A/N: Lots of financial talk in this chapter. Oh to be rich!

Regina had suggested that she and Emma go in person to Hook, Line and Sinker to discuss the prospect of them buying the business from Killian. Emma had been keen to just call him and make an offer but, in hindsight, the trip had been worth it. Primarily, it had been the look on Killian's face when the offer was made. Emma had to force herself not to smile at the stunned expression.

"Excuse me?" he said after several moments of silence had filled the back office where the two women had found the man, unusually, that Saturday morning.

"We'd like to make an offer," Regina repeated.

"But, I already have buyers," Killian frowned. "They're coming to visit next week."

"They're coming to meet Emma next week," Regina corrected him.

"So?"

"So I don't want to work for someone else," Emma said. "I want to be my own boss."

"How much is your monthly salary again?" Killian asked. "I feel like I'm over-paying you if a chef can afford this place."

Regina's eyes narrowed, not only at the sly dig at Emma but also the fact that the man was clearly disinterested in his own business if he didn't even know the salary of his most important staff member.

"That is immaterial," Regina said simply. "The money is on the table. We can sign on Monday, if you're in agreement."

Killian hesitated for the moment, eyes flicking between the two faces opposite him. "You're serious?"

"Completely," Regina nodded. "I'm a business owner, just like you, Mr Jones. I see an investment opportunity here. If you want to wait until the other interested party has the chance to make a counter-offer, I am happy to do so. I am in no rush." The unspoken words that Killian was the person who wanted a quick sale lingered in the air.

"And you, Emma?" he asked. "Is this your way of saying you're not going to sign with this couple from New York?"

"I want to be my own boss," Emma repeated. "I don't want to become a piece of equipment or an asset that gets passed from owner to owner. Regina and I have a chance to break that chain now and we'd both like to take it."

"So you won't sign with them," Killian confirmed.

"No," Emma said. "If they want to go ahead and purchase the restaurant without me and are willing to pay more than we are, then I'll find somewhere else to work."

Killian was silent for a long time. Regina and Emma both sat calmly on the far side of the table. They knew their offer was good and that Killian would be foolish to think he could achieve a higher price without Emma attached to the contract and within the limited time-scale his upcoming business opportunity dictated. But Regina had said it was important not to appear too pushy and to allow the man to consider the offer for as long as he needed; all the while knowing he had to make a decision soon.

"Let me think about it," he said eventually. "I'll be in touch on Monday."

Regina nodded her agreement and got to her feet. She had suspected that it wasn't going to be a done deal that day but she had wanted to make sure Killian knew they were serious. She reached out to shake his hand, prompting Emma to do the same. The blonde much preferred the handshake to the hugs her boss usually forced on her. Although, for the purpose of this meeting, their relationship hadn't been boss-employee. She briefly imagined herself sat behind Killian's desk, the owner of the restaurant. And then the picture faded to be replaced by Regina in the same chair. She grinned. The picture looked right. Both of them. Together. Partners.

Back in the restaurant, Henry's giggles alerted both women to his location, around the corner of the bar where floor to ceiling windows gave way to a view over the ocean. It was before the lunch rush and the place was not too busy yet. Ruby had therefore left her team to greet and seat patrons and had been entertaining the small boy while Emma and Regina were meeting with Killian.

"Mom, Emma! Ruby made me a chocolate milkshake," Henry exclaimed as soon as he saw the women walking towards him, waving the almost empty glass at them and grinning from stained lips.

"Oh she did, did she?" Regina asked, eyebrows raised at the woman who was now looking guilty from where she was knelt on the floor.

"My bad," Ruby admitted, getting to her feet. "He said he wanted milk and I had some chocolate milk powder in my office. Turns out the kid hadn't had it before and wanted to try it. I think it was a success."

All three women were now looking at the boy who had turned the glass almost upside down in an attempt to drain the remaining contents. Regina didn't have the heart to be annoyed. The encounter proved that Henry was learning to try new flavours even outside of his comfort zone that was his house. The thought reminded Regina of a conversation she had intended to have with Emma. She made a mental note to bring it up soon.

"I love weekends," Emma said on Sunday evening, lying on the couch with Regina in her arms. Music played softly from the stereo in the corner and a corner lamp and some candles lit the space.

"Me too," Regina mused. "I don't want to have to leave you tomorrow."

"I don't want you to leave either but at least you know I can take care of myself now." As if to prove a point, Emma raked her fingers up the bare skin of Regina's side where her t-shirt had risen up. While her palms were still not healed, her fingers no longer needed to be covered and were exposed. It made everything much easier and Emma was now able to dress herself without any help from Regina. However, the brunette had offered to help that morning but the interaction descended into undressing rather than dressing.

