A/N: We reached chapter 20 far. I'm sorry I didn't manage to ipdate earlier. Hope you still enjoy reading!

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XX. Family affairs

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Exhausted from the long day, which had ended with a major cleaning in the kitchen, Regina let herself sink onto the bed. She hated leaving used dishes, so with Emma's help she had put everything in the dishwasher and cleaned what didn't fit in it. Her girlfriend, who was standing right in front of her, started undoing the buttons of the silk blouse, emphatically slowly.

"Is this an attempt to pass the waiting time until my mother finally gets out of the bathroom?" Tenderly, Regina clasped her hips with both hands.

Emma grinned mischievously. "At least now I know who you got it from to spend half an eternity in front of the mirror."

She earned a theatrical eye roll for that, and the next moment they both started to laugh. Regina quickly regained her composure, however. "Have you realized by now why I didn't want to invite her? She just treats everyone down, yet her family owned a bakery in the working-class Italian neighborhood in Boston. She married rich, that's all."

"She told you that?"

A deep sigh escaped Regina. "Yes, to make it clear what she expected of me. She never spoke of my grandparents though; I think she broke off contact with them a long time ago. I already did a little research and found out that their names were Bianca and Constantino Farrini."

Her upper body now covered in a plain black bra only, Emma sat provocatively on Regina's lap and stroked her cheek. "Maybe they'd be happy to have a gorgeous granddaughter like you."

"It's also possible that Mom had good reasons for breaking up with them." She put her arms around her friend's waist to pull her closer. "Better not wake a sleeping dragon."

Their lips met for a long desiring kiss. With Emma, it finally felt right, as if she had arrived at her final destination after a long odyssey. During her marriage, there had only been loveless kisses to keep up appearances. Tenderness had never mattered for Leo, but that hadn't bothered her much because it had given her rest soon when he had been done.

"Zelena is not well," she stated abruptly as they moved away from each other. "Did you notice how careful all of her movements were? I'm sure he beat the crap out of her."

"I noticed that too," Emma admitted thoughtfully. "She didn't say anything to you when the two of you were in the kitchen alone, did she?"

Slowly, she shook her head. "I'm sure she's far too afraid of the consequences. He is controlling her completely. At dinner he made clear to her that she wasn't even allowed to take seconds while he was stuffing himself. We have to do something, Emma."

Her friend reached for her hands to intertwine their fingers. "I understand you, dear, I'm not blind either. Still, you have to remember that you only have a theory right now. Doesn't she often ride her bike? If you fall of it, you can get severely hurt. As sheriff, I have to stick to the facts, as you know."

"That's all?"

"Unfortunately yes, right now. You want to help her, that's great, but maybe she needs to figure out for herself first that she needs some help. If you're really right, you should definitely not push her, because all you'll get then is to make her turn away from you. There is still something you can do, and that is to accurately note anything that catches your eye. Most victims of domestic violence do not dare to report it because their testimony would stand against their perpetrator's. The more reliable your observations are, the more you will support Zelena with them."

Resigned, Regina snuggled against Emma's warm torso. Feeling the steady rise and fall of her chest relaxed her. Of course her friend was right, no matter how sure she was that Zelena hadn't crashed her bike, there was no evidence for or against it. Just as she closed her eyes, there was a knock on the bedroom door and she heard her mother's muffled voice, announcing that the bathroom was now free.

"How about a nice relaxing bath?" purred Emma as she gleefully unzipped Regina's elegant dress.

Her eyes fell on the damp tub, which was the cause of the steamy air. "My mother just laid in there, so you can choose. Bath or sex."

"Okay, let's have shower then."

Regina's response was lost in a comforting purr as Emma began to cover her neck and sternum with kisses. Quickly they were both completely undressed, throwing their clothes directly into the laundry basket. Under the warm water that splashed on their naked bodies, they rubbed each other with the lavender-scented soap made from sheep's milk.

Freshly showered, they finally landed on Regina's large comfortable bed. Emma pressed her girlfriend into the pillow beneath her and kissed her intimately. "You know, you actually take the shower afterwards."

"Miss Swan," Regina murmured lasciviously. "Shut up!"

Jerkily, she overpowered Emma to spin around with her. The blonde willingly surrendered while Regina's lips closed tenderly around one of her nipples. She enjoyed the play before deciding it was time to take control herself. Under her touch, Regina was all too happy to let herself fall, and she expelled a sharp breath when she felt Emma's fingers between her legs, right where she needed them so desperately.

