Regina tried desperately to fall over the edge of sleep. Every time she seemed to get close to it, she found herself pulled back by the restless blonde in bed behind her. Emma proved to be worse than Henry when it came to going to bed the night before their family vacation. The fourth time Regina felt herself pulled out of her slumber, she sighed heavily before growling in frustration. Turning abruptly, she glared at Emma.

"What on Earth is wrong with you?"

"I can't sleep," Emma whined.

"Well, thanks to you, neither can I," she snapped.

Emma flopped onto her side to face Regina as she pouted. "I'm sorry. I'm just so excited!"

The part of Regina that found this behavior endearing was barely conscious. Instead, the grumpy and tired queen rolled her eyes. "We'll see how excited you are when our vacation is ruined because you kept me up all night and I end up in a foul mood."

Emma settled down with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I'll try to be still."

Regina sighed, relenting to the childish charm of her lover. "Try to get some sleep, dear," she yawned.

Emma spooned up against her, wrapping herself around the mayor. Regina relaxed in her embrace and gratefully drifted off soon after. The savior was a little difficult to wake the next day, but adrenaline soon kicked in. Henry was easy to wake up. Regina couldn't help but shake her head in wonder at how efficient and eager the two of them were compared to every other day in the last few months. She watched amused as the two of them bustled around loading the luggage into the car. The three of them had breakfast with the Charmings before they hit the road. The first week of their vacation was going to be spent in New York. Emma and Henry spent days making playlists for the trip. They started with a 70's mix. As soon as "Don't Fear the Reaper" came on, Henry and Emma bounced in their seats, aggressively playing air cow bells. Regina looked at them as if they'd both grown an extra head and then began to giggle.

"You two are ridiculous," she said as she shook her head and grinned.

"Ya gotta love a good cow bell," Emma declared.

"How bovine jewelry became your favorite instrument must be as sad a story as it seems."

"Hey! Henry likes it too."

"Well, that's just an unfortunate genetic predisposition that my nurturing has worked hard to counter."

"You mean you've been trying to erase all trace of me from my son?"

Regina sighed dramatically. "Yes, but alas, it seems those charming genes run deep."

"Admit it, mom. You used to love me despite my genetics. Now, you love me more because of them," Henry teased.

"I'll never admit to such a thing," Regina said defiantly.

Emma smirked, "I hate to tell you this, but you made that clear when you decided to shack up with me."

Regina raised her brow, "I didn't 'shack up' up with anyone. I asked you to move in with us. A decision I could come to regret if you aren't careful."

Emma and Henry both grinned and shook their heads knowing Regina's threats were all empty these days. They continued to be goofy, and Regina continued to pretend to be annoyed. She loved every minute of it. Eventually, they stopped for gas.

"I'm going inside to get a break from the nonsense in this car. Does anyone need anything," Regina asked.

"Can I get a coke," Henry asked. Regina nodded and looked at Emma expectantly.

"I wouldn't say no to another coffee, maybe a smooch," she said with a grin.

Regina shook her head, fighting the grin on her face. "We'll see…"

Once Regina was out of the car, Emma rolled the window down and began blasting the chorus of "Baby Come Back" while singing it at Regina. The brunette spun around on her heel and glared at her.

"Emma!"

The two in the car fell into a fit of laughter as she huffed her way into the rest stop. Regina knew she must look a little crazy smiling as much as she was, but she couldn't help herself. She'd never felt so happy and free in her life. Once she was at the counter, lost in thought, she realized the clerk was smiling at her. Oh God, he thinks I'm smiling at him.

"So…where are you headed," he asked.

Regina wanted to roll her eyes, glare at him, and give him a taste of that royal sass she'd perfected. However, she wasn't about to let this random idiot ruin her happiness. "Family trip to New York," she said pleasantly.

"Oh, nice! How long will you be visiting them?"

Regina shook her head. "We're not visiting family. We're taking our son to see the city."

Her smile couldn't help but grow as she watched the man's hope deflate. "Oh, well, have a good time."

Once she was back in the car, she passed out the beverages she'd bought for everyone. Emma looked at her carefully. "Thanks for the coffee, babe. What's up with you?"

Regina looked at her, amused. "The clerk tried to flirt with me."

Emma glared at the building. "Should I kick his ass?"

Regina and Henry both laughed before Regina leaned over and gave Emma a sweet kiss. "No need. I told him we were taking our son on a family vacation, and it effectively burst his sad little bubble."

Emma beamed at her triumphantly. "Good."

"It caught me off guard though. There have only been a handful of people who have ever dared to flirt with me. Being out here where no one know who I am, or was, is…interesting."

Emma glanced at her curiously, "I know about Daniel, Sidney, Graham, Robin, Maleficent, and me of course. Is there anyone I don't know about?"

