AN: One final opportunity for readers to get involved in this story as we wind to a close … read the note at the bottom of this chapter to find out how you can get your idea featured in Kitchen Kisses!

Regina turned off her alarm as soon as it chimed the following morning. She knew she ought to get up but she wasn't willing to move away from the embrace which surrounded her. Emma's arms were wrapped tightly around her midriff, the blonde nuzzling the back of her neck as the alarm noise roused her. She laced the fingers of one hand through Emma's, reaching back with her other arm and caressing the younger woman's cheek. It was a reassurance, for both women, that they were still together; still strong; still in love.

"Morning," she murmured as Emma's lips pressed against the nape of her neck, signalling that her girlfriend was awake.

"Morning," Emma replied, voice muffled in Regina's tousled hair.

Regina sighed deeply and sank a little further into the pillow. She felt Emma shift her body even closer, their light summer pyjamas warmed with the heat of their skin. This, she thought, was bliss.

"Is that a happy sigh?" Emma asked, mouth still touching Regina's neck. Their argument the night before had been resolved and the slow, sensual, tender love making which had followed left Emma with no doubts how Regina felt about her. Except, in reality, Emma was always going to have doubts. Not about how Regina felt. In fact, perhaps it was more like disbelief. Emma was always going to be mildly astonished that she had found Regina, that she and Regina loved one another, and that finally, life was working out for her.

"Very," Regina nodded. "You know I love waking up with you."

"Me too. I could stay like this forever."

Forever. That was a big word. Neither woman had mentioned Regina's casual reference to marriage in the midst of their argument the previous evening. Emma wasn't quite ready to discuss it yet and Regina was unaware of the slip. It had just come out. It felt natural. Because in her mind, that was where she and Emma were heading. Just not yet. The blonde was right; it was too fast. One step at a time was fine as far as Regina was concerned but it was undeniable that those steps would eventually lead them down the aisle.

"How are your hands?" Regina asked, feeling the bandages against the skin of her stomach where her spaghetti strap camisole had risen up.

"They're ok," Emma replied, flexing her fingers slightly. The skin was healing over now. It was pink and sensitive but it was progress. Before long, the doctor had said, the bandages could be removed.

"And your ribs?"

"Better every day," Emma assured her, hugging Regina tighter against her front as if to prove a point.

They fell into contented silence, enjoying their time with one another. It didn't take long before they drifted back to sleep. It had been long after one in the morning when they had finally slipped from consciousness the night before. The next thing Regina was aware of was the dipping of the mattress beside her as someone climbed beneath the covers. She cracked open one eye and came face to face with Henry.

"Good morning my little prince," Regina whispered, smiling at the small child whose head was mere inches from her own on the pillow.

"Are you and Emma breaking up?"

The sentence was sharp, accusatory. Regina froze. "What? No, darling, why would you say that?"

"Because I heard you and Emma shouting at each other last night when I was in bed. Mrs Davis says that shouting is bad and that we shouldn't shout, even if we're really angry. But you and Emma were shouting. You didn't count to ten like Mrs Davis says we should do if we get angry. So are you and Emma going to break up now?"

Regina felt the fingers tense on her stomach and knew Emma was awake and listening. Her own heart was breaking just a little at the despondent look on Henry's face. It was as if he had resigned himself to his belief that the blonde woman was about to disappear from his life, just as Mal had. Regina untangled her fingers from between Emma's and reached out to cup his small cheek.

"Henry, sweetheart, Emma and I are not breaking up."

"But you were arguing," Henry frowned.

"We were talking," Regina replied. "A little more loudly than usual, I suppose. I'm sorry you heard that. We didn't mean to wake you up."

"You said that you were going to tell me before you and Emma broke up. You promised me and Archie that you'd tell me before anything bad happens. But then you were shouting at each other. That's bad, isn't it? That means you're breaking up. Why didn't you tell me?"

By this point, Emma had propped herself up on one elbow and was peering over Regina's shoulder to look at the child.

"Henry, I'm not going anywhere, see?" Emma said, as if her presence alone would reassure him. It didn't.

"But you were shouting."

"I was, and that was wrong of me," Emma said, fingers lightly stroking Regina's stomach as if she was also apologising, once again, to the brunette. "Your mom and I had an argument but then we talked about how we feel and how much we love each other and now everything is ok. That happens sometimes in grown up relationships but just because we were arguing, doesn't mean we're going to break up."

"Really?" Henry said, glancing between both faces.

"Truly," Regina nodded. "I promise you, Emma and I are not breaking up. We love each other. And, as we agreed, if anything was going to change, we'd tell you."

