Thanks everyone for the reviews/faves/followers much appreciated and Many thanks to Fiend89 for the beta on this chapter.
The next morning Emma headed back to Boston and when she arrived back home, instead of feeling tired and glad to be back, she felt empty. Something was missing.
She took her coat off and put her bags in her room before returning to her lounge. This is where she pulled her phone from her pocket and began to text.
Emma: hey Regina, thought I'd let you know I got home alright. Are you and Henry okay?
Meanwhile, Regina was looking through work related papers when her phone beeped.
She reached for it, hoping it would be Emma and she then smiled upon seeing that it was.
Regina: Hello dear, I am glad you arrived back safely. Me and Henry are fine. I am just going through a plan for work that's very tedious.
Emma smirked to herself.
Emma: You never stop with work do you madame mayor :)
Regina shook her head and tapped her fingers on the table. She was then totally surprised to see her phone ringing. Emma was calling her!
She swallowed thickly and pressed the phone to her ear.
"Hello."
"Hey, I had to call...I don't know why exactly, I just wanted to hear you I guess," Emma said, clearly anxious and excited.
Regina's heart swelled.
"Regina" Emma said, making Regina realize she had yet to say anything.
"Yes dear," was all she could say and Emma chuckled.
"So I'm back in Boston," Emma muttered.
"Yes, I believe you have already told me that," Regina smirked to herself. Emma rolled her eyes.
"You know I kind of miss being in Storybrooke already, crazy right?" She replied.
"Yes I suppose it is…what exactly do you miss?" Regina licked her lips.
Emma sat on her sofa "well the people are nicer."
Regina scoffed.
"Um, You're nice," Emma said weakly, causing Regina to gape.
"I am glad we met," Emma added.
"Well technically we met in the Enchanted Forest," Regina replied, trying to guard herself from showing her emotions. Her mother was always banging on about how love is weakness, career before love.
"Yeah, people think we met in a nightclub you know"
"Yes, sounds better than an online chat room I guess" they then both chuckled and continued to speak to one another, for the next half an hour.
Until Henry interrupted and Regina had to go.
For the next month and half, nothing drastically changed in their daily lives and they kept in contact daily. Enjoying their random conversations and updates on what was going on in their lives.
However, Emma's birthday was now fast approaching and Emma thought it would be the perfect excuse to turn up for the weekend.
She told her parents two weeks in advance, that she would be spending her birthday with them and her parents secretly arranged a party at the Diner.
Mary Margaret even invited Regina and Henry to Emma's surprise party.
And three days before Emma's birthday, Emma was packing her bags, already eager to get to Storybrooke and see everyone. She stopped briefly to message Regina.
Emma: hey Regina, hows things? Did I mention that it's my birthday this Saturday :)
Regina was in her kitchen upon reading the message and she nearly dropped the phone.
Regina: yes I am aware, you have mentioned it a dozen times in the last few weeks. Are you hinting for me to get you a present?
Emma grinned.
"Oh i thought you would of bought me a present already! nah, you don't have to get me anything all I ask is to spend some time with you and Henry"
Regina smiled widely and felt happiness spread through every fiber of her being.
"I will think about it," she replied teasingly.
"You know you want to," Emma teased back.
Regina chuckled. It was true, the opportunity of spending time with her friend was too strong to resist.
Saturday 3:24pm
Emma arrived at her parent's apartment and it unnerved her that she felt so happy to be back in this town. That emptiness she kept feeling over the last month and half was gone.
"Emma," Mary Margaret shouted, as she opened the door and David shouted, "Happy birthday!"
"Thanks," Emma grinned and she entered the apartment to find two happy birthday balloons. She chuckled.
"How was the journey," David asked.
"Long," Emma replied.
"Well, we thought we would all head to the diner around 6 and have dinner there to celebrate your birthday, just the three of us," Mary Margaret said.
Emma tilted her head in thought. "Sounds nice" she replied and went to pit her bag in the spare room.
Upon reaching the kitchen she got her phone from her jeans pocket and texted Regina.
Emma: hey, I am at my parents and we're going to a family dinner later, but do you want to meet tomorrow?"
Regina smirked to herself, she was going to see the blonde tonight but she didn't know it.
Regina: That would be lovely dear, we can discuss it later. I'm currently in the middle of something Important.
She pressed send and continued looking through her wardrobe for something to wear.
6:24pm
Emma tugged at her long grey knit cardigan, as they approach the Diner door. She felt something was off about this dinner at the Diner and that it was rather busy inside.
A long moment later, as they entered the Diner, a dozen people started to sing happy birthday to her and she put her hands to her face in surprise and looked to her parents with a look of "I can't believe you would do this!"
When they finished singing, Emma said "what the hell guys" and then smiled.
"We couldn't let your birthday pass without a little celebration," David said happily.
Emma shook her head amused, as her father handed her a glass of beer. She proceeded to look around, noticing a few people she had meet on her first visit. She then noticed Henry coming out of the bathroom.
"Henry," she shouted and he quickly made his way over with a grin on his face. "Happy birthday Emma, how old are you today?"
She knelt down. "28"
"Mom's 32", he replied happily.
"Yeah I know kid, where is your mom" she said breathlessly.
"She had to go back home for something, she'll be back soon"
Emma nodded and stood back up she suddenly realized Regina knew about the party. So sneaky, she thought with a smirk.
Ten minutes later, Regina walked through the door wearing her long black coat and a smile as radiant as the sun upon seeing Emma there.
Henry tugged at Emma's arm, he had been talking her ear off for the last five minutes.
"Mom's here," he said with a smile and she looked round to see Regina walking towards her with that same smile still plastered on her face.
