Inspiration for this chapter comes from a suggestion from Hypnotoad76: "it might be fun if at some point in the story Emma introduces Regina to modern food (maybe ice cream) that she loves" :)

Chapter Fourteen

"Who would like to help with dinner?" Snow asked, looking at Regina.

"I will!" Emma cut in, before Regina had a chance to answer. Regina and Snow both gave her puzzled looks. "You hang out with Henry," Emma smiled at Regina, "you've have a rough day."

Emma avoided looking at her mother's beaming face as she headed toward the kitchen. She had an ulterior motive, and she wasn't quite ready for the lovey-dovey mother stuff that she was sure was coming, despite anything Granny had said or if she kind of liked her little brother. Helping with dinner wasn't about playing family.

"What do I have to do?" Emma asked, looking at the food on the counter in front of her.

Snow smiled and handed her a knife. "Why don't you start chopping some of these vegetables?" she suggested.

"You trust me with a knife?"

Snow narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Is there some reason I shouldn't trust you with a knife?"

Emma shrugged. "No. I just didn't think I was high on your list of trustworthy people."

"Emma," Snow sighed, "despite sneaking out of the house, you're still my daughter and I love you."

Emma cringed at both words: daughter and love. She was nobody's daughter, and nobody loved her, that much she knew was true. How could these people claim to love her, when they didn't even know her?

"If you love me so much then why didn't you keep me?" Emma asked, quietly. She hadn't intended to get into this conversation right now. She had intended to play nice and get into her mother's good graces, so she could ask for what she really wanted.

"Do you really want to have this conversation now?" Snow asked, looking at Emma seriously.

Emma shrugged. "I mean, David said it was because Regina was going to kill me, but I don't believe that. I mean, look at her," Emma nodded in Regina's direction. She was on the couch with Henry, holding a game controller awkwardly in her hand and looking completely overwhelmed as Henry attempted to give her a crash course in how to play.

Snow sighed. "Regina… went through a lot of things in her life. Things that can change a person," Snow attempted to explain. "But, if we're being completely honest here, I don't believe she would have killed you. But you would have been cursed along with the rest of us. Putting you through the wardrobe was the only way to save you."

"You couldn't have like, sent a note with me or something? Stapled it to my baby blanket? 'Hey, Emma, come find us?' or some shi-" Emma stopped herself before the entire word came out. "or something."

Snow sighed and shook her head. "I guess I didn't think of that. But, Emma, you have to know, it killed me to give you up. It was never what I wanted."

Emma was about to respond, but she was cut short by a shooting pain in her finger. She looked down. There was blood all over the cutting board. "Oh my God!" she shrieked, "I think I cut right through it!"

"Let me see," Snow said, holding her hand out, trying to sound calm.

"No!" Emma cried, grabbing her finger with her other hand. It wasn't cut through, she could tell that now, but it still hurt like a bitch and was bleeding like crazy.

"Emma, please, let me see it," Snow insisted.

"No!" Emma took a step back, "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's fine. I just need a bandaid. Where are bandaids?" Emma's voice was coming out at least two octaves higher than normal in her state of panic.

"Emma," Snow said again, her voice a little firmer. Not harsh, but firm enough that Emma stopped panicking, for a second. "Let me…" she said, holding her hand out again.

"Let you what? Let you be my mother?" Emma asked, incredulously, remembering her conversation with Granny earlier.

"I was going to say let me look at it," Snow said, smiling.

Reluctantly, Emma held out her hand to her, and Snow turned on the cold water, guiding Emma's finger over to it. As the blood washed away, Emma could see the cut was actually fairly tiny. She wanted to kick herself for overreacting like that.

She let her mother wrap her finger up in a cloth, before leading her into the bathroom, to dab it with alcohol before putting on a bandaid. Emma winced a little at the sting of the alcohol, but somehow, the feeling of her mother's hand on hers was comforting.

Strange.

She didn't understand it. She didn't know this woman. She didn't want to know this woman… did she?

"Better?" Snow asked.

"I ruined the carrots," was all Emma managed to say back.

Snow just shook her head

"Henry, must we really do this?" Regina asked, sighing at the video game on the screen. It was loud and overwhelming and utterly confusing to her.

Henry shrugged. "We don't have to, I just thought it would be fun."

"It's not fun for me," Regina sighed.

Henry smiled and shut the game off. "Yeah, don't worry, you're not really into them as an adult, either."

Regina looked a little deflated. "I guess Emma's a better mother to you than I am," she sighed. "You and she have much more in common."

"No, trust me, you're an awesome mom," Henry grinned. "The best."

Regina smiled a little. "I feel so lost in this world, still."

"Yeah, I know. But it's alright. You're safe here, with all of us," Henry reminded her.