"Do you think you'll be able to give yourself either Saturday or Sunday off when you're the boss of HLS?" Regina asked.

"He hasn't accepted our offer yet," Emma pointed out. "He might say no."

"Why would he?"

"To spite me?"

"He's a creep but he's not that stupid. He needs the money and he needs a fast sale. We're his only option."

"Well, assuming he does accept it, yes, I'd love to have one weekend day off per week to spend with you and Henry. I'd like to build up the kitchen staff capacity so that it operates more without me. They're great but they still rely on me for day to day tasks which I'd like to assign to someone like August. And maybe employ a couple more sous chefs too; build the total capacity of the whole team."

Regina snaked her arm around Emma's waist and snuggled herself closer. "You sound like a boss already," she remarked.

"Don't tempt fate," Emma replied, placing a kiss to the tip of Regina's head. "Things in my life don't tend to go my way. Good things never last for Emma Swan."

"What about me?" Regina asked.

"You're an exception to the rule. You and Henry. The life we've made together. The life we're building towards."

"Speaking of which," Regina began, eager to discuss her idea with her girlfriend. At the words, however, she felt Emma tense beside her. "No, it's not bad."

Emma said nothing. She would be lying if she said she hadn't been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Things had been great with Regina. Of course, the accident had thrown up a few challenges but when it came to their relationship, Emma thought it was stronger than ever.

"You know the route we take when we walk Henry to school?"

"Yeah," Emma said slowly. She had done the journey a few times since her accident after Regina deemed her well enough to go outside. Henry liked to hold gently onto her bandaged hand and walk between both women, chattering away all the while.

"You know the park on the corner of Oak and Hill Drive?"

"With the little set of play equipment that Henry always wants to stop off at on the way to school?"

"That's the one," Regina nodded. "Have you ever noticed the house on the corner of those two streets?"

Emma tried to remember the area. While she had taken Henry to school several times and had picked him up as well, she was usually focused on the child, not their surroundings.

"It's big, right? White. Victorian maybe?"

"You know architecture," Regina remarked, impressed at the blonde's precise recount of the exact building she was talking about.

"I got interested in it when I was in Italy. The buildings there are all so different. They have a much richer history all over Europe. So when I came back to the States, I always tried to find the historic part of town. Which means in a suburb like this, older buildings stand out."

"Well, you're right. It is Victorian. Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two reception rooms, a home office and the kitchen opens up onto a huge back garden."

Emma frowned at the flow of information. "How do you know all that?"

Shifting slightly on her side, Regina rolled over so she was facing Emma, wanting to be able to reading Emma's expressions when they had the next part of the conversation. The blonde did the same; mirroring Regina's body so both women lying face to face on their sides.

"It's for sale," Regina said softly. "I thought we might go to view it."

"You want to move?"

"Don't you?" Regina asked. "I mean, do you really want to live in a house where the entire upper floor is out of bounds because it reminds me of my ex-wife?"

Emma said nothing but her features gave her away. While it wasn't something she and Regina had ever discussed, the blonde couldn't help the fact that she felt a little strange whenever she passed the bottom of the staircase; up which she had never ventured.

"We deserve our own space, Emma," Regina said quietly. "I want to make a new home with you and Henry. I had been thinking about moving before I met you, to be honest. This house is too big and it has too many memories. So when I saw a 'for sale' sign, I looked into the place. It's beautiful, Emma. And perfect for Henry. The walk to school would only be five minutes and he could go and play in the park whenever he wanted, as long as one of us was with him. There's even a tree in the garden we could build a treehouse in."

"You've already been to view it without me?"

"The estate agent emailed over some photos when I enquired," Regina said. "Would you like to see them?" Already the brunette was reaching for her cell but the blonde's next words halted her movements.

"Regina, wait," Emma blurted out, sitting up and rubbing her face with her exposed fingers and the abrasive bandages, trying to gather her thoughts and process the information she had just been given.

"What's wrong?" the brunette asked, pushing herself into a seated position as well.

"It's … I don't know," Emma admitted. "I mean, it's a lot. You're not just talking about us starting to look for a place together. You're talking about the fact that you've already found a place and made enquiries. It's fast, I guess. And then there's the money. I know you're rich but I'm not and I never have been. I can't just let you buy us a house. I feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

"Emma, no, not at all," Regina soothed. "That's not how I feel."

"Yes but it is how I feel," Emma reasoned. "I know you're happy to share your money with me and you're incredibly generous. I love that about you but it's a new experience for me. I get paid well at the restaurant but for the first twenty-five years of my life I had no money. I'm not used to this world; the world in which you can buy businesses and Victorian mansions without thinking twice. You know I was saving up for a deposit on my own place when I lived with Ruby? I have just over five grand in a bank account. That's it. That's all I have after saving for three years. So when you turn to me and say 'wanna buy a million-dollar house?', it's a lot to process."

