Chapter 3 A Call From the Past

Emma woke up the next morning feeling like there was a heavy weight on her heart. She had cried during their talk last night, not just because of the heavy emotions that came with it, but because Regina had easily picked up on the fact that something was very different this year. Emma usually fell into a state of gloominess during the days surrounding her birthday, but this year it seemed to have hit her stronger. She had been more quiet, lost in her wandering thoughts, and a bit distant from her family and friends. Of course Regina knew something was wrong, and she was trying to get to the bottom of it. She didn't mean to worry her, but how could she even tell her that she was afraid to move further in their relationship because she didn't feel whole. Regina deserved everything after what she had gone through. She deserved to get married. Have a beautiful wedding. Maybe even have more kids. She wanted nothing more, but she needed to find a piece of herself that has been missing her whole life. She was terrified of sharing this with Regina because she didn't want her to feel like she wasn't enough. She was afraid of pushing Regina away even if she knew deep down, Regina would never give up on her.

Regina was curled up on her side of the bed, deep in sleep and breathing steadily. It was early and Emma felt wide awake with her thoughts swirling relentlessly in her head. She decided to go for a run along the marina. If she went now, she could make it back for breakfast. She didn't want Regina to worry for her more than she already was, and decided to try and act as normal as she possibly could.

She got up, quickly dressed and then knelt before Regina and pressed a sweet kiss on her lips. She stirred until her eyes opened in a slit.

"You… ok?" Regina mumbled, closing her eyes, on the brink of falling back to sleep.

"I'm going for a run. I'll be back for breakfast, love," she assured her and watched as she nodded and snuggled deeper into her pillow as sleep quickly pulled her under. She sat there, watching her until her breaths evened out and she slept as deeply as she was before Emma had awakened her.

The morning air was icy and sharp in her lungs, exactly what Emma needed for the suffocating heat that she had woken up with. The sun was barely rising, creating a gray aura over the town. They were deep into fall and soon it would be snowing as they approached the winter season. She jogged in a steady pace towards the beach, her mood becoming lighter with the fresh air and the exertion. She tried distracting herself as she thought about the plans they would soon be making for the holidays. She even thought about possible Christmas gifts for Regina and Henry as she finally reached the marina.

As she came closer to the pier, she spotted Ursula's rescue center, and to her complete shock, noticed Mal exiting the side door and approaching her car parked out front. She thought she had driven back to the cabin last night. And what was she doing here so early in the morning when Storybrooke was still silent in its slumber?

She had sunglasses on and her clothes looked wrinkled as if she just threw them on. Her blonde hair was thrown up in a messy bun and her face was free of make up. She was balancing a thermos of what Emma suspected was coffee as she shuffled a hand into her canvas tote bag, seemingly looking for her car keys. Emma realized she had spent the night and was so surprised, she had just froze for a moment as she watched Mal pull her keys out with a trembling hand and then drop them on the pavement. She mumbled a curse word and bent to pick them up. Emma took this distraction as an opportunity to approach her.

"Mal?"

She spun so quickly she dropped her keys again. She stared at her for a moment from behind her dark shades and then took a controlled breath as she picked up her keys again. Emma suddenly felt like she was a student approaching a teacher outside of school hours.

"Emma? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice trembling a bit as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't.

"I was just on a run," she said. "I thought you had gone home last night. Did you get stranded?"

"No… I…" She took a deep breath, and Emma had never seen her so apprehensive. "Ursula wanted to give me a tour of her center, and after we stayed up pretty late last night talking. We had too much wine so I slept on the couch."

She opened the car door and tossed her tote bag into the passenger seat. By the slight blush in her cheeks and her reluctance to share anymore, Emma realized she was probably embarrassed at having been caught hungover after spending the night with a woman she just met.

"Are you ok to drive?" she asked. "You can sleep in our guest room if you need a few more hours."

"No, dear, but thank you for the offer. And, I know Regina was the one to set this up, but I expect for you to keep my privacy to yourself."

"Of course," Emma nodded as a sudden thought came to mind. She wondered if Regina revealed anything to her about her gloominess or even their seemingly stagnant relationship. "Did Regina say anything odd… yesterday? About me or …" she stopped. Of all the people she could trust on keeping her secrets, it was Mal. She was a very respectable woman in the sense of privacy. She doubted she would share anything Regina said.

Mal tilted her head.

