From then on, the two were inseparable. Whether they were at Emma's or Regina's – usually Regina's – they spent every free moment together. When Emma wasn't working or being berated by her parents, she was with Regina. She worked harder than ever on the grounds of the Mills' residence, even after long days at her other two jobs. She left like she had to prove herself, or at least… she wanted to. Anything she could do in an attempt to impress Regina, she did with fervor and devotion.

Though the brunette certainly noticed the girl's increased work ethic – not that she hadn't already been giving the tasks her all – and she was impressed, she didn't realize that that was Emma's goal. In fact, the girl's efforts just ended up worrying Regina, to the point where she decided to step in.

"Hey," she said, announcing her presence as she stepped out onto the patio and watched as Emma knelt in front of the center garden, putting all her effort into pulling weeds.

The girl's head jerked up and whipped around as she was startled by the girl's sudden appearance.

"Hey," she greeted her, standing up and blinking a few times beneath the glare of the bright sunlight. "What's cookin', good lookin'?"

"You look tired," Regina told her, approaching slowly with a bottle of water in each hand.

"N-No," Emma stuttered in response. "I'm fine."

"No, really. You look like you're gonna faint. You're working too hard. Drink something."

"I'm-"

"Drink," the brunette pressed, shoving one of the cold bottles into Emma's hand.

The gardener obeyed, twisting the top off and taking a large gulp, then sighing with relief as the liquid cooled her enough to breathe regularly.

"You've been out here too long," Regina said matter-of-factly. "Come inside and rest."

"Regina, I'm fine. I want to finish this garden before I go home tonight."

Stepping closer and putting her hands on Emma's hips, the beautiful brunette softly suggested, "Don't go home tonight."

"Regina, I… My parents-"

"-Love me. They love me. They're gonna be fine with it."

"They're gonna figure it out, Regina… I can only spend so many days with you before they realize what's going on."

"And what exactly is going on, Miss Swan?"

Emma rolled her eyes. Regina was such a tease.

"Knock it off, Gina. I'm serious."

"Alright, fine. So why don't you just tell them and get it over with?"

"Because they'd never let me see you, and they'd make my life a living Hell!"

Sighing, Regina let go of Emma's hips and pushed a hand through her hair, dropping the other to her side.

"Come on. Don't get upset," the blonde sighed. "You know I can't just tell them. It's not like you're telling your parents."

"They don't even know I'm gay, Emma! That's totally different! At least yours already know you're into girls, and this won't come as a huge shock to them!"

"It totally will. They think you're a perfect little angel," Emma countered. "Which you are, but still."

"I'm not an angel, Emma."

"Of course you are. Now, let me get back to work so I can get this done. I want your parents to be pleasantly surprised when they see how well I've done this job. You go back inside and relax."

"You come inside and relax."

"Regina, no."

In her own manner of protest, Regina stepped closer again and wrapped her arms around Emma's neck. The blonde tensed and began to pull away, but the girl caught her lips and pressed herself against her body.

When Emma was finally able to break the kiss, she said breathlessly, "Regina. Not here. Your parents-"

"-Aren't here. They're at some fancy dinner with their colleagues. It's fine, Emma."

"I… Okay…"

Upon hearing her concede to her advances, Regina kissed the girl again, slowly, and tangled her fingers in her hair. With her free hand, she slid beneath Emma's tank top and pressed her hand against her abdomen, making Emma whine in response.

"Gina, don't. I'm gross and sweaty, and I-"

"Have you considered that maybe that's how I like you?"

"What?"

"I like you like this. Hot… Sweaty… Sexy."

"Regina, that's-"

"Kiss me, idiot."

So Emma leaned back in and slid their lips together, resting her hands on Regina's hips.

"That's better," the brunette mumbled against her lips. After finally breaking the kiss and pulling away, she said, "Now, come inside and get something to eat."

"I'll come in when I'm finished with this garden."

"Alright, fine. But I'm helping."

"Don't be ridiculous. This is my job, and-"

"Shut up and weed the fucking garden," Regina laughed with a grin, kneeling down and immediately reaching for a clump of weeds, quite literally getting her hands dirty.

Rolling her eyes, Emma knelt beside her and continued the work. Almost an hour later, the center garden was free of weeds, and they were both exhausted.

"Alright. Will you come inside now?"

"I should go home, Gina. I need a shower, and I-"

"Shower here. You can wear my shorts to bed."