"But something changed," Henry said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's morning and you and Emma are still in bed. When I wake up, you're making me breakfast in the kitchen but today you weren't there. I waited but you didn't come so I went to watch TV but then I got bored so I came to find you here."

Regina reached past Henry and picked up her cell which was on her bedside table.

"Shit!" she exclaimed as she took in the time displayed on the screen.

Henry's eyes widened at the swear word as Regina suddenly shot up and began to try and detangle herself from the sheets, climbing over her son in the process. Emma stayed where she was, unaware of why Regina was now hurriedly undressing and searching for some clothes to wear.

"Gina? What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"It's after nine," Regina said. "Henry, go and get your school bag ready. Have you eaten breakfast?"

"No," Henry said, as he slid from the bed. "Well, I had some milk. But, um, there was a problem. It wasn't my fault. I think the bottle was broken."

Sheepishly, the boy turned and raced from the room, Regina calling after him to grab an apple to eat on the drive to school. She didn't even want to think about the state of the kitchen. There was clearly a puddle of milk somewhere. Balancing on one foot then the other, she pulled up her pantyhose, followed by a grey skirt which she tucked into a red silk blouse.

"Leave the mess," Emma said, knowing Regina was worrying about the kitchen. "Get Henry to school and it will all be fine. What time is our meeting with the lawyers?"

"Two thirty at their offices in town," Regina said. "Are you coming to that?"

Emma, who was now sat up in bed, nodded. "Of course. I mean, I've got to start learning about this business stuff at some point. We're partners, right? I'm not going to leave all the paperwork to you. Text me the address and I'll Uber over to meet you."

Despite being short on time, Regina couldn't help but cross the room and plant a firm kiss to Emma's lips. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too, partner," Emma said, blowing a kiss after Regina as she hurried from the room, pulling on the matching grey suit jacket as she went. "Your blouse is buttoned wrong by the way," she added, not wanting Henry's teachers nor Regina's staff members to think the brunette was late because of a sexual liaison. Regina called her thanks for the heads up over her shoulder and seconds later the front door banged shut.

Over the coming weeks, Emma began to regret her declaration that she wanted to start learning business 'stuff'. Form after form, meeting after meeting, spreadsheet after spreadsheet. By the time the final signature was finished with a flourish three weeks after their offer had been accepted, Emma was already exhausted. And it had only just begun.

The moment the door of the back office in the restaurant clicked shut behind the lawyers, Emma let out a breath and closed her eyes. Regina, sat beside her, was already filing away the paperwork.

"Are you ok?" she asked, realising Emma had been silent for almost a minute.

"Yeah," Emma nodded, opening her eyes again. "I think so. Is that it? Are we done?"

"We're done," Regina nodded. "It's official. You and I are the owners of Hook, Line and Sinker. You are your own boss, Emma Swan."

A grin spread slowly over Emma's lips. It was real. They had done it. She stood up and crossed to where Regina was now rummaging through Killian's old filing cabinet, scooping the woman into her embrace. Regina giggled for a moment before Emma's lips smothered her own. They kissed for a long time, revelling in the momentous step forwards they had taken. It was only the knock on the door which forced them apart.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," Ruby said when she had been given permission to enter. Emma had stepped away from her girlfriend but Regina's flushed cheeks and Emma's stained lips told Ruby exactly what had been happening seconds before.

"No problem. Is Henry ok?" The small boy had been entertained by Ruby during their meeting; an increasingly common occurrence since his school closed for the summer. The lanky brunette was very fond of Henry, however, and happily took care of him whenever Regina and Emma were engaged with meetings as the deal was finalised and closed.

"He's hungry. He was asking when he could lunch."

"I'll make him something," Emma said at once. "Unless you need me here?" she added, looking at Regina.

"No, go ahead," the brunette smiled. "I just want to make a start on sorting out these documents. I don't think Killian has sorted through these in years. Can you make us something to eat as well? I'm a bit peckish now you mention it."

"Sure can," Emma grinned, waggling her hands.

At last, the bandages had come off. The flesh of her palms was a little pinker than it usually was but she was able to lift up light objects and, most importantly, cook. Regina had returned home from work the previous week to be greeted by the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen. She would never forget the look on Emma's face that night. It was rivalled closely by the look of pride on Henry's face as he stood, once more, beside Emma as her sous chef.

