CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Return

Regina barely had time to even stand before she got hit by a body at full speed, Henry practically catapulting himself onto her in a fierce hug. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes at the gesture, her fingers fisting in her son's shirt as she took in the love that Henry felt for her; that even after everything, Regina still feared she didn't deserve. But he was able to compartmentalize his mom vs. the Evil Queen far easier than Emma was able to do so between that and her lover, and God, it almost just seemed too good to be true; to actually feel loved for one, short moment, without all the baggage that seemed to constantly drag her down.

Emma was smiling at them, and Henry turned to reach for her. The blonde came to him then, her arms wrapping tightly around both her son and Regina, and for a second, it almost felt like they were the family that they had once hoped for.

"Emma!" Snow cried, running towards her to take her daughter in her arms once Emma had released Henry. "Oh honey, I'm so glad you're home." Emma gave her a tight smile but returned the hug, despite how awkward she seemed to feel at the display of affection. Regina supposed that it must be even harder for her now, considering how she had recently begun to face the heart of the issues that she had with her parents.

While Snow fussed over her daughter and Henry moved from her grasp however, was when Regina finally realized where they had ended up. Her brow creasing in confusion, her gaze shot to Snow as she demanded, "Wait, what the hell are you doing in my home?" Because God, they had landed in her old parlor, and she really hadn't been expecting that.

And whether their current destination was solely because Emma's request for 'home' brought her to Henry and her mother, or whether it was because for some reason, she also associated home with Regina, and the house that they probably all would have lived in together should things not have fallen to pieces, she didn't know, but Regina was certain that the last thing she wanted to do was analyze it right now either. Therefore, she only focused on something she could actually handle understanding.

"Why are you here at all?" Snow shot back, looking at Regina like she didn't trust her intentions in the slightest; like, for some reason, she had manipulated Emma into coming back to a town where half its residents wanted to lynch her.

"We needed her to get back, Mary Margaret," Emma explained with a sigh, knowing this was going to happen. "It takes both of us to create magic, and we can't access it unless we're touching. So just… leave it for right now, okay? Please."

Snow tensed her jaw, giving one last mistrustful look towards Regina before resigning to her daughter's wishes. How long that would last though, Regina wasn't sure. She doubted it would last more than ten minutes.

"Are you Baelfire?" Henry asked then, looking up at Neal with curiosity. Regina's heart plummeted into her stomach and Emma looked at her ex sharply, her eyes pleading with him not to do this right now.

They had just gotten back, emotions were running high, and there was already way too much going on. Henry needed to do this in a better environment, when things had calmed down some, and Regina swore to any God that was listening that if Neal started barreling off half-cocked about this whole situation, she would curse the bastard into a goddamn toad.

"I…" Neal began, looking really overwhelmed with the sudden confrontation with the son he never knew he had. But he smiled at him, this tight little gesture meant to hide all the emotion he was feeling, and answered, "I am, kid; yeah. In this world though, I tend to go by Neal." He chuckled lightly. "Baelfire's kinda a mouthful for some people, you know?"

Regina began to panic that Emma had been stupid enough to reveal Neal's name when she lied to him, but Henry just grinned back and said, "Yeah, I get that. I'm Henry by the way." He held out his hand, being the polite little gentlemen that Regina raised him to be, as Henry informed Neal, "Emma and Regina are my moms."

Neal smiled, taking Henry's outstretched hand. "Well it's great to meet you, Henry. This where you live?" His eyes roamed the huge manor, looking really impressed. Regina just arched an eyebrow at him almost daring Neal to pretend like she hadn't provided more than adequately for her son, but he just said, "Pretty sweet set up; looks like you're a lucky kid."

"Thanks, but it's not my house anymore," Henry told him, his lips turning down into a frown that made Regina's heart break. "Not since… not since Mom had to move. Now I live with Emma. Grams and I were just here to pick up some more of my stuff, that's all."

Regina gave her son a tight lipped smile as she brushed the hair back from his eyes. "This is still your house, Henry," she assured him, because despite her living there or not, that wouldn't change. "And you and Emma are certainly allowed to stay here for as long as you wish, if that's what you find you want."

Henry's eyes lit up at the prospect of being able to stay in his old home until he and Emma moved to a more permanent place outside the town, but Snow shot that idea down in an instant.

"This house now belongs to the town of Storybrooke, Regina," she told her with a haughty attitude. "And Henry and Emma already have a home, with us."

