Author's Note: This turned into two chapters without my permission lol.

Chapter VII

The Window

There was a 1983 vintage cherry red Porsche 944 parked in Regina's driveway, taking up the space that should have been reserved for her beloved Bug. Emma knew, down to her bones, that it was Mommy Dearest's car. On the one hand, she was kind of glad. Cora obviously wasn't evil here, a bitch sure, but not evil. Regina had never had a mother with a heart, literally, so Emma didn't begrudge her that. It was like her and Snow, almost. Besides, Regina had been through a lot lately and deserved a little TLC. Though, Emma would have preferred to be the one to comfort her. Which was the problem, there was no way Cora was going to let her waltz in and start kissing her daughter. Even if magic didn't exist in Cursed Storybrooke, she would probably still rip her heart out. The woman was a surgeon, she probably knew all kinds of nasty medical tricks.

"Couldn't you wait for business hours?" Cora had all but spat the words at her.

What kind of Evil Queen kept office hours, anyway? The first time she'd seen Regina it had been way after hours. It had been after dark and she'd still been dressed to the nines, tears in her eyes, and she'd looked absolutely gorgeous.

Emma had told Regina she'd come over and she wasn't going to let anyone stop her, not even the Queen of Hearts. So she rolled past 108 Mifflin Street and parked her beloved car in the same clearing she had used during the first Operation Cobra. She had to cut through a couple of backyards and some undergrowth but she found herself in Regina's perfectly manicured backyard in a few minutes. The first time she'd taken this route, she'd been lugging a chainsaw. She looked at the now infamous apple tree and blinked, momentarily confused. There was still a limb missing. The curse could bring people back, but apparently yard work was too much for it. Wimpy-ass curse. Why hadn't the tree just reset like the rest of the town? Oh, who understood all the magic shit anyway?

Well, Regina probably did.

Emma ran her hand across the scarred tree bark. Regina had been so ungodly pissed that day. She was spectacular when she was angry. Emma had been floored by her perfect scowling face and her eyes. Oh, her eyes. There had been an unadulterated rage that had burned high and hot in chocolate brown orbs, and it had all been pointed at her. Fantastic, amazing, undeniably beautiful: Regina Mills was in a class all her own. Emma had stood up to the snarling, cursing Mayor, delivered her ultimatum and left. She had walked away with more hormones singing through her veins then she had ever felt before. Lust had burned through her like a wildfire. She had wanted to grab Regina, throw her against the damn tree and kiss her until her eyes burnt with a completely different passion.

Emma looked up at the white mansion and counted windows. She knew where Henry's room was and had a pretty good idea where Regina's should be. Getting up there would be the tough part. She looked at the tree closest to the house, the one near Henry's window. Piece of cake. She hadn't snuck into or out of a house in years, not since escaping her last foster home. She left one tree with a friendly pat, and walked towards the other.

She could do this. The bark was rough under her hands. The lowest branch was as high as her shoulder. This, Emma told herself, would be as easy as falling out of a tree. No sweat. She pulled herself up onto the first branch and was dismayed to find herself struggling.

Less bear claws, more cardio, Swan.

She stood on the thick branch and was very glad she'd worn her boots. She climbed to the next branch with slightly less huffing and puffing. The third and last branch she needed to climb was high above her head. Great. She braced herself against the tree's sturdy trunk and hoped she wasn't about to do something stupid. She reached up and wrapped her hands around the higher branch and tried the shimmy up the trunk.

She was really glad it was night, because she would die of embarrassment if anyone saw her struggling to climb a tree. Henry could go up and down this thing like it was nothing.

She pulled herself up and grunted with the effort. She hung for a moment, like a fat kid in gym class, and then wrapped her legs around the branch. Now she was hanging upside down, like she was some kind of sloth from the Animal Planet shows that Mary Margaret watched religiously. She twisted around and felt her abs burn with the movement. She pulled herself right side up on the branch and sat for a moment to enjoy her victory. She was finally on the branch she needed to be on. Regina was going to owe her a big kiss for all this effort.

