AN: I have big plans for this story now. All that's left is placing all of the individual words together to make it real.

Oof, but I'm having fun. Thank you guys again. I probably won't stop showing all of my annoying gratitude but ya know... the human need for attention and validation and all that bullshit.

I would also love to thank the lovely 'Sammichbatch' for being my beta on this story even though she has a life and is crazy busy, she is amazing and I love her dearly! Ugh, seriously perf. And I know the story will be better for having her opinion helping me along!

Reviews make me smile. You are loved.


Saturday mornings were usually the only ones she had to herself. But something about sitting there, all by herself this particular morning made her feel more lonely than relaxed.

The cool blue light from the window kept glinting off of her ring and she moved her finger, staring at the distinct sparkle of something manufactured to be perfect. The perfect cut to fit a setting to adorn some woman's finger, signaling to the world that she was absolutely taken. Anyone who cared to glance at her left hand would be met with the wink of her promise to a man, that she would be his and in turn he would be hers.

And Regina knew this was the part where she should smile down at it softly rather than taking it off and staring at it as it lay on the counter in front of her. Somehow it wasn't hers, or not yet.

The door bell rang and she looked up completely puzzled.

She brought her ring with her, working it over her knuckle and pulling her robe a little tighter before she opened the door.

"Hi..." Emma smiled with a nervous air buzzing around her. "I know I'm early, but you didn't answer your phone.."

"Early for what?" She frowned, genuinely confused. Then her mouth dropped. "I'm stupid."

"What? I thought I was seeing the-"

"No, I understand now. I- come in." She waved the other woman in the house, closing the door behind her softly. "I got ahead of myself. It's next weekend."

"Fuck, that's right."

Her shoulders slumped forward and Regina gave an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I've stolen your Saturday."

"No, I didn't have plans." She shrugged and hopped up on one of the bar stools. "I thought I remembered you saying she still needed to move into her new place or whatever."

"I could check anyway?" She peered over her shoulder, pouring Emma a cup of coffee without being asked.

"Uhm..." Emma smiled down at the mug as it was pushed across the counter, her eyes following Regina as she made her way to the pantry for the sugar, then the refrigerator, but she shook her head preemptively. "No, thank you, I'm good with just the sugar." She patted the top of the tin.

Regina nodded and walked back to her place across the island from Emma. "It wouldn't be much trouble at all to see if she'd show you early?"

"Maybe? I mean if you weren't doing anything today?"

The brunette tried to ignore the lack of eye contact but couldn't help storing the detail away. "Graham will be on duty for the better part of the day, so it was just Henry and I, but he's grounded for another two weeks. I thought of taking him to the office with me so he could sit in his boredom."

Emma laughed softly, seemingly aware of the sleeping bodies in the house. "Good idea." She tossed her head from side to side. "I guess apartment hunting would bore him too, yeah?"

Regina nodded and sipped at her coffee, her gaze being pulled out the window. She just stared for a moment, feeling oddly at ease and distressed at the same time between the eery silence and how terribly comfortable she felt with Emma in her home, talking like old friends.

"That's pretty."

Her eyes followed Emma's down to her hand, and once again she held it so it caught the light - this time so they both could see. "Thank you... I finally got to put it on."

"What?"

Regina tried to twist it around her finger. "I've had it in my jewelry box for.. gosh, I think it's been about six months now."

"Why so long?"

"Well, I wanted to give Henry some time to adjust and we decided to set a date first.. Graham had only just moved in when he asked me. Before he and Henry started to butt heads."

"Ah. Right."

"No, they were so nice to each other in the beginning! We dated for a year and a half before we told Henry, and it was fine. And then another year before he moved in, and they got along. Then all of the sudden; chaos."

"That bad?"

"No... no. They just bicker... all of us do."

Emma shrugged. "At least dude knows how to pick out a ring."

"Yeah... It's a little small, though."

Emma laughed. "Oh, you need one of those giant rocks? Are you a material girl, Regina?"

"No, I meant the size! Around my finger." She grinned. "And personally, I think you just missed a golden opportunity for a 'that's what she said' joke."

"Holy shit. I'm impressed."

The brunette struck a pose, soaking up the sarcastic adoration.

Emma rolled her eyes and leaned against the counter top. "Really, I like it. And usually I think those things are hideous."

"Why?" Regina eyed her sceptically.

