—-

Thank you so much for the comments and thoughts on the story. Glad the last few chapters were enjoyable. The ladies get closer this chapter …

—-

Chapter 8: trial and error

—-

Dinner was uneventful. The kids and Zelena took up much of the adults' attention. Over the chaos, they somehow managed to go over the next day's itinerary, as well as the plans being made in anticipation of Henry's arrival.

Tomorrow several of Snow's entourage would arrive, including the Blue Fairy. Emma, Regina and Zelena had all exchanged glances at this news. Emma wondered if they would discover more once the former mother superior arrived.

Things came to a rapid close shortly after dessert was served. Zelena and Neal ended up embroiled in a food fight with Snow and David trying desperately to intervene.

When Hope passed out face first onto the remains of her treat, Emma was all too happy to scoop her up and make an exit. Seeing an escape from the rapidly escalating chaos that was her sister, Regina joined her with the excuse of helping put Hope to bed.

As soon as the door closed behind them, they both looked at each other with relief. A loud bang made the pair jump and turn back toward the dining hall momentarily before quickly heading toward Emma and Hope's room.

As they walked they laughed about the chaos that was their family. The stroll through the hallways was far too short for Emma's taste as they quickly arrived at her room.

When Emma turned to open the door, Regina ran her hand through Hope's hair smiling at the drooling toddler, whose mouth and cheeks were covered in mostly dried chocolate syrup. Waving her hand, she magically cleaned the little face and transformed her outfit into a footed onesie.

Emma smiled appreciatively at the brunette. "Thanks."

"I remember those days." The Queen smiled with a slight sadness to her eyes.

"Do," Emma shifted Hope in her arms as she held the door open, "do you want to come in? Once I lay her down, I could try to magic us a night cap. Won't be the best apple cider you ever tasted," they shared a knowing smirk, "but it might be nice to catch up."

Regina considered the offer, tilting her head to the side as she gazed into Emma's eyes. "We do have a busy day tomorrow…" she hesitated.

"Which means we probably won't get this chance again." Emma pressed, really not wanting to let Regina go just yet. She really missed her presence.

Regina sucked on her lower lip, before nodding. "Ok."

Emma's eyes lit up. "Okay!" She smiled and moved out of Regina's way so the brunette could enter the room. Emma then walked over to lay Hope down in the crib, kissing her daughter's forehead Goodnight before turning and taking in the room.

"Thank you for the crib and everything," she gestured around the room. "Though, I'm realizing there isn't anywhere to sit," Emma turned looking around as she spoke her thoughts aloud. The only spot for them to sit was the bed, not awkward at all, "Bed it is."

Looking down at herself to avoid catching Regina's eyes, she realized she wanted to change. Looking at her bag, she bit her lip, then made a quick decision.

"I think I want to try this again," she smiled at Regina, then closed her eyes and imagined her white tank top with a pair of comfy sweats. Waving her hand, she felt her magic envelop her, leaving her in the chosen attire. A huge grin broke out on her face when she realized she had successfully dressed herself with magic. Leaning back to peak into the open closet door, she spotted the outfit Regina had magicked for her on a hanger, just as she intended. She pumped her fist, "yes!" Her smile only intensified when she saw the pride on Regina's face in response.

"Ok, now you." Emma jumped ahead before her nerves could overwhelm her.

Regina's eyebrows rose upwards, and her hands came up as if to slow down the blonde. "Emma," She barely managed to get out the word, "focus…" before she was engulfed in Emma's magic.

Emma had been picturing Regina in a set of those button up silk pajamas. In red, of course. Her intention has been to dress the Queen in something both comfortable and of high quality. But when Regina had called her name, the dark crevices of Emma's mind brought forth a different image. Red silk mixed with black lace and a lot less fabric flashed in her thoughts just as she flicked her hand.

As the smoke cleared, Emma's face flushed with heat in a shade very similar to the red silk the Queen was now wearing. Her mouth gaped open like a fish.

Regina took one look at Emma's reaction before bracing herself to look down at her new attire. Internally, she actually breathed a small sigh of relief. It could have been far worse. She had half expected to end up naked, or possibly covered in bear claws or lasagna.

The camisole, while a bit revealing, was actually fairly soft and not far from something she might wear on a special occasion. Not quite appropriate for laying around in a bed chatting with a friend, but she was mostly covered. The shorts under the cami were quite tiny though.

She ran her hand down the silk, again admiring the feel before tracing the black lace on the lower edge and lifting slightly as she turned her leg in to see how much of her back side was actually covered. The gasp that followed, reminded her that the blonde was also taking in her attire.

