Kailor: So! I was writing this chapter at work on the back of one of our weekly schedules. And my manager found it. And read it... And I was like OMG. But then she just asked me what else happens in the story and if that was all I had on me that I'd written. 0.0 What a good day!

Regina tugged her face mask off, feeling more smothered by the paramedics and their questions than she had by the smoke. "I'm fine," she snapped at the nearest one. He backed off quickly, raising his hands in surrender. Once he was gone, she could see Emma. The blonde was standing near the steps of the burning building, her arms crossed over her chest. She was issuing orders left and right, never raising her voice or pointing a finger, but no one questioned the sheriff. They just hurried to obey. Something about her quiet authority made breathing hard. Regina grudgingly put the oxygen mask back to her face.

Suddenly, a blur of brown hair and gray and red scarf rocketed into her side. "Henry?" she rasped, removing the mask again.

"Are you okay?" he asked, pulling back to stare up into her face. "Granny said you were okay, but are you really?"

"I'm fine, dear. Calm yourself." She was touched when she saw tears in the corners of his eyes. "Shouldn't you go see your mother?"

He shook his head. "She called us to come and get you. She told me to take care of you and anything you need." He sniffed, straightening up. His tears were gone in a few more blinks, leaving a calm boy.

Ruby and Granny elbowed their way through the crowd to her side. Ruby's hands gripped Henry's shoulders. "Hey," she said. "Have they said you can go yet?"

Regina glanced at the paramedic. He gave a stiff nod and she turned back to Ruby. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just ready to go home. These flashing lights are giving me a headache." She looked towards the building just as Emma joined them with David and Mulan in tow.

Emma stopped beside the gurney, raising an eyebrow and looking her up and down. Regina nodded away her concern. The blonde nodded back, then turned to her family. "Cora and Pops are still at the house?" Ruby confirmed they were. "Good. Bring Regina there and set them up."

"What?" Regina frowned. "We're staying at your house?"

The sheriff reached into her jacket and removed a plastic bag. Inside was a thick braid of rope. The end was charred black. After only a moment, she shoved the bag away again. "Seems Jefferson's house wasn't a one-time thing. I'm not taking any risks. Anyone who works regularly at Town Hall is being rounded up now. Luckily, there's not many. We'll put them up at Granny's until their houses can be checked out. But your family," Emma motioned to Regina. "You will stay with us until then."

David said, "Well, there's also Aurora. Being Cora's secretary, she's high on the list of possible targets as well." His eyes twinkled with mischief and Regina blinked at how alike he and Emma suddenly looked.

"This is true," Emma said slowly, as if she were thinking hard about it. "Mulan, maybe Granny's isn't the best place for her... She'll stay at your place."

Mulan's cheeks flared red. "M-my place? But-"

"No, that's an order. Get to it. David, if you could oversee everyone being moved to Granny's? Granny will meet you there after she drives this lot home, right?" Granny nodded. "Mulan, get Aurora. Ruby and Henry." She waited until both of them were looking at her. "You have your orders already. Get to it."

Regina watched Henry's chest swell and his chin rose just the slightest bit. Ruby's knuckles were white on his shoulders.

The two deputies scurried off to round up the Town Hall employees. Emma turned to Regina.

The brunette let Henry help her off the gurney, hiding a wince as her foot touched the ground. "But what about my father's medicines? Our clothes? How long will we be unable to return to our house?"

Emma shrugged, hooking her thumbs in the back pockets of her jeans. "I'm not sure. I'll have a team come out to check all the houses and I need to do a lot of questioning. Maybe a couple days. And don't worry about the clothes or meds." Her crooked grin looked devilish in the red lights of the fire truck. "That's what the emergency budget's for. Ask your mom."

Ruby and Henry helped Regina hop through the crowd to the little white truck waiting for them. Granny had already started it. Once they were settled, she drove them to the Swan house and left them there to go meet up with David.

The party had cleared out quickly. Word traveled very fast in a small town. The band was gone, the bonfire had been doused, and the house was quiet. Besides Cora and Henry Sr., only Tink remained, fast asleep on the office couch.

As soon as Henry helped Regina limp over the threshold, Cora was on her, hugging her so tight she felt her ribs creak. "Mother!" she gasped. "I can't breathe!"

"I'm so sorry, darling! All for my stupid glasses!" Cora's voice caught, like she was fighting tears. "Are you okay? We spoke to Emma a few minutes ago and she said you were fine."

"I am. But I won't be if you continue squeezing me so hard." Finally, Cora released her. "Thank you," she huffed. "Now, if you don't mind, I just want to shower and sleep."

