A/N: Hey! Look who's back! I'm sorry for the long wait on this chapter. It's been sitting and waiting for me to be finished; I had half of it done, but I was stuck on how to piece it all together. Thanks so much for your patience! Reminder, I have very little medical knowledge. I've done some research and applied it to this story, but it's definitely not 100% accurate. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update! I have the next one mostly written out and would love to get it posted before another six months pass. Again, enjoy!


Deep in the warmth and comfort of Emma's embrace, Regina had fallen asleep once more. It was rare that she ever slept in past nine o'clock in the morning, but this was different. Emma's body next to hers filled a desire Regina that never knew that she had. In feeling Emma's heart beat, listening to the blonde's steady exhales, Regina found a sense safety she'd never before been able to name.

When Regina woke up, she let out a relaxed sigh and reached out for Emma instinctively. She yearned to feel Emma's touch once again, for their skin to make contact. But, the bed was empty. The sheets were rumpled and the pillow had clearly been slept in, but Emma was nowhere to be found.

"Emma?" Regina called out tentatively, still blinking away the extra hours of sleep.

As Regina willed herself onto her feet, her arms and legs felt heavy, a gentle tingled rippled through her body as her system gradually came back to life. She stretched backwards and inhaled deeply, like a cat awakening from a nap. It wasn't until she was halfway down the hallway that panic grabbed a hold of Regina. Henry's door was open, but he wasn't in his room. His bed had been made and his pajamas folded on top of the blankets.

"Emma? Henry?" Regina tried again, her voice hitching slightly. But there was no sign of them anywhere in the flat. Their coats were gone, and so were Regina's keys.

Her heart pounding ferociously, Regina ran back to her room in search of her phone. She'd just started dialing, her hand trembling somewhat, when she heard the front door open. Cheerful voices soon followed, and a gentle laugh echoed through the corridor.

Regina broke into a sprint and bolted down the hall. "Henry!" She gasped as she threw her arms around the boy. "Are you all right? What happened?" But, before Henry could respond, Regina turned to Emma and snarled. "What the hell were you thinking? You can't just take him and leave like that!"

A styrofoam cup in each hand, Emma stood wide-eyed. "I- we went for some coffee," she stammered.

"And donuts," Henry offered innocently, holding up a white, paper bag. Silently, Regina took stock of the treats that the two had returned with. Her knees trembling ever-so-slightly, she clenched her jaw and bit back the tears of relief that threatened to escape.

Her gaze glued to Regina, Emma nodded to Henry and gestured towards his room. "Kid, go get dressed. We'll leave in a few minutes."

"But I'm already dressed," Henry countered.

"Then go get packed up for your appointment. So you don't get too bored."

Glancing at Regina, concern splashed across his face, Henry did as he was told and left the women alone in the kitchen.

Now just the two of them, Regina stood with her arms folded over her chest, her hands balled into fists so tight her knuckles blanched. Finally, the tears broke through. Regina tried to turn away, embarrassed— somewhat ashamed. She hastily flicked away the moisture, but it was too late. Emma knew.

"You thought I took him?" the blonde murmured. Emma peered over her shoulder and down the hall, making sure that Henry's door was still closed. "After everything that's happened, you really think I'd do that to you?"

"Of course not," Regina said swiftly. When she could no longer avoid Emma's gaze, she locked eyes with the woman and spoke with as steady a voice as she could manage. "Emma—"

"We should get going. Traffic'll be hell." Without looking at Regina, Emma turned and started towards Henry's room. She knocked on his door and let out a gruff, "Time to go." Leaving her coffee on the counter, Emma brushed past Regina and said, "I'll be downstairs."


They'd been sitting in silence for nearly an hour. Sat across one another in an empty waiting room, Emma had passed the time by flipping through three-month-old magazines, anxiously bouncing her knee. Meanwhile, Regina looked as though she were ready to jump at a moment's notice. One leg crossed over the other, she kept her hands folded in her lap, occasionally stealing a glance at Emma.

After 54 minutes of excruciating quiet, Emma and Regina pulled from their daydreams by a man in turquoise scrubs. They rose to their feet in unison, their eyes meeting for a nanosecond. "Henry's almost done. Dr. Whale will be out in a minute to check in with you two." The nurse left without so much as a nod to either of the women.

"You'd think they'd be able to make a 15-minute procedure last, oh I don't know, 15 minutes," Regina grumbled.

"They gotta get everything prepped," Emma replied flatly.

Regina scoffed. "They can't do that before we arrive?"

Falling back into her seat with a heavy sigh, Emma merely shrugged. "Maybe they're secretly plotting to kidnap Henry. You know how sneaky those nurses are."

For a moment, Regina felt as though she'd been elbowed in the stomach. Emma's words, spiteful as they may have been, were a reminder Regina didn't need; a snide remark born from hurt— hurt that Regina had inflicted.

Perhaps it was guilt that caused something to snap in Regina, or fear. Perhaps it was simply an impulse. Though, Regina had never been one to dive without looking. Or maybe, it was a combination of it all. Whatever it was, Regina didn't have time to consider the reasons.

Before she could stop herself, before she could examine all angles and all possible outcomes, Regina heard the words spill from her. "Move in with us."

Emma whipped her head up and stared at Regina in shock. "What?"

"Move in with us," Regina repeated without missing a beat.

