Finally, after what felt like hours, Esme finally mastered the spell and put all of the windows back together again. Granny wasn't entirely confident in her ability, and Esme couldn't exactly blame her, so insisted on testing every single one by poking them. However once they all eventually passed Granny's test, Esme was free to enjoy her tea in peace and the two friends sat at the table in corner and enjoyed the stillness that came with having a fully enclosed space.

"So, what is it you're worried about? When Regina and Robin come home, I mean," Granny asked. Esme always found her bluntness amusing; she actually appreciated it because she knew where she stood with Granny. If Granny was angry with her, she would say so or if she was worried, she would say, albeit not always in the nicest manner, but that honesty was a trait Esme had found was scarce in the world.

"You sure you're not gonna go screaming whatever I say to Regina?" Esme asked as she avoided eye contact and stared into her tea. She hated confrontation, and certainly didn't want to annoy Granny but she needed to be certain that she could count on Granny to keep their conversations private; she knew Granny had good intentions but the end doesn't always justify the means.

"I didn't tell Regina anything you told me. I simply told her the truth," Granny said and Esme could only smile at her completely defiant response. Through her time working here, Esme had learned that Granny was never wrong. If a customer got the wrong order, that was the customer's fault. If she angered someone by something that she said, that person took it the wrong way. Although it wasn't something Esme necessarily liked, it was amusing to behold.

"Fine," Esme laughed. "I dunno, its just sometimes I feel…"

"Left out?" Granny answered.

"Yeah! Like it's not that I don't want the boys to be close to her or Robin its just, I don't know sometimes I just wish I was as close as they are but I don't know how to get there,"

"Well honey, i'm gonna give you some advice," Granny began with a statement that had quickly become Granny's mantra. "Now it's no secret that i'm not that woman's biggest fan, but I wouldn't wish what she's been through on my worst enemy. I know that you don't, but I see the way she looks at you, the way they both look at you and to them, they are your parents and you are their baby. Now i'm not telling you that it's going to be easy, and I certainly don't think it will happen quickly, but I think they are exactly what you need,"

"What I need?"

"Yes what you need. You have flourished in the time that you've been here, you and those boys are thick as thieves. I think you need to learn that you don't need to do absolutely everything all by yourself, and whether you see it or not, Regina and Robin want to be there for you. But they can only do that if you let them-"

"Let them what, though? That's what i'm saying! I don't know how to be a daughter-"

"You already are their daughter, honey. All you have to do now is let them be your parents. Its a two way thing Esme, just try and let them be there."

Esme simply sighed in response; she knew that Granny was right, she hadn't been exactly welcoming of either of them, but with so much on her mind already, how much could she really rely on them?

"I will try," Esme said and smiled as Granny rolled her eyes at her flippant response. When she happened to look up, the clock that had hung above the door survived and when she looked at it she realised she had been for for well over an hour and she promised everyone that she would be back to take them back to their house, so she immediately stood up.

"Crap! Granny i'm gonna have to go, you okay?" Esme said as she quickly kissed the old woman head.

"I'll be fine go on. Now you remember what I said!" Granny shouted as Esme attempted to run out of the door, but her injured leg made it more difficult than she had expected it to so it looked more like the zombie walk Henry and Roland used to do in the morning to delay going to school. By the time she got to the hospital, she was exhausted and because she hadn't fully recovered from her memory session with Regina, she had to sit down for a moment before she went to the Hood-Mills room. As she sat there to catch her breath, she saw something move from the corner of her eye; it was a dark figure so she couldn't quite make out who it was and when she got up to investigate it further, there was nothing there and so she simply waved it off as her tiredness getting the better of her and walked to her family's room.

"Sissy's here!" she heard Roland shout as she walked down the corridor and smiled as Robin went to open the door for her.

