A/N: Hello my loves! Please forgive me for the delay! Hopefully you'll enjoy the update and let me know what you think! A million billion thanks to my beta and dear friend Hunnyfresh! And thank you so much to everyone who has followed/favorited and especially reviewed!

Warning: Mentions of abuse in this chapter.

Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own Once or any of the characters. I promise to put them back in good shape.

Once the door was closed and locked behind them, Regina turned to see Emma trembling and clutching her arms around herself. She rubbed her hands up and down Emma's arms before sighing and saying, "This is ridiculous. You're going to need to take off your clothes."

Emma smirked wickedly and said, "My, my, Madame Mayor."

Regina rolled her eyes and said, "I'm going to go get you a towel and a change of clothes."

Emma grabbed Regina's wrist before she could walk away and pulled Regina back, putting her free hand around the mayor's waist and pressing their lips firmly together. Immediately, Emma felt warmed from within. She pulled back and said, "Or we could just warm each other up."

Regina bit her lip and looked at Emma's mouth before raising her gaze to Emma's bright eyes saying, "Emma, I…" Her words were lost as Emma began to unbutton her shirt, stopping four buttons down. Emma stared into her eyes, afraid she might be pushing her luck, but smiling when Regina's lips fell open and her pupils dilated.

"I think you were right, Madame Mayor. These soaking wet clothes are bad news."

Her fingers moved down to continue unbuttoning as her lips attached to the mayor's neck just below her ear. Regina's eyes rolled up as her head fell back but she quickly mastered herself, straightening up and grasping Emma's hands in her own, stopping their progress.

"Emma."

"Hmm..." Despite Regina stopping her hands, Emma continued to kiss down Regina's neck.

Regina pulled Emma's face up gently with a hand beneath her chin until they were looking into one another's eyes. "We were going to talk."

Emma sighed. "I know. But…"

Regina shook her head. "We need to talk first."

Emma quirked her lips cockily to one side, "First? So later then…"

Regina smacked her arm playfully and said, "At the risk of repeating myself, let's take this one step at a time."

Emma nodded but placed one more kiss on her lips before pulling back. "But I really could use some dry stuff."

Regina nodded and said, "Why don't you use the bathroom down here to get undressed and I'll bring you some warm clothes." She walked upstairs, leaving Emma to show herself to the bathroom.

Emma quickly took off her dripping clothes and hung them on the towel rack, carefully spreading the bathmat beneath them to protect Regina's floor. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment.

Removed from the heat of the moment, her insecurities returned. She was unsure what the mayor wished to discuss but talking had never been her strong suit, especially when it came to her feelings. Emma was chagrined to realize that part of why she was so tempted to push forward their physical relationship was that it was by far the more comfortable interaction. She suspected that the same might be true for Regina, but she had the wherewithal to resist the tendency.

This gave Emma a glimmer of hope that perhaps Regina did have feelings for her despite her protests. She smiled softly at her reflection as she recalled Regina's words on the porch. Regina was afraid that Emma wouldn't look at her the same way she did on their date. Emma was sure based on the way she felt that night that her look must have been somewhere in the ballpark of an idiotic grin. She had felt so much for the brunette that night that if only half of it had been communicated, she had made herself even more vulnerable than she had realized.

Perhaps that was why the mayor's words had hurt so much on Monday. She had gotten her hopes up too far and pushed too fast. She resolved not to push when Regina returned. She would listen attentively and allow Regina to lead the discussion. She would not get her hopes up or attach too much importance to what was said, merely taking her at her word. She heard a tentative knock behind her and gave her reflection a nod before opening the door a crack.

Regina smiled warmly as she extended a pair of yoga pants and a long-sleeved tee-shirt to the blonde. Looking her up and down, Emma realized she had changed into her own silk pajamas and a robe. Her hair was curling around her ears as it dried and her face was free of make-up. Emma thought she had never looked more beautiful. She accepted the clothes with a smile of her own and said, "I'll be right out."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ SQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

When she padded barefoot out of the bathroom having toweled off her hair and dressed in the borrowed clothes, Emma was unsure where to go. She noticed the flickering light coming from the study indicating that Regina had lit a fire. She followed the light and found Regina perched on the edge of the couch with a glass of cider in her hand as she stared into the flames.

"Thank you, these are much better."

Regina's head snapped up as though she was abruptly waking up. She looked at Emma blankly for a moment until she used her hands to indicate the dry clothes she had donned.

