A/N: Sorry for the late update!

Mistakes are all mine! I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

Chapter 16

"The princess of the dark kingdom was invited to a very special event taking place in the palace of the white kingdom. At first, the dark-haired girl didn't want to go, not only because her mother didn't approve but also due to the fact that she had just lost her father. However, once she was there, she couldn't regret it."

"The brunette walked around in the ballroom, searching for the familiar face of Snow White. When the princess had seemingly found the White Queen, she instantly laid eyes on a beautiful blonde-haired stranger standing nearby though. That stranger turned out to be the daughter of Snow and the one the dark-haired girl was destined to be with."

Henry looked expectantly and excitedly at Regina who started to enlighten Henry about the stories of the Enchanted Forest. Truth be told, the brunette actually only planned to tell the little boy about the dreams she had had the last days since her old memories of the Enchanted Forest were mostly boring and made her feel numb. The memories of the Enchanted Forest felt as if they were not real whereas her dreams took her into another truth. They made her feel something at least; they were exciting, thrilling and they often took her breath away. Maybe she just wanted them to be her reality because she missed something that she had never had for long; happiness.

They hadn't come far since she had only told Henry about her first encounter with the blonde-haired Savior. Regina hoped that she would have more dreams soon in order to create a coherent and meaningful storybook.

"What's her name?" The boy asked, hopping up and down on the red leather couch.

Emma watched Regina and Henry talk about the classic fairytales for quite a while only to find it overly cute and adorable. Her son normally didn't connect with people so quickly and was actually shy. However, with the brunette, he seemed to have created some kind of trust and openness right from the start.

"Whose name, dear?" Regina replied, smiling at Henry.

"The princess one and the other. I wanna know both." The little boy answered as he grinned sheepishly at the older woman.

"Well, what would you like to call them?" The brunette suggested and smirked at the boy.

"EMMA!" He yelled quickly and giggled.

Regina chuckled along before she spoke up again.

"What about the dark-haired girl?"

Henry contorted his face for a moment in order to think. When he seemed to have found a proper name, he smiled broadly and answered.

"Gina."

The brunette chuckled once she heard the shortened version of her name once more. Emma was also amused that her son apparently had no objections to lesbians because she laughed lightly just as well. The two women shared knowing looks for a second, staring at each other and smiling like two teenagers in love who had just been caught. However, both of them didn't acknowledge that fact.

When the small laughter died down and Regina locked eyes with Henry again, she spoke up.

"So I suppose we have gotten quite far, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but I wanna know more." Henry exclaimed happily as the ever-present smile on his face grew even broader.

Regina grinned due to the boy's cuteness and took a quick glance at Emma, who walked over and joined up with them. Before the dark-haired woman could speak up though, the blonde already started to say something.

"I think you'll have to meet up another time, kid. Neal's going to be home soon and since his cooking skills are even worse than mine I'll still have to prepare dinner."

"Can Gina stay and eat with us, please?" The little boy looked up at his mum with big eyes and a heart-warming smile instantly grazed his young face.

"I don't know, Henry. I'm sure she's got a lot of different things to do." Emma replied half-heartedly, secretly hoping for the brunette to stay though.

"I would love to stay. However, your mother is indeed right. I have some work to catch up on. I'm certain that we can do it another time." The brunette spoke up huskily and with an almost inaudible hitch in her voice.

Regina really wanted to spend the time with those two beautiful persons but she unfortunately had to still take care of some things. She just wanted to bypass the following circumstances. However, she knew that they were inevitable and thus she needed to deal with them sooner or later.

The brunette probably wouldn't deal with them today though. Her decision was also made due to the fact that Regina just didn't look forward to having a rather anti-intellectual conversation with Emma's idiotic husband. She would see Henry and Emma either way since the fairytale book wasn't near completion at all. Thus she could skip the 'pretending to be a happy family' – dinner.

"What a bummer." Henry muttered while looking sad and disappointed.

Regina chuckled when she heard the boy's statement, knowing that he had probably heard that term from his blonde mother before. Emma grinned sheepishly at the brunette before she tried to clear up the situation.

"I've never ever even said that."

Regina started to laugh breathily after she had heard the blonde's reply and she nearly started to tear up. Emma and Henry accompanied the brunette's laughter a second later even if the latter probably didn't even know what the fuss was about. Giggles, which were surely coming from the heart, filled the apartment for quite a while before a peaceful quiet engulfed the trio once more.

After enjoying the silence, the brunette chose to say goodbye and take off. She stood up, grabbed her belongings and walked to the door with Emma following her.

The blonde leaned against the doorframe lazily as Regina already stood halfway out the door. They smiled at each other instantly. As soon as Emma spoke up, the brunette's eyes quickly flickered over the blonde's lips and back to green orbs once more.

"So you want to continue this tomorrow? I mean, working with Henry on that book."

The brunette took in the emerald eyes of the other woman, dwelling in whatever feeling it sent through her before she felt able to reply. Her voice was an octave lower than normal.

"Yes, I would love to. I really had a good time today."

Emma had to gulp due to Regina's seductive tone, but quickly dismissed her feelings. The blonde smiled sheepishly when she finally managed to respond.

"Yeah, Henry and I enjoyed it, too. Thank you for doing this."

"Anytime. Goodbye Emma."

Regina leaned forward and kissed the blonde on the cheek before she made her way out of the apartment. The brunette's lips brushed over the other woman's skin so gently and briefly that Emma wasn't sure if they had actually touched. One way or another though, it sent a shot through her heart and made her blush immediately.

She was also quite shocked at the sudden invasion of her personal space and stood at the door a while longer. Regina was gone for quite some time when Emma whispered into the silence of the house with her fingers touching her cheek that had just been kissed.

"Goodbye Regina."

Thanks for reading! :)