"Because they're just a show piece. I mean, I get that it's supposed to stand for true love and smushy smushy romance crap, but it's just another thing to keep track of."

"Sure, but it's like putting a sign on that says to the world, 'You can't have me. I already found my other half.' I've always found that part sweet."

Emma sipped at her coffee and shook her head. "I don't like that either. The whole 'other half' idea."

"What do you mean?"

She looked at the ceiling for a moment before huffing a little. "So... we just walk around as incomplete beings until we find this one person? This face among the crowd that suddenly makes you whole, that's what you're telling me?"

"Well, now who sounds like Gandalf?" She widened her eyes for effect. "Sure. For the sake of argument I suppose so."

"Okay, so that means you're not a whole person. You are a fraction of yourself."

Regina squints at her.

"I think it's gross - no offense."

"None taken."

The blue eyes look in her coffee cup with less than a whole smirk. "I guess it's partially because I've always liked being alone, but I find that kind of codependency really annoying. I don't think you act like that, which I have respect for... the subject just came up."

"No, I think I agree." She nodded and held her coffee cup close to her as she back pedaled to lean against the counter behind her. "You should be a whole and developed person all by yourself. Though I disagree in thinking that we're all better off alone. I'd like to share my life with someone."

Emma just looked at her, eyebrows arching in surprise.

"What?"

"Someone?"

Regina looked back in confusion.

Emma shrugged and swiveled in her chair a bit. "I'd think you'd just say 'Graham' instead of 'someone'... since you two are already planning on spending your lives together."

Her eyes went to the floor quickly as she took another drink, letting her face harden before she looked back up. "It was implied."

"Oh." Though she didn't look very convinced.

"Just because I didn't say his name specifically-"

"Hey, I'm not saying anything..." Her face fell into something like remorse. "I watch too many soap operas and I stir shit up. One of the many reasons I'm a loner."

Regina sighed, still looking at the floor. Then her eyes went to the ceiling, hitting close to where her bedroom would be.

"I'm sorry."

Still silence. She could share, or she could draw a line, one she supposed they'd already crossed once or twice falling into the ease of their conversation.

"I'm not stupid." Regina said quietly.

Emma shook her head cautiously. "I don't think you are."

"Nothing is perfect. You can't expect everything to be peachy all the time." She kept her voice calm. "I know my relationship isn't the vision of domestic bliss everyone has in mind, but it's my relationship. It's the only one that I've felt like an equal in."

Regina's eyes turned to look at the blonde again, her face completely unreadable, both hands locked on either side of the coffee mug.

"You've caught us at this strange transitioning point where we are taking steps forward, and unfortunately the pressure of that is leading to some discomfort. All of us are on edge because things are changing. Change just makes things uncomfortable. Graham's trying to fill a role he believes Henry needs in his life, and Henry is too young to understand that having him in our lives won't make me any less of his mother."

Emma just nodded. "And you're caught in the middle."

Regina put her mug down and crossed her arms.

"It's not my business. I wasn't judging, I just... made a weird observation because I suck at having normal conversations with people."

"You asked me if I was happy."

Her face contorted in confusion.

"Earlier this week - when you were leaving after dinner, you asked me if I was happy."

"And you said you thought so."

Regina nodded. "And I do. I am happy for so many things, and thankful that I've been given what I have. I don't think that the stress that's affecting our house is something to be overly concerned with."

Emma pursed her lips, then rested her head on her fist. "Can I be honest with you?"

"I'd prefer it."

"I think you're making excuses for problems you don't know how to fix. And you saying all of this... it can't just be for me. I'm a stranger, you don't care what I think."

She just stared.

"Sure, it could be that... change is weird. Or that Henry's just a kid, and it takes some perspective to understand adult things. And maybe that tension that's happening between all of you will end up not being there when you guys get comfortable again. But you have to ask yourself if that's all you want? For things to just be okay?"

"As opposed to...?"

"Good?" Emma smiled gently. "And I don't know you guys that well. For all I know, you have an awesome relationship, and... maybe the second Henry figures out the three of you could get all snugly and cute and watch power rangers and eat gummy bears, okay? Maybe he'll just switch and everything will be easier. But, I don't think you believe that. And I don't think you believe it's going to get better. I think you just want to believe it because it's easier than thinking... it was good for a second, but it doesn't hold up long-term."

