I don't own these characters; Disney/ABC does.

11: Homeward Bound

Emma went back to her room at the B&B. She needed to think. She had not accepted Regina's plea to come back home, but she was unable to ignore it. Before she could form a coherent thought, Ruby burst in.

"So, how did it go? Tell me everything!" Ruby gushed, making two fists as she rocked from side to side in front of Emma.

Emma blew out a breath and sat on the bed. "One of the worst dates I've ever been on." She had not expected that. She and Regina got along so great. How had the date gone so terribly?

Ruby's face fell. "What? No! You put so much into it!"

Emma rubbed the back of her neck. "Planning it, yes. Executing it, I fell flat on my face. Crazy thing is, though, at the end, Regina thanked me, kissed me, and asked when we'd do it again. I felt so stupid I told her I don't know."

Regina did not want to go on a date, but she humored Emma, as she often did. The thought made Emma's heart swell, but also wither at the same time. She did not know Regina like she thought she did. She might not be able to make Regina happy like she thought she could.

Ruby's face brightened. "Well, sounds like one of you had a good date."

Emma snorted. "It was just as bad for her. We barely talked beyond her giving me a lecture."

Ruby arched an eyebrow. "A lecture?"

Emma rubbed her face with both hands before going into detail. "I guess she saw how down I was over the date and how bad it was going and she told me our relationship didn't have to look like everyone else's. We don't need to date like everyone else. And, I mean, I get that it's true, but I want to date her like everyone else." She wanted to do normal things with Regina and experience a normal relationship. She craved a lasting, regular relationship, and Regina deserved the same.

Ruby folded her arms across her chest. "Do you really?"

Emma frowned. "Yeah."

"Why?"

Emma made a face. "What do you mean why?"

"Why the hell do you want to date her like everyone else when that hasn't been your thing? Hasn't been her thing either? I'm not saying you don't have to take her out. If she lets you do that, then, yeah, do that shit. But, do you need to date like the average couple?"

The scowl deepened. "She said the same thing." Why were they acting like Emma was the idiot here? How else were they supposed to have a normal relationship if they did not date?

Ruby shrugged. "Because you kinda already did the heavy lifting that early dating usually handles. Dating, in the beginning, is about learning basic things about each other and trusting each other. You're there already." Ruby pursed her lips. "You've never dated normally."

Emma blinked. "I've dated."

Ruby wagged a finger. "But, not like a regular person. All of your relationships were under weird circumstances because your life has always been kinda chaotic. You want to date normally because you're in a comfortable position to do it now. You feel like you have a chance to be normal and do things most people get to do."

Emma was not sure if that was the case. She had not thought about it too hard. "Um…"

Ruby held up a hand. "No, let it sink in. This is your pattern with Regina. Her being in your life allows you to try regular stuff. You're not scrambling like you've had to do your entire life. You got focused enough to fix your car, to get your GED, to try living on your own in a place, and to support yourself. It's not a bad thing. In fact, it's an awesome thing."

Emma kept her mouth shut and took in that information. Yeah, being with Regina allowed her these things. Is that why I wanted to do this? Just because being with her lets me do normal things? It made sense.

"She wants me to come back home," Emma said. Ruby might be able to help her make a decision, even though Ruby had made her opinion loud and clear.

Ruby put a hand on Emma's shoulder. "You can still date her when you go home. Married couples go on dates."

True enough. "Yeah, but I still want to prove I can support her."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Unless you win the lottery, you're not going to make the same money as Regina Mills. This is like if you wanted to support M&M. Do you think David worries about this crap with his rinky-dink job at the animal shelter? No. He knows financially speaking, he'll never make it there, but he and Mary Margaret are happy just the same."

Emma winced. She was not sure there was enough money in the world for David to reach Mary Margaret's level. "Is she that loaded?" She kind of knew the answer to the question and it made her stomach flip.

"She's loaded enough. Maybe that's what you need to focus on instead of dating and trying to support her. Be there enough for her to really let you in, more than she's already done. There's so many rumors about her. She's been here her entire life and I don't think anybody in town knows a lot about her."

