Four days later, after having properly played tourists in New York and taken pictures in all the pictures you were supposed to take pictures in when visiting the city, Emma and Regina were back in the airport. Soon, they would be on a plane back to Madrid. Emma had mixed feelings. The first half of their New York trip had been hellish. But the second half of it, had been really, really good. They'd had a very good time.

They were not here alone. Lily had texted Regina earlier and asked if she could come to the airport, and after having asked Emma, who obviously had said yes, Regina had told Lily that she could.

Emma thought to herself that it was nice of Lily to come and hang out with them until they were called to the gate. Well, Lily was mainly here to hang out with Regina, of course, but Emma liked that. She liked that Regina and Lily got along so well already. She was certain that the two of them would become great friends over time. They were already getting there.

Regina had heard from Cora too. She had called earlier and wished her a good flight home to Madrid. Emma had gotten a full resume of the conversation afterwards. Cora had asked Regina if she would come back to New York anytime soon. To which Regina had answered that she was not sure. Traveling when she was this pregnant, wasn't ideal. Cora had expressed understanding about that. And then she had asked if she perhaps could come to Madrid and visit Regina with Malaina. Regina had said yes to that. Cora had not mentioned the birth again. Emma guessed that she knew she had messed up. She never should have asked Regina if she could be present for the birth. It was too soon. Thereby not guaranteed that Regina would have said yes if Cora had asked her later on. Emma could understand why Regina was hesitant when it came to nearing Cora. There was so much bad history between them. Bad blood. Emma would never stop admiring Regina for even giving Cora a second chance. That was far more than she deserved. But that only proved how good and kind Regina was. She truly was amazing. And she looked so beautiful today in her jeans and red sweater. Somehow, she looked even more pregnant, and Emma absolutely adored that. She adored the way Regina's belly was sticking out. Poking Regina's belly button, which was sticking out like a… well, button, had become her absolute favorite thing to do in the morning before either of them got out of bed. Regina always scolded her for it, but she was always smiling at the same time. Deep down, she did not mind it.

Emma took every single opportunity to touch Regina. Not too many days ago, she had been gravely afraid of loosing both her and Blueberry, and now she was reacting by always touching Regina. A gentle brush of their arms rubbing together. A soft hand on Regina's knee. A kiss to the side of her head. Showering Regina in attention had become her number one job.

They'd had so much fun on these last four days. Ruby and Belle had been there for some of it. Emma had so many pictures of her friends and Regina in all the famous spots in New York. She was pretty sure that Regina had tasted every single milkshake New York had to offer. Their days had been full of fun activities.

Not to mention their nights. Emma smirked at the thought of the searingly good sex she and Regina had had. Despite what Regina had thought, her size had not been an obstacle at all. Their nights had been really, really good. It had all started the night of the art exhibition where Regina shamelessly had seduced Emma. So much for cheeseballs and milkshake. Emma had only been focused on one thing that night. So had Regina. Both of them had enjoyed to 'reconnect' with one another, and this time there had been no Braxton Hicks. No pain. Emma had speculated of whether the pain Regina had experienced could have been partially psychological. Perhaps part of the reason for Regina's body to shut down, was because of what had happened between them. Regina's trust had suffered a blow, and perhaps she'd had trouble with letting her guard down completely. Emma had not shared her suspicion with Regina. That wasn't necessary. She was just happy that things were back to normal. And that Regina was not in pain anymore. Intimacy was possible for them again. Sure, it had been a bit awkward when the baby had started kicking right after they had… finished. Regina had flushed and mumbled something about momentarily forgetting that she was sharing her body with someone else. Emma had laughed a bit and then jokingly told the baby that it was okay for him to interrupt now. Regina had covered her face with her hands and told Emma to stop talking.

So Emma had stopped talking. Kissing was much funnier anyway.

"Hey."

Emma blinked when the gentle nudge to her shoulder brought her out of her musings. "What?"

"You've been staring blankly at the wall for more than thirty seconds, querida. I was starting to get worried," Regina teased and tossed her a little smile.

"Oh. I was just thinking."

"I gathered. About what?"

Emma shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Sorry. I'm here now. What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Regina chuckled. "I assure you, nothing groundbreaking has happened in the time you were staring at the wall."

