Kailor: I wonder who caught the reference about the club owner. Hmmm. But anyways, thank you all for the reviews. I love that you guys are all happy with Henry Jr. and Cora, cuz they're my favorite dynamic to write at the moment. Followed closely by Emma and Ruby and Emma and Regina. Can't decide which of those I like more. Meh. But keep the reviews coming! I'm aiming for triple digits, my friends!

Regina was roused from dreams of swinging hips and green eyes by a soft tapping on her door. She lifted her head from the pillows, clearing her throat to call, "Come in."

The door opened and a small head of brown hair peeked around it. "Good morning, Miss Mills," Henry said politely.

"Good morning, Henry. And you may call me Regina, dear."

He shuffled a little farther into the room, biting his lip. "Oh, okay, Regina. I was-uh. Well I was supposed to ride to work with your mom, but she's asleep with sunglasses and earmuffs on, so I don't think she's going in until later. But I have a lot of stuff to do today. I'm reorganizing the filing closet. But I also sort of need to stop at my house to get some stuff I forgot. So...I mean, if it's not too much of a bother, could you give me a ride?" He rambled to a halt, then took a breath and plunged on. "My mom doesn't like me walking to work this early in the day. But I could call Uncle David. He went home when you guys got back, you know, but he could-"

"Henry," Regina interrupted softly. "I'll drive you. Give me just a few minutes to get dressed, okay?" She smiled when his face lit up. He nodded vigorously, then shut the door. She heard his footsteps hurrying down the stairs.

When she was dressed and had brushed her hair and teeth, she joined him in the front hallway. He led the way out of the house and to the car, waiting patiently for her to unlock it so he could open her door for her. Once he was settled into the passenger seat of her black Mercedes, he put his seatbelt on and grinned up at her, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. She turned the car on and backed out of the driveway, feeling his stare the whole time. Once they were on the road, he spoke.

"How come you haven't been in Storybrooke since you were little?"

She glanced at him, noting the little furrow of curiosity between his eyebrows. "Did my mother tell you that?"

Henry nodded. "I asked her why I've never met you before. She said you moved away when you were about my age and you've only been back a few times since."

Regina bit her lip, slowing as they waited for an old woman to cross the street. "That's true. I went to boarding school when I was eleven. I chose to stay at school during the holidays and I spent the summers taking extra classes."

"Sort of like an all-year around Hogwarts?"

Her laugh echoed in the car. "Something like that. As soon as I graduated I moved and went to college. Harvard." She saw his eyes widen and smiled. "I got my degree from there, then went to study abroad for a few years. Then I returned home, joined my firm, and became partner fairly quickly. There was never really time to come home. I barely had time to call. I stayed in touch with my friend, Kathryn, but only because she pushed to remain in touch." She turned onto Main Street, frowning. "My mother called last year and asked me to come home to take care of my father. It took me a full year to finish up at my firm. I am technically retired, but I still hold an interest in the company. And I will still be getting a few checks."

He laughed as she wiggled her eyebrows and rubbed her hands together playfully. "Well, I wish you would have come home more. I would have liked to meet you sooner."

"Quite the little charmer, you are."

"It's a gift."

They sat in silence for a few moments, then she said, "Your family seems quite close to mine. How come I haven't heard of you before now?"

Henry thought about it for a moment, chewing on the corner of his lip. "I don't know. I asked Pops that too. I mean, I've heard a lot about you from your parents, but I guess you didn't hear anything about me until you moved here, huh?" When she nodded, he continued. "But I think that's something you'd better ask my mom." He quickly changed the subject, directing her to turn at the next stop sign.

She slowed when he pointed out his house. The driveway was already full, Emma's yellow bug blocked in by a little green sedan, a dark blue van, and a black truck. She parked on the curb, frowning at the assortment of vehicles. "How many people live with you, Henry?"

He followed her gaze, smirking. "Just Aunt Ruby and Mom. But when they go out, Mom always makes everyone come and stay at our house. She feels safer that way. Sheriff's not a job, it's a way of life." The boy hurried out of the car and around the hood end to open her door for her.

She followed him to the house, eyeing the simple style. She liked how inviting the little home was, with its wrap-around porch, complete with swinging bench. Henry fumbled with his keys for a few seconds, then got the door open.

The inside of the house was nice as well. She stepped straight into the kitchen, which led into the living room. A staircase sat in the corner, leading up to the second floor. To her left was the open doors to what she assumed was an office, with a desk and a small couch. It was small, but it had character.

And a lot of guests.