"The hell it does!" Regina snapped, her eyes flashing with challenge. "If this house is no longer in my possession, then it passes to my son. I created this town, and everything in it, so if I say it belongs to Henry, then it damn well belongs to Henry!"

"Okay, whoa!" Emma interrupted, holding up her hands to try to stop a forthcoming argument. Both Regina and Snow looked livid. "Can we maybe hold off on arguing the legal rights to the manor until after we've all had a chance to rest? Cause I don't know about you guys, but that trip took a hell of a lot out of me, and I just wanna lie down."

Emma really did look exhausted, now that Regina was paying attention. It took quite a lot of magic to activate the ruby slippers, and it looked like it ended up draining her.

"Fine," Snow said shortly, before turning to the girl that arrived with them. "Dorothy, right?" The redhead nodded, looking like she felt so very out of place amidst the dysfunctional family. "My husband found and contacted your friends a few days ago; they're very relieved to hear that you're alright. Would you like me to take you to them?"

"Yes, that's—thank you," Dorothy answered, her face lighting up with a hopeful smile. Snow returned it before turning back to Emma.

"I'll drop you and Henry off at the house, and… Neal, you said? Do you want me to bring you to your father?"

Neal shifted his weight between his feet for a moment before trying to shrug it off. "Uh, actually, if you could just… you know, point me in the direction of the nearest motel or whatever, that'd be good. Like Emma said, kinda wiped. I'll see my Dad later."

"Alright, if that's what you want, then I'll drop you and Regina off at the Bed and Breakfast—"

"Excuse me?" Regina asked, nearly laughing at the sheer audacity Snow had. "I will be staying in my home until it's time for me to leave, thank you. But you're certainly more than welcome to think you have a say in that, if it makes you feel any better about yourself."

Snow looked like she was about to retort, but it was Henry who exclaimed, "I wanna stay with my Mom!" before clinging to her like he was afraid Snow might very well pull him off her.

Snow sighed heavily, probably trying to come off as sympathetic towards him, but only seeming frustrated. "Henry, that's really not a good idea—"

"No, you're gonna make her leave again!" Henry protested firmly. "So I'm staying with her until she has to go. I'm allowed to, right, Emma?" He looked up at the blonde pleadingly, and Emma gave him a soft, understanding smile.

"Course you are, kid."

Snow looked disappointed. "Emma—"

"No, look, Henry's right," Emma told her mother shortly, turning towards her. "Regina isn't gonna be here long, so the kid deserves to see her while he still can. And if it's gonna worry you that badly, then I'll just stay with them too, alright?" A pause, then she immediately backtracked by the look on Snow's face, "Him, I'll stay with Henry; make sure he's safe or… whatever, alright? But I really don't want to do this now. I'm exhausted, so can we just talk about this… everything, in the morning, please?"

Snow did not look happy with the arrangement in the slightest, but tensed her jaw and muttered, "Fine," since her daughter obviously didn't want to discuss anything right now. Regina shot Emma a grateful smile as she held her son tighter towards her body, and Snow turned from them to address the other two people in the room, her voice terse. "Well… I suppose we should get going then."

As they all began to file out, Emma called out, "Neal." The man turned, and Emma gave him a slight head nod. "I'll call when we figure out when to do… everything, alright?"

"Yeah, sounds good," he answered, giving her a small smile before addressing his son. "Bye Henry, it was really cool to meet you."

"You too!" Henry answered, a wide grin on his face as he bid all three of them goodbye with a wave. When the door closed behind them, Emma ruffled her hand in Henry's hair, causing him to giggle.

"Well, kid, looks like it's just the three of us now. And hey, don't even worry," Emma told him, kneeling down to get at his height in a gesture she had adapted from Regina. "I'm not going to let them take your mom from you anytime soon, okay? It's your birthday in a week and a half, and I think it'd be better if she was there to celebrate with us, don't you think?"

"Really?" Henry asked, looking so excited that it shot a wave of emotion through Regina, causing her throat to become tight as she fought the urge to cry. She really hadn't expected Emma to take that into consideration, considering with their original plan, the two of them should have already been moved out of Storybrooke by now. They hadn't really had time to think of an alternate.

Henry looked up at her then, looking so incredibly happy that Regina felt as though she may just burst from the feeling of it. "You'll really stay?" he asked, so much hope for his entire family being together on his special day.

Regina smiled warmly at him, brushing the hair back from his eyes. "If Emma can make that happen, then of course I will, honey. I wouldn't miss it." Henry grinned, and Regina touched his chin affectionately before suggesting, "Now why don't you go make up the guestroom for Emma, so she has somewhere comfortable to stay while she's here."