Emma nodded. It made sense. Regina was very private, but she had so much inside. And she's willing to share that with you. You should focus on that.

"You think it's an unattainable goal to try to take care of Regina like she does me?" Emma asked.

Ruby wagged a finger at her. "I think it's a silly goal. It's fine for you to want to prove to yourself you can support yourself with a regular job, but you can't try to put yourself on Regina's level. She's one of those people who works because she wants to, not because she has to."

Emma hummed, rubbing her chin with her index finger. "I should probably talk to her."

Ruby made an impressed face while pressing her hand to her chest, extremely over the top. "You don't say!"

Emma sucked her teeth. "Shut up."

"No, but seriously, talk to her. As a couple, you both have to figure out what works for you individually and what works for you as a couple."

Emma rubbed her forehead. That seemed about right. She had a lot to learn about healthy relationships. Regina might as well. I'm not sure what her relationship was like with Mal, but the thing with Robin wasn't great.

"Are we a couple?" Emma wondered aloud, scratching her chin. It seemed so, but also not.

Ruby shrugged. "Discussion to have with her."

Emma nodded. "Do you think I should go home?"

Ruby shrugged. "I didn't think you should've left in the first place, but you had a lot of reasons why you did. Do you think you fulfilled those things yet or you could still do what you want to do from home?"

Emma was not sure how to answer that. She wanted to prove she was able to support herself in an honest, legal manner, but now she felt like she rushed it. She rushed it because she also wanted to date Regina, and did not want to risk losing Regina. But, this was not working out.

Regina was hurt by her absence. Regina was not interested in doing regular dating. Regina repeated those things often and Emma pushed right by them for her own reasons. She had to start listening to Regina.

"I'm gonna call her," Emma said.

"Brilliant idea. Maybe take off your dress and get comfortable. Be prepared for the long haul," Ruby replied.

Emma nodded. Ruby left and Emma showered. She settled into her bed, in her underwear and a sleeveless tee. She took a deep breath and then dialed Regina.

"Duckling," Regina answered before the second ring.

"Hey, did you make it home safe?" Emma asked. I should've called her when I got in to check.

"I did. I'm going over some work now."

Emma frowned. "Shouldn't you be done with work? The election is, like, two weeks away."

"Yes, but I still have to do work until January. Besides, I don't have anything better to do."

Emma was almost ready to suggest Regina could help her plan out her birthday in a few days, except… she never told Regina her birthday. Why did I never tell her my birthday? To be fair, Regina had not told her when her birthday was either. These were the types of things they would discuss over dates. Or we could've talked them out on the couch.

Emma shook those thoughts away. She needed to focus. "No Westerns on?" I'm probably the only person who knows about the Westerns, though.

Regina sniffed. "None I cared to watch. Are you all right, Duckling?"

Emma sighed. "No."

"Tell me what troubles you."

Emma scratched the back of her head. "There's so much, but the big thing is this whole move thing. Was this stupid? Should I not have moved out?"

"Do you feel like you learned something about yourself from this short time?" Regina asked.

Emma nibbled the corner of her lower lip. Did she learn something about herself? Hell, yeah. She learned she was willing to work hard if she had enough incentive. Regina was more than enough to motivate her to straighten herself out, straighten her life out, and be as normal as possible. Yeah, I need to find my own normal. Was that what Regina had been trying to tell me?

More than anything, she needed to open herself to the possibility that she was already Regina's partner. Well, hell, wasn't she hinting at that, too? She had to start truly listening to Regina and truly talking to Regina.

"I have, but I'm not sure what to do with it. I feel like I lost the point of this whole thing," Emma replied.

"You wanted to grow, be an adult. It's been three weeks. Hard to understand if you're an adult in three weeks, but you have to start somewhere and I do think you can get a sense of it. Being an adult is an ongoing process, after all," Regina said.

Emma puffed out her cheeks. "Ruby thinks I was trying my hand at being normal because I've never been able to be normal."

Regina made a noise, like a tiny grunt, but was quiet for a long moment. "Well, you never had a chance to do normal or regular things, right?"

"No, but it goes with what you were trying to tell me. We can make our own normal."

