AN: I meant to get this finished yesterday, but I was so sick. I'm on the mend though, so I was able to complete it today. I apologize for the cruel cliffhanger in the last chapter. For those of you that are anxious to get through the slow burn, bear with me for another chapter or 2. Once again, I'm having to post from my phone so the formatting will be off again, sorry! I can't express enough how much I appreciate your continued interest in this story. Oh, and the song used is by Halestorm. Xoxo.

Emma bolted into a sitting position and glanced at the clock as she tried to catch her breath. 2:17AM. Regina! She grabbed her phone and hit accept in a rush. "Regina! Are you alright?"

"Emma! I was so worried. I had a nightmare, but it wasn't about my mother this time. It was about you. I couldn't find you anywhere. Emma, promise me that you won't leave and never come back. I – I don't know what I'd do without you," the brunette rushed to get out.

The blonde sat on her bed stunned to silence. Had her and Regina just had the same dream about one another? What the hell did that mean? Was that a sign that they'd lose each other? Or, since it was the same, was it a sign that they would always want to find each other? She was pulled from her thoughts as Regina's voice sounded on the other end. "Emma, are you there?"

"Hey, yeah, sorry. I'm here. I'm just shocked. I'm pretty sure I just a similar dream about you," Emma admitted.

"What?" she whispered.

"Yeah. I was looking for you in a crowd of people and I knew you were supposed to be there, but I couldn't find you. I hyperventilated and everything. I woke up panicked."

"How odd…" she muttered.

"What's odd?"

"What? Nothing," Regina answered as she shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. She'd have to remember to call her father later to refresh her memory of that tale. "It's nothing. I'm just surprised is all. That is the same dream I had."

"I can see why you were worried. I was too. I promise that I won't leave and never come back though. And until then, we can still text, and you can call, and when you're really missing my adorable face, we can Skype. I put it on my phone last night with Henry. Check yours. He was supposed to install it for you when you got home."

Regina pressed her home key and there was, indeed a new app on her phone. "That sneaky little shit. I have no idea when he did that."

Emma laughed. Hearing Regina refer to Henry as a little shit was something she wanted to cement into her memory. She'd heard the other woman curse before, but never in reference to her son. Telling him he was a little shit was one of Emma's favorite things to do when she caught him being sneaky, and it was their little secret. She'd been telling him that since just after Christmas and he'd told her that he knew how she felt about his mom.

"Emma," Regina started.

"Sing to you?" she finished.

Regina nodded, then realized Emma couldn't see her and whispered please. Emma sang her the song that she had written for her fitful nights and she fell asleep without ever ending the call. The singer listened to Regina's steady breathing for a little while and then drifted off to sleep once more.

Emma's alarm sounded a few hours later and she woke feeling surprising well rested considering the little amount of sleep she'd gotten. She realized her phone was still on and thanked the heavens that unlimited night minutes existed. She picked up the phone and heard Regina's even breaths on the other end. She indulged herself a few minutes of listening to the peaceful sound before she reluctantly ended the call and went to wake Ruby and get ready. They'd have a long day of flights ahead them with three layovers, because they'd gotten the tickets at such short notice.

Regina woke a little after 7 and reached for her phone. She typed out a message and hit send.

Have a safe trip Emma. Let us know when you land in LA.

She then realized her phone showed a missed call and voicemail from an hour earlier. She decided to listen to the voicemail first. It was Robin. "Good morning my love. I hope you had a restful night. I've got my son this weekend and I think it's finally time that my two favorite people meet. If you and Henry would like to join us for breakfast, give me a call." She smiled. She'd asked Robin just before Christmas when she would finally get to meet little Roland. It was hard to find the time because the boy lived in New York City with his mother.

She called him to confirm that she and Henry would meet them for breakfast at 8 and then went to clear the notification of the missed call. She stopped and stared when the screen showed that her call with Emma had not been ended until 515 that morning. They must have both fallen asleep. She couldn't remember Emma ending the song so she knew she must have drifted off first. She wondered why her best friend hadn't just hung up, but she pushed that thought away and went to wake Henry and get ready for the day.

"Good morning beautiful," Robin greeted. "Good morning Henry."

"Hey," Henry responded grumpily. He hated being woken up, but especially when it was early on a Saturday morning.

"Good morning dear," Regina answered. "Henry is a little upset that I woke him."

"No worries little buddy. Take all the time you need to wake up," Robin said. Henry responded by rolling his eyes with a single nod. "Roland," he said turning to the small child beside him. "This is daddy's friend Regina, and her son Henry."

The little boy hid his face behind his father's arm, but mumbled out a shy, "Hi." Regina grinned, "He is absolutely adorable."

Robin nudged the boy to peek his face out, "What do we say Roland?"

"Thank you," he said with a smile of his own.