"And that has to be true because you can't manage anything long-term?"

Emma's mouth fell open a bit.

And Regina knew she was wrong, immediately. They were having a conversation, and she allowed Emma to share her opinion, and it wasn't the blonde who stepped over a line.

"Emma-"

"I think I should go."

"I didn't mean that- it was just.."

She shook her head and got up from the stool. "It's fine. I get it."

"No, I was-"

"We can look at the apartment next weekend." She kept heading for the door, head down and chest tight. "It's not a big deal."

Regina kept her arms crossed over her middle, her fuzzy robe swishing around her calves as she followed the other woman. "I apologize. Really, it was the heat of the moment and I felt vulnerable."

Emma looked up with a frown and Regina's stomach tightened at the red reaching from the corners of her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

She just shook her head. "It's okay..."

"It's not. You were only saying what you thought, which I prompted-"

Emma sighed, trying to look at her eyebrows and blinking fast. "I've wanted things to be long term before. It's not like I haven't tried a couple times. It just bit me in the ass so I stayed away from it."

"I shouldn't have said it."

"I lied."

Regina frowned.

"About Henry's dad. I know who he is. I don't know where he is, and he's not on the birth certificate. He doesn't know Henry exists, but I tried to make it work. It didn't last for very long, but it wasn't because I didn't believe in it, okay?"

"Emma..."

Their heads both turned to the stairs following the large creak and the heavy footsteps following. "Is everything alright?"

She didn't even look back at them before Emma opened the door. "Yeah, I just got the dates wrong." She waved at the floor quickly. "I'll see you guys later."

Then she was gone. Regina didn't have time to go after her, or the resolve. She had an angry pit in her stomach that felt like it weighed seven hundred pounds.

Graham came the rest of the way down the stairs, peeking out the window as the bug sped away. "Well... I'm sure you saw that coming."

"Are you serious?"

He just smiled at her.

"She runs out the door nearly in tears and you're being sarcastic?"

"What do you want me to say?"

She shook her head and gave a laugh that had no humor in it. "Nothing. The right thing for you to say there is nothing."

"What, so I can't speak?"

All Regina had the energy left to do was retreat into the kitchen, grabbing her cup before going to hide in her study. He came and kissed her goodbye when he left for the station, but it was routine. It wasn't in apology, or as anything more than what he thought he should do. And for the first time, Regina turned her head, denying him the comfort of thinking his actions were without gravity.


Emma hated crying. She barely made it to the bug before she started breaking down.

And then she only made it about a mile out of town before she had to pull over and collapse in on herself. Once it started, there were no damming the flood gates. She hadn't thought about Henry's dad in years. He'd only just popped into her head after she saw Henry. But the thought in her brain for a few minutes and blaming herself all over again for the lack of stability in her life are two different things.

And sure, she could run then. She could get her shit from her apartment and abandon everything - just drive until she felt far enough away from everything even slightly familiar, but what would that do?

She'd probably just look back at this in a month, or a year and blame herself all over again, because what Regina said would be right. She could conform to her own standard, or she could change it.


Regina tried to stay present during brunch. It was usually easy. Graham worked Sundays, and she could take a breath and let her mother and her son jabber on about whatever it is they wanted to as she listened to all of the things she didn't hear about in the week, which Henry would easily tell his grandmother.

This brunch was decidedly different. Everything was Emma this, Emma that... Emma moving to town. She got a few sordid glances from her mother, but for the most part she just sat with an awful feeling rumbling down inside of her. Everything Henry was saying might not even be true anymore because she got defensive and said things she didn't mean. Things, granted, she could have been offended by had the tables been turned. She knew she was wrong, but she didn't know the outcome of her error. Her heart sank at the possibility of her mistake costing her little boy a chance to know the woman who would always be a part of him.

Cora put her hand over Regina's.

Immediately her head popped up. "Hm?"

"I didn't say anything." She shook her head knowingly.

Henry was already running through the screen door to play in the back yard. She smiled at him before letting out a long sigh and looking at the table.

"He seems very excited."

Regina just nodded.

"You don't though."

"I think I might have undermined my own attempts of making this go smoothly."

"How so?"

Regina leaned forward, letting her cheek rest against her fist as her other hand tampered with the table cloth. "I... I took a cheap shot. We- Emma and I were having a conversation and she shared some opinions, ones that I initially welcomed. But they stung a bit and my first reaction was to bite back, and using information she shared with me. She was so completely unguarded with it and I just used it against her."