"Did she talk to you last night?" she asked before Emma could finish her sentence.

"She's worried about me, and she has a right to be. There's something I haven't been able to talk to her about."

"She only expressed her concerns for you," Mal stated, and Emma realized she had cleverly extracted information from her so she wouldn't accidentally give anything away. Mal would never give away Regina's trust. She wouldn't tell her anything that she already didn't know.

Emma respected that with a silent nod. Mal got into her car, setting her thermos in the cup holder and then starting the engine. She rolled the window down and looked at Emma once more.

"If you're trying to protect her, you can't do that if you're letting whatever it is fester within you. Sooner or later, it's going to bleed, and you're both going to get hurt. Talk to her."

It wasn't as easy as it sounded. She watched as Mal drove off towards the direction of the town line, feeling more lost than she ever did.

Emma made it back home to the smell of bacon, eggs, and pancakes wafting in the air the minute she walked in. She could hear Regina and Henry laughing and talking in the kitchen and her heart immediately warmed after being in the icy air all morning. Her worries melted away for the time being as she shedded her coat and shoes and headed into the kitchen. Henry was sitting at the table, already eating as Regina stood at the stove and flipped a pancake on the skillet.

Regina hadn't seen her walk in and she brought a finger to her lips, indicating for Henry to be silent as she came up from behind her and wrapped her arms around her. She kissed her cheek as she felt Regina tense for a moment before relaxing in her embrace. It was a little ritual they did to help Regina from being startled so easily from behind. She turned in her arms and kissed Emma so tenderly on her lips, before slowly pulling away to look at her. Regina brought a hand up to her cheek to caress it, a warm touch that chased away the chill from her skin.

"You're getting better at this," Emma praised.

"Because I always know it's you."

A deep kind of affection washed over her and Emma couldn't help but feel so proud for how far Regina had come since the days she was drowning in the darkest parts of her trauma. She still had moments where she would be fearful, and Emma was there to remind her she was loved. She was home. She was with her family. She worked so hard to get up from her rocky bottom, and even now, years later, she was still working so hard. It made her feel guilty that she was having such a hard time overcoming her own demons. Regina deserves for her to be honest, but she meant what she said last night. She just wasn't ready. She was so terrified of everything changing in the worst way imaginable.

The loving look in Regina's eyes suddenly became serious as if she knew exactly what Emma was thinking of. She removed her hand and turned back to the stove to plate the last of the pancakes and turned off the pilot. Emma followed her as she set them at the table and took a seat beside Henry.

"We've been talking about going to the pumpkin patch. How about we go today?" Emma asked, wanting to enjoy their Sunday together without her dark thoughts looming over her like a dark storm cloud. She wanted Regina to have a relaxing day as well and not spend so much time worrying about her.

"Actually… I was kind of hoping if I could go to the arcade today with Ava and Nick?" Henry sheepishly asked and a sudden weight hit Emma's heart like a ton of bricks. Henry was spending less and less time with them. Before he used to choose to spend weekends with his mothers and now he was choosing to go off with his friends. Nostalgia overcame her as she realized how fast he was growing. She missed so much time in his first years of life, and now that she's known him for five years, he was growing up quicker than she could keep up.

"You love the pumpkin patch," Regina stated, a bit confused on why he suddenly had no interest anymore.

"That's kid stuff," he shrugged. "Besides, the new girl at school is going to be at the arcade too, and I promised to show her all the best games. Her name is Violet and she just moved here from Connecticut. She loves reading too, but she's more into the mystery and crime genre." He suddenly had a soft smile on his lips as he spoke of her. A kind of smile that Emma recognized all too well.

Regina raised an eyebrow at that. Emma had to force herself not to chuckle at Regina's subtle disapproval. She had noticed the smitten smile too. Even after all these years, Regina was still very protective of their son, even if it was from teen girls. Regina let out a defeated sigh, because Emma knew she was never one to deny her son anything without a good reason.

"Be back home by six for dinner. It's a school night. Did you finish all of your homework?"

"Yes, and all of my reading. I'll even aim to get home earlier, please mom?"

She looked at Emma, silently asking for her input.

"I'm ok with it, if you are."

"Alright, you may go," she smiled at him and laughed as he cheered and then eagerly started to finish his pancakes.

"Slow down Henry," Emma admonished him although there was laughter in her tone.

