A/N: Hello to all my friends and lovely readers!

Thank you for the overwhelming response to the last chapter. It meant so much and helped me to move the story forward, because every single comment had a point and it showed me that I'm doing "the right thing".

It showed me that you, my amazing readers, are as invested in that story as I am and that made me so very happy. And proud.

So, thanks to everyone - I appreciate all of you more than I could ever express with words.

And now let's get going...to get closer to the truth.

Hope everyone is well!

much love xoxo


TAKE ME WONDERLAND

Chapter 12

By the time Emma returned to the kitchen she felt completely numb.

She knew that Regina was gone without even checking the bedroom.

How had things gone so wrong?

She had meant well, she had thought that she was helping Regina.

Sure, she had expected her to be mad about going behind her back, but she had not seen this coming.

Why couldn't Regina see that she had absolutely no intentions of dictating her life?

Because you've made decisions without her approval, without asking her what she wanted, you idiot!

Emma was aware that it had been a mistake to assume that Regina would automatically go and work for Killian, especially since she barely knew him.

And Regina probably was not even into make up.

How had she not considered this?

How could she have missed the fact that Regina would be unemployed now?

A shitty job was better than no job at all – especially if one had a child.

It would be no problem for Emma to pay Regina's bills, but the brunette did not want that and she got that.

That she could understand.

If Regina could not provide a life for Henry and herself anymore she would lose her independence, her freedom completely and that meant she also lost control over everything.

Emma sighed, because she had wanted to accomplish the opposite. She had wanted to help Regina to get back on her feet for real.

Seemed like she had failed miserably.

But she could have made all of this right.

What she could not make right though was the things Regina had accused her of, what the brunette thought about her.

Regina's words had cut so unbelievably deep, deeper than Emma had ever thought possible and she was not sure if she would ever recover from it.

She took a bottle of vodka out of one of the cupboards and broke it open, taking a big gulp in hopes that the pain would disappear.

She felt like her soul would be on fire, felt like she would be burning alive.


Regina was sitting on the couch of her apartment and felt like screaming.

This time she had screwed up. She had screwed up pretty bad.

She had hurt the one person, who had ever cared for her, who had ever wanted to truly help her.

The moment she had caught sight of Emma's tears, the moment she had heard her say that she had been right about one thing – that they could not be friends anymore – she had known.

She had known that she had been wrong, that she had indeed misjudged the situation.

But how should she have known?

After all the people, who had hurt her in her life.

Everyone had been nice at first, had promised her to help her, but in the end all of them had turned out to give shit about her.

All of them had always just cared about their own advantage.

You should have known better anyway. Because it's Emma. She IS different.

How should she explain this to Henry?

And how would he react?

He would be so disappointed, especially since he had asked Emma for help from what she had heard.

And the blonde had done that, she had tried to help.

Emma had been nothing, but helping and kind.

From day one.

She had been understanding, supporting and patient.

And what had she done?

She had punched her right in the face.

Why had she doubted Emma? Why?

Because she had been afraid.

And the tricky thing with her fears was that they hid well at times, but they always came back to haunt her at some point.

She had let her walls down with Emma, at least a little, she had become comfortable around the blonde, had begun to trust her and when she had received the call from Gold she had paniced. She had been so mad about Emma's "betrayal" that she had lost all common sense.

And she had missed to see that Emma had not wanted to take advantage of her, that Emma had indeed meant well.

Why had she gotten so angry? Why had she said all these horrible things?

Sure, she had wanted to protect herself, but that did not excuse how she had treated Emma.

Not at all.

She had to apologize, she had to make this up to Emma.

But how?

And was it even possible?

Right now Regina doubted it.


By the time Graham showed up the vodka bottle was only half full anymore.

Emma was too intoxicated for her own good, but she kept drinking anyway.

Life sucked after all.

Of course Graham knew right away things could not have gone well and so Emma told him what had happened a few hours ago.

This time she had not even tried to stop herself from crying, because it would have been pointless anyway.

She was an emotional mess when she had too much to drink, especially after a day like this.

"I'm so sorry, Em. I thought she would take it better", Graham said after listening to the whole drama that had taken place.

"She thinks I am some weird ass bitch, who wants to buy her or something", she whined and took another gulp.

"Emma, listen to me...this has nothing to do with you. Don't take this so personal...I know it hurts, but Regina obviously snapped...for whatever reason. You don't know that much about her past...I guess she has made some really horrible experiences and that's why she thinks nothing good can ever happen to her. She just doesn't know better...and you know how it goes sometimes...your emotions and fears get the best of you. It makes you feel cornered and you snap...without meaning to", Graham tried to see the big picture, not just Regina's recent actions. But it was hard, because part of him wanted to storm over and give her a piece of his mind for treating Emma like crap.