Twenty minutes later, Regina pushed the door into the commercial kitchen open and took in the sea of activity. The lunch rush had just started. Even mid-week, the place was busy. A few of the staff members glanced at Regina as she entered. She smiled and received cautious nods in return. They knew who she was. They knew what was happening. The atmosphere changed slightly as she moved further into the room and the chatter died away. At the back of the kitchen, Emma sensed the difference. She spotted Regina and beckoned her over.

It wasn't the first time Regina had walked through the busy commercial space but this was different. This time she was their boss. She reached Emma and turned back. Eyes had followed her. As soon as they realised they had been caught staring, everyone's attention returned to their tasks.

"They'll get used to it," Emma murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Regina's mouth. "It's just a change."

"Did you tell them?"

Emma nodded. "It's a change for me too. I mean, I was always their boss but it's different now, I guess. And they don't know you. Killian could walk through here and no one gave a shit because he didn't have a clue about restaurants. But they don't know what you're going to be looking out for. Plus, they know you'll report anything to me."

"Well, I'm not planning on micromanaging your team, you can tell them that," Regina suggested. "Or I will, perhaps. We should have a staff meeting as soon as possible. Introduce ourselves, well, introduce me. And just talk to them about how we're planning to run this place."

"Sounds good but for now, are you hungry? Chef Henry has made us a delicious linguini dish with salmon."

"Salmon?" The boy's willingness to try new food was continuing, but the realm of fish was yet to be broached. Until that day, it seemed. Regina couldn't wait to tell Archie. The man was already talking about reducing his meetings with the boy to fortnightly. Hopefully they were over the hardest part and Henry was well on the way to eating like a normal, healthy child. Regina was sure that the majority of his progress was due to Emma. She would never be able to tell the blonde just how grateful she was for all her help when it came to her son.

"It was orange!" Henry shouted. "Emma said the orange fish is called samman. But now it's cooked and it's turned pink. See, Mom?"

"That looks delicious," Regina grinned, peering into the pot Henry had pointed to. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah. Emma told me I could pick the plates. Look, these are funny shaped," he grinned, gesturing to the elegant oval bowls which were usually used to serve chowder, into which Emma was now placing their lunch.

"Well, then let's eat," Regina said, picking up two of the bowls herself, leaving Emma to carry one between her still tender hands. Henry followed the duo out into the restaurant, smiling proudly at the other chefs as he passed. The team were already fond of the small boy.

The team became even more besotted with Henry at their first staff meeting. Emma had arranged for it to take place a few mornings after the papers were signed and set up one end of the restaurant for them all to meet. She and Regina had discussed what they wanted to say and how they wanted to start their management off on the right foot. There were changes which they wanted to implement but it was going to be a process and they didn't want to change anything dramatically without telling the staff in advance.

As the staff members arrived that Friday morning, an hour earlier than usual, Henry was in his element as he waved to all of his new friends from where he sat with Ruby. August, in particular, had warmed to the child and he came over to sit on Henry's other side. At once, Henry was asking about August's motorbike. Regina had been disappointed to realise that Emma's accident had done nothing to deter the small boy's interest in the death traps.

Once everyone was present, Emma stood up to speak.

"Um, hi," she said, her stomach fluttering with nerves. She wasn't sure why. She conducted a staff briefing with half of the people in the room every morning. But this was different. After a pause, Regina took over when it became apparent the blonde had frozen.

"Hello everyone and thank you for coming in early this morning. As you know, Emma and I have bought Hook, Line and Sinker. Of course, you all know Emma very well but I'm new to most of you. I'm Regina Mills and I'll be involved in more of the business, behind the scenes management. The kitchen is still firmly Emma's domain and Ruby will continue to take care of the front of house. Day to day, you won't see me much here and Emma will be your primary point of contact. But I'll try to come in once a week at least. I already run a business in Portland where I have an open door policy. This is something Emma and I would like to implement here so if you have any questions or problems, please come to either of us."

"Yes," Emma said, finding her voice at last. "We want the success of HLS to be a team effort and that means we want to hear your ideas and any issues you may have. Over the next few months, I will be spending a little less time in the kitchen, to allow me to do all that boring paperwork which Regina tells me I have to do."

There was a chuckle at that. Regina rolled her eyes but was smiling too.

"What I mean is, nothing is going to change around here as far as what I expect from my team in the kitchen. There may just be a few shifts where I won't be present, that's all. And, of course, Ruby will continue to be our front of house manager. We do have some changes planned for the future but for the first couple of months, everything will remain the same as Regina and I settle into the business. The first change will be an expansion of the kitchen team. We're going to hire a couple more sous chefs to take on some of my work."

"Can I be the new shoe chef?"

