A/N- A huge thanks to my readers and reviewers. To the guest that left the long comment- Regina isn't demanding or guilting Emma into letting her be friends with David, she just wants Emma to be clear in her decision. Regina will stop being friends with him if that's what Emma wants.

Hope you guys all like this chapter, it was a hard one to write. Let me know what you think!

Around 4 that afternoon Regina sighed, exhausted of her paperwork and she really just wanted to get home to Emma. Emma's message was the best thing that had happened to her all week and she wanted to get home to her wife. David had told her he would be at the house shortly after 6 and Henry hadn't spent a Saturday at home since summer began, so she knew that he would likely be gone. She decided to go home and see if Emma felt like having sex, or trying to anyway. She bunched up a couple of piles of paperwork to bring home, figuring she would work from home the next day.

When she walked into their house it was still. She was pleased by the quiet, knowing that meant that she was right and Emma was home alone. She searched the house for her wife, finding her collapsed on their new bed, face down in the new dark purple bed set. Emma must have heard her come in because she turned her head out of her pillow and smiled at Regina.

"How was work?"

"Better after I received your email. I appreciate that, my love."

"Is it after 5 already? I was going to start dinner for you…I'm sorry."

"No…actually I came home a bit early. I…I thought maybe you'd want to try and take advantage of the new bed…together, while we were still alone," Regina offered shyly.

Emma didn't verbalize a response, but she sat up on the edge of the bed and took Regina's hand into her own, pulling the brunette toward her. She tilted her head back so she could look into her wife's eyes and slowly unbuttoned the crisp white blouse that Regina was wearing. Pushing the fabric off of tan shoulders, she moved her hands to the button on black slacks, undoing it and pushing the pants past the voluptuous behind she so adored. She laid back on the bed, pulling Regina's hand so her wife would follow, which she did. Regina straddled Emma's hips and Emma's hands roamed soft, tan skin until one hand reached dark hair and cupped the back of the other woman's head, pulling her down to kiss the full lips above her.

The women kissed for several minutes before Regina moved her hand underneath Emma's shirt and traced the muscles of the pale stomach with her nails, lightly scraping to get to rough denim. Unbuttoning the jeans, she pushed them off lean hips and without Regina moving off of her, Emma wiggled them the rest of the way down her legs, kicking them off her feet. Regina moved one hand into Emma's underwear and found her clit, rubbing slow circles around it. The brunette used her free hand to tug down the top of Emma's tank top and bra, taking her nipple into her mouth and flicking it with her tongue. Emma moaned lightly, letting Regina touch her and wanting to touch back, but her hands seemed to be glued to the brunette's waist.

Regina moved her hand lower, wanting to enter her wife but met resistance and nearly no wetness. Her head snapped back and the hand that was hooking Emma's top below her breast moved off the blonde's body before the hand in her underwear could respond. Quickly though, Regina jerked her hand away from Emma's core and out of her panties. She didn't know if it was her pregnancy making her more emotional, or the fact that Emma had sent her something so sweet that morning but her body wasn't responding to Regina's ministrations, but no matter what the case, Regina broke into tears. She moved herself off of Emma's hips and hurried to the bathroom, trying not to let Emma see her tears fall.

After she closed the door she sat on the edge of the tub and tried to stop herself from crying. She heard a soft knock after a few moments and Emma's voice followed.

"Can I come in, Gina?" Emma whispered, using the nickname that was reserved for when she knew she was in trouble. Regina sniffled and wiped her nose and eyes with a tissue before responding that the door was unlocked. Emma entered and sat on the lid of the toilet seat, facing Regina.

"You told me you want me," Regina choked.

"I do, Gina. I do want you," Emma soothed, using her hands to rub Regina's biceps.

"We've never, in nearly 3 years, had a problem with…with that."

"I know. It's not like I wanted that to happen. God, you have no idea how much I want you. It's just, I…I can't turn off my mind right now."

"So…no sex right now, then."

"Well, I could…I could take care of you…Gina."

Regina looked at Emma as though the woman had just spewed vomit all over her. "No. I don't want pity sex, Emma. I want my wife to want me to make love to her. If you can't right now, then neither of us will." Emma's face held a pained look but she nodded and walked back to the bed, knowing Regina was walking behind her. She picked up her wife's clothes and handed them to her. Regina dressed herself and told Emma she was going to start dinner, earning only a slight nod from the blonde in return.

Another week had passed and Regina and Emma still hadn't been together intimately again since that one day on the couch. Snow still refused to talk to David, and half the town was speculating at what happened between the four adults that had caused such a rift. Emma and Regina had spent almost everyday arguing, their sexual frustration getting the best of them. It was Saturday again and Regina, Emma, David and Henry had all spent the day playing video games, or in Regina's case, reading. While they were all sitting down for dinner, the doorbell rang and Regina stood to answer it. Snow was standing on her porch when she opened the door, the pixie-haired woman's face turning into a disgusted look as she took in Regina. The older woman stepped aside, waving an invitation to Snow, who stepped inside only to look forward and see David sitting at the dinner table with Emma and Henry, Regina's spot displaying a plate and glass of water.

"Well, it's nice to see you're upset about us being apart, David," Snow stated just above a whisper when she got to the dining room.

"Henry, go upstairs please," Emma directed. She received a nod as Henry stood up and took his plate with him to his bedroom.

"Snow, I…what do you expect me to do? I'm not going to be rude and not eat with them when I'm a guest in their house."