Ungrateful...

No, he could not think like that!

Because from what Emma had told him Regina was neither ungrateful, nor a bitch.

Regina might be a stripper, but she was not into Emma's money – that much was clear.

It had taken a lot to happen for her to accept Emma's help in the first place.

"I really wanted to help...and now I've lost her. And Henry. I've lost them both, because she will never forgive me."

Emma started to sob heavily, because her own fears were getting the best of her after all.

She would lose everything. Again.

The circumstances were different, but the outcome was the same.

And it broke her heart all over again.


When Emma woke up the next morning she thought her head might explode any second.

She had not been that hungover in years.

Graham was standing at the kitchen counter, obviously preparing breakfast, but the bare thought of food made her want to vomit.

But then she smelled the coffee and tears started to well in her eyes immediately.

Regina would not show up for coffee anymore.

For one because she was unemployed thanks to Emma and second – well, Emma was pretty sure that Regina would not talk to her after yesterday.

God, this was so messed up!

She stumbled towards the bathroom, because she needed a shower to clear her head, to wash away her sorrows.

Needless to say that the shower did neither the one, nor the other and Emma still felt nauseous once she re-appeard in the kitchen half an hour later.

"Sweetheart, were do you think you are going?" Graham looked at her in confusion.

"Work. I can't stay here...I'll go crazy", she stated dryly.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

Graham seemed to be worried, but Emma shot him a glare and he did not say another word till she made an attempt to leave and he grabbed her hand to stop her, "You are nowhere near able to drive. Let me give you a ride..."

Emma nodded and grabbed her sunglasses to cover her bloodshot eyes, not to mentions the dark circles under them.

As soon as she opened the penthouse door she regretted that she had not taken a look at the clock before she had decided to leave, because she bumped straight into Regina and Henry, who had to be brought to school.

Was it still that early? Damn.

Graham showed up right behind her and steadied her with both of his arms and she was so glad for that, because for a moment she thought she might faint. Or puke.

"Emma!" the boy hugged her tight and she could not breathe anymore, "Are you okay? You look...pale."

"I'm good kid, just tired."

Thank God the elevator appeared quickly, but as soon as the four of them entered it to go to the garage Emma wanted to get back out. She could not do this. She just could not stand being in Regina's presence, knowing that things would never be the same again.

But it was too late.

The doors were already closed and the elevator started to move downwards.

Great.

Emma began to panic immediately, grabbing Graham by his shirt, holding on for dear life.

She did not have a panic attack in years and this was not the time to get one, but it was too late.

Her breathing became faster, her heart was practically racing and sweat was forming on her forehead.

Graham noticed the signs instantly, "Emma, look at me. Everything's fine. Just take a deep breath...you know how it goes...slowly."

But Emma could not focus, because she knew that Regina and Henry were staring at her, she could feel their eyes on her.

She had to get out of this elevator, had to get out of this building.

Away from the tragedy her life had become once again.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Worry was the dominating emotion in Herny's voice.

"We're there in a second, Emma...just breathe", Graham said repeatedly, ignoring everyone else in the elevator. This was serious and the kid had to wait. So did Regina.

Once the elevator doors opened she gasped for air, but Emma could swear that she could not breathe properly.

"Hold on, Em. It's going to be okay..." Graham swooped her up into his arms and headed for the car, Regina and Henry right behind them – she could hear the pounding of Regina's heels right behind her.

"Just get me out of here!" Emma managed to get out, taking a quick look into Regina's direction, but that glimpse was too much, because she could not handle the worry she saw in the brunette's eyes.

She felt her chest cramping more and more, her heart in complete overdrive and there was nothing she could do – she had to get her breathing under control.

And she had to get it under control now.

"Gra-ham...put me...down."

"I'm taking you to the hospital, Em. You need to get into the car", he countered, already opening the door with one hand.

"No. You need...", she gasped, "to..." another gasp, "put me..."

There it was again.

The feeling she hated and feared more than anything.

The feeling that she was choking. As if she would get buried alive.

Graham finally complied, but as soon as her feet touched the ground she fell to her knees, her hands hitting the floor hard, but Emma did not even feel it.

She was struggling to get her breathing under control with the little strength she had left in her, but it was not working. At least not fast enough.


