GUYS! I'm so sorry for not updating for like 6 months! I've a lot of personal stuff going on and no time to write :( But i know how bad it sucks to get attached to a story and then it be abandoned so I totally didn't want to do that to you guys. Please don't be too upset with me! I love this story so much, i apologize if I can't update as much as I used to, but I promise no more waiting 6 months for an update! Thanks for reading!

Emma woke up to an empty bedroom. She sat up trying to remember anything at all of last night, but no such luck. Her head was killing her, but she soon found a glass of water and two aspirins right on her nightstand. Shit, she thought. Regina knew. That means she did something stupid. Something stupid that involved Regina.

Normally sex wouldn't bother her. She has had tons of partners and meaningless encounters that it didn't matter their names. However, Regina was different. If they did anything, she wanted to remember. She wanted to be able to visualize it at any moment.

After taking the pills and emotionally preparing herself she got out of bed, and decided it was time to take a shower. She wreaked of scotch and honestly every type of liquor that bar had.

After she was done with the shower she got dressed and made herself look presentable for whatever was about to take place in a few minutes. She had her own predictions of how things would play out, but the thing about Regina Mills is that, things rarely go as Emma planned them.

"David, please try to talk some common sense into your stubborn child." Regina said as she dramatically threw her hands in the air in surrender.

"Oh so now she's MY stubborn child, but when she's smart, sweet, and sophisticated she's YOUR girlfriend." David asked teasing the woman he expected to be actual family sometime soon.

"Well, yeah. Duh."

"Let me know whenever you guys are done fighting over my ownership," Emma said impatiently.

"Look Emma, Gina just wants what is best for you, you know that."

"I know Dad, but just because she's my girlfriend doesn't mean she can control my life."

"UGH why are you so stubborn. I just want you to pursue your dreams."

"But Gina, I have you, what else could I want?"

The brunette met the blonde's eyes with such love, that she couldn't even stay "pretend" upset with her.

"Okay Swan, you've won this round, only because I'm starving and David said he'd buy our lunch. Let's go" Regina said lightly chuckling.

"I-wait...I said what now?" asked David, becoming fully aware that his wallet was about to feel a whole lot lighter.

"Thanks Daddy, you're the best" Emma said as she reached up and kissed David on the cheek, his eyes almost filling with tears.

Emma decided to be brave. She stepped out of their...her...Regina's..room and slowly crept into the living area where she saw Regina making breakfast...or lunch she wasn't quite sure what time it was. Domesticity looked so well on the brunette. Not that the wild woman could be tamed, but Regina was such a mystery. Even after 20 years of knowing her and not knowing her, she continued to surprise her.

"I Uhh, thank you. For the hangover remedy."

"No problem dear."

"Gina?" This made the brunette look up, wondering if she had remembered anything from last night, she doubted it, but the use of her nickname only Emma called her tug at her heart strings like something she couldn't control.

"Are you mad at me?" This gave the brunette the answer she was looking for. Because if the blonde had remembered, she would've known the answer to the question. She was mad at herself for breaking Emma's heart. She was mad at Robin for making her do what she did. She was mad at her circumstances and the fact Emma's heart got trampled in the process. But she could never be mad at Emma.

Regina just chuckled and her laughter filled the room. Suddenly psycho bitch started playing in Emma's mind as she realized this is probably how those "SNAPPED" episodes start, but she chose to silence those thoughts and instead raised an eyebrow.

"My dear, you really are a light weight. You don't remember anything of last night do you?"

"Uh, that depends would you be mad if I said no?"

"I could never be mad at you Emma." Regina said sincerely, hoping the blonde believed her.

As if she could read her mind, Emma gave a soft smile as to answer Regina's silent question.

"Regina I am so sorry. I had no intentions of getting that drunk or causing you any problems I swear."

"It's fine really."

"So, do I get to know what happened?"

Regina sighed, hesitating and really contemplating the question herself.

"Would it change anything if you did. If you found out we had a night of passionate sex, would that really change how you feel about me? Or if you found out that we fought all night before you stormed in the bedroom and passed out, would that change how you would handle things right now?"

"Neither of those things happened."

"How do you know?"

"You knew I was drunk, the Regina i knew and loved wouldn't take advantage of me like that and there's no way I would've stormed off, I don't know when to quit so I would've kept going until you kissed me or you punched me."

The brunette sighed at the past tense usage of "loved" but kept listening to her and slightly smiled when she realized the sober Emma knew her all too well.

"Ahh, but that's where you're wrong dear, you're the one who kissed me."

After David dropped the ladies off, the two of them held hands as they walked inside. Once they closed the door they decided to watch a movie and lay on the couch. With Emma's arm around Regina, they snuggled up to each other as they continued to watch the movie.

"I know it's still bugging you."

Regina sit up, turned around and faced the blonde. Wanting to show her the sincerity in her answer.

"It's not bugging me Emma, it is truly your life, I'm just concerned."

"Why does me not wanting to go to college concern you?"

"I just want you to have all the opportunities in the world."

"And that can't happen if I don't go to college?"
"You're not going to hear me say that I don't think you can do it, because I don't believe that for a second. I just think it will be harder to get where you want to go if you don't"
"You don't even know where I want to go."