"Oh, it's no problem, dear. I poured you a cider, too. It helps with the chill." She smiled weakly at Emma before sipping from her own glass as she extended her hand to indicate Emma should sit beside her on the couch.

Emma sat, carefully keeping an appropriate distance from Regina and politely sipping her own drink. She set it down and looked over to Regina. Regina had returned to staring at the fire. Emma felt her questions bubbling up inside her but bit the inside of her cheek and simply waited for Regina to speak. After a few minutes she spoke, her eyes never leaving the flames.

"Ours was my first date."

Emma stared at her for a moment, not certain that she understood. "Excuse me?"

Regina turned to look at her. "I'd never been on a date before our dinner."

"But I thought you…and Graham."

"Graham was a distraction," she waved a careless hand. "He and I never dated. It was never that…formal. He was a lover, not a boyfriend."

"Well, what about the king?"

Regina snorted derisively, "Dear, the last thing Leopold was is romantic."

Emma paused unsure before gently prodding, "And the stable boy?"

Regina sighed. Her gaze returned to the flames and she paused for a long moment before she said, "Daniel and I never got the chance to have those kinds of experiences together. I'm sure Henry's probably told you the whole story."

"Mary Margaret mentioned him when we were in Fairytale Land. Henry never said a word. I'd like it if you told me."

Regina closed her eyes and nodded briefly. She was touched that her son had kept her confidence but she felt that perhaps it was time she shared this with someone else. She opened her eyes and took in the flames as she sighed and began to speak.

"Daniel was our stable boy from the time I was fifteen. I knew the moment I met him that I loved him. I believed in happy endings with my whole heart then, despite the life I had with my parents; my mother's abuse and my father's neglect. All through my childhood I believed that someday I would have my happy ending; that I deserved one after everything I'd been through. I stayed good and kept myself pure of magic and corruption."

She took a long gulp of her drink, nearly emptying it. She stared at it for a moment before Emma took it from her hand, standing and walking to the sidebar. She refilled Regina's glass without a word and resumed her seat, inclining her head that Regina should continue.

"One day as I was grooming my horse after a ride, it was spooked by a fox and kicked. I held up my arm to block my face, but the hoof hit me hard, breaking my arm and cutting my lip. Daniel checked my injuries and saw the bruises further up my arms beneath my sleeve. He told me that she couldn't treat me like that. He told me that he'd never let her hurt me again. And then he kissed me. It was the first time I ever felt wanted or good enough or safe.

He helped me back to my house and explained that I was injured. She turned him away with a threat that she'd deal with him later for allowing me to be hurt. She took me inside and healed my am. But she explained that she knew that I was having foolish ideas about the stable boy being some little hero who'd come to save me. She told me I was lucky she healed my arm but she was leaving the scar on my face to remind me the pain love causes. She taught me that love was weakness."

A tear trickled down Regina's cheek and she just sat for a moment reliving her pain before she felt a gentle hand on her cheek. Emma had brushed away the tear. Regina dropped her eyes, afraid that if she looked at Emma she would not be able to continue talking.

"Daniel and I continued sharing secret moments around my riding lesson times, but we were never alone for long. My mother kept a tight watch on me. And when Snow White came bursting on the scene on her runaway horse, my life changed forever. My mother accepted Leopold's proposal for me and at seventeen, I was sent to become the bride of the king and the mother of a twelve-year-old girl. I was heartbroken – terrified. Truly up to that point I had not even considered that I wouldn't eventually have my happy ending with Daniel," she gave a mirthless chuckle, "what a child. As I was sneaking around to see him because my mother didn't approve, I imagined we would someday run away. So when I heard her accept his proposal, I ran to the stables. The only thing I could think was that we had to run immediately. Daniel was so sweet. He agreed and he…"

She gave a choked sob, "He asked me to marry him. We were kissing and then Snow White came in and saw us embracing. She ran as though to tell her father and I followed after, chasing her down. I explained about true love – that it was the most powerful magic. I told her that Daniel was my true love. She said that she understood. She said that she would keep my secret."

Regina's hands trembled and she clasped them together briefly before reaching for her glass and taking a healthy gulp. She set her glass down and pressed her hands to her thighs as she continued, "When my mother approached Snow, she found herself unable to fulfill that promise. As Daniel and I made to flee, my mother stopped us. She argued with me about our leaving for a moment before pretending that she understood and would let us go. She…"

Regina stopped talking, her eyes shut tight. She felt Emma's slender fingers curl around her own and she clutched onto it, bringing her other hand over to enclose Emma's hand.