"Well, forgive my saying but her opinions shouldn't be welcome. Henry-"

"It wasn't about Henry."

Cora sat back, lifting her head regally. "She has absolutely no business in things that don't involve him. She's a stranger, someone who-"

"Mother.." She tried to look at Cora in a way that would explain just exactly how much stress this was causing her. And on cue, she took a breath and softened her stare at the younger woman. "I don't want her to be a stranger. If she's going to be in Henry's life, then I want to know her. I was even beginning to enjoy her company- she's so different, and interesting, and she just talked to me. We had conversations.. and now that I've gone and offended her, I don't know what's going to happen."

Cora stayed quiet, her face restrained but compassionate.

Regina nodded and waved her words forward.

She smiled gently. "I think it's dangerous. This situation is not a simple one, and making friends with this woman could show Henry how much you support him and how much you truly care what he wants. But, darling, on the other side of that, it may take away from their relationship. As much as you might enjoy someone to talk to this way, perhaps it's safer to simply facilitate her interactions with Henry, and leave everything else aside."

Regina looked back at her son, hating the sinking feeling grabbing at her gut. "I didn't think it would interfere."

"I know... if you had you never would have allowed it in the first place."

"So how do I fix it?"

Cora smiled before standing, letting her hand rest on her daughters shoulder for a moment. "With all of the grace and professionalism of the mayor, and all of the gentle nurturer that is my daughter." She kissed the top of Regina's head before starting toward the kitchen.


-I'm sorry for freaking out the other day-

As soon as Emma sent the message she set her phone down and just stared at it, all of the anxiety and self loathing she could muster floating around inside of her as she waited for a reply. Not that she knew she would get one. She didn't know what would happen. All she knew was that she had to try. This couldn't be like everything else in her life - magic or not, Henry coming to find her meant she was something big, and something she refused to ignore.

But when the phone started buzzing on the table her stomach tightened again. She hesitated, but picked it up and held it to her ear, her words failing her completely.

"Hello?"

Emma gulped down the pain in her throat. "Hey."

"Hi." Regina sighed.

Emma drew her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

"Are you alright?" She asked, gently.

"Yeah... I'm just. I guess I'm more fragile than I realized. And I'm sorry for all of the-"

"No, Emma, I shouldn't have.. made that remark. It was completely uncalled for."

"But it's true. That's why it hurt - I mean, you're right. I haven't had anything close to long-term and I shouldn't be passing judgement on your life."

"We were talking about it.. and I brought it up."

Emma waited, not sure if she cut herself off or if she was done, but she didn't know what to say.

There was a long breath on the other line. "I apologize. I'm going to take responsibility because I believe I'm the one who was wrong. Is that alright?"

She just smiled at the mother that took over her voice for a moment. "I guess I can let you do that."

"Good."

"How's the kid doing? Is he pissed I didn't call all week?"

And another sigh. "Actually he's in more trouble."

"More? What happened?"

"He got in a fight at school."

"You're kidding. He doesn't seem like-"

"He's not. He's sweet and quiet.. it's not just my opinion as his mother either, I've always heard it from all of his teachers."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. He won't tell me. His teacher doesn't know either." Emma could almost see the older woman pinching the bridge of her nose. "All she knows is that Henry threw the first punch, and that it was a boy who's been teasing him for the better part of this school year."

"Little prick." Emma shook her head. "The other kid... not Henry."

Regina offered up a little huff of laughter.

"Is he okay?"

"Other than the bruise on his cheek and the sulk he's been in for the past two days, I'd say he's.. medically fine."

Emma just nodded, hating herself for not knowing what to say next.

"You could talk to him, if you wanted?"

"Right now?"

"No, I'm at work, anyway. Tomorrow before we go- If you were still planning on seeing the apartment."

"Yeah, I was still going to come. I'll talk to him, sure. As long as you're alright with it."

"Maybe you can get through to him."

"I can try." She smiled weakly.

There was a bit of a silence before Regina sounded like she shifted and cleared her throat. "I was hoping that we could talk too."

"Oh." She hugged her legs a bit tighter and turned her head so the phone just rested against her face. "Okay... shoot."