Emma blinked and turned to look at Henry who had his hand straight up in the air as if he were patiently waiting to be chosen to answer a question by a teacher. Laughter rippled around the room.

"One day, kid, but you've got to go to school, remember?"

"Not now. It's the summer vacation. I can come and be your shoe chef until I go back to school, can't I?"

Emma glanced at Regina who shrugged and winked. She decided to let Emma handle her son's adorable request. Plus, she was trying too hard not to laugh to actually compose an answer. Emma narrowed her eyes as if to say, thanks for the help, before turning back to the boy who was patiently waiting for his answer.

"The problem is, Henry, that you'll only be available to work for a few more weeks and then school starts again. So while you would, of course, be a big help until you had to leave, we want someone who will work with us for a long time."

Henry pouted. "If I could, I would skip school. But Mom says I have to go."

"You do have to," Emma nodded. "But maybe when you're older you can be the sous chef here. Deal?"

"Can I work with you and August?" Henry asked, turning to beam into the face of the man beside him who was smothering his own laughter.

"Sure can, my little man," August nodded. "But I think Emma is right. Maybe wait a few years."

"How many years is a few?" Henry asked.

"Well, usually 'few' means three or four but in this case it means about twelve," Emma answered.

The pout deepened. Arms crossed. "Not fair. I wanna be a shoe chef now."

"One day, kid," Emma said, secretly proud that Henry was interested in following in her footsteps. "But for now, we'll be advertising for the position. If any of you know of talented chefs in the area who are looking for work, please let them know."

The meeting continued, Henry now sulking a little at not having been accepted for his dream job. Emma and Regina said all they needed to say and, after asking if there were any questions and answering a few about contracts and job security, dismissed everyone to begin their work. The duo retreated into the back office, Henry traipsing behind them as Ruby was busy setting up for the day and couldn't entertain him.

"We should decorate in here," Regina remarked as they sat down at the desk. There was now a computer on each side and two new swivel chairs. Henry had brought a few toys from home over the weeks and now had enough to keep him occupied for hours stored in a box in the corner.

"We should," Emma nodded. The office was dark and very 'Killian'. Fresh paint was definitely needed. "Did that meeting go well?"

"I thought so," Regina nodded. "How did you feel about it?"

"It's going to take some getting used to but I'm happy. I think the team are too."

"Good," Regina smiled. "And it's going to continue to be important that we keep them in the loop, as we said. Communication is key."

"Just like us."

Regina looked up from her computer where she had been compiling the minutes from the meeting and made eye contact with Emma. "Just like us," she repeated. "Is there anything you want to communicate with me?"

"No," Emma shrugged. "Just that I love you."

A soft smile played across Regina's lips. "I'll let you in on a little secret."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"I love you too."

Emma's first task as the owner of the restaurant was to hire additional kitchen staff. The summer vacation meant they were busier than ever and they needed more help. The extra hands would still be needed when Emma began to cut her own hours in the autumn to allow her to be at home a little more with Regina and Henry, particularly at the weekends.

She had never interviewed someone before and requested Regina sat in with her for the first few applicants. Regina had rearranged her working scheduled to allow her to dedicate every Friday to the restaurant and was already relishing learning a new industry. While Regina had interviewed people countless times before, it didn't take long for Emma to pick up on the right questions and tailor them to the business. After a few interviewees had come and gone, Emma felt more confident in her own abilities and began conducting them on her own. Within a week, she had added three new talents to her team and was optimistic to see how they would do.

The second task Emma had been given, she was struggling with and was yet to finish. She and Regina had had extensive conversations on the subject and had come to a conclusion at last. The restaurant was going to be rebranded. With Regina's marketing skills and the fact that their research showed people were coming for Emma, not the restaurant, it seemed like the right decision. They had decided that changing the restaurant's name, developing a logo and rebranding their online presence was going to allow them to really put their own mark on the place.

Two weeks at the end of October were booked to allow for a refurbishment of the restaurant. While the kitchen needed no changes, Regina and Emma were going to redecorate the front of house as well as the office space. There were also new signs which needed to be put up, new window dressings and new décor inside. When they opened again in November, the place would be officially renewed and under new management, just in time for the end of year, festive rush.

One question remained, however. What should the new name of the restaurant be?

A/N: Read that last line again. That's my question to you. Submit your suggestions for what the new name of the restaurant should be in the review/comment section. It can be related to the show, to these characters, to something completely different. I really don't mind but I'd love to hear your ideas. The one I like best will become the new name of the restaurant and will be revealed in Wednesday's chapter.