Regina tried to sleep on the flight back home. She'd draped her sweater over her arms like a blanket and initially leaned her head against the window. She'd managed to doze off for a short while before the plane experienced some turbulence that caused her head to bang against the window. Emma watched as she stirred with a sleepy pout before she shifted to rest her head on Emma's shoulder. When Regina snuggled up, holding onto Emma's arm, the Savior's heart swelled. She felt Regina relax against her and sigh before she drifted back off to sleep. Emma rested her cheek against the top of her head and smiled softly to herself as she finished the movie she'd been watching. For the duration of the flight, Emma had only managed to grab a couple hours' worth of sleep. Once they were about 45 minutes from their destination, Emma leaned over and softly spoke into Regina's ear.

"Hey, beautiful…we're almost home."

She rubbed Regina's shoulder a little to rouse her. Regina slowly woke up, adjusting to her surroundings. "Emma?"

Emma smiled. "Hey there, sleepy head. We're almost to New York."

Regina sighed as she stretched as much as her limited space allowed. "I can't believe I slept that much."

As Regina yawned, Emma looked at her with adoration. "You're so precious when you sleep."

Regina's nose wrinkled at the word making Emma laugh. "I am not precious."

"You sure are. I got you some water."

Regina took the bottle from her and smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

After she'd taken a few sips and was fully alert, Regina looked at her once more. "Did you get any sleep?"

Emma shrugged. "A couple of hours."

"We're staying the night at the apartment before we drive home, right?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Regina sighed relieved. "Good. I could use some more rest before we make the drive, but I most definitely want to make sure you get some rest. I half expected you to think you were going to make the drive straight through."

Emma chuckled. "No, I like to take my time with you."

Regina gave her the side eye with a smirk as Emma smiled at her coyly. "Charming."

Emma stretched. "As much as I love being your pillow, I really need to pee. I drank too much."

Regina blushed as she watched her scramble towards the bathroom.

…

Back at the apartment, Regina and Emma fell onto the couch together with a heavy sigh.

"I am exhausted," Regina said.

"Me too. I still need call my parents," Emma pouted.

Regina grinned and patted her shoulder. "Good luck with that, darling."

Emma rolled her eyes and pulled out her phone. Regina laughed as Emma quickly held the phone away from her ear when they heard Snow's voice blaring from the other end. The blonde sighed before she cautiously brought the phone back to her ear.

"Thanks, Mom…Yeah, we're at the apartment now. We'll be home tomorrow…" Emma glanced at Regina with a smirk. "Yes, that sounds good…I love you too, Mom…I will…Ok…Hey, Dad!" Regina chuckled as she listened.

"Thanks, Dad. I love you too. I can't wait to see you too…Ok…Bye."

Emma hung up the phone and sighed, smiling at Regina. "Mom said she knows we'll want to rest and unpack tomorrow, so they've planned a 'family dinner' for the day after tomorrow."

Regina smirked. "Clever."

Emma hummed. "She also said to tell you that she loves you too."

Regina's cheeks flushed. Her gaze dropped to their hands as she laced their fingers together. "How would you feel about ordering some Chinese food?"

Emma moaned with delight. "That sounds perfect! I'll grab the menu," she said before kissing her sweetly. She hopped off the couch and headed toward the kitchen.

Regina pushed herself off the couch and pulled her suitcase into the bedroom. "I'm going to get comfortable. Will you order the usual for me?"

Emma smiled confidently. "Sure thing, babe."

After a nice shower, Regina emerged from the bathroom in yoga pants and one of Emma's old T-shirts as she towel dried her hair. Emma looked up from the TV and looked over her appreciatively.

"How are you always so sexy? You're like…50 shades of sexy. Dark sexy. Scary sexy. Angry sexy. Sweet sexy. Cute sexy. Loving sexy. Casual sexy. Formal sexy. It never ends with you!"

Regina looked at her as if she were crazy and laughed. "What on Earth are you talking about? I've put absolutely zero effort into how I look right now."