Christmas Day did not begin as Regina would have liked. Since Emma had to be on duty early in the morning so David could spend the day with Mary Margaret and their baby son, there was only time for a quick breakfast. She had just brought her girlfriend to the door and said goodbye to her with a loving kiss when she saw her mother standing across the hallway.

"Mom!" She rolled her eyes. "You scared me. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough, anyway," Cora replied with her trademark cool smile. "So you're actually...involved with this woman."

"Did you think I'm just saying that to piss you off? Why should I do this? I love Emma and, by the way, your grandson is happy that both his mothers are together."

Cora sighed deeply. "You're wasting your life out here. If you came to New York with me, you could be in better society, living with Henry in a nice penthouse on the Upper East Side, and you wouldn't have to spend Christmas with primitive hicks like that."

"By the side of some rich snob, no thanks." She marched into the kitchen to pour herself another cup of black coffee. "We've been through this a thousand times, Mom. I like my life in Storybrooke, I like being the mayor, and I don't need a man. I'm certainly not going to justify to you who I invite into my home. The Wests are new in town, I'm helping them make some connections."

"That would be easier for them with decent clothes and better manners."

"There are people who work hard and still have just enough to survive. You can't spend money to buy something like character."

Surely her mother would have known how to respond to that, too; she always wanted to have the last word, but they were interrupted by Henry, who shuffled sleepily into the kitchen. Regina put out a serving of porridge with dried fruit and cinnamon for both of them.

"Why don't you come with us, Mom," the boy suggested as he began to spoon up his breakfast. "I'll show Grandma what's changed around here now, and afterwards we'll have hot chocolate at Granny's."

"You guys go ahead and have fun." She finished the rest of her coffee. "I'm going to Silver's. You know Robin asked me to take care of Scarlet in his absence, too."

Cora shook her head, uncomprehending. "You and your horses. I'll never understand why you insist on mucking out that stinking stable yourself."

"Because it's part of riding." She sighed in exasperation. "I'll see you later. Emma's coming over for dinner in the evening."

It didn't escape her notice that her mother rolled her eyes theatrically, but she preferred to avoid any further discussion. She was an adult, and she most certainly didn't need to ask Cora's permission to spend time with her girlfriend at her own home.

Wearing breeches and her warm stable jacket, she got into the Benz shortly afterwards. Her busy schedule didn't allow her to always do chores like mucking out the stable, feeding her horse, and getting the tack cleaned herself, but she took great care that everything was done properly by the grooms. After giving both Silver Queen and Scarlet a thorough grooming, she saddled up her mare and tied a lead rope to the chestnut stallion's halter to take him along with her. At a leisurely pace, she rode across the farm tracks to the forest, which lay there in wintry silence. Being outside with the horses helped her relax and get her thoughts in order. Her mother would be heading back to New York right the next day, so that problem was out of the way soon. What got to her far more was Zelena. She didn't believe for a second that an accident caused her apparently being able to move in pain only. She wanted to ride to the farm to see how she was doing. However, her logical mind told her not to make Freek suspicious, if he was really mistreating his wife that badly. Zelena would have to pay for it otherwise.

On her way back, she took the path that led along the edge of the forest across the Wests' property. Within sight of the farmhouse, she parried Silver Queen and let her gaze wander over the building. It remained quiet for a few minutes, nothing to indicate that anything was amiss. She was about to ride on, because she began to shiver, when she noticed a movement behind the large window on the upper floor. The curtains were drawn to let daylight into the room, and she recognized Zelena's slender figure. Although she had kept at some distance from the house so that she herself would not be seen, it seemed to her that the redhead was looking in her direction for a moment. Then Zelena turned around, still stiff and slow. Regina sighed, which became visible as a small white vapor cloud in the cold air. It was hard for her to just put her hands in her lap and admit to herself that Emma was right. Silver Queen snorted softly, what made her caress the mare's soft warm neck.

When she finally returned to Mifflin Street, Cora once again caused ill-feeling at the Mills household. She would have loved to just kick her mother out, but first she had to take care of Henry, whose complexion turned from pale to greenish.

"How can you give my son hot chocolate with alcohol in it?" she rumbled, close to snapping. "He's twelve, for god's sake!"

Cora smiled indulgently, as if she wasn't aware of any guilt. "There was very little Amaretto in that big cup, just to get him warm. No need to get that upset, child."

Only because the boy was in the room with them, Regina did not lose her temper.