"There's something wrong with Henry."

Regina could be a lot of things, sometimes she was an evil bitch, others she was the mayor in her demanding habitat, and for few times she pretended to play nice... But mindless of what she was being, she was always acting over Henry's best interests. She never left the mom character get out, it stuck with her twenty four seven. And even if Emma found it really big of the woman, she knew Regina could be a pain in the ass if she had the littlest suspicious that something was wrong with her son. And Emma knew how over the top she acted once in a while.

And that day was clearly the woman's once.

"I know! He slept ten minutes through Lord of the Rings-"

"Not that! He's been acting strange lately, I'm worried about it."

Emma engaged in a really hard battle to control her eyes and not to roll them, the Here we go again! that passed through her thoughts was enough.

"Strange how?"

Regina indicated silently for the blonde to hold her thoughts and wait. Henry was finished with his breakfast already, he usually would just sit for a book or something. Though recently he's been out more often, and negligent with some tasks from home and school.

"Henry, I asked you to take the trash out last night." She yelled when he was nearly out the door.

Without a second thought Henry walked back into the kitchen.

"Oh, sorry, mom, I forgot. I'll just do it now, 'Kay?"

In complete silence they observed as he did as requested, Emma still trying to understand what was actually wrong with him.

"What does that prove?" The blonde asked once Henry closed the door leaving.

"I never take the trash out at nights. It's always every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the morning. Yesterday was Saturday, and I never asked him to do it." She explained the routine.

"So?"

"Miss Swan, I never change my house's routine if not strictly needed. And my son is always eager to notice and question it. He's been having problems at school also. He's not as excellent student as he used to be."

"He's got good grades, Regina." Emma had to argue with that point, because yes, maybe his grades had fallen a little, but still the kid went through some hard shit it was only normal his studies fell a little from the pedestal of excellency Regina requested.

"My son isn't a good grades student, he's a perfect grades student."

"I think you're overreacting." Emma tried reasoning but knew the other would insist, "But I'll keep an eye on him, okay?'

"Thank you."

"Well," Regina collected their empty cups and started washing up, "we have a lesson to get to."

Emma had lost track of time, she actually was late for someone who needed to go home and be back at Regina's in few minutes so she quickly ran for her key-chain.

"But I didn't even showered yet, I need to get home and-" The unusual tingling sensation was overwhelming, and ran through her body like a bucket of warm water would but she was not wet at all, "what d'you do?" She questioned froze in place.

"Shower, it's a simple spell."

"That's cool! This could save me a lot of time."

"You're such a pig, and that's why I'm not teaching you this." Regina splashed few drops of water from her hand to the blonde's face before taking a dishrag to dry hands.

"Alright, I'll learn it by myself." Emma shrugged it off.

"That I'd like to see..."

"Is this a challenge?"

"Yes."

Emma Swan was not one to prowl around daydreaming, however, that's exactly what she kept doing with a higher frequency than she gave it credit for. When she woke before leaving her bed, when she showered, when she ate breakfast, when she had a big bunch of paper work to do, when she was asked to look after Mary Margaret's oven and lost track of time making whatever plate burn, when she sat at Granny's to take a hot cocoa. Not even the magic books had her full attention.

It all started with one call...

"Sorry, Regina, I can't make it." She sounded all the sad she was, the meetings with Regina were one of the best parts of her week and she knew how Regina reacted whenever Emma had to be absent. The sheriff just hoped that as a lot of things change this had too, that Regina was more flexible with Emma if she couldn't make it to the lesson.

"What?!" Regina's voice wasn't actually mad, she was... Disappointed?

"I need to talk to Mary Margaret now, I can't come." Emma explained.

It took a moment for the response to sound through the speaker, the change of tone was clearly there, "If you want to keep this arrangement going I suggest you request Snow to wait for a more suitable moment. You have fourteen minutes and fifty-one seconds to be at my backyard."

"I can't." Emma was surprised with how tiny her voice sounded, how sad and pathetic she must've seemed. Last thing she needed. She bit her lower lip, her eyes were half-closed and her eyebrows frowned while she profoundly regretted how it came out.

"Then I can't either. Your choice, Emma." Instead of the harsh intonation, Regina was soft with her words, as if she didn't mean to make Emma feel any judgement through, if she didn't want to do this, be in this position, although she needed. And the way she spoke Emma's name was just all too much to reason.

And that's all the blonde sheriff thought for hours, days... Your choice, Emma. It kept finding its way around her mind every once in, well, always.

