Hello strangers! I'm still here! I'm still writing on this story. I know I may have lost some people just from lack of posting but I swear I am committed to finishing this story. I don't have a clear timeline as to when it's going to be done seeing as I think Ive been writing on this for a solid year maybe. Crazy talk. However those are the effects of college I suppose. Nevertheless! Here is fresh chapter. And as I promised in the last one, it is definitely a more positive one. This was a fun chapter to write. Please excuse my mistakes!

Enjoy!

Now You See Me

July 4th 8:00pm

The shouts of the crowd were muffled inside the car and when Regina finally stepped out into the cool summer evening she felt a nervous thrill shoot up her spine. "I really don't think this is a good idea Emma." Regina nervously pulled at the end of her sleeveless summer lace shirt that ended just above her shorts. A group of kids ran past her, causing her to jump and she quickly reached for the handle of the car. "Maybe we should go back home."

"It'll be great Regina." Emma jogged around the front to the passenger side and stepped between Regina and the door handle before she could make her way back inside. "Look, we are already here, it's a beautiful night, and I'm not going to let you sit around the house anymore. You should be out celebrating! What a better time than Storybrooke's famous 4th of July Spectacular."

Regina raised an eyebrow at Emma. "Famous?" She questioned sarcastically.

"Okay well give it some credit. The foods great, there will be fireworks, and not to mention I have a surprise for you at the end of the night. Please." Emma smiled the most attractive smile she could muster up, flashed her eyes dramatically and watched as Regina struggled with the idea. When Regina gave a hint of a smile, Emma knew she had won.

"Fine. But I sense the slightest hint of something weird going on, and its straight home." Regina ordered and stepped passed Emma heading toward the celebration.

"Yes Ma'am." Emma bowed out of her way and then happily followed behind her. She felt a twinge of excitement. It felt good.

Earlier that day

When Regina and Emma had awkwardly arrived back home after their excitingly depressing morning, Emma had fallen asleep on the couch only to be woken up by the clanging of pots in the kitchen. The sweet scent of homemade apple pie overwhelmed her senses and she followed her nose into the kitchen to find Regina pulling out a heavenly looking pie from the oven.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked, clearly startling the woman. Regina jumped around as the oven door slammed shut and nearly dropping the hot pan on the floor she quickly set it down on the island trying to catch her heart after it jumped up in her chest.

"Geez, Emma!" She took a deep breath. "You can't sneak up on me like that." She took her oven mittens off her hands and set them next to the pie, embarrassed by her lack of senses, and the fact that Emma could not contain her laughter.

"I'm so sorry." She said between laughs.

"It's fine. At least I didn't drop it. This is the third one I've tried to make and I think it actually came out pretty decent this time." Regina turned to the sink and started washing off the dishes and start to clean up the mess she had made in the kitchen. "I hope I didn't wake you up, I was trying to be quiet."

"No, you didn't. I'm a light sleeper anyway it seems these days." Emma sighed and rested her elbows on the other side of the island from where Regina was washing dishes.

Regina hated knowing that she was probably the reason that Emma didn't sleep well anymore. So many ways she felt she had changed Emma's life for the worse and she couldn't see how she could do anything right by her.

The silence quickly set in as they couldn't find the words for the conversation they both wished they were having. Regina wanted to apologize for everything she had put Emma and Henry through. Emma just wanted to tell Regina how much she still loved her with every ounce of her being. But there were no words.

The sudden open and slam of the front door and the pounding of heavy basketball shoes stole both of the women's attention. "Mom! Mom!" Henry came sprinting into the kitchen and threw his bag down on the ground as he came to a screeching halt next to Emma.

"Whoa, kid. Slow down. And pick up your backpack, can't you see Regina is cleaning up in here." She pushed him over to where his backpack had come to stop just under a table in the corner of the kitchen, knocking over some papers that had been stacked on top.

"Oh, sorry Regina." Henry breathlessly grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulder.

"It's alright dear. I hadn't quiet made it that far with my rag anyway." She began wiping down the island. Emma quickly lifted her elbows off the counter to move out of Regina's way catching a glimpse of Regina's eyes when they flickered up toward the blonde.

"Mom!" Henry quickly stepped over to Emma once again after he haphazardly slapped the stack of papers back on top of the table.

