A/N: Sorry I went all weekend without an update. Life got in the way. This chapter is kind of slow and small, I'll get the ball rolling with the next one, which I'm already working on. Also, I'm uploading this onto AO3 for those that prefer reading it there. So, just a heads up. Hope you all like it!

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Emma saw Regina sway and rushed forward, catching her before she hit the ground. Struggling a bit under the dead weight, Emma said to Henry, "I need to get her inside." Henry nodded and moved to help Emma gather Regina off the cold ground and into her arms, bridal-style. Henry opened the back door for her, and she gingerly carried Regina through it and into the living room where she laid her down on the couch. She studied Regina's unconscious face for a moment, taking in the woman as she never had before: the dark lashes, her lipstick-stained mouth, the tantalizing scar just above her upper lip…

"Ma?" Henry asked shakily, kneeling down beside her and laying a hand on Regina's arm, "Is she okay?" Emma nodded quickly and reassured him, "Yeah, Henry. She's just…been through a lot tonight. Will you sit with her while I go make a cup of hot chocolate for when she wakes up?" Henry agreed and sat on the couch next to his unconscious mother, watching her carefully, as Emma made her way into the kitchen to busy herself with the hot chocolate. As she prepared the drink, she let her thoughts take over.

She had been sitting on the couch, letting Regina get some air and waiting for her to get back. She knew how important getting away was, that sometimes that's what you needed to do to process things. She'd been sitting there, twiddling her thumbs, when she'd heard the muffled voices on the porch. She'd rushed to investigate things, and what she'd seen when she'd ran outside had stolen her breath: Herself, holding Regina from behind and…and cupping her intimately in places Emma's hand should never go. Regina had had tears in her eyes. Emma couldn't figure out what the hell had been happening, She knew that it was the Queen in disguise again, but why had she chosen Emma's visage? Why was she holding Regina that way, and WHY hadn't Regina already blasted her to oblivion? Emma, the real Emma, would have never gotten away with that.

"How could you possibly want this pathetic woman?" The Queen had asked Emma. Emma furrowed her brow as she walked to the refrigerator to get out the whipped cream. I don't want Regina. Not…that way. What was she talking about?

Emma shook off all the thoughts and decided that the Queen was playing mind games to throw Emma and Regina off. That's all it was. Regina had been too shocked and disgusted at fake-Emma's advances to fireball her. That's it.

"Ma! She's awake!" she heard Henry call from the living room. Emma quickly topped the hot chocolate with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, and hurried back to join them. Regina was sitting up on the couch, a warm (albeit shaky) smile on her face as she gratefully accepted the warm mug from Emma. "Thank you," she said. She glanced down at the drink and remarked, "Cinnamon?"

Emma wanted to hit herself. "Yeah, I'm sorry….I was on automatic. It's how I take mine. I wasn't even thinking." To her surprise, Regina didn't make a comment on her childish tastes, instead she brought the mug up to her lips and inhaled before taking a small sip. "It isn't terrible, Emma," she said, shooting a genuine smile at her. "Thank you."

Emma eased down onto the couch beside her, trying to fight off the warmth the compliment had brought to her cheeks. "Are you okay?" she asked lowly. Henry was sitting silently on the other side of Regina, watching his mothers carefully. Regina shook her head violently, almost sloshing her drink. "Don't ask me that," she said, her smile fading away. "She asked me that…before…"

Oh. Shit. Another unbidden image of her own hands between Regina's breasts, rubbing between her legs, sprang to the forefront of her mind before she pushed it away violently.

"O-okay," Emma stuttered. "You're not okay. I know you're not. What can I do to help? Do you want to talk about it?"

Regina took another sip and cast Henry a glance. "No. I don't. We need to cover the mirrors, Emma," she whispered. "She's using the mirrors to spy on us, she has to be. She knew too much of our conversation, too much of what's been going on tonight. We have to cover what we can and take down the rest."

Emma and Henry jumped up immediately to do as she said. Together, they grabbed blankets and sheets from the cabinets and threw them over each mirror in the house. The tiny hall mirrors, they took down and wrapped them up in a blanket, shoving them under the bed in the guest bedroom. When they were done, they walked back to the living room where Regina was shakily beginning to stand, having drank her cup of cocoa. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "I'm really out of sorts at the moment." Emma rushed forward and grabbed the cup out of her hands. "No, don't worry about it. I've got it. The mirrors are covered and the smaller ones are under the guest room bed. I'll take the cup to the sink." She then did just that, rinsing it out before leaving it in the sink. When she rejoined Henry and Regina, they were sharing a hug. "It's okay, Mom," he was saying to her. "We're here for you. Everything is going to be fine."

Regina pulled back after a moment and put on her "mom" face. "I know, Henry. Thank you. Now, it's really late, and you need your rest. I don't think she will be bothering us or anyone again tonight. She's a thinker, a planner. She won't make her intentions known yet." Henry looked reluctant. "I don't want to leave you alone, Mom. Maybe we could camp out in the living room?" Regina was clearly about to argue, probably to say something like "I'll be fine" or some other nonsense, so Emma jumped in almost without thinking. "I could stay." Regina sent her a shocked look and Henry's face lit up. "Yeah!" he said. "Mom, can she stay to help watch over you-us?"

