A/N: hope you like it! Have a great weekend to all my wonderful readers.

Regina signed the final sheet of paper and closed the file. She stacked it on the side of her desk and turned her attention to the calendar blinking at her on her computer screen. It was a reminder.

Leave before 2pm on Friday afternoon.

She had set that reminder years ago, when she first negotiated working a half-day so she could spend the afternoon with Henry. She rarely heeded its command. But the knowledge that Emma and Henry would be arriving at Granny's any moment and greeting Ruby made her really want to get out of her office as fast as possible. So she opened up her emails and started to reply to the most urgent ones which had flooded her inbox over the past two hours.

Within five minutes however, she was distracted by a squeal from the area outside her office. Mary Margaret's excitement could be heard through the glass and Regina scowled as she got to her feet, grabbed the completed file, and marched to the door.

"What is going -? Oh, David," Regina said, stopping in her tracks when she saw her friend turning towards her, Mary Margaret in his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"Popped by to see my fiancée and I wanted to talk to you," David said, smiling widely. "Do you have a moment free?"

"Come on in," Regina said, standing back to allow her friend to enter her office. "Mary Margaret, can you get this file copied and sent over to the client please."

"Yes, Ms Mills," Mary Margaret said, her cheeks a little pink from embarrassment.

When she returned to her office, David was admiring a newly acquired painting she had just hung on the wall. She sat down and waited for him to do the same.

"How's Emma doing?" David asked when he eventually took the chair on the other side of the desk.

"She's much better, thank you," Regina smiled.

"Good, I was worried about her."

"Me too."

Regina and Emma had decided not to tell David what had happened between the blonde and Killian Jones. Well, Emma had asked Regina not to say anything as she still wasn't taking the man's calls herself.

"What happened to cause her to faint?" David asked. "And why hasn't she called me back?"

Regina hated lying to her friends, but she didn't want to betray Emma's limited trust in her either. So she went with the excuse they had formulated.

"She hadn't eaten anything that day," Regina said. "She'd been very nervous about the meetings and had just skipped meals. And as for why she hasn't called you back, I think she was a little embarrassed about what happened. She probably thinks she made a fool in front of you and Cap."

"Nonsense," David said with a wave of his hand. "Neither of us would think anything of the sort."

"Nevertheless," Regina shrugged, "she was wondering if it would be possible to be assigned a new parole officer, perhaps one who works a little closer to the penthouse so she doesn't have to travel halfway across Manhattan every time they meet."

"I don't know anyone working in your area but I'll ask Cap if he -,"

"No, don't worry," Regina interrupted. "I'll find someone myself. In fact, if you give me Emma's papers then I can arrange everything and you can get back to your work."

David hesitated but after a moment he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thin file. Regina took it, nodding her thanks.

"Ok, well I know you're very busy so I won't take up any more of you time but please tell Emma I say hello," David said as he got to his feet.

"I will," Regina replied. "See you soon David."

"Yeah," the man said, a slight frown on his forehead as he regarded his friend for a split second before turning and making his way out of her office.

Emma and Ruby sat side by side, watching in amusement as Henry concentrated hard. After a while, he reached out and poked the end of one block. When it moved, he grinned and pushed it a little harder. Once half of it had slid free, he reached around and pulled the wooden stick out, placing it triumphantly on the top.

"Your go, Auntie Ruby," Henry smiled.

It was nearing four in the afternoon on Friday and the diner was quiet. So quiet, in fact, that Ruby had been sitting with Emma and Henry playing Jenga for over half an hour. They were waiting for Regina and, unsurprisingly, she was late. Just as Emma was finishing her next go however, the door opened and Henry smiled broadly.

"Mama! Look, I'm winning," Henry said, waving enthusiastically as his mother walked towards the group.

"Very good, Henry," she smiled, kissing him on the top of the head and then turning to place a soft kiss to Emma's lips. "How was your day?"

"Nursery was great," Henry said as he knelt up on the bench to reach a higher Jenga block. "We painted pictures of our favourite animal."

"And you painted a monkey?" Regina asked.

"Yep," Henry nodded. "It's in Emma's bag."

As he was speaking, the blonde was already carefully pulling the rolled piece of paper out and handing it to the proud boy's mother. Regina admired it for several minutes, pointing out all the excellent features. Ruby and Emma glanced sideways at each other and rolled their eyes. Although Henry was only four, the painting was certainly no masterpiece. However, parents would say literally anything about their own child's art work. It was a universal fact.

"It's going on the fridge as soon as we get home," Regina announced, slipping it into her work folder to keep it flat. "And how was your day?" she asked once more, looking straight at Emma.

"Quiet," the blonde said. "I fixed the window in your bedroom though."

"Thank you," Regina replied. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

"But I could and I was bored," Emma shrugged. "It was no big deal, the lock just needed realigning."

"Well, thank you anyway," Regina said.

"You're welcome," Emma smiled. "How was work?"

"I wrapped up that case so I have nothing to do all weekend," Regina smiled. "Which means I get to spend it with my two favourite people."