The brunette she'd first seen Emma dancing with the night before, Belle, was asleep on the office couch, curled up with a sweet smile on her face. Mulan was asleep on the living room couch, sitting up with her arms crossed and her head leaned back. Aurora, one of the redheads Regina hadn't really met, was laid out beside her, her head on the deputy's thigh. Ruby was passed out on the love seat, her arms thrown haphazardly over her head. Ariel had crawled into the armchair and was wrapped tightly in a blanket. And Tink was face down on the kitchen table, a puddle of drool nearly dried against her cheek.

Henry paid no mind to the women scattered about his house. Instead, he motioned for Regina to follow him upstairs. She did, trying not to wake the slumbering group as they passed.

Upstairs she found herself in a hallway that split both directions. To the left, she could see an open door. Inside was a messy room with red walls and carpet. By the large belly she could see in the bed, she knew Mary Margaret was there. Next door to the red room was a small bathroom, then Henry's room. He led her into it, but she stopped in the doorway.

His room was very clean for a twelve year old boy. The desk was organized and the floor was clear of dirty clothes. Instead of posters of bands or sports teams on the walls, he had maps of places called "Prydain" and "Westeros". He had quite a collection of dreamcatchers, bordering the room's walls.

The sisters, Anna and Elsa, were asleep in Henry's bed, back to back. Henry didn't comment, but she saw him blush when he glanced at the redhead sleeping on the edge. He quickly gathered his backpack, shoved a few more things into it, and shooed her out, closing the door. "Just a few more things to grab from Mom's room. Come on."

She wanted to tell him no, feeling like she'd already seen far too much of the house, but he slipped down to the far right end of the hall and she trailed after him, running her gaze over the pictures on the walls. There were pictures of Henry when he was little, of him and Ruby playing basketball in the driveway, of Emma holding a snowboard and making a face at the camera.

Henry opened the door to the master bedroom without pausing, hurrying inside. She slowed just outside the threshold, unsure if she wanted to look in. It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know if Henry's father was still in the picture or if Emma was with anyone else. A part of her didn't want to look in and find the blonde in bed with someone, but she peeked in anyways, ready to step back out.

She was surprised to find the room very clean. Like Henry's room, there were no clothes on the floor, like she'd expected, no boots lying about. The top of the dresser was clear of everything except Emma's badge and a single framed photo of Henry and Ruby. There were more pictures on the walls, but none on the bedside table. Emma's wallet sat there, beside what looked like a leather bootlace, a set of keys, and Emma's phone.

And Emma herself was fast asleep in bed, on her stomach, with her arms wrapped around the pillow and her mane of hair burying her face. One leg stuck out from under the covers, clad in a bright orange sock. Her tanktop was twisted, showing off the lines of script across her left shoulder blade. Regina let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding when she saw Emma was alone.

Henry crossed the room to the closet, disappearing into it. Regina stood in the doorway for a few moments, not sure if she should enter. But her curiosity pulled her in, drawing her the few steps to the foot of the bed. She squinted at the blonde's tattoo, trying to read it.

"It's from a book."

It took all of her self control not to jump when Henry stepped back into the room, smiling. She glared at him, motioning with her hand for him to keep his voice down. He just chuckled.

"She needs to get up anyway." He flicked a hand at the tattoo, repeating, "It's from a book." When she didn't respond, still frowning, he said, "The tattoo you were trying to read. It's from a book she read to me when I was little. It says, 'I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.'"

Now that he said it, she could make out the loopy letters. "That's very sweet, actually." She was surprised how soft the words came out. She cleared her throat and stepped back, clasping her hands in front of her.

Henry nodded, smiling.

Suddenly, Emma stirred, rolling to her back and sitting up all in one motion. Her eyes were still closed as she ran her hands through her wild hair, then reached for the bedside table, fumbling with the drawer. Henry stepped forward and opened it for her, reaching in and pulling out a set of square-rimmed glasses. He placed them in Emma's hand and she slid them on, yawning. Only then did she open her eyes, blinking them against the sunlight pouring through the windows. Her shoulders rolled forward, stiffening as she stretched her back and smiled sleepily at them. A pale hand pushed the glasses back up her nose where they had slid down.

It was probably the most adorable Regina had ever seen a woman be. She quickly shoved the thought away.

"Morning, Hen. And Regina. This is a surprise."

"Regina's giving me a ride to work, Mom."

Emma's smile grew as she looked at the brunette standing primly at the foot of her bed. "That's really nice of you. Thank you."

Regina nodded curtly. "It's no problem. My mother isn't up to work yet, as it were. After her fourth 'Blood Clot' last night, I should have known that would be the case."

The blonde grabbed her cell phone, tossing it to the bottom of the bed. "Here, put your number in there and I'll text you. That way you have my number if you ever need anything. I owe you one."