Not completely true. Regina currently was rubbing her belly with one hand. The baby was kicking again. So Emma had missed out on something. She quickly reached out and put a hand on Regina's belly. Smiled when she felt their child kick away in there. He was quite lively this morning. Perhaps he was looking forward to going home, she jokingly thought to herself.

Regina found her phone in her purse, and something on the screen made her raise an eyebrow. Emma was going to ask who was texting her, but Lily beat her to it.

"Who are you texting?" she asked curiously.

Emma was not surprised. She had learned that Lily was quite the curious person.

"Your mom," Regina answered without looking up from the screen.

Lily raised an eyebrow and chuckled dryly. "Isn't that a pretty weird joke considering-"

"What?" Regina interrupted and looked up from the phone. Her eyebrows knitted together for a second. Then she sputtered. "Dios! I didn't mean like that. It literally is your mom."

"Oh." Lily grinned. "And here I was, thinking that you were joking. What does she want, then?"

"She's wishing us a good flight back to Madrid."

"That's nice of her," Emma interjected. "I didn't even know she has your number."

Regina shrugged. "I guess Cora must have given it to her."

"And you're… okay with that?" Lily asked carefully. "That my mom has your number, I mean?"

"Claro." Regina smiled at her 'stepsister'. "I don't have a problem with your mom. She's nice. And she can actually handle Cora. I wonder how she does it?"

"Love?" Lily suggested.

"Mmm." Regina slipped the phone back inside her purse. Then she smiled at Lily.

"We won't loose contact, right?" Lily asked. "That would really suck now that I've finally met you."

"We'll stay in touch," Regina promised. "You have my number and I have yours. And maybe you could come and visit me in Madrid sometimes? That could be really fun."

Lily perked up. "I'd love that! Seriously, that'd be great!"

"It's a deal then." Regina flashed her another smile. Then grew serious again. "Hey. If you by any chance hear Cora talking about potentially coming to Madrid, can you give me a heads up?"

"Thanks. She has a habit of springing things on me very last minute, and I would like to have at least some time to prepare…" Regina rolled her dark eyes. "Perhaps I'm being a bit unfair now. People can change. I know that."

"They can," Lily agreed with a slight nod. "But I get it. You grew up with her. You know a different version of her than I do. And considering how she mis stepped the last time you saw each other…"

Regina hung her head a bit, and Emma automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a little squeeze. She had told Lily that Cora had asked if she could come to the birth, and Lily had agreed that it hadn't been fair of Cora to ask Regina that. It was too soon.

Regina shifted next to Emma and muttered under her breath.

"Right in the ribs again?" Emma guessed.

"Sí." Regina rolled her eyes. "I wish he'd find a new spot."

Emma chuckled softly and gave Regina's belly a gentle rub. "Come on, kid. Be nice to your mom."

"I don't think that's actually working, mi amor."

Lily chuckled at their little exchange. "Little man going crazy?"

"Sí, I think he's training to become a dancer."

Lily leaned forward slightly. She looked very hesitant. "I was wondering if I, uhm… shit, I don't want to overstep or anything…" she laughed awkwardly.

"What is it?" Regina asked and tilted her head.

"Well, I…" Lily rubbed the back of her neck. "I've never actually felt a baby kick before and I was wondering if I-" she frowned. "I don't want to overstep or anything, so please just say no and-"

"Give me your hand," Regina interrupted and flashed her an amused look.

Lily stretched out her hand.

Emma smiled as she saw Regina take Lily's hand and placed it high on her belly with the words: "right…. Here. Feel that?"

"Oh my god, yes," Lily said and gaped. "Is it like that every time?"

"Sí, pretty much. I mean, in the beginning, it was like tiny flutters. Or popcorn popping. It was very strange. But now I've gotten used to it."

"That is amazing," Lily said, grinning from ear to ear as she looked at Regina. "There's actually a tiny person in there!"

"Yeah. There is." Regina frowned. "That took a while to get used to, too. But Blueberry and I get along just fine now."

Emma chuckled.

"Thanks," Lily said as she moved her hand away from Regina's belly. "For letting me feel. That was really special."

"Tell me about it," Emma gushed. "It drives me mad to think about all the kicks I'm going to miss out on when I'm going home!"

"I'll record every single one of them for you, querida," Regina promised and grinned. "You won't miss out on anything."