They had a nice breakfast together, during which Roland became less and less shy. They took the children to the park after Henry got through his morning grumpiness. He agreed to play with Roland while their parents sat on the bench and talked. By the end of the day, Henry was Roland's new hero. He only left with his father rather reluctantly when they promised that he would get to play with Henry again soon.

"Thank you Henry," Regina said as she drove home.

"For what?" the boy asked.

"For being nice to Roland. I know you're not really fond of Robin."

"So you think I'd be mean to a kid cause I'm not sure how I feel about his dad? Um, thanks Mom." She laughed. "Does Robin make you happy?" he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Of course," she replied. "Do you still think I'm unhappy?"

"Noooo," he responded slowly. "But you were already happier before Robin. Do you think it's really him making you happy?"

"Henry, where is this coming from?" she glanced over at his thoughtful face.

"I don't know," he replied. "I just thought that maybe Emma had more to do with it than he does. Has she texted you yet?" he quickly changed the subject.

"She did," Regina told him, distracted from his comment by the question that had followed. "She is on her last flight, from Houston to Los Angeles."

"Awesome! Can we call her tonight?" he begged.

"Okay."

Emma stepped out of the cab after Ruby and looked around in awe. She was really in LA. They were really in LA. David, Lily and Ruby were all trying to get their luggage out of the truck and Ruby's voice brought her back to her senses, "Em, hello! A little help here?"

"Sorry guys," she grinned. "I'm just a little distracted by the fact that we are actually here."

She went to help them unload their luggage onto one of those rolling baggage carriers that every hotel has. They checked in and were told that Belle had left a message that they were free to enjoy the city that night and Sunday, but they were to be at the studio to meet Mr. Gold at 11AM on Monday. She specifically said not to be late.

Emma's phone rang just as she was putting the last of her things where she wanted them. She smiled when she saw Regina and Henry lighting up her phone. "Hello," she chimed.

"Emma," Henry's excited voice flooded her ear. "What's LA like?"

"I haven't gotten to explore it yet kid. I'll let you know when I do."

"Send pictures!" he nearly shouted.

"I will. Where's your mom?"

"I'm here. You're on speaker. Hi Emma," Regina laughed. "My son apparently doesn't want me to speak with you," she said as she poked him.

"Hey! That's not true," Henry defended.

"Well you wouldn't let me get a word in," she teased.

"Sorry, I'm excited."

Emma giggled at the two of them. "You guys sound happy. Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah," Henry told her. "We met Roland today."

That annoying pain in Emma's chest returned as she thought about them hanging out with Robin and Roland, they'd make the perfect little family. She shoved her feelings aside once more. "That's awesome," she tried to sound sincere.

"How were your flights?" Regina asked. "Are you tired?"

"They were okay. It was my first time on a plane. I thought it was cool. I'm a little tired, yeah, but I'd rather talk to you guys than sleep. Besides, I want to go see the city tonight."

They talked for another half hour or so. She promised to send them pictures as often as possible and they promised to keep her updated on what was going on at home while she was gone. She smiled as she ended the call. She didn't care if her heart ached for more every day for the rest of her life; she had to have them around in whatever way possible.

That night and the next day the band explored as much as they could of LA. They saw the Walk of Fame, took a tour of celebrities' homes, and Ruby had insisted that they visit Rodeo Drive. Emma loved every minute of it. She'd already sent over a hundred pictures to Regina and Henry.

Her mind was so distracted by everything there that she didn't truly begin to feel nervous until she tried to go to sleep on Sunday night. She lay awake trying to calm her nerves so she could at least get some sleep and she found herself humming Regina's song. She'd been doing so for several minutes when her phone lit up. She grinned ridiculously when she saw a text from Regina. It was just after 11pm her time, which meant it was just after 2am in Storybrooke. She wondered why she hadn't just called.

Emma, are you awake?

Yeah. What's up? Nightmare?

No, not tonight. You were just on my mind. I wanted to wish you luck for tomorrow since I'll be at the office before you go.

Texting just wasn't doing it for Emma anymore. She hit the dial button and heard Regina's nearly breathless, "Hello" on the other end.

"Hey you," she smiled. "Thank you for the luck."

"Oh, I hope this is everything you want Emma."

There's only one thing that would improve this. She refused to voice that to Regina in this moment, not wanting to ruin the deepness of the friendship that they shared. So she told her the only thing that seemed right at the time, "This is exactly what I want."

"Good. You should get some rest," Regina told her.

"So should you. You have to deal with cranky Henry in the morning, my least favorite Henry."

Regina laughed. "That's my least favorite Henry too, and it is so much worse on Mondays."

"He's a really good kid though. I love him more than I thought possible."

"Yes, he is. And he does you too. It's kind of odd. I think he looks at you as an odd kind of twist between an older sister and another mother."

"What?" Emma laughed even though she was slightly caught off guard at the idea of Henry viewing her as a motherly figure.

"I simply mean that he listens to you more than he listens to me at times, but then he talks to you about things that he doesn't talk to me about. I should probably be jealous, but I'm not. I can't think of anyone I'd rather him confide in."

