Disclaimer: Once and the characters do not belong to me.

I'm sorry for not posting earlier *sigh* I was just too tired last night. I hope this makes up for it! (I'll go get started on chapter 6 straight away, and post it as soon as possible)

But anyway, Snow finally takes action and Regina gets wind of Emma's feelings and woaahhhhhhh it took me a while to write this because I needed to get it right, I hope it's right... Enjoy!

Chapter 5

The following morning Regina woke up to the smell of burnt toast and quickly went downstairs, thinking perhaps she'd overslept and Henry had tried to make some toast. As she entered the kitchen to find a annoyed Emma, she smiles because she gets to see her all flustered, and because she's being a cutie.

Regina moves next to the other woman, and Emma gives her a sheepish smile, "I'm not very good at cooking..."

The Mayor turned playful with the Sheriff, "you call this cooking?"

Emma knew she was teasing her but couldn't help but blush. Regina felt that urge to reach out and care for Emma again and decided to do something to help this culinary disaster, called toast, however the blonde did know how to make some amazing coffee.

Whilst Regina made scrambled eggs and edible toast, Emma made the drinks and soon Henry joined them, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Hey Moms," both women looked up at their son, and noticed his cheeky grin.

Regina sat in her hidden booth at Granny's, the booth she liked to hide in and allowed her to hear everyone around her, sometimes Regina sat here to think, mainly about how the curse hadn't turned out quite as expected. But lately she'd been coming back to her hidden booth to think about a certain blonde.

"Are you guys seriously going through with this plan?" Regina heard Ruby Lucas speak from the counter.

"We have no other choice," she heard Charming followed by Snow who spoke in a whisper, but trained ears could easily hear, "Emma's in love with the Evil Queen. We have to stop this."

Moments later Regina watched the Charmings leave, and followed minutes after. Ruby watched with a petrified look, realizing the Mayor had heard everything.

"Oh shit."

As Regina sat in her Benz, she stared at her own eyes in the rear view mirror, she had a moment of understanding. The way Emma acted with her. She shook her head and put on a strick Mayor face. If Emma Swan did love her then she was a fool, didn't she know Regina had long ago lost the ability to love? The only affection left was what she had for Henry and only Henry. She would ensure Snow White that no Charming would ever be a part of her family.

She sped off towards the Sheriff Station to find Emma actually doing work. The way the blonde smiled up at her so eager and pleased at seeing the Mayor made Regina's resolve to let Emma know her place crumble. How could she ever hurt this woman?

"Did you bring me lunch?" Emma looked at her expectantly but Regina simply shook her head. The blonde sighed disappointly and rubbed her grumbling stomach."So what's brought you here Madame Mayor?"

"I had... Something to discuss with you..." Regina looked away feeling a little foolish. After all she heard Emma liked her and the first thing she does it run right to her, honestly all she wanted was to tell Emma she felt the same.

Regina blushed and Emma noticed, and this caused her to stand, walking towards the woman and placing a hand to her forehead and neck to check her temperature.

"Miss Swan what are you doing? Harassing the Mayor?" There was none of the usual teasing in Regina's voice and Emma definitely started to feel worried.

"Are you feeling okay?" Emma's big green eyes sparkled and Regina couldn't help but lose herself in them, there was so much care and adoration, Regina thought she might start to cry. And she did.

Emma had hugged and comforted the Mayor, not once daring to ask what had brought this on, after all Regina had done the same for her. The blonde felt Regina try to pull away but when she did she started to cry again, so she just stayed with her head buried in Emma's neck. She hadn't felt this safe since she was with Daniel.

When Regina finally managed to pull herself together she kissed Emma on the cheek and thanked her, making her way to leave, but Emma quickly held onto her hand and went with her, without Regina ever letting go or pulling away.

"I'll be by your office later to check up on you, okay?" The worry on Emma's face made Regina scoff and Emma finally smiled.

"I don't need you to mother me Miss Swan, besides if I remember correctly you were the one that needed mothering when you came to me crying?"

Regina had meant to tease her but her voice came out gentler.

Emma couldn't help her big smile, "well then, at least we can both admit we have problems with expressing our emotions." they both looked at each other and there was that tension again, but this felt like a needier tension, the type that called for snuggling.

Snow watched as Emma and Regina talked outside the Sheriff's Station. Snow had decided to go by the Sheriff's Station to bring Emma some lunch, knowing fully well the blonde often forgot to eat. She clenched the box she was holding tightly as she watched the two women interact, happily, and knew there wasn't much she could do if it was true love.

As Regina left, Snow crossed the road to reach Emma on the other side, still staring into the same direction the car had just gone, with the most relaxed grin on her face. She saw Snow and tried to keep her smile, but she knew that her mother had just watched her and Regina, and it made her uncomfortable.

"I brought you lunch, unless you've already had some..." Emma thought back to before the curse, and the friendship she'd created with Mary Margaret, and she knew that woman would have supported her fully and even helped her to reach Regina. The Mary Margaret she knew wanted her happiness.

"She makes me happy, and I know she hasn't ever made any of you happy but she makes me happy, I hope you'll understand," Emma stood in front of Snow, who looked at her like she was crazy. "Thank you for lunch."

Snow handed her the box and spoke, "Emma, I don't know what's happening but..." She wanted to accuse Regina of cursing Emma, which she probably had, as some sort of revenge to help keep Emma from her further. Snow was blinded by the past, by a vicious queen who had just ripped everything from her, but she was right be blinded and angry. Whilst Regina had been conscious all this time, the people of the Enchanted Forest had been in a dormant sleep inside their own minds, completely unaware. There was just as much hate and anger as ever before.

Emma watched as her mother forced a smile and held back whatever she was about to say, "Emma, you're my daughter. You have to understand that the last time I saw you before Storybrooke was after you were just born, I barely even held you in my arms, I just- this woman. She took everything we had and destroyed it." The blonde looked down, ashamed of the love she felt for Regina.

"I'm sorry... I can't help it." Snow shook her head with a sad smile, and put a hand on Emma's cheek.

"I know," Snow said and sighed, decided to confront Regina to find out what was really happening.

Regina looked up and her face turned sour upon seeing her nemesis, as she thought it was the Sheriff.

"Is there something I can help you with?" her tone was cold and harsh, and potrayed no intent in helping Snow whatsoever.

"What did you do to Emma?" Snow spat her words viciously, her hand slamming on the desk.

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, I haven't done anything to Miss Swan," Regina glared at the woman infront of her and tried to hold herself together as she spoke, "furthermore, if anyone has done anything to Miss Swan, then it's more likely to have been you."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Snow grew unpatient towards the woman.

Regina thought back to what she'd heard earlier today at the Granny's and felt spiteful.

"It means that you have failed her as a mother by leaving her to fend for herself as an infant." The look on Snow's face almost made Regina feel sorry, after all Regina set the curse, but their parents are the ones that sent Emma away. But Snow still saw the guilt in the Mayor's eyes and used it to fuel her retort.

"I wouldn't have had to if your mother hadn't created a monster like you." and there it was, the bomb shell that left Regina looking gutted. Snow gave her a pitied look and walked out.