Once they had finished and the kitchen was left cleaner than it had been, Henry wasted no time in heading out to the arcade. Halloween was only a week away and Regina was admandent about finding several pumpkins to carve so they could display on their porch.

Emma walked beside Regina with the wheelbarrow as they moved through the pumpkins, looking for the best ones. She was bundled in her peacoat and red scarf and gloves. Emma had a thicker coat on as well and was bundled up in a scarf, beanie and gloves. The season was getting colder as they fell deeper into fall. The field they were on was large and full of all kinds of different pumpkins. Families were all around them choosing their pumpkins and putting them in wheelbarrows.

"How about this one?" Regina asked, kneeling to a medium sized almost perfectly round orange pumpkin. "You think it's big enough to carve a wicked witch on it?"

"A wicked witch?"Emma laughed. "Maybe we should get one of those green ones over there," she nodded towards where there was a patch of green colored pumpkins.

"Not all witches are green," she replied with an amused sparkle in her eyes as she lifted the pumpkin and placed it inside. Before Emma could respond, a little familiar voice shouted behind them and Regina's eyes lit up as she knelt down to open her arms for the little toddler that she adored so much.

"GiGi!" Neal hugged her tight as she stood and lifted him in her arms. "Pun' kins!"

"Hello my sweet boy! Do you see the pumpkins in our wheelbarrow?" she asked, pointing towards it and laughed as Neal let out an excited squeal. At that moment David and Mary Margaret were approaching them. Their wheelbarrow was full of different assortments of wacky looking pumpkins in shape and color which Emma suspected in fond amusement was Neal's doing.

After exchanging greetings, Regina knelt down by the wheelbarrow to show Neal each of the pumpkins she and Emma had gathered. She loved watching them. Regina was so loving with him. So patient. She had a tenderness when it came to interacting with children, and Emma nearly zoned out just watching them until Mary Margaret's voice pulled her out of it.

"Where is Henry?" Mary Margaret asked, looking around for the teen.

"He went off with his friends. He's been doing that more and more lately," Emma sighed, missing their son suddenly. They were surrounded by families with small children.

"It's all part of being a teenager," Mary Margaret said, watching as her young son interacted with Regina. "Which is why we got to savor these kinds of moments. Henry used to love coming here."

"He used to run all over, looking for pumpkins that looked magical… like they came out of a fairytale," Regina said with a reminiscent glow in her eyes as she stood. "Now, he's worrying about trying to fit in and impressing girls." Her face scrunched up in disapproval at that as if she couldn't get used to this transition of her little boy not being so little anymore.

"He's growing up," David stated. "He met a girl?"

Emma and Regina exchanged looks. They weren't exactly sure how they felt about this. He was only 14. Surely he was too young, but David was right. He was growing up and that meant allowing him to grow and figure out who he was going to be. Even if that involved his sudden interest in this girl.

"He rushed off to the arcade with friends because this girl was going to join them. He said she's a friend but… I don't know. He had a fond kind of smile as he spoke of her," Regina explained.

"Hmm, potential first love, do you think?" Mary Margaret asked and Regina shot her a glare.

"He's still a child," she protested, not wanting to accept this.

"He's 14," she reminded her. "Almost the same age you were when you had your first kiss."

Regina shook her head in disbelief, but by the soft defeated look in her eyes, Emma knew that Regina was accepting the truth in her words. She felt the same way. Henry was growing up and soon he would be a man. He was no longer the little boy who believed in fairytales. Now he was writing about them. Now he was thinking about his future. About life after high school and possibly even life outside of Storybrooke. Emma didn't want to think about that day.

"Hey kiddo, do you want to help us choose two more pumpkins?" Emma asked, wanting to lift the solemness that had washed over them. Regina's eyes had glazed over for a moment, suddenly big and watery and Emma was sure it wasn't the light breeze that had irritated them. She saw her subtly place her hand on her flat stomach as if she could still feel the life she had lost so many years ago.

Neal grew excited and was soon leading them to different pumpkins, and just as Emma expected him to do, he chased away the heaviness from Regina's heart as he took her hand and helped her choose the best ones. For a moment, Emma just stopped to watch them. Regina was so natural with him, when she always felt a bit awkward interacting with him. She loved him as a nephew, but that maternal side of her just didn't come easily. Not like it did with Regina.

