A/N: This story's... positively driving me nuts. I never would have thought it would be as long as it is now and I keep having ideas. From where I stand, I can't even see the ending yet... and it'll ruin me.

The next morning, Henry informed Emma that he would go camping with Daivid. That was all he said before he started packing his backpack.

"You should tell your mom where you're going," she told him as she watched him from the doorway to his room.

"Why don't you do it?" he gave back angrily.

"Henry, I know you're hurt. You... want a family, two parents who live in the same house and... love each other. I get that, you know that I do. But it's not that easy sometimes."

"You said you were gonna be her friend. You knew she's done horrible things but you said you wanted to get to know her. And then you did and now you love her," Henry argued.

"I don't..."

"Don't lie to me!" Henry yelled at her as he picked up his backpack. He stormed by her and down the stairs.

"Henry, please, let's talk about this."

But he didn't stop until he was at the door and pulling his jacket from the wardrobe. Emma came down the stairs and he looked back at her.

"You have to fix this," he told her then he opened the door and was gone. Emma ran to the door but all she could see were the taillights of David's truck as it pulled out of her drive.

Regina sat at the bar at The Rabbit Hole nursing a drink. She wasn't much of a drinker, even though she liked some strong spirits and the proprietor of the local bar had become a sort of expert on procuring her favorite brand of scotch. She could, of course, have taken a bottle home with her but she already knew that if she drank at home and alone, she would start crying again - and she was done crying. So she tried something else and stayed at the bar but mostly stared at the drink in front of her.

Nobody was talking to her and that wasn't surprising. The clientel who visited The Rabbit Hole weren't usually the ones Regina interacted with. Few knew her beyond the fact that she was the Evil Queen who had them all stranded here, and nobody wanted anything to do with her.

But there were always exceptions to the rule and one of those sat down next to her.

"What a sight for sore eyes, the Evil Queen has left her tower to join the peasants. And in something other than her boring business suits, too," Killian noted with an appraising look at the sleek burgundy dress Regina was wearing.

Regina turned in her seat and squinted her eyes at the man.

He smiled what she presumed he thought of a disarming smile. It wasn't, she merely changed her look from sqinting to lifting an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry, luv, I think I've been out of the loop as far as niceties in Storybrooke are concerned. Should I be calling you Madam Mayor?"

"Call me uninterested and find yourself a barmaid instead," Regina suggested.

"Now, now. You know there's really only one dame in town who holds my interest. But I guess I'm out of luck there. She's in the business of saving people and I'm not really the lad to join that particular branch of fun."

"Have you ever tried it, Hook? Maybe it could be good for you. I hear it builds character," Regina gave back sarcastically and he grinned.

"That's not who I am. And that's not who you are, either. What is going on with the Evil Queen these days, Regina? Has she lost her bite?"

"She's lost something... but not her bite, I assure you."

"Hmmm... drinking alone... and on a Sunday, too. In a dress that could only be called an invitation. I'd say the lady's lonely," Hook mused.

Regina took a sip of her drink, it burned away the sting of tears.

"I'm not my mother, pirate. I don't have the taste for bad boys so you better remove your hand or I'll do it for you," Regina warned and Hook lifted his hand off her thigh with a grin.

"Too bad, really," he said. He turned to the room and watched the other patrons for awhile.

Regina emptied her drink and wondered if she should leave. She really had no interest in spending any more time with Hook and his conviction that he was irresistible. Of course, he could be a distraction... what was she even thinking? There was only one person she wanted and it was most certainly not Hook. But maybe... Regina smiled.

"I was wondering," she said and Killian turned to her. "What is your interest in all of this, David's newest save-the-world mission? Is it just to get out of here?"

"Well, I know the town is kind of your pet project but... it's not exactly the place I want to spend the rest of my days."

"Unless you could spend it with a certain blonde?" Regina asked.

"I know people think that where you are doesn't matter, if you're there with the person you love, I mean, Snow would have stayed with David in Neverland if they hadn't found a way off the island but... I'd rather leave here alone than not being able to leave here at all."

"That's why you offered your help," Regina pondered.

"It's not like I've grown all soft all of a sudden," he said with a smirk. "I'm taking care of myself, thank you very much. You said you haven't lost your bite but... at the council meeting you and the savior seemed pretty tight. What's your agenda with this whole rescue-mission? Do you just want them all out of your hair?"

Regina smiled.

"My agenda is... my business, Hook. I'm not in the habit of sharing."