"We've already done that."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, we have." She took a deep breath. "I like our normal. I miss our normal."

"Then come home, Duckling. You can still be an adult here."

"How can I be an adult and a pet at the same time?"

Regina chuckled. "Lots of people do it. You know this."

Emma pouted. "It's not cute when you do the sexual implications."

There was another chuckle. "You sure? I'm enjoying it. In all seriousness, Duckling, you can be an adult here. You can earn a living and come home. You can pay bills and lie in my lap. You can treat me anytime to whatever you want. We can be together. If you no longer want to be a pet, we can explore that. We can explore you being a pet part-time. Whatever you want."

"Well, I like being Duckling and you like me being Duckling." She did not want to give up being a pet, but she was unable to connect being a pet with being an adult. No, listen to her. She's telling you it's possible. Listen.

"I do, but if you don't want to be Duckling anymore or only at certain times, I respect your decision and desires. I want you in my life," Regina said. Her voice was so easy, like this was not a huge admission. But, then again, she had been saying similar things. Listen.

Emma smiled. "I want to be in your life. That's part of what this journey is all about, after all. I want to be enough for you."

"And I want you to get it through your thick skull that you're already enough. I want this journey to be for you alone. Your growth."

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Come home for dinner. We'll figure it out."

Emma's stomach twisted, but her heart thumped. They would figure it out. She had to have faith. Regina wanted her. That's what I need to remember. She wants me. She could've thrown me away, but she didn't. Regina wants me. Listen.

"I look forward to it," Emma replied.

"Good. Now, go to bed. I'm sure you have an early morning ahead of you," Regina said.

Emma laughed. "Yeah, Granny's taking advantage of having an in-house handyman now. Never would've guessed so much stuff was messed up around here until she started making me a daily list."

Regina gave an amused sniff. "If only you were so handy around here."

"You never let me touch anything."

"Not after the way you broke the toaster."

Emma snickered at the memory. "That toaster was more complicated than my damn car, but I've gotten better these last few months."

"At toasting?"

"Yup. Ready to try it again whenever you're ready." Emma laughed once more.

Regina gave a little chuckle, too. "Go to bed, Duckling. We'll add that as a discussion point."

"Okay. Goodnight." The call disconnected and Emma sighed. This was such a mess and it was her fault. with luck, they would sort it out tomorrow.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina resisted the urge to go all out with her cooking. She did not want it to come across as if she was bribing Duckling to come home. They were going to talk and try to figure out how they would work. So dinner was simple and Duckling was late.

Regina's stomach turned and her throat burned, fear gnawing at her insides. What if Duckling did not come? Oh, hush. She's coming. Relax and wait.

Waiting was difficult, but Duckling texted. On my way. Promise! Ten minutes, rapid knocking at the front door. Regina answered the door, opening it without asking who was there.

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Duckling said with her hands up as she rushed inside. "Granny's grill broke and it took me all night to figure out what was wrong."

"No worries. You're here and that's what matters," Regina replied, speaking the truth.

Duckling sighed. "So, you're not mad?"

"No. Quite the opposite, in fact." Regina smiled. "Come. Dinner's ready."

"Oh, cool. I could eat a whole cow at this point!" Duckling rubbed her stomach.

"I have no doubt there." Regina led Duckling to the table. "I thought this would be better for us to just focus on each other."

Duckling nodded. "Put a lot of thought into this?" She sat down in front of the bigger plate, the one obviously hers.

Regina shook her head. "Not really. I didn't want it to seem like I was pressuring you or trying to sway you. I want you to decide on what's best for you."

"For us," Duckling said.

Regina's brow wrinkled. "Excuse me?"

"I want us to decide what's best for us. We're in this together and I haven't been acting that way. It's been about what I want when it should be about what we want and need. We're in this together."

Regina smiled. "We are."

"So, we're a couple?" Duckling asked.

Regina's eyes sparkled. "Diving right in, I see."

Duckling nodded. "I'm scared I already wasted our time and I don't want to waste more. I want to be your partner and figure out how to make things work."

"Understood. I think we can agree we're a couple. I want to come home to you in a way I've never felt with anyone."

