20.

Emma brought her horse to a stop and tipped her cowboy hat back so that it was hanging from a cord by her throat as looked around. The night was dark and quiet aside from the sounds of critters around them. The small fire flickered as she urged her horse to step closer. Two shadows peeled themselves from the ground and Emma turned her head as Regina dismounted gracefully. She didn't even have the time to tie the reigns to a nearby tree before a small body collided with her own.

"I was worried about you," Henry said, is voice muffled against Regina's chest.

"I told you it would be fine."

Regina smiled down at the boy and looked over to Emma who was still sitting atop the horse. She smiled and awkwardly slid out of the saddle until her feet hit the ground.

"I'm glad everything went according to plan but it was still dangerous and incredibly foolish," Cora said as she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. She huffed quietly and took a few small steps toward Emma.

"A word?"

"Uh…sure."

Cora walked away from the fire and Emma looked over her shoulder at Regina who only shrugged before following Cora.

"I expect you to take care of her, and of my grandson until I am able to follow, just so that we're clear," Cora said as she turned around to face Emma.

"Of course. I would never let anything happen to them."

"And yet it was my daughter who had to break you out of a jail cell."

"It won't happen again?" Emma answered, scuffing the tip of her boot against the dusty ground.

"I certainly hope so," Cora glanced around Emma to where Regina and Henry were still hugging, "now, you realize that this will not be an easy journey?"

"Yes, but I know how to get away from here without getting caught. I've done it my entire life."

"But before now you've never had anyone else with you."

Emma straightened her shoulders and raised her jaw the tiniest bit. "I would give my life to keep them safe."

Cora nodded slowly, her eyes flicking across Emma's face. "That's what I wanted to hear."

She reached into one of the pockets of her long skirt and pulled out a set of four keys, all of them dangling from a thin chain. She held them out to Emma. "These are for the cottage."

Emma stepped forward and grasped Cora's hand in both of her own before taking the keys. "Thank you. For everything."

Cora nodded and a brief smile crossed her features before she returned to the small fire. She quickly pulled Henry into a hug and held him tightly while speaking quietly to him. Henry nodded with wide eyes at every other word.

Emma slowly walked over to where Regina was standing and wrapped her arms around her middle so she could rest her forehead against Regina's shoulder. "Are you ready for this?"

"I don't think I've been more ready in my life as I am for this," Regina replied quietly and wrapped her fingers around Emma's hand on her stomach to lift it up to her lips and press a kiss onto the back of it.

Emma closed her eyes and turned her head so that her nose was buried in silky black hair. She inhaled quietly and laughed when Henry launched himself at them both, forcing Emma to step back to look down at his smiling face. "I'm ready," he declared with a small firm nod and Emma found herself smiling wider.

"Good, then we should leave."

Regina walked over to Cora and they embraced, Cora's eyes finding Emma across her daughter's shoulder. Emma nodded just as they parted. Cora pressed a kiss to Regina's forehead and turned away from them to take care of the fire.

She refused Regina's help. "You should get going already or else this will have been all for nigh," she said with a huff.

Regina smiled at her, as did Emma, before she mounted her horse. Emma helped to hoist Henry into the saddle in front of Regina where she grabbed the reins and encircled him with her arms. Henry looked happy as Regina nudged the horse to move and he even giggled when the large animal bent down to nibble on some grass. Emma walked over to her own horse and pulled herself up, wriggling around to get comfortable. It would be a long ride.

She glanced back at Cora who watched them from beside the dying fire and then urged her horse to hurry along until she was beside Regina's stallion.

Regina's head turned in her direction and she smiled. "I love you."

Emma couldn't fight the answering smile crossing her face. "And I love you. So much. I promise you won't regret this."

"I know." Regina nodded and leaned forward. Her horse broke into a trot and Henry laughed quietly as he bounced up and down. "This is great, can I take the reins?"

"Not tonight, but tomorrow I'll let you ride for a bit alright?" Regina answered quietly and pressed a kiss against the side of his face.

Henry nodded. "Alright."

When Emma turned back she couldn't see the fire or Cora. The town was even further behind them and she hoped she would never have to set foot into it ever again. The first time she'd walked down the dusty main road she'd known that she was in for a load of trouble when her gaze had landed on a black-haired woman staring back at her without a single flicker of emotion in those dark brown eyes. Now their color had changed to a warm chocolate and Emma could usually tell whether Regina was angry or happy by the darkening of them. But then again she might just be so in love that she was imagining it.

"What are you thinking about?" Regina asked as they trotted across the dark landscape.