"Regina, I'm not showering here. I have no clothes, and I'm definitely not wearing yours."

"You sure you don't want to shower with me?"

When Regina winked at her, Emma's mouth hung open.

"What?"

"Just teasing," the brunette told her with a grin, kissing her firmly on the lips, then turning around to go back into the house.

Slightly stunned, Emma followed close behind and met the girl in the kitchen where Regina was waiting for her with another bottle of water.

"Drink."

"Regina-"

"Drink."

Sighing heavily, Emma did as she was told, taking the bottle from the brunette and drinking it slowly.

"Good girl."

"I'm not a dog," Emma growled, setting the half-empty water bottle on the counter.

Before either of them could speak again, the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor caused them both to jump and turn around.

"Jeez, mom!" Regina cried. "Way to scare the heck out of us. I thought you guys were at dinner!"

"It was really more just afternoon cocktails. We decided not to stay for the meal. How are you ladies doing? The garden looks great!"

The two girls shot each other a panicked glance as they wondered how much of their interaction Regina's mother had seen.

"How long have you guys been home?" Regina asked quickly, looking nervous.

"Long enough, dear," her mother answered with a wink in her daughter's direction as she turned to face the blonde. Before Regina had a chance to look terrified, the woman asked, "Why don't you stay for dinner, dear?"

"Huh?" Emma blurted, completely stunned. "I… I mean… I'd love to, Mrs. Mills. Thank you very much for the invitation."

"You girls must be starving after all that work."

Again, the girls looked at each other, wondering what the woman had seen.

"Um… Yeah," Regina cut in, nodding her head. "Emma worked all day before she came here, so she's probably pretty wiped by now."

"Oh, goodness, dear! Drink something!"

Eyes wide, all Emma could think was, God. Now I know where Regina gets her predisposition for worrying. Following the woman's orders, she slowly drank the rest of her water, then tossed the bottle into the recycling bin.

"Why don't you two go upstairs and spend some time together relaxing while I make dinner?" Mrs. Mills offered, stunning the girls into silence as Regina just nodded her head and turned to hurry up the stairs with Emma close behind her.

As soon as the door was shut tightly, Emma sank down onto the bed and stared at the brunette, gaping.

"She totally knows."

"No way. She's just likes you and wants you to stay for dinner."

"Regina. She knows. She's probably going to have your dad shoot me at the dinner table."

"Don't be silly," the girl replied, trying to convince herself more than Emma. "They're oblivious."

"No way, man. Did you see the way she winked at you? She's totally gonna have your dad shoot me. Not to mention, I'd bet anything that your dad has at least two guns and has done service in the military."

"Well…"

"Oh, my God. He does, doesn't he?"

"He owns three… A revolver, a pistol, and a shotgun. And yeah… He was in the Marines when he was younger…"

"Oh, Jesus," Emma moaned. "I am so totally fucked."

"Come on, Em. They don't know. She was just being weird."

"You have to admit, though… If they did find out, he'd fucking kill me."

"Yeah, probably," the brunette sighed, pushing a hand through her hair. "But they don't, okay? So relax."

"What if she saw us? What if he saw us?"

"Emma…"

"Seriously, Regina!"

"Why would she have invited you to stay for dinner, then?"

"To give him an opportunity to tear me a new asshole, obviously!"

"Emma!"

"Oh, GOD!"

"Em, calm down. It's gonna be fine. They don't know, and they're not gonna find out."

"But you think it's a good plan to tell my parents? Like they wouldn't tell yours if they found out?"

"Oh, shit… I didn't even think of that…"

"Yeah, well. There you go. Nobody's telling anybody anything."

"I just feel like they're gonna find out anyway because of how much time we're spending together."

"I feel the same way about your parents!"

"Girls!" Regina's mother called up the stairs. "Time for dinner!"

"Shit, that was fast," the blonde cursed. "Guess it's time to go get shot. Dead girl walkin' here. Everybody step aside."

"Oh, my God, Emma," Regina groaned. "Don't be dramatic. We're gonna go down there and eat and everything's gonna be fine."

"I'll miss you when I'm burning in Hell, darling," Emma told her theatrically, stepping closer. "Kiss me goodbye! I want the last thing I taste to be your lips."

"Oh, Jesus. You're insufferable."

But Regina kissed her anyway.

Walking down the stairs towards the dinner table, Emma began to sweat, but Regina played it cool and sat down in her chair with grace and poise.

