Hi

"Hi." Emma's voice was far smaller than normal. Quieter. Timid. But she was actually surprised any sound came out at all.

She was looking at Regina. Finally, after so long, there she was. Emma couldn't even look away for the first few seconds. Regina had always been beyond beautiful, but here, now, she was on a whole new level.

Your hair. Emma very nearly whispered the words aloud. She almost thought she had. It was such a simple thing, yet it changed so much about her appearance. Regina's face was clear and seeing it like this made it look so much more beautiful. If that was even possible.

"Emma." Regina's voice interrupted Emma's emotional onslaught. For a few seconds at least. Emma refocused and tried to think of something to say.

"Hi." Shit.She mentally slapped herself. "I mean-"

"Hello." Regina responded and judging by the deeper breaths and shifting of her stance, she was dealing with her own inner turmoil. Both boys were watching the exchange with wide eyes. Henry slowly took a step forward, gaining Emma's attention.

"Henry." She let out a breath and took her own step forward, meeting him in a hug that was a little tighter and emotional then either had prepared for. "You okay?" She asked him, trying to use him as a focus point for a second and gain her bearings.

"Yeah." He mumbled into her shoulder. Emma used her hug with him to take a few more breaths before she finally looked back up again and loosened her hold. Regina though, had also used the moment to gather a couple thoughts.

"Luca, can you show them inside to the kitchen and I'll go put Lilly down?" She looked to her blonde haired son who was being respectfully quiet.

"Sure." He said hesitantly, watching everyone's faces closely. Regina patted his shoulder before stepping away from him and passed the other two. She opened the door and stepped through without another backwards glance. "Well alright then. This way." Luca walked with all the confidence in the world, following Regina's direction into the house, though he then turned and walked to the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked Emma, seeing already how affected she was.

"I have no idea." She replied honestly. "I just forgot how to use words." She shook her head at her own behavior before turning and following Luca.

"Yeah, that was embarrassing." He said and Emma jerked her head to see the small smile on his face. She let out a tiny laugh at the break in tension.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for this." She looked around as they walked down the hall. Just like Henry, she saw and wondered about all the pictures on the walls.

"I don't think anyone is." He started and looked up at her. "Sorry." He frowned and she placed an arm around him.

"Don't worry about that right now. We'll deal with your eternal grounding later." She added a small smile, but Henry knew there would be a long punishment from this.

"Would you like a drink?" Luca, ever the gentleman, stood by the table as the others entered the kitchen.

"Oh um, I'm fine, thank you." Emma replied, attempting to keep her tone even.

"I'm good." Henry said, as Luca's eyes went to him.

"I'm just going to run upstairs. I'll be right back." He smiled, though his eyes were on them both as he passed them again, leaving the kitchen and going up the stairs this time. Henry took a seat at the table and after a brief hesitation, Emma sat next to him.

"So…" She turned to Henry and he knew she had a million questions, but also guessed which one was first.

"She's her foster daughter. Her name is Lilly. She's an orphan. She's super shy." He said it all straight forward and to the point and Emma nodded along. While she was concerned with Regina's immediate departure, she was extremely grateful for a few seconds with her son to get a much needed head start.

"That's…I, uh…I didn't see that coming." She kept shaking her head and trying to take in deeper breaths. She hadn't ever even considered Regina having another child. She decided it was something that needed to be processed later. This day was overwhelming enough without over thinking that as well.

"Yeah, me either." Henry watched her and could see that piece of information settling.

"Are you okay?" She asked him now.

"I'm better today, that's for sure." He gave her a small smile. "It's really different, Mom." He said seriously. "Not at all like I thought it'd be."

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Emma held her hands in front of her on the table, looking to the side at Henry as he met her gaze.

"I think it's a really, really good thing." He watched Emma's face carefully and she gave a small smile.

"Good." She was still spinning. She was far more overwhelmed than she had been in awhile, but she felt a small calm settle her and tried to hold onto it. Even as she asked her next question. "This may be the most inappropriate question to ask my teenage son, but-" She paused and squinted slightly. "Does she have anybody…else in her life?" She carefully worded her question to him and was glad he didn't seem to thrown.