Regina tried not to think about the root of where this attire had come from in Emma's mind. Those were dangerous thoughts.

"Regina I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened," Emma sputtered her hands going to either side of her face.

"It's fine dear," Regina waved her hand and was now donning a matching red silk robe with black lace embellishments. She tied the belt around her waist tightly. "While not my usual sleep attire," she cocked an eyebrow up at the blonde, "it's actually quite soft."

Moving around to the far side of the bed she slipped under the covers, seating herself up against the headboard. She patted the spot next to her when she realized Emma hadn't moved. The poor thing appeared mortified.

Emma swallowed down her embarrassment before climbing in next to Regina. Biting her lip, she looked down at her hands. 'Traitors,' she thought. Clearing her throat, she looked up at Regina. "Maybe it'd be better if you, Um, magic us some drinks."

"Afraid you'll pour a bottle of whiskey on me?" Regina teased.

The blush on Emma's face reappeared and she choked out a forced laugh.

Regina laid her hand on Emma's, "it really is ok."

Emma shot her an incredulous look which Regina found strangely endearing. "If it helps, one of my first attempts at magicking attire on someone went in a similar fashion."

"Really?" Emma asked curiously. It seemed impossible for Regina not to have been perfect right off the bat.

"Mmhmm," Regina smiled at rhe memory. "You do recall it was Rumple who taught me." She smirked at Emma; the blonde now transfixed by what that would imply.

"You magicked him into a sexy camisole too?" Emma scoffed.

"No," Regina felt the light blush in her cheeks at Emma finding the outfit sexy on her, "but," she made sure she captured Emma's eyes before continuing, "I did accidentally magick him into a jester's outfit."

Emma's mind immediately brought up that image and she snorted. "No."

"I did," Regina's smirk grew, "complete with the hat and bells."

Emma read Regina's face and used her lie detection skills. "Really?" She couldn't help it. The idea of Gold in such attire was as equally preposterous as Regina messing up that badly.

"Really." Regina let out a giggle.

Emma giggled in response. Soon they we're both enveloped in fits of laughter.

"I can't even imagine how angry he must have been." Emma shook her head.

"You have no idea. He made me swear to tell no one." Regina wiped at her eyes as she tried to catch her breath. "Learning magic requires putting yourself out there." Waving her hand, she magicked them two drinks. Handing Emma a glass, she lifted her own to clink them together. "Here's to trial and error."

The rest of the evening went far more smoothly. Regina shared more stories of her learning magic which Emma found fascinating. The conversation led to Emma regaling Regina with anecdotes about Hope. They also discussed whether the little one might end up with magic.

"I still wonder if it will manifest with her." Emma bit her lip as she gazed over at her sleeping child.

"Well, her mother has magic and it is generally thought to be inherited from the maternal line." Regina offered, searching the blonde's pensive face thoughtfully.

"But I have magic because I'm the product of true love," Emma snorted at the end of her statement, gazing intently at her tow-headed sleeping baby until she turned to Regina and asked, "if that was enough then all my children would have magic. Henry too."

"Well, there are a few reasons why Henry might not have magic yet, in the traditional sense I mean:" they shared a smile. Both, on numerous occasions, had discussed Henry's own special brand of magic, notwithstanding his being a true believer and the author. Emma knew that Regina still held onto the belief that Henry might just be a late bloomer, as the Queen herself had been, due to their shared initial aversion to magic. Lucy also held onto that belief, in the hope that she too might inherit magical abilities some day.

"It is rarer that magic manifests in males." Regina continued, as she unconsciously counted out the possibilities on her fingers, making Emma smirk. "Henry was also conceived and born in the land without magic."

"Or," Emma interjected, "It could be that Henry might not have magic because he was not the product of true love."

Regina placed a calming hand on Emma's shoulder and the blonde offered her a smile in response. There was no doubt in her mind that, though she had loved him, Neil had not been her true love.

Squeezing the blonde's shoulder, Regina looked down before clearing her throat. "If that is the case, then Hope might still have magic. She…she's the product of true love, right?" While the brunette attempted to ask the question lightheartedly, she kept her gaze on her hands.

Emma didn't notice, however, as she was gazing intently at her daughter. Regina coaxed the blonde gently, "she is the product of true love, Emma?"

Emma didn't answer, still lost in her thoughts. Enough time passed that Regina opened her mouth to apologize for pressing. But before she could speak, Emma beat her to it.

"No. She is not."