When Emma opened her eyes she became aware of the fact that she was lying in a hospital bed.

How or when she had ended up there she did not know.

The last thing she could remember was Regina's worried expression in the garage and that she had not been able to breathe anymore.

Panic attack.

Of course.

"Sweetheart, don't do that ever again! You scared the shit out of me..."

The sound of Graham's voice made Emma turn her head to the side and she smiled weakly, "Sorry. It's not like I did it on purpose."

Her voice sounded as scratchy as her throat felt.

"I know. Regina almost got a heart attack seeing you collapse", Graham stated and regretted it the second he caught sight of the hurt in Emma's eyes.

"Tell me she isn't here..."

"No, don't worry. I told her I would call her though...once you woke up", he explained and got up to leave the room to make said call.

"Graham, what's the time?"

"Almost seven, why?"

"Do I have to stay overnight?" she wanted to know and he nodded, "I don't want to see her here, okay?"

Graham understood immediately and nodded again, "I'll tell her to stay away then?"

This time it was Emma's turn to nod.

Of course she would want to see Regina, to make sure she was okay, that Henry was okay, but the bare thought that Regina would only show up out of pity made her sick.


Regina had been so relieved when Graham had called to tell her that Emma had woken up.

That she was conscious and that everything would be fine.

But when he had told her that she did not want to see her, that she should stay away her whole world had shattered all over again.

Seemed like they were done for real, but Regina could not even blame her.

For now she had to focus on Henry anyway, because he was really shaken by what he had seen in the morning and Regina hoped that he would get over it undamaged, all the while aware that she would never get these pictures out of her own head.

Pictures of Emma lying on the floor, fighting for her life.


Graham had stayed with Emma all night and had her brought home the next day.

She had made him promise that he would not tell anyone about what had happened, because she was not in the mood for visitors, nor was she ready to answer any questions according to her panic attack.

And besides that Christmas was only a few days away and people were stressed out enough.

"You know...I could cancel the Christmas shoot in Sydney and stay here if you want", Graham suggested all of a sudden.

"What? No!" Emma shook her head fiercely, "You missed one shoot because of me, you are not missing this one. You wanted to do that for years...and besides...I am fine. I just need some peace and quiet and a few days of rest. You are going to Australia tomorrow evening...no discussions about that."

"But..."

"I said 'No', Graham."

"Are you sure?" He did not seem to be convinced.

"Absolutely. I promise to call someone if I don't feel well...maybe I will go over and celebrate with my parents at their annual Christmas dinner...with tons of their friends and clients. In case I need a distraction..."

It was a lie though, because there would not be a Christmas dinner this year, because her parents were spending the holidays in Dubai and they would not return before January 5, but Graham did not need to know that.

As much as she loved him – she just wanted to be left alone right now.

"Fine. But I'll call to check on you every day...and I swear...if you don't pick up...or call back within an hour...I'll call the girls and Killian on you", he commented, deadly serious.

"You wouldn't do that..." Emma whined.

A penthouse full of worried people was the last she needed.

"Try me."


She had thought that she would not care that she would have to spend Christmas alone, but the closer the holidays came the more she realized how lonely she was.

How miserable.

Graham was in Australia, Belle would celebrate with her father, Killian was out of town visiting his mother, Ruby would spend Christmas with Jefferson and Mary Margaret would not leave David's side if the hospital would burn down. He was still in his coma, but that did not mean that Mary Margaret had given up on him. In fact she had turned out to be a lot stronger than anyone had expected her to be.

What True Love could do to a person.

Maybe love could be strength after all.

And besides everyone having plans nobody knew about the terrible situation between Emma and Regina and she had no intention to tell anyone. She simply was not in the mood to talk about it all over again. It was still too painful.


Regina was trying to figure out how she would pay for Henry's Christmas gift and dinner, because it was already the 22nd of December, but the truth was she had no clue.

That was when she heard a knock on the door.

Could it be Emma?

She doubted it.

The blonde had not be seen since she had broken down in the garage although she knew that Emma was home – Graham had told her as much.

To her surprise she was met by a familiar face though when she opened the door, "Jefferson, what are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"Gold sent me to give you this", he showed her an envelop, "May I come in?"

"Of course", she stepped aside to grant him entrance. Gold had sent him? That could not mean anything good.

As soon as she had closed the door behind him he handed her the envelop and she glared at it for a second in hopes to figure out what it held without opening it, but she had no such luck.

"Come on, open it. It's not that bad."

Regina nodded and did as she was told, her eyes going wide only a second later.

