Thought I'd try and make it a good one for chapter 100, but it seems more like a filler than anything.


July 22nd 2017

Emma and Regina had spent an hour in the hospital before returning home, spending the rest of the day in a bubble of cheesy rom coms, expensive wine and chilled fruits, showering together and then separately before Henry was due to return home. Emma had then taken her fiancée and their son out for dinner, to apologise for previous few weeks. After their day, Regina had been all forgiving, Henry however had not. They'd left the restaurant early when Henry refused to acknowledge his blonde mother, or even look at her. Regina had started to get annoyed at the teen but Emma couldn't help be a little proud at how he was sticking up for his mother. He'd stormed to his room when they got home and had refused to come down for breakfast the next morning. It was where Emma found herself stood at 10am, holding a plate of pancakes and bacon, knocking on his door.

"Henry, I am sorry for my behaviour lately, I've apologised to your mother, and she has accepted it. Why can't you do the same?" She received no response from the boy and so continued. "Please kid, I made you your favourite breakfast, why don't you let me in so we can talk?" When she heard no noise come from his room she sighed and sat down outside the room, her back to the door as she laid the plate beside her. She sighed and leant back fully, her head resting against the door.

"Hen… listen, I need you to explain to me why you're upset with me. If it was the assumption that I was cheating on your mother, you have to know I would never do that. I love your mother beyond words and I… I get it, but I can't believe that is actually something you think I would do." She paused, turning her head as if she could see through the door. She began to get frustrated, believing that her son was ignoring her on purpose. "If you're mad because I haven't been the mother that I should have been then I'm really sorry… I've been dealing with some things but I'm working on it…" When she received no acknowledgement she became frustrated and stood, knocking loudly on the door. With still no answer stating she could not come in, she opened the door, finding his room empty and his window open.

The blonde's stomach dropped and she gasped, bolting out of the door and down the stairs, yelling for her fiancée.

"GINA! GINA?! Henry is missing!" She turned the corner into the kitchen, ready to grab her phone and gun, and go out searching for the teen when she saw Regina sat drinking a cup of coffee, Henry beside her calmly drinking from a glass of juice. Emma stopped suddenly, the breath leaving her body in the realisation her son was home and safe. She saw him smirking into his glass and she took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

"Henry… kid… what the fork? You heard me up there talking and you just…?" She turned to Regina whose eyebrows were knitted together as she stared down into the mug she was holding on the table. "What are you...? What the heck guys? Did you plan this?" Her question was not directed at anyone in particular and she sighed as her heart rate slowed back down to normal. She looked defeated as she glanced between her wife and son, not sure exactly what was going on, not happy with whatever it was. She rubbed at her temples, the headache she'd had the day before returning with a vengeance.

"I can't deal with this right now. I'm going to Granny's. I don't know if I'll be back for dinner." Regina nodded and had the decency to look a little guilty. Henry looked sulky and was glaring at the bowl of fruit on the table in front of him. With a nod to no one in particular, she turned to make her exit, just about hearing Regina's goodbye.

Emma was tired of fighting with her family. This was the second day in a row that she'd walked out in anger, and it was the opposite of what she had planned to do when she'd promised to work harder in her relationships. With a sigh, she turned and made her way back into the house, hearing Regina tell Henry to go upstairs as the door clicked closed. She avoided looking at her son as he passed her on his way to his room and she walked into the kitchen where Regina was doing the dishes.

"I love you." Emma didn't know how to start, but she figured that was as good a place as any.

"I know." Regina still had her back to her, but she turned, a smirk just visible on her face. Emma's jaw dropped and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"Did you just... did you just quote Star Wars?!"

Regina raised her brow as she smiled wider, wiping her hands on a dishtowel as she took a few steps towards her partner. The ice was broken, but the tension was high, and they both knew words needed to be said.

"Emma…" She pulled two stools out from under the counter and sat on one, gesturing for the blonde to take the other. When they were both comfortable, she opened her mouth to begin speaking. "I know you would never cheat on me. I think… we've never been the best at communicating, any of us. I should have raised my concerns with you earlier, I know that. Emma, I…" The younger woman sighed and took the other's hand in hers.

"Regina, I've apologised multiple times for my behaviour lately. I'm trying… really trying here. I want to be the wife and mother that both of you deserve. But I need you to try too. To forgive me when I make mistakes, and to stop Henry from taking his anger out on me. This family will never survive if we turn on one another." She took a deep breath, pulling her hands back from the other woman. "If it continues… I don't know if I'll want it to."

