Sorry guys! I'm in New York with a friend and it has not exactly allowed for a large amount of writing time ;) but I'll be home Monday so hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently! Anywho I said I'd have a super hardcore clarification regarding the fact that this story contains no time travel but it didn't fit in this chapter. So it'll be in the next one! Hope you enjoy the update! Please leave a review :)

"What do you think we are going to find in there?" Emma questioned when Regina paused at the front door.

"I don't know."

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm expecting some like broken vases, crisped walls, ruined appliances-"

"Thank you for that image, Miss Swan."

"Just sayin'."

"They're not that hopeless," Henry chuckled as he reached between them and opened the front door, "see? It's all fine."

"Yeah until you turn the corner or go upstairs," Emma teased and Regina rolled her eyes as she walked inside while Henry laughed quietly before following.

"Why is it so quiet in here?" Regina questioned more to herself as she lifted the bags on to the dining room table and Henry and Emma followed suit with the bags they had carried. Dread began to settle in her gut as she took a deep breath. They better not have left the house.

"Check your library room," Henry offered and his mother glanced at him before making her way to his suggested room, sliding her hand across his shoulders as she passed him. He had missed her so much.

Quietly she peeked through the doorway and found Henry to be correct. Both king and queen were in the room. Cuddled together on her sofa. He sat with his back against the arm and one leg stretched straight and the other bent and tucked beneath his opposite knee so she sat in the triangle they formed with her legs bent up and over his leg. He leaned forward against her back and she leaned backward in to his chest so they could maintain a comfortable balance while she read from a book on her thighs. His arms were around her waist and his chin rested upon her shoulder but unlike hers, his eyes were not focused on the book. They were thoroughly focused on his lover.

The sight had Regina's heart jumping in to her throat. Her voice was gone and her muscles were stuck and even if they weren't she wouldn't have known what to do, where to go, or what to say. So she was stuck watching silently and tense from the doorway as the queen's lips curved in to a smile as she read when David's lips met her jaw. And then her neck. Then a little lower. And then her shoulder. Regina had to drop her eyes to her toes. Her brow was furrowed and her lips were parted in distress and her chest was tight with pain and heartache. She didn't even notice she was backing away until she had turned around and had Emma and Henry back in her sight as they laughed quietly together.

But she did not get off so easily.

"Regina?"

The queen's voice called curiously from the other room and Regina halted her steps. Caught. She took a long deep breath and a slow exhale as she pushed a hand through her hair and licked her lips before she turned around and walked back to the doorway she had left and smiled, "yes?"

"Did you need something?"

"No," she shook her head and the queen nodded slowly. She couldn't even look at David in fear of giving too much away, "just wanted to make sure you weren't putting more marshmallows in the microwave."

The queen smiled and a short but honest laugh huffed out her nostrils and shook her head, "no more marshmallows in the microwave," she confirmed and the mayor smiled a little easier, "we have yet to try out this shower you speak of though."

"That's probably best. It's more fun in the morning anyway," she teased a little and the queen hummed thoughtfully with a smirk and looked up a little at her David and he chuckled softly and hugged her tighter around her middle. That was about all Regina could handle before she was itching to run away again, "there are bags for the both of you on the dining room table. You can change now or tomorrow morning. It is up to you. I am going to start on dinner," she dismissed with a smile and a nod and tried to back away but was stopped once more and this time by David.

"Are you truly as good as Henry says?"

"Hmm?"

"At cooking," he smirked a little and the pretty little mayor smirked and shrugged nonchalantly with her entirely arrogant reply.

"I am the best," she smirked and he laughed as she turned away and the queen smiled as she buried her nose back in her book. As soon as her back was turned to the couple, Regina's smile fell in to a frown and as she walked her heart throbbed with longing. She wanted that. She wanted David. She wanted to sit with him as she read and he held her close. She wanted him to kiss her and she wanted to enjoy it without worry or regret.

Emma watched Regina dodge them to the kitchen with her head bowed and she then pulled Henry in to a hug with a sigh and kissed the top of his head when he hugged her back, "go put your clothes away and get rid of everything that's too small okay? I'll go help your mom in the kitchen."

"Okay. I like that you two are getting along," he smiled as he rested his chin on her chest and kept his arms around her."

"Yeah you know she's kind of alright when she's not trying to make everyone miserable," she teased and he laughed, "now go and take care of your stuff."

"Kay."