Emma smiled but did not say anything. The truth was, that she was going to miss out on a lot. And it was absolutely killing her. She didn't want to think about going home. In fact, she had already postponed her homecoming once. Obviously, she wanted to be there when the cast was being taken off Regina's ankle. And she wanted to be there for the twenty eight week scan too. She couldn't possibly miss out on that. She refused. God, the long distance was absolutely agonizing. Emma couldn't think of a fate worse than being separated from her pregnant girlfriend. At it seemed even worse now when they had gotten back on track. She was yearning for the day where she and Regina were finally living together. In Laguna Beach. In a few weeks, Emma would be flying out to see the beach house Regina's father's friends had available. She was very excited about that. She was so hoping that the beach house would in fact be her and Regina's future home. The place where they could settle down with their baby. Imagine that. Waking up to the sound of the ocean. Sitting on the porch with their baby in her arms. God, Emma so wanted that! More than anything!

A voice over the speaker announced that all passengers flying to Madrid was supposed to go to gate this and that, and Emma got up from the plastic bench they had been sitting on. After a second, Regina followed her example. She groaned quietly and muttered "¡Oh, mi culo", under her breath.

Lily did not understand Spanish, so she did not comment on it, but Emma happened to know that Regina had in fact just muttered 'ow, my ass', and she couldn't quite hold back a grin. Even though it obviously was not funny that Regina was in pain. Of course not. It was the way Regina had said it. She had sounded so utterly fed up.

Poor thing. Over the past few days, Emma had learned that glutes pain were very real, and definitely not to be trifled with.

"Well, I guess this is it," Lily said as she too stood from the bench.

"Sí, looks like it." Regina leaned in and gave her a quick hug. "For now. But we'll stay in contact. And you have to come and visit me sometimes. Promise me. And keep me updated in case something interesting happens."

"Of course. Will do. Take care of the tiny person training to become a dancer."

Regina chuckled. "I'll do that."

"Oh, you should totally keep me updated on that too. The baby stuff, I mean."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. If you want to, I mean. I don't know much about pregnancy, but I wanna know how the little guy- or girl- is doing."

"Well," Regina pulled away from the hug and smiled. "I can definitely do that."

"Awesome. I'll see you soon then?"

"Sí, I hope so. It's been really great meeting you, Lily. Even if the circumstances could have been better."

"Definitely. They really messed up that one."

Regina laughed again, and then it became Emma's turn to say goodbye to Lily. She smiled at the younger woman. Regina's 'stepsister' was a very nice person, and she hoped that Regina and her would get to hang out again soon. They were roughly the same age, and it would be great for Regina to gain a new friend. She had been living a pretty solitary life in Madrid. Of course she had her 'guitar-boys' and the other waitresses at the bar she had worked at, but that wasn't the same as a proper friend, was it?

They waved goodbye to Lily and began the short walk to the correct gate. Emma was tempted to ask Regina to slow down several times, but she was smart enough to resist. There was no reason to coddle Regina. She was doing fine. Her ankle was fine. She had mentioned it feeling a little stiff, but after having been incased in a cast for nearly six weeks, that was to be expected. Emma could easily understand why Regina was excited to be rid of the cast. Being pregnant and struggling with crutches was fucking difficult.

They made it to the gate and joined the small queue already forming. Regina fanned herself with her boarding pass, and Emma chuckled to herself.

"Do not make fun of my hot flashes, Emma Swan," Regina grumbled.

"Sorry, sorry. It just looked funny," Emma tried to defend herself. But she probably didn't have a very good case. One should never laugh at a pregnant woman.

Regina scoffed and rubbed her belly with her free hand. "For some reason, he's bouncing around in there today. He keeps kicking me in the ribs."

"Oh man. Want me to have a little chat with him?" Emma offered. "Because I can totally do that."

"I'm sure you could, querida, but no. I'm sure he'll settle down once I'm sitting down. Hopefully. Otherwise it'll be a very long flight."

Emma made a sympathetic noise and gave Regina's lower back a gentle little rub. She was quite satisfied with the decision she had made earlier. Which was to book the luxury plane seats. Yeah, it was expensive, but so what? Regina was twenty seven weeks pregnant, and she had deserved some luxury. And the opportunity to lie down if she needed to. Emma wanted her to be comfortable. At all times.