Regina hesitated, then picked up the phone. "It really isn't a problem." She glanced down at the background, smiling as she saw the picture of Ruby and Henry in a swimming pool, dunking Emma. She pulled up the keypad, punched in her number, and handed it back to Emma to save.

"Oh, you didn't put your name. I love that. Now I can name you whatever I want."

The brunette's eyes narrowed. "I've changed my mind. Erase the number. You can't have it."

"No, no, no. Too late. Mine now."

"Miss Swan, I do not give my number to children. Give me that phone."

"How about Snuggle Bunny? Gummy Bear? Wait, Honey Badger. That's it."

"Seriously, how old are you?"

Henry couldn't keep the smile from his face as he watched Emma hide her phone beneath the pillows and Regina stand over her, demanding it back. It seemed Cora had been right. Operation Hero and Leander was on track.

When Regina finally dropped off Henry, and a sleepy Aurora who had woken as they were leaving and asked for a ride, she felt her phone vibrate. She put the car in park, opening the text message.

"So, was that a 'yes' to Snuggle Bunny? I'm more partial to Gummy Bear."

She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips turned up. She slid the phone open to reply. "You may put 'Regina'. If I ever see my name as anything else in your phone, I will break it."

Emma's response was exactly what she expected. "Right, so don't let you ever see my phone again. Gotcha." Before she could reply, another text popped up. "On a more serious note, thanks again for giving Hen a ride."

"Like I said, it's nothing."

She realized she'd been sitting in her running car for a few minutes, doing nothing. She put the phone down, about to pull away from the curb, but it buzzed again. After a moment, she opened the message, telling herself it was the last.

"So what about me? I think Snuggle Bunny would be appropriate."

Regina rolled her eyes again, smiling despite herself. "I was thinking more along the lines of Vizzini, because you are so annoying this morning."

"Inconceivable!"

Emma's quick response made her genuinely laugh. She put the phone down, forcing her attention back to the road.

XXXXXXX

Emma forced herself to quit texting and get dressed for the day. Her living room was still full of sleeping women, so she quietly grabbed some lunch and hurried out. But her car was stuck in the garage, blocked in by all the other vehicles in her driveway. So she went back inside, took Tink's keys from the snoring woman, and taped a quick note to the Aleve bottle she'd set out on the island: Tink, took your car, 'cause mine is blocked in. Once you've sobered up, bring mine to the station so we can switch out. -Em.

She spent the day doing paperwork and finally programming the new locks on the cells. Around lunch time, she heard her phone buzzing. She picked it up, expecting a text. Instead, Dusty's number flashed across the screen and she frowned, then answered. "Sheriff Swan."

"Hey, Emma." Dusty's voice sounded tired. "I got the results back."

"What's the verdict?"

"Definitely intentional. Somebody set this fire."

Her worst fears confirmed, she sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Go on."

"Well I looked again at the patterns, ran some tests, looked at the video. Looks like you've got a lacquer fire here."

"A what?"

Dusty sighed and she heard him moving around on his end. "It means somebody started the fire with lacquer."

"What? Like for wood?"

"Yep. Lacquer's a wood finish that dries and produces a hard, durable coat. The kind used was an 'ultra matte' kind. I found a sample of what I think was a dish rag. It looks like your guy soaked it in the lacquer, set it on fire, and dropped it through the window."

Emma bit her lip, trying not to sigh again. "So..."

"So it could have come from anywhere. A shop, a garage, a house being painted. It could have been stolen." Dusty trailed off.

"So I'm still standing at the drawing board."

"Bingo, boss. Sorry I don't have much more for you."

"It's all good, Dust. Thanks a lot."

"No prob. Good luck."

She hung up, suddenly feeling far less cheerful than when she'd woken up. When David arrived for his shift, she filled him in and took off early, just wanting to go home and rest. Henry was sleeping at Roland's, so she thought tonight would be a good night to roam the house in her underwear, drinking straight from the carton, and watching the Megalodon mockumentary. She drove Tink's little green car home, parking it on the street so it wasn't blocking her bug in again.

Despite her high hopes for the night, Ruby, Belle, Tink, and Mulan were still there, sitting around the table, playing cards. Mulan had a small pile of bills in front of her. Belle was staring very hard at her cards and, surprisingly, had the largest amount of money in front of her. Ruby was trying to sneak a peek at Tink's cards without anyone noticing, and Tink was nursing a glass of water, wearing sunglasses.

Emma dropped Tink's keys on the kitchen island. "Hey, Tink, what the hell? I thought we were supposed to switch cars."