"Yes, I know, but… Henry, can I ask you, do you know what happened to my parents?" Regina asked, softly. She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know, but at the same time, she felt like everything around her was one giant mystery.

Henry gaped at her for a moment, unsure of what to say, but luckily salvation came to him in the form of Emma jumping over the back of the couch, landing ungracefully between himself and Regina.

"Done cooking already?" Henry asked.

Emma held up her bandaged finger. "I had a casualty," she shrugged. "I'm a detriment to the cooking world."

Henry laughed. "Well, I guess that explains why you only eat take-out."

Emma rolled her eyes and turned to look at Regina. "Hey, guess what? I asked my… um, Mary Margaret if I can take you out for ice cream tonight," Emma said, her eyes twinkling, "and she said yes."

"I thought you were grounded," Henry pointed out.

"No, I'm just not allowed to sneak out anymore," Emma replied, "or else I'll be in big trouble."

"What's ice cream?" Regina asked, her interest piqued.

"It's something delicious that my Mary Margaret said doesn't exist in your world, so you're gonna love it," Emma smiled.

"Can I come?" Henry asked, excitedly.

Emma cringed. She had meant for this to be a date, but she couldn't very well tell the kid this. She had specifically offered to help Snow with dinner to butter her up a little before asking to go out. Truthfully, she was shocked it worked. She hadn't expected it to, and she certainly hadn't planned on Henry asking to tag along.

"Uh…" Emma started, turning back to Henry, who at her expectantly. "Yeah, I guess so. Do you have, like, a friend you can invite? 'Cause Regina and I are probably going to talk about stuff that bores you, like girl things, and you might want someone else to talk to."

Henry laughed. "Yeah, I can invite Grace."

"Ooh, who's Grace? Your girlfriend?" Emma teased. Henry blushed a little, and she realized she might be on to something. And it might work to her advantage. "Okay, you can invite Grace. And we can get separate tables, if, you know, you want some alone time or something. And trust me, if I were you, I'd take me up on this offer, 'cause who knows if me and Regina would let you get away with that when we're our old selves again?"

Henry nodded. "Alright, I'll call her," he said, jumping up to grab his phone.

Emma turned back to Regina. "It can be like our first date," she grinned.

"What's a date?" Regina asked, her eyes wide.

Emma laughed. "It's like, what two people who like each other do. They go out someplace and spend time together doing something fun. It's not all secret make-out sessions, you know." She whispered the last part low to Regina's ear, even though they were the only people left in the room, and Snow seemed happily oblivious to them as she finished up on dinner.

Amazingly, this dinner was the least awkward they had all had together since Emma and Regina reverted themselves to teens. Emma and Henry excitedly talked about ice cream, while Mary Margaret and David shared stories of their day. David congratulated Emma on helping with dinner, and she actually smiled at the compliment for a moment, before brushing it off like it was nothing.

After dinner, Emma jumped up and grabbed her keys, unable to wait a single moment longer to get out on her date.

"Henry," Snow called to him, still within earshot of the girls, "keep an eye on your mothers, alright?"

Henry laughed. "Oh, man, only in Storybrooke. Don't worry, I'll keep them in line," he promised.

"Yeah, keep us in line," Emma mocked, once they were outside getting in the car. "Now, tell me exactly where I can pick up your secret girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Henry insisted, his face getting red, though he gave Emma the directions anyway, and soon Grace joined him in the backseat, and the two were directing Emma in the direction of the ice cream parlour.

Mary Margaret had given Emma money for their treats, and Emma guessed she was likely overjoyed to have the experience of her daughter asking permission for anything, and getting to be the cool mom who said yes and gave their kid money. Henry and Grace ordered first, and then Emma helped Regina pick a flavour, before choosing her own and paying for all four.

"We're gonna sit outside," Henry said, motioning to the only empty table for two out on the small patio out front, clearly indicating his desire to have some alone time with Grace.

Emma grinned. "Sure kid, we'll be in here," she agreed. It was a beautiful evening, and the inside of the shop was deserted, which Emma preferred anyway.

Emma led Regina to a booth near the back, out of view of most of the patio, as Henry and Grace headed out front. Emma giggled as she showed Regina how to eat ice cream from a cone.

"Just lick it, before it melts," Emma said, laughing.

Regina's eyes went wide. "This is so strange," she mumbled, before trying it for herself. She took her first lick, and smiled. "Strange, but delicious."

Emma laughed. "Told you!"

"So this is a date?" Regina asked, as they continued to eat their cones.

"Yeah, well, like anything we go do, just the two of us, that's a date. It's all about getting to know each other better, and stuff," Emma shrugged.

"So, should we ask each other questions?"

"Sure, yeah. What do you want to know?"

"I… don't even know where to begin," Regina said, shaking her head.

"Okay, I'll ask. What are your hobbies? What do you like to do for fun?"

