A/N: Have I thanked you all for your nice reviews, favs and follows lately? I don't do this enough because it all means so much. Everytime you say you love my story, I glow. Thank you so much - so for all of you, here goes:

That afternoon Emma entered Granny's with a frown. She'd been trying not to think about what her father had said that morning and she had failed. His words had come back to her while she'd filled out reports, when she'd answered a call from Robby, the proprietor of The Rabbit Hole, about a break-in, and still haunted her as she sat down at the counter and waved at Ruby. The waitress smiled brightly at her and came over from where she'd been talking to Archie.

"Hey, Emma, haven't seen you in a couple of days. You look... like you could use some cocoa and a bear claw?"

"That sounds about right," Emma answered with a sigh and Ruby reached out her hand to touch Emma's.

"Are things still not better between you and..." with a careful look around the diner: "you know who?" Ruby seemed oblivious to the literary implication she'd put into the question.

"Actually, things between the queen and I are great. We're together now and," Emma said with a smile. "I couldn't be happier about that."

Ruby squealed, she pushed herself up onto the counter and leaned over to kiss Emma on the cheek.

"That's great, Emma, I'm so happy for you. How's Henry about this?"

"Ecstatic," Emma said with a laugh. Ruby's enthusiasm surprised her just a little but it shouldn't have. She'd been such a great friend through all of this and seemed genuinely happy that Emma was, too.

"That's wonderful. He didn't seem too happy the other day when he was here with David," Ruby related and Emma's face fell instantly.

"We had a fight about... well, he'd caught on to what was going on and I told him it wasn't going to happen after... the thing about Graham. He was really angry and went camping with... his granddad..."

"Yeah, David said they'd been out in the woods. He seemed upset, too, so I take it this is about him?"

Emma nodded.

"I talked to him this morning. He doesn't accept it," the sheriff said and her frown was back in place.

"I'm so sorry, Emma." Ruby held Emma's hand again and that was the moment another hand touched Emma's back. It was Snow and she gave her daughter a small, sad smile when she turned.

"Mom," Emma exclaimed and then felt herself engulfed in a tight hug.

Emma hadn't even realized how much she needed this hug, how much she needed her mother's support in this. But she had and now she felt it. She buried her face in the soft material of her mother's coat.

Ruby gave them some space and busied herself with Emma's order.

"You talked to dad?" Emma asked when she finally let go of her mother.

Snow nodded.

"Yes, he came by the school at lunch. He was pretty crushed."

"Well, he's not the only one," Emma gave back sharply.

"Hey, I'm not here to... condemn you for... being in love, Emma. But I can understand your father, too, you know?"

Emma nodded.

"Come on, let's sit down, let's talk, okay?" Snow took Emma's hand and pulled her from her stool. They went over to a booth and sat down. Ruby brought Emma's order.

"Anything for you, Snow?" she asked.

"Coffee and... I think I'll take one of those things, too," Snow said pointing at Emma's baked treat.

"One coffee and one bear claw coming right up." Ruby left them again.

Emma took a sip of her cocoa and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again she looked into her mother's compassionate ones.

"I'm in love with Regina," Emma found herself saying as if she wanted the blow of that confession out of the way right away, in case, her mother hadn't known.

"I know, I saw you two... I don't know, I think about two weeks ago. You were standing in front of the library and... the way you looked at each other, I was pretty certain about it then and what I observed at the council meeting confirmed it."

"Oh," Emma said, trying to determine what her mother might have seen that day in front of the library that made her think she'd been in love with Regina then. She had been but... she didn't think it could have been obvious for other people. "What made you think... I had feelings for her?"

"The way you looked at her. You...," Snow halted her words when Ruby placed her order in front of her. "Thanks, Ruby."

The waitress smiled at Snow and then put a hand to Emma's shoulder in silent support. The blonde looked up.

"It's okay," Emma told her and Ruby went to tend to her other customers.

"Does Ruby know?" Snow asked surprised, interpreting the care her best friend took with her daughter.

"Yeah, she does... she... she's been a great friend these last few days. I asked her not to tell you. I wanted to do that myself," Emma explained.

Snow blinked a couple of times, then smiled.

