A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites!
The train dropped her off at a terminal about 5 miles from Storybrooke just a little after sunset. She had waited at the terminal till the dead of night before walking from there and into town. It was eerie being in the town when it seemed everyone was at home in their beds and asleep. She was thankful though because she didn't want anyone to see her, not before she saw Regina.
She stood across the street from the bakery, almost afraid to approach it.
She reached into the pocket of her jacket and took out the black and white photos. She stared at them and a small smile appeared on her face.
"You can do this." Emma told herself as she put the pictures back into her pocket and picked up her bag. She walked across the street and knocked on the glass door.
She waited and Regina didn't come downstairs. She didn't want to break the door but she knocked harder.
Moments later a light flicked on and Emma could see Regina moving through the bakery.
The door pulled open and for a split second both women seemed stunned till Regina, without saying a word swung the door shut and locked it.
"Regina!" Emma called out, knocking on the door, "Please Regina! Open the door!"
The only response she got was the light turning off inside.
Emma slammed her hands against the door, "DAMN IT!" She shouted then rested her forehead against the door.
She lifted her head and knocked hard on the door again, "Regina, I'm not leaving till we talk!" She shouted, "I can stay out here all night!"
The light came on and Regina return to the door where she unlocked it then swung it open. She grabbed Emma by the arm and yanked her inside before shutting and locking the door.
She spun around and glared at Emma, "What the hell are you doing here?"
Emma couldn't answer. She was too busy looking at Regina. Her hair was longer, she wasn't wearing any make-up and her eyes blazed fire. She was angry and it looked as if she was going to kill Emma but she had never looked more beautiful.
Regina turned to walk away.
"I need to talk to you." Emma said quickly as it was the first thing that came to her mind.
She wanted to tell her she'd missed her, never stopped loving her. She knew she'd made a mistake when she left and she was hoping now to fix things.
"Why should I give a shit?" Regina asked, "Why should I care that now you want to talk?"
"You walked away!" Regina yelled at her, "You made promises and you broke them when you walked away."
I know that!" Emma yelled. She turned away from Regina and sighed before turning back around, "You don't think I know what I did? You don't think I know how badly I hurt you?"
"What do you want?" Regina asked, "You want forgiveness? Hmm? You want me to hug you and say 'It's okay I'm just glad you're here now.'?
"You don't know how many times I thought of you, how many times I wanted to call you or write to you." Emma said.
"You thought of me?" Regina said in a mocking tone, "Oh well now isn't that sweet?"
"You ran all the way back to this boring, claustrophobic town for what?" Regina asked, "Because you have this need to finally talk to me?"
"I needed to see you." Emma told her.
"Well you've seen me, you can leave." Regina said to her. "I don't know what you're looking for but you won't find it here."
She went over to the door, unlocked it and held it open.
Emma looked at her. She wanted to plead with her but what right did she have? So with shoulders slumped she slowly walked out the door.
The door shut and locked behind her. She turned around to see the lights turn off and the bakery go dark.
Emma didn't know where to go. There was no other place to stay but the Inn and it was closed for the night. She wandered down to the docks and walked around.
She noticed only a few boats were still docked as she walked to a small bench and sat down. She could hear the water lightly lapping and it started to make her sleepy. She tried her best to stay awake for as long as she could but ultimately she fell asleep on the bench.
"Hey."
Someone was shaking Emma's shoulder.
"Hey."
Emma slapped the hand of whoever was touching her and sat straight up, "Don't touch me!"
"I think the Mayor frowns upon the homeless sleeping at the docks." The man said.
Emma was disoriented as she looked at the man who was wearing black slacks, a red vest, shiny black dress shoes, a red tie and a black jacket.
"What?" She asked rubbing her eyes.
"There's a shelter for the homeless if you need it." The man said.
"I'm not homeless." Emma said to him.
He looked at her then the bag of her things by the bench.
"Are you sure?" He asked her.
"Who are you?" Emma asked, "I don't remember you."
"Why would you?" He asked her.
"I used to live here." Emma told him.
He held out his hand, "Hello. I'm Archie and I'm a fairly new resident to Storybrooke."
Emma looked him over more carefully. He wore glasses, had reddish hair and a nervous smile.
"Emma." She said then shook his hand before she stood up, "Nice to meet you."
"What time is it?" Emma asked as she grabbed her bag.
He checked the watch on his wrist, "7:32 am."
"Thanks." She said then rushed passed him.
She went to the Inn and Ruby dropped the book she was reading when she saw Emma.
"Holy shit." She kept repeating under her breath
"Look, I don't have time for your mini-meltdown right now in my presence." Emma told her, "I need a room."
She pulled out a wad of cash and sifted through it before leaving the money on the counter and taking the key Ruby held out to her.
