Thank you for all your reviews and follows – they really mean a lot, and help motivate my muse to keep going with this story. Still not entirely sure where it's going to end up, but I hope you enjoy the journey!

The next couple of updates are probably going to be quite short, but I hope they don't disappoint.

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Snow and Charming returned to the apartment to find Emma curled up at one corner of the sofa, Regina's head in her lap. From the soft snoring, it was safe to say the pair were sleeping.

"That's what I didn't want to discuss with Nova here," whispered Snow quietly as she watched her husband take in the sight. It wasn't an unusual sight to her. She had woken every night since Regina had been brought to the apartment by the sound of soft feet on the stairs when Emma would come down every night to watch over the former queen when she thought her parents were sleeping. Snow hadn't wanted to interrupt, but had kept watch over her daughter, seeing her sit on the floor beside the sofa, sometimes simply taking a limp hand in her own, other times letting her head rest on Regina's shoulder. She would stay there for hours, always retreating just after dawn.

"She loves her, doesn't she?" he asked.

Snow nodded. "I think she really does." She looked up at her husband. "I've wished that woman dead so many times, and now the only thing I want is for her to live and make my daughter happy."

Charming nodded. "It's going to take some getting used to."

With a nod, Snow moved quietly towards the kitchen, intent on starting dinner.

Emma woke to a delicious smell, her lips curving up in a smile when she recognized it as Snow's stew. Her smile only widened as her body awoke to the feeling of one Regina Mills curled in her lap. Reaching down to brush a few errant strands of hair from the older woman's face, she let her fingers gently map her features. Smirking when the brunette wrinkled her nose, she withdrew her fingers.

"Finally awake I see?" came Snow's voice, but quietly, so as not to wake Regina.

"I didn't hear you come back," replied Emma, trying to roll out the kink in her neck.

"We've been back a while. Your father just nipped out for a few things to go with dinner," said Snow as she continued to move around the kitchen. "Henry's so glad to hear she's awake. It took quite a bit of persuading to stop him just running right over here. He said he'd call just before he went to bed though."

Emma nodded. "She'll like that."

"Am I to take it that you two talked?" asked Snow, not wanting to push.

"A little," nodded Emma. "Enough for now."

Snow smiled. "It went well though?"

Emma nodded, blushing. "It did." She let her gaze drop back down to the beautiful woman in her lap. The woman she had come so close to losing.

"Dinner will be ready soon," said Snow. "You might want to wake her."

"I spent the last three days wanting to do nothing else…." Sighed Emma, now reluctant to rouse Regina.

Snow smiled, shaking her head. "I'll save you the hassle." Taking the lid off the pot of simmering stew, she let it drop the final couple of inches to the worktop, clanging loudly and having the desired effect as Regina grumbled her way to consciousness.

Flashing a quick glare at her mother, Emma returned her attention to the brunette currently trying to bury her face in her stomach. "Hey, you."

"No," came Regina's mumbled reply.

Emma chuckled. "You've been sleeping for three days, you're not allowed to grumble when I wake you up."

"Can grumble all I like," growled Regina, her voice hoarse from sleep and the days of not having used it. "I feel like I've been run over by a truck when I'm awake. Many trucks. And they all reversed too."

Emma frowned. "And I wish I could do something about it."

Regina looked up at the blonde looking down at her with nothing but concern. "You stopped me dying, you've done enough."

"I'll decide when I've done enough," said Emma, smiling softly. "Dinner's almost ready, you feel like you could maybe eat something?"

Regina groaned, her stomach rebelling at the mere thought.

"You really should try," pleaded Emma. "Even just a couple of bites. All you've had are the fluid I ran through the IV. And you don't want me to have to put that back in."

"Fine," Regina sighed. "But when I puke on you it's not my fault."