"How are you ladies?" Regina's father asked with a smile, looking between them. "Did you both have a good day?"

"Yes, sir," Emma answered quickly, swallowing the lump in her throat in order to reply. "Today was long, but I was productive, and that makes it all worth it."

"You are quite the young lady, Miss Swan," the man told her, his lips still curled upwards. "Your work ethic is admirable. My daughter is very, very lucky to have you as her significant other."

Both the girls' mouths fell open as they stared at the man, completely frozen.

"Absolutely," Mrs. Mills agreed. "We couldn't have asked for anyone better for our daughter. Had we known the nature of your relationship beforehand, we never would have tried to set her up with our co-worker's son."

"Mom, I…" Regina tried, gaping at her mother.

"I understand, Regina," the woman told her. "It must be a difficult thing to discuss. I'm sure you must have worried about what we must think… but I can assure you that your father and I support you and whoever makes you happy."

"Mom…"

When Emma looked over, Regina was starting to cry (and probably having a heart attack).

"Oh, honey… Did you think we'd be upset with you?"

Choking back sobs, the brunette nodded her head.

"My baby girl," her father cut in, leaning across the table and taking his daughter's hand. "We love you so much, and there's nothing you could do to lose that love. Do you understand?"

"Daddy, I…"

"Regina Mills. We love you. And the young lady you've chosen as your partner is a lovely girl who we will continue to welcome into our home."

"Mr. Mills… Thank you so much… I never meant to disrespect you or your wife by keeping our relationship from you. We were both just… honestly… terrified of your reaction and what you would think."

"I don't think you disrespected us, Emma. I can completely understand that fear, but please know that all we want is for our daughter to be happy, and if she's happy with you – which she clearly is – then you will always be welcome in our home."

The blonde's eyes filled with tears as the girl beside her squeezed her hand under the table.

"I can't thank you enough," Emma said, wiping her eyes. "My parents…"

"I'm sure your parents will love you no matter what, Emma. I'm sure they are very proud of your hard work and only want you to be happy."

She had to try hard not to laugh, and even then, the sound almost burst out. She managed to hold it back, but just barely.

"I hope so, Mr. Mills," was what she managed to say, her cheeks reddening.

Again, Regina squeezed her hand, but it only made the tears come faster.

Once they were finally alone upstairs again, Emma collapsed on the floor, crossing her legs beneath her as she leaned against the bed.

"Oh, my God," she breathed, wiping her eyes. "I can't believe that just happened."

"Me either," Regina told her breathlessly.

"They seemed to think we were going steady."

"What?"

"You know. Being exclusive?"

"Are we not…?"

"I…"

"Oh. Wow. Um. I guess I was under a serious misconception about what this was."

"No, Regina, wait! I just meant… I didn't… I didn't know if we were official, or… or what we were, really. All I know is that I'm crazy about you, and that I don't want to be with anyone else."

"Oh, Emma…"

"Yeah, um… That came out way mushier than I wanted it to…"

"Em, I..."

"What?"

"I've been dying to hear you say that…"

"So… So what are we?" When Regina was silent, Emma changed her question to, "What am I to you?"

"What do you want to be?"

"Regina," the blonde sighed, taking the girl's hands and tugging her down onto her lap. "You're gonna make me say it, aren't you?"

"Mhmm," Regina giggled, leaning in until their lips were close together. "I want to hear you say it."

"I want to be your one and only, Regina Mills. I don't want to share you, and I don't want to lose you. When I first met you, I never could have imagined being with you like this, but now that we're here… I can't imagine it any other way. I can't imagine myself with anyone else."

"Good. I want to be yours, and only yours."

"So does this make you my girlfriend?"

"It does if you want it to."

"I do."

"Then yes. I'm your girlfriend."

The kiss that followed set off fireworks behind their eyelids when they closed them. Soon, Regina's fingers were tangled in Emma's hair, and Emma's hands were moving down Regina's sides. When the brunette let out a soft whimper into her lover's mouth, the girl's heart jumped into her throat.

"Regina," she breathed against her lips. "I…"

"Don't leave tonight."

"I have to. You know I-"

"Don't leave me."

"Gina, don't…"

"Please, baby?"

Oh, God, Emma was thinking. She's calling me baby.

"I… I need…"

"What could you possibly need more than my hands all over you?" the brunette teased, running her hands over Emma's sides.

"I need to tell my parents."

"This ends now!" Emma's mother screamed as her father cornered her in the kitchen.