"That's the point! You don't have to! You're the most naturally sexy human being I've ever met. You don't have to try. You just exude sensuality."

Regina blushed furiously. "Emma…"

Emma grinned at seeing the sudden shyness come over her. This was a rare moment. Emma reached out to grab her hand and pulled her over to straddle her lap. Regina giggled as she tossed her towel on the floor behind the couch and gazed at Emma. The blonde moved her hands expertly over Regina's thighs and massaged her backside before giving it a firm smack. Regina yelped in surprise and then all but purred as she kissed Emma passionately. The Savior's hands drifted underneath her shirt as the former queen rolled her hips against her. Emma moaned before she broke the kiss breathlessly.

"As much as I am loving this, I really want to shower before the food gets here. Then, maybe we can pick up where we left off and I can put you to bed properly?"

Regina smiled and gave her one more kiss. "Of course. I'll keep an eye out for dinner."

By the time Emma was out of the shower, the food had arrived. Regina was plating everything and pouring some wine as she walked out. Regina looked up and stopped to appreciate the sight of Emma in her flannel pants and white tank top that left little to the imagination. Her mouth watered.

"I'm not the only one radiating sex…"

Emma looked at her a little surprised and grinned. "Oh yeah?"

Regina nodded appreciatively, looking at her hungrily. "Absolutely."

Emma kissed her before looking towards the spread on the table. "How can I help?"

"I thought we could eat in the living room and watch something. Help me carry?"

Emma looked at her shocked. "Really? Yeah!"

Regina giggled as she watched Emma scramble to grab the plates. Regina had always been a stickler for formality at dinnertime. Tonight, however, she had decided to make an exception and have a more casual and intimate experience with just the two of them. Emma couldn't have been more delighted. She eagerly searched for something to watch. They'd settled on watching The Bridges of Madison County. Regina had seen it several times. It was one of her favorites. Halfway through the film, they'd finished eating and were snuggled up together. Emma had begun nuzzling Regina's neck, placing soft kisses there. Regina's eyes drifted shut as she sighed.

"I'll be right back…" Emma whispered before she went into the bedroom.

Regina's eyes opened and she went back to watching the film. When Emma returned, Regina was surprised to see her wearing the strap on. Her lips parted as she gasped and her eyes darkened. Emma sat next to her on the couch and kissed her deeply. Regina moaned softly before Emma pulled her onto her lap again. Regina framed Emma's face as she kissed her hungrily, rolling her hips again as if they'd never stopped what they'd started earlier. This time, the feeling of the strap-on pressing against her drove her wild.

"Take these off…" Emma said in a husky voice as she tugged at the waistband of Regina's pants.

Regina stood up and quickly stripped from the waist down before resuming her position on Emma's lap. She kissed her again, whimpering as she felt the direct stimulation against her clit as she continued moving her hips. Emma's hands slipped under her shirt and glided across her skin. She took time to knead her breasts in her hands before peeling the shirt off altogether. Regina gasped as Emma sucked one of her nipples deep into her mouth. She cradled her head against her, as Emma devoured her. When Emma pulled back and reached down to run her fingers between her folds, Regina's breath hitched before she mewled at her touch. She drew circles over Regina's clit until the woman was fighting for air.

Her fingers now sufficiently moist with Regina's arousal, she ran them over the strap-on before positioning it at Regina's entrance. Regina felt the tip of it pressing against her. The moan that left her throat as her head fell back while she slowly lowered herself onto it was enough to make Emma come undone. She watched the glorious vision in front of her. Regina's hair was wild and curly the way Emma loved. Her skin was still glowing from the Italian sun. Her face was a picture of sensual bliss as she moved against Emma, driving herself further towards the edge. Emma's hands were all over her, caressing, kneading, clawing, urging. Regina's breathing was labored as she moved against her, crying out in sheer ecstasy. When her climax finally washed over her, Emma held her trembling body as she clung to her. She knew she'd never get tired of hearing Regina scream her name. Once Regina had relaxed, she slid off Emma's lap and tried to stand. Her knees buckled and Emma caught her, holding her carefully. The two of them giggled.

