During breakfast with her son Emma realized she was going to have to tell Regina what had happened between her and her mother and one of the two reasons she pulled Henry out of school. She found the brunette in her office, dark rimmed glasses on the edge of her nose as she typed into her laptop.
"Hey." Emma said tentatively trying not to startle the woman.
"What's up?" Regina asked not looking up from her work.
"So Blue and the Charmings called a meeting about you having your magic back. I'm going up there," Emma said cautiously then steeled her conviction, "I will be damned if they make a decision about you without me."
"Okaay…" the former mayor removed her reading glasses and sat back in her chair giving the savior her full attention.
"I'm not letting them strip you of your magic again." Emma folded her arms around herself and stated the fact definitively.
"I can still teach you without it Emma." Regina said tightly, she knew the heroes in this town would not simply leave well enough alone and she was apprehensive about being without her magic once again so soon.
"That isn't the point!" Emma rolled her eyes and huffed as she sat down in one of the two chairs in front of the large mahogany desk.
"What is the point exactly then dear?"
"I won't let them leave you defenseless again." Emma consciously looked anywhere but the queen's dark eyes. She continued when the brunette stayed silent. "I- I think we need to talk about what we are going to do."
The former mayor swallowed nervously, "We…?"
Emma nodded with certainty. "Yeah."
"What we are going to do about what?"
Emma lost her momentum and started to second guess herself. Maybe she doesn't feel the same way about me as I do her. Maybe she thought she did but after spending this time with me realized it isn't what she wants after all. Maybe that time when I healed her she was just feeling the true love magic and let it go to her head and now she feels trapped here with me. "I don't know." she finally said noncommittally.
"Miss Swan…" Regina warned.
"Fine okay I was thinking about us." Emma huffed and folded her arms over herself defensively.
"Us?" Regina swallowed hard and her mind spun figuring this was where her son's blonde mother told her she had had it. She was done dealing with the extra aggravation having Regina in her life caused. This was where she walked out of the queen's life for good. She would never choose the brunette over her family, over her real family. Regina's eyes started to sting as tears threatened to flow at the prospect of losing this woman from her life and she quickly came to the conclusion that she did not want that at all. She loved Emma Swan. After all was said and done she truly loved that irritating blonde and she felt panic as she was frozen to her place behind her desk, unable to move, unable to speak watching in slow motion as Emma got the courage up to let her down gently.
"Yeah, I think we should..."
"I love you." The queen interrupted then cupped her hand over her mouth as if she could pull the words back in.
Emma sat shocked, mouth open for but a second before her voice decided to agree with the queen's assessment of her own feelings. "I uh..love you too."
"You do?" Regina's voice sounded so soft and uncertain.
"Of course, but what I was going to say is…"
"Wait Emma." Regina got up from behind her desk and came around and knelt down next to the savior. "I mean I really love you. I don't want to lose you."
"You're not losing me Regina." Emma looked confused and shook her head as she cupped the queen's cheek. "Can I finish?"
A pink tinge crawled up the queen's cheeks and she nodded her approval.
"I came to this town a year ago and found my parents, but they really aren't parents to me." Emma shook her head sadly, "It isn't even that they are the same age as me. They don't understand me. I feel like they have this impossibly high standard they need me to hit in order to be good enough. I feel like I was traded away for some sort of abstract destiny no one in their right mind could ever fathom. I imagined as a child growing up that if I ever found them, I would feel accepted, unconditionally. That I would finally feel home. I don't feel that home feeling with them. I have only ever felt it in one place and it was never with Snow White and Prince Charming." Emma lowered her eyes and admitted, "I had a fight with Snow which is why I took Hen out of school. I don't want him around her. I don't know if she just listens to the wrong people or if she really believes the world is black and white, but I don't want that for our son, your son ." Emma cupped Regina's cheek and watery forest green eyes met milk chocolate and she continued. "You are my home Regina Mills. You understand me in ways no one else ever has. You support me, encourage me, believe in me and apparently love me." a brilliant white smile crossed the savior's lips. "I want to spend the rest of my life cherishing you the way you deserve. I love you."