Regina couldn't stop the shock from showing on her face as she tried to comprehend what was said. "You don't know if you want our relationship to continue?" Silence filled the room, and it was deafening. Emma obviously didn't want to answer the question, either answer either signalling the beginning of the end of their relationship, or demonstrating that Emma was deliberately trying to hurt her fiancée with her words. "Emma, please answer me." The blonde recognised the tone of voice and instantly began to regret what she had said. Obviously she hadn't meant it, and she knew how the brunette would spend however long obsessing over the comment, even if it was denied.

"Regina, I love you, and I want nothing more than to marry you. That's been the case for years now. Fights and pranks are not going to stop me wanting to marry you, but I spent the first 28 years of my life alone, everyone I ever got close to either hurt me or left me. I learned very quickly not to let people close to me, because I would always end up alone. It took a lot for me to… I know it's the same for you… I know that, and that's why I want to be better for you, but I don't want to do this if it means losing you, because that will be the one loss that I cannot take, do you understand?"

Regina simply nodded, struck by the raw honesty she was hearing for what was probably the first time. She opened her mouth to speak but found she could not think of the words. "Emma, the last thing I want is for this, us, to end. Maybe… maybe we should make an appointment to see Archie? I think it would benefit us, maybe even a family session with Henry. We've been through things that some people couldn't even imagine and with your…" She didn't finish the sentence, only tilted her head and glanced at the woman's forehead. "I think that there are things we should really talk about in a controlled setting. What do you think?" The brunette looked so hopeful, something that confused the blonde as she was sure Regina was the last person who wanted to share her thoughts and feelings with anyone outside her immediate family, but the look of hopefulness overrode the confusion and the younger woman found herself nodding.

"I think that's a good idea."

xxx

"Henry, can you come down here please?" Regina and Emma had spent some time talking before Emma had gone out to pick up a few groceries. They had decided they were going to spend the weekend together as a family, board games, cooking together, even a family walk. Regina had even decided that there would be no electronics allowed, including the TV. She hoped that it would bring them together with the closeness that had been lacking, at least temporarily.

Puberty had seemed to hit the teenager full force, something Regina noticed as he galumphed down the stairs and entered the kitchen with a scowl on his face. She raised her brow when he announced his presence with a "what?!" and kept staring at him until the scowl dropped and he muttered an apology. She shook her head with a sigh and sat back at the table they had been sharing an hour earlier.

"Things have not been right in this house for some weeks now, and that is about to change. You will treat your mother with the respect that she deserves." She held up a finger as he opened his mouth to interrupt, already knowing what he wanted to say. "You will treat her with the respect that I raised you to give. She is your mother, and your elder and she does not deserve the hostility that you seem to have for her. That will end, now." Her tone made the teen nod his head, unwilling to argue with her.

"Now we are going to spend the weekend together, no phones, no TV, no computer games. We are going to spend some time being the family that you dreamed of when you were ten ok?" Henry nodded mutely and shifted in his chair. He could tell his mother was tense, if not mad and he knew that he did not want that to continue.

"I'm sorry mom." Regina nodded but it was stiff. He hated that his mom was miserable, and that it was at least partially his fault. "I'll be careful to moderate my behaviour when I'm annoyed, I promise." It was only then that Regina smiled lightly. "Where is ma anyway?"

"She has gone to pick up some groceries, the three of us are going to make lunch together, then we are going to take a walk and we are going to spend the evening playing board games like we did when you were a child." She hesitated, as if deciding whether or not to share some information with Henry. "Your mother is not doing all that well Henry. She needs us now more than ever and we have to be there for her ok?" She didn't miss the way he rolled his eyes, but she didn't say anything about it, instead standing to turn on the coffee maker. It had been a long morning already and she could not take much more of her son's attitude without more caffeine.

Emma returned within the hour with bags from the grocery store, pulling out two steaks and two chicken breasts, alongside an array of fresh fruits and vegetables. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and laid it on the counter, glancing guiltily at the brunette. "I know we said no devices today but I found a couple of recipes that I was thinking we could make for lunch. Steak fajita salad for me and the kid and then a caprese avocado salad for you? If you know them I'll put it on emergency calls only and we can start making them?" Regina picked up the phone and glanced at the recipes, smiling at her fiancée's enthusiasm to make and eat salad. She read through them once and nodded having committed them to memory, turning the phone on to the setting that would only allow calls from the station.