"Well, perhaps we've been a bit too.." There was a hesitation in her voice. "Actually, I think in person would be better."

"Right." She nodded. "Well... I'll see you guys Saturday, then?"

"Tomorrow?"

Emma smiled. "Yes. Then. Sorry."

"Enjoy your evening, Emma."

"You too.. see ya."

"Bye."


Even with the phone call, and imagining an angry ten year old, Emma didn't expect to see Henry like that.

Regina opened the door and all he did was look at her, then to his mother, and walk into the living room without a word. He looked a little annoyed, but there was a very obvious, ominous cloud hanging over him.

"Damn."

"He's been like this since Wednesday." Regina stepped aside and let Emma in.

She peeked at him before turning back to the entry way and keeping her voice hushed. "Since the fight?"

The brunette nodded.

"And he hasn't talked about it at all?"

"Not to his teachers, or me... the school's counselor got him to tell her that he was being provoked but that's been all. But he hasn't been back to school."

"He got suspended?"

Regina gestured toward the kitchen.

Emma followed and leaned against the counter.

"Both of them did. It's school policy, and I didn't fight it." She shrugged in a defeated sort of way.

She sighed and crossed her arms. "It seems bad."

"I've never seen him like this."

Emma glanced back in the living room again, pointing her thumb in Henry's direction.

Regina nodded in turn and pointed up. "I'm going to wait upstairs. Just call me whenever you two are ready."

Emma nodded and took a breath. For no reason at all she just stared at the back of his head as she tied her hair up high on her head.

Henry was just sitting with one of his comic books, tucked into the corner of the couch, his knees blocking him from the rest of the world. Emma knew the position well - the one she held tightly to when she didn't want one of the other ornery foster kids in her business. So she approached cautiously.

"Hey kid."

His eyes looked up for a moment before he grunted a "Hey." and looked back down.

"Marvel." She nodded and pointed at the comic. "If I said I was a DC girl, would you hate me?"

"No. I like both."

"Cool. Diversity is good."

Emma sat down next to him carefully. She didn't want to push him, and honestly she didn't feel she had the right to push him to tell her anything. Wasn't she the one who gave him up and decided to forfeit all of those opportunities to help him or coach him through anything?

So maybe this is her chance to be the cool aunt. The one who doesn't ask questions, but just sits and accepts whatever shit was fed to her. But in order for that to happen, she at least had to open the floor in some way.

"Do you know anything about foster care?"

Henry looked up and shook his head.

"Well... It kinda sucks. There are a lot of really awesome people who take care of foster kids, but there are a lot more people who hate kids, but the more kids you let live in your house the more money you get. So there are just a ton of people who have like six or seven kids living with them, and all of these kids have been shuffled around from one home to another, not knowing who to trust or where to go if they really need help, because more than likely, you won't stay in one place for more than eight months or so."

The little boy dropped his comic to his lap, staring at the blonde with a strange look on his face.

"And a few kids come out of it okay - they go to good homes and they get to finish school... get college paid for because they're a ward of the state anyway, and then they start their own life, and it's fine. But... ya know there were kids like me, who got really angry. I was angry at the whole world for letting me be tossed around and for the fact I had no friends. And I was mean to anyone who looked at me funny, and sometimes when they were trying to be nice, because I thought everyone was going to try and hurt me."

He looked like he was going to cry so Emma scooted a little closer, crossed her legs and leaned back, putting her hand on his foot. "I got in fights."

"I just wanted him to stop picking on me." A tear spilled from his eye and he wiped it away quickly and angrily. "I wasn't trying to hurt him for no reason. I thought I needed to stand up for myself."

"I get that. It makes sense." She scratched his ankle, hoping it would pass as affection. "What was he picking on you for?"

"It's not just him, everybody teases me because I'm small and I do good in school." His lip pouted out and Emma couldn't help but smile at how innocent he looked. "He said I was a nerd and that I was gay... and I just wanted him to stop."

Some part of her knew this was the part she should hug him, that a mother would just hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay - that what he did was wrong but she didn't think he was a bad kid.

But she wasn't his mother, and he didn't need to be told the world was some magical place. She put her elbows on her knees, hunching forward to she could look right at him. "There's nothing wrong with you. If you ever decided you were gay or not-" Henry started to interrupt but she just shook her head and kept her voice calm. "You don't have to be anything he said. No matter if you're too fat or too skinny, or you're quiet or too smart... if you like to look at bugs for hours on end... it doesn't matter. The world can be a stupid place, and there are a lot of stupid people. People who were hurt and need to make other people feel bad so they don't feel so bad about themselves. And you're going to get your feelings hurt a lot more than this, and that's okay too."