Even she almost being late, Emma did get to Regina's backyard on time. She was breathless from the run she had done to where the mayor waited for her to appear. Regina walked from side to side and scrubbed her hands against each other with nervousness. If Emma wasn't concentrated on recovering herself she might have noticed the relief smile that blossomed on Regina's lips briefly after she walked in.

Whenever something went wrong with her parents Emma stopped by at Regina's, and the currency of this was increasing a considerable amount for nearly every weekend in a full month. Apparently Emma thought she should restart the whole dating thing, and it always brought her troubles at home, because Mary always woke her with the same questionnaire and they always ended fighting by the tenth, or eleventh question.

But Regina was tired of the situation, after all Emma was an adult she might start behaving like one, maybe then her mother would stop treating her like she's some sort of teenager who's still learning to make decisions. For times she wandered where the woman that broke her curse so long ago hid herself into.

Dinner was nearly finished when the doorbell came to life, and Regina doubted Emma would be so early on her front door, after all this was just the time she usually took her dates, she asked so that none of their lessons were scheduled in difficult times of the day.

Although, there she was, Regina rolled her eyes when opening the door to the woman she expected to hear the insufferable request to pass inside the house, so she could correct and finally Emma'd walk inside. Regina didn't know why exactly they kept the routine, they just did.

But for one time, Emma kept silent. Until Regina huffed opening the door and stepping away giving passage for the other.

For the look on Emma's eyes she was just about to postulate over whatever situation happened that night, and Regina was not about to take it. She might have been condescending with the situation, but everything had its limits and this was hers.

"What was it this time? Oh no, let me guess! You had a really bad date with a radon person today and your mom couldn't help her prying, and you got home to Snow and her... What was it again? Sure! Her thousand questions about it."

Regina felt angry, not only because Emma seemed completely incapable of making her mother understand she wasn't fine with the way Mary Margaret seemed to want to make choices for her daughter. Also for how the blonde always ended up at this same spot, where Regina could anticipate what exactly she'd say.

"Would you stop it! You have no idea what I'm going through here... I don't think I can make it tomorrow." Emma was actually pissed, not just whiny as usual. But it didn't keep Regina from her own moment of raging.

"No, I don't have idea. You claim to be having the worse days of your life in this town, but still do nothing to stop it. You chose to do this, you chose to keep doing it, so whatever this really bad date did to you has nothing to do with your commitment to this specific moment of your day. I expect you to be here regularly on time unless it's something of huge importance and not a childish reaction to a situation you caused yourself. Are we understood?" Emma kept silent, but Regina demanded an answer. "Are we understood?"

"Yeah."

"Yes." She corrected the lousy response.

"Yes."

"Good." Regina walked to the dining table and arranged an extra dish for Emma.

And they sat in front of each other.

"I hope you like Apple pie." Regina spoke while cutting two slices for them both and placing on each of their plates.

A moment of silent went by, and the thought that had bee haunting Emma lately came back. Regina's voice. She didn't even noticed the pie Regina offered.

"Miss Swan?"

"You called me Emma. On the phone." She spoke as if this was the greatest enigma the world had ever known, a completely complex puzzle she was hardly going to solve.

"How was it?" Regina spoke after yet another salient moment. She avoided Emma's words, the last thing she needed was rationalizing why she called Emma by her first name.

"What?"

"The date, how was your date?"

"Oh, fine I guess..." Emma responded shrugging with disappointment for the sudden change of subject, and finally starting her piece of pie. The last thing she wanted to discuss with Regina was the damn date.

"Really, Miss Swan?" Regina insisted.

"Okay. There was no date. He was late and I just waited for him to arrive and left." She looked down to the content in her plate while playing with the spoon, not ready to face Regina, who sure had one of her winning smiles on.

"Why? Why did you leave only because of a few minutes of lateness?" Dear God, Regina was so enjoying this moment.

"Because, lateness is a sign of uncompromising person and he did not really seem to care about it. That shows his lack of commitment, and that's not why I went on a date with a complete stranger, I don't need to get laid, you know?"

"Yes, you do." Regina countered.

"Regina!" Emma whined over the abrupt comment.

"Who did teach you that might I ask?" Regina casually asked.

"Yo... id."

"Sorry, I couldn't quite comprehend what you just said."

"You. You did."

"Thank you, Miss Swan. For your commitment to this."

When Regina received the call that night she breathed a deep deep deep breath before answering, because for the obviousness of whatever it was ahead involved troubles and a certain blonde. And she was right.

"My hand just slept..."

Thought about retort the woman with a Hello, how are you Emma? I'm fine, by the way, thanks for asking. But Regina wasn't one of running through a circle, so she kept the direct talk.