Duckling beamed. "You got it bad."

Regina rolled her eyes. "As if I'm alone there. But, now this begs the question, how do you envision us as partners? I'm aware you want to be equals and I somewhat understand what you mean. I don't think of you as less than me because you don't have the same economic status as I do."

Duckling shook her head. "I know you don't think less of me. I have to work on my headspace, maybe?" It was a question, but seemed more like Duckling was asking herself than Regina.

Regina pursed her lips. "So, does that mean you want to stop being Duckling?"

"No, not at all." Duckling shook her head. "Being Duckling has literally been the best thing to ever happen to me. I like being Duckling and you like it, too."

"I do." Regina nodded. She enjoyed taking care of Duckling, being curled up with Duckling, and paying Duckling as much attention as possible. "So, does this mean you'll only be Duckling sometimes?"

Duckling shook her head. "I like getting to be this way around you more often than not. I think we need a safe word or gesture or something for me to stop being Duckling than anything else, but even that might not be necessary."

Regina pursed her lips, rolling those words over in her mind. "Why do you say that?"

"Because Duckling's pretty much me at this point. This is me carefree and out of survival mode. This is me being open to trusting someone to care for me. This is me showing someone what I'm like with no stress thanks to you. Duckling might as well be a term of affection you use for me. And me doing pet things is me having fun and having the opportunity to cut loose rather than stress about life. I get to play with you." Duckling's grin was bright and she sat up straighter.

Regina smirked. "They do call it pet-play, dear."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm one with the pet now. And that's why it's so hard for me to figure out how to be a partner for you. You could replace me with a labradoodle."

Regina gasped. "I would never! I'd go to the pound and pick up a stray." She winked.

Duckling chuckled. "Jokes aside, though. You could get a parrot."

"Notice I haven't done that. You are hardly replaceable," Regina said, needing Duckling to believe her. "Just as you're comfortable with me, I am comfortable with you and it's because of this relationship we've cultivated. But, you worry about contributing to the household, you have skills. You can use those skills around the house."

Duckling smirked. "So, I can touch the toaster?"

Regina smirked right back. "Touch my kitchen without my permission and we'll see what happens. I promise it won't be pretty or pleasant." She pointed her fork at Duckling.

Duckling laughed, but sounded rightfully nervous. "I'd never touch anything of yours without your permission."

Regina tilted her head. "You're aware you can touch, right? It doesn't have to be you being an annoying pet." She had to work on getting Duckling comfortable with treating the space more like home. Duckling was unsure how to behave in a home and, yes, she was comfortable, but not in the right manner someone should be at home.

"Yeah?" Duckling sat up a little straighter and her eyes lit up.

Regina reached across the table for Duckling's hand. "Yes. This is a relationship and we are a couple. You can come to me as a partner and not as a pet for affection."

Duckling blew out a breath and squeezed Regina's hand. "Okay, cool, because I wondered, worried really. I want to hug you and kiss you and do it seriously. Well, sometimes, anyway. I also like asking you for kisses and stuff."

"You can continue. I enjoy it as well."

"I love the silly stuff, too, like when you rub noses with me. I love the forehead kisses, too."

"Those will continue." Regina enjoyed any tiny bits of affection she bestowed on Duckling.

Duckling nodded and ate some of her food. "Is it all right if I pay some bills around here? Just to help with this being an adult thing."

"That's fine. I'd rather wait for you to have a steady job and save up a little beforehand. You working odd jobs for Granny isn't a fitting career. Is this something you want to do long term?"

Duckling shook her head. "No. I think Granny's humoring me, anyway. She knows all the stuff she asks me to do, I'd do for free. I needed a paycheck now and she's giving me what she can spare."

"You don't have to rush yourself."

Duckling nodded. "Yeah, I'm getting the sense of that."

"I know you rushed this because you think I'm going somewhere. I'm not. If you want to continue living on your own, I won't stop you, but you're aware of what I want." Regina was ignorant she still had this type of selflessness inside of her. It was refreshing, as she always feared it died with Daniel.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna come home. We can find our normal." Duckling smiled.