"You start grilling the steaks and the chicken, I'll wash the romaine and the tomatoes and chop the avocado, Henry, you start slicing the peppers." The three got to work without any speaking, Regina giving instructions every so often. After about twenty minutes of minimal discussion, Henry spoke up.

"Mom… Ma… I was wondering… do you think I can go to camp at the end of summer?" The younger two tried to hide chuckles as Regina's knife stopped suddenly. Emma turned to face her son and raised her brow with a grin, happy to receive one back. Regina turned slowly, the look on her face unreadable. She didn't say a word and so Emma took the opportunity to speak.

"We're gonna need a little more information there kid…"

"Well its three weeks, from mid-August to the first week in September in Boston… Nick told me they have an extra spot that opened up when James dropped out. It's academics, well it's a writing camp but they focus on other academics too. It's supposed to look good on college applications and I have enough money saved to pay for it. I just need parental permission and a ride…"

Emma couldn't help but smile at the pride that blossomed in her chest, and she looked to Regina who was watching her with a questioning gaze. She nodded in encouragement and the brunette blinked twice before looking to her son, speaking as if she was on auto-pilot.

"Yes Henry, you can go to camp. We will pay for it of course, but there will be rules. You will be on your best behaviour, you will call us every day and when you return you will spend the last week of summer earning some money doing chores ok?" Henry couldn't believe what he was hearing and lunged forward, hugging first Emma then Regina.

"I promise, thank you so much!" He stepped backwards as if he wanted to run to his room but paused, looking back at his mother's. "Can I please break the no tech rule just this once to text Nick? He said if I can't come he'll have to find someone else." Regina nodded with a roll of her eyes.

"Just this once."

xxx

The three had eaten and Henry had washed the dishes as a thank you for the permission to go to the camp, before they'd headed out for a walk. The weather was nice for Maine in July and they decided to walk along the docks, Emma deciding that the fresh air would benefit them all. The women walked arm in arm while Henry walked a few steps ahead, turning back at times to point out a few things that caught his eye.

He had been in a much better mood since he had been given permission for camp and had even hugged Emma and apologised for his behaviour. She'd returned the hug with fervour and moved to ruffle his hair, stopping just in time as she remembered he was a teenager and not a kid anymore.

"Emma?" The paid had slowed their walking a little as they had reached the sand, both stopping to remove their shoes, holding them in the hand that wasn't linked to the other person. Regina had pulled her fiancée closer and leant her head against the strong shoulder, waiting until Henry was out of earshot before she spoke.

"Hmm?"

"You know I love you right?" Emma stopped then, relinquishing her hold to turn to the brunette who looked genuinely concerned that what she had said wasn't obvious. "I know I nag… a lot. I know that I let Henry get away with a lot, and I also know I'm too overprotective with him as well. I try and act the opposite of how my mother was with me. I want him to look back on his childhood in twenty years and have mostly happy memories… I just want you to know that when Henry is old and has moved out, I want you to be the one that's by my side. I want to grow old with you. I want you to always remember that ok?" Emma sniffed and pulled the smaller woman into her arms, relaxing into the hug as she felt lithe arms wrap tightly around her. She leant her head forward so her lips were by Regina's ear and whispered her love for her. Lately it was not obvious that the two were recently engaged and soonish to be married. They argued like an old married couple but they had both suffered traumatic childhoods and ultimately, they were true loves. They could fight and bicker often but they would always find their way back to each other.

They were interrupted when they heard a call from Henry and they both looked up to see him walking towards them carrying ice creams in his hands. Emma pulled away from Regina but took her hand again leaving her to reach for the proffered ice cream with her free hand. She quirked a brow at the tub she was handed.

"I got you blueberry basil sorbet and Ma, I got you pistachio gelato." He handed the other cup of green dessert to his blonde mother and grinned down at his double scoop cone of what Emma identified as rocky road. Regina smiled warmly at her son and tucked into the sweet treat, needing to release Emma's hand. Emma pouted at the loss and scooped a large spoonful of gelato into her mouth, cringing at the instant brain freeze. Regina chuckled and rose up till she was on her toes, pressing a kiss to Emma's temple. She saw that Emma was about to take another big scoop and leaned forward to capture it, humming in satisfaction. Emma gaped at the brunette who simply winked and tucked into her own tub.