"He didn't even say he was sorry!"

"And he might not ever say it. In fact, most of the time you won't get a sorry. But I'm sorry." She turned her head and rested it on his knee. "I'm sorry for all of the times people will hurt you, Henry. And I'm sorry for this kid who's picking on you. I'll take all the blame, and you can hear it from me if that'll make you feel better, okay?"

He just nodded, tears streaming from his eyes.

"But if you punch any other kid from now on, you better make sure they hit you first, do you understand me?"

Henry laughed and sat up slowly, leaning into the blonde and letting her arm wrap around him and squeeze for a second.

"Why didn't you talk to your mom?"

He shrugged. "I thought she'd be mad. She always says violence doesn't solve anything."

"She might be mad, but she's always going to try and support you and be there for you. You have to let her in on stuff or your life is going to be harder than it needs to be."

"I know.. it's just hard sometimes."

"It's always going to be hard when you do something wrong, but she's always going to be on your side."

He just sighed.

Emma squeezed him another time before pushing him away playfully. "Alright, go get ready. We're going to go see my apartment! Hopefully. If your teacher gives it to me."

"I'm coming with?"

"Duh. It's going to be super boring with a bunch of grown-up talk, and you're in trouble. So you can hang around with nothing to do as another part of your punishment. Your mom's pretty smart that way."

He just smiled before going toward the stairs.

Emma followed, seeing Regina at the foot of the stairs just before Henry. He stopped for a moment before going over to her and wrapping his arms around her hips. He didn't say anything, but she was sure there weren't words that needed to be said. Regina had obviously heard what was said - tears in her eyes being the second indication. Emma just smiled as Regina leaned down and kissed his cheek, then ran her fingers through his hair.

"Go." She whispered with a smile, pointing up the stairs.

Then her arms crossed, eyes falling on Emma with a tender, teary smile. "That was pretty good."

The blonde just shrugged. "Kids and criminals... not all that different when you think about it."

"You give pep-talks to criminals?"

Emma grinned. "No, just the cowards who I can tell will just come with me if I make them cry."

Regina nodded, kicking some invisible pebble while Emma watched the wheels turning in her head. She wiped a tear away before it had a chance to fall. "You can see him whenever you want to. Especially after that."

She looked up to his door, feeling for the first time like she was exactly where she should be.

"I couldn't have handled it better. And.. Emma I respect what you told him. I don't know where it came from.. but-"

"The.. taking the blame?"

Regina nodded.

"That came from you."

There was a question posed on her face Regina didn't need to speak aloud.

"You just.. jumped in the line of fire, and took responsibility for that whole thing last week. Even when I'm wrong I don't have the courage to do that. I just run away, and keep running until there isn't any blame that can get to me anymore. Any time anything gets serious I run from it. I just took what you did and twisted it for him a little bit."

Regina's mouth dropped a little bit. "But.. you're here."

"What?"

"This-" She gestured all around them. "This situation is serious and you're still here."

Emma nodded slowly and looked at the ground. "Well you were right about the other thing too... that I haven't had anything long term. My fault or not it still stung, and it just kinda made me put things in perspective." She glanced up at Henry's room again. "I want to make this last."

Regina grinned and nodded back at her.

Then the thought came back. Emma laughed at herself. "But you wanted to talk about something, right?"

"Did I?"

She nodded. "You said I should talk to Henry, but that we should-"

"Ready!"

Henry came bounding down the stairs, smile on his face with his shoe laces untied.

Emma pointed at his feet and shook her head. "Almost, kiddo."

Regina just watched everything unfolding around her, something warm and comfortable felt as though it was wrapping around her. She looked from Emma to Henry and back a few times as they chattered back and forth. She handed him the keys and Henry ran out to unlock the car.

The blonde turned back to her with wide eyes. "So.."

"It's nothing." Regina shook her head. A smile crept on to her lips. She didn't want to take a step back. If anything this was testament to that. "We should go, or we'll be late."

Emma nodded and held the door open for the other woman. "Fleas before beauty." She said her best Grinch voice.