"She is a great friend," she agreed. "Where... right, the way you looked at Regina. It reminded me of how your father looks at me. And at the council meeting, you were really wrapped up in each other. You were tuning everyone out, I think you used magic... it was... obvious and I talked to David about it afterwards."

"That's when he started to get all weird with me," Emma said. "You think Regina and I used magic... at the council meeting?"

Snow nodded.

"When you were talking, I couldn't... hear you. Of course, everybody was talking at once most of the time but... I don't know, there seemed to be some kind of bubble around you and... unless you already knew there was something going on, you couldn't see it. David didn't, and nobody else I talked to about the meeting saw anything either."

Emma frowned at this.

"I didn't... we didn't... maybe Regina, I don't know," she stammered.

Snow reached over the table and grabbed Emma's hand, she squeezed it.

"It's okay, I... I think I understand. You know... I knew Regina before she became the Evil Queen. She was a lovely girl, full of life, ful of love. I know I'm partly responsible for... taking that love from her. I was a child and... Cora used me. I know that now, I know now how devious that woman was even then and why Regina was so scared of Cora finding out about Daniel... she was a lovely person, that Regina. Quiet lovable."

"She still is that. She's not the girl you knew but she's still lovable," Emma said and she thought it was important that her mother understood that.

"I guess it's easier for me to see that... quality in her than for David. I mean... he didn't know her back then. He only knew her when she was already... chasing me, then both of us. He knows that she tried to kill me and almost succeeded. He also didn't see her with Henry when he was little... because he was in a coma. You see... he never saw her good side, her gentleness, her... pain," Snow tried to explain and her eyes implored Emma to understand.

"I get that... I mean... but... he's supposed to be the good guy. Shouldn't he believe that people can change? That they deserve second chances?" Emma argued.

"Regina has refused to change many times, Emma. We've given her those chances, she never took them."

"Because she had nothing... nothing..."

"To gain?" Snow asked but Emma shook her head.

"No, not that. I mean it, she had nothing but her crown and her magic to hold onto. Why should she have still believed in good when everything good had been taken from her? I...," Emma stopped herself because she found it difficult to control her emotions, to not make a passionate plea for her lover that would certainly gain the attention of the whole room.

"Mom, I... I know you love dad and I know he thinks he's right but... he's not. I love Regina. I tried not to but... she's amazing and she's giving. And she loves me and... she's fierce and wants to protect me," Emma said.

"So does your dad," Snow argued.

"If he should try to... break us up, he's going to have to fight both of us, mom. I don't want that but I will do it. She's my happy ending," the sheriff told her mother.

Snow breathed deeply, then nodded.

"David said he... doesn't want Regina's help anymore, that we're going to find a solution without her."

"No, she's gonna help. The council already agreed on this and he can't just change these things because he doesn't... agree with us being together."

Snow shook her head sadly.

"I can't believe this is happening, Emma. After all we've been through to be a family again," she said and tears now glistened in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, mom, but I... can't have dad... walk all over Regina. He said some things this morning... I still can't believe he said them, mom."

They sat in silence for a long moment after this, their hands still holding each other.

"We... we've decided to take in Gordon, did you know that?" Snow then said and Emma looked at her surprised.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we... we met him a couple of times at the orphanage. He's... a smart boy, like you said, but... he's angry and... lost. We've agreed that we're going to try to help him," Snow said with a small smile.

"That's great for Gordon. I'm glad you're doing this," Emma answered but her enthusiasm seemed to have vanished now that things had changed so dramatically between her and her father.

"He's coming to us on Monday. Do you think you could come over, maybe bring Henry... just for dinner?"

"Can I bring Regina, too?" Emma asked sarcastically and looked at her mother.

"Emma, please, don't do this," her mother asked of her.

"I want for you... to like her, to see that she's not the Evil Queen anymore. She's... my woman, Henry's mom, she's probably the one who will find a way for you all to return home. What else do you want from her?"

"I'm going to talk to your father, Emma. I will keep talking to him but... it's going to take time. We'll be having dinner together at some point, all of us, as a family... but not as soon as Monday. I'm sorry," Snow said.

Emma nodded.

"I don't think I can do this right now, mom. I... love you, both of you, but... I can't ask Regina to stay home when we're doing something with the family... and I'm not gonna ask Henry to... attend a family dinner without Regina. He's so thrilled that we're a family now, mom. He's... happy."