"I can't believe you…I can't believe you are ok with this." She turned her glance to Emma. "I can't believe the two of you can sit in here with this…this trollop and have a family dinner!"

"Snow!" David scolded. "That's Emma's wife you're talking about." David looked to Emma for help, Emma who had chosen to stay with her wife, but the blonde remained silent. Regina noticed that fact, too.

"Snow, I understand you're upset about this situation, and I understand you likely wish to speak with David, but you can get out of my house now, if you're going to throw out such insults," Regina reprimanded.

"Emma, you're going to let her kick me out?" Snow asked her daughter. Emma just looked at her plate uncomfortably before getting up and walking to the kitchen. After a couple of minutes of raised voices and the sound of the front door slamming, Emma heard the familiar clicking of heels in the house coming close to the kitchen. She looked up to see Regina entering the kitchen.

The brunette walked to Emma and stood in front of her. "What was that, Emma?"

The blonde shrugged. "What was what?"

"I understand we're working through this, but you really just sat there and let your mother call me a trollop? Why is that ok with you?"

"It's not my business."

"The hell it isn't!" Regina shouted. "This is your business! I'm your wife, Emma, and you just let your mother insult me, in our home. Even your father stood up for me! But you just sat there like I deserved it. I thought we were trying to get better, not worse."

"Regina, my mom's feelings are justified, I'm not going to yell at her for having her opinion."

"Maybe not, but you sure as hell shouldn't have let her disrespect me in my home…our home."

"Well, it was a good thing Prince Charming was there to rescue you," Emma spat.

"What the hell, Emma? What is your deal this week?"

"Do you know what it's like, Regina? Do you know what it's like to want to be fucked by your wife but not be able to because every time you get in the bed your father flashes into your brain?"

"Emma, I've apologized a hundred times!"

"I know, and I want to forget it! I do! But I can't stop the images from burning my brain every time you touch me."

"I…what else can I do, Emma? I'm trying everything I can here!"

"Nothing, just…I need to leave. I'm going to the bar, don't wait up." Emma tore out of the kitchen not even bothering to put on a jacket before she slammed the door behind her and got into her bug to drive to The Rabbit Hole.

She spent an hour drinking by herself, shot after shot of tequila. At first she figured if she had a few shots her body would desire sex enough to clear her mind of the images that might otherwise enter her thoughts. After the hour had passed, though, she felt her limbs loosen and her mind fogged. Neal sat down next to her and she looked over at him, her eyelids slightly droopy.

"Emma, got something to take off your mind?" he asked sloppily. He had obviously been drinking a while, too. Emma hadn't seen him when she came in, but it didn't surprise her, she had just wanted to get to the drinking part without caring enough to observe her surroundings.

"Yeah. God. Seriously. What about you?"

"You, as always. Well, not exactly you this time. I went on a date and it was uncomfortable."

"Why?"

"She wasn't you."

"Neal…"

"I know, Emma. I pretty much figured that when you got married my chances were officially over. Anyway, what's going on with you?"

"My wife slept with my dad before the curse was broken. And now I can't fuck her or let her fuck me because every time we try I get these…images."

"Fuck, Emma that's…fuck."

"Yeah, pretty much my thoughts."

"Well, here's to drinking." Neal ordered them each three more shots of tequila that they took straight, one after the next.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" David asked as he stepped through the back door to the backyard. He looked down at Regina, laying in the grass, her hair fanned out in a halo around her head.

"I sometimes like to lay down and look at the stars when I need to think."

"Oh…um…do you want me to leave you be?"

"No, that's ok. I wouldn't mind the company." She pushed herself up so she was sitting wither her legs stretched out in front of her, ankles crossed and she was leaning back oh the palms of her hands. David sat down next to her cross-legged.

"Where'd Emma go?"

"To drink."

"I'm sorry, Regina."

"It's not your fault, it's my own. I just…I thought Emma and I were strong enough to work through this, but now I just don't know." She paused, thinking a moment. "Thank you for defending me earlier."

"It's no problem."

"It probably is in Snow's eyes. You didn't have to do that, you…you shouldn't have to do it."

"No, Emma should have done it, but as much as I love Snow, she will eventually come to regret how she treated you. Her words were not fair to you."

"I'm starting to realize that no matter how good things are going in my life, I will always manage to somehow ruin them for myself. History is repeating itself."

"Don't think like that. It's only been a week and a half or so, just give Emma a little bit longer. She'll come around." Regina nodded, though she was doubtful. She decided to check on Henry and go to bed. Bidding David a good night, she headed into the house that had so easily become theirs instead of just hers. There were subtle reminders of Emma everywhere and it tore at Regina's heart.

As she laid in bed that night, she spent almost an hour tossing and turning, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. She almost called Emma several times throughout the night, but didn't. She wanted to let the blonde have the night to drink, then hopefully they could talk again in the morning.

Emma's eyes blinked against the morning light, sitting up slowly and lifting one hand in an attempt to both shield her eyes from the offensive light and to rub against her head. Her head was pounding and she couldn't remember how she got…to Granny's Inn? She looked around the room and recognized the wallpaper as the same that Granny's had. She forced herself to sit up and tried to move out of bed. She reeked, badly, she had to get home and take a shower. She had to go to the station. She checked herself, noticing she had slept in her shirt, but had taken off her pants, as she usually did to sleep. She grabbed her jeans from the floor and noticed the lacey black fabric inside the blue material. She moved the blanket, already knowing what she would find. She groaned when she saw that her bottom half was completely bare as a small flash of Neal's face crashed into her mind.

"Oh fuck. What did I do?" she whispered.