Shaking her head, Emma held up a hand and frowned at Regina. "Hold on. This morning, you thought I kidnapped our son. Now you want me to move in with you?" Regina tried to ignore the way her heart skipped a beat when Emma referred to Henry as their son.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Whale began tentatively. She'd only been there for a few seconds, but long enough to hear more than her fair share. "I, erm, had some updates for you two. About Henry," she added, though there was absolutely no need to clarify. "Please," Dr. Whale gestured to the chairs. This time, Emma and Regina sat beside one another. "Right, well, Henry's white blood cell count is still looking good. It hasn't dropped as significantly as before, but it also hasn't increased." Dr. Whale paused for a moment to allow the information to settle, and partly to let Emma and Regina come down from whatever intensity she'd walked in on "Now, normally we would have set up a tighter schedule for treatment as soon as we made a diagnosis. Clearly, Henry's a special case," she said with a slight smile. "Now that he's in stable condition, we can create a better course of treatment. Starting this week, Henry will need to be brought in everyday except for Friday— from now until the end of December."

Her brow furrowed somewhat, Regina said, "What about school? It starts in two weeks."

"Henry's fine to go back. As long as he listens to his body and gets as much rest as he needs. We can set appointments for after school."

Emma learned forward, her elbows digging into her knees. "You said Henry'll have to be 'brought in.' Does that mean he can go home? For good?"

Dr. Whale nodded, and with a hint of pride, said, "Yes. Henry is free to go home." For the first time since they'd left the house, Emma felt as though she could breathe again. And, without so much as as second thought, she found herself gripping Regina's hand as relief flooded her system. "Henry should be wrapping up about now. A nurse will bring him back when he's ready." Standing up, Dr. Whale turned to leave, but before she disappeared into the rest of the hospital, she stole another glance at the women. Of all the families she'd helped over the years, the Emma, Regina, and Henry were by far the most intriguing.

When it was just the two of them, Emma stood up and started pacing in front of Regina. She ran a hand through her coarse hair, the other hand on her hip. Regina watched helplessly, a quiet witness to Emma's rattled nerves.

"I'm sorry," Regina finally said, her mouth dry and her voice nearly a whisper. "What I said this morning… I didn't mean to… I shouldn't have—"

"No, you shouldn'tve," Emma countered swiftly. Slowly, she came to a halt and paused; she planted herself directly in front of Regina and waited expectedly.

"I'm sorry," Regina echoed. She summoned all the courage she had left and forced herself to look up at Emma. And suddenly, as green eyes stared back at her, Regina felt a flutter in her chest. "I meant what I said. Or rather, what I blurted… the apartment is more than big enough for the three of us. And Henry would be… well, he'd be ecstatic. He loves you." Regina swallowed hard and held Emma's gaze, her next words rang in her ears before she even opened her mouth. "I love you."

Emma's lips pressed together in a tight line and her nostrils flared as she commanded herself not to cry. She and Regina had told each other that they loved each other before, many times. But this was different. This wasn't like before.

"You don't trust me."

Pushing off from the arms of the chair, Regina rose to eye-level with Emma. "I do," she promised. "More than anyone."

"But this morning—"

"This morning, I was scared. I thought Henry was gone. I've… I've always been afraid of that. Not that you'd take him, but that I'd lose him. And after everything that's happened this year, I just…" Regina exhaled and closed her eyes. "I was scared."

A gentle touch brought Regina back to reality. Emma slipped her hand into Regina's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. When their eyes met, Regina felt a tingle ripple through her body and shivered as goosebumps rose along her neck. Before she knew it, she and Emma were nose-to-nose; she could feel Emma's breath on her cheeks.

Regina was the first to lean in, her lips gently crashing against Emma's; she let herself fall against Emma's strong form, allowed herself to be held by Emma. Pressed together, sparks flew and hearts soared as they became a shared being. When they broke apart, they were breathless.

It was only when they heard someone clear their throat that Emma and Regina let go of one another and dropped their arms to their sides, feigning innocence. With his jaw unhinged and his eyes wide, Henry looked back and forth between the two, the same male nurse standing behind him— wearing the same expression as the boy.

Regina was the first to break the ice. Nodding towards the nurse, she reached out a hand towards Henry and said, "Thank you for bringing him down." The man in blue said nothing as he fled, blending in behind gurneys and food carts.

When she noticed Regina glaring at her, Emma got the message and kicked into gear. Plastering a smile on her face, she nudged Henry in the side. "You ready to go home, Kid? I'm thinkin' pizza tonight."

"You're staying for dinner?" Henry asked excitedly, almost as if he'd already forgotten the scene he'd walked in on.

"Of course! Wouldn't miss it for the world," said Emma. "In fact…"

She and Regina exchanged a look, which Henry caught. "What?" The boy probed.

Regina, who could still feel traces of Emma on her lips, looked down at Henry and brushed his bangs out of his face. "You know how you keep asking if Emma can live with us?" Henry nodded. "Well, if that's something you'd still like—"

Nothing more needed to be said. Henry understood his mother loud and clear. "Really?" He asked with wide eyes, his body already buzzing. He turned to Emma as if to ask for confirmation. When all she did was smile in return, Henry threw his arms around her waist and held on tight, only to do the same to Regina five seconds later. "This is so cool!" Henry whooped. "But wait… where's Emma gonna sleep? We only have two rooms."