"Emma, I'm sorry," Regina offered. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that."

Sighing, Emma sank back into the luxury couch cushions behind her. "No, I know you didn't. I'm sorry too. I'm just a bit freaked out. This is all happening so fast and I think I need some time to take it all in."

"Take as long as you need," Regina said at once. "There's no rush. One step at a time, right?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "One step at a time."

Regina hesitated for a moment and then moved closer. Emma allowed the embrace and both women sank into the kiss. It was soft; a reassurance that everything was still ok between them, that they were still committed, still in love. The relationship itself wasn't the problem; it was just the speed at which their lives were becoming irreversibly intertwined in so many other ways, including financially. Emma didn't doubt her love for Regina, but she couldn't quite silence that little sceptical voice which whispered in the back of her mind. Was this really going to work out? Was their future really going to be as amazing as it was mapped out?

That night, as Regina slept quietly beside her with one arm draped over the blonde's midrift, Emma lay staring at the ceiling. Her brain wouldn't switch off, wouldn't stop thinking about what Regina had said. The fact that the brunette was thinking about moving hadn't been a complete surprise. Mal's presence was felt in the house; silent, unspoken, but undeniable.

Emma had found herself on more than one occasion during her long weeks of recuperation standing at the base of the staircase. But she had never once climbed them. It wasn't as if she was expecting to see anything bad on the upper floor. Presumably there were just endless empty rooms. Regina had once mentioned how she had boxed up all of Mal's personal possessions and donated them to charity in the months after the woman disappeared. But she couldn't bring herself to explore; to enter the territory that Regina had shared with her ex-wife.

The older woman was right. They needed a fresh start. And Regina was in a positon to provide them with one. It was now up to Emma to come to terms with the fact that her girlfriend was rich and had the capacity to take care of her. No one had ever taken care of Emma Swan financially. Everything she owned she had worked to buy. Her motorbikes had always been her luxury and she had scrimped and saved to buy and maintain them. Even when she was with Mary Margaret and David, she had never had much money. While the state provided foster parents with money, it went towards clothes for school, books, tutoring classes and the occasional day trip. Emma had never been spoilt.

But Regina wanted to spoil Emma, or at least take care of her. The woman was generous to a fault, so used to having money and being around people with money. It was clear Kathryn, for example, was from a wealthy background. But Emma wasn't accustomed to the lifestyle. She felt awkward when it came discussions of money and self-conscious at her own financial position. She was still paying off the loans for culinary school, she didn't own property. She was only twenty-seven, so she wasn't falling behind her peers in this day and age. But Regina wasn't a peer. She was older and from an aristocratic bloodline. And her girlfriend; a girlfriend who wanted to buy a house for the two of them, to buy a business for them to run. A girlfriend who wanted to take care of Emma, to love Emma and to build a life with Emma.

She rolled over onto her side, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind. It didn't work.

The next morning, Regina didn't mention the house-buying conversation and neither did Emma. They walked Henry to school together and Emma's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the house which Regina had described as they approached. The brunette was right; it was beautiful. The manicured front garden, complete with a gnarled apple tree and rose trellis at the front door led onto a beautiful, symmetrical façade of a grand Victorian house. It looked, Emma realised, uninhabited. There was something about the dark windows and the lack of drapes that made her think it was not lived in. She was about to ask Regina if that was the case when Henry piped up with his usual daily request to play in the park.

"Just this once," Regina replied.

Henry and Emma were so surprised at the answer, which was always no because they never had time, that they stopped walking. Regina continued, a smirk on her face as she crossed the deserted street and headed towards the play equipment. After a moment, Henry reached for Emma's bandaged hand and led her across the road too.

Regina had found a bench close to the climbing frame and swing set and sat down. Henry charged off and began clambering up a slide, his rubber soled shoes helping him achieve the feat. At the top, he spun on the spot, sat and slid down the smooth surface he had just climbed up. Emma smiled and sat down beside Regina as Henry began his intrepid journey for the second time.

"Beautiful morning," Regina remarked as Emma's arm slid around her shoulders.

"It is," Emma nodded, squinting up at the pale morning sun. The weather was still fine but not as hot as it had been and the temperature was far more pleasant. Henry often dragged Emma out into the back yard to play when he returned from his child minder and before dinner to enjoy the balmy early evenings.

"Beautiful park too," Regina added.