Regina's face lit up. I must look like a love-sick fool. She did not care. "I'd like that."

"Tomorrow then."

"If that's when you want." Regina was ready to suggest tonight. Duckling could get her meager belongings and be back in time for them to watch a movie.

Duckling let out a long sigh of relief. "I want us to work."

"You're not alone there."

Duckling nodded and a lopsided grin slid onto her face. "We're girlfriends now, huh?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "You may use that term if you like."

"I like. You're my girlfriend." Duckling smiled ear to ear.

-8-8-8-8-

Emma brought her things back home while Regina was at work. Ruby and Granny both helped her load everything into her car, which drove home this was the right decision. She appreciated that everyone supported her in deciding to move out, even though it was clear they all thought it was a mistake. It was her mistake to make, though, and they were there to catch her. If nothing else, this taught her that her people had her back. She had amazing people on her side for once.

Once all of her stuff was in her nest, she had to go back to work. Granny was getting her money's worth with Emma around the B&B. Emma did not mind. She was happy to be of service, but she was even more happy to go home.

"Glad you finally figured this out, kid," Granny said as Emma repaired a banister in the B&B.

Emma arched an eyebrow as she finished putting in a screw. "How to fix this?" She nodded to the banister. It was not hard.

Granny gave her a light shove. "You know what I'm talking about. You don't leave a place that's home the second it starts to feel like home."

"I didn't leave the second it felt like home. It's been home for months now. I'm just learning some life lessons."

Granny nodded. "I'm glad you're learning point blank and not getting hurt by the lessons."

Emma had to smile at that one. "I'm in a safe place for it, not only with Regina, but with you and Ruby and M&M. I'm figuring myself out and you all make it possible. I can't thank you enough."

"You don't have to suck up, kid. I'm still gonna pay you for this."

Emma laughed. "You better. This was a bitch to fix. Who yanked it out of the wall like that?"

"That's years of wear and tear there. You're surprisingly handy for a person I've seen bang her head against a window a bunch of times trying to take a better look at something outside." Granny smiled at her.

Emma held up her screwdriver, pointing the sharp end at Granny. "Rude. I'm kinda good with stuff like this because I had to fix stuff when I was little rather than getting new stuff or to avoid getting in trouble with terrible foster parents."

"I know. It's getting late. Make sure you finish this up soon. You don't want to be late for your first night home with your girlfriend."

Emma grinned and did not correct Granny for the first time. Granny winked at her and left her to finish up. She worked fast, but not so fast as to mess up.

Emma made it home before Regina came in and took a shower. She got into sweats and a tank top, but what made her heart leap with genuine glee was putting her collar on. It felt like ages since she wore it and she missed it.

With a sigh, she caressed the collar and pressed it to her neck. Relief ran through her and joy filled spaces in her that she had not realized were empty. A weight lifted off her shoulders, off her chest, and off her soul. She giggled, giddy to be back where she belonged.

Then, the door opened. Her heart skipped a beat. She rushed Regina, kissing her before she even had time to close the door. Emma kicked it shut, not wanting to let Regina go.

Regina responded, returning the kiss. She wrapped her arms around Emma, holding her tight. When they pulled apart, they smiled at each other.

"Welcome home," Regina said.

"It's good to be back," Emma replied. This was the truth.

"Whatever shall we do then?"

Emma put her hands on Regina's hips. "Lay on the couch and watch a movie? Order out?"

Regina tilted her head. "You sure you don't want me to cook? You know I enjoy it."

"Yeah, but it'd be nice to have some junk food or something easy. Enjoy some comfort food with you."

"Okay, if that's what you want. Let me go take a shower and I'll meet you on the sofa."

Emma gave Regina a quick peck as she let Regina go. She flopped down on the couch and waited, fluff flowing through her. She scrolled through her phone, searching for top restaurants. Maybe Thai. She had only had Thai food once or twice.

Before Emma made a decision, Regina was back and pressed against her side. Emma's breath hitched for a moment as she breathed in Regina's scent, vanilla and berries. Emma wasted no time burying her nose in Regina's neck. Regina tilted her head, giving Emma better access.