"I don't know. I haven't had enough time with her." He looked down, a little sadly and Emma rubbed a hand over his back.

"Henry, what were you hoping would happen here?"

Regina was trying to concentrate on her breathing and the four year old in her arms as she stepped into the house. She went right for the steps, focusing on what was in front of her and not the person behind her. It was a very difficult task though.

She walked into Lilly's room, which was originally a guest room, but they started converting it when Regina started the process with her and it was almost completely ready. She placed Lilly carefully into the bed. That actually had her focus for a moment, as this was something she had been looking forward to. She sat down and pulled the covers up to tuck around the girl and brushed her hair out of her face.

She took another moment of sitting there to try and keep her calm. Lilly was here. Lilly was finally here where she belonged. She was sleeping in what was now officially her bed in her room. Something Regina had been wanting to give her for some time. She smiled warmly at the little girl, looking completely content.

When she finally stood and turned, she saw Luca in the doorway and her smile reformed for him. He waited there as she came out to the hall. She left the door open, not wanting her to be too confused when she woke up. She hadn't been in this room before, but Lilly knew the house, and shouldn't be too disorientated when she got up. Regina placed her arm around his shoulders and walked them down a bit so they wouldn't be too loud.

"Are you okay?" He asked her quietly. She opened her mouth to reassure him right away, but then her voice failed her. She shook her head and tried again, but Luca saw her turmoil and just stepped closer and hugged her.

Regina wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly. It shouldn't be his job to provide comfort to her. He was the child after all. But then they had become a team in their time together. It wasn't quite as odd for them. Regina rested her cheek on his head and continued in her efforts to focus and stay clam. Her son was helping with that and she was so extremely grateful for him.

"I have to go downstairs." She said, though she didn't actually move at all, her words muffled against the strip of hair that remained on his head.

"Not necessarily. I'm sure you could hide up here for as long as you'd like. I'm rather certain they'd both be too scared to come find you." He pulled back enough so she could see the grin on his face and that also helped to calm her again.

"You have a point. But I can't hide." She said confidently.

"Are you okay?" He asked again. She managed to give him a nod, regaining some confidence.

"About as okay as I can be." She said and he nodded, giving her what he hoped to be a comforting smile.

"I can show Henry some of my games so you can talk to Emma alone." He suggested.

Regina knew that was a good idea, but couldn't help the wave of nerves that surfaced with just the thought of being alone with Emma. She had really been focusing on the kids so far. She had Luca which had been her only priority for some time now, then Henry who had dropped in and she had spread her attention to him, and then Lilly, which of course had completely filled today. She hadn't had time to really prepare for being with Emma alone or even at all. It was sure to be an interesting experience.

"That's a good idea." She finally agreed and they made their way back down the steps.

Her eyes landed on Emma the second they entered the kitchen and under different circumstances, she may have laughed at the way she stumbled over herself in an effort to stand as they walked in. Instead, she just gave a slight nod.

When Luca asked Henry to go to the basement, for a second, she thought he'd decline. He looked at Emma in the same way Luca had just looked at her. Seemingly checking in and ensuring the parent was mentally and emotionally stable enough to be alone. It was definitely an interesting set of circumstances. She felt a small amount of relief as she saw she was definitely not the only one overwhelmed here.

Once the boys had left, the silence that followed managed to reach a completely new level of awkwardness that shockingly surpassed the one that occurred when Henry arrived. Regina stepped slowly towards the table Emma still stood by. They each looked down but then continuously glanced up at the other. Emma finally cleared her throat and took a step towards Regina.

"I'm sorry this is so weird." She was happy her voice came out a little more sure this time. Regina actually seemed to lose just a fraction of her tension too.

"There's been a lot of that." Her voice washed over Emma and the blonde lost her focus just briefly once again.

"Um…I'm sorry."

"You said that." Regina tilted her head slightly. Her voice was not unfriendly, though it wasn't filled with emotion either. She was keeping ever tightly controlled for the moment.