They spent another hour outside, window shopping on Main Street, the adults walking with linked arms. The wind was starting to pick up when Regina decided they should head back, noting Emma was not really dressed for anything other than warm weather. They allowed Henry 5 minutes on his phone to check if Nick had replied to his confirmation to camp, and Emma used the time to call the station quickly to check in. Regina made sure that the kitchen and the main room were tidy before looking for her iPod, ready to plug it in to play music while they were playing games. Emma entered the main room as Regina was looking through her playlists and she smirked, wrapping her eyes around the woman from behind.

"So much for no electronics Gina." She pressed a kiss to the spot under the brunette's ear, smirking when she felt the full body shiver of her fiancée. "Henry found the games. We have scrabble, monopoly and trivial pursuit. What do you wanna play first?" Henry entered carrying the three boxes.

"Mom will win at trivial pursuit. And if we play Monopoly, she can't be banker, because then she'll win that too." Regina faked shock at the comment and took the top box from him, deciding for the group they would play scrabble first. They settled down, music playing quietly in the background, and they played the first few rounds in relative silence. Emma played 'jezebel' for a triple word score, passing Regina who's highest word so far was foxes with a double letter. After two more goes, with Henry playing 'xi' and Regina adding a 'y' to the already placed word 'home', Emma connected the first 7 letters of 'gullible' to the word she had placed previously. She smirked as her score increased to one that was unlikely to be beaten, glancing at Regina who was pouting and Henry who was scowling. Regina was one of the smartest people she knew and Henry was a creative writer, but sheer dumb luck meant Emma won at Scrabble for the first time in her life. The rest of the game was played half-heartedly, with Regina unable to play her last round they decided to end it, with Henry already sorting the monopoly while Regina cleared the first game away.

Emma made her way into the kitchen, pouring drinks for the family as the next game was set up. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and looked back at her wife and son to check they weren't looking before replying to the text she'd received, responding back 'I'm so excited, I can't wait.'

"What's all ready for tomorrow?" Emma jumped at the sound of her son's voice. She hadn't heard him sneak up behind her, and in her excitement she hadn't felt his presence either.

"Oh nothing, just Ruby… she has a date and she's really excited about it." It was obvious the blonde was lying and it was clear Henry didn't believe her. He nodded sarcastically and took the glass of juice from beside her, turning on his heel. Emma sighed and carried the other two glasses through, sitting back in her position while Henry handed out the piles of money to the women.

Emma was subdued during the game, buying the properties no one wanted to, and landing in jail more than once. She knew when Regina landed on Boardwalk, the last one on the side of the board all owned by the mayor, and promptly purchased houses then a hotel to cover it, that the game was over. Henry was being very conservative with his cash, and Emma had found herself re-mortgaging properties in order to pay rent. She knew it was just a game but being in jail and not having enough money to pay her rent was beginning to get to her, especially given the mood in the room. She was a about to admit bankruptcy when her phone rang, the ringtone that she'd set as the emergency number for the station. She looked at the screen, smiled hesitantly and jumped up, quickly making her way out of the room to take the call. Regina busied herself counting her money, neither woman noticing the glare from Henry that followed the woman out of the room.

When Emma returned, they were both waiting and she frowned, sliding the phone into her pocket. "That was the station. I'm sorry, I need to go and check it out. I'll be an hour or two. I know it's supposed to no electronics but I'll text you if I'm gonna be late or anything." She leant down next to where Regina was sat and kissed the top of her head, tilting her chin up so she could kiss her soundly on the lips. Regina blushed and smiled and the look on her fiancée's face caused her cheeks to redden herself and she knelt down so they were nose to nose.

"I love you. I'll be right back ok?" She pulled back as Regina bit her lip, nodding as if she were in a daze. With a final kiss to the tip of her nose she stood and grabbed her jacket and keys as she made her way out of the door. Henry waited until the door closed behind her before he turned to his remaining mother, an incredulous look on his face.

"You know she's playing you right? She's up to something and you're turning a blind eye and allowing it to happen!"


Please excuse this really pathetic authors note but I am really struggling right now, and I am at the point where my writing is the only think that makes me happy, not even reading fics or watching ouat is helping. So I would realllly appreciate a review or something, even if it's negative, something I can work on. Also, chapter 100. If anything that deserves a review.