the little prince hope that the Queen and her White Swan will be together forever, so all three of them can be a family and live happily ever after.

The End.'

Battle scars. To The White Swan, it didn't matter that the Queen couldn't speak. A monster threatening the White Swan. Oh, gosh. Oh Henry. He had seen things. Heard things. He KNEW things. And he had managed to convey it into a fairytale. About them.

"Holy shit," Emma said simply.

Had Regina been able to speak, she probably would have said something similar. But she was not capable of speaking. She had to settle for sniffing and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. This hit hard. Henry had seen things. Heard things. He knew about Liam. Somehow he knew about Liam and the threat he had been to them. To Emma.

This was perhaps conveyed as a fairytale, but Regina could read between the lines. This was not a fairytale. This was Henry seeing. Henry observing. Henry knowing. The Queen and the White Swan. Regina felt a lump in her throat. That was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

"How does he... How does he know all this?" Emma asked quietly. She looked utterly stunned.

Regina shook her head and shrugged. She didn't have the faintest idea how Henry could possibly know any of this. Had he heard them talk? He must have. But when? And how? She and Zelena hadn't discussed it when Henry was nearby. And her son wasn't one for eavesdropping. At least she didn't think that he was.

But really, how had he found out about Liam? How had she not seen him observe her?

"This is one hell of an assignment," Emma said quietly.

Regina nodded and grabbed her phone. Wrote down an answer. 'Yes, it's beautifully written. It's obvious that he's been given it a lot of thought and attention.' She turned the screen towards Emma and fell back into marveling at her son's talent. And observation talent.

Emma shook her head. "All this time he's been writing about us. I can't believe it. Maybe he should be a writer and not me." She chuckled slightly.

Regina smiled. But deep down, she worried a bit about her son. Perhaps this was a good time to have a proper talk with him. About Liam. It didn't sound very nice, but she had to come up with a new lie to tell her son. A reason as to why Liam had bothered her and Emma. Something that would make sense. But at the same time nothing that wasn't too scary.

Unless of course he already knew about the rock Liam had thrown through Emma's window. Oh god, please don't let him know about that! That was a scary thing. And Regina didn't want her son to know about scary things. She wanted him to maintain his fairytale outlook on the world. As grown up as he sometimes acted, he still was a little boy. And she wanted him to stay that way for as long as possible.

A soft little nudge from Emma brought her back to reality. "So I'm your White Swan, huh?"

Regina nodded and formed the word 'definitely'. There was no doubt that Emma indeed was her White Swan. Through and through.

"And you're my Queen," Emma continued, giving Regina another soft nudge.

Regina smirked a little now. She liked the sound of that. She liked it a lot.

"I suppose it's all in the name," Emma grinned.

It sure was. Perhaps being named 'Regina' wasn't all that bad. She took her phone again. But this time she did not write a message for Emma. This time it was for Henry.

"Are you texting Henry?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. That was exactly what she was doing.

"And telling him that it's a beautiful assignment?"

That too. She nodded again and felt a little affected again.

'Sweetheart, Emma and I just read your assignment. It's beautiful, Henry! I'm so proud of you for writing such a beautiful piece.', she wrote and sent the text to her son.

It didn't take long before he answered. 'Thanks, mom. I'm glad you guys like it. Take care of it, okay? I don't want it to end up lost on the train!'

'I'll take care of it. I promise.' She would do more than that. She would guard that assignment with her life. And when she got home, she would take a copy of the assignment and keep it forevermore.

'Thanks, mom :D Are you guys having fun on the train?'

'Yes, it's been very nice so far.'

'What are you guys gonna do?'

'Well, we are a bit tired, so I think we might take a nap. At least I will. I'm not too sure about Emma. But I'm sure she'll think of something. Perhaps she'll read.'

'Or maybe she'll cuddle you while you sleep ;D that's what aunt Zelena just said!'

'Your aunt says many things.'

'She says you're rude.'

'Does she? Well, tell her she's the rude one. Have you done your homework yet?'

'Almost done.'

'That's my boy. Make sure to do something besides playing videogames, okay? Get some fresh air.'

'Promise!'

'Good boy. I think I'll take that nap now, but I'll text you later. And thank you so much for sending that beautiful assignment with us. I'll read it many, many times.'

'I miss you, mom.'

'I miss you too, sweetheart. So much.'

Regina stopped texting and put the phone down. She looked at Henry's assignment again. She frowned. Couldn't help but wonder how much Henry knew. Did he know more than what was in the assignment?

No, he couldn't. Of course not. Perhaps he knew many things, but not that. Absolutely not.

Next to her, Emma slid closer and took her hand. Brushed her cheek against Regina's shoulder. It felt really nice, but right now, Regina was mostly preoccupied with the assignment. The word 'monster' nearly jumped up from the page, and she couldn't help but silently utter the word. She wished that Henry didn't know of monsters and metaphors. She wished that his beautiful fairytale didn't have quite so much… meaning.

A soft, warm hand was brushed up and down her back. Up and down, up and down. It felt really nice. After a moment, Regina became capable of lifting her head and looking at Emma.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked softly.

Regina nodded and gave a small smile. She was.