"She's not gonna stay in your room?" Henry asked, trying to make the question sound innocent even though Regina could see right through it. He wanted to know if his little plan of getting his mothers back together was working, and it broke her heart a little.

"No, honey. I don't think—"

"I snore," Emma chimed in quickly, trying to ease their son's unrest about their relationship with a lie. "It keeps her up, and you know how your mom needs her beauty sleep." She smirked at him, but Henry just narrowed his eyes at her skeptically.

"Go on," Regina encouraged with a hand on his back, trying to deflect the conversation. "There should be some clean sheets in the hall closet."

Henry frowned at their avoidance, but did as he was told as he left the parlor, heading towards the stairwell. Emma's eyes connected with hers and she shoved her hands in her pockets, shifting on her feet for a moment as she shot her a small, awkward smile. "Look, I know I probably shouldn't have just… you know, invited myself—"

But suddenly her words were cut off by a body pressing against hers, Regina's arms wrapping around her midsection to give the woman a firm hug. Emma froze, clearly not expecting the gesture; and if Regina was being honest, she wasn't really expecting to do it either, but her body seemed to just react to her emotions as she suddenly felt an overwhelming need to express her gratitude. Emma hesitated for a moment, pulling her hands out of her pockets before just letting them hover in the air, seemingly unsure what to really do before she finally exhaled the breath she had been holding, and allowed them to snake around Regina's waist, accepting the closeness.

"Thank you," Regina whispered, her breath tickling Emma's neck as she fisted her hands in the other woman's shirt. "Even if you're unable to convince them to let me stay, thank you for wanting to try."

"It's his birthday, Regina," Emma responded softly, resting her chin against the brunette's shoulder. "I'm not a complete dick—"

"Still," Regina told her, pulling back for a moment to look into the other woman's eyes. Hesitation and uncertainty shown behind them at a touch that wasn't born from anger or sexuality as Regina dusted her thumb across the contour of Emma's cheek. "I know it's been difficult for you, having to constantly be around me and be reminded of…"

Emma's averted her gaze, and Regina released a soft sigh as she stepped back from her, allowing the woman the comfort of space.

"Just… thank you, for not trying to get rid of me at your first opportunity."

Emma swallowed, still unable to look Regina in the eye as she tangled her fingers in her hair, backing up a few steps as she completely avoided the conversation at hand. "It's, uh… been a long day, you know? So I think I'm just gonna—"

"Of course," Regina replied, nodding her understanding. She didn't wish to make Emma uncomfortable, considering how desperately she found she wanted her to stay, so Regina gave her a soft smile in parting before watching Emma trudge off towards the guestroom.

And honestly, although they still had their problems, it gave Regina hope, to realize that despite having other options, Emma had chosen to stay here. She had chosen her. And maybe she didn't do it because she wanted to fix their relationship, but it said something nonetheless, and Regina felt a warmth burning in the center of her chest as she dared to allow herself the belief that maybe, somehow, things might actually get better after all.

[x]

Emma had been so exhausted from the magic it took to send them back to Storybrooke that she slept straight through till morning, having finally being awoken by the sound of her cell phone chiming loudly, indicating the arrival of a new text message. After she picked it up and held it up to her face, squinting at the screen's harsh brightness, Emma groaned as she noticed it was only one of seven; all of them from Mary Margaret. Really not wanting to deal with all of that just yet, Emma dropped the phone on the floor and arched her back to stretch her tired limbs, blinking the sleep from her eyes as she tried to make herself just as aware as she was conscious.

It was weird, being in Regina's house again, even though she supposed it really wasn't hers anymore. Still, Emma had barely thought about it when she suggested to Mary Margaret that she just stay here, just wanting the woman to stop bitching about Regina spending time with Henry, but now that she was here it was… nostalgic; some of it good, but some of it really fucking terrible. Even still though, this place, it was—

Emma sighed, sitting up against the pillows and running a hand through her tussled hair, trying to just organize her thoughts. She really needed to figure out how she felt about this before she made her way downstairs and began 'playing house' for the next week and a half with her son and the woman who had broken her heart.

In the end though, Emma just supposed that it was… well, for a long time, she simply had never believed she'd settle down anywhere. Emma never thought she'd have ties like a spouse and a kid, because that just didn't seem like the direction her life was going in. And yeah, alright, Regina and her weren't really married or anything, but in the end it didn't really matter, because they were bound by something so much stronger than some stupid piece of paper. Her blood tied her to Henry, but her soul tied her to Regina. And Emma knew, that had things not fallen all to shit, this was probably where they all would have ended up.