She stood, hands braced on the trunk. It was just a hop, skip and a jump to the roof. Well, actually, it was like ten feet across a rickety-ass, narrow tree branch with no hand-holds. Just think of all of those years of gymnastics training you never had, Swan. Emma smiled at her own joke.

She pushed fear and corny jokes aside and pulled herself up to stand, using the trunk to steady herself.

A big kiss with tongue, Emma reminded herself, and maybe a nice, long and in-depth exploration of Mayor Mills' amazing ass.

She edged forward and quickly lost the safety of the tree trunk. She was really twisting in the wind now. One foot in front of the other, arms spread for balance and don't look down. Easier said than done. She had done this a million times as a kid. Higher heights, narrower ledges: she'd been fearless and invulnerable in her own mind. She'd been an extremely lucky idiot. It was a Charming family trait, or so she'd heard.

She wobbled, bit her lip to keep from shrieking like a girl as she fought for balance. Her arms wind milled and she stumbled forward step after shaky step until her boot hit air. Oh this was going to hurt. She fell onto the roof and for a moment was shocked that she had made it. She had made an ungodly amount of noise, but she had made it.

There was only one window on this side of the house with lights on and she eased towards it. She peeked in and lost her breathe just as abruptly as she would have if she'd hit the ground. Regina sat on the side of her bed clad only in a soft gray nightdress that reached her knees. It was a soft, feminine sort of thing that had been made with the intention of making the wearer look delectable. She was rubbing lotion into a long, slender expanse of bare leg and Emma momentarily forgot why she had come. Dark hair fell down to cover Regina's face and Emma knew that, for the moment, the brunette didn't know she was there. So she stared, drinking in the vision before her.

God, she was- Emma didn't even have a word. She was worth it: the climb, the evil mother, the curse.

She raised her hand to rap on the window when Regina looked up. Her dark eyes flashed and widened. Emma could read the words on the other woman's lips even if she couldn't hear them.

"Miss Swan!"

Regina crossed to then opened the window. "What do you think you're doing?"

Her words were a whisper and her mouth curled into a smile as she spoke them. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Regina was happy to see her.

"I told you I'd come by, but I didn't think your Mom would appreciate me dropping by after business hours."

She leaned through the window and let her fingers slide through Regina's dark hair.

"You hair: it's short and flippy again." Like it had been when they'd first met. When all the craziness had been at it's very beginning.

Regina's hand caught her and pressed it to her cheek, turning a simple touch into a caress. Emma smiled at the movement and knew that the fleeting contact would never be enough.

"Can I come in?

Her hand was still on Regina's sculpted cheek so she felt as well as heard the other woman's quiet, "Please do."

Her mother had insisted on staying the night. To keep an eye on her, she said. Henry had been ecstatic about the idea. He loved his grandmother. Of course he did, there wasn't anything about The Queen of Hearts in his book. He didn't know. She wasn't sure that she wanted him to know. He loved Cora and though she could only barely wrap her head around the idea, Cora loved him too. They looked so happy together.

She moved around her bedroom, tending to her nightly routine. Henry had preferred, demanded, that his grandmother tuck him in. Cora was his beloved Grandma and she was the Evil Queen, of course he preferred Cora.

No one ever chose her.

She bit back a sigh and sat on the side of her bed. She rubbed lotion into her legs without conscious thought. Emma had said she would come by, but she hadn't. Part of her knew that her mother's presence had made it impossible, but another smaller and pettier part of her still felt betrayed.

She was alone, again. Regina let her hair fall over her face. Why would now be any different? A few kisses, as wonderful as they had been, meant little in the grand scheme of things.

She looked up sharply, the hairs on the back of her neck were standing at attention. She could feel eyes on her. She had developed a certain sixth sense about these things. An Evil Queen needed to know when she was being watched.

