Emma hasn't been this vigilant since she was in foster care. These days she has learned to never let her guard down once more. Even if Henry is having a good day or a good week, Emma knows that things can change at any moment.

Today is a good day so far. Henry woke up happy after a night without bad dreams and requested a trip to Granny's for breakfast. Emma is trying her hardest to simply enjoy it the meal without bracing for disaster.

Regina reaches across their tableto steal a piece of Emma's bacon. Emma wonders when exactly they became close enough to share food, but apparently Regina has decided that they've reached that milestone.

Emma wants to glare, but it's hard as she watches Regina enjoying her bacon and Henry sitting next to her drowning his waffle in syrup.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Regina asks after finishing the slice of Emma's bacon.

"I always imagined you to be a health food nut."

"You've been living with me for nearly two months. Are you only now realizing that I like bacon?"

"No, it just still surprises me I guess."

"And why is that dear?"

Emma nearly chokes on her coffee. The answer should be obvious. Regina Mills is a perfectionist and a control freak. The mayor with her routines and her spotless house and perfect garden. And her perfect body.

Emma decides that the last reason is the safest. She raises an eyebrow and gives Regina a once over.

"I enjoy exercising," Regina says, apparently oblivious to the other reasons that Emma thinks she would keep tight rein on everything that she eats. Regina chews a bite of her pancake with particular relish before asking, "I trust that you remember the cuisine in the Enchanted Forest."

"I'm trying to forget."

Regina nods her agreement. "Food is certainly one thing that this land does right."

Emma has to agree there. A month in the Enchanted Forest has made her rather grateful for omelet she is currently enjoying.

Snow walks into the diner and immediately spots her daughter and grandson. She waves happily at Emma who is facing the door and strides over to the table. "Good morning."

Snow 's voice is bright and cheerful. Despite that fact – or perhaps because of it – Regina feels Henry's body stiffen besides her. He still hates to talk to anyone besides Regina and Emma, and though they've made Granny's and the ice cream shop regular trips to get him used to other people, he still struggles with long conversations. Regina rests her hand on Henry's knee beneath the table.

"Can I sit down?" Snow asks.

Emma glances at Henry who gives a small nod. "Sure," Emma says, and Snow wastes no time sliding into the booth next to her daughter.

"How are you Henry?" Snow asks.

"Good," he whispers, suddenly fascinated by the empty syrup container on the table.

Emma tries to deflect the focus off Henry by asking, "What are you up to today?"

"I'm going over to the school," Snow informs Emma. "We're starting to decorate for the school year. Can you believe how quickly the summer if flying by?"

Emma knows that Snow is just making friendly conversation, but to Emma the summer has passed largely as a series of agonizing moments watching her son suffer and struggle. The only bright light in the last month has been whatever the hell is happening with Regina.

"Are you excited for seventh grade Henry?"

Regina slams her mug down loudly on the table, and Snow finally seems to gain some awareness of what's going on around her. "Right, sorry. I'll just go pick up a coffee and be on my way. Emma, I'll call you later. Maybe we can get lunch sometime this week."

"Sure," Emma says with a weak smile. These days she hardly has energy for any social interactions herself. Especially not relationships with her parents, because even though Emma knows that Snow and David love her, it still takes so much energy to figure out how to be their daughter.

"Enjoy your breakfast," Snow says. "Bye Henry. Regina."

Once Snow leaves, the booth's occupants all relax, letting out a tense breath. Regina gives Henry's knee a gentle squeeze. "Are you ok?"

"Can we go home?"

"Henry," Regina sighs. "You're safe. You don't need to talk to anyone else. Let's finish our breakfast and then we can all relax at home for a while."

"Yeah kid," Emma jumps in. "You know your mom will be happy to scare away anyone who comes over here."

"I just want to go home," Henry whines.

Regina and Emma's eyes meet over the table, and they both know that they are going to give in sooner or later. They decide on sooner.

"Ok," Regina says with a soothing smile. "Why don't you and Emma go wait in the car? I'll pay and meet you in a minute."

"It's my turn to pay," Emma says reaching into her pocket for her wallet.

"You can get it next time," Regina says, "I'll be certain to pick somewhere nice."

Emma rolls her eyes and wraps her arm around Henry's shoulder. "Come on," she tells him.

Emma has never been much of a homebody. She likes keeping busy, and rarely has she ever spent this much time at home before. But Henry needs this, she knows, this feeling of being safely back in the house where he grew up.

"Do you want to help me garden?" Regina asks Henry. It's too nice of a day to be inside. Henry just shrugs. "What's bothering you?" Regina asks, crouching down to Henry's eye level. "Are you worried about school starting next month?"

Henry is tearful immediately, and it still takes Regina by surprise to see him react like this way. He had been a happy child, unfazed by most things and easily soothed by being held in his mother's arms.

"Let's sit down with Emma and talk," Regina suggests, standing and placing a hand on Henry's back to guide him to the sofa.

Regina waits until Henry is situated between herself and Emma to tell him, "Henry, if you don't feel ready to go to school in September you don't have to."

"Really?" Henry looks at Regina confused and hopeful.

