A/N: So I seem to be on a kick even if these are fairly short chapters but I'm evil and like to leave mostly cliffhangers... Anyway. Hope you enjoy this one and please review.

Chapter 9

There was a soft look in chocolate orbs as she stared into them, unused to such open, heartfelt confessions from the brunette, but loathe to throw anything out there in comment in fear of making her run further due to her exceptional skill at being unable to express her exact sentiments most of the time.

Regina, was a very complicated woman, which is one of the reasons she had been drawn to her in the first place, their relationship for lack of better words was turbulent at best, this was a new stage for them especially considering everything that had happened helped along by Emma's usual gifted skill of messing things up.

But she had to say something.

"Regina, I can assure you that the flowers and the poems weren't meant to be anything other than complimentary... something to make you smile..." She pauses then as a memory inadvertently flashes before her mind of her recent encounter with The Evil Queen in The Enchanted Forest.

She smiles gently at her when they are closer, there is a hesitation within chocolate orbs, that

fear flashes once more but quickly reverts to anger and Regina scowls as a small pale hand

reaches up, fingers touch hesitantly against her chin and briefly flick across wine coloured,

voluptuous lips and the brunette flinches at the intimate gesture, "You will smile again,

I've seen it and it is beautiful," her voice breaks briefly and the brunette's face falls for a

moment, allowing the words to roll over her for a moment before Emma is pierced with a

glare.

As if the brunette sensed her sudden train of thought, she turned away briefly moving to stand in front of the fireplace and ignited it with a minute fireball with a flick of her wrist.

Emma watched for a moment, gaze trailing up tanned fingers before finally falling on Regina's profile, admiring the way the flames flickered against olive tones before she sighed softly.

"The poems... they may have been a bit too much I admit but I wanted you to know how beautiful you are... that you don't need him to be that because you just are. Inside and out."

Dark eyes turned to her with a gaze so intense that Emma had to clear her throat and take a sip of the sharp tasting beverage she now held, she lowered herself onto the couch then, suddenly nervous and nor does she want to take this conversation any further so she hands the control of the conversation over to the brunette willingly.

"I see," Regina replies quietly, almost calmly and Emma looks up once again unable to distinguish the emotion swimming behind sepia orbs and involuntarily feels herself stiffen the moment Regina moves to sit herself opposite, much like their very first meeting when she had brought Henry home from Boston, "Well, I propose a toast," she lifted her almost empty glass silently, the blonde pondering when exactly she had drunk it, before raising her own, "To new beginnings."

"To new beginnings," Emma agreed, raising her own glass and taking another sip before adding, "And to you."

"To me?" Regina questioned, confusion evident in her tone.

"Yes, to you," Emma smiled genuinely, green eyes softening before she ventured on to clarify, "This isn't the end, Regina, not for anything... it just means that there is another path opening and I don't believe for a moment that there won't be happiness for you."

"Why do you say that?" The brunette asked hesitantly, her voice breaking somewhat at the blonde's words and she finished her glass to try and mask her sudden discomfort at the topic broached once again.

"Because you deserve it," Emma said quietly waiting for Regina to look at her, when she did green eyes glittered sincerely at her, when she finally receives an answering smile upon full lips in return, she melts.

She really should have cancelled the rest of the orders on the flowers but she decided upon leaving Regina's house that night, part of her couldn't, after fully explaining her intentions the brunette seemed more touched by her attempts believing in the fact that she only meant to appease her wrongs not make them worse, plus they seemed to have ventured on to a new aspect of their turbulent relationship and by the end of the night she had found that she quite liked the banter that had replaced their arguing. They had moved on to a different level, allowing comments in jest and willingly teasing one another with a grain of salt, relishing in the fact that they could be candid with one another also while not taking everything to heart. So by the time she left the Mill's Mansion, she left it with a smile on her face and an almost sense of peace.

So no, she decided as she walked down the pathway and back towards town that she was not going to cancel the deliveries, why should she? Not if it allowed a semblance of happiness to invade the dark thoughts she knew were swirling within the brunette's mind during the current mourning period of yet another lost love.

She found herself wandering towards the flower shop once again, seeing her Mr. French's face changed from sullen to worry and his first words instead of a greeting were to ask if he had done something wrong on his part or for any of the deliveries.

"No," Emma smiled, "I wanted to tell you no need for any more deliveries, I will pick them up and take them."

"Oh," Mr. French replied in confusion but he nodded all the same, "That's... we have not had a request like that before but it is not a problem. I have the extra money you gave..."

"Keep it," Emma interrupted, "Just for the fact that this is still a discreet situation."

"Okay," He replied carefully, "So, I guess I will see you in the morning?"

"Yes, you shall," She smiled brilliantly at him once again before she headed home to her parent's house, he stared at her for a few moments as she retreated, noting the slight bounce to her walk and he shook his head wondering if he would ever understand anyone in this town.

*** ***

She found it hard at first not to pester Henry with questions, still wondering if she had entirely made a break into what was a very protected heart or if it was just a front, she knew it wasn't as she would be able to tell but she just needed the confirmation, she just needed to know that she was okay. That they were starting to get there, wherever there was... she just... in all honesty... wanted Regina to like her and see that not everyone was out to hurt her.

It reaches around 8 o'clock, David returning from the station as acting Sheriff for the day, she spends another thirty minutes managing to to get through her parents insane questioning about Hook and that's when an "unexpected" visit from the pirate himself occurs and even without using her superpower knowing that they had told him to come.

She sighs as he enters without an invite, she practically slams shut the door behind him forgetting about her brother who had just gone off to sleep, her mother's glare enough to offer a sheepish smile before she grabs her coat once again and gestures out of the dilapidated apartment.

"Are we off somewhere, love?" Hook asks and not for the first time in weeks does his voice grate against her when he uses the endearment, she could live without the pet names, she could live without the insinuations and the pressure but she was the one that had encouraged him, she would have to deal with it.

"We're going to The Rabbit Hole, don't wait up," Emma replies tiredly, the latter being thrown over her to her parents and she just manages to catch the look exchanged between them, that usual hopeful crap, the shit eating grins that they had got what they were trying to achieve in this situation... her skin started crawling.

"Oh, a drink!" Hook crowed, "I could do with something."

"I thought that was what your flask was for?" Emma replies as she practically races down the stairs, trying to lead the way instead of fall into step beside him, she'd almost forgotten she had been avoiding him with trying to find Regina, she had almost been successful too until her parents had gotten involved.

That afternoon things had started looking up, her hopes had been up, she had felt happy for the first time since their return to Storybrooke, bar a few moments leading up until her trip back to The Enchanted Forest and back to the present... but it had been looking up... and now, she glanced at the pirate as they climbed into The Bug, now she wasn't entirely sure how the day was going to end.

He caught her looking at him then and offered her what seemed to be to him, a dashing smile, to any other person it probably would have won them over, but the only smile she had been striving to see again had been another brunette's and now being flashed one from Hook that she could see the cogs working in his brain, the alcohol being supplied, that he thought, that night was going to be his lucky night... and her stomach heaved a little bit and she started the car just so she wouldn't have to look at him much longer and headed to bar.