Regina's eyes had locked with Emma's, and Emma was growing uncomfortable seeing the unknown emotion behind the scrutiny. She quickly clarified, "I mean, I can sleep in the guest room, or down here on the couch, but I'll be here. If you allow me, that is."

Regina nodded tightly after a moment of hesitation. "Of course, Emma," she said. They all stood there, awkwardly, until finally Henry said, "Ookay. I'm going to bed now, goodnight moms." He hugged them both and then bounded up the stairs. After another moment of awkward silence, Regina finally said, "I do think sleep will be best for us all. You're welcome to the guest room."

Emma nodded in acquiescence and together they climbed the stairs. When Emma stopped at the guest bedroom, she turned the knob to let herself in and then found Regina's arm stopping her. "What-?"

"You put the mirrors up under the bed in there."

"Yeah?"

Regina looked uncomfortable. "I have a chaise lounge in my room. It's not as comfortable as the bed, but I…"

Emma understood. Regina really didn't want to be alone. "Yeah, I can do that, if you don't mind me being in your…space." She'd never been in Regina's room before. Henry had taken care of the mirrors in there.

Emma followed Regina to the master bedroom, feeling a slight fluttering in her stomach. She was anxious and excited to finally be allowed into Regina's personal area of the house. Regina let them into her room and turned on the light. Emma took a moment to look around. Everything about this room screamed "Regina." The color scheme, the queen-sized bed, the chaise lounge along the wall, everything was lush and regal and so…Regina.

Regina pulled out a silk nightgown from her chest of drawers and turned to Emma with red cheeks. "I'm going to change. You're welcome to borrow some sleepwear, if you want."

No. Emma couldn't handle it. It was one thing to borrow Regina's shirts in moments of necessity, but it was way beyond her comfort zone to borrow the clothes Regina slept in. "I'm, uh, I'm good," Emma said quickly. "I usually sleep in my tanks and underwear, so…" she trailed off, wondering how much weirder tonight was going to feel before they both cracked.

Regina nodded and breezed into the bathroom without a word. Emma took a pillow (there was like twenty of them, Regina wouldn't miss one) and grabbed the extra blanket at the foot of the bed, and sat down to wait for the bathroom. Regina emerged a moment later, thankfully wearing her robe. Emma didn't realize she was staring until after Regina had climbed into bed, robe still on, and was looking at her with confusion. "Emma?" she questioned softly. Emma quickly looked away and said, "I'm just gonna…use the bathroom, if that's okay." Regina nodded and began to situate herself in the bed. Emma speed-walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and leaning on it for a moment, taking in the new surroundings. There was a spa tub in here. Of course there was. Regina was definitely the type to take long, relaxing baths with a glass of cider and a secret stash of chocolate. A wall of covered mirrors, a gigantic sink and a large granite shower with two spouts. Naturally. She could imagine Regina in that shower, soaking up the steam and comfort the two spouts provided, the water running down her lithe body and washing away her worries…Ugh, what? Stop thinking about that! The Queen had her head jumbled, that was for sure. That was enough of that.

Emma walked to the sink and splashed water on her face, before quietly ruffling through the drawers until she found Regina's toothpaste. Quickly she put a dab of toothpaste on her finger and scrubbed it over her teeth. It wasn't the best, but it would have to do because no way was Emma asking if Regina had a spare toothbrush. This whole night was weird, and Emma was tired of weird. Asking for a toothbrush shouldn't feel like such a worrisome request, but here she was.

After rinsing her hands and mouth she walked out of the bathroom, turning out the light as she went. Regina had turned off the overhead light and now the room was illuminated dimly by her bedside lamp. She had removed her robe and laid it on the foot of the bed, and was covered up to her chin. Emma shot her what she hoped was a reassuring smile and walked to the chaise lounge, where she made sure Regina was looking away before divesting herself of her jeans. Her underwear was still uncomfortably sticky from the earlier encounter with the Queen, but she ignored it completely. She hadn't had that reaction because she'd wanted to, after all. It was the stress.

When she laid down and covered herself, Regina turned out the lamp and they lay in the darkness for a minute before Emma said, "Thanks for letting me stay."

"Of course, Emma."

Deep breath, Emma. "Do you want to talk about…about what I saw when I walked outside?"

"Do you want to talk about what happened with Hook tonight?" Regina's response was quick and biting. She wasn't going to talk unless Emma talked. Thank God. Emma definitely wasn't ready to talk about Hook, and she wasn't at all sure she was ready to hear what Regina had to say, now that she thought about it. Finding herself with nothing else to willingly give, she whispered, "She's playing games, Regina. Don't let her get into your head."

Regina didn't say anything for a long, long, agonizing moment. When she spoke, her voice was timid and small, and the sound of it mixed with the words that came next chilled her to the bone. "She's already in my head, Emma. Deeply. Deeper even than I want to admit. And she always has been."