When they entered the diner, Henry greeted Ruby who was just collecting some dishes from their usual table.
"You're lucky, Doc and Happy just left," the dark-haired woman said and gave them both a wide smile.
"Thanks, Ruby. Can I have a coke and... a cheeseburger, fries... the works."
"All right. What about you, Henry?"
"I'll have iced tea and a quarter pounder with fries," Henry answered without even having looked at the menu.
"Coming right up, guys." Ruby said and went to give Granny the orders.
"Did you have a good time playing with Pongo?" Emma asked her son and he nodded.
"He's so smart, he just does everything i tell him to do," Henry enthused. "Pongo's a great dog."
"Some people would argue that if they do what you want they can't be that smart," Emma said thoughtfully.
"Who says that?" Henry asked.
Emma shook her head.
"Never mind... just some basic dog-person vs. cat-person argument. I take it you're a dog-person," she stated and he nodded.
"I totally am. And I actually wanted to talk to you about that."
"You wanted to talk to me about... dogs?"
He nodded.
"Is this about you wanting a pet?"
He smiled.
"Wouldn't it be great to have a... a watch dog? I mean you're the sheriff. You could totally take him on patrol with you... when he's older and well trained that is. And we're getting our own place, right? So we'd have some space and..."
"Hold on, Henry. Have you ever talked to Regina about this? You wanting a dog?" The enthusiasm withered on his young face.
"Yeah, I have but... mom wouldn't let me have a dog. She said I should first learn to take care of a smaller animal, a fish... I don't want a fish, I want a dog," Henry complained.
"Well, it's not just my decision, Henry. I mean, I can talk to Regina and see where she stands with this. When have you talked to her last about this?"
"That was... a couple of years ago. I mean with you coming to Storybrooke and everything that's been happening after I kinda lost track but... I really wanna have a dog," he pleaded and looked at her with puppy dog eyes that strangely reminded Emma of Regina's.
Emma shook her head to clear it of that thought.
"You can't just say no. I mean, that's totally unfair, ma...," Henry started but Emma lifted a hand.
"I wasn't shaking my head to the idea of a dog, Henry, I... I'd really have to talk to your mom about it and then we'll decide together. That's what parents do," Emma said and it felt right but also a little strange. Who would have thought that she and Regina would ever just sit down, have a talk and then decide what was best for Henry? Probably nobody who currently lived in Storybrooke. But it was happening and Emma felt it was a good thing.
"What were you and mom talking about on the beach? Did she really tell you about her childhood?"
"Yeah, she did. She... told me about her... mom and dad... about Daniel..."
"She told you about Daniel?" He asked surprised. "What did she tell you about him?"
Henry seemed eager to know about this but Emma hesitated.
"I'm... not sure I should tell you. I mean... I don't know, I guess it was kind of... just between the two of us," Emma said.
Henry seemed to think about this.
"Was it about sex?" he asked thoughfully.
"No, I... I mean, no. Not exactly... it's just... it seemed private. I think it was private," she argued, not even sure if she was right.
Would Regina be cool with Henry knowing about some of the things they'd talked about. Probably not about the thing with the two maids and Regina's... intrigue. But about her mother being negligent? About her being a lonely child?
"Have you guys been riding... like, do you know if she's ever been out at the stable since..."
"Since the thing with zombie-Daniel? No, I don't think so. Why?"
"She said something about how this would have been a day for riding back home," Emma told him.
"As far as I know she's never been riding here. Do you know how to? Ride, I mean."
"Yeah, I do. I worked on a ranch in Texas for a spell," Emma said and smiled.
"Really, you never told me." He seemed to think it was cool but it hadn't been all that cool for Emma. It had mostly been hot and smelly and exhausting. She'd only done it for one summer but it sure taught her to ride, and ride hard.
Ruby came to their table to bring them their drinks.
"One coke, one iced tea. The burgers will be ready shortly," she informed them and went to the next table. It was lunch time on a Saturday, a lot of hungry mouths to feed so Ruby had no time to chat. Emma took a sip from her coke.