"I really went over this all day today. I've been trying to think of how to greet you and now…I have no idea what to do." She gave a little smile, one that showed how embarrassed she was right now.

"And I haven't had the opportunity to think on it at all. It seems were at least on the same page somewhere." She returned the look and they fell into a silence again, though this one shorter.

"Should we…should we hug? Or shake hands?" She asked, and as she saw an easier smile start to appear on Regina's face, her confidence rose another notch. "Or we could do a fist bump." Despite everything, and there was a lot, a small soft snort escaped Regina and Emma smiled.

"Come here, Emma." She spoke softly and that tone alone had the younger woman revisiting many of the emotions she was beating down right now. She still managed to hold them back though.

Regina actually initiated the move and Emma was not about to miss the opportunity. So when Regina's arms came towards her, she stepped right to the brunette. In her head, she had imagined so many different scenarios. She had thought of everything from getting the door slammed in her face, to the epic chick flick move where lovers run dramatically into each others arms. She had thought of this too, yet was still somehow unprepared for the actual feel of Regina again.

It should have been absolutely perfect. Emma had worried because the biggest part of her thought Regina wouldn't want anything to do with her. But now, Regina was willingly being close to her. She had actually welcomed her into her arms. Emma didn't really expect to be so lucky. It should have been perfect.

As it was though, no matter how much either of them had missed this, missed the other's touch, their embrace, neither were prepared for the emotional onslaught that accompanied the small snow of affection. They both seemed to freeze a bit once they had closed their arms around the other.

Regina lost her confidence. She was already struggling back and forth. Her mistake, was acting without thought. For a second, things had felt normal again. Emma had been funny and flashed a smile and Regina forgot where they were and that all the time that had gone by. The second her arms slipped around Emma, when her fingers brushed soft, blonde hair and she breathed in a familiar sent, the emotions accompanying the senses hit her hard.

She missed Emma. She really did. No matter how much time was spent burying those feelings, ignoring them, attempting to forget them, they were there. She never thought this day would come again, but here it was.

She shouldn't have hugged her. She wanted to and part of her didn't want to let go, but she had to. She couldn't pretend everything was normal. She hadn't left and found a new life, finally finding herself, just to lose it all after a moment of affection. She had grown stronger than that. She was stronger than that.

They stayed in that position for a few more seconds until they simultaneously stepped back and looked immediately down at the floor. They let that awkward moment continue for a bit before Regina cleared her throat and tried to shake, what she could, of those emotions again.

"How about a drink?" She glanced back up at Emma, who looked more than relieved to have a break in her own thoughts.

"Water would be great." She saw the eyebrow raise from Regina, but chose not to comment further. She knew very well that alcohol wasn't her friend anymore and there was no way it would be helping now.

Regina ended up pouring them both water, again comparing this night to the last, with her son sitting so small at the table. It would be amusing under different circumstances. Now though, she felt that stress settle again.

"I'm sorry you had to come all the way out here so suddenly." Regina started. Emma put her glass down and looked up at her again.

"Don't be. Really." She said seriously. Regina just held her gaze silently. "I've been looking for you." She basically blurted out. The longer she looked into Regina's eyes, the harder it was not to reach out again. She resisted though. She knew from the brief hug that they couldn't just pretend like everything was normal again.

"Henry told me." She replied softly. "I didn't know. I wasn't necessarily trying so hard to stay hidden. But then neither of us really belong to this world. We didn't want people asking questions." She explained and Emma nodded along.

"I understand. I just wouldn't have thought you'd be so good at it." She gave a small smile. "Two years in a long time." She added quietly

"It is." Regina gave a slight nod in her agreement.

"You look well." Emma couldn't help but say something. Regina looked so radiant here, she couldn't stop the words, though she did chose them carefully. Regina waited a second before responding.

"Thank you, dear. So do you."

Emma glanced down just slightly. She knew Regina was only saying that out of politeness. There was nothing remarkable about her now. She wasn't in terrible shape, but the time and struggle of the years had worn her down. Her sleeping habits weren't great, her drinking habits had been worse. Despite her best efforts, it showed.