Emma waited until he gathered his bags of shoes and clothing and hurried up and around the stairs and only when he was out of her sight did Emma start walking to the kitchen. Regina hadn't yet started on anything. She was bent at the waist with her elbows on the counter and her head in her hands. Emma frowned as she quietly walked up beside the brunette and leaned her back against the counter and placed her hands on the counter at either side of herself. She said nothing for awhile and neither did Regina and it made Emma's heart feel a little heavy and sad. Regina always had something to say. Something to deflect what turmoil was really killing her inside.

Not this time. "You okay?" Emma asked softly with a frown and Regina shook her head and her quiet voice had Emma's shoulders slumping.

"No."

Emma frowned a little deeper and looked the distressed brunette over. Regina was not one to show distress in this manner. She lashed out instead. But not this time and Emma couldn't say if it was because she trusted her a little more now or because what filled her mind was too heavy. Either way she was not prepared for the woman's watery eyes when she sniffed gently and dropped her hands to rest limply on the cold countertop.

"I have only ever wanted to share my life with someone I love but I have never let anyone close," Regina confessed quietly and swallowed while Emma remained respectful and silent and hung off her every word, "it is hard to..."

"...See how different things could have turned out," Emma offered quietly and Regina nodded and furrowed her brow in an attempt to keep her tears at bay.

"They're happy," Regina breathed and out of the corner of her eye she saw Emma nod and silence fell between them again. It lingered but neither of them moved to get away from the conversation they had found themselves in. And then Regina spoke up again, "are you alright?"

Emma shrugged a little and looked at the floor, "I don't know. I think I will be after the shock blows over. I've already accepted the idea of you two though so...there's that."

"You're father and I are not-"

"The way I see it is that some things are built and they last forever. They're iconic and beautiful and just need a little maintenance to keep going. And then there are some things that are built and they work and they could last if they had to but they're finicky and constantly needing repairs and it's just easier to tear it down and start again and build it differently and better. To learn from the things you know don't last and don't work to build something that will last forever. Snow White and Prince Charming...pretty iconic but as it turns out...not exactly built for durability and longevity...but the Evil Queen and Prince Charming? Who knows..."

...

Regina was alone in the kitchen after Henry had run off to set the table with Emma and the new David. Her boy's laughter had her smiling as she mixed the pancake batter and it also lent her the ability to relax. He was home, he was safe, he was happy. The dread and worry had been lifted from her shoulders. Her son was back where he belonged.

"I have been told to come assist you," the queen stated and the mayor looked at her curiously as she stirred.

"I thought you couldn't cook?"

"I cannot. Their request baffles me as well," she smiled a little and the mayor smiled and breathed a small laugh as she shook her head.

"You can cut the strawberries," Regina told her gently with a nod at the cutting board and the queen looked the over the red berries warily before deciding she could handle such a daunting task and reached for a knife in the wooden knife block. Nodding once more, Regina looked back to her batter and began stirring again.

After selecting a smaller knife, the queen plucked a strawberry from the bowl beside her and cut the top off before proceeding to tip it on to its cut side and slicing it. The mayor said nothing so she continued with her method and curiously watched the other woman move so easily and seamlessly through the kitchen. She was quite different than herself. But also quite similar. "So you and this David here," she began and the mayor's mouth thinned and her posture tightened ever so slightly, "you are not a couple?"

"No. We are not," she answered shortly but as kindly as she could manage. She didn't want to get in to this.

Regina nodded as she cut while the mayor knocked the batter from the wooden spoon against the side of the bowl, "you wish to be."

"Is that a question?"

"Do you need it to be a question?"

"David and I are not in a relationship any deeper than a close friendship. We are fine."

"But you wish for more."

"I do not."

"Liar."

Regina huffed irritably and scowled at the queen but the woman only smirked and pushed a strawberry past her red lips and white teeth. "He is married to Snow."

"She's an idiot. And she is selfish."

"That changes nothing," Regina argued as she lifted the bowl and began scooping equal amounts of batter and pouring them in identical circles on to the griddle.

"If you let him he will choose you," Regina assured a little more seriously as she turned so her hip was against the counter and she cut the top off another strawberry, the pad of her thumb stopping the slow path of the small knife.

"He would do no such thing. He has no reason to."

"I used to think so too," the queen replied quietly and the mayor grew more worked up and tight jawed, "and then he asked me to marry him."

"We are talking about two different people."

"Perhaps at first glance. But when it comes down to it they are the same."

"I wasn't talking about them," Regina snapped with a sharp glance at the queen who quickly corrected her argument.

"You and I are not that different."