"Are you ok?" Mary Margaret asked, coming to stand beside her as they watched Regina help Neal up on a giant pumpkin and David snapping a picture of them. Then it turned into the two of them trying to convince Neal that they couldn't possibly take it home and Regina and David trying to console him with other pumpkins. It was such a humorous sight, Emma couldn't help but laugh a little. Toddlers were terrors when they wanted to be and soon Regina was holding him and consoling him as he cried into her shoulder as David tried to reason with him by holding up some of the silly painted pumpkins that were meant for children.

"Yeah, I just like watching her with him sometimes. She's just so natural with him. It's one of the reasons why I fell in love with her. She loved Henry so fiercely in a way that I was too afraid to do. Knowing what she lost, breaks my heart."

"It's not too late, you know. It's still an option. You could adopt," Mary Margaret suggested, throwing Emma off at her lack of subtlety. She had no idea this was a sensitive topic right now and Emma grew a bit annoyed. "Or maybe you can get a doner..."

"Regina can't get pregnant," she harshly reminded her without meaning to. She was just feeling pressured and was uncomfortable talking about this. Mary Margaret finally sensed that she had hit a sensitive subject, because she was looking at her with an apologetic and knowing expression. "I'm sorry."

"Emma?" Her voice shook a bit. "Is adoption an option for you two?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "We haven't talked about it, and honestly I don't even want to bring it up right now. It's too soon in our relationship."

"Are you planning on taking that next step with her?"

She thought of the ring she had bought months ago that was nearly burning a hole in her box of childhood mementos she kept in the back of the closet. Regina would never invade her privacy so she knew it would be safe there. She hasn't been able to summon up the courage to propose. She wanted Regina to become her wife, but for reasons that left her too afraid, she kept putting it off. If Regina knew about her reluctance surely everything between them would change. She would think that their life, their relationship was insignificant which was far from the truth. Emma felt trapped between her past and her future.

Emma nodded, but was saved from having to elaborate when Neal was running over to them with tear stained cheeks and a smile on his face and holding a pumpkin with a painted scary clown on it. Regina and David followed behind, each carrying a pumpkin and looking harassed from the tantrum they managed to diffuse before it blew as they placed the pumpkins in the wheelbarrow.

"Ready to head home?" Emma asked, placing a quick kiss on her girlfriend's cheek.

"Yes, before it gets any colder," she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. Emma suddenly craved the warmness of home, of sitting in front of the fire and drinking a cup of hot chocolate. She wanted to hold Regin in her arms, cuddled under a warm blanket. She was eager to get going and was pushing the wheelbarrow with purpose towards the checkout line and away from Mary Margaret's suspicious gaze.

Regina wanted to wait to carve the pumpkins till Henry got home and so they found themselves cuddled under a blanket on the living room couch in front of the roaring hearth just like Emma had craved. They had a movie on but neither of them were really paying attention as they slowly kissed one another. Emma loved moments like these. It was as if the world just melted away. All their problems no longer mattered, and it was just the two of them.

"Do we have time before Henry comes home?" Regina whispered when they had pulled apart finally. Emma started kissing her neck, making Regina groan in pleasure. She looked towards the clock and tried to remember the curfew Regina had set for him this morning.

"I think so," she said, getting up and taking her hand. Regina barely had time to grab the remote and turn the tv off before rushing up the stairs behind her.

Emma gently pushed her down onto the bed, straddling her and capturing her lips into a heated kiss. Regina groaned, burying her fingers into Emma's blonde curls. She quickly started tugging her jeans off and was a bit impatient that she had to interrupt their kiss so she could slide them off and toss them to the floor. Regina pulled her shirt off and quickly pulled down her slacks, leaving her in her bra and panties. Emma straddled her again, looking into her deep dark eyes before they were lost in their passion again. Emma smirked, reaching up and sliding her blouse over her head so that she was only in her panties and bra as well.

"Do you want this?" Emma asked, always taking the moment to slow down and check in with her. Regina answered by leaning up and kissing her, her hand caressing her cheek to hold her in place.

"I do," she whispered when they slowly parted just enough so they could feel each other's breaths on their lips. Emma slowly slid a hand down between them and Regina hissed in pleasure when she had cupped her hot center. She was already so aroused. She started grinding against her hand, needing more than just touches. Emma kissed her, trailing her lips down her neck and then her chest. She removed her bra and lavished her breasts until she was squirming and pushing Emma further down.