"Oh, I'm afraid I have plans with Dot," Ruby chimed in, a teasing glint in her eyes.

Regina laughed and Emma's cheeks flushed a little. Regina and Ruby had been friends since they were little kids and the blonde somehow felt uncomfortable to be referred to as Regina's favourite after such a short length of time. It was hardly true that Regina felt as strongly about Emma as she did about Ruby or Henry, after all. Unbeknownst to Emma, Regina was watching this flicker of self-doubt plague her girlfriend's face and made a mental note to talk to her about it in the near future.

"Are you guys ready to leave?" Regina asked, turning to look at the Jenga tower which was teetering slightly to one side.

"As soon as this game is over," Emma nodded. "Oh and I bought groceries so we can cook that Mexican dish you mentioned last night."

"Emma, you didn't have to do that," Regina said softly, wondering as she did so how the blonde got the money to buy the food.

"It's the least I can do," Emma said. "And before you ask, I still had some money left over from when I was looking after Henry."

Sometimes it scared Regina how well she and Emma knew each other.

Henry sulked for the rest of the evening. Neither woman was sure whether it was because he had lost the game or because one of the cascading blocks had hit him on the head and he was embarrassed. Either way, he remained grumpy until Emma offered to finish off the story she had told him a few nights previously. Regina sat on the end of the bed, listening to Marlo's adventures and marvelling at the woman's creativity.

"You should write that story down," Regina said as they settled on the couch after wishing Henry goodnight.

"Why?" Emma frowned.

"Because it was good," Regina shrugged.

"It was nothing special," Emma said. "I just made it up as I was going along. There wasn't exactly a plot."

"Henry didn't care," Regina pointed out. "In fact, he loved it so much he already wants the sequel."

"Henry loves anything with monkeys in it."

"Perhaps," Regina chuckled. "I still think you have a good imagination."

Emma had to admit that was true. She loved being creative and often made up stories in her head. It was one of the many techniques she had used in prison to stop herself spiralling into a depressive state. It had also come in handy when she found herself on the streets of New York. Pretending to be someone else, or pretending to have a different life, allowed Emma to escape her own reality for a while. She always came back to earth with a thud however, realising where she was and that her situation was far more bleak than she had been pretending it was. Well, until she met Regina, she supposed.

"I saw David today," Regina said, jolting Emma from her reverie.

"Did you tell him?" Emma asked at once.

"You asked me not to," Regina reminded her. "So, no Emma, I didn't."

"Thanks. What did he want?"

"He asked how you were," Regina said. "And then I told him what we agreed and said we'd be looking for a parole officer nearer here. I have your paperwork in my bag so we can do it without him now."

Emma smiled weakly. "I'm sorry," she offered. "I don't mean to make you lie to your friend. I just don't want to open the inevitable can of worms by telling him about Killian."

"You really think you can just move on with your life without addressing what happened?" Regina asked. "You really want to just close the door to the past and pretend like everything is fine?"

"I want to try," Emma said. "I can't face going over it any more, Regina. Please, let's not have this conversation again."

Regina nodded, reluctant to accept what Emma asked of her but knowing nothing would come of pushing the blonde. Instead, she changed the subject.

"I asked Ruby to look after Henry on Sunday evening."

"Why?" Emma frowned. She also wondered why their mutual friend hadn't mentioned it during the three hours she had been at the diner that afternoon.

"Because it's my turn to take you out on a date," Regina smirked.

"Really? Where are we going?"

Regina laughed. "Do you honestly believe I'd tell you after you refused to tell me about our first date? Not going to happen, Miss Swan."

Emma felt her core clench as she heard Regina call her that. Colour flushed her cheeks and, of course, Regina noticed.

"Oh, you like it when I call you Miss Swan?" the brunette asked, a teasing tone in her voice telling Emma she already knew the answer.

"Perhaps," Emma said, her throat tight.

"Well," Regina said, quickly swinging her leg over Emma's lap and straddling the blonde, "Miss Swan. How about you show me how much you like it using your tongue."

Regina glanced over the rim of her laptop as peels of laughter echoed through the living room. Henry and Emma were hidden beneath a mound of pillows, the largest yet make-shift fort the two of them had built. She smiled and looked back at the screen, scrolling through the endless google searches. She didn't know exactly what she was looking for but she was determined to find it. She had spent several of her lunch hours (lunch half-hours, if she was honest) searching the internet for any sign of August Booth. Apart from his army service record and a small article in his local town's newspaper about his tour in Iraq, she had found nothing. Although, to be fair, she was hardly expecting an announcement about his new job in Chicago, especially since he was being paid under the table. But she wasn't going to give up.

"Mama, come and join us," came Henry's voice from inside the pillow fort.

Unable to resist her son's plea, she closed the laptop and discarded it on the couch. Dropping to her hands and knees, she crawled her way between two large cushions and found herself at a 'junction'. Impressed by Emma's architectural skills, Regina turned left and followed the sound of her son's muffled voice. Seconds later, she emerged in a surprisingly large space where Emma and Henry were sitting side by side.