"Are you looking forward to going home?" Emma asked her. Smalltalk was a good way to pass the time until it was their turn to board the plane.

"Sí, I do. But it is a shame that I don't get to spend more time with Lily. She's a really great girl."

"Yeah, she is," Emma agreed. "Hopefully, she can come and visit you soon. Keep you company." She hated the idea of Regina being all alone in her apartment.

"That could be really fun," Regina smiled. "I'd love that."

"And… Do you think that Cora will come to Madrid anytime soon?" Emma asked carefully.

"Honestly?" Regina lifted her shoulders once. "I have no idea. I have seldom known any of Cora's decisions until she informs me of them. If she decides to come to Spain and tell daddy the truth, great, but I'm not expecting any miracles. Maldición. You know, for a moment I thought that Cora and I were actually making progress or bettering our relationship or whatever, but then she had to go and ask if she could be there for the birth. And now I feel like the terrible daughter who excluded my baby's grandmother-"

"Hey, no," Emma firmly interrupted before Regina could get herself all worked up. "You are not a terrible daughter, okay? Cora was way out of line. She had absolutely zero right to ask you if she can be there for the birth, and you know that. And so does Cora. She's the one who made things iffy again. So I don't want you to go around and feel guilty about this."

Regina sighed. "You're right," she deflated. "Of course you are. But things still feels so… unresolved, you know? I almost kind of wish that she would come to Madrid so we can cleanse the air."

"She could come to Madrid," Emma pointed out. "She could decide to tell your dad the truth."

"Which ultimately would be the right thing to do. It's what I want her to do. But at the end of the day, it's her decision to make."

"She can't expect you to lie to him for her sake."

"I don't know what she can and can't expect." Regina chuckled dryly. "Oh look, it's our turn to board the plane now, querida."

It was. Emma and Regina showed their boarding pass to the flight attendant and was rewarded with a smile and professional "have a good flight". Into the plane they went. And Regina made a noise of relief upon seeing the wide, comfortable seats. "My back loves you," she told Emma.

"Good to know. What about the rest of you, then?" Emma quipped.

"The rest of me loves you too, mi amor," Regina assured with a chuckle. She kept one hand on her belly, as she carefully sat down. A little 'ahh' escaped her, and Emma smiled because she sounded so peaceful. "Want me to tip your seat back?" she offered. "Turn the seat into a nice little bed?"

"Ask me in about four hours. Then I might say yes. But for now, this works." She stretched her arms above her head and rolled her shoulders. "I wonder if I'll be able to walk at thirty five weeks?"

"If not, I'll be happy to carry you, beautiful girl."

"Ha." She snorted adorably. "You would end up breaking your back, querida."

"I would not," Emma protested, but Regina did not pay attention to her protests. She had found her phone in her purse and was now tapping away on the screen.

"Lamaze classes," Emma read over her shoulder.

"Mmm. I have to start finding a place close to where I live. It's about time. They recommend taking the classes between week twenty eight and week thirty three."

"I'll be there," Emma said automatically. "Just let me know the time and date, and I'll be there."

"What about your work?"

"Fuck my work."

"Querida," Regina chuckled. "That's not really-"

"I'll be there," Emma stubbornly repeated. "No arguments."

"You probably won't miss out on anything important-"

Emma promptly silenced her by pressing a finger to her lips. "Hush."

Regina rolled her eyes but did not argue further. Satisfied with that, Emma moved her finger away from Regina's lips. She thought to herself that she had to start arranging that baby shower for Regina. She had already enlisted Ruby and Belle to help her, and she knew where the event would take place. At Granny's Diner, of course. Her friends had already promised to help with decorating the place. She just had to get Regina to Storybrooke. Which she hoped wouldn't be so difficult.

"Aww," she cooed upon seeing that Regina now was googling strollers. "I like the yellow one."

"Me, too. I suppose it's time for me to stock up on baby stuff," Regina mused. "Stroller, crib, changing table, diapers, uhmm…"

"Pacifiers?"

"Exactly. Blankets. Formula. In case the breastfeeding fails. Bottles. Bibs. Crib mattress. Crib bedding. Nursing pillow. Not to mention a car seat. And diaper bag. Dios mio…." She shook her head. "That is overwhelming."

