A/N: Thank you so much for all of your suggestions. Some of them were awesome and I wish I could have used more. And while I would have loved to call the restaurant SwanQueen, that only makes sense to us as OUAT fans … but I did still manage to get them to talk about it as an option!

Over the coming weeks, Emma settled into her altered position as head chef and boss. She was back in the kitchen full time by the end of August, almost two months after her accident. Her hands felt fine, although the skin was a slightly different shade than it had been before. Day to day, not much had changed. She continued to run her kitchen as she always did, thanks to the relative autonomy she had enjoyed under Killian.

Her first order of business once she was back at work was to buy herself a car after her promise to Regina that she wouldn't ride a motorbike again. Although driving a car to work didn't give her the same thrill, Emma wasn't at all disgruntled about her lifestyle change. She knew it was the right choice: for her and her family. Well, almost the right choice.

"Emma, what the hell is that thing outside our house?" Regina called the moment she stepped into the house late on a Monday afternoon at the start of September.

"Good evening, darling," Emma chimed back from the kitchen. "How was your day?"

She waited until Regina appeared in the doorway, hands on hips. "Emma," the brunette repeated. "What is that thing?"

"I presume you mean Dandelion?" Emma said, standing by the stove where she was stirring their dinner. Her day off had disappeared now she was the boss but she had made sure to pack up her paperwork and head to school to pick Henry up on time; their Monday tradition wasn't going to change.

"Dandelion? No, Emma, I mean the hideous old car parked outside of our house," Regina said, kissing Henry on the crown of his head. The boy was sat colouring in at the dining table.

"Hideous?" Emma grimaced. "Regina, she's a classic."

"She's rusty. And yellow. Emma, what the hell were you thinking?"

Emma grinned. "I was thinking that I needed a car and that you said you wanted me to get something safe. There have been plenty of studies to show that a car which is painted a bright colour is more visible on the roads and therefore less likely to be involved in a collision."

"I meant get something with airbags, you moron."

At that, Emma turned around and pouted. "Hey!"

Regina sighed. She hadn't meant that. "Sorry, you're not a moron."

"Long day?" Emma asked, taking in how tired her girlfriend looked.

"Yeah," Regina nodded.

"Wine?"

"Yeah," Regina said again. "Please."

Emma smiled and poured them both a glass, handing one to the woman who was now sat opposite her son. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes."

"Ok, thanks," Regina said, suddenly sounding exhausted. "I'm sorry. You're not a moron."

"I know," Emma said, kissing Regina lightly before returning to her bubbling saucepan.

"But really, Emma. You can't drive that car."

"Why not? It runs great. I'm never going to lose it in a parking lot -"

"Because you can see it from space," Regina interrupted.

"- and I got a good deal on it," Emma finished.

"I wish you'd told me you were going to buy that monstrosity. I would have sent you to my dealer. We have a fleet of company cars for Mills Marketing at the Mercedes dealership in Portland. I could have gotten you a brand new car."

"No," Emma said sharply. "It's my car. My money. I'm not letting you buy me a car, Regina."

The brunette looked a little taken aback at the tone. Even Henry looked up from his colouring for a moment. "Right, ok, I'm sorry," Regina said after a moment. Even though they were business partners, money was still a sensitive subject when it came to the blonde.

An awkward silence fell over the trio until Henry piped up. "Emma, can I check to see if the potatoes are ready yet?"

"Sure can, kid," Emma nodded, beckoning him over and holding out her hand so he was standing a safe distance away from the oven which she then opened.

Regina watched the duo as they set about putting the finishing touches to their evening meal. Despite the little riff which had just occurred, she couldn't help but feel wonderfully calm and content at the sight. As soon as Henry rushed off to wash his hands, Regina made her way over to Emma and wound her arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry," she whispered before pressing a kiss to Emma's lips. "I didn't mean to overstep. I appreciate that you want to buy your car with your own money and of course it's your decision. I shouldn't have interfered."

"I forgive you," Emma said, kissing Regina quickly as well. "But don't be mean to Dandelion again, ok?"

"Don't make me get into Dandelion and you've got a deal," Regina replied.

Emma laughed and hugged Regina tightly. They only broke apart when Henry returned and announced that he wanted to have chocolate for desert.

The addition of Regina to Hook, Line and Sinker had had no effect on Emma's kitchen but had been a huge help when it came to the business side of things. As the blonde had predicted, she would not be able to do much of the paperwork without her girlfriend. And, it turned out, an administrative assistant that Regina had hired part time to make up for the early part of the week when she was working at Mills Marketing.