"Henry!" Emma mocked him playfully.

"Can we go to the Fourth of July Festival tonight?" He asked excitedly, almost jumping from his untied basketball shoes.

"Is that today? Wow. Uh, well I'm not sure…" She cleared her throat nervously.

"Please mom! Pleaaassee!" He begged with his hands clasped together.

"Why on earth do you want to go so bad? It took Regina and I practically the whole week prior last year to convince you to go." Emma stole a worried glance toward Regina hoping she didn't put her awkwardly on the spot.

"Because all my friends are going and Alice will be there and-" Henry quickly covered his mouth in embarrassment when he realized he had just blown his cover.

"Alice?" Emma placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "Who's Alice? Have we met her before?"

"Nobody." He attempted to run out of the room but Emma grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back into the conversation.

"Right, and I'm the Wicked Witch. Spit it out kid, who is she?" Emma crossed her arms and waited patiently for Henry to answer. He rolled his eyes and fixed his shirt under his backpack nervously.

"Geez mom, she is just a girl I met at basketball camp today. That's all." Henry rolled his eyes and played off his sensitivity.

"I really don't think I believe you. You like her don't you?" Emma raised an eyebrow at him and glanced back and Regina who had paused her work to listen in on the conversation.

"So I like her. Fine. You happy?" Henry angrily crossed his arms in a huff.

"Awe my sweet boy has his first crush!" Emma squeezed Henry's cheeks playfully and he swatted her hands away and pulled his face back from her grip. Emma laughed as his cheeks grew a bright shade of pink both from her squeezing and his embarrassment.

"It's not funny." He mumbled under his breath and proceeded to stomp out of the kitchen.

"No, Henry! I'm sorry. Come back. I wasn't laughing at you." She reached for him but only got a piece of his shirt. It was enough to pull him back into her arms though and she squeezed him tight. "My boy is growing up." He tried to wiggle free but eventually gave up fighting his mother's death grip.

"So can we go?" His voiced muffled in her arm.

"Uhm.." She cleared her throat as she felt her chest begin to panic a little bit. She wanted to go, and she wanted him to go, but she wasn't sure if Regina could take a night out in public without being completely overwhelmed. And she didn't want to go without her. "Why don't you go upstairs and get ready for dinner and we'll talk about it then."

Regina quickly turned back to her work as soon as Henry ran off out of the room. She felt sick to her stomach. Why was she such a burden? She felt like she was holding them back from everything they really wanted to do. Maybe it would be better if she just disappeared.

Emma ran her hands through her hair in contemplation and walked over to the fridge. Somehow she knew this conversation she was about to have with Regina might need a little help from her friend, Beer.

"You two should go." Regina spoke up in the midst of her stacking pans in the dishwasher. Emma had no more than touched the cold bottle to her lips. The air stung her throat as she inhaled the smoke billowing from the top of the bottle. The bottle clanked softly on the countertop and Emma braced herself up on the other side of the table. Her head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds because of all the crap that was building up that she couldn't get out.

"We aren't going without you." Emma stated blatantly. It was about time one of them stepped up and tried to change things. Even if it was a tiny shuffled step in the right direction, at least it was the right direction. And even if it hurt like hell to put her foot down, Emma felt like it was time to stop being so passive aggressive about everything.

"You guys need some time to have some fun. I would just be in the way." Regina tossed the rag she had in her hand in the sink and braced herself on the edge of the sink with her back to Emma. She couldn't face staring into those blue eyes burning into her back.

"Regina, is that really what you think?" Emma took a step toward her and Regina avoided her eye contact for as long as she could. But the pull to look into Emma's eyes was more than she could fight against.

"It's not what I think." Regina turned around and crossed her arms protectively. "I know. I would just hold you guys back from having fun." Regina picked up the rag again wiping the counter where she had already wiped a couple of times before just to keep herself busy.

Emma laughed a little and it felt strange but she couldn't help it. Honestly it was the only thing keeping her from crying.

"I'm sorry. Did I say something funny?" Regina threw her rag down across the counter and stared at Emma in confusion.

"Actually, what I find funny, is that I think you actually want to believe what you are saying. Is this… is this what you talk about with Dr. Hopper? About how much you think you are ruining our lives?" Emma had stopped laughing and her demeanor quickly became serious.