"What did you do?"

Emma seemed to ponder until finally the response came from the other side of the line, "Nothing... he didn't deserve. He was touchy, and smelly, and loud, and he wouldn't let me go so I sent him. I sent him to have a little reflection moment with an intimate friend at the bathroom."

"Is this your soft and polite way of saying you gave him digestive issues?"

"Did it work?" Emma asked hoping for a positive response that deep down she knew wasn't coming.

"No!" Regina stated disgusted.

That was just one in the ocean of atrocious ways Emma ended her nights. Yeah, some of them were decent people but there seemed to be no way she'd actually connect enough with anyone. And she was actually almost giving up on the quest because no matter how fucked up was being out with strangers and all that... Shouldn't she at least enjoy some of the whole bunch of dates? So maybe she wasn't made for the love business.

Henry was sorta behaving out of his character lately, Emma could finally notice. But she knew in her gut that whatever reason he had, this couldn't be as bad as Regina's worries made, but Emma knew Regina and there was nothing to be done but wait until they could be sure of what kept their son so out in the clouds.

Regina was a pain in her ass, she just called nearly everyday asking if there was something new and giving reports on how her son did the most ridiculous facets, like forgetting to get naked before getting into shower, sneaking on her garden to collect flowers when he thought she wasn't watching, he even started a run routine, and asked for exercise equipment. Why the heck would a thirteen year old want to grown muscles was beyond Regina's knowledge.

The brunette always expected to hear Emma's own report back, but the blonde wasn't as comfortable giving away details of Henry making himself embarrassed. But when things were just too much, she started observing closely, and Emma noticed the notebook he recently started carrying around, making notes day and night.

And just as the dots started linking she got a call from Regina with one more of her expected briefing sections.

"Em-" Regina stopped her speech suddenly, and restarted with farther formality, "Miss Swan." Emma questioned why she kept from saying her name instead of Miss Swan, Sheriff Swan, or one of the names she'd use to avoid pronouncing Emma. "I found a note on his picket."

"For God's sake Regina-" Emma started to censure Regina right away.

"I wasn't prying, alright?" Regina immediately defended herself before Emma came with a lecture. This was one of the few times they reversed parts. "It just fell from his jacket pocket while I was collecting it to wash. But that's not why I called, the note said someone requested to see him this afternoon at the Toll Bridge. Why would someone invite my son to visit such place?"

It was funny that Regina could be so naive when it came to Henry, and Emma couldn't help her chuckle.

"He's thirteen, Regina." The blonde spoke as if the sentence explained itself.

But this was Regina and, even if it didn't happen so often, she only saw things when she wanted. And this was most certainly one of the times she didn't want to. So Emma hang up the call and collected her keys.

If Regina needed to see it, that was exactly what Emma would do. Show her.

Regina's office was in complete quietness when Emma "hurricane" Swan arrived bursting into her office and taking her by the hand out the door without any explanations. She didn't seem to mind a tiny bit the glares they attracted with Regina's complaint, but the mayor didn't resist being taken wherever Emma was taking her.

"I already figure it out, but you need to see so I'm showing you." Emma said halfway to the cruise.

They left the car, and standing from the distance they both saw Henry and whoever sent the note to him, Regina was surprised to see a girl there. And as much as she didn't want to accept it was happening. Emma was smiling, and Regina tried to do as the woman beside her, but she just couldn't.

It completely terrified her, and it took a glance or two over the mayor for Emma to notice her fearsome expression, she didn't hesitate on taking Regina's hand as a gesture of comfort. As who said, It's okay, I'm here for you. Emma saw as Regina eased under the humble touch and decided to keep holding her just in case.

"Should we look away?" Emma asked against her will, she totally didn't mean, she was excited as hell for Henry last thing she wanted was to look away.

"I don't think it would hurt to observe a bit more." Regina whispered while paying close attention to the scene.

Henry was a bit clumsy, he certainly got it from Emma, Regina thought. The girl seemed to be shy, too shy for someone who dared writing a note, Regina didn't expect such behavior. Henry tried calming, and making sure the girl was alright her before actually kissing her.

And Regina eased the last bit she needed to when Emma started humming Kiss the Girl, and so she smiled, she felt happy for it. Even with all the concerns running through her mind, she felt this wasn't bad after all.

"They're so cute. She's beautiful, isn't she?" Emma's pride was noticed galaxies away. "He's got a great taste." Regina wanted to give one of her eye rolls but instead she just chuckled with the comment. "He probably got that from me."

A/N: Just one more to go. R&R?