"This is fantastic, Henry," Regina exclaimed, sitting down beside her son and ruffling his hair.

"It's my castle," Henry announced. "I'm the king."

"And what does that make Emma?" Regina asked, winking at the blonde who was making something out of paper but she couldn't see what through the darkness.

"She's my knight," Henry said. "She defends the castle against dragons."

"How brave," Regina replied. "And what am I?"

Henry thought for a moment, his little forehead creased. "You can be the princess that Emma rescues from the tower," he decided.

"I like that idea," Emma piped up, placing what turned out to be a crown on Henry's head. "There you go King Henry, your crown is complete."

Henry reached up and admired, by touch, the new addition.

"Thank you, Knight Emma," he said in a mock posh voice. "Now please go and rescue the princess who is stuck in the tallest tower and guarded by an angry dragon. I think she is in the kitchen and I think you should cook some pizza to stop the dragon being angry."

Emma burst out laughing at the brazen request for their dinner. Regina chuckled too.

"Pizza, eh?" Emma said. "Well, I think I'll check with the princess before I rescue her what exactly the dragon is allowed to eat."

"He's a dragon, he can eat anything he wants. Just like a king," Henry pointed out.

"Yes but some food makes dragons sick. Like hamburgers and ice cream. We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Emma said

"Well, yes, we would," Henry frowned. "You want to kill the dragon, remember? Anyway, dragons don't get sick from hamburgers, they get sick from spinach and cucumbers and mushrooms."

"Then I suppose we'd better prepare lots of vegetables to defeat this dragon," Regina said, trying hard not to laugh.

"What?" Henry exclaimed, wondering how his seemingly ingenious plan had backfired so quickly. "No! Mama, please. I want to eat pizza for dinner. Not mushrooms!"

Emma and Regina maintained control for a second longer before peels of laughter rang out through the pillows. Henry frowned harder and then stood up, his head bumping into the cushion above him and causing an avalanche. He stepped through the debris of his game and stomped out of the room. Regina and Emma looked at each other before laughing harder than ever.

"We'd better go and see if he's ok," Regina said after she had wiped the tears from her eyes. "We kinda ganged up on our little king back then."

"He's just so easy though," Emma chuckled.

"Well he is only four, dear," Regina reminded her.

"I'm four and a half," came a grumpy voice from the doorway. "In September I'll be five and then you won't laugh at me."

Regina beckoned Henry towards her and he reluctantly came back into the living room and plopped himself down in Regina's lap, arms folded and a frown on his face.

"I'm sorry, Henry," Regina said. "So's Emma. We didn't mean to laugh and we promise not to put mushrooms on the pizza tonight."

"We're eating pizza?" Henry said, his face lighting up at once.

"I think the king and his knight deserve something special for rescuing the princess, wouldn't you say, Knight Emma?"

"I most certainly would, Princess Regina," Emma nodded. "But I think each of us need to chose one vegetable to have on our pizzas otherwise we won't grow up tall and strong."

"I'll have sweetcorn," Henry said.

"Excellent choice, my king," Emma said, standing up and beginning to tidy up the pillows and cushions.

Regina and Henry joined in to help and within ten minutes the living room looked good as new. With Henry sent to wash his hands to help the two women prepare the pizzas, Emma caught Regina's arm.

"I know I wouldn't make much of a princess," Emma began, "but I'm certainly no knight. You were my saviour, Regina. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't found me in the tunnel that day. You know I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, right?"

Regina stepped closer to the blonde and kissed her, a soft, tender kiss full of emotion and promise. Neither woman wanted to ever stop but eventually Regina pulled back, her brown eyes sparkling.

"Emma, you saved me too," she whispered.

"From what?" Emma frowned.

"Before you, I never thought I would love again. I never through I would move on from Dani and be happy with another person, other than Henry. I'd given up on my future, I suppose. But now I know I was just waiting for the right time. Or rather, the right person."

Emma's breath hitched.

"Me?"

Regina rolled her eyes in an affectionate way and looped her arms around Emma's waist before answering.

"Yes, Emma. You. I … I love you."

Tears welled in Emma's eyes too as she smiled down at the brunette, her heart brimming with happiness. She hadn't felt this way in … well, forever.

"I love you too."

They kissed until a soft tugging at Regina's t-shirt broke them apart. Henry looked curiously up at the two women, confused as to why they were crying. Instead of asking a question, he wrapped one arm around each woman's legs and hugged. Emma and Regina laid a hand on his back, their fingers tangling together as they pulled Henry close and they kissed softly once more.

"Can we make pizza now?" came Henry's voice, breaking the beautiful moment in the most adorable way.

A/N: disclaimer - I honestly have no idea where I'm going with this Emma/Killian storyline. My fingers take on a life of their own when I'm typing and I don't always know what's going to come next. I have two possible outcomes in my head but one is unrealistic and the other isn't really a happy ending (at least, not entirely). So … if you have any thoughts, please review or PM me! Don't worry, between us I'm sure we'll get to Emma and Regina's happily ever after.