"Are you sure?"

Regina nodded again. Looked down at Henry's assignment once more. Shook her head softly. Smiled. She was so proud of her boy for writing such a beautiful assignment.

"You have a brilliant kid," Emma said softly.

She sure did. Regina nodded. To call Henry 'brilliant' was definitely not an overstatement.

"And he wants us to be a family," Emma continued. "What do you think he means by that?"

Regina shrugged slightly. It could mean many things. But right now she suspected that she knew exactly what Henry meant. That he wanted her and Emma to live together.

"We'll have to ask him when we see him."

Regina nodded again. That sounded like a good idea.

Emma put a hand over hers, and Regina turned her palm upwards so they could hold hands more properly. Emma squeezed her fingers softly. "I love you."

That made Regina smile. Then lean in and kiss Emma gently. Just a little peck. As much talk as there had been about seduction earlier, she was definitely too tired for anything even remotely close to seduction. After having kissed Emma for a little while and enjoyed the feeling of her other hand against her cheek, Regina pulled back and shifted so she was laying flat on her back. Ohh, that felt good. Her body was tired. And so was her mind.

"A nap before lunch, beautiful?" Emma asked and chuckled softly. "It would make sense if you're tired. You've been up at shit o'clock this morning."

Regina let out a soft rumble. Then she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax. It was almost like her body was sinking into the mattress. The very soft and incredibly comfortable mattress. God, she wouldn't mind laying here for a few hours. Like seriously. She was so comfortable right now. The stress of packing and getting here was finally melting away.

Next to her, Emma had started texting. Regina sleepily wondered who she was texting. Ruby, maybe. Or Elsa. One of her friends. That was nice. Regina smiled as she heard Emma chuckle. Whoever it was that she was texting, it was a fun conversation. That was good. Hopefully, Emma wouldn't be too bored while she slept. Because Regina was most certainly going to fall asleep in a moment. She was so very sleepy and comfortable. The train was moving and rumbling softly. There was something soothing about it, Regina thought to herself. The feeling of just laying here while being transported. And she would be here for three days. That was wonderful to know. She was looking forward to the rest of the train ride. That was the only thing she would be focusing on for now. Nothing else. All the other things in store was something that could wait. It could definitely wait. This train ride was all about relaxing and having a good time. And it seemed like she was off to a very good start…

A thudding sound made her snap out of the rather lovely dream she'd just had about a picnic by an unfamiliar lakeside. Regina's head snapped up, and for a second she was a bit confused about her surroundings. But then she remembered that she was on the train, and looked in the direction of the noise. Judging by the look (and sound) of it, Emma had just tripped over her boots. Oh dear. Regina hoped that she hadn't hurt herself.

"Shit, sorry," Emma groaned. "I wanted to get a snack because I was hungry. I thought I could do it both quietly and fast, but apparently not."

Regina was amused by that for second. For some reason, tripping over her boots was such an… Emma-thing to do. Then she focused on what Emma just had said. That she wanted to go and get a snack. That wasn't necessary.

Regina sat up and reached under the bed. Found her suitcase and unzipped it. Retrieved the old lunchbox she had stuffed into the suitcase earlier and handed it to Emma. She had of course come prepared.

Emma opened the lunchbox and Regina saw her face light up when she saw the chocolate chip cookies Regina had baked. She glanced at Regina. Pointed out: "you never eat chocolate chip cookies."

That was true. She didn't. Regina shook her head and smiled a little. Pointed lightly to Emma to indicate that she baked the cookies for her. Emma's sweet tooth was something she had noticed long ago, and for a long time she had wanted to bake something for Emma. She had found it to be such a sweet, old fashioned gesture. So had Zelena. She had 'oooh'ed' and 'ahh'ed' while Regina baked. Very annoying.

"Are you saying these are for me?" Emma asked with a tilt of her head.

Regina nodded in confirmation. That was exactly what she was saying. Emma caught on quickly.

Emma let out a little gasp. Then put a hand over her heart in something that could have been mock swoon if it hadn't been for the look of unbridled joy in her eyes. "Have I by any chance mentioned how amazing you are?"

First she tried to shrug modestly. But she couldn't quite keep the grin away.

"Good!" Emma said firmly. "I'm glad you know how awesome you are." She put the the lid from the lunch box away and stuffed a cookie inside her mouth. She 'mm'ed!' loudly with each bite. Then suddenly went silent and shot her a look of pure suspicion.

Regina raised an eyebrow. What was that look about?

"You didn't bake these yourself, did you?" Emma asked her.

Oh. Nicely spotted. Regina always had the utmost respect for those who could tell the difference between store bought cookies and those that were homemade. She jokingly tried to be a little mysterious about it and shrugged while giving Emma her best Mona Lisa smile.

"You totally did!" Emma half-shrieked almost in accusation.

Well, she wasn't planning on either confirming nor denying that. Regina kept playing mysterious. That was way more entertaining.

"You baked cookies for me," Emma said and shook her head a little. "You actually made cookies for me!"

Okay, okay. Maybe she did. But she wouldn't hear of any 'you shouldn't have'-crap. She absolutely should have. If someone deserved a batch of cookies, it was Emma. Definitely.

