I hope you're still alive after last Sunday's ep. Hang in there! Thanks for reading =)

Chapter 13

Emma didn't feel ready for this. Not at all. Her hands were sweating and her head was reeling. She didn't know why she was so nervous to meet the young woman. It's not like she would remember anything about their interaction later. This was just so Henry could spend some time with his mother; get to know her before she changed. Her thoughts were interrupted by Esme's light knock on the kitchen's entrance. The front gate guards already knew her from previous visits, so they had no problems going in. "Not very safe" thought Emma.

"Hello Esme. I thought you'd come later." Said a very chubby lady. Her hands were dirty with flour and so was her apron. "Come here." She awkwardly hugged her friend trying to avoid making Esme all white from the powder.

"Hi Viola. How have you been? These are Emma and Henry, the friends I told you about." She finished with a knowing look.

"Oh… the famous infamous ones." She smiled. "I'm glad to finally meet you. My husband is with Robin and his friends… hunting." She winked at Emma knowingly.

Emma felt a bit uncomfortable under the older blond lady look. She didn't look like she would harm her and her kid, but her outspoken behavior gave her and weird vibe.

"Yes, I hope they don't come…uh…empty handed." She tried smiling. One look at her son and she saw the kid felt the same way about their host. "Do you think we could take a look at the garden, Henry here was very impressed by it last time we visited the palace?"

"I don't know if it's a good idea. Queen Regina always goes there after her meal to pluck out an apple from her tree. She likes to eat one each day, you know, they say it's very healthy and she loves that tree. Anyway, I might get in trouble if she knows I let you out there." She finished rambling.

"Don't worry, she knows us." Explained the boy giving his best puppy face. "I'm sure she won't mind, right mom?"

"Yes, we met her during Sn… the princess' name day. At the garden actually." She reasoned.

The woman didn't look so convinced. She didn't feel like they were lying, but that there was more than that to the story. Emma noticed that so she continued:

"I mean, she was not happy with us there, hell, she even threatened to call the guards, but after talking to us for a while I think she was, in fact, glad she had someone to talk to."

Viola recognized her queen's "adorable" personality right away. The royal's swing moods were known by all the servants. She didn't think the woman was mean or anything, she knew how she was dumped into a loveless marriage, so although not acceptable, her reactions were understandable.

"Fine. I reckon you know the way, then?"

"I think so. Thanks." she smiled. "We see you later." She directed Esme. Show time. What show you idiot? Get a grip and calm the hell down Swan. Breath. She heard Henry laugh.

"What?" she asked as they passed through the last gate before entering the garden.

"It's totally freaky how you just space out sometimes. You look like gramps when he doesn't understand something." He chuckled.

"So you mean I look as stupid as he does? Not true!" she whined and he rolled his eyes.

"She looks so young, doesn't she?" he pointed his other mom with his head. The young queen was beautifully dressed in a simple blue gown, very different from her usual pencil skirt suits. Without her usual frown, and under the sunlight, she seemed to almost glow. Emma was sure that, now, she had her dad's dumb look.

"There it is again." Her son broke her line of thoughts once again. "Can I go talk to her?"

"Go ahead. Isn't that why we're here?" the boy didn't even answer her and broke into a light jog towards his adoptive mother.

Emma took her time walking and got close enough to them when Henry was explain what must had been the answer to a "What are you doing here?" way softer to the one she received when she first met the woman, who now, had a soft smile on her face.

"Me, mom, and Esme came to visit Viola. She works in the kitchen. I got bored so mom brought me here to see your beautiful garden again." He flattered. He was definitely his politician mother's son.

"Hi." Emma said when she could be heard by the duo. "How are you, your Majesty?"

Regina eyes the woman whose face she couldn't seem to get out of her mind since their last encounter. She opened her mouth to greet the woman in front of her but nothing came out. Confusing her chocked expression with a displeased one Emma continued:

"I know we're not supposed to be here, as you told me a couple of times before, but Henry here got really smitten with that apple tree. He said it looks like something from a fairytale." She lied and Henry held a chuckle.

"I… I'm not irritated." She managed. "Henry is always welcome here. The way I see, he has a very good taste." The queen directed the boy with a smile mirrored by the boy.

"I see. I will wait back in the kitchen." The blonde muttered and turned to leave. She was pretty used to Regina being mean to her, but somehow she thought that at least this one could treat her with kindness.

"I didn't mean you have to leave. Forgive me if that's what you got from what I said." The brunette reasoned. "You can stay too… Emma." She tried to pretend she didn't remember the woman's name but Emma's super power pinged and she smirked. "Did I say anything funny?"