"Emma and I won't push you to do anything you aren't ready for."

"But I want to be ready!" Henry says sounding extremely frustrated.

"I know you do," Regina tells him, patting his leg reassuringly. "You're doing so well Henry. Emma and I are very proud of you."

"We really are," Emma chimes in.

Regina rests her hand on Henry's shoulder and continues, "All that I'm saying Henry is that you don't need to worry about school right now. If you don't want to go at the beginning of the year, we will make sure that you keep up with all your work so that as soon as you are ready you can go back and you won't be behind."

"Ok, I guess."

Henry looks sad and defeated, and Emma wants to cry. "It'll be alright kid. Your mom is right. It's the beginning of August. No reason to start thinking about school so soon. It's still summer."

"Yeah," Henry agrees sadly.

"So, summer activities for today then," Emma declares, trying her hardest to remain upbeat. She makes it her mission these days to all fun to their lives. "Water gun fight? Soccer?"

"I think I just want to sit here and read some comics. Is that ok?" Henry looks up at Emma, not wanting to disappoint her.

"Of course, Henry." Emma smiles at her son, trying not to let her sadness show. The morning had begun so well.

Emma pulls Henry's door shut behind her. He is finally asleep after she and Regina spent two hours reading to him to try to get him to bed.

Regina looks at Emma and sees an expression that matches the sorrow that Regina herself feels. Regina reaches out for Emma's hand and gives it a comforting squeeze.

"I just want to sleep tonight," Emma declares as she scrubs her free hand over her face. She's bone tired tonight. Weary and so sad at how day that began with Henry giggling ended with a boy scared to go to bed.

"No problem dear," Regina says not letting go of Emma's hand. She adds with a little smirk, "I think that I can manage to keep my hands to myself for a night."

Emma looks confused, because every night for the last month they have gone to bed together, had amazing sex, and used exhaustion as an excuse to remain in the same bed. But going to sleep together without the sex is uncharted territory.

Emma perches herself on the edge of the bed as Regina disappears into her walk in closet. "What are we going to do?" Emma asks, desperation creeping in. She needs Regina to tell her that it will be ok, that they will fix Henry.

"About what?" Regina asks a minute later when she emerges in a pair of silk pajamas.

Emma just stares at Regina like this should be completely obvious. "We're going to home school Henry now?" Emma asks. So many things are wrong that she doesn't know where to begin, but the fact that they are acknowledging that Henry is so damaged that he might not be able to even go to school feels like the biggest defeat of the day.

Regina sits down besides Emma. "If we need to, yes. Did you want to force Henry to go to school if he's terrified?"

"No, of course not. I just…I don't know, maybe he needs a push to get back into the swing of things."

Regina stiffens next to Emma. "I will not let my son feel unsafe again."

"Hey," Emma says, grasping Regina's forearm. "I didn't mean to say that you're doing the wrong thing. I'm just afraid that if we coddle Henry that he'll never get back to a normal life. But you're right, I don't want to make him do something he isn't ready for either."

Regina considers this for a minute. She questions constantly whether she is doing the right thing for Henry. "Thank you, Emma."

"For what."

"For not pushing on this. I don't think I could bring myself to force Henry to go to school."

"Yeah, me either. I'm kind of a pushover it turns out."

"I want Henry to feel safe," Regina says, and Emma wonders at the nervous expression on her face. "It's something that I never felt as a child, and I have tried my best to make sure that Henry always does."

"Yeah," Emma sighs in agreement; the first time she had felt safe was as an adult living on her own. Then, because Emma needs not to linger in her memories of the past, she adds, "I hope you're good at middle school math. Because I suck at it."

"We'll manage. And perhaps it won't be necessary. There's still another month until school starts, and Henry has made such progress already."

Regina turns to Emma with so much desperate hope in her eyes that it makes Emma want to believe just so that she can comfort Regina. But Emma doesn't believe. Right now all she can think of is the worst that could happen. She nods and tries her hardest to smile reassuringly. "Come on, let's go to bed. Maybe tomorrow will be a good day."

Emma takes off her jeans and throws them and her bra in a pile next to the bed, a little surprised when Regina doesn't say a word about the mess. Regina shuts off the lights and pulls the blankets back. She slips wordlessly into bed besides Emma and curls her body around Emma's back. Emma can't remember the last time that she has let someone spoon her – maybe it was Neal, but she isn't even certain she had allowed it then. Emma's body tenses a little at the newness of the contact as Regina slips an arm under Emma's neck to hug her more fully.

"Is this alright?" Regina asks when she feels Emma stiffen.

"Mmhmm," Emma agrees, allowing herself to relax into the embrace.

Regina presses a soft kiss to the back of Emma's neck. There have been gentle, lazy kisses before, but they have always been post-coital when the excuse of an orgasm-induced high had been present to deflect the real meaning of such kisses. But there is no denying that the way Regina's lips linger on Emma's skin now is about affection and tenderness.

"Good night Regina," Emma says, trying not to worry about what this means for their relationship. Emma closes her eyes and lets the feeling of being safe and cared for wash over her.

"Good night dear," Regina replies as she nuzzles her face against Emma's neck with a content sigh.