Vibrant blue-green eyes stared at her from the darkness outside of her bedroom window.

Emma.

"Miss Swan!"

She could see the infuriating blonde smirk at her and she smiled despite herself. Regina padded to the window and opened it.

"What do you think you're doing?"

She whispered because her mother was in the guest room just down the hall. Emma leaned against the window sill, still dressed as she had been that morning: jeans, and a white tank top with a stain that was almost covered by her red jacket. Regina had an inexplicable urge to run her hands over the cheap pleather and draw Emma closer.

"I told you I'd come by, but I didn't think your mom would appreciate me dropping by after business hours."

There was humor in her words, and Regina felt her spirits lift just a little bit. Of course Emma could find humor in their situation. Then the blonde reached through the open window and ran her fingers though her hair. It was a sweet gesture. She had never realized how sweet her Sheriff could be. It had been many years since anyone had gone out of their way to be kind to her just for the sake of being kind.

"Your hair" Emma's voice was quiet and warm like honey-laced tea. "It's short and flippy again."

She caught Emma's hand and pulled it to her cheek. She hadn't been able to tolerate not touching the blonde anymore. Damn her weak and needy heart.

"Can I come in?"

God, yes.

"Please do."

She let Emma's hand fall from her cheek and stepped back to give the other woman room to enter her bedroom. She wasn't sure what to say, Emma Swan just kept surprising her.

"So-"Emma hooked her thumbs into her front pants pockets, "it's been a pretty crazy day."

The blonde had such a way with words sometimes.

"Yes."

Regina stepped closer to The Savior, her son's birth mother, the woman she was supposed to hate, and felt herself smile again. She touched the sleeve of Emma's jacket and found it to be softer then she expected. She ran her fingers up the sleeve and paused at Emma's elbow. Her other hand took a similar position on Emma's other arm. She squeezed both elbows and remembered Emma's words in the mine: together they were unstoppable.

She had been out of sorts all day. Since she'd jumped out of bed her carefully ordered life, the one she had maintained for years before the curse broke, had fallen to shambles. She had fainted in public for God's sake. Not a banner day for Regina Mills. Here in her bedroom, her sanctuary from the world, she could be in control again. She had to be in control again. She leaned closer to Emma and heard her inhale, saw her eyes darken and all but felt her heart speed up. She wanted this too. Regina leaned in and brushed her lips against Emma's. It was a soft, gentle, tentative movement. She hadn't been the one to initiate their earlier kisses. Emma had. The blonde had kissed her senseless and left her wanting. Another aspect of her life that had escaped her control. Emma hummed against her lips and Regina slid her hands to the other woman's shoulders then delved under the jacket to touch skin. Emma's moan only encouraged her to step closer. They were pressed together now, their breasts brushed against one another and their hips were flush. She could feel Emma's body reacting to her closeness. It was delicious. She pushed the jacket off of the blonde's shoulders and down her arms and smiled into the kiss. Emma's body was tight, athletic and sculpted, muscular where it counted most; yet still soft and womanly, delightfully curved in all of the right places. Regina found that she enjoyed the dichotomy, it was enticing and utterly sexy.

She opened her mouth and gently bit Emma's lower lip. The blonde groaned and her lips parted. Her mouth was warm and wide open for Regina to plunder. Hands, gentle but insistent, circled her waist and slid up her back. They broke off the kiss, but Regina dared not move or even open her eyes. She wanted the feeling, the warm and sweet sensation of the Savior's kiss to last just a little bit longer. She rested her head on Emma's shoulder and tightened her grip on the other woman's hips. Though they were the same height, and Emma couldn't possibly outweigh her by much, she seemed to take pleasure in wrapping around her like a big strong brute that needed to protect a tiny whip of a lady. Regina, surprisingly, didn't mind. She found herself melting into the embrace.