"This way," Henry Jr. said, at her side immediately. He led her to the stairs, patiently helping her up each one. Her ankle was starting to feel a little better, but she was sure it was going to be bruised. She did her best to lean most of her weight on the banister. A few times, she slipped and caught Henry around the neck heavily or squeezed his shoulder too tight. He didn't so much as make a sound. He just steadied her and kept them moving.

At the top of the stairs he turned left and led her to the bathroom. "The shower can be a little wonky sometimes. If the hot water suddenly turns cool, just hit here-" He pointed to a spot above the hot water faucet that had a circle drawn in Sharpie. "That should put it back to hot. Towels are under the sink. I'll grab some of Mom's clothes for you. Do you need anything else?"

She smiled at the boy, reaching out to smooth his hair. "No. You've done more than enough. Thank you, Henry."

He nodded, his cheeks flushing with pride. "Just yell if you need anything."

She waited until he had shut the door behind him, then leaned against the sink, sighing. Like the fire had burned away her energy, she felt weak and tired. But she knew she smelled like an ashtray, so she gave herself a few moments to rest, then moved to start the water. Henry knocked on the door soon after and passed her a bundle of clothes. She locked the door after him and stripped. The shower was just warm enough to keep her from freezing, but she found she'd had enough heat for one night so she kept the cold water turned up. Normally she enjoyed long showers, but her legs felt like they were barely holding her up anymore. So she quickly scrubbed herself down with a citrus body wash that she suspected was Ruby's. The "Waterfall" scented shampoo, though, she would bet was Emma's. It just seemed like the kind of thing the blonde would use.

Once she was done drying off, she pulled on her own underwear and turned to the clothes Henry had brought. The pajamas weren't the plain colored silk she was used to. Instead, the cotton pants were covered in different colored paw prints. The t-shirt was a bit large, bright green, and read, "SHARK BAIT. HOO HA HA."

Shaking her head, she pulled them on.

When she opened the bathroom door, Henry looked up from his seat on the stairs. He scrambled to his feet. "Hey! Did they fit?"

She picked at the oversized clothes. "Well enough."

"Yeah, they're big on Mom too." He shrugged. "Just leave your clothes in the bathroom. I'll wash them in a bit. But do you want to go to bed now?"

Regina nodded gratefully. "Do you have a guest bedroom or anything?"

Henry snorted, his nose crinkling as he smiled. "You saw the house after everyone went out last week. No guest bedroom. We just moved everybody around a bit. Cora and Pops get Ruby's bed, Ruby will sleep with me, and you'll bunk with Mom."

It took a couple seconds for that thought to process. Then Regina felt her cheeks heat up and she fought to ignore the feeling. "But, the couches-"

"Mom's orders." As if that was all the argument he needed, he turned and headed towards his mother's room at the end of the hall. Regina hesitated, glancing down the stairs. She could see Ruby bustling about in the kitchen, talking to her father. Cora was seated at the kitchen island, sipping a glass of wine. Her mind raced, trying to find some excuse not to sleep in the same bed as the blonde sheriff, but nothing seemed good enough. There really was no reason. Except maybe that she was scared she'd be tempted to never leave. Finally, her feet moved and she limped to the bedroom.

Henry had turned down the covers for her and was fussing with the pillows. "Do you need more pillows?" he asked over his shoulder when he heard her enter. "Or less? I know Mom sleeps with a lot. But I could grab some more from the closet. Or we have memory foam pillows, if you want. I-"

She jumped in to cut off his rapid fire questions. "Henry, dear." Regina hobbled to the bed and sat on the edge, grabbing the boy's hands to stop him from fluffing the pillows again. She waited until his green eyes were on hers. "Henry, I'm perfectly fine with the amount of pillows already present. Please," she squeezed his hands. "Are you okay?"

He smiled again, but this time she was closer to him. She could see the tension in his cheeks, the way his bottom lip trembled just the littlest bit. His shoulders were thrown back, his little chest puffed out. "I'm good. Mom just told me to take care of you."

She smoothed her thumbs over the backs of his hands, leaning closer. "But are you okay, Henry? I know what happened tonight was scary for all of us. It's okay if you're upset or..." she trailed off, unsure where she had been going with that. But the smile slid slowly from Henry's face and she saw the way his eyes flickered back and forth between her own, searching for something.

"Are you really okay, Regina?" His voice had dropped to a whisper, like he didn't want anyone to hear his question. "Is my mom okay?"

And there was the twelve year old boy. She smiled softly and squeezed his hands again. "Your mother is perfectly fine. I am fine. We escaped practically unscathed. And your mother will find out who did this."