"It was one summer, one very exhausting summer."
"Did you go on a trek?"
"No, kid, I... I mostly mucked out stalls and helped repair fences, that kind of thing. The riding was great, though. The land was beautiful... I just wished the guy who owned it all had appreciated it more," she reminsced.
"You haven't been riding here, though, have you?"
Emma shook her head.
"Why not?"
"I didn't even know Storybrooke had stables and, well, since David told me... we've all been a little busy so... But I would like to go. Maybe we can all go together one of these days. When it's a little warmer," Emma suggested.
"That would be great. You're really trying to become friends with mom, aren't you?"
"I told you I wanted to be, didn't I?"
"Yeah, I know but... well, you were kinda being nicer to each other before and then... Cora came to Storybrooke and then you hated each other again," Henry said with a frown.
"I know. Things were getting out of hand there... but I'm trying, Henry. And Regina's trying, too. We want you to have as... normal a family-life as possible. And we know that with... all the things that have been happening, the way Storybrooke is, it's difficult but we're working on it... together," she smiled at him and he answered her with his own.
"You know my life would be so much more normal if I had a dog," he then said, grinning.
"Nice try, kid," she told him.
Ruby came with their food a short time later and they dug in, both hungry from their morning walk.
Regina opened the door before Henry and Emma had even knocked. She was trying not to smile but neither her son nor his other mother looked especially awake this morning.
"You were not kidding when you said bright or early, were you?" she asked and Henry threw her a dirty look.
"I think I'm going back to bed," he grumbled.
"No breakfast?" she asked as he walked by her. She ruffled his hair a little but he didn't seem in the mood for any kind of affection.
"Maybe later… when I'm awake," he answered.
"How about you, Emma? You look like you could use a cup of coffee," Regina turned her attention to the blonde.
"Sounds heavenly," the sheriff answered and Regina waved her into the house.
Henry was already walking up the stairs as Emma slipped out of her jacket.
"Remember the project, Henry. It's due Wednesday and mom said she won't give you an extension on it, okay?"
"Yeah, right...," Henry answered in a low grumble.
Emma turned to Regina, rolling her eyes at their son.
"Quite perfect," she said and Regina nodded.
They made their way to the kitchen where Regina filled two cups with coffee.
"What kind of project is that you were talking about? I thought I had a pretty good grip on Henry's schoolwork," Regina asked as they sat down at her kitchen island.
"It's a kind of book report but it's not just about the book. It's also about the author and whatever they can find out about the story behind the story. And Snow made it a requirement that it's a book they haven't read before and haven't told anything about in class before. That means that Henry can't talk about Harry Potter...," Emma explained.
"Oh," Regina said knowingly. "And they're Henry's favorites at the moment."
"He doesn't really read anything else lately. It's also the reason why he's so grumpy this morning."
"Because he won't be able to use them for his project?" Regina asked.
"No, because he's been up reading half the night," Emma answered.
She took a sip of her coffee, closing her eyes when the first shot of caffeine of the day hit her. It was just after eight and she and Henry hadn't even been up for an hour yet because they overslept.
"I guess he's got too much fresh air yesterday. He was out with David after we came back from the diner. I'm not sure where they were but... Henry was wide awake by the time he was supposed to go to bed. I told him he could read for another hour... that was a mistake."
"How long?"
"I fell asleep over some reports and woke around half past two... his light was still on."
Regina sighed.
"You sent him to bed then?"
"Yeah, immediately, no finishing the chapter... though I'm not sure he could have. He looked about ready to pass out," Emma said.
"Did you go to bed, too?" Regina asked because Emma seemed even more tired than Henry and she was holding the mug with her coffee like a lifeline.
"Not quite, I had to finish going through Tink's reports... which reminds me. I wanted to ask... learning to read and write, it wasn't very high on anybody's list back in the Enchanted Forest, was it?"
"Well, for princesses and princes, children of rich citizens it was... I'm not sure about pixies, though," Regina answered. "Is her diction very bad?"
"It's not really bad. She knows a lot of words, she just... writes them differently."
