As soon as they arrived home, Henry ran to the door looking for his mother who was sat unpacking boxes in the living room. "Hey Ma, how come Killian picked me up?"

"Sorry Kiddo, he was out and about and his packages still hadn't arrived so it was easier for me to wait for them than for him to come home and swap with me." Her voice was soft with guilt and something else.

"Oh!" Henry noted his mother sounded a bit down. It was not like her and he hoped he hadn't made her feel sad for not being able to pick him up. "Hey it doesn't matter, there's always tomorrow." He offered her his biggest smile and she softened, melting into his embrace as he threw himself on her.

"I promise I will be there Henry. Anyway, tell me, how was your first day?" Henry proceeded to regale her with talk of his day and his excitement shone through. It warmed Emma's heart and she was happy again, convinced she'd made the right choice. Her mood only slightly dampened when Killian wandered in.

"Hey, what's for tea?"

"Oh, I haven't thought yet, been really busy. I guess I'll make something in a bit."

"Okay, not too long though ay, it's been a long day." He said as he plonked himself on the sofa.

"So how was your day?" Emma began.

"It was fine. I met the Mayor, he seems like a top bloke and, you'll never guess, he lives right next door. He invited us round for dinner this Friday Evening. Turns out his wife is Henry's teacher which is nice, it means it won't be such an awkward meet and we'll have something to talk about." Before he could continue they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Emma barely had time to stand before Henry excitedly rushed to open the door. She quickly ran after him.

"Mrs White," Henry beamed when he realised who it was. She was stood at the door with a basket full of fruit, most prominently, the ripest and glossiest looking apples you'd ever seen.

"Henry, what have I told you about just answering the door?" Emma spewed out in concern as she flung herself into the hall following her wayward son. Her breath was suddenly snatched from her throat as she realised who was standing at the door.

"Ma, Ma!" Henry said rushing to take her hand and drag her forward. "This is my teacher, Mrs White."

"Please, call me Regina, and you too Henry when we aren't in school… Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to bring you this… Welcome you to the neighbourhood." She somewhat awkwardly added as Emma took the basket from her. Emma realised she still hadn't actually said anything and was just stood there staring. She mentally chastised herself for making this awkward.

"I'm sorry, please… please come in. This is the freshest looking fruit I have ever seen. These apples look amazing, thank you… My name is Emma by the way." She offered Regina her hand as she stepped into their house, thankful for the invitation. "Please, may I offer you a glass of something?" Emma led them to the kitchen and opened the fridge before rummaging around for something. "There's apple juice, orange, a glass of white or of course water, something hot?"

Regina stood rather awkwardly at the door staring at Emma's rear that was protruding from the fridge door. Emma was wearing leggings and a tank top. Regina couldn't help but notice how toned and peachy her bum was. She felt a fluttering deep within, something she was not accustomed to at all. Henry looked to her and couldn't help but grin as he saw she was clearly lost in thought. Of course Henry realised she'd probably hadn't heard a word his Ma had said though. Henry walked up to her and was about to repeat what she'd said when Emma stood and turned to them, holding a bottle of white wine. "I fancy a glass of this. Care to join?"

"That's very kind." Emma placed two glasses on the island and began to pour, gesturing for Regina to sit. Henry huffed and poured himself a juice.

"Oh don't mind me." He said whilst he poured his own drink.

"Ha, sorry kid." Said Emma, she'd been so wrapped up in making a good first impression she'd totally neglected him.

"It's fine… you know, I'm going to go and do my homework. You'll probably only talk about boring stuff anyway. Nice to see you again Mrs White." He waved to her and she did likewise as he headed out.

"I hope I haven't interrupted anything." Said Regina coyly as she took a sip.

"Oh no, I'm glad of the distraction, I've spent two solid days unpacking. We didn't bring much with us but deciding what to keep has been a nightmare."

"I bet; I've never really had to move, I can't imagine how stressful it must be." Emma seemed surprised at this revelation.