"God, you're amazing!" Emma said earnestly. "And these cookies are insanely delicious!"

Regina was very happy to hear that. So happy she flashed Emma a rather goofy thumbs up.

Emma came back to the bed and sat down on the edge. "Did you have a nice nap, babe?" as she spoke, she lifted another cookie with two fingers.

Regina nodded in confirmation. She had a very nice nap. But she feared that the nap hadn't done wonders for her hair. She ran two fingers through it and grimaced slightly. Yes, her hair was indeed sticking up. Oh dear, what a mess.

"You look awesome," Emma said plainly. "All of you. Including your hair."

Well. That was sweet. Even if it was a lie. Regina smiled a little.

After having swallowed the last bit of the new cookie, Emma's face split into a yawn. "Maybe I'm the one who needs a nap now. Watching you sleep has made me sleepy."

Regina rumbled, but deep down she was more amused at the admission Emma just had made. Watching her sleep, huh? Was that how Emma had spent her time before deciding to get a snack?

"Are you down for some co-sleeping before lunch?" Emma asked with a slight grin.

Yes. Always. She patted the empty space in the bed as an answer.

Emma was quick to put the lunchbox away in Regina's open suitcase. Then she lied down next to Regina. Wiggled slightly but clearly wasn't entirely satisfied. "Lie on top of me?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. Exactly what was Emma up to right now?

"I'm not planning on seducing you on the train," Emma laughed. "I just want you to lie on top of me. That's all."

Oh. Okay. Well, she had no problem with that. Regina rolled over and lowered herself onto Emma as easy as one two three. It felt wonderful as always.

"Yeah, exactly like that," Emma grinned. "That's it."

Beg your pardon? Regina looked down at her girlfriend and raised an eyebrow. Suggestive, much? Exactly what was Emma playing at right now?

"Oops," Emma said rather shamelessly. And clearly very much aware of what she had just said. And HOW she had said it. "My bad."

Regina scowled slightly and decided to get 'revenge'. She shifted and angled her body a little differently. In a way that meant that her breasts were being pressed against Emma's.

"You're doing that on purpose," Emma accused as she skimmed her fingers up and down Regina's back.

Why yes. Yes, she was. Regina smirked at her not-very-innocent girlfriend. Two could play this game.

That was when the train shook ever so slightly and nearly made Regina topple over. Apparently, there always was a price to pay for being a little naughty.

Emma was quick to wrap her arms around her and preventing her from accidentally rolling off of her. "Didn't something similar happen the last time we were on this train?"

Did it? Regina scrunched up her nose in confusion as she tried to remember.

"I think it did," Emma continued and gave her a little squeeze. "Right when we were getting off. It stopped abruptly and I almost slipped. You caught me by grabbing my arm. Do you remember?"

Ohhh. Yes. Of course she remembered that. The instinctive way she had reached out and grabbed Emma's arm had been the first bold thing she had done after being released from the hospital. Regina smiled fondly at the memory.

"Mmm, I think that was when I really decided that I had to see you again," Emma said and smiled down at her as she resumed skimming her fingers up and down her back. "I totally fell for you."

That truly was a horrible joke. Even for Emma. Regina rolled her eyes at her partner. But it was hard to keep making faces when Emma kept skimming her fingers up and down her back. At least it was until Emma's fingers bumped against something that hurt. A knot.

"Did you sleep funny last night?" Emma inquired, frowning softly as she began to gently knead the knot.

Ha. She didn't sleep at all. She was too anxious and stressed.

Regina didn't tell Emma that, though. She simply nodded and winced. That knot was quite tender. Now she had no problem with making faces.

"Okay, one of these days I have to give you a proper massage," Emma warned and somehow made it sound like a threat.

Oh? Regina raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. That sounded interesting. She already knew how good Emma was at massaging her feet, so there was a good chance that it would have the exact same effect when she massaged her back…

"I need to maintain my skills," Emma continued and somehow managed to sound innocent and not very innocent at all. "I spent a lot of money on that massage class that time. I'll be damned if I forget anything. If I ask really nicely... You'll be my guinea pig, right?"

Highly amused, Regina nodded her 'yes'. She would indeed be Emma's 'guinea pig'. A shame she couldn't have that massage right now. If only she hadn't been this sleepy…

Emma resumed kneading the knot in her back, and after a bit of wincing and squirming and groaning, Regina settled into it and started to relax. So did her shoulders. And the knot in her back seemed to be going softer. She let out a soft little moan at that. Thank god for Emma and her magical hands.

"Is that better, beautiful?"

It was. So much better. Regina flashed her partner a smile. Then she lowered her head and dropped it to the crook of Emma's neck. Oh yes, this was perfect. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the way Emma's fingers were skimming up and down and up and down her back.

Perhaps she should move. Perhaps falling asleep on top of Emma wouldn't be the best plan. She would definitely feel heavy when her body started to go limp.

But in the end, she never quite got to move. She was so warm. So comfortable. Of course she fell asleep right then and there. On top of Emma. With her face buried in the crook of her neck. And the scent of vanilla filling her nostrils….

To Be Continued…