Regina wiped the tears from her own cheeks and smiled. "I love you Emma Swan. I'm not sure what this has to do with my magic, but it certainly is the best news I've heard all day."
"Let's leave."
"Leave?"
"Storybrooke."
"What?"
"Even when we do capture Sidney what about the rest of the town? These people will never leave our family alone. I would simply die if something happened to you because I wasn't around and you didn't have magic to protect yourself."
"Oh Emma, I can't ask you to do that." Regina shook her head, the overwhelming guilt she felt that the blonde never had her home feeling weighing heavy in her features.
"You aren't. It isn't just about you, it's about our son. How long before someone gets it in their mind to hurt you through him?" Regina's eyes grew wide as the thought had never occurred to her.
"They.. I… but you're.. He's.." Regina stuttered as a flood of horrific scenarios cross through her mind and her eyes darkened with rage. "I'd kill them. I'd kill them all."
"I'd be right with you baby, but it would be too late, he would already be hurt."
The anger disappeared as quickly as it came replaced by terror as black eyes flicked back and forth between green. "Where would we go?"
"As long as I am with you and Henry, I really don't care. Let's go somewhere where I'm not the Savior and you're not the Evil Queen and just live our own happily ever after."
Regina launched herself into the strong arms of the savior. Her savior. She wrapped her legs around the back of the chair and pressed her full lips against a thin pink set. Her fingers dug into blonde curls and she deepened her kiss, opening herself up to the savior she poured the love she felt for the girl into her and felt the same being returned.
Emma stood outside of the conference room and gathered her strength. Her talk with Regina resumed after a very heated discussion about their relationship spelled out in nips, licks and kisses. She had never been happier. They discussed how long they would need to find a place and move finally deciding on 4 weeks. Between the two of them they had more than enough to live on and could pay cash for a home which would speed up the closing once they found one they wanted. During the month they had they decided they would use that time to take care of the Sidney Glass issue and pack up Regina's home. While Emma was announcing to the council their plans Regina was magically searching the internet for their new house. I will miss magic just a little… It is faster than google.
Emma took a deep breath and entered the large conference room. The voices who had been previously loud and commanding all hushed at her presence. It was so quiet her boots echoed off the tall ceiling as she marched up to the large round table her father brought into the court.
Snow made an attempt to address her and she put up her hand silencing the brunette with her magic, then got right to her point. "I am not allowing you to strip Regina of her magic. We have decided that she will take exile instead." Surprised gasps at the announcement and hushed murmurs broke out amongst the council and Emma peered at a very smug looking Mother Superior, "Since she will not be using your junk jewelry it is safe to give me your spell so I may use it to capture the man who harmed my family."
With a smirk she bowed her head, "Of course Sheriff."
"I'm putting in my 2 weeks notice, I will no longer be your sheriff."
"What? Emma why?" The prince demanded.
She looked to her father who had until that point been focused on Snow and the fact that she couldn't speak. "I am leaving with Regina. It is clear you people will never leave the past in the past and I fear for my family's safety."
"Emma no! You are safe!" her father disagreed adamantly.
"Regina isn't. My son isn't. No assurances made by your wife will ever convince me otherwise."
"You're the savior!" someone else exclaimed. Emma unclipped the badge from her belt and tossed it on the table. "Not anymore." She walked over to the blue fairy and held out her hand. The brunette conjured a rolled up parchment and placed it in the blonde's palm.
She spoke to the pixie haired mute, "I'm sure you will find a way to blame Regina for this but know this Snow, you chose to listen to a fairy over your own daughter." She looked back towards her father who held the sorrow he felt in his heart across his face, "I'll handle your rapist, but that is the last bit of savioring I'm doing." She waved her hand and released Snow's voice then turned on her heel and walked out. She heard the room explode into panicked conversation and her father try to calm the people down. She rested her head against the wooden door and closed her eyes for a mere moment, saying goodbye to the family she thought she wanted, then strode out of the building towards the family she never dreamed possible.