A/N: Here's your apology chapter! Yes I do feel that bad about being a whole 12 hours late publishing for you guys. It's the least I can do when you leave me such lovely reviews! Thank you so much for sticking with this story. I know I said 40 chapters but clearly that's not happening. Shame ;) I'm thinking it's going to be closer to 45 now. Hope that's not too much of an inconvenience to you!

July

Regina took a deep breath. She knew it was stupid. She knew the air outside the prison was exactly the same as that in the yard but somehow it smelt different. It smelt like freedom.

With two crisp 50 dollar bills tucked into the pocket of her jeans along with her $31.54, she stepped off the front porch of the prison entrance and started to walk.

August

"Did you get your visitation slip?" Emma asked Red as her bunkmate reappeared after breakfast on Saturday morning.

"Yep, just off to see Granny now," Red nodded. "Why?"

"I didn't get one confirming Regina was coming."

Red frowned. "Maybe there's been an admin error. You know what this place is like."

"Yeah probably. Mind if I come with you to check?"

"Not at all. I'll even introduce you to Granny if they allow it. It's the last time she's coming before I get out."

"Shit, I forgot you were leaving me too," Emma said as the two women set off down the corridor together.

"Yep, three more weeks and I'm outta here!" Red exclaimed, punching the air.

"Has Granny agreed to give you your waitressing gig back yet?" Emma asked.

"I'm wearing her down," Red said with a sideways grin at the blonde. "It helps that one of her staff was caught stealing from the till last week. She needs someone she can trust."

"And she believes you're clean?" Emma asked.

"She has to," Red said. "You remember that urine test everyone took last week? I persuaded Glass to give me a copy of my results. Black and white proof. She can't deny lab results."

"Congratulations," Emma smiled. "Pretty sure my results would be all squiffy what with all the prenatal vitamins Fisher is insisting I take."

"Vitamin C and heroin are a little different Swanny," Red laughed as they reached the visitation area and the brunette pushed the door open, standing back so Emma could go first.

"Luccas, here you go," said Nolan, handing over the visitor badge and signalling for the brunette to continue through. "And how can I help you Swan?"

"I'm here to see Regina, I mean, Mills," Emma said, fidgeting nervously as the CO glanced down the list in front of him.

"Sorry, she's not on the list."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked.

"Well I can read so yes, I'm sure. Seems like your girlfriend has flaked already."

Emma hesitated for a split second before she turned and left the room, willing herself not to cry as she hurried away from the visitation area. Several of the inmates still making their way up the corridor looked at her curiously as she rushed passed them but no one spoke.

As soon as she was in her bunk, Emma lay on her bed, her hands clasped over her stomach as the tears finally fell from her eyes. She didn't move until Red asked her to join herself and French for dinner that evening, and it was only at the mention of Shrimp which persuaded the blonde she needed to eat.

Emma slouched into Booth's office after lunch on Monday and sat down in the chair.

"Are you ok?" Booth asked, concerned immediately at the dark circles under Emma's eyes.

"Regina didn't show up to visitation on Saturday." Her voice sounded strained, tired.

"Had you arranged for her to come?" Booth asked.

"Yes," Emma nodded. "She said she wouldn't miss it for the world just before she left last week."

"Have you called her?" Booth suggested.

"She didn't have a cell number to give me when she left," Emma explained. "She said she'd call you and tell you the number so you could give it to me."

"I've not heard from her. Sorry Swan," Booth said kindly.

"What am I going to do?" Emma asked. "The hearing is in three weeks and she's disappeared. I'm going to have to give up my baby aren't I!" Fresh tears ran down Emma's cheeks.

"Now we don't need to jump to any conclusions," Booth assured. "I'm sure Mills was just very busy. She had only been out for three days. Perhaps she felt it was too soon to come back here."