"That's quite common. I sometimes have to remind myself how to write words here because we wrote them differently home. You shouldn't be to hard on her for that," Regina advised.
"I wasn't going to, it just takes me longer to get through the reports. Can I leave them like that, though? I mean, you would understand them, right? Pretty much everyone who were to read them here would?"
Regina nodded her head.
"Yes, everyone here would... the question is... should there be others to come to live here..."
"Do you think that will happen?" Regina shrugged her shoulders. "I'm going to get Tink a dictionary and tell her to look things up. She'll learn eventually, I guess, and Storybrooke won't change in a day," Emma suggested and Regina nodded.
For a moment, Emma thought they would run out of topics to talk about and she looked into her cup a little awkwardly. She was already wrecking her brain for something to say or wondering if she should just finish her coffee and leave when Regina said:
"I think I may have found a house for you."
"Really?" Emma's head came up so suddenly she felt a little dizzy. She blinked a few times and Regina smiled at her.
"Really. Did you doubt me?"
"No, no, absolutely not. I just... I just know you have a lot to do and I didn't think you would make this a priority," Emma tried to explain.
"My son is always my highest priority, Emma. Never doubt that," Regina told the blonde, her smile gone.
"That's not what I... I didn't mean to imply... I'm sorry," she finally settled on and Regina nodded. "So about the house..."
"Yes. I don't know if you knew but the dwarfs, they moved back in together while we were in Neverland. They are used to living together and since Sneezy rents the whole apothecary, they moved in there."
"Really? Wow, I... Grumpy actually lives with the others in such close quarters?" Emma asked surprised.
"I heard he lives in the attic while the others share the second floor. Anyway, their former residences are empty and Doc had rented a house before. It's a nice place, I've already looked it over. Two bedrooms, a nice living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and not too expensive. It should be quite comfortable for you and Henry... maybe even a third person if... you were to... if there was a man you wanted to share it with," Regina finally decided on her words. She didn't look at Emma or she would have seen raised eyebrows.
"Not in the near future," Emma said without missing a beat and Regina looked at her.
"Well, it's... accomodating, I guess you could say... albeit everything's a little bit smaller on account of a dwarf having lived there," Regina added.
Emma's eyes went wide.
"For reals? Their houses are smaller? Like... do they have like, little cups and beds and..."
Regina's laughter interrupted Emma and the sheriff threw a dirty look at the mayor.
"You're making fun of me," she stated.
"Sorry, I wanted to see if you'd fall for it. Have you seen any of the dwarfs eat with special sets of silver ware at the diner? They're not even really smaller than everybody else," Regina said and grinned.
"I know, it's just... the original story."
"The expectations they raise are too extraordinary to be fulfilled in real life, Emma. You should know that by now."
"I do know. Especially when it comes to a certain Evil Queen. Who would have thought she has a wicked sense of humor?" Emma said smiling at the other woman.
"Don't fool yourself, savior. When it comes to me, the stories don't come close to how evil I really am," Regina answered but missed the playful note of Emma's words. Her underlying note seemed thoughtful, maybe even sad.
"I don't believe you. You're not that woman anymore," Emma argued.
"I'm afraid she's still around," Regina gave back and the sheriff looked at her for a long moment.
"You really are, aren't you?" she asked and Regina raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Afraid. You're afraid you'll turn into her again."
Regina matched Emma's inquiring gaze and then nodded.
Emma reached over the table and took Regina's hand into hers, squeezing it.
"I won't let that happen. Henry won't let it happen, and you won't let it happen for Henry's sake," she told the older woman.
"I will never be safe... I can't really be trusted," Regina argued.
"I trust you," Emma said with conviction.
They both looked at their combined hands on the kitchen island, deep in thought.
"You probably wouldn't if you knew... everything," Regina said in a low voice.
"Some day I will, and I'll still trust you," Emma promised.
Regina's lips lifted in a very small smile but it seemed also sad, not quite believing Emma's words.
"I'm not gonna hold you to it," she said and pulled her hand from Emma's.
