A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the delay. I want to thank you all of you who reviewed, favorited and followed the story. It really means a lot. And a big shout out to my beta, for helping me out here!

xoxo

Camila...

Beta-ed by: Veritax

Chapter 4 – New bonds

The same night Emma decided to stay in Storybrooke, the town's clock came back to life and only three people on the small city knew what it meant, but it was the little boy that stood by his bedroom window that noticed the clock's hands moving for the first time since anyone could remember.

Henry knew this meant Emma was staying. She had started the final battle and time was no longer suspended in Storybrooke.

Henry had read his book many times, and the only thing that it said about breaking the curse was that "the Evil Queen's curse shall be broken when light defeats darkness, and the sacrifice for true love is made".

He still didn't get it. He thought that the only thing capable of breaking any curse was a true love's kiss, but if his book said it had to happen that way, then it had to be true.

SQSQ

As Regina rose from her bed, she kept remembering last night's dream, it was so simple but, in some weird way, perfect.

While this dream made her heart melt with happiness, she still couldn't help but fear that it may never come true.

She hadn't had any contact with Emma during the previous day, so she didn't know what the blonde had decided. She just wished, with every piece of her broken heart that Emma had decided to stay.

The thought of Emma staying warmed her heart and scared her at the same time. She knew that if the blonde stayed, at some point, considering she would probably stay for pretty long time, she would have to come clean about her feelings. Even though when she really didn't know what to make out of them, she still couldn't understand the changes building up inside of her, but she couldn't ignore them.

SQSQ

As Emma awoke, she couldn't help but smile at the memories of the dream she had had that night, and what made her even happier was to know that, as small as it may be, there was a chance for it to happen. She had done what her heart had told her to: She had stayed.

For the first time in her entire life, she came to the conclusion that if she stayed and didn't run, she would at least have the chance to get what she wanted.

She knew why she always ran. It was easy. It would always be. That's how she had managed to survive, how she had dealt with the hostile world she had had to face her whole life. However, this time she wasn't going to choose the easy way, she was going to stay and fight.

SQSQ

"Good Morning, Ruby. Could you please bring me a cup of coffee?"

Regina said as she entered Granny's diner.

"Ye-Yes"

The brunette waitress answered astonished. The mayor never greeted her nor did she ask for her coffee so politely.

Ruby quickly went to get Regina's coffee. Just as she handed the coffee to the mayor, Emma entered the diner.

"Good morning, Ruby."

Emma said not noticing Regina sitting at the counter.

"Morning."

Ruby answered simply, she was still a little shocked by how the mayor had treated her.

Recognizing the voice that came from behind her, Regina, almost too cheerfully, turned around and said: "Good morning, Emma" giving her a unique smile that reached her eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by Ruby.

"Good morning, Regina"

The blonde greeted her just as enthusiastically.

As they smiled to each other, Ruby stood there watching astonished trying to figure out what the hell was happening

"The fuck is happening? The mayor is in a good mood and she is smiling. SMILING! MAYOR REGINA MILLS IS SMILING, LIKE REALLY SMILING! How is this even possible? Unless, no, it can't be, can it? Could the mayor be in love?"

Ruby's brain was running crazy, but anyone in Storybrooke that could see Regina smiling like she was at that moment would have thought the same thing.

Regina had always been a difficult woman to deal with. The citizens of Storybrooke were used to their hard-ass mayor, and for some reason they didn't care. As long as none of them crossed paths with her everything was fine.

But the way she was smiling… Everyone that recalled her could swear they had never seen her so exposed, with her guard down. They all assumed that she was not capable of such a display of emotion, of affection even. Any citizen of Storybrooke could have sworn that the only one who could had ever seen the Mayor feel so happy had to be Henry, and it didn't seem likely.

If Regina had been paying attention to her actions, making sure to keep her walls up and her head high, like she always had, she would have restrained her emotions and would have opted to offer her usual icy smirk. However, her brain was incapable of keeping up with her heart. She lost control of her own actions in front of Emma. Oh, Emma…

"She is here. She is here. Say something Regina!"

"I hope you have been treated kindly, these past few nights"

Regina, finally managed to say.

"Yes, I was."

As they drank their coffee, their formal, and somehow awkward conversation became a rapid chatter, and once again it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

Finally getting ready to leave, even though she did not want to, Regina asked Emma:

"Have you decided how long you are going to stay? You don't need to answer if you don't want to, I didn't mean to pry"

"That's okay. I've decided that I'm going to stay, I'm not sure for how long, I think it all depends on how things work out. Anyway, I have to find a job to make sure I can stay, I can't live on my savings forever…"

At the idea of Emma wanting to stay, Regina barely registered her words:

"I think that Sheriff Graham said something about needing a deputy. Would you be interested?"

"Of course. Thank you, again, Regina."

Emma smiled at the brunette and Regina couldn't help but smile back. It looked like Emma's smile, was somehow contagious.

Before Regina could leave, Emma asked her:

"Would you mind if I picked Henry up at school today? I'll take him straight to your house, I promise."

"Of course. I'm sure he would love to see you again."

Regina answered and, with a small ache in her heart, finally left.

SQSQ

"Hey kid" Emma greeted as Henry came out of the school.

"Emma!" He ran towards her and wrapped his little arms around her waist. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I asked your mother if I could pick you up today" a small smile formed in her lips when she remembered their early conversation.

"And she let you?"

Henry couldn't hide the surprise in his voice.

"Yep. Why do you look so surprised?"

Emma asked him.

"Honestly? Because I thought that she would hate you from the moment she saw you."

Emma nodded. It was indeed a good reason. She had expected the same kind of reaction from the mayor, but it hadn't happen.

"Well, I thought she would too, but we are getting along fine."

She said as they walked.

"You and my mother are getting along? This is crazy."

"Why?"

Emma asked confused.

"Because my mother doesn't get along with anyone in this town."

Henry said as if she was the only person in the world who didn't know something that obvious.

"Then they don't know what they're missing, because she's really nice"

Emma said, and a small smile began forming in the corners of her mouth.

"Are you sick? Maybe she's casted a spell on you. She's the Evil Queen. She's not nice."

At this, Emma felt slightly offended.

"Don't say that about her again. She can be strict with you sometimes, but that doesn't make her evil."

Henry didn't understand it. How could Emma think that Regina was nice? Evil Queens are not nice, and that's what his mother was: the Evil Queen and nothing more.

Finally reaching the mayor's house, Emma kneeled in front of Henry and gave him a quick hug. Before she could leave, Henry asked her:

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

"Maybe"

She answered simply, but that was all it took for him to smile.

"Bye Emma."

Henry said.

"Bye kid."

She replied as she watched him get into the house.