She went up to her room, tossed her bag on the bed then left shutting and locking the door behind her.
Before Emma could get out the front door Ruby grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.
"Emma, what are you doing back here?" She asked.
"I promise you we'll talk but right now I need to talk to Regina." Emma told her then pulled her arm free and headed out the door.
Emma knew heads turned when they saw her walking down the street but she didn't have time to pay them any attention.
"Don't even think about it." Tina said as she stepped in front of Emma blocking her from the door.
"Get out of my way Tina, this has nothing to do with you." Emma told her.
"You hurt my best friend."
"So now what? You're going to hurt me?" Emma asked her.
"She doesn't want to see you and she doesn't want to talk to you." Tina told her, "She's gotten over you and you mean nothing to her anymore. She is so much better now without you."
"Just turn around and leave while you still can." Tina said, "We all know how good you are at that."
Emma stepped forward getting in her face, "I liked you better when you were quiet and didn't have an opinion on things that have absolutely nothing to do with you."
Emma pushed passed her and without hesitation swung the door open to the bakery and stepped in.
Only one customer was in the shop. He sat at a small table sipping his coffee and he looked up at Emma when she came in.
"You're not welcome here anymore." Regina said to her as she carried one of the tubs with dishes towards the kitchen.
Emma followed her, "I know that no matter what I say to you it's not going to make up for the fact that I left but you have to know I'm sorry."
Regina slammed the tub down by the dishwasher breaking a glass inside.
"You're sorry?" Regina scoffed as she looked at her, "Well if you're sorry I guess that makes everything okay now, right?"
"No, I didn't say that." Emma said, "Can you please just stop with the sarcasm and let me try to explain?"
Regina stared at her and Emma continued.
"I thought getting out of this town would help but it didn't. I was in San Francisco and I was more miserable than I ever thought I could be." Emma told her, "I tried calling you countless times, I picked up the phone dialed your number but I could never hit send."
"Because what could I say?" Emma said, "Nothing I could have said would have matter and I knew that."
"And you think what you have to say now would matter to me?" Regina asked, "Because things didn't work out in the big city and you've come back with your tail between your legs?"
She stepped closer to Regina who automatically took a step back. "I'm here to apologize." Emma told her.
"I don't want to hear it." Regina said to her as she picked broken glass from the tub.
"Regina…."
"You're not supposed to be in the kitchen." Regina said without looking at her, "Please leave."
"How am I supposed to make things right if you won't let me?" Emma asked.
"Please leave or I'll call David and he'll remove you for me." Regina told her.
Emma nodded her head, "Okay, I knew this wasn't going to be easy but I'm not giving up."
Emma left the kitchen and the bakery and went to the diner.
People turned and stared at her as she sat down at the counter.
Granny came out of the kitchen told everyone to mind their own business then approached Emma.
"I think everyone's a little surprised you're back in town." She told Emma, "Frankly I didn't think you'd have the balls to come back."
"Uh, okay." Emma said as she watched Granny walked back into the kitchen.
Emma ordered and ate her breakfast as peacefully as she could which was hard to do when others were staring and murmuring around her.
After breakfast Emma went back to her room, showered and changed and then headed back to the bakery.
She ordered a piece of pie and even though Regina didn't want to, she served her anyway.
Emma sat down at the small table she'd sat at when she first came to Storybrooke. She ate her pie slowly and waited for a lull in customers so she could talk to Regina again.
She looked up at the clock and realized Henry should be coming in any minute now for his slice of peach pie and a smile appeared on her face thinking about him.
She had waited an hour and still no Henry. This confused her because the man was like clockwork when it came to his pie.
She got up from the table and went outside. She looked up the street but didn't see him. She then headed over to the small wooden bench by the fountain he'd always sit at.
A small bronze plaque was attached to the bench. Emma got closer to read it: In Memory of Henry R. Mills.
Tears welled in Emma's eyes. She looked around as if someone was playing a joke on her and Henry would be making his way down the sidewalk to the bakery.
She sat down slowly on the bench and stayed there as tears ran down her cheeks.
Emma didn't know how long she'd sat there but she finally looked around and realized that the sun was going down. She turned towards the bakery, the lights were still on and the last remaining customer was heading out the door.
She got up, wiped the dry tears from her face and stormed into the bakery. She was about to yell at Regina when she saw the slice of peach pie, extra whipped topping sitting on the counter.
"Why didn't you call me?" She asked quietly to Regina who took the plate from the counter.
"What good would it have done?" Regina asked her.
"I could have said goodbye…" Emma said to her.
"You didn't bother the first time." Regina said to her, "Why should goodbye matter now?"
Emma was fighting back her tears and anger.
"I loved him." Emma said quietly.