Ariel was a young redhead who worked quietly in the back office three mornings a week, making sure all of the invoices were covered and all orders for the kitchen and bar were placed. Ruby was a little vexed at having to hand over her contacts with her suppliers but once Emma and Regina explained their reasoning, she agreed. Ariel was merely phoning the orders through, based on what Ruby and Emma requested. It would still be their responsibility, as respective heads of the bar and kitchen to check the orders. But now they didn't need to waste time calling up suppliers or filling in poorly coded online forms to get what they needed. Ariel also created a comprehensive spreadsheet of their stock which made the whole ordering process much more simple.

"We still need you to do everything you used to do, just less paperwork," Emma explained to Ruby who was questioning the new hire. "Don't worry, you're not being replaced."

"Oh I'm irreplaceable," Ruby joked.

"True. Seriously, though, Rubes. Ariel is just here to make our lives easier. It's a good thing, I promise."

"You make me sound like I hate change," Ruby pouted.

"You do," Emma replied. The pout deepened. Emma laughed. "Come on, I've got some time before evening service. Wanna tell me about your wedding plans?"

The frown disappeared at once as Ruby launched into the latest idea she and Belle were toying with for their wedding, the date for which had been set for the following summer.

Emma's plans to reduce her hours in the kitchen were still a work in progress. While she had expanded her team and was pleased to see August stepping up as their kitchen staff grew, she still worked six days a week. The one day she refused to work, however, was Henry's birthday.

The boy's seventh birthday happened to fall on a Saturday and Emma was up until the small hours of the morning baking and cooking for the following day. Twenty of his classmates were due to descend in the afternoon and Emma had outdone herself when it came to providing every sort of party treat imaginable. When she finally crawled beneath the sheets, smelling faintly of icing sugar and cookie dough, she fell asleep immediately, an arm slung around Regina's waist.

After what felt like only half an hour, an excitable seven-year-old bounded into the room and launched himself onto the bed.

"I'm seven! I'm seven! I'm seven! I'm seven!" he cried, jumping up and down as he did so, causing Regina and Emma to curl their bodies into balls to avoid being trampled on. "Mom! Emma! I'm seven!"

"Happy birthday, my little prince," Regina said, peeking her head out from the safety of her forearms.

"Happy birthday, kid," Emma said, pushing herself into a sitting position just as Henry plopped himself down and clapped his hands.

"Presents!"

Emma chuckled but Regina frowned. "Now, Henry, that's not very polite is it?"

"Yeah but it's my birthday so I can do what I want. And I get presents on my birthday."

"Just because it's your birthday, doesn't mean you can be rude," Regina said. "Ask politely please or Emma and I will return all of your gifts to the store."

Henry knew his mother wasn't really going to do that but he agreed to her request. "Please can I open my presents now."

Regina smiled and nodded. "Go into the living room. I think you'll find what you're looking for in there. Emma and I will follow in one minute."

The boy immediately scrambled off the bed and tore out of the room. Both women chuckled at his enthusiasm as they too got out of bed and pulled on their robes. Just before they left the bedroom, however, Emma caught Regina's arm.

"What?" the brunette asked, looking up at the curious expression on her girlfriend's face.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For letting me become a part of your family. I know I'll never be Henry's mother but the fact that I'm in his life in the way I am is … it means a lot," Emma said at last. "I just need you to know that."

Regina rocked up onto her toes and kissed Emma softly. "I know," she murmured. "And just so you know, as far as I'm concerned, you're raising Henry just as much as I am. I don't want to put pressure on you nor Henry to label your relationship but you're doing everything a mother does for her son. You're more than my girlfriend, Emma. You are part of this family, part of Henry's family."

Green eyes glittered with tears. It was too early in the morning to be discussing something so important. "Come on," Emma said. "Let's see if Henry's unwrapped all his presents already."

"I can't wait to see what you bought him," Regina said, interlacing her fingers with Emma's as they headed out of the bedroom. The blonde had refused to tell Regina what she had wrapped and placed alongside the pile of presents Regina had already purchased for her son.

By the time they got to the living room, wrapping paper was strewn everywhere and Henry was tearing into yet another parcel. Regina marvelled at the sight. Had she overbought? She could have sworn there wasn't so much in her closet before she started wrapping them up. Oh well, her son was only going to turn seven once. She and Emma took their seats on the couch and watched as Henry made his way through the mound, marvelling at each present briefly before moving to the next. Emma could see her package, half buried beneath crinkled paper but eventually Henry spotted it as one of the few presents left.

He frowned slightly as the contents fell into his lap. White fabric. Well, that was boring. He picked the material up, unfolded it and held it up. Regina gasped.