"Too bad, really, for as they say, like mother, like daughter. But...," he lifted a hand to stop her from interrupting. "I don't have a problem with seperating business from pleasure. And I do think we could help each other on the business-end. You're gonna have access to Rumple's shop and I think I might know of a thing that the crocodile might have had..."

"We should definately talk about that, dear. Why don't you order us another drink while I go to the ladies room." Regina smiled at Hook in a way she was so accustomed to it had been second nature. Only now it felt wrong and meaningless. It seemed 'evil' had lost its appeal...

Snow had called Emma earlier that day to see if she wanted to spend some time with her. Emma had been evasive and told her mother that she was behind with her reports - which was true, she hadn't been in much of a mood to do paperwork the past week - but Snow had suggested that she should just bring them and work on them at her place since she had some papers to grade, too. They could watch a movie afterwards or just talk.

Just talk. Emma had had an inkling of what that meant if Ruby was right about her suspicions. But she had thought that maybe it was a good time to come clean with her mother, to tell her what she'd felt and what she wasn't feeling anymore, that things between her and Regina were over.

Emma had agreed to come over that evening and they were now sitting at Snow's kitchen table and worked - or in Emma's case, pretended to work. She was looking at her mother through her bangs, expecting some kind of sudden attack from behind those papers she was grading.

But that wasn't the only thing that kept her from concentrating on her work. Whenever she thought of what she would say to Snow, explain that she didn't have any more feelings for the mayor, her throat closed and she felt tears sting her eyes. It felt like lying, even though she hadn't said a single word. She could think of telling her mother that she had had feelings for Regina, she could think of explaining where those feelings had come from but she felt breathless and heart-achy when she thought of explaining them away. Because they were not away, they were still there - even though they shouldn't be.

Emma sighed for the umteenth time that evening and Snow looked up at her.

"Is everthing all right, Emma? You keep sighing," she told her daughter.

"Really? I'm sorry, I... haven't even noticed," she said truthfully.

"It's okay. I just wish... if there's something that's bothering you, or something you just want to talk about, I wish you would."

Emma looked at Snow for a searching moment.

"Why is dad angry with me?" she then asked and it seemed neither of them had expected that particular question to come out.

"He's not...," but Snow stopped her automatic answer and made a face. "He thinks that you're keeping something from us. We both think that but he's... having a more difficult time with what it might be," she finally answered diplomatically.

Emma looked down at her report and wished she hadn't asked the question. Now it would all have to come out.

"You can talk to me, Emma. I'm your mother and... no matter, what you're gonna tell me, I'll still love you."

Emma nodded at Snow's reassurance but wasn't at all sure that it would still be true after they'd had this conversation. She tried to find reassurance in what Ruby had told her, that her mother didn't seem too upset seeing Emma and Regina... but it hurt too much to think about what she'd almost had with Regina. Emma pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes to keep from crying - again.

"Something has happened," she then heard herself say, slowly, hesitantly. "I don't even know... I... don't think you will like it but it just..." And then she was interrupted by her phone vibrating on the table. They both looked at it and Emma read the name on the display, she paled.

"Is it her?" Snow asked and Emma looked up. She felt like all breath was pulled from her lungs with the realisation that Snow did know, that she knew... everything... which was quite impossible, of course, but Emma still believed it at that moment.

"You don't have to answer it," Snow said seeing her daughter lose all color.

But the vibration continued and Emma finally reached out and picked up her phone. She rose from her seat and turned away from the inquiring eyes of her mother.

"What is it?" she answered the call and was putting her other hand to her ear when she heard the background noise of wherever Regina was.

"And a good evening to you, too, savior," Regina's voice came a little slurred over the line. She sounded cheerful.

"Is there something you need, Madam Mayor? Because this is really not a good time," Emma said in a formal tone.

"Something I need?" Regina asked sexily as the background noise seemed to be muffled by a closing door. "Yes, there's something I need. I need a lift home and I think you owe me one."

"Where are you?"

"At The Rabbit Hole... with a certain devilishly handsome pirate who's set on forgetting a certain blond sheriff... if only for one night," Regina informed Emma, her voice sounded cruelly gleeful.

Emma ground her teeth together, trying to drown out the stab of jealousy to her gut at the words.

"I'll give you half an hour to save my reputation, sheriff Swan, then I'll take Hook home," Regina told her plainly and then hung up.

Emma leaned heavily agsinst a beam, her innards feeling like liquid fire. She couldn't believe Regina would do this to her. Sleeping with Hook just to... get back at her? But she was obviously drunk and Emma wasn't gonna let her do this to herself, either.