"Thank you. Sorry it took so long I had some trouble with the windows," she said. She watched as Robin was carrying Roland and Regina had her arm around Henry and so she said, "ready to go?". Robin told her they had already signed all of the discharge papers and so they were able to simply walk home, which was news to Esme's ears as she was starving and wanted nothing more than the lasagne Granny had made for them yesterday which was sitting nicely in the fridge. The first half of their journey was effectively an interrogation based on the events of last night; apparently Henry was as big a blabber mouth as Granny.

"Oh, when i get my hands on that b-" Regina began.

"Regina.." Robin said calmly yet assertively. For around 5 minutes Esme was bombarded with questions like where she was hurt, how she got Roland away and where Emma was now. As she answered them calmly, she couldn't help but smile. Robin and Regina seemed to take it in turns to question Esme, and took little solace in the answers, but Esme actually felt good about the interrogation for even though it seemed silly, it proved to Esme that they truly cared not only about the work Esme did, but actually about Esme and her wellbeing. Once the questions stopped, Henry quickly ran over to Esme, who had slotted herself in the middle, and complained about how hungry he was.

"Well, why don't we go to the diner?" Robin suggested, putting his arm around Henry who returned the gesture with a good, teenage bat pack before continuing to walk beside Robin.

"Umm, we can't. It got pretty beat up last night and Granny hasn't opened it yet. But we do have that lasagne in the fri-"

"Yes!" Both Henry and Roland chorused and Esme laughed as she said "Lasagne it is then."

"Where did you learn to cook lasagne?" Regina asked innocently.

"Sissy didn't cook it!" Roland said, covering his mouth as he tried to hide the giggles that Esme knew were going to lead to her culinary skills taking a sever bashing.

"Yeah Esme doesn't really cook," Henry said as he came to her side and reached to put his arm around her shoulder.

"I do! I'm just not as good as Granny,"

"No you definitely aren't," Henry laughed and the two enjoyed a playful squabble, much to the amusement of Regina and Robin, who walked hand in hand behind Esme, Roland and Esme.

"Like your mother then," Robin joined and Esme laughed as Regina playfully hit his arm before he pulled her in for a kiss as they continued walking. Esme was actually enjoying herself on the walk, the very thought of which had once filled her with dread, and whenever they eventually got to the house, it didn't feel as awkward Esme was worried it would. As Regina and Robin set their bags down on the floor, Esme said she would go and put their stuff away and then put their dinner on.

"Thank you," Robin said and Regina smiled warmly at her, glad to see she was at least slightly at ease here. All three children took a bag each and they ran upstairs. Regina was walking to put the oven on when she felt two hands around her waist, and the soft lips she adored began to brush her neck.

"Robin!" Regina giggled. "The kids are just upstairs!"

"Exactly. Their upstairs," he said and he moved his hands from her waist to her soft, delicate, pink cheeks and kissed the lips he dreamt about daily. After a few seconds of soft, delicate kisses, Regina pulled away when she felt herself wanting him, wanting more.

"Hmmm," she sighed she she rested her head on his. "We can't do this now,"

"Fine," Robin said, as he kissed her nose, then her mouth, then her neck.

"Robin!" Regina laughed and pulled herself out of his grasp before heading to the kitchen. She knew that it was a ridiculous thing to notice in light of the events they had just heard of, but she found herself amazed by how clean things were and the fact that there wasn't one think out of place; everything was almost exactly as she left it. Indeed, although she was amazed, it saddened her slightly. It was a painful reminder that Esme didn't quite feel comfortable enough to even mess anything up; it reminded her of someone staying in a friend's house. She heard Robin walk in after her.

"She shouldn't have had to do this," Regina said as she stared at the pristine kitchen.

"Do what?" Robin asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulders.

"Cook, clean, any of this," Regina said.

"Regina, I know it's horrible but there really was nothing we could do. Besides, look at her with our boys" he soothed.

"I know, but still."