Emma glanced around again and ducked her head. "You," she answered, eliciting a soft laugh from Regina.

Emma took a deep breath and looked up into the nightly sky that was slowly turning lighter. A cottage by the river was waiting for them. A life filled with love and a family was waiting for her and although Emma would always find herself looking over her shoulder, her future had never seemed more promising or bright.

Henry was fast asleep in Regina's arms as they made their first stop. Emma dismounted her horse and lifted the exhausted boy off of the large animal so that he could curl up on a blanket for a little. Regina fastened the reins to a tree and walked over to Emma who produced a deerskin flask and two apples from one of the saddlebags.

She ignored the apple that Emma held out to her and instead encircled her waist with both arms until their faces were only hairbreadth apart. "This is our beginning Emma Swan and I plan on spending the rest of my life like this."

Emma smiled brightly and leaned forward to press her lips against Regina's. She smiled into the kiss and pressed closer, never wanting to let go of this feeling.

Emma gasped and sat up straight. The bed sheets were tangled around her legs and her shirt was uncomfortably sticking to her sweaty back. Her eyes needed a moment to adjust in the darkness and she looked around as the headlights of a passing car illuminated the room.

The digital clock on her bedside table told her that it was barely past five in the morning.

She groaned quietly and covered her face with her hands. She'd been dreaming about Regina for the last couple of nights, but this particular scenario made her chest ache uncomfortably. The love she'd seen in dream Regina's eyes made her groan again. Shaking her head she rolled out of bed and walked over to the window sill where she plopped down and pressed her forehead against the cool glass. She stared at the street down below and the few cars that were crawling through the semi-darkness. Somewhere one of the street lamps was broken and Emma saw light flickering from the corner of her eyes. She sighed and closed her eyes. It had to stop hurting eventually right?

She woke about an hour later and jerked away from the window. Her entire head was hurting and a headache had formed between her eyes. Her shoulders were tense and her entire back hurt from the awkward position she'd fallen asleep in. She slowly crawled down from the window sill and stretched her arms above her head with a wince. The muscles in her shoulders and back protested as she tried to bend sideways and she simply let her arms fall to her sides again.

Without sparing a glance at the unmade bed she trudged into the kitchen and switched on her old coffee machine, watching the brown liquid dripping into the see-through belly.

As soon as the turned on the TV, something would remind her of Storybrooke. Every single song on the radio was suddenly about betrayal and forgiveness.

She had absolutely nothing to do to distract herself. Her boss at the agency told her he'd call as soon as he had another case for her but she was sure that he wouldn't contact her because he was still pissed she'd just taken off without a word.

So she watched the coffee drip into the coffee pot and thought of Graham and his job offer. A stable job as deputy in a small town? Emma scoffed at the idea. Not only would it be boring as hell but the one person she didn't want to see ever again would be her boss.

Emma cringed. It wasn't true. She wanted to see Regina again, but she refused to give in to that stupid urge. She had to get her shit together and figure this out on her own before she could confront Regina and in consequence Henry.

She closed her eyes, remembering his broad smile and infectious laugh. He had her chin.

Emma let out a shaky breath and stepped away from the kitchen counter. Maybe she should go for a run? Let the air clear out the cobwebs in her head, plus she could certainly use the exercise.

She turned to her bedroom but was stopped by a knock on her door. Furrowing her brow she glanced at the clock. Who could possibly want something this early in the morning? She'd paid the landlady just the other day. Emma crept through her small apartment toward the hall and pulled her gun out of its place in the top drawer of an old dresser beside the door.

The knock sounded again, this time a little more forceful. Emma wrapped her fingers around the doorknob and jerked it open a couple of inches to glance through the crack. A small gasp escaped her and she slammed the door shut again. She hastily put the gun back into the drawer and took a few deep breaths. Another knock.

"Go away," she shouted, knowing that the person on the other side would hear her clearly through the thin wood.

Emma stood in front of her door for almost a minute, listening to the slightest sound. She jumped a little when her cell phone rang and hurried toward her bedroom to grab it from the nightstand. The name 'Mills' flashed across her screen and she furrowed her brow. That was Regina's landline and since the woman was standing outside of her apartment she could hardly be calling from Storybrooke.

Emma held the device to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Emma, you have to let mom in to talk to you."

Emma sucked in a quiet breath. "Listen kid –"

"No really, she could be dehydrated or get mugged or something, you should really let her in."

Emma snorted quietly and turned to walk back into the hall to glance at the closed door, chewing on her bottom lip. "She's not going to get mugged in front of my apartment."

"Are you sure?"

