Kailor: Well thank you all so much. The reviews are very appreciated! Please enjoy this next installment!

"Where?" she said, loosening her grip on Henry but not letting go. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Jefferson's house."

The answer made her wince. Jefferson lived out in the woods with his young daughter, Grace. That was probably the worst possible place to have a fire, surrounded by woods and with no one living close by. But David continued quickly. "No one was hurt though. Grace was over at a friend's and Jefferson was in town shopping. But the fire was pretty big. It took a nice chunk of the ground floor. It won't be safe for them to stay there until it's fixed." He sighed. "It's really lucky we even found the fire before the house was completely gone. Archie called me because Pongo ran off again and the dog led us straight to the fire."

Emma groaned, biting her lip. "Alright, set them up at Granny's bed and breakfast. We'll have to investigate anyways to see what caused it. Crap, I'll have to call someone in from the city."

"We set up tarps all around the burnt walls so that nothing could disturb the site. It wasn't until after that I got a chance to call you. But I figured you'd want to know about this as soon as possible."

"Yeah," she nodded. "You were right. Thanks, David. Not much else we can do tonight. Tomorrow we'll go up and see if there's anything we can figure out for ourselves and I'll call the city."

David nodded, standing up straight. "I'll head home then after I set up Jefferson and Grace. Mary Margaret is going to be freaking out."

Emma walked him out, wished him goodnight, then hurried back to wrap Henry in her arms again.

"Mom!" he groaned, but hugged her back.

"Complain later. You're sleeping with me tonight."

Ruby suddenly joined the hug, squeezing both of the Swans. "So am I!"

Henry kicked his stool away, slithering down to the floor and rolling away, leaving Emma and Ruby hugging each other. Before they could latch onto him again, he asked, "Did Leroy or Mrs. Mills get hold of you? I texted both of them."

Pushing her roommate away with a playful fist, Emma said, "Mrs. Mills, sort of."

Her son's eyebrows rose. "Sort of?"

"Well, her daughter came to tell me about your message."

Now Ruby was interested. "Oh, her daughter arrived? Mr. Mills was telling me she was moving here a few days ago. He was so happy." She pulled up Henry's abandoned stool, sitting at the island.

Emma nodded, thinking of the gorgeous woman that she had met. "She seemed nice."

Henry suddenly jumped to his feet. "Oh, man! I forgot I have work tomorrow! I have to get some sleep! Later!" He dashed up the stairs, his feet thumping loudly against the hardwood.

"I was serious about you sleeping with me!" Emma called after him. She heard his bedroom door slam and sighed.

"Calm down, Emma. Henry's fine." Ruby stretched herself across the island, crossing her arms and propping her chin on them. "You came flying in here like a tornado. I thought we were all about to be sucked off to Oz."

Emma just rolled her eyes, stripping off her jacket and boots. After her adrenaline spike and the over the speed limit drive there, she was exhausted. "How was work?" she asked, changing the subject.

The brunette shrugged. "The usual. Whale was there, hitting on me."

"Why don't you just lie and tell him you already like someone else?" When Ruby didn't immediately respond, Emma glanced at her roommate. The younger woman was staring at the wall, her cheeks tinged pink.

Ruby knew there was no point in lying to her roommate. Emma always seemed to know when people were lying.

The blonde grabbed the other stool, pulling it up close enough that she could stare at her friend's face. "So there IS someone?"

"No, shut up." Ruby put her hand on Emma's face, pushing her away. She squealed when Emma licked her palm and jerked her hand away.

"Ruby Lucas, who is it? Tell me now or I will creep into your room every night and sing 'I'm King Henry the VIII, I Am' until you rot of old age!"

"I'm not telling you!"

"Tell me!"

"No! Ah, get off! Rape!"

"TELL ME!"

The two tumbled to the floor, wrestling for control. Ruby got a lucky twist off and ended up on top, wrapping Emma in a headlock. The blonde rolled forward, flipping Ruby over and pinning her to the floor. "Ah ha!" she cheered triumphantly.