"Then why didn't she phone you so you could tell me that?" Emma asked, angrily. "Why did she just leave me waiting for her like some pathetic love struck kid? Why didn't she come and see me?" Emma cried harder as she spoke, the words making her fears even more real. Maybe Regina didn't want to be with her any more. Maybe their relationship was, as Cora had said, something for Regina to do whilst waiting to get out. Maybe Regina had never wanted to look after Emma's baby. Maybe Regina had never loved her, had never loved them.

Booth walked around his desk and crouched down in front of the sobbing blonde.

"Emma," he said gently. "I'm sure she had her reasons. I'm sure she will explain those reasons to you as soon as she can."

"She promised," Emma choked. "She promised to come and see me."

"And she will," Booth soothed. "I saw what you two had. That was real, Emma. It is real. Don't start thinking she didn't love you, that she didn't want to look after Shrimp. Regina will call me when she can and as soon as I have that number, I'll deliver it to you myself."

"Really?" Emma sniffed, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief Booth had offered her.

"Really," he assured.

"Still not heard from her?" Boyd asked as she and Emma headed for lunch two days later.

"No," Emma muttered. Word had got around that Regina hadn't shown up for visitation but most of the inmates knew better than to pry. She knew Boyd was worried about her, alongside Snow, French and Red, but Emma also knew she wouldn't feel any better until she heard the sultry tones of her girlfriend's voice.

"She'll call," Boyd said with a false smile.

Emma nodded mutely, quickening her pace slightly and heading into the dining hall.

"Seriously, how does Athena manage to screw up mashed potato?" Red complained a few minutes later, ladling the sloppy grey mass up and letting it splatter back down onto her plate.

"Babe, stop playing with your food," French scolded.

"This can hardly be considered food," Red argued.

"True," Boyd jumped in. "What do you think Swan?"

The blonde looked up at the sound of her name. She appreciated her friends trying to include her in the conversation and act like everything was normal but all she really wanted to do was wallow in her own misery.

"I agree with Red," Emma said with a small smile. "Definitely not food."

She pushed her own plate away at that point, the mashed potato congealing in the corner but her vegetables eaten along with the overcooked chicken breast.

"I'm going to head back to work Boyd," Emma said, easing her pregnant stomach out from under the table as she stood.

"Already?" Boyd asked, glancing at the clock and seeing they had another twenty minutes left of their break.

Emma nodded and left. Her friends glanced at each other.

"Should we try talking to her about Mills?" Red asked.

"I already did," Boyd said. "This morning. She gave me a one word answer and walked away."

"Poor thing," Snow mused, watching as the mass of blonde hair disappeared around the corner. "She was so in love with Mills."

"She still is," French noted. "That's the problem."

"But Mills seemed equally besotted, didn't she? You can't tell me that was all an act," Snow pointed out.

"We should never have trusted her," Red said darkly. "She was a drug dealer, she hit Emma, she pushed her away in that fight and caused her spleen to rupture. She even put her in the line of fire from her psycho mother and half-sister. I'm surprised she didn't let Emma get stabbed that day."

"But she didn't," French pointed out. "She saved Emma, and the baby. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"And Emma hasn't heard from her since the moment she was free again. Doesn't that tell you something else?" Red countered.

"It's only been a week," French argued.

"Why are you defending her?" Red asked. "Can't you see how she's upsetting our friend?"

"I just-,"

"Ladies, have you seen Miss Swan?" Booth asked as he walked up to their table.

"She went back to work already," Boyd said. "Why do you want her?"

"I've got a little something that might bring a smile to her face," Booth grinned, waving a slip of paper.

"Mills called?" Red asked, her voice scathing. When Booth nodded, Red scoffed. "About time."

"Well how about we all hold off on the judgement until she's had a chance to explain to Swan what happened?" Booth suggested, touched at the protective instincts of the blonde's friends but also aware that Mills had a perfectly valid excuse.

"Whatever," Red said, returning to playing with her mashed potato.

"Well I'll head down to laundry then. Enjoy your lunch ladies," Booth said as he headed out of the dining hall.

"Swan?" the man called as he entered the room minutes later.