Regina glanced at Henry in the mirror. "Emma, I don't think this is the time or place for that conversation."

Emma glanced at Henry herself and they shared a conspiratorial grin. "He's not paying attention. There's someone else on that list isn't there?"

Regina shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe…"

Emma placed her hand on her knee encouragingly. "Tell me."

Regina sighed, "Emma, do you remember everyone who ever flirted with you?"

Emma laughed. "No, but you were the one who insisted that yours was such a short list."

Regina blushed. "I should have kept my mouth shut."

Emma rubbed her thumb over her knee. "Honey, you can tell me."

Regina wrinkled her nose. "Honey? When did you start that?"

Emma giggled. "Just trying to see if I can butter you up."

The mayor glared at her. "Well, that's not going to work."

The sheriff sighed. "Please, just tell me. I promise I won't get jealous."

Regina smirked. "Ok…"

"What? You think there's someone I'll be jealous of?"

Regina just kept staring out the window, driving Emma crazy. "Ok, don't tell me. I don't care anyway."

Regina giggled and shook her head as she sipped her coffee. "Maybe later if you're good."

Emma raised her brow. "Maybe I shouldn't just let my lady wander around out there on her own. I should be there to chase away all the guys out there trying to steal you away from me."

"Your lady?" Regina's eyes twinkled with delight.

Emma smiled back at her before Henry chimed in, startling them both. "Just tell them you're gay. That should make them leave you alone."

Regina looked at him horrified before glaring at Emma. "I thought he wasn't paying attention."

Emma rolled her eyes. "That doesn't work as well as you think it does, kid. They usually see that as some pervy invitation to join in."

"Emma!" Both Regina and Henry yelled at her in unison.

"What? It's true! Just because we raised a good guy who knows how to respect boundaries doesn't mean everyone plays by the rules. Plus, he's old enough. He's going to be going off to college soon, and he should know how the world works outside of Storybrooke and magic."

Regina sighed at the mention of Henry leaving home. She looked at her son and then smiled warmly. "We did do a good job raising him, didn't we?"

Emma nodded with pride. "We sure did!"

Henry grinned. "Aw, shucks, guys!"

The three of them laughed and there was silence for a while before Regina surprised them. "You're right, Emma. Things are different out here and I want him to be prepared."

"Uh…yeah, sure…" Emma said as she glanced at her.

"I suppose I was always very protective of him, but I need to accept the fact that he's older and we're going to have to talk about things that probably won't be comfortable."

"Ew, we're not about to have 'the talk' are we," Henry asked.

Emma laughed as Regina glared at him. "That's not what I meant. Not exactly. I was just thinking…Well, for one, I'm not entirely comfortable with talking about you leaving home, but I know we need to talk about it. But, also, when you mentioned telling people I'm gay…well, Emma is right. This world is different. We never really gave those types of things that much thought in the Enchanted Forest. It just was what it was."

"I know you and Ma are bisexual or whatever according to this world's terms. I just figured it would be easier to dismiss guys trying to get your attention if you just said you were gay."

Emma thought about it for a moment. "You know, I never really considered being bisexual either. I've never been with another woman before your mom."

"It doesn't really matter does it. You love each other. That's what matters."

Regina and Emma smiled at each other as they held hands. "You're right."

….

While in New York, they would be spending time in their old apartment. They were blissfully happy playing house together in the city, imagining what life would have been like if it had just been the three of them all along. Emma and Henry took Regina to some of their favorite places, and it was the most healing thing they could have done for her. Somehow, she now felt like she'd missed out on a little less of their lives in that year of hell. After the first few days together, Henry made plans to catch up with some of his old friends, allowing his mothers some time alone together.

"What are your plans for the day, Henry," Regina asked over breakfast.

"I'm meeting up with Mike and Aaron to go to the arcade. Then, we're going to eat and to the

movies."

Regina smiled. "That sounds like fun. What are you seeing?"

"The Mummy!"

Emma shook her head. "There is no way that's going to be as good as the original."

Henry shrugged. "Maybe not, but it'll still be fun. What are you guys going to do?"

"I'm taking your mom out for dinner and a surprise after," Emma said proudly.

"Can I know what the surprise is," he asked.

Emma pretended to think about it for a moment before she leaned in to whisper into his ear. Henry's face lit up and Regina just shook her head.

"It's rude to whisper at the table. I'd also like to know how I'm supposed to dress for a date I know nothing about."

"Don't worry, babe. I'll make sure you're dressed appropriately."

Henry snorted. "Yeah right…"

Emma smacked his shoulder as Regina looked at him in shock and horror. A second later, he was scrambling to clear the table and get out of the apartment before he got himself into more trouble. Once they were alone, Emma wrapped her arms around Regina and kissed her neck tenderly. Regina sighed in her arms and smiled.