"Are you ok?"

Regina blushed. "Yes. I guess my legs are weaker than I thought."

Emma smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips before moving her to sit next to her. "Give me one second."

Emma ran to the bathroom and brought Regina a towel. "Here. Until your legs come back," Emma said with a wink.

Regina's cheeks flushed again as she took the towel from her. "Thank you."

Emma went into the bathroom to change again and began cleaning up their dishes once she was done. Regina wrapped the towel around her waist and reached out for her glass of wine. She noticed her hand was still trembling, so she allowed herself to relax for a moment into the couch while Emma put away the leftovers. By the time Emma was finished, Regina slowly tried to stand on her feet again. Once she knew her legs could be trusted, she went into the bathroom to freshen up for bed. Emma had turned off the television and crawled into bed. She was pleased to see Regina had decided to sleep in just her T-shirt and underwear. Those were rare occasions. When Regina crawled into bed, Emma spooned up against her back, wrapping her arm around her. This was their preferred way to sleep. Regina took Emma's hand and placed it over her breast, her own hand covering the back of Emma's securing it there. Soon enough, their breathing had fallen into the same rhythm, and they drifted off to sleep.

On the ride home, Regina seemed more preoccupied than usual on her phone. Emma couldn't help but try to sneak a peek but couldn't see anything from the driver's seat the way Regina was sitting. She immediately felt foolish for trying to spy on her lover, so she decided to just ask.

"What are you doing over there?"

"Hmm?" Regina hummed, half listening, completely wrapped up in whatever she'd been looking at.

"What in the world has you so sucked into your phone?"

Regina shook herself out of her trance and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm doing some research."

Emma grinned and blushed at the way Regina had absently called her 'sweetheart.' The use of "cutesy" pet names was not a regular occurrence for her. "What are you researching?"

Regina smiled and looked around the car before she answered. "I was looking into some options we'd discussed for a new vehicle."

Emma's superpower spiked as she glanced over at her. "Ooh, ok…" Regina's cheeks flushed knowing she'd been busted. "So, what are your top choices?"

Regina smiled, realizing Emma was letting her keep her secrets. "I liked the first one we rented."

"The X3? Yeah, I liked that one a lot."

"We should look into getting one soon. We could give Henry my car as a graduation present. Or yours if you'd prefer?"

Emma smiled. "It would be funny having the car his parents stole together taking him off to college. He might prefer your car, though. She's pretty sleek. Yours is hands down a better chick magnet."

Regina scowled. "Why in the hell would you even think about that?"

"Hey, I want the kid to be happy! It's not like I'm giving it that much thought."

Regina sighed and shook her head. "Next, you'll tell me he was conceived in the back seat of your bug."

Emma stayed quiet, causing Regina to gasp in shock. "Emma! Please, tell me you're not serious!"

The blonde started laughing hysterically. "I'm sorry. It was too easy. No, he wasn't conceived in the back seat of my car. I've done it back there, but that's not where Henry was made."

Regina sighed in relief before smacking Emma's shoulder violently. "Ass."

Emma laughed again. "Maybe we should try it."

Regina looked at her skeptically. "What? Having sex in the back of your ridiculous car?"

Emma smiled and nodded excitedly. "Yeah. It could be hot. We could go and park somewhere like a couple of teenagers sneaking around."

Regina's mouth watered at the thought. Emma glanced over, surprised to see the look on her face she'd come to know so well. "Wait a minute…have you thought about this before?"

Regina focused hard on keeping her breathing even and her face as neutral as possible. "Of course, not…"

Emma's jaw dropped. "Oh my God, I knew it. You've been secretly thinking of having dirty sex with me in the back of my car. You like it!"

"So, what if I have," Regina asked indignantly.

"I think that's incredibly hot."

Regina smiled. "Well, then we have something to look forward to when we get home."

"Damn right we do," Emma said beaming.