But Ruby grabbed a lock of blonde hair and pulled, forcing Emma to release her. They fell apart, panting and laughing.

"You're insane," Ruby huffed, straightening her shirt as best she could.

Emma just grinned. "You love it."

"So what about you?" Ruby stood and offered Emma a hand up. "Since we're on the subject and I'm very obviously switching gears so you'll leave me alone, you into anyone?"

The blonde just waved her off. "Nah. Too much work."

"Come on, Em," Ruby slugged her shoulder. "You need love. Get out there and get it!"

Emma sighed, shrugging. "Easier said than done. It's hard when you're-"

"Gay?"

"A single mom," Emma corrected her, narrowing her eyes at the brunette. "Plus, people are intimidated by me because I'm-"

"Gay?"

"Sheriff," Emma said as if Ruby hadn't spoken. "And it's my birthday this month and I'm already-"

"Gay?"

"Stop that!"

"Then quit giving me openings!"

For a moment, neither spoke. Then, "Gay," they chorused and dissolved into laughter.

When Emma caught her breath, she headed for the stairs. "I'm going to bed. I can't even handle you right now. I am constantly amazed by your ability to make me feel better while also exhausting me, Rubes. And I will find out who you like."

"Dream on, Sheriff," Ruby called after her.

At the top of the stairs, Emma turned right and followed the hallway all the way to the end. She pushed open her bedroom door and flipped on the light. Henry was curled up in her bed, already fast asleep. She stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a smile playing on her lips. Though he was nearly a teenager now, he looked so young in his stripped pajamas and her chest swelled with warmth. Her boy, her son.

She hurried into the bathroom and took a quick shower, then slipped on her sleep shorts and tank top and returned to the bedroom. She turned off the light and slipped under the covers behind Henry, scooting until she could wrap around him. When he was a baby, she had tucked him into her chest and rested her head on top of his. Now, as she placed her chin on his mop of wild brown hair, and curled her body around his, she found his legs bent around her knees and his feet rested on top of her own. The strangest urge to cry hit her and she blinked rapidly, forcing them back. Henry would think she really was insane if he woke up and found her crying over how tall he'd gotten. So she settled down to sleep, resting one hand on Henry's back so she could play with his hair. The silken locks between her fingers had her quickly drifting off to sleep.

XXXXXXX

Henry woke with a weight over his torso, pressing him into the bed. He cracked one eye open, immediately closing it against the bright dawn light pouring into the room. His eyes fluttered open a few more times until finally he could see clearly. He turned his head, trying to see over his shoulder. "Mom?" he croaked.

Suddenly, the weight lifted off of him and so did the blanket. It rose into the air, revealing Snoopy sleep shorts and long legs. The sides of the blanket lifted like wings. "I am the night!" the blanket proclaimed in a horrible squeaky voice.

"Oh, no, Mom don't-"

And the blanket monster leapt onto him, tickling him and chanting, "I am the night! I am the night!" in the same creepy voice.

"Mom!" he yelled through his laughter. "Stop!"

The door suddenly burst open and another blanket monster hopped into the room, hollered a battle cry, and dove on top of them. For nearly twenty minutes, Henry fought to free himself, laughing so hard he was crying. Finally, he managed to pull himself out of the bed and stumbled to his feet. He raced down the hall, slamming his door so he couldn't be followed.

The first blanket flipped back, revealing Emma's wild blonde hair. "Jeez. Kid's no fun sometimes."

Ruby emerged from the second blanket, grinning. "He'll thank us for this one day."

The two split, still laughing, to get ready for the day.

Emma pulled on her favorite baggy, gray sweatpants. After a little deliberation, she settled on a plain blue tanktop over her running bra. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and grabbed her Ipod and it's armband case. She strapped it on as she hopped down the stairs. Henry was already there, eating a bowl of cereal. Wolf was stretched out on the floor at the boy's feet, sleeping.

Wiggling her fingers at him, Emma hissed, "I am the night!"