"You loved me too but you left us both." It was said out of hurt not anger.
Emma clenched her jaw. She didn't want to say something she'd regret later so she did the only thing she could and that was turn around and walk out the door.
Word spread quickly that Emma was back in town and everyone was curious as to why.
People would ask her in a roundabout way but Emma didn't explain to anyone. The only person who needed an explanation was Regina.
She spent almost two days in her hotel room avoiding as many people as she could before she finally went back to the bakery.
"I don't know why you keep showing up here." Regina said as she walked passed Emma who was sitting at a table, "I don't want to talk to you."
Emma caught Regina by the arm as she passed by a second time and Regina looked down at her, "Tell me what happened to Henry."
"He had a massive heart attack on his way here." Regina told her, "There was no saving him."
Emma looked into her eyes, her hand slid down Regina's arm and she took her hand, "I'm sorry."
Regina cleared the lump from her throat, "Yeah, me too." She pulled her hand out of Emma's then headed into the kitchen without a look back.
Of all the people that could have sat down across from Emma while she ate dinner at the diner she never expected Mary Margaret to be one of them.
Emma put her burger back down on her plate then wiped her mouth with her napkin, "Hello Mary Margaret."
"Hello." She said to her with a smile.
"Do something for you?"
"Actually I think I can do something for you." Mary Margaret told her.
Emma leaned back in her booth, "Oh and what's that?"
"I don't know the details as to why you're back in town and I don't need to know." Mary Margaret told her, "I do suspect that things between you and Regina are more than strained and she can be a little stubborn."
"And?"
"And I'm guessing you've been met with nothing but resistance from her." Mary Margaret said, "And I want to help."
"Why?" Emma asked, "Why would you help me?"
"The 10 months you were here were the happiest I have ever seen Regina." She said then gave Emma a small smile, "I know you can make her that happy again."
"All I'll do is hurt her again." Emma said looking down at her plate.
"If you believed that you wouldn't be here and you wouldn't be trying so hard." Mary Margaret told her, "So a little tip for you, at 10pm every Friday Regina goes to the movie theater for the last showing."
Mary Margaret slid out of the booth and looked down at Emma, "And in case you didn't know today's Friday."
She gave Emma a pat on the shoulder before leaving Emma to finish her dinner.
Emma had no real plan of attack as she bought a ticket to the only movie, a black and white film playing at 10pm at the small theater.
She bought herself a small bucket of popcorn then headed into the dark theater.
6 people were scattered in the seating and she easily spotted Regina who was sitting near the back.
She moved to the row behind her and sat down low in her seat.
After the previews the movie started and Emma leaned forward.
"If I could change what I did, I would." She whispered.
Regina turned around, "Emma, what the hell?" She whispered, annoyed.
"You don't just sneak up behind someone and whisper weird things in their ear!" She tried not to raise her voice.
Emma held back a smile but Regina's annoyed face was still as cute as ever.
She climbed over the seats, spilling some of her popcorn on the floor. She sat down next to Regina.
"I can admit when I've made mistakes Regina." She said, "And leaving you, leaving Storybrooke was a mistake."
"It took you 8 months to realize this mistake?" Regina asked quietly, "Admit it, the only reason you came back was because you're running from something."
"No, I wanted to come back sooner and I should have but I made a commitment to the school and I couldn't just leave." Emma told her.
"And what about the man you left behind?" Regina asked.
Emma's eyebrows went up in surprised.
"I assumed there was a man involved, especially if you're in trouble." Regina told her.
"I told you I'm not in trouble and as far as the guy, it was nothing like that. He was a roommate and nothing more. He doesn't matter. He never did." Emma told her.
"Sure, till the problems you're having blow over and you're free to go back." Regina said then turned her attention back to the movie.
"That's not going to happen." Emma said, a little louder than she intended.
"Shhhhh." Someone said.
"Oh shhhhh yourself." Emma said back to the darkened figured, "She dies in the end anyway."
"Emma!" Regina said quietly grabbing her arm to keep her quiet.
The figure got up and stormed out of the theater.
Emma looked at her, "I know I've given you no reason to believe anything I have to say but I am sorry. I'm sorry I left, that I didn't say goodbye, that you lost your father."
A light flashed in Emma's eyes, "Ma'am I'm going to have to ask you to remove yourself from the theater."
Emma looked up, "Why?"
"You are disturbing the people in the theater." The usher said.
"Where's the little tattle-tail?" Emma asked as she looked around.
"Ma'am please?"
Emma turned back to Regina, "I will apologize to you every day if that's what it takes."
The usher took Emma by the arm, "Ma'am, let's go."
She got to her feet and the usher pulled on her arm, "Okay asshole, I'm going."
She looked back, "Every day, Regina." She said before exiting the theater.