Regina went back to her research as Emma got lost in thought, wondering about all the possible places they could drive to. Once they returned home, they were grateful to find Henry there waiting to help them unload the car. Regina embraced him tightly, relieved to have him back in her presence once again. After the luggage had been brought to their bedroom, Emma flopped onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

"I really need a nap. Do you mind? I'll unpack later."

Regina smiled softly. "Of course, dear. You've been driving all day. Get some rest. I'll take care of everything else."

Emma smiled as Regina kissed her forehead. With a happy sigh, she snuggled into her pillow and drifted off to sleep. Regina waved her hand, taking care of all the unpacking with magic. It was true that she tried not to use magic for frivolous things, but she'd missed being able to use it while they were away. She also had far more pressing matters to attend to while Emma slept. Regina joined Henry downstairs.

"Emma's asleep. Would you like to drive to the store with me?"

Henry smiled at her excitedly. "Yes!"

Regina grabbed her purse and coat with a smile. She looked at her keys thoughtfully for a moment before tossing them to Henry. He caught them with surprise. "Seriously?!"

"Just be careful," Regina said seriously, trying not to smile back.

As Henry pulled out of the driveway, Regina looked at him with pride. "Thank you for helping me with this, Henry."

"Are you kidding? It was a lot of fun! I love that I got to help you both. I'm sure it'll make it easier if I ever get to do that myself one day."

Regina looked at him in awe as her eyes misted over. She rubbed his shoulder gently. "You will one day, my little prince, and she will be the luckiest girl in the world."

He blushed. "You have to say that. You're my mom."

"You're all grown up now. How did that happen?"

Henry laughed a little. "You raised me."

Regina squeezed his shoulder before looking away trying not to get too emotional. "I just want you to always remember that no matter how old you are or where you go, you will always have a home. Your mother and I will always be here for you. There's nothing you could come to us for that we wouldn't help you with."

"You mean you want me to talk to you about girls," he asked sarcastically.

Regina shifted a little uncomfortably and sighed. "All right, we both know you and I have had a bit of a hard time talking about those things. I know Emma is better at handling that. I know I didn't handle what happened in New York the way either of us would have liked. For that, I want to apologize. It was a shock for me, honestly. I wasn't prepared for it. It's so easy for me to look at you and always see my little prince. But you're all grown up now. You're a young man who will soon begin his own adventures. I hope love is a part of that. I want you to have all the love in the world. I want the very best for you. What's hard for me is knowing you'll be off on your own soon. I won't see you every day or always be there to protect you. I just don't want my own insecurities to keep you from talking about anything you need to talk about. Does that make sense?"

Henry nodded seriously before he glanced at her and smiled. He reached out to squeeze her hand. "It does. I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Henry. More than life itself."

When they pulled up in front of the store, Regina unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him hesitantly. "Henry…I need to ask…"

He looked at her curiously. "What is it, mom? You can ask me anything."

She smiled a little before she took a deep breath. "You do know how to be safe, right? When you're…with someone…do you know what I mean?"

Henry closed his eyes trying hard not to react too strongly. She was being brave. So would he. "Yes, mom, I know what you mean. Yes, I do know how to be safe."

Regina sighed in relief. "Ok. Good."

Henry nodded and looked at her hesitantly. "Is that all?"

"If you ever have any questions about these things, no matter how embarrassing you think they might be, you can ask us. I can't promise I won't be a little…well…mom-ish about it, but I will take you seriously and tell you the truth."

Henry smirked. "I know. Thanks, mom."

"I know we discussed the basics a long time ago. I know you're going to pick up things from other places. I just don't want you to get bad information, you know?"

"Mom…it's ok. I understand. I don't have a lot of questions right now. I've barely even gotten started," he said with a blush. Regina couldn't help but smile at him softly. "I promise if anything comes up, I know I can ask you."

Regina nodded, satisfied, and kissed his cheek. "Ok. Let's go inside."

….

The next day, neither Regina nor Emma was surprised by the fact that they were asked to be at the town hall when they were supposed to be meeting for a "family dinner." Both were dressed elegantly for the party. Once they were out of the car, Emma took Regina's hand.

"Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be…" Regina replied.

They took a deep breath together before walking to the door. As soon as they stepped through the doors, the room erupted with the shout of "surprise." It seemed as though the entire town was present. The couple was stunned. Snow and Charming were the first to greet them. Snow hugged Emma excitedly.

"I'm so happy you're home! We missed you! Henry told us about the trip, but we couldn't wait to hear about it from you! I can't believe my little girl is getting married! I'm so happy, Emma!"

Emma's cheeks flushed. "Thanks, Mom. I missed you guys too."

As David stepped up to hug his daughter, Snow surprised Regina by pulling her into a warm embrace. "Regina, I'm so happy for you and for our family. It feels whole again."

Regina looked at her completely astonished. "I…thank you, Snow…"

When David embraced her, she was still paralyzed with shock. "Thank you for making my daughter so happy, Regina."

All she could do was nod. Henry quickly stepped in to show them around the room where he'd carefully selected the perfect photos from their trip, which had been framed and displayed beautifully. The centerpieces on each table were beautiful bouquets of red roses and sunflowers. They both marveled at the sight.

"Henry, everything is so beautiful. It's perfect," Regina gushed, beaming with pride as her eyes misted over.

"Yeah, it is. Do you want to plan the wedding too," Emma asked as she ruffled his hair.

"No way. This was enough," he said. They both laughed as they hugged him.

"Thank you, Henry," Regina said warmly.

"We love you," Emma added.

The next hour was an overwhelming blur for Regina as people rushed to congratulate them both. Many of the women had taken her hand, fawning over the ring Emma had gotten her. She wasn't used to all that attention, let alone so many people touching her and being so familiar with her. It was almost as if everyone had forgotten about her past completely. Emma had done her best to reassure her with a touch or a smile as they were bombarded. The second Regina could find a break in the reception, she stepped outside. She took a significant gulp of champagne from her glass as she sighed and leaned back against the building.

"Feeling a bit overwhelmed?"

Regina jumped at the sound of Archie's voice. "Oh! Um…a little…"

Archie smiled at her understandingly. "It's a lot to come home to."

Regina nodded. "Yes, it is. It's not that I'm not grateful or happy. I'm just not used to all this kind of attention. Not positive attention."

Archie nodded again. "You deserve to celebrate your happiness, Regina. You've worked hard for it."

Regina smiled at him softly. "Thank you."

"I'll see you back in there…"

Once she was alone again, she took the time to finish her drink before heading back inside. Immediately, she located Henry and grabbed another glass of champagne. Standing at the front of the room, Regina grabbed a fork and tapped her glass.

"Could I have everyone's attention for a moment?"

Once the crowd quieted, giving her their undivided attention, she smiled and took a breath. "Emma, would you come up here and join me?"

Emma quickly made her way to her side, taking her hand. "We'd like to thank each and every one of you for being here to congratulate us tonight. I can confidently say I am overwhelmed by your support."

The crowd laughed softly. "We also want to thank our son, Henry, for putting together such a beautiful event for us. Thank you to you Snow and David. I know you had a big hand in helping Henry pull this off. And of course, we'd like to thank Eugenia and Ruby for the delicious food and beverages. This means the world to us."

Regina took a moment to gaze at Emma before she spoke again. "There was a time I would have been the last person anyone would want to celebrate with. The willingness of all of you to give me a second chance to redeem myself is something I'll forever be grateful for. That change might never have happened without Henry and Emma. My Savior. Thank you for loving me. I will always love you. Before I end up saying half of what I'd like to say in my vows to you, I just want to give you one small token of my appreciation and devotion."

Regina turned to Henry who handed her the box they'd procured the day before as Emma slept. With a smile no one in that room, save for Emma and Henry, had seen from her, she presented the box to Emma. With a trembling hand, Emma slowly opened it to reveal a ring so stunning and perfect she could hardly believe it was meant for her. As she gasped, Regina removed it from the box and slid it onto her finger. With tears in her eyes, she beamed at Regina before kissing her soundly as the whole room began to cheer.