"It's disgusting, Emma! How could you corrupt a lovely girl like that? How could you infect her with your-"

"Dad!" the blonde shouted. "She cares about me!"

"I certainly don't know why!" he countered. "You're a horrible influence and an insufferable brat!"

Insufferable. Somehow, when he said it, it made her heart sink, but when Regina said it, it was sweet. The difference was that Emma knew that the girl didn't mean it.

"Dad, please. I'm happy with her! Doesn't that matter to you?"

"Not when you're corrupting perfectly good young girls like her! Her poor parents! They probably have no idea what you're doing to their daughter!"

"THEY DO KNOW!" the blonde yelled. "They know and they love her anyway!"

"Of course they love their daughter! She's an angel, unlike you! How could you do this to her and her family?"

"Do WHAT? Care for her? Respect her? Treat her right?"

Her father just swung his hand back and slapped it across her face, full-force, causing her head to spin and her face to turn red. Instead of continuing to shout and protest, she shrunk to the floor and sobbed.

"You're pathetic," her mother hissed. "Get your stuff and get out. You can come home when you say goodbye to that poor girl for good."

"MOM!" Emma screamed, wiping her eyes and staring up at her parents. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm very serious!"

"I'm not leaving her!"

"Then get out. And I hope, for her sake, that you change your mind about this. And quickly."

"Unlike you, she cares about me, and-"

"Get out, Emma. Leave, before I teach you a lesson."

"You already have," the girl snapped. "Don't trust your family."

With that, she ran to her bedroom, packed a bag, and hurried out the door, slamming it behind her.

"This is unreal!" the blonde shouted, pacing Regina's room. "I fucking told you this would happen!"

"Emma, I'm sorry! I just thought-"

"I never should have told them!"

"Emma…"

"No! Don't fucking try to calm me down right now! I'm so fucking done with them. I hate them!"

"Emma, stop. You don't hate them. You just-"

"He fucking hit me, Regina."

"What?"

"He hit me. My face isn't red from crying. It's red because his fucking hand slapped my face so hard it'll be bruised by tomorrow."

"Oh, my God… Emma…"

"I'm not going back. I don't care if all my shit's there. I'll sleep in the park on a fucking bench. I. Don't. Care. I'm never fucking going back."

"Emma!" Regina cried. "You're not sleeping on a park bench!"

"Well, what's my other option? It's not like-"

"You're staying with me."

"Regina, I can't just fucking move in with you. We just started dating, and-"

"I don't care."

"Moving in together is a big deal. It can make or break a couple, and the relationship should be strong before that test happens."

"I. Don't. Care!" the brunette shouted. "Emma Swan! I'm not letting you sleep on a fucking park bench! Not ever!"

"Don't use my last name. I want nothing to do with my family."

"FINE. Emma Mills! Get your ass is in my bed until we figure this out!"

The blonde went silent at the sound of her name. Her name, and Regina's name. Emma Mills. Emma Mills. Emma Mills. Her heart raced, and not from rage. When the brunette saw her expression soften, she reached for her hand and tugged her down onto the bed until they were sitting beside each other.

When Emma said nothing, Regina stuttered, "W-What?"

"I…"

"I'm sorry. I panicked, and it was the first thing that came to mind."

"Emma Mills was the first thing that came to your mind when you thought of my name…?"

Regina blushed and muttered a quick, "Yeah, so?" before looking away.

"So… I like it."

"Emma…" Regina breathed, daring to look back up into her eyes. "I…" She trailed off, then sighed, "Let's get some sleep. We'll figure this out tomorrow."

Without responding, Emma stepped out of her jean shorts and pulled off her jacket, then slipped beneath the covers of the bed as Regina stared at her in surprise.

"What?" Emma asked, her voice betraying her slight anxiety.

"You're… You're in your underwear."

"And you're not. Now get in here. I'm cold."

Instead of protesting – she was too surprised to do so – she slipped out of her own shorts and under the sheets beside her lover.

"Kiss me goodnight, baby," Regina said softly, sliding her hand over Emma's abdomen.

The blonde did as she was told, slowly moving her lips with her lover's until Regina rolled on top of her.

"I'm gonna take care of you," the brunette whispered, kissing the shell of Emma's ear. "You don't have to do this by yourself."

"Hey," Emma protested. "That's my line."

"Shut up and kiss me, Emma Mills."

Only when their lips connected was she able to put the pain aside and relax into her lover's arms.