This very house probably would have become their family home.

And that thought caused Emma's heart to ache, because all she wanted her whole life was to have a family. And this place was the closest she ever felt to feeling like she had one, and maybe a part of her just desperately wanted to immerse herself in it, even if, at the end of the day, all it ended up being was complete bullshit. Because them trying to find some sense of normalcy right now? It bore a strong chance of being so much unhealthier than if Emma had just allowed Henry to stay here without her.

But at the same time, Emma really didn't want to leave. She wanted to convince herself that the only way her mother would allow this was if Regina had supervision, and fuck, that made everything so much more complicated; mostly for reasons that she knew she didn't have the emotional capacity to analyze and deal with right now.

All Emma knew was that she didn't want to be miserable anymore, and pushing Regina away… it hadn't fixed things at all. In fact, all it really did was make things even worse.

And in the end, that was enough to convince Emma not to run again.

Pulling herself out of bed, Emma resigned not to think too hard about all of this right now, because she had promised herself one thing at a time. And realizing that it was probably better that she stayed? That was her one thing. So Emma grabbed her cell phone off the floor, flipping through her text messages from Mary Margaret as she exited the guestroom and descended the stairs ('I know you think Henry staying with Regina is the right thing, honey, but…' lecture, lecture, lecture for five other texts, and then finally a 'Maybe it would be better if we discussed this face to face, could you meet me at Granny's later for lunch?') before heading towards the kitchen so she could grab herself a cup of coffee.

Because really, she wasn't even gonna try to deal with her mother until she had some caffeine in her.

The smell of food assaulted her senses as Emma's bare feet padded across the foyer, but once she entered the kitchen she found herself stopping short, suddenly experiencing emotional whiplash at the sight that confronted her.

Regina was facing the stove, her back towards Emma as she flipped a pancake over on the griddle. But that wasn't all; there were also eggs and bacon in separate fryers, the coffee was already brewing, and a second later the toaster popped, tearing Regina from her task on the stove to grab the bread and put it on a plate. But it wasn't any of those things that currently held Emma's undivided attention. No, that was reserved solely for the little cookie cutters that Regina had laid out on the far edge of the counter – hearts and stars and those damn dinosaur shapes that Emma found she loved for stupid, childish reasons – because they… Jesus, just the sight of them made Emma want to cry due to a feeling she feared to name.

"You're…?" she tried, but the word just came out soft and trailed off into nothing. It was enough to grab Regina's attention though and she spun around, surprised by Emma's presence in the kitchen.

"Oh," she said, suddenly looking kind of awkward about having an audience. "I… didn't think you were up yet. Henry's still—"

"Making pancakes," Emma finally managed to finish, her voice sounding distant even to her own ears. Her heart felt as though it had expanded twice its size in her chest, pushing the breath out of her lungs. She hadn't really expected the sight of something so damn simple to resonate so deeply within her, but it had. It symbolized something that wasn't lost on her, and Emma wasn't really sure how to feel about that, because she was sure it wasn't lost on Regina either.

Especially because the woman seemed a little flustered by Emma's blunt, disbelieving statement, and tried to downplay it with, "Among other things, dear. Eggs, bacon, toast…" Regina turned, flipping the bacon over with a spatula before explaining, "I merely… with all the instability Henry has been subjected to because of us, I thought that perhaps he could do with a normal—"

But Emma was still stuck on one singular thing. "With shapes."

Regina bit down on her bottom lip as she no doubt tried to assess if this entire thing was being well-received or not, as Emma's tone didn't really paint the clearest of pictures. "Yes, well, I… remembered this morning that a week had passed since you stopped drinking and even if you may not find it to be a big deal, I think it's something worth celebrating, so I… well, considering that I'm quite aware that you prefer these silly little shapes, I just thought that perhaps—"

But Regina wasn't able to finish her sentence, because everything Emma had been feeling seemed to process entirely too quickly for her brain to catch up with, and suddenly Regina's back was pressed up against the countertop, her face becoming trapped in Emma's hands as she kissed her fiercely on the mouth. It caught Regina so off guard that she dropped the spatula, but within moments she fell into the feeling, her fingers holding tight to Emma's waist as she kissed her back with as much emotion as she was being given, a breathy sigh of contentment dusting across the blonde's lower lip in a way that, God, felt so dangerously familiar that it frightened the hell out her.