"Well it's true." Regina mumbled.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Emma started around one side of the island taking a step toward Regina, keeping one hand on the counter top to keep her balance. Her legs felt numb all the way down to the bone and if she didn't keep a hold of something, she would surely fall over.

"I said it's true. I am ruining your life. You can't sleep. I still wake up to you screaming my name in the middle of the night. You hardly eat. You come back from god knows where with black eye's and cuts on your face, you hardly spend time with your son, and all because I can't remember a single god damned thing about my own life. Maybe it would be better off if I had just died." Regina's cheeks were already streaked with tears. And Emma's face only made them worse.

Emma felt like someone had just shot her in the stomach. Never mind the black eye forming on her face or the scar that she would have on her cheek after the cut healed in a couple weeks. Boom. One shot, straight in her gut. She was nauseous. She hated herself. Hated herself for even allowing Regina for one second to think that she was the cause of all of this chaos.

Emma started to open her mouth to say something but then stopped herself. How do you tell someone that they are completely wrong? How do you completely change someone's perspective on a situation? How do you tell someone that they are not only the light to your entire world, but have become so much a part of you that it would literally kill you if they were not there? Emma knew she was not going to have the strength or courage to tell her that. So she did what any normal person would do in this situation. She would show her.

Before Regina could react, Emma had taken three large steps in her direction, grabbed a hold of Regina's head and pushed their lips together. Regina fought it for a moment, but Emma was not letting go. Emma could feel the warmth of Regina's tears on her cheeks and it burned her own. She could feel the every inch of Regina's lips on her own. Something she hadn't felt in what seemed like a lifetime.

When they finally parted, it was slow and hesitant. Emma wanted more, but she had already busted through their boundaries and she wasn't sure how Regina felt. Emma's eyes were closed but for the first time in a long time she felt like she could really see. A little bit of weight had lifted from her shoulders, a little bit of chaos in her head had made itself right again. This was so right.

Regina cleared her throat to break the silence and when Emma opened her eyes she immediately stepped back from Regina.

"Um.. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Emma rubbed the back of her neck nervously and licked her lips trying to get every taste of Regina she could.

Regina was quiet for a moment and then a thin smile teased on her lips. Emma felt a little confusion. So did she like it? Did she remember ever doing it before?

"Yeah. Because I hated that." Regina laughed a little and Emma did too. The air lightened slightly. Enough to where it didn't feel like you could cut the tension with a knife. "Why did you do that?" Regina asked.

"Um.. I don't know." Emma felt like a child having to explain something stupid she did, like run out in the street when her mom told her not to. "I just… I don't know how to say what I want to say to you."

Regina stayed quiet as Emma struggled with her explanation. Again Emma found herself at a loss for words and she just couldn't spit them out.

"I feel like everything I say might make you upset or angry or worse make you want to leave. And I just… I just don't think I can handle losing you again. I just don't know how to express us and what we were. I don't want you to be uncomfortable around me." That was the best she could do for now.

"Emma, I don't feel uncomfortable around you. If anything I feel the exact same way you do about all this. I feel like I can't do anything without screwing something else up. You have a life, we… had a life and I don't know where I fit into that anymore. I feel like everywhere I go I step on toes and I make a mess of things. I just wish I could remember how it was so I know my place."

"Your place?" Emma questioned immediately after Regina finished, almost cutting her off. "Your place is here. It's always been here, it will always be here, no matter what happens to us." Emma could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and they burned. She took a step forward and gently reached out to Regina's face. "I want you here. Henry wants you here. He loves you more than life itself. And… so do I." Emma's thumb gently caressed the scar above Regina's lip and again with a little more courage this time Emma leaned in and gently kissed her.

Emma ended the kiss before Regina was ready, and when the cold air swept over her body Regina opened her eyes. Emma was grabbing her keys from where they were hanging on the wall.

"Where are you going?" Regina quickly followed her through the kitchen into the foyer.

"I have to go talk to someone about something." Emma turned back around and planted a kiss on Regina's forehead out of pure instinct. "I'll be back in time for dinner."

"Well what exactly am I supposed to make for dinner?" Regina called after her at the open door. But Emma didn't answer. Regina huffed in frustration and confusion. "Henry!" Regina called from the opening of the doorway, and in a few seconds she could hear the pounding of growing feet coming down the stairs.