"Oh, so you've always lived in that house?" Emma said pointing to the wall as one does. Regina sighed.

"No, but I married very young. I pretty much moved out of my parent's house and into that one. I've always lived in Storybrooke." Emma pondered that for a moment. It was a far cry from anything she'd ever known. The longest she'd been anywhere was around three years.

"Wow, so are your parents nearby?"

"No, both of my parents are dead. My father died when I was young and my mother died a few years ago." Emma instantly picked up how the different her tone was when spoke of her father compared to her mother. It was clear she loved her father, but perhaps not so much her mother. There was no way she was going to probe too much though, she barely knew the woman.

"How about you? Where have you come from?" Regina asked in reciprocation. Emma let out a little chuckle before hanging her head. She toyed with her wine glass as she continued, mumbling into it quietly.

"That is a really good question and I wish I knew… I have no idea who my parents were, I was abandoned as a baby and have basically grown up in the system, moving from home to home." Regina stared to panic slightly. She wasn't sure if she'd heard Emma right. She was pretty sure she'd heard the term abandoned and that she'd moved from home to home but the rest was a bit of a jumble. Normally in this circumstance she'd take the words she'd heard and manage to make it work by repeating what she thought she'd heard and getting them to clarify. She'd gotten quite adept at that over the last few months, but she felt she couldn't with what she'd just heard in case she somehow upset or offended her. The next thing she knew, Emma had placed her hand on top of hers. She jumped slightly and looked up to see Emma staring at her in confusion. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"Hey Regina, could you hear me then?" Emma asked really tentatively. Without realising it, whilst Regina was struggling with her inner thought's, Emma had continued to talk and then asked her if she was okay a few times. She'd noticed she wasn't responding to her words in the slightest.

"I'm sorry." Regina finally said. "No, I couldn't hear you and I'd only partially heard what you'd said when you were speaking into your glass." Regina hung her head as though it were something she should be ashamed of. "I'm sorry, I have hearing loss, but it's complicated. I'd rather not talk about it." Emma just nodded slowly whilst they locked eyes and she could clearly see this was causing the brunette some sort of inner turmoil.

"Okay, I can respect that." Emma said whilst placing her hand back on Regina's. "You do know it's nothing to be ashamed of though? Had you told me I could have made sure I was looking at you. I'm assuming you've been lip reading?"

"Sort of, not exactly. I can actually hear. If I'm looking at you, concentrating, and watching your lips, most of the time, I generally get by and don't have a problem." Emma smiled; aware she didn't really want to talk about this right now and didn't want to push too far, though she had so many questions.

"Okay, well that's good to know. I will try and make sure I am looking at you when we talk, though feel free to shout or swat me if I forget." Regina seemed to relax at this and was glad to hear the finality in her tone.

"So can you repeat what you said earlier?" Emma was happy to do so and they talked for a good while about their childhoods. Regina had learnt that Emma was indeed and orphan who'd led a very transient lifestyle and Emma had learnt that Regina did indeed love her father, but had a turbulent relationship with her mother, who seemed to be rather overbearing and controlling. They'd pretty much finished the whole bottle of wine between them and both were amazed with the ease they'd shared with one another and how naturally they seemed to bond. It was as though they'd known each other for years. They were interrupted nearly an hour later by a rather annoyed Killian, causing both women to turn to him abruptly.

"Hey love, are we actually planning on eating tonight or do you two fancy taking this date to a classy restaurant somewhere?" Regina frowned. What he said wouldn't have been so bad had it been sarcastic, but it was evident he was very serious. She quickly stood and turned back to Emma.

"I'm sorry… I didn't even think about the time or your plans… I better go." She quickly gathered her things and briskly walked out of the kitchen throwing another sorry to Killian as she walked past. He just ignored her.

"Hey Regina, wait?" Emma called after her, then cursed that she likely didn't hear and got up to follow, but by the time she'd reached the door way Regina had already left. She stormed back into the kitchen.

