Chapter 8

Emma drove Regina back to her house, not wanting her to walk home alone. It was habit more than anything because she knew that nothing was going to hurt Regina in Storybrooke. The people were still afraid of her to a certain degree. She knew that Regina was capable of handling herself, but she still just wanted to do it. She wanted to have some alone time with her.

"Miss Swan, you could go faster if you wished. I am sure that the sheriff isn't going to pull you over for doing the speed limit. I have it on good authority that he is partial to blonde's from out of town that just happen to be his daughter. We don't have to go so slow."

"I know that. I just wanted to be alone with you. We really didn't get to talk more once we started dinner," Emma told her.

"You have something else to say?"

"Henry thinks he already knows."

"He already knows what?"

"About us?"

"What about us?"

"He actually gave me permission to date girls if I so desired."

"He did?"

"Yeah, the Kid is smarter than we know. He said that he has seen the way that you look at me. He is actually the one that brought it up. He wants me to be happy. He doesn't care who it is with."

"He has always been a considerate boy."

"He had a good teacher," Emma replied.

"I don't know about that. I feel like I might have stunted him some. I kept him so close to me that he couldn't really do anything. Why else do you think that he came for you?"

"You were the Evil Queen. He wanted to break the curse. He just didn't realize that he was breaking more than one curse when he did it. I don't think we did at the time, either."

"What are you talking about, Miss Swan?"

"He helped me believe. I had forgotten how. He helped me become the Savior. He pushed and pushed until I didn't have a reason not to believe him anymore. He made me love him. He gave me back something that I didn't know I was missing. He also helped heal your heart. He taught you how to love, again. He gave us both something to strive for and want," Emma told her.

"I guess that he did. He touched us all by bringing you to town. I just wish that he could remember it all. That is what hurts me the most now. He is stilling looking right through me and not seeing me."

"He will, Regina. We'll figure it out. I promise."

"You don't know that."

"Of course, I do."

"How?"

"Because I am a Charming, remember. We have undeniably persistent optimism. And, we never give up even when it seems pointless and hopeless, because in the end Love always wins."

"That you are, Dear. That you are. Who would have known that you even without your parents that you would end up becoming a true Charming? Now, I understand where Henry got all of his optimism from growing up. It wasn't because he was looking for it. It was because it was part of his blood."

"That is true, but don't forget that he is a quarter Dark One."

"Thank whatever powers that be that he didn't inherent that," Regina stated.

"Would it be so bad for him to have magic?"

"Did you really just ask that question?"

"I might have, yes," Emma stated.

"Considering who his teachers would have been, yes, it would have been horrible. I am sure that with your natural talents that he would have been crazily strong and uncontrollable. Rumple would have had a field day with him. He would have groomed him to become the new Dark One or kill him, whichever would give Rumple more power. You know that and so do I. Henry would have been in danger if he had ever shown in promise in the magical arts, but then again…"

"What?"

"He wouldn't have been able to show it here. We didn't have magic until after you broke the curse. Rumple had to bring it back through the well. Henry may actually have magic that we don't know about. I don't know how I feel about that," Regina told her, unlocking her door.

"Me either," Emma replied, following her in the mansion, shutting the door and locking it behind her.

"Do you think that we should explore the possibility? Has he shown any towards the magical arts? Has he done anything unexplained? Anything at all?" Regina questioned her seriously.

"No, he hasn't, not that way. He has always been able to do things that are unexplained. He is my boy."

"That I have no doubt of, Miss Swan. He proved that very much once I got to meet you. I must saw that his odd behavior and unending optimism made sense once I knew who you were."

"You say that like it was a bad thing," Emma said, following Regina through the house and into the kitchen.

She didn't say anything else as she prepared some coffee. Emma just watched her move. There was something about the way Regina moved that took her breath away. She couldn't explain it. Maybe, Henry had learned some things from Regina and Regina didn't even know it. She could tell when Henry made certain faces that he had actually learned the mannerism from Regina, even if Regina didn't see it.

"I never said it was a bad thing. Would you like some coffee, Miss Swan? I am sure that I have enough."

"Thanks," Emma replied.

Emma leaned against the island counter in the kitchen. Regina just smiled at her as she handed her a cup of coffee. There was still an uneasiness between them that they couldn't explain. Emma wondered if they would even know what was between them fully.

There was a palpable energy between them. They didn't want to acknowledge it. They were still trying to figure out what they were. It didn't matter that Snow and Henry had both giving them the okay. It didn't matter that Regina couldn't remember the dreams like Emma did. There was something there. They couldn't deny it. It was drawing them together like a magnet.

Before they even knew it, they were beside each other. Their coffee mugs were sitting on the island counter, finished and discarded as they found themselves in each other's arms. Regina looked up into her sea green eyes and she felt something in her heart move.