"Did you figure out where you want to eat?" Regina asked.

Emma pulled away. "I was thinking Thai, but I don't know much about Thai food. Not sure where to begin."

Regina snorted. "When has that stopped you?"

"True enough." Emma scanned the menu on her phone. "I can't even pronounce these." She chuckled.

"Again, when has that stopped you?"

Emma surrendered there and picked something that sounded and looked tasty based on the picture and description. Regina chose her meal in almost no time. Twenty minutes and they would have food.

"So, are you happy to be home?" Regina asked.

"Definitely. I'm going to do my best to listen and hear you out better. I should've listened to you when you told me how it hurt for me to leave," Emma replied.

Regina rubbed her knee. "I'm glad you realized that, but please understand I fully supported you because you believed you needed to do it."

Emma smiled. "Stuff like this is why you're the best person I know."

"And you were right. You came to this realization because you left."

Emma nodded. "I guess you're right about that. I also realized we need to talk more. Some of the stuff is junk we'd usually cover on dates, but also stuff we could've covered on this couch if I wasn't such a tight-mouth ass."

Regina snickered. "First of all, you're a duckling, not an ass. Second of all, you're mine, so you can't insult yourself in such a manner because I don't have anything that's not top quality. Plus, I'm more knowledgeable than most as to why you might not want to share. I've only recently started to share, after all."

"I wanted to open up when you started, but it's hard. I want to start small right now."

Regina gave her a small smile. "Please."

"Um… my birthday is in two days," Emma admitted.

"I know."

Emma blinked. "You know? How do you know?"

Regina shook her head. "You don't clean out your pants' pockets well. You've left your wallet in your pocket often. I'm quite surprised you can fit a wallet in your jeans' pocket."

Emma laughed. "My wallet has a single piece of ID in it and nothing else. It's basically flat. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was waiting for you. I didn't want to violate your privacy. It's your information to share."

"Thanks for that." Emma was not sure why, but she appreciated it. "I'm gonna be twenty-three if you forgot."

"Trust me, I have not forgotten." Regina glanced down. "Do you have plans for your birthday?"

Emma shrugged. "Meh. I usually buy a cupcake and make a stupid wish on a single candle."

"Oh, Emma." Regina kissed her cheek. "We can do better than that if you want. Do you want to do something for your birthday?"

Emma shook her head. "I really don't know. I'm not used to celebrating my birthday. It wasn't like it was a happy day to begin with. I was left on the side of the road as a newborn. I almost died."

"Oh, Duckling." Regina wrapped her in a warm embrace. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm glad you didn't die. I would like to celebrate the fact you're on this Earth as best we can with your permission."

Emma's brow wrinkled. "You wanna have a party?"

"It doesn't have to be a party, only something to show I'm happy you're here. Also, I think you'd be surprised by how many people are happy you're here."

Emma nodded. She never thought about it, but Regina was probably right. Some people would celebrate her birthday, people who were happy she existed. Hell, for once, she was happy she existed.

"I think I want to celebrate with you," Emma said.

"Okay…" Regina waited.

Emma smiled. "I just want us to be together since we missed so much time together once I moved out. Plus, a celebration with my friends next year gives me something to look forward to."

Regina nodded. "Gives me time to plan your party, then."

"Please, don't make it a formal event."

Regina scoffed and waved off the request. "Oh, please. You're a duckling. We're having your party at the pond and I'm bringing a loaf of bread for you."

Emma laughed, throwing her head back. "Joke's on you. I'd love that and I'd eat a loaf of bread by myself."

"I'm fully aware you'd merrily eat a loaf of bread. After all, I'm still buying peanut butter weekly for you."

Emma moaned. "That peanut butter is ridiculously good. I'm almost certain it's got drugs in it. We should've had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches tonight."

Regina laughed and then their food arrived. They sat on the couch and shared their meals. It was not something they usually did. Emma enjoyed it. I hope she'll want to order out again like this.

