"Regina?"

Regina was sitting on the couch reading a book and put it down once she saw me leaning against the door frame.

"I was wondering where you got to."

"I'm sorry."

She looked a bit surprised, "For what, Emma?"

"For not being very...social."

"Emma, it's very understandable. You just received terrible news. You were grieving, so I wanted to give you the space you needed."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to shut you and Henry out."

"Henry understood after I explained it to him."

"Yeah but I already spent a majority of his life shutting him and you out. I can't do it again."

Regina patted the spot next to her and I sat down on it without any hesitation.

"Emma, you're a strong woman. Henry and I will be with you every step of the way."

She opened her arms up to me and I immediately fell into her embrace. She held onto me as I shook as the sobs wracked my body. I was so damn exhausted of suffering like this alone.

Regina wasn't talking and just held onto me.

Once I was finished I wiped my nose, "Aww shit, I just got snot all over your blouse."

"Don't worry about it, Emma. Henry had done this plenty of times as a baby."

"But it's ruined!"

"I can always get it dry cleaned, Emma. It's just a piece of clothing. Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks for letting me…"

"You're welcome."

I tried to wipe my nose again and Regina used a tissue to do it.

"Now I know where Henry got the bad habit of doing this."

She paused and I made a face that looked like I was about to sneeze.

"Blow your nose."

I tried to hold it in, "You're not the boss of me."

She waited before I sneezed into the tissue.

I sniffled and she wiped my nose and my hand.

"You're lucky I love you."

"You...love me?"

This was the first time I ever said that to her.

"Yes, Regina Mills, I love you. This isn't just me saying it because of all the kindness you have shown me over the past months. Ever since I left, I felt like I had been missing something. My heart had a giant hole in my heart that nothing could fill. Henry was a part of helping me find my heart again, but so were you. Without you, I would've been dead."

Regina cringed when she heard me say the final sentence.

"Henry needed both of his mothers."

"No, he didn't need me, Regina. You had done such a wonderful job of raising him. I was just making it worse and…"

She put a finger to my lips, "I don't ever want to hear you say those words again, do you understand me?"

I couldn't find the words to answer her, so I just nodded.

"You're right though, I did have a choice. Part of me wanted to let you die, but I knew that if I allowed that to happen, then I truly would be the Evil Queen all over again. She might be a part of me, but that isn't who I am now."

"At least you were honest. I would've let myself go too if I was you."

She pinched my cheek, "Ow!"

"I told you not to say things like that."

"You didn't have to pinch my cheek! That part of me isn't numb. That hurt like a mother…"

Regina gave me a warning glare.

"I make jokes to cope, Regina. I'll learn to figure out how to work with this new life."

"You'll make it through this trying time, Emma."

She smiled at me before she kissed my cheek, "I love you, my white knight."

xxx

A few years had gone by and Henry had packed all of his bags for college.

Regina was trying not to cry and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, "Regina, it's not like he's leaving forever."

"I know, but you just got him back!"

Henry chuckled, "You can visit me, you know."

"Are you sure that you'll be safe in a big city?"

"Mom, I can handle myself. Ma taught me well, you know."

I gave Henry a thumbs up, "Damn straight."

"Emma!"

"But you're not straight, Ma."

I rolled my eyes, "Well duh."

Henry opened the cab door, "Time for me to go."

The can driver helped Henry put all of his things in the trunk.

Before he got in, he gave us both a group hug and kissed both of our cheeks.

"You two better be on your best behaviors."

"Hey, I'm supposed to be saying that to you, Kid!"

"Don't get Mom pregnant, Ma."

Henry burst out laughing.

"You better not come back with your own kid, Kid, or your mom will kill you."

"You won't kill me?"

"No, I can't be a double standard, now can I?"

"I'll be safe, okay?"

"You better wrap it before you do it!"

Regina smacked my arm, "Emma, that is highly inappropriate."

"Regina, he's eighteen. You know what boys want and it's only one thing."

"Ma, I'm not that way!"

"That's what you say now."

"Mom, tell Ma that she's wrong!"

"You're wrong, Miss Swan."

"Woah, you can't 'Miss Swan' me."

Regina gave me her infamous look that she gave when someone crossed the line.

"Henry, don't forget that you can visit any time, okay? We'll be visiting you for parent weekend."

"Okay. I have to make my own adventure."

He gave us a last group hug before sitting in the backseat of the cab.

I leaned into the passenger's side window, "Listen Buddy, if anything happens to my Kid, I will find you. Got it?"

The taxi driver nodded.

I held onto Regina's hand as the cab took Henry away to his college.

"Thank goodness you smacked my right arm or that would've hurt like a bitch."

"You have such a filthy mouth."

"I bet you can find a better use for it." I said while winking.

Regina rolled her eyes, "Yes, I can."

xxx

"Ew Regina, I wasn't talking about this!"

I was spitting out the vegetables that Regina had given me.

"I can't believe you spit out my food!"

"I love you and all, but vegetables are gross."

Regina rolled her eyes and pushed another plate towards me that had brussel sprouts.

I made a cross with my two fingers, "Oh no, you keep that away from me!"

"Emma, you're an adult, so act like one."

"I am, but this is torture. You're not even trying to interrogate me."

"It's not torture. You need to open your mind to the foods that you're missing out on."

"That looks like death wrapped in a handbag."

Regina had her hands on her hips, "You better eat this or you'll be spending a week on the couch and without any of my lasagna."

"That's blackmail!"