Tink turned her head slowly to look at the sheriff, gingerly adjusting her thick sunglasses with just her middle finger. "You said when I sobered up. I'm still working on that. I'd thank you to keep your voice down."

"How was work?" Mulan asked.

Emma shook her head, dropping to sit between Ruby and Belle. She pulled her wallet out, tapping it on the table, and Mulan dealt her in. "Not great. Dusty called." She relayed the phone conversation.

When she finished, Belle looked worried, Ruby looked thoughtful, and Mulan's expression was as stoic as ever. "Well," Mulan said. "Should we start by questioning shop owners?"

"Yeah. I'll question Leroy tomorrow. His shop's the most likely place someone would buy lacquer from. But like Dusty said, it could have come from anywhere."

Ruby crossed her arms, tapping the fingers of her right hand against her left arm restlessly. "So maybe you should question Jefferson and Grace again."

Emma nodded. "I'll do that too." She glanced at her cards, then flipped them up on the table. "A pair. Crap."

Ruby sighed. "Right there with ya, bud."

Mulan revealed her four of kind, shrugging. Tink's grin was accompanied by a little cackle. "Heh, heh! A straight flush of clubs, baby! Beat that, bookworm!"

Belle just looked at her hand for a few moments and Tink, assuming she'd won, reached for the pot. Then, "What's it when you have the ten and the 'A', 'K', 'Q', and 'J'-all with hearts on them?" And Belle set down a Royal flush.

There was a collection of groans around the table as Ruby laughed, sliding the money to Belle.

As Tink shuffled for the next round, Emma pulled out her phone, glancing at the texts she'd exchanged with Regina that morning. She tapped her finger against her phone case, biting her lip. The first card landed in front of her. As Tink made the rounds, dealing, Emma quickly typed a message: "So, Gummy Bear, how was your day?"

XXXXXXX

Over the next few days, Regina was seeing Emma around nearly everywhere she went.

Monday morning, she passed the park while bringing her father to a doctor's appointment and saw the sheriff racing Ruby around the lake. Then she stopped at the gas station when they left the hospital and she noticed Emma across the street, carrying shopping bags for a waddling Mary Margaret. And later that evening, she saw Emma on a ladder outside a shop, rehanging the shop's sign.

Tuesday, Regina was sitting in the diner, enjoying a cup of coffee with Cora when she saw the blonde. She had glanced up from her novel to see the tall woman sitting on the sidewalk with a little girl of maybe four. The girl's face was streaked with tears and she was clutching tight to what looked like a stuffed lizard. Her knees, poking out from her little purple dress, were bloody. Emma was talking animatedly to her, moving her hands about and making exaggerated facial expressions. Then she pulled a box of band-aids from her jacket and the little girl smiled, nodding. Regina watched as the sheriff cleaned the girl's knees, put band-aids on them, then scooped her up and handed her off to the smiling woman beside her. Cora, unfortunately, caught her staring and spent the rest of the day with a too-wide grin on her face.

Wednesday, she stopped at the library to browse and saw Henry out the window. He was standing across the street, outside Granny's Diner, looking at his watch. He looked up, frowning, like he'd heard something. Suddenly, a flash of red leather bolted into view, racing past him. Emma yelled something over her shoulder, and without so much as a questioning look, Henry high-tailed it after her. A moment later, Ruby sprinted past, answering Regina's question of what they were running from.

Though they hadn't gotten a chance to talk since Sunday morning, Regina found herself texting the woman each night. Emma was always the first to text her, usually just a quick, "Had a good day?" or "How's Pops?", but no matter what Regina replied, Emma struck up a conversation that lasted hours. So Wednesday night, she was sitting on the couch with her parents, only half-watching whatever movie they had on. Emma had just sent her a long, elaborate text about a cat stuck in a tree and how she nearly died getting it out-which actually meant she almost fell out of the tree when the cat leapt away, saving itself from the tree and the sheriff. She suppressed a laugh by biting her bottom lip.

"Anything you want to share with the class?" Cora's voice startled her. She'd nearly forgotten her parents were there.

"Not really," Regina replied, tucking her phone away from her mother's roaming eyes.

"You've been texting an awful lot lately, darling."

Regina shrugged, staring at the movie and having no idea what was happening on screen.

"May I ask who has you so talkative?"

"You may ask," Regina said. "But I won't answer."

"Come now," Cora cooed. She leaned closer, batting her eyelashes. "You can tell me. Is it someone I know? Is she good-looking? Smart? Funny?"

Regina shifted away from her mother, pursing her lips to hide her smile. "Mother, please. You sound like an old lesbian."

Cora's horrified gasp was a bit too dramatic to be real. "Henry! Did you hear what your daughter called me?"