"That was incredibly rude! I can't believe you just did that."

"Oh come on, you'd have been in here all night had I not."

"So what! I'm allowed to if I wish… There are also far more polite way to 'interrupt', you didn't even introduce yourself." He merely huffed.

"I thought I'd given you more than enough time. What about Henry and I, planning on starving us to death?" Emma looked at him incredulously and was literally lost for words, but only for a moment.

"You're not a child Killian, and he is not a baby. You are perfectly capable of preparing or finding your own food." Killian softened slightly at this and walked up to her placing his arms around her.

"I know, but I thought we had an agreement. You know, I was going to work, and you were going to manage the house and family. I know we can be flexible on occasion, but I think I've been more than reasonable this evening." He placed a tender kiss on her lips and began to move down her neck. She almost got lost in the moment before pushing him away.

"I get that Killian, but I'm not going to be tied to this like some nineteen fifties housewife." Before she could say anything else, Henry walked in.

"Hey Ma, what's for dinner, I'm starving?" Emma sighed and Killian openly gestured to Henry in an obnoxious 'I told you so' manner.

"Fine, fine I will throw something together." She turned to Killian with a curt look before adding, "and think on how to apologise to Regina." Killian smirked and left the room, heading back to the living room, she presumed to watch television.

"What were you talking about Ma, what happened with Mrs White?"

"Oh, nothing Kid, honestly, it's okay." He wasn't convinced, but he trusted his Ma. She began to pour pasta into a saucepan and placed it on the boil. "Hey, why don't you help me chop these vegetables." Henry was more than willing to help. Emma smiled at him, not quite believing she was as fortunate as she was to have such a kind and loving little boy. She thought about her own childhood and then her mind wandered to the little Regina had said about her mother. She couldn't imagine her little Prince with anyone that didn't love him and treat him as he deserved. She felt sick at the thought of him ever being in situation where he was less than loved, mistreated even. She was pulled from thought as Henry began to speak.

"So what did you think of Mrs White?"

"I can see why you were so enamoured with her. She really seems to like you too. I'm hoping we can be good friends."

"I'm glad they live next door, you two should definitely be friends… she's real pretty too." Emma giggled.

"You are not wrong on any of those counts. Tell me though, how is it in class, I mean, can you communicate with her okay?"

"Oh, you mean her ears?"

"Yeah, what do you know about it?" Henry shrugged as he continued to slice the courgette into bigger pieces than Emma would normally like.

"Not much, Nicholas just said she can't hear very well so you need to make sure she can see you when you speak to her. The whole class is great about it and put up their hands to let her know they want to talk and everyone is free to walk up to her if we need anything."

"That's good."

"I'm just glad she works here and not in Boston."

"Oh, how do you mean?"

"I guess… everyone is just so friendly and nice here. Maybe I just haven't met them yet but there's no one in my class who comes across as a bully or mean. I don't know, maybe it's just 'cos it's a small town where everyone knows everyone else, including outside of school. I just think if she was a teacher at my old school, some of the kids would have been mean to her." Emma looked at him as he continued to chop. How on earth she had manage to raise such a caring little boy she had no idea.

"Well, let's be thankful she's here then, ay?" Henry grinned as they began to put their improvised pasta dish together.

"Hey this smells good," noted Killian as he returned to inspect things.

"Thanks," they both simultaneously replied as Henry continued to stir in the sauce.

"See, with a bit of teamwork we've managed to make tea in no time. There was nothing to worry about." Emma said placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

"Hmm," he mused. "Hey, I was thinking about heading to their local bar tonight. The mayor mentioned it earlier, said he was going. Figured I could network a bit more and try and learn more from the town gossip mill."

"Yeah sure, that sounds like a good plan."

After dinner Killian had left to find the Rabbit Hole. Emma was racked with guilt over Regina. She couldn't believe how rude Killian had been. She didn't know whether it bothered her more that he'd said what he had in the first place, or that he wasn't bothered about acting like that in front of someone else. As she and Regina hadn't swapped numbers, not that she'd overly expected them too, she felt she needed to go and apologise. There was no way she'd sleep tonight otherwise.