Emma held her breath, her eyes locked on to brown soft ones and she felt fuzzy and excited.
"Hello dear, happy birthday," Regina's said in a sultry voice, as she ran her gaze over Emma's body before she handed over the item in her hand.
"This is for you."
"Thanks," Emma said whilst still gawking at the brunette.
"Can I open it now," she asked.
"Of course."
Emma took a breath and started to open it. She smiled widely upon seeing what it was.
"You got me a personalized mug, with hot chocolate and a pack of cinnamon."
"It says the savior on it," Henry told her.
"Cool."
Regina looked away bashfully with a smile.
"I love it, thank you Regina," she added and Henry smiled and wondered off.
"Your welcome."
Emma then turned her attention back to Regina, who was adoringly watching her and holding a hand at her stomach.
The blonde blinked a few time's. "How is it possible for you to be even more beautiful", she said without even thinking.
Regina eyes widened in surprise. "I..." She didn't know what to say. She just stared into Emma's green eyes and she was beginning to lose herself, but the moment was ruined by Mary Margaret.
"Oh, hello Regina glad you could make it."
Regina slowly looked to her, she didn't register what the woman had said. "Emma, can you come over to see Ruby, she wants to speak with you?"
Emma nodded hesitantly.
"I'll speak to you in a little while," she told Regina, who nodded and watched her go across the diner. She felt a tug within her chest and she didn't know what to do or what it exactly meant, but she had to get some air.
Five minutes later, Regina was enjoying the cool air upon her skin. She hadn't heard the Diner door open and Henry come up behind her.
"Mom why are you out here," Henry asked.
She turned to him.
"Just getting some air."
He nodded. "Emma is talking to Ruby."
"I know."
"She likes you mom"
"Who, Ruby?" Regina smirked.
"No, Emma/"
Regina smiled.
"Well she likes you too, she has told me."
"Yeah?"
"Yes, she thinks you're cute."
He screwed his face. "I'm not cute."
Regina chuckled.
"Let's go back inside," she said sweetly as they went back inside. Emma glanced over and gave her a smile that was always given to her and Regina's heart began to race. She gave a reserved smile back and headed to the counter.
Where she downed a glass of a non-alcoholic drink, that she wished was alcoholic, but because she was driving back home after, she couldn't.
A further five minutes later, Emma gravitated back towards her.
"Hey, you enjoying yourself?" she asked, leaning on the counter and looked sideways at Regina.
"Yes and Henry is pestering your father I see."
Emma turned around to see Henry pestering David. She chuckled.
"Yeah, he's a great kid Regina. You're a great mom."
Regina's heart swelled. "Thank you dear, it means a lot coming from you."
Emma looked down shyly.
"It's been hard with losing Henry's father all those years ago. I have found it hard to open my heart to let people in since then."
Emma nodded.
"I can't imagine how that felt, he must of been really special."
Regina took Emma's hand. "Thank you for understanding."
"Um, is everything okay here?" David asked, noticing Regina holding Emma's hand on the counter. Regina pulled away.
"Yes, I was just talking about something that meant a lot to me, excuse me I need the bathroom," she walked off.
"You really picked a bad time to interrupt us," Emma snapped, glanced over to where Regina had went and decided to go and see if she was okay.
Emma walked into the bathroom of the Diner to find Regina fiddling with her hair in the mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
Emma slowly approached her and crossed her arms.
"Um, my dad has bad timing huh?"
Regina paused and glanced sideways.
"Are you okay?" Emma then asked softly.
"I will be, I just needed a minute," Regina replied and looked back to the mirror.
"Do you think you could be that happy again with someone," Emma asked.
Regina sighed.
"I don't think I could be that lucky, or deserving."
Emma gasped.
"Maybe fate has determined I never deserved it in the first place and that's why Daniel died, maybe my mother was right, love is weakness," her gaze fell downwards.
Emma tilted her head.
"Love is weakness! What kind of crap is that? You would rather live the rest of your life alone and not allowing anyone to get to close?
"I won't get hurt."
"We all get hurt Regina at some point in our lives."
"But has your partner died? The father of your son?"
Emma bit her lip.
"Well no, I can't began to imagine what that was like, but to close yourself off for the rest of your life to love would be a mistake."
Regina looked down, she knew Emma was right, she was just scared of getting hurt again. Would Emma leave in the end? Would there even be anything in the first place?! There was just to many what ifs.
They stood in silence for a moment.
Regina cleared her throat.
"We should get back to the party."
Emma glanced to the door.
"Yeah, we should," and she began to go to the door and Regina followed behind.
Twenty five minutes later, Regina was sitting at a table, looking down at her hand on the table.
She had spent the last twenty minutes stewing on her thoughts and longing after Emma, who was being kept busy by the guests. But she did keep glancing over to Regina.
Regina realized she was over reacting, there was nothing even going on that would lead her to getting hurt and the thought of a falling out with Emma was too much to bear. So she stood up and walked over to where Emma was standing.
"I'm sorry about earlier, I was over reacting over nothing."
Emma stared at her.
"That's okay, we all have moments I guess," she glanced away.
Regina sighed.
"I'm not very good at expressing my emotions," Emma glanced back and her facial expression softened.
"I blame my mother for that," she said bitterly "but I am trying."
Emma stared at her in thought for a moment.
"Maybe you just need to trust people more," Emma licked her lips. "And maybe then, you can take chance when your happy ending comes knocking."
Regina raised an eyebrow.
"Who says they haven't already." she tried to lighten the situation.
Emma looked briefly confused and then thought she'd play along.
"Really! I am sure Robin is a nice guy Regina, but I didn't think he would be your happy ending" she took a sip of her drink so she wouldn't laugh.
While Regina's smug smile went to a gaping one.