Henry Sr. grunted around his mug. "I did. Regina, your mother isn't a lesbian."

"Thank you, Hen-hey! I'm not old either!"

This set Regina and her father off laughing. Cora grabbed a throw pillow and smacked them both soundly, only succeeding in making them laugh harder. When the last of their chuckling died away, Cora shot a glance at her daughter. Regina looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"I just remembered. I have some papers that need to be delivered to the Sheriff station. Could you bring them down there for me?"

Regina's other eyebrow joined its twin. "It's freezing outside. Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid not. I completely forgot after that budget meeting today." Cora sighed deeply, sinking farther into the couch. "It's just down the road, darling. Please?"

Regina knew her mother's innocent smile was fake, but she didn't fight. She told herself she didn't mind because it would only take a few minutes. The fact that Emma hadn't texted her back yet had nothing to do with it. So she bundled up, took the folder from her mother, and hurried out to her car, shivering before she even unlocked the doors. She had to wait a few moments for the car to heat up so the her hands wouldn't flash freeze to the wheel. When her breath stopped fogging in front of her face, she pulled out of the driveway.

The drive was indeed very quick. She parked on the curb and hurried into the Sheriff's Office, sighing as the warmth of the building surrounded her. Following the hall, she found herself in a small office area beside two large cells. The open part held cluttered desks that she guessed were for the deputies. The last desk was surrounded by windowed walls, a door leading to the cells and one to the hall. The one to the hall was open and she stepped in, assuming this would be Emma's desk. "Hello?" she called, looking back down the hallway. When she got no answer, she placed the file on Emma's desk and turned to leave. But the pictures on the walls caught her attention.

There was a picture of Mulan, staring off to the side with her mouth open like she'd been saying something. In the background, Mary Margaret was waving with a goofy grin. One was of Henry pretending to punch David as the older man squeezed his eyes closed, leaning away. Next to it was one of Tink screaming at the T.V. Then one of Belle reading in a booth at the diner. One of Henry and a curly-haired brunette boy eating ice cream. A picture of Ruby standing on a table, air-guitaring. There were pictures of people she didn't know, doing random things or posing with goofy faces. Another was of her own mother and father. Cora was cross-eyed and slack-jawed and Henry Sr. was caught mid-eye roll. She snorted, debating snapping a picture on her phone. But the picture that really caught her eye was the one in the center. It was a picture of Emma and Henry, each of them tucked under the arm of a good looking man. He was tall with light brown hair and eyes. His scruffy beard contrasted his nice button up, suit vest, and tie. On his chest was a Sheriff's badge and on his face was a crooked grin. Henry was laughing, his eyes closed when the picture was taken. Emma's head was leaned into the man's shoulder, her grin wide.

Regina forced herself to look away from the handsome face. She didn't miss the fact that Emma wasn't in any of the other pictures. She didn't know why that caught her attention, but she shook her head of the thought and made her exit.

She paused in the hallway when she heard the softest strains of music. Retracing her steps down the hall, she followed where it branched off towards the back of the building. The back door was ajar, an extension cord running through the opening and plugging into the wall nearby. Regina inched forward, the music getting louder and the sound of sloshing water reaching her. She pushed the door open a bit more, sticking her head out just enough to see into the back yard. The extension cord was connected to a large spot light, illuminating the frost coated grass.

There was Emma, sitting on a low stool, with a bucket between her feet. Bottles of carpet cleaner and laundry detergent were scattered about. A tarp was spread out a few feet from the sheriff, several soggy, oddly-shaped objects lined up on it. The blonde's breath misted in the air, but she seemed otherwise unaffected by the cold. The sleeves of her baggy sweater were rolled up, her beanie pulled low on her forehead. And she was holding a hard-bristled brush and a teddy bear.

Even if Regina hadn't recognized it, she could see the soot stains and blackened bits of fur from the doorway.

The radio behind Emma's chair played soft music and the blonde hummed along, scrubbing at the stuffed toy in her hands. She dunked the brush in the bucket, covering it in suds, then resumed cleaning. Her eyes flickered up to the rest of the toys on the tarp, then went back to the brush.

Regina didn't remember moving her hand to her chest, but she felt her own heart skipping beneath her fingers. Her stomach erupted with butterflies, loosening from the knot she hadn't realized it was in. She stared for a few more minutes, carefully keeping quiet. Then she turned and hurried from the station, barely aware of the grin that had appeared on her face.

Kailor: Ahhhhh, reviews are appreciated! Loved, even! And thank you for all I've gotten so far and for the PMs you've sent. They are inspiring, to say the least. Hope you enjoyed!