"Wha-" she startled at the sound of her son's voice overpowering the music coming from the stereo. Her eyes snapped open, when had she closed them? "Oh, hey kid. What's up?"
He was looking at her strangely from the doorway of the kitchen, "you okay?" He asked, concern evident in his eyes.
She moved, reluctantly, to turn down the volume nozzle on the stereo before grabbing the knife once again and continuing to grate the cheese before her. "I'm fine," and though she didn't know why, she wasn't.
They'd had many moments in the past year like this, times when both would become lost in thoughts that wouldn't materialise, memories that weren't there…
Henry merely looked her over once more, watching the far off look come back into her eyes before moving from the room to give her space, she's done it so many times for him when little things gave him pause for reasons unknown.
As soon as she heard Henry's bedroom door click shut softly, she turned the volume back up and allowed the words to wash over her.
Hey there Delilah
Don't you worry about the distance
I'm right here if you get lonely
Give this song another listen
Close your eyes
Listen to my voice it's your disguise
—
"One day…we'll be together again"
"But-"
"No…Emma, I…"
"Please say it Regina," dark hair was moved by the breathiness of Emma's statement, their foreheads pressed together as their fingers intertwined between them no longer aware of any around them. Her hand came to tangle within dark locks as the tears began.
"I'm afraid," came the choked reply as she felt the woman tremble against her.
She laughed, though it held no mocking or amusement, only sadness. "Me too." Emma pulled her face away then in order to capture brown eyes with green, "I don't want to forget you"
"Then don't…" She knew it was inevitable and there was nothing Emma could do about it but for now they could pretend. "Just…just give me something, a sign, a memory…anything to remember you by" her voice was verging on a whine as her own body shook with unvoiced sobs.
Dark eyes flitted between green as she brought a hand up to cup a pale cheek, her fingers tingling with the magic she was embedding into Emma's head. They moved forward at the same time, eradicating the distance between them until they were sharing the same air. "I love you, Emma Swan"
"I love you, Regina Mills"
A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they've got planes and trains and cars
I'd walk to you if I had no other way…