Sorry for the wait again everyone. I had to fly home to tend to some family issues and it's been crazy busy for me. Anyway, as for the story, my thinking is to try and move the story along a bit. So for this chapter I am having the ladies come home from the their honeymoon because I have a little surprise in store for Regina. I figure if she surprised Emma with the honeymoon, Emma gets to give her a surprise wedding gift.

The morning they left Greece it took Emma at least two hours to convince Regina that they would make time for themselves to go on vacations like this one again and that they really had to go home.

"I'm sure the town is doing perfectly fine without me in my office and I'm sure your father is doing is job at least well enough to maintain some sort of order."

"You know, if I squint really hard at the comment it almost sounds like a compliment."

"I assure you I didn't mean it as one." Emma rolled her eyes and zipped the suitcase on the bed shut.

"Sure you didn't. Now come on, we need to get home."

"Why all the rush in getting home all of a sudden? Didn't you enjoy your time here alone with me?" Emma walked right into that one and she had to play it off carefully.

"You know good and well, that I loved these last two weeks. I don't think we wore clothes the entire time we were here." Regina snaked her arms around the blonde's waist and kissed the base of her wife's neck.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Never, I rather enjoyed spending weeks of my life completely naked, but we have to go home because I have a wedding present to give you." Regina's eyebrows arched and she laughed.

"A wedding present?"

"Well, I figured it's only fair since you did all this for me."

"Pretty sure the honeymoon wasn't just for you my love. You didn't have to get me something special, I told you as long as you showed up for the wedding I would perfectly happy."

"All the same, I think this surprise you're gonna like."

"I hate surprises."

"I know." Emma grabbed the last bag and put it next to the one she had just finished packing and with one more glance around at the house she and Regina agreed that they were all set to go home. Regina used her magic to transport them back to the mansion and Regina was little surprised to not hear her son or her in laws moving around the house.

"They aren't here." Emma answered her wife's question before she had the chance to ask it.

"Let me guess. They are helping you with this surprise of yours." Emma smiled and nodded her head.

"Now come on, I told them we'd meet them down there as soon as we got home." Emma was all but pulling Regina out the front door and toward Regina's car.

"Well, now I know you are up to something if you are willingly taking my car over your death trap." Emma let that dig go and got Regina settled into the passenger seat before getting behind the wheel. She handed Regina a sleep mask and Regina eyed it with a confused look on her face.

"Just put it on and no peeking." Regina took the mask and looked at Emma again as if to question if this was really necessary.

"Yes, it's really necessary." Regina rolled her eyes, but complied with Emma's request and put the mask over her eyes, effectively blinding her for the drive through town. Emma took several turns that she really could have avoided in order to throw Regina off. After about town minutes of aimlessly driving near the town border Emma finally parked the car.

"I'll come get you, keep the mask on." Emma went around the car and helped Regina out of her seat and walked her wife towards the area her parents and son where waiting for them.

"Emma, I might not be able to see, but I can still smell and I have a pretty good idea of where we are based on my olfactory senses alone."

"Doesn't matter, you still don't know what we are doing here." Emma moved Regina through the slightly uneven terrain and finally stopped. Emma lifted the mask off Regina face and Regina could now see a beautiful young house trotting slowly around the enclosure behind the stable.

"He's beautiful, but did you really drag me away from Greece to look at horse?"

"Not look at." Regina turned around to see David, Snow and Henry all standing a few feet behind them and Snow held a riding helmet out to Regina. "Ride." Regina looked to her wife for an explanation and Emma smiled and pointed to the horse.

"You always talk about how much you loved to ride. I thought it was time to make some more happy memories surrounding riding horses and these stables."

"So you bought me riding sessions?" Emma shook her head and physically turned Regina around so that they were both facing the young horse.

"No, I bought you a horse." Regina turned around fast in her wife's arms so that they were nose to nose.

"You bought me a horse?"

"I did." Emma just barely got the words out before Regina kissed her hard. Regina grabbed the helmet from Snow's hands and while she could have easily walked through the gate, she instead climbed over the fence and into the enclosure. Emma laughed at her parent's faces as Regina climbed the fence like a teenager, losing all her mayor resolve and instead enjoyed the prospect of doing something she loved doing as a child. Regina kept the helmet in her hand as she stood still a few feet from the animal. The horse had seen her coming and was already moving towards Regina, eager for the chance to investigate this new person. The horse stopped about a foot away from Regina and the mayor ran her hand gently over the horse's head. As Regina ran her hand all the way down the animal's face to the edge of his nose the horse nudged the hand and moved even closer to Regina. Emma watched with fascination as the horse let Regina stroke it and rest her head against it's own. David stood directly behind his daughter and Snow stood on the other side of him with Henry.

"I've never her seen her like this before. I mean she's had really peaceful moments before, but the look on her face is one I have never seen in all our time together."

"Horses are amazing creatures Emma, they become very in touch with their rider. They understand each other on a level that escapes most humans and it's like they already know what's hurt you and they are going to make it better." Emma listened and watched as Regina kept her head rested against the horse's and they both seemed totally content.

"What do you think he knows about what hurt her?" David looked up to see the horse move his head so that his neck rested on Regina's shoulder and from the angle David stood at, it looked like the horse was hugging Regina closer to him.

"Everything. I think he knows everything." Emma wasn't sure if she felt bad that those things happened or touched that an animal could sense that long ago felt heartache, but either way she watched as Regina backed away from the horse just enough to put the helmet on her head. In one swift movement Regina had hoisted herself up onto the horse's back and after getting used to feeling a horse underneath her again Regina took the reigns in her hand and led the horse around the enclosure. Once she had a feel for the horse she told Henry to open the other gate that opened out to a huge stretch of land that could easily be used to run a horse. Regina was still for a moment and Emma could see the smile on her face as she flicked the reigns, resulting in the horse taking off in a slight gallop. Once Regina reached the end of the clearing she turned the horse around and after shifting her body forward slightly she and the horse took off in a powerfully fast gallop. As she ran that horse around the clearing like a kid who just got handed her first pony, the rest of the family watched from their place near the fence. Henry asked to go closer and Emma warned to stay out of the horse's way, knowing full well that Regina would see Henry and not let anything hurt him.

"She looks like she's 18 years old all over again." Snow pointed out as she watched Regina.

"She certainly looks happy." David added and his wife shook his head.

"It's more than that. Her father encouraged her riding, Daniel, encouraged her period, but One by one Cora took those things away. She forced Regina's hand in pushing away the only parent that had the capacity to love her and you know what she did to Daniel. After all that, I never thought she'd ever have that same carefree air about her, but it's there now. She finally got back everything Cora took away. She looks happy sure, but it's more than that…she looks free."

Emma looked up to see Regina get down off the horse and carefully show Henry how to handle the animal. Being able to teach Henry about horses as her father had taught her made the smile on Regina's face grow to the point where Emma was certain her face would crack. Her mother was right: while you could say that that was the smile of a happy woman, Emma knew better. It took far too many years, but after what felt like a lifetime of waiting Regina finally felt free and this time no one would take it away.

Sorry for the wait you guys, things have been crazy at home with family issues, but I wanted to sneak this in before I moved onto more family stuff in the story. I clearly have zero knowledge of horses so forgive any incorrect bits of info, I looked up what I could find, but that wasn't much. I have the next chapter planned out in my head, so when I get the chance it'll be coming your way so just stay with me on this. Thanks again.