"She pulled his heart out and crushed it to dust. I kissed him and kissed him but he would not wake up. My mother never showed the slightest remorse. She genuinely seemed to believe she had done the best thing for me. She coveted power above all else. She was determined to see me queen, to see me embrace magic; to become exactly what I became."

For the first time she met deep green ones with her own, "Losing Daniel broke me, Emma. There were other factors as well, but when he died, a part of me was lost. It was as though she had crushed my heart with his. But I was confined to this frozen existence. Since that time I never allowed anyone to be close to me. Not a friend. Not a partner. Not even my father."

It was a testament to how silent the room had seemed for a moment that Emma's whispered, "Henry" sounded like a firework to Regina.

She nodded, "Yes, Henry was the first person I allowed myself to be close to. But even with Henry, I made significant mistakes. I allowed my insecurities about losing him to try to force a relationship just as my mother did."

"You are not like your mother, Regina."

"No, but I'm not like you. My choices have changed me Emma, tainted me. And I made those choices largely because I lost Daniel, the only person before Henry that I truly loved."

"I think that you're a lot like me. I've made choices I'm not proud of, too, Regina. But you know what?"

Regina was breathless as she whispered, "What?"

"Henry changed everything for me, too. For a long time I beat myself up about choosing to give him up. There was no way that I was prepared to care for a kid but I worried that he would end up having the kind of childhood I had; that he would be passed around. I knew that he had been adopted, but my experience taught me that family isn't forever.

When he brought me here, I was so grateful to see that he had been protected and provided for in one place his whole life. He was maybe a little messed up," she gave a rueful half-grin, "And I wanted to keep an eye on him, but he was healthy and smart and…everything I hoped he would be. And I have you to thank for that."

Regina shook her head for a minute and said, "Henry is the most important person in my life and the best thing that ever happened to me. I would give anything to prove to him that I have changed and to never disappoint him again." She dropped Emma's gaze and looked at their still joined hands as she said, "Which is why the idea of taking a risk with you is frightening. I had a good time on our date, Emma. I meant when I said that nobody had ever done anything like that for me. And when we kissed, I felt…" she trailed off blushing.

Emma gently lifted her chin with her hand and said, "I felt something, too."

Regina gazed at her intently for a moment, her eyes wandering from Emma's intense stare to her pink lips. "If we did this we could not just casually date. I mean, we share a son. It is already more complicated than if we had met normally."

"And that's not to mention the whole fairy tale thing."

Regina rolled her eyes, "Yes, the Savior/Evil Queen dynamic does add another layer."

"But Regina, those things were true on Saturday, too, and you still kissed me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to."

"Well, has that changed?"

Regina murmured, "No."

"Look, I understand that this is more complicated than your average relationship, but I think it's worth a shot. And nobody runs away from relationships faster than me."

"Very reassuring, Emma."

"But I'm not running this time," she put her hand to Regina's cheek. "I've felt this way for a long time and I don't think it's going away. I want to see where this could go and I'm willing to wait if you need time. But I think you know as well as I do that there is something here."

"It's just not that simple, Emma. Even if we did – try…if something went wrong, it could hurt one or both of us. More importantly, it could hurt Henry."

"You know, you're kind-of ruining the getting together moment by talking about the breaking up moment prematurely. I've used this tactic before – no I'm the queen of this tactic. You're considering every worst possible case scenario and pushing me away. I get that it seems like it will hurt less if you walk away before someone else leaves, but what if it doesn't have to hurt at all?"

"Are you seriously telling me that after everything you've seen in your life you believe in the whole happy ending nonsense?" Her scoff might have been convincing if it weren't accompanied by an achingly hopeful look as she searched Emma's eyes.

Emma shrugged, "I'm saying that it's been a long time for both of us since we let something start without considering the ending." Her smile turned mischievous, "Besides, from what I've seen the last few days around town, I'm not buying your story that you don't believe in happy endings."

Regina blushed and said, "Yes, well. Our son convinced me that the best way to find my own happy ending would be to fully let go of the curse by nudging other people toward theirs."

"Well, it got me to come over here, puppy love and all."

Regina clutched Emma's hand and said, "Oh, Emma. I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. I just wanted to push you away before anyone got hurt. I'm sorry."