"Where's my mom?" He stopped at the opening of the foyer.

"She left. And she has left dinner up to me. What do you normally eat for dinner?" She closed the door and headed for the kitchen. Henry quick at her heels.

"Um.." Henry thought for a moment. "You used to make this amazing spaghetti with some homemade sauce. Me and my mom would always go back for seconds." He smiled a little remembering the taste of it.

"Great. Which means I probably have no idea how to make it now." Regina admitted playfully. "Would you want to help me?" Regina asked smiling real big.

Henry hesitated for a moment, but it was only a moment. "Yeah!" Henry ran to the cabinet and started pulling out all the pots and pans. "I don't really remember which ones you used." He stared at them.

"I'm sure we can put our heads together and figure it out." Regina walked over and stood with Henry and stared at all the pots that he had excitedly spread out over the cabinet. She felt like Henry and herself hadn't gotten to spend much time together, and considering what Emma told her about the way he felt, this felt like something they could do together. And maybe it would keep her from worrying about tonight.

8:30pm

"Emma, I don't recognize any of these people." Regina whispered to the blonde walking next to her as they walked passed a seemingly endless crowd of surprised faces and happy hello's from all the people in town who were excited to see them both out together.

"It's okay. I don't either." Emma whispered back. "Oh hey, Leroy!" She waved at a small man walking past them. He gave her a smug smile and continued past them in a hurry.

"Yeah sure. He didn't seem very excited to be here." Regina raised an eyebrow at Emma.

"Okay sure, that was one person." Emma shrugged her shoulders innocently. "But he obviously is focused on getting together the firework show for tonight."

"Emma!" Both women turned to the squeal of a voice behind them only to see a small dark haired and pale skinned woman coming their way.

"Mary Margaret! Hey!" Emma hugged the woman and looked over at Regina who was giving her a stern look. Emma grinned and held up two fingers mouthing a soft sorry as the woman finally let her go from her death grip around Emma's neck.

"I'm so glad you two made it out tonight. David and I were just talking about you two." She waved her newly wed husband over and he met Emma with a gentle hug.

"Good to see you Emma." He nodded at her. "You as well Regina. You look great."

"Um, thank you." Regina nervously looked over at Emma.

"Oh, this is Mary Margaret. She teaches at Storybrooke High with us. Her and David were married last summer." Emma explained.

"Oh well congratulations." Regina smiled.

"Thank you." Mary Margaret smiled genuinely and hooked her arm around David's arm. "It's crazy that it's already been almost a year. One year next Saturday actually." Mary Margaret smiled up at David. David wasn't a terribly large man, but standing next to Mary Margaret he almost looked like a giant.

"We are going to have a small get together at our house in celebration. You two are welcome to come. It's nothing fancy. Just some drinks and finger foods." David offered.

"Sounds like fun." Emma smiled in acceptance. "We'll do our best to stop by."

"Yes, thank you." Regina chimed in and she shared a glance with Emma.

"Okay, well we were just on our way to go find some seats before the fireworks start. We want to make sure we get a good view. You guys are welcome to join us if you'd like?" Mary Margaret offered.

"Oh no, that's fine. We should probably go find Henry before the fireworks start. We don't want to hold you up." Emma quickly answered.

"Ok. Tell Henry we said hello! Can't wait to see how big he's gotten. I think I actually have him in one of my classes this coming year. Won't that be fun!"

"I'll be sure to warn him of how strict you are." Emma winked. "We'll see yall later." Emma waved as they walked away.

"By Regina!" Mary Margaret waved before turning and pulling David through the crowd.

"Well she seems… nice." Regina joked.

"Yeah she is harmless. I literally don't think she could harm a fly. She's great though. When Henry and I first moved here she helped us out until I could get myself on my feet and get me and Henry a place to stay. I owe her a lot." Emma explained.

"That was nice of her." Regina smiled.

"Yeah." Emma stared at Regina for a minute. The evening glow of the lights on her face at just the right angle made her look like the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. "Yeah it was." Emma licked her lips and then turned her attention to the crowd. They were all heading toward the lake before the start of the fireworks.

"Should we find Henry before the fireworks start?" Regina stretched her head above the crowds.

"No, he should be fine. I told him to meet us by the merry-go-round after the show." Emma turned in the direction of the lake. "Shall we go find a good place to watch?"