Because this wasn't born from pain; it wasn't born from need, or from desperation. It came from the part of Emma that loved Regina more than she had ever loved anyone, without the added weight of baggage. It felt like how they were before; just her kissing Regina because she loved her, and not because Emma felt like she needed something from her. So yes, that absolutely terrified her, because Emma found it was such a terribly addictive feeling.

And, well, she seemed to have a bad habit of drowning beneath the weight of her addictions as of late.

They broke when Emma leaned her forehead against Regina's, tilting her chin just enough to still feel the other woman's labored breathing against her lips. "Stop," she pleaded, because her fear was the only thing that Emma felt able to voice in that moment.

Regina's brow creased, her fingers threading through blonde hair. "What…?"

"Being perfect," Emma breathed, her eyes still closed because she didn't know how to face Regina in that moment. She felt too much and wasn't sure how to handle it, as it was such a harsh contradiction to the anger and bitterness that usually resided within her. "Just stop. It makes everything harder."

"I'm… sorry," Regina stammered, her tone revealing her conflicting feelings she felt as she attempted to follow Emma's erratic emotional guidance. She stepped away from her then, believing that was what Emma wanted, and tried to explain, "I just thought—perhaps this was a bad idea. I didn't mean to—"

"No," Emma told her, grasping Regina's wrist in her hand as she pulled the woman towards her, trying to make sense of the senseless. "I didn't—I don't… want you to stop. I just… I obviously have no fucking clue what I'm supposed to feel anymore, so I just need you to—"

"Emma," Regina interrupted, her brow creasing in guilt and sympathy as she gently touched Emma's chin with her thumb and forefinger. "I honestly didn't mean to overwhelm you. It was just supposed to be breakfast, that was all."

"It wasn't," Emma corrected, finally allowing her eyes to catch Regina's. "And you know it wasn't. When you were… when you basically tore me a new asshole the other day, you mentioned—"

Regina shifted her gaze, guilt crossing over her face, because she did know. Emma didn't understand why she was trying to hide her motives when they were plainly obvious. But as Regina turned to grab a clean spatula and tend to her food that was still on the stove – some of it starting to smell like it was burning – she admitted softly, "I just… miss it; seeing you happy, feeling that way myself."

After placing a few darker than normal pancakes on a plate and starting her attempt at salvaging the eggs, Regina continued softly, "I didn't mean to emotionally manipulate you. And if that's what it felt like, I'm sorry. I really had no idea that it would elicit that kind of reaction from you; I just… did it as a celebratory gesture, and because I really believed you would enjoy it."

"I did… do," Emma assured her, since Regina started to sound so terribly unsure of herself, and upset with the decisions she had made. "Regina…" A hand touched the small of the brunette's back then, coming to rest behind her as Emma admitted, "I fucking love that you did this, okay? I do. But that's… that's kinda the problem."

Regina pursed her lips as she began placing the scrambled eggs on the plates she had set out. "…I see."

Emma sighed, because she knew Regina didn't at all; and Jesus, she was probably expressing herself all wrong. "No, you don't," Emma told her as she leaned against the countertop. "It just… you know, reminds me of before – this whole moment does really; breakfast and… whatever – but it's not, it's not fucking like how it was at all, and if I allow myself to get caught up in it, it's probably just as bad as when I suppressed loving you so I could try to hate you instead. I mean, it's basically just us pretending again, isn't it? And we said we weren't gonna do shit like that anymore."

Emma tangled her fingers through her hair, watching Regina place the bacon on the plates next, and continued, "So I'm just trying to find this stupid… I don't know, balance, that probably doesn't even exist, but every time I go too far one way or the other it fucks with me because I know that's not right; that we can't be that way or this way because everything is such a goddamn clusterfuck, and—"

"Emma," Regina interrupted, placing the spatula down on the counter before sharply turning towards her with a heavy sigh. "You really need to relax."

Emma shot her a disgruntled look. "Great, thank you, Regina, for belittling my—"

"I'm not trying to belittle anything," Regina told her patiently. "But your insistence of trying to feel everything at once is the entire reason you fell apart in the first place. I understand not wishing to forget things in lieu of feeling an emotion, but forcing yourself to feel so conflicted isn't good for your sanity either."

She gently touched her chin then, giving Emma a soft, encouraging smile. "It's okay sometimes, to just live in the moment," Regina reminded her. "It's okay to feel happiness, even if you don't think you should. Trust me, dear; I spent so much of my life miserable, and most of it believing I deserved to be that way. If you want to smile, then allow yourself to, because life, in general, is terrible, Emma, and happiness isn't something that's guaranteed us."

"And misery is?"