"I know, love," Emma chuckled, trailing her kisses further down until she was placing one at the hem of her panties. She slowly peeled them off and slid them down her legs until she was completely bare before her, legs open, and looking at her with so much love and desire Emma couldn't help but surge forward and captured those red lips again.

Emma stroked her as they kissed until Regina was grinding hard against her hand, dangerously close to reaching her goal. Emma pulled her hand away which earned her a cry of frustration from the beautiful woman beneath her.

"Emma! I need you inside me!" Regina demanded, surprising Emma for a moment. Regina was always so hesitant in telling her what she wanted. Emma usually asked her and coaxed it out of her. She laughed affectionately, proud that she had boldly claimed what she wanted. She kissed her lips once more and then descended until she was between her legs and breathing in her scent.

She delved in, licking her up and down and sucking on her clit. Regina buried her hands in her hair, gently holding her as she breathed heavily from the pleasure. She circled her entrance with her tongue, preparing her before slipping inside her. She groaned, moving her hips and crying out in relief as Emma started thrusting inside her at a steady pace.

The sound of Emma's cell ringing from downstairs caused her to pull away and Regina cried out in frustration.

"No! Let it ring, Emma!" Regina pleaded, so close to her peak she could care less about whoever it was that was standing in the way of her pleasure.

"What if it's important?"

"It can wait one minute!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! My love, please finish! I'm almost there!"

That was all the assurance Emma needed, and she was back between her legs, sucking on her clit and thrusting two fingers so hard into her that Regina cried out from the force of it. She thrusted hard and fast until Regina was clamping her legs and tensing around her.

"That's it beautiful," Emma raised her head to watch her as she thrusted her fingers into her and circled her clit with her thumb. She rose up, curling into herself as Emma helped her ride it out.

The phone started ringing again and Emma felt a sense of annoyance for whoever was interrupting them. They let it ring as Regina came down from her high, falling against the pillows in sated bliss.

"Whoever is calling, I'm going to kill them," Regina murmured, her voice dropping an octave. Emma plopped beside her, kissing her as her breath finally started to even out.

When she had rested enough, Regina got up to straddle her, kissing her lips and descending her hand, eager to please her. Just as she cupped her center, the phone rang for a third time.

"Son of a bitch!" Regina yelled, instantly losing her temper and Emma laid there shocked for the curse word that had just flown from her mouth. Emma was usually the one slipping a curse here and there. It was rare for Regina to let it slip like this.

"I'm going to go answer it. I don't think they're going to stop. It might be urgent."

Regina let out a frustrated sigh as she rolled off of her so that Emma could get up from the bed. She slipped a robe on and rushed downstairs where she left her phone on the living room coffee table. She frowned when it wasn't a number she recognized.

She hit the call button and brought it to her ear. The familiar voice on the other end had her dropping down on the couch in shock.

"I didn't think you were going to answer, duckling."

"August?" Her voice shook and her eyes burned with threatening tears. The room suddenly felt like a hot furnace. She must have zoned out for a moment because August Booth, her foster brother that she hasn't heard from in years, was calling her name.

"Emma? Are you still there?"

"Um… yeah," she replied shakily, shaking herself from the shock. "What the hell do you want?" she snapped, anger suddenly coursing through her now that the shock was wearing off. After all these years she was still so angry for what he had done.

"You're still angry," he stated and she scoffed at the audacity of him.

"What do you think?" she snapped harshly. "What you did was unforgivable. You ruined my life, and it was because of you I couldn't keep…" She stopped because she was just about to burst into tears.

"I know, and I'm sorry Emma. I truly am but I needed to protect you. I needed to get you off the streets."

"By sending me to prison!" She shook her head in angry disbelief.

"Emma, there's a reason I'm calling you," he stated, getting to the point. She took a deep breath, and tried to calm the rising anger within her.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling utterly defeated.

"I have a lead to who your mother is?"

She nearly dropped the phone in shock. She hasn't been able to track down her parents. How the hell did he manage to find a lead after all these years with nothing to go on?

"You better not be fucking messing with me August," she growled out, her heart was beating so fast in anticipation she could hear the blood pumping in her ears.

"No, Emma I went back to the diner that I found you at and I managed to get the manager to let me go through old transaction records. Orders were hand written then, and when the diner converted to online they stored everything…"

"Get to the point!"