The two women wove their way through the crowd, all the while awkwardly fighting the urge to hold onto each other just to stay together. It had been a stressful night for both of them so far. Regina hadn't recognized anyone who had talked to her since they arrived. And Emma was trying her best to keep things light and Regina's spirits high. Neither of them expected tonight to be perfect. But at least they were trying.

As soon as they reached a good spot the first firework lit up the sky above their heads. "Perfect timing." Emma smiled. And for a moment, as the colors, and booms, and awes of the crowd echoed over the lake, there was finally some peace between the two women. Everything became irrelevant. The past, the future, the present, all became this single moment that was out of their control yet felt exactly right for both of them. Emma looked over at Regina standing next to her and again fell into the wonder of the woman. The explosions lit up Regina's face and Emma could see her smile creep across her face. A smile that for some time Emma believed was gone forever. Emma never believed that her whole life could be wrapped up in single person, but there she was. Her life had been perfectly wrapped up in a beautiful brunette with sharp brown eyes and endless curves. Emma had an overwhelming feeling that if they could just stick together, everything was going to be alright.

The finale of the fireworks had broken Emma from her stare and they both looked on at the constant explosions in the air. Storybrooke may have been a simple small town in northern Maine, but they sure knew how to put on a fireworks show. As the last few straggling fireworks exploded, the crowd applauded and slowly began to make their way back around to all the festivities.

"That was actually pretty amazing." Regina chimed in.

"Yeah, Leroy sure knows how to put on a show. He's been doing it for almost five years now and he has yet to disappoint." Emma smiled and she stuck her hands in her pockets nervously. She felt like tonight had gone really well so far, and she hoped it would continue.

"Hey, check it out!" Emma stepped over to one of the ring toss booths and watched as a couple of kids tried to make a hoop around one of the many glass bottles lined up in front of them. "I used to be so good at this game. I remember when August used to take me to the fair and I would spend all my money at the ring toss tents. Do you want to play?" Emma stepped up closer to the tent and offered Regina a turn.

"Oh no dear. You go ahead." Regina smiled.

"Okay!" Emma excitedly turned to the guy running the booth and handed him the money.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" He announced as Emma got into position. "We have two beautiful ladies here who think they can win the ultimate game of ring toss. You must have aim, you must have wits, you must have the delicate touch. If you make one ring, you get one of these small basketballs. If you make two whole rings, you get a small stuffed animal. And for the grand prize, if you make three whole rings, you get to choose between the big items hanging above your heads."

Regina smiled at the enthusiasm of the man walking back and forth through the booth. Emma waited patiently for his spiel to end so she could get down to business. Emma turned around to Regina and made a funny face making fun of the guy's speech. Regina shook her head in embarrassment and Emma laughed.

"You may begin only when you are ready!" The man bowed to Emma and moved away to the corner of the booth so she could begin.

Emma bounced around on her toes playfully and looked back at Regina hoping to make her laugh. She was successful. Regina's cheeks flushed in embarrassment and Emma awkwardly prepared herself. The blonde tossed the first ring and it unfortunately bounced off of 3 bottles before it hit the dirt.

"One down!" The man yelled from the corner. "Four to go!"

Emma took a deep breath and readied herself for the next. She tossed it gently. It pinged off the edge of a bottle and immediately hit the ground.

"Oh so close!" The man's voice echoed around the booth. "Maybe your friend there will have better luck."

Emma turned around and juggled the last three rings in her hand and eyed Regina. "You want to try?" Regina quickly shook her head and took a step back.

"Oh she is a shy one. Or maybe she is just scared?" The man egged Regina on. It worked. Regina knew she was shy, but she was not scared.

"I'm not scared." Regina crossed her arms defensively.

Emma and the guy shared a look that said they didn't really believe her.

"I'm not!" Regina defended herself. "Fine. Gimme those." Regina huffed over to Emma and snatched the rings out of her hands.

"We have another competitor folks. Let's see if she can do any better!" He egged on the few people who had gathered behind them to watch and wait for their turn. Regina shook her head in defeat and grinned at Emma.

"I can't believe you talked me into this." She mumbled. She took the first ring and tossed it toward the bottles. It clanked off of two in the middle of the line and safely bounced onto the neck of a lucky bottle.