She couldn't explain what it was about Emma that moved her so much. She could remember wanting her dead, just like her mother Snow, but now, she was drawn to her. Maybe this new curse was giving her a new lease on life, one that Regina planned on taking full advantage of this time. She wasn't going to let anything happen to chance or because of pixie dust. She knew that Emma cared for her and she was going to hold on to that as she explored her own feelings for the woman.

She could admit that she liked her. She might have something akin to love in her heart for the woman. She had admit that it hurt when Henry had mentioned Walsh, but Emma left him to come back to Storybrooke. It helped that he turned into a monkey, but that was beside the point for Regina. Emma had come back and sought her out. She came to Regina, not the other way around.

Emma watched her, hoping that she wasn't over thinking everything. She wanted to explore their relationship. She wanted to get to know the woman better. She knew her from her dreams, but that woman wasn't the broken and beaten woman in front of her. Regina kept herself together regally as she had been taught, but Emma could see the cracks on the edges. She remembered the fear in her eyes at having to be alone with Henry without his memories. Regina was scared and innocent, well, as innocent as she could be.

"Emma, I…"

"Regina, we should…"

"You first, Dear," she told Emma.

"No, you were first. Please tell me. I can wait."

"I know that you have these dreams to build off of, but I have nothing. Don't make that face, Dear. I do find you attractive. It is just that you are trying to base our relationship off of someone and something that I don't know," Regina told her.

"You want me to go slower?"

"I want us to think about this. It is weird enough that we are all back here when we shouldn't be. Please don't look at me like that. It isn't like I am pushing you away. I do have feelings for you. I've had to admit that to myself. I wouldn't have sent you away otherwise. I'll admit that I wanted what was best for Henry…and for you. I couldn't be with him…or you, but you could have each other."

"I already know that," Emma replied.

"I know that you do, Emma, but you have to understand how overwhelming this is for me. I woke up here weeks ago, without Henry, without you, without my memories of the past year. Then one night, you steal home in the dark after drinking a potion. You remember everything, but you are the only one. I know that Hook brought you back to us, but you are still the only one who has any idea what happened to them over the last year. We are all floundering. And as much as I would like to credit for it, I can't."

"I know that you weren't the one that cast this curse. I could tell as soon as you saw Henry. You would never intentionally put yourself in this much pain. I get it. I really do, and we still have to figure out what the Hell is going on and stop it. I am not saying that we don't. I am just trying to be here for you."

"Why? Why me? Why now?"

"Because you were there for me, even if it was in my dreams, when I had no one else. I know what it is like to be on the outside looking in, wishing that you could have that happy ending, too. I lost everything last year. I finally found my family only to lose it as you counteracted Pan's curse. I walked away from the only home that I really considered home. I didn't know what I was missing until Hook came back to me. I didn't realize that I was really searching for you," Emma told her.

"Emma…I knew that I cared for you more than I should have after our time in Neverland. I know that the mystical kiss we shared wasn't one sided, but once we got back here, we didn't have time to explore it. I don't want to rush things. Things have always been rushed for me. I want this to take its own course. I don't think that is too much to ask, is it?"

"No, of course. I would never push you into anything. I wouldn't want you to do something that you don't want to do. I would never do that to you. If you want me to leave, I'll understand."

"I never said that, Miss Swan," Regina told her, moving into her.

Emma pulled her into her body and held her close. She looked down into the wild chestnut eyes of Regina. She could see her feelings being reflected in her eyes.

"I only have one question," Emma stated.

"And, what is that, Miss Swan?"

"Can I still kiss you?"

Regina didn't answer her with words. She wrapped her arms around Emma's neck and kissed her. Emma gladly took her weight gladly. She deepened the kiss. Regina sighed and allowed Emma to wrap her hands around her waist.

"I would like that very much," Regina replied, finally, in between kisses.

Emma gave her a delectable smile. Regina might have questioned the look that Emma was giving her, if she had time. Emma used her superior strength to pick her up and set her on the counter of the island. She began to kiss her before she could protest. Emma smartly didn't give her any time to protest either. She deepened her kiss, thrusting her tongue into Regina's mouth, and moaning into her mouth.

"Emma…"

"Yes…"

Regina leaned towards Emma pushing their bodies closer together, even though Regina was still slightly higher than Emma. She didn't care. It put her at a better angle to attack Emma's neck. She leaned down and decided to mark her. She knew that Emma might say something about it later, but right now, she didn't care. And, she knew that Emma didn't either by the way she was moaning at Regina.

"We should stop…" Emma finally stated.

"We should…"

"I don't want to leave…"

"You have to go home…"

"I know…"

"Not because of your parents…"

"Then who?" Emma asked, backing up enough to look into Regina's eyes.

"Henry," Regina stated flatly.

"To be continued, then."

"I certainly do hope so, Miss Swan. I certainly do hope so. Now, go home to our son."