"I'm glad, Emma. I saw him today and you're right, he seems very happy. And I understand... I just... it would be great if the boys could... be friends, maybe."

"I can talk to him about it but... he knows that David isn't supportive of us and... we probably shouldn't have talked about it in front of him but... I don't think we should keep it from him, either. I don't know," Emma said.

"Would you mind me talking to him about it? Just for him to understand where David is coming from?"

"You can try but... he's gonna defend his mom," Emma told Snow who nodded.

"I think we should all keep talking about this. I'd like to talk to Regina, too. Maybe we could... salvage something from those early days when we didn't hate each other."

Emma smiled.

"I'd like that... but it's her decision."

They kept talking like this for some time until Snow said it was time for her to go home and prepare dinner. Emma returned to the station but Tinkerbell was already there and they only talked briefly before Emma headed home to change for her own family dinner at the mansion.

Henry opened the door for Emma and grinned.

"Isn't it time for you to have a key?" he asked.

"Oh, I do have a key... damn, I totally forgot about giving it back," Emma said and searched her pockets for it only to discover that she'd left it in a different jacket. "Where's your mom... she isn't cooking yet, is she?" Emma smelled the air that was suspiciously void of delicious food smells. She looked puzzled at Henry.

"Mom had been on the phone pretty much since we've come home. I think the hospital blew some pipes and now they have water demage."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Emma said. "Where is she?"

"Living room," he answered. "She already ordered some pizzas, though, so we won't starve."

"Good thinking. Let me just see how she is and...," but there the doorbell interrupted her. "Can you get that? Here," Emma pushed her wallet at Henry and went in search of Regina. She found her where Henry had said she'd be, sitting on the couch, talking to someone on the phone and rubbing her temple. Emma walked behind her and lay her hands on her shoulders. Regina looked up at her and her eyes went from stone cold to gratefully warm in a second. Emma started kneading her lover's tense shoulders.

"Yes, thank you, Leroy. I'll talk to Whale about it," she said into the receiver. "Bye." Regina disconnected the phone and leaned her head back.

"Ohhhh, this feels good," she told Emma. The blonde smiled and leaned down to take adventage of the position of her lover's head. She kissed her.

"Yes, it does," she agreed.

"You know, it's become such a drag to try to make people do what you want when they've ceased to be afraid of you. It's like pulling teeth," the mayor complained.

"I think you have to work on your people-skills, woman," Emma teased.

"Come here, sit with me," Regina told Emma and tapped the seat beside her. "And I have excellent people-skills, the people of Storybrooke are just not receptive to them because they hate me."

"Not everyone hates you," Emma said sitting down. She immediately pulled Regina into her arms and began kissing her.

"At least one doesn't," Regina noted when they came up for air. But it was only a short moment before they recaptured each other's lips and let themselves fall completely into each other. They forgot the world for a while, they forgot about Charming and his reservations against Regina, they forgot about leaking pipes and water demage, angry doctors and desperate plumbers. Until they heard a loud cough from the doorway and quickly parted.

Henry grinned back at them, a plate with several slices of pizza in his hand.

"I just thought I'd tell you that dinner's ready. I'm upstairs if you need me, not that I think you will," he added with a wink.

"No, wait, Henry. Let's all eat together," Regina asked him.

"Yeah, come on, kid. We can eat here, right?" Emma asked Regina who didn't look too happy but nodded her head.

"Sure, just... try not to get any pizza on the upholstering, please."

"I'm not five anymore, mom," Henry said rolling his eyes.

"You stay here, I'll get us both plates," Emma said rising from her seat. "You want something to drink?"

"A beer, please," Regina gave back with a sigh.

"Pizza and beer, I like the sound of that," Emma agreed and went into the kitchen.

Henry, meanwhile, sat across from Regina, munching his pizza happily.

"How was school, Henry?"

"It was okay... I saw David there at lunch. He and Snow were talking... I think they were talking about you," he admitted and looked at her earnestly.

"Emma talked to him this morning. He's not... happy with her being with me. This isn't about you, though, Henry. He's still your grandfather and he loves you very much, you know that," she told him.