After she'd settled Henry in bed with a comic book, she decided she'd pay Regina a quick visit. She was just about to knock on the door of number 108 when it opened, scaring the life out of her. She couldn't help but let out a small scream and she thought the man who had appeared was going to have a heart attack as he clutched his chest, catching his breath. Had she not known Regina's father was dead she would have assumed this was he… grandfather maybe? She was trying to figure his age; he was at least in his late sixties if not in his seventies.

"I am so sorry." She said, placing an arm to his shoulder. He regained his breath and composure, lifting his balding, grey head.

"It's quite alright, young lady. How may I help you?" She stood quiet and still for a few moments.

"I..I was wondering if Regina was here? I just wanted a quick word. I am Emma by the way, your new neighbour." She held out her hand as she spoke.

"Ahh, you must be the Sheriff's wife. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Mayor White, but please call me Leopold informally." Emma really hoped her surprise didn't linger on her face too long, so this was Regina's husband. Interesting. "Tell me, was your husband planning on going to the Rabbit Hole tonight?" It took her a while to figure out that must be the name of the local bar.

"Is that your local bar? If it is then yeah, he left about an hour ago."

"Wonderful, I guess I will see him there then, just go in and find her, she was in the kitchen a few minutes ago. Don't waste your time trying to call her." With that said, he set off down the path leaving Emma somewhat disturbed by the little encounter.

Emma remembered what Henry had said earlier. She wondered how best to approach Regina without scaring her, especially since she thought she was alone in her house right now. She wandered to the kitchen, but no-one was there. Her next thought led her to the living room and sure enough, she slowly opened the door to reveal Regina curled in a chair, book in hand. She looked up upon seeing the door open and her face transformed into the most beautiful smile Emma ever seen. She could walk into that anyday.

"Emma, hi… sorry, I wasn't expecting you." Regina said whilst elegantly placing her book on the little table next to her.

"No, I'm actually here to apologise to you. Double apologise now, I didn't just let myself in, I met your husband at the door. He told me to come in and find you. I didn't just let myself in, which is of course how this must look to you right now…"

"Emma, it's fine. You're welcome." Regina laughed after listening to the poor woman begin to babble. "Please take a seat. Would you like a drink?"

"No, no thanks, I best not. I've left Henry on his own so I can't stay too long." Emma perched on the edge of the sofa before she continued. "Look I just wanted to apologise about Killian earlier. He…"

"Emma, it's okay there's no need to apologise, I'd overstayed my welcome, it's not a problem."

"No, not at all, I invited you in and you were my guest, I just feel…" She wasn't expecting too but she began to tear up, she tried desperately to stop her lip from quivering as Regina rushed over to sit next to her and slowly and carefully placed her hand on top of Emma's. Emma had no idea where all this was coming from.

"Hey, it's okay, you can tell me what's bothering you… I promise not to judge." Emma took a deep breath and looked up into Regina's eyes that were full of nothing but concern. It was the worst thing she could have done as she couldn't stop her tears from flowing. Regina slowly placed her arms around Emma, bringing her into a gentle hug and she slowly stroked the back of her head. After a few moments of soaking in this much needed comfort, Emma pulled back.

"I'm sorry, I just, I think I'm a bit overwhelmed with the move, everything has suddenly changed and so fast." Regina kept studying her eyes. She knew there was more she wanted to say but didn't push as Emma began to compose herself.

"Okay, but listen, if there's anything you ever need to talk about, or if you need help with anything, I'm always here okay?" With that Regina handed Emma her phone. "Why don't you place your number in my phone too and I will text you mine. That way if you ever need to talk, we can." Emma happily swapped numbers with Regina before she stood to head back to Henry.

"Thank you." She muttered before saying it again to ensure Regina could hear.

"Hey, it's no problem. What are friends for."