The envelop held countless onehundred dollar bills.

What was that supposed to mean?

"Oh my God...that's at least..." she tried to come up with some number, but Jefferson beat her to it.

"Fivethousand fivehundred and twenty dollars."

"What? Why would Gold give me that much money?" Regina was more than a little confused. She had never gotten more than the minimum wage in all this years. And that was barely enough to survive.

"It's part of his deal with Emma. He had to promise her to pay you for the full month...no deductions", Jefferson explained quickly.

"He agreed to that?"

Regina's eyes grew even wider. What kind of a deal did they make? Did she even want to know?

"Well, let's say Emma and her friend will save him a lot of money, but I guess you know that", Jefferson rolled his shoulder.

"No, in fact I don't. And what friend?" Regina did not have the slightest clue what he was talking about.

"Gold refused to let you go...because he wanted more than just the money you owed him. Told them how much he would lose if he let you quit, because you are one of our clients favorites. But Emma would not budge. She insisted that there had to be a way...and he took his chance. You know how he is...he made an offer and she took it", Jefferson stated simply, "Oh, and about the friend...he is a photographer or something."

"Wait, what? What did she promise him...Jefferson, tell me!" Regina was close to getting hysterical.

"Emma's working for Gold...for free. And Graham is taking the promo pics."

"WHAT?!"

When Jefferson saw the horror in Regina's eyes he added, "No! Not like that. You know...'The Rabbit Hole' is celebrating twenty years of existance next year and Gold had this two major events in mind. Emma will plan them...she is an event manager after all. And Graham will shoot the promotion pics."

Regina did not know what to say. What had Emma gotten herself into?

"That woman really has a heart of gold. I mean she is one of the best event managers in the area and she has all these well situated clients...which has brought her quite the reputation. In fact she has clients from all over the country. And she is risking all of this...to work for our little Rumplestiltskin. To get you a better life. Not many people would have done that...because it could cost her everything...no one knows how people will take it that she is working for a strip club now. I hope you know how lucky you are to have her, Regina..."

She could not say a word, she could barely nod.

Why would Emma do that for her? She was not worth any of this.

A new wave of guilt washed over her, leaving her with even more weight on her shoulders.

"Anyway...I have to go. Duty calls. Merry Christmas, Regina! Make it a good one, one to remember."

Jefferson headed for the door and left before she could say anything else.

A Christmas to remember.

She would laugh if it would not be so sad.

She would never forget this Christmas, nor the disaster she had created.


When Emma returned to her penthouse in the afternoon of the 24th Henry was already waiting for her.

She had wanted to go grocery shopping quickly, but had needed more than three hours in the end, because people were shopping like the world would end tomorrow.

Like every year.

Damn holidays!

"Hey kid! Is something wrong?"

"No. I just came over to give you your Christmas gift", he stated and showed her the wrapped up item in his hand to prove it.

"That's very sweet, Henry, but you should not have gotten me anything."

"We're family. And I wanted to."

His answer rendered her speechless and Emma unlocked the door to let them in.

Henry took a seat on the couch while she put the groceries away and once she was done she went to the bedroom to get his present, "I got you something as well."

"I know were are not supposed to open gifts before tomorrow, but it's okay if you open yours", Henry announced with a smile.

"Okay, if you say so", Emma returned the smile and ripped the wrapping paper open, just to reveal a handmade frame with a picture of Regina, Henry and herself.

The three of them were laughing and she could remember exactly when the picture had been taken.

Movie night five weeks ago. Henry had found her digital camera and had wanted to take pictures of them all day long till they had finally given in. This particular photo had been taken with the help of the timer and while they had tried to look halfway decent they had seen a commercial for the movie "Frozen" and had not been able to stop themselves from laughing about Olaf, the snowman.

And that was when the timer had decided that it was time to take a shot.

Looking at the picture now tore Emma apart. It was such a great memory and she did not want to miss it, she did not want to miss a second of her time with Regina and Henry, but at the same time she became aware what she had lost in the cruelest of ways.

"I made the frame myself...in school. Headmaster Hopper helped me", the boy explained proudly.

Emma nodded appreciatively, "That's great, kid. Thank you."

Silence filled the room after that, but Henry broke it before Emma could.

"I don't know what happened between you and my mom...but you have to fix this. Both of you. And you have to fix it soon, because not spending time together sucks. I miss you", Henry announced sadly.

"I miss you too, kid. Both of you."

Emma got up to light a fire in the fireplace, because she was freezing, "You can open your gift too...if you want."