Henry shuffled from foot to foot for a moment, his gaze dropping to the small hole in the knee of her pajama pants. "And you won't leave, will you?"

Like a fist had clenched around her heart, her chest tightened. "Of course not, dear. Why would I leave?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just don't want you to."

She patted his hands gently. "I'm not going anywhere, Henry. And neither is Emma."

The young Swan bit his lip. Then he lurched forward, wrapping his arms around her neck tightly. She didn't hesitate to return the hug. One hand rubbed circles against his bony shoulders, the other stroked his hair. They stayed that way for a few minutes, both feeling calmer than before. When Henry finally pulled away, Regina reluctantly let him go. "I guess I better go." He smiled the same crooked smile his mother had. "Still got some things to do. Goodnight."

"Actually, there's one more thing." Henry paused in the doorway, his hand on the knob. "At Town Hall, your mother said you and Ruby had your orders already. Were they just to take care of my family?"

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't answer. Then he shook his head.

"What else?"

"Our orders are the same as always." His nose crinkled as he smiled. "Stay strong until she's home to be strong for us."

Her insides completely melted at that. She pressed her lips together to keep them from shaking. She nodded and Henry left.

He shut the bedroom door on his way out and Regina sighed heavily, letting it sink through her body to the floor. She turned off the bedside lamp, throwing the room into darkness. Oddly, the shadows didn't unsettle her like they had at Town Hall. Sinking into the pillows-there really were a lot-she pulled the covers to her chin and let the weariness that she'd been fighting take over.

XXXXXXX

At first she wasn't sure what woke her. Then she heard it again, the soft creak of footsteps in the hallway. Still sleepy, she watched the door through slitted eyes. It opened, spilling light into the room. Emma stopped on the threshold, scrubbing her hair dry with a thick towel. With the hall light framing her, Regina could barely make out a pair of baggy sleep shorts and a gray tanktop. Her gun belt hung from her hand. The blonde turned and laid it on the dresser as quietly as possible, then dropped the towel into a basket behind the door before swinging it shut softly. All Regina could see was her shadowy shape, barely lit by the moonlight filtering through the window, as the sheriff moved across the room. She saw the stooped hunch of Emma's shoulders, the way her head hung between them like she couldn't be bothered to hold it up anymore. When Emma rounded the bed and settled on it, a soft sigh escaped her.

The bed shifted as Emma rolled into it, tucking herself under the covers. Regina turned over to face her. "Hi," she whispered, not sure why she was whispering.

"Did I wake you?" Emma replied, just as quiet. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Regina said. "How are you?"

"Tired," the blonde sighed.

"Where have you been?"

"Making sure everything was handled with the fire department and the Town Hall workers and crowd control. I called Dusty. He's going to get a team up here to check everyone's houses out." Emma shifted, moving just a little closer to her. "We can talk more tomorrow. I'm beat."

Regina hummed in agreement, snuggling deeper into the pillows and closing her eyes.

But suddenly, she wasn't sleepy. She was tired, very tired, but not sleepy. She felt wide awake. She was hyper aware of every part of her body and even more aware of how close Emma was. Soft breaths fanned across the arm she had tucked under her cheek. She had been comfortable before, but now she was warm. Like a human radiator, Emma's body heat filled the bed quickly. Without meaning to, she found her breathing slowing to match the puffs she felt on her skin.

She opened her eyes again. Her eyes slowly adjusted and she could see the curve of Emma's jaw, lightly coated with silver moonlight. Her eyes were closed, the dark lashes still. Her lips were parted just enough that Regina could see the tips of her bottom teeth, the one slightly crooked one breaking the straight line. Regina's gaze moved up her face. In her right eyebrow, barely visible, was a small scar, white in the moonlight. She bit her upper lip, feeling her own scar stretch. It was strange, after a night filled with fire, to see the woman so calm, bathed in silver. The shadows that had sat in the dip of her collarbones were gone, the soft hollow filled with moonlight. The sharp sweetness of cinnamon scent touched her tongue as she breathed in. And she smelled the "Waterfall" shampoo, but she wasn't sure it wasn't just her. It was a strange combination, but she took another deep breath, loving it.

Just before she finally drifted off to sleep, Emma rolled onto her stomach, her arms sliding up under the pillows. Her hand touched Regina's under the plush mountain, but Regina was too tired to shift away. Vaguely, she realized she didn't want to.