As Emma's eyes caught hers, Regina shrugged lightly, exhaling a soft sigh. "In my experience, anyway."

The blonde raised an eyebrow at that. "You're really kinda shit at pep talks, you know?" Emma smirked, to let her know that she wasn't trying to hurt her with that, and Regina chuckled softly.

"Well, I'm sorry, dear, but I can only tell you what I know." Her thumb dusted across the contour of her cheek then as Regina continued, "So please, don't conflict yourself to the point of absolute insanity. If you find yourself happy for a second, just let yourself feel it. You're allowed to, just as much as you're allowed to feel anger and sadness; perhaps even more so, because it isn't as though the emotions in your life have been very balanced as of late."

"So tell me, dear," Regina implored, tucking a piece of blonde hair behind Emma's ear before tracing the outline of her jaw with her fingertips. "In this moment, what is it that you feel?"

Emma's skin flushed lightly at the woman's loving touch, her heart beginning to pound lightly beneath her ribcage as she took in the sweet thing that Regina did for her this morning, and how gentle and caring the other woman had always been to her, even if she didn't deserve it, and so Emma finally breathed out without thought, "I feel like I want to kiss you again."

Regina smiled softly before beginning to move towards her, and Emma allowed her eyes to flutter closed. But Regina's lips landed gently on her cheek instead, the gesture unexpected, but not unpleasant as it shot sparks through her skin like lightning. "Not what I meant," Emma murmured softly, feeling Regina move away from her before she allowed herself to open her eyes.

"I know," Regina whispered, her thumb dusting softly over Emma's bottom lip for a moment before allowing her hand to drop. "But we tend to get caught up in the moment, dear, and hardly ever kiss just to kiss. Henry will be awake soon, and I wouldn't want—"

"Him to walk in on me taking his mom up against the kitchen counter?" Emma finished for her flatly, like it was irritating that Regina assumed it would lead to sex, even though in all truth, that really was what tended to happen more often than not. Regina raised an eyebrow at her tone.

"That, along with that fact that I'm certain if you touched me just because you loved me, and not because you were merely trying to use me, that it would cause you a lot of unrest later." Emma averted her gaze, knowing that was probably true, and hating how that made her sound. But Regina tangled her fingers in the blonde's hand, coaxing her to look at her as she told her, "And that's okay, because you're not the only one it would bother. I… I tried so very hard to show you how sorry I was, Emma, how much I loved you, and yet for a long time you did nothing but repeatedly spit in my face. And even if I deserved it, that doesn't change that fact that it hurt me, and made me feel so completely worthless at times. So no, I wouldn't want you to touch me like that either, because it would feel like a lie."

Distress crossed Emma's face at those words, the guilt causing her heart to feel like it was shredding within her chest. "Regina…"

"No," Regina interrupted, placing her fingers on Emma's lips. "Don't apologize. I don't want to hear it right now, because I really don't think I'll believe it genuine because of how angry a part of you still is at me. Our relationship isn't fixed, Emma, not by a long shot, but we've made progress. That's what's important, and so I don't want to ruin it by immersing in something we both know is temporary, because all it's going to do is make us turn and run again. So this, right now? It's… it's enough for me, and I hope it's enough for you."

Emma understood that, but there was still something that didn't make sense to her. "But you told me to live in the moment," she reminded her. "And aren't all moments temporary?"

"Yes, but what I'm telling you is to allow yourself to feel that particular emotion," Regina gently explained. "Be happy; love me, even, if you wish… just don't do something during that time you know that we'll both regret once the moment has passed, because our actions and the consequences thereof are what haunts us, Emma, not our feelings."

The blonde looked up at her for a moment, wondering when the hell the Evil Queen became the rational one in their relationship, but nodded her understanding anyway. So Regina smiled at her, squeezing Emma's hand tightly in her own, before leading the woman over to the food that was lain out on the counter.

"Good. Now come pick out what shapes you want me to cut your pancakes in, dear, before everything gets cold."

[x]

"You must be cheating somehow," Regina grumbled, frustrated at how badly she was losing this damned game. "How is it that you're in first and I'm struggling just to pull up to seventh?"

Henry smirked, his eyes still glued on the television as his little character whizzed through the obstacles like it was second nature. "I'm not cheating, you're just bad."

"I'm the one with a license!" Regina exclaimed, having figured before they started this little game that her adult experiences would give her the advantage. Clearly she had been wrong.

Henry laughed, apparently amused with how frustrated this was making her. "This is a video game, not real life, Mom," he reminded her, just before his kart flew past the finish line and he dropped his controller, pumping his fist in the air. "Winner!"

