I do apologise guys, I wanted to get the 14th up yesterday, but I only actually got around to this chapter today (15th) because life.


February 11th 2017

"Kid, come on, let's go! I wanna get on the road so we can get there before your mom gets home from work and surprise her!" She heard a 'thud' from her son's room and glared as he popped his head around the doorway.

"I'm coming, but what makes you think she'll even be working today?" Emma only grinned as she zipped up her holdall and picked her keys up from the table.

"You are the centre of your mother's world, kid. When you're not there, she has nothing to do, aside from work." Henry disappeared back into his room as Henry moved to stand by the door, hoping that when Henry was grown and had moved out, she was still around to keep Regina distracted.

A few seconds later she was joined at the door, and the duo made their way to the car, slinging their bags in the back seat at the same time, in a manner that would have made Regina scoff and grin if she'd been there. Within minutes, the pair were on the road and singing along to the radio.

x x x

They'd only been in the car for just over an hour when Henry began complaining. First he was hungry, then he was achy, then he was bored, then he was tired but couldn't sleep. By the time he was switching the air on and off, complaining of being too hot then too cold, did Emma snap. She grabbed the beanie teddy from her dashboard and flung it at the teen, hitting him squarely on the side of the head.

"Ma, what the hell?!" Emma simply glared out of the windscreen. The traffic had been good to them and so Emma was planning to drive up for around another hour before they stopped for food, hoping that with good traffic it would take the last part of the first half of the journey. Henry debated throwing the teddy back at his blonde mother, but thought better of it, not wanting to make her crash the car. Instead he turned the bear over in his hands and looked up at Emma, whose features had softened.

"Where did you get this ma, it looks old…" Emma sighed, risking a glance to Henry who was almost cradling the teddy carefully, like he could sense it was special.

"That was my first birthday present from the Swan's. I've had it almost 30 years, it's the only thing I've ever kept that they gave me." She noticed they were passing a services and quickly indicated to enter them to give herself some time to compose herself, not wanting to be driving knowing she may get emotional.

Henry decided not to question it further, but gently placed the teddy leaning against the windscreen pillar, and as Emma pulled into the parking space and parked the car, he hugged her quickly, before walking off towards Starbucks. Emma watched her son walk off and quickly picked the teddy from where it was sat, hugging it fast. In the next moment, she was out of the car and following her son, hoping the coffee chain were well stocked in bear claws.

x x x

They arrived back in Storybrooke a little later than Emma had wished, having spent some time in the services and then enjoying the drive in the uncharacteristic sunny weather. Emma had driven the back streets, not wanting anyone to see the bug and inform Regina she was back, and had parked at the back of some new houses, that had been built when the people from the Land of Untold Stories had arrived. Though it was sunny, it was not warm, and so the duo donned a couple of Boston University hoodies Emma had purchased for the expected cold weather and grabbed the bags from the back seat, making their way into the mansion from the back of the house.

Regina had expected Emma and Henry to spend the day in Boston and drive back Sunday, and so Emma, in hoping to surprise Regina had decided to cook for her sons other mother for when she arrived home from work. Having not stopped for ingredients, the pair had to make do with whatever they could find in the brunette's kitchen, and so decided on making a simple paella.

x x x

They worked well together, Henry chopping, Emma soaking the paella rice and cooking the seafood, dancing along to the radio which was playing some pop song that seemed to be popular. Emma was looking in the fridge for dessert ingredients when the front door slammed, and Regina's 'mayor' voice rang out through the house.

"Who's there? You might as well come out now, the sheriff has been called!" Emma dropped the egg she'd picked up and turned to face Henry, eyes wide. He quickly turned the radio off but remained where he was stood, gesturing for Emma to go and greet the mayor at the door. She walked out to the foyer quietly, frowning as she came face to face with the barrel of a gun.

"Jesus Regina, what the fuck?" Emma jumped back quickly, her hands raised, as Regina dropped the weapon quickly. She surveyed Emma for a second before flinging herself at the blonde, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Shit, Emma, I'm sorry, my neighbour said she saw people sneaking into the house, and I… well people still think of me as the evil queen and normally I'd call you but I figured I wouldn't be seeing you till tomorrow so I…" Emma pulled back from hugging Regina against her chest, pressing her lips to Regina's to stop her talking. Regina melted into the blonde, and they held each other tightly, neither of them noticing their son walk from the kitchen.

"Moms!"

Emma watched as Regina froze, stepping back and glancing at her son in fear, before running from the room.