"You have a really nice place here." She cleared her throat and Regina tilted her head just slightly.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, it uh…it seems like a good neighborhood for kids." She said and Regina continued watching her curiously for a few more seconds.

"Yes, it is. It's why I chose it."

"Somewhere to settle?" Emma didn't know why she couldn't stop her words from coming out. She didn't think things could possibly get any more awkward.

"Yes." There was a finality in her tone that grabbed Emma's attention. Like she was making that one point clear.

"Um…Henry mentioned something a few minutes ago about a place you run for kids in the system." She saw something interesting then. There was a change in Regina there. Small and subtle, but Emma saw the way her energy changed. She even allowed another smile.

"It's for any kid that need somewhere to go." She said it casually, but Emma heard the pride there.

"That's amazing, Regina. Like…really amazing."

Henry had barely mentioned it before they had heard the others walking down the steps, so she hadn't had a moment to question him on it. The sight of Regina had clouded her thoughts for a few minutes, but now she was reeling from another surprising piece of information. It was weird to see someone and feel simultaneously as if no time had gone by and nothing changed, and like it had been forever and absolutely everything had changed. It was difficult to deal with.

"Thank you." Regina said sincerely. It's not as if she hadn't thought of Emma plenty of times since deciding to take on the center project. Seeing the teens from the home had always instantly made her think of Emma in her youth. The combination of her children and her lost love were most definitely her inspiration.

"He also told me about Lilly." At the mention of her name, Regina snapped to attention again. She understood Henry having conflict about her and even expected it, but she had no idea what Emma's reaction would be.

"Yes. I was rather surprised to get the call yesterday, what with it being a big day for everyone, but-"

"Wait, yesterday? You just got her?" Emma stopped her and Regina paused, looking curiously at her.

"Yes. We picked her up today." She said simply but Emma looked suddenly guilty.

"Regina, I didn't realize. We should go." She said suddenly and stood. Regina frowned and stood as well. "I'm really sorry-"

"You don't need to leave." Regina watched her as Emma rubbed a hand through her hair.

"We are completely intruding here-"

"No you're not." Regina interrupted her again, putting a hand out in front of her. She saw the conflicting emotions in Emma's eyes and knew she probably had them several times herself since Emma got there.

"You have to admit this is bad timing. You have other things to worry about." She finished and Regina took a deep breath.

She was in agreement on that. Maybe not bad timing, but it was not the best. She had a lot on her plate already and would have had her hands full had Henry and Emma not shown up. As it was though, this was the situation they were in. She may prefer having time ad space to handle it all, but that would mean them leaving.

She was overwhelmed, exhausted, and emotional, but for some irrational reason, she preferred that to the thought of them all separating again. That thought alone let her know how badly she needed to sort her feelings.

"That's completely true. And now I have you two to think about as well." She started, looking right into Emma's eyes. She saw that Emma seemed to look guilty again. "What I'm saying, is that you two leaving won't change that. It'll just leave things now open and unresolved. I'm not going to be able to stop thinking about either of you. Why don't you sit and we can try and talk through the most awkward atmosphere I have ever encountered." She softened her features as Emma took a few deeper breaths. After a couple seconds, she cracked a small smile.

"The most awkward, huh?" She asked as she took her seat again. Regina followed suit and sat across from her again.

"You don't agree?"

"Oh, well, my entire family finding out we were together was a big one. Then the moment my mother found out that our relationship had included sleeping together was especially epic." She paused and knew she caught a smug looking expression cross Regina's face for the briefest second. "But I'd still say Henry's objection at the wedding takes the cake." She spoke casually but her smile faltered when Regina's expression went blank and unreadable. Emma pressed her eyes closed for a second. "Oh God…he didn't tell you that."

"No." Regina said quietly.

"Well, there we go…this is now officially my most awkward moment."

"You think they're okay up there?" Henry asked, the game controller in his hand not getting very much attention.

"Who are you more worried about?" Luca spared him a glance, but was focusing on game at the same time.

"I don't know." He replied honestly. "At least there's no magic here. Less of a chance something gets blown up or burned down." He gave a small shrug and Luca smiled briefly.

