A/N: Hey guys! Thanks soooo much for your support, you are so nice and helpful with everything. This is the moment everyone's been waiting for, Emma's confession to Regina :) Enjoy.

Chapter 9 — Fifth Day

"Hey, thanks for meeting me." Emma said sheepishly as she walked into Regina's office in the mansion. It was Tuesday morning, and Henry has started going to school again after all the commotion that has happened.

"Of course. Whatever it is that you need?" Regina narrowed her eyes.

"Uhm… may I ask you a question?"

Regina just nodded. So Emma continued.

"What do you know about True Love and True Love's Kiss?"

Regina looked at Emma like Emma is growing two heads or more.

"Is there something I should know Emma?"

"Nah, I'm just… curious. That's all."

"You could ask your parents, they are the embodiments of what you're asking me. And you're lying."

Emma cringed inwardly. She fidgeted with her fingers for a little bit before saying, "Could you let that go, just this once?"

"Fine. Personally, I— don't know much about it. I believe Daniel was my True Love, a long time ago. But you've seen Henry. I think Henry is my one True Love. There's this saying that True Love is the most powerful magic of all. It's the only thing that could cross realm, and break the unbreakable curse. From what I know, True Love's Kiss is special. Both parties has to mutually feel the same thing, and heightened emotion helps as well."

"So why is it when my parents kiss, and believe me, they do that a lot, nothing magical happen?"

"It's the intention behind the kiss, mostly. You kissed Henry to say goodbye, and you poured your heart in that moment, am I correct?"

Emma nodded.

"So did I a few days ago. I tried to convey everything I feel into that one kiss." Regina stated calmly.

"I see. Anything else you might know about it?"

"I think that covers everything I know."

Emma nodded again. "Thank you."

"Is that all?"

"Yes, err. Well… no." Then Emma stayed silent. But she kept fidgeting her fingers and looked away from Regina.

"Miss Swan."

Silence.

"Miss Swan!" Regina said a little bit louder this time.

Silence.

Regina scoffed. "Emma."

"Yeah, what?" Emma got out of her own head and recognised Regina calling her name.

Regina tilted her head and raised one of her eyebrow. That look was pretty scary for Emma.

"Oh yeah. Uhm. Why do you always do that?"

"Do… what exactly?"

"Not calling me by my name."

"I literally just called you by your birth name a few seconds ago."

"I know but, you always revert back to 'Miss Swan'-ing me like all the time."

"I do not."

"You do. All. The. Time."

"Nope."

"Yeah uh. So? Why do you do it?"

"Fine." Regina said exasperatedly. "It's easier to do that, to put distance between… us."

"Okay. Why?"

"I will answer that if you tell me why you're asking about True Love, Miss Swan."

"See! You did it again."

Regina huffed. "Emma."

"Deal."

"It's easier to deal with you if you're just another ordinary person who doesn't mean anything."

"Why are you so afraid to let me in? I'm just me. Well, a very mess up me but I'm just me. No more no less."

"You do know everyone that cares about me suffered, or worse, dead? Look at your mother, Emma. I don't want to add another person to the list."

Emma shook her head slowly. "I will tell you why I asked about True Love. But… can you promise me that you will always call me by my name, from now on?"

Regina stayed still for a good one minute and in the end she slowly nodded.

Emma smiled, and continued, "I— I am cursed."

"Zelena?"

"Yes."

"Does this have something to do with the fact that you fell asleep the other day?" Regina scrutinised. "I vaguely remembered you gave up on me."

Emma sheepishly replied, "Well, I didn't know that the curse would affect my waking hour so profusely. I didn't even know I was curse at that point."

"Is it only breakable by a True Love's Kiss?" Regina asked.

"Yes."

"Good thing you and Henry already established that, then." Regina softly smiled, that special smile that is reserved by Henry's presence.

Emma smiled softly. "Yes, and that reminds me. Thank you, for the memories you've given me and Henry. Just… thank you. I know how hard it is to let him go. I did it once."

"Luckily it's all behind us now, Emma."

"Yeah, it is. Thank you. I really appreciated it."

"Thank you for coming back, Emma. I know you didn't have to."

"It… gets easier everyday I'm here," Emma said while smiling sadly. "Henry is where he needs to be, with his mother and his grandparents, with his family," she added.

"Yes, I suppose it will be easier if there's no death threat hanging around our heads."

Emma smirked at Regina's antiques. Yes, she will miss this immensely. Her feelings for the brunette woman standing inches from her didn't help either.

"May I ask you one last question?" Emma grimaced at her own boldness, but she really needs to know.

Regina nodded sultrily. "Okay."

"I've heard rumour about you and a very specific vigilante spending a lot of time together. Is he… your True Love?"

"Good lord, no. It's… complicated. He was supposed to be."

"Was?"

"Yes. It's a long story but Tink thinks he is my soulmate." Regina explained shortly.

Emma smiled her best genuine smile even though she could feel the pang of jealousy that roused while Regina was talking about that man. "You like him." It was not a question, it was a statement of how Emma's perceived Regina and that man's relationship.

"I don't dislike him." Regina, ever the smartass.

"That's a good sign," Emma said genuinely. "I hope you find your happy ending, Regina." Emma shortened the distance between Regina and herself, and in her mind she really wants to touch Regina, a brush of their hands, or a light squeeze on the shoulder, anything, to make sure that the beautiful woman in front of her is more than a fraction of her dream. But in the end, she took the cowardish way out. She just stared at the beautiful brown eyes that have seen so much and held her gaze for a while before letting it go.