Emma was tempted to agree with her. "Why don't we focus on the things we're going to need first, eh? Stroller. Car seat."

"Changing table. Crib. Diapers. Nursing pillow. Pacifiers. Bottles. Formula. Diaper bag. Baby monitor and-"

"Okay," Emma interrupted before Regina could end up getting a meltdown because of this. "So we need lots of stuff for Blueberry. We'll have to go on a little shopping spree."

"And I'll have to check my bank account," Regina joked and laughed. "See how much money I have saved up from dancing and bartending. I'm pretty sure I can afford at least some of the things on my own. But not all of it."

Emma opened her mouth, but Regina held up a hand. "No, querida, I don't want you to spend all of your money."

"I get that," Emma said slowly. "But it's our baby, right?"

"Sí. Of course."

"And it's our baby that needs stuff, right?"

"Sí."

"So it's our money that we spend on our baby," Emma deduced.

Regina frowned. "I'm not really sure that makes sense, querida. It's money that you earned-"

"-That I am spending on our baby," Emma said firmly.

Regina went silent, and Emma suffocated a little sigh. Regina was proud when it came to money. She did not like to 'scrounge'. Emma didn't see it as scrounging. She saw it as the two of them buying things for their new baby. Regina felt differently. And money was pretty much the only thing they disagreed on. Regina did not want to beg either her dad or Emma for money. And it did not matter that none of them saw it as begging. She was sensitive to the fact that she did not have that much money. She did not complain about it, but Emma sometimes saw that concerned little wrinkle between her eyebrows when she was checking a price tag in a store.

Emma wished that there was something she could do about Regina's financial situation. Of course she knew that Regina's father was more than happy to help if needed, but sometimes she feared that Regina was too proud and stubborn to ask for financial aid. If only there was some way for them to share their money.

But they couldn't do that. Not unless they got married or something, and that, well.. Emma's hands suddenly felt a bit sweaty. She glanced discreetly at Regina who was still sitting with her phone. At twenty years old, Regina obviously was not interested or ready to get married. Which was completely understandable.

But still, it would evidently solve the problem. And they would become a proper little family too. It obviously wouldn't just be for practical reasons. They would marry for love. She was sure that she and Regina would be together forever. After the epic fail with being jilted almost at the altar by Neal fucking Cassidy, Emma was certain that she had found 'the one'. The person she was supposed to grow old with and all that.

Emma smiled to herself as she suddenly imagined replacing the silly swan ring on Regina's finger with a proper ring. A gold ring. It was nice to dream a little about the future.

"What are you smiling about, querida?"

Emma quickly scolded her face into something that was not a goofy smile. "Just a bad joke."

"Oh. Can I know it?"

Emma glanced around. "I can't really tell it in a plane full of passengers. It's a bit.. you know."

"Ya veo." Regina chuckled. "I swear, querida, your humor is the worst."

"Rude," Emma said, going along on it. She preferred having bad humor rather than telling Regina that she just had been thinking wildly about the future.

The flight attendants began their usual safety routine. Emma took the opportunity to put on her seatbelt. Regina reached for her own seatbelt to do the same, but when she attempted to buckle the seatbelt, it didn't quite meet in the middle. Her belly was too large.

"Does this thing extend?" she asked and chuckled softly, clearly amused by the situation.

"It better." Emma reached for her girlfriend's seatbelt and examined the buckle. "Let's see…"

Luckily, the seatbelt did in fact extend, and soon the seatbelt was securely buckled below Regina's bump.

"That's not squeezing anything, right?" Emma asked. Just to check.

"No, not at all. It's perfect. Gracias."

"You're welcome, beautiful girl."

Regina smiled at her. Then her phone vibrated. One of her eyebrows went up as she glanced at the screen. "Huh."

"What?" Emma asked curiously.

"Cora just asked if I could her when I'm home."

"Oh." The attempt at care surprised Emma. She wondered if Cora Mills ever would stop surprising her. "And what are you going to answer?"

"I'm going to say yes," Regina said with a light shrug. "I can handle one text." She briefly tapped on the screen. Then switched off her phone and put it away. "I think she's trying to make up for the whole conversation at the exhibition. In her own way. And I should let her. Otherwise things will never any better between us."