And she needed a moment to collect herself. She had not been prepared for this.

"Kay."

A fierce knock on the penthouse door interrupted his plan though and Emma headed to answer the door, already knowing who would be on the other side of it.

"Is Henry here?" Regina's worried voice could be heard as soon as said door was opened and Emma noticed that her bruises had faded and the gash was healing well.

Good.

"Yeah, uh...he's here. Come in..."

"Thank you."

Emma went back to the fire place and Regina stalked over to Henry, glaring at her son, "Henry, you can't sneak out of the apartment without telling me! I was worried sick..."

"I'm sorry, mom. But I wanted to give Emma her gift since you two aren't talking to each other and..." he dropped his head, "I did not mean to scare you."

"It's okay. Just tell me where you are going next time, okay?" Regina's voice had softened as soon as she had seen how sad Henry was. This was not easy for him either.

He nodded and returned to unwrapping his present, just to reveal an old, leather bound book with the title 'Once Upon a Time' on the front, "A fairytale book! That is sooo awesome, Emma! Thank you."

Emma smiled at him, "It's my greatgrandfather's. He gave it to my grandfather, who gave it to my father, who gave it to me. It's been in my family's possession for a long time. And now I'm giving it to you, because you are family too."

Regina was startled by the blonde's statement, but was nowhere near able to say a word, nor a coherent sentence.

"Can I come by tomorrow to wish you a merry Christmas?" he asked quickly and Emma nodded, "Sure...if that's okay for your mom...of course."

"If he is not interrupting your plans", Regina stated and watched Emma expectantly.

Plans? I have no plans. Beside hanging out with my buddy Jack. Daniel's. "Not at all."

"Very well then", Regina turned back to her son, "Let's go. I'm sure Emma has a lot to do."

"Actually..." Emma began, "I'd like to have a word with your mom...if that's okay with you, kid."

Regina stopped dead in her tracks, but Henry nodded eagerly, "Absolutely. I'll go straight to my room...nobody has to worry. I promise. I want to start reading anyway."

Emma chuckled.

That boy was her undoing.

And before Regina could have disagreed he stormed off and let them to themselves.

They stared at each other for a moment, but then Emma cleared her throat, "I need to get something from my office. I'll be back in a second."


She returned with a familiar stack of papers and handed them to Regina, "I wanted to give them to you when I returned from my meeting with Gold, but well...you know how that ended, so I did not get the chance."

Regina looked at Emma in confusion, not sure what Emma expected her to do, but in the end she took the documents, took the unwanted reminders of a past she tried so hard to get rid of.

"I did not read any of it...just in case you should worry about that. It's none of my business", Emma stated quickly, sensing Regina's discomfort.

When the brunette caught sight of the borrower's note she took it out and handed it back to Emma, "I believe this one is for you."

"Right. This one is mine."

"Would you mind keeping them?" Regina asked and handed the documents back to Emma, "I have copies of the medical reports and I really don't want to see the rest of this ever again."

"That can be arranged."

"Thank you."

Emma put the borrower's note on top of the documents,went over to the fireplace and threw all of them into the flames rather unceremoniously, watching how Regina's past burned to ashes in front of her eyes.

It would not erase Regina's horrible memories and yet a part of her past would be gone forever in a moment.

"What are you doing?!" the brunette appeared next to her, obviously shocked about Emma's actions.

"I'm giving you your life back. That's what I wanted to do from the beginning", she reached into her jeans pocket and pulled a passport out, which she handed to Regina, "I found this in the folder with your documents as well. You are free to go...wherever you want. Whenever you want. It's your choice now, Regina. And yours alone."

"But I owe you..."

"You don't owe me anything. This is my gift to you...your freedom. Merry Christmas, Regina."

She gave the brunette a quick smile than she went over to her kitchen counter to answer her phone, which had started to ring right that moment.

"You can't be serious, Emma. I can't accept this!"

"I don't know about you, but I have a free will. And what I do with my money...and how I spend it...is my decision. Don't even try to argue with me about this, because you'll lose", Emma was deadly serious, but then she grabbed her cell phone to answer a call from her least favorite client of all times, "Mister Gold, what can I do for you..."

Regina flinched as soon as she heard his name.

She was frozen to the spot, not able to move, blink or do anything else for the matter.

Emma had practically burned seventyfive thousand dollars right in front of her eyes only minutes ago.

She stared at her passport in hand, realizing how many possibilites she had all of a sudden. If she found a job she could travel with Henry or they could move.