"He should just get over it. This isn't about him," Henry said frowning.

"No, but it's about his daughter and he has every right not to trust me with her."

"It should be enough for him that I trust you," Emma said from the door and came over handing Regina a plate and a beer.

"Thank you, darling."

They started eating and for a short while all conversation was suspended as they settled into a comfortable family evening. Henry rose at some point to get himself more pizza and after he'd left the room Emma said:

"I talked to mom today. I met her at the diner."

"Dare I ask?"

"Well, I'm not in tears, am I?" Emma gave back with a small smile.

"So you think she's okay with... us?" Regina asked. She seemed cautious in her phrasing and Emma understood.

"I think she is, yes. I mean... she understands why dad has his... problems with it and she's defending him but... I think she understands what is going on between us."

"Hm," Regina made but Emma could see that she wasn't convinced.

"She promised to keep talking to dad, to convince him that... we belong together," Emma continued.

Regina put her plate on the coffee table and turned more fully to Emma.

"I know that your parents' approval is important to you, Emma, I... I'm not going to indulge David in his... believe that he has any say in this, though." She took one of Emma's hand between her own. "This is our relationship, not his, and I'll be damned if I give him any kind of... veto over it."

Emma leaned over and kissed Regina.

"Neither will I, love, but... you're right, his approval is important to me. And I'll keep talking to him until he sees that you make me happy. I'm very happy," she told her lover and kissed her again.

"God, two minutes and you're already in a clinch again," Henry said upon entering, grinning at his mothers.

"You haven't seen us in a clinch yet, son," Regina gave back.

Henry protested at this and they continued teasing each other for a while.

"I talked to Snow earlier today, kid. And she wants to talk to you... actually, she wants to talk to both of you at some point. It seems that... she wants us all to be a big happy family," Emma then told them.

"She wants to talk to me? Oh, yippi. She's probably going to give me the treat-her-well-or-I'm-gonna-make-your-life-hell-speech."

"It's not like you've got anything to worry about then, do you?" Emma asked Regina with a smile.

Regina sighed.

"I guess I haven't thought this relationship through... I underestimated the involvement your parents would have in it," she rolled her eyes at Emma.

"They're not part of this relationship, love, but... well, they're part of both our lives."

"Hm," Regina made and looked at Henry. "I guess I'll be working extra-hard on finding a way back to the Enchanted Forest from now on."

Henry grinned.

"Then we can all go home," he said and his mothers looked at him in surprise.

"Erm, Henry... erm, we haven't really..."

"The Enchanted Forest is not your home, Henry, Storybrooke is," Regina told their son.

"You mean we're not going with everyone else?" he asked perplexed.

"No, I mean... we'll probably be visiting but... we're not gonna live there," Emma said.

Henry looked at them, stunned as it seemed.

"But...," he tried but stopped himself. "We're gonna visit? I mean, aren't we even... going to go with them at first... just to see?"

"Well... we've both been in the Enchanted Forest. We have seen it." Emma looked at Regina for support.

"Henry," his dark-haired mother adressed him and he looked from Emma to her. "I'm not going to go back to the Enchanted Forest - ever. There are too many things... I'm trying to leave behind. The Evil Queen. I can't go back. But as Emma said, you'll be visiting your grandparents and friends. I'd really like for you to wait... until things have... settled a little. Emma told you how it is there now, it's practically a war zone. It will take time to... rebuild everything."

Henry looked disappointed.

"I thought we'd be going," he said. "All our friends..." but he didn't finish that thought. He just got up and started to leave the room.

"Henry," Regina called after him and he turned to her, his eyes sad. "I'm sorry."

He nodded but then resumed his way.

His mothers looked after him before Emma turned and looked at Regina.

"He's gonna get over it," she said.

"I hope so... I... if I'd only known, Emma. If I'd known that I was going to have a son... I never meant to hurt him... and yet I wouldn't have him if it wasn't for the curse." She sighed.

"We both have him because of that curse... and we have each other because of it, too" Emma said. She cupped Regina's cheek and pulled her close. "We're gonna be fine, love. We already are."

"I love you, Emma Swan. You're my happy ending," Regina vowed.

"And you're mine, Regina Mills," Emma answered and they kissed.