"I like horses," Regina offered, smiling. "I have this beautiful steed, Rocinante. He's my pride and joy."

"I've never been on a horse," Emma admitted.

"I wonder if there are stables here," Regina said, "perhaps we could go riding, as a… date."

"That would be so cool. I've always wanted to try it, just never had the chance. What else do you like?"

"Apples," Regina replied quickly. "I grow them on my tree, the one you saw. I think maybe we should go back and check on it tomorrow. I'm concerned about the missing branch." Regina frowned, thinking about the state of her poor tree, when Tink had shown it to her.

"Maybe we can pick some apples? And bake? I mean, if you know how to bake…." Emma suggested.

"I know how to bake in my world. I don't know about this world," Regina admitted.

Emma thought for a moment. "Maybe… we could pick the apples, and ask Mary Margaret to help us bake something?"

Regina smiled. "I think she would like that," she agreed.

Emma turned and glanced out the window at Henry and Grace, who seemed enthralled in their own conversation. She turned back to Regina and smiled, before leaning across the table and giving her a quick kiss.

"What was that for?" Regina asked, her eyes wide, as she looked around, making sure no one had been watching.

"Just 'cause I like you," Emma shrugged. "And it's cool, we're allowed to kiss in public. We're not courting or anything, you know. PDAs are cool in my world."

"PDA?"

"Public displays of affection," Emma explained, "so I can publically display my affection for you." Emma giggled as she leaned forward to plant another kiss on Regina, this one a little longer than the first. It was ended abruptly, however, from a voice behind them.

"Mom!"

Emma's head snapped around quickly, and she and Regina faced a shocked looking Henry and a nervously smiling Grace.

"What are you two doing?" Henry demanded.

Emma glanced at Regina, watching all colour drain from her face, before turning back to Henry. "Henry, please, be cool, okay?"

Henry shook his head. "What… uh, what…."

"Henry, focus," Emma said, almost laughing at the kid's reaction. "It's fine. Regina and I… we just like each other, okay?"

"Yeah, but… what about when you're adults again? You both have boyfriends, you know," Henry reminded her.

"Yeah, I know, but… we don't remember them now, and we've both met our boyfriends, and neither of us feel anything for them right now. We just kind of decided to live as teenagers for the moment, and then, you know, if we don't feel the same when we're back to normal, then we can just cut our losses and walk away," Emma explained.

"What if you do feel the same when you're back to normal?" Henry asked.

Emma shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess. Would you be cool with your moms hooking up?"

Henry flushed noticeably at the question. "Ugh… yeah, as long as you never refer to it as hooking up, like ever again. I mean, I'm cool with it, but I don't want to know about it… as far as… ugh, hooking up goes. I'm still your kid, remember."

"Yeah, okay," Emma laughed. "And hey, kid, please don't tell David and Mary Margaret, okay?"

Henry smiled, finally starting to relax. "Yeah, that one's all on you," he agreed.

"Alright. I guess we should be heading home," Emma sighed. "I promised Mary Margaret that we wouldn't be out too late, and I don't want to get in trouble."

"Since when?" Henry laughed.

"Since the punishment became not being allowed to see Regina all day," Emma replied, as she stood up and reached her hand out for the still-mortified looking brunette. "Hey, Regina, everything's fine. You can breathe again."

Regina took Emma's hand and followed her back outside to the car.

"Hey, Henry, Grace is cool, right? She's not gonna tell anyone?" Emma asked, once they had dropped Grace off.

"No…." Henry said, a little sheepishly.

"What?" Emma demanded, knowing instantly something was up.

"Uh… Grace didn't exactly tell her dad who she was with tonight," Henry confessed.

"Henry!"

"Hey, you want me to keep your secret, you gotta keep ours," Henry bargained. "Her dad's like, super protective over her."

"Fine, deal," Emma agreed.

"How was ice cream?" Mary Margaret asked, the moment the three stepped back into the loft.

"Great!" Henry said, flopping down on the couch, almost immediately.

"I enjoyed it," Regina smiled. "Much better than cereal."

"Yeah, it was fun," Emma nodded. "Thanks for letting us go."

Mary Margaret beamed, causing Emma to shift uncomfortably.

"It's, uh, getting late, though," Emma said, "and I'm tired. I think I'm gonna turn in."

"Oh, alright," Mary Margaret said, quite clearly surprised, considering it was still relatively early.

Emma ducked out of her line of vision and ran up the stairs. Moments later, Regina was in her room, as well, lying down on the bed next to Emma.

"That was fun tonight," Regina said, rolling onto her side to face Emma.

"Yeah, it was," Emma agreed. "We definitely need to get more dates in before we return to normal."

"Yeah. And hopefully even more dates once we do return to normal," Emma grinned.

Regina smiled. "Yes, I think I'd like that."