"Thanks Regina. I just hope I'm worthy of his trust."

"You are, Emma," she affirmed. "There's no one I trust more."

She spoke with such conviction that it took Emma by surprise and she fought back tears as she replied in a small voice, "Back at ya." They said their goodnights and Emma was soon sleeping peacefully, and so was Regina though they were thousands of miles apart.

The band stepped into Gold Records, and Emma felt a shiver run down her spine. This was right. This is where they belonged. It was the same feeling she got whenever she was on stage. The only thing that ever made her more comfortable was spending time with Regina and Henry, but she tried not to focus on that thought at this moment.

"Hello," a pretty young brunette greeted them with a slight Aussie accent and a smile. "You must be The Poisoned Apples, I'm Belle."

"Um, yeah," Emma answered her. "I'm Emma. This is Ruby, David, and Lily." The girl shook each of their hands as they were introduced.

"Please, have a seat and I will go tell Mr. Gold that you're here," she told them and rushed off to her boss.

The other three sat, but Emma was too distracted by everything around her. There were several silver, gold and platinum records lining the walls. She was studying Geronimo Jackson's platinum album when Belle returned and told them Mr. Gold would see them now.

They followed her to an office across from the actual recording room. The nameplate on the door read R. Gold. She ushered them into the room where Mr. Gold was sitting behind a desk watching a video on the computer screen in front of him. He looked up at their entrance, but rather than acknowledge them he turned to Belle, "I don't like this video dearie. Call them and have them reshoot it."

Belle gaped at him for a moment before she stuck her chin up in defiance while meeting his hard gaze. "With all due respect sir, I think you're making a mistake. That video would be massively popular as it is. I don't think you should change it."

He glared at her for a moment and then eyed the band sitting across from him. "We will discuss this later Belle. Leave us." She smirked to herself and left the room, closing the door behind her without another word. Mr. Gold turned to the group in front of him eyeing them carefully. "Well, you aren't quiet what I expected," he told them bluntly. "Which of you has the wonderful voice?"

"I do the singing," Emma spoke up.

He glanced her up and down and nodded, "Well, of course. I should have guessed. You, I want, and the guy. The rest of you are mediocre at best."

Her jaw hit the floor. She wasn't sure in that moment exactly what she had been expecting, but this wasn't it. That was probably the most sexist thing she'd ever heard. Ruby and Lily were both fantastic. She eyed him hard and forced her voice to remain calm as she told him simply, "Well then, I'm afraid you won't get what you want. We're a package deal. It's all or nothing."

He sized her up once more and decided to call her bluff, "Well then dearie, it was nice to meet you, but I'm afraid you've wasted a trip. I'm simply not interested in all of you."

"You haven't even let us play," Emma said in disbelief. Her voice took on a hard tone as she glared at the man across from her. "I won't take that as an answer. I dare you to let us record one track and we will change your mind." She looked desperately at her bandmates who were in a stunned silence throughout the exchange. Her eyes landed on David's and she silently pleaded with him to back her on this.

He nodded imperceptibly and faced Mr. Gold, "Emma's right. I don't want this without the entire band either. Just give us one shot to see the chemistry we all have together."

Gold surveyed them for a moment, not wanting to give in, but as he remembered Emma's voice on the track they'd sent in, he knew he had to have her. "You've got one shot dearie. Make it count." He came from behind the desk and led them across the hall to the studio.

"Which song are we going to do?" David asked in a whisper as they set up the equipment they wanted.

"Beautiful With You," she responded with certainty. It was a song that she had written after reading Regina's Christmas note to her at least a hundred times. She knew it was right. David nodded and Emma told the girls which song they'd be doing. Ruby looked at her with uncertainty, but Emma squeezed her hand in reassurance before making her way over to the mic.

The band played perfectly and Emma sang as if her life depended on it, because in some ways, it did.

I stare, at the girl in the mirror

T-shirt, torn-up jeans, no beauty queen

But the way that you see me

You get underneath me

And all my defenses

Just fall away, fall away

I am beautiful with you

Even in the darkest part of me

I am beautiful with you

You make it feel the way it's s'posed to be

You're here with me

You show me this and I believe

I am beautiful with you

I stand naked before you now

No walls to behind, so here am I

You see all of my scars

Still here you are

I bare my soul

And I'm not afraid, not afraid

I am beautiful with you

Even in the darkest part of me

I am beautiful with you

You make it feel the way it's s'posed to be

You're here with me

You show me this and I believe

I am beautiful with you

I've been the strong one for so long

But I was wrong

Doesn't make you weak if you're needing someone

I'm not holding back (yeah) I know what I want

I am beautiful with you, I am beautiful with you

You want me for myself

Look at me like no one else

I am beautiful with you…

I am beautiful with you

Even in the darkest part of me

I am beautiful with you

You make it feel the way it's s'posed to be

You're here with me

You show me this and I believe

That I am beautiful with you