Emma's eyes shifted from the door to her window and back. Sure, her building wasn't in the best part of town and some of the other apartments had questionable inhabitants, but she hadn't heard of any incidents involving robbery or anything like that.

"I don't want to talk to her," Emma said, grimacing at the way she sounded more like an eleven-year-old than Henry.

"Please. For me?"

She didn't have to see Henry's puppy dog eyes and pout to know they were there.

"Okay kid, I'll talk to her, but you can't get your hopes up. This doesn't mean I'm coming back."

"Okay."

"You know that this has nothing to do with you right? I do want to visit you, and we'll talk and all that. I just need some time."

"Yeah I understand."

"I'll call you soon."

"Okay. Bye Emma."

"Bye."

Emma dropped her hand to her side and curled her fingers tightly around the cell phone as she stalked toward the door. She took a deep breath and yanked it open, only to find Regina standing in the exactly same spot as a few minutes ago. Her brown eyes were guarded as she plastered an obviously false smile onto her features. "Hello Emma."

Emma wordlessly stepped aside and opened the door wider so that Regina could walk past her into the apartment. She hesitated for a brief moment before the sound of clicking heels filled the air. Emma closed the door again and followed Regina into the small living area. It was nothing compared to the house on Mifflin Street but it wasn't like she had planned on staying in this place forever.

She looked around, trying to imagine what Regina was seeing. The rundown furniture or bare walls, or maybe the old kitchen that had nothing but a coffee machine and a microwave on a counter.

"Henry said you wanted to talk, so talk."

Her voice sounded harsher than she'd intended but it seemed like the anger that had been bubbling under the surface was returning with a vengeance. Regina turned and pulled on the sleeves of her blue blazer before looking at her.

"I didn't come here to apologize. I came to explain why I made the decisions that I did."

"By decisions you mean fucking me over in more ways than one."

Emma had never heard her own voice take on such a malicious tone but it was as if she couldn't stop herself. Regina had lied to her about Henry, about them, and just as she felt like she found something worth to be called home, Regina ripped right out from under her feet.

When she was fifteen the nice foster family in the large house had promised that they would keep her, that they would stay together no matter what. Until they got pregnant and were expecting their own child. They'd send her back with an apology and the promise to visit. She hadn't stuck around long enough to find out whether they would keep that promise.

Regina took a quiet breath and nodded as if accepting Emma's anger. "I have made a mistake yes, and I regret it more than I've ever regretted anything, but you have to understand that I felt threatened."

"Threatened? By me? So you were scared I would tell Henry the truth and play him against you?"

"I was afraid you would take him from me."

"Maybe I should have. You've not only been lying to me, but also to him. Guess you won't get the mother of the year award this time around."

Regina's eyes hardened as she took a small step back. Her fists clenched at her sides. "Yes, you're right, I lied to him and even if he will ever truly forgive me for it, I won't forgive myself. He is all that I have and I will do what it takes to keep him, he is my son."

She was obviously trying to control her voice and Emma felt Regina's anger like it was a physical push. She took several steps forward

"He is mine too."

"I raised him for the last eleven years, you have no right to come into his life and then leave."

"Don't blame this on me Regina. You brought me into his life. You knew that I gave him up, you could have told me from the beginning and I could've made my choice, but you took that choice from me. You took it from him too."

Regina looked away, taking a deep breath. "I was afraid that if I told you, you would decide to leave."

"You tried to drive me out of town for weeks."

"I was an idiot," Regina replied, completely turning away from Emma and wrapping her arms around her torso, "I let my fears get the best of me and I will pay the price for it."

Emma took a quiet breath, different feelings inside of her fighting to be acknowledged. She was mad at Regina but there was also this urge to just pull her into her arms.

She had never looked so fragile before and Emma's anger deflated at the thought that she was the reason for it.

"Henry has suffered enough because of me and I don't want him to lose you. He cares about you Emma, and I came here to let you know that you are welcome in his life, even though you might not forgive me."

"I won't disappoint him, I did it once and I will not let him down again."

Regina nodded, more to herself than to Emma and let her hands drop to her sides again. "I'm glad to hear that, Henry will be too. That… that's what I came here to talk to you about, thank you for listening. You have my number and Henry has yours, I'm sure you can make plans between the two of you."

She cleared her throat quietly and walked past Emma back toward the door, not looking at her. "For what it's worth, I truly regret losing you the way I did."

Without turning back, Regina opened the door and left, closing it softly behind her. Emma raked both hands through her hair, heavily falling onto her couch. "How the hell did she find me?"