Since I've got a LONG day tomorrow and won't be home until late, I'm going ahead and posting tomorrow's chapter tonight. Hope y'all enjoy!

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Emma's POV

Did she just say what I think she just said? Does she really think we could be a family together? "R-Regina…that's..not…"

"Calm down Emma. Just to sleep. I know you wouldn't want to make love to me right away. But if I'm going to break the curse with you, I'd like to know you more. Allow myself to open up again." My heart raced and I wanted to kiss her hand but I knew if I did it would break the curse. I needed to know she wanted to break the curse before I kissed her.

"Alright." We stood and I followed her up to her room. "Can I barrow a pair of lounging pants to sleep in? Jeans aren't that comfy." Regina chuckled and rummaged through a drawer.

"Here," she tossed me a pair and I went into the bathroom to change. When I was done, I tapped on the door.

"Are you dressed? I wouldn't want to walk in on you." Regina told me it was alright to come in. I smiled when I saw her in bed with a book on her lap. I didn't know she had to wear reading glasses. "You're beautiful." I walked timidly towards the bed and slid in on the other side. "What are you reading?"

"Course of Action by Gun Brooke. It's one of my favorites." As Regina told me about the book I was captivated by the tone of her voice. It was tender instead of harsh. This was the soft side of Regina I fell in love with. I wasn't sure when I drifted off to sleep but I woke up around three in the morning. When I looked over to Regina she was peacefully dead to the world. It took everything I had to not place a soft kiss on her temple. When I shifted, her hand automatically reached over and grabbed my arm. She must have thought I was going to leave like Graham.

"I'm not going anywhere my Queen." Regina's grip on my arm eased as I moved to my side. To make sure I didn't move again, Regina laid her arm over my hip. I didn't mind but I could tell it was in a possessive manner. "I'm not leaving you my love." My voice was a whisper so I didn't wake her. "I love you too much to screw up this time."

Regina's POV

She really does love me. Though she doesn't know when I'm sleeping or pretending I see. For some reason when she calls me Queen I don't mind it. I hated being called that in the Enchanted Forest. Maybe I really could be happy with this woman. And maybe I could have a family with her and Henry. Emma eased herself into my embrace. We fit together well even though she was an inch or two taller than me.

The next morning, Emma groaned when my alarm sounded. "Why? Why such evilness so early in the morning? Especially on a weekend?" I chuckled as I stretched. "There should be fresh coffee in the…"

"Coffee?" Emma shot into a sitting position. I simply shook my head as I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

"Yes, I have it preset to make a pot every morning." I could feel her eyes watch me as I slid into my robe. "It's a German roast; very strong and very tasty."

"Yum." Emma stood and stretched as she followed me into the kitchen. "Should I grab the newspaper or…"

"That would be nice." As I watched her walk out the door, I couldn't help but think that we were already falling into what could become a routine. A comfortable one that I could easily get used to.

"Seems Sydney doesn't like me much." I placed a mug in front of Emma as she took a seat at the bar. "He's trying to turn the town against me already."

"How is that?" Emma handed me the front page and there was a picture of her. The article told about how she moved from place to place and how she shouldn't be Deputy because of it. While I read, darkness fell upon me. It seemed Emma never stayed in a place longer than seven or eight months.

"Regina," I glanced towards her as I took a sip of coffee. "I'm not going to leave you. Home is a place you're drawn to and some place you don't want to leave. That's Storybrooke for me. This is my home." Her words eased away my inner demons. I gave her a soft smile as I passed the page back to her. "I had Henry in a prison after my boyfriend at the time, Henry's father, left me there for a crime he set me up in." I was quiet. That was more information than I needed at six something in the morning before a whole cup of coffee. I cleared my throat before speaking.

"That is a conversation for a later time of day and after more coffee. But as long as you stay out of prison and the birth father stays out of Henry's life there will be nothing to worry about." Emma blushed slightly. She really did want this to work. She just needs to realize there's a time and place for conversations like that.

Emma's POV

"Sorry." God I'm an idiot. Way to go Swan. Scare off the woman of your dreams. You've managed to not screw this up totally yet so don't push it. "The coffee is fantastic though." We continued to read the paper in a comfortable silence. We swapped sections back and forth once we were done reading them. I could get used to this routine. After Regina had two or three cups of coffee I decided to speak up again. "So, what do we tell Henry?"

"I was thinking about that this morning. I would like to keep this, what's between us, a secret for now. Until sometime has passed so it won't be such a shock to Henry. Remember, he doesn't know you know me like you do." Regina fell silent a moment. "I still don't understand how you can love me since you know everything I've done. All the people I've killed."

"Because that's your past. You were hurt badly and that will make you do unspeakable things. You're a good person deep down. Trust me; I've seen both sides of you Regina. I've seen the good side and the bad. The caring side and the Evil Queen side. You once told me, you wanted to be just Regina; not the Mayor, not the Evil Queen. And that's how I've always seen you; as just Regina."

Regina's POV

Emma's words touched me. She saw me as just a person and that's all I've ever wanted. "Thank you Emma." I paused a moment. "We can just tell Henry that you've got a job now and maybe we can be seen around town or on a date in a few weeks. Until then, do you mind if we keep our relationship quiet?"

"I'm fine with that but Henry will know. He's a smart boy." She paused a moment. "He gets it from his adoptive mom." I rolled my eyes and tried my hardest to not crack a smile at the coy look on Emma's face.

"Smart answer Miss. Swan." I shot her a mock smirk. It was so easy to be around this woman it almost startled me. Emma could cook pancakes and bacon so we ate breakfast together. It was Saturday so Henry wouldn't be home until dinner time. He was at a friend's working on a volcano science project. It was nice spending time with Emma alone. It would be hard to go our separate ways during the week and not spend much time together.