"Oh man!" Emma got excited and stepped closer to Regina. "Come on get another one!"

Regina smiled at Emma's childish excitement and at the fact that she had shut up the guy running the booth. He had busied himself with another group of kids and finally left them alone.

Regina licked her lips and tossed her second ring. And with the surprise of both women it landed perfectly on the neck of another bottle.

"I think you're better at this than me!" Emma laughed.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this." Regina smiled and laughed. "It's just beginners luck."

"Whatever! You're a natural." Emma encouraged her. "Come on, you have one more! You got this!" Emma waited impatiently and felt like she was 13 again at the fair with August. Such childlike enthusiasm and seriousness and the flutter in her chest. Who knew she could get this excited over some dumb silly game at the fair.

Regina looked at Emma. Her enthusiasm was so genuine that she just couldn't be the person to take this moment away from her.

"You take it." Regina handed her the ring.

"No you take it! You've already made two, you can't give up now." Emma refused.

"No really! I want you to take it. If we win, we win together." Regina smiled.

"Really Regina it's fine. I can play again -" Emma tried to refuse again but before she could get the sentence out, she found Regina's lips cutting her off. Emma was taken back at the sudden touch. She wasn't ready.

When Regina pulled back she kept one hand on Emma's cheek and smiled. "I trust you." Emma had the feeling she wasn't just talking about the game.

Nonetheless, she shook her head and took the ring. She took a deep breath, swallowed hard and tossed the ring up in the air. For what felt like a lifetime the ring flipped over on its end in the air before clinking once on the edge of a bottle, then twice, then a third before catching the edge of another and swirling around its neck.

Both women jumped up in the air in triumph. Regina jumped into Emma's arms and Emma swirled her around before planting a quick kiss on her lips. The man came from around the booth and congratulated the women.

"Which prize would you like? You can have any of these big ones here." He motioned to the stuffed animals hanging from the edge of the tent above their heads.

"Which one do you want?" Emma asked Regina, who couldn't shake her smile.

"They are all so great. But I'm a classic girl so how about the teddy bear." She pointed to the large brown teddy bear on the corner and the guy quickly snagged it down and handed it to Regina.

"Yall have a good night!" He winked at them and then quickly turned his attention back the other's playing at his booth.

"Thank you so much Emma!" Regina held tightly onto the bear which was almost the size of her and smiled at Emma.

"Anything for you." Emma smiled back. This was turning out to be perfect. She couldn't think of anything else she could have wanted to do but spend this time with Regina. They made their way over to an empty bench near the food court area and sat down next to each other watching all of the people rush around them. Regina sat the bear next to her and straightened its polka dotted tie.

"It's perfect." She laughed. "Thank you." Regina said again.

"You're welcome." Emma answered.

"I mean thank you for all of this." Regina turned a little serious. "I've had a lot of fun. And I know I wouldn't have come without you, so… I really appreciate everything." Regina smiled. "And I just want to say that, even though I can't remember much about who we used to be, if any of it was as great as tonight then I know how much I want to remember." A tear escaped Regina and she looked down at her hands. Emma quickly reached up and lifted her head and wiped her tear from her cheek. There were no words Emma could say. A thank you wasn't enough. So she did what she always did. She kissed her. And everything was as it should be.

The two women sat talking for a while. Emma pointed out people she recognized in the crowd and tried to tell Regina everything she knew about them. For the people neither of them knew, they just made up stories about them. It turned into a game. Even the people they did know, it became a competition of who could come up with the most ridiculous life story.

"She did not!" Emma wrenched over laughing. "You're telling me that she slept with her sister's fiance the night he proposed? And then decided to marry her instead."

"Oh yes. It was very scandalous. And nobody ever found out until the night before the wedding when she got a little too drunk at her bachelorette party and spilled the whole story. And of course her sister was there and of course she was appalled." Regina told the story in all seriousness and it only made Emma laugh even harder. Regina tried to keep a serious face but eventually she broke as well.

"Okay, I think you win!" Emma admitted. "That was pretty good. That poor family." Emma sighed and let out a small remaining giggle. "Hey, are you hungry? We haven't eaten since dinner."

"Yeah I could probably eat."