XXXXXXX

Regina woke up alone. It took her a moment to remember why she was drowning in pillows and her legs weren't clad in silk. Finally, she lifted her head, blinking drowsily at the empty space beside her. She slid her hand across the sheets, frowning when she found them cold. She sat up, stretching and blinking at the alarm clock. It was barely seven a.m. Her clothes were folded neatly on the dresser, beside Emma's gun belt. She debated going back to bed, but shouting sounded from outside.

The brunette rolled from the bed, finding slippers waiting for her right where her feet landed. She shuffled to the window, her ankle feeling much better. Pulling the curtain aside, she peered down into the backyard. The picnic tables had been moved to the sides of the yard, only one left in the center. Henry was sitting at it, strapping on sparring gloves and shoes. He already wore a padded vest and a foam helmet. Mulan was talking to him, decked out in the same gear. David was fidgeting with his vest, yelling across the yard towards the house. Someone yelled back and David laughed.

She dressed quickly, opting to stick with the slippers rather than her heels, and made her way downstairs.

Tink was seated at the island, a pair of blue pills sitting in her palm. Regina heard her say, "I tried recycling once. The garbage guy left a brochure for an AA meeting on my doorstep. Bastard!" Aurora was offering her a glass of water, shaking her head at the blonde. Henry Sr. was sitting next to her, sipping from a large steaming mug and chuckling. Cora and Ruby were at the stove, arguing. ("Ruby, you're burning the pancakes!"-"You were in charge of the pancakes!") Mary Margaret was lounged on the couch, rubbing her large belly. Emma was standing in the back door, yelling at David.

"Don't be a baby, David! I'll go easy on you today!" Emma said, her lopsided grin saying otherwise. She turned as Regina stepped off the last stair. "Morning, Gummy Bear! Sleep well?"

She glared playfully at the blonde. "I did. Thank you. What are you doing?" Her hand motioned to the sparring gear the sheriff wore.

"Training. We do this every Sunday. Well, almost every Sunday."

"Emma! Henry's ready!" Mulan called.

"No, I'm not!" Henry protested, his voice higher than usual.

Emma clapped her hands together gleefully and hopped out the back door.

Cora gestured to the empty seat beside Henry Sr. Regina took it, smiling as her father leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Morning, princesa." He wordlessly pointed to the coffee pot. She nodded and he tapped Aurora's shoulder. The redhead hopped up and returned with a mug from the dishwasher. Henry Sr. filled it with coffee and passed it to her.

If she thought it was strange that Emma was so comfortable being in her house the day before, it was even stranger to see her mother making breakfast without once asking where anything was. To see her father silently ask for something from someone who didn't even live there and get it. Small towns were weird. She sipped her coffee, shaking her head. There was a sharp grunt outside and she stood, curious. She carried her mug to the back door, leaning against the door frame to watch.

Henry stumbled back to his feet, rubbing his knee. David and Mulan were behind him, fanned out. Emma bounced on the balls of her feet, shaking her arms out. "Again, kid."

Henry didn't wait to be told twice. He jabbed at her stomach, but the blonde blocked, her other hand shooting out to smack him on the shoulder, shoving him to the side.

"Second rule?" Emma said, hands still raised.

Like he was reading from a textbook, Henry said, "If your enemy is in range, so are you."

"Good." Emma suddenly dropped to the ground, sweeping a leg at his ankles. Henry jumped it just in time, but never saw Mulan's punch until it caught him in the ribs. He staggered back, his face turning red.

"That's not fair!"

Mulan smiled. "Fifth rule, Henry."

Though he scowled heavily at her, he said, "The only unfair fight is the one you lose." This time he dodged both Mulan's punch and David's knee. Emma's elbow barely clipped his jaw, but he dropped to the ground, rolling away.

"That's my boy!" Emma's wide grin wiped the scowl off Henry's face. He was back on his feet quickly, falling into a defensive stance. She circled him, peppering him with short blows. He blocked nearly all of them. "You're gonna hit me. Where do you aim?"

"Nose?"

"Wrong." Emma's fist caught Henry in the side, knocking the wind from him.

"Floating ribs," he gasped, backing away.

Emma stalked after him, nodding. "Right. Knock their air out first. Then?"

"Then nose."

"Why?"

"Jaw or cheek will just hurt me."

Emma's grin widened. Instead of hitting him again, she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. She dropped a quick kiss on his temple. "Smart boy-oof!" She doubled over as his elbow connected with her ribs. His other arm swung up, his fingers bopping her on the nose softly. He backed off quick. For a moment, she just blinked at him. Then she burst into laughter. "That's it!"

XXXXXXX

Cora set a plate in front of Henry Sr., giving him a quick kiss.