"Not at all, my queen, I'm just pleased. And honored." She flirted regaining some confidence.

Henry watched their interaction watchfully with semi closed eyes. There was something different about it. The bickering bordered flirtation. Was that a blush he was seeing in his adoptive mother's cheeks?

"Oh…" he let slip regaining his mothers attention.

"What was that kid?" the Savior queried.

"Nothing I just think I saw something that wasn't here before." He tried not to lie and ping his mom's detector. "I'll go get a closer look at the tree. Can I?" he looked at Regina.

"You may." She gave him one of those smiles only he got from her.

The boy ran towards the apple tree already contriving another operation. How to get his mothers together. So much made sense to him now. The reason his brunette mother had decided to give Emma new memories, why she always got angrier whenever Hook or his dad was near them. He always thought it was because she didn't want another parent figure in the picture, but maybe, just maybe, she was acting jealous. Did she even know? And what about Emma, did she realize how much she rambled when she spoke to the former mayor? Again, he thought it was because of him, how the blonde looked after the queen's approval, after all, she had been his mother for over 10 years. His head was spinning, but not in a bad way. Perhaps he could have them both, not having to choose where to spend the holidays sounded very nice in his mind.

"Do they even know?" he questioned out loud but to himself.

###

"He is very well-mannered, your son." Regina commented.

"He really is. I can't take much credit for it though, this is his other parent doing entirely." She played with the words trying not to lie or confuse the woman.

"Your husband." The woman all but whispered sounding almost disappointed to Emma's ears. "How long have you been together, you and his father?"

"We're not together anymore. Haven't been for a long time."

"That's a shame. A boy needs both his parents." She said trying to hide the pleasure of hearing the woman had no significant other.

"Won't argue with you on that." Emma looked at the young woman in front of her in spite of seeing Regina, this person seemed to be a completely different person. Her shyness was adorable and quite alluring. Are you seriously going there Swan? What's the problem? Is not like she will remember anyway. You can get to know her better, then when you go back things can go back to the way they were. Her internal "dialog" prevented her from listening to whatever the queen had said. She, then was brought back to Earth, or whatever planet they were, by a soft laughter. "Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"I simply asked if you think of remarrying. A young and beaut.. healthy woman like you probably wouldn't want to spend the rest of her life alone. After all, we need more strong peasants to work for us." She joked with a smirk on her face trying to make sure her jest was understood by what it was.

"Thing is, I've never found someone I thought was worthy of being my son's parent. Or at least that's what I thought. Maybe they were just there and I was too stupid to see that what I wanted and needed was right in front of me." Emma stressed the last words making sure her eyes were fixed on her interlocutor.

She didn't know where this boldness was coming from. Could it be the fact that she had nothing to lose, or maybe this whole mess just made her see clearly. The woman before her, who she would become, was not only the incredibly beautiful woman who had raised her child better than she herself ever could, but the strongest person she had known. Despite being as broken as herself, the woman never quit fighting for her and her son's happiness. Sure she had done some pretty awful things in her past, but also had redeemed herself time and time again, even sacrificing her happiness in the name of those of her son's and her greatest enemy's child's one! Emma felt like kicking herself for not seeing it sooner.

Once again her train of thoughts was cut by the brunette. "Oh, I hope there's still time to change that. Henry deserves as much love as he can receive." She played with her white gloves.

"What about you, are you happy?" Emma asked already knowing the answer.

"Very happy indeed." She replied, her voice on octave higher than normal. Emma smiled.

"Lie."

"It is not! How can you say that? You don't even know me or my life!" declared angrily.

"I know you." Emma whispered coming closer, invading the queen's personal space for the first time not in a confronting way. "I know how you don't care about all the richness, and that all you want in your life is –she came even closer to whisper in the other woman's ear –love."

Regina froze in place and shivered. She had never felt so aware of her own body. Everything seemed to tingle in the best way possible. She didn't notice Emma taking a step back, her eyes were still closed. The queen didn't remember closing them, it was probably an automatic reflex. She only realized the woman was not by her side when she felt a cool breeze coming from where the woman had stood seconds ago. When she opened her eyes the blonde was staring at her with a smile that said she had won first prize on a joust competition.

"I wish you wouldn't do that again. I can have you beheaded for this kind of insolence." She spoke with a hoarse voice.

"Lie." Emma said closing the space between them and giving a chaste kiss on the brunette's lips. "Henry, time to go!" she called her son and began walking towards the kitchen. Henry came running after his mom and bid a dumbfounded Regina goodbye as he passed her. He had seen the interaction from his hiding place and was dying to ask his mother what had happened. Looked like he wouldn't need an operation, after all.