"Okay, look at me," he said and held her face in his hands. "I promise you, we are going to make this better. We will do everything to make sure she knew's that we love her," he explained, and the two stared into each others eyes, finding solace in their shared strife.

"Umm.. sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to ask if I can have a shower?" Esme said, as she stood awkwardly at the archway to the kitchen. She heard what they had said and was genuinely moved by it, but the look on Regina's face when she asked the question confused Esme for although she thought that she was being polite, Regina looked hurt and Esme couldn't understand why.

"You don't have to ask, Esme. This is your home," Regina explained trying to smile in a fain attempt to hide her sadness. "You know where everything is right?" to which Esme nodded and so Regina said, "Okay, enjoy."

When Esme left, Regina felt Robins hands massage her shoulders as he knew that that question confirmed Regina's fears; Esme didn't think of this as her home.

"Come on and sit down," Robin said as he led Regina by the hand to the couch, however when they got there, they saw a pillow and some blankets and realised that for almost two months Esme had been sleeping on a couch and Robin's heart fell to the bottom of his stomach when he saw the pain that realisation caused Regina.

"We will make this her home," Robin explained to Regina who simply placed the makeshift bed on the floor.

"There's actually something we have to do first," Regina said as she took his hand in hers and sat down facing each other on the couch.

"Regina, she has to be our priority-"

"No I know. And she is, believe me she is but.. this can't be her home if it isn't actually mine," Regina explained, although she winced at how that sounded. She had rehearsed this conversation over and over again in her head, but now that she was staring into Robin's eyes, all of the words she had practiced escaped her mind.

"Wh- Regina, what are you talking about?" Robin said, looking more concerned than Regina wanted him to.

"No, no, nothing has happened," Regina said smiling. She caressed his face with her hand and laughed and buried her head in her hands.

"Eugh this is so not how I wanted this to go!" she mumbled into her hands, mortified that the one time she wanted to show Robin how she felt, she messed it up. Royally. But Robin quickly took her hands and smiled at her.

"How you wanted what to go?" Robin laughed.

"Umm.. okay," Regina said as she tried to stop laughing and looked into Robin's eyes. "Listen to me, after everything we have been through and losing you again and then getting you back and then losing you again… what I mean is I don't ever want to lose you again. I want to fall asleep in your arms every single night, I want to wake up beside you every day, I want to see you walk our kids to school, ummm-" Regina fumbled, trying to make him understand how much she wanted him to stay here.

"Regina what are you asking me?" Robin laughed, as he rubbed her leg in an attempt to calm her nerves even though he actually found it rather adorable that she was getting so flustered.

"I want you to move in here. This house isn't home anymore, not without you and Roland-" but before she could finish the sentence her lips was otherwise occupied. Robin ran his fingers through her hair in a tantalising way, and Regina couldn't help but smile at his excitement.

"I'll take that as a yes then," Regina laughed as she kissed his nose before staring into the eyes that now exuded an abundance of joy.

"Oh do you? Well I have certain requirements," he joked as he stroked her face.

"And what might they be?" she said as she failed to stop a happy yet flirtatious smile from spread across her face.

"Well one, I like breakfast in bed," and then he kissed her head.

"And hot baths," he said as he kissed her nose.

"And lots," he said as he kissed her lips softly.

"And lots," he said as he kissed her lips hungrily.

"Of sleep," he said, now smiling that it was Regina who was kissing him, with as much passion and desire as he felt burning inside of him. As his hands began to roam to places he needed so desperately to touch there was a shout from upstairs.

"Eugh really!" Robin said, annoyed that the moment he had eagerly anticipated for weeks was ruined by a mere knock on the door. Regina simply laughed and called upstairs.

"What is it?"

"It's Esme! She fainted!" they heard Henry shout and so they immediately ran upstairs. Once they had ascended the stairs, they found Esme, collapsed on the floor with her pyjamas on and a towel wrapped around her head, and they immediately fell to the floor next to her. They tried desperately to wake her up, but nothing worked.