"I believe we are."

"I haven't been here that long. You don't know me."

"You don't know me."

"I have had the advantage of knowing you through the eyes of an eleven year old boy," Regina nodded as she cut another strawberry against her thumb and the mayor grew more irritable.

"Henry is young and knows very little in the grand scheme of things."

"He knows what is important."

"He knows nothing of what is important in David's eyes," she argued sharply as she stopped pouring her circles of batter on the griddle. The queen simply shifted her weight ever so slightly and let out a long and quiet huff of breath as she picked up a new strawberry.

"I am going to tell you everything about you that he told me and then you may decide for yourself if it is what matters and if it is true," the queen told her and the woman swallowed as a glimpse of insecurity and fear flashed in her dark eyes before she quickly turned her head and focused back on her odd pancakes.

"To him you are his mother. You are his protector, you are his saviour. You are the person he loves. You are the person he trusts. He has admitted that for awhile that trust wavered but when it came down to it, you were his mother and he would never leave you. You kill people. You hurt people. You manipulate people for your own benefit or entertainment. You have ruined lives and laughed as you did. But you are also kind and have a good heart. You are gentle, you are loving. You are beautiful, you are clever, you are smart. You have and would again kill for him. You would die for him. You raised him, you love him, you make him happy. You have lost everything but you have gained him. You are alone. You are hurt. You are scared of getting hurt again. So you lash out at those who try to get close but you are waiting for that one person that will come back and try again after you cut them down, you still hope that every time you push someone away that they will come back and try again until they convince you that they are there to stay. That they are there to love you despite everything you have done.

You are afraid to love, you are afraid to give your heart to someone again, you are afraid to be vulnerable. You feel you are unworthy of such a tender thing after all the misery you have caused. But you are not unworthy. You deserve it most of all after all you have lost and after all you have been through. You are kind, you are gentle, you are brave, you are humble, you are arrogant, you are fair, you are selfless, you are selfish, you are a killer, you are a mother, you are good," she finished and the mayor had tears glossing her eyes as she focused all of her energy on staring at the pancakes on the black cooking rectangle.

"Is he wrong?" She pushed and after a moment the woman gave a single shake of her head and a quiet 'no' that had the queen nodding once and looking back at the bowl to pick another strawberry, "I was in a far worse space and my David still decided I was worthy of his love. I may not have as extensive as a past as you have with your David but with the way he looks at you," she shook her head and watched the knife cut through the fruit, "it is a wonder to me how he hasn't grown tired of your behaviour and took it upon himself kiss some sense in to that thick skull of yours," she drawled out and looked up at the mayor under her thick lashes to see her swallow and cross her jaw, "he wants to love you. And he will if you let him. But who am I to say such things," she shrugged and the mayor finally looked at her but even to the queen, the mayor's expression was impressively unreadable, "like I said, I haven't been here that long."

...

Dinner could not have gone more smoothly. It was filled with laughter and tales of wonder and excitement and Regina and Emma hung off of Henry's every enthusiastic word. Regina had been showered with endless compliments on her cooking from everyone at her table especially the couple from the Enchanted Forest. It felt good. She felt useful again and that was a welcome feeling after sitting helplessly on the side for six months. Her house was full of happiness and that was one of her most favourite things

"Hey, Regina..." Emma quietly approached the woman who paused and turned at the call of her name.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if I could stay here tonight?" She asked as she pushed her fingers in to her front pockets and Regina looked at her curiously.

"Why?" There was no malice, no hesitance to accept, just curiosity in her tone.

"Because Henry is here. I want to wake up and be in the same place as he is. I don't want to wake up and wonder if today was just all in my head. So if it's alright with you, I'd just like to stay the night," she explained timidly but was reassured when Regina remained open and relaxed.

Regina let the request sink in before she answered. She wasn't turned off by it. And if the roles had been reversed and it was she who was putting herself out there and asking to spend the night in Emma's home to see her son, a denial of that request would be a stab to her heart and she would not let it go. So she supposed it was only fair, "you may stay in the second guest room upstairs," it wasn't like she disliked the blonde's presence as much as she had in the past.

Emma's shoulders dropped with the breath she didn't realize she was holding and then smiled a little and nodded her head, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Regina nodded and then after another moment's pause Emma turned away and made her way upstairs and as soon as she was out of sight, Regina's mind wandered back to her unexpected guests. Entirely unexpected guests.