Henry pointed his spoon at her like a sword, leaving the threat unspoken.

She grabbed her messenger bag from by the door and opened the pantry, shoving a handful of nutrition bars into her bag. Then, while Henry wasn't looking, she dumped in two packets of pop tarts. "Do you need a ride to work?" she asked, slinging the bag across her chest.

Henry shook his head, swallowing before he spoke. "No. Mrs. Mills is going to pick me up. She had to bring Mr. Mills for a doctor's appointment anyways so she said she doesn't mind."

"That's cool of her," Emma said, hugging him. "Tell her hey from me."

"Well, we have to pass the park to get to Town Hall anyways. I'll just make her honk at you and you can wave."

Emma glanced down at Wolf, who had lifted his head from the floor. "You coming with me, buddy? When did you even get home?"

"He was coming through the dog door when I got downstairs." Henry glanced at the flap at the bottom of the back door. "I think we need a bigger dog door though."

She agreed with a snort. "Alright, see you later, kid. Have a good day. And my phone is on super loud so if you need me-"

"I'll call you. Or someone near you. Or send the bat signal into the sky. Got it."

"Smart ass," Emma chuckled fondly, ruffling his hair. He grumbled as she left, but couldn't stop his smile.

XXXXXXX

Regina settled deeper into her seat as her mother drove. She had wanted to stay at the hospital with her father until his tests were all done, but he'd insisted she go with Cora. So she listened to her mother talk about the places they passed, smiling idly at Cora's tour guide voice.

When the woman turned onto Hill Street and stopped in front of a small, two-story house, she blinked in surprise. "Where are we?"

"Sheriff Swan's house. I'm picking up Henry for work today." Cora texted a quick message. She held the phone up to Regina, grinning. "Isn't technology great?"

Regina rolled her eyes at her mother's enthusiasm.

A moment later, the door to the house opened and a boy dashed out, slinging a backpack over his shoulder. He noticed Regina in the passenger seat and changed direction, hopping into the backseat. "Morning, Mrs. Mills!"

"Morning, Henry," Cora replied sweetly, turning in her seat to peer at him. "This is my daughter, Regina."

Regina turned as well, giving the boy a smile. Her breathing caught just for a moment when she found Emma Swan's eyes staring back at her from the young face.

"Henry," he said, offering his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Henry." She shook his hand, pleased to find his grip firm and confident. He didn't look much older than eleven, but he seemed quite mature.

Cora pulled out of the driveway and drove back towards Main Street. Regina kept her gaze on Henry. She'd always loved kids. "What do you do at Town Hall?" she asked, folding her hands in her lap.

"Anything they need me to do. Mrs. Mills or Aurora usually have me grab them lunch, carry messages from office to office, and I answer the phone sometimes when it's a local call." Though these seemed like very mundane things, and barely like a job at all, Henry was quite enthusiastic about it. She smiled at his obvious enjoyment and asked him more questions, smiling wider at each answer.

"Oh! Mrs. Mills!" Henry suddenly sat up straighter in his seat. "Can we pull in here for just a second? My mom wanted to tell you hey."

"Sure, dear." Cora pulled the car over, rolling the window down.

The chilly air pressed into the car and Regina leaned around her mother to look out at the gorgeous little park in the center of town. It surrounded a small lake and had a running track around the perimeter. A small playground wasn't far from their car. Little children, bundled up against the cold, were racing around it and climbing it, their laughter loud in the morning hush. The place was simple, but Regina loved it. She vaguely recalled that it hadn't been there when she was a child.

"There she is!" Henry crowed, rolling his window down as well.

Regina turned to where Henry was pointing.

On the other side of the lake was Emma. Her long legs were eating up the distance at a startling speed. Regina had seen people run every morning in New York, but they would jog or run for short periods, then slow down. This woman sprinted, like she was trying to catch something. Her Ipod was strapped to her arm, the ear buds secure in her ears. Her breath puffed off in white fog, left behind as she raced along the path.

