A/N- glad you all liked the fun and crazy twist and I love your feedback on it! Hope you all like this update! Let me know how it is!

Emma stared at David bitterly. Storming into her office, she pulled on her jacket and grabbed her phone and started to leave. At the last minute she turned around.

"Just don't do anything stupid like telling mom until you, me and Regina figure this out," she spat, turning and leaving without giving him time to respond.

Before she could go home and think about what to do or how to forgive Regina, she had to talk to her. She headed for Regina's office. Even if she talked with her for a while, it was still early enough in the day that she would have time to think at home without Regina there. When she got there she went in without waiting for the secretary to give warning to the brunette that she was there.

Regina was sitting in the very chair she had been sitting in when Emma had told her she had no soul. Ironic, she thought. But her heart melted when she saw the chocolate eyes filled with tears and rimmed with red. Almost all of Regina's makeup was rubbed off, clearly she had been crying all morning. Emma made herself steel her face, not wanting to display her sympathy.

Once Regina noticed her, she wiped her face and blinked back her tears.

"Emma," she whispered.

"I talked to my dad."

"Oh?"

"Just clear one thing up for me, Regina. How am I supposed to make love to my wife when I know my dad has seen you naked? He has been inside of you. He's heard your moans and your whimpers, maybe you called out each others' names. His tongue has been in your mouth, his lips on your skin. How am I supposed to forget that when I would be thinking about it every time I touch you, every time I hear your moans? How, Regina? Tell me."

"Emma, I'm so very sorry."

"You've said that."

"I don't know what else to say."

"Say something. Anything!"

"When did you realize you had feelings for me?"

"What? I don't want to talk about this."

"It's important, Emma. Just humor me."

"I guess, outside of Granny's the night of mine and mom's welcome back party."

"When do you think I realized that I had feelings for you?"

"I don't know, I guess in the mines, when we stopped the trigger?"

"No. Sit, please." Regina motioned to the couch. Only after Emma sat did she speak again. "When you helped me stand, after the wraith's first attempt and you said I wasn't going to die, I started to wonder why you cared. Maybe it was just because of Henry, but he would have gotten over it. It was then that I realized how truly good you are. You cared and maybe you didn't have feelings for me at the time, but you saved me and that's what good people do. But the moment I really realized I might have loved you was when the wraith came back. When I tried to open the portal and I couldn't. When you grabbed my arm and your magic coursed through me to open it, that's when I knew."

"What? You've never told me that."

"Emma, you're so pure, so good. And I felt it and then you were taken away from me almost immediately. Your father had a feeling that you two were alive, which was what kept me believing. But when we decided that Snow and therefore, you, didn't need to know about that one time, all I could think was that I couldn't lose you again. I hadn't even kissed you, or admitted to my feelings but I wasn't willing to ruin my chance with you before I even got it. That's what I thought you knowing would do. So, Emma, I don't know what to say about how you could possibly clear your head of those thoughts while possibly being intimate with me, but I hope you can."

Emma stood and nodded. "I hope I can, too." With that, Emma went home.

Henry was playing video games when she got home. She sat with him for a few minutes, watching as he shot a bunch of guys on the screen. When it seemed like he had gotten to a decent place to pause she patted his leg. He paused his game and took his headset off.

"What's up, ma?"

"I need you to stay at your grandparents' place tonight."

"Why? You guys just got back."

"I know, kid. Your mom and I need to discuss some things and we need to not worry about involving you. You can come back home tomorrow night, ok?"

"Yeah, alright."

"Sheriff's station, David speaking."

"Hey, it's me," Emma said into the phone.

"What's up, Emma?"

"You, uh, you shouldn't tell mom. It's not worth it."

"Uh, yeah...ok. Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It would hurt her too much and if Regina and I figure things out I don't want mom to have more bad blood against her."

"Ok, Emma. That's fair. You think it's going to work out, then?"

"I can always hope. Can Henry stay there tonight? I don't want him and his big ears to overhear what Regina and I are discussing tonight."

"Yeah Em, that's fine."

"Ok, I'll send him over on his bike soon."