For the rest of the evening, it was Emma's turn to show off her engagement ring. The second Snow laid eyes on it, she nearly choked sobbing. Regina was completely flustered as the woman grabbed onto her, crying happily into her shoulder. She froze awkwardly in her embrace before she slowly relaxed and began to comfort her.

"It's ok, Snow…I know…" she said stiffly.

Snow pulled back shaking her head. "No, you don't Regina. You can't imagine how it makes me feel to see you give her something so beautiful, to see her have everything I've ever wanted for her. She's so happy, and it's all because of you. You've made me so happy. Thank you!"

Regina gawked at her again before she was crushed in another embrace. This time, she returned it as understanding sunk in. They had also been given a new beginning, a second chance. Perhaps now, they could be the family they were meant to be. "Thank you, Snow White…I'm happy to have found my rightful place in your family. I will love them with all that I am."

When the three of them were finally home, they were all ready for some quiet time. Henry went to bed early to read. The couple had changed into their pajamas and found themselves in the kitchen as Regina poured them some wine.

"I have the oddest craving," Regina said.

Emma looked amused at how baffled she seemed. "Oh? What for?"

Regina scrunched her nose distastefully. "I've got the sudden urge to smoke something."

"Smoke? Have you ever smoked anything in your life," Emma asked, laughing at the notion.

Regina glared at her. "Yes, I have, as a matter of fact. On a few occasions…"

Emma raised her eyebrow intrigued. "What exactly have you smoked, and on what occasions?"

"Are you asking as my fiancée, or interrogating me as the sheriff?"

Emma's felt her stomach tighten as Regina's tone, the smirk on her face, and the title she was given. "As your fiancée, of course."

"My father smoked a pipe or cigars sometimes. I tried it once when I was younger out of curiosity. Of course, the second I inhaled I coughed miserably until I was sick to my stomach. I didn't touch it again for a long time. Maleficent sparked up a cigarette once after we'd…" she blushed and looked at Emma apologetically. Emma nodded her head and smiled encouragingly.

"Well, she offered it to me. I was…vulnerable in the moment and would have tried just about anything. It wasn't as terrible as the first time, but I wasn't crazy about it. She noticed. The next time we were together, she offered me something else before we…had sex. This was different. It wasn't tobacco, though it made me cough just as much. But, afterwards, I felt so…"

Emma started to giggle, gaping at her in shock. "Maleficent got you high!?"

Regina looked at her confused and then realized what she'd had in the Enchanted Forest was what they referred to as marijuana in this world. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I guess she did."

"So, you're telling me that you, Regina Mills, want to get high right now?"

Regina looked at Emma annoyed with how much fun she was having at her expense. "Why is that so ridiculous?"

Emma backed off a bit. "I'm not saying it is. I'm just surprised that's all. God, I haven't done that in years."

Regina smiled a little, softening. "Maybe it's just the champagne talking…"

Emma smiled. "It could be. I won't say I'm not open to it. Though, you really shouldn't mix it with drinking. Especially, if you're not used to it."

Regina thought for a moment. "Maybe this weekend we can go for that drive in the bug and try it?"

The coy, suggestive tone in her voice left Emma weak. "Yes. Done. I'm sure I can find some. I'm the Sheriff."

Regina laughed and shook her head before she magically produced a perfectly rolled joint in her hand. Emma looked at her surprised as Regina raised her brow. "I've got that covered."

"Well…great! I'll just figure out the perfect spot for us in the meantime.

Regina took Emma's hand. "Let's sit outside for a while."

She led her to the back porch where they curled up together. Regina rested her head on Emma's shoulder after pulling a blanket over their laps. They sat in silence for a long time. Regina stared down at the ring on her finger lost in thought. Eventually, Emma began to caress Regina's thigh beneath the blanket.

"I want to take you to bed," she whispered.

Regina gave her a look that was smoldering and dreamy, humming in approval.