Regina's nostril's flared, the competitive streak in her endlessly annoyed at this point. "This is a terrible game. I don't know why I allowed Miss Swan to buy this for—oh for Christ's sake!" she exclaimed, trying to suppress the urge to throw her controller across the room when she sped right off the road and into the water.

Henry laughed like it was the most hilarious thing he had ever witnessed, and despite her annoyance, Regina couldn't help but smile softly at the sound of it. It had been so very long since Henry wanted to spend time with her that she cherished any moment she had with him, even if it was doing something as mindless and frustrating as Mario Kart.

Regina paused the game however once she heard the front door opening, and within moments Emma was coming into the living room to bear witness to her failure. The blonde's eyebrows nearly got lost in her hairline as she took in the sight before her. "Whoa, when did hell freeze over?"

Regina rolled her eyes, exhaling a haughty scoff. "I do know how to have fun, you know," she defended. Her nails clicked against the controller in annoyance though, remembering how terrible she was at it as she amended, "Although why anyone would actually find this game to be fun is beyond me, but Henry seems to enjoy it, so no matter…"

Emma smirked, her eyes connecting with their son's. "She losing?"

Henry laughed. "Badly."

As Regina narrowed her eyes at being mocked, Emma chuckled before telling him, "Well, I gotta grab your mom a sec so we can talk about something, but I promise afterwards I'll come back and give you a real challenge, kid."

Henry's face brightened. "Okay!"

Regina scoffed as she got up off the couch, shooting Emma a glare. "It is hardly my fault that I spent my free time mastering more important endeavors than driving a silly kart around a television screen." Henry just sniggered behind her, and Emma rolled her eyes as she led her from the room, knowing that Regina was sore about finding that she wasn't good at something.

"If it bothers you that bad, you know, I can give you pointers," she suggested as they made their way into Regina's study.

"Believe me, dear, it really doesn't matter to me at all."

"Right," Emma responded disbelievingly, then shrugged. "Well, the offer still stands. It's really not that hard once you get the hang of it, you know. And what character you choose actually has a lot to do with it, because the heavy weight ones tend to have more control, but go slower, whereas the light weight ones—"

Regina crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against her desk, interrupting her with a forced, irritated assessment of, "You're like an overgrown toddler sometimes, do you know that?"

"Yeah, well, I might be an overgrown toddler, but I could still wipe the floor with your ass if I wanted to, and I'm pretty damn sure that'd bother you more than when Henry beats you." Emma smirked, because she knew she was right, which was why Regina just scoffed and didn't dignify her assumption with a response.

Instead she changed the topic with, "How did lunch with your mother go?" because Regina already knew that was the reason Emma wished to speak with her alone in the first place. At her mention of the topic however, Emma's lip curled in distaste, which gave Regina most of what she wanted to know without her even having to say a word.

Which instantly made Regina panic, seeing as how Emma had originally gone to discuss her extended stay in Storybrooke with her mother. She tried not to allow pessimism to overwhelm her just yet, however Regina still found herself holding her breath, waiting for Emma's response.

"I got lectured about my life choices for the better part of an hour, so how do you think?"

As Emma sprawled into the large armchair and scowled, Regina exhaled an impatient breath and responded, "Yes, well, were you really expecting anything different? The woman despises me."

The brunette pushed herself off the desk, a pointed expression on her face as she continued, "What I'm more interested in, however, is if she's willing to let me stay or not." Regina's face creased in distress and fear then, her self-control crumbling to nothing as she allowed her pessimism to take over. "I just… I really need to know if this is going to be my last day with my son, Emma. Please, just tell me."

Emma's eyes widened in surprise and guilt, apparently having not realized until right then that she hadn't ordered things in the best priority. "Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't—" But the blonde shook her head, not wanting to waste more time by apologizing, and immediately tried to ease Regina's fears with, "It's alright; I convinced her to let you stay. But it, uh… might also come with a condition, which I doubt you're going to enjoy."

Regina felt a weight being lifted from her chest at those words, and she finally allowed herself to relax. It didn't matter what the condition was, really, just so long as she would be allowed to be around for her son's eleventh birthday. "I'm not surprised," she responded, taking a seat across from Emma and crossing her legs. "It's not exactly in Snow's nature to allow me to be happy for long." She raised an eyebrow. "Well, what is it?"