Emma reached out and took her hand. Gave it a gentle squeeze. "You are pretty smart, beautiful girl."

"Gracias, querida. I try my best."

"And you succeed."

That had Regina chuckling and leaning towards Emma. She brushed a kiss against her cheek, and Emma automatically smiled. And automatically wanted more. Because one kiss from Regina wasn't enough.

But right now, it had to be. They couldn't exactly make out in the plane. Well. They could, but she was pretty sure that a few people would have something to say about it. Unfortunately. God damnit. Why couldn't it just be acceptable to make out with your girlfriend where ever you wanted?

The plane took off, and Emma felt the usual pull just behind her navel. She was glad that she was not on her way back to Storybrooke quite yet. She still had one more week with Regina. One week full of opportunities to feel their baby kick. One more week of kisses and laughs and glorious nights in Regina's apartment.

Being away from Regina was going to be tough. Perhaps even tougher than ever. Their argument and following making up had brought them ever closer together. They had learned that it took more than that to pull them apart. And Emma had learned that Regina was very, very forgiving.

Emma silently cussed the long distance more than ever. It wasn't fair that they lived so far away from each other.

Next to her, Regina comfortably leaned back in the seat. She glanced out of the window. Covered her mouth when her face split in a massive yawn.

"Tired?" Emma asked fondly and brushed a lock of hair away from Regina's face. "Sí." Regina yawned again.

Emma glanced around to make sure that no one was looking at them. Lowering her voice, she said: "well, we did stay up pretty late last night, didn't we…."

"Cállate," Regina muttered lowly, and a pretty pink color flooded her cheeks. She was clearly thinking back to last night.

Exactly like Emma was. She and Regina had said goodbye to New York in style. It had reminded her of their first time in the honeymoon suite in Madrid. She supposed that a part of her had been serious about Regina already then. A part of her had sensed that Regina was far more than just a 'summer fling'.

Summer fling, my ass, she thought to herself and ended up snorting the littlest bit. Regina lifted her head and frowned. "Are you choking?"

"No," Emma sniggered. "No, I was just thinking."

"Oh. About what?"

"Nothing in particular. She took Regina's hand and brought it up to her lips. Kissed it gently. "I'm glad that we have another week before I have to lea-"

"Don't say it," Regina interrupted. "Please. I don't want to think about it. Not yet."

"Fair enough," Emma said quickly. Honestly, she didn't want to think about it either. Maybe if they tried really, really hard, they could make it go away. Ignore it out of existence.

If only it was that easy.

"So… Do you think they serve milkshakes on this plane? Or cheeseballs?"

"Uhm… No, I don't. Sorry, beautiful girl."

Regina pouted adorably and muttered under her breath about being hungry, and Emma chuckled as she immediately started to look around for a flight attendant. Her pregnant girlfriend was hungry and needed a sandwich. And possibly a cream soda too. If they served that on the plane. Emma hoped that they did. Regina would be so happy…

Seven hours and fifteen minutes later, Emma and Regina stepped into the packed airport. Regina's eyes looked a little big. A little bloodshot. She had fallen asleep when they had been in the air for four hours, and Emma had felt terrible about having to wake her up. It had not been a peaceful wakeup call. Even though she had been very, very gentle about it, Regina had still sat bolt upright, utterly confused and disorientated. And a little dizzy too. It hadn't been the best experience. She joked that that was what she got for falling asleep on the plane.

"Alright," she said and hid a yawn behind her hand. "Let's get out of here, shall we?"

"Yes. Absolutely." The plan was clear in Emma's mind. Out of the airport, into a taxi and to Regina's apartment. Regina would need a plush surface to either sit or lie on. She looked absolutely knackered, and Emma felt a little guilty. She was pretty sure that she was the one who had initiated sex last night. She should have known better. Should have foreseen that staying up late last night would make Regina tired today. Duhh.

"Are you sure you can handle carrying both? I am capable of carrying my own suitcase, mi amor."

"Of course you are," Emma agreed with her. "But that doesn't mean you should."

"Querida-"

"Can't you just me carry it for you? Please? Give me a chance to prove how muscular my arms are."

"Oh…" Regina tilted her head. "Well, your arms are pretty muscular, querida. I have noticed that several times."