David and the queen were something she wasn't sure she was ever going to get used to. Her heart ached with longing every time he touched the woman, her muscles grew tense with every loving word that made the woman smile, and when he kissed her...her heart broke. Sometimes she could look away but most of the time she was unhappily enthralled in them. It was hard and confusing and she hated feeling that way. She wanted to know how she had achieved such happiness. Because surely it couldn't be as easy as she had said. To just let David close.

She wanted to ask. But the very moment she stepped in to her home's library to ask just that, she chickened out. It was an intimidating answer. It was an intimidating topic. She wasn't ready to get in to it. Not that she ever would be. The couple were still dressed in the clothes from their land and were cuddled together on the couch in front of a crackling fire with their legs stretched out to the side. His arms were once again around her and her head laid comfortably on his chest as they both stared in to the fire. She just...wanted that, "do you two need anything?"

They both looked at her but it was David that answered the pretty little mayor, "no I believe we can manage. Thank you."

"Of course. If there is anything you should need just come and find me. I will be upstairs," she nodded and then started to turn to walk away but was stopped by his voice once again.

"Would you like to join us?"

Regina shook her head with a polite smile and a hand on the doorframe, "I mean no offence when I say this but the two of you are throwing me off kilter and I would rather not spend more time with you than absolutely necessary right now."

The pair of them laughed quietly at that and he nodded in understanding, "fair enough," he chuckled and their hostess hummed quietly, "then we will not keep you up any longer. Goodnight."

"Yes, goodnight," the queen smiled and the mayor looked back at her with a smile and a nod before walking away with her steps echoing through the home.

The queen let her eyes fall back to the fire with a soft hum as David's thumbs began moving slowly back and forth over her ribs again. "She is a mess," she whispered with a frown at the fire and David gave a long quiet hum in agreement. Then she rolled on to her side and wiggled herself between him and the back of the couch so she could wrap her arms around him in return and tangle their legs as she nuzzled the side of her face in to his chest.

When she was settled the full weight of his arms returned around her paired with a kiss on the top of her head. "I do not want to leave this town until she is happy with her David," she told him quietly and he nodded once.

"I agree."

She nodded in reply and then stared at the fire in silence for a little while. This woman was her. Yes she could cook and she no she was not nearly as skilled with a bow and arrow but she was still her when it came down to it. The mayor was just further along. The mayor had grown so used to her pain and loneliness. Her armour was thicker but her eyes and heart were exhausted. It was almost like she had lost the fire that still burned so vigorously in her, the Evil Queen. However, while the mayor was calmer than herself, the queen could tell that if that woman was crossed the wrong way, absolute hell would break loose. That calmer demeanour would be nowhere to be found and a true monster would take its place that would scare even her.

"What happened to her?" She whispered her thoughts aloud with a furrow of her brow.

David shook his head and stared at the fire, "she has lost more than we are aware of. And she has been alone for far too long."

...

After readying herself for bed, Regina quietly made her way to Henry's room. Just to check on him. Emma was already fast asleep in the second guest room and it sounded as though the other David and Regina were still downstairs in front of the fire. Quietly she opened the door and peaked inside, resting her head against the doorframe when she saw him sound asleep in his bed. Where he belonged. She tiptoed toward him and crouched down beside the bed so she could look at him and carefully tuck his hair behind his ear and away from his forehead.

She could only smile as her chest ached with the welcome relief of having him home again. Home and safe. Her gentle fingers continued to slowly move around his hairline while she laid her other arm across her on the edge of the bed and rested her chin upon it. Her little boy had grown much. He had learned so much. He was so different but he was still the same and she could not wait to learn who he was now.

"Mom?"

Her fingers paused for a moment at the tired mumble of her name as he woke with a small stretch and a long drowsy exhale. But it was only a moment before her fingers continued again, "I didn't mean to wake you, my darling," she whispered but he only smiled and lifted his blanket in a gesture for her to join him. His eyes were still closed but he had a smile on his sleepy face that she couldn't help but smile at in return before she carefully slid in to his bed with him.

He was quick to latch himself on to her and she was ready to cry a little at how easily he held her. Like there had never been any conflict or any strain between them. She hugged him close in return as his long exhale warmed the hollow of her neck and she began combing her fingers through his hair.

"You smell good," he mumbled tiredly against her chest and neck and felt her hum resonate in her throat and chest against him, "I missed your smell."

Regina smiled and kissed the top of his head as her heart filled with warmth, "I missed yours too, sweetheart."

"Will you sing to me?"

"Of course," she whispered and felt his lips curl in to a smile against her.