The blonde wanted to argue her point but Regina lifted her hand, silencing her.
"I'm sorry. I don't always know when... or why I... bring this up. I guess I sometimes need to be reassured," she apologized for something she considered neediness.
"That's what I'm here for," Emma answered with a smile, her green eyes sparkling with... goodness.
Regina was inclined to believe in it, she was also inclined to simply drown in those pools, to let them soothe her wounds. But instead she cleared her throat and sat up straighter.
"About the house," she said and reminded them both of what they'd been talking about. "Doc rented it but the lease is up and he isn't going to renew it. You would have to talk to the owner about it."
"Who's the owner?" Emma asked and Regina made a face.
"Mostly all the properties in Storybrooke - with the exception of the mansion and the library - were owned by one man..."
"Gold," Emma said and leaned her head back to look at the ceiling "Which means that now they belong to... Neal."
Regina nodded but Emma didn't even see it. She had closed her eyes.
"That's just... brilliant," she said sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, I... probably should have said something earlier."
"No, I already kind of knew. I mean I knew Gold owned a lot of the businesses here... it only makes sense," Emma acknowledged. "I'm going to have to talk to Neal."
"I could... I guess if you'd rather I could go talk to him as a kind of advocate. Tell him it's for a... friend..."
"That's sweet but... he'll find out eventually anyway. It would be kind of cowardly to send you," Emma said and smiled at Regina in thanks.
"And that's something a Charming can never be...," Regina couldn't help commenting on.
"No, never," Emma admitted self-deprecatingly. "It would also be unfair to Neal. He's a good guy and he'll probably won't make a big deal out of it... it's just... an awkward situation."
"Because he wants you and Henry to move in with him rather than you and Henry move into one of his houses," Regina said and Emma nodded. "You don't think he's gonna fight you on this?"
"I don't think so but, well, I guess you never know. I would like to look at the house first, though. Make sure it's... a place I would want to live at before I go to Neal."
"I have a key," Regina said and they smiled at each other. Of course, Emma had known as much and had counted on Regina to offer to show it to her. "Whenever you got time," the dark-haired woman offered.
"I'll call you next week about it. I haven't quite gotten to work out a schedule for the station yet."
"Do you need help with that?" Regina offered and Emma smiled at her.
"No, that's my job. Your job is to reprimand me for failing at my law-enforcement duties, madam mayor."
"I will not be lectured by the sheriff on what my job includes, sheriff Swan. You'll be well advised to remember that," Regina told Emma in a stern voice but her eyes were too playful to be serious.
"Of course, madam mayor. I apologize for overstepping my jurisdiction," Emma answered but couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face.
"Hmmm," Regina answered with a suspicious look. "One might get the impression you're enjoying being reprimanded a little too much, sheriff," she said in her most authoritative of tones.
"One might," Emma answered, still smirking.
They looked at each other again but the undercurrent mood changed from an amiable companionship to an electric attraction. They'd been flirting and they were once again reminded that - much as magic - it came with a price. The price of hearts beating faster, stomachs clenching in need of what they were denied, of hands wanting to reach out but couldn't. The price of fighting what they both wanted and conquering their desires, suppressing their needs.
"I should probably...," Emma started saying and slipped from her stool.
"Yes, I guess... ," Regina said and stood, too. "I'll see you sometime next week about the house."
"I'll call you," Emma said and they left the kitchen.
Regina walked behind Emma and shook her head over herself, over both of them. She wasn't one to dwell on this kind of thing, on an attraction, she was quite capable of dealing with loneliness and desire and wanting something she couldn't have. She had to in the past... but Emma Swan seemed quite insistantly irresistable and she would have to work harder to... not give into... something that was impossible to gain, to have, to hold onto.
Emma slipped into her jacket and then nodded at Regina.
"I'll see you," she said and Regina merely answered her nod. She closed the door behind the retreating figure of the sheriff.
"That woman is so much trouble," she murmured as she leaned against the closed door, feeling almost breathless as she remembered the dark green temptation of Emma Swan's eyes.