Emma chuckled, "You already said that. And like I already said, I get it. But I'm kinda hoping you might change your mind." Her gaze flicked down to Regina's lips.

"I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, Emma."

Emma's phone buzzed in her pocket and she looked at the screen to see that Henry had texted to see where she was. She realized she was very late to pick him up from her mother's. She sighed and looked at Regina.

"Henry."

Regina nodded and said quietly, "You'd better go."

"Hold on."

Emma stepped out in the hall and dialed Snow's number. She picked up right away. "Everything ok, Emma?"

"Fine. Listen, it's still pouring and it's so late. Do you think Henry could crash by you guys and I'll pick him up in the morning before school?"

"Of course. I take it you decided to talk to Regina."

"Yeah."

"And you're ok?"

"Yeah. I just…don't want to leave her alone right now."

"It's no problem, Emma. Should I tell Henry?"

"Can you put him on?"

"Hi."

"Hey, Henry. Listen, if it's ok with you, you're going to spend the night with your grandparents and I'll pick you up for school."

"Yeah, that's cool. Are you with my mom?"

"Right now I am. I just want to talk to her a little longer and you need to get to bed."

"Ok."

"I'll see you in the morning, ok, kid?"

"Ok, Emma. Good night. Tell my mom goodnight, ok?"

"You got it. Night."

She walked back in and sat with Regina, who had resumed gazing at the fire but looked up when she sat next to her.

"He's going to spend the night with my parents."

"That's not necessary, I…"

"Yes, it is. Regina, after everything you've been through and reliving it tonight telling it all to me, do you really think that I'd leave you here alone?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"Because I told you. I care about you. I have for a long time. And I'm not going anywhere."

Regina relaxed a bit and sipped her drink before smirking slightly at Emma and asking, "So you've said twice now that you've cared for me for some time. Exactly when did this start?"

"Exactly? Well, that's hard to say. But it was somewhere between the mine and the auction." Emma winked at her with a mischief lifting her lips.

"You spent your entire savings in order to get a date with me, and you meant it in earnest."

Emma nodded, blushing slightly and dropping her eyes to her lap.

"And you'd want to go on another?"

Emma's head snapped up, catching Regina's eyes and hopeful smile and she felt her own face split in a wide smile before she nodded eagerly and said, "Yes. Definitely."

Regina gave a contented sigh, "Well, I'll say this for you, Sheriff Swan. You're certainly brave."

Emma's smile widened impossibly and she took Regina's hands in her own, "So does this mean our date is back on?"

Regina smiled and nodded saying, "Tomorrow night. Seven sharp."

Emma leaned in and pressed her lips tenderly against Regina's. She pulled back and grinned lazily at her saying, "I'll be here."

"But truly, dear. I'm fine for tonight. I think I'd like to just go to bed." Regina gave a warm smiled and kissed Emma's hand to show that she was sincerely ok and not brushing the blonde off.

Emma nodded and leaned in to give her one last breathtaking kiss before she stood and began to walk toward the door.

"Emma." She turned.

"What were you planning for Henry?"

"He and my dad have a Mario Kart tournament all planned. They had settled it before we…well, you know. But we never changed the plans."

"I see." She stood and closed the distance between them, running her hands up Emma's arms and around to the back of her neck. She asked huskily, "Is he spending the night?"

Emma gulped as she nodded, intoxicated by the mayor's proximity.

"Good. I wouldn't want your mother to be waiting up for you." She whispered the last in Emma's ear, delighting in the shiver that coursed through the blonde's body at her words.

She pulled back and smirked when she saw Emma's dazed expression before pressing her lips against the pink ones before her, teasingly running her tongue over Emma's bottom lip. Emma moaned as Regina pulled back.

Regina waited until Emma met her eye, "Until tomorrow night, then."

Emma nodded dumbly and turned to go. She stopped by the door to slip on her still-wet boots and jacket. Regina followed her to the door and watched as she walked up the path leaning against the door frame. Emma turned when she reached the gate and waved, a warm smile lighting her face. Regina returned her smile and went back inside.

She leaned back against the front door as soon as it closed and took a deep breath. She had not felt so vulnerable since she was a girl as she did right now. But she had also never felt as free. She gave a small smile as she thought once more of her beloved stable boy and his final words to her.

Then love again.

A/N: Reviews make my heart happy and my fingers nimble. ;)