But deep down she knew that she would go nowhere, because she was right were she belonged.

"I'd suggest a meeting right after the holidays...yes, that would be great. First thing in the morning. Alright, Mister Gold. I'll look it through right away. If I have questions I'll give you a call...and I'll see you on the 28th...of course, Mister Gold. Merry Christmas."

Regina had not been able to ignore the conversation and she was as uncomfortable as one could get.

She hated that Emma had to work for Gold now, but maybe she could help the blonde with the planning since she was rather familiar with Gold's taste and preferences.

It would be the least she could do.

But first she had to apologize to Emma.

"Emma, I..."

"Regina, I really don't want to be rude, but I would appreciate it if you would leave now. I'm sure you've heard that I have work to do."


Regina was irritated to no end.

She could have sworn that Emma had wanted to talk to her about their fight, but then the phone had rung and everything had changed.

As if someone had pushed a switch.

She still could not wrap her head around the fact that Emma had burned all her documents, that she had destroyed the borrower's note – the one piece of paper that existed about all the money she owed her.

Why would someone do that?

Because she had wanted to help you...from the beginning. Like she said!

Now she felt even more horrible about the way she had treated Emma, especially since she did not even get a chance to apologize.

She did not care if she had to pay all this money back – she would have found a way – but Regina had come to realize that she needed Emma back in her life, needed their friendship.

But more important – she wanted it.

And that's why she went back to the penthouse while Henry was setting the dinner table.


Emma was reading one of the documents Gold had emailed her earlier, a tumbler of whiskey in hand, when she heard the knock on the door.

Who the hell could that be?

It was Christmas eve after all.

If Graham had cancelled his photo shoot she would kill him.

But when she opened the door, it was not Graham she found staring back at her, but Regina.

"May I come in? It won't take long."

Emma nodded and allowed Regina to enter her apartment, "What can I do for you?"

Regina scanned the room and caught sight of all the papers on the living room desk, probably from Gold, and the open bottle of whiskey.

Not to forget about all kinds of take out menues, which were spread all over the kitchen counter.

So, this was it?

Emma's Christmas?

A bottle of Jack Daniel's, some unhealthy food and work?

How was it possible that a kind and good hearted person like Emma was spending Christmas alone?

Because the person she cared about insinuated that she was a manipulative bitch...

"Emma, I'm...I'm so sorry! About everything I said...I didn't mean it...I just...it's really complicated...and I told you before...I'm a very damaged person. I should have never said what I said...and I know you'll probably never forgive me, but for what it's worth...I'm truly sorry. I never meant to hurt you...you've done so much for me and my son and I treated you like shit...you did not deserve it."

"It's okay. I should have thought this through...you were right. I just decided for you, but I had no right to do that. So, I am sorry too."

"Don't be. You've gotten me out of there...I still can't believe you did that! I never thought I would see that day...when I could finally turn my back on this hell hole", Regina admitted, "You have no idea what that means to me. I might not have shown it, but I am so happy...you have no idea. I was just so caught up in my past...I'm so sorry that I let you pay for the sins of others...and what you did today...I really have no words for that...I have no way of expressing my gratitude...but know this...I will find a way to..."

"Nonsense! If you want me to forgive you...you will stop talking about this money right now, because I'm so sick of it. You did not ask me for it...or forced me to do this. I did it because I wanted to. My decision, my choice. You have to accept that", Emma countered and crossed her arms in front of her body.

"But..."

"No but. That's the condition."

Regina hesitated, but Emma did not even so much as blink.

It was clear that the blonde would not give in. Not when it came to this anyway.

"Okay. But..." when Emma wanted to stop her again Regina shook her head, "Hear me out...I want you to put that bottle away and come with me, because dinner is ready. What do you say?"

A smile appeared on the blonde's face and she nodded, "Deal."

"Great. And...as much as I dread it...I think we should sit down...probably even tonight...before I lose courage again...we should sit down and talk. About the past...about why we have the issues we have...why we react how we react in certain situations. Maybe it will help us avoid fights like the one from a couple of days ago in the future...maybe it will help us to get over it", Regina suggested with a small smile.

She was not sure if she was ready for this conversation, but on the other hand she was not sure if one could even get ready for a talk like that.

But she knew that she had to prove to Emma that she indeed trusted her, that it was more than just empty words. And she would prove it.

Not only to Emma, but also to herself.

"I'm not good at talking about past stuff either", Emma admitted, hoping that the revelation would help Regina to feel less pressured, "It's a good idea though. I'm in. And now let's go...I'm starving."