"Rose Red ordered a single coffee the day I found you. The only single person order from that day was made by a woman. The shitty faulty cameras never caught anything Emma, but she wasn't unnoticed. The cashier who took her order lives in Portland. Maybe we can ask her if she remembers who Rose Red was."

"No! You are not doing this with me!" she snapped, her anger rising again because the thought of going back to Portland, to her first city that she had lived in brought back so many unwanted memories.

"Fine," he sighed. "But if you decide to do this, we need to talk about what happened. Meet me at the diner where it all began. We'll talk and I'll give you all the information I have uncovered so far. Give me a call when you're ready."

He hung up leaving Emma with nothing but the silence of the room and the loud droning sound of the dial tone in her ear. She let the phone slip from her hand and barely even registered the sound of it falling to the floor.

He got a name.

She wasn't sure if it was legit, for all she knew it could be an alias name, but it was something. She didn't want to talk to August. She didn't even want to see him, but if he was the one holding the key to her past, then she'd be a fool to not take it. She looked up towards the staircase, where her beautiful girlfriend was waiting. How was she going to tell her that she was about to take a journey back to the past.

It was finally time to come clean about everything, about her doubts and insecurities. Regina needed to know the truth, even the parts of her past she has never told her about. The darkest moments that she kept close and locked away, and even the truth about Henry's father. She took a deep breath and headed into the kitchen for a cup of cider.

She needed a moment alone to process everything. She poured herself a glass and then headed out to the backyard to sit on the planter edge underneath the apple tree. She looked up to see the single growing apple.

Hope.

Hope for closure. The wish she had made on the night of her birthday might just come true.

Regina came looking for her after a while. Emma hadn't realized how much time had passed until she was sitting beside her on the planter and looking at her with questioning and worried dark eyes. She was dressed in leggings and Emma's sweatshirt that she had claimed as her own.

"Who was it?" she asked, her voice gentle as if she were afraid to hear what had put Emma in such a state of shock. Emma looked at her, unsure how or where to even begin. She took her hand and Regina squeezed her fingers in response.

"It was August, my foster brother that I grew up with in the system."

"You've never told me about him before…"

"I know," she sighed heavily. Talking about her past was always so hard, especially the part where August had broken her heart. "He did something unforgivable that broke me and it's not a time in my life that I like to talk about."

Regina didn't say anything. She just was being here for her and Emma loved her so much for it. She loved that as worried as she was for her, she never pushed her to talk about things that she wasn't ready to discuss yet. She knew there would be a time to tell her everything, but not now. Not when she was still processing what August had revealed to her. Her mother's name.

"He might have found a lead to who my mother is," she continued. "He went back to the diner that he… That I was found outside of. He found old handwritten records of old transactions before they converted to computers. The day that I was abandoned, a woman had ordered a coffee with the name Rose Red."

"And you think it might be her?" Regina asked, her voice cracking from the shock.

"She was the only single woman diner that day. He says the waiter that took her order lives in Portland. He wants to meet me at the diner to talk. That's the only way he'll give me information."

"You… you have to go," she suddenly stated with urgency. Emma looked at her in confusion, because she didn't think Regina would want her to just get up and leave her and Henry. Regina frowned at her reaction and moved so that she was kneeling in front of her and holding both of her hands against her chest.

"You need to do this," she said seriously. "You need closure. Even if it's a dead end, you won't be left wondering if you had made the right choice or not. I'm going to support you Emma, in whatever you decide. Just make sure you decide what is best for you."

"I want to go," she nodded. "I want you to come with me. I need you with me, love."

Regina nodded, tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks and Emma leaned forward to kiss her, capturing those lips in her and cupping her face. She was about to start on the road to her past, and the one person she would want to come with her was the woman that she loved with everything inside of her. The woman who knew her so well, but at the same time knew nothing of her past.

She knew they would have to have the talk, but not tonight. Not when Regina was crying as she kissed her. Not when Henry returned home in such good spirits and definitely not when they were having so much fun, laughing and carving pumpkins.

"Ma?" Henry was taking her hand as they stood out on the porch, watching as Regina lit three carved jack o lanterns. One of them had a very detailed scary witch on it thanks to the artist that was her talented girlfriend. "Are you ok?"

She had lost herself in thought for a moment and of course, as intuitive as Henry was, he had noticed.

"Yeah, kid," she smiled, pulling him close to her side and kissing the side of his head. "I'm just lucky, that's all."