"Mi reina," he said, all husky voice and soft eyes.

She kissed him again, smiling against his lips. Her fingers ran through the little hair he had left, mussing it up. After a few moments, she pulled away and crossed the room to Regina's side. She watched her daughter's face as she observed the training going on. Every time Henry got hit, the corners of her eyes twitched and her lips pressed tighter together.

"Regina?"

The brunette looked at her then, blinking. "Mother."

"Having fun?"

Her daughter's lips pursed again, her scar standing out. "Why are they training a twelve year old to fight?"

Cora watched as Henry ducked Mulan's fist and jabbed at her chest, missing. "He wanted to learn." Regina glanced at her sharply. "They train every Sunday morning, the sheriff and deputies. But Henry asked last week if he could join them."

"But why did Emma say yes? He's a child."

"Exactly," Cora sighed. "And Emma knows better than anyone how much a child can be hurt." Regina's eyebrows drew lower, her head cocking slightly to the side. The move was so much like her father that Cora laughed. "You can ask her about it later. For now, come eat."

XXXXXXX

Emma and the deputies left an hour later to question the Town Hall employees. Ruby went to work and Tink gave Aurora a ride back to Mulan's house. This left Regina, her parents, and Henry Jr. Cora was quick to wrangle everyone into the car and head into town to pick up some clothes and Henry Sr.'s medicines. While her parents wandered off to the frozen food section, Regina followed Henry to the dog food.

"You have a dog?" she asked as he bent to read the ingredients on a large bag of food.

"Sorta. He was left to us by a friend. But he comes and goes as he pleases." He frowned at the ingredients, shoving the bag back onto the shelf and grabbing another. He repeated the process of scanning, frowning, and returning the bag three more times.

"What are you looking for?" Regina crouched beside him.

Henry jerked his chin at the empty slot on the shelf. "The food we normally get Wolf is out. The rest of these foods aren't that high quality."

She blinked. "I didn't realize dog food had high and low qualities." The only pet she'd ever had was a goldfish and she had promptly killed it by overfeeding it.

The young Swan pointed to the ingredients on the bag he was holding, letting her lean closer to read them. "Well, dog food's like human food. The ingredients are listed from what weighs the most in the food to what weighs the least. So, generally, the first ingredient is what most of your dog's food is. Like this one. The first ingredient is corn. Never good."

"Why's that?"

"Because dogs don't digest corn, just like we don't. So for dogs it's just a filler food. It goes through them quickly so they eat the food faster and you have to buy more." He placed the bag back on the shelf and grabbed another. "So anything with corn or corn gluten meal isn't ideal. You want the first ingredient to be a meat. It sits longer in their stomachs so they don't eat as quickly and you don't have to buy food as often. It's like the difference between eating McDonald's every day or a home cooked meal."

"So..." Regina scanned the ingredients. "Is this one good? Salmon is the first listing."

Henry nodded, smiling. "Very good. Especially for thick coats like Wolf's. Salmon is good for their fur. Like fish oil is good for your skin."

"And no corn," Regina noted, reading the rest of the ingredients. She looked back up to see him nodding approval. She chuckled. "How do you know all this stuff?"

Henry plopped the bag into the buggy. "My uncle, Graham, taught me. Wolf used to be his dog."

The name brought the photo in Emma's office floating back to the forefront of her mind. "I see," she said, unsure what else to say.

"Yeah, he knew a lot about dogs. He was a trainer before he was the sheriff." Henry rolled them back towards the meat section.

Regina followed at a more sedate pace, keeping a foot behind him and pretending to scan the shelves. "Were you close?"

She watched one of his shoulders rise and fall. "Yeah. I called him uncle, but he wasn't like Aunt Ruby. But he was around a lot. He's the one that taught Mom all that stuff she was teaching me today." He snagged a can of red beans and dropped it in the buggy.

"Do you miss him?"

The buggy slowed, then stopped. Henry didn't turn to look at her. His fingers drummed on the metal. "Yeah... All the time. But..." And then he did turn to her, his eyes dry and his mother's crooked smile on his lips. "But I read a book once. My Sister's Keeper. Good book. And in it, she says, 'If you have a sister and she dies, do you stop saying you have one'?" He shrugged again and went back to shopping, like he'd said nothing.

It took a few moments for Regina's stomach to unclench before she could trail after him. Though she had spent the night dreaming of a beautiful blonde pulling her from a burning building, it was the woman's son that had stolen her heart.

Kailor: Aaaaaand, gonna end on that note. Next chapter coming soon! Thank you all and I hope you enjoyed! Reviews make me happy! See you!