"Oh, Emma," she murmured, turning to look at the blonde who was watching the child with rapt attention.

"Mom, these are so cool!" Henry cried, jumping to his feet for the first time and running over to his mother. "Thanks!"

"Actually, I think you need to say thank you to Emma for that present," Regina said.

Henry turned to Emma. "You got me chef clothes like yours. Does this mean I can be your shoe chef?"

"At home, it sure does," Emma nodded. "You still have to wait a few more years before you can work in the restaurant but when we're here and cooking, you can wear your own chef whites."

"They're so cool!" Henry repeated. "Look, Mom, they say 'Henry' on them." He pointed to the embroidered name, positioned exactly where Emma's name was featured on her own. The embossed chef whites had been a present from Mary Margaret and David when she had finished culinary school. She had dozens of sets now but her personalised one held a special place in her heart.

"I can see that," Regina nodded, running her thumb over the delicate stitching. "You're a very lucky boy. What do you say to Emma?"

"Thank you Emma," Henry said, throwing his arms around the blonde and hugging her tightly.

"You're welcome, kid. Happy birthday."

"Help me put them on," Henry said, pulling away and holding out the top to Emma before rushing over to collect the discarded chef hat. "Oh cool! My name is on here too! I'm going to wear these to my party this afternoon!"

Despite both Emma and Regina trying to talk Henry out of wearing his chef whites and hat to his birthday party, they failed. When the guests began to arrive at the house that afternoon, Henry proudly greeted each of his friends from school wearing his new outfit.

"To be fair, he does look adorable," Emma said, over Regina's shoulder when she came to check on how the party games were progressing in between her cooking tasks.

"He does," Regina agreed. "Right, come on everyone. Who's up for a game of musical statues?"

By the time Hook, Line and Sinker closed its doors in the middle of October, Emma was exhausted and needed the break. She thanked all of her kitchen staff on their final evening and wished them well on their vacation. Out in the restaurant, Ruby was doing the same to her team as everyone left for the night.

Being the boss had meant longer hours, overall. It wasn't that Emma hadn't expected the increased workload but she was still getting used to it. In the new year, after the Christmas rush, she had already announced that she would be taking Sundays off, in addition to her usual Monday and alternate Wednesdays. She couldn't wait to spend more time with Henry and Regina.

Before that happened, however, Emma had a job to do. So the following day, Emma unlocked the doors to the restaurant and entered the deserted building. Making her way through to the back office, she sat down and fired up her computer. After checking her emails, she opened the document which she had been working on for two months. She had made no progress. Today, however, was the final deadline. After going to the kitchen and making herself a strong cup of coffee, she sat back down and stared determinedly at the screen.

Which is how Regina found her three hours later.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked as her girlfriend placed a fresh cup of coffee in front of her.

"I thought you may need some help," Regina said, pulling her own desk chair around and placing it beside Emma's. "The office can manage without me for the afternoon. Have you got your shortlist yet?"

"Here," Emma said, pointing to one list on her spreadsheet.

"Emma that has," Regina counted quickly, "seventeen options on it! Seventeen is not a shortlist. And why are none of my suggestions on there?"

"I told you, I'm not naming this place after myself."

"I get you not wanting to call it Emma's but what about Swan's? Or Swan's Kitchen? That's a classy name. We could have a beautiful logo. And there are swans outside in the harbour in springtime. It's perfect."

"I've got name options with Swan in them, see," Emma pointed to a few examples. "But I'm not just calling it Swan's. It's just … not me. I've never been the sort of person who shouts about their achievements. I'd feel embarrassed if this place was just named after me."

"Ok," Regina conceded. "So, let's work our way through this list. What have you got?"

"Starting at the top, Sofishticated."

Regina snorted. "Really?"

"Yeah, it's funny. I like puns," Emma argued.

"That would explain, Life's A Beach and Seas The Day, I suppose?"

"They're good names," Emma pouted.

"They are, but do they suit this place? This is a high end restaurant, remember. Puns are funny but they don't scream out fine dining. Look, what about The White Swan. That's got your name in it and it's classy."

"I know and I quite like it."

"Great!"

"But I don't love it," Emma said. "Nothing on this list feels quite, right, you know?"

Regina scanned the list once more, taking in each one carefully. "Under the Sea? The Little Mermaid?"

"I was watching it with Henry on Friday evening. It gave me a couple of ideas."

"Cute," Regina grinned.

"I know. But I don't want cute. You're right. This place can't be cute or have a pun name. Even though those puns are brilliant, by the way. I'm a pun genius."

"What's this one?" Regina asked. "Swanqueen?"