"Just so you know, for when you're not here, we don't really use the word "magic" anymore. Not unless we're home alone. This is not Storybrooke." He reminded him and Henry nodded.

"Right. I hadn't really thought about it." He looked back at the screen and directed his player around, but he wasn't really focusing.

"Well you should." Luca said and Henry looked to him again. "I mean, you can't come here, and start saying things about Evil Queens and Knights and Princes and Princesses. Not just because people will look at you funny. You can't say that stuff to Mum. We're not in that world anymore. We're not part of it and we don't want to be."

"I understand." Henry held his eyes, trying to convey his feelings. "I really did want to come here to fix things. Not to bring back bad memories."

"Well that's going to happen." He said honestly. "Not that that's all bad. But tell me seeing her didn't bring up all your memories with her. Good and bad." He leaned back against the couch and Henry looked off for a moment.

"I guess you're right. But now I'm really worried about them. I was kind of hoping they would be a bit more happy to see each other."

"They adults, Henry. They won't be able to be happy until they get through the bad stuff." He shrugged and Henry gave him a small smile.

"You're going to be a really good big brother, you know that?" He said, gaining a surprised look from Luca.

Truthfully though, Henry was regretting blowing him off the way he had before. He had been too caught up in himself and angry at the world. It had taken him a long time to realize that there was some jealousy hidden in there, disguised. He had watched the woman he was so angry with, love and care for another child so easily. And though Luca had done nothing but accept the love freely given and return it in full, Henry managed to find fault with him. Undeserved fault. Henry just added it his long list of regrets. At least now, he wouldn't waste the opportunity.

He shook himself of his thoughts, but realized the younger boy was still watching him. Luca offered a smile in return.

"You will too, Henry."

"I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought it would make everyone happy. I thought it would make me happy. I think I knew in the back of my mind it was a huge mistake, but I couldn't stop it. I don't know why." She spoke a bit flatly, staring at her hands on the table. She was trying to recall the story without coming off overly emotional. It was time for some explanations but probably not emotional breakdowns. It was difficult to decide how much detail to give right now.

"I think I can understand." Regina spoke softly. It was clear her mind was whirling right now, but she had nodded for Emma to go on with the explanation.

She might be slightly overwhelmed, but hearing that small piece of information put her curiosity above her emotions for a second. She had always wondered what had happened after she left. When Henry had said it was only the two of them now, her thoughts kept going to that and how it occurred. Hearing she had made it to the alter before Henry stepped up and stopped it was both emotional and intriguing.

Had she not spent much time imagining Emma happily married with Neal, she may have been more distraught. But then she had truly assumed they had been married. She assumed they lived all together in their own home, maybe even in the Enchanted Forest again. She wondered if they had expanded their family. She wondered about them all the time.

But then none of that was the case. At least not now. Emma was not married. She was not living happily with another. She had not forgotten her. She had actually sought her out. She had come the second she knew where they were. Which made her thought continue on.

"That must not have gone over very well with your parents. I imagine they had something to say about you two ending up here now." She was surprised at the ease at which her words came. The new information was just processing and she found herself really able to focus more on that. She noticed Emma watching her.

"I guess Henry really didn't get a chance to tell you much." She said and Regina's curiosity only grew. "They're gone." Emma didn't show much emotion behind her words again. She was still trying to just give answers.

"Gone?" She repeated, trying to understand.

"They're not dead or anything. They just live in the Enchanted Forest now, along with like, a third of the town. I mean the town has a field of magic beans Tiny tends to, so traveling between worlds isn't like it used to be. We've seen them again since then."

"They just left and…you didn't go with them?" Her voice got a little bit quieter. Emma just looked at her with an expression that was close to incredulous.

"With the chance that you could come back and think we'd left you behind? I don't think so." Emma said confidently as she leaned back in her seat. Regina just stared, her emotions rising right back up from their resting place.

I'm sorry for the wait. This was a hard chapter to write and i had to go back and forth on it. But i want to thank kaylee214 and awhitefairytale for reading and helping me out with it. I hope you enjoyed.