"Emma?" Snow asked. "Is everything all right?"

"No, I have to... get Regina. She's drunk and... I owe her a ride home," Emma said unwillingly.

"You don't have to do that, you know? She's an adult and I'm pretty sure she could find someone else..."

"Yeah, that someone else would be Killian... and I bet he'd love that particular ride," Emma gave back sharply and Snow seemed taken aback. "I'm sorry. I have to go. We'll continue this... another time," Emma said and pulled her jacket from the wardrobe. Then she left her mother's apartment for The Rabbit Hole.

Emma entered The Rabbit Hole to the usual noise of this place, the juke box playing, billard balls clinking, and, of course, a lot of conversations going on at the same time. The sheriff scanned the room and found Regina easily, she was sitting at the end of the bar, her arm leaning conspiratorally over Killian's shoulder as they talked to each other in a familiar fashion.

Emma set her jaw and walked over, coming to stand behind the mayor.

"Regina," she said, though she was sure the other woman already knew that she was there.

Regina turned her head toward her, smiling.

"It's the sheriff," she said to Hook and he turned also. Neither of them seemed inclined to break their intimate chat, they were obviously comfortable with each other even if it seemed a little forced, showy to Emma.

"Can we go now?"

"If you need to be somewhere else, sheriff, don't let me keep you," Regina said but then seemed to think better of it. She turned in her chair and Emma became very aware of the dress she was wearing as Regina laboriously tried to keep her legs mostly covered. Her false modesty had the desired effect, Emma stared at her and they both experienced a moment of rekindled desire and acknowledged it by staring into each other's eyes.

"I'm here to drive you home," Emma said around the lump in her throat.

Now Killian turned, too, and smiled easily at Emma.

"Why, Emma, really. Busting in on this private party like that. It may seem like you're jealous," he said looking at her curiously.

"I don't care how it looks, I'm taking her home," Emma answered but Killian slipped from his stool. He stood before her.

"A word with you," he asked with that devilish grin of his.

Emma looked at Regina who also stood now.

"You go ahead," she told Emma. "I'm gonna be... oh, I love that song. I think I'm gonna dance," she said and then half danced, half walked to the dance floor.

Emma's eyes lingered on her sexily moving form. She was enchanted, even though she was incredibly angry at the woman. The mixture made for an intriguing turn-on and for a flash of a second she saw herself taking Regina against a wall at the mansion in an angry passion.

She blushed at the thought and turned to Killian.

"What do you want?" she asked him through clenched teeth.

"Well, for once I want you not to - as they say in this realm - cock-block me. You know it's really sweet that you're storming in here all jealous but if you're not interested in procuring... my services for yourself, there's an interested party over there who..."

"Who called me to pick her up and get her home," Emma interrupted.

"She called you?"

"Yes, and seeing that she is a little too drunk to think straight, I think I better go with her wishes and take her home."

Hook looked thoughtfully from Emma to Regina.

"Hmmm, that's curious," he said. "You know I'm pretty sure she didn't have more than two drinks but... has it occured to you that maybe she called you to have you join our private party?" He grinned but Emma just looked at him with a stony expression.

"No, it hasn't and it won't happen."

"Too bad, I find the idea alone quite... inspiring," he told her smirking.

"I don't," she answered truthfully. "If you'll excuse me. I'm gonna get Regina home now."

Emma turned toward the dance floor where Regina still moved to the music in a unself-conscious circle of sexy moves. Emma breathed deeply and walked over.

Regina saw her coming and smiled at her. She made come hither motions with her hands. Emma tried to grab one of those hands but instead her own hand was taken, pulled at and finally held by a strong hand behind her own back. Regina's other hand rested on her hip, her body moved against Emma's in a slight sway.

"You said you wanted to dance with me," Regina whispered, her breath caressing Emma's face.

For a moment they remained like this, breathing into each other's nearness, relishing the contact, forgetting where they were, who they were. Then Emma closed her eyes and a moment later she stepped away and around. And she pulled Regina after her by her hand, that she was now holding.

"I'm driving you home," she said determindly.

"Wait, wait, I need my jacket and purse," Regina argued pulling at the hand that had hers in a tight grip. Emma gave in and they went back to Regina's seat. She picked up her things and Emma helped her slip into her leather jacket.

"I didn't know you had one of those," she found herself saying.

"We arrived here during the 80s, dear, everyone has one of those," Regina gave back smiling but it vanished when she saw Emma shake her head impatiently.

"Can we go now?"

"Yes," Regina answered and they left the bar.