When Emma rounded the lake, Henry began to yell, waving his arms out the window. For a moment, she showed no signs of hearing him, then her green eyes shifted to the car and she slowed, actually having to lean back to halt her forward momentum. She jogged over to the waiting vehicle. "Hey, Henry. Cora," she puffed, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She pulled her earbuds free, leaning down into the window. "Miss Mills." She grinned over Cora at Regina.

The brunette hated that her brain refused to come with a snappy reply. She had always prided herself on her sass. And now she couldn't even form the words, "Good morning."

"Your son said you wanted to say hey," Cora explained, happily patting the forearm that Emma leaned on the window frame.

The woman's tanktop shifted a bit and Regina saw a flash of a small tattoo just above her heart, then it was covered again.

"Actually, I told him to tell you hey for me, but this works." Emma laughed. "But I was going to call you once I finished here. Have you heard about Jefferson's house yet?"

"We saw Jefferson this morning at Granny's when we stopped to grab breakfast. How bad is it?" Cora's face became serious.

"I haven't really seen it yet. David saw it last night. But I called my friend in the city a little while ago and he said he'll be out here by this afternoon. Then we'll head up there to check it out." Emma's soft pants had calmed to an almost steady rate. "Would you care to join us, Madam Mayor?"

Cora thought about it for a moment, tapping her lip with one well-manicured nail. "I would, but I have so much paperwork to get through today. We have a budget meeting coming up, you know. However!" she said, as if she'd just had an epiphany. "My daughter can go with you! Right, Regina?"

Regina blinked, her mouth opening and closing quickly, but no sound coming out. "Me?" she finally said. "I don't know anything about fires."

"You don't have to," Cora said. "You can just go as my representative and take pictures. Emma will handle everything, won't you, dear?"

"Of course," Emma said, nodding.

"Well, I-I guess I could-"

"Wonderful!" Cora clapped her hands together. "It's settled. You'll stop by my house before you head up there and pick up Regina?"

"Yes, ma'am." Emma's eyes twinkled over at the brunette, who was still mouthing wordlessly.

"Can I come?" Henry piped up.

"No," Emma and Regina said at the same time.

Emma's eyebrows rose, her lips quirking up on one side. Regina ignored her.

"That's not something you need to see, Henry," she told him, softening her voice. She had just met the boy. She didn't want to run him off.

But Henry didn't seem phased by her refusal. In fact, he grinned. "I figured. Can't blame a kid for asking."

Emma reached through the back window and mussed his hair, grinning at Regina. "Settled then. I'll see you this afternoon. Should be around five. It's a date," she chuckled.

"If this is your idea of a date, I don't place much stock in your tastes, Miss Swan," Regina quipped. She grinned, happy to find her sass back in action. It wasn't her best line, but at least she wasn't just mouthing at the green-eyed sheriff.

Emma's crooked smile grew wider. She patted the car door and stepped away, replacing her earbuds. With a wave, she was off again for another lap of the lake.

Cora turned twinkling eyes on her daughter. Regina just glared at her, refusing to let herself return the woman's smile.

XXXXXXX

Cora settled behind her desk, looking at the boy who flopped into the seat across from her.

"Where's Regina?" he asked.

"She's down the hall. I suggested to Aurora that she could use a nice tour of Town Hall," she said, grinning. "So, what do you think?"

Henry thought about it a moment, crossing his arms. His fingers tugged at the frayed edges of his old scarf. "I like her. Mom said she seemed nice last night."

"Good start," Cora said. "Looks like Operation...what was it again, darling?"

"Operation Hero and Leander."

"Right." Cora nodded. "Looks like Operation Hero and Leander is on. That was our agreement, yes? If they seemed to hit it off, we would go for it?"

Henry grinned. Cora rose and crossed to the little fridge in her office. She returned with two bottles of apple juice, pushing one across to Henry. He snatched it up, opening it. He lifted the drink towards her. "To the operation!"

Cora returned the toast, laughing. "To love, my dear. To love."

Kailor: And next chapter, we get into the fire! Reviews appreciated, dearies.