Regina waited, "One…"

I shoved it in my mouth and after I swallowed, I pretended to puke.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

I put my head on the table and closed my eyes.

"Oh no, I see the light."

Regina rolled her eyes and left me at the dinner table, "You can be dramatic on your own time. I have to meet with your parents."

"What? Why?"

"I can't tell you."

"I hate secrets, Regina."

She went over to me and kissed my cheek, "I will tell you when I get back, okay? It's something that I need to do."

"Fine, but you owe me cuddles when you get home." I said while pouting.

Regina chuckled, "I didn't think I would have such a needy girlfriend."

"You better leave now or I'll start throwing your disgusting brussel sprouts at you."

xxx

Regina had knocked on the Charmings' door before Snow had opened the door.

"Hello, Regina. I'm surprised to see you. Did I forget that we invited you?"

"I invited her, Snow." Charming said.

"Come in." Snow said.

Regina hung up her coat and sat down at the island. She hadn't felt this nervous in years and Charming tried to give her a friendly smile.

Snow and Charming sat down across from her. Charming handed her a coffee.

"Do you have anything strong?"

"No, Snow said no alcohol in the house."

Regina nodded.

"So what brings you here? Is something wrong with Emma?" Snow asked with concern in her voice.

"Oh no, Emma is good! She threatened me with brussel sprouts."

Charming chuckled, "Yeah, her "diet" proved that she's not much a vegetable person."

"I wanted to talk to you both about something very important."

"Go ahead." Snow said.

"As you know, Emma and I have been dating for a while…"

"Yes, I know." Snow said with a little malice in her voice.

"Snow, give Regina a chance. Go ahead."

"Although you two didn't raise her, she turned out to be a wonderful woman. I can tell that she has both of her traits. Her stubbornness is obviously from you, Snow. Her goofiness is from you, Charming."

"I am not stubborn!"

"There she goes again." Charming said with a wink.

Snow nudged him.

"Snow, I know that you disapprove of me dating her…"

"The only reason I disapprove is because I'm not used to two women being together. Also, you were my step-mother if I remember correctly."

Regina tried not to let that get to her, "Yes, I understand that. What your father did to me is…"

"Unforgivable." Snow finished for Regina.

Regina was in awe that Snow would say that about her own father.

"How did you…?"

"I found out later when he was on his deathbed."

"I'm so sorry that you had to hear it that way."

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that with him."

Snow reached over the table and held onto Regina's hand.

"The past is the past, that's what Emma told me."

Charming nodded in agreement.

"You two are madly in love with each other. It reminds me of how Charming and I were back then. Mind you, you didn't trap Emma in a net."

"No, she didn't." Regina said with a smile on her face.

"And she didn't throw rocks at you."

"I said I was sorry for hitting your head, Charming."

"I still got a scar from that."

"Wounds heal."

"Tell that to my head."

Regina cleared her throat, "I came here today to ask you if I could ask for Emma's hand in marriage."

Charming and Snow looked at each other and then faced Regina.

"Before I say yes, there's one thing that I require." Snow said firmly.

"Anything."

"You have to let me help you pick out a dress for you."

"You have my word."

"Welcome to the family, Regina." Charming said with a grin.

xxx

I heard the bedroom door open and opened my eyes, "Welcome home." I mumbled as I wiped sleep from my eyes.

"Go back to sleep, Sweetheart."

"Over my dead body."

"Emma, don't joke about that."

"Sorry."

She kneeled down in front of the side of my bed.

"I need to ask you something, Emma."

I glanced at the clock and saw that it read 4AM.

"Can this wait until morning?"

"No."

"Just gimme five more minutes."

"Emma, this can't wait."

"Okay okay, where's the fire?"

"No fire, Emma. Just look at me, please."

I opened my eyes wide for dramatic effect and she rolled her eyes at me.

"Be serious."

"I'm serious." I said as I kissed her nose.

I saw her fumbling for something in her hand.

"I know that we have just begun getting to know one another again, but I have to tell you something. The last time I was in love with someone was Daniel."

I held my breath.

"Mother never approved of him and she had crushed his heart right in front of me."

Regina inhaled sharply and tried to concentrate on what she was saying instead of crying.

"After Daniel's death, I never imagined that I would find someone like him again until you came along."

"Regina…"

"Shh, please let me finish."

I kept my mouth shut as she continued to speak.

"No matter how annoying you were or how badly you dressed, I knew that the moment I saw you, I had fallen in love with you. I had fought with my emotions for such a long time. I was so angry at you for when you tried to take your own life. I didn't want it to come to that, but as you know, Henry comes first. I didn't think you actually left and when you did, I felt like I was missing something. I was missing you as each day passed and I had become bitter. I didn't treat everyone like they should be. Henry was the one that actually taught me to forgive you. Even though he was struggling with it himself, he told me that you loved me too. I didn't believe him at first, but I knew that our son wouldn't ever lie to us like he did as a child."

Regina cleared her throat, "What I'm trying to say, Emma, is that I would like you to be my wife, if you'll have me."

I had to make sure I wasn't dreaming, so I pinched myself.

I launched myself at her and knocked her over while covering her with kisses, "Yes, yes, I will marry you!"

Regina started laughing, "It's not official until I put a ring on your finger."

I rolled off of her and let her sit up.

She opened the box and my jaw dropped as I saw that the ring had a swan with a crown on the top of its head.

"It's perfect, Regina."

I was wiping at my face as tears kept falling down my face.

Regina leaned into kiss the tears away.