"Over here," came a quiet voice from the far corner.

Booth made his way over until he found Emma sitting crosslegged on a table, trying to fold a face cloth into an origami lily flower.

"Very pretty," Booth noted.

"Hey Booth," Emma said, without looking up.

"I've got something for you, Swan," Booth said, moving to stand in front of the inmate.

The blonde's head snapped up at once, her face filled with hope. "Is it-?"

"Yep," Booth smiled, fishing the small piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it over. "She called about fifteen minutes ago. Apologising profusely to me but I advised her to save those for you."

"You told her I was mad?" Emma asked, stroking the digits on the paper reverently.

"I told her you were … upset," Booth said.

"I, I don't want to be rude," Emma hesitated, "but can I …,"

Booth smiled. "Of course," he said, holding out a hand to help Emma off the table. His smile widened as the blonde walked as quickly as her pregnant belly would allow from the room, Regina's mobile number clasped in her hand.

The automated message had never felt longer as Emma waited for it to end and Regina to accept the charges. Finally, the connection tone sounded.

"Emma?" came Regina's voice. "I'm so sorry!"

The blonde let out a sigh of relief. "What happened?" Emma asked, wary of getting too excited at just the sound of her girlfriend's voice.

"I'm so sorry," Regina repeated. "I went to view that house you loved on Friday and the car broke down. There was no cell reception there and the landlines in the house weren't connected. I had to wait for the estate agent to come back with help and then it ended up taking all night to fix the car. I had to sleep in the damn thing. I didn't get back to Tallahassee until Saturday afternoon and by then I knew visitation was over."

"Why didn't you call Booth?" Emma asked.

There was a pause. "I kinda lost his number," Regina admitted. "I know that sounds like a crappy excuse but it's the truth. I found it just now when I was cleaning out my new and apparently unreliable car and called it straight away."

"I thought-," Emma couldn't finish the sentence.

"You thought I'd just disappeared? You thought I didn't want you any more?" Regina asked.

"Yes," said Emma in a tiny voice.

"Honey, nothing could be further from the truth," Regina assured her. "I love you so much and I'm so sorry you've spent an entire week doubting that. It's my fault. I shouldn't have lost the card. I should have bought a better car. I'm so completely sorry. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course," Emma said, smiling weakly at the earnest tone to Regina's voice. It was impossible to stay mad at the brunette for long, especially when it was apparent just how torn up she was at having let Emma down. "I just got scared when you didn't show up last weekend."

"I wanted to be there more than anything," Regina promised.

"I wanted to see you more than anything," Emma said. "Will you come this weekend?"

"Absolutely," Regina said.

"Great," Emma smiled wider. "How is it out there in the world. Are you doing ok?"

"I'm fine," Regina assured. "The house I went to see was nice but I have a few more viewings lined up later this week. The lack of cell phone reception definitely put me off."

"Agreed," Emma nodded.

"And how are you? Are you looking after yourself and Shrimp?" Regina asked.

"It's been a tough few days," Emma admitted. "But Red and the gang have been great. They practically force feed my so don't worry, our little boy is still growing strong."

"Did you have your ultrasound on Friday?" Regina asked.

"Yep," Emma confirmed.

"Did you get a photo for me?" Regina asked.

"Of course," Emma grinned. "I had it in my pocket when I went to visitation last weekend."

"Urgh, please don't make me feel worse than I already do," Regina whined.

"Sorry," Emma apologised. "I'll bring it on Saturday anyway."

"Great I can't wait to see him. Does he still look like shellfish?"

"Not so much but the name is sticking, sorry."

Regina laughed. "It's ok, I've warmed to it."

"So tell me everything. What was the first thing you ate on the outside? What was the first thing you drank? Have you been to the movies yet? And what crappy car did you buy? You're a millionaire remember, you don't need to skimp."

Regina laughed before beginning to answer Emma's questions. The blonde leaned back against the wall, a tranquil smile on her lips and a hand resting on her stomach.

Forgiven?