"Would you like to take a walk with me," Emma asked.

"I'd love to," Regina answered before placing a sweet kiss on her lips.

As they walked, they held hands and Regina found herself sighing. "I can see why you'd want to stay here with Henry…why you wanted to come back. It's nice here. It's been like a dream being here with the two of you. No villains or curses. Just us."

Emma smiled at her. "It would have been so much better with you here with us. All this time has made me wish you could have come with us."

"Yes, but then we might not have gone back to rescue everyone else, and I know how much your family means to you."

"My parents do mean a lot to me, but you and Henry are my family. If I'm being honest, it would be easier to think about leaving Storybrooke again if you came with us."

Regina looked at her as she gave it some thought. "Is that what you want?"

Emma shrugged. "I haven't given it much thought. I just know that if you decided you wanted to go somewhere else, I'd be willing to follow."

Regina smiled at her. "Except the Enchanted Forest might give me pause. I like electricity and indoor plumbing," Emma added, making Regina giggle.

"Don't worry, dear, so do I. The only real thought I've given to living somewhere else was when you mentioned Henry leaving home. I don't suppose he'd be too thrilled with his mothers following him wherever he decided to go, would he?"

Emma put her arm around her. "I'm pretty sure he'd be mortified. I'm not looking forward to him leaving any more than you are, but maybe we can look at it as an opportunity for the two of us. It might make it a little easier if we made it a fresh start for all of us. It could be a family transition instead of us just watching him leave the house."

"You'd really want to leave your parents and start over somewhere, just the two of us?"

"Regina, I love you. Doing anything with you sounds amazing to me."

Regina blushed and nudged her shoulder a little before she softly replied, "I love you too."

Later that night, Emma had taken Regina to the symphony after dinner. It wasn't something Emma had ever done or had even considered doing until she found herself planning a few dates nights for Regina. She knew she was with one classy lady, a queen no less, and she wanted to appeal to every interest her queen could possibly have. Pleasing her had become Emma's favorite hobby. Regina had indeed been pleasantly surprised. When they got back to the apartment, they found Henry hadn't made it back yet. Regina turned to Emma practically undressing her with her eyes and pulled her close.

"Thank you for the lovely evening, Miss Swan," Regina said in a husky voice.

"The pleasure was all mine, Madame Mayor."

They kissed each other passionately before Regina pulled back. "As much as I adore this dress on you, I'd love to get you out of it."

Emma smiled before falling into Regina as she kissed her deeply. Regina's arms wrapped around her, slowly unzipping the back of her dress. Emma stepped out of her heels and kicked them to the side. She lifted Regina enough to sit on the kitchen table as she took a step back and slowly pulled off the dress. Regina crossed her legs seductively and leaned back to enjoy the show. Once Emma was out of her dress and standing just in her underwear, Regina beckoned her forward. Just as they were about to kiss, they heard the turning of Henry's keys in the lock. Emma jumped backwards, falling into the wall. Regina scrambled off the table, grabbing Emma's dress off the floor. She shoved the garment at Emma as she shoved Emma into the bedroom and quickly pulled herself together. By the time Henry walked in, Regina had barely managed to catch her breath.

"Hi, honey! How was your night?" Her voice was far too enthusiastic, and she berated herself in her head as Henry looked at her skeptically.

"It was fun. How was your night?"

"It was great!"

"Did you enjoy the symphony?"

Regina smiled at him genuinely. "I did. It was lovely."

Henry smiled back at her. "I'm glad. Where's mom?"

"Oh, she's changing. You know your mother can't stand to be separated from her sweatpants for very long," she joked half-heartedly.

Henry nodded. "I'm gonna go get into my pj's too. Why don't you do the same thing? We can have a family pajama party and maybe play some Mario Kart?"

Regina smirked. "I got spoiled with the symphony just so you two could bully me with video games?"

"Mom, we'd never bully you. We love you," he said with feigned innocence.

Regina rolled her eyes before she stepped into the bedroom. She found Emma standing in a tank top and her underwear, going through her suitcase.

"Well, that was mortifying."

Emma looked up at her and nodded. "Ya think? I was the one who was naked."

"And still are…" Regina observed with that hungry look in her eye.

"I can't find my yoga pants. Have you seen them?"

Regina walked into the bathroom and retrieved them from where she'd folded them and set them aside. Emma took them gratefully and noticed how Regina watched appreciatively as she shimmied into them.

"Our son wants to play games. After he goes to bed, maybe we can play a game of our own?"

Emma smirked. "What did you have in mind, strip poker?"

"Wait and see…" Regina said with a wink.