Emma said nothing. She knew was Regina was trying to do and she didn't blame her. The house was beautiful. The location was perfect. And it would give them all a fresh start. But Emma still wasn't ready. She still needed some time to process the proposed plan. Regina understood. She didn't push further.

They sat in silence and watched Henry for five minutes before getting to their feet and calling him over. Sweaty, he ran up to them, enthusing about the park and asking if he could come on the way back from school. Regina turned to Emma, eyebrow raised; a silent request.

"Sure, kid," Emma nodded.

"You're picking me up?" Henry asked, jumping up and down in excitement. Emma hadn't picked him up from school since before the accident. The child missed his special Emma time.

"Now Emma's fingers and ribs are better, she can look after you more easily."

The two women had discussed the possibility of Emma picking Henry up from school once she was home from the hospital but both had decided it was too much, too soon. Now, however, with her fingers unbandaged and her ribs almost pain-free, both women felt that Emma was capable of looking after Henry for the couple of hours between the end of school and Regina's return from work. The brunette had proposed the new routine to Emma that morning and Emma had agreed at once.

"Cool," Henry grinned. "Emma, can we cook tonight too?"

"Maybe," Emma replied. "We'll see how my hands are, ok? But you can help your mom cook if I can't. And I can help you both but only watch and talk you through the recipe. How does that sound?"

"Ok," Henry agreed as the trio set off towards his school. "I wish your hands would get better quick. I miss cooking with you."

"I miss cooking with you too, kid," Emma replied.

Monday slipped by slowly for Emma. She spent most of the day reading on the couch and it was only when she was getting ready to collect Henry from school that she realised she hadn't heard from Killian. The man had had enough time by now to consider the women's offer. Shooting Regina a text, she gathered her belongings and headed out of the house, ear buds in and a Spotify playlist selected. Before she had even reached the end of the garden path, however, her phone rang. Emma answered with a click of her headphones controller.

"Hey babe," she said as she flicked the latch on the gate up.

"Hey sexy."

Emma groaned inwardly at the familiar voice. "Killian, hi. Sorry, I thought you were Regina."

"Isn't she with you?"

"Why would she be?" Emma asked.

"Cos she's your girlfriend, right?" Even through the phone, Emma could see the disgruntled expression on his face. It was as if every time he asked, he was hoping that Emma not only broken up with her girlfriend but also changed sexuality and decided she wanted to be with a misogynistic pig. Unfortunately for Killian, these events were yet to transpire.

"Yes but she has a job. She's at work. I'm at home."

"Kept woman, huh," Killian replied. "You struck gold with that one."

The man had no idea how close to the nerve his comment had cut and Emma had to bite her lip to keep from saying anything. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as a wave of anger crashed through her body.

"Are you calling about our offer on the restaurant?" she asked, wanting to move the conversation on to safer grounds.

"Yes," Killian replied, without elaborating.

"And?"

"And I accept it. The place is yours. Shall I have my lawyer contact yours?"

Emma should have feel ecstatic at the news. And she was. But the final question had made her realise quite how unprepared she was for the world she was about to step into. She swallowed thickly before replying.

"I don't have a lawyer but Regina does. Can I get her to call you? I think she'd be the person to talk to about this stuff."

Killian snorted. "God, you're lucky you've got her, Swan. There's no way you could run this place without her. That woman's got brains, beauty and millions in the bank. How the hell did you get so lucky?"

"I'll get Regina to call you shortly," Emma said, hanging up before she said something she regretted.

Breathing hard, she forced herself to continue her walk, pulling her cell from her bag and finding Regina's contact. Seconds later, the call was connected.

"Hi honey, everything ok?" the husky voice asked. But the sultry tones which usually calmed and soothed Emma did nothing to abate the emotions swirling through her veins.

"Killian's a dick," Emma said in response.

She could hear Regina whisper something on the other end of the phone and then a door closing. The woman had clearly dismissed someone from her office.

"What happened? Did he reject our offer?"

"Oh, no, he accepted that. I said you'd contact him about the legal stuff and contracts. You've got his number, right?"

"I do," Regina nodded. "But if he's accepted the offer, why is he a dick? And why do you sound so unhappy?"

"I'll tell you later," Emma said, not wanting to get herself even more worked up less than five minutes away from Henry's school. "Just … you do love me, don't you?"

"What? Of course I do. Why would you even ask that?"

"Nothing, it's fine. I'll see you later."

"Ok," Regina said, not sounding reassured at all. "I love you."

A beep interrupted her before she could finish the declaration. Frowning the brunette stared at her phone which blinked 'call ended' at her. On the far side of town, Emma was marching down the sidewalk, a frown creasing her forehead and her lips set in a firm line.

A/N: uh oh. Emma's old foster kid emotions are coming to the surface … can our ladies get through this?