Silence fell in the room as Regina digested this. "I-I do not believe I understand, Emma." The brunette admitted, softly laying her hand on Emma's arm. Her heartbeat racing, despite her calm tone.

Emma glanced up and captured the brown eyes with a cautious gaze. "Hook, he… he isn't my true love." She released the brearh she had been holding. It felt like a crushing weight was lifted from her shoulders. She closed her eyes and took a long deep breath. "I don't think he ever was. I, I think I just wanted so badly to make my parents, to make my mom happy. And… and I thought, since he seemed to want me, that that would be enough."

Emma blinked and looked up at Regina again, willing the tears not to fall, but quickly losing that battle as she continued to unburden herself. "But it wasn't enough. I thought I could pretend, that I could make it work, but then those flashes in his eyes started and he would just lose himself longer and longer, and I … I pushed." Reaching up, she roughly brushed at the wetness on her cheeks, "imagine that right? Me pushing something?"

She tried to smile and managed something between a scoff and a chortle, but stopped when two gentle hands cupped her cheeks, thumbs wiping gently at the tears still falling.

"Emma," Regina started softly, but seeing the blonde avert her gaze, she hummed until she caught the blue eyes with her own again. "Your fortitude and determination are some of your best qualities."

Managing a genuine grin, Emma tried to jest, "doubt you thought so when we first met."

Regina pursed her lips in amusement but didn't rise to the bait, "perhaps I just didn't appreciate them being used to vex me." She gently rubbed the blonde's cheeks before directing the conversation back. "Are you ready to discuss what happened when you pushed, Emma?"

Emma swallowed. Leave it to her Queen to cut right to the point. She took a steadying breath, disarmed by the gentle strokes to her skin and the kindness and patience reflected in the chocolate brown eyes.

"I… i guess I… well it … I don't know how to explain." Emma bit her lip as she thought back over the past few days, weeks, months, and years. "I guess deep down I was fighting him on this the whole time. Something just didn't feel right. The more enmeshed we became the less like himself he behaved and the less like myself I felt. And then lately as I saw the lights more and more and he would disappear into himself further, it just, came to a head I suppose."

Regina tilted her head as if to encourage the blonde to continue, which Emma did.

"Then the other night, at my parent's dinner party, it was too much. We had a fight. I … I called him out on a lot of things. I told him it wasn't working." She closed her eyes tightly, warm tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh, Emma." The brunette's soft comforting tone caused the blonde's insides to hum with comfort and something else.

The sheriff opened her eyes and locked her gaze with Regina's, suddenly not so worried about coming clean. "I told Hook he wasn't the same person I knew, that I wasn't the same. I told him to go back to the sea, to find himself again."

Emma paused, feeling the resolve settle in her belly, "I released him."

Regina pulled back a hair blinking rapidly as her brain tried to process the last statement. "You… you released him?"

"Yes," Emma nodded, searching the brunette's gaze, "I gave him back the ring. He sailed off in the Jolly Roger. We're done."

Regina searched the blonde's face with concern, "and you are …" but she saw nothing but determination, resolution, and a small glimmer of … hope, "ok with this decision?"

"Yes," Emma managed a small smile, "actually, I feel relieved mostly, like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

Regina nodded slowly, "then I am happy for you dear."

Emma threw her head back and laughed, "I'm sure you're more than that. You hated Hook."

"Hate is a strong emotion," the brunette smirked, feeling something warm in her belly at the blonde's laughter, "I definitely believed he wasn't good enough for you. I still don't."

"Mmm," Emma grinned at the brunette before rising from the bed and heading into the bathroom to clean herself up. She made a washing gesture over her face to explain where she was going. "Well, turns out you weren't wrong," she called over her shoulder before stepping into the bathroom.

She laughed when she heard the airy reply, "I rarely am dear."

When Emma returned with a clean face, their conversation shifted dramatically into happier topics, like Henry and Lucy and their upcoming return. They talked well into the night with Regina refilling their drinks far more frequently than either realized. They avoided the earlier topics of the possible curse and the pirate's departure, in favor of catching up and enjoying this rarely shared time together.

As the night wore on, their inebriation only enhanced the relaxed atmosphere between them. This led to shoulders bumping, which led to gentle touches during stories. Followed by grips on arms and legs for emphasis or encouragement; which eventually led to hand holding and snuggles with foreheads touching as their final thoughts were shared before they faded off into unconsciousness.

The Queen was the first to slip into slumber, her head rolling onto Emma's neck. In response, the blond pulled the warm body of the brunette on top of her in a secure embrace before whispering affection and nodding off herself.

—