"Okay, I'll go grab us a couple of burgers. I'll be right back." Emma kissed Regina on the forehead and hopped up and half jogged over to one of the food vendors. Regina smiled and watched Emma talking with the vendor as she waited for the food. Emma turned around and waved at Regina and Regina waved back playfully until Emma turned back to her conversation. Regina was starting to understand why they must have been such a good pairing before. Even though their relationship had been rocky before tonight, there was something about this moment that made everything seem so right. That despite all of the bad, this was good.

"Hello, Regina."

Regina jumped at the sound of the voice next to her. She was so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the man that was standing at the end of the bench near her.

"I'm sorry I didn't see you standing there." Regina stood up. The man was much taller than her and his dark hair and blue eyes were striking contrasts to one another. He was all around a very handsome man, and Regina wondered if she was supposed to know him since he apparently knew her.

He stood there awkwardly staring at her and it made her a little uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry." Regina squeezed her hands. "Do I know you?"

The question seemed to break his stare and he blinked a few times before clearing his throat and holding his hand out to her. "Um no. My name is Daniel." He smiled politely.

She grabbed his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you. How do you know my name?" She asked curiously.

"Oh, uh I was one of the doctors assigned to you at the hospital." He answered clearly.

"Oh really? I'm sorry I don't remember you. I guess I should be thanking you though. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't be alive." She smiled thankfully.

He ran his hand through his hair slowly. "Oh yeah. That's my job I guess." He smiled. His eyes flicked over to the blonde woman still talking at the burger vendor and then back at Regina. She thought he seemed awfully nervous but she didn't make much of it at the time.

"Are you having a good time?" He finally asked breaking the silence that had set in.

"Yes I am. I was a little nervous coming out into public you know but it's turned out to be a pretty great night. How about yourself?" Regina asked genuinely. There was something strangely familiar about this guy. Maybe she just vaguely remembered him from the hospital.

"Oh you know. Yeah I'm having a good time. Better now though." Regina blushed a little. "You know, it's nice to see former patients out and about doing well. You seem like you are doing really well."

"Well I have good days and bad days. Tonight happens to be a really good one. You seem so familiar though. Do I just know you from the hospital? Maybe we've met outside of there before my accident?" Regina questioned as his familiarity seemed to grow on her. She didn't know who he was or remember anything about him, but there was something.

He rocked from foot to foot and avoided Regina's eyes. "It was nice to see you Regina." He smiled and as fast as he arrived, he was gone. Regina didn't even have time to call after him. She looked back to find Emma walking back toward her with two baskets in her hands.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma asked concerned to find Regina just standing randomly near the bench.

"Um, yeah I just thought uh thought I saw uh Henry and I was going to get his attention but then it wasn't him." She struggled to come up with that answer but she was relieved when Emma bought it.

"Oh, okay. Well here you go! Just like you like it! No tomatoes with mustard instead of ketchup." Emma smiled and sat down on the bench.

"Thank you." Regina joined Emma back on the bench and picked up a french fry. Emma could tell something had changed in Regina's demeanor and she wondered if she should ask. I mean after all they had made some huge strides tonight and maybe asking too many questions would be too much. She couldn't stand to see Regina this way though. It was like something had upset her.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked after swallowing her bite of burger.

"Hmm?" Regina looked up to meet Emma's concerned face. "Yeah I'm fine! Really. I guess I'm just sorry that the night is almost over." She took another french fry.

"Actually, I have a surprise for you!" Emma smiled deviously.

"A surprise?" Regina took a bite of her burger. "What is it?" She mumbled with her mouth full of food.

Emma laughed. "Well it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now would it. Let's finish eating and then I'll show you." Emma shoved about five french fries in her mouth and chewed obnoxiously causing Regina to laugh and nearly spit out her mouth full of food.

A rush of excitement rushed over Regina. She was so curious as to what Emma had planned for the rest of the night. It seemed like none of this could get any better. But she hoped that it would. Nevertheless, she was still thinking about Daniel. Who was he? And why did she have such a strange feeling about him. She didn't feel that way when she saw Emma. But maybe that was normal. She wanted to know more about him. Maybe she would visit the hospital tomorrow while Emma was at work to talk to him again. Maybe she should ask Emma and see if she knew him. Well, maybe not tonight. She would ask her tomorrow after she did a little digging. Tonight was just for her and Emma. No drama. No stories from the past. Just the two of them.