The day: Henry's hurtful words, the shock and fear that seeing her mother had inspired, the shame and weakness she'd felt when she came to on the Diner floor, everything, all her confusion and apprehension fell away.

You're not the Evil Queen anymore. Emma's words echoed in her head. Maybe, wrapped in the Savior's arms she really wasn't The Evil Queen. With Emma, her bright, brash, beautiful blonde, she could just be Regina again.

A knock at the door made them leap apart like guilty teenagers.

"Regina?"

Cora's voice came through the door as clear as a bell.

"Shit!" Emma's eyes went wide and she immediately clamped her hand over her mouth to prevent further curses from escaping. Regina pushed her towards the window. She felt the fear, too ingrained in her psyche to be ignored, push up her throat. It burned like bile and made her a little light headed. The last time she'd hidden a relationship from her mother and she'd found out- She couldn't even think about it.

Emma disappeared out of the window about twenty seconds before her mother opened the bedroom door.

"Henry's asleep, the little dear. He's such a good boy, but I had to take his flashlight so he wouldn't read all night. He's just like you when you were that age: too smart and sneaky for his own good." She walked into the room with a glass of water in her had. Regina tried to control her nerves and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes darted down for a moment and she noticed it. Emma's one-of-a-kind bright red jacket was on the floor, shining like a beacon. She kicked it under her bed as subtly as she could and hoped her mother didn't notice.

"I brought you some Tylenol, Sweetheart, for your headache."

"How?" Regina blinked, how had she known about her headache? She hadn't said anything, she hadn't even given in to temptation and massaged her temples when they had throbbed during dinner.

Cora only smiled, "I can always tell. I'm your mother." She pressed the pills into Regina's hands, "Sweetheart, you're flushed." Then she looked at the window, "Why is the window open?"

Her mother, the heart surgeon, did not miss a single detail.

"I was warm and wanted some air."

Please let that be the end of it, Regina mentally sent pleas out to any deity that would listen. She wasn't sure what her mother would do if she discovered Emma skulking about on the roof.

Cor-her mother pushed her to sit on the bed and pressed a cool hand to her forehead. "You're a little warm, Dear. I hope you're not coming down with something."

This was wrong. Her mother had never tended to her when she had been ill as a child. They'd had servants for that messy work. Impersonal women who had watched over her the same way they would a baking cake. They'd had just enough interest to make sure she didn't burn or fall. She couldn't remember her mother ever touching her the few times she'd fallen ill. Her Daddy had always been there, of course, but never her mother.

"I know you've had a hard year, Regina. Henry with his fairytale flights of fancy." She sighed, "I know he loves you. He's just confused and acting out."

An arm wrapped around her shoulders, "The Evil Queen thing will pass. I think it's been all the upheaval lately. That hideous investigation that woman levied against you. You and Graham breaking things off so abruptly, and all the excitement in town. Henry just needs some time to adjust. You're a wonderful mother, dear. Better than I ever was."

What? Did her mother remember?

"All those hours at the hospital." A soft hand touched her face. It was so different from Emma's earlier touch, but it was still tender and full of something else. Was this what a mother's love felt like?

"I feel like I missed so much of your childhood. No wonder you turned into your father's daughter."

Regina stiffened at that and the ache in her heart, the one that never ever fully faded, flared up again. "Daddy."

Cora kissed her temple and Regina had to fight every instinct she had developed through the years that told her to jerk away.

"He would be proud of you. You're a wonderful mother, a single mother at that. You're a respectable and fair mayor, a true leader and you are the best daughter any mother could ask for. Now," Her mother stood up, "take two of these and call me in the morning. I'll be just down the hall if you need anything." She paused mid-step at the open door, "I love you, Regina."

"I-"Regina hesitated because everything was too fresh and too painful. This had been everything she'd ever dreamed of and never had. "I love you too, Mom."

The older woman closed the door and Regina listened to her footsteps go down the hall to the guest room and for a moment, Regina was alone again.