She shot a text to Regina that Henry would be staying at her parent's house tonight so they could talk and figure things out. Emma went to the office and poured herself a glass of apple cider and sat down. It was hard to think in a room covered with pictures of her family, including all the wedding pictures Regina had put up since they got back. She couldn't believe they'd only been back less than a week and things had gone to shit. They hadn't even been married a month! She finished her cider, poured another, fuller serving and went to sit on the back patio. The weather was hot, but she couldn't sit inside the house that held so many beautiful, happy memories.

She could get over it right? Other than this bombshell, Regina was a perfect partner for her. She had come such a long way from the evil queen and bitchy, controlling mayor she had once been. She was loving and sensitive, caring and beautiful. She had to get past it. She loved Regina, but even if she did, how would she ever be able to sleep with her again? Obviously, their relationship wasn't just physical, but could she live with Regina and not want to kiss her? touch her? But she knew doing so would bring unwanted images into her head.

She laid down in the grass, which had been freshly mown by Henry a couple of days previous. Her kid was good. Well behaved, smart, helpful. All things that Regina had instilled in him. The more she thought on it, the more she knew what she had to do, but it was still a hard decision for her to make.

Regina left the office at 5 as usual, but her stomach was knotted. She had gotten Emma's text before she'd even taken her lunch break and it caused her a great deal of torture for the day. She couldn't imagine a life of no longer going home to Emma. They'd had a long time to grow accustomed to being together, living together, loving each other. One night alone, one day of Emma being cold toward her and she fell apart. She had made far too many poor choices in her life and hurting Emma would be her biggest yet.

She made her way into the house and searched for the blonde. She checked every room, except their bedroom. Walking into the master bedroom last, she expected to see blonde locks within the confines of their shared space, but she was nowhere to be found. She moved to the closet and changed into jeans, leaving on her white blouse from the day.

She made her way to the kitchen to start dinner. After she had the chicken casserole baking in the oven she heard a low groan come from the backyard. She followed the sound to see Emma laying in the grass. She stepped outside and sat down next to the blonde's head. Emma looked up at her and quickly closed her eyes again.

"Is it after 5 already?"

"It is nearly 6, dear."

"I must have fallen asleep."

Regina noticed the empty glass at Emma's side, but chose not to mention it, instead she asked, "do you need some aspirin, dear?"

"Mhmm. And some food."

"Dinner is going. It shouldn't be much longer. You wanted to talk?"

"After we eat, sure."

"Emma...I..."

"After." The tone in her voice was clear. She wasn't going to talk until the moment she was ready. Regina nodded and went inside. She poured herself a glass of milk and set the table. She heard Emma come inside and sit in her normal place to the right of the head of the table. Regina hadn't placed her own setting at the head of the table where she usually sat. No, she and Emma were equals, they would sit across from each other.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Water." Regina nodded and brought back a glass of water and some aspirin before heading back into the kitchen to bring in the casserole. The women ate their dinner in complete silence, Regina looking at Emma often, trying to search her features for something, anything, to tell her they were ok.

Regina cleaned up after dinner and Emma sat at the island watching her. After several minutes of more silence, Emma spoke.

"I understand," she whispered in a low voice. Regina turned away from the sink and looked at her in astonishment.

"Wh...what?"

"I...uh...I understand why you kept it from me. I am still upset about it, but I understand why you didn't tell me before."

Regina started crying and braced herself against the counter. "Emma, I...I'm so very sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry about what you said in my office. About what you'll be thinking if we make love again. I don't see your father as anything but family, almost like a brother. And I think he sees me as a sister, now. I know it's weird to you, but he loves your mom. I doubt he even remembers much about that night. We had both been drinking."

"I doubt that."

"Doubt what?"

"That he wouldn't remember." Emma's voice lowered back to a whisper and she stared at the counter, and continued. "You have the most incredible body I have ever seen, I doubt anyone who saw it could forget it."

"Emma, that's because you love me. Your dad likely feels that way about your mom. Emma, if I could take it back, I would. It meant nothing to me. You...you mean everything."

"I know. And I forgive you for not telling me. But it's going to take some time before we can really and truly be us again. I need the images to go away first."

Regina nodded. "Emma, I would wait forever for you."

Emma walked around the island and placed a quick kiss on Regina's temple before going up to the guest room for bed.