"Your name means queen in Italian," Emma shrugged. "It just came to me one evening. It doesn't mean anything. I guess it just sounds nice."

"It does," Regina mused. "But does it make sense?"

"To us, perhaps, but maybe not to our customers. That's where The Regal Swan came from. I was trying to play around with your royalty."

"Emma, are you trying to create a shipper name for us?"

The blonde blushed. "No."

Regina chuckled, the kind of deep, throaty laugh which did funny things to Emma's insides. "You're adorable."

"Thanks but we're still no closer to deciding on a name and your graphics team said they need a decision by the end of the day so they can design a logo for us and send it to the sign printers."

Returning her attention to the screen, Regina scanned the remainder of Emma's so-called shortlist.

"Once Upon A Time?" she asked, reaching the final entry. "Like the way all fairy tales start?"

"Yeah," Emma shrugged. "I guess this all feels like a fairy tale to me. Meeting you. Meeting Henry. Falling in love with you. Becoming part of your family. Buying this place. It's just … it feels like a dream come true. It's my happy ending except we're really just starting out, like a happy beginning, you know?"

"I do know," Regina nodded. "I think I like that name. Do you?"

"I thought it was a bit cheesy, to be honest."

"It all depends on the branding," Regina replied. "And I think we could incorporate a swan into the logo too. Do you know the story of The Wild Swans?"

"Not as well as I know the tale of The Ugly Duckling," Emma quipped.

Regina sighed and wrapped her arm around Emma's shoulders. "You're not an ugly duckling, Emma."

"Yeah I am. But it's ok. That story ends well, remember? The cygnet realises why she never fitted in and finds her real family. And that's what I've done. After years of never feeling like I quite belong anywhere, I've finally found you and Henry. I belong now, Regina. Because of you."

A soft smile spread over Regina's lips. "Emma, I think we've decided on our name."

From that moment onwards, the two weeks of redecoration flew past. The restaurant was repainted in a crisp white, paired with a rich navy blue. All of the old gold fixtures were replaced with silver ones, in keeping with their new brand image. Ruby's beloved bar had seen better days and was ripped out and replaced, the polished black marble surface glittering under the new lights. The women's office was painted a pale blue as were the other corridors and storage spaces at the rear of the property. The restrooms too were refitted and smartened up.

On the final afternoon, a large sign was erected at the edge of the parking lot just as the new menus were being admired by the staff who had come in to see their revamped place of work. Emma had worked hard, alongside August, to revitalise their set menu but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of the white sign which stood, covered by a sheet and ready for the big reveal.

"Come on," Regina said after Emma had been staring out of the window for at least ten minutes. "Let's go and pull that sheet off and tell the world we're open for business."

"I can't believe we're reopening tonight," Emma said as she and Regina made their way out into the parking lot.

"It's just drinks and nibbles. We're not properly open until tomorrow."

"It feels weird," Emma admitted. "Before it was just like I was continuing to run HLS. Nothing had really changed. But now …"

"Now it's all ours," Regina said, turning to look back at the restaurant where their staff had gathered outside. "I'm so proud of you, Emma."

"I'm proud of us," Emma corrected. "Come on, let's do this. I've got canapés to make!"

Grinning, Emma took hold of the rope which the sign company had left attached to the sheet and tugged. The cover fluttered away to reveal their new logo. The elegant, almost regal-looking, navy blue swan floated proudly alongside the restaurant's new name. Once Upon A Time.

"So, what's our next project?" Regina asked as she collapsed on the couch long after midnight. The reopening drinks had been a huge success and the duo had received nothing but compliments on the rebranded restaurant. Despite both women's pleas, Henry had paraded around the party in his chef whites until he had been taken home by Kathryn. Emma had had to reassure several regular customers that they did not have a seven-year-old on the payroll.

"More redecorating," Emma said, stifling a yawn.

"Oh yeah? What are we redecorating now?"

"Our new house."

Despite the lateness of the hour, Regina was wide awake. "What?" she asked, in barely more than a whisper.

"That house you liked. It's still on the market. I thought about what you said. This week sees a new start for the restaurant and I think we deserve a new home to go with that. I've booked us in a viewing next week and from the pictures the estate agent sent me, I think we've got a lot of redecorating ahead of us."

A/N: for those of you who are interested, I (badly) made up a graphic of Emma and Regina's new restaurant name! I'll be posting it on Twitter and Instagram in the coming days – swanqueenukff on Twitter and swanqueenuk on Instagram. I chose the name I did because of the meaning it holds to the characters in this story. While it may seem a little boring to us, to my version of Emma, the restaurant name seemed perfect! Thank you to those who suggested it!