"I— I should go," Emma took a step back. "I'll see you on Sunday when I pick Henry up." Emma mumbled before sprinted for the front door as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Emma. Wait." Regina shouted.

Emma stopped when she heard her name fell graciously from the queen's lips. She turned slowly to face Regina who was walking towards her in a hurry.

"He is not you." Regina stated simply once she was close enough.

"Huh?"

"He is not you." Regina breathed her response fervently as she closed the distance between them, mirroring what Emma did just a few seconds ago. Regina lifted her fingers and brushed Emma's cheekbone so softly, it felt like a ghost was touching her.

Emma held her gaze to the brown eyes she comes to love. "But Tink said that he's—"

"Tink used to be a flying creature in a size of a thumb, Emma," Regina's answer was whispered in a way that made Emma's knees weak, even though it was not meant to be a seduction of some sort. But the way Regina called her name… God, if there is enough time in this world…

"What about Henry?" Emma asked. They are at the point of no return. If they do this and admit their attractions to each other out loud, they're bound to have their hearts or others broken.

"I don't know," Regina said with uncertainty.

Emma took every willpower she possessed in her bones and took a step back. She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I can't be a person who's holding you away from your happy ending, Regina. I wanted this. God, you have no idea," Emma rubbed her face using both her hands.

"What if you're my happy ending?" Regina demanded.

To say that Emma's heart is broken is the understatement of her whole life. But at that moment when Regina fiercely stated what she wants, Emma's heart clenched so hard she thought it will give up right there and then. "I— then I want you to have what you want," Emma gave up. She reversed back towards Regina and cupped her face. "I want you to have your happy ending."

Before Emma could comprehend what happened, a soft lips dawned on hers. It was a soft, desperate kiss to hold onto what may be a dream, not reality. Emma kissed Regina back with all she had at that moment, a broken and cursed heart, with two more days left before she fell into oblivion. When Emma felt Regina's arms held her neck, she put her arm around Regina's waist to pull her closer and deepened the kiss. She could feel the smile forming on Regina's lips.

After a while, they pulled away, both with a shy small on their faces. Emma decided to hold Regina closed by not letting go Regina's waist.

"Wow." Emma, for the lack of better eloquences.

Regina smirked at Emma's response.

"If I had known kissing you would be like that, I would've kissed you the first time I laid my eyes on you."

"Why didn't you?" Regina narrowed her eyes.

"I'm— I was… stunned." Emma answered honestly. When Regina brushed her fingers on her face, encouraging her to continue, she did. "You were— you looked incredible. I have seen my share of beautiful people, but you— you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my entire life."

Regina pulled Emma into a deep kiss before eventually releasing the blonde.

Emma blinked a few times before gathering her wit to say, "What was that for?"

"For being a charmer."

Emma laughed. "Guess I'm my dad's daughter after all."

"However much I hate them, yes you are, Emma."

"You don't hate them. You love them." Emma teased.

"I don't love them." Regina deadpanned.

"David told me what you did for them, Regina. Ah, that reminds me again. Thank you, for helping them. For keeping my parents alive." Emma gave Regina a soft genuine smile.

"Those two idiots," Regina snickered.

"Yeah, you definitely love them," Emma laughed. She took a glance at her phone and muttered a few curse words. "Shoot, I have to go. I really should get going. I promised Ruby I'd have lunch with her and finish abandoned paperworks after that."

"I don't know which one I should berate first, Miss Swan." Regina said as her expression hardened. "The fact that you have a lunch date with Ruby or your admission that you and your father of yours have been discarding the importance of filling your paperworks."

"Okay. Three things. One. You just called me Miss Swan, again, after you promised me not to."

Regina rolled her eyes and she closed their distance and whispered seductively in Emma's ears, "I can call you with whatever I desire."

Emma has to blink a few times to clear the lust and desire she felt jolting from hearing the sexy voice in her ears. She even had to hold her body so tight as to not shudder from the feeling of having Regina so close by.

Regina stepped back and smirked when she saw the clouded expression on Emma's face.

Emma cleared her throat and blinked a few more times before continuing, "Uhm… Oh. Two. I'm not having a lunch date. Ruby is just a good friend, and a good co-worker."

When Emma saw Regina's expression hardened again, she can't help but took it even further. "I swear. Wait. You're jealous, aren't you?"

Regina huffed.

"And three. I know how much you like your town organised, Madame Mayor. I've not been abandoning my stack of paperworks. It's just been a little crazy, since Zelena, and then there's my mother's labour, and of course my baby brother. But I told Ruby I would help with the paperworks." Emma tried to smile but it looked more like a grimace.

"Very well." Regina scoffed.

Emma smiled and approached Regina to give her a sweet chaste kiss on her lips before she bid her goodbye.

"I'll see you soon."

That's all Emma could say, all she could promise. After all, she couldn't make a promise she wouldn't be able to keep, could she?

Yeah. I'm not sorry I kissed her. I'm sorry because I won't be able to. And in the end my ego will break her heart. Great job Swan, break the heart of the woman you love, just because you're a narcissistic who couldn't help but always try to fix other's people problems. Just fricking great.

Hell. I just broke Regina fricking Mills' heart.