"Good." Emma puffed out her chest and felt like she had just become a little taller. The next second, she squirmed a little extra when Regina ran her fingers lightly down her right arm. Emma was wearing a jacket, but that didn't matter much. Regina's touch still made her feel all warm and fuzzy. "Are you flirting with me in the airport?"

"Sí," Regina said happily. "That's exactly what I'm doing, querida. Thank you for noticing."

"It's…" Emma cleared her throat. "Pretty hard not to notice."

Regina laughed and clearly felt very satisfied with herself. "Now come on. This place is cluttered and warm and I want to sit down in my own couch and put my feet on the coffee table."

"I like that idea. Can I join?"

"You have to join."

"Good." Satisfied with that, Emma tightened her grip on both suitcases as she followed Regina away from the crowd and towards the door. She was right, the place was very crowded. Emma was looking forward to being back in Regina's cozy little apartment.

"Reggie! Emma!"

Emma and Regina turned around at the exact same time, and Emma's smile matched Regina's when she saw a very familiar elderly man coming towards them.

"Daddy!" Regina exclaimed and seemingly forgot that she was not supposed to put too much pressure on her ankle yet as she hastily walked over to her dad and gave him a big hug.

Emma followed her and smiled at the happy reunion. She saw Henry kiss Regina's cheek and then whisper something in her ear. It was Spanish, so Emma didn't understand what he was saying, but she saw Regina nod and smile reassuringly. Emma was pretty sure she had an idea what Henry had just said. It had to be about what had happened in New York on the night where Emma stupidly had called Henry and alarmed him because she thought she had lost Regina forever in the New York night. That had been another mighty fuck up. One that Regina had forgiven her for as well. Despite the fact that she actually had been a little bit 'in trouble' with her dad. Obviously, Henry had been concerned afterwards. He had not liked the idea of his pregnant, immobilized daughter roaming around in New York in the night. Regina had informed Emma that he had given her 'a little bit of a scolding' for it. There had been a twinkle in her dark eyes, but Emma had felt guilty and had apologized. An apology, Regina immediately had brushed off.

"This is a surprise," Regina said as she let go of her father.

"I figured you would be tired after the long flight, so I wanted to come and pick you up," Henry said as he came towards Emma. "Dear Emma. Welcome back." He hugged her and kissed her cheek. Just like he had done Regina.

"Thank you, Henry," Emma beamed. She absolutely adored this delightful, elderly man. She loved that he was the type of dad who spontaneously came and picked his daughter up from the airport. She loved that he loved Regina so much and had no problem with showing it. It was absolutely refreshing to witness after having spend time with Regina's stiff, other parent.

"It is wonderful to have you home again, Reggie," Henry said and gave Regina an extra hug.

"It's 'Regina', dad," Regina said patiently. "Not Reggie. Never Reggie…"

Emma laughed. It was all for show. She happened to know that Regina adored that pet name.

Henry ignored his daughter's remark. "Come on, come on," he said briskly and reached for the suitcase in Emma's hand. "Let me take that, Emma, dear. I have the car parked right outside. What do you say we drive back to my house for a bite to eat, and then I can drive you home later? Would that suit you?"

Aww. Here was a man clearly desperate to spend some time with his daughter. It was absolutely adorable.

"Suits me fine," Regina said and smiled. "What do you say, Emma?"

"I like the sound of that," Emma agreed.

"¡Excelente! That's settled then. Come on, you two. You must be tired. But not too tired to talk, I hope. Emma, I want to hear all about the art exhibition. I hear that Reggie arranged for your friends to come and see it. That is lovely!"

"Yeah, your daughter is pretty lovely."

Regina groaned. "Stop embarrassing me."

"What's wrong, beautiful girl? Can't handle the truth?" Emma teased.

Henry laughed as he wrapped an arm around Regina. Together, all three of them left the airport. "I cannot wait to hear all about the trip, Reggie," he said. "I am sure you experienced many things!"

"Yeah…" Regina faltered for a split second. "We sure did."

She did not say anymore, but she did not have to. Emma could see it in her eyes. The guilt over keeping a secret from her beloved father.

Emma gnashed her teeth. God, she really hoped that Cora would make the right choice and tell Henry the truth. It was not fair that Regina was supposed to keep this from him….

To Be Continued….