-8-8-8-8-

Regina managed to hold herself back from going all out for Duckling's birthday. The basics, balloons, wrapped presents, and she made the cake. With Duckling's permission, she informed Maleficent and Tinker Bell of the exact date of Duckling's birthday and they had presents for her. They gave them to Regina, so she would give them to Duckling.

Regina was home before Duckling, who had insisted on going to Granny's to continue her odd jobs. It did not seem like Granny or Duckling's friends were aware it was her birthday. Duckling was serious about not celebrating. With luck, this would change. Regina wanted to celebrate Duckling's life.

The cake was made and laid out with two candles topping it, the number twenty-three. Birthday meal and dessert made with balloons floating over them. Plus, a special little thing. A knock at the door put her in action, grabbing her small, yet significant gift.

"Welcome home," Regina said to Duckling.

Duckling smiled at her. "Happy to be here."

"And happy birthday." Regina held up a plate, presenting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to her dear Duckling. It was simple, but it was extraordinary and meaningful for them.

Duckling's smile grew into a massive grin. "Oh, how it all began." She accepted the plate and bit into the sandwich. She hummed. "Oh, wow! How do you make it better than I do? It's just peanut butter and jelly!"

Regina waved her off. "One of us has more experience making sandwiches. Enjoy it. Go get comfortable. we have dinner, cake, and gifts."

Duckling giggled and finished her sandwich in three bites. Regina moved to check on everything, even though it was ridiculous. She had already set things up exactly how she wanted and considered, reconsidered, and rearranged a couple of times. She wanted this simple thing to be perfect.

And, it was perfect. After Duckling's shower, Regina pampered her with all of her usual grooming things, hair washed and brushed, skin exfoliated, and lotioned. Duckling's eyes drooped, clearly ready to fall asleep from that, but then dinner in front of her energized her. She gasped.

"Taco platter?" Duckling pressed her hands to her cheeks.

"I thought you'd like it. It was this or homemade pizza," Regina replied.

Duckling's mouth dropped open. "I could've had homemade pizza? Okay, no, I'm very happy with the tacos."

"Eat as many as you like." There was enough there for Duckling to have eight tacos if she wanted. Regina would have one.

Duckling dived right in and gorged herself on two steak tacos with the works. Then, moved on to the shrimp. Somehow, she even managed two spicy chicken tacos. Then, she dropped onto the sofa with a pleased moan, ready to sleep again. Her eyes closed.

"No cake?" Regina asked.

Duckling groaned, rubbing her stomach. "I definitely want cake. And, I wanna hear you sing Happy Birthday."

Regina laughed. "I figured."

Regina brought the cake to Duckling and lit the candles. Duckling sat up and Regina sang, putting as much effort as possible into such a basic song. They locked eyes and Duckling gazed at her as if she sang the greatest words in creation. By the end, Regina leaned down and offered Duckling a gentle kiss. Duckling cooed against her lips.

"Best birthday ever," Duckling whispered.

"There are gifts if you want to open them," Regina said.

Duckling nodded. "Yeah, but I'm also damn happy to be here with you. Let's eat some cake."

Regina cut them two small slices. "I'm sorry it's so big." She meant the cake. She had not been able to help herself. "I needed the cake to reflect my affection for the person who needed to be celebrated."

Duckling's eyes sparkled. "That's so sweet. Don't worry about the size of the cake. It'll be a good way for me to tell my friends it was my birthday when I give them slices tomorrow. I can do that, right?"

"It's your cake. You can do whatever you want with it."

Duckling smiled, like she needed to hear those words. They ate cake. Regina cut slices for Duckling's friends and wrapped them for her to take tomorrow. She opened her gifts: a coffee tumbler from Regina, a fluffy blanket from Maleficent, and a cell phone cover from Tink. Duckling needed the last present more than anything else as her phone's screen was shattered. Regina would have the screen repaired soon.

"Best birthday ever," Duckling muttered, head resting on Regina's chest, body snuggled between Regina's legs. They were covered in the birthday blanket.

Regina caressed Duckling's scalp. "They'll get better." She would make sure of it.

Duckling sighed, kissing Regina's neck. "Thank you." And with those words, uttered in a low breath, she fell asleep, face peaceful.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: they try to find their normal as a couple.