"No I don't, but to be fair, you've never told me."
"You've never asked."

Regina sighed, not wanting to argue with her girlfriend, but wanting to show her she wasn't going to be pushed away this easily.

"Well, I'm asking now."

"What's the point what does it matter?" Emma snapped back defensively

"Okay, I don't know what I did to piss you off, I thought we were both adults. Come find me when you're done pouting."

And with that, Regina got up and made her way upstairs, not looking back at the blonde.

"I did what?"

"Oh you heard me dear."

Emma's cheeks blushed red. She had no idea if Regina was teasing or if they did something that she now can't remember.

Regina turned to face to blonde, curious as to why the sudden silence, "What's a matter Em-ma? You don't seem to be convinced that didn't happen. Now why is that?"

Emma glared at her, "You know why."

"If I did I wouldn't be asking."

Emma hesitated. Wanting to give up this "mad as hell" act because she knew at the end of day, she wanted to kiss Regina. She wanted to do more than kiss her. The old Emma would sweep everything off the counter and throw Regina on it to show her just how much. But the old Emma was also hurt by her. Her heart broke and she wasn't going to go through that again. The new Emma wouldn't allow it.

Emma turned to walk away but stated as she did, "I was drunk, anything is possible I guess."

"Ahh, the walls again. Good thing you put them back up darling I was beginning to think you cared." Regina said as she turned her back towards the blonde continuing cooking.

Emma turned back around racing towards her fuming

"Alright you know what NO you don't get to pull the "I don't care" just because I'm cautious of the woman who broke my heart."

"Oh yeah so cautious that you pinned me against the wall last night."

"I was drunk, what I did or didn't do isn't fair to hold against me."

"Why not?"

"Because it wasn't my choice what I did to you."

"Oh kind of like I had no choice in what happened with us, but yet that seems to be my scarlet letter."

"Oh Geez here we go. I can't keep having this fight with you."

Regina flew back around, "Well maybe we could actually have this fight if you'd stop storming off like a child!"

"We wouldn't be in this position at all if you didn't run away scared in the first place."

They both took a breath and calmed down for a second as Regina calmly said, "I know." Emma looked up, shocked at the older woman's admission.

Regina continued, "I'm not going to pretend that I'm blameless in this situation. I know I made my mistakes with us, and I'm fully prepared to own up to them. But we are not going to fix this blaming each other. You made your own mistakes."

"There's no way to fix this. How could we? We don't know each other anymore."

"You seemed to know me pretty well last night," Regina laughed as Emma turned 10 shades of red.

"Okay you know what, that's not fair. You probably were wearing something sexy and seduced me, I don't even know that I'm to blame in this situation."

"Oh really? Is that what you're going with?"

"I can't remember anything, so really anything is possible."

"Well I suppose I always have been irresistible to you dear."

"Yeah well, David will be disappointed we forgot the whip cream."
"Next time." Regina said with a wink and exiting the room.

Emma went upstairs and knocked on Regina's door.

"Regina? Look, I'm sorry. Please let me in."

Regina opened the door and stepped aside so Emma could make her way in.

When Regina closed the door, Emma continued, "I didn't grow up like you did, I have never had someone so interested in my future before. It's new and weird and makes me cautious. It's nothing you've done, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I just...I have baggage okay?"

Regina just smiled at her, "Em, i know you have baggage, i do too. Everyone does, and we aren't going to get rid of it. We just have to find a way to match each other's baggage."

"I don't know how to do that."

"Just tell me what's really going on."

Emma hesitated. Showing this much vulnerability was asking a lot from her. They both knew that. But Regina was right, if Emma wanted this to be serious, they had to start letting each other in.

"I'm scared if I leave, this is going to end. That we won't make it. I know the chances are slim anyway, and I'm terrified that if I leave it's going to make things harder."

"Oh Emma…"

"You're going to wake up one day and realize I'm not worth the effort it will take. You'll realize that you can do so much better."

Regina had no idea what to say, she couldn't believe this girl did not understand her worth.

"Emma, I can't see the future so I have no idea how this is going to pan out. I'm grown I've lived my life, but you have so much potential to go and live your life to do incredible things. That's all I want for you. I don't want you to leave, but I also don't want you to waste your life. You're so smart and talented, once you put your stubborn head to something, there's nothing you can't do. I love you Emma Swan, you're worth every effort and every challenge we go through. I've already got the best so I can't do better."

Emma couldn't say a word, she just leaped into Regina's arms and hugged her and let herself be held while tears streamed down her face. Sometimes it just takes some reassurance that everything will be okay.

"Okay, I'll think about it."

After some time went by, and they both had time to think about what was said, Regina went and walked over to where Emma was on the couch.

"Emma?"

"Hmm?" Emma answered as she was preoccupied with the hotel's sports channel.

"I have been thinking about what you said, about how we don't know each other."

"Okay?"

"You're right. We don't know the women we've grown into. So I was thinking we do something to change that. Come out with me. We can get to know each other again."

"What about the actual reason we're here? The conference thing?"

"Screw it. We both know we aren't going to pay attention to it anyway."

Emma smiled at that, realizing the last time she had fallen asleep multiple times.

"Okay, you're on."