Emma sighed heavily, slouching in her seat and putting her foot up on the upholstery, until a disapproving click of Regina's tongue caused her to roll her eyes and place it back down the floor. "House arrest," she told her. "Again. Basically, you take one step out of this house before Henry's party, and she'll escort you back over the line herself. On the bright side though, I get to be your jailer-slash-the new guardian of the magical hotspot, since I think the last thing Henry needs to see is people with weapons standing outside our door twenty-four seven, ready to put you down if you so much as sneeze."

Regina raised her eyebrows at the woman's choice of wording. "Our door?"

Emma blinked, apparently not realizing what she had said until it was repeated back to her. "Your door; the door—whatever," she dismissed with a wave of her hand, not even bothering to correct herself anymore. "Anyway, that suggestion didn't go over so well either, but I, uh… kinda got her to deem it less important and move onto other things once I told her about Neal."

Regina blinked in surprise and sat up straighter in her seat. "You actually told her? I had thought you were avoiding doing that."

"Yeah, well, since we need to…" Emma hesitated for a moment, her gaze shifting towards the open door for a second before lowering her voice and continuing, "You know, I figured she was going to find out anyway. So fuck it, right? Might as well lay out all my dirty laundry on the table for her to pick through and bitch about."

Regina's brow furrowed. "You mean she didn't welcome—" But she stopped, her gaze now on the open door before she got up and crossed the room to close it. She didn't want to risk Henry overhearing this conversation. "She didn't welcome your first love back into your life with open arms?" Regina asked her again, once she had turned back towards the blonde. "I had figured she would accept him quite readily, as he could be used as an obstacle to put between us."

"Honestly, I figured she'd push him on me too once she found out, especially since he's Henry's father, but…" Emma shrugged haplessly. "Guess she's not all that fond of the guy who knocked me up and left me to rot in jail; which I'm glad for, because I swear, if I had to deal with her trying to set me back up with him I might have just gauged out my left fucking eye." She smirked then, finishing, "So congrats, on not being the only ex of mine that my mother hates."

"So then why do you look so annoyed?" Regina asked, crossing the room to return to her seat. "Isn't this the best possible outcome, given the circumstances?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. I just…" Emma sighed heavily, rubbing her temples with her fingers. "She was all hurt that I didn't tell her before this, and every time she tries to guilt me it just, God, it pisses me off, cause fuck, I'm hurt that she still has yet to even fucking say she's sorry for abandoning me, but does she see me sitting there trying to guilt-trip her? No. Its bullshit, and I'm just tired of it."

Regina pursed her lips, her face etching in sympathy. "Why haven't you just spoken to her about it then? Surely—"

"Because I shouldn't have to be the one to bring it up, Regina! That's crap!"

Regina sighed softly at Emma's outburst, but did not contradict her. She was right anyhow; that responsibility lay on her parents' shoulders. Regina just wished they would pull their heads out of their asses and see that, because this was hurting Emma so much more than she let on.

"Look, I… don't want to talk about my parents anymore," Emma told her, running her fingers through her hair as she averted her gaze. "Besides, I've been thinking, since… well, since you're not gonna be going anywhere for at least a week, while we're here we should probably… you know…"

Regina raised her eyebrows expectantly, not really understanding where Emma was going with this. "Probably what, dear?"

Emma sighed, looking like she felt stupid for even having to suggest this, but reluctantly finished with, "Probably go see Archie or something." Emma let out a breath and straightened in her seat, trying to not look embarrassed by admitting that she, that they, needed help as she told her, "I mean, you said yourself that he's really the only one qualified. So maybe we should take advantage of that while we can."

"You're really…" Regina began disbelievingly, because while Emma had suggested it before, she hadn't really thought that when the time came, the woman would keep that stance. Emma hated therapy, almost as much as Regina did. "You're really willing to try to fix our relationship?"

Emma shrugged, unable to meet her gaze as she tried to be noncommittal about it. "Well we… I mean, we should, right? For the kid."

"Right," Regina agreed softly, even though by Emma's unwillingness to meet her gaze, she strongly suspected it wasn't just for Henry's sake that she wished to do this. "For Henry; of course."

In the end though, Regina supposed it didn't really matter why Emma wanted to do it, just so long as she did. They had quite a lot of things that they still needed to deal with, so many feelings and problems they needed to work through, and even though Regina despised therapy with every inch of her being, she would be a fool if she thought they didn't need it. Because despite the fact that they were able to get along a bit better now, they still did, desperately, need a third party's intervention, because there were still some things they didn't know how to talk about on their own.

And so Regina smiled softly at her, trying to show her gratitude for Emma's decision, and assured her, "I'll make the appointment."

TBC…