"Henry, would you grab my phone for me please?" Emma shouted from the kitchen.

"Yeah, this is she" she said a minute later.

"Oh! Thank you so much. I can meet you there in an hour's time if that's okay" she said at the tail end of the call, hunging up shortly after.

"Henry, do you know a Miss Regina Mills?" she asked her son who had been watering the plans a few steps from her.

"Yeah, I met her today, I accidentally walked into her and she dropped her bag, why?"

"That was her on the phone" Emma informed her son
"What! Did I mess up her things? I didn't mean to, I swear" the boy spoke nervously.

"No honey, take a deep breathe. She just called to inform me that you'd left your book at the mall and since she had my number, she thought it'd be easier to get it back to you" Emma explained.

"I'm meeting her in an hour at the Palace"

"Can I come with you, I'd like to thank her personally"

"I suppose..." Emma said, looking a bit sceptic at first.

"Miss Mills!" Henry's face beamed as soon as the waiter showed them to Regina's table.

"Please call me Regina, young man" she smiled, standing up to ruffle his hair and smiling at the shy line that pulled at his lips.

"This is my mom, Emma Swan" the boy said giving way for his mother to shake the other woman's hand.

A smile drifted over Regina's lips as she looked the woman standing in front of her, up and down. She was as beautiful as she could remember. Dressed in skin tight jeans and a red leather jacket over a blue tank top. Suddenly her face felt too overheated as she took in that face that was still too beautiful for words. A pair of green eyes that didn't recognise her in the slightest and she had to swallow the lump in her throat. She didn't think it would be this hard but she was being proven wrong like she had so many times in her life. She wasn't sure what Emma's true feelings for her were before the curse and now she didn't even remember her. It was all her fault, she knew that and thats what made it hurt more.

"Um...We should get going, Henry" Emma said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah, Of course", Regina said as she reached for the book that was on the chair next to her and handed it to Henry.

"Thank you, Regina" he smiled.

"You're more than welcome, Henry" she said returning the boy's smile. Her heart swelled at how well her son had grown up and she had to clench her hands into tight fists to stop herself from reaching out and embracing him tight.

"Thank you, Miss Mills. We really appreciate it" Emma said turning her attention from her son to the woman he'd quickly taken a lot of liking to. "We should let you get back to your date" she smiled at the elegant looking woman. Her eyes accidentally stopping at the perfectly painted lips. She unconsciously bit at her lip as she stared for a bit longer, wondering how it'd feel to taste them.

Emma had to count to ten to regain the composure she'd lost and so desperately needed. What the hell was wrong with her? Had it been that long?! She hadn't slept with anyone in more than ten years as far as she could remember. The last relationship she ever recalled having was with Neal, the father of her son whom she tried as hard as she could to forget. He'd left her alone when she needed him most and she would never forgive him for that. She'd even told Henry that his father was dead and she didn't feel the tiniest regret about it because to her, he was dead .

"Oh, no no. Its not a date. I'm a guest at the hotel and since I was meeting you I thought it'd be nice to have dinner here for a change. It gets a bit boring in the room" Regina found herself explaining to the blonde.

Regina's words brought Emma back from her consuming thoughts and she gave the other woman a small nod and smile.

"So you're new in town?" she asked.

"Yeah" Regina responded.

"Here for business or pleasure?" Emma found her curiosity getting the better of her

"Pretty much both," Regina replied. "I'm trying to secure some horses from an estate nearby for my ranch back home. I'm really passionate about horses" she smiled.

"Ok, so that's the business part, what about the pleasure part" Emma asked, realising that her son was just standing next to her as soon as the words left her mouth, she looked down as she blushed and her face turned red.

Regina smiled, trying her best not to sound in appropriate in front of the boy, she said "I love riding them that's pleasurable" she smirked at her smart ass response as the blonde brought her gaze back to the brunette's face.

"You ride horses?!" both women jolted from their tension filled exchange at the boy's sudden outburst.

"Yes Henry, I do" Regina answered, smiling at the boy's interest in the subject. 'He really is my son' she thought to herself.

"Cool" he exclaimed.

"You think so? Do you ride?" she found herself asking.

"No", the boy poted. "But I'd really like to, someday" he said, turning to his mother as if to seek some kind of validation.

"Tell you what?" the brunette said. "I will be visiting the ranch tomorrow. How about you come with me and check the place out. That way, you can see the horses and learn a thing or two. Both of you"

"I'm sorry, work tomorrow" Emma replied, earning a sad look from her son and an expression she couldn't quite read from Regina.

"Please mom" the boy begged.

"I'm sorry Henry, but I will be working tomorrow and you can't go there alone" she said.

"He won't be alone. I will be with him the whole time and I promise to bring him back myself" Regina said.

"Please, please mom. Its a Saturday and I won't be doing anything, please" the look on her son's face made it impossible for Emma to say no and something in her gut told her that she could trust the other woman, if with nothing else, her son. So she nodded and said,

"Okay, but you have to behave"

"Don't I always?" the boy smirked throwing himself at his mother,

"thank you Mom!" he said excitedly.

"Ok, its getting late, we should be on our way" Emma said turning her attention to the woman sitting down. "Call me tomorrow to work out the details?" she asked.

"I will" Regina said, smiling at both mother and son. "Goodbye Henry"

The boy leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek before replying "Goodbye Regina"

Regina